Latin, by Herbert Bofham'. The manufcript, which will not bear a citation, is preserved in Benet college in Cambridge. The original had been tranflated into French verfe by Peter Langtoft". Bofham was Becket's fecretary, and prefent at his martyrdom. a VITA ET RES GESTE THOME EPISCOPI CANTUARIENSIS, published in the QUADRILOGUS, Parif. 1495. 4to. See fupr. vol. i. 61. c MSS. Coll. C. C. Cant. cccxev11. I. Beginn. Prol." O ye vertuous foverayns fpirituall and temporall." Pitf. p. 890. APPEND. SECT. Place Alexander Barklay within the year 1500, as his SHIP OF FOOLS appears to have been projected about that period. He was educated at Oriel college in Oxford, accomplished his academical ftudies by travelling, and was appointed one of the priests, or prebendaries, of the college of faint Mary Ottery in Devonshire. Afterwards he became a Benedictine monk of Ely monaftery'; and at length took the habit of the Francifcans at Canterbury'. He temporifed with the changes of religion; for he poffeffed fome church-preferments in the reign of Edward the fixth ". He died, very old, at Croydon, in Surry', in the year 1552. He feems to have spent fome time at One of the fame that go in copès gay. • The chief patron of his ftudies appears to have been Thomas Cornifh, provost of Oriel college, and Suffragan bishop of Tyne, in the diocefe of Bath and Wells; to whom he dedicates, in a handfome Latin epiftle, his SHIP OF FOOLS. But in the poem, he mentions My Maifter Kyrkham, calling himself" his true fervitour, his chap"layne, and bede-man." fol. 152. b. edit. 1570. Some biographers fuppofe Barklay to have been a native of Scotland. It is certain that he has a long and laboured encomium on James the fourth, king of Scotland; whom he compliments for his bravery, prudence, and other eminent virtues. One of the ftanzas of this panegyric is an acrostic on JACOBUS. fol. 206. a. He most probably was of Devonshire or Gloucestershire. f In the title to his tranflation from Mancinus, called the MIRROUR OF GOOD MANNERS. MS. Bale, Sloan. f. 68. b He was inftituted to Much Badew in Effex, in 1546. Newcourt, REP. i. 254. And to Wokey in Somerfetfhire, the fame year. Regiftr. Wellenf. He had also the church of All Saints, in Lombard-street, London, on the prefentation of the dean and chapter of Canterbury, which was vacant by his death, Aug. 24, 1552. Newcourt, ut fupr. 1 He frequently mentions Croydon in his EGLOGES. He was buried in Croydon church. EGL. i. Signat. A. iii. And as in CROIDON I heard the Collier preache. Again, ibid. While I in youth in CROIDON towne did dwell. Again, ibid. He hath no felowe betwene this and Save the proude plowman Gnatho of He mentions the collier again, ibid. Such maner riches the collier tell thee can. As the riche fhepheard that woned in Barklay's Barklay's principal work is the SHIP OF FOOLES, abovementioned. About the year 1494, Sebaftian Brandt, a learned civilian of Bafil, and an eminent philologift, published a fatire in German with this title '. The defign was to ridicule the reigning vices and follies of every rank and profeffion, under the allegory of a Ship freighted with Fools of all kinds, but without any variety of incident, or artificiality of fable; yet although the poem is destitute of plot, and the voyage of adventures, a compofition of fuch a nature became extremely popular. It was tranflated into French"; and, in the year 1497, into tolerable Latin verfe, by James Locher, a German, and a scholar of the inventour Brandt'. From the original, and the two translations, Barklay formed a large English poem, in the balade or octave stanza, with confiderable additions gleaned from the follies of his countrymen. It was printed by Pinson, in 1509, whose name occurs in the poem. Howbeit the charge PINSON has on me layde With many fooles our navy not to chargeTM. It was finished in the year 1508, and in the college of faint Mary Ottery, as appears by this rubric, "The SHYP OF "FOLYS, tranflated in the colege of faynt Mary Otery, in "the counte of Devonshyre, oute of Laten, Frenche, and "Doch, into Englishe tonge, by Alexander Barclay, preste "and chaplen in the fayd colledge, м.ccccc.vIII ". Our au i I prefume this is the fame Sebaftian Brandt, to whom Thomas Acuparius, poet laureate, dedicates a volume of Poggius's works, Argentorat. 1513. fol. He is here ftyled," Juris utriufque doctor, et S. P. Q. "Argentinenfis cancellarius." The dedication is dated 1511. See Hendreich. PANDECT. P. 703. By Joce Bade. Paris, 1497. 1 See THE PROLOGUE, m Fol. 38. In another place he complains that fome of his wordes are amis, on account of the printers not perfed in science. And adds that, i The printers in their bufynes Do all their workes speediely and in haste. fol. 258. b. a In folio. A fecond edition. from which I cite, was printed with his other works, in the year 1570, by Cawood, in folio, with curious wooden cuts, taken from Pinfon's impreffion, viz. "The SHIP OF FOOLES, "wherein is fhewed the folly of all states, "with divers other works adjoined to the "fame, &c." This has both Latin and English. But Ames, under Wynkyn de Worde, recites "The Ship of Fools in this "World." 4to. 1517. HIST. PRINT. p. 94. thor's thor's stanza is verbose, profaic, and tedious: and for many pages together, his poetry is little better than a trite homily in verfe. The title promifes much character and pleasantry : but we shall be disappointed, if we expect to find the foibles of the crew of our ship touched by the hand of the author of the CANTERBURY TALES, or expofed in the rough yet ftrong fatire of Pierce Plowman. He fometimes has a stroke of humour: as in the following stanza, where he wishes to take on board the eight fecondaries, or minor canons, of his college. "Alexander Barclay ad FATUOS, ut dent locum oCTO "SECUNDARIIS beata Maria de Ottery, qui quidem prima hujus "ratis tranftra merentur °? Softe, Foolis, fofte, a litle flacke your pace, I have eyght neyghbours, that first shall have a place The ignorance of the English clergy is one of the chief objects of his animadverfion. He fays', For if one can flatter, and beare a hawke on his fift, These were rich benefices in the neighbourhood of faint Mary • Fol. 68. P To the collegiate church of faint Mary Ottery a school was annexed, by the munificent founder, Grandifon, bishop of Exeter. This college was founded in the year 1337. 9 Know. · Fol. 2. I write I write no jeste ne tale of Robin Hood', For Philip the sparrow the dirige to fing. The last line is a ridicule on his cotemporary Skelton, who wrote a LITLE BOKE OF PHILIP SPARROW, or a Dirge, For the foule of Philip Sparrow That was late flaine at Carow, &c'. And in another place, he thus cenfures the fashionable reading of his age: much in the tone of his predeceffor Hawes. For goodly fcripture is not worth an hawe, As is a foolish jeft of Robin hode". As a specimen of his general manner, I insert his character of the Student, or Bookworm: whom he supposes to be the First Fool in the veffel. W That in this ship the chiefe place I governe, By this wide fea with foolis wandering, The cause is plaine and easy to difcerne; |