28.. The Pleasant History of Taffy's Progress to London, with the Welshman's Catechism

"Behold in Wheelbarrow I come to town,

With wife and child to pull the Taffies down:
For sweet St. David shall not be abus'd,

And by the rabble yearley thus misus'd."

London, Printed for F. Thorn, near Fleet-street, 1707, sm. 8vo. 29. The Life and Death of Sheffery Morgan, the Son of Shou ap Morgan. Newcastle, circa 1760, 12mo.

The following is a collection of our author's performances, so far as they are known, or capable of being identified :

1. Love's Court of Conscience. Written upon two severall Occasions; with new Lessons for Lovers. Whereunto is cunexed a kinde Husband's advice to his Wife. London, Printed for Richard Harper. 1637, 8vo. 16 leaves.

2. An Excellent Sonnet of the Unfortunate Loves of Hero and Leander. [A dialogue in verse.] To the tune of Gerards Mistris. By H. Crouch. Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wright. With four cuts.

3. A godly exhortation to the distressed Nation, shewing the true cause of this unnatural Civil War amongst us. In verse. London, Nov. 9, 1642. A sheet.

Br. Museum.

4. The Industrious Smith, wherein is shown, ́ How plain-dealing is overthrown.

A ballad [circa 1635]. Br. Museum.

5. The Lady Pecunia's journey into Hell with her speech to Pluto, maintaining that she sends more Soules to Hell than all his friends. With Pluto's answer and applause. In verse. London, Jan. 30, 1653-4. A sheet, with 2 cuts. Br. Museum.

6. The Parliament of Graces, briefly shewing the banishment of peace. London, Dec. 12, 1642, 4to. Br. Museum. 7. The Madman's Morrice,

Wherein you shall finde

The trouble and grief and discontent of his minde,

A warning to yong men to have a care

How they in love intangled are.

London [circa 1640]. A broadside in verse.

Br. Museum.

8. An Elegie Sacred to the memory of Sir Edmondbury God

fray. By H. C[rouch ?] London, 1678, folio. A sheet. Br. Museum.

9. The Greeks and Trojans warres:

Caus'd by that wanton Trojan Knight Sir Paris,

Who ravishes Hellen and her to Troy carries.

With a fit allusion

Before the conclusion:

Ireland is our Hellen fair,

Ravish'd from us from want of care.

By H. C. London [1640?], folio, a sheet.

Br. Museum.

10. England's jests refin'd and improv'd; being a choice collection of the merriest jests. By H. C[rouch?] 3rd. Ed. London, 1693, 8vo.

11. The Heroick History of Guy Earle of Warwick. Written by Humphrey Crouch. A sheet. London, printed for Jane Bell. 1655.1

12. The Distressed Welshman born in Trinity Lane, with a Relation of his unfortunate Travels. Printed by and for T. Norris, at the Looking Glass on London-bridge, n.d. 12mo. In With two woodcuts. In the Pepysian Library.

verse.

In Hartshorne's Book Rarities this tract is ascribed to Hugh Crompton; but it was, from the similarity of topic and style, far more probably Crouch's work. Besides, no one ever heard of any writer of the name of Hugh Crompton, except the author of Pierides, 1657, who must have been dead many years when this Distressed Welshman was first introduced to public notice.

13. The Mad Pranks of Tom Tram, Son-in-law to Mother Winter; whereunto is added his Merry Jests, Odd Conceits, and pleasant Tales, very delightful to read. In three parts. Of this there were several impressions; an early one is in the Pepysian.

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1 It is surprising how popular this subject was. Samuel Rowlands wrote a poem on it, which passed through many editions; and R. Oulton entered at Stationer's Hall, on the 24th of November, 1640, a book called The true Story of Guy earle of Warwicke. By Martyn Parker." In prose. See Ritson's Robin Hood, 1795, i. 127. But none of these later essays has the slightest literary or critical value, they being nothing more than penny histories.

Probably one of the earliest illustrative notices we have in print of Wales and the Welsh is contained in the second chapter of Borde's Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge, of which W. Copland printed two (or more) editions about 1550.

A play called The Welsh Traveller is mentioned in Sir Henry Herbert's Diary, under date of May 10, 1622, as a new play licensed for performance by the Children of the Revels. It is not known to exist in print or MS. Three other dramas, in which Welshmen are made to figure, are described by Mr. Halliwell in his Dictionary of Old Plays, 1860-viz. The Welsh Embassador, (circa 1625), The Welshman, 1595, and The Welshman's Prize, 1598. They all appear to have perished.

The editor is inclined to regard Crouch as the person to whom the modernized and lengthened version of the famous history of Tom Thumb should be ascribed. It will be found printed, with the older one, in the second volume.

OR

The Unfortunate WELCHMAN:

If any Gentleman do want a Man,
As I doubt not but fome do now and than,
I have a Welchman: though but meanly clad,
Will make him merry, be he nere fo fad:
If that you read, read it quite ore I pray,
And you'l not think your penny caft away.

BY HUMPHRY CROUCH.