Which frameth the minde of man, all honest thinges to doo;

Unhonest thinges friendshippe ne craveth ne yet
consents thereto.

In wealth a double joye, in woe a present stay,
A sweete compagnion in each state true friend-
ship is alway:

A sure defence for kinges, a perfect trustie
bande,

A force to assayle, a shielde to defende the enemies cruell hande,

A rare, and yet the greatest gift that God can geve to man:

So rare, that scarce four couple of faithful friends have ben since the worlde began.

A gift so strange, and of such price, I wish all kyngs to have;

But chiefely yet, as duetie bindeth, I humbly crave,

True friendship and true friendes, full fraught with constant faith,

The gever of friends, the Lord, grant her, most noble queene Elizabeth.

The last Songe:

The strongest garde that kynges can have,
Are constant friends their state to save:
True friendes are constant both in word and deede,
True friendes are present, and helpe at each neede:
True friendes talke truely, they glose for no gayne,
When treasure consumeth, true friendes wyll re-

mayne:

True friendes for their true prince refuseth not their death:

The Lord graunt her such friendes, most noble queene Elizabeth.

Longe may she governe in honour and wealth, Voide of all sicknesse, in most perfect health : Which health to prolonge, as true friends require, God graunt she may have her owne hartes desire : Which friendes wyll defend with most stedfast faith,

The Lorde graunt her such friendes, most noble queene Elizabeth.

EDITIONS.

(1.) "The excellent Comedie of two the moste faithfullest freendes Damon and Pithias. Newly imprinted as the same was shewed before the queenes majestie, by the children of her graces chappell, except the prologue, that is somewhat altered for the proper use of them that hereafter shall have occasion to plaie it either in private or open audience. Made by Maister Edwards, then beynge maister of the children, 1571. Imprinted at London, in Fleetelane, by Richard Jones, and are to be solde at his shop joyning to the south-west doore of Paule's churche." 4to, black letter. (2.) Another edition in 4to, B. L. 1582. Both in Mr Garrick's collection.

This dramatic piece is the first performance which appeared in England under the name of a comedy. As a former editor of it (Mr Hawkins) observes," There is a vein of familiar humour in this play, and a kind of grotesque imagery not unlike some parts of Aristophanes, but without those graces of language and metre for which the Greek comedian was eminently distinguished." The author of it is wholly unknown. In the title-page he is only stiled Mr S, master of arts; and we are informed it was acted at Christ's College, Cambridge.

The former edition of this play, and that of Mr Hawkins, were both printed from a re-publication in the year 1661, full of every kind of errors, and some of them so gross as to render the sense of the author totally unintelligible. The present is given from a copy printed in the year 1575, which is probably the first edition; although Chetwood, in his British Theatre, hath set down the dates of 1551 and 1559: but these, like some of the editions of Shakespeare's plays, enumerated in that work, are supposed never to have existed but in the compiler's own imagination.

1 Diccon, the Bedlem-Diccon is the ancient abbreviation of Richard. See Mr Steevens's note on Richard III. A. 5. S. 3.

2 The Bedlem-after the dissolution of the religious houses where the poor of every denomination were provided for, there was for many years no settled or fixed provision made to supply the want of that care which those bodies appear always to have taken of their distressed brethren. In consequence of this neglect, the idle and dissolute were suffered to wander about the country, assuming such characters as they imagined were most likely to insure success to their frauds, and security from detection. Among other disguises, many affected madness, and were distinguished by the name of Bedlam Beggars. These are mertioned by Edgar, in King Lear:

"The country gives me proof and precedent,
Of bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Stick in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary,
And with this horrible object from low farms,
Poor pelting villages, sheep-cotes, and mills,

Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayer,
Inforce their charity."

In Dekker's Belman of London, 1616, all the different species of beggars are enumerated. Amongst the rest are mentioned Tom of Bedlam's band of mad caps, otherwise called Poor Tom's flock of wild geese,

(whom here thou seest by his black and blue naked arms to be a man beaten to the world,) and those wild geese, or hair brains, are called Abraham-men. An Abraham-man is afterwards described in this manner : "Of all the mad rascals, (that are of this wing,) the Abraham-man is the most fantastick. The fellow (quoth this old Lady of the Lake unto me) that sate half-naked (at table to-day) from the girdle upward, is the best Abraham-man that ever came to my house, and the notablest villain: he swears he hath been in Bedlam, and will talk frantickly of purpose: you see pins stuck in sundry places of his naked flesh, especially in his arms, which pain he gladly puts himself to, (being indeed no torment at all, his skin is either so dead with some foule disease, or so hardened with weather,) only to make you believe he is out of his wits: he calls himself by the name of Poor Tom, and coming near any body, cries out, Poor Tom is a cold. Of these Abraham-men, some be exceeding merry, and do nothing but sing songes, fashioned out of their own braines; some will dance; others will do nothing but either laugh or weep; others are dogged, and are sullen both in look and speech, that, spying but a small company in a house, they boldly and bluntly enter, compelling the servants through fear to give them what they demand, which is commonly bacon, or something that will yield ready money.”

Of this respectable fraternity Diccon seems to have been a member.

Massinger mentions them in ▲ new way to pay old Debts, A. 2. §. 2. “ Are they padders, or Abrammen, that are your consorts?"

3-out of thir balkes-the summer beam, or dorman. Poles laid over a stable, or other building, Ray's Collection of English Words, p. 167.

That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght, 4
As here within this house appereth to my syght;
There is howlynge and schowlyng, all cast in a
dumpe,

And caught a slyp of bacon, when I saw none spyed mee,

Which I intend not far hence, unles my purpose fayle,

With whewling and pewling, as though they had Shall serve for a shoing horne to draw on two

lost a trump;

Syghing and sobbing, they weepe and they wayle;
I marvel in my mynd, what the devil they ayle.
The olde trot syts groning, with alas, and alas!
And Tib wringes her hands, and takes on in

worse case.

With poore Cocke theyr boye, they be dryven in such fyts,

I feare mee the folkes be not well in theyr wyts. Aske them what they aile, or who brought them in this stay?

They answer not at all, but alacke and welaway. When I saw it booted not, out at doores I hyed mee,

pots of ale. 6

THE SECOND SCEANE.

HODGE, DICCON.

Hodge. See so cham arayed with dablynge in the durt!

She that set me to ditchinge, ich wold she had the
squirt.

Was never poore soule that such a life bad?
Gog's bones, thys vilthy glaye hase drest mee too

bad.

God's soule, see how this stuffe teares!

4 That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght—a sort is a company. So, in Jonson's Every Man out of his Humour, A. 2. S. 3. "I speek it not gloriously, nor out of affectation, but there's he and the count Frugale, signior Illustre, signior Luculento, and a sort of them, &c."

Also, in Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication to the Devil, 1592, p. 6. : " I know a great sort of good fellows that would venture, &c."

in parell of pyrates, robbers, and murthirors, and a

"Another sorte of sluttes
Some brought walnutes."

See also Dr Johnson and Mr Steevens's notes on Shakespeare, Vol. III. p. 69.

5 The olde trot syls groning, with alas, and alas !-an old trot, or trat, Dr Gray says, signifies a decrepid old woman, or an old drab. In which sense it is used in Gawin Douglas Virgil's Æneid, B. 4. p. 96, 97:

And Shakespeare: "Why give him gold enough, and marry him to a puppet, an aglet baby, or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head.”—Taming of the Shrew, A. 1. S. 5. Critical notes on Shakespeare, Vol. I. p. 118.

It is also used by Churchyard :

And by Gascoigne :

Away young Frie that gives leawd counsell nowe,

Awaie old trotts, that sets young flesh to sale, &c.-Challenge, 1593, p. 250.

Go! that gunpowder consume the old trot.-Supposes, A. 3. S. 5.

Again, in Nashe's Lenten Stuff, 1599: “ - a cage or pigeon-house, roomsome enough to comprehend her, and the toothless trot her nurse, who was her only chat mate and chamber maid, &c."-See also Mr Steevens's notes on Shakespeare, Vol. II. p. 93.

6 Shall serve for a shoing horne to draw on two pots of ale-so, in Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication, p. 23. "wee have generall rules and injunctions, as good as printed precepts, or statutes set downe by acte of parliament, that goe from drunkard to drunkard as still to keepe your first man, not to leave anie flockes in the bottom of the cup, to knock the glasse on your thumbe when you have done, to have some shooeing horne to pull on your wine, as a rasher of the coles, or a redde herring."

Iche were better to bee a bearward, and set to | Tome Tannkard's cow, (be Gog's bones) she set keepe beares.

9 They coure-This is the reading of the first edition, which in all the subsequent ones is very improperly altered to cover. To coure, is to bend, stoop, hang, or lean over. See Beaumont and Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas, A. 4. S. 6. and Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication to the Devil, 1592, p. 8.

"He much rejoyst, and cour'd it tenderly,
"As chicken newly hatcht, from dreaded destiny."

"As thus he spake, each bird and beast behold
"Approaching two and two, these cow'ring low
"With blandishment, each bird stoop'd on his wing."

10 Hath no man stolen her ducks, or henes, or gelded Gyb her cat?-Gyb was the name by which all male or ram cats were distinguished. See Mr Warton's note on the first part of Henry IV. A. 1. S. 2.