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XX.

THE PARADYSE OF DAYNTY DEUISES.

PERENNIAL interest attaches to this poetical miscellany, in which are preserved many illustrative poems, which represent the writers of the reigns of Edward VI. and Mary, as well as that of Elizabeth. We may safely believe that Shakespeare knew "The paradyse of daynty deuises," because his own sonnets bear the traces of some of its conceits, and he definitely quotes one of the poems in 'Romeo and Juliet.' These were written partly by himself and partly by others, and were collected in a private notebook, after the fashion of his time by Richard Edwards, Master of the Children of the Chapel, a good dramatist, a fine poet, and also a musical composer. Ten years, at least, must be deducted from the printed date, to find the time of its collection, because the chief author and selector died in 1566. He may have taken some time before that to make his selection of poems, possibly intending to set some of them to partmusic, and provide songs fit to be sung. Sir Egerton Brydges considers that the Paradyse 'illustrates the same spirit as was seen in the work of the metrical Psalm-writers." That is, the didactic spirit, but it was not always consciously so, though it is possible many of the writers wanted to give the people songs. Contemporary literary scorn was occasionally darted at the collection. William Covell said in his Polimanteia, 1595:

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Then should not the Paradise of Dainty Devises bee a packet of bald Rimes?'

Abraham Fraunce in his "Ivy-Church " says

"Two fair eyes teach me my lesson,

And what I read in these, I do write in a barck of a Beech Tree.
Beech tree, better book than a thousand Dainty Devises.'

Sir Egerton Brydges thinks Nash meant to satirize it, in his 'Anatomie of Absurditie.' But in spite of such critics, the book lived. The number of its editions bears witness to its popularity. Their discrepancies show how lightly a publisher of those days treated the responsibility of affixing the true names of the authors, or correct titles to the poems. More than one author's verses appear under the same or similar titles (probably selected by the publisher), and sometimes the same author has different poems attributed to him in the same or in different editions. It is always wise to note the first lines as well as the titles of each, to avoid confusion.

There were editions in 1576, 1577, 1578, 1580, 1585, 1595, 1596, and 1600 and another without date for Ed. White. It is unfortunate that we cannot place the whole of the editions side by side for purposes of collation. But Sir Egerton Brydges, Malone, and Collier, have done a good deal towards helping us to generalize.

The first edition was printed by Henry Disle in 1576, the very year that he took up his freedom. A copy of this is preserved in the Christie-Miller Library, from which Brydges' edition of 1810 was probably transcribed. There evidently was another imperfect copy in 1883 in the possession of Colonel Phillips, probably the same as that which was sold at Sotheby's in 1889. The second edition of 1577 I have not seen, even in a copy. Ames records it, as if it were the first edition "Henry Dyssell or Disley published the 'Paradise of Dainty Devises' in 1577." He thinks that the fine imposed June 20th, 1577 on Henry Disle for unlawfully printing a book without a license, must have been for this Book, as he does not find an entry of it in the Stationers' Registers. It seems to have been only a reprint of the first edition. This edition however expands the title, varies the list of contributors who are named in front, "W. Hunnis "being introduced among them.

The third edition appeared in 1578, and a copy, long supposed to be unique, is preserved in the Bodleian. It

It

rearranges the poems considerably, and alters the attribution to authors. It is more likely that the authors still alive would put the printers right as to their own contributions, than that the authorship of dead poets would be disturbed. Malone, in his notes at the Bodleian said he had never seen or heard of another copy than the one he had, now in that library. Collier in 1867 republished this edition among his Seven Sixteenth Century Literary Miscellanies,' and as he stated it was from a unique copy of the 1578 edition, imperfect, I naturally concluded it had been taken from the Bodleian copy. But, since that date, the British Museumhas secured a copy, so that the other cannot be unique. is clear from a careful collation, that Collier had made his reprint from the B.M. copy, the gaps, and deficiencies are identical. The first gap lies between folio 10b, and f 13, cutting from middle of poem 25 to middle of poem 31. What seems to be a gap lying between f 25b, and f 31, is only an error in numbering. The second gap lies between f 31b, and f 34, omitting the 60th poem and others. There is also a loss at the end, which closes with f 48b (misnumbered), and what should be sign L. iiib. This copy has also been carelessly bound, and the edges have more than once been cut into the type. The list made by me, of the misprints, errata, and losses, has been left in the volume, to save future workers. The book has had some travelling since Collier had it. It contains the book-plate of Mr. Locker and a letter from Colonel Phillips from Richmond Barracks, Dublin, Feb. 28, 1883, to Mr. Locker saying that he would be quartered in Dublin till September, but, if he should be in London earlier, he would call to inspect Mr. Locker's copy of the 'Paradyse.' He meant to build a library for his books at Fulham. "My copy of P of D. D. is the first edition, 1576 I think, but certainly the 1st, and it wants a leaf in the middle. I could not however part with it, as it has always been in my mother's family. I believe that the only other copy of the 1st edition is in the possession of Mr. Christy Miller." This would seem to be the copy sold at Sotheby's on 14th Feb. 1889 for £220. It had the 4th leaf made up by a beautiful facsimile.

Mr. Locker, after the date of this letter took the name of Lampson in addition to his own. Thereafter the LockerLampson Library (the Rowfant Library) was sold, whence America was enriched. That Library was afterwards broken up, and the British Museum fortunately secured this copy of the 1578 edition for £150 on 12th October, 1909. (That late date is the reason why I had to do my work for my Athenæum article without an early original.) Many interesting notes are written on the Bodleian copy of 1578, once belonging to Malone. Bound together with this copy is "A Light Bondell of lively discourses called Churchyard's Charge.'' Another interesting miscellany is preserved in the same volume called "A Handfull of Pleasant Delites containing sundry new Sonets and delectable Histories in divers kinds of meeter. Newly devised to the newest tunes. By Clement Robinson and divers others. London. Richard Jones 1584," transcribed from the only copy Malone had seen of that collection. It would thus seem that more than seven poetical miscellanies had appeared during the century.

The fourth known edition by Edward Allde for Disle, that of 1580, is also in the Bodleian Library, where it may be compared with the others. On July 26th, 1582, the Stationers' Registers note "Timothy Rider, granted unto him a copie which pertained to Henry Disley deceased, intituled 'A Paradyse of Daintie Devises.'" Shortly after this, "11th April 1584, Received of Edward White for 2 copies thone 'The Widowe's Treasure, and thother The Paradise of Dayntie Devices putt over unto him from Timothy Rider xiid.'” Edward White brought out the editions of 1585, 1595, 1596, and 1600, and one undated edition, and there is some reason to believe that a few surreptitious editions were thrown on the market. I have not seen the editions of 1585, and 1595, but they probably dropped the dedication to Lord Compton. The edition of 1585 is mentioned in the Huth Catalogue, under "Robert Waldegrave for E. White whereunto is added sundry new inventions."

A copy of the 1596 edition is in the British Museum,

for a long time the only one. Another copy is in the possession of Mr. White of New York, descendant of the printer who secured the copy. He kindly sent it to me for purposes of comparison, when I wrote my paper in The Athenæum. It naturally wants the dedication to Compton, but retains the list of the authors. I have not seen the 1600 edition.

Disle's first edition, as well as successive ones was dedicated to Lord Compton "being penned by divers learned gentlemen, and collected together through the travell of one both of woorship and credite for his private use; who not long since departed this life.... The wryters of them were both of honor and worship....and such as for their learning and gravitie might be accounted of among the wisest. Furthermore the ditties both pithie and pleasant as well for the invention as meter, and wyll yeelde a far greater delight, being as they are so aptely made to be set to any song in 5 partes, or song to instrument....for their auctharis sake, who though some of them are departed this lyfe, yet theyr woorthy doings shall continue for ever, for like as the shadow followeth the body so praise followeth vertue, &c."

The Title Page says "Devised and written for the most part by M. Edwards sometime of Her Majesties Chapel the rest by sundry learned gentlemen both of Honor and Worshippe

viz. S. Barnard
E. O.

F. K.

Jasper Heywood

Below this there is an oval containing the device of a winged angel holding a heart in her right hand and surrounded by various symbolical figures. Richard Edwards, the collector, is the chief contributor, as regards quality, though Hunnis is responsible for quite as many poems.

Richard Edwards was born in Somersetshire in 1523, was educated at Corpus Christi College, and was nominated senior student of the newly founded Christ Church College in Oxford