lends me poour to utter my minde. And, having az good cauz of his honor, az Virgil had of Augustus Cezar, will I poet it a littl with Virgil', and say, A singular patron of humanittee may he be well unto us toward all degreez: of honor, toward hy estates; and cheeflye whearby we may learne in what dignitee, worship, an reverens her Highnes is to be esteemed, honored, and received, that waz never indeed more condignly doon then heer; so as neither by the bylders at first, nor by the Edict of pacification after 3, was ever Kenelworth more nobled, then by hiz Lordship's receiving hir Highnes heer now. But Jesu, Jesu, whither am I drawen noow? But talk I of my Lord onz, een thus it farez with me: I forget al my freends, and myself too. And yet yoo, being a Mercer, a Merchant, az I am; my cuntreeman born, and my good freend withall, whearby I kno ye ar compassiond with me; methought it my part sumwhat to empart unto yoo hoow it iz here with me, and hoow I lead my life, which indeed iz this. A mornings I rise ordinarily at seaven a clok. Then reddy, I go into the Chappell; soon after eyght, I get me commonly intoo my Lord's chamber, or into my Lord's prezidents. Thear at the cupboord after I have eaten the manchet served over night for livery (for I dare be az bolld, I promis yoo, as any of my freends the servaunts thear; and indeed coold I have fresh, if I woold tarry; but I am of woont jolly and dry a mornings). I drink me up a good bol of ale; when in a sweet pot it iz defecated by al night's standing, the drink iz the better, take that of me; and a morsell in a morning, with a sound draught, is very holsome and good for the ey-sight. Then I am az fresh all the forenoon after, az had I eaten a hole pees of beef. Noow, Syr, if the Councell sit, I am at hand; wait at an inch, I warrant yoo. If any make babling, "Peas," say I, "whoot ye whear ye ar?" If I take a lystenar, or a priar in at the chinks or at the lok-hole, 4 This alludes to the famous Dictum de Kenelworth, of which an account has been given in the History of the Castle. 1266, an. 50 Hen. III. A participle formed of the Latin verb defæco, to purify liquors from their lees and foulness. 3 a I am by and by in the bones of him. But now they keep good order, they kno me well inough. If a be a freend, or such a one az I lyke, I make hym sit dooun by me on a foorm or a cheast; let the rest walk, a God's name. And heer doth my langagez now and than stond me in good sted; my French, my Spanish, my Dutch, and my Latten. Sumtime amoong Ambassadour's men, if their master be within the Councel; sumtime with the Ambassadour himself, if hee bid call his lacky, or ask me what's a clok; and I warrant ye I aunswer him roundly; that they marvel to see such a fellow thear; then laugh I, and say nothing. Dinner and supper I have twenty placez to go to, and hartly prayd to. Sumtime get I to Master Pinner; by my faith, a worshipfull Gentleman, and az carefull for hiz charge az ony hir Highnes hath; thear find I alway good store of very good viaunds; we eat, and bee merry, thank God and the Queene. Himself in feeding very temperat and moderat az ye shall see ony; and yet, by your leave, of a dish, az a colld pigeon or so, that hath cum to him at meat more than he lookt for, I have seen him een so by and by surfit, as he hath pluct off hiz napkin, wyept his knife, and eat not a morsell more; lyke ynoough to stick in hiz stomake a too days after. (Sum hard message from the higher Officers; perceive ye me?) Upon search, hiz faithfull dealing and diligens hath found him faultles. In afternoons and a nights, sumtime am I with the right woorshipfull Sir George Howard, az good a Gentleman as ony livez: And sumtime, at my good Lady Sidneis chamber, a Noblwooman that I am az mooch boound untoo, as ony poore man may bee unto so gracyous a Lady; and sumtime in sum oother place. But alwayez among the Gentlewemen by my good will; (O, yee kno that cumz alweyez of a gentle spirite): And when I see cumpany according, than can I bee az lyvely too: Sumtyme I foote it with dauncing: noow with my gittern, and els with my cittern 1, then at the virgynalz2: Ye kno nothing cums amisse to mee: Then carroll I up a song withall; that by and by they com flocking about me lyke beez to hunny: And ever they cry, "Anoother, good Langham, anoother!" Shall 'These instruments, if not the same, were at least closely resembling each other. The words are a corruption from the Spanish citara, a guitar; or citron, a guitar-maker. Citterns were a species of that extensive class of musical instruments of the guitar form, known in the best era of music in England, which went under the names of the Lute Ompharion, Bambora, &c. some of which had notes to 9.-See "A Pathway of Musick," obl. 8vo. • The virginals was a keyed instrument of one string to each note like a spinet, but in shape resembling a small piano-forte. I tell yoo? when I see Misterz (A, see a madde Knave; I had almost tollde all) that she gyvez onz but an ey or an ear; why then, man, am I blest; my grace, my corage, my cunning iz doobled: She sayz, sumtime, "She likes it;' and then I like it mooch the better; it dooth me good to heer hoow well I can doo. And to say truth; what with myne eyz, az I can amorously gloit it, with my Spanish sospires', my French heighes, myne Italian dulcets, my Dutch hovez, my doobl releas, my hy-reaches, my fine feyning, my deep diapason, my wanton warblz, my running, my tyming, my tuning, and my twynkling, I can gracify the matters az well as the proudest of them, and waz yet never staynd, I thank God: By my troth, Cuntreman, it iz sumtim hy midnight ear I can get from them. And thus have I told ye most of my trade, al the leeve long daye: what will ye more, God save the Queene, and my Lord. I am well, I thank you. Heerwith ment I fully to bid ye farewell, had not this doubt cum to my minde, that heer remainz a doubt in yoo, which I ought (methought) in any wyze to cleer. Which iz, ye marvel perchauns to see me so bookish. Let me tell yoo, in few words: I went to scholl, forsooth, both at Pollez, and allso at Saint Antoniez: In the fifth foorm, past Esop Fabls, I wys, red Terens2, Vos istæc intro auferte, and began with my Virgill3, Tytire tu patulæ. I coold my rulez, coold conster and pars with the best of them: syns that, az partly ye kno, have I traded the feat of marchaundize in sundry cuntreyz, and so gat me langagez: which do so little hinder my Latten, az (I thank God) have mooch encreast it. I have leizure sumtime, when I tend not upon the Coounsell, whearby, now look I on one book, noow on another. Stories I delight in the more auncient and rare, the more like-sum unto me: If I told ye, I lyked William a Malmsbury so well, bicauz of his diligenz and antiquitee, perchauns ye woold conster it bicauz I love Mamzey so well: But ifaith it iz not so: for sipt I no more sak and suger (and yet never but with company) then I do Malmzey, I shoold not blush so mooch a dayz az I doo : ye kno my minde. Well noow, thus fare ye hartily well yfeith: If with wishing it coold have bin, ye had a buk or two this somer; but we shal cum neerer shortly, and then shal we mereley meet, and grace a God. In the mean time, commend me, I besek 'Laneham gives in this passage a specimen of making love in the various languages in which he was skilled. Suspiro, in the Spanish tongue, signifies a very deep sigh; Hé, in the French, expresses the emotions of the soul in love; Dolce, in Italian, means dear or beloved; and in Dutch, Hoofshied is the word for courtship. • Andr. 1. i. 1. • Ecl. I. i. yo, unto my good freends, almost most of them yoor neighbors: Master Alderman Pullison', a special freende of mine: And in ony wise too my good old freend Master Smith, custumer, by that same token,— "Set my hors up too the rak, and then let's have a cup of sak.” He knoez the token well ynough, and wil laugh, I hold ye a grote. Too Master Thorogood: and to my mery companion (a Mercer, ye wot, az we be) Master Denham, mio fratello in Christo: He iz woont to summon me by the name of "Ro. La. of the Coounty of Nosingham, Gentlman:" A good companion, I feyth. Well, onez again, fareye hartely well. From the Coourt; at the Citee of Worceter, the xx of August, 1575. Yor cuntreeman, companion, and freend assuredly: Mercer, Merchauntadventurer, and Clark of the Counsel Chamber-doore, and also Keeper of the same: El Prencipe Negro. par me R. L. Gent. Mercer. DE MAJESTATE REGIA. BENIGNO. Cedant arma toga, concedat laurea linguæ, DEO OPT. MAX. GRATIE. 'Sir Thomas Pullison, Lord Mayor in 1584. • Laneham, see p. 459; Langham, p. 482. He calls himself the Black Prince, in p. 421. In the Museum of the late Mr. Greene, of Litchfield, was an instrument of brass, by Humph. Cole, 1575 (the time of this Royal Visit), consisting of a Nocturnal, a Table of Latitude, an Horizontal and South Dial, a Marine Compass, and Perpetual Almanack. Round the verge, 66 AS TIME AND HOWRES PASSITH AWAY, SO DOTH THE LIFE OF MAN DECAY, AS TIME CAN BE REDEEMED WITH NO COSTE, 485 "The Princely Plea- at Kenelwoorth'. That is to saye, The Copies of all such Verses, Proses, or poetical inuentions, and other Deuices of Pleasure, as were there deuised, and presented by sundry Gentlemen, before the Quene's Majestie, in the yeare 15752. 'George Gascoigne, Author of "The Princely Pleasures," was a Poet of considerable merit, as may be seen by his collected Works; including a transcript of a very scarce book, intituled, “A Remembraunce of the well-employed life and godly end of George Gascoigne, esq. who deceased at Stamford in Lincolnshire 7th October 1577, reported by George Whetstone;" to which a satisfactory Life of him is prefixed, in the edition of English Poets by Johnson and Chalmers. He accompanied the Queen in her Progress to Kenilworth; and wrote this Masque for her amusement. Some of the verses were not only written, but spoken by him on that occasion; but the whole of the Entertainment, owing to the unfavourable weather, was not performed. Continuing in attendance on the Queen, we find him at Woodstock, amusing the Royal Traveller with "The Hermit's Tale," which will be given in its proper place. In an address prefixed to this Tale, he complains of " his infirmities;" and died, as appears above, in 1577.-The following Epitaph on him was written by George Whetstone: For Gaskoygnes death, leave to mone or morne! But you will say, by death he only gaines, You are deceived: alive the man is stil. Alive? O yea, and laugheth death to scorne, In that, that he his fleshly lyfe did kil. And now his life would many stand in stead. For by such death, two lyves he gaines for one : as were the following quaint lines by Richard Smith: Chaucer by writing purchast fame, And Gower got a worthie name : Sweet Surrey suckt Parnassus' springs; G. W. Old Rochfort clambe the statelie throne, Which Muses held in Helicone ; Then thither let good Gascoigne go, For sure his verse deserveth so. Imprinted at London by Rychard Ihones, and are to be solde without Newgate, ouer against Saint Sepulchers Church, 1576;" and here faithfully transcribed from "The whoole Works of George Gascoigne Esquyre: Newlye compyled into one volume, that is to say: His Flowers, Hearbes, Weedes, the Fruites of Warre; the Comedie called Supposes, the Tragedy of Iocasta, the Steele Glasse, the |