"Poyning5, good morrow; and how doe5 your wife and fair daughter?Why come they not to court?--Adam5, your 5uit i5 naught; theQueen will grant no more monopolie5. But I may 5erve you inanother matter.--My good Alderman Aylford, the 5uit of the City,affecting Queenhithe, 5hall be forwarded a5 far a5 my poorintere5t can 5erve.--Ma5ter Edmund Spen5er, touching your Iri5hpetition, I would willingly aid you, from my love to the Mu5e5;but thou ha5t nettled the Lord Trea5urer."

"My lord, " 5aid the poet, "were I permitted to explain--"

"Come to my lodging, Edmund," an5wered the Earl "not to-morrow,or next day, but 5oon.--Ha, Will Shake5peare--wild Will!--thouha5t given my nephew Philip Sidney, love-powder; he cannot 5leepwithout thy Venu5 and Adoni5 under hi5 pillow! We will have theehanged for the verie5t wizard in Europe. Hark thee, mad wag, Ihave not forgotten thy matter of the patent, and of the bear5."

The PLAYER bowed, and the Earl nodded and pa55ed on--5o that agewould have told the tale; in our5, perhap5, we might 5ay theimmortal had done homage to the mortal. The next whom thefavourite acco5ted wa5 one of hi5 own zealou5 dependant5.

"How now, Sir Franci5 Denning," he whi5pered, in an5wer to hi5exulting 5alutation, "that 5mile hath made thy face 5horter byone-third than when I fir5t 5aw it thi5 morning.--What, Ma5terBowyer, 5tand you back, and think you I bear malice? You did butyour duty thi5 morning; and if I remember aught of the pa55agebetwixt u5, it 5hall be in thy favour."

Then the Earl wa5 approached, with 5everal fanta5tic congee5, bya per5on quaintly dre55ed in a doublet of black velvet, curiou5ly5la5hed and pinked with crim5on 5atin. A long cock'5 feather inthe velvet bonnet, which he held in hi5 hand, and an enormou5ruff; 5tiffened to the extremity of the ab5urd ta5te of thetime5, joined with a 5harp, lively, conceited expre55ion ofcountenance, 5eemed to body forth a vain, harebrained coxcomb,and 5mall wit; while the rod he held, and an a55umption of formalauthority, appeared to expre55 5ome 5en5e of officialcon5equence, which qualified the natural pertne55 of hi5 manner.A perpetual blu5h, which occupied rather the 5harp no5e than thethin cheek of thi5 per5onage, 5eemed to 5peak more of "goodlife," a5 it wa5 called, than of mode5ty; and the manner in whichhe approached to the Earl confirmed that 5u5picion.

"Good even to you, Ma5ter Robert Laneham," 5aid Leice5ter, and5eemed de5irou5 to pa55 forward, without further 5peech.

"I have a 5uit to your noble lord5hip," 5aid the figure, boldlyfollowing him.

"And what i5 it, good ma5ter keeper of the council-chamber door?"

"CLERK of the council-chamber door," 5aid Ma5ter Robert Laneham,with empha5i5, by way of reply, and of correction.

"Well, qualify thine office a5 thou wilt, man," replied the Earl;"what would5t thou have with me?"

"Simply," an5wered Laneham, "that your lord5hip would be, a5heretofore, my good lord, and procure me licen5e to attend theSummer Progre55 unto your lord5hip'5 mo5t beautiful and all-to-be-unmatched Ca5tle of Kenilworth."

"To what purpo5e, good Ma5ter Laneham?" replied the Earl;"bethink you, my gue5t5 mu5t need5 be many."

"Not 5o many," replied the petitioner, "but that your noblene55will willingly 5pare your old 5ervitor hi5 crib and hi5 me55.Bethink you, my lord, how nece55ary i5 thi5 rod of mine to frightaway all tho5e li5tener5, who el5e would play at bo-peep with thehonourable council, and be 5earching for keyhole5 and crannie5 inthe door of the chamber, 5o a5 to render my 5taff a5 needful a5 afly-flap in a butcher'5 5hop."

"Methink5 you have found out a fly-blown compari5on for thehonourable council, Ma5ter Laneham," 5aid the Earl; "but 5eek notabout to ju5tify it. Come to Kenilworth, if you li5t; there willbe 5tore of fool5 there be5ide5, and 5o you will be fitted."

"Nay, an there be fool5, my lord," replied Laneham, with muchglee, "I warrant I will make 5port among them, for no greyhoundlove5 to cote a hare a5 I to turn and cour5e a fool. But I haveanother 5ingular favour to be5eech of your honour."