What is the practise of a conscience pure; What shell he have that can and wyll do this? Yet not by desert, but by gyft I wisse, Churchyarde's (Thos.) Sparke of Friendship, &c. 1558. Contention betwixt Churchyarde and Camell upon David Dycer's Dreame. 4to. Black letter. 1560-4. G. Stevens, 1800, (with curious M.S. notes,) 4l. 98. Churchyarde's Chippes.* 4to. 1575. Dr. Wright's Library, 1787, 37. 13s. 6d.; Farmer, 1798, 18s. 6d.; Fillingham, 1805, 147. 148.; Longman, 127. Ditto. 4to. 1578. Saunders', 1818, 147. 14s. The earliest edition of Churchyarde's Chippes, is of the date 1565, and only to be found in Mr. Heber's collection. Churchyarde's Three First Bookes of Ovid de Tristibus. 4to. 1578. Rev. R. Farmer, 1798, 37. 48.; said to be the only known copy, and now in the collection of Earl Spencer, who has reprinted it for the use of the Roxburghe Club. * See Censura Literaria, vol. ii. p. 305 and 6. Churchyarde's Choice. 4to. 1579. In Mr. Freeling's col lection. Churchyarde's Discourse of the Queene's Majesties entertainment in Suffolk and Norfolk, &c. 4to. 1579. G. Mason, 1798, 371. 38. Churchyarde's Light Bondel of Lively Discourses, &c. 4to. Black letter. 1580. Reed, 1807, 117. 58.; Perry, 1822, 147. Churchyarde's Chance, containing Fancies, Verses, Epitaphs, &c. 4to. 1580. Churchyarde's Worthiness of Wales. First edition. 4to. 1587. Farmer, 1798, 14, 2s.; Ireland, 1801, 37. Is. 1593. Churchyarde's Challenge.* 4to. Black letter. Isaac Reed's sale, 1807, with a copious MS. account of Churchyard's Works, and a small 8vo. Tract, entitled " A Discourse of Rebellion," 1570, 177. 10s.; Longinan, (MS. Title,) 451, Churchyarde's Musical Consort of Heavenly Harmonie. 4to, 1595. Reed, 87. 15s.; Longman and Co. 40%. This has been copiously described in the Censura Literaria, vol. iii. p. 337, &c. Churchyarde's Honour of the Lawe. 4to. 1596. Perry, 1821, 107. 158. Churchyarde's Works. 2 vols. 4to. 1560, &c. Several of the pieces in these volumes are said to have been unknown to Ames or Herbert. See the Duke of Roxburghe's Catalogue, No. 3318, where they sold for 967.; and at the Duke of Marlborough's, in 1819, they sold for 854. Dibdin, in his Library Companion, has enumerated the pieces contained in these voluntes. * An account of which is given in the Censura Literaria, vol. ii. p. 307 Churchyarde's Works, containing his "Challenge. 4to. Wolfe. 1593." Chippes. 4to. Mashe. 1578." And ** Worthiness of Wales. Robinson. 1587." G. Mason, 1798, 157. 158. Thos. Churchyard is merely named by Philips in his Theatrum Poetarum. He was born at Shrewsbury. Wood, in his usual quaint manner, gives a curious account of him.* Being much addicted to letters when a child, caused him to be carefully educated. When he came to the age of about 17, he left his father and relations, and with a sum of money then given to him, he went to seek his fortune; and his heels being equally restless with his head, he went to the Royal Court, laid aside his books, and for a time, so long as his money lasted, became a royster. At length being reduced in purse, he was taken into the service of the poetical Henry Howard, Earl of Surry, with whom he lived as his servant four years, towards the end of K. Hen. VIII. By the Earl's death in 1546, he lost his patron, turned soldier, travelled, and returning spent some time in Oxon, in the condition at least of an Hospes among his countrymen of Wales. After getting employment in the Scotch war, where he was taken prisoner, upon a peace he regained his liberty, poor and bare, spoiled of all, and his body in a sickly and decayed condition. years old, he went to Shrewsbury for recruits, and as it seems for a time to Oxon. At length he was taken into the service of Robert Earl of Leicester, but found him not such a master as Surrey, being as much different as gold is from glass. After an unsuccessful fit of love-notwithstanding his former resolu * Athenæ, vol. i. p. 318. Being now about 30 tion to the contrary-he went to the wars in Flanders, where he got a command, was wounded, and taken prisoner, and escaped twice by means of ladies of consideration, with whom it appears he ingratiated himself. So that returning home hel sought again after a wife, and whether he took one in truth I cannot tell, nor how his life was spent after 1580." Churchyard died poor, and is buried near Skelton in Saint Margaret's Church, Westminster. From the Parish Register it appears his burial was on the 4th of April, 1604. In Dibdin's Library Companion, the productions of Churchyard's muse, in print, are said to consist of xvii pieces; and he there (p. 888) questions if ANY one possesses a perfect set of i them? Dee's (Dr. Jo.) General and Rare Memorials Pertayning to the perfect Arte of Navigation. Annexed to the Paradoxal Cumpas, in Playne. Now first published: 24 yeres after the first Invention thereof. Folio. 1577. This Book, of which 100 copies only were printed, was considered by Mr. Isaac Reed as one of the scarcest in the English language. His copy sold for 31. 13s. 6d. Beloe, in his Anecdotes of Literature, vol. ii. p. 263 to 293, has extracted the whole of Dee's Advertisement and Introduction from a copy in the British Museum, on account of the rarity of the book and the whimsicality of the thing itself. See a list of Dr. Dee's Works in Chalmers's Biographical Dictionary, vol. xi. p. 387 and 388. John Dec (says Granger) was a man of extensive learning, particularly in the mathematics, in which he had few equals ; but he was vain, credulous, and enthusiastic. He was deep in astrology, and strongly tinctured with the superstition of the Rosicrusians, whose dreams he listened to with eagerness, and became as great a dreamer himself as any of that fraternity. He appears to have been by turns a dupe and a cheat, but acquired prodigious reputation. He travelled over great part of Europe, and seems to have been highly esteemed by many persons of rank and eminence. He pretended that a black* stone or speculum, which he made great use of, was brought him by Angels, and that he was particularly intimate with Raphael and Gabriel. Bassentinus's Free Will a Tragedy. "A certayne Tragedie wrytten fyrste in Italian by F. N. B. (Franciscus Niger Bassentinus) entituled FREE-WYL 3 and translated into English by Henry Cheeke, wherein is set foorth, in manner of a Tragedie, the deuyilish deuise of the Popish Religion, &c." 4to. Black letter. No date (supposed about 1589). This is one of the very old Moral Plays. A copy at the Roxburghe sale brought the sum of 57. 158. 6d. This black stone into which Dee used to call his spirits was successively in the Collections of the Earls of Peterboro', Lady Eliz. Germaine, the Duke of Argyle, and Mr. Walpole. Upon examination it turns out to be nothing but a polished piece of canal coal. This is what Butler means when he says, 66 Kelly (Dee's Coadjutor) did all his feats upon Hudibras, part ii. canto iii. v. 631. 2 E |