the four it is unlikely that he ever wrote at all. Of the other two," The Lie," and "The Pilgrimage," he was probably the Author, but certainly not at the time recorded.

The following lines from Breton's "Melancholike Humours," 1600, (p. 34, Lee Priory reprint,) deserve insertion, as a parallel to this Poem:

"Go! bid the world, with all its trash, farewell,
And tell the earth it shall be all but dust!
These wicked wares, that worldlings buy and sell,
The moth will eat, or else the canker rust:
All flesh is grass, and to the grave it must.
This sink of sin is but the way to hell;
Leave it, I say, and bid the world farewell!

"Account of pomp but as a shadow'd power,
And think of friends but as the summer flies;
Esteem of beauty as a fading flower,

And lovers' fancies but as fabled lies:
Know, that on earth there is no Paradise.
Who sees not heaven is surely spirit-blind,
And like a body that doth lack a mind.”

The Poem is here printed from the fourth edit. of Davison (p. 100), with a few corrections, which are marked by brackets. That copy has been given in the notes to the Lee Priory and Oxford editions, where the text (=A) is taken from Dr. Birch. Percy (=B) also professed to print from Davison, but he has introduced several of the readings of the other copy. So too has Ellis (=C), though more sparingly, as will be seen from the Variations. The two copies which Sir H. Nicolas printed from the Harl. MSS. at the end of his edit. of Davison (=D and E) present many minute variations, which it would have been tedious to give at length. I have therefore selected only a few of them; and have done

Viz. Wotton's Hymn made at Venice, above, p. 45, and the " Farewell to the Vanities of the World," No. III. in this Part.-The note on p. 68 will supply a fifth instance.—In what is said above, I have assumed the antiquity of the tradition, (which seems to me very doubtful,) so as to state the case against Raleigh in the strongest way.

the same with the copy in Pembroke (F). Some readings (=G) have also been selected from the fragments of the original preserved in Sylvester's Parody. The title in Davison is "The Lie," which is retained by Percy:-that of "The Soul's Errand" was taken by Ellis from Sylvester's Works, the only part of that copy which he preserved; and Mr. Campbell kept it, and argued from it, in spite of his just objections to Sylvester :-the title in Birch, &c. is "The Farewell."]

[5]

[10]

[15]

OE, soule, the bodies guest,

vpon a thanklesse arrant; Feare not to touch the best ;

the truth shall be thy warrant :

Goe, since I needs must dye,
and giue the world the lye.
Say to the Court, it glowes,
and shines like rotten wood;
Say to the Church, it shewes
whats good, and doth no good:
If Church and Court reply,
then giue them both the lye.

Tell Potentates, they liue,
acting by others action;

Not loued, vnlesse they giue,-
not strong, but by [a faction]:
If Potentates reply,

giue Potentates the lye.

Tell men of high condition,

[20]

that mannage the estate,

[25]

[30]

[35]

[40]

[45]

Their purpose is ambition,
their practise onely hate:
And if they once reply,

then giue them all the lye.

Tell them that braue it most,

they beg for more by spending,
Who, in their greatest cost,
[seek] nothing but commending:

And if they make reply,

then giue them all the lie.

Tell zeale it wants deuotion;
tell loue it is but lust;
Tell time it [is] but motion;
tell flesh it is but dust:

And wish them not reply,

for thou must giue the lie.

Tell age it daily wasteth;

tell honour how it alters; Tell beauty how she blasteth;

tell fauour how it falters:
And as they shall reply,
giue euery one the lye.

Tell wit how much it wrangles
in tickle points of nicenesse;
Tell wisedome she entangles

her selfe in ouer wisenesse :
And when they do reply,

straight giue them both the lie.

6

[50]

[55]

[60]

Tell Phisicke of her boldnesse;
tell skill it is pre[t]ension;

Tell Charity of coldnesse;

tell law it is contention:

And as they doe reply,

so giue them still the lye.

Tell fortune of her blindnesse;
tell nature of decay;

Tell friendship of vnkindnesse;

tell Iustice of delay:

And if they will reply,

then giue them all the lie.

Tell Arts they haue no soundnesse,
but vary by esteeming ;

Tell schooles they want profoundnesse,

and stand [too] much on seeming:

[65]

If Arts and Schooles reply,

[70]

giue arts and schooles the lye.

Tell Faith its fled the Citie;

tell how the countrey erreth; Tell manhood shakes off* pittie; tell vertue least preferre[th]:

And if they doe reply,

spare not to giue the lye.

In a case like this, where the old spelling, of, though very common,

might mislead the reader, it seems improper to retain it.

[75]

So, when thou hast, as I
commanded thee, done blabbing,-
[Although] to giue the lye

deserues no lesse than stabbing,-
Stab at thee he that will,

no stab th[e] soule can kill.

[VARIATIONS.-2. Though Birch printed 'Arrant' (as in Dav. and B, and in D E 'errant') it is modernized in A C to 'errand' (so also FG) which Sir H. Nicolas properly rejects. The rhyme is not uncommon.*-3. 'to teach'-F.-5. 'Goe thou, since I must dye'-G.-'since thou must needs'-F.-6. 'And give them all the lie'-A D. 'And tell them all they lie'-E F.—7. ‘Go, tell the Court'-A B C G.-8. 'painted wood'-A.-9. 'Go, tell the Church'-A B C.-10. but does no good'-A. (so, nearly, DF G.)-11. 'If Court and Church reply'-A F. (so D, except or church')-12. 'Give Court and Church the lie'-A.13. 'Tell Protestants'-F. (so also in lines 17, 18,-a very curious corruption.)-14. 'but Oh! their actions'-A. 'but others actions'-E F. It is 'actions' also in B C D. In Dav, and G. 'action.-16. 'but by their factions'-A B C E F. In Dav. 'but by affection'-and in D, 'but by affections'-. I retain the reading of G, as being nearest to that of Davison.-20. "That rule affairs of state-A B C E F. That in affairs of state'D G.-23. 'do reply'-A.-25. 'Tell those'-A E F G.-27. 'And in'-F G.-28. So A B C E F. In Dav. and D, 'Like nothing'-'Seeke but a selfe-commending'-G.-30. 'Spare not to give'-A B.-31. 'it lacks devotion'-A B C.-33. So A B C F. In Dav. and E, 'it meets but motion'-. 'it's but a motion' -D.-39. 'that it blasteth'-A. 'Tell truth how that she blasteth' -D.-40. 'that she falters'-AD F. 'how she falters'-B C.

For example, in George Wither's Speculum Speculativam, 1660, p. 4. "For doubtless I may boldly do mine Errant

To Kings and Nations, when I have thy warrant.”

See also Richardson's Dict. s. v. Arrand, where the passage in the text is cited, as from "Sir W. Raleigh. The Lye."