CONTENTS

OF THE SEVENTH CONVERSATION.

Rarities provided for the day-Wynkyn de Worde's "Boke of
keruynge," and Mrs. Glass's Cookery-" Epulario or the Italian
Banquet," 1598, quoted in reference to Shakespeare, &c.-
Thomas Churchyard, and Mr. G. Chalmers's Life of him—Ex-
cessive rarity of Churchyard's "Miserie of Flaunders, Calamitie of
Fraunce, &c. Troubles of Scotland," &c. 1579, omitted by War-
ton, Chalmers, Ritson, and all other bibliographers—Dedication
to the Queen-Extracts regarding the "Calamitie of Fraunce"-
Injustice done to Churchyard-Edward Lewicke's "History of
Titus and Gisippus,” 1562, and its story told by Boccacio, Day X,
Nov. 8 Curious specimens of Lewicke's poetry-Proof, contrary
to Warton's assertion, that Lewicke did not translate from Boccacio,
but copied Sir T. Elliot's "Governor," 1534-Quotation from
Churchyard regarding the "Troubles of Scotlande"-On "the
blessed state of England," from the same-Churchyard's concern
in the Flemish wars detailed in one of his tracts printed in 1578—
Spenser's allusion to him in "Colin Clout's come home again,"
and Churchyard's appropriation of it in his "Pleasaunt Discourse
of Court and Warres," 1596, with his applause of Spenser-His
"Tragedy of Shore's Wife," and the word tragedy, so used, ex-
plained Jervis Markham's "Most Honorable Tragedy of Sir
Richard Grinuile Knight," 1595: only one copy of it existing, and
its enormous price—Description of it—Address “to the Fayrest”
-Extract from the body of the poem-The manner of Sir R.
Grenville's death disputed Quotations from a prose tract, dated
in 1591, relating to the conflict in which he fell, and especially to
his death-Robert Markham's "Description of that euer to be
famed Knight, Sir John Burgh," 1628: its absurdity—A MS.

poem by Sir R. Grenville, "In praise of Seafaringe Men," discovered and quoted-Henry Constable's four un-reprinted Sonnets "to Sir Philip Sidney's soule," before the "Apologie of Poetrie" of 1595 Omission of them in Lord Thurlow's recent republication-Edward Wootton-Sir Henry Wootton's earliest production-Bastard's Chrestoleros, 1598, cited, regarding him and fishing-Dr. Donne's "Progresse of the Soule," and Rabelais— Trajan a fisherman-Izaac Walton and an unknown poem called “The Love of Amos and Laura," 1619, dedicated to him-The dedication extracted-Second edition of Marston's "Pigmalions Image," 1619-Opening lines of "The Love of Amos and Laura," with observations-Further extract_" Alcilia: Philoparthens louing Folly," of the same date, and in the same volume-On love-poems-R. Wilmot's "Tancred and Gismunda,” 1592, and Spenser referred to Philoparthen on the inconsistency of loversWho was Philoparthen?-Division of his work-Specimen from it: further quotation-Description of his mistress, from the same, with criticisms-Dr. Edes, Dean of Worcester, an epigrammatist according to Bastard-Minor poets of Elizabeth's reign-Barnabe Googe; his translation of "the Zodiac of Life," and "the Popish Kingdom," 1570-" A new yeares gifte," attributed to him by Ritson, not his His "Prouerbes of Sir James Lopez de Mendoza, Marquis of Santillana," &c. 1579-Its existence doubted— Quotations from it in praise of women, and on Cato and Mutius Scævola-Rowland Broughton's poem on the death of the Marquis of Winchester, 1572, noticed by Beloe-Character of Queen Elizabeth by John Phillips, in his poetical tract on the death of the Countess of Lenox in 1577.

THE

POETICAL DECAMERON.

THE SEVENTH CONVERSATION.

ELLIOT. Having gone through all the English satirists, as far as you thought necessary, what is our bill of fare to-day?

BOURNE. If you were that which you are not, an absolute helluo librorum, your phrase from the table d'hôte might be perfectly in character: to follow it up, as I am to be caterer, I have provided a variety of dishes.

MORTON. Rare and highly seasoned, I hope.

ELLIOT. We need not fear that, they will be savoury enough. The fault of these musty, greasy, wormeaten relics generally is, that they are a little too high.

MORTON. Yet you seem to have learnt to relish them much better than when first we began our conversations.

BOURNE. To drop the figure, here is a small pile of books of a miscellaneous character that I have looked out for our amusement, which contains no

thing but literary curiosities:-I mean that their extreme rarity is even more distinguishing than the positive and intrinsic value of several of them.

ELLIOT. Then in what order are we to take them, or are we to proceed for the present without system? BOURNE. I apprehend that you will find in our progress something of the "order in confusion" of the poet, for most of the tracts are connected in one way or another.

MORTON. If they were not, it would not much signify; therefore let us enter upon the examination of this small pile of books, as you call it, without loss of time. Who is the first author?" Tho. Churchyard, Gent."

BOURNE. Stay: if I am to be at the head of the table, you must allow me to carve, or, at least, to direct the order of the feast. You must be content to take them as the several dishes are placed before you, and not according to your own fancy.

MORTON. I presume that you will be the last to abandon ancient usages in this respect, and that all your operations will be governed by Wynkyn de Worde's" Boke of keruynge."

BOURNE. Of course, and I shall follow his sage recommendation under the head "seruice," that before you begin to carve, you should " Take your

knyfe in your hāde."

ELLIOT. In the very spirit of the celebrated Mrs. Glasse,"Take an old hare that is good for nothing else," or Swift's

"Take a knuckle of veal,

You may buy it or steal."

BOURNE. With Wynkyn de Worde's directions on carving, and the instruction of "Epulario or the Italian Banquet," (1589) as to the preparation and arrangement of my banquet, I shall now order the covers to be removed.

MORTON. First letting us a little more into the secret about that book you call Epulario.

BOURNE. Here it is, at your service, and you will find it nothing more than an old cookery book, affording a little amusement on account of the strangeness of some of the dishes: for instance the following, "To make Pies so that the Birds may be aliue in them and flie out when it is cut vp."

ELLIOT. That is certainly of the utmost value, being, no doubt, the origin of that famous old ballad, the delight alike of babies and bibliographers;

"Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie;
When the pie was open'd the birds began to sing,
Was not that a dainty dish to set before the king?"
Read it by all means.

BOURNE. I will, a part of it; not to gratify your love of ridicule, but because it affords a happy note of illustration to Shakespeare's expression, "a custard coffin," in his "Taming of the Shrew." "Make (says the translator of Epulario, for it is from the Italian),