others are purely national. The following are a few specimens of the most characteristic: "A teem purse makes a bleat merchant. A man may wooe where he will, but wed where he is weard. Biting and scarting is Scots folks wooing. Curtesie is cumbersom to them that kens it not. Drink and drouth comes sindle together. Every man can rule an ill wife but he that hes her. Fair words brake never bain, foul words many ane. Good chear and good cheap garres many haunt the house. He that is ill of his harbery is good of his way kenning. Hap and a halfpennie is worlds geir enough. It's na mair pity to see a woman greit, nor to see a goose go barefoot. Knowledge is eith born about. Little kens the wife that sits by the fire how the wind blows cold in hurle burle swyre. Many masters, quod the Poddock to the harrow, when every tind took her a knock. Neir is the kirtle, but neirer is the sark. Of other men's leather men take large whangs. Put your hand no farther nor your sleeve may reek. Quhen thieves reckon, leal men come to their geir. Sooth bourd is na bourd. There is little to the rake to get after the beisome. They are good willy of their horse that hes none. The next time ye dance wit whom ye take by the hand. Wishers and woulders are poor householders. Ye breed of the cat, ye would fain have fish, but ye have na will to wet your feet." The earliest collection of proverbs in English was that made by John Heywood, the dramatist, first printed in 1547, 4to. and many times afterwards. There are two distinct works, called "The Crossing of Proverbs," one by B. N., (probably Nicholas Breton), in 8vo. with the date of 1616, and the other by B. R., also in 8vo. published about 1680: the latter is not a reprint of the former, but both consist of proverbs with answers to them immediately following, as: "Proverb. No man can call againe yesterday. Cross. Yes, hee may call till his heart ake, though it never come. Proverb. Had-I-wist was a foole. Cross. No, he was a foole that said so." These are from "The Crossing of Proverbs," 1616, as well as the follow ing: "Proverb. The world is a long journey. Cross. Not so: the Sunne goes it every day. Proverb. It is a great way to the bottome of the sea. Cross. Not so: it is but a stone's cast." These two proverbs and crosses are found in the ballad of " King John and the Abbot of Canterbury," and in several old jest books. AGES OF SIN. The Ages of Sin, or Sinnes Birth and groweth, with the stepps and degrees of Sin, from thought to finall Impenitencie. n. d. 4to. 9 leaves. This work consists of nine well executed copper plates, to the last of which the initials "Ja. v. L. fecit," are attached; and, from the similarity of the style, we need not hesitate in assigning the other eight to the same engraver; perhaps Jacob van Lochem, a Dutch or Flemish artist, who produced other plates circulated in this country about the time of the Civil War, although the present series appears to be unknown. The first plate constitutes the title, which is inserted in an oval frame, and underneath it the representation of a large snake with a number of smaller ones making their way out of its entrails. All the plates are in the nature of emblems, with engraved verses underneath, not always very intelligible nor explanatory. The third engraving, called "Delectation," is of an ape nursing its cub, and below it are the following lines: "If sinfull thoughts (once) nestle in man's heart, The fifth plate represents a tiger swallowing a man, with his head and shoulders down the beast's throat, and his legs, boots, spurs, and all, remaining yet to be swallowed. It is called "Act," and the lines appended are these: And Tiger-like swollowes up at one bitt Selling his Soule, to worke all wickedness." From the little connexion between the engravings and some of the inscriptions, we might be led to imagine that the artist, having them by him, employed a person to write verses who was not very ingenious in applying his lines to the subject of the plate. The following are the titles of the nine engravings : 1, Suggestion; 2, Rumination; 3, Delectation; 4, Consent; 5, Act; 6, Iteration; 7, Gloriation; 8, Obduration; 9, Finall Impenitency. AIMON, THE FOUR SONS OF.-The right plesaunt and goodly Historie of the foure sonnes of Aimon, the which for the excellent endytyng of it, and for the notable Prowes and great vertues that were in them: is no les pleasaunt to rede then worthy to be knowen of all estates bothe hyghe and lowe, n. d. fol. B. L. 179 leaves. It will be seen by the following Colophon, that this copy, at least so far, differs from that described so much at large by Dr. Dibdin in his "Typographical Antiquities," iii, 137. "Here finissheth the hystory of the noble and valiaunt Knyght Reynawde of Mountawban, and his three brethern.-Imprinted at London, by Wynkyn de worde, the viii. daye of Maye, and ye yere of our lorde, M,CCCCCiiii, at the request and commaundement of the noble and puissaunt erle, the Erle of Oxenforde, And now Imprinted in the yere of our Lorde, M,CCCCCliiii, the vi. daye of Maye, by Wylliam Copland, dwellyng in Fletestrete at the Signe of the Rose Garland. for John Waley." If Dr. Dibdin be correct, in the Colophon of the copy he used Copland omitted his place of residence as well as his sign, and it purported to have been printed for Thomas Peter instead of John Waley. No doubt, as Dr. Dibdin suggests, a certain number of copies was struck off for particular stationers with their names appended. As in his citations Dr. Dibdin does not profess to follow the original spelling, it is impossible to ascertain from his work whether there are any other variations of typography. The Colophon certainly renders it quite clear that Wynkyn de Worde printed an edition of the Romance in 1504, although no single copy of it is now known. Dr. Dibdin has not quoted the very interesting Prologue," which gives an exact account of the origin of the undertaking, as well as of another book translated, probably, by Caxton. "As the Philosopher in the fyrst booke of hys methafysyque sayth, yt euery man naturally desireth to know and to con newe thynges. And therfore haue the Clerkes and people of great vnderstandynge desyred and coueite to lerned sciences, and to know vertues of thinges. Some by Phylosophy, other by Poetrye, and other by Historyes and cronyckes of thynges passed. And vpon these three they haue greatly laboured in suche yt thanked bee God, by theyr good dylygence and laboures: they haue had greate knowledge by innumerable volumes of bookes, whiche haue be made and compyled by great studye and payne vnto thys day. And bycause that aboue all thinges the princes and lordes of hie estate and entendement desyre to see thystoryes of the ryght noble and hye vertues of the prodecessours whiche ben digne, and worthy of remembraunce of perpetuall recommendacion. Therfore, late at ye request and commaundement of the ryght noble and vertus Erle John Erle of Oxeforde my good synguler and especial lorde I reduced and translated out of Frenche into our maternall and Englyshe tongue, the lyfe of one of his predecessoures, named Robert Erle of Oxeforde tofore sayd wt diuerse and many great myracles whiche God shewed for him as wel in his lyfe as after his death, as it is shewed all a longe in hys sayde booke. And also that my sayd Lorde desyreth to haue other Hystories of olde tyme passed of vertues chyualry reduced lykewyse into our Englishe tongue: he late sent to me a booke in Frenche, con- teynyng thactes and faytes of warre doone and made agaynst ye great Emperour and king of Fraunce Charlemayne by ye iiii sonnes of Aymon, other wyse named in Frenche Les quatre fylz Aymon, whyche booke accordynge to hys request I haue endeuorde to accomplyshe and to reduce it into our englyshe, to my great coste and charges, as in the translatinge as in enprynting of the same, hopyng and not doubtyng but that hys good grace shall rewarde me in suche wise that I shal haue cause to pray for his good and prosperus welfare. And besechynge his said noble good grace to pardon me of ye rude and this simple worke, For accordynge to the coppy whyche he sent to me, I haue folowed as nigh as I can, and where as any de- faute shall be founde I submyt me to the correccion of them that vnderstande the cronycle and hystory, besethying them to correcte it and amende there as they shall fynde faute. And I shall praye almighty God for them that so doo to rewarde them in suche wyse that after this shorte and transytory lyfe, we all may come to This introduction is followed by the Table of Contents, occupying seven pages, and the story commences on Sign. A. vi. Herbert remarked that the prologue savours strongly of the style and manner of Caxton: this is true, and it is very possible that he wrote it with a view to publication, and that he did not live to print the work he had translated. We know that such was the case with the Vitas Patrum, printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1495. This supposition will solve the whole difficulty, if we conclude that Wynkyn de Worde kept Caxton's manuscript by him some years before he put it to press. What follows is a specimen of one of the many wood cuts: it may have come into the hands of Copland with others he is known to have used, and which had certainly been the property of Wynkyn de Worde. The above is inserted on fo. 144, b., and the chapter to which it belongs is thus headed: "How after that Reynawde was departed fro Ardeyn to make |