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.

66

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,

That thinke I do to priuate taxing 4 leane,
Bid him go hang, for he is but a gull,

And knows not what an Epigramme does meane ;

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 MS. G.

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

But to define a Gull in termes precise,

A Gull is he which seemes, and is not wise.9

9 In our Introductory-Note it is stated that the original edition of the 'Epigrams' is undated. From contemporary allusions the date is determined to have been prior to 1598. Among these allusions is an Epigram' by E. Guilpin in his 'Skialetheia' [1598] on the same subject with this by Davies. It follows here:

TO CANDIDUS [EPIGRAM.] 20.

"Friend Candidus, thou often doost demaund
What humours men by gulling understand:
Our English Martiall hath full pleasantly,
In his close nips describde a gull to thee:
I'le follow him, and set downe my conceit
What a gull is: oh word of much receit !
He is a gull, whose indiscretion

Cracks his purse strings to be in fashion;
He is a gull, who is long in taking roote
In baraine soyle, where can be but small fruite :
He is a gull, who runnes himselfe in debt,
For twelue dayes wonder, hoping so to get;
He is a gull, whose conscience is a block,
Not to take interest, but wastes his stock :

He is a gull, who cannot haue a whore,

But brags how much he spends upon her score:

He is a gull, that for commoditie

Payes tenne times ten, and sells the same for three :

He is a gull, who passing finicall,

Peiseth each word to be rhetoricall:

And to conclude, who selfe conceitedly,

Thinkes al men guls: ther's none more gull then he." G.

Leaving the best and most conspicuous place,
Doth either to the stage1 himselfe transferre,
Or through a grate2 doth shew his double3 face:
For that the clamorous fry of Innes of Court,
Fills up the priuate roomes of greater price :
And such a place where all may haue resort,
He in his singularity doth dispise.

Yet doth not his particular humour shun
The common stews and brothells of the towne,
Though all the world in troops doe hither 4 run,
Cleane and uncleane, the gentle and the clowne:
Then why should Rufus in his pride abhorre,
A common seate, that loues a common whore.

IN QUINTUM. 4.

Quintus the dancer useth euermore,

His feet in measure and in rule to moue:

1 See Note on Epigram 28. G.

2 Malone has cited this passage (Shakespeare by Boswell iii. 81) and, if he explains it rightly, the allusion is to one of the two boxes (sometimes called private boxes) which were situated on each side of the balcony or upper stage. D.

3 Other editions (as the Isham) 'doubtfull.' G.

4 Other editions (as the Isham)'thither.' G.