To keepe another when they doe intend,
Twentie to one for Drayton they will send,
Yet bade him leave his learning; so it fled

And vow'd to live with thee since he was dead."

We wish we could make room for all the interesting personal matter in this little volume, more particularly, as it has never yet been adverted to in any detail; but we must be satisfied with the two epigrams which apply to Marston, Ben Jonson, R. Allot, the editor of "England's Parnassus," and Christopher Middleton, the writer of the "Legend of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester "; which, however, was not published until the year after the date of the appearance of Weever's "Epigrammes."

"Ad Jo. Marston et Ben Johnson.

"Marston, thy Muse enharbours Horace vaine,
Then, some Augustus give thee Horace merit;
And thine, embuskin'd Johnson, doth retaine
So rich a stile and wondrous gallant spirit,
That if to praise your Muses I desired,

My Muse would muse. Such wittes must be admired."

"Ad Ro. Allot et Chr. Middleton.

"Quicke are your wits, sharp your conceits,

Short and more sweete your layes:
Quicke, but no wit, sharpe no conceit,

Short and lesse sweete my praise."

These have very little merit of their own, but they show the estimate of the men in their day. The same may be said of six lines addressed to the founder of Dulwich College, in which Rome and Roscius are called upon to yield the palm to London and Alleyn. We ought to add that the Epigrams are divided into "weeks," and that each "week" is dedicated to a different patron.

WEEVER, JOHN. The Mirror of Martyrs, or The life and death of that thrice valiant Capitaine, and most godly Martyre, Sir John Old-castle knight Lord CobPrinted by V. S. for William Wood. 1601. 41 leaves.

ham.

8vo.

This very uncommon volume (of which we have never seen more than two exemplars) requires attention, not only for its own sake, but because it illustrates both Shakspeare and Spenser. These illustrations appear never to have been suspected; for although various poetical antiquaries have mentioned the book, and one of them quoted several passages from it, (Restituta, IV. 476,) nobody has alluded to these sources of increased value. Spenser is applauded by name, and Shakspeare borrowed from without name. The subsequent stanza thus speaks of the death of the former, and of his well-remembered episode of the Marriage of the Thames and Medway:

"But how he courted, how himselfe he carri'd,
And how the favour of this Nimph he wonne,

And with what pompe Thames was with Medway marri'd
Sweete Spenser shewes (O greefe, that Spensers gone!)
With whose life heavens a while enricht us more,
That by his death we might be ever pore."

The obligation of Weever to Shakspeare is certainly not great, but it has reference to the battle of Shrewsbury, and to the killing of Hotspur by Prince Henry, in the ensuing stanza:

"And followed Percie to these civill broiles,
Who made do doubt of Henries victorie,
Emboldened by Scotlands late-won spoiles,
Yet left him slaine behind at Shrewsbury;
And all the armie, ventrous, valorous, bold,
Hote on the spur, now in the spur lie cold."

The lines by Travers, in Henry IV. Part 2, Act I. sc. 1, (printed in 1600, and written before 1598,) need hardly be quoted:

"He told me that rebellion had ill luck,

And that young Harry Percy's spur was cold:"

nor old Northumberland's reply:

:

"Said he young Harry Percy's spur was cold?

Of Hotspur coldspur?"

Another illustration of Shakspeare is of a different kind, and relates to the character of Falstaff, who, when the two parts of "Henry IV." were first brought out, was called Oldcastle, though the name was afterwards changed. Weever, in the dedication of

his "Mirror of Martyrs," speaks of his hero as "this first true Oldcastle," clearly alluding to the second false Oldcastle, in Shakspeare's two plays, to whom, however, the name of Falstaff had been given, instead of Oldcastle, before 1598. (See "Shakspeare," publ. by Whittaker and Co., 1858, Vol. III. p. 317 and p. 423.)

WELBY, HENRY. The Phoenix of these late times: or the Life of Mr. Henry Welby, Esq., who lived at his house in Grub-street forty foure yeares, and in that space was never seene by any, aged 84 &c. With Epitaphs and Elegies &c. London: Printed by N. Okes and are to be sold by Richard Clotterbuck &c. 1637. 4to. 25 leaves.

We are informed in the body of this tract, that the subject of it was a man of considerable fortune, who had travelled much, and was of eccentric habits. His reason for retiring from the world is stated to have been a quarrel with a younger brother, who directed a loaded pistol at his head, which missed fire. He withdrew to his house in Grub Street, in 1592, and lived unseen by anybody but an old female servant, until the 29th of October, 1636.

An engraving of the unshaven recluse faces the title-page, which is followed by "the Description of this Gentleman," and two copies of verses upon him, one signed J. B., and the other by Shackerly Marmion. Then comes an account of Welby, and of his mode of life, to which are added Epitaphs and Elegies in verse by Tho. Brewer, J. T., John Taylor, and Tho. Heywood. From the nature of the tract, it is most likely that the prose portion of it was also written by Heywood. His verses are only such as, most likely, his poverty extracted from his pen, and they are not worth quoting. Welby, it seems, had been married, and left behind him a daughter, wife to Sir Christopher Hilliard of Yorkshire.

WELDON, JOHN. - A true Report of the inditement, arraignment, conviction, condemnation and execution of John Weldon, William Hartley, and Robert Sutton : who sufferd for high Treason in severall places about the Citie of London on Saturday the fifth of October. Anno 1588. With the Speaches which passed between a learned Preacher and them: Faithfullie collected, even in the same wordes, as neere as might be remembred. By one of credit that was present at the same. Imprinted at London by Richard Jones. 1588. 4to. B. L. 12 leaves.

The main object of this tract seems to have been to show with what mercy and consideration the criminals were treated. The first two were Roman Catholic priests, who, after having been ordained in Paris, came to this country and resided in London contrary to law. The third man, Sutton, after becoming a Protestant, had been reconciled to Rome, and, though a layman, was executed with the others. The narrative seems to have been drawn up by the "learned Preacher” who had attended the prisoners in their last moments, and had endeavored to convince them of their errors. Their lives were offered to them if they would recant, but they preferred death. It is added, that at one time Sutton's courage nearly failed, but he afterwards recovered his resolution, and died avowing himself a Roman Catholic. All the texts of Scripture quoted against them by the Protestant divine are given in full detail. The men were hanged at different places: Weldon at Mile-end, Hartley at Holywell, "nigh the Theater," (at that date a usual place of execution, on account of the badness of the neighborhood,) and Sutton at Clerkenwell. On the 26th August preceding, a person of the name of Gunter had been hanged "at the Theater," convicted of the same crime as Sutton.

WELL-SPRING.

The Welspring of wittie Conceites: containing a Methode, aswel to speake, as to endight (aptly

and eloquently) of sundrie Matters: as (also) see great varietie of pithy Sentences, vertuous sayings and right Moral Instructions: No lesse pleasant to be read, then profitable to be practised, either in familiar speech or by writing, in Epistles and Letters. Out of Italian by W. Phist. Student. Wisdome is like a thing fallen into the water, which no man can finde, except it be searched to the bottome. At London, Printed by Richard Jones: dwelling at the Signe of the Rose and the Crowne, neere Holburne Bridge. 1584. 4to. B. L. 51 leaves.

It is very likely that the name on the title-page, "W. Phist.," may only be an abbreviation for William Phiston, but we have no right so to conclude, as is done in both editions of Lowndes's Bibl. Man.; and on this account we have placed our notice of this highly curious book under the first substantive of its title. It is supposed that W. Phist, or Phiston, was also the writer of a "Lamentation" on the death of Bishop Jewell, 1571, because it is said to have been composed " by W. Ph." (Brit. Bibl. I. 569.) Elderton wrote and subscribed a production of a similar character, and upon the same lamentable event, altogether unknown until it was reprinted in "Roxburghe Ballads," 4to, 1847, p. 139.

Of the work in our hands only two copies are supposed to exist; and it is dedicated, not by the translator, but by the printer, to "Maister David Lewes, Doctor of the Civil Lawes, &c. High Judge of the Admiraltie.” Jones states in it that it was the first book that had come from his press since the entrance of the new year, 1584. Then we have "the Author's Preface," from which we learn that it was not merely a version into English of an Italian original, but that he had added other matter, "partly the invention of late writers, and partly mine owne." He claims to have "noted" in the margin where he had been indebted to "auncient and famous" writers, but he unluckily left the remainder without any information as to the modern sources to which he had been indebted.

The great body of the work is prose, and in the form of sup