Mountpyler the iii daye of May the yere of our Loide. M.CCCCC.xlii."

It seems probable, that at that period, an Englishman on his visit to Scotland, had to contend with much caution and jealousy upon the part of the natives, if not infrequently with personal danger. He makes the Scotchman declare "trew I am to Fraunce" and "an Englyshman I cannot naturally loue, wherfore I offend them." He also says, "It is naturally geuen, or els it is of a deuyllyshe dysposicion of a scotyshma not to loue nor fauour an englyshema. And I beyng there and dwellynge amonge them was hated but my scyences & other polyces dyd kepe me in fauour that I dyd know theyr secretes." This circumstance might be his reason for making the assertion in the dedication of having dwelt there, and the same country is again particularised at the head of the seventh chapter, which being one where our author speaks only of himself and work is now selected.

"The VII. Chapytre sheweth howe the auctor of thys boke how he had dwelt in Scotland, and other Ilandes; did go thorow and rounde about christendom, and oute of chris tendome; declarynge the properties of al the regions, countreys, and prouynces, the whiche he did trauel thorow.

Of noble England, of Ireland and of Wales,
And also of Scotland I haue tolde som tales;
And of other Ilondes I haue shewed my mynd;
He that wyl trauell, the truthe he shal fynd:
After my conscyence I do wryte truly,
Although that many men wyl say that I do lye:
But for that matter I do not greatly pas,
But I am as I am but not as I was:

And where my metre is ryme dogrell,

The effect of the whych, no wise man wyl depell,
For he wyl take the effect of my mynde,
Although to make meter I am full blynde.

"For as muche as the most regall realme of England is cytuated in an angle of the worlde, hauing no region in chrystendom nor out of chrystendom equiualent to it. The como

* In chap. xxvii he says, "Mupilior is the most nobilist vniuersite of the world for phisicions and surgions." He is supposed to have had his degree conferred upon him at that place.

dyties, the qualite & the quantyte, wyth other and many thynges considered within & aboute the sayd noble realme, wherefore yf I were a lewe, a Turke, or a Sarasyn, or any other infidell, I yet must prayse & laud it, and so wold euery man yf they dyd know of other cōtrees as well as England, wher. fore all nacyons aspyeng thys realme to be so comodyous and pleasaunt they haue a confluence to it more than to any other regyon. I haue trauayled rownd about chrystendom and out of christedom, and I dyd neuer se nor know vii Englyshe men dwellynge in any towne or cyte in anye regyon by yond the see except marchauntes, students, & brokers, not theyr beyng parmanent nor abydyng, but resorting thyther for a space. In Englande howe many alyons hath and doth dwell of all maner of nacyons, let euery man judge the cause why and wherefore yf they haue reason to perscrute the matter. I haue also shewed my mynde of the realme of Ierlande, Wales, and Scotland and other londes pretendyng to shew of regyons, kyngdoms, coutreys and prouinces of Affrycke. As for Asia I was neuer in, yet I do wryte of it by auctours cronycles & by the wordes of credyble parsons the whiche haue trauelled in those partyes. But concernyng my purpose, and for my trauellyng in, thorow and round about Europ, whiche is all chrystendom.*

I dyd

* Professional pursuits served, as well as curiosity, to promote his travels. To preserve the health of a small band of English pilgrims upon their visit to the shrine of St. James, he volunteered his service as a guide, and amusingly describes the journey, where

"The xxxii chapter treteth of the kigdome of Nauer."-" Whan (he says) I dyd dwell in the vniuersitie of Orly ace casually going ouer the bredge into the towne I dyd mete wyth ix Englyshe and skotyshe parsons goyng to saynt compostell a pylgrymage to Saynt James, I knowyng theyr pretence aduertysed the to returne home to England, saying that I had rather to goe v tymes out of England to Rome, and so I had indede, tha ons to go from orlyance to compostell: saying also that if I had byn worthy to be of the kyng of englandes counsel such parsons as wolde take such iornes on them wythout hys lycences I wold set them by the fete. And that I had rather they should dye in England thorowe my industry than they to kyll them selfe by the way, wyth other wordes I had to them of exasperacyon. They not regardyng my wordes nor sayinges, sayd, that they wolde go forth in their journey and wolde dye by the way rather than to returne home. I hauynge pitie they should be cast away poynted them to my hostage and went to dispache my busines in the vniuersyte of Orliaunce. And after that I went wyth them in theyr iurney

thorow

I dyd wryte a booke of euery region, countre, and prouynce, shewynge the myles, the leeges and the dystaunce from cytie to cytie, and from towne to towne. And the cyties & townes names wyth notable thynges within the precyncte or about the sayde cytyes or townes, wyth many other thynges longe to reherse at this tyme, the whiche boke at byshops waltam viii myle from Wynchester in hapshyre one Thomas Cromwell had it of me; and by cause he had many matters of to dyspache for al England my boke was loste ye which might at this presente tyme haue holpen me and set me forward in this matter.* But syth y I do lacke the aforesayde booke humbly I desyre all men of what nacyon soeuer they be of, not to be discontent wyth my playne wrytyng and that I do tell the trewth, for I do not wryte ony thynge of a malycious nor of a peruerse mynde nor for no euyll pretence, but to many fest thinges ye whiche be openly knowen. And the thynges that I dyd se in many regyons, cytyes, and countryes openly vsed. Pascall the playn dyd wryte and preach manifest thinges that were ope in the face of the worlde to rebuke sin wyth the which matter I haue nothyng to do, for I doo speke of many countreys & regions, and of the naturall dysposicyou of the inhabitours of the same, with other necessary thynges to be knowen specially for them the whiche doth pretende to trauayle the countrees, regions and prouinces, that they may be in a redines to knowe what they should do whan they come there. And also to

know the money of the coutre and to speke parte of the language or speach that there is vsed, by the whiche a man may com to aforder knowledge. Also I do not nor shall not thorow Fraunce and so to Burdious & Byon & than we entred into the baryn countrey of Byskay and Castyle wher we coulde get no meate for money, yet wyth great honger we dyd come to Compostell; where we had plentye of meate and wyne: but in the retornyng thorow Spayn for all the crafte of physycke that I coulde do, they dyed all by eatynge of frutes and drynkynge of water, the whyche I dyd euer refrayne my selfe. And I assure al the worlde that I had rather goe v times to Rome oute of Englond than ons to Compostel; by watres it is no pain, but by land it is the greatest iurney that an englyshma may go, and whan I returnyd and did come into Aquitany, I dyd kis the ground for ioy, surrendring thankes to God that I was deliuered out of greate daungers as well from many theues as from honger and colde, and yt I was come into a plentiful country, for Aquitany nath no telow for good wyne & bred."

* Printed by Hearne in the Benedictus Abbas, 1735. Sce ante vol. ij. p. 69.

dispraue

dispraue no man in this booke perticulerly but manifest thinges I doo wry te openly and generally of comin vsages for a generall comodite and welth."

As a specimen of the description he thus "treateth of Norway and of Islonde."

"I am a poore man borne in Norway

Hawkes and fysh of me marchauntes do by all daye
And I was borne in Islond, as brute as a beest,

Whan I ete candels ends I am at a feest
Talow and raw stockfysh I do loue to ete
In my countrey it is right good meate,
Raw fysh and flesh I eate when I haue nede
Vpon such meates I do loue to feed,
Lytle I do care for matyns or masse,
And for any good ray ment I do neuer passe
Good beastes skyns I do loue for to were,
Be it the skins of a wolfe or of a beare.

"Norway is a great Ilond compassed abowt almost wyth the see, the countre is very colde, wherefore they haue lytle corne, and lytle bread and drynke, the countre is wylde and there be many rewde people. They do lyue by fyssh yng and huntyng. Ther be many castours and whyte beares and other mōsterous beastes; there be welles the whyche doth tourne Wood into Irone. In somer there be many daies that the sunne doth neuer go downe but is con tinuallye daye. And in many dayes in wynter it is styll night. In Norwaye ther be good hawkes, ther is lytle money, for they do barter there fysh and hawkes for mele and shoes and other Marchaundies."

...

"The XXXIII Chapter treateth of Bion and of Gascony and of lytle briten and of the natural disposicion of the people and of theyr money, and of theyr speche.

Norway hawkes were particularly esteemed and bore the largest price. In describing "the naturall dysposycyon of a selondder and holāder," he says,

"We haue haruest heryng, and good hawkes,
Whan great elys, and also great walkes."

Adding "Selond and Holand be proper and fayre Ilands, and there is plenty of barelled butter the whych is resty and salt, and there is cheese & hering, salmons, elys & lytle other fysh yt. I did se, therbe many goshawkes and other hawkes & wyld fowle." Where he also tells us " they be gentyll people but they do not fauer skottysh men."

"I was borne in bion ens english I was,
If I had be so styl I wold not gretly pas.
And I was brought vp in gentyl gascony,
For my good wyne I get money.
And I was borne in litle britten
Of al nacions I free englyshemen.

Whan they be angry lyke bees they do swarme,
I be shromp them they haue don me much harme.
Although I rag my hosen & my garment rounde aboute
Yet it is a vantage to pick pendiculus owt.

"As tochinge byon the towne is commodiouse, but the country is poor and barin, in the whiche be many theues; ther is a place calyd the hyue, it is fyuete or lx myle ouer, there is nothynge but heth and there is no place to haue succour within vii or eyght myles, and than a man shall haue but a typling house. The women of Byon be dysgysed as players in enterludes be with long raiment,* the sayd clokes hath hodes s[e]wed to them, and on the toppe of the hod is a long thyng like a poding bekyng forward.

Gascony is a commodiouse country, for ther is plenty of wyne, bred, & corne, and other vytells, and good lodgyng

and

The last trace of this stage costume was in the person who delivered the prologue being habited in a long black velvet cloak and who usually entered after the trumpet had sounded thrice. In Reed's Shakspeare, vol. iii. p. 120. are some notices upon this subject, and in the Four Prentises of London, printed 1615, the author Thomas Heywood, introduces a dialogue as a prologue. The stage direction is "enter three in blacke clokes, at three doores," and the first gives the following description of his character. "What meane you, my maisters, to appeare thus before your times? Doe you not know that I am the Prologue? Do you not see this long black veluet cloke vpon my bake? Haue you not sounded thrice? Do I not looke pale, as fearing to bee out in my speech? Nay haue I not all the signes of a Prologue about me? Then, to what end come you to interrupt mee?" At what time this practise discontinued is uncertain: I should conjecture it was not followed upon the revival of theatrical exhibitions after the restoration. In the preface to the Mysteries of Love and Eloquence; or, the Arts of Wooing and Complementing, it is said, "When playes were at their height, prologues were so in fashion at the court, and so desired on the stage, that without them the audience could not be pleased; so that the best poets were forced to satisfie the greedy expectation of the multitude, that gaped and yawned for such set and starcht speeches to be gravely delivered to their worships by the man in the long cloak with the coloured beard." Third Edition, 1685.