The reader will remark the fondness of our Satirift for alliteration: in this he was guilty of no affectation or fingu larity; his verfification is that of Pierce Plowman's Visions, in which a recurrence of fimilar letters is effential: to this be has only fuperadded rhyme, which in bis time began to be the general practice. See an ESSAY on this very peculiar kind of metre, prefixed to Book III. in this Volume.

N december, when the dayes draw to be short,
After november, when the nights wax noyfome and

As I past by a place privily at a port,

I faw one fit by himself making a fong:

*

His laft talk of trifles, who told with his tongue

[long;

That few were faft i'th' faith. I'freyned' that freake, Whether he wanted wit, or fome had done him wrong. He faid, he was little John Nobody, that durft not speake.

[tell

John Nobody, quoth I, what news? thou foon note and
What maner men thou meane, thou are fo mad.
He said, Thefe gay gallants, that wil conftrue the gospel,

As Solomon the fage, with femblance full fad;

To difcuffe divinity they nought adread;

More meet it were for them to milk kye at a fleyke.
Thou lyeft, quoth I, thou lofel, like a leud lad. [fpeake.
He faid, he was little John Nobody, that durft not

Its meet for every man on this matter to talk,
And the glorious gofpel ghoftly to have in mind;
It is fothe faid, that fect but much unfeemly skalk,
As boyes babble in books, that in scripture are blind:

*Perhaps He left talk.

† feyned MSS, and P.C.

Yet

Yet to their fancy foon a cause will find;
As to live in luft, in lechery to leyke:
Such caitives count to be come of Cains kind;
But that I little John Nobody durft not speake.

For our reverend father hath set forth an order,
Our service to be faid in our feignours tongue;
As Solomon the fage fet forth the fcripture;
Our fuffrages, and fervices, with many a sweet song,
With homilies, and godly books us among,
That no stiff, ftubborn stomacks we should freyke:
But wretches nere worse to do poor men wrong;
But that I little John Nobody dare not speake.

For bribery was never fo great, fince born was our Lord, And whoredom was never les hated, fith Christ har

rowed hel,

And poor men are fo fore punished commonly through the world,

That it would grieve any one, that good is, to hear tel. For al the homilies and good books, yet their hearts be

fo quel,

That if a man do amiffe, with mischiefe they wil him wreake;

The fashion of these new fellows it is fo vile and fell: But that I lit le john Nobody dare not fpeake.

Thus to live after their luft, that life would they have, And in lechery to leyke al their long life;

Ver. 3. Cain's kind. So in Pierce the Plowman's creed, the proud friars are faid to be De Caymes kind." Vid. Sig. ij. b.

For

For al the preaching of Paul, yet many a proud knave
Wil move mischiefe in their mind both to maid and wife
To bring them in advoutry, or else they wil ftrife,
And in brawling about baudery, Gods commandments
breake:

But of these frantic il fellowes, few of them do thrife;
Though I little John Nobody dare not speake.

If thou company with them, they wil currifhly carp, and not care

According to their foolish fantacy; but faft wil they naught:

Prayer with them is but prating; therefore they it forbear: Both almes deeds, and holiness, they hate it in their thought:

Therefore pray we to that prince, that with his bloud us bought,

That he wil mend that is amifs: for many a manful freyke
Is forry for thefe fects, though they say little or nought;
And that I little John Nobody dare not once speake.
Thus in No place, this NOBODY, in no time I met,
Where No man,
NOUGHT was, nor NOTHING did

appear;

6

ne

Through the found of a fynagogue for forrow I fwett,
That 'Aeolus +' through the eccho did caufe me to hear.
Then I drew me down into a dale, whereas the dumb deer
Did shiver for a fhower; but I fhunted from a freyke:
For I would no wight in this world wift who I were,
But little John Nobody, that dare not once speake.
* then, MSS. and PC.
† Hercules, MSS. and PC.

IV.

Q. ELIZABETH's VERSES, WHILE PRISONER AT WOODSTOCK,

WRIT WITH CHARCOAL ON A SHUTTER,

-are preferved by Hentzner, in that part of his Travels, which has been reprinted in fo elegant a manner at STRAWBERRY-HILL. In Hentzner's book they were wretchedly corrupted, but are here given as amended by his ingenious Editor. The old orthography, and one or two ancient readings of Hentzner's copy are here restored.

H, Fortune! how thy reftleffe wavering state
Hath fraught with cares my troubled witt!

Witnes this prefent prifonn, whither fate

Could beare me, and the joys I quit.
Thou caufedeft the guiltie to be losed
From bandes, wherein are innocents inclofed:
Caufing the guiltles to be ftraite referved,

And freeing those that death had well deserved.
But by her envie can be nothing wroughte,
So God fend to my foes all they have thoughte.

A. D. MDLV.

ELIZABETHE, PRISONNER.

Ver. 4. Could beare, is an ancient idiom, equivalent to Did bear or Hath borne. See below the Beggar of Bednal Green, ver. 57. Could say.

V.

THE HEIR OF LINNE.

The original of this Ballad is found in the Editor's folio MS. the breaches and defects in which, rendered the infertion of fupplemental ftanzas neceffary. Thefe it is hoped the Reader will pardon, as indeed the conclufion of the ftory was fuggefted by a modern ballad on a fimilar fubject.

From the Scottish phrases here and there difcernable in this poem, it should feem to have been originally compofed beyond the Tweed.

The Heir of Linne appears not to have been a Lord of Parliament, but a LAIRD, whofe title went along with his eftate.

L

PART THE FIRST,

ITHE and liften, gentlemen,

To fing a fong I will beginne:

It is of a lord of faire Scotland,

Which was the unthrifty heire of Linne.

His father was a right good lord,

His mother a lady of high degree;

But they, alas! were dead, him froe,

And he lov'd keeping companie.

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