SPIDER AND FLIE is perhaps the mock-fight between the spiders and flies, an awkward imitation of Homer's BATRACHOMUOMACHY. The preparations for this bloody and eventful engagement, on the part of the spiders, in their cobweb-castle, are thus described.

Behold! the battilments in every loope:

How th' ordinance lieth, flies far and nere to fach:
Behold how everie peace, that lieth there in groope,
Hath a spider gonner, with redy-fired match.
Behold on the wals, spiders making ware wach:
The wach-spider in the towre a larum to strike,
At aproch of any nomber shewing warlike.

Se th' enprenabill fort, in every border,
How everie spider with his wepon doth stand,
So thorowlie harnest, in so good order:
The capital spider, with wepon in hand,
For that sort of sowdiers so manfully mand,
With copwebs like casting nets all flies to quell :
My hart shaketh at the sight: behold it is hell!i

The beginning of all this confusion is owing to a fly entering the poet's window, not through a broken pane, as might be presumed, but through the lattice, where it is suddenly entangled in a cobweb. The cobweb, however, will be allowed to be sufficiently descriptive of the poet's apartment. But I mention this circumstance as a probable proof, that windows of lattice, and not of glass, were now the common fashion.1

John Heywood died at Mechlin in Brabant about the year 1565*. He was inflexibly attached to the catholic cause, and on the death of queen Mary quitted the kingdom. Antony Wood remarks, with his usual acrimony, that it was a matter of wonder with many, that, considering the great and usual want of principle in the profession, a poet should become a voluntary exile for the sake of religion.

among.

Art thou Heywood that would be made mery now?

Yea, sir, helpe me to it now I beseech yow.

In the CONCLUSION to the SPIDER AND FLIE, Heywood mentions queen Mary and king Philip'. But as most of his pieces seem to have been written some time before, I have placed him under Henry the Eighth.

[The following doubtless was composed on the spousals of Philip and Mary: "A balade specifienge partly the maner, partly the matter, in the most excellent meetyng and lyke mariage betwene our soveraigne Lord and our soveraigne Lady, the kynges and queenes highnes. Pende by John Heywood.' Herb. p. 800. Oldys says he had seen

Worthies of

Fuller speaks of a book written by Hey-
which are said to be non tam labore con-
wood entitled "Monumenta Literaria,"
dita, quam lepore condita.
London, p. 221. Lord Hales pointed
out a few lines in The Evergreen as the
composition of Heywood, but they prove
to be one of his Epigrams Scoticised.
See Cent. i. p. 25.-PARK.]

* [An epilogue or conclusion to the works of Heywood in 1587, by Thomas Newton the Cheshire poet, thus notices his decease:

This author Haywood dead and gone,

and shrinde in tombe of clay, Bifore his death by penned workes did carefully assay

To builde himselfe a lasting tombe, not made of stone and lyme,

But better farre and richer too triumphing over Tyme.-PARK.] MATH. OXON. i. 150.

[Mr. Warton must have read the Conclusion of Heywood very cursorily, says Herbert, or he would not have been at such a loss for the intention of his poem of the Spider and the Flie.-PARK.]

SECTION XLIII.

I KNOW not if sir Thomas More may properly be considered as an English poet. He has, however, left a few obsolete poems, which although without any striking merit, yet, as productions of the restorer of literature in England, seem to claim some notice here. One of these is, A MERY JEST how a SERGEANT would learne to play the FREERE, Written by Maister Thomas More in hys youth. The story is too dull and too long to be told here. But I will cite two or three of the prefatory stanzas.

He that hath lafteb the Hosier's crafte,

And falleth to making shone;
The smythe that shall to payntyng fall,
His thrift is well nigh done.

A blacke draper with whyte paper,
To goe to writyng scole,

An olde butler becum a cutler,

I

wene shall prove a fole.

And an olde trot, that can, got wot,

Nothyng but kysse the cup,
With her phisick will kepe one sicke,
Till she have soused hym up.

A man of lawe that never sawe
The wayes to bye and sell,
Wenyng to ryse by marchaundyse,
I praye God spede hym well!
A marchaunt eke, that wyll goo seke

may,

By all the meanes he
To fall in sute tyll he dispute

His money cleane away;

a WORKES, Lond. 1557. in folio. Sign. Ti.

Pletyng the lawe for every strawe,
Shall prove a thrifty man,

With bated and strife, but by my life,
I cannot tell you whan.
Whan an hatter wyll go smatter
In philosophy;

Or a pedlar waxe a medlar
In theology.

In these lines, which are intended to illustrate, by familiar examples, the absurdity of a serjeant at law assuming the business of a friar, perhaps the reader perceives but little of that festivity, which is supposed to have marked the character and the conversation of sir Thomas More. The last two stanzas deserve to be transcribed, as they prove, that this tale was designed to be sung to music by a minstrel, for the entertainment of company.

Now Masters all, here now I shall

Ende there as I began;

In any wyse, I would avyse,

And counsayle every man,

His own craft use, all newe refuse,

And lyghtly let them gone:

Play not the FRERE, Now make good cheere,

And welcome everych one.

This piece is mentioned, among other popular story-books in 1575, by Laneham, in his ENTERTAINMENT AT KILLINGWORTH CASTLE in the reign of queen Elisabeth".

IN CERTAIN METERS, written also in his youth, as a prologue for his BOKE OF FORTUNE, and forming a poem of considerable length, are these stanzas, which are an attempt at personification and imagery. FORTUNE is represented sitting on a lofty throne, smiling on all mankind, who are gathered around her eagerly expecting a distribution of her favours.

Then, as a bayte, she bryngeth forth her ware,
Silver and gold, riche perle and precious stone;
On whiche the mased people gase and stare,
And gape therefore, as dogges doe for the bone.
FORTUNE at them laugheth: and in her trone
Amyd her treasure and waveryng rychesse
Prowdly she hoveth as lady and empresse.
Fast by her syde doth wery Labour stand,
Pale Fere also, and Sorow all bewept ;
Disdayn and Hatred, on that other hand,
Eke restles Watche fro slepe with travayle kept:
Before her standeth Daunger and Envy,

Flattery, Dysceyt, Mischiefe, and Tiranny.f

Another of sir Thomas More's juvenile poems is, A RUFUL LAMENTACION on the death of queen Elisabeth, wife of Henry the Seventh, and mother of Henry the Eighth, who died in childbed, in 1503. It is evidently formed on the tragical soliloquies, which compose Lydgate's paraphrase of Boccace's book DE CASIBUS VIRORUM ILLUSTRIUM, and which gave birth to the MIRROR FOR MAGISTRATES, the origin of our historic dramas. These stanzas are part of the queen's complaint at the approach of death.

Where are our castels now, where are our towers?
Goodly Rychemonde, sone art thou gone from me!
At Westmynster that costly worke of yours
Myne owne dere lorde, now shall I never see!
Almighty God vouchesafe to graunt that ye
For you and your children well may edify,
My palyce byldyd is, and lo now here I ly. h.
Farewell my doughter, lady Margaretei !
God wotte, full oft it greved hath my mynde
That ye should go
where we should seldome mete,

f Ibid. Sign. T vi.

the palace of Richmond. h King Henry the Seventh's chapel, begun in the year 1502. The year be

VOL. III.

2 c

fore the queen died.

i Married in 1503 to James the Fourth, king of Scotland.