[5] “For coming from Venice the last summer, and taking Bergamo in my way homeward to England, it was my hap, sojourning there some four or five days, to light in fellowship with that famous Francattip Harlequin, who, perceiving me to be an Englishman by my habit and speech, asked me many particulars of the order and manner of our plays, which he termed by the name of representations.  Amongst other talk he enquired of me if I knew any such Parabolano here in London as Signior Chiarlatano Kempino.  ‘Very well,’ quoth I, ’and have been often in his company.’  He hearing me say so began to embrace me anew, and offered me all the courtesy he could for his sake, saying although he knew him not, yet for the report he had heard of his pleasance, he could not but be in love with his perfections being absent.”

Many of Nash’s works furnish evidence that he was well acquainted with Italian poets and writers.  Some allusions and translations are pointed out in the notes to the present reprint of “Summer’s Last Will and Testament.”

[6] It is called “A counter-cuff to Martin junior,” &c.

[7] It may be doubted whether Greene and Nash did not contribute to bring the occupation of a ropemaker into discredit.  Marston, in his “Parasitaster,” printed in 1606, for some reason or other, speaks of it in terms of great contempt.

“Then must you sit there thrust and contemned, bareheaded to a grogram scribe, ready to start up at the door creaking, prest to get in, with your leave sir, to some surly groom, the third son of a ropemaker.”

[8] There is a MS. poem in the Brit.  Mus. (Bibl.  Sloan. 1489) entitled “The Trimming of Tom Nash,” written in metre-ballad verse, but it does not relate to our author, though written probably not very long after 1600, and though the title is evidently borrowed from the tract by Gabriel Harvey.  Near the opening it contains some notices of romances and works of the time, which may be worth quoting—­

    “And he as many authors read
      As ere Don Quixote had. 
    And some of them could say by heart
      To make the hearers glad.

    “The valiant deeds of Knight o’th’ Sun
      And Rosicleer so tall;
    And Palmerin of England too
      And Amadis of Gaul.

    “Bevis of Hampton he had read
      And Guy of Warwick stout;
    Huon of Bordeaux, though so long,
      Yet he had read him out.

    “The Hundred Tales and Scoggin’s Jests
      And Arthur of the Round Table,
    The twelve Wise men of Gotham too
      And Ballads innumerable.”