FOR THE HONOUR OF WALES.] This, as Jonson has just said, is merely a kind of Antimasque, added, for the sake of variety, and the king's amusement, to Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue.

It is my destiny to encounter the blundering enemies of Jonson upon all occasions. In turning over Pennant's Tour in Wales, I stumbled unexpectedly upon the following passage. "There is a circumstance attending Inigo Jones which deserves mention, as it bears some relation to the country from whence he may have derived his origin. When he was employed to furnish rare devices and paint the scenery for the masques of the festive year 1619,' he painted the Creigie'r eira, or a scene in Snowdonia, for the Masque For the Honour of Wales. He did it with such success as to excite the envy of the poet, Ben Johnson; for the scenes were more admired than the entertainment, which might very well be; but Johnson was so offended as to give vent to his spleen in a copy of verses, as imbecil as they were rancorous and ill founded."-Vol. ii. p. 151. 1784.

The reader who has observed the kind solicitude with which Jonson puts forward the name of Jones in all the Masques printed under his own eye, will probably, unless already prejudiced by the stupid malignity of the Shakspeare commentators, be somewhat startled at this charge of " envy.' He need not, however, be under any concern for the poet. The fact is, that Pennant, with the usual fate of Jonson's detractors, has not a syllable of truth or sense in his accusation. In the first place, it does not appear that Jones was at this time in England, at all events he was not employed on Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue; which was probably fitted up by Nicholas Lanier, who prepared the scenery for the Masque of Lethe. In the second place, the little piece before us is not a Masque, but an Antimasque, a mere introduction. "The king (Jonson says), was so much pleased with the Masque of Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue that he would see it again, with these additions (namely, those which immediately follow), For the Honour of Wales." In the third place, no scenery was painted by Inigo Jones, or any other person, for "these additions." "The scene stood precisely as before," the poet says, only the name of it was changed, and what had been Mount Atlas was now called Craig-Eriri." This is more than sufficient to prove that Pennant had not even looked at the title of the work which he was so zealously employed in abusing! but this is too common for notice. Let us proceed then, in the last place, to observe that the verses, however "imbecil and rancorous" they may be, were not written at this time, nor on this occasion. They were composed at least fourteen or fifteen years after this period, and refer in the most distinct and express manner to Cloridia, the last of Jonson's Masques. For thirty years nothing but kindness appears on the side of Jonson (for I give no credit to the story of Inigo's being the Lantern Leatherhead of Bartholomew Fair); nor do we know that he changed his mode of conduct without sufficient cause. Be this as it may, the charge of Pennant is as false as it is ridiculous, and with this only I am at present concerned.

What Pennant means by "festive," it is not easy to guess. The principal events of the year were the death of the Queen and the breaking out of a Continental war.

The Scene standing, as before, a Mountain, but now the name changed from Atlas to Craig-Eriri.

Enter GRIFFITH, JENKIN, and EVAN, a Welsh Attorney.

yow a shestice of peace the first days you come; and pershance (say nothing) knight o' the s'ire too: 'is not Worsters, nor Pembrokes, nor Montgymeries, s'all carry him from yow. But aull this while s'all I tell you a liddell now? 'Is a great huge deal of anger upon yow, from all Wales and the Grif. Cossin, I know what belongs to nation, that your ursip would suffer our this place symwhat petter than you; and young Master Sarles, your ursip's son and therefore give me leave to be pold to advise heir, and Prince of Wales, the first time he 'Is not a small matter to offer your-ever play dance, to be pit up in a mounself into presence of a king and aull his tain (got knows where) by a palterly poet, court? Be not too byssie and forward till how do you say him, Evan? you be caulled; I tauke reason to you.

you.

Jen. Cym, never tauke any taukes; if the King of Gread Prittaine keep it assizes here I will cym into court; loog yow, do you see now, and please Got.

Grif. Taw, d yn ynbhyd, y, dhwyti-n abl i anabhy, pob peth oth folineb, ag y tyny gwatwar ar dy wlac.

Fen. Gad vyn lonyth. I say I will appear in court.

Ev. Appear as yow s'ud do then, Dab Jenkin, in good sort; do not discredit the nation, and pyt wrong upon us aull by your

rassnes.

Jen. What do you caull rassnes, Evan y Gynrn? is not all the cyntrie, and aull Welse, and the Prince of Wales too, abused in him? By this hand, I will tell it the king's own ears every 'oord, do you see him now? Bless your ursip, pray Got is in heaven bless every ince of your ursip; and Wales is commend it to your ursip, from top to toe, with aull his hearts aull over, by got utch me, and would be glad as a silling to see yow in him. Come it down once a day and try; I tell yow now, yow s'all be as welcomely there as where you were in your own cyntries last two symmers, and pershance we'll made yow as good f'eere too: we'll promise yowr ursip as good a piece of seeze as yow need pyt in your head, and pleas' yow s'all be toasted too. Go to, see him once upon a time yowr own sellive, is more good mean yow than is aware of: by got is very hard, but s'all make

Ev. Libia.

Jen. Vellhy Libia. And how do yow caull him the mountain? his name isEv. Adlas.

Jen. Hynno, hynno, Adlas? Ay, please your ursip, 'is a Welse atturney, and a preddilie schollers, a wear him his long coat, lined with seepes-skin, as yow see every days o' the week. A very sufficient litigious fellows in the terms, and a finely poets out o' the terms; he has a sprig of lawrel already towards his girlonds. He was get in here a Twelfe-night and see aull; what do you call it, your matters, and says is naught, naught, stark naught.

Ev. I do say, an't please his madestee, I do not like him with all his heart; he is pluged in by the ears without aull piddies or mercies of propriedies or decorums. will do injuries to no man before his madestee; but 'is a very vile and absurd as a man would wiss, that I do say, to pyt the Prince of Wales in an outlandis mountain; when he is known his highness has as goodly mountains and as tawll a hills of his own (look yow, do yow see now), and of as good standing and as good discent as the proudest Adlas christned.

Jen. Ay, good Evan, I pray you reckon his madestee some of the Welse hills, the mountains.

Ev. Why there is Talgarth.
Jen. Well sayd.

Ev. Eliennieth.

Jen. Well sayd, Evan.

be extremely solicitous to procure such gramImatical treatises on it as were extant in his time. 2 Gâd vi'n lhonydh.] Let me alone.

1 Griff. Taw, dyninthyd, &c.] This ancient Briton is not very complimentary. He says, believe, "Hold your tongue, blockhead! your folly is enough to spoil everything. You are a perfect marplot, a disgrace to your country.

The Welsh does not exactly follow the received orthography; but this may be accounted for probably from the circumstance of its being sent to the press after Jonson's death. He had certainly some acquaintance with the language, and appears from Howel's and other letters to

As where you were in your own cyntries.] James visited Scotland for the first time after his accession to the English throne, in 1617. It was an unfortunate journey, for it gave rise to "The Book of Sports," fons et origo malorum.

Velhy! An interjection of surprise. Hey day! So! &c.

ners: and the best is I speak but to such as are as unmannerly in the taking of it as I am in the speaking of it." I have endeavoured in more places than one to make assurance doubly sure, from a regard to Shakspeare. Some future editor, not prone by nature to wallow in beast2 Sir reverence o' the company.] If any con-liness, will I trust avail himself of these notices, firmation be required of the correctness of my explanation of this phrase, vol. ii. p. 446 a, it may be found in the following extract from an old tract on the Origin of Tobacco. "The time hath beene, when if we did speake of this loathsome stuffe (tobacco), we used to put a Sir reverence before; but we forget our good manVOL. III.

8 Stewch! Dymma, &c.] This is woefully corrupt, but it seems to mean, Hist! hold your 2 Ble mae yr Brenin.] Or, ble mae 'r Bre-peace see how he capers!

Th' ursip of which would fill a navy.
But hark yow me now, for a liddel tales
S'all make a gread deal to the credit
Wales;

Cho. In which we'll toudge your ears,
With the praise of her thirteen s'eeres,
And make yow as glad and merry
As fourteen pot of Perry.

Still, still, we'll toudge your ears,
With the praise, &c.

SECOND SONG.

Evan. But aull this while was never think

How. 'Tis true, was wear him sherkin A word in praise of our Welse drink,
frieze,

But what is that? we have store of s'eize,
And Got his plenty of goats' milk
That sell him well, will buy him silk
Enough to make him fine to quarrel
At Hereford sizes in new apparel;
And get him as much green velvet perhap
S'all give it a face to his Monmouth cap.
Cho. But then the ore of Lempster,1
By got is never a sempster,
That, when he is spun, e'er did,
Yet match him with hir thrid.
Still, still, &c.

THIRD SONG.

Yet for all that is a cup of Bragat,
All England s'eere may cast his cab-at.
And what you say to ale of Webley,
Toudge him as well, you'll praise him trebly,
As well as Metheglin, or sider, or meath,
S'all s'ake it your dagger quite out o' the
seath.

Cho. And oat-cake of Guarthenion,
With a goodly leek or onion,
To give as sweet a rellis
As e'er did harper Ellis.
Still, still, &c.

FIFTH SONG.

How. And yet is nothing now all this,

Rheese. Aull this's the back's; now let If of our musiques we do miss;
us tell ye,

Of some provisions for the belly:
As cid, and goat, and great-goat's mother,
And runt, and cow, and good cow's uther:
And once but taste o' the Welse mutton,
Your Englis seep's not worth a button.

1 But then the ore of Lempster.]"As for the wool of Hereford (Fuller says) it is best known to the honour thereof by the name of Lempster ore, being absolutely the finest in all England." It is frequently noticed by our old poets: thus Herrick:

"By many a turn and many a cross,
The fairies reach a bank of moss,
Spungy and swelling, and far more
Soft than the finest Lempster ore.
Oberon's Palace.

And rumbling rocks in s'eere Glamorgan.] In Barry island are said to be subterranean noises like the blowing of smith's bellows, or the strokes of hammers, supposed to proceed from the repercussion of the sea waters in the clefts of the rocks: and these the author here alludes to.-WHAL.'

There is a noble passage on this subject in the Fairie Queen. In the true spirit of romantic poetry, Spenser attributes the din to the agency of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake:

Both harps and pipes too, and the crowd
Must aull come in and tauke alowd,
As loud as Bangu, Davie's bell,
Of which is no doubt yow have hear tell,
As well as our lowder Wrexham organ,
And rumbling rocks in s'eere Glamorgan ;2

"And if thou ever happen that same way
To traveill, go to see that dreadful place:
It is an hideous hollow cave (they say)
Under a rock that lyes a litle space
From the swift Barry, tombling downe apace,
Emongst the woody hilles of Dynevowre:
But dare thou not, I charge, in any cace,
To enter into that same balefull bowre,
For feare the cruell Feendes should thee un-
wares devowre.

But standing high aloft, low lay thine eare,
And there such ghastly noyse of yron chaines,
And brasen caudrons thou shalt rombling
heare,

Which thousand sprights with long enduring
paines

Doe tosse, that it will stonn thy feeble braines, And oftentimes great grones, and grievous stov nds,

When to huge toile and labour them con

strines:

And oftentimes loud strokes and ringing. sowndes

From under that deepe rock most horribly rebowndes."-B. iii. c. 3.