RUSH, FRIAR. The Historie of Frier Rush: how he came to a house of Religion to seeke service, and being entertained by the Priour was first made under Cooke. Being full of pleasant mirth and delight for young people. Imprinted at London by Edw. All-de and are to be solde by Francis Grove dwelling on Snow hill. 1626. B. L. 4to. 20 leaves.

There was a previous edition of this singular and amusing work in 1620, but differing in no material respect from the present, excepting that the imprint was "at London by Edw. All-de dwelling neere Christ-church." A third impression made its appearance in 1629, which was printed by Elizabeth All-de, probably the widow of Edward All-de. On the title-page of all three editions is the same wood-cut of Friar Rush, cap in hand, seeking a service of the Prior of a house of Religion. The "pleasant history" commences on the next leaf.

There seems little doubt that the story was originally German, and a very early copy in that language is among the books of Mr. Douce at Oxford: there he is called not Friar Rush, but Bruder Rausch, and by that name he is mentioned by Bruno Seidelius in his "Paræmiæ Ethica " Francf., 1589, as quoted by Mr. Thoms, (Early Prose Romances I):

Quis non legït quid Frater Rauschius egit?"

It bears internal evidence of having been composed about the time of the Reformation, but it was very possibly then founded upon some more ancient tradition. After narrating the gross vices of a certain convent of monks near a forest, the author tells us :- "Belphegor who was Prince of gluttony, Asmodeus Prince of lechery, and Belzebub Prince of envie, with many other Divels assembled together, which rejoyced in the misorder of these religious men. And as they were all assembled together, with one accord they chose a Divell to goe and dwell among these religious men for to maintaine them the longer in their ungratious living; which Divell was put in rayment like an earthly creature and went to the religious house." After his transformation, Friar Rush's horns are always visible in the wood-cuts, which nearly correspond in the impressions of 1620, 1626, and 1629, and he is usually furnished with feet having claws like a bird rather than cloven. Such, however, is not always the case, as in the subsequent instance, where two Devils, both with cloven feet, one of them Rush, and the other a hog-faced Demon, are employed at the instance of the prior of the convent, where Rush is

retained, in exorcising a young lady possessed with a spirit, and extracting "a great devil," who flew out of her mouth.

From the execution and appearance of this wood-cut, we may perhaps infer either that it was copied from an old foreign original, or that it had been employed for some English edition of the story much anterior to any at present known. The last seems most probable from the worm-holes in some of the wood-cuts, but both suppositions are by no means impossible: several seem to be by different artists. As the tract is of the greatest rarity, it may be worth while to give the heads of the various divisions of the story, which will show the mode in which it proceeds:

"A pleasant History, how a Devill (named Rush) came to a Religious house to seeke a service.

How a Divell named Rush came unto a Gentlewomans house, and how he brought her privily unto his Masters chamber.

How Frier Rush threw the maister Cooke into a kettell of water seething upon the fire, wherein he died.

How Frier Rush made Truncheons for the Friers to fight withall.

How Frier Rush grymed the Waggon with Tarre, and what cheare he made in the Country.

How the Priour made Frier Rush Sexton among the Friers, and charged him to give him knowledge how many Friers were absent from Mattins at midnight, and what they were.

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How Rush went forth a sporting, and was late forth, and how in his way comming home he found a Cowe, which Cowe he divided into two parts, the one halfe hee tooke on his necke and caried it with him, and the other halfe he left still: and how soone he had made it ready for the Friers suppers.

How a Farmer of the Priors sought his Cowe, and how he was desolated by the way homeward, and was faine to lye in a hollow Tree: and of the vision that he had. How the Farmer which lay in the Tree came unto the Priour on the morowe after, and tolde him the wordes that he had heard, and the wordes of Frier Rush, and that hee was a very Devill.

The Lamentation that Rush made when he was departed out of the House of Religion.

How Rush came to a Husband-man (labouring in the Field) and desired to be entertayned into his service.

How Rush came home to make cleane the Stable, and how hee found the Priest under the Maunger covered with Straw.

How Rush came home and found the Priest in the Cheese-basket, and how he trayled him about the Towne.

How Rush became Servant to a Gentleman, and how the Devill was conjured out of the body of the Gentleman's Daughter."

Another reason for supposing that this production had appeared in our language much earlier than any extant edition is, the fact that there was an old play called "Friar Rush, or the Proud Woman of Antwerp," which Henry Chettle was employed to "mend," (that is, to improve, modernize, and enlarge by additions) in August, 1601. [Vide Hist. Engl. Dram. Poetry, III. 91]. It was usual for our old dramatists to adopt subjects for their pens from the popular tales of the day, and such probably was "the History of Friar Rush," a considerable time before Chettle "mended" the play.

SAVIOLO, VINCENTIO. - Vincentio Saviolo his Practise. In two Bookes. The first intreating of the use of the Rapier and Dagger. The second, of Honor and honorable Quarrels. Both interlaced with sundrie pleasant Discourses, not unfit for all Gentlemen and Captaines that professe Armes. At London, Printed for William Mattes &c. 1595. 4to. 1595. 4to. 152 leaves.

This is the work to which Touchstone in "As you like it," A. V. Sc. 4 makes such an obvious allusion, his reference being to that division which is headed "Of the manner and diversitie of Lies." These are "Lies certaine;" "conditional lies ;"" lies in general;" "lies in particular;" and "foolish lies."

It appears that Saviolo was an Italian fencing-master, born at Padua, patronized and employed by Lord Essex. In the address "to the Reader," which succeeds the dedication, he speaks of his foreign birth and travels. "The first book," which is conducted in dialogue, is furnished with a number of wood-cuts to illustrate the employment of the rapier and dagger. What follows is a fac-simile of one of them.

The whole is dedicated to the Earl of Essex, the author professing to have been "bound by the bounty" of "the English Achilles." He laments that he had not "copie [i. e. plenty] of English to have expressed his meaning as he would."

"The second book has a separate preface, in which the author apologizes for his insufficiency. The last chapter relates to "the nobility of Women," which no doubt was introduced for the sake of the panegyric upon Queen Elizabeth, with which it enabled Saviolo to conclude.

SCHOOL OF SLOVENRY.-The Schoole of Slovenrie: or Cato turnd wrong side outward. Translated out of Latine into English verse, to the use of all English Christendome, except Court and Cittie. By R. F. Gent. London Printed by Valentine Simmes &c. 1605. 4to. 79 leaves.

But one other copy of this translation is believed to exist. Of the translator nothing is known but what he himself tells us in his Epistle "To all that can write and reade and cast accompt," which follows the title-page. "In the minority of my grammar-schollership (he informs us), I was induced by those, whom dutie might not withstand, to unmaske these Roman manners, and put them on an English face . The truth is, this translation was halfe printed ere I knew who had it: so that, quo fata trahunt, without prevention or correction, the fooles bolt must needes be shot." Afterwards he excuses himself farther by stating that "it is a punies translation only;" and soliciting indulgence for the species of verse he chose, viz., lines of fourteen syllables each, he supports himself by the authority of Golding, and Phaer and Twyne, who had rendered Ovid and Virgil "into as indigest and breathlesse a kind of verse." This epistle is subscribed "R. F. Gent. and no more," as if the author might have been more had he wished it. The initials are not those of any known author of the period.

All the rest of the production is translation, and in verse, commencing with "the Preface of Frederike Dedekind, to maister Simon Bing, Secretarie of Hassia," which fills thirteen widely printed pages. When Swift wrote his "Directions to Servants," as well as his "Polite Conversation," he evidently had the original of this book in his mind: it was printed in London, 12mo., 1661, under the title of "Grobianus et Grobiana de Morum Simplicitate Libri tres." It is not at all likely that R. F.'s translation had ever been met with by Swift, and another, printed at London in 1739, was expressly dedicated to