You did intend some scorne to great Magistrats and men in authority, either alive or deceassed, under couert names to cover som knauery? no as God Judge me my Lord, not guiltie, the good yeare of all the knauerie and knaues to for 'me. By who will you be tryed ? By the Queene and the Ladies, by the Counsell and the Lordes. What sawcie younker will not meaner tryall serue you? No good Faith my Lord, I loued alwayes to be the worst of the companie.

Well since this is the judgement of the Court, that because there is hope you may prooue a wiser man hereafter, and that you haue some better friend then you are worthie of, you shall haue this fauour; if the inditement happen to be found you shall trauers it, and you shall chuse xij. freeholders bonos & legales homines, that shal enquire of the qualitie of your discourse, and bring in their verdict quindena Paschæ, & if they find guilty, you shall haue a hole bored in

What to do? to weare my Mrs. fauour at? Now, God saue your Mrs. life, my Lord. Clarcke of the peace draw this endytemēt vpõ the foure last articles that he denied, and vpõ the Statute of Scādale, for I tel you we must teach you to learne the lawes of the Realme, as well as your rules of Poetrie Lawes? I trow I haue the law at my fingers endes.

Aures perdetes super & sint Pillory stantes,
Scandala rumantes in Regis consiliantes,
Aut in magnates noua seditiosa loquentes,
Non producentes autores verba ferentes.

Their eares must on the Pillory be nayla
That haue against her highnesse counsell raylı,
Or such as of the Peeres fowle brutes do scatter,
And cannot bring their autor for the matter.

Wherefore you shall find I will keepe me safe enough from scandaling, And if you do, it is the better for you.' . The Third Tract in the volume is

“ ULYSSES UPON AJAX,

Written by Mesodiaboles to his Friend Philaretes. Printed at London, for Thomas Gubbins.

1596." This is a facetious piece of pleasantry upon the same subject as the former Tracts.

Taking the whole together, I do not know that we have any thing in the English language, which in style, manner and humour, bears greater resemblance to the performances of Rabelais.

STRENA

STRENA

THE Two Volumes which I now place before the public do not contain a greater literary curiosity than this which follows. No other copy is known to exist; except the original, from which this transcript was made, and which I here faithfully subjoin. The original is in his Majesty's library.

This little Poem was purchased at Mr. West's sale, and will be found in the Catalogue of his Books, Art. 4586. It is noticed in Herbert's Edition of Ames's History of Printing, v. 3. p. 1469, who describes this copy. At the back of the last page is a wooden print, representing two savages at full length, betwixt them stands a tree with many owls in it, and upon it is suspended a shield, with T. D. in cypher. Under this tree is printed Tuomas Da..

The following note which is in manuscript prefixed to the Poem, appears to have been written in the last Century.

" This Poem is reckond a great curiosity never having scen or heard of any' such Copy, besides in this it is curious, that some persons well versed in old matters printed in Scotland own’d they never saw any piece of print well

documented to be printed in Scotland older than this Poem, or any thing so old, and I am humbly of this opinion, never any thing printed in Scotland before this having occurred to me in any enquiries nor have I observed any printer in Scotland before Thomas Davidson.

“ This is thought to be printed about yē year 1525. In 1536 He printed Bellendens translation of Hector Boece's Hist. of Scotland and is designed then, the King's printer.”

“ AD SERENISSIMUM SCOTORUM REGEM JACOBUM QUINTUM DE SUSCEPTO REGNI REGIMINE A DIIS FELICITER OMINATO STRENA.

Tempora magnanimo que nunc felicia Regi

Sydera portendunt, dicere musa cupit.
Ausus ob hec nimium tenui cantare camena,

Incipiam auspitiis rex Jacobe tuis.
Puri dum tu dulce decus, concede fauorem

Edere judicio metra legenda bono.
Torpentes fracto reparcs cum pectine neruos,

Et moucas docilem per tua fila manum.
Principium bifrons anni Jam Janus apertum

Fecerit, et phebus celsius orbe micat.
Ipse potens rerum pater alta mente reponens

Omnia, fatales prospiciensq. vices,
Protinus aligerum coram subet esse ministrum,

Clausaque dat claris scripta ferenda deo.
Jussa peracturus tecto Jouis euolat alto

Nuncius, et rapidum flectitur ante deum,

Phebe

Phebe (ait) immensi magnus tibi rector olympi

Scribit epistolio que velit ille, suo.
Cura fuit phebo celeres cohibere Jugales,

Et cohibet, donec litera lecta fuit,
Nec mora, signatum diducit pollice ceram,

Et legit auratis talia verba notis.
Nos qui celestes positis digessimus orbes

Legibus, et certis voluimus astra modis,
Cura hominum nonnulla tenet terrena potestas

Summa nisi flaueant numina, nulla foret. En mea progenies regni moderator auiti

Jam sceptrum arripuit, Scotica iura tuens,
Est illic pietas, illic reuerentia nostri,

Est illic pure religionis amor
U't regem auersata fuit fortuna potentem,

Dura sub infausto sydere fatá tulit.
Nam desperatis languet pessundata rebus

Scotia, que miseros ducere visa dies.
Factio, rupta fides, et pax simulata, tumultus,

Fulsus amor, cedes, lata rapina, dolus,
Regnandi cepere locum, concordia, fedus,

Pax, amor atq. quits, et sine cede manus':
Extorres abiere simul aurea veri

Gloria, iustitie lycia rupta iacent,
Nam vexat iustos immensa licentia furum,

Templorum passim diruta tecta cadunt.
Si quis in hac dignus est tempestate catonis

Nomine perpetuo, consilioq valens, Ipsius catilina loco sceleratus honore

Fungitur, et tumido suspicit ore minax.
Elati incedunt mentita pelle lycurgi,

Is bonus est consul, qui mage fraudis habet,
Cogimur errores tandem componere tantos
Ne quis regnantem non putet esse Jouem.

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