1801.] 
Long-bowes, Crofs-bowes, and Hand- 
gonnes, at all manner of markys and 
buttys and at the game of Popyemaye, 
or other game.or games, as at Fowle and 
Fowles, as well as yn oure Citye of Lon- 
don, the fuburbes of the fame, as yn all 
other places wherefoever yt be, wythyn 
thys oure Realme of England, Ireland, Ca- - 
lyce, and oure Marches of Walyesand ellys 
where wythyn any.of oure Domynyons, 
oure foreftys, chacys, and parks, without 
cure fpecial Warrant, and the Game of 
the Heyron and Feyfaunt wythyn two 
. miles of any of oure manners, caftellys, or 
other placys, where we fhall fortune to be 
or lye, for thetyme onely excepted and 
refervyed.”” Query, what is the Game of 
Popyemaye? 
JOHN THE ESSENE. 
Fabricius fays, (Cod. Apoc. 953,) that 
in the imperial library at Vienna exilts a 
manufcript Apocalyplfe by Saint John the 
Theologue, where mount Thabor is the 
fcene of vifion, and Antichrift a prominent 
character. Perhaps this is the original 
Apocalypfe which,according to Tertuilian 
aud Epiphanius, was rejeéted by the Cer- 
donians, the Marcionites, and the Theo- 
dotians. In which cafe what would it 
contain? No doubt an hieroglyphic hiftory 
of the Chriftian church prior to the fiege 
of Jerufalem: Nero would be his Anti- 
chrift, and-Jofephus his archangel Michael. 
It might enable us therefore to afcertain 
4 how tar the Chriftian opinions favoured, 
and in what degree the Chriftian intereft 
formed the nucleus.of that party, which, 
with the connivance of Agrippa’s diflem- 
bled loyalty, rebelled againt Nero, and 
was chieftain’d by Jofephus. It might 
affift too in afcertaining whether that John 
the Effene who was killed in battle near 
Afcalen, be the fame with our John the 
Evangelift. (Zof. War. iii. 2.) 
A GHOSTLY SCRUPLE. 
In all languages the words having a 
metaphyfical meaning gradually acquired 
fuch abftraét fignification; but defignated 
originally fome concrete quality of fub- 
fiance. Thus anima meant breath, be- 
fore it meant foul; and life meant body, 
before it meant vitality. Love is derived 
from lip; language from tongue; and cou- 
rage from heart. Vigor {prings from the 
foliage, and fiubbornnefs from the root of 
wood. Ardor was applied to natural hea, 
before it became defcriptive of a paffion of 
the mind. A word, therefore, which ori- 
ginally fignified wind, may in procefs of 
time fignify /pirit, or difpofition ; and a 
Extracis from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
237 
word, which originally fignified fre, may 
in like manner come to fignify fervor. 
Has not this probably been the cafe 
with thofe wards, whatever they were, 
employed by John the Baptift, (Luke iiis 
16.) who, according to Mr. Wakefield, 
told his hearers—‘¢ i indeed baptize you 
with water; but one mightier than I is 
coming, who will baptize you ina holy 
wind, and a fire.”” of 
Here is plainly an antithefis intended 
between carnal and {piritual baptifm, be- 
tween cleanfing the body and the mind, 
between phyfical and metaphyfical purifis 
cation: yet, according to this tranflator, 
wind (to fay nothing of the incomprehen- 
fibility of ¢a hely wind’) and fireare to be 
the means of this interior ablution. Why 
not render — ‘‘ One mightier than I is 
coming, who will bathe you in piety (ver= 
bally fanétanimity, holymindednefs) and ’. 
fervor?’ This, although boldly, orien- 
tally, metaphorical, is at leat intelligible; 
which cannot fo confidently be affirmed 
either of the orthodox or of the heterodox 
verfion. a : 
MILTON’S EARLY READING, No. I. 
While Milton was in Italy, he addrefled 
fome Latin verfes to his friend Giovanni, 
Battifta Manfo, of Naples, in which the 
following lines occur: 
O mihi fi mea fors talem concedat amicum, 
Phebzos decorafle viros qui tam bene norit, 
Si quando indigenas revocabo in carmine reges 
Arthurumgue etiam fub terris bella moven- 
tem 5 
Aut dicam invite fociali feedere menfz 
MagnanimosHzroas, et, o modo fpiritusadfit! 
Frangam Saxonicas Britonum fub Marte pha- 
langes. 
During the years 1638 and 1639, there- 
fore, Milton’s imagination was warmed 
in Italy, with romances concerning Ar- 
thur and the knights of the round table. 
What romances were thefe? Probably 
Evangelifta Fofia’s Il Galvano - 1430. 
Nicolo Agoftini Innamoramento di 
Lancilotto ° - a a 
- Innamoramento di 
Triftano -. _s SE 526 
Luigi Alamannit § Giron-cortefe 1548 
3 varchide — - 1570 
Erafmo di Valvafane Ii Lancilotto. 1580 
This laft beinggan unfinifhed poem, and 
the author a fag@trite poet with Milton, 
would have fuppited perhaps the four in- 
troduftory cantos of his Arthur. 
In 1632 Ottavio Tronfarelli publithed 
fome mufical dramas, among which occurs 
one entitled Creaxione del Mundo. The 
fir hint of Milton’s tragedy of Adam is 
afcribed 
x 
