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. The Fourth impression, with new additions.

Printed at London for Nathaniel Butter. 1616. 4to, blk. Iett., pp. 72.

The contents of the present Edition are exactly similar to the last, with the same woodcut on the title as in the three former impressions. It is evident that the work must have been highly popular to have called forth so many Editions in so short a period. In exposing and bringing to light not only the popular foibles of the metropolis, but also the knavish arts and canting language of thieves, few persons could be better qualified for this purpose than Dekker, who had himself been an inmate of a jail for at least three years, if not more; for we find that he was confined in the King's Bench prison from 1613 to 1616. He was, therefore, well versed from his contact with such characters, in all their slang and canting terms. His chief object in laying open these wounds of the metropolis and describing its vices, was, as he himself informs us, for the purpose of curing them. It will be needless to quote any of the characters here enumerated, as some of them are described totidem verbis, in our account of the original work by Harman. Bindley's sale, pt. iv. No. 525, 1l. 98.; Bibl. Heber., pt. viii. No. 706, 17. 10s.; Utterson's ditto, No. 675, title reprinted, 21. 68.; Forster's ditto, No. 131, 37. 1s.

A copy of this Edition is in the Malone collection at Oxford.

Collation Title A 1, A to I 4 in fours.

:

The Heber copy. Bound by Herring. In Russia, red edges.

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. The fift impression, with new additions.

Printed at London by Miles Flesher. 1640. 4to, blk. lett., pp. 72.

Similar in its contents to the last impression, the only alteration in the present volume is in the title-page, which has a smaller woodcut of the Belman and his dog reversed, without any back ground or other accompaniment. In this he is represented in a leathern cap, with a long loose garment, carrying a staff with a pike at one end, and the other appearing as broken. This was the last of the Editions, previous to the appearance of the second part, in which Dekker owned to the authorship of the Belman of London. For a notice of this Edition see Beloe's Anecd., vol. ii. p. 146. Jolly's sale, pt. ii. No. 1020, 37. 18.

Collation: Title A 1, A to I 4 in fours.

In Russia, red edges.

DEKKER, (THOMAS.) - Villanies Discovered by Lanthorne and Candlelight, and the helpe of a new Cryer called O per se O. Being an addition to the Bel-mans second night-walke: and laying open to the world of those abuses, which the Bel-man (because he went i' th' darke) could not see. With Canting Songs, and other new conceits neuer before Printed. Newly corrected and enlarged by the Author.

London, Printed by Aug. Mathewes dwelling in St. Brides lane in Fleet-streete in the Parsonage house. 1620. 4to, blk. lett.

Dekker's Bel-man of London had been so favourably received by the public, that he was induced to fulfil the promise made at its close, and to write a second part under the title of Lanthorne and Candle-light, or, The Bell-mans Second Nights walke, &c., of which two Editions were published in 1609, 4to. It was again reprinted with some variations in 1612, 4to, with the title of 0 per se O, or a new cryer of Lanthorne and Candlelight. Being an Addition, or Lengthening of the Bell-mans Second Night-walke, &c., which was repeated with the same title in 1620. In

1616 it appeared with some further additions under the present title, which was renewed, as we see above, by another impression in 1620, said to be "newly corrected and enlarged by the Author," but in reality an exact reprint of that of 1616. And it may here be remarked, that between the years 1609, when this second part first came out, and 1648, this work went through not less than nine Editions, all more or less differing from each other.

On the title is a woodcut of the Belman and his Dog, slightly varying from the one last noticed, in having a double border round it, and a formidable bill-hook at the head of the pike, instead of the broken end. At the back is a different woodcut of the same with sixteen lines underneath, entitled The Bel-mans Cry. These are followed by a prose address "To the Reader," and "A Table of all the matters that are contained in this Booke." In the address Dekker says that "the Bel-man doth in a fourth set Battaile once againe brauely aduance forward in maine Battalia;" meaning, as we conclude, thereby, his Bel-man of London, 1608, Candle-light and Lanthorne, 1609, O per se 0, 1612, and Villanies Discovered, 1616. The work is divided into seventeen chapters, in which are humorously described the various sorts of rogues and swindlers which then prevailed. Among these in the fourth chapter-" Of Hawking. Falconers. Of a new kinde of Hawking, teaching how to catch Birds by Bookes". the author gives a curious account of the mode in which the rich were cozened out of their money by pretended dedications from needy writers, who carried. about with them an alphabet of letters, with which they printed anyone's name to insert before the dedication, and made a living by this sort of Hawking. Of some examples of this kind of trickery, we have afforded instances in other parts of the Catalogue, under the names of Anderson, Bold, Jordan, &c., but the whole of the chapter having been quoted by Mr. Haslewood in his account of this volume in Cens. Liter., vol. vi. p. 184, we shall content ourselves with selecting only a few lines of verse with which it concludes, which gives

The true Picture of these Falconers.

There be Fellowes

Of course and common blood; Mechanicke knaues,
Whose wits lye deeper buried then in graues :
And indeede smell more earthy, whose creation
Was but to giue a Boot or Shooe good fashion.
Yet these (sowing by the Apron and the Awle)

-

Being drunke with their owne wit, cast vp their gall
Onely of Inke: and in patch'd, beggerly Rimes,
(As full of fowle corruption, as the times)

From towne to towne they strowle, in soule as poore

As th' are in clothes: yet these at euery doore
Their labours Dedicate. But as at Faires
Like Pedlers, they shew still one sort of wares
Vnto all commers (with some fil'de oration)
And thus to giue Bookes now's an occupation.
One booke hath seuen-score patrons: thus desart
Is cheated of her due: this noble art

Giues Ignorance (that common strumpet) place:

Thus the true schollers name growes cheap and base.

At the end of the book is the essay on Canting, with the Canters' Dictionary to teach their language, and three new Canting Songs, which "for the satisfaction of the Reader are Englished." This part also contains the "Discourse of 0 per se O, vnder which name, the Author disguises and shadows himself." The portion commencing with Chap. xi., "Of a Prison," occupying six Chapters, was not in the previous Edition of 1612, entitled: "O per se O." But concerning the variations in the different Editions the reader may consult further the Bibl. Heber., pt. iv. pp. 80, 81; Collier's Bridgw. Catal., p. 102; Cens. Liter., vol. vi. p. 184; Beloe's Anecd., vol. ii. p. 153; and Lowndes's Bibliogr. Manual, p. 557. The Edition of 1616 sold in the Bibl. Heber., pt. iv. No. 563, for 31. 13s.; and the present one, No. 564, for 17. 88.; Jolley's sale, pt. ii. No. 1028, 37. 58.; Gordonstoun ditto, No. 777, 31. 13s. 6d.

Collation: Sig A two leaves, B to P 4 in fours.

The present copy is perfect but much stained.

Bound in Speckled Calf, red edges.

DEKKER, (THOMAS.)

Villanies Discovered by Lanthorne and Candlelight, and the helpe of a new Cryer called O per se O. Being an addition to the Bel-mans second night-walke: and laying open to the world of those abuses, which the Bel-man (because he went i' th' darke) could not see. With Canting Songs, and other new conceits neuer before Printed. Newly corrected and enlarged by the Author.

London, Printed by Aug. Mathewes dwelling in St. Brides lane in Fleet-streete in the Parsonage house. 1620. 4to, blk.lett.

Another copy of the same work in clean and good condition, from the Bibl. Heber., pt. viii. No. 709, where it sold for 17. 17s.

DEKKER (THOMAS.) - The Ravens Almanacke.

Foretelling of a

Plague, Famine, and Ciuill Warre. That shall happen this present yeare 1609, not only within this Kingdome of great Britaine, but also in France, Germany, Spaine, and other parts of Christendome. With certaine Remedies, Rules, and Receipts, how to prevent, or at least to abate the edge of these universal Calamities.

London Printed by E. A. for Thomas Archer, and are to be solde at his Shop in the Popes-head-Pallace nere the Royall Exchange. 1609. 4to, blk. lett., pp. 64.

A long Epistle Dedicatorie is addressed "To the Lyons of the Wood (the young Courtiers) to the wilde Buckes of the Forrest (the Gallants and younger Brothers) to the Harts of the field, and to all the whole Countrey that are brought vp wisely, yet prooue Guls: and are borne rich, yet die beggers," &c. It is dated the "1. Ides of the first month of this first great Platonicall and terrible yeare 1609," and subscribed "T. Deckers." This is not the usual way of Dekker signing his name, and was most probably added by the Publisher. The tract, which is in blk. lett., is entirely in prose, with the single exception of a song sung by an olde woman in a Meddowe." It commences with a woodcut representing "The Dominion of the Moone in Mans body," the customary beginning of the almanacks of that period, and is a humorous sort of parody or mock resemblance of the pretended predictions of the almanack makers, written in a comic and forcible style, with fanciful prognostications of what was to happen during the year, the object of the work being to ridicule the absurd fortune-telling and pretended prophesying of the almanack framers. It is divided into chapters or sections, predicting events to happen in each quarter of the year 1609, and is interspersed with stories or tales of some humour and interest, but one of them of a very gross description.

VOL. III. PART I.

Y