Hexameters from Udimore Register.—The following hexameters are copied from the fly-leaf of a register-book which dates back to 1500. They were written by a vicar in Elizabeth's reign. The burden of the lament is, that the tithes, now worth about 500l. a-year, had been sold by a "sordid unprophetick priest" for 30l. per annum, and that consequently all his successors found themselves "vicars without tithes." The register-book is in the church of Udimore, near Rye, in Sussex:
"Udimer infelix! nimis est cui Presbyter unus;
Presbyter infelix! cui non satis Udimer una;
Impropriator habet Clero quæ propria durus,
Atque alter Proprios Clerus peregrinus et hospes;
Ex decimis decimis fruitur vir lege sacerdos
Alter Evangelio reliquis prohibente potitur
Eheu! quam pingui macer est mihi passer in arvo
Idem est exitium fidei fideique ministro
Ita queritur