man. 10. Technytes, or The Artificer. These are, as might be expected, directly opposed to the Romish Army, and on the last page of the Papist Encountred is "The Battaile, and Retrayte," as follows, in which the Protestant Cause is of course victorious.

Confronted are both Armies (breathing quick
And hostile Flames,) The One is puissant,
But wilde, and Headles, the false Catholick:
Fairely arrainged comes the Protestant,
Squar'd: Military: - Few, but valiant:

Led brauely, brauely followed, all Lion-like,

And yet so spare of blood, They (First) neuer strike.

For Mercie beares their Guydon, and does grieue
At Fall of any :- Should not Iustice stand
Close by her (with The Sword Vindicatiue,)
The haught Inuader would o're-run the Land:
But (now) Battalions gainst Battalions band:
The Aluerado sounds, they Fight, and Fly,
Ours is the Feild, Gods is the Victory.

The work, as will thus be seen, is a very violent attack on the Roman Catholics, written with great fierceness and acrimony, and is more remarkable for its extreme virulence than for the justness of its satire or poetical merits. It was probably called forth by the Popish Conspiracy, or Gunpowder Plot, discovered the year before, the effect of which on men's minds was still prevalent; and this pamphlet, notwithstanding its apparent want of wit and entertainment to us, was in full accordance with the outraged feelings of the public on the discovery of that horrible and atrocious crime. It is exceedingly rare, and was not in the Grenville or Malone collections, nor in the Bibl. Ang. Poet., and is not noticed by either Lowndes or Watt. The latter has entered Dekker's name as Derkar. A copy is in Lord Ellesmere's Library. See Collier's Bridgew. Catal., p. 97, who has remarked that there was another edition of this tract in the same year with some slight variations, but this we have never seen. It sold in the Bibl. Heber., pt. iv. No. 1623, for 17. 98.; Skegg's ditto, No. 524, 27. 148.; Bright's ditto, No. 1685, 37. 4s.; and Heber's ditto, 47. 198.

Collation: Title one leaf, then sig. A to F 2 inclusive in fours. Twentythree leaves.

Bound by Hayday. In Purple Morocco, gilt leaves.

DEKKER, (THOMAS.)-The Dead Tearme: or, Westminsters Complaint for long Vacations and short Termes. Written in manner of a Dialogue betweene the two Cityes London and Westminster. The Contentes of this discourse is in the Page following.

By T. Dekker.

London, Printed and are to be sold by Iohn Hodgets at his house in Pauls Churchyard. 1608. 4to, blk. lett., pp. 54.

Inferior in humour and merit to the "Seuen deadly Sinnes of London," but still not without a certain degree of interest, this tract by Dekker is not one of his most lively or entertaining pieces. On the back of the title is a table of "The principall matters contayned in this discourse," followed by a short dedication "To the very Woorthy, Learned, Iudicious and Noble Gentleman Syr Iohn Harrington Knight," whose translation of Ariosto, first published in 1591, is here alluded to, and his poetical vein much praised. The work commences with "Westminsters Speech to London," in which is an encomium of the ancient Charing Crosse, built by Edward I. in 1291. After enumerating the various Sins of Westminster, he gives a list of the 21 Kings and 2 Queens who had been crowned at Westminster since the time of William the Conqueror, and of those Kings who had been buried there. These are chiefly compiled from the old Chroniclers, and are not very interesting. He then notices the four Terms, the difference in bustle and activity in Term time, and the hurt that Vacations inflict on Westminster, whose sad effects are thus prettily described:

Those throwes of sorrowe come vppon me foure times euery yeare, but at one time more (and with more paines) then at all the rest. For in the height and lustiest pride of Summer, when euery little Village hath her Bachilers and her Damosels tripping deftly about May-poles: when Medowes are full of Hay-makers: when the fieldes upon the worke daies are full of Haruestars singing, and the Town-greenes upon Holly-dayes, trodden downe by the Youthes of the Parish dancing: when thou (O thou beautifull, but bewitching Citty) by the wantonnesse of thine eye, and the musicke of thy voices allurdst people from all the corners of the Land, to throng in heapes, at thy Fayres and thy Theators: Then, (euen then), sit I like a Widdow in the middest of my mourning: then doe my buildings shew like infected lodgings, from which the Inhabitants are fledde: then are my chambers empty, and my common paths untrodden: then doe I not looke like thy next neighbour, but like a creature forlorne, and utterly forsaken.

This is followed by a long passage in praise of the Law, containing some paradoxes in favour of going to Law, from which, as a fair example of Dekker's animated and clever style of writing and of his present tract, we select a portion of the passage:

The Law is unto us, as the heauens, are ouer our heads: of their owne Nature they are cleere, gentle, and readie to doe good to man: they giue light to his eyes, comfortable ayre to his spirits, warmth to reuiue him, coolenesse to refresh him. But if they bee troubled by brablings and unruly mindes, and be put from their owne smooth and euen byas, then doe they plague the world with stormes: Then doth Thunder shake the Rich mans building, lightning burnes up the poore mans Corne, Haile-stones beat the fruites of the earth, and all Creatures that are within reach of their fury, tremble, and hide their heads at the horrour.

The very phrase of Going to Law, shewes the greatnes, maiesty, and state of Law: for the Law comes to no man, but he is eyther driuen, or else so busie of himselfe, that he goes to it. The Law sleepes continually, unlesse shee be wakened by the wronges of men oppressed, or by the turbulency of those that will not let her rest: for the first sort of which people, she hath a payre of Ballance, wherein shee weighes their Innocence, and the Iniuries of others, forcing one to make good the hurts of the other. Against the second, she drawes a sword, with which shee both strikes them that break hir peace, and defends them that are threatened to be struck wrongfully. He that Goes therefore to Law, goes before a personage, whose browes are unwrinckled, yet full of Iudgement; whose eyes are not wandring, yet turning to both sides; whose lips are seldome opened, yet what they pronounce is iust; whose countenance is austere, yet setled in uprightnesse; whose hands are open to all, yet never filled with bribes; whose heart lies hidden, yet free from corruption. And what man would not desire to bee hourly conuersant with so excellent, and so composed a creature. He that is up to the cares in Law, is up to the eares in experience: He cannot choose but bee a good Subiect, because he keepes the Statutes and ordinances of his Country: he cannot choose but proue a worthy souldier, because he is still in action: he must of necessity be both honest and pittifull, for hee measureth other mens cases by his owne. Law: why it makes a man watchfull, for he that meddles with it, is sure neuer to sleepe: It keeps him from the Irish mans disease (Lazynes:) from the Dutchmans weaknesse (in not bearing drinke:) from the Italians euill spirit that haunts him (Lust) for hees so busied with so many actions of the Case, that hee can haue no leysure nor stomacke to the Case of Actions: It preserues him from the French falling sicknesse, yet no Stoues in Muscouy can put a man into more violent sweates. And last of all, it keepes him out of the English-mans surfeites, for his wayting at his Counsels Chamber so runs in his head, that he scarcely allowes himselfe a time to dine or sup in.

After recording this commendation of the Law, Dekker turns to the praise of the Pen, in which he is equally eloquent, with which the first division

closes. Then follows, "Londons auns were to Westminster," "Paules Steeples Complaint," and lastly, "By what Names London from time to time hath bin called, and how it came to bee diuided into Wardes." In these mention is made of various points in the history of the City and of St. Paul's Cathedral, and at the end in noticing "Londons complaint about the Plague," the story is related of a young London Draper dying of it at Sturbridge Fair, and on the last leaf, in the merrie Iest of the two London Porters, in which one of them counterfeits madness with the Plague in order to obtain the clothes of the young man who had died of that disease, is a curious reference to Hamlet and mad Tom of Bedlam, which may afford an illustration of Shakespeare; and also another allusion to Ieronimo in the Spanish Tragedy.

Their faces therefore do they turne upon Barnwell (neere Cambridge) for there was it to be acted: thither comes this counterfet mad-man running: his fellow Jugler following aloofe, crying stoppe the mad-man, take heed of the man, hee's madde with the plague. Sometimes would he ouertake him, and lay hands uppon him (like a Catch-pole) as if he had arrested him, but furious Hamlet woulde presently eyther breake loose like a Beare from the stake, or else so set his pawes on this dog that thus bayted him, that with tugging and tearing one anothers frockes off, they both looked like mad Tom of Bedlam. Wheresoeuer they cam, there needed no Fencers nor Whifflers to flourish before them to make way, for (as if a Bul had run up and downe) the streetes were cleared, and none sought to stop him.

At length he came to the house where the deade man had bin lodged: from the dore would not this olde Ieronimo be driuen, that was his Inne, there he woulde lie, that was his Bedlam, and there or no where must his mad tricks be plaid.

This tract seems to have been written on the re-appearance of the plague in London, and may be considered as a sort of sequel or second part to Dekker's "Wonderfull yeare" before noticed. It is chiefly valuable for its observations on the manners and customs of the Metropolis at that period, and contains some curious matter on these subjects. There is a copy in the Malone collection at Oxford, and another in Lord Ellesmere's, noticed by Mr. Collier in the Bridg. Cat., p. 101. See also Bibl. Heber., pt. iv. No. 560, 27. 28.; Bright's Cat., No. 1688, 27. 9s.; Gardner's ditto, No. 629, 31. 158. 6d.; Jolley's ditto, pt. ii. No. 1018, 5l. 58.; Nassau's ditto, pt. i. No. 1090, 5l. 7s. 6d.

Collation: Sig. A to G 3, in fours.

Bound by Hayday. In Purple Morocco, gilt leaves.

DEKKER, (THOMAS.)- The Belman of London. Bringing to light the most notorious villanies that are now practised in the Kingdome. Profitable for Gentlemen, Lawyers, Merchants, Citizens, Farmers, Masters of Housholds, and all sortes of seruants, to marke, and delightfull for all men to reade, Lege, Perlege, Relege.

Printed at London for Nathaniel Butter. 1608. 4to, blk. lett., pp. 70.

So popular was this work by Dekker, that no less than three Editions of it were printed in this year, of which the present is the first and original one. It is ornamented on the title-page with the curious woodcut given below of the Belman with lantern, halbert and bell, followed by his dog.