At last, in came one and set them downe a cupple of egges. Whereat one of the gentlemen excepted and said— Hath all this cackling been but for these two poore egges?'

One was telling a gentlewoman how such a gallant of the court ate everie day eight capons in blankmanger.* She answered--'Oh, the foxe!'

At a nobleman's banquet a ship of +marchpainstuffe was set upon the board, wherein was all manner of fishes in the like stuffe. Every one snatching thereat, a sea-captaine setting far off could not reach therunto; but one of the companie gave him a sprat, which hee receiving, helde it a good space to his eare. The nobleman seeing it, asked him his conceipt therein? He then, in reference to the little portion that came to him out of that march-pane, thus merrily answered-' And like your Grace, my father before me (as your Honour knowes) was sometimes a sea-captaine, and it was his mischance and my hard hap, that since his last undertaken voyage at sea, which was some twelve yeeres ago, I never since could hear what was become of him: wherefore, of every fish that falleth into my handes I still aske, whether it can tell me any newes of him? And this pettie sprat (my Lord) saith he was then a little one, and remembers no such matter.'

After this taste of Anthony Copley's borrowed wit, the following may serve as a sufficient sample of his original poetry. It forms part of the "idle conceited

* Blancmanger.

† Marchpane seems to have been a species of confectionary resembling modern macaroons in quality,

dialogue," termed "Love's Sonnet," in which Love recommends his services to " an olde man," by way of Lullaby.

"Now that I take my lute in hand,
Rage and Rancour I you command,
Take your sister Melancholie,

And downe to darke hell all hie yee.
For heere I meane to make my residence,
By vertue of my peacefull influence;
And cheere this aged man with lovelements
for ever. Lulla lullabie, &c.

Though age be olde and colde, I can
Re-young him to a lustie man,

And in his jointes infuse a fire

To execute a kinde desire.

I can revegetate his dying yeere

By faire be-priesting him to a bonny-pheere, Or els dispensing him such like good cheere els where. Lulla lullabie, &c.

The plough-lob I can civillize,

The franticke man with grace agnize :
Kings and Cesars I subdue,

And with my rites their soules indue.
All faire and goodly things I do detect,
And with my vaile I cover all defect,
And all in unitie I do connect

and approve. Lulla lullabié, &c.

I doe devise all gay attyres,

Calles, rebatoes, perwigs, and wires:
Hoop-sleeves, French-bodies, vardingalles,
Paintings, perfumes, and washing-balles:

1

With twenty thousand such like bonny things,
To grace fair Nature, and mis-nature's doings,
And profite trades by doing my devisings

workemanly. Lulla lullabie, &c.

Feasts and frollickes I doe ordaine,
And merrie meetings on the plaine:
Revels, and daunces in a rowe,

And morrow-musicke at the window :
Tilting and justs are my magnificence,
The pomp wherof forbeareth no expence,
If so my spirit be in the pretence,

and grace it. Lulla lullabie, &c.

Wrinckles and pimples I can cure,
And make the stutting tongue demure;
The trembling palsey I can staie,
And take the misers gowt away:

The cripple creature I can make to runne,
The blinde man with new eyes to see the sunne,

And set in other teeth where th' old are done,

with the rewine. Lulla lullabie, &c.

Then since I am so physicall,
So musicall, so martiall,
So court-accepted, and rurall,
And so joy mighty over all:
Be not t' yourself so prejudiciall
As to refuse my beneficiall

Bounties, in over melancholie gall.

Lulla lullabie, lulla lullabie."

Love by these, and other similar allurements, wins over the silly gray-beard to become his servitor and to vow eternal fealty to him as his sovereign, which the cajoler Cupid no sooner hears, than he calls the

dotard an errant ideot to be so duped, and threatens him with private annoyance and public exposure, concluding his maledictions thus

"Besides thy inward anguishes,
Farre worse then all the premises,
Vaine hope, and desperation,
And doubtfull interpretation,

of every occurrent :

Presumption and jelousie,

Care, passion, and captivitie,

Errour and indiscretion,

Unrest and vaine invention,

and thy wealth mispent.

These and such like absurdities,

Shall owlefie thee'n all mens eies;

Who when they have twitted thee to death,

Yet shall thy shame survive unneth,

and thus thy epitaph—

Who ere' thou art that readst this Epitaph above, Know that heer underneath doth lie the Owle of Love."

T. P.

ART. LXXXVIII. The Serpent of Deuision. Wherein is conteined the true History or Mappe of Rome's overthrowe, gouerned by Auarice, Enuye, and Pride, the decaye of Empires be they neuer

so sure.

Three things brought ruine vnto Rome,

that ragnde in Princes to their ouerthrowe: Auarice, and Pride, with Enuie's cruell doome,

that wrought their sorrow and their latest woe. England take heede, such chaunce to thee may come : Fœlix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum.

Whereunto is annexed the Tragedye of Gorboduc, sometime King of this Land, and of his two sonnes, Ferrex and Porrex. Set foorth as the same was shewed before the Queene's most excellent Majesty, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple. At London printed by Edward Allde for Iohn Perrin, and are to be sold in Paules Church yard, at the signe of the Angell. 1590.* 4to. 12 leaves.

AN Address "to the Gentlemen Readers."-" If thou demaund why I publish out Cæsar in this simple manner, I answer; that being not able to doo as I would, I must doo as I can. To say somewhat to the purpose, though not altogether so much as thou expectest: I cannot though I would paint him foorth in bare cullours, yet I know his vallour hath blazend his owne perpetuall honour in England, in oyle cullours, which are of longest continuance: for note when he entred Brutes Albion, after called Brittaine, and now of late England, in memory of his name, what rare monuments erected he after he had conquered Cassibilean of Albion, and made this lande paye yeerelye vnto Rome 3000 poundes tribute, then builded he Douer, with the two famous citties, Canterburye and Rochester, the tower of London, the Castell and the town of Cesarisbury, now named Salisbury, and more according to his owne name, he edified Cesar-Chester, after called for brevitie's sake Chichester, and after the strong castell of Exeter. In the meane space his prefixed time was past, and he returning to Rome received his ouer

* Printed in 1559 by Owen Rogers.