38 



NOTES AND QUEPvIES. 



[No. 33. 



ception is easily apparent. The one, however, 

 may be fairly considered as a fac-simile of tlie 

 other. (See the Rev. Joseph Mendham's Literary 

 Policy of the Church of Rome exhibited, &c., chap, 

 iii. pp. 116— 128.) Mendham adds, that "there 

 is a copy of the original edition" of this index " in 

 the Bodleian Library, Oxford," presented to Sir 

 Thomas Bodley by the Earl of Essex, together 

 with the Belgic, Portuguese, Spanish, and Neapo- 

 litan Indices, all which originally belonged to the 

 library of Jeroiu Osorius, but had become part of 

 the spoil of the expedition against Cadiz, in 1596. 

 I am acquainted with the Bodleian copy of the 

 original edition of this rare work ; but I wish to 

 put the Query — Where is a copy of the counterfeit 

 edition of Serpilius to be seen, either with its 

 original title-page, or as it appeared afterwards, 

 when the mask was thrown off"? I am not aware 

 that any one of our public libraries (rich as several 

 of them are in such treasures) contains a copy of 

 this curious little impostor. J. Sansom. 



8. Park Place, O.-cford, May 29. IS50. 



cattrn'CiS. 



SIE GEORGE BUC. 



Can any of your readers inform me on what 

 authority Sir George Buc, the poet, and Master of 

 the Revels in the reign of James I., is recorded by 

 his biographers to have been a native of Lincoln- 

 shire, and to have died in 1623? In the Biogr. 

 Britann., and repeated by Chalmers, it is stated 

 that he was born in Lincolnshire, in the sixteentli 

 century, descended from the Bucs, or Buckes, of 

 ^Vest Stanton and Herthill, in Yorkshire, and 

 Melford Ilall, in Suffolk, and knighted by James I. 

 the day before his coronation, July 13, 1603. I\[r. 

 Collier, in his Annals of the Stage, vol. i., p. 374., 

 says, that on the death of Edmund Tylney, in 

 October, IGIO, he succeeded him as Master of the 

 Revels, and wrote his Treatise on the Office of the 

 Revels prior to 1615. He also says, — 



" In the sj-irin-f of 1622, Sir George Buc. appears to 

 have been so ill and infirm, as to be unable to discharcre 

 the duties of his situation, and on the 2nd of May in 

 that year, a patent was made out, appointing Sir John 

 Astley blaster of the Revels." — Biogr. Britann., p. 419. 



Ritson says that he died in 1623. Chalmers 

 supposed his death to have happened soon after 

 1622, and states that he certainly died before 

 August 1629. 



Sly reason for making these inquiries is, that I 

 have in my possession a 4to. manuscript volume, 

 believed to be in the handwriting of this Sir 

 George Buc, Avhich is quite at variance with these 

 statements in several particulars. The volume, 

 which is without a date in any part, and has only 

 the initials of the author, is entitled The Famous 

 History of Saint Geot'ge, England's brave Cham- 



pion. Translated into Verse, and enlarged. The 

 three first Chapters by O. B. His _first Edition. 

 It is extended to nineteen chapters, and compre- 

 hends also the histories of the other six champions, 

 as well as that of St. George. It is contained in a 

 thick 4to. volume of 524 closely written pages, in 

 Russia, and was formerly in the collection of the 

 Duke of Ro.Kburghe, whose arms are on the sides; 

 and afterwards in that of Mr. Heber. This MS. 

 is entirely in the handwriting of Sir George Buc, 

 as prepared by him for publication. The initials 

 " G. B." correspond with those of his name, and 

 the handwriting having been compared, is found 

 to be exactly similar to a MS. inscription, in Sir 

 George Buc's handwriting, prefixed to a copy of 

 his poem Aa<pv\<; UoKu<TTf(pavos, 4to., 1605, pre- 

 sented by him to Lord Chancellor EUesinere, and 

 preserved at Bridgewater House ; a fac-simile of 

 which is given by Mr. Collier in his privately 

 printed catalogue of that library, p. 41. 



The volume commences with a sort of metrical 

 preface, entitled The Muse's Apologie, in which he 

 says, — 



" Consider that my Muse is aged growne, 

 Whose pilgrimage to seventy-six is knoione." 



And again : — 

 " Thy nimble steps to Norfolk none forbeare, 



I'm confident thou sh^lt be welcom'd there, 

 AVhere that thy autor hee was bred and borne. 



Though to Parnassus Girles was never sivorne." 



The work is dedicated " To the vertuons Lady 

 and his most honoured friend, the Lady Bacon, at 

 Readgrave Hall, in Suffolk, wife to S"' Edmond 

 Bacon, Prime Baronett of England," commencing 

 thus : — 



" Faire madam, — Having nothing at present, I thought 

 was fitt {living at so far a distance) to present to y'^ 

 ladyship," &c. 



The distance here alluded to was probably 

 caused by the author's residence in London at that 

 time. This is followed by some lines " To the 

 Courteous Reader," beginning, — 

 " Some certaine Gentlemen did mee ingage 



To puhli-.h forth this work, done in myne age. 

 That this, my aged act, it may survive 

 My funerall and keep me still alive." 



and by others, entitled " The Autor," signed 

 " Valej G. B. ;" after which are added the follow- 

 ing lines : — 



" Some Poets they are poore, and so am I, 

 Except I bee relier'd in Cliaticert; ; 

 I scorne to begg, my pen nere us'd the trade, 



This book to please my friends is only made, 

 Whicli is performed by my aged quill, 



For to extend my country my good will. 

 Let not my country think I took this paynes 

 In expectation of any gaines." 



We know from Mr. Collier's Bridgewater Cata- 

 logue, that Sir George Buc had been indebted to 



