49. tyne] shut (a gloss). traile] tale (probably a misprint).
59. put it] blot them.
72. loked uppon] attended vnto.
142. This is a most singular section, since it presupposes that a gentleman’s servant would be able to recognise the rhythm of an English hexameter. As an early experiment in hexameters, it is very curious. In the original, it is printed as prose, but each line ends with a full stop, and the next begins with a capital letter. I have therefore printed it as verse. It is, however, of a rather rude character; horne boget hardly comes up to our idea of a dactyl, nor and shoes to that of a spondee. For the reader’s assistance, I may remark that the dactyls are as follows: Purse dagger, -chef shoyng-, horne boget, -ter sadel-, hatte with thy, Bowe arrowes, stringe and thy, Penne paper, -waxe pommes, bokes thou re-, -ble nedle, leste that thy, -gel gyue thy, se he be, Make mery, synge and thou, hede to thy, gere that thou. The rest are spondees.
I. R., not perceiving the law of rhythm, makes wild work of it. He calls it “An excellent rude Lesson in rude ryme.” He divides the lines rightly, and leaves the first three verses untouched. But the rest assume the following fearful forms.
Penne, paper, incke, parchment, redde waxe, punisse (sic),
and bookes doe thou remember,
Penknife, combe, thymble, needle, thred, and poynt,