The Palace of Pleasure Volume I Part 7

[Transcriber's Note: The symbol represented here by Cyrillic ? has not been identified.

The following "vo" may be an error for "v{o}" (with superscript "o"), meaning either "quinto" (5th) or "ultimo" (last).]

XI.

APPLICATION OF J. PAINTER (Abstract).

_Brit. Mus. Lansd. MS._ 75, No. 55.)

_Sept. 26. 1593._--The best experience of faithful and true endeavours is to be opposed by politic and malicious adversaries whose slanderous informations have lately been used against him which he has truely answered and has been examined by Sir Geo: Carewe with the copies of the monthe's books and therefore he trusts his Hon: will be satisfied. He hopes his slanderers will be punished, or it will be a precedent to others. He has served H.M. faithfully being encouraged by hopes of preferment. He yearly increases H.M. Store to the value of 2,000 by taking the returns of such munitions as return from the seas unspent in H.M. s.h.i.+ps, which formerly were concealed and converted to private use.

He has deciphered so many deceipts as amount to above 11,000. He is ready to show a number of abuses by which H.M. pays great sums of money which do not benefit her service, and finally by his experience he has been able to do Her Majesty profitable service, the particulars of which he is ready to show when required, and he trusts he deserves more favour and regard than to be utterly discredited and disgraced through the information of the person who through malice seeks to be revenged of him, because he saves H.M. 40 a year which this person sued for, for taking the aforesaid remains.

XII.

CHARGES AGAINST PAINTER'S SON.

(_Brit. Mus.: Lansdown MS._ 78, No. 29.)

Right Honourable, I thought it my duty to aduertise yo{r} ho: of dyw{r}se misdemeano{rs} comytted against her Ma{te} in and about the Tower, when yo{r} lo{p} shall please to command me to attend yo{u} in the meane tyme I hold it most fytt to give yo{u} to vnderstand that vnderstandinge of Mr. Anthonie Paynter should make his vawnt of his playnes and truth of thencising of his fathers place being deputye vnto him thus much I am able to averr that in false entryes false debentes ymbeseling of powder, and other deceipte as come XVc{Ii} as by informand re{cd} to be put in against him the last term begonn by hogg who had mistaking the daye ffor his father I send yo{r} lo{p} matter of XXVIj m{ll} Against him It is uery fitt if it may stand w{th} yo{r} ho: good liking all booke and recorde ap(per)teying to her Ma{e} be taken into the costody of some whom yo shall think mete to kepe them to her Ma{te} vse And so leaving the same to yo{r} honourable care I doe humbly take my leave the Tower this XXj{th} of february

Y{r} ho: most humbly Att Commandme{t} N. Raynberd.

_Endorsed_ 21 Feb. 1594 M{r} Rainberd steward of y{e} Tower to my l: Informac?on against M{r} Paynter of abuses in his office.

a.n.a.lYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS.

[In the following notes, _Source_ refers to the origin whence Painter most probably obtained the tale; _Origin_ to the earliest appearance of it in literature: these often coincide. I have included all the information given by Haslewood.]

I. HORATII AND CURIATII.

The Romaines and the Albanes being at warres, for iniuries mutually inferred, Metius Suffetius, the Albane captaine, deuised a waye by a combate to ioygne bothe the cities in one. Victorie falling to the Romaines, the Romaine victor killed his sister and was condemned to die.

Afterwardes, upon his father's sute, he was deliuered.

[_Source and Origin._--Livy, i. 26.

_Parallels._--I. _Ancient_: Cicero, _Pro Mil._ 37; Dionys. Hal. iii.

21, 22; Plutarch, _Par. Min._ 16; Valerius Max. vi. 36; Florus, i. 3; Zonar, vii. 6. II. _Mediaeval_: Holkot, _Moral._ 12. III.

_Modern:_ Wolgemuth, ii. 74; Kirchhof, _Wendenmuth_, i. 13, vi. 61; Albertinus, _l.u.s.thauss_, 1619, 191; Corneille, _Horace; Acerra Philologica_, 1708, ii. 15.

_Painter_, Ed. I. (1566) i. 1; II. (1575)[65] i. 1; III. i. 1; IV.

i. 15.]

[Footnote 65: The reprint of 1569 is not taken into account in giving the pagination.]

II. THE RAPE OF LUCRECE.

s.e.xtus Tarquinius ravished Lucrece. And she, bewailing the losse of her chast.i.tie, killed herselfe.

[_Source and Origin._--Livy, i. 57-60.

_Parallels._--I. _Ancient_: Dionys. Hal. iv. 64; Cicero, _De Fin._ ii. 20-26; Val. Max. 6, i. 1; Ovid, _Fasti_, ii. 761; Aurel. _De Vir. Ill._ 9; Augustin, _De Civit. Dei_, i. 19. II. _Mediaeval_: Vincent Bellov. _Spec. Doct._ iv. 100; _Gesta Rom._, 135; _Violier_, 113. III. _Modern_: Hans Sachs, i. 2, 184; 3, 21, _Ein schon spil von der geschicht der edlen Romerin Lucretia_, Stra.s.sburg, 1550, 8vo; Kirchhof, vi. 67-70; _Eutrapelos, i. 92_; _Acerra_, ii. 51; _Histor. Handbuchlein_, 247; Albertinus, 279; Abraham a Sta. Clara, _Etwas fur Alle_, ii. 623.

_Painter_, Ed. I. i. 5; II. i. 5; III. i. 8; IV. i. 22.

_Derivates._--There can be no doubt Shakspeare derived his _Rape of Lucrece_ from Painter, though he has expanded the four pages of his original into 164 stanzas. Heywood has also a play called _The Rape of Lucrece_.]

III. MUCIUS SCaeVOLA.

The siege of Rome by Porsenna, and the valiaunt deliuerie thereof by Mutius Scaeuola, with his stoute aunswere vnto the kinge.

[_Source and origin._--Livy, ii. 12. 13.

_Parallels._--I. _Ancient_: Plutarch, _Public_. 17; Valerius Max. 3.

3. I; Dionys. 5 27-30; Aurel. Vict. 72; Cicero, _pro s.e.xt._ 21. 48; Flor. i. 105; Martial, i. 51; Orosius, ii. 5; Augustin, _De Civit._ v. 18; Zonar, vii. 12; Dio Ca.s.s. 45, 31; 46, 19; 53, 8. II.

_Modern_: H. Sachs, I. 2. 156: 2. 3. 39; Kirchhof, i. 15; Acerra, i. 19; Albertinus, 287.

_Painter_, I. i. 7; II. i. 7; III. i. 12; IV. 26.

_Derivates._--A play called _Mutius Scevola_ was played at Windsor in 1577 (Fleay, _Hist. of Stage_, p. 380).]

IV. CORIOLa.n.u.s.

Martius Coriola.n.u.s goinge aboute to represse the common people of Rome with dearth of Corne was banished. For reuengement whereof he perswaded Accius Tullius king of the Volscians, to make warres upon the Romaynes, and he himselfe in their ayde, came in his owne person. The Citie brought to greate miserye, the fathers deuised meanes to deliuer the same, and sent vnto the Volscian campe, the mother, the wife and children of Coriola.n.u.s. Vpon whose complaintes Coriola.n.u.s withdrewe the Volscians, and the citie was reduced to quietnes.

[_Source and Origin._--Livy, ii. 35 _seq._

_Parallels._--I. _Ancient_: Dionys. Hal. viii. 1; Zonar vii. 16; Plutarch _Coriola.n.u.s_; Val. Max. 5. 4. I; Dio Ca.s.s. (Exc. Vat.) 16 p. 148; Aur. Vict. 19. II. _Mediaeval_: Holkot _Narrat._ 175; _Gesta Rom._, Lat. 137; Germ. 89; _Violier_, 115; _Rosarium, i. 120_. III.

_Modern_: Abr. a St. Clara; _Laubenhut_, I. 301; _Acerra_, 2. 17; Albertinus, 291; Kirchhof, vi. 73-6, 82.

_Painter_, I. i. 9; II. i. 9; III. i. 35; IV. i. 29.

_Derivates._--It is possible that Shakespeare first got the idea of the dramatic capabilities of the story of Coriola.n.u.s from Painter though he filled in the details from North's Plutarch.]

V. APPIUS AND VIRGINIA.

Appius Claudius, one of the Decemuiri of Rome, goeth about to rauishe Virginia a yonge mayden, which indeuour of Appius, when her father Virginius vnderstode being then in the warres, hee repaired home to rescue his doughter. One that was betrouthed vnto her, clamed her, whereupon rose great contention. In the ende her owne father, to saue the shame of his stocke, killed her with a Bocher's knife, and went into the Forum, crying vengeance vpon Appius. Then after much contention and rebellion, the Decemuiri were deposed.

[_Source._--Giovanni, _Pecorone_, giorn. xx. nov. 2.