f
the Spanish armada, etc., other news sheets did actually exist in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, a list of which has been compiled by Dr.
Rimbault. The titles of some of them are: _New Newes, containing a short
rehearsal of Stukely and Morice's Rebellion_, 1579; _Newes from
Scotland, declaring the damnable Life of Doctor Fian, a notable
Sorcerer, who was burned in Edenborough in January last_, 1591; _Newes
from Spain and Holland_, 1593; _Newes from Flanders_, 1599; _Newes out
of Cheshire of the new-found Well_, 1600; _Newes from Gravesend_, 1604.
As time went on, these 'pamphlets of newes' increased in number. They
treated of all kinds of intelligence; some derived their materials from
foreign countries, and some from different parts of the kingdom at home;
some were true, and some were false. Thus we find, among others,
_Lamentable Newes out of Monmouthshire, in Wales, containinge the
wonderfull and fearfull Accounts of the great overflowing of the Waters
in the said Countye_, 1607; _Newes from Spain_, 1611; _Newes out of
Germanie_, 1612; _Wofull Newes from the west partes of England, of the
burning of Tiverton_, 1612; _Good Newes from Florence_, 1614; _Strange
Newes from Lancaster, containinge an Account of a prodigious Monster,
born in the Township of Addlington, in Lancashire, with two bodyes
joined to one back_, 1613; _Newes from Italy_, 1618; _Newes out of
Holland_, 1619; _Vox Populi, or Newes from Spain_, 1620. About this time
the news sheets began to assume particular and distinctive titles, under
which they appeared at uncertain intervals. We meet with _The Courant,
or Weekly Newes from Foreign Parts_, 1621; _The certain Newes of this
present Week_, 1622; _The Weekly Newes from Italy, Germany, etc._, 1622,
a title which was shortly after exchanged for that of _Newes from most
Parts of Christendom, London, printed for Nathaniel Butler and William
Sheppard_. These names ought to be preserved, as being those of the
great pioneers of regular journalism. It appears, however, that they did
not always keep the same title for their newspaper, for sometimes it was
called _The Last Newes_; at others, _The Weekly Newes continued_; _More
Newes_; _Our Last Newes_, and other various renderings of the same
theme. This great progenitor of a mighty race also adopted a system of
numbering, and, though exposed to many dangers and vicissitudes, did not
finally disappear until 1640. Butler and his contemporaries had to
struggle wit