Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/490

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [iis.x.DEc.i,i9i4.

tt ration, depicting as it does a delinquent kneeling at the bar before the Speaker and the House of Commons, with the legends, at the top, side, and bottom respectively, of " His Majesties return to the Parliament," " The joy and peace of the people," and remembered that this appeared at the end of 1647, and that the King was not beheaded until 30 Jan., 1649.) The rest of the title- page runs :
 * ' The execution of Justice." (It should be

" Licensed and entred into the Hall [Stationers'] took and published according to order [?]. Lon- don. Printed by John Clowes [who occasionally printed for Ibbitson]. 1647."

Mercurius Melancholicus, No. 17, for 18-25 Dec., 1647, commences by the follow- ing attack upon Walker :

" Stop the bell weathei, the rest will acquiesce, So Walker brayes, just like an asse, no lesse. " I had thought that I had beat some wit into his loggerhead long since, there is not a drivelling fool in the city but is ashamed to see how he does spawle [?] and beslaver the face of his last weeks Occurrences with incomparable nonsense ; but the fool is turn'd Ass-strologer. Who did think that his clipt wings would ever carry him so high, or that he durst to thrust forth his snout without

a, imprimatur hanging at it. Certainly the

Saffron Saint [Walker was red-haired! hath dreamed of late, or else had some of Saltmarsh his visions. The beguiled multitude may think so, but I will unravel his knavery. He hath counterfeited Mr. Bookers name, under the false title of a ' Bloody Almanack,' only to fasten his own brainlesse fopperies upon him, either to gain acceptance or to make him odious. But who- soever reades and knows the ingenuity of that Hobby horse cannot but conclude him a scholar brought up at Banks, his school. He shows such conceits and prancing in Divinity that not a line 'but is the lawfully begotten character of this Assinego. And if a word worthy of observation he dare not denie but it is feloniously stolen ovit of the treasures of old Brightman [the commentator on the Apocalypse] or other reverend authors. Somewhat it was that he walked this week [in Perfect Occurrences] with his page, Mabbott [the licenser, whose name was added to the news- book] at his heeles, in his old thredbare mundition, sirnamed ' Harruney.' But although he keeps this as a string to his bow, it may break (as well as his credit) at last. Well, Harry, when all is done I see thou wilt be a knave, doe what I can."

Martin Parker is best known as the author of the famous old ballad " When the King comes home in peace again," now re- membered by its latest title of " When the King enjoys his own again." The former version is to be found among the Rox- burghe ballads at the British Museum, and consists of twelve stanzas, which are quite

different from the later edition, best known to modern readers through Joseph Ritson's reprint in 'Ancient Songs and Ballads.' This last edition can now, from the quota- tions I have given above, be definitely stated to have appeared in 1648, for the fifth stanza in the reprint is not to be found- in the Koxburghe version (probably of 1643 or 1644), and runs as follows :

Did Walker no predictions lack

In Hammond's Bloody Almanack

Foretelling things that would ensue

That all proves right if lies be true.

Hut why should not he the pillory foresee

Wherein poor Toby once was ta'en,

And also foreknow to the gallows he must go

When the King enjoys his own again.

Hammond was the name of the Parlia- mentary colonel at the time detaining the King as a prisoner at Carisbrook. There has been a great deal of erroneous comment upon " Toby " : Sir Walter Scott thought it was Walker's Christian name. It simply refers to John Taylor's burlesque sermon by Walker on " Tobies dogges tayle," printed in 1642, after he had be3n pilloried for " To your tents, O Israel."

J. B. WILLIAMS. (To be continued.)

A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS HOLCEOFT.

(See ante, pp. 1, 43, 83, 122, 163, 205, 244, 284, 323, 362,403, 442.)

1795. "The Deserted Daughter: a comedy, as it is acted at the Theatre Boyal, Covent-Garden. London : Printed for G. G. and J. Robinson, Pater-noster-Bow, 1795." Octavo, 4 + 1-86 -f 1 pp.

This play was presented 2 May, 1791, with Mrs. Inchbakl posing as the writer (cf. Oulton, 2: 176). The book was noticed in The English Review for July, 1795 (26 :72), and also in The Monthly Review for July (17: 189), where it is said that " Holoroft is known to be the author of it." The British Critic for October, 1795 (6: 422), says, " The author is understood to be Mr. Holcroft." A " second edition," with identical pagination. a " third edition " and a " fourth edition " appeared the same year (1795). There is a curious circumstance in that the four British Museum copies of the various editions, though similar in practically every other respect, have a variation in the catch figure at the bottom of the final attached page, which contains the Epilogue. Edition I. has " 4 " ; Edition II. has " 2 " ; Edition III.