For the commyns, that hath no rest,
Meneth not euer with the best. '

The Partryche, Quayle, and Larke, The partryche, quayle, and larke in fielde

Sayde: Her may not auayle but spere and shelde;
The hauke with vs maketh great batayle,

In euery countrey, where he may auayle.

The Hauke. The hauke sayde; Who so wylfully wyll fyght, May make hym wronge sone of his ryght;

Lawe is best, I vnderstande,
To ryght all in euery lande.
The Robyn and the Wrenne.

wrenne,

Than chydde the robyn and the

And all small byrdes that beare penne :

Against the hauke the commyns must aryse,

And helpe them selfe in theyr best wyse.

The Hauke. The hauke made the wrenne his answer,

Small power may lytle dere,

And who wyll lyue in rest longe,

Maye nat he besy with his tonge.

The Commyns. Than prayed all the commyn house,

That some myght the hauke souce,

For foule ne byrde, by water ne lande,

He wyll leave a lyue, and he myght stande;

In his nest, may none abyde

In countre where he doth glyde;

Theyr fethers he plucketh many a folde,

And leaueth them naked in full great colde;

We think, therfore, by reason good,

To destroy the hauke, and all his bloode.

The Kynge and his Lordes. The Kynge and his lordes

answered, anone

States may not the hauke forgone,
Nor by no law his kynde destroye,
Nor deme him selfe for to dye,
Nor put him to none other distresse,
But kepe him in a payre of iesse,
That he fle nat to no byrde about,

But his keper let hym oute.

The Cornysshe-daw. Then said the cornisshe-daw,

Lytle money, lytle lawe,

For here is nought els with frende ne fo,

But go bet peny, go bet, go.

The Hauke. Thou cornisshe, quod the hauke, by thy wyll,

Say well, or holde the styll;

Thou hast harde of many a man,

A tonge breaketh bone, and it selfe hath none.

The Kynge. Than answered the Kynge, and the byrdes by

rowe,

Why cometh not to the parlyament the crowe?

For good counsell refourmeth euery mysse,

And it betokeneth where it is.

The Hauke.

The hauke sayde, It is nat lesse,

Councell is good in warre and pese;

But the crowe hath no brayne

For to gyue counsell, but of the rayne.

The Nightwhale. Then sayd the nightwhale, with his heed gaye,

He shameth vs with his parlyament aray;

It is a tearme with Iohn and lacke,

Broked sleue draweth arme a backe.

The Hauke. The hauke sayde, He shall thryue full late That loketh to kepe a great estate,

And can nat, wyth all his wyśedome,

Gette hym selfe an hole gowne.

The Pecocke and the Swanne. Then sayde the pecocke and

the swanne,

Who no good hath, no good canne,

And lytle is his wytte set by,

That hath not to beare out company.

The Hauke. The hauke sayd, He is worse than wood

That maketh hym fresshe with other mennes good,

Orought wyll borowe and neuer paye,

Or with wrong getteth gallaunt araye.

The Specke. Then in his hole, sayd the specke,

I would the hauke brake his necke,

Or brought vnto some myscheuous dale,

For of euery byrde he telleth a tale.

The Hauke. The hauke sayd, though thy castell be in

the tree,

Buylde not aboue thy degree;

For who so heweth ouer hye,

The chippes wyll fall in his eye.

The Kynge. Then sayd the Kynge, It is our entent,

To amande the crowes rayment;

And all the byrdes sayde, anone

Of eche of our fethers he shall haue one.

The Hauke. The hauke sayde, He may sone come to

honeste,

That euery man helpeth in his poste;

For, as teacheth vs the learned clerke,`

Many handes maketh lyght werke.

The Tytyffre. I say, sayde the tytyffre, we Kentysshe men, We may not geue the crowe a penne,

For, with them that are sobre and good,

A byrde in hande is worth two in the wood.

The Hauke. The hauke sayde, I take me to my crede,

Who so will spende wit you he may spede;

Lytle ye gyue, but he wote why,

Ye make the blynde eate many a flye.

The Crowe. Than the crowe was put in his araye, I am not nowe as I was yesterdaye;

I am able, without offence,

To speake in the Kynges presence.

The Hauke. The hauke sayde to the commons, By dene,
Enuy and pride would fayne be sene;

He is worthy none audience to haue,
That can not say but knaue, knaue.

The Commyns. Than asked the byrdes, by aduysement,
Who is that taketh to vs no tent,

He presumeth before vs all to fle,

To the Kynges hyghe Maieste.

The Hauke. The hauke answered to the white semewe,

It is the sory blacke crowe,

And for him fareth no man the better,

Let him crowe therfore neuer the greater.

The Lordes. Then sayde the Lordes euerychone,

We wyll aske of the Kynge abone,

That euery byrde shall resume
Agayne his fether, and his plume,

And make the crowe agayne a knaue,

For he, that nought hath, nought shall haue.

The Hauke. Then sayde the hauke, as some sayne,

Borowed ware wyll home agayne.

And who will herken what euery man dose, ́

Maye goe helpe to sho the gose.

The Cormoraunte. For the crowe spake the cormoraunte,

And of his rule made great auannt,

Suche worship is reason that euery man haue,

As the Kynges highnes vouchsaue.

The Hauke. It is sothe, sayde the hauke, that thou doest say,

Whan all turneth to sporte and playe,

Thou mayst leeste speake for the crowes pelfe,

For all thing loueth that is lyke it selfe.

The hole Parlyament. Than prayed the hole Parlyament,

To the Kynge with one assent,

That euery byrde her fether myght

Take from that proude knyght.

The Kynge. The Kynge sayde, ye shall leauc haue,

A knyght should neuer come of a knaue;

All thynge wyll shew from whence it come,

Where is his place and his home.

The Hauke. Now trewly, said the hauke, than

It is a great comfort to all men,

Of the Kynges great prosperite,

Whan the Kynge ruleth well his communalty.

Than was plucked from the crowe anone

All his fethers by one and by one,

And laste all blacke in stede of reed,
And called hym a page of the fyrst heed.

The Hauke. Quod the hauke, the crowe is now as he should

be,

A kynde knaue in his degre,

And he that weneth no byrde is hym lyke,

Whan his fethers are plucked, he may hym go pike.

The Commyns. Than made the Commyns great noyse,
And asked of the Lordes wyth one voyce,

That they would the hauke exy le
Out of this lande many a myle,
Neuer to come agayne hyther;
But the Kynge sent for him thyder:
Hym to trust we haue no theson,
For it is proued in trust is treason;
And, sythe ye say, he shall nat dye,
Plucke of his hokes and let hym flye.

The Lordes. To that, sayde the Lordes, we pretende
This statute and other to amende;

So in this, that ye accorde

Το all in souerayne Lorde, put

The Commyns. The Commyus sayde, it is great skyll,

All thynge to be at the Kynges wyll;

And, vnder the hande of his great myght,

By grace the people to seke theyr ryght.

The Hauke. Than sayde the hauke, now to, now fro,

Thus goeth the worlde in well and wo.

The Kynge. Than sayde the Kynge in his maiestye, We wyll disseuer this great semble;

He commaunded his chauncelere,

The best statutes to rede that he myght here:

Thus the fynal iudgement

He redde of the byrdes parlyament,

Whether they be whyte or blacke,

None shall others fethers take;

Nor the ravyn plucke the pecockes tayle,

To make him fresshe for his auayle,

For the Commyns fethers want,

For wyth some they be ryght skant.

The laye. Thus sayeth the cosen of the iay,

That none shall vse others aray,

For who so mounteth wyth egle on hye,

Shall fayle fethers when he would flye.

Sapiencia. Be nat greedy glede to gader,

For good fadeth and foules fether,

And, though thy fether be not gaye,

Haue none enuye at the swannes aray.

Concludent. For, thoughe an astryche may eat a nayle,

Wrath wyll plucke him winge and tayle,

And, yf thou lye in swalowes nest,
Let nat slouth in thy fethers rest;
Be trew as turtyll in thy kynde,

For lust wyll part as fethers in wynde:
And he that is a glotnus gull,
Deth wyll soon his fethers pull;
Thoughe thou be as hasty as a wype,
And thy fethers slyght rype,
Loke thy fethers and wryting be dene,
What they say and what they mene,
For here is none other thynge,
But fowles, fethers, and wrytynge:
Thus endeth the byrdes parlyament,
By theyr Kynges commaundement.

AN

ESSAY ON THE THEATRES:

OR,

The Art of Acting. In Imitation of Horace's Art of Poctry.

Although I have ventured to call this poem, "The Art of Acting' in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry,' yet I must observe, that I have rather made a paraphrase on his rules and thoughts, than kept to a strict literal imitation of them. I am scnsible therefore, I shall be highly censured by those who are acquainted with those happy imitations of this part of Horace, Dr. King's Art of Cookery,' and Mr. B-n's 'Art of Politicks.' All I can say to such an objection, is, that a more close confinement to the text would not suit my subject, which I found was not foreign enough from the original to make it by such a method any way entertaining; yet I have endeavoured to keep as strong an analogy to the sense and manner of Horace as I could possibly. Perhaps, this intention of imitating the method of Horace has led me into a conduct, which may be imputed to me as an unpardonable error, and that negligence in the numbers, which