66 'Beams' and 'sunbeams' are favourite words with Davies: so too 'mirror.' (4) " Time weare very vngratefull, if it should not euer stand still, to serue and preserue, cherish and delight her, that is the glory of her time, and makes the Time happy wherein she liueth" (Ibid p. 251). Cf. II. st. 3, 11. 1-3. (5) 66 'Right glad am I that now I live : Even in these days whereto you give "What if she make thee a contynewell holy-day, she makes me [Place] a perpetuall sanctuary” (Ibid p. 251). Cf. IV., st. 1 :— "Each day of time, sweet moneth of May, Love makes a solemne holy-day." (6)" Doth not the presence of a Prince make a Cottage a Court, and the presence of the Gods make euery place Heaven ?" (Ibid pp. 251-2). Cf. Dedication of "Nosce Teipsum" : 66 'Stay long (sweet spirit) ere thou to Heauen depart, Which makest each place a heauen wherein thou art." In the Verse (pp. 253-4) there are abundant parallels. I must content myself with references. With the 1st stanza "Beauties rose, and vertues booke, &c." compare Hymnes to Astræa VII., st. 3: XVII., st. 2-3 and the "Contention" (ad. fin.) and XIII. st. 2: XV. st. 2. Also IV. last 2 lines: VII. st. 3. ll. 1-3: X. last 4 lines. Similar results are found on a comparison of the “Entertainment" with the "Dialogue between a Gentleman Usher and a Poet" (Fuller Worthies' Library edn. of Davies' Poems: pp. 15-21.) I have accordingly given the whole "Entertainment as belonging to Sir John Davies. It is to be regretted that the Satyrs Verses are unaccompanied by the rest of the Masque to which apparently they belong. Harefield has the further light of glory on it of having been the scene of Milton's Arcades » and of the famous elm-aisle celebrated by him in imperishable verse. The Countess of Derby, afterwards the Lord Keeper's third wife, was the early friend of Spenser and of Milton, and of all her eminent literary contemporaries.9 'As for much more I am indebted to Dr. Brinsley Nicholson (as before) for most of the details of the above statement. He has likewise favoured me with these additional illustrations of a refrain in the introduction to the "Lottery." In the Queen's Entertainment at Cawdray (Lord Montacute's), in 1591, an angler says, "Madame, it is an olde saying, There is no fishing to the sea nor service to the King but it holdes when the sea is calme and the King vertuous (Nichols' Progresses). Greene also uses it in his James IV., when III. "Yet other Twelve Wonders of the World." In foot-note (Vol. II., p. 67) I promise an account of an autograph MS. of this characteristic set of verses. It finds more fitting place here than in the Preface. The MS. is preserved at Downing College, Cambridge, and having been described on p. 325 of the "Third Report of the Historical MSS. Commissioners," Mr. Beedham, the schemer who has gained by flattering the King, says (I. 2) "Now may I say as many often sing, No fishing to the sea nor service to a King." See Note to the "Lottery," Vol. II., p. 88. It was surely an error of judgment of the late Mr. John Bruce, in reproducing Manningham's "Diary," to leave out the "Lottery," and related entries, on the weak plea that the former had been printed in Shakespeare and Percy Society publications. It may be here mentioned that Manningham, in giving some of the "Lottery" verses, writes on a leaf which is followed by one of the date of 1601; but as Mr. Collier remarks, either the leaves of the Diary got misplaced, or else he was in the habit of using up at after times leaves that he had left blank. Further: Chamberlain, in a letter of October 2, 1602, mentions the visit to the Lord Keeper's at Harefield as part of the late" Progress." The original M.S. of the Entertainment belonged to Sir Roger Newdegate, but is now missing. Finally: I overlooked to annotate in loco in the "Entertainment" itself, that as the Dairy house was to the left while the "House" (of Harefield) was to the right, the Dairymaid ridicules the idea of the Bailiff taking such a party to what she calls a Pigeon house for its size, and which was moreover at that moment in the carpenters' hands. In effect the Queen had to be separated from at least the greater part of her suite. (as before) was kind enough to make a literatim transcript for me (with the permission of the College authorities). The MS. is headed "Verses giuen to the L. Treasurer vpon Newyeares day vpon a dosen of Trenchers by Mr. Davis." In the margin against "The Lawyer," in the same handwriting as the Verses, is this: "This is misplaced, it should be before the physis"," and similarly against "The Country Gentleman,” also in the same handwriting, is: "This is misplaced, in the original it is before the m' chant." There is nothing to give any clue as to the precise New Year's day upon which the Verses were furnished to the Lord Treasurer; but unless I very much mistake, they were the "cobweb" of his "inuention" enclosed in that letter which Mr. J. Payne Collier supposed to have gone with a gift-copy of "Nosce Teipsum." The letter speaks for itself : "Mr. Hicks. I have sent you heer inclosed that cobweb of my invention which I promised before Christmas: I pray you present it, commend it, and grace it, as well for your owne sake as mine: bycause by your nominacion I was first put to this taske, for which I acknowledge my self beholding to you in good earnest, though the imployment be light and trifling, because I am glad of any occasion of being made knowne to that noble gentl. whom I honore and admire exceedingly. If ought be to be added, or alter'd, lett me heare from you. I shall willingly attend to doo it, the more speedily if it be before the terme. So in haste I commend my best service to you. Chancery Lane, 20 Jan. 1600. Yours to do you service very willingly, Jo. Davys." (Bibl. Account, V. I., pp. 193-4; no specification of source beyond S. P. O.) The handwriting of the copy in Downing College belongs to the close of the 16th or to the earliest years of the 17th century. The second marginal note above would seem to show that the transcript was made from the original, then perhaps being circulated from hand to hand. Specimens of variations may interest. "The Courtier," l. 1, for 'liu'd' the MS. reads 'serued': 1. In 4, "from them that fall" for "such as fall ": 1. 5, "my" for 66 a rich array" in the "Divine,” 1. 1, : 66 one cure doth me contente" for " and I from God am sent": princes' Courts" for "Much wealth I will not seeke": "The Souldier," 1. 6, "brag " for "boast": "The Physitian," 1. 1, "prolonge" for "vphold" and "life" for "state": 1. 2, "I" for "me" (bis): 1. 6, "time" & youth" for "youth and time": "The Lawyer," 1. 1, My practice is the law" for "the Law my calling is": 11. 5-6, "Some say I haue good gifts, and love where I doe take Yet never tooke I fee, but I advisd or spake," |