whyche he maryed to Seruantes. The eighte couetousnesse whych he maryed to olde folkes. The nynthe and the tenthe, that is to saye, vaynglorye and lecherye, he gaue no man."

Conduit street.

J. H.

ART. LV. The Banquet of Dainties. b. l. 12mo.

THE Copy of this little tract now before me, and the only one I have seen, has neither title-page nor colophon, from the want of a leaf at each end.

The above is the running title.* Sign. A ii is occupied by "Invocatio Authoris in auxilium." This is succeeded by a dull dialogue poem, which extends to nineteen leaves, and is entitled "Demosthenes, the Mayster of the Banquet: Sosia, his stewarde." The former instructs Sosia to provide the following cates for his wedding-banquet with Science.

"I pray thee zelously, my friende,

Search out the very

best;

For peerles dames I doe intend

Shall be my 'poynted gest.

Both pheassant, plover, larke, and quail,

With rabbet, succors yong,

Of dainties these let me not fayle,

With other rares among:

As marchpaine, cheese, and ginger greene,
With sucket pleasaunt sweete,

Blauncht almonds as in court is seene,

For princely ladyes meete.

It seems to have been licensed to T. Hacket, in 1566, under this title: The Banquett of Dainties, for all suche gestes that love moder att dyate. See Herbert, p. 899.

Stewde proynes, conserve of cherries red,
Peares, biskets, suger fine,

With nectar dulce, since I am wedde

By voice of Muses nine."
"Sosia.

"What junckets call ye these, I pray,
No dainties can they seeme;

For vulgar sort, from day to day,
As common them esteeme :

They serve as foode for to sustaine

The hungrie corps withall;

So that the nimphes from them refraine,

As we refrayne from gall."

Sapientia and Castitas become occasional interlocutors; but their conversation is very inanimate, and the whole poetical banquet very insipid.

T. P.

ART. LVI. The Floures of Philosophie, with the Pleasures of Poetrie annexed to them, aswel plesant to be read as profitable to be folowed of all

men.

"Otium sine literis mors est, et vivi hominis sepultura."

SENECA.

Printed at London by Henrie Bynneman and Frauncis Coldocke. Anno 1572. Small 8vo.

THESE Philosophical flowers appear to have been gathered from the ethic pages of the Corduban sage, and are inscribed to Anne, Countess of Warwick, by the translator, HUGH PLAT, of Lincoln's Inn, who published "Manuale sententias aliquot divinas et morales complectens," in 1584; "The Jewell House of Art and Nature," in 1594; and "Sundrie New

and Artificiall remedies against Fortune," in 1596 *. The present publication does not occur in Herbert, nor in any catalogue of English books I have observed: but, according to the booksellers' phrase, the title is a taking one; and so the author seems to have thought by his dilatations upon it in the epistle dedicatory and preface.

"I do heere offer unto your Ladyship (says the Dedicator) a small handfull or two of loose flowres, to be disposed at your discretion either in garlands to weare on your head, or els in nosegaies to beare in brest aboute you. I knowe they will be more sweete for smell than seemelie for sighte, and more holesome for the harte than pleasaunte for the bodie; and yet they are suche as our bodies neede not be ashamed of, seeing our soules are so glad to receive them. Yea, thus much I dare promise for them, and will stand to the triall though envie do gainsay, that if the finest flowrs and most holsome herbs that the goodly gardens of Semiramis did bring forth in Babylon, were compared with these flowres which are here to be gathered, they would soon lose their name, and be accounted the most vile and abjecte weeds that ever the earthe did foster. Wherefore, as they were once most carefully planted in Rome by Seneca; so nowe I with some paines have removed them here to Englande; where I do not doubte but that these sweete slips being deepely set in the frute

*In 1592 was licensed to R. Field " A brief Apologie of certen newe invencions, compiled by H. Plot;" Hugh Plat most probably; for Plot and Plat bear the same signification. Plat's Paradise of Flora, Garden of Eden, &c. with an account of the author, will be noticed hereafter.

full soile of your noble harte, will soone take roote and bring foorth frute in great abundaunce, &c."

His Preface, or address to the reader, opens thus:

"I, PLAT, at length a pleasaunte plotte
of fragrant flours have found,
Wherein the sweet carnations

with roses do abounde.

Here springs the goodly gelofers,*

some white, some redde in showe;
Here prettie pinkes with jagged leaves
on rugged rootes do growe.

The John so sweete in shewe and smell,
distincte by colours twaine,

Aboute the borders of their beds

in seemelie sighte remaine.
Such vertue have my marigoldes,
within their stalcks enrolde,
That Phoebus with his burning beames
cannot their leaves unfolde.

The double daisies all in ranckes

aboute my garden goe,

With comelie course of camamile

that spreadeth to and fro," &c.

To this Preface is subjoined a "Table of the Flowers of Philosophie," on four pages. The Flowers themselves then follow on 76 pages, and comprise 883 short sentences. To these succeed "The Pleasures of Poetrie," on about 156 pages: but the unique copy before me is not quite perfect. These poetic scantlings bear the following titles:

1. "Agaynst those which wil do nothing themselves, and yet envy at other men's dooings.

*Gilliflowers.

2. The song of Arion the musitian, whome a dolphin did save from drowning.

3. The pitifull complaynt of Arion, before he was thrown over boord.

4. The song of Dædalus and his sonne Icarus. 5. How every Vice doth creepe in, under the name and shewe of a Vertue.

6. A merrie tale of Master Mendax and his friende Credulus.

7. A generall discourse uppon Covetousnesse. 8. A comparison betwixt the Ape and the Flat

terer.

9. He is never happie that never suffred adversitie to set out his happinesse withall.

10. To a covetous man that had his house robbed. 11. Of two gentlemen which by racking of their rents had destroyed a whole towne.

12. It is not God but we ourselves that seeke the eversion of our owne countrey.

13. That man's life is full of misery.

14. A proofe of the contrary parte.
15. A comforte to one that was blynde.

16. Of a gentleman that was slayne in Scotlande. 17. A mérie dialogue betwixte John and Jone, striving who shall were the breeches."

The antiquated cast of this merriment may be gathered from two as well as ten stanzas, of which the dialogue consists.