Note THE ORIGINAL manuscript of Drummond's Notes has never been discovered. A copy, however, was made by Sir Robert Sibbald some time late in the seventeenth century and is now in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, bound with other papers in a volume marked Adversaria (Advocates MS. 33.3.19). This copy was unearthed by the late David Laing and edited by him for the Shakespeare Society in 1842. A new and independent transcript of Sibbald's manuscript has been made for our reprint by Miss B. B. Hutchen, which is here printed without any emendation. I should like to express my warm thanks to Mr. W. K. Dickson, Librarian of the Advocates' Library, for his help in the preparation of the Transcript. G. B. H. foot BEN IONSIANA Informations be Ben Iohnston to W.. D. when he came to Scotland upon 1619 Certain Informations and maners of Ben Iohnsons to W. Drumond i that he had ane intention to perfect ane Epick Poeme intitled Heroologia, of the Worthies of this Country, rowsed by fame, and was to dedidicate it to his Country, it is all in Couplets, for he detesteth all other things, said he had written a discourse of Poesie both against Campion & Daniel especially this Last, wher he proves couplets to be the bravest Sort of Verses, especially when they are broken, like Hexameters and that crosse Rimes and Stanzaes (becaus the purpose would lead him beyond 8 lines to conclude) were all forced 2 He recommended to my reading Quintilian (who (he said) would tell me the faults of my Verses as if he had lived with me) and Horace, Plinius 2dus Epistles, Tacitus, Iuvenall, Martiall, whose Epigrame Vitam quæ faciunt Beatiorem etc. he heth translated. 3. his Censure of the English Poets was this, that Censure Sidney did not keep a Decorum in making every one of speak as well as himself. Sidney |