from the Pound, over against the church of Saint Martin, my Lord of Canterbury, who had stationed himself in the adjacent fields with a large body of forces, suddenly rushed upon the flank of the procession. At the same moment, my Lord of York was furiously attacked in front by the prior of St Bartholomew's, who had been warily lying in ambush behind Charing Cross. My lord attempted to retreat to York-House: but my Lord of Canterbury furiously pursued his brother prelate, and with one fell stroke brought him to the ground, the prior then drawing his'

"Master Chancellor,'-exclaimed the king, rising hastily and anxiously from the throne,— 'you shall answer for your negligence in permitting this most dreadful affray.'

"Gracious Sovereign,'-replied the Chancellor, dropping off the woolsack upon his bended knees,— 'every precaution was taken to prevent hostilities between the two primates, which could be suggested by the sad and woful experience of their long-continued and inveterate feuds. In order to furnish a sufficient defence, the whole posse comitatus was raised for my Lord of York's protection in every county on the great North Road, from the borders of Nottinghamshire, where, my lord's diocese ending, he entered the hostile country. All the constables of the hundreds marshalled their forces in

every town in which his grace was expected, for the preservation of the peace, and for guarding him against the attacks of his enemies. Furthermore, the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs of London were most strictly charged to prevent any battles or affrays between the dignitaries.

Broils equally unbecoming occurred in Scotland. A contemporary chronicler records, that on the 4th June 1545, the Bishop of Glasgow challenged Cardinal Beaton for bearing a crosier in his diocese, and that in the quarrel which ensued both their crosiers were broken " in the kirk of Glasgow throw thair stryving for the samin." Knox has given us a more copious account, mixing some mirth with his accustomed coarseness:

"The cardinal was known proud; and Dunbar, archbishop of Glasgow, was known a glorious fool; and yet, because sometimes he was called the king's master, he was chancellor of Scotland. The cardinal comes even the same year, in the end of harvest before to Glasgow, upon what purpose we omit ; but while they remained together, the one in the town, the other in the castle, question rises for bearing of their cross. The cardinal alleged, by reason of his cardinalship, and that he was legatus natus,

1 A Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents in Scotland since the death of King James the Fourth, till the year M.D.LXXV., p. 39. Edinb. 1833.

and primate within Scotland, in the kingdom of antichrist, that he should have the pre-eminence, and that his cross should not only go before, but that also it should only be borne, wheresoever he was. The foresaid archbishop lacked no reasons, as he thought, for maintenance of his glory. He was an archbishop in his own diocese, and in his own cathedral see and kirk; and, therefore, ought to give place to no man: the power of the cardinal was but begged from Rome, and appertained but to his own person, and not to his bishoprick; for it might be that his successor should not be cardinal; but his dignity was annexed with his office, and appertained to all that ever should be bishops of Glasgow.' Howsoever these doubts were resolved by the doctors of divinity of both the prelates; yet the decision was as ye shall hear. Coming forth or going in-all is oneat the choir door of Glasgow kirk, began striving for state betwixt the two cross-bearers; so that from glooming they came to shouldering, from shouldering they went to buffets, and from dry blows by neives and neivelling; and then for charity's sake, they cried,Dispersit, dedit pauperibus,' and assayed which of the crosses were finest metal, which staff was strongest, and which bearer could best defend his master's pre-eminence; and that there should be no superiority in that behalf, to the ground went both the crosses. And then began no little fray,

but yet a merry game, for rockets were rent, tippets were torn, crowns were knypsit [knapped], and side [long] gowns might have been seen wantonly wag from the one wall to the other: many of them lacked beards, and that was the more pity; and therefore could not buckle other by the byrss [take one another by the beard], as some bold men would have done. But fie on the jackmen, they did not their duty; for had the one part of them rencountered the other, then had all gone right; but the sanctuary, we suppose, saved the lives of many. How merrily that ever this be written, it was bitter bourding [i. e. bitter jesting] to the cardinal and his court."1

LXVII.

PARALLEL PASSAGES.

"IT is strange," said Ben Jonson," that there should be no vice without its patronage, that when we have no other excuse we will say we love it, we cannot forsake it: as if that made it not more a fault. We will rather excuse it than be rid of it."2 vice of hunting parallel passages has had many

The

1 Knox's History of the Reformation, pp. 49, 50; edit. Glasgow, 1831.

2 Timber; or, Discoveries made upon Men and Matter. Ben Jonson's Works, p. 746. Lond. 1838.

apologists: "Parallel passages, or at least a striking similarity of expression, is always worthy of remark," says Cowper. Mr D'Israeli asserts that "this kind of literary amusement is not despicable; there are few men of letters who have not been in the habit of marking parallel passages, or tracing imitation, in the thousand shapes it assumes; it forms, it cultivates, it delights taste to observe by what dexterity and variation genius conceals or modifies an original thought or image, and to view the same sentiment, or expression, borrowed with art or heightened by embellishment." "" 1 In giving to the press a few fruits of this sort of literary idling, I have no wish to claim for the habit any share of this eulogy or excuse; but I am desirous to disclaim all kindred with a set of critics among us, of whom Mr Coleridge complains that "they hold that every possible thought and image is traditional; they have no notion that there are such things as fountains in the world small as well as great, and would therefore charitably derive every rill they behold flowing from a perforation made in some other man's tank."2

1.

"MADAME DE VILLE-SAVIN étant morte à quatrevint treize ans, Madame Cornuel, qui n'avoit que

1 Curiosities of Literature, p. 205. Lond. 1838.

2 Preface to Christabel.

S