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1821.]

Mask in Honour of the Countess of Derby.

Aduanc'd his sonnes to station of the skye,

And throan'd them in thy wreath, &c.
Ariadne-"Queene of chaste dew, they
will not be confyn'd,

Orfyx themselves where Mercury assynde,
But every night, upon a forrest syde,
On which an eagle percheth, they abyde,
And bonor her, &c.

Cynthia — "Tell them thei err, and say

that wee the queene

Of night's pale lampes have now the sub

stauce seene,

Whose shadowe they adore. Goe, bring those eight

At mighty Cynthia's summons, &c.

Presently Ariadne sings this short call,

Musique and gentle night, Beauty, youthes' cheefe delighte, Pleasures all full invite

Your due attendance to this glorious roome, Then yf you have or witt or vertue come, Ab, come! Ah, come!"

Suddenly, upon this songe, the cornets were winded, and the travers that was drawn before the masquers sanke downe. The whole shewe presently appeereth, which presented itself in this figure the whole body of it seemed to be the syde of a steepely assending woodd, on the top of which, in a fayre oak, sat a goulden eagle, under whose wings satt in eight severall thrones the eight masquers, with wisards like starres, then helmes like Mercurye's, with the addition of fayre plumes of carnation and white, then antique doublets and other furniture suitable to these colours, the place full of shields, lights, and pages, all in blew satten robes, imbrodered with starres. The masquers, thus discovered, satt still, untill Ariadne pronounced their invocation, at which thei descended:

"Mercorian issue, sonne of sonne of Jove, By the Cyllenian rodd, and by the love Deuotely chaste you vow Pasithea, Descende, &c.

And O, yf ever you were worthe the grace Of viewing majestie in mortalls face; Yf ere to perfect worth you vow'd hart's duty, [beauty." Shew spiritt worth your virtues and their The violins upon this played a new measure, in which the masquers danced, and ceasing, Cynthia spake : "Stay a little, and now breath yee, Whilst their ladies grace bequeath yee, Then mixe faire handes, &c. Cynthia charmes hence what may displease

yee.

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From ladies that are rudely coy,
Barring their loves from modest joy,
From ignorant silence, and proud lookes,
From those that aunswer out of bookes,
I blesse the fortune of each starry knight.
From gallants who still court with oathes,
From those whose only grace is cloathes,
From bombast stockings, vile legg-makers,
From beardes and great tobecca takers,
I blesse the fortune of each starry dame.
Singe that my charme may be more
stronge,

The goddes are bounde by verse and songe."

THE SONGE. "Audatious nighte makes bold the lippe, Now all court chaster pleasure, Whilst to Apollo's harp you trippe,

And tread the gracing measure. Now meete, now breake, then fayne a warlike salley,

So Cynthia sports, and so the godes may dalley," &c.

During this song, the masquers presented theire sheelds, and took forth their ladyes to daunce, &c.

After they bad daunced many measures, galliards, corantos, and lavaltos, the night being much spent, selves for their departing measure, whilst the masquers prepared themCynthia spake thus:

"Now pleasing, rest; for see the nighte, (Wherein pale Cynthia claimes her right,) Is allmost spent, the morning growes, The rose and violet she strowes,

Uppon the high cœlestial floore,

'Gainst Phoebus rise from's parramoore.
The Faieries that my shades pursue,
And bath theire feete in my cold dew,
Now leave their ringletts and be quiett,
Lest my brother's eye shoulde spy it.
Then now let every gratious starr,
Avoide at sound of Phoebus carr;
Into your proper place retyre,
With bosoms full of beauties fier;
Hence must slide the queene of floodes,
For day begins to glide the woodes:
Then whilst we singe, though you departe,
I'le sweare that heere you leave your
harte."

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Remarks on a Passage in the Second Book of Kings.

There is a loose sheet in the copy of the Mask, on which are written fourteen stanzas, of six and four verses each stanza, being appropriated to a different lady, and exhibiting a complimentary address to Lady Derby. The first stanza is a stanza of thanks from the Countess herself. There is no direction in what part of the Mask these verses were to be spoken.

The speakers are in the following order: Lady Derby; Lady Huntingdon; Lady Hunsdon; Lady Berckly; Lady Stanhope; Lady Compton; Lady Fielding; Mrs. Gresley; Mrs. Parker; Mrs. K. Fischer; Mr. Saycheverell; Mrs. M. Fischer; Mrs. Davers; Mrs. Egerton.

Mr. URBAN,

East Retford, Sept. 2. ON N reading the proper Lessons appointed for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, out of the Bible, usually denominated the Great (or Cranmer's) Bible (2d edition, 1539), I was struck with the following passage in the First Lesson for the Evening Service; in the ninth chapter of the Second Book of Kings.-After the messenger, sent by Elisha the Prophet to anoint Jehu King over Israel, had performed his errand and fled, and Jehu had informed the other officers of what had happened, the text in this Bible goes on to say—

"Then they besyde the Horologie hasted and toke every man his garment and put it under hym, and blew with trompettes, sayinge Jehu is Kynge, &c. &c.''

[Jan.

in my possession, and in a Latin Crespin in 1529, I found the words Translation, printed at Leyden by "Festinaverunt itaque et unusquissub pedibus ejus in similitudinem trique tollens pallium suum posuerunt bunalis, et cecinerunt tuba, &c."

Venice, by Reynsburch, 1478, at FloIn three other Bibles printed at rence, by the Giunti, 1519, and at Antwerp, by Plantin, 1590, the words 1529. are the same as in that of Crespin, But in the Bible of Tremellius and Junius, printed at Hanover, by Wechel, in 1624, I found that the now commonly received text is adopted; for the expression is-" Tunc festinanter accipientes quisque vestem suam, supposuerunt ei in Fastigio Graduum, et clangentes buccina dicebant, &c."

I pass over other Latin versions, and proceed to some old English Bibles.

The Bishops' Bible (1568), is the in use). same as King James's, of 1611 (now printed by Daye in 1549, and in But in Taverner's Bible, Matthews Bible, printed the same

year, we read

"And they hasted and toke every man his mantell, and put under him on an hye bench at the toppe of steppes, and blew a trumpet, &c."

Now, Sir, if any of your learned Correspondents would favour us with Hebrew, it might at once explain a literal translation of the original the seeming difficulties of the various extracts which I have made, or at least tend to reconcile the apparent contradictions therein. Jose

Having a reprint of this Bible (by phus furnishes no clue to the matter

Harrison in 1562) I looked into it and found the passage, word for word the same. Now, by referring to the 13th verse of the same chapter, according to the translation used ever since 1611, your readers will find the parellel passage rendered thus

"Then they hasted and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs; and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is King.""

As I have not the smallest knowledge of the language in which the Old Testament was originally composed, and was a good deal struck with the apparent discrepancy of the above passages, I naturally applied myself to all the Translations

in hand, and Stackhouse I have also consulted in vain. The learned SiCommentary upon the words “upon mon Patrick (Bishop of Ely), in his the top of the stairs"-observes from de Dieu," They did not stay 'till they came down into the street, but forthwith upon the very top of the stairs acknowledged him for their Soveof the place where they were sitting, reign, by spreading garments under adds, that Gousset guesses "these his feet to tread upon." And he were winding stairs in a turret, on Jehu, that all the people might see the top of which tower they placed him, &c."

marks, that "they forthwith spread
Mr. Pyle diffidently re-
their garments in the Council Room

under

1821.] Font at St. Margaret's, Lothbury.-The Censor.

under his feet for him to tread upon, or else raised a kind of throne with them for him to sit upon, &c."

Whether the original Hebrew will admit of all these different explanations literatim, I am completely ignorant, but I fancy I can spy (by means of them altogether) a way of reconciling Cranmer's text with some of the inferences obtained from the other Translators and their Commentators. For supposing that the stairs or steppes (as Matthews and Taverner designate them) were the winding-stairs or stone steps of or leading into a turret or tower within which was the Council Room, and such tower had a flat roof, on which a dial or horologe, or other of the earliest measurers and indicators of time was conspicuously erected for public inspection; this would in some degree reconcile the different ways of relating the same transaction, but would not justify a figurative use of the original passage. The Captains might certainly, beside such horologe upon the roof of, and at or near the top of the stairs or steppes of the tower, with their mantles, or upper garments, raise a temporary high bench, tribunal, or throne, for Jehu to sit upon, from whence he might be seen by the people, when with trumpets, &c. he was proclaimed King. [And this supposition and enlarged statement, combines all the accounts given in the above Translations, i. e. the horologie in Cranmer; the similitudo tribunalis in the Leyden, &c. Bibles; the fastigio graduum of the Hanover Bible; and the high bench at the toppe of the steps in Taverner and Matthews.] But the quere is, do the Hebrew words admit of, or justify all these different modes of expression (leaving nothing defective in any); and if not, what is the genuine and literal translation of the original passage, as it came from the inspired Penman. Yours, &c. INVESTIGATOR.

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of Adam and Eve in the act of taking the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, and thus constituting the Fall of Man-the salvation of Noah and his family in the Ark-the Baptism of our Saviour in the river Jordan, by John the Baptist-and St. Philip baptizing the Eunuch.-The Font has been from remote times an object of great attention for the sculptor; and the workmanship of this has so many curious and interesting parts, that it is a very favourable specimen of performances of this kind. — The compartments have been chosen with great knowledge and taste, every one of them alluding to the sacred mystery connected with it.

The late Mr. Malcolm, p. 101, in his 4th volume of Londinium Redivivum, notices this Font, as well as some Parish Annals, extracted from a very ancient and curious book belonging to the Parish, which I should otherwise have felt much pleasure in transcribing for your Miscellany. J. B.

THE CENSOR.-No. IV. INQUIRY INTO THE PROGRESS OF ANECDOTAL LITERATURE.

(Continued from vol. XC. ii. p. 592.)

T was never our intention to ex

a Retrospective Review, or

even a Catalogue Raisonnée, of all works relating to Anecdotes; but simply to record such as we imagined might furnish the Reader with some information respecting their origin and prevalence of many nothing further than the title is known to us, as copies of them are not to be found in the British Museum; nor do we wish to conceal, that others, with which the Antiquary may be fami liar, or which have been alluded to by modern writers, have escaped our notice.

In 1603 was printed a story-book, entitled Westward for Smells, 4to; a late entry of which on the Stationers' Books, in January 1619, describes it as the production of Kitt of Kingston. Mr. Steevens, who had perused this Tract, supposes one of its tales to have been the origin of the "Cymbeline" of Shakspeare, and as such it is worthy of record.

The next work that occurs is "Pasquil's Jests, mixed with Mother Bunch's Merriments. Whereunto is added a doozen of Gulles. Pretty

and

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Progress of Anecdotal Literature.

and pleasant to drive away the tediousnesse of a winter's evening." B. L. London, 1604. In 1609, appeared another edition, with "a baker's doozen of Gulles," and purporting to be "newly corrected, with new additions. London, printed for John Browne, and are to be sold at his shop in Saint Dunstone's Church Yard, in Fleete-streete," 4to, containing 26 leaves.

"Of one that lost his purse."

"A countrey man comming up to the tearme, by misfortune lost his purse, and because the summe was great, he set up billes in divers places of London, that if any man had found such a purse, and would restore it againe, he should have very weil for his paines. A gentleman of the Inner Temple wrote under one of his billes, that he should come to his chamber, and did write where. So when he came to the place, the gentleman asked him, first, what was in his purse? Secondly, what countreyman he was? and, thirdly, what was his name? Sir, quoth he, twenty pound was in my purse. I am halfe a Welshman, and John ap Janken is my name. John ap Janken! quoth the gentleman, I am glad I know thy

name; for so long as I live thou nor none of thy name shall have my purse to keepe; and so farewell, gentle John ap Janken *.”

The first person who attempted to combine Wit with History, and both with Elegance, was the erudite Camden, a name which we are proud to rank in the annals of Anecdote. In his "Remaines concerning Britaine," 1614, he has preserved many "grave speeches and wittie apothegms of worthie personages of this realme in former times." No miscellany contains so much method and research as this; the Author, who blended the Antiquary with the Scholar, has arranged his materials so as to form a complete body of Anecdotes from the earliest period of British History down to "Heiwood the great Epigrammatist;" and, to the honour of our Sovereigns be it said, they have given utterance to an extensive portion of them. In a prefatory page, Camden speaks thus,

"Twenty yeares since, while J. Bishop (whose memory for his learning is deare to mee) and my selfe turned over all our Historians wee could then finde, for diverse endes we beganne to note apart the Apo

*For a notice of this work, see British Bibliographer, vol. I. p. 41.

[Jan.

thegms or Speeches (call them what ye will) of our nation."--"I commend them to such indifferent, courteous, modest readers, as doe not thinke basely of the former ages, their country, and countrimen; leaving the other to gather the pregnant Apothegmes of our time, which I know will finde farre more labour," &c.

The time which Camden and his friend employed upon this invaluable store, exceeds the "undertaking in which Sholto and Reuben Percy have been for several years engaged." These Remaines are no unworthy representatives of the Historians from manuscript as printed; they are not whom they were collected, as well clothed with that purity of language with which Plutarch has struck fire into his tales, but, like most of the contemporary writers, they are quaint and pithy. Yet, had the English lauguage been taught in Westminster, Camden might have put them into the bands of his scholars without the slightest danger to their minds.-He spurned immorality from his compositions, with a grace peculiar to the Preceptor and the Divine.-His stores were not drawn from the printed historians alone, he was familiar with our Monastic authors, and while he cast History and Topography into his Britannia, he reserved the lesser anecdotes for his Remaines.

Constantine the Great "disswading one from covetousnes, did with his lance draw out the length and breadth of a man's grave, saying: This is all that thou shalt have when thou art dead; if thou canst happily get so much."

Savage, a Gentleman, which amongst the first English had planted himself in Ulster in Ireland, advised his sonne for to build a castle for his better defence against the Irish enemy, who valiantly answered; That he would not trust to a castle of stones, but to his castle of bones, meaning his body."

A similar reason was assigned by a Laconian for the want of walls at Sparta.

"There was a poore blinde man in Warwick-shire, that was accounted very cunning in prognosticating of weather: Upon a day, Empson, a great lawyer, as hee road that way, said in scorne of his cunning, I pray now tel me Father, when doth the Sunne change? The chafed olde man, that knew his corrupt conscience, answered: When such a wicked lawyer as you goeth to heaven."

The

1821.]

Progress of Anecdotal Literature.

The latter part of this Collection is devoted to the Apothegins of Sir Thomas More, by no means few in number, and which we beg leave to recommend to his future Biogra-, phers. We shall only quote the concluding tale:

"This usuall speech of Sir Thomas Moore, both of himself and other Bookbreeders, which is also extant in an Epistle of his, I have resolved to close up this part. Book-makers are full wise folke, who paine and pine themselves away by writing, to subject themselves to the censure of such which in Ordinaries and on Ale-benches will pill and pull them by their words, phrases, and lines, as that they have not one baire of honesty, or to use his owne words, Ne pilum boni hominis. But these he resembleth to those unmanDerly guests, which, when they have bin well and kindly entertained, flinch away, never giving thanks, but depraving and dispraising their curteous entertainment."

Few of our Critical brethren (nor do we wish to exclude ourselves from the number) from the Quarterly Review down to the Investigator, will be able to peruse the foregoing passage without feeling an awkward twinge. Criticism in the days of Sir Thomas More was merely Oral, if we except the labours of the Commentators; but had he lived to read the numerous Reviews, by which public opinion is directed, he would have seen no reason to alter his idea.

“Wits, Fits, and Fancies; or, a generall and serious collection of the sententious Speeches, Answers, Jests, and Behaviour of all sorts of Estates, from the Throne to the Cottage. B. L. Lond. 1614, 4to. In Longman's Catalogue of Old Books for 1814, a copy of this tract is marked 257.

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"Helpe to Discourse; or, more Merriment mixed with Serious Matters; as also Epigrams, Epitaphs, Riddles, Jests, Posies, Love-toyes," &c. Lond. 1635.

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in the pulpit, the stool of repentance.' For this insolence the King ordered him to pull off his fool's coat, and to suffer flagellation and dismis sal; and appointed as his successor a person called Muckle John,' who was the last Jester in this country t. Armstrong, about a week after his discharge, put on a suit of black, and being interrogated concerning his coat, said,

"O, my Lord of Canterbury hath taken it from me, because either he or some of the Scots Bishops may have use for it themselves: but he hath given me a black coat for it, to colour my knavery with, and now I speak what I please (so it be not against the prelates) for this coat hath a far greater privilege than the other had ‡."

Few will think but what it was necessary to put a stop to the impertinence of this man; for, of all others, a Jester should never meddle with affairs not in his immediate vocation. -His Jests were printed in 12me, with his portrait by Cecill, in which he is represented in a long particoloured cloak, with a hat and feather. Subjoined to the print are these lines :

"Archee, by kings and princes grac'd of late,

Jested himself into a fair estate; And in this book, doth to his friends commend,

His jeers, taunts, tales, which no man can offend."

These verses seem to hint that Arm

strong had acquired a handsome competency. Granger doubts the authenthey are indeed, in general, very unticity of the bon-mots, and says that worthy of him.'

"A Banquet of Jests, or Change of Cheare. Being a Collection of Moderne Jests, Witty Jeeres, Pleasant Taunts, Merry Tales:" the 5th impression," Printed for Richard Royston, and are to be sold at his shoppe in Ivie-lane, at the signe of the Angell, 1639," pp. 190. When the first edition was printed, we are not informed, but are inclined to fix it in 1631 another appeared in 1636.

No. 15. "Of a Freese Jerkin.-An bonest good fellow, having worne a threadbare Jerkin for the space of two yeares and an halfe; as soon as he had compast

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