"When M. Watson, in St. John's College at Cambridge, wrote his excellent Tragedie of Absalon, M. Cheke, he, and I, had many pleasant talkes togither, in comparing the preceptes of Aristotle and Horace with the examples of Euripides, Sophocles, and Seneca.... M. Watson had another maner of care of perfection, with a feare and reverence of the judgement of the best learned: who to this day would neuer suffer yet his Absalon to go abroad, and that onelie bicause (in locis paribus) Anapæstus is twise or thrise used instead of Iambus."
In a volume in the Bodleian Library marked Z. 3., Art. "Selden," is "The Life of Howleglas," printed by Copland: at the bottom of the last page is the following MS. note:
"This Howleglasse, with Scoggin, Skelton, and (L——zario——?) given me at London of M. Spenser, xx Decembris, 1578, on condition yt I shoold bestowe ye readinge on them, on or before ye first day of January immediately ensuinge: otherwise to forfeit unto him my Lucian in fower volumes. Whereupon I was ye rather induced to trifle away so many howers as were idely overpassed in running through ye aforesaid foolish bookes; wherein methought yt not all fower together seemed comparable for fine and crafty feates with Jon Miller, whose witty shiftes and practises are reported among Skelton's Tales."
Mr. Malone, from whose memoranda I copy this, says, "I suspect it is Gabriel Harvey's handwriting."
I have a copy of the Organon of Aristotle in Greek, which bears marks of Gabriel Harvey's diligent scholarship. It is copiously annotated and analysed by him when a student at Cambridge, and he has registered the periods at which he completed the study of each part.
S. W. SINGER.
Mickleham, Aug. 15. 1851.
THE ANTIQUITY OF KILTS.
This has been the subject of many discussions, and has recently found a place in the columns of "NOTES AND QUERIES." I do not propose to take any part in the present discussion, but it may be of some service to historical students for me to introduce to public notice a much older authority than any that has yet been cited.
It is known to but few antiquaries out of the principality, that the ancient poetry of Wales throws more light on the immediate post-Roman history of Britain than any documents in existence. These poems vividly pourtray the social condition of the period, and contain almost the only records of the great contest between the natives and the Saxon invaders; they prove beyond a doubt that the Romans had left the province in an advanced stage of civilisation, and they supply us with the means of affirming decisively, that the vine was cultivated here to a very considerable extent.