Clarehall,* in 1583: in July 1588, he was incorporated at Oxford; and on the title-pages of some of his works he ostentatiously terms himself" Utriusque Academiæ in Artibus Magister.'

During the time that elapsed between his taking the degree of A. B. and that of A. M. Greene visited Italy, Spain, and other parts of the continent; ‡ and from the laxity of manners prevalent in some of those countries, he seems to

The rest of the tract professes to proceed from the pen of Greene, with the exception of a few pages, headed "The manner of the death and last end of Robert Greene, Maister of Artes."

When The Repentance first fell into my hands, I imagined it to be the forgery of some needy writer who had taken advantage of the public curiosity concerning so notorious a person as Greene, but I now incline to believe that it is genuine : its inferiority as a composition to our author's other pieces may be accounted for by supposing that his death took place before it had received his revision. The translator of the French Academy, T. B. (most probably Thomas Beard), noticing Englishmen of atheistical opinions, mentions "the testimonie which one of that crew gaue lately of himselfe, when the heavy hand of God by sicknesse summoned him to giue an accompt of his dessolute life," and then relates an anecdote of his impiety, not speaking of him, however, by name: now, the anecdote is nothing more than a quotation from The Repentance of Robert Greene. And Chettle, in the address "To the Gentlemen Readers," prefixed to KindHarts Dreame, says; "About three moneths since died M. Robert Greene, leauing many papers in sundry Booke-sellers hands, among others his Groatsworth of Wit," &c.

I find Rob. Greene, A. M., Clare Hall, 1583."-MS. note by Dr. Farmer.

The dedication of the Second Part of Mamillia, 1593, is dated "From my Studie in Clarehall the vii of Iulie :" the tract in question was probably written by Greene before he came to the metropolis as an author, though not printed till 1593.

In Cole's MS. Collections relative to Cambridge (in the British Museum), I could find no mention of Greene.

1588, July

Robert Green, M.A., of Cambridge, was also then incorporated."-Wood's Fasti Oxon. Part First, p. 245,

ed. Bliss.

"For being at the Universitie of Cambridge, I light amongst wags as lewd as my selfe, with whome I consumed the flower of

have acquired a taste for the dissolute habits in which he aftewards indulged.

It has been supposed that he took holy orders. In the Lansdowne Manuscripts, 982, art. 102, fol. 187, under the head of "Additions to Mr. Wood's Report of Mr. Robert Green, an eminent poet, who died about 1592," is a reference to a document in Rymer's Fœdera, from which it appears that a "Robert Grene" was, in 1576, one of the Queen's chaplains, and that he was presented by her Majesty to the rectory of Walkington, in the diocese of York.* If this document relates to the poet, his birth must be fixed my youth, who drew mee to trauell into Italy, and Spaine, in which places I sawe and practizde such villainie as is abhominable to declare. Thus by their counsaile I sought to furnishe myselfe with coine, which I procured by cunning sleights from my Father and my friends, and my Mother pampered me so long, and secretly helped mee to the oyle of Angels, that I grew thereby prone to all mischiefe: so that beeing then conuersant with notable Braggarts, boon companions and ordinary spend-thrifts, that practized sundry superficiall studies, I became as a Sien grafted into the same stocke, whereby I did absolutely participate of their nature and qualities. At my return into England, I ruffeled out in my silks, in the habit of Malcontent, and seemed so discontent, that no place would please me to abide in, nor no vocation cause mee to stay myselfe in but after I had by degrees proceeded Maister of Arts," &c.-The Repentance of Robert Greene. Sig. C.

"To be briefe, Gentlemen, I haue seen the world and rounded it, though not with trauell, yet with experience, and I crie out with Salomon, Omnia sub sole vanitas. I haue smyled with the Italian, and worn the vipers head in my hand, and yet stopt his venome. I haue eaten Spanishe Mirabolanes, and yet am nothing the more metamorphosed. Fraunce, Germanie, Poland, Denmarke, I know them all, yet not affected to any in the fourme of my life; onelie I am English borne, and I haue English thoughts, not a deuill incarnate because I am Italianate, but hating the pride of Italie, because I knowe their peeuishnes: yet in all these Countreyes where I haue trauelled, I haue not seene more excesse of vanitie then wee Englishe men practise through vain glory."A Notable Discovery of Coosnage, 1591, Sig. A 2.

"Anno 1576. Regina, delectis Nobis in Christo, Decano et Capitulo Ecclesiæ nostræ Cathedralis et Metropolitica Eboracensis, aut Vicario suo in Spiritualibus Generali et Officiali Prin

earlier than 1560.

The late Octavius Gilchrist* states that our author was presented to the vicarage of Tollesbury, in Essex, the 19th June, 1584, which he resigned the next year. And a copy of The Pinner of Wakefield exists, on the title-page of which are the following notes, in hand-writing of about the time when the play was printed: "Written by . .... a minister who acted the piner's pt in it himselfe Teste. W. Shakespeare.

Ed. Juby saith it was made by Ro. Greene." +

cipali, aut alii cuicunque in hac parte Potestatem habenti, Salu

tem.

"Ad Rectoriam sive Ecclesiam Parochialem de Walkington Eboracen. Diæces. per mortem Johannis Newcome ultimi Incumbentis ibidem, jam vacantem et ad nostram Donatinem et Præsentationem pleno jure spectantem, Dilectum nobis in Christo, Robertum Grene, unum Capellanorum nostrorum Capellæ nostræ Regiæ, vobis Tenore Præsentium præsentamus, Mandantes et Requirentes quatenus eundem Robertum Grene ad Rectoriam sive Ecclesiam Parochialem de Walkington prædictam admittere, ipsumque Rectorem ejusdem ac in et de eadem cum suis Juribus et Pertinentiis universis instituere et investire, cæteraque omnia et singula peragere facere et perimplere, quæ vestro in hac parte incumbunt Officio Pastorali, velitis cum favore. In cujus rei, &c.

"Teste Regina apud Gorhambury tricesimo primo die Augusti. "Per breve de Privato Sigillo.'

Rymer's Fœdera, tom. xv. p. 765. See a sketch of Greene's life by Mr. N. H. Nicolas, in his carefully edited reprint of Davison's Poetical Rapsody.

p. 22.

Examination of Ben Jonson's Enmity towards Shakespeare,

+ Of The Pinner of Wakefield and this MS. note more will be said hereafter.

The following passage of Never too Late, even if it be allowed that Greene meant Francisco for a picture of himself, must not be adduced to shew that he had ever been in orders: his " hauing tasted of the sweet fruits of Theology" is to be referred merely to the divinity which (as well as philosophy) Francisco, "who had been nursed up at the Universities," had acquired during his academical career :—

"Hast thou read Aristotle, and findest thou not in his Philosophie, this sentence set downe? Omne animal irrationale ad sui similem diligendum natura dirigitur. And wilt thou that art a

From the title-page of his Planetomachia, 1585, where he is styled "Student in Phisicke," we may gather that, at one period of his life, he had intended to pursue the medical profession.

That Greene has described some of his own adventures under those of Francesco in his Never too Late, must be, I think, sufficiently evident to every one who has perused it with attention: and that he intended Roberto, in his Groatsworth of Wit, for a picture of himself, he has not left us to doubt; "heere (Gentlemen) breake I off Roberto's speech, whose life in most part agreeing with mine, found one selfe punishment as I have done. Hereafter suppose me the said Roberto, and I will go on with that he promised: Greene will send you now his Groats-worth of Wit," &c. But, as I imagine, in both narratives, he has exaggerated the incidents and heightened the colouring much beyond the truth, it is very difficult to determine what portions of them are to be received as facts. These two pieces may be regarded as among the best of Greene's pamphlets; and the ample extracts which I am about to make from them, will serve not only as illustrations of his life, but as specimens of his style in prose.

The Palmer's story in Never too Late,* opens thus: "In those dayes when Palmerin reigned King of great Britaine, famoused for his deedes of Chiualrie, there dwelled in the

creature indued with reason as thou art, excelling them in wisedome, exceede them in vanities? Hast thou turnd ouer the liberall sciences as a scholler, and amongst them all hast not found this general principle, that vnitie is the essence of amitie, and yet wilt thou make a diuision in the greatest simpathie of all loues? Nay, Francisco, art thou a Christian, and hast tasted of the sweet fruites of Theologie, and hast not read this in holy writt, pend downe by that miracle of wisedome Salomon, that he which is wise should reiect the strange woman, and not regard the sweetnesse of hir flattrie. If then, Francesco, Theologie tells thee such axiomes, wilt thou striue against the streame?" Part First, p. 48. ed. 1590.

I print from the edition of 1590: see the full title in the list of Greene's prose works appended to this essay. On the present occasion I have not quoted any of the verses with which this tract abounds, as they are all given in the second volume of this collection.

Citie of Caerbranck; a Gentleman of an ancient house, called Francesco, a man whose parentage though it were worshipfull, yet it was not indued with much wealth; in somuch that his learning was better than his reuenewes, and his wit more beneficiall than his substance. This Signor Francesco desirous to bend the course of his compasse to some peaceable Port, spread no more cloath in the winde than might make easie saile, least hoysting vp too hastely aboue the maine yeard, some sodaine gust might make him founder in the deep. Though he were yong yet he was not rash with Icarus to soare into the skie, but to crie out with olde Dedalus, Medium tenere tutissimum: treading his shooe without anie slip. He was so generally loued of the Citizens, that the richest Marchant or grauest Burghmaster would not refuse to graunt him his daughter in marriage, hoping more of his insuing fortunes, than of his present substance. At last, casting his eye on a Gentlemans daughter that dwelt not far from Caerbranck, he fell in loue, and prosecuted his sute with such affable courtesie, as the maide considering the vertue and wit of the man, was content to set vp her rest with him, so that her fathers consent might be at the knitting vp of the match. Francesco thinking himselfe cocksure, as a man that hoped his credite in the Citie might carrie away more than a country Gentlemans daughter, finding her father on a day at fit opportunitie, he made the motion about the grant of his daughters marriage. The olde churle that listened with both eares to such a question, did not in this in vtramuis aurem dormire : but leaning on his elbow, made present aunswere, that hir dowrie required a greater feoffment than his lands were able to affoord." The old gentleman, who was called Signor Fregoso, now goes home, and rates his daughter, whose name was Isabel, for having thought of marrying a man who was unable to maintain her. "And with that, he carried her in, and shut her vp in his owne chamber, not giuing her leave to depart but when his key gaue her license: yet at last she so cunningly dissembled, that she gat thus farre libertie, not to bee close prisoner, but to walke about the house; yet euerie night hee shut vp her cloathes, that no nightly feare of her escape might hinder his broken slumbers." Francesco is for some time unable to gain access to his mistress, or to communicate with her in writing. At