patches sewn within the covers of certain volumes which they were directed to dispose of to particular individuals. So careful were Royston and his friend Dr. Barwick, with whom he acted, in the choice of their emissaries, that it is upon record, that none of their messengers, or of the letters entrusted to their care, ever fell into the hands of the enemy. Royston was the first printer of the ΕΙΚΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ, and it is said, that he was so expeditious in preparing this celebrated volume for publication, that although he received the copy only on the twentythird of December, 1648, the impression was finished before the thirtieth of January following, the day on which his majesty suffered.* It can hardly be imagined, that a person of Royston's character and principles escaped molestation in the evil days that followed; and accordingly, in the privilege attached to the splendid edition of King Charles the First's Works, printed in 1662,† we find mention not only of his "fidelity and loyalty," but "of the great losses and troubles he hath sustained for his faithfulness to our Royal Father of blessed memory, and ourself, in the publishing of many messages and papers of our said blessed father," &c. He appears, however, to have weathered the storm, for during the Long Parliament, and the whole of Oliver's usurpation, he continued at the Angel, in Ivy Lane, and from time to time published the works of some of our best and most orthodox divines. The Restoration of King Charles II, restored Royston also to his post of the king's bookseller, and wealth and reputation followed. In 1667, he was a warden of the Stationers' Company, master in 1673 and 1674, in which latter year he made a donation of five pounds to the poor of the company. His daughter Mary he married to Richard Chiswell, one of the original Directors of the Bank of England, and a bookseller of great eminence in St. Paul's Church-yard; of whom it has been recorded, that the mere imprint of his name on the title-page was sufficient to recommend a work, he never having " been known to print either a bad book, or on bad puper."§ Royston died in 1686, at the very advanced age of 85 and upwards. He was buried in Christ's Church, Farringdon-within, where a monument was erected to his memory.|| His widow survived him. Of the Banquet of Ieasts there have been at least six editions. The second and third we have never yet met with, the fourth was in 1634, "with many additions," if the titlepage may be believed; the fifth is dated 1636, and the sixth 1640. The printer ** of the fourth edition tells us that it is much more refined than its predecessors. The coorser Cates that might the feast dis * Dugdale's Short View of the late Troubles in England. Lond. 1681, folio, p. 381. + In folio: it was collected and prepared for the press by Fulman, edited by Dr. Perrinchief, and dedicated by Royston to Charles the Second. An instance occurs in the Journals of the House of Commons, 16th June, 1643. "Resolved, That Royston the Printer be forthwith sent for, as a Delinquent, for printing a Book, intituled, "His Majesty's Declaration to all his loving Subjects; in Answer to a Declaration of the Lords and Commons, upon the late Proceedings of the late Treaty of Peace." § Dunton's Life and Errors, edited by Nichols. Lond. 1818. Vol. i. p. 204. Stowe's Survey of London, by Strype. Lond. 1720, folio. Book iii. p. 138. ** In addition to a metrical address from the printer, Royston himself, as stationer, has a few lines in prose, to point out the merits of the new edition to his courteous readers: "You shall receive it not onely purged from many grosse faults formerly escaped in the presse, but refined and cleansed from all such course passages as were inserted and exposed to your view without his consent who first collected them; in recompence of which, for every one subtracted, you shall finde here more than ten added, never till now published, and in this kinde made common. The restraint of that liberty of which hee before complained, is now redeemed, as shall appeare by the new collections here inserted. May his care and my cost breed thee in their perusall as much pleasure as I wish unto my selfe profit. Vale. R. R." * London Magazine, June 1823, p. 621. + Ibid. July 1824, p. 61. Ibid. May 1824, p. 517. And in this book doth to his friends commend His jeers, taunts, tales, which no man can offend.§ But this was a mere device to help off the impression, Archee having in truth nothing to do with the publication thus fathered on him. There can hardly be a stronger proof of his innocence, than that the address to the reader professing, in this edition of 1636, to be by "the King's Jester," is not only the same which in all preceding editions is signed anonymos, but actually has this identical signature still appended, it being an appellation which the person who superintended the press may § Granger's Biographical History of England, 5th Ed. Lond. 1824. 8vo. vol. iii. p. 241. || Archibald Armstrong was born at Arthuret in Cumberland, and became jester to King James I, who was accustomed to allow him his fool's prerogative of saying sharp truths with impunity. When Prince Charles took that unaccountable journey into Spain, the king being in one of his pensive moods, Archee addressed him with a request, that his Majesty would change caps with him. Why? says the king. Why, who (replied Archee) sent the Prince into Spain? But what (answered the king) wilt thou say when the Prince comes back again? Mary, said Archee, I will then take my cap from thy head, and send it to the King of Spain. Archee continued in his post on the accession of Charles I, but lost it in 1637, in consequence of reviling Archbishop Laud at a tavern, and attacking him in person as he was going to the council table. Mr. Garrard writes to Lord Strafford, "Archy is fallen into a great misfortune, a fool he would be, but a foul mouth'd knave he hath proved himself: being at a tavern in Westminster, drunk, as he saith himself, he was speaking of the Scotish business, he fell a railing on my Lord of Canterbury, said he was a monk, a rogue, and a traitor. Of this his Grace complained at council, the king being present; it was ordered he should be carried to the porter's lodge, his coat pulled over his ears, and kicked out of the court, never to enter within the gates, and to be called into the star chamber. The first part is done, but my Lord of Canterbury hath interceded to the king, that there it should end. There is a new fool in his place, Muckle John, but he will ne'er be so rich, for he cannot abide money." The Scotish business was the introduction of the Liturgy into that kingdom, which occasioned great tumults. At Edinburgh the dean, who was the first person who attempted to read it, had a stool thrown at his head, which Archee very aptly called the stool of repentance. It seems surprising that a man of Archbishop Laud's exalted rank and powerful understanding should have deemed it necessary or prudent to punish one so beneath his notice; but the most sensible persons can ill bear to be laughed at, and our jester lost no opportunity of turning the prelate into ridicule. When the archbishop was dining at the royal table, a great number of the nobility being present, Archee begged permission to say grace, which being granted, he very gravely cried out: "Great praise be given to God, and little Laud to the devil." Rushworth has preserved the instrument by which the king, in council, banishes Armstrong from the court, and deprives him of his office, and adds that as the archbishop was going to the council table, the jester accosted him with "Whea's feule now? Doth not your grace hear the news from Striveling about the Liturgy?" An address which probably did not tend to soften matters. Archee had made a considerable fortune during his residence at court, and on his disgrace retired into Cumberland. In 1646 he married Sybella Bell, and his burial is recorded in the parish register of Arthuret as having taken place April 1, 1672. See Rapin's History of England, vol. ii. p. 226-Rushworth's Historical Collections, part ii. pp. 470, 471.-Strafford's Letters and Dispatches, by Knowler, vol. ii. p. 154.-Lysons' Magna Britannia in Cumberland, p. 13.- Welwood's Memoirs, pp. 53, 238. be presumed not to have understood.* The following extracts are taken from the first edition. Of a Country Man and a Constable. (1.) A simple country-man hauing terme busines in London, and being somewhat late abroad in the night, was staid by a constable, and somewhat hashly entreated. The poore man obseruing how imperiously he commanded him, demanded of him what hee was? to whom he replyed, "I am the constable, and this is my watch." "And I pray you, sir, for whom watch you?" saith the man. "Marry (answered the constable), I watch for the king." the king?" replyes he againe simply, "then I beseech you, sir, that I may passe quietly and peaceably by you to my lodging, for I can bring you a certificate from some of my neighbours who are now in towne, that I am no such man. A Young Heire. (14.) "For A young heire not yet come to age, but desirous to bee suited with other gallants, and to bee furnisht with money and commodities to the purpose, the creditor demanded his bond; hee granted it conditionally, that his father should not know of it, therefore wisht it to bee done very priuately. Vpon this promise all things were concluded, and the time came when he should seale it. But when hee beganne to read in the beginning of the bond nouerint vniuersi Bee it knowne vnto all men-he cast away the bond, and absolutely refused to seale it, saying, "if it be knowne vnto all men, how can it possibly bee, but it must come to my father's care?" One trauelling to Rome. (22.) A gentleman of England trauelling with his man to Rome, desirous to see all fashions, but especially such rarities as were there to be seene, was, by the mediation of some friends there resident, admitted into the Pope's presence; to whom his holinesse offered his foote to kisse, which the gentleman did with great submission and reuerence. This his man seeing, and not before acquanted with the like ceremony, presently makes what speed he can to get out of the presence; which some of the wayters espying, and suspecting his hast, stayd him, and demanded the cause of his so suddaine speed; but the more they importune him, the more he prest to be gone: but being further vrged, he made this short answer-truely, saith he, this is the cause of my feare, that if they compell my mas ter, being a gentleman, to kisse the Pope's foote, I feare what part they will make me kisse, being but his serving man. A Scholler on Horse-back. (23.) A scholler, an vnskilful rider, being to passe through a riuer, offred to water his horse before hee rid him in so deepe as to the foote-locke, his friend that was with him, fearing he would founder him, cald vpon him to ride in deeper, the other not well vnderstanding his meaning, sayd to his friend; "First stay till he hath drunke off all this, and then I will ride him in farther, where hee may haue his belly full." One that cate of a Beare. (31.) A woman hauing eaten of the right side of a beare, which some say makes good venison, tooke a conceit, that she had an exceeding great rumbling and rowling in her belly, and for remedy sends to aske advise of the doctour, who perswaded her to knock a mastiffe dog in the head, and eat so much of him, and so no doubt but the flesh of him would worry the beare in her belly. A young Master of Arts. (44.) A young master of art the very next day after the commencement, hauing his course to common place in the chappell, where were diuers that the day before had took their degree, tooke his text out of the eighth chapter of Iob, the words were these; "We are but of yesterday, and know nothing." This text (saith he) doth fitly diuide it selfe into two branches, our standing, and our understanding; standing in these words, wee are but of yesterday, our vnderstanding, we know nothing. Two Schollers. (47.) our Two schollers of one colledge in the vniuersitie, the one called Paine, the other Culpepper, were both in fault, but Paine in the lesse, the other in the greater: but when the fault came to be censured, the fault was not lesse then expelling the colledge: but Culpepper, the greater delinquent, yet finding more friends, had his sentence tooke off, and liberty to remaine still in the house, but the other suffered for example. A master of art of another house comming to visit a friend of his that was of the colledge where this was done, amōgst other discourse, askt what became of the businesse betweene the two schollers, hee told him in briefe, how Paine that was in the least fault was punisht, and Culpepper in the greater pardoned; who in This edition ascribed to Archee has a different title from the preceding. "A Banqvet of Jests, or a Collection of Court, Camp, Colledge, Citie, Country Jests. In two books." It is also printed for Royston, as is the sixth, which professes to be "much enlarged for the delight of the reader." Mr. Granger mentions another so late as 1660, with Armstrong's portrait prefixed. Never having seen it, we are unable to say whether the Jester has a better title to this than to the preceding. stantly replyed, Nay, then I thinke Ovid did prophecie of this when hee said, Pana perire potest, culpa perennis erit. Wishers and Woulders. (80). One desiring a scholler to turne the old ancient English prouerbe into Latine, Wishers and woulders Were neuer good househoulders: That I will presently, saith the scholler, thus: Oh si! oh si! Otiosi. A Welch Reader. (116.) A Welchman reading the chapter of the genealogie, where Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, ere he came to the midst hee found the names so difficult, that he broke off in these words- and so they begat one another till they came to the end of the chapter." Of Card Playing. (150.) A parson in the country liveing amōg his parishioners and neighbors wel, would sometimes, at his retired hours for his recreatio, play at cards amongst them, for which he was much enuied of a puritane iustice, and the official of the diocese. These meeting on a market day amongst the chiefe men of the countrey where the parson was there present, his two aduersaries began in the ordinary openly to reproue him at the table for prophane card playing, not fitting his calling. Who hearing them with some impatience, and the rest attending how he could acquit himselfe, he thus began: Right worshipfull and the rest of my friends, I am here charged by master iustice and master officiall to be a common card-player, to which I answere, if all men would make that vse of it that I doe, it would seeme as pardonable, as I shal make it appeare excusable in me. For my own part, I neuer see an ace, but I apprehend that vnity which ought to bee betwixt man and wife. If a duce, the loue which should bee betwixt neighbours. If a tra, if two of my parishioners bee at ods, how needfull a thing it is for a third person to reconcile them, and make them friends; and so of the rest. Nor doe I looke vpon a king, but presently I apprehend the alleageance due to my prince and soueraigne. Nor on a queene, but I remember her sacred maiesty, and the reuerence belonging to her estate. Nor doe I cast mine eye vpon a knaue but he puts me in minde either of you, master iustice, or you, master officiall, or of some other of my good friends. The iustice and officiall were answerd, and the plaine honest parson, for his iest sake, both applauded and excused. 66 a town In the 259th jest, mention is made of Stratford-upon-Avon, and it is no slight testimony of the esteem in which Shakspeare was held by his contemporaries, and the age immediately succeeding them, to find it recorded in our little book of pleasant taunts and merry tales, as most remarkable for the birth of famous William Shakespeare." Much has been written on the proper mode of spelling the poet's name, and it may be allowable to remark, that in the edition of 1640 this is corrected, or altered to Shakspeere. ✦ Epist. ex Ponto, lib. i. ep. 1. lin. 64. The true reading however is Pœna potest demi, culpa perennis eritwhich would be equally applicable. |
