Account of Marlowe and his Writings: p. xl: edition 1862.) I must demur to this alleged 'improvement.' The MS. has no authority whatever, the Scribe being an extremely ignorant and blundering one. These nine examples out of many, taken at random, will suffice to prove this: [1] Epigram 1, line first.

'Fly, merry Muse unto that merry towne &c. he actually reads, spite of its heading 'Ad Musam' 'Fly, merry Newes. . . .

[2] Epigram 2, line 14

'And stands, in Presence, stroaking up his haire' he gives, to neglect of the rhyme with 'yeare'

stroaking up his heade'

[3] Epigram 3, line 5, for 'fry' he stupidly reads 'cry.' [4] Epigram 13, line 9, for 'sectaries' he gives nonsensicallyscituaries.'

[5] Epigram 15, line 3.

'Thou with harsh noise the ayre doth rudely breake,' he transmogrifies into

horse nor sea the ayre doth.'

[6] Epigram 26, line 11, he substitutes 'sweete' for 'hot' oblivious of the rhyme with 'petticoat.'

[7] Epigram 36, line 19, for 'rarifie' he reads 'ratiffie' [!] [8] Epigram 41, line 2,

'Paulus, in spite of enuy, fortunate'

he gives thus

Paulus, in fight of envy'.

[9] Epigram 43, line 3, for 'Paris-garden' he has 'Parishgarden; and so on ludicrously, with numerous proper

names.

Any one capable of perpetrating such stupidities as these, ought not in my opinion, to be allowed to displace a text printed for the Author, more especially his cannot for a moment be allowed to over-bear the third edition, our text.

From a confused inscription on the first page of the MS. its probable writer is ascertained. It is as follows "Ex spoliis Richardi Wharfe, ex It is much trouble and much. . . . Ex spoliis R. W." Underneath is the book-plate of John, Duke of Newcastle.

......

The gene

ral title runs 66 Epigramma in Musam, like Buckminster's Allmanacks servinge generallie for all England: but especiallie for the meridian of this famous Cittie of London." I regret that besides these (mis-called) ́improvements,' so admirable an Editor should have modernized throughout, the ORTHOGRAPHY equally of MARLOWE and of DAVIES: and all the more, that in his 'Notes' he adheres to the original orthography whenever he quotes from his wealth of illustrative extracts. The annotation condemns the text. Without any hesitation therefore, I have set aside Mr. Dyce's reprints, and returned (as supra) to Davies' own text and orthography, saving a slight reduction of capitals and italics. None the less do I owe thanks to Mr. Dyce for his kind permission kindly given, to use any Notes' that might be deemed interesting.

Those that I have taken are marked with his initial, D. I have to add another important correction of Mr. Dyce. After describing the HARLEIAN MS. he observes " Though it is of a date considerably posterior to the first appearance in print of Epigrams by I. D., perhaps ALL THE PIECES WHICH IT EXHIBITS ARE FROM THE PEN OF DAVIES. (page 353.) HOMER nods here: for on reading these additional 'Epigrams' thus assigned to Davies, I at once discovered that they consisted merely of a like blundering transcript of the "Satyricall Epigrams" of HENRY HUTTON, Dunelmensis, that were appended to his "Follie's Anatomie or Satyres" (1619.) The oversight is the more noticeable in that all these were reprinted in 1842, (edited by Rimbault), for the Percy Society, whereof Mr. Dyce was one of the most effective members of Council.

I confess that it was far from a disappointment to find that the Epigrams' of Davies were not to be increased to the extent they would have been had I accepted Mr. Dyce's opinion, and failed to discover the Hutton-authorship of nearly all those in the Manuscript, additional to his acknowledged ones. Nevertheless in the Appendix to our reprint of the Epigrams' I give certain additions from this Manuscript, that are found neither in Davies's nor Hutton's publications, but which seem to me to have the ring of Davies in them. The remainder-prefixed and affixed-may well be left in Manuscript. See the Memorial-Introduction for more on these Epigrams. G.

Epigrammes.

AD MUSAM. I.

Fly, merry Muse unto that merry towne,

Where thou maist playes, revels, and triumphs see;
The house of Fame, and theater of renowne,

Where all good wits and spirits loue to be.

Fall in betweene their hands that loue and praise thee,1
And be to them a laughter and a jest:

But as for them which scorning shall reproue thee,
Disdaine their wits, and thinke thine one 2 the best :
But if thou finde any so grose3 and dull,

4

That thinke I do to priuate taxing leane,

Bid him go hang, for he is but a gull,

And knows not what an Epigramme does meane ;

1 MS." seeme to loue thee." D. 2 Own. G. 3 Gross. G. 4 Blaming, censure. G. [i.e. censuring of individuals. MS. "priuate talkinge." Compare the Induction to The Knight of the Burning Pestle :

"Fly from hence

All private taxes!" &c.

Beaumont and Fletcher's WORKS, ii., 136, ed. Dyce. D.]

Which taxeth,5 under a peculiar name,6

A generall vice, which merits publick blame.

OF A GULL. 2.

Oft in my laughing rimes, I name a Gull:
But this new terme will many questions breed ;
Therefore at first I will expresse 7 at full,

Who is a true and perfect Gull indeed :

A Gull is he who feares a veluet gowne,

And, when a wench is braue,8 dares not speak to her;

A Gull is he which trauerseth the towne,

And is for marriage known a common woer;
A Gull is he which while he proudly weares,
A siluer-hilted rapier by his side;

Indures the lyes and knocks about the eares,
Whilst in his sheath his sleeping sword doth bide :
A Gull is he which weares good handsome cloaths,
And stands, in Presence, stroaking up his haire,
And fills up his unperfect speech with oaths,

But speaks not one wise word throughout the yeare:

5 MS. "carrieth." G. 6 Other editions "particular": and so

7 MS. "Wherefore. . . . disclose." D. 8 Fine, richly dressed.' D.