a great dele more then hee deserued, and yet desiring still much more then hee had, growing discontent with fulnes, hee fell at ods with faithfulnes. Finis."

J. H.

¶ Fennors Descriptions, or a trve relation of certaine and diuers speeches, spoken before the King and Queenes most excellent Maiestie, the Prince his highnesse, and the Lady Elizabeth's Grace. By William Fennor, his Maiesties Seruant. London, Printed by Edvvard Griffin, for George Gibbs, and are to bee sold at his shop in Pauls Churcheyard, at the signe of the Flower-Deluce, 1616. qto. 22 leaves.

"This silly infant," is dedicated by Fennor, in twelve lines to the Earl of Pembroke. From the address to the readers, it must have been a custom to hawk about new publications at the theatre, before the play began, unless it was a privilege confined to those, who assisted in the performance, of which number the author appears to have been one.

"To the Gentlemen readers, worthy gentlemen, of what degree soeuer, I suppose this pamphlet will hap into your hands, before a play begin, with the importunate clamour of Buy a new Booke, by some needy companion, that will be glad to furnish you with worke for a turn'd teaster....It is three yeeres since I spake some of these speeches, and since that time I haue beene earnestly intreated by noble personages, (who haue had priuate copies for their owne vse) to print it for publike delight, at length I consented, & since I am won, haue amongst you gallants, let it speed as it will.”—

"In laudem Authoris" by John Meltonne (see p. 531), also by Tho. Gunson, and "to his friend Mr. Fennor," by J. B.

The volume contains seven pieces; The Description of a Poet; a Description of the Palsgraue's Countrey, as it was deliuered in a speech before the King, the Prince, the Lady Elizabeth at Whitehall; Cupid's iourney to Germanic, and the effects of the same; The originall

and

and continuance of the most noble order of the Garter, as it was spoken before the King's Maiestie on Saint George's day last, anno Dom. 1616. The deciding of the difference betwixt the two Vniuersities, Oxford and Cambridge, about the King's entertainement, spoke before his Maiesty at Theobald's, the xiij of July, 1615, A Pastorall Sonnet containing a parliament of the gods.' The Description of a Poet.

"A Poets life is most vnfortunate,

Goueru'd by Starres of high malignant fate:
Yet for his worth thus high my pen shall raise him,
The rankled tooth of enuy neuer stayes him
From writing nobly. A true Poet can

Describe the inside of an outward man:

Kill him in's life time, make him liue being dead,
His lines with Bayes adorne his victor's head:
This is his chiefest blessing to be good :
But when his writings are not vnderstood,
(O) ti's a plague beyond man's patient thought:
What he makes good a multitude makes nought.
A horrid murtherer, or a base theefe

In his foule bosome harbers lesser griefe,
Then heauen-bred Poesye: they shall be tryed
By vpright Justice, and their faults descried
Before a publike Bench, hold up their hand
And plead not guiltie, on their iust cause stand,
Twelue men empannelled to finde this out
Before the sentence passe, to cleere the doubt,
Of iudging rashly. But sweet Poesye

Is oft conuict, condemu'd and iudg'd to die
Without iust triall, by a multitude

Whose iudgements are illiterate, and rude.
Witnesse Sceianus*, whose approued worth,

Sounds from the calme South, to the freezing North:
And on the perfum'd wings of Zepherus,

In triumph mounts as farre as Æolus,

With more then humane art it was bedewed,

Yet to the multitude it nothing shewed;

They screwed their scuruy iawes and look't aury,

Like hissing snakes adiudging it to die:

When wits of gentry did applaud the same,

With Siluer shouts of high lowd sounding fame:

* [Ben Jonson's Sejanus, first acted 1603.]

Whil'st vnderstanding grounded men contemn'd it,
And wanting wit (like fooles to iudge) condemn'd it
Clapping, or hissing is the onely meane

That tries and searches out a well writ Sceane.
So is it thought by Ignoramus crew,
But that good wits acknowledge's vntrue:
The stinckards oft will hisse without a cause,
And for a baudy ieast will giue applause.
Let one but ask the reason why, they roare
They'l answere, cause the rest did so before.
But leauing these who for their iust reward,
Shall gape, and gaze, amongst the fooles in th' yard.
Now to our Poets; they are much like mothers,
That loue their owne babes farre aboue all others
Though harder fauor'd: so a Poet's quill

With his owne labours best doth please his will;
The reasons this, because he knowes the paines
He tooke in the Composing, from whose braines,
A Poets worth takes birth, at first ti's weake
Till by the life of Action it doth speake,
In a square Theator; yet vnderstand
The Actor speakes but at the second hand
The Poet scans, and knowes, what best befits
His birth whom he adornes with Epethites,
Congruus accents: but I heere strike saile
That haue iust cause my weaknesse to bewaile,
That am no Poet, rather a poor pleader
For friendly sentence from the iudging reader,
As you allow the best, forgiue what's ill,
Though harshly wrote accept of my good will."

J. H.

More Knaues yet. Diamonds, with new don....qto. 24 leaves.

The Knaues of Spades and additions. [Wood cut] Lon

It commences with "The epistle to any Man, but especially to Fooles and Mad-men," in verse, subscribed "Samuel Rowlands." In the list of this writer's pieces given in Ritson's Bibliographia Poetica, there is only

mentioned

mentioned "The knave of clubs; (satirical characters) 1611," which I conclude to have been the last of the series. The present copy is too closely cropt to give either printer's name or date, but that it had been preceded by the Knave of Hearts is certain, from the second copy of introductory verses.

"Ovr fellow Harts did late petition frame

To Cardmakers, some better sutes to claime;
And for vs all, did speake of all our wrongs:
Yet they to whome redresse herein belongs
Amend it not, and little hope appeares.

I thinke before the Conquest many yeares,
We wore the fashion which we still retaine :
But, seeing that our sute is spent in vaine,
Weele mend our selues as meanes in time doth grow,
Accepting what some other friends bestow,
As now the honest Printer hath beene kinde,
Bootes, and Stockings to, our legs doth finde
Garters, Polonia Heeles, and Rose Shooe strings,
Which somewhat vs two Knaves in fashion brings.
From the knee downeward, legs are well amended
And we acknowledge that we are befriended...."

The last lines of this extract, refer to the wood-cut in the title page, where the krave of spades displays large roses at the knees, and to the shoes, and the knave of diamonds struts in boots, spurs with large rowels, and embroidered seams to his galligaskins. In troth, except the doublet and sash, their habiliments seem in character with of the present day. Rowland's muse indulged satirizing general subjects. The following specimen is one of the most amusing.

:

Of Ghoasts and Goblins.

"In old wiues daies, that in old time did liue,
(To whose odde tales much credit men did giue)
Great store of Goblins, Fairies, Bugs, Night mares,
Vrchins and Elues, to many a house repaires:
Yea far more Sprites did haunt in diuers places,
Then there be women now weare deuils faces.
Amongst the rest was a good fellow deuill,
So cal'd in kindness, cause he did no euill,

Knowne by the name of Robin, (áś we heare)
And that his eyes as broad as sawcers were,
Who came a Nights and would make Kitchins cleané,
And in the bed bepinch a lazie queané.

Was much in Mils about the grinding Meale,
(And sure I take it, taught the Miller steale)
Amongst the Creame bowles & Milke pans would be,
And with the Country wenches, who but he?
To wash their dishes for some Fresh-cheese hire :
Or set their Pots and Kettles 'bout the fire.

'Twas a mad Robin that did diners pranckes,

For which with some good cheare they gave him thaˇks,

And that was all the kindnes he expected,

With gaine (it seems) he was not much infected.
But as that time is past, that Robin's gone,
He and his night-mates are to vs vnknowne,
And in the steed of such good-fellow Sprites,
We meet with Robin-bad-fellow a Nights,
That enters houses secret in the darke,

And onely comes to pilfer, steale, and sharke,
And as the one made Dishes cleane (they say)
The other takes them quite and cleane away.
What ere it be that is within his reach,

The filching tricke he doth his fingers teach:
But as good fellow-Robin had reward,

With Milke and Creame that friends for him prepar'd,
For being busie all the night in vaine,

(Though in the morning all things safe remaine :
Robin-bad-fellow wanting such a supper,

Shall haue his breakfast with a Rope and Butter.
To which let all his fellowes be invited :
That with such deeds of Darknesse are delighted.
The Tract concludes,

The knaues are delt, the game is plaid,
And with this wish concludeth Spade :
I would all knaues, who ere they bee,
Were knowne by sight as well as wee."

J. H.

The Second book of Ayres, and Dialogues, for one, two, and three Voyces, by Henry Lawes, servant to his late Maietie, in his publick and private Musick.

* For an account of the first Book, see p. 205.

London,