[151] Munday did not always publish under his own name, and according to Ritson, whose authority has often been quoted on this point, translated "The Orator, written in French by Alexander Silvayn," under the name of Lazarus Piot, from the dedication to which it may be inferred that he had been in the army. "A ballad made by Ant. Munday, of the encouragement of an English soldier to his fellow mates," was licenced to John Charlewood, in 1579. [152] [See the more copious memoir of Munday by Mr Collier, prefixed to the Shakespeare Society's edit. of his "John-a-Kent," &c., 1851.] [153] That is, no printed copy has yet been discovered, although it may have passed through the press. [154] In Henslowe's MSS. this play is also called, "The First part of Cardinal Wolsey." [155] In 1620 was printed "The World toss'd at Tennis, by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley." Perhaps it is the same play, and Munday had a share in the authorship of it. [This is not at all probable.] [156] There is no list of characters prefixed to the old copy. [157] This forms the Induction to the play, which purports to have been written to be performed before Henry VIII., by Sir Thomas Mantle, who performed Robin Hood, by Sir John Eltham, who played the part of Little John, by Skelton, who acted Friar Tuck, by "Little Tracy," as he is called, who supported the character of Maid Marian, and others, whose names are not mentioned. The whole is only supposed to be a rehearsal prior to the representation of the piece before the king, and in the course of it Skelton and Sir John Eltham have various critical and explanatory interlocutions. Skelton, it will be observed, also undertakes the duty of interpreting the otherwise "inexplicable dumb-show." The old copy is not divided into acts and scenes. [158] [Old copy, _your_.] [159] [In the old copy this direction is unnecessarily repeated in detail.] [160] [The direction inserted on p. 107 is repeated in full in the 4to.] [161] This is in some sort a parody upon the well-known proverb, which is thus given by Ray-- "Many talk of Robin Hood, that never shot in his bow, And many talk of Little John, that never did him know." It is also found in Camden's "Remains," by Philpot, 1636, p. 302, though the two lines, obviously connected in sense, are there separated. [See also Hazlitt's "Proverbs," 1869, p. 276.] [162] This sort of verse, from the frequent use of it made by Skelton in his poems, acquired the name of _Skeltonic_ or _Skeltonical_. According to the manner in which the poet's character is drawn, he could not avoid falling into the use of it, even out of its place, in the course of the play; and of this a singular instance is given after the capture and discovery of Ely, when Sir John Eltham, in one of the interlocutions, complains of Skelton that in performing the part of Friar Tuck he fell-- "Into the vein Of ribble-rabble rhimes Skeltonical."