=142.= This is a most singular section, since it presupposes that a gentleman’s servant would be able to recognise the rhythm of an English hexameter. As an early experiment in hexameters, it is very curious. In the original, it is printed as _prose_, but each line ends with a full stop, and the next begins with a capital letter. I have therefore printed it as verse. It is, however, of a rather rude character; _horne boget_ hardly comes up to our idea of a dactyl, nor _and shoes_ to that of a spondee. For the reader’s assistance, I may remark that the _dactyls_ are as follows: _Purse dagger, -chef shoyng-, horne boget, -ter sadel-, hatte with thy, Bowe arrowes, stringe and thy, Penne paper, -waxe pommes, bokes thou re-, -ble nedle, leste that thy, -gel gyue thy, se he be, Make mery, synge and thou, hede to thy, gere that thou_. The rest are spondees. I. R., not perceiving the law of rhythm, makes wild work of it. He calls it “An excellent rude Lesson in rude ryme.” He divides the lines rightly, and leaves the first three verses untouched. But the rest assume the following fearful forms. Penne, paper, incke, parchment, redde waxe, punisse (_sic_), and bookes doe thou remember, Penknife, combe, thymble, needle, thred, and poynt, least that by chaunce thy garth breake. Bodkin, knyfe, rubber, giue thy horse meate, See he be shodde well, make merry, sing if thou can, And take heede to thy needments, that thou loose none. I think we may fairly put these down as being the worst verses extant in the English language; though this is saying a good deal. =143.= 7. The saying doubtless represents a rude couplet in verse. The dative case _wyfe_ (governed by _of_) was formerly spelt _wyue_, and rimed with _thryue_. =144.= _Salomon_, Solomon. But where to find, in his writings, this remarkable sentence, I do not know.