pauca adhuc habeo, quæ Chaucerum posteritati magnifice commendabunt. Nam, quemadmodum Richardo Burdegalensi, Anglorum Regi, cognitus, et virtutum nomine charus fuit; ita etiam Henrico quarto, et ejus filio, qui de Gallis triumphavit eisdem titulis commendatissimus erat. Quid quod et tota nobilitas Anglica illum, tanquam absolutum torrentis eloquentia exemplum, suspexit. Accessit insuper ad ejus gloriam, quod sororem habuerit, quæ Gulielmo Polo (nisi me nomen fallit) Sudovolgiæ duci, nupsit, ac magno in splendore Aquelmi vitam egit: ubi postea, fatis sic volentibus, diem quoque obiit, et, ut ego aliquando accepi, sepulta est.

"Inter hæc Chaucerus ad canos devenit, sensitque ipsam senectutem morbum esse; qua ingravescente, dum is Londini causas suas curaret, mortuus est, et Visimonasterii in Australi insula basilicæ, D. Petro sacræ, sepultus. Ludovicum autem reliquit fortunarum suarum, quas utcunque amplas habebat, hæredem, et præcipue villæ suæ Vodestochæ, regiæ admodum vicinæ. Aliquanto post tempore Gulielmus Caxodunus Chauceri monimentum hoc disticho inscribi fecit:

GALFRIDUS CHAUCER vates, et fama poesis

Maternæ, hac sacra sum tumulatus humo.

Hi duo versus desumpti fuerunt ex quadam nænia, quam Stephanus Surigonus Mediolanensis, poeta suo tempore clarus, rogante Gulielmo Caxtono, scripsit. Quare juvat totam ipsam næniam, quoniam tersa, canora, et rotunda est, in præsentiâ recitare. Sic enim Chaucerus, qui re vera maximus fuit, nobili testimonio externi scriptoris major videbitur:

Pierides Musæ, si possunt numina fletus
Fundere, divinas atque rigare genas,
GALFRIDI CHAUCER vatis crudelia fata
Plangite; sit lacrymis abstinuisse nefas.
Vos coluit vivens, at vos celebrate sepultum:
Reddatur merito gratia digna viro.
Grande decus nobis est docti Musa Maronis,
Qua didicit melius lingua Latina loqui :

It seems to be well established that Thomas Chaucer, whose daughter Alice married William De la Pole Duke of Suffolk, was eldest son of the poet. The tomb of this Thomas Chaucer and of his daughter the Duchess at Ewelm in Oxfordshire, is ornamented with the spinning wheel, the emblem of the family name of the poet's wife, Rouet; and the paved bricks of the church are ornamented with the same figure. Godwin, IV. 159, &c. &c.

The poet had a younger son, Lewis, who is supposed to have died young, contrary to Leland's assertion.

Grande

Grande novumque decus CHAUCER famamque paravit,
Heu quantum fuerat prisca Britanna rudis!
Reddidit insignem maternis versibus, ut jam
Aurea splendescat, ferrea facta prius.
Hunc latuisse virum nil, si tot opuscula vertes,
Dixeris, egregiis quæ decorata modis
Socratis ingenium, vel fontes philosophiæ,
Quicquid et arcani dogmata sacra ferunt:
quoscunque velis tenuit doctissimus artes,
Hic vates parvo conditus in tumulo.

Et

Ah! laudis quantum præclara Britannia perdis,
Dum rapuit tantum mors odiosa virum;
Crudeles Parcæ, crudelia fila sorores,

Non tamen extincto corpore fama perit.
Vivet in æternum, vivent dum scripta poetæ,
Vivant æterno tot monimenta die,

Si qua bonos tangit pietas, si carmine dignus,
Carmina qui cecinit tot cumulata modis.
Hoc sibi marmoreo scribantur verba sepulchro
Hoc maneat laudis sarcina summa suæ :
GALFRIDUS CHAUCER vates, et fama poesis
Materna, hacsacra sum tumulatus humo.
Post obitum CAXTON voluit te vivere cura
GUILHELMI, CHAUCER, clare poeta, tui:
Nam tua non solum compressit opuscula formis,
Hac quoque sed laudes jussit hic esse tuas.

Habes nunc, humanissime lector, elegos in nivea tabella depictos, quos Surigonus Visimonasterii columnæ, Chauceri sepulchro vicinæ, adfixit. Tu sæpe eosdem in nostri vatis gratiam legas sic tibi quisquis eris, faveat suadela, leposque."

The

Thynne in his Animadversions already cited, makes the following remarks on the Origin of Printing." In the latter end of the title of Chaucer's death, you say that printing was brought out of Germany in the year 1471, being the 37 H. 6. into England, being first found at Mogunce by one John Guthembergus, and brought to Rome by Conradus an Almaine. But the year of Christ 1471 was not the 37 H. 6, but the eleventh of King Edward the Fourth; and as some have it, [it] was not first found at Mogunce or Mentx, but at Strasburgh, and perfected at Mentz. David Chryteus, in his History, saith, it was first found in Anno 1440, and brought to Rome by Henricus Han, a German, in the year 1470; whereof Antonius Campanus formed this excellent epigram:

Anser Tarpeii custos Jovis, unde, quod alis
Constreperes, Gallus decidit; ultor adest

Ulricus

¶ The Byble in Englishe, that is, the olde and new Testament, after the translacion appoynted to bee read in the Churches. Imprynted at London in Flete strete, at the signe of the Sunne, ouer agaynst the Conduyte, by Edwarde Whitechurche. The xxix day of December, the yeare of our Lorde M.D.XL.IX. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.

The above work is noticed only for the purpose of introducing the following narrative, transcribed from the back of its title-page; as an anecdote of Bishop Styll, the author of Gammer Gurton's Needle it seems worthy preservation. The omissions I have not been able to decypher.

"On Sundaye the fovrthe daye of December in the nyne and thurtie yere of the raigne of Queene Elizabethe in Anno dno 1596, one Doctor Rogers, Chancellor of the Churche of St. Andrew in Welles, did preache in the quier of the same churche the forenoone, and continued his sermon after seven of the clocke almost one quarter-in the **** of Iohn Still, Byshopp, Doctor Langworthe, dyvers others of the cannons, Mr. Towse*** and many other to the number by estimate of fyve hundredes. The wether did grow very clowdy, and it rayned and hayled, wonderfull fast and verye darke, and in one momenthe a fyery flame went through the chancell from the lower dore vpwards, and wall a wonderfull thunder clapp to the great feare & terror of all the people, that the Byshop and all other fell on their knees & prayed hartely to God, and so only the rayne continued, but no more thunder nor lytening, and in this lytening & thunder, one damsell ***** ij of the Byshops men were marked wth spotts, and dyvers other, and fell downe therewh, to the great feare & terror of all the people, I praye God geve us grace to amend our lyves."

Bristol, 1810.

Ulricus Gallus; ne quem poscantur in usum,

Edocuit pennis nil opus esse tuis.

J. F.

But others do suppose that it was invented at Argenterote, as doth Matthew Parker in the Life of Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury: which for the uncertainty thereof I leave at this time to further examination, not having now present leisure therefore." Todd, ut supra, 31, 32.

The

The Fraternitye of Uacalondes. As wel of ruflyng Vacabondes, as of beggerly, of women as of men, of Gyrles as of Boyes, with their proper names and qualities. With a description of the crafty company of Cousoners and Shifters. Wherunto also is ad ioyned the. xxv. Orders of Knaues, otherwyse called a Quartern of Knaues. Confirmed for euer by Cocke Lorell.

¶ The Vprightman speaketh.

¶Our Brothethood of Uacabondes,
If you would know where dwell:

In graues end Barge which syldome standes,
The talke wyll shew ryght well.

Cocke Lorell aunswereth.

¶Some orders of my knaues also
Jn that Barge shall ye fynde:
For no where shall ye walke J trow,
But ye shall see their kynde.

Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdeley, dwellyng in little Britayne streete without Aldersgate. 1575. [4to. black letter, containing nine leaves.]

Such is the title of this very curious tract, which is briefly mentioned by Warton (History of English Poetry, IV. 75.) as one of the first books, exhibiting not only the tricks but the language of thieves. Mr. W. supposes it to have been taken from another piece of the same description, by Thomas Harman, entitled A Caueat for Commen Cursetors vulgarely called Vagabones, &c. 1567, but this cannot be the case, since we find in Herbert's Ames, (II. 885,) that an edition appeared by the same printer, so early as 1565. The second, of which we here propose to offer some account, has escaped the observation of these diligent bibliographers.

The source from which the information contained in the tract was procured, is declared in the following lines at the back of the title.

The

"The Printer to the Reader.

"This brotherhood of Uacabondes'
To shew that there be such in deede:
Both justices and men of landes,
Wyll testifye it if it nede.

For at a sessions as they sat,

By chaunce a Uacabond was got.

Who promysde if they would him spare,
And keepe his name from knowledge then:
He would as straunge a thing declare
As euer they knew synce they were men.
But if my fellowes do know (sayd he,)
That thus J dyd, they would kyll me.
They graunting him this his request,
He dyd declare as here is read,
Both names and states of most and least,
Of this their Uacabondes brotherhood.

Which at the request of a worshipful ma
J haue set it forth as well as J can."

The compiler, who it seems was Audley the printer, then goes on to enumerate and characterize the several denominations of cheats and pick-pockets, company which the readers of the BIBLIOGRAPHER might justly condemn me for introducing them to, did not the publication command some interest from being the undoubted earliest tract extant on this subject.

In the following list of contents I shall transcribe, in the notes, descriptions of such characters as are least known. "An Abraham man. A Ruffeler. A Prygman. A Whipiacke. A Frater. A Quire bird.‡

*

"A prygman goeth with a stycke in hys hand like an idle person. His propertye is to steale cloathes of the hedge, which they call storing of the rogeman: or els filtch poultry, carrying them to the alehouse, whych they call the bowsyng in, & ther syt playing at cardes and dice, tyl, that is spent which they haue so tylched."

↑ "A frater goeth wyth a like [a counterfeit] lisence to beg for some spittle house or hospital. Their pray is comonly vpo poore women as they go and come to the markets."

"A quire bird is one that came lately out of prison, & goeth to seeke seruice. He is comonly a stealer of horses, which they terme a prigger of paulfreys." Harman gives a long account of "a prygger of prauncers.”

An