119 



teUs UBwasa " decayed cole myne," and le Ston Delfe with appur- 

 tenances in Tockell's in the town of Lyvesaye, commonly called 

 Wenshead, in the County of Lancaster, formerly belonging to the 

 Chantry of Leeland.* This grant, made on the petition, &c., of 

 Sir James Croft, Comptroller of the Household, appears to be 

 quite free, and without either purpose or reason assigned. 



There is yet one other point to be noticed, one other party to 

 be consulted. Sir John Harington, who is supposed to have 

 played an important part in this visit of 1592, was a writer and 

 a poet, and has left us some gossip about himself. The question 

 readily arises, has he any where noted this honour paid hun ? He 

 was a Godson of the Queen, and spent much time in endeavouring 

 through royal favour, to get taken from others, some land, which 

 he was advised did not belong to him by any right, or, as he puts 

 it, " he was always turninge his poor wittes towardes his suite 

 fOT his landes in the north." Once the Queen read some lines 

 which he had written and on this he made his Epigram No. 12, 

 concluding with the ever present strain :— 



Let ray poore muse your paines thus far importune, 

 To leave to read my verse and read my fortune. 

 In his " Brief Notes and Remembrances " he records, " 1 heare 

 that I am marked out for the nexte year's sherrife for the Countie 

 of Somersette," and he is found being sworn in to that office on 

 the 25th November, 1591, before Dr. Carew, Master in Chancery.t 

 In the " Nugce Antique," Vol. I., p. 167, writing about 1594, 

 he notes that the Queen " strode up and bade me reache forthe 

 my arme to reste her thereon. Oh what swete burden to my 

 next songe ! Petrarcke shall eke out good matter for this 

 busmesse." Yet this " courtlie minion," with this gossiping, 

 scribbling tendency, and the fact that he was Sheriff of Somerset 

 through 1592, makes no poem, no epigram, no mention anywhere 

 ot any royal visit to him in that or any other year. 



* 27 Eliz., part 17. Charter and Pat. Rolls. Roll. 1270. Vol. 38. Mem. 24. 

 t Stete Papers, 1591, v. 140. 



