_Felicis si te juvat indulsisse libellis Malleoli, presens dilige lector opus. Illius ingenium variis scabronibus actum Perspicis, et stimulos sustinuisse graves. Casibus adversis, aurum velut igne, probatus Hostibus usque suis Malleus acer erat. Hinc sibi conveniens sortitus nomen, ut esset Hemmerlin dictus, nomine, reque, statu. At Felix tandem, vicioque illæsus ab omni Carceris e tenebris sydera clara subit._ This Hemmerlin in his Dialogue between a Nobleman and a Rustic, makes the Rustic crave license for his rude manner of speech saying, _si ruralis consuetudine moris ineptissime loquar per te non corripiar, quia non sermonis colorum quoque nitorem, sed sensus sententiarumque requiro rigorem. Nam legitur quod Demon sedebat et braccam cum reste suebat; et dixit, si non est pulchra, tamen est consucio firma._ The needle must have been considerably larger than Gammer Gurton's, which is never-the-less and ever will be the most famous of all needles. Well was it for Hodge when Diccon the Bedlam gave him the good openhanded blow which produced the catastrophe of that Right Pithy, Pleasant, and Merry Comedy entitled Gammer Gurton's Needle, well was it I say for Hodge that the Needle in the episcopal comedy was not of such calibre as that wherewith the Auld Gude Man, as the Scotch, according to Sir Walter, respectfully call the Old Wicked One, in their caution never to give any unnecessary offence,—Well, again I say, was it for Hodge that his Gammer's Neele, her dear Neele, her fair long straight Neele that was her only treasure, was of no such calibre as the Needle which that Old One used, when mending his breeks with a rope he observed that though it was not a neat piece of sewing it was strong,—for if it had been such a Needle, Diccon's manual joke must have proved fatal. Our Bishops write no such comedies now; yet we have more than one who could translate it into Aristophanic Greek.