Of ruffe raffe roaring,
With thicke thwacke thurly bouncing."
Nash's Preface to Greene's Arcadia.
[702:A] Storer's Life of Wolsey, which is about to be reprinted, has a claim upon our attention, both for its matter and manner: he was a contributor also to "England's Helicon," and has been highly extolled by his friend Fitzgeffrey, in Affanis, lib. i.
[702:B] The most interesting part of this volume, from the nature of its subject, is "Ane schort Treatise conteining some Reulis and Cautelis to be observit and eschewit in Scottis Poesie," in which the regal critic observes, that "sindrie hes written of it in English," an assertion which would lead to the supposition that some of our earliest critics had perished; for Gascoigne's "Certayne Notes of Instruction concerning the making of Verse or Rhyme," 1575, appears now to be the only piece of criticism on poetic composition which preceded James's "Essayes."
[702:C] The Poetical Exercises contain but two poems,—the "Furies," translated from Du Bartas, and "The Lepanto," an original piece. Several minor poems, introduced into his own works and those of others, some sonnets and a translation of the psalms, were written by James after his accession to the English throne.
[702:D] Of this far-famed comedian and jester, Fuller says, that "when Queen Elizabeth was serious (I dare not say sullen) and out of good humour, he could undumpish her at his pleasure. Her highest favourites would in some cases go to Tarlton before they would go to the Queen, and he was their usher to prepare their advantageous accession to her. In a word, he told the Queen more of her faults than most of her chaplains, and cured her melancholy better than all her physicians." Indeed, in the language of a contemporary,
"Of all the jesters in the lande
He bare the praise awaie."
Vide Ritson Bibl. p. 359.