it, gave him leave, and withall apointed him a place; but for himselfe, he could not be there, being in the evening; but made him make the best benefit he could of the citie; and very liberally gave him an angell, which George thankfully receives, and about his businesse he goes, got his stage made, his hystory cryed, and hyred the players apparell, to flourish out his show, promising to pay them liberally, and withall desired them they would favor him so much as to gather him his money at the doore; (for he thought it his best course to imploy them, lest they should spie out his knaverie; for they have perillous heads;) They willingly yeeld to doe him any kindnes that lyes in them; in briefe, carry their apparell to the hall, place themselves at the doore, where George, in the meane time, with the tenne shillings he had of the Maior, delivered his horse out of purgatorie, and carries him to the towndes end, and there placed him, to be redy at his comming. By this time, the audience were come, and some forty shillings gathered, which money George put in his purse, and putting on one of the players silk robes after the trumpet had sounded thrice, out he comes, makes low obeysaunce, goes forward with his Prologue, which was thus:

A trifling toy, a jest of no account pardie.
The Knight, perhaps, you thinke for to bee I:
2 2

Thinks

Thinke on so still: for why, you know that thonght is free.

Sit still a while, Ile send the actors to ye.

Which being said, after some fire workes, that hee had made of purpose, threw out among them, and downe stayres goes he, gets to his horse, and so with fortie shillings to London: leaves the players to aunswere it: who, when the jeste was knowne, their innocence excused them, being as well gulled as the Maior and the audience."

"THE BATCHELARS BANQUET;

OR

A BANQUET FOR BATCHELARS: wherein is prepared sundrie dainties to furnish their table, curiously drest, and seriously served in

Pleasantly discoursing

The variable Humours of Women, their quicknesse of witttes and unsearchable deceits.

View them well, but taste not;

Regard them well, but waste not.

London.

Printed by T. C. and are to be solde by T. P.

1603."

PUTTENHAM,

PUTTENHAM.

"ARTE OF ENGLISH POESIE."

I transcribe the following note from the Roxburgh copy.

"Although this work is dated 1589, it was manifestly written much earlier. Our author refers to Sir Nicholas Bacon, who began to be high in the departments of the law in Queen Mary's time, and died in 1579. See p. 116, where Puttenham tells a story, from his own knowledge, in the year 1553, of a ridiculous oration made in parliament by a new speaker of the house, &c."

In a copy of this book, formerly belonging to Ben Jonson, is the following list of the works of Puttenham. The list is in the hand writing of old Ben himself.

"Hierotechni.

A Briefe Romance of the Isle of G. Brittyn.
Triumphalles.

Gynococratia.

The Originals and Pedigree of the Engl. Toung.

The Enter-view of two great Princesses.

Elpine, an Eclogue.

Lustie London, an Enterlude.

Epitaphs.

Q 3

Parthe

Partheniades.

The Wooer, an Enterlude.

Minerva, an Hymne.

Philocalia.

A Book de Decoro."

" ESSAYES OF CERTAINE PARADOXES.

(By Cornwalles, M. S.)

The second impression, inlarged.

London.

Printed for Richard Hawkins, and are to be sold at his shop neare Serjeants-Inne, in Chancery-Lane. 1617.”

"This tract is extremely scarce, and treats a good deal of Richard the Third, of whose history so little is known.

S. W. N. S. Ireland, Jun."

M. S.

"FUNEBRIA FLORE,

THE

DOWNFALL OF MAY GAMES.

Wherein is set forth, the rudeness, prophaneness, stealing, drinking, fighting, dancing, whoring, misrule, mis-spence of precious time, contempt of God, and godly magistrates, ministers and people, which oppose the rascality, and rout in

their open prophaneness, and heathenish cus

toms.

Occasioned by the generall complaint of the rudeness of people in this kinde, in this interval of settlement.

Here you have twenty arguments against those prophane sports, and all the cavills made by the Belialists of the time, refelled and aunswered.

Together, with an addition of some verses in the close, for the delight of the ingenious reader. By Thos. Hall, B. D. and Pastor of Kings Norton.

Yee shall keep mine ordinances, that yee commit not any of those abominable customs which were committed before you, and that yee defile not yourselves therein. I am the Lord. 18, 30. Levit.

3.

The customs of the people are vain. Jer. 10.

Populi plaudunt non consultoribus utilitatum suarum, sed largitoribus voluptatum. Aug. de Civit. Dei, 1. 2. c. 20.

Bona conscientia prodire vult & conspici, ipsas nequitia tenebras timet. Seneca Epist. 98. London. Printed for Henry Mortlock, at the Phoenix, in St. Paul's Church Yard, near the Little North Door. 1660."