rise from a great depth, but their babbling has more in it than idle sound. Deus nobis hæc otia fecit. Willobie's "Avisa." If Henry Willobie, to whom it is ascribed on the title-page of its first edition, in 1594, wrote the book in praise of a modest maid and a chaste wife called "Willobie his Avisa," it was the work of a youth not older older than nineteen. Henry Willoughby (or Willobie) was the second son of a Henry Willoughby, by Jane Dauntsey, of Lavington, Wiltshire, the third son being Thomas. A "Thomas Willoby frater Henrici Willoby nuper defuncti" added a poem of his own on "The Victory of English Chastity" to the second. edition of "Avisa," published in 1596. Henry Willobie of Wiltshire, a gentleman's son, matriculated at St. John's College, Oxford, in 1591, being then sixteen years old. Within the next three years he wrote (if he wrote) "Avisa," and he was newly dead in 1596, at the age of twentyone. The whole title of the book published in 1594 was "Willobie his Avisa, or the true Picture of a modest Maid and of a chast and constant wife. In Hexamiter verse. The like argument whereof was never heretofore published. Read the preface to the Reader before you enter farther. A vertuous woman is the crowne of her husband, but she that maketh him ashamed is as corruption in his bones. Prouerb 12, 4. Imprinted at London by John Windet, 1594." A prefatory letter "To all the constant Ladies and Gentlewomen of England that feare God," signed Hadrian Dorrell, was dated from his chamber in Oxford, the first of October. Hadrian Dorrell, addressing there "the gentle and courteous reader," says: "It is not long sithence (gentle Reader) that my very good frend and chamber fellow M. Henry Willobie, a young man, and a scholler of very good hope, being desirous to see the fashions of other countries for a time, departed voluntarily to her Maiesties service. Who at his departure chose me among the rest of his frendes, unto whom he reposed so much trust, that he deliuered me the key of his study, and the use of all his bookes till his returne. Amongest which (perusing them at leysure) I found many prety and witty conceites, as I suppose of his owne dooing. One among the rest I fancied so much, that I have ventered so farre upon his frendship, as to publish without his consent." Hadrian Dorrell then proceeds "by coniecture," but at some length, to discuss the nature of the poem, and describe its plan. He says, towards the end of his argument, "I have christened it by the name of Willoby his Avisa because I suppose it was his doing, being written with his owne hand. How he will like my bouldnes, both in the publishing and naming of it, I know not." Two years later Henry Willoby was dead, and the reprint of the poem in 1596, with a piece added to it, of which his brother was author, seems to corroborate the story of its origin. There are a dozen Dorrells, or Darrells, on the records at Oxford in those times, but none of them at St. John's College, and there was not one in any college who had Adrian or Hadrian for Christian name. Hadrian Dorrell may, therefore, be a pseudonym. In the edition of 1596, Hadrian Dorrell added an "Apologie, shewing the true meaning of Willobie his Avisa." It was dated "Oxford this 30th of June, 1596," and was in reply to "one P. C." (Peter Colse) who had spoken slightingly, of Avisa" in his note to the reader before his poem, published also in 1596, of "Penelope's Complaint or a Mirrour for wanton Minions. Taken out of Homer's Odissea and written in English verse. By Peter Colse." P. C. had said to his reader, "The cause I have contrived so pithy a matter in so plain a stile, and short verse: for that a vaine-glorious Avisa (seeking by slaunder of her superiors to eternize her folly) is in the like verse (by an vnknown Author) described: I follow (I say) the same stile and verse, as neither misliking the methode, nor the matter, had it been applyed to some worthier subiect." Hadrian Dorrell replies at length that "Avisa" was a "feigned Individuum," who stood for Chastity, and that her "name insinuateth that there was neuer such a woman seene as heere is described. For the word A' visa is compounded (after the Greeke manner) of the priuatiue particle A, which signifieth Non: and of the participle Visus, visa, visum, which signifieth, Seene: so that Avisa should signifie (by this) as much as Non visa, that is, Such a woman as was neuer seene." But in his "Apologie," Hadrian Darrell seems to forget that he had ascribed the poem to a young chamber-fellow at Oxford, Henry Willobie, in terms that agree with what little is known of such a person. He now says that "This poetical fiction was penned by the Author at least for thirtie and five yeeres since (as it will be prooued), and lay in wast papers in his study, as many other pretie things did, of his deuising; and so might have continued still (as his Susanna yet doth) had not I, contrarie to his knowledge, with paine collected it; and (in consideration of the good end to which it was directed) published it." An anonymous writer prefixes one of the two com mendatory poems before Willobie's "Avisa," which includes. a praise of Shakespeare, who, in 1594, had celebrated chastity in the poem of "Lucrece." The idea of the writer, who signs himself "Contraria contrarius: Vigilantius, Dormitanus," is that Shakespeare's story of "Lucrece," the Bible story of Susanna, and Homer's "Penelope," are the great examples of chastity, to which now Willobie joins a fourth and greater, in "Avisa ": Yet Tarquyne pluckt his glistering grape, And Shake-speare paints poor Lucrece rape. Then Avis-Susan ioyne in one, Let Lucres-Auis be thy name." In the poem itself what are called its hexameters are stanzas of six eight-syllabled lines; if the lines were tensyllabled they would be stanzas of common verse. Avisa herself having been first described, there follow her trials : "Her high conceites, her constant minde; Her sober talke, her stout denies ; The first trial of Avisa before she was married was by a Nobleman. The second temptation was was "after her marriage, by Ruffians, Roysters, young Gentlemen and lustie Captaines, which all she quickly cuts off." The cantos in each part are arranged as dialogue of alternate evil pleading and wise answer. The third trial was by "the long, passionate, and constant affections of the close and wary sutor." First the exchange of plea and answer, canto by canto, is with "D. B. a Frenchman." Then it is with D. H., Dydimus Harco, an Anglo-German. Next follows, in a prose preface to the forty-fourth canto, "Henrico Willobego. Italo-Hispalensis," the suggestion that "H. W., being sudenly affected with the contagion of a fantasticall fit, at the first sight of A., pineth awhile in secret griefe, at length not able any longer to indure the burning heate of so feruent a humour, bewrayeth the secresy of his disease vnto his familiar frend W. S., who, not long before, had tryed the curtesy of the like passion, and was now newly recouered of the like infection." This introduces cantos of dialogue between "H. W." and his friend W. S., of whom he asks advice. The divisions called cantos throughout the poem never exceed eight stanzas, and there is in one case a canto of one stanza, which only tells that Avisa lived in a house with the sign of Saint George. W. S.-in whom I see no reason for thinking that William Shakespeare is imagined as the speaker-encourages H. W. to persevere in the arts of a suitor. The dialogue is then between H. W. and Avisa. When Avisa ceases to reply, H. W. writes letters to her. Then the poem ends with her last reply and "the Author's Conclusion." Avisa's last words to H. W. were: "I wish you well, and well to fare, Devoid of lust and foolish care, This, if you seeke, this you shall find. But I must say, as erst before, Then cease to waile, and write no more. "Always the same "Auisa." "Penelope's Complaint," by Peter Colse, imitated "Avisa," not only in the stanza used, but in the way of setting forth, by speech and answer between Penelope and her wooers, with mixed dialogue and narrative after the coming of Ulysses. Penelope's Complaint." Robert Robert Tofte, gentleman, died in 1619 at his London lodging in St. Andrew's, Holborn. He was connected with the family of Urry, in the Isle of Wight. In 1597 he wrote "Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller, or the Feast of Fancie. Divided into three Parts. By R. T. Gentleman." This was followed, in 1598, by "Alba. The Months Minde of a Melancholy Lover, diuided into three parts: By R. T. Gentleman. Herevnto is added a most excellent patheticall and passionate Letter, sent by Duke D'Epernoun vnto the late French king, Henry the 3 of that name, when he was |