Allow me to supply a deficiency in my last volume of _Extracts from the
Registers of the Stationers' Company_, printed by the Shakspeare Society.
It occurs at p. 224., in reference to an entry of 11th Feb., 1587, in the
following terms:
"John Wyndett. Lycensed alsoe to him, under the B. of London hand and
Mr. Denham, An Analogie or Resemblance betweene Johane, Queene of
Naples, and Marye, Queene of Scotland."
In the note appended to this entry I point out a mistake by Herbert (ii.
1126. of his _History of Printing_), who fancied that the _Defence of the
Execution of Mary Queen of Scots_, and Kyffin's _Blessedness of Britain_,
were the same work; and I add that "the _Analogy_ here entered is not
recorded among the productions of John Windet's press." This is true; but
Mr. David Laing, of Edinburgh, has kindly taken the trouble to send me, all
the way from Scotland, a very rare volume, which proves that the _Analogy_
in question was printed by Windet in consequence of the registration, and
that it was, in fact, part of a volume which that printer put forth under
the following title:
"A Defence of the Honorable Sentence of Execution of the Queene of
Scots: exampled with Analogies, and Diverse Presidents of Emperors,
Kings, and Popes. With the Opinions of learned Men in the Point, &c.;
together with the Answere to certaine Objections made by the favourites
of the late Scottish Queene, &c. At London, printed by John Windet."
It has no date: but it may be supplied by the entry at Stationer's Hall,
and by the subject of the volume. The first chapter of the work is headed
"An Analogie or Resemblance betweene Ione, queene of Naples, and Marie,
queene of Scotland," which are the terms of the entry; and the probability
seems to be, that when Windet took, or sent, it to be licensed, the book
had no other title, and that the clerk adopted the heading of the first
chapter as that of the whole volume. It consists, in fact, of eight
chapters, besides a "conclusion," and a sort of supplement, with distinct
signatures (beginning with D, and possibly originally forming part of some
other work), of Babington's letter to Mary, her letter to Babington, the
heads of a letter from Mary to Bernardin Mendoza, and "points" out of other
letters, subscribed by Curle. The whole is a very interesting collection in
relation to the history and end of Mary Queen of Scots; but nobody who had
not seen the book could be aware that the entry in the Stationers'
Registers, of "_An Analogie_," &c., applied to this general _Defence_ of
her execution. The manner in which the "analogy" is made out may be seen by
the two first paragraphs, which your readers may like to see quoted:--
"Ione, Queene of Naples, being in love with the Duke of Tarent, caused
her husband Andrasius (or, as {114} some terme him, Andreas), King of
Naples (whom she little favoured), to be strangled, in the yeare of our
Lord God 1348."
"Marie, Queene of Scotland, being (as appeareth by the Chronicles of
Scotlande and hir owne letters) in love with the Earle of Bothwell,
caused hir husband, Henrie Lorde Darley, King of Scotland (whome she
made small account of long time before) to be strangled, and the house
where he lodged, called Kirk of Fielde, to be blowen up with gunpowder,
the 10th of Februarie in the yeare of our Lord God 1567."
In this way the analogy is pursued through twelve pages; but, for my
present purpose, it is not necessary to extract more of it. I beg leave
publicly to express my thanks to Mr. Laing for thus enabling me to furnish
information which I should have been glad to supply, had it been in my
power, when I prepared volume ii. of _Extracts from the Stationers'
Registers_.