To kepe his fleshe chafte, In Lente, for his repaste The poem called the BOUGE OF COURT, or the Rewards of a Court, is in the manner of a pageaunt, confisting of seven perfonifications. Here our author, in adopting the more grave and stately movement of the feven lined ftanza, has shewn himself not always incapable of exhibiting allegorical imagery with spirit and dignity. But his comic vein predominates. An apostle's. p. 147. He afterwards infinuates, that the Cardinal had loft an eye by the French disease: and that Balthafar, who had cured of the fame diforder Domingo Lomelyn, one who had won much money of the king at cards and hafarding, was employed to recover the cardinal's eye. P. 175. In the Boke of Colin Clout, he mentions the cardinal's mule, "Wyth "golde all be trapped." p. 188. [See fupr. p. 329.] But in this ftanza he sometimes relapfes into the absurdities of his favorite style of compofition. For inftance, in SPEAKE PARROT, P. 97. Albertus de modo fignificandi, And Donatus, be dryven out of schole; Prifians hed broken now handy dandy, And Interdidafcalos is returned for a fole: Alexander a gander of Menander's pole, With da Canfales is caft out of the gate, And da Racionales dare not fhew his pate. Here, by da Canfales, he perhaps means Concilia, or the canon law. By da Raciomales he feems to intend Logic. Albertus is the author of the MARGARITA POETICA, a collection of Flores from the claffics and other writers, printed at Nurenberg, 1472. fol. For Donatus, fee vol. i. p. 281. To which add, that Ingulphus fays, in Croyland abbey library, there were many Catones and DONATI, in the year 1091. HIST. CROYL. Ingulph. Script. Vet. i. p. 104. And that no perfon was admitted into the college of Boiffy at Paris, founded in 1358,"nifi DONATUM aut Catonem di"dicerit." Bul. HIST. UNIV. PARIS. tom. iv. p. 355. INTERDIDASCALOS is the name of an old grammar. Alexander was a schoolmafter at Paris about the year 1290, author of the DOCTRINALE PUERORUM, which for fome centuries continued to be the most favorite manual of grammar used in fchools, and was first printed at Venice in the year 1473. It is compiled from Prifcian and in Leonine verfe. See Henr. Gandav. SCRIPTOR. ECCLES. cap. lix. This admired system has been loaded with gloffes and lucubrations: but, on the authority of an ecclefiaftical fynod, it was fuperfeded by the COMMENTARII GRAMMATICI of Def pauterius, in 1512. It was printed in England as early as the year 1503, by W. de Worde. [See fupr. p. 168.] Barklay, in the SHIP OF FOOLES, mentions Alexander's book, which he calls "The olde "DOCTRINALL with his diffuse and un"perfite brevitie." fol. 53. b. RYOTT is thus forcibly and humourously pictured. With that came RYOTTE rufhing al at ones, Than I behylde how he dyfgyfed was; His cote was checkerd with patches rede and blewe, money fo called, from being marked with the cross. Hence the old phrafe, to cross the hand, for, to give money. In Chaucer's. MARCHAUNT'S TALE, when January and May are married, it is faid the priest "Crouchid them, and bad god fhould "them blefs." v. 1223. Urr. That is, "He croffed the new-married couple, &c." In the poem before us, RYOTTE fays, “ I "have no coyne nor croffe." p. 72. Carpentier mentions a coin, called in Latin CROSATUS, and in old French CROSAT, from being marked with the Crofs. Hence CROISAGE, Fr. for TRIBUTE. V. CRO SATUS There is alfo merit in the delineation of DISSIMULATION, in the fame poem: and it is not unlike Ariofto's manner in imagining thefe allegorical perfonages. Than in his hode I sawe there faces tweyne ;: And in his other fleve methought I fawe The fame may be obferved of the figure of DiSDAYNE. He looked hawtie, he fette eche man at nought; He frowned as he wolde fwere by cockes blode *. He bote the lyppe, he loked paffýnge coye; That he loked pale as afshes to my syghte: Forthwith he made on me a proude affawte, He fround, he ftared, he ftamped where he stoode : And in this wyfe he gan with me chyde'. In the CROWNE OF LAWRELL our author attempts the higher poetry: but he cannot long fupport the tone of folemn description. These are some of the most ornamented and poetical ftanzas. He is defcribing a garden belonging to the superb palace of FAME. In an herber I fawe brought where I was; In the middes a cundite, that curiously was caft Where I fawe growyng a goodly laurell tre, Ageynst all infections with rancour enflamed: * * * * It passed all baumes that ever were named, Dryades there daunfed upon that goodly foile, They made, with chaplettes and garlandes grene; And formoft of al dame Flora the quene; Of fomer fo formally fhe foted the daunce: There Cinthius fat, twinklyng upon his harpestringes: The poemes and stories auncyent in bringes Of Atlas aftrology, &c. Our author fuppofes, that in the wall furrounding the palace of FAME were a thousand gates, new and old, for the entrance and egrefs of all nations. One of the gates is • P. 30. feq. called |