JAN. 5. 1850. ] 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
147 
because it is sung in his Nice Valowr, was born about 
the year 1600, and died canon of Christchurch in 1644. 
Milton evidently took the hint of his L’ Allegro and 
Penseroso from it.” 
The same MS. (marked No. 21. in the Malone 
Catalogue) contains A Song against Melancholy, 
beginning — 
«« Returne my joyes and hither bring,” 
which I do not remember to have seen in print. 
Tt is also ascribed to Dr. Strode by Malone. I 
have now before me a curious musical MS. in the | 
hand-writing of the celebrated Henry Lawes, con- 
taining the music to Dr. Strode’s play of The | 
Floating Island, performed by the students of 
Christ Church, Oxford, on the 29th of August, 
1636. Itis followed by the two songs in question ; 
and, although the name of the author is not given, 
the fact of their being written in at the end of 
Dr. Strode’s “tragi-comedy,” in some measure 
confirms Malone’s statement. 
To turn to a different subject, although in some 
degree connected with it, I have great doubts as 
to the authorship of the clever poem entitled Ea- 
ale-tation of Ale, generally attributed to Fletcher's 
“brother in letters,’ Beaumont. The poem, I am 
aware, is to be found in Beaumont’s Poems, and 
may, on that authority, be assigned to him as its 
author ; but about one third of the pieces there 
printed as Beaumont’s, are referable to other 
writers, though left undesignated by the editor. 
I have in my library a copy of the poem in ques- 
tion, which may be thus described :— “ The Ex- 
ale-tation of Ale, the anciant Lickquor of this 
Realme; or a cleare definition of its efficatious 
opperation in severall pates, arts, and professions. 
London, printed by T. Badger, 1646. Small 8vo. 
7 leaves.” It begins as follows, and contains many 
variations from the copy given in Ritson’s English 
Songs : — 
“ Not drunken, nor sober, but neighbour to both, 
I met with a friend in Ales-bury Vale ; 
Hee saw by my face that I was in the case 
To speake no great harme of a pot of good ale.” 
A MS. note on the title-page of this little tract 
assigns it to Bishop Andrews, but on what autho- 
rity does not appear. Lord Bacon, indeed, tells 
us, “ The press hath been injurious to the memory 
of Bishop Andrews, to whom it owed a deep and 
solemn reverence. It hath sent forth a pamphlet 
upon an idle subject, under the venerable name of 
that great man, who was born grave and sober ; 
and still farther to aggravate the injury, it hath 
iven to that idle subject the idler title of The 
z-ale-tation of Ale.’ —Bacon’s Works, vol. i. | 
p- 180. edit. 1730. Perhaps some of your readers 
ean throw light upon this obscure subject. 
Epwarp F. Rimsavtr. | 
THE SCRIBE OTLOH, 
In the note respecting Otloh, on the first page of 
| your eighth number, the name of the well-known 
| Abbot Hilduinus is twice erroneously printed 
Hilderinus, probably in consequence of my in- 
distinct writing. I will take occasion to add, that 
Graff, in his Diutiska, does not give the whole of 
the interesting old German version of Otloh’s 
prayer, but merely corrections of that given by 
ez. 
It seems that. Otloh, in correcting and enlarging 
Willibald’s Life of S. Boniface, gave a large 
portion of the Saint’s letters; and therefore the 
editors of the Monumenta Germanie Historica 
(vol. ii.) reprinted Willibald’s Life, subjoining 
only Otloh’s preface, it being their intention to 
print the whole of S. Boniface’s letters in a sub- 
sequent volume. Your readers will have observed 
that our scribe is not remarkable for the elegance 
or correctness of his Latinity, and in this preface 
he adverts to the nodosa et perplexa oratio which 
his task imposed on him; but he has this Christian 
consolation: ‘“ Habeant amatores sapientiz se- 
cularis Tullium; nos imperiti et ignobiles, de- 
specti et contemptibiles, sequamur Christum, qui 
non philosophos, sed piscatores elegit discipulos.” 
Ss. W.S. 
[The foregoing furnishes, we trust, a satisfactory 
explanation to the kind remonstrances of our corre- 
spondent, “ A Sincere Wett-WisueEr,” on the subject 
of Otloh’s incorrect Latinity. ] 
WIVES OF ECCLESIASTICS. 
The following extract will tend to throw some 
light upon the customs formerly prevailing in this 
country as to the marriage of priests. 
In Parkin’s continuation of Blomefield’s History 
of Norfolk, vol. xi. p. 114. (edit. 1810), the follow- 
ing passage occurs :— 
« Parish of Randworth. It appears from the register 
of Langley Abbey, that there was a contest about the 
church of Pankford’s being a chapel belonging to the 
church of Randworth. One of the witnesses deposed 
that he had heard it said from more ancient times, that 
there were two powerful sisters, who enjoyed Rand- 
worth and Pankford, and they quarrelled who should 
take place in Randworth church, that being the 
chureb for both townships. Upon which one of the 
sisters built a wooden oratory in Pankford (where 
there is now a stone church) but the rector of Rand- 
worth had all the profit thereof. At length (as the 
neighbours said) a woman named Elswyd, having the 
| right of the said church and oratory, married Ralph, 
| chaplain or curate of Stokesby, to whom she gave the 
said church and oratory. By Elswyd he had a son, 
Hermer, who enjoyed it.” 
This Ralph de Stokesby was instituted in the 
reign of Henry I., and Hermer his son was insti- 
tuted by William Turbe (or Turbus), Bishop of 
Norwich. Parkin remarks, — 
