Diary of John Manningham Part 7

[Footnote 44: Richard Tarlton, the celebrated low comedian and Joe Miller of his day.]

Repentaunce is like a drawebridge, which is layd downe for all to pa.s.se over in the day tyme, but drawne up at night: soe all our life wee have tyme to repent, but at death it is to late. (_Ch. Dauers recit._)

It was ordered by our benchers, that wee should eate noe breade but of 2 dayes old. Mr. Curle said it was a binding lawe, for stale breade is a great binder; but the order held not 3 dayes, and soe it bound not.

EPITAPHE OF JOHN FOOTE.

Reader look to' it! Here lyes John Foote, He was a Minister, borne at Westminster.

ALIUD OF MR. CHILD.

If I be not beguild, Here lies Mr. Child.

(_Ouerbury recit._)[45]

[Footnote 45: We have retained these trifling entries solely on account of the name appended to them. The unfortunate Sir Thomas Overbury, who was son of a gentleman of Gloucestershire, having taken his B.A. degree at Queen's College, Oxford, removed in 1598 to the Middle Temple.]

I will be soe bolde as to give the a.s.sise the lye: (_Ch. Dauers in argument._)

"I came rawe into the world, but I would not goe out rosted," said one that ment to be noe martyre. (_Curle nar._)

[Sidenote: fo. 12^b.

Jan. 1601.]

This last Christmas the Conny-catchers would call themselves Country-gentlemen at dyce.

When a gentlewoman told Mr. Lancastre he had not bin soe good as his word, because he promised shee should be gossip to his first child (glaunceing at his b.a.s.t.a.r.d on his landres), "Tut," said he, "you shall be mother to my next, if you will."

ANAGRAM.

Margaret Westfalinge.

My greatest welfaring.[46]

(_Streynsham nar._)

[Footnote 46: Herbert Westfaling, Bishop of Hereford (1585-1602) had a daughter Margaret who may have been the lady here alluded to, although at this time married to Dr. Richard Eedes, Dean of Worcester. (Wood's Athenae, i. 720, 750.) Like many of these trifles, it will be observed that the anagrammatic reading is incomplete.]

Davis.

Advis. Judas.

(_Martin._)

FEBR. 1601.

[Sidenote: Feb. 2.]

At our feast wee had a play called "Twelue Night, or What you Will,"

much like the Commedy of Errores, or Menechmi in Plautus, but most like and neere to that in Italian called _Inganni_[47]. A good practise in it to make the Steward beleeve his Lady widdowe was in love with him, by counterfeyting a letter as from his Lady in generall termes, telling him what shee liked best in him, and prescribing his gesture in smiling, his apparaile, &c., and then when he came to practise making him beleeue they tooke him to be mad.

[Footnote 47: It seems from remarks of Mr. Hunter, in his Ill.u.s.trations of Shakspeare, i. 391, that the Italian play here alluded to was not one of those termed the _Inganni_, of which there are several, but the _Ingannati_, which, like the Taming of the Shrew, is a play preceded by a dramatic prologue or induction, ent.i.tled _Comedia del Sacrificio di gli Intronati_. There is no separate t.i.tle-page to the _Ingannati_, but there are several editions of the _Sacrificio di gli Intronati_, in which the _Ingannati_ is introduced, printed at Venice in 1537, 1550, and several subsequent years.]

[Sidenote: 12.]

_Quae mala c.u.m multis patimur laeviora putantur._

[Sidenote: 11.]

Cosen Norton was arrested in London.

[Sidenote: fo. 13.

Febr. 1601.]

He put up a supplicacion to Sir Robt. Cecile presented by his wife, whome he tooke notice of the next day, which remembring [was?] with out being remembred what he had done in it. The effect of this pet.i.tion was, that, whereas Copping had their goods forth of Mr. Cranmers hand (whoe had dealt but to honestly for such vnthankefull persons), and they should have a certaine summe yearely, they could neither gett payment, nor haue him account; he said twenty pounds were enough to keepe the Lunatike their mother, when Cranmer had the goodes; nowe he deductes 50_l._ for hir, and yett keepes hir far more basely. And therefor humbly desyre Copping might be brought to some order. Norton tels me this Copping is a notable riche practiser, &c.

Cosen Norton told me that one Mr. c.o.kayne of Hertfordshire gott his brother H. Norton by a wile to his house, and their married him upon a pushe to a kinswoman of his, and made a serveingman serve the purpose insted of a preist.

[Sidenote: Feb. 14.]

Bounty is wronged, interpreted as duty.

My Cosen Garnons told me that the old Earle of Suss.e.x[48], being in seruice in the North, was intangled by his Marshall, but extricated by the Earle of Leycester, whose overthrowe afterward he covertly practised. _Quaedam beneficia odimus; vitam nulli debemus libenter._

[Footnote 48: Thomas Ratcliffe, third Earl of Suss.e.x (1556--1583.) The reader of Kenilworth will need no further ill.u.s.tration than a reference to those attractive pages.]

The office of the Lord Keeper better worth then 3000_l._ per annum, of the Admirall more, of the Secretary little lesse. (_Idem._)

[Sidenote: fo. 13^b.