fice he made numerous collections: many of them are now in the College of Arms. Wyrley died in February, 1618, and was buried in the church of St. Bene't, Paul's Wharf.

XLVI.

G. PEELE.-1593.

The Honour of the Garter displaied in a poem gratulatorie. Entituled, to the worthie and renowned Earle of Northumberland, created Knight of that order, and installed at Windsore anno regni Elizabethe 35, die Junii 26: By Geo. Peele, Maister of Arts, in Oxenford.

London: printed by the widow Charlewood. 1593. 4to.

George Peele appears from this work, to have been patronized by the Earl of Northumberland: he was a dramatic writer, the city-poet, and had the ordering of the pageants. The following, by him, relates to our subject: "Polyhymnia describing the honourable Triumphs at Tylt before her Maiestie, on the 17th of November last past, with Sir Henry Lea his resignation of honour at tylt to her Maiestie. Printed by R. Jhones, 1590:" in 4to.

Peele died before the year 1598.

XLVII.

R. PARSONS.-1594.

A Conference about the next Succession of the Crowne of Ingland: divided into two parts, whereof the First conteyneth the Discourse of a Civil Lawyer, how and in what manner propinquity of blood is to be preferred; and the Second, the Speech of a Temporall Lawyer about the particuler Titles of all such as do, or may pretende, within Inglande or without, to the next Succession. Whereunto

is also added, a new and perfeet Arbor and Genealogie of the Discents of all the Kinges and Princes of Ingland, from the Conquest unto this day, whereby each man's pretence is made more plaine. Directed to the Right Honorable the Earle of Essex, of her Majestie's Privy-Councell, and of the noble Order of the Garter. Published by R. Doleman. Imprinted at N. with license. 1594. 12mo.-The 1st part contains pp. 220; and the 2nd part, pp. 267.

This book is known and frequently quoted as the "Book of Titles."

The doctrines contained in the first part, which is divided into nine chapters, were (at the time of publication) considered to be of a very seditious tendency.

The second book commences with the Preface, and intention and protestation of the Lawyer, to treat this matter without the hurt or prejudice of any. "Of divers bookes and treatises that have bin in writing heretofore about the titles of such as pretende the crowne of Ingland, and what they do conteyne in favour or disfavour of divers pretendors.-Cap. i. fol. 1.

"Of the succession of the crowne of Ingland from the Conquest unto the tyme of King Edward the Third, with the beginning of three principal linages of the Inglish blood royal, dispersed unto the houses of Britanie, Lancaster, and Yorke.-Cap. ii. fol. 12.

"Of the succession of Inglish kings from King Edward the Third unto our dayes, with the particulier causes of dissention betweene the families of Yorke and Lancaster more largely declared.Cap. iii. fol. 37.

"Of the great and general controversie and contention betweene the said two houses of royal Lancaster and Yorke, and which of them may seem to have had the better right to the crowne by way of succession.-Cap. iv. fol. 56.

"Of five principal and particuler houses or linages, that do or may pretende to the crowne of Ingland at this day, which are the houses of Scotland, of Suffolck, of Clarence, of Britanie, and of Portugal; and first of al of the house of Scotland, which conteyn

eth the pretensions of the King of Scotts, and of the Lady Arabella -Cap. v. fol. 107.

"Of the house of Suffolke, conteyning the claymes as wel of the Countesse of Darby, and of her children, as also of the children of the Earle of Hartfort.-Cap. vi. fol. 130.

"Of the houses of Clarence and Britany, which conteyneth the claymes of the Earle of Huntington, and of the Lady Infanta of Spayne, and others of these two families.-Cap. vii. fol. 141.

"Of the house of Portugall, which conteyneth the claymes as well of the King and Prince of Spayne to the succession of Ingland, as also of the Duke of Parma and Braganza by the house of Lancaster.-Cap. viii. fol. 160.

"Whether it be better to be under a forraine or homeborne prince, and whether under a great and mightie monarch or under a little prince or king.-Cap. ix. fol. 193.

"Of certaine other secondary or collateral lines, and how extremely doubtfull al the pretences be, and which of all thease pretenders are most like by probability to prevaile in the end, and to get the crowne of Ingland."-Ibid. fol. 233.

The intention of this book, was to support the title of the Infanta against that of King James, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, and also to prove that there are better titles than lineal descent. It was so anxiously suppressed, that it was made high treason even to possess a copy: it is, consequently, extremely rare, particularly with the large folding genealogical table.

The name of Doleman prefixed to it, is fictitious: the real authors are said to be Robert Parsons (the English Jesuit), Cardinal Allen, and Francis Englefield; the two latter collected the materials, and Parsons, whose style is among the best of the Elizabethan period, drew it into form.

The first part of the book was replied to by Sir John Hayward, in 1603; and Camden has discussed the merits of the genealogical part, in his Annals of Queen Elizabeth, p. 482. It was reprinted in 1648, and again in 1681.

XLVIII.

1594.

A True Reportarie of the most triumphant and royal accomplishment of the Baptisme of

the most excellent, right high, and mightie Prince Frederick-Henry, by the by the grace of God Prince of Scotland. Solemnized the

30th day of August, 1594.

Printed in Scotland, by R. Waldegrave. Cum privilegio Regale. 4to.

Prince Henry, the son of King James the Sixth, was born at Stirling castle, Feb. 19, 1594. His baptism was performed in a new chapel, erected for the occasion, at that place. The ceremonial was the most magnificent Scotland ever saw; Queen Elizabeth was godmother, Robert earl of Sussex being sent on an honorable embassy to Scotland for that purpose. Lord Lion, King of Arms, proclaimed his titles; viz. "Henry-Frederick, Knight, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Earl of Carric, Duke of Rothsay, and Prince and Steward of Scotland." Gold and silver medals were distributed on the occasion, many gentlemen received the honour of knighthood, and the public rejoicings were continued for a whole month.

J. Ames, in his Typographical Antiquities, p. 426, mentions a tract with nearly the same title, "Printed at London, by Thomas Creed, for John Brown, 1594," in quarto, in which Henry is designated as Prince of Wales, an anachronism not readily accounted for, but by supposing it to be an ironical publication. Henry was not created prince of Wales until the year 1610.

Both tracts are considered to be remarkably scarce.

XLIX.

W. CAMDEN.-1594.

Britannia, sive florentissimorum regnorum Angliæ, Scotia, Hiberniæ, et insularum adjacentium, ex intima antiquitate chorographica descriptio. Nunc quarto recognita, et magna accessione post Germanicam editionem adaucta.

Londini: impensis Georg. Bishop. 1594. 4to.

The first edition of the Britannia was published in 1586, and dedicated to William Cecil, lord Burleigh. In this fourth edition, the author enlarges much upon pedigrees, and recites nearly

two hundred and fifty noble houses, with a particular index of "Barones et Illustriores Familiæ," in which he has committed numerous genealogical errors.

This edition of the Britannia particularly demands our notice, in consequence of its having given rise to the publication of Ralph Brooke, York-herald, who conceived that Camden had therein encroached on the peculiar rights of the College of Arms, and as it was the occasion of a literary controversy, to which we owe much of our genealogical information.

Other editions of the Britannia, containing the succession of the earls of each county, were printed at various periods; viz. in 1600, also at Amsterdam in 1648 and 1659. The last, corrected by the author, was published in the year 1607.

There are two editions of a translation, by Philemon Holland, viz. in 1610 and 1637; and two by Bishop Gibson, the first in one volume folio, 1695, and the other from a MS. by him completed in 1722, but published about 1772, in two volumes folio. A new translation was printed by Richard Gough, Esq. in 1789, in three volumes folio, and reprinted in four volumes folio in 1806, which latter is a highly valuable work.

L.

R. BROOKE.

A Discoverie of certaine Errours published in print in the much-commended Britannia, 1594," very prejudiciall to the Discentes and Successions of the auncient Nobilitie of this Realme. By Yorke Herault.-Quam quisq.; norit artem, in hac se exerceat.

No date or printer's name, (printed about 1599). 4to. Pages 77.

This invidious tract is dedicated "To the Right Honorable Robert, Earle of Essex, Earle Marshal of England, &c. and to all other the Nobilitie of England:" pp. 2.-"To Maister Camden:" pp. 3.Then commences the work itself, written in a sufficiently arrogant, but sometimes facetious style, continually reminding Camden of his want of a necessary acquirement in the situation he had lately been appointed to; viz. a King of Arms. In page 23, he remarks, The great trouble and late suite in the Starre-chamber, for setting