84. THE MERRY CONCEITS OF TOM LONG THE CARRIER, being many pleasant Passages and mad Pranks which he observed in his travels.

Full of

honest mirth and delight. The nineteenth edition.

A sackful of news here is for your money;

Come buy it then, 'twill cost you but a penny.

12mo. London, n. d.

On a fly-leaf is a wood-cut of a woman, in a costume of the time of Charles I. The following notices of the different histories, in which the heroes are persons of the name of Tom, are curious.

Of all the Toms that ever yet was nam'd,

There's none like our Tom, that is so fam'd:
Tom Long, his rare conceits by far exceeds
Tom Hickathrift, and all his mighty deeds:
Tom Tram's mad tricks to every one are known,

But greater wonders in this book are shown;

Tom Thumb's strange wonders too, they seem as nought
Compar'd with those which Tom the Carrier's brought :
Tom's Ass may pass, but only for his ears,
For no such jewels as our Tom he wears:

Tom Tell-truth is the froth, but truth to tell, From all these Toms, Tom Long doth bear the bell. The chapters of this tract are thus entitled:-1. How Tom Long first set up the trade of being a carrier, and where he took up his lodging. 2. How Tom Long the Carrier met a young man upon the way, with what happened to them, and how they were entertained by an hostess. 3. How Tom and his young man discoursed of their dinner, and how they resolved to mend the matter at night, but met with as bad entertainment. 4. Tom relates how a certain counterfeit merchant cozen'd divers gentlemen of very great sums of money.

5. Of the great surprize that Tom Long was in, and how the wise mayor of Huntington siezed on Tom's ragged colt for Sturgeon. 6. A story of the seven sleepers, who slept above three hundred years, and never waked. 7. How Tom Long the Carrier sold his horse for the skin, supposing him to be dead, and how a crafty fellow coming by knew what the horse ailed, and so bought him. 8. How Tom Long the Carrier converted all his carriage to his own use, and thereby recruited himself with another horse, and of the sad mischance that befel his horse. 9. How Tom Long was assaulted by a dog, and how valiantly he defended himself, and killed him. 10. Of the hard lodging Tom Long found on the ground, having under him but one poor feather. 11. Of the king and his jester. 12. How Tom Long cozened two shoemakers of a pair of shoes. 13. Witty conceits of Tom Long. 14. The conclusion of the merry conceits of Tom Long.— Although this history offers curious illustrations of phraseology, I have looked in vain for a prose quotation. The last chapter, however, which is in verse, may be worth giving:

Tom Long the carrier coming to an inn,

Ask'd the maid what meat there was within ?
Cow-heels, said she, and a fine breast of mutton.
Then, said Tom, since that I am no glutton,
Either shall serve; to-night I'll have the breast:
The heels in the morning, then light meat is the best.
At night he took the breast, and did not pay;
In the morning took his heels, and ran away.
When the worst is past, all things begin to mend,
And here the story of Tom Long doth end.

Taylor, in his Armado, or Navy of Ships and other Vessels, ed. 1630, p. 80, thus alludes to Tom Long:"The master's name was Petrus Vaineglorious, his mate Hugo Hypocrisie, men that have steered the course in the lord-ship many hundred yeeres; the boatswaine and his mate were Scoffe and Derision, with Gripe the steward, Avarice the purser, and Lawrence Delay the paymaster, kinsman to Tom Long the Carrier, which three last are thought to be very arrant knaves, who have spoyled the government of the whole ship." A ballad, "intituled Tom Longe the Caryer," was entered on the books of the Stationers' Company, 1562. Brome mentions this personage in his Songs and other Poems, ed. 1668, p. 226:

Their fat have scabs doubled for every nail,
That thou mayst, like Tom Long, for ever go,
And ne'er come where thou art assign'd unto.

85. THE FOREIGN TRAVELS AND DANGEROUS VOYAGES OF THAT RENOWNED ENGLISH KNIGHT SIR JOHN MANDEVILLE, wherein he gives an account of remote kingdoms, countries, rivers, castles, and giants of a prodigious height and strength; together with the people called Pigmies, very small and of a low stature. To which is added an account of people of odd Deformities, some without heads: also dark inchanted wildernesses, where are fiery dragons, griffins, and many wonderful beasts of prey in the country of Prester John. All very delightful to the Reader. 12mo. Bow-Church Yard, n. d.

A popular abridgment, in twenty-four chapters, of the well known travels of Maundevile.

86. THE MERRY EXPLOITS OF POOR ROBIN, THE MERRY SADDLER OF WALDEN, containing many merry passages of his life, of harmless mirth, to lengthen out pleasure, and drive away melancholy. 12mo. n.d.

A very curious tract, which appears, from several allusions, to have been written during the time of the civil wars. The following chapter will serve as an example of its contents :

Poor Robin's perambulation about the City.-No sooner did Apollo begin to appear in the eastern horizon, but Poor Robin, shaking off melancholy sleep, roused his companion to prepare himself for their intended perambulation; and having armed themselves with a pot of nappy ale, they took their first walk to see the Royal Exchange, a most magnificent structure, built by Sir Thomas Gresham. From thence they then went to take a view of Leadenhall, but the exceeding bravery of the Exchange had so dimmed the beauty of the place, that it was nothing pleasing to Poor Robin's eye; he made no tarrying there, but went presently down to the Tower, where having seen the lions, and from the Wharf taken a superficial view of the bridge, as also the ships upon the river Thames, grew weary of beholding such trivial matters as these. He had, however, far more content in this than in any thing he had seen before, so admirably pleasing to his fancy it was to see how these little pretty things hopt about. But lest he should take a surfeit with such ravishing delights, his friends persuaded him to go to see the ancient Cathedral of St. Paul's, it being at that

time made a horse guard by the soldiers; which Poor Robin beholding, 'What a blessed reformation,' quoth he, have we here! for in our country we can scarce persuade men to go to church, but here come men and horses too.' But having quickly satisfied himself with the sight of St. Paul's, they would in the next place go to visit Westminster, the rather because it was at term time, where beholding such a number of Lawyers in their gowns, he roared out, 'Good God! send me safe out of this place, for if two or three make so great quarrelling in our town, what a noise will all these make!'

87. THE FAMOUS AND MEMORABLE HISTORY OF CHEVY CHACE BY THE RIVER TWEED IN SCOTLAND, together with the fatal battle between Lord Piercy of Northumberland, and his fifteen hundred archers, and the Earl of Douglas with twenty hundred Scots: in which both these earls and most of their men were slain. 12mo. London, Aldermary Church-yard, n. d.

A prose history, with the ballad at p. 16, commencing, "God prosper long our noble king." The chapters of the first part are entitled:-1. How the Piercies came by their name, and to be Earls of Northumberland, and of the vow which the Earl, in the reign of Henry II, made of hunting three days in Chevy Chace. 2. Of their killing many deer, and receiving at supper-time a threatening message from Douglas commanding them to depart. 3. Of Earl Piercy's second day's sport, and his conduct on hearing of Earl Dou