as dividing the palm of priority and excellence in English satire with Hall. AD JOHANNEM Marstonium. Gloria Marstoni satyrarum proxima primæ, Cum duo sunt tantum, est neuter, et ambo pares.d In general it is not easy to give a specimen of Marston's satires, as his strongest lines are either openly vitiated with gross expression, or pervaded with a hidden vein of impure sentiment. The following humorous portrait of a sick inamorato is in his best, at least in his chastest, manner of drawing a character. For when my eares receau'd a fearfull sound His windows strow'd with sonnets, and the glasse In these lines there is great elegance of allusion, and vigour of expression. He addresses the objects of his satire, as the sons of the giants, Is Minos dead, is Rhadamanth asleepe, That thus ye dare vnto Ioue's palace creepe? Lib. ii. Sig. F. 4. In Davies's Scourge of Folly, there is an Epigram to "The acute Mr. John Marston," on his comedy of the Malecontent. p. 105. [In a curious MS. described by Mr. Todd in his edition of Milton, the follow ing couplet occurs, which may be surmised to glance at this comedy: John Marstone bad his friends unto a play; But being come, they bad themselves away.-PARK.] The midwife's phrase. Yet know, Apollo's quiuer is not spent, In the same satire he calls himself A beadle to the world's impuritie! Marston seems to have been the poetic rival of Hall at Cambridge, whom he repeatedly censures or ridicules. In the fourth satire, he supposes Hall's criticisms on Du Bartas, the versions of David's Psalms by Sternhold and king James, Southwell's MARY and SAINT PETER'S TEARS, the Mirrour for MaAGISTRATES, and other pieces of equal reputation, to be the production of pedantry or malignity. And the remainder of this satire is no unpleasant parody of Hall's prefatory stanzas against envy. A Thrasonical captain, fresh from the siege of Cadiz, is delineated in this lively colouring. Great Tubrio's feather gallantly doth waue, Like ship on sea, he on the land doth floate. What newes from Rodio? "Hot seruice, by the lord," cries Tubrio. Why dost thou halt? "Why, six times through each thigh Push'd with the pike of the hot enemie. Hot service, Hot!-The Spaniard is a man. I say no more-And as a gentleman I serued in his face. Farwell, Adew!" Welcome from Netherland-from steaming stew.' Marston's allusions often want truth and accuracy. In describing the ruff of a beau, he says, 1 Sat. 5. It appears from the Scourge of Villanie, that Hall had caused a severe Epigram to be pasted on the last page of every copy of Marston's Pigmalion's Image, that was sent from London to the booksellers of Cambridge. B. iii. 10. The Epigram is there cited. This tenth satire of the third Book was added in the second edition, in 1599. It is addressed" to his very friend maister E. G." One Edward Gilpin is cited in England's Parnassus, 1600. It appears from this Satire, that the devices on shields and banners, at tournaments, were now taken from the classics. He who upon his glorious scutcheon, Peacham says, that of Emblems and Impresses, "the best I have seen have been the devices of tilting, whereof many were till of late reserved in the private gallery at White-Hall, of sir Philip Sydney, the earl of Cumberland, sir Henry Leigh, the earl of Essex, with many others; most of which I once collected with intent to publish them, but the charge dissuaded me." Compl. Gent. Ch. xviii. p. 277. edit. 3°. 1661. 4to. 1 Sat. i. His ruffe did eate more time in neatest setting, The comparison of the workmanship of a laced and plaited ruff, to the laboured nicety of the steel-work of Woodstock, is just. He adds, with an appearance of wit, It hath more doubles farre than Ajax shield. This was no exaggeration. The shield of Ajax was only sevenfold. To say nothing of one of the leading ideas, the delicacy of contexture, which could not belong to such a shield. But Marston is much better known as a satirist by a larger and a separate collection, yet entirely in the strain of the last, called the SCOURGE OF VILLANY, published the same year. I will give the title exactly and at length. "The SCOVRGE OF VILLANIE. Three Bookes of SATYRES. [No Name of the Author.]-Nec scombros metuentia carmina nec thus. At London, Printed by I. R. [James Roberts,] and are to be sold by John Buzbie, in Pawles churchyard, at the signe of the Crane, 1598k." He here assumes the appellation of KINSAYDer, by which he is recognised among other cotemporary poets in the RETURN FROM PARNASSUS. In his metrical introduction, he wishes all readers of fashion would pass over his poetry, and rather examine the play-bills pasted on every post, or buy some ballad about the fairy king, and king Cophetua and the female beggar. Instead of a Muse, he invocates REPROOF, in this elegant and animated address. I inuocate no Delian deitie, Nor sacred offspring of Mnemosyne: No Nymph, no female angell, to infuse A sprightly wit to raise my flagging wings, I craue no Syrens of our halcyon-times, In duodecimo. With vignettes. Wh. lett. The signatures run inclusively to Sign. I. 3. The title of the second edition is "The Scourge of Villanie. By John Marston. Nec scombros, &c. At London. Printed by I. R. Anno Dom. 1599." The tenth Satire is not in the former edition. All Marston's Satires, with other pieces of old poetry, were reprinted, Lond. for R. Horsfield, 1764, 12mo. [This reprint was edited by the Rev. J. Bowles, known to the literary world by his edition of Don Quixote in the Spanish language.--PARK.] Oh that a satyr's hand had force to pluck To purge this Augean stable from fowle sinne! And view the vaile drawne from thy villanie.' The passage reminds us of a witty line in Young's UNIVERSAL PASSION, I know not if borrowed from hence. And cleanse the Augean stable with thy quillm. Part of the following nervous paragraph has been copied either by Dryden or Oldham. Who would not shake a satyr's knotty rod, In an invocation to RIME, while he is not inelegantly illustrating the pleasingness of an easy association of consonant syllables, he artfully intermixes the severities of satire. Come prettie pleasing symphonie of words, Ye well-match'd twins, whose like-tun'd tongue affords And daunce Levoltoso in my poesie ! Come all as easie as spruce Curio will, In some court-hall to shew his capering skill: As willingly as wenches trip around, About a may-pole, to the bagpipe's sound.- Seeme once to force you in my lines to stand: 1 B. iii. Proem. There is a thought like this in Dekker's Guls Horne Booke, 1609, p. 4. "To pvrge [the world] will be a sorer labour, than the cleansing of Augeas' stable, or the scouring of Mooreditch.' n B. i. 2. • An old fashionable dance. Hanmer, on Shakspeare, defines it to be a dance in which there was much capering and turning. Hen. V. a. iii. s. 5. The word implies more capering than turning. But if you hang an arse like Tubered, Thou to Inuention addst but surquedry P, A gaudie ornature: but hast no part He thus wages war with his brother-bards, especially the dreamers in fairy land. Here's one must inuocate some loose-leg'd dame, And tells him wonders of some flowery vale; He wakes, he rubs his eyes, and prints his tale.t The following line is a ridicule on the poetical language of his time, which seems rather intended for certain strains of modern poetry. 8 Thou nursing mother of faire wisdom's lore, He supposes himself talking with Esop, and alludes to the story of his coming into the streets of Athens to look for a man“. This idea introduces several ridiculous characters. Among the rest a fine lady. P pride, false pomp. 9 B. ii. Ad rithmum. T Peace, cynicke, see what yonder doth approach, Spenser as a pastoral writer. An allusion to some late Ballad, with a print, of a monster, or incredible event. A ballad-monger is a character in "Whimzies, or a Newe Cast of Characters," where says the writer, "For want of truer relations, for a neede, he can finde you out a Sussex-dragon, some sea or inland monster," &c. Lond. 1631. Char. ii. p. 9. For |