• Patrons of the Mermaid tavern (1/2)

    From Arthur Neuendorffer@21:1/5 to All on Sat Jan 29 07:36:22 2022
    ----------------------------------------------------- https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-95279

    Patrons of the Mermaid tavernfree (act. 1611)
    Michelle O'Callaghan: 28 September 2006

    Patrons of the Mermaid tavern (act. 1611), included a drinking society, the ‘Fraternitie of Sireniacal gentlemen’. According to the early seventeenth-century traveller, writer, and wit, Thomas Coryate, it met the 'first Fridaie of every Moneth, at
    the signe of the Mere-Maide in Bread-streete in London' (Traveller for the English Wits, 37). The tavern attracted the patronage of other convivial societies in this period, attesting to well-confirmed habits of formal socializing among the élite in the
    West End of early seventeenth-century London. It subsequently achieved fame as the meeting-place of Ben Jonson and his fellow dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, and other 'heroes and witts of that time' (Aubrey, 2.239).
    .
    Jonson identified himself with the Mermaid in the 1610s, before taking up residence at the Apollo room of the Devil and St Dunstan tavern on Fleet Street. Beaumont's verse epistle to Jonson, 'The Sun which doth the greatest comfort bring', writes of
    .
    . what things have we seen
    . Done at the Mermaid: heard words that have been
    . So nimble, so full of subtil flame
    . Then when there hath been thrown
    . Wit able enough to justifie the Town
    . For three days past, wit that might warrant be
    . For the whole City to talk foolishly
    . Till that were cancell'd, and when that was gone,
    . We left and Air behind us which alone,
    . Was able to make the two next Companies
    . Right witty; though but downright fools, more wise.

    Internal evidence dates the verse epistle to mid-1605, providing further evidence for long-standing if informal drinking and dining societies at the Mermaid, such as the merry dinner attended by Chamberlain, Winwood, and Edmondes in February 1603 (Bland,
    165; Letters of John Chamberlain, 1.185). Like Beaumont's epistle, Jonson's writings consistently associate the tavern with poetry and the muses. His 'pure cup of rich Canary wine' eulogized in one of the first English symposiastic lyrics, 'Inviting a
    Friend to Supper', comes from the Mermaid; in his exuberant burlesque On the Famous Voyage the two 'knights', Sheldon, probably Thomas or Sir Ralph Sheldon, and Heydon, possibly Sir Christopher Heyden.
    .
    The development of an English symposiastic tradition that integrated poetry, wine-drinking, and convivial practices during the seventeenth century culminated in Gifford's account of the Mermaid Club, in which the tavern took its place in literary history
    as the birthplace of the eighteenth-century literary club. Gifford's Mermaid Club probably inspired John Keats to visit the tavern some time before February 1818, and he had Beaumont's epistle in mind when he wrote his 'Lines on the Mermaid Tavern' ('
    Souls of poets dead and gone'). Both Gifford and Keats lie behind Alfred Noyes's Tales of the Mermaid Tavern (1913); a nostalgic reworking of a vision-poem, it imagines, in Beaumont's words, 'what things have we seen / Done at the Mermaid' when Ralegh,
    Jonson, [MARLO]we, Shakespeare, Robert Greene, Thomas Dekker, and other Elizabethan dramatists and poets were gathered in the one room.
    ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/jonson/supper.htm

    . . "Inviting a Friend to Supper" by Ben Jonson

    . Yet shall you have, t[O] rectifie your pa[L]ate,
    . An olive, cape[R]s, or some better s[A]llad
    . Ushring the [M]utton ; with a short-leg'd hen,
    . If we can get her, full of eggs, and then,
    . Limons, and wine for sauce : to these, a coney
    . Is not to be despair'd of, for our money ;
    . And, though fowle, now, be scarce, yet there are clerkes,
    . The skie not falling, {T}h{I}n{K}e we may have lar{K}es.
    .{I}'ll {T}ell you of more, and lye, so you will come :
    . Of partrich, pheasant, wood-cock, of which so[M]e
    . May yet be there ; and godwit, if we c[A]n :
    . Knat, raile, and ruffe too. How so e'e[R], my man
    . Shall reade a piece of VIRGI[L], TACITUS,
    . LIVIE, or of some better bo[O]ke to us,
    . Of which wee'll speake our minds, amidst our meate ;
    . And I'll professe no verses to repeate :
    . To this, if ought appeare, which I know not of,
    . That will the pastrie, not my paper, show of.
    .
    {KIT}. . -2, 3
    [MARLO] -15, 29 : Prob. of 2 [MARLO]s ~ 1 in 2,000 -------------------------------------------------------
    The Merchant of Venice (Quarto 1, 1600) Act 1 scene 2

    Nerrissa: Doe you not remember Lady in your Fathers time,
    a Venecian a Scholler & a Souldiour that came hether
    in companie of the Marquesse of Mountferrat?

    Portia: Yes, yes, it was Bassanio, as I thinke so was he calld. -------------------------------------------------------------
    Sabrina wrote:

    <<In Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, Bassanio travels to Portia's home "in the company of the Marquis of Montferrat." After this single mention, the 'Marquis of Montferrat' plays no role whatsoever in the play. His gratuitous mention in one
    scene can only be attributed to a private whim of Shakespeare's. The author was obviously indulging in an obscure allusion to Guglielmo Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua, who held the title of Marquis of Montferrat from 1550 to 1574.

    From a Sackvillian perspective, an even more intriguing fact is that on Jan. 23, 1575, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, raised Montferrat from a marquisate to a duchy. After this time, Guglielmo Gonzaga and his descendants held the title of the Duke of
    Montferrat. In other words, the title Marquis of Montferrat became obsolete after 1574. Its appearance in The Merchant of Venice establishes that Shakespeare learned of it from a 1574 or earlier source. It also indicates that Shakespeare never made a
    deliberate attempt to learn the titles of the Italian nobility in the 1590s to add a touch of realism to his play. If he had, he should have caused Bassanio to travel to Portia's home "in the company of the Duke of Montferrat."

    The Merchant of Venice's gratuitous and obsolete reference to the Marquis of Montferrat makes excellent sense if Thomas Sackville wrote as Shakespeare, because he traveled in Italy between 1563 and 1564. His status as an elite member of the English
    aristocracy would have entitled him to attend dinner parties, fêtes, and other events hosted by elite members of the Italian aristocracy. He thus had many opportunities to become familiar with gossip about the Italian nobility, and to become informed
    about the nobility's titles. It is entirely possible that Sackville met the then-Marquis of Montferrat in person, and perhaps even stayed at his house.>>
    -------------------------------------------------- https://hankwhittemore.wordpress.com/tag/venice/
    Hank Whittemore's Shakespeare Blog

    <<The reference is made by Nerissa, who asks Portia if she remembers Bassanio's visit to Belmont: "Do you not remember, lady, in your father's time, a Venetian, a scholar and a soldier that came hither in company of the Marquis of Montferrat?"

    "Yes, yes, it was Bassanio, as I think, so he was called," Portia says, but totally ignoring Nerissa's recollection of the Marguis of Montferrat, who is neither one of Portia's suitors nor one of the play's characters; in fact, this is the only time he's
    mentioned. Traditional scholars have never found any good reason for the playwright to make such an allusion, but Dr. Magri, viewing The Merchant as written by Edward de Vere, found the reason -- in the historical record of the visit to Venice in July
    1574 by Henry III of France, who traveled with his party up the River Brenta and stopped at Villa Foscari, where he had been invited for dinner.

    It turns out that with the French king on that visit was Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Marquis of Montferrat!

    Just eight months later in March 1575, the twenty-five-year-old Earl of Oxford arrived at the royal court in Paris and met King Henry III, who was fond of expressing his admiration for Villa Foscari and its charming location.>>
    --------------------------------------------------------------
    The Marquis of Montferrat + Belmont *points specifically*
    to the visit to Venice in July 1574 by Henry III of France
    just eight months before Henry entertained Edward de Vere.

    Perhaps Oxford was shown a little French fairy tale "casket" play.

    In any event, it all strongly favors Oxford not Sackville. -------------------------------------------------- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Foscari

    <<Villa Foscari is a patrician villa in Mira, near Venice, northern Italy, designed by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio. It is also known as La Malcontenta, a nickname which it received when the spouse of one of the Foscaris was locked up in the
    house because she allegedly didn't live up to her conjugal duty.

    The villa was commissioned by the brothers Nicolo and Luigi Foscari. It was built between 1558 and 1560. It was used for official receptions, such as that given for [the new (since: 30 May 1574)] Henry III of France in July 1574. It is located beside the
    Brenta canal and is raised on a pedestal, which is characteristic of Palladio's villas; this pedestal is more massive than most of Palladio's villas because it was not possible to construct a subterranean basement on the site.

    The interior of the villa is richly decorated with frescoes by Battista Franco and Giambattista Zelotti. Mythological scenes from Ovid alternate with allegories of the Arts and Virtues. As at other Palladian villas, the paintings reflect villa life in,
    for example, Astraea showing Jove the pleasures of the Earth.>> -------------------------------------------------------------- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Gonzaga,_Duke_of_Mantua

    <<Guglielmo Gonzaga (24 April 1538 - 14 August 1587) was 'Marquis of Montferrat' from 1550 to 22 January 1575. Guglielmo was particularly interested in sacred vocal music, and is known particularly to music historians for his extensive correspondence
    with the composer
    Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525 - 2 February 1594).>> ------------------------------------------------------- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montferrat

    <<Montferrat (in Italian, Monferrato) is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of
    Italy. It also has a strong literary tradition, including the 18th century Asti-born poet and dramatist Vittorio Alfieri and the Alessandrian Umberto Eco.

    There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of "Monferrato", but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, like the one advocated by Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and "farro,"--a variety
    of wheat, and another according to which derives from the Latin "Mons ferax," meaning "mount fertile and rich." Still another refers to the irons left by the Romans in their conquest, "Mons ferratus." Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend
    according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick ("mun" in local dialect), and thereby the horse was shod ("fra"), hence the name "Munfra" yielding Monferrato.>>
    ------------------------------------------------------- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_of_Pembroke

    <<On 1 September 1533 King Henry VIII created the original Marquessate of Pembroke for his future queen Anne Boleyn. This honour was in recognition of the king's great-uncle Jasper Tudor, who had been the Earl of Pembroke in the 15th century, and his own
    father, Henry VII who was born at Pembroke Castle in January 1457.

    The Marquessate was granted to Anne and her heirs male, but the patent did not include the usual provision that the said heirs male had to be of legitimate birth, thus enabling the title to pass to any illegitimate son Anne might have had. The attending
    peers did not fail to notice this unusual omission.

    It is not clear how the Marquessate of Pembroke ceased to exist. The title Earl of Pembroke was revived in favour of Sir William Herbert, whose father, Richard, was an illegitimate son of the 1st Earl of Pembroke of the house of Herbert. He had married
    Anne Parr, sister of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Catherine Parr, and was created Earl in 1551.

    An executor of Henry VIII's will and the recipient of valuable grants of land, Herbert was a prominent and powerful personage during the reign of Edward VI, both the protector Somerset and his rival, John Dudley, afterwards Duke of Northumberland,
    angling for his support. He threw in his lot with Dudley, and after Somerset's fall obtained some of his lands in Wiltshire and a peerage. It has been asserted that he devised the scheme for settling the English crown on Lady Jane Grey; at all events he
    was one of her advisers during her short reign, but he declared for Mary when he saw that Lady Jane's cause was lost. By Mary and her friends, Pembroke's loyalty was at times suspected, but he was employed as governor of Calais, as president of Wales and
    in other ways. He was also to some extent in the confidence of Philip II of Spain. The Earl retained his place at court under Elizabeth until 1569, when he was suspected of favouring the projected marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Duke of
    Norfolk. Among the monastic lands granted to Herbert was the estate of Wilton, near Salisbury, still the residence of the Earls of Pembroke.

    His elder son Henry (c. 1534 - 1601), who succeeded as 2nd Earl, was president of Wales from 1586 until his death. He married in 1577 Mary Sidney, the famous Countess of Pembroke (c. 1561-1621), third daughter of Sir Henry Sidney and his wife Mary Dudley.
    Sir Philip Sidney to whom she was deeply attached through life, was her eldest brother. Sir Philip Sidney spent the summer of 1580 with her at Wilton, or at Ivychurch, a favourite retreat of hers in the neighbourhood. Here at her request he began the
    Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, which was intended for her pleasure alone, not for publication. The two also worked at a metrical edition of the Psalms.>>
    -------------------------------------------------- http://www.enotes.com/topics/bussy-dambois

    The Tragedy of Bussy D'Ambois (1603-1607) by George Chapman

    <<In Paris, Bussy d'Ambois is a soldier and gentleman too poor to gain favor at the court. He meets Monsieur, brother of King Henry III, by appointment in a side street. Monsieur, chiding Bussy for his downcast countenance, reminds him that some of the
    greatest men in history have endured obscurity and exile before becoming renowned. Anxious to have ambitious and ruthless young men about him, Monsieur invites Bussy to be his man and to become a courtier. Later, Maffe, Monsieur's steward, comes to Bussy
    and, seeing the wretched state he is in, gives him only one hundred crowns of the thousand that Monsieur sent Bussy. Bussy, perceiving that Maffe is a proud scoundrel and knowing Monsieur's reputation for generosity, is able to talk Maffe out of the
    remaining nine hundred crowns. With the money in his possession, Bussy strikes Maffe in payment for his insubordination. Maffe hints that he will be avenged.

    Monsieur introduces Bussy, dressed in fine new clothes, at court. As he is presented to various noble people of the court, he impresses them with his directness. The duke of Guise jealously notes that Bussy is being quite free with the duke's wife,
    Elenor, and suggests that Bussy not be so forward. Bussy, in conduct unlike that expected of a courtier, answers Guise sharply. Although warned by Monsieur, Bussy persists in dallying pleasantly with Elenor. Having offended Guise, Bussy also bluntly
    incurs the enmity of three courtiers, Barrisor, l'Anou, and Pyrrhot.

    In the duel that follows, the three courtiers and two of Bussy's friends are killed; Bussy is the only survivor. He later goes to the court with Monsieur, who successfully wins a pardon for Bussy from King Henry. Bussy thanks the king and declares that
    he could not avoid defending his honor. Guise is deeply offended by the royal pardon Bussy receives.

    Bussy, having become a great favorite of the king, declares to the court that he will be the king's own right arm in exposing sycophants, rascals, and any other unprincipled men in the realm. Henry III is essentially both just and honorable, but he is
    too susceptible to Bussy's flattery...>> ------------------------------------------------------ http://www.enotes.com/topics/revenge-bussy-dambois

    The Revenge of Bussy d'Ambois (1613)
    by George Chapman

    <<Clermont d'Ambois has vowed to avenge the murder of his brother, Bussy. Although he doubts the virtue of repaying violence with violence, he has made a solemn promise to Bussy's ghost. His sister, Charlotte, unambiguous in her feelings, is impatient
    for immediate revenge, and her marriage to Baligny has been made under the stipulation that he, too, pledge himself to effect the death of Montsurry, Bussy's murderer. Tamyra, the wife of Montsurry and former mistress of Bussy, has returned to her
    husband, but she makes no secret of her hatred of him and her desire for his death. The design of these people is obstructed by the cowardly Montsurry, who has barricaded himself in his home.

    Clermont, who insists on a fair duel and who will allow no one else to discharge his duty, has instructed Baligny to deliver his challenge. Baligny's entrance to Montsurry's home is accomplished with the help of a decadent nobleman, the Marquess Renel.
    Renel, visiting Montsurry on business, bribes the guards to admit Baligny. When Baligny enters, Montsurry is terrified and refuses to accept the proffered challenge. Baligny leaves the challenge with Tamyra, who promises to make her husband read it.

    This plot is not the only one in which Baligny is involved. A treacherous man, he bases his actions on his belief that troubles for others mean blessings for himself. Wearing a different mask for every acquaintance, he is able to gain people's confidence
    and thus discover their dissatisfactions and sow the seeds of further discontent. In dealing with King Henry III, he expounds the doctrine that any evil done out of loyalty to a king is justified. Such a philosophy being agreeable to King Henry, Baligny
    has become his trusted agent. In talking to the duc de Guise, on the other hand, Baligny expresses the belief that conspiracy is sometimes defensible.

    The principal object of jealousy in the court at this time is the Guise faction. King Henry is fearful and jealous of the increasing influence of the duc de Guise, and Baligny strives to increase his distrust. Guise's closest friend is Clermont d'Ambois,
    whom Guise not only admires but also endeavors to emulate. He sees in Clermont a valor equal to Bussy's and, more important, a profound knowledge of life. Clermont's principles of restraint, unworldliness, and stoic acceptance guide the actions of the
    powerful duke. Because of the close relationship between the two men, jealousy of Guise is often extended to include Clermont. Thus Baligny is able to convince King Henry of the advantage of getting rid of Clermont. He suggests that Clermont be invited
    to visit Cambrai, where, away from his friends at court, he can be arrested.

    Henry III, the king of France. No longer portrayed as the just, if slightly susceptible, ruler of Bussy d'Ambois, he surfeits himself with sensual pleasures and plots the destruction of virtuous men around him.>>
    ------------------------------------------------------
    . . In _The Revenge of Bussy d'Ambois_:
    .
    Clermont: I over-too(K)E, CO[M]ming from Ital(I)e,
    . In Germanic a grea(T) and famous E[A]rle
    . Of England, the most goodly fashion'd man
    . I eve[R] saw ; from head to foote in forme
    . Rare and most abso[L]ute ; hee had a face
    . Like one of the most ancient hon[O]ur'd Romanes
    . From whence his noblest familie was deriv'd ;
    . He was beside of spirit passing great,
    . Valiant, and learn'd, and liberall as the sunne,
    . Spoke and writ sweetly, or of learned subjects,
    . Or of the discipline o(F) p(U)b(L)i(K)e weales ;
    . And t'was the *Earle of Oxford* : ........................................................
    . . . . . . . . . . . <= 41 =>

    . I o ve r t o o(K)E.C.O.[M] m i n gf r o m I t a l i e(I)nG ermanicagr e
    . a(T)an d f a m o{U}s{E}[A]{R}l{E}Of E.n g l a n d t h E.mo stgoodlyfa s
    . h i on d m a n I e v E.[R] s a w fr O.m h e a d t o f O.ot einformeRa r
    . e a nd m o s t a b s O.[L] u t e hE.E.h a d a f a c e L ik eoneofthem O.
    . s t an c i e n t h o n [O] u r d RO.m a n e s F r o m w hE.ncehisnobl E.
    . s t fa m i l i e w a s d e r i vd H e w a s b e s i d eO.fspiritpas s
    . i n gg r e a t V a l i a n t a nd l e a r n d a n d l ib erallasthe s
    . u n nE.S p o k e a n d w r i t sw E e t l y o r o f l ea rnedsubjec(T)
    . s O. rO.f(T)h E.d i s c (I) p l(I)ne O{F}p{U}b{L}i{K}e w ea lesAndtwas t
    . h E.*Ea rle O.f O x f o r d*
    .
    {UERE} 2
    {FULK} 2
    (KIT) 17,-10,-13: Prob. of 3(KIT)s ~ 1 in 67
    [MARLO] 41 : Prob. ~ 1 in 78

    + 12{E.O.}s 41 {Prob. of both ~ 1 in 500} ----------------------------------------------
    . . . Sonnet 23

    O let my books be then the eloquence,
    And domb presagers of my speaking brest,
    Who pleade for love, and look for recompence,
    More then that <TONG>e that more hath more exprest.

    AS an vnperfect actor on the stage,
    Who w(I)th his f[E]are is p[U]t besid[E]s his pa[R]t,
    Or som[E] fierce thing repleat with too much rage,
    Whose strengths abondance weakens his owne heart;

    So I for feare of trust, forget to say,
    The perfect cerem{O}ny of {L}oves {R}ight,
    {A}nd in {M}ine owne loves strength seeme to decay,
    Ore-charg'd with burthen of mine owne loves might: .........................................
    . <= 6 =>
    .
    . t h e s t a
    . g e,W h o w
    .(I)t h h i s
    . f[E]a r e i
    . s p[U]t b e
    .s i d[E]s h
    . i s p a[R]t,
    . O r s o m[E]
    . f i e r c e
    . t h i n g r
    . e p l e a t
    . w i t h t o
    . o m u c h r
    . a g e,W h o
    . s e s t r e
    . n g t h s a
    . b o n d a n
    . c e w e a k
    . e n s h i s
    . o w n e h e
    . a r t;S o I
    . f o r f e a
    . r e o f t r
    . u s t,f o r
    . g e t t o s
    . a y,T h e p
    . e r f e c t
    . c e r e m{O}
    . n y o f{L}o
    . v e s{R}i g
    . h t{A}n d i
    . n{M}i n e o
    . w n e l o v
    . e s s t r e
    . n g t h s e
    . e m e t o d
    . e c a y,

    (I)[EUERE] 7
    {MARLO} -5 : Prob. in Sonnets ~ 1 in 5
    Only Sonnet {MARLO} of any skip
    .........................................
    O let *MY BOOKS* be then the eloquence,
    And domb presagers of my speaking brest,
    Who pleade for love, and look for recompence,
    More then that tonge that more hath more exprest.

    O learne to read what silent love hath writ,
    To heare *WIT EIES* belongs to loves fine wiht. ---------------------------------------------------- http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/muses.html

    THE TEARES OF THE MUses. BY ED. Sp.

    LONDON. Imprinted for William Ponsonbie, dwelling in
    Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Bishops head.

    1591. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE The *Ladie STRANGE* .

    MOST braue and noble Ladie, the things that make ye
    so much honored of the worl{D} as {Y}e b{E}e a{R}e
    such as (without my simpl[E LIN]es [TEST]
    i(M)onie) (A)re th(R)ough(L)ie kn(O)wen to all men;

    {DYER} 3 : Prob. at start or end ~ 1 in 450
    (MARLO) 5 : Prob. at start or end ~ 1 in 1130

    namely, your excellent beautie, your vertuous behauior,
    & your noble match with that most honourable Lord the verie
    Paterne of right Nobilitie: But the causes for which ye haue thus
    *DE(s)ERVED* of me to me honoured (if honour it be at al) are, both
    your particular bounties, and also some priuate bands of affinitie,
    which it hath pleased your Ladiship to acknowledge. Of which whenas I
    found my selfe in no part worthie, I deuised this last slender meanes,
    both to intimate my humble affection to your Ladiship and also to
    make the same vniuersallie knowen to the world; that by honouring
    you they might know me, and by knowing me they might honor you. -----------------------------------------------
    _Why I Am Not an Oxfordian_ by David Kathman http://shakespeareauthorship.com/whynot.html

    <<The first tribute to Shakespeare which can be dated precisely
    is a poem in *JOHN TAYLOR's* The Praise of *HEMP-seed* (1620)
    which lists Shakespeare along with Spenser, Sidney &
    other famous dead English poets who Taylor says
    will live on in their verses (Chambers II, 226).>> ------------------------------------------------------------
    THE SHEPHEARDES CALENDER (1579)

    TO THE NOBLE AND VERTUOUS GENTLEMAN MOST WORTHY
    OF ALL TITLES BOTH OF LEARNING AND CHEVALRIE
    MAISTER {P}HILIP {SIDNEY}

    February EMBLEME.

    Although it please Erasmus, a great clerke and good old father,
    more fatherly and favourablye to construe it, in his Adages, for
    his own behoofe, that by the proverbe, 'Nemo senex metuit Jovem,'
    is not meant, that old [M]en have no feare of God at [A]l, but
    that they be furre f[R]om superstition and ido[L]atrous regard
    of false g[O]ds, as is Jupiter. But his greate learning notwith
    standing, it is to plaine to be gainsayd, that olde men are

    muche more enclined to such fond fooleries, then younger heades.
    .
    [MARLO] 27
    ------------------------------------------------- http://www.bartleby.com/359/14.html

    William Webbe (c. 1550-1591)
    A Discourse of English Poetrie 1586

    A Preface to the Noble Poets of Englande. (the end) .......................................................................
    If the motion bee worthy your regard, it is enough to mooue it; if not,
    my worde(S) woulde simply preuaile in perswadi(N)g you; and therefore
    I rest vppon thys (O)nely request, that of your courtesie(S) you wyll
    graunt passage, vnder your f(A)uourable corrections, for this {my si(M)ple censure of English Poetry}, wherein, if you please to runne it ouer, you
    shall knowe breefely myne opinion of the most part of your accustomed Poets, and particularly, in his place, the lyttle somewhat which I haue sifted
    out of my weake brayne concerning thys reformed versifying. - W.W. .......................................................................
    . . . . . <= 31 =>
    .
    . w o r d e (S) w o u l d e s i m p l y p r e u a i l e i n p e r
    . s w a d i (N) g y o u;a n d t h e r e f o r e I r e s t v p p o
    . n t h y s (O) n e l y r e q u e s t,t h a t o f y o u r c o u r
    . t e s i e (S) y o u w y l l g r a u n t p a s s a g e,v n d e r
    . y o u r f (A) u o u r a b l e c o r r e c t i o n s,f o r t h i
    . s{m y s i (M) p l e c e n s u r e o f E n g l i s h P o e t r y}
    .
    (MASONS) -31 : prob. at end of Preface ~ 1 in 1730 .........................................................................
    One other sorte of Poeticall wryters remayneth yet to bee re[M]embred,
    that is, The precepts of Husbandry, le[A]rnedly compiled in H{E(r)}oycall verse.
    Such we[R]e the workes of {H}esiodus in Greeke, and Virgi[L]s Georgi{C}kes in Latine. What memorable work[E] ha{T}h beene handled in immitation of thes{E} b[Y] any English Poet I know not (saue one{L}y one worke of M. Tusser, a peece surely o{F} great wytt and experience, and wythal very prettilye handled).
    And I thinke the cause why our Poets haue {N}ot trau{A}yled in {T}hat beh{A}lfe is, e{S}pecially, for that there haue beene alwayes plenty of other wryters that haue handled the same argument very largely. Among whom Master
    Barnabe Googe, in translating and enlarging the m{O}st profitab{L}e
    worke of He{R}esbachius, h{A}th *DE(s)ERVED {M}uch COMMENDATION*,
    as well for hys faythfull compyling and learned increasing
    the noble worke as for hys wytty translation of a good
    part of the Georgickes of Virgill into English verse. .......................................................................
    . . . . . . . . . . . <= 33 =>
    .
    . t o b e e r e[M]e m b r e d,t h a t i s,T h e p r e c e p t s o f
    . H u s b a n d r y,l e[A]r n e d l y c o m p i l e d i n H{E(r)}o y
    . c a l l v e r s e.S u c h w e[R]e t h e w o r k e s o f{H}e s i o
    . d u s i n G r e e k e,a n d V i r g i[L]s G e o r g i{C}k e s i n
    . L a t i n e.W h a t m e m o r a b l e w o r k[E]h a{T}h b e e n e
    . h a n d l e d i n i m m i t a t i o n o f t h e s{E}b[Y]a n y E n
    . g l i s h P o e t I k n o w n o t(s a u e o n e{L}y o n e w o r k
    . e o f M.T u s s e r,a p e e c e s u r e l y o{F}g r e a t w y t t
    .
    {FLETCHE(r)} -32 : prob. in paragraph ~ 1 in 34,000
    [MARLEY] 37 : prob. in paragraph ~ 1 in 995
    {MARLO} -11 : prob. in paragraph ~ 1 in 128
    {SATAN} -7
    .............................................................
    This precept may you perceiue to bee most duelie obserued of Chawcer: for who could with more delight prescribe such wholsome counsaile and sage aduise, where he seemeth onelie to respect the profitte of his lessons and instructions? or who coulde with
    greater wisedome, or more pithi[E] s[K]i[L]l, [U]n[F]old such pleasant and delightsome matters of mirth, as though they respected nothing but the telling of a merry tale? So that this is the very grounde of right poetrie, to giue profitable counsaile,
    yet so as it must be mingled with delight.

    [FULKE] -2
    .................................................
    [FULKE] Greville was admitted without payment to the Middle Temple in 1581. -------------------------------------------------
    Satire 8 - by John Marston

    Cvrio , aye me! thy mistres Monkey's dead,
    Alas, alas, her pleasures buried.
    Goe womans slaue, performe his exequies,
    Condole his death in mournfull Elegies.
    Tut, rather Peans sing Hermaphrodite ,
    For that sad death giues life to thy delight.
    Sweet fac'd Corinna , daine the riband tie
    Of thy Cork-shooe, or els thy slaue will die:
    Some puling Sonnet toles his passing bell,
    Some sighing Elegie must ring his knell,
    Vnlesse bright sunshine of thy grace reuiue
    His wambling st[O]mack, certes he will diue
    Into the whirle-poo[L]e of deuouring death,
    And to some Mermaid sac[R]ifice his breath.
    Then oh, oh then , to thy etern[A]ll shame,
    And to the honour of sweet Curios na[M]e,
    This Epitaph vpon the Marble stone,
    Must fayre be grau'd of that true louing one;
    Heere lyeth hee, hee lyeth heere,
    that bounc'd, and pitty cryed,
    (T)he doore not op'd, fell s(I)cke alas,
    alas fell sic(K)e, and dyed.

    (KIT) -19
    [MARLO] -37 : Prob. at start ~ 1 in 54 -------------------------------------------------
    _In Praise Of The Hemp-Seed_ John Taylor (1620) http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/TextRecord.php?action=GET&textsid=33221

    Tis paper (being printed) doth reveale
    Th' Eternall testament of all our weale:
    In paper is recorded the records
    Of the Great all-Creating Lord of Lords.
    Upon this w[E]ake ground, strongly is engran'd
    The meanes how man was made, and lost, an[D] sav'd,
    Bookes Patriarchall, and Prophetical,
    Historicall, or heav'nly M[Y]stical,
    Evangelicke, and Apostolical,
    Writ in the sacred Text, in gener[A]l.
    Much hath the Church (our mother) propagated
    By venerable Fathers wo[R]kes translated
    Saint Jerome, Gregory, Ambrose, Augustine,
    (S)aint Basill, Bernard, Cyprian, Constantine:
    Eusebius, Epiphani(U)s, Origen,
    Ignatius, and Lactantius (reverend men)
    Good Luther, Ca(L)vine, learned Zwinglius,
    Melancton, Beza, Oecolampadius,
    These, (A)nd a world more then I can recite
    Their labours would have slep(T) in endlesse night,
    But that in paper they preserv'd have bin
    T' instruct us how to shun death, hell, and sin. ..........................................
    [E.DYAR] 58
    (TALUS) -52
    ..........................................
    How should we know the change of monarchies,
    Th' Assyrian, and the Persian E{M}peries,
    Gre{A}t Alexande{R}s, large, sma{L} lasting gl{O}ry
    Or Romes high Caesars often changing story? .............................................
    {MARLO} 10
    .............................................
    How should Chronologies of Kings be knowne
    Of either other countryes, or our owne?
    But that Josephus, and Suetanius
    Pollidore, Virgil, and Oretlius,
    Seneca, and Cornelius Tacitus

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