beyond all measure of skill, that neither he himselfe that made it, neither anie one that readeth it, can reach unto the meaning thereof." It is a proof of the unpopularity* of this poem, that it never was reprinted. Our author's EPIGRAMS, and the poem of PROVERBS, were in high vogue, and had numerous editions before the year 1598+. The most lively part of the

sea and land. [wood and hill.] 43 under any difficulty. 44 whatever happens. every. 48 degree, pre-eminence. 58 truth is seen.

causes many to ride, &c.

54 be of much power.

judicature, or, in passing sentence. 56 lengthens.

money not too much, I advise.

59 covetousness.

nyding. Be not too careless [niggardly] of it.

SPIDER AND FLIE is perhaps the mock-fight between the spiders and flies, an awkward imitation of Homer's BATRACHOMUOMACHY. The preparations for this bloody and eventful engagement, on the part of the spiders, in their cobweb-castle, are thus described.

Behold! the battilments in every loope:

How th' ordinance lieth, flies far and nere to fach:
Behold how everie peace, that lieth there in groope,
Hath a spider gonner, with redy-fired match.
Behold on the wals, spiders making ware wach:
The wach-spider in the towre a larum to strike,
At aproch of any nomber shewing warlike.

Se th' enprenabill fort, in every border,
How everie spider with his wepon doth stand,
So thorowlie harnest, in so good order:
The capital spider, with wepon in hand,
For that sort of sowdiers so manfully mand,
With copwebs like casting nets all flies to quell :
My hart shaketh at the sight: behold it is hell! i

The beginning of all this confusion is owing to a fly entering the poet's window, not through a broken pane, as might be presumed, but through the lattice, where it is suddenly entangled in a cobweb. The cobweb, however, will be allowed to be sufficiently descriptive of the poet's apartment. But I mention this circumstance as a probable proof, that windows of lattice, and not of glass, were now the common fashion.1

his Christoloros 1598, has two allusions to Heywood; and in some satirical poems published about 1616, I believe by Anton, it is said,

Heywood was held for Epigrams the best What time old Churchyard dealt in verse and prose:

But fashions since are grown out of request

As bombast, doublets, bases and round

hose;

Or as your lady may it now be saide,
That looks lesse lovely than her cham-
bermaide.-PARK.]

e in rows.
clad in armour.
h perhaps capitayne.

f impregnable.

i Cap. 57. Signat. B b. * Cap. i. 1 See his EPIGRAMMES. Epig. 82. FIRST. HUNdred. And Puttenham's ARTE OF ENGLISH POESIE, Lib. i. c. 31. p. 49. One of Heywood's Epigrams is

John Heywood died at Mechlin in Brabant about the year 1565*. He was inflexibly attached to the catholic cause, and on the death of queen Mary quitted the kingdom. Antony Wood remarksm, with his usual acrimony, that it was a matter of wonder with many, that, considering the great and usual want of principle in the profession, a poet should become a voluntary exile for the sake of religion.

among.

Art thou Heywood that would be made mery now?

Yea, sir, helpe me to it now I beseech yow.

In the CONCLUSION to the SPIDER AND FLIE, Heywood mentions queen Mary and king Philip'. But as most of his pieces seem to have been written some time before, I have placed him under Henry the Eighth.

[The following doubtless was composed on the spousals of Philip and Mary: "A balade specifienge partly the maner, partly the matter, in the most excellent meetyng and lyke mariage betwene our soveraigne Lord and our soveraigne Lady, the kynges and queenes highnes. Pende by John Heywood.' Herb. p. 800. Oldys says he had seen

"A briefe balet touching the trayterous takynge of Scarborow castle," subscribed J. Heywood, and printed in b. l. Mention is made of these at p. $71. note. The first of them is allegorically figurative, and begins:

The Egles byrde hath spred his wings

And from far of hathe taken flyght, In whiche meane way by no lourings On bough or braunch this birde wold light;

Till on the Rose, both red and
whight,

He lighteth now most lovinglie
And therto moste behovinglie.

Fuller speaks of a book written by Hey-
which are said to be non tam labore con-
wood entitled "Monumenta Literaria,"
dita, quam lepore condita. Worthies of
London, p. 221. Lord Hales pointed
out a few lines in The Evergreen as the
composition of Heywood, but they prove
to be one of his Epigrams Scoticised.
See Cent. i. p. 25.—PARK.]

[An epilogue or conclusion to the works of Heywood in 1587, by Thomas Newton the Cheshire poet, thus notices his decease :

This author Haywood dead and gone,"
and shrinde in tombe of clay,
Bifore his death by penned workes did
carefully assay

To builde himselfe a lasting tombe, not
made of stone and lyme,
But better farre and richer too triumph-
ing over Tyme.-PARK.]

m ATH. OXON. i. 150.

[Mr. Warton must have read the Conclusion of Heywood very cursorily, says Herbert, or he would not have been at such a loss for the intention of his poem of the Spider and the Flie.-PARK.]

SECTION XLIII.

I KNOW not if sir Thomas More may properly be considered as an English poet. He has, however, left a few obsolete poems, which although without any striking merit, yet, as productions of the restorer of literature in England, seem to claim some notice here. One of these is, A MERY JEST how a SERGEANT would learne to play the FREERE. Written by Maister Thomas More in hys youth. The story is too dull and too long to be told here. But I will cite two or three of the prefatory stanzas.

He that hath lafteb the Hosier's crafte,

And falleth to making shone;
The smythe that shall to payntyng fall,
His thrift is well nigh done.

A blacke draper with whyte paper,
To goe to writyng scole,

An olde butler becum a cutler,

I wene shall prove a fole.
And an olde trot, that can, got wot,
Nothyng but kysse the cup,

With her phisick will kepe one sicke,
Till she have soused hym up.

A man of lawe that never sawe
The wayes to bye and sell,
Wenyng to ryse by marchaundyse,
I praye God spede hym well!
A marchaunt eke, that wyll goo seke
By all the meanes he may,

To fall in sute tyll he dispute

His money

cleane away;

* WORKES, Lond. 1557. in folio. Sign. Ti.

b left.

⚫ shoes.

Pletyng the lawe for every strawe,
Shall prove a thrifty man,

With bated and strife, but by my life,
I cannot tell you whan.
Whan an hatter wyll go smatter
In philosophy;

Or a pedlar waxe a medlar
In theology.

In these lines, which are intended to illustrate, by familiar examples, the absurdity of a serjeant at law assuming the business of a friar, perhaps the reader perceives but little of that festivity, which is supposed to have marked the character and the conversation of sir Thomas More. The last two stanzas deserve to be transcribed, as they prove, that this tale was designed to be sung to music by a minstrel, for the entertainment of company.

Now Masters all, here now I shall

Ende there as I began;

In any wyse, I would avyse,

And lyghtly let them gone:

Play not the FRERE, Now make good cheere,

And welcome everych one.

This piece is mentioned, among other popular story-books in 1575, by Laneham, in his ENTERTAINMENT AT KILLINGWORTH CASTLE in the reign of queen Elisabeth.

IN CERTAIN METERS, written also in his youth, as a prologue for his BOKE OF FORTUNE, and forming a poem of considerable length, are these stanzas, which are an attempt at personification and imagery. FORTUNE is represented sitting on a lofty throne, smiling on all mankind, who are gathered around her eagerly expecting a distribution of her favours.