[125] The same virtuous tone and purpose appear invariably in the dedications of his books to his patrons or friends. To all of them he wishes "increase of worship and vertue," and he commends them all "to the tuition of the Almightie." [126] Thomas Nash, "The Anatomie of Absurditie," London, 1590, 4to, written in 1588. There seems to be no doubt that Nash refers to Greene in the passage: "I but here the Homer of women hath forestalled an objection," &c., sig. A ii. [127] "Alcida," "Works," vol. ix. p. 17. [128] "The Royal Exchange, contayning sundry aphorismes of phylosophie ... fyrst written in Italian," 1590, "Works," vol. vii. p. 224 [129] "Greenes never too late," 1590, "Works," vol. viii. p. 25. [130] Greene and Lyly are placed on a par by J. Eliote, a friend of the former; in the sonnet, in Stratford-at-Bow French, he wrote in commendation of Greene's "Perimedes": "Greene et Lylli tous deux raffineurs de l'Anglois." See also the commendatory verses by H. Upchear, prefacing "Menaphon": "Of all the flowers a _Lillie_ one I lov'd." [131] 1592, "Works," vol. xi. [132] Some faint resemblance has been pointed out by Dunlop between this story and the tale of Tito and Gisippo in the "Decameron," giornata x. novella 8. [133] "The City Nightcap, or crede quod habes et habes, a tragi-comedy," London, 1661, 4to, licensed 1624, reprinted in Dodsley's "Old plays." [134] "The debate betweene Follie and Love, translated out of French," 1587, "Works," vol. iv. [135] "Ciceronis amor Tulies love ... a work full of pleasure, as following Ciceroes vaine," 1589, "Works," vol. vii. This work is noteworthy as being an almost if not quite unique example of an attempt in Elizabethan times to write a pseudo-historical novel in the style of the period referred to. Greene set to work expressly with such a purpose, and he states it in the title of the book and in its preface: "Gentlemen, I have written of Tullies love, a worke attempted to win your favours, but to discover mine owne ignorance in that coveting to counterfeit Tullies phrase, I have lost myself in unproper words." In this tale Cicero is represented standing at the tribune and haranguing the senate: "Conscript fathers and grave senators of Rome," &c. [136] "Penelopes web," 1587, "Works," vol. iv. p. 233. [137] "There dwelled in Bononia a certaine Knight called Signior Bonfadio" ("Morando"). "There dwelled in the citie of Metelyne a certain Duke called Clerophantes" ("Greenes carde of fancie"). "There dwelled ... in the citie of Memphis a poore man called Perymedes" ("Perimedes"), &c. [138] London, 1672.