Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 8.djvu/346

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [U s. vn. MAV 3, 1913.

" Bodvell. In the shop, my lord.

" Keeling, J. Were they publickly to view as other books ?

" Bodvell. Not so publick as other books, but publick enough as Mr. L'Estrange knows.

" Lord Hide. ^ I know you used to let your titles of a new book lie open upon your stalls. Did you lay these open ?

" Bodvell. No, my lord, they did not do so."

It is easy to see that the second and third editions could be placed upon the stalls with the titles open, and that the messengers sent to search for seditious books would be deceived, even if they turned over the title- page and looked at the Preface.

4. The last edition of the ' Speeches and Prayers ' appeared in 1663, and was printed in French, probably at Geneva. The title- page runs as follows :

" Les iuges iugez, se iustifiants ; ou, Recit de ce que c'est passe en la condemnation & execution de quelques uns des iuges du dernier defunct Roy d'Angleterre, & autres Seigneurs [sic, giving them equality with the King] du Parti du Parlement. Les temps de leur mort, les discours qu'ils ont tenus et les diverses choses qui sont advenues, taut pendant leur emprisonnement, que lorsque Ton les conduisoit au supplice. Avec un recueil sommaire de leurs dernieres paroles et pensees. Et luy estant mort parle encore par icelle. Hebr. 11. 4. Le tout fidelement rapporte, et sans aucune par- tialite, pour la plus grande satisfaction. louxte la copie imprimee a Londres. MDCLXIII." British Museum press-mark, 8122. aa. 14.

The book contains 235 pp. and an index. In addition to the original forgery it con- tains an equally untrue account of the regicides Barkstead, Okey, and Corbet (also printed in ' State Trials ' ), and Sir Henry Vane's ' Speech,' &c. The documents about Vane are probably genuine.

The cause of this edition is very well shown in a letter among the State Papers for 1663, addressed to Secretary Nicholas from a M. Riodan, then in Switzerland, where Ludlow and other regicides had taken refuge. Nicholas endorsed this letter "Mons r Riodans paper, received Decemb. 29. 63." The letter is summarized in the ' Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1663-4,' p. 380, and the original document (' S. P. Dom. Car. II.,' vol. Ixxvi. No. 16) runs :

"Ludlow, Whally, le bossu, Lisle se disant chancelier, et Goffqui Ton reconnoit aisement par la ressemblance de son frere [Dr. Stephen Goffe, superior of Cardinal Berulle's Oratory at Paris] et un nomme Spincer sont habitues dans Vevay au bord du lac de Geneve. Ces deux premiers ont infatue les Suisses par une devotion exemplaire dont ils ont fait profession a leur arriv^e, et par le titre de general que Fun prend aussi bien que Tautre celuy de chancelier. Depuis deux moys que par la perfidie d'un genevois B. ils ont eu quelque ombrage, ils ne sortent plus que pour aller le

dimanche au presche, apres que leur hoste, et 1'un d entre eux vont reconnettre toutes les advenues. Jit pour tromper plus aisement ce peuple, qui a receu ayec aplaudissement leur justification pre- tendue intitulee, ' Le juge juge se justifiant,' ou ils= recoivent en effet, ou bien ils supposent des paquets- entiers de lettres qui viennent par le batteau de poste de Geneve," &c.

J. B. WILLIAMS,

(To be continued.)

DATE OF WEBSTER'S PLAY * THE WHITE DEVIL.'

' THE WHITE DEVIL ' was undoubtedly written after the production of Ben Jon- son's ' Masque of Queens ' on 2 Feb., 1609, and in 1612 it was published. From indica- tions contained in the author's preface to the play, there is good reason for believing that the date of composition was but little anterior to the date of publication. It has, however, been confidently asserted that it was written after April. 1610, on the assump- tion that it contains references to Barnaby Rich's ' New Description of Ireland ' regis- tered in that year and month. Dr. E. E. Stoll (' John Webster,' 1905) first made- use of resemblances between passages in the play and in the ' New Description ' to fix the date of the play. Of these passages one- deals with Irish gamblers, the other with Irish funerals. They are as follows :

(1) " An Irish gamester that will play himself naked and then wage all downwards at hazard is not more venturous." ' The White Devil,' I. ii.

" There is a certain brotherhood called by the name of Karrowes, and these be common gam- sters, that do only exercise playing at Cards, and they will play away their mantels and their shirts from their backs, and when they have- nothing left them, they will trusse themselves i straw."' New Description.' p. 38.

(2) What! dost weep ?

Procure but ten of thy dissembling trade, Ye 'd furnish all the Irish funerals With howling past wild Irish.

' The White DeviJ,' IV. ii.

" M. Stanihurst seemeth to find fault at the manner of Irish burials, and sayth : They follow the dead corps to the graue with howling and barbarous outcries pittifull in apparance. whereof grew (as I suppose) the Prouerbe To iveepe Irish." ' New Description,' p. 12.

Dr. Stoll observes that the reference to Barnaby Rich's book has " hitherto been ignored as a means of settling the date" of Webster's play. In ' The Cambridge- History of English Literature ' (vol. vi. chap. vii. p. 173) Prof. Vaughan goes stilT further, remarking that " the repeated