John Taylor's last Voyage and Adventure, performed from the twentieth of July last, 1641, to the tenth of September following. In which time he past, with a scullers boate, from the Citie of London, to the Cities and Townes of Oxford, Gloucester, Shrewesbury, Bristoll, Bathe, Monmouth, and Hereford.

The manner of his passages and entertainement tó and fro, truly described. With a short touch of some wandring and some fixed schismatiques; such as are Brownists, Anabaptists, Famalies, Humorists, and Foolists, which the Authour found in many places of his Voyage and Journey. By John Taylor.

Printed at London by F. L. for John Taylor, and may be had at the shoppe of Thomas Bates in the Old Baily 1641.

8vo. pp. 32.

THIS scarce tract is introduced by two names, unrecorded as poetical writers, Henry Ellis and John Dorney. They were probably private friends and fellow countrymen, as the following verses indicate.

To his friend Mr. John Taylor, on his Voyage and Journey.

If true affection doth your Muse inspire

To th' honor'd welfare of your native place,
Then set your hand too now, I you desire;
The time is now, when you may do us grace.

This subject sure is large, if you thinke of it,

You are not bounded, but you may at ease
Survey, collect the good, the honour, profit
Of trade, of citie, countrey, rivers, seas.

It may provoke some not yet thought upon,
To raise the ruines of this decayed place;
To prosecute this hopefull worke, begun,
And leave some honour to our after race.

From ancient Monmouth Geffery tooke his name,
So Henry did from Huntington likewise;

Why may not Gloucester add to Taylor's fame,

Since that from thence his birth and name did rise?

Gloucester, this 3 of

August, 1641.

Yours to command,

HENRY ELLIS.

The commencement, and a page of this tract toward the close, are in verse; and the remainder consists of a prose narrative of the writer's adventures from his house "near the Beares colledge on the Banckside,” along the Thames and Isis to Oxford, thence to Cricklade and Cicester, where the stream would carry him no further. He then hired a waggon, wherein he placed his boat, himself, his two men and two boys and their luggage, and was drawn from the Isis to a brook called Stroud, at a place called Stonehouse, whence (after surmounting many impediments) he proceeded to Froom bridge mill, thence to Whitminster: and at length he carried his boat over to the Severn, and paid a visit to his native city of Gloucester, where he received noble entertainment from Thomas Hill, Esq. the Mayor. He now proceeded by water to Tewksbury,

passed by Worcester, and extended his course to Shrewsbury: then returned to Gloucester, and onward to Bristol. Embarked on the river Wye, and past by Chepstow in the way to Monmouth, Ross, and Hereford, where he was entertained by the Mayor. Here he was in "a quandary or browne study, whether it were best to sell his boat, and return to London by land; or to bring the boate home againe either by lande or water, or both, or how he could." At last he determined to bring the memorable vessel back again; which he describes to have done in the following manner:

"On Friday the 27 of August, I passed doune the river of Wye to a place called Jackson Weare, where with great entertainment and welcome I was lodged, and my men also, at the house of one Master Aperley, dwelling there: to whom for many favours I doe acknowledge myselfe to be extraordinarily beholding. And on the Saterday I came to Lidbrook, to my former hoste, Master Mosse, where understanding and knowing the passage down Wye and up Severne to be very long and dangerous, especially if stormy weather should arise; the boate being split, torne, and shaken, that she did leake very much. These things considered; and that I was within five miles of Severne by land to Newnham, and that by water thither there was no lesse than 50 miles, I hired a wayne from Lidbrook to Newnham: and on Monday, the 30 of August, I past up Severne by Glocester; and, working all night, came in the morning betimes to Tewxbury, into another river called Avon; which, by the great charge and industry of Master Sands, is made navigable many miles up into the country. Tuseday, the 31 of August, I came to a market-towne in Worcestershire, called Pershore. On the first of September, I came to the auncient towne of Evesholm, (corruptly called Esham) and seeing that river to bee further out of my way home, I hired

another wayne from Esham to Burford, where I found a crooked brook called Windrush: in which brook, after one night's lodging, with my appendixes, having taken each of us a Burford bait, we passed many strange letts and hindrances into the river of Isis or Thames. Againe, at Newbridge, 12 or 14 miles from Oxford by water: by which University I past to Abingdon, the fourth of September, where I stayed till Wednesday the eight day. From thence was I with my boate at home, on the Friday following. And thus, in lesse than twenty days labour, 1200 miles were past to and fro, in most hard, difficult, and many dangerous passages; for the which I give God most humble and hearty prayse and thanks."

The rest of the prose is taken up with observations on the uses and abuses of rivers. In the following extract from the verse he also specifies this object, encourages navigation projects, and refers to a former aquatic excursion.

-of their miserable strange abuses

I truely treate, that men may note and see
What blessings navigable rivers bee:

And how that thousands are debar'd those blessings,

By few men's avaritious hard oppressings.

I also shew how those faults may be mended,

And no man have just cause to be offended.

And with a paire of oares, for that intent,
I once from London unto Lincolne went:
Whereas a passage* seven miles was cut thorowe
From Lincolne into Trent, and to Gainsborowe.
That way I past, and into Humber past

To Hull, from thence to Owse, and Yorke at last.
Another voyage to the West againe,

I, with a wherry, past the raging Maine

* Called the Foss-dyjke,. See Camden's Britannia, p. 467, edit. 1695.

From London to the Isle of Wight, and thence
To Salisbury-with time and coynes expence.
Since when, our gracious Soveraigne did ordaine
The Viscount Dorchester to take the paine

To view what wrongs the river Thames did beare.

A little further on, he pays a passing tribute to some names of note.

Of rivers many writers well have done;
Grave Camden, Drayton's Polyolbyon;

And painefull Speede doth in his mappes declare
Where all these brookes and waters were and are.

This tract is not entered in the long list of Taylor's pieces, given in the Censura, vol. vi.

Ad Populum, or a Lecture to the People.

Printed in the yeare 1644.

4to.

[

A MS. note in the title adds-" By John Taylor, Oxon. May 20th." Such note, appearing to be of a date with the publication, may at least be relied on as the rumour or ascription of the time; though there does not seem to be any striking similarity in the performance to the works of the water-poet. Much of it is personal, and most of it political, satire; but the weapon is rudely exercised, and bears a very rough edge.

After a philippic against "villanous tithes," which