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parison in that respect with the following contest, recorded in Roscoe's Germ. Nov. vol. i. p. 266. When Charles 4th celebrated his nuptials with the Bavarian Princess Sophia, the bride's father brought a waggon load of magicians with him to enliven the City of Prague. Two of the chief artists were selected by the court to contend with each other in diablerie, when the great Bohemian Sorcerer Zytho, after a desperate trial of skill, seized the Bavarian master Gouin, and opening his jaws from ear to ear, eat him up from top to toe, hide and all, until he came to his shoes. Not liking the flavour of these he spit them out, declaring they must first be cleaned. Next he restored his rival to life with the same facility as he had eaten him.

"The honorable HISTORY OF FRIER BACON AND FRIER BONGAY, as it was plaied by her Majesties servants. Made by Robert Greene, Maister of Arts. London, printed for Edward White, and are to be sold at his shop, at the little north dore of Poules at the signe of the Gun, 1594," 4to. is a play similar in its incidents to the present narrative upon which it is probably founded, as it was the custom with the Dramatists of that day to adopt some popular tale as the foundation of their work. There were also editions of this play printed in 1599, 1630 and 1655. As might be expected from its popularity, there are several editions of the present tale, which differ very slightly from each other.

There is one tradition connected with the history of Friar Bacon which is not mentioned either in the Play or the Romance, namely, that he acquired his skill in magic by promising himself to the devil, after his death, provided he died either in the church or out of it, and the fulfilment of which contract he evaded, when he felt his end approaching, by causing a cell to be formed neither in nor out of, but in the wall of the church, wherein he both died and was buried.

THE

FAMOUS HISTORIE

OF

Fryer Bacon.

CONTAINING

THE WONDERFULL THINGS THAT HE DID IN HIS LIFE: ALSO THE MANNER OF HIS DEATH;

WITH THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF THE TWO CONIURERS, BUNGYE AND VANDERMAST.

VERY PLEASANT AND DELIGHTFULL TO BE READ.

PRINTED AT LONDON BY E. A. FOR FRANCIS GROUE, AND ARE TO BE SOLD AT HIS SHOP, AT THE VPPER-END

OF SNOW-HILL, AGAINST THE SARAZENS HEAD.

THE FAMOUS HISTORIE OF FRYER

BACON.

Of the Parents and Birth of Fryer Bacon, and how he addicted himselfe to Learning.

IN most men's opinions he was borne in the west part of England and was sonne to a wealthy farmer, who put him to schoole to the parson of the towne where hee was borne: not with intent that he should turne fryer (as he did,) but to get so much understanding, that he might manage the better that wealth hee was to leave him. But young Bacon tooke his learning so fast, that the priest could not teach him any more, which made him desire his master that he would speake to his father to put him to Oxford, that he might not lose that little learning that hee had gained: his master was very willing so to doe; and one day meeting his father, told him, that he had received a great blessing of God, in that he had given him so wise and hopefull a child, as his sonne Roger Bacon was (for so was he named) and wished him withall to doe his duty, and to bring up so his child, that hee might shew his thankfulnesse to God, which could not better be done then in making of him a