the idiot Martin to hold his peace, seeing the patch
will take no warning. Written by one that dares call a dog, a
dog, and made to prevent Martin's dog daies. Imprinted by John
Anoke, and John Astile, for the Baylive of Withernam, cum
privilegio perennitatis, and are to bee sold at the signe of the
crab tree cudgell in thwackcoate lane.'

In 1523 Richard Bankes printed a curious little tract with the following
title: 'Here begynneth a lytell newe treatyse or mater intytuled and
called The IX. Drunkardes, which treatythe of dyuerse and goodly storyes
ryght plesaunte and frutefull for all parsones to pastyme with.' I hasten
to add that the 'parsones' of Mr. Bankes' day were not necessarily in
holy orders. It was printed in octavo, black letter, and the only copy
that seems to be known is in the Douce collection at the Bodleian.

Professor Edward Arber's 'Introductory Sketch to the Martin Marprelate
Controversy,' which appeared in 1895, contains a list of the more
important tracts connected with that subject; and you will find Mr. W.
Pierce's 'Historical Introduction to the Marprelate Tracts' (1908)
useful. There are valuable lists of, and information upon, pamphlets of
most descriptions and of all periods in the volumes of the 'Cambridge
History of English Literature.' Mr. A. F. Pollard's 'Tudor Tracts,
1532-1588' appeared in 1903.

One of the most remarkable collections of pamphlets ever formed was that
amassed during the Commonwealth by an enterprising London bookseller
named George Thomason. He succeeded in gathering together[87] more than
22,000 pamphlets and tracts relating to the times; and being an ardent
Royalist, was at great pains to prevent the collection from becoming
known to the authorities. When the Royalist cause was scotch'd by the
execution of King Charles, the collection was transferred to Oxford, and
lodged in the Bodleian Library for safety; and although Thomason died in
1666, his collection remained at Oxford until nearly a century later,
when it was purchased by King George III. for L300, and presented by him
to the British Museum.

It is, of course, quite priceless now, and contains a large number of
tracts not otherwise known. A catalogue of the collection was printed by
the Museum authorities in 1908, two demy octavo volumes with the title:
'A Catalogue of the Pamphlets, Books, Newspapers, and Manuscripts
relating to the Civil War, the Commonwealth, and Restoration, c