Mar. 9. 1850.] 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 297 
and return thither. Acrostics of the truly noble, vertuous, 
and learned Lady, the Lady Agnes Wenman; of the 
Lady Penelope Dynham; of Mrs. Jane Wenman. 
Verses on the Chapel of Wadham College consecra- 
tion, St. Peter's Day, 1612; and on Caversham or 
Causham House.” 
My copy, however, contains the following 
poems, not mentioned in the other : — 
“Of a Great Floud; of the Raine-bowe; of Pen 
and Pensill, upon a fayre and vertuous Ladye’s Pic- 
ture; and the Spirituall Race.” 
The MS. contains 52 leaves, beautifully written, 
without any corrections, and is in the original 
binding. It was procured by Mr. Heber from 
Hanwell, the Bookseller in Oxford, who had pro- 
bably purchased it on the taking down of Ricot, 
the old seat of the Norreys family, and the dis- 
persion of its contents. It has the autograph of 
Francis Lord Norreys on the fly-leaf, and was no 
doubt a presentation copy to him from Basse. 
The poetry of this work does not rise above 
mediocrity, and is not equal in thought or vigour 
to the Epitaph on Shakspeare. The chief portion 
of the volume is occupied with the singular tale 
of “ The Youth in the Boat,” which is divided into 
two parts; the first, containing (with the intro- 
duction) 59 verses of four lines each, and the 
second 163, exclusive of the ‘“ Morall,” which 
occupies 1] more. 
We know that it was Basse’s intention to have 
published these poems, from some lines addressed 
by Dr. Ralph Bathurst “To Mr. W. Basse upon 
the intended publication of his poems, January 
13. 1651,” which are given in Warton’s Life and 
Literary Remains ‘of Dean Bathurst, 8vo. 1761, 
p- 288. In these lines the Dean compares Basse, 
who was still living, “to an aged oak,” and 
says :— 
“ Though thy grey Muse grew up with elder times, 
And our deceased Grandsires lisp’d thy rhymes, 
Yet we can sing thee too,” 
From these lines, therefore, written nearly 50 
years after the publication of his former works in 
1602, when we may reasonably suppose he could 
not have been under 20, it is certain that Basse 
was then well stricken in years; and the pro- 
bability is, that he died very shortly afterwards, 
and that this was the reason of the non-publica- 
tion of his poems. It is possible that a search 
into the registers at Thame or that neighbourhood, 
or in the court at Oxford, might settle this point, 
and also furnish some further information con- 
cerning his family and connections. Cole men- 
tions that a person of both his names was admitted 
a sizar in Emanuel College, Cambridge, in 1629, 
of Suffolk, and took his degree of B.A. in 1632, 
and M.A, in 1636. But this was too modern a 
date for our poet, and might possibly be his son. 
I have been informed that in Winchester 
College library, in a 4to. volume, there are some 
poems by Mr. William Basse; but the title of the 
volume I have not been able to obtain. 
Mr. Collier concludes his remarks, with a sup- 
position that Basse “ was a musical composer, as 
well as writer of verses.” I believe Mr. C. to be 
right in this notion, from a passage which I find 
in the commencement of the 2nd Part of “The 
Youth in the Boat,” where, alluding to “ sweete 
Calliope,” he remarks : — 
«“ A Muse to whom in former dayes 
I was extreamly bound, 
When I did sing in Musiques prayse, 
And Voyees heau’nly sound.” 
And from the circumstance also of one of the 
Ballads in the Roxburghe Collection, ‘“ Wit’s 
never good till ’tis bought,” being sung to the 
tune of “ Basse’s Carreere.” Mr. Collier has 
reprinted this in his elegant Book of Roxburghe 
Ballads, 4to. 1847, p. 264., and says : — 
“The tune to which it was sung, ‘ Basse’s Carreere,’ 
means, of course, the tune mentioned in Walton’s 
Angler, ‘The Hunter in his Career,’ composed, as he 
states, by William Basse.” 
I have a distant recollection of having seen 
other pieces in some of our early musical works, 
composed by Basse. Sir Harris Nicolas, also, in 
the ‘ Life of Walton,” prefixed to his edition of 
The Complete Angler, p. ¢xx., says :— 
“ He (Walton) appears to have been fond of poetry 
and music... . and was intimate with Basse, an 
eminent composer, in whose seience he took grcat in- 
terest.” 
I fear that these notices of William Basse, thus 
collected together from scattered sources, will not 
afford much information to Mr. Collier, beyond 
what he is already possessed of ; but they 
may possibly interest others, who may not be 
quite so conversant with our early writers as 
that gentleman is known to be. I shall feel 
much gratified and obliged if he or any other 
of your correspondents will add any further 
notices or communications respecting one who 
may possibly have been personally known to 
Shakspeare, but whose name, at all events, will be 
handed down to posterity in connection with that 
of our immortal bard. Tuomas CorsER. 
Stand Rectory, Feb. 22. 1850. 
JOHN STOWE. 
In the Gentieman’s Magazine, vol. vii., new 
series, p. 48., is a clever notice of the life and 
works of the venerable John Stowe. It says: — 
“ The biographers have aflirmed that he quitted his 
trade; but there is nothing to authorize that assertion 
in what he says himself upon the subject.” 
In the preface to an edition of the Swnmarie for 
