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1593, his brother Gabriel Harvey-in his "New Letter of Notable Contents, With a straunge Sonet, intituled Gorgon, Or the wonderfull yeare," 1593, written to ridicule Nash and Southwell-indited the following Sonnet, "Gorgon or the Wonderful Year" (Brydges's Archaica, vol. ii. § 2, part 9, p. 27):

ST FAME dispos'd to coney-catch the world,
Uprear'd a wonderment of Eighty-eight;
The Earth adreading to be overwhirl'd,
'What now avails,' quoth she, my balance-weight?'
The Circle smil'd to see the Centre fear:

The wonder was, no wonder fell that year.
Wonders enhance their power in numbers odd:

The fatal year of years is Ninety-three:

Parma hath kist, De-maine entreats the rod :

War wond'reth, Peace and Spain in France to see.
Brave Eckenberg, the doughty Bassa shames;

The Christian Neptune, Turkish Vulcan tames;

Navarre woos Rome, Charlemagne gives Guise the phy,
Weep Paul's, thy Tamerlane [Marlowe] vouchsafes to die.
L'Envoy.

The hugest miracles remain behind,

The second Shakerley Rash-Swash [Nash] to bind.

No doubt in many previous years the annual Zadkiels of the day prophesied disasters dire as sure to befal that very year. Of 'Prognostications' there are frequent entries in the early Stationers' Registers, as any one who has turnd over the books can testify.'

present yeare 1588?" In his first "Epistle Dedicatorie" he says of another book, that he has "presumed . . . to offer vnto your woorthy L. by way of humble & officious Dedication, my Annuall Kalender, or briefe Almanacke for the famous prædestined yeere following; togither with the Astronomicall Diarie, the compendious Discourse vpon the Eclipses, and the short Astrologicall Prognostication thereunto appending."

In a later passage, John Harvey says as to the main cause of the prediction :

"Moreouer, the like concourse of two Eclipses [Sun and Moon] in one and the same month, shal hereafter more euidently in shew, and more effectually in déed, appéere, Anno 1590. the 7. and 21. daies of Iuly; and Anno 1598. the 11. and 25. daies of February; and Anno 1601. the 29. day of Nouember, and 14. of December: but especially, and most notably Anno 1605, the second day of October, when the Sunne shall be obscured aboue 11. digits, and darknes appéere euen at midday, the Mone at the very next full immediately preceding hauing likewise béene Eclipsed. . ."

1588. I[ohn] H[arvey. At King slinn in Norfolke, this 12 of December. Anno 1587.] A Discoursive Probleme concerning Prophesies, p. 119.

In one volume (Harl. MS. 5937) of Bagford's great collection of titlepages and scraps in the British Museum (see my Boorde, p. 25, and Captain Cox, p. cxxxii-vii) are title-pages of Frognostications for 1587 by Wm Farmer (No. 176, leaf 31); [the 1588 book noted on leaf 14 is not an Almanack or

See too Arber's Transcript. In 1591 Thomas Nash wrote his "Wonderfull, strange and miraculous, Astrological Prognostication for this yeer of our Lord God .1591. Discouering such wonders to happen this yeere, as neuer chaunced since Noes floud. Wherein if there be found one lye, the Author will loose his credit for euer. By Adam Foule-weather, Student in Asse-tronomy. Imprinted at London by Thomas Scarlet." It is an amusing squib, meant to ridicule the Harveys and the whole prognosticating tribe; and is followed by another with seemingly the same intent. I hope shortly to print both for the Society.-F. J. F.

P.S. A reference in Thomas Nash's Strange Newes, sign. K 2, to an unfulfilld prophecy of harms to happen in 1583, recorded in Hooker's continuation of Holinshed's Chronicle, iii. 1356, discloses this reference to the prophecy for 1588 :

were,

Touching the

yeare of woonders gathered to be 1588.

The publication, oft reading and talking of this coniunction, with the remembrance of the instant wherein it should be [April 28, 1583], made manie (when the daie foretold was come) to looke for some strange apparition or vision in the aire; and withall, put them in mind of an old and common prophesie, touching the yeare 1588, which is now [in 1586] so rife in euerie mans mouth. That yeare was manie hundred yeares ago foretold and much spoken of amongst astrologers, who haue as it Vnanimi consensu, prognosticated that either a maruellous fearfull & horrible alteration of empires, kingdoms, seignories, and estates, togither likewise with other most woonderfull and verie extraordinarie accidents [p. 1357], as extreame hunger and pestilence, desperat treasons and commotions shall then fall out, to the miserable affliction and oppression of huge multitudes: or else, that an vtter Prognostication]; 1600 by John Dade, practitioner in Phisicke, No. 126; 1601 two by Edward Ponde, practisioner in the Mathimaticks, Nos. 127, 129; 1605 by Dr Robert Watson, No. 132 (and an Almanack, No. 134); 1606 by Knoston, No. 133; besides many earlier (as 1530 Gasper Laet; 1566 Nostradamus; 1573 Securis; 1579 Mounslowe, leaf 25) and later ones. For 1584 there is a scrap, No. 81, leaf 20: "Of the Eclipse of the Moone. [Th]is present yeere of our Lord God. 1584. [b]eing Leape yeere. On Saterday being the .vii. day of Nouember there wyll appeare and be seene a great and totall Eclipse, or darkenyng of the Moone vnto xvi. poyntes, or there aboute, and she is Eclipsed in the ninth house of the Heauens, and in the .xxv. degree .xxxiii. min. of Taurus, within lesse then .ii. degrees of the section called the Dragons tayle, the Sunne and head of the Dragon in the third house, Opposite in Scorp. She wyll beginne to be darkened with vs here at London 40. min. before midnight, and so passe on, till she be wholly darkened, & continue in her totall Eclipsation one houre and .xx, minutes. &c. Imprinted at London, by Richarde Watkins and Iames Robertes.

There is a little volume of Almanacks, and Prognostications, for 1589, in the Lambeth Library (26. 8. 13), by Gabriell Frende (whom Nash says, in his Saffron Walden, was Gabriel Harvey), Thomas Buckmaister, Walter Gray, and John Dade, with an anonymous Prognostication, but nothing specially awful is prophesied in them.

and finall ouerthrowe and destruction of the whole world shall insue: which prophesie is conteined in these verses following:

The great yeere of 1588 is more talked

of than feared.

Post mille expletos &c. [as on p. 151].

So that by this prophesie, either a finall dissolution, or a woonderfull horrible alteration of the world is then to be expected. All these considerations laid togither, as well the prediction of the coniunction in expectation, as also the dreadfull euents which were to insue therevpon: and vpon the necke of these, the greate yeare of 1588 in euerie mans mouth, the more frequent and common by occasion of a booke extant vnder the title of "the end of the world, and the second comming of Christ," made diuerse diuerslie affected [in 1583]; insomuch that some conuersing and conferring, looked for no lesse than was prophesied; and talking verie religiouslie, seemed as though they would become sanctified people: howbeit, the day of the coniunction being past, with a certeine counterchecke against the said astrologicall discourse in some points defectiue, and no such euents palpablie perceiued as were prognosticated, people fell to their former securitie, and condemned the discourser of extreame madnesse and follie: whereof no more but this, Scientia nullum habet sibi inimicam præter ignorantem.

When people saw nothing in

the aire (as they looked

for) they fell

to derision.

:

TWELFTH NIGHT, II. v. 66-7 (Globe).

"Malvolio. Seven of my people, with an obedient start, make out for him I frown the while; and perchance wind up my watch, or play with my-some rich jewel. Toby approaches; courtesies there to me."

Dyce, 2nd ed. 1866, iii. 403. Note on p. 356 (50) "with some rich jewel." The Folio has "with my some rich Iewell," the word "my" being an accidental repetition, occasioned by the preceding my watch."

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The original wording is correct, and only requires that the break in the sentence should be shown by punctuating, "my,-some rich jewel." Mr J. P. Collier was the first to see this, but his explanation being inadequate, the reading has not been generally adopted. There is here a true touch of nature, and a most humorous one. While Sir Toby is being fetched to the presence, the Lord Malvolio would frowningly wind up his watch or play with-and here from force of habit he fingers, and is about to add "play with my chain," but suddenly remembering that he would be no longer a steward, or other golden-chained attendant, he stops short, and then confusedly alters his phrase to-"some rich jewel."

B. NICHOLSON.

IV. ON SOME PLAYS ATTRIBUTED TO SHAKSPERE.

BY R. SIMPSON, ESQ.

THERE are several plays which have been attributed to Shakspere, besides the 37 included in the editions of his works.

Six of these

appeared in the 4th Folio of 1685 (or seven, including Pericles).

1. The London Prodigal.

2. The history of Thomas Lord Cromwell.

3. Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham.

4. The Puritan Widow.

5. A Yorkshire tragedy.

6. The tragedy of Locrine.

7. Arden of Faversham, 1592. Reprinted in 1770 by Jacob with a preface attributing it to Shakspere, without any evidence.

8. Arraignment of Paris, 1584, included in Capell's' collection among the doubtful plays. It is, however, Peele's, teste Nash in his epistle prefixed to Greene's Arcadia. I suppose that Capell thought that no one but Shakspere could have written the rhythmical and harmonious blank verse of the "Oration of Paris to the Gods," which vindicates the title of Peele to a priority over Marlowe in this kind.

9. Edward III., 1596. This was first assigned to Shakspere by Capell. The second Act is probably by him.

10. Faire Em.

11. Mucedorus.

12. The Birth of Merlin; or the childe hath found his father. . written by William Shakespear and William Rowley. Lond. T. Johnson, for Frances Kirkman and Henry Marsh, 1662.

13. The Merry devil of Edmonton-acted by the King's players, 1608. Entered in Stationers' books in 1608 by Thos. Hunt and On the authority of Kirkman and Winstanley.

Thos. Archer as written by T. B.

9, 1653, as written by Shakspere.

But H. Moseley entered it Sept.

14. The two Noble Kinsmen, presented at the Blackfriars by the King's servants with great applause; "written by the memorable worthies of their times," Fletcher and Shakspere, 1634.

15. George-a-Greene, 1599.

These 15 make up the list of doubtful plays prefixed by Herr Max Molkte to the Tauchnitz selection. To them may be added:

16. The Taming of a Shrew, 1594. In Smetwick's reprint of 1631 said to be "written by William Shakespeare."

17. The first part of the contention between the two famous houses of York and Lancaster.

18. The True Tragedy of Richard, Duke of York, &c. (These two were printed together as "The whole Contention," &c., followed by Pericles, in 1619, for T. P., and said to be "written by William Shakespeare, Gent.")

19, 20. The first and second parts of "The troublesome rayne of King John of England"-anonymous in 1591, in Valentine Simm's edition of 1611, "written by W. Sh.," and said by Pope to be by Shakspere and Rowley.

21. The true tragedy of Richard III., 1594.

22. The "Corambis Hamlet" of 1603, and the Hamlet of 1589. 23. The "Merry Wives" of 1602.

24. Titus and Vespatia, the form of Titus Andronicus which belonged to Lord Strange's players in 1591, preserved in a German. translation, retranslated into English in Cohn's "Shakespeare in Germany."

25. "The Prodigal son," attributed to "Posthaste" (Shakspere), in the Histriomastix, preserved in a German translation.

26. Sir Thomas More.

27. The siege of Antwerp.

28. Albumazar. (See Historical Commission Report, 1, p. x.) 29. The second maiden's tragedy.

30. The double falsehood.

I need not enter the name of Ireland's forged play.

These plays should be classified, and the grounds upon which

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