When giftes do catch both Gods and men,

and friendship endeth lawes."

There are other pieces of versification in this third book, and the last chapter consists entirely of moral and didactic couplets, the last being the following:

"As I began, so I conclude; let all men fear the Lord,

And Preachers see that godly workes with holy words accord."

As a whole, this production, by a man of considerable learning and ability, in its different parts is both instructive and amusing. At the close is a renewed address "to the Reader," in which Whetstone introduces a sort of puff of his "Mirror for Magistrates of Cities," which had been printed in 1584, but never became popular.

WHETSTONE, GEORGE. The Honorable Reputation of a Souldier: With a Morall Report of the Vertues, Offices, and (by abuse) the Disgrace of his profession. Drawen out of the lives, documents, and disciplines of the most renowned Romaine, Grecian, and other famous Martialistes. By George Whetstone, Gent. Malgre de Fortune. Imprinted at London by Richard Jones: dwelling neere Holburne Bridge. 1585. 4to. B. L. 22 leaves.

On the title-page is a woodcut, half-length, of a man in armor, merely the representative of a soldier, not unfrequently found in other places, appropriate and inappropriate. It has been, however, sometimes considered a portrait of Whetstone, and in our day we have seen it reëngraved for that purpose. No portrait of Whetstone is extant, that we are aware of.

The tract before us was hastily printed by its author, in order, not so much to vindicate the reputation of soldiers, as to encourage persons to join that profession, the Queen being at that particular time in want of men to assist the United Provinces in their struggle against Spain. It was in July, 1585, that a large body of men, clothed and furnished at the expense of the City, was trans

ported to the Low Countries (Stow's Ann., 1605, p. 1187). It appears that Whetstone had already prepared his larger work, "The English Mirror," for publication; but as its bulk delayed its appearance at this juncture, he put forth the portion of it, here called "The honourable Reputation of a Soldier," before the rest, with a view to the effect it might produce in procuring volunteers for the public service. The rest of the work was deferred until the following year, when, however, it came out from the shop of a different stationer.

The small performance in our hands consists merely of a dry collection of examples from Plutarch, Aulus Gellius, &c., of ancient military services, all tending to the exaltation of the military character; but as there is no single instance obtained from modern history, we need not dwell upon its contents. It is dedicated to Sir William Russell, and there Whetstone admits that he was only forestalling his "English Mirror." He says nothing of his motive for hastening the publication of a part of it, but the circumstances of the time called for it, and he doubtless anticipated for it a good sale. Whether he was disappointed or not, copies of it are now very rare more so than of his extended work, "The English Mirror." He does not here profess to be a soldier, capable of giving instruction in the military art, observing, "I myselfe have been brought up among the Muses."

As some proof of his qualifications in this respect, he prefixes a poem addressed "To the right valiant Gentlemen and Souldiers that are, or shalbe armed under the Ensigne of Sainct George." It begins,

"God with S. George! Allon[s], brave Gentlemen,

Set speares in rest," &c.

And afterwards proceeds,

"Thou art as fierce as is an Englishman,

The French still say, and proofe the same did teach:

Turne you the French into Castillian;

It hath a grace in such a loftie speach.

Your cause is good, and Englishmen you are:

Your foes be men, even as the Frenchmen were.'

It consists of only five such stanzas, and in the last Whetstone

thus refers to his own want of good fortune:

"I say no more, but God be your good speede,
And send you hap, which I did never taste;
And if this booke you do witsafe to reade,

You cannot thinke your labour spent in waste,
Which doth containe the morall rules of those

That followed Mars in thickest preace of foes."

The only passage in the prose portion, at all of a modern complexion, has reference to excess in apparel, which, we are told, often induced young people to become soldiers, forgetting the hardships and perils they would have to endure. Whetstone admits, however, that he had never himself experienced the sufferings his pen depicts; and after passing allusions to the victories of Edward III. and Henry V. he ends with the subsequent exhortation to the troops, then on their way to Flanders: " And therefore, you worthy Gentlemen, which are armed in Gods and her Majesties service, for that your quarrell is grounded upon compassion and justice, and polliticke judgement for the safetie of your owne countrey, I hope (which thousands desire) you shall returne attired with your enimies overthrowe.”

WHETSTONE, GEORGE. A Remembraunce of the wel imployed life and godly end of George Gaskoigne Esquire, who deceassed at Stalmford in Lincolne Shire, the 7 of October 1577. The reporte of Geor. Whetstons, Gent. an eye witnes of his Godly and charitable end in this world. Formæ nulla Fides. - Imprinted at London, for Edward Aggas, dwelling in Paules Churchyard, and are there to be solde. 4to. B. L. 8 leaves.

Only a single copy of this brief and valuable piece of biography is extant; but, as it has been twice reprinted in modern times, last at Bristol in 1815, we are not about to give any quotations from it, but merely to establish how very imperfectly the work of reprinting was done, even by the editor in 1815, who pointed out nine serious blunders committed by Chalmers five years

earlier. We have gone over the whole piece, and are in a condition to show that the corrector of Chalmers, whoever he may have been, either from carelessness or incompetence, himself committed quite as many and as gross errors as he had detected in his predecessor.

Thus on p. 4, we have garbe misprinted for "garde”: on p. 5, set free for "scot free”: on p. 6, lungs for “tungs," i. e. tongues: on p. 9, stinted for "flirted," and heard alone for "wounds alone": on p. 11, many for "manly," and loothsome for "toothsome ": on p. 15, fear for "force," while "for" is entirely omitted in one place, and misprinted from in another: on p. 17, payre is put for

payze,” i. e. weigh; and on p. 19 the sense and measure are destroyed by the omission of the preposition "of." These are only verbal defects; but the edition of 1815 also left out nearly all the marginal notes, stating the services of Gascoigne in the army, his imprisonment, and the unpublished productions he left. behind him. To these are to be added other marginal notes, in which the dying poet is made to speak by name of his "Glasse of Government,” of his "Steele Glasse," of his " Diet for Drunkards," and of his book on Hunting." These had been printed.

Upon these matters Whetstone received information from Gascoigne himself; and therefore avoided such a strange blunder as he was guilty of, ten years afterwards, when he attributed Spenser's "Shepherd's Calendar" to Sir Philip Sidney. (See "Life of Spenser," 1862, Vol. I. p. xxxvii.”) This blunder is the more inexcusable, because in his address "to the Reader" Whetstone severely called to acccount persons who had been guilty of error “for lacke of true instruction, and to the injurie that they did unto so worthy a gentleman." Whetstone's "injury,” it is true, was to Spenser, not to Sidney. (See also Poet. Decam. 1820, Vol. I. p. 64.)

WHETSTONE, THE. The Whettstone. A Pake of Knaves. 4to. 20 leaves.

This is a series of twenty copperplates of foreign execution, probably Dutch or Flemish, without date, place, publisher's or

engraver's name. The first plate forms the title-page, and repre-
sents a young man, dressed in the fashion of the time, throwing
a whetstone, while the words "The Whettstone" and "A Pake
of Knaves," are placed above and behind the figure. “Hurling
the Whetstone was a phrase apparently equivalent to "throw-
ing the hatchet"; and, with reference to it, on page 21 of our first
volume, a tract is noticed, with the title, “Four great Liars striving
who shall win the Silver Whetstone."
Throwing the hatchet'
is derived from the tale of a man who was so incredibly skilful,
that he was able to throw a hatchet at a distant tree and sever it :
hurling the whetstone" was an exaggeration of a similar kind,
in which another man asserted that, but for his "hurling the
whetstone,” and sharpening the hatchet on its way, the achieve-
ment could never have been accomplished. Underneath the
earliest engraving are the following lines :

"The Whettstone is a knave that all men know,
Yet many on him doe much cost bestowe:
Hee's us'd almost in every shoppe, but whye?
An edge must needs be set on every lye."

Each plate is accompanied by four lines descriptive of, or applicable to, the subject of it. The following The following is a list of the engravings, accompanied by some of the best of the verses:

"The Busye.

The Sleepelove.
The Fflye.
Sweetlipps.

The Damee."

"Dammees a rouring knavve that weares good clothes,
If his credit serve: his prayer[s] are his oathes.
Hee's stout where sure he cannot be out brav'd,
And swears by God, but hardly will be sav'd."

"The Graceless.

The Sawce box.

Surley.

The nere be good.
The Overdoo."

"The double dilligent, or one that will

More then's comanded offer to fullfill,