lives were those of Thomas Lerment, John Barbour, Andrew Winton, King James the First, Henry the Minstrel, Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, Sir David Lindsay, John Bellenden, Sir Richard Maitland, Alexander Scot, Alexander Arbuthnot, Alexander Montgomery, King James the Sixth, Allan Ramsay, Alexander Ross, Alexander Geddes, Robert Fergusson, Robert Burns; with many minor names. A dissertation is prefixed on the early SCOTISH DRAMA.-PARK. P. 163. l. 4.-The following entry occurs among the Acts and Orders of the Court of Requests: "An. xvii. Hen. VII. (1501) 10 Julij, apud Westminster Jo. Shelton commissus carceribus janitoris domini regis.". PARK.

P. 163. note f.-In Caxton's preface to his prose version of the Æneid (1490), he prays "Mayster John Skelton, late created poet laureate in the unyversite of Oxenforde, to oversee and correcte thys sayd booke:-for hym I knowe for suffycyent to expowne and Englysshe every dyffyculte that is therin." This, however, does not seem to have flattered Skelton into the service of becoming Caxton's critical overseer, as the book had no re-impression.-PARK.

P. 168. l. 8.-I reckon the interval of time when Skelton began to write, and when Puttenham published, to be infinite as to the refinement of manners. Yet even in this last period, and later, the commentators of Shakspeare are glad to shelter his ribaldry and puns under the manners of his age.—ASHBY.

P. 168. note o. - - Bishop Hall characterized both the temper and metre of this lampooner with forcible brevity, when he spoke of “ angry SKELTON'S breathlesse rhymes." Virgidemiarum, lib. iv.-PARK.

P. 168. l. 31.-Caxton speaks of Skelton's translations from the Greek and Latin, as not rendered in rude and old language, but in polished and ornate terms craftily. He adds, " And also he hath redde the ix muses, and understande their musicalle scyences, and to whom of them eche scyence is appropred. I suppose he hath dronken of Elycon's well." Preface to Æneid. Vide supr. p. 337.-PARK.

P. 168. l. 31.—That Churchyard indulged the same strange notion appears

from the following curious encomium, in which he tells us that the conversation of Skelton resembled the taunting personality of his writings.

divers men of late

Have helpt our Englishe toung,
That first was baes and brute:
Oh! shall I leave out SKELTON's name?
The blossome of my frute:
The tree wheron in deed
My branches all might gro:
Nay, Skelton wore the laurell wreath,
And past in schools, ye knoe,
A poet for his arte,

Whose judgment suer was hie,
And had great practics of the pen,
His works they will not lie.
His termes to taunts did lean,
His talke was as he wrate,
Full quick of witte, right sharp of words,
And skilful of the state.
Of reason ripe and good,
And to the hatefull mynd,
That did disdain his doings still,
A skorner of his kynd.
Most pleasant every way,
As poets ought to be;
And seldom out of princes grace,
And greate with eche degre.

On the English Poets, Muses,
lib. p. 137.

P. 173. note d.-Dr. Lort suggested to Mr. Ashby, that the above loss was the reason why the Cardinal is always represented in profile, to hide his blemish. But how comes it, says Mr. Ashby, that we have no pictures of him prior to the accident, i. e. before he was a cardinal, for as such he is always dressed; yet he was as great a man before?-PARK.

P. 183. note 1.-It is much that Warton did not know Friar Tuck was Robin Hood's confessor or chaplain, and perhaps the original of all the parsons that are brought on the stage to be laughed at. But how comes Matilda, the chast daughter of Lord Fitzwater, to be the fair Maid Marian ?—ASHBY.

P. 184. I. 19.-Mr. Ashby expresses his surprise that such a man should be chosen; and he adds, with appearance of probability, that Skelton's having conceived his disappointment of preferment to be owing to Wolsey, may have been the cause of his extreme irritation against that prelate.-PARK.

P. 185. note r.-In the same ancient MS. are contained the following mysteries.

"Saulus, or Saint Paul." Superscribed Myles Blomefylde y Possessor. Pr. "Rex glorio [sus] kyng omnipotent, Redeemer of y world by the pouer divine,

And Maria, yt pure vyrgyn quene most excellent, Wyche bare yt blyssyd babe Jhu y' for us sufferd payne," &c. At the end, "Finis Sancti Pauli."

"Candlemas-day and The Kyllyng of the Children of Israell," (by John Parfre), 1512.

Pr. This solemne fest to be had in remembraunce

Of blissed Seynt Anne, moder to our Lady,

Whos right discent was hys kyns alyaunce

Of Davyd and Salamon-witnesseth the story, &c.

angyll enter into hell with thondyr."— PARK.

P. 195. l. 6." The reign of Charles the Fifth (says Anderson, from Pasquier and Brantome) gave rise to the French drama and theatre. The actors being erected into a company by letters patent, represented the MYSTERIES OF CHRIST'S PASSION; which, with some additional pieces called Moralities, continued to

be the theatrical entertainment for more

than 130 years. Though in the time of Lewis the Twelfth some farces or comedies were wrote, the French drama received no sort of improvement, but continued in the reign of Francis the First under the direction of the fraternity of the passion, who only added some burlesque pieces to their Moralities. Under Henry the Second, Francis the Second, and Charles the Ninth, Jodella was the dramatic poet, and produced two tragedies and two comedies. His 'Cleopatra,' together with a comedy, being acted at Paris, he is said to have been rewarded for this new entertain

ligens,

A fore our departyng gees be a daunce.

Finis.

"Wisdom, spirit, wille, wit, minde and understanding, and Lucifer. Impft. 12 leaves. 4to.

Pr. Fyrst entreth Wysdom in a ryche purpyll cloth of gold, with a mantyll of the same ermyned within, havyng a bought his nek a ryall hood furred with ermyn. Upon his hed a cheveler with browes, a berd of gold of sypres curled, a ryche imperiall gowne therupon, set with riche stonys and perlys. In his left hand a ball of gold with a crosse therupon; and in his right hand a regall sceptre, thus seyng:

If ye wyll wote the propyrte,
And the resoun of my name imperiall,
I am clepyd of him that in erthe be,
Everlastyng Wysdom to my nobley
egall.'

PARK.

P. 187. note b. Another direction is, "With this word vii dyvyls sall de woyde from the woman, and the bad

But the genius and the relish for such compositions remained suspended for a considerable time after this exhibition of them." Hist. of France, temp. Francis I. and Charles IX. vol. ii. p. 427.PARK.

P. 196. l. 11. Such an imitation Mr. Ashby thinks as probable as Otway and Dryden's imitations of Shakspeare. -PARK.

P. 196. note i.-Bergerette was the title also of a species of pastoral poetry. See vol. ii. p. 301.-PARK.

P. 207. note r.- -The song quoted by Hamlet was pointed out by Ritson as printed in Percy's Reliques. A more complete copy is presented in the late edition of Evans's Old Ballads from the Roxburghe Collection.-PARK.

P. 210. l. 3.-Mr. Ashby conceived that the antichapel must be here meant; though the whole, he adds, is one plain room, of uniform dimensions, and no separation of any kind except the organ: but the antichapel is more superbly fitted up than the chapel, i. e. with roses and shields of arms in alto-relievo.-PARK. P. 211. 7. 7.- Here is certainly an

attempt to represent objects to the eyes, which may be called Scenery; and one may wonder, after this, that even in Shakspeare's time the introduction of scenes should be questioned.—ASHBY.

P. 219. l. 20.-Cynthia and Diana appear to have been the poetical titles under which this queen was habitually adulated. The Countess of Pembroke

employed the former pastorally to Elizabeth, in Davison's poetical Rapsodie, first printed in 1602. This most estimable of our early metrical miscellanies has been re-produced by Sir Egerton Brydges, with a splendour and typographical elegance peculiar to the Lee Press. A critical appreciation of the work is prefixed.-PARK.