Diary of John Manningham Part 32

30 Jan. 1602.]

The Papists make a forril[142] [?] of the Scripture; they soue up the mouth of it. (_Clapham the other Sunday, as Mr. Peter [?] told me._)

[Footnote 142: This word in the MS. is somewhat blotted and in consequence doubtful. The "forel" was the cloth or canvas covering in which it was at one time customary to wrap up a book; see Prompt.

Parvulorum, p. 171. Mr. Way there gives a quotation from Horman, who says "I hadde leuer haue my boke sowed in a forel than bounde in bourdis."]

_Scottish taunts._

Long beardes hartles, Painted hoodes wittles, Gay coates graceles, Makes England thriftles.[143]

[Footnote 143: Camden prints these lines in his Remaines (ed.

1637, p. 194) and a.s.signs them to the reign of Edward III. They have since been quoted in many places, and frequently a.s.signed to the Scots, although Camden does not give them that origin.]

[Sidenote: 5 February.]

Mr. Asheford told me these verses under written are upon a picture of the nowe Lord Keeper, Sir Thomas Egerton, in the Lord Chief Justice Pophams lodging:--

_In vita gravitas, vultu constantia, fronte Consilium, os purum, mens pia, munda ma.n.u.s._

A gentleman without monie is like a leane pudding without fatt. (_J.

Bramstone._)

Justice Glandville[144] upon a tyme, when fidlers pressed to play before him, made them sing alsoe, and then askt them yf they could not cry too; they said his worship was a merry man; but he made them sad fellowes, for he caused them to be vsed like rogues as they were. (_Ch. Dauers._)

[Footnote 144: Justice of the Common Pleas, 1598-1600. (Foss's Judges, v. 494.)]

There is best sport always when you put a woman in the case. (_Greene._)

The Attorney Generall [c.o.ke] put a case thus in the Kings benche;--"Yf I covenant to stand seised to the use of my b.a.s.t.a.r.d daughter--as I thanke G.o.d I have none"--and blusht.

[Sidenote: fo. 91.

1 Feb. 1602. [?]]

There were 11 Sergeants-at-lawe called this day; two of the Middle Temple, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Nicholes; five of the Inner Temple, Crooke the Recorder of London, Tanfeild, Coventry, Foster, and Barker; three of Lyncoln's Inn, Harris and Houghton; one of Grayes Inn, Mr. Altam.

When the Queene was moved to have called another to have made up twelve, she refused, saying she feared yf there were twelve there would be one false brother amongst them.

Sergeant Harris when he heard that Barker was called, "It is well," said he, "there should be one Barker amongst soe manie byters."

This day at dynner Mr. Sing tooke Mr. Nicholes by the hand and led him up from the lower end of the table, where his place was, and seated him on the benche highest at the upper end.

[Sidenote: 3.]

I heard by Mr. Hadsore the lawyers recusants are admitted to plead at the barr in Irland; that one Everard is preferred of late to be a Justice in the Kings Bench there, where there are but two, and yet he a recusant, but an honest man.

[Sidenote: 4.]

It is said Mr. Snig offers 800_l._ to be Sergeant, whereupon Mr.

Sergeant Harris said that he doubted not but he should shortly salut his deare brother Mr. Snig.

Argent makes Sargent.

[Sidenote: fo. 91^b.

4 Feb. 1602.]

_Out of a poeme int.i.tuled The Tragicall History of_ MARY QUEEN OF SCOTTS _and Dowager of Fraunce._[145] _Hir Ghost to Baldwyne._

[Footnote 145: The poem from which the following lines were extracted remained unpublished for two centuries after the time of our Diarist. It was written in the style of the Mirror for Magistrates, and was clearly intended for insertion in some subsequent edition of that popular work, but there were obvious reasons connected with its subject-matter which would operate against its publication in the reign of Elizabeth and in that of her successor, and after that time the Mirror had fallen out of fashion, another style of poetry had come into vogue, Queen Mary and her sorrows had lost for a time their hold upon the public mind, and the Tragicall History was consequently entirely lost sight of. In 1810 it was found by Mr. John Fry in a ma.n.u.script belonging to a gentleman named Fryer, and was published by Mr. Fry in a volume ent.i.tled "The Legend of Mary Queen of Scots and other ancient Poems, now first published from MSS. of the 16th century." (Lond. 8vo.) At the end of the princ.i.p.al poem there occurs in Mr. Fryer's MS. the date of the 10th July 1601, with the name of the supposed and, in all probability, the real author, Thomas Wenman. He is thought to be the person of those names who contributed one of the commendatory poems prefixed to the second part of Browne's Britannia's Pastorals, published in 1616. Wenman was of the Inner Temple. He was Public Orator of the University of Oxford from 1594 to 1597 (Wood's Athenae, ii. 365. Fasti, i. 251. Hardy's Le Neve, iii. 534,) and, as may be gathered from Mr. Fryer's MS., was a Roman Catholic. We doubted whether the extracts given by our Diarist should be printed, the whole poem having been included in the volume edited by Mr. Fry, but after consideration we have come to the conclusion that it was best to do so: 1, Because Mr. Fry's impression was an extremely small one, and the poem is consequently very little known, even to poetical antiquaries; and 2, Because many of the lines here quoted supply other readings, and in many cases correct obvious misreadings, in the edition of Mr. Fry. The tenour of the writer's opinions upon the moot points of Queen Mary's history may be gathered even from our Diarist's disjointed extracts. The numbers added in the margin within brackets refer to the stanzas of the poem as printed by Mr. Fry.]

[4.] In swiftest channell is the shallowest ground, In common bruite a truth is seldome found.

[5.] A slight defence repells a weake a.s.sault.

[6.] But soe unhappy is a princes state That scarce of thousands which on them depend One shall be found, untill it be too late, That solid truth shall in their counsell fend [lend], But all theyre vainest humours will defend; Till wee, alas! doe beare the guilt of all, And they themselves doe save, what ere befall!

[12.] I will not shewe thee howe my body lyes, A senceles corps by over hastned death.

[13.] I might bemoane the hap that fell to me That yet in graue must still accused bee.

[14.] Lett the faults upon the guilty light.

[19.] But fatall was my Guyssian kin to mee; Who built their hopes on hazard of my bloud, Like iuy they did clyme up by my tree, And skathed my growth in many a likely bud.

Theyre ouer kindenes did me little good, Whose clyming steps of theyre unbridled mynde Makes me, alas! to blame them as unkinde.

[Sidenote: fo. 92.]

[20.] They gave us courage quarrels to pretend Gainst neighbours, kings and friends, for whom of right Our interest and bloud would wish us fight.

[21.] Soe did the wise obserue my tyme of birth To be a day of mourning, not of mirth,

22. For death deprived two brothers that I had, Both in a day, not long ere I was borne, So that a mourning weede my cradle clad.

24. A greivous chaunce it is to meanest sort To leaue a widdowe in a forrein land, A child whose yeares cannot herselfe support, A suckling babe which can ne speak nor stand But must depend upon a tutors hand; But greatest mischief is it to a king Then which noe hap can greater hazard bring.

25. Ill to the prince, and to the people worse, Which giveth meanes to the ambitious mynd By rapine to enrich their greedy purse By wreak [wrack] of commonweale, whilst that they blind The peoples eyes and shewe themselves unkinde To pupil princes, whom they doe accuse As cause of such disorders they doe use.

33. Pride, wealth, and l.u.s.t, and gredines of mynde The finest witts we see doth often blynde.