Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 2.djvu/227

 ii. SEPT. 3, 1904.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

183

but not printed, apparently, until 1566, some ten years after the author's death.

May not this play even if not written for and acted by the Eton scholars be the precursor of those plays of Terence and rlautus with which Westminster boys are wont to delight their friends at the present day ? May not, indeed, those very plays have been originated by the old Westminster head master himself the author of * Flowers for Latin Speaking,' addressed to his pupils during the brief time he remained in charge of the school, not long before his death in December, 1556?

This interesting little play of which the earliest copy known (probably unique) is in Eton College library has been made familiar to us by the reprints of the Rev. Mr. Briggs (who found this early copy), Prof. Arber, and others. In Act III. sc. iv. appear the follow- ing lines, written to Dame Custance by Ralph Roister Doister, which afford, so far as I am aware, the earliest instance of this kind of writing in English literature : Sweet mistress, where as I love you nothing at all, Regarding your substance and richesse chief of all, For your personage, beauty, demeanour, and wit, I commend me unto you never a whit. Sorry to hear report of your good welfare. For (as I hear say) such your conditions are, That ye be worthy favour of no living man, To be abhorred of every honest man. To be taken for a woman inclined to vice. Nothing at all to virtue giving her due price. Wherefore, concerning marriage, ye are thought Such a fine paragon, as ne'er honest man bought. And now by these presents I do you advertise That I am minded to marry you in no wise. For your goods and substance, I could be content To take you as ye are. If ye mind to be my wife, Ye shall be assured for the time of my life, I will keep you right well, from good raiment and

fare,

Ye shall not be kept but in sorrow and care. Ye shall in no wise live at your own liberty, Do and say what ye lust, ye shall never please me, But when ye are merry, I will be all sad ; When ye are sorry, I will be very glad. When ye seek your heart's ease, I will be unkind, At no time in me shall ye much gentleness find. But all things contrary to your will and mind, Shall be done : otherwise I would not be behind To speak. And as for all them that would do you

wrong

I will so help and maintain, ye shall not live long. Nor any foolish dolt shall cumber you but I. I, whoe'er say nay, will stick by you till I die, Thus, good Mistress Custance, the Lord you save

and keep

From me, Roister Doister, whether I wake or sleep, Who favoureth you no less (ye may be bold) Than this letter purporteth, which ye have unfold.

This letter, read to the lady by Mathew Merygreeke as it is now punctuated, bears a vastly different interpretation from that put upon it when read by the Scrivener later in

the same act (sc. v.), the difference being: caused solely by the alteration in punctua- tion. J. S. UDAL, F.S.A. Antigua, W.I.

UNCLE REMUS IN TUSCANY. AT the risk of rediscovering a matter already noted, I venture to send to 'N. & Q. J< a curious parallel to a story of Uncle Remus. Every one knows how Brer Rabbit, having, trapped himself in the bucket over the well, persuades the trusting fox to jump into the second bucket at the other end of the rope, and so to haul him up by virtue of his heavier weight. This very storj T, the fox taking the- part of Brer Rabbit, and the wolf that of Brer Fox, is told in the serio-comic poem 'II Morgante Maggiore ' of the Florentine Pulci (published before 1488). It runs- (canto ix. 73-76) as follows :

La volpe un tratto molto era assetata, Kntr6 per bere in una secchia quella, Tanto che giu nel pozzo se n' e andata ; 11 lupo passa, e questa meschinella Domanda, come sla cosl cascata : Disse la volpe : Di cio non t' incresca : Chi vuol dei grossi pel fondo giu pesca,

10 piglio lasche di libbra, compare ; Se tu ci fussi, tu ci goderesti :

lo me ne vo'per un tratto saziare. Risposeil lupo: Tu non chiameresti A queste cose il compagno, comare, E forse che mai piu non lo facesti. Disse la volpe maliziosa e vecchia : Or oltre vienne, e entrerai nella secchfa.

11 lupo non istette a pensar piue, E tutto nella secchia si rassetta,

E vassene con essa tosto giue ;

Truova la volpe, che ne vien su in fretta ;

E dice il sempliciotto : Ove vai tue ?

Non vogliam noi pescar ? Comare, aspetta,

Disse la volpe : il mondo e fatto a scale,

Vedi, compar, chi scende e chi su sale. II lupo drento al pozzo rimanea :

La volpe poi nel can dette di cozzo,

E disse, il suo nimico mortp avea ;

Onde e' rispose, bench' e' sia nel pozzo,

Che '1 traditor pero non gli piacea :

E presela, e ciuffolla appunto al gozzo,

Uccisela, e punl la sua malizia ;

E cosl ebbe luogo la giustizia. [The fox one time was very thirsty : she entered 5 in a bucket to drink, so that she went down in the well ; the wolf passes, and asks the wretched little thing how she has fallen thus. Said the fox, "Don't bother about that: who wants big ones fishes at the bottom. I am taking loaches of weight, gossip ; if you were here, you would enjoy yourself : I mean to have my fill for once." The wolf replied, " You would not call a mate to these things, gossip, and perhaps you never did so." The mischievous old fox said, "Now just come along, and get in the bucket." The wolf stopped to think no more, and settled himself all in the bucket, and goes with it soon down ; he meets the fox, who is coming quickly up; and the great silly says,