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Drunken Barnaby's
Journal
book review
Barnabee Itinerarium; or, Barnabee's Journal. The
Seventh Edition: to which are prefixed, an Account of the
Author, now first discovered; a Bibliographical History of
former Editions of the Work; and Illustrative Notes.
London, printed for J. Harding, 1818. 12 mo.
'The best serious piece of Latin in modern metre,' says the
Quarterly Reviewer, 'is Sir Francis Kinaston's Amores
Troili et Cressidae, a translation of the two first
books of Chaucer's poem; but it was reserved for
famous BARNABY to employ the barbarous ornament of
rhyme, so as to give thereby point and character to good
Latinity,'
No XXXV. p.32.
THIS celebrated and popular poem, commonly known by the name
of Drunken Barnaby's Journal, was first published
without a date - probably, as the Editor thinks, about 1650.
The Second Edition was in 1716, small 8vo. and took the name
of Drunken Barnaby's Four Journeys to the North of
England. The Third Edition was in 1723, small
8vo. The Fourth in 1786, small 8vo. The Fifth
in April 1805, 8vo. The Sixth in Sept.
of the same year.
In the Second Edition a conjecture was made, that the Author
was one Barnaby Harrington, an airy being, of whose
earthly existence not one atom of proof has been even
attempted. The present indefatigable Editor, MR. HASLEWOOD,
had already gone the length of printing the text, and
sending his Preface to the Printer, on the 10th of October
last, when a passage in the Itinerary rendering necessary a
reference to one of the numerous publications of a forgotten
poet of that day, delivered at once to his delighted eye,
the secret of the Author of Barnabee's Journal, in
characters which neither left any doubt in his mind, nor can
leave any doubt in the mind of any one capable of weighing
the force of circumstantial evidence of identity: at least
it cannot do so when accompanied by the additional
coincidences which the pursuit of the same clue afterwards
unfolded.
This forgotten poet was no other than RICHARD BRATHWAYTE,
born 1588, who died 1673, aged 83, and whose productions
bear date from 1611 to 1665. Richard Brathwayte at the end
of his Strappado for the Divell, 1615, has an apology
for the errata, on account of 'the intricacy of the copy,
and the absence of the Author from many important
proofs,' &c. This is the express apology at the end
of Barnabee's Journal, that the copy was obscure; neither
was the Author, by reason of his distance, and employments
of higher consequence, made acquainted with the publishing
of it. &c. Similar apologies occur in Brathwayte's
English Gentleman, 1630 - his English
Gentlewoman, 1631 - his Essays upon the Five
Senses, 1635, &c. Even all the capitals and rule
ornaments used in the First Edition of Baranabee;s Journal
(and several are of rather peculiar character) are found in
a little work by Brathwayte, nearly contemporary, printed by
J. H. - probably John Haviland.
Having got thus far, let us compare the recorded facts of
Brathwayte's life with those which Barnabee relates of
himself. Barnabee says,
'Veni Applebie, ubi natus,
Primam sedem comitatus.'
Brathwayte was the son of Thomas Brathwayte, of Warcop,
near Appleby. (Wood indeed says that the poet was
born in Northumberland; but the neighbourhood of his
father's seat is a much more probable place,) The next
coincidence is still stronger.
Barnabee says,
'Veni Nesham, Dei donum,
In Coenobiarchae domum,
Uberem vallem, salubrem venam,
Cursu fluminis amoenam,
Laetam sylvis, et frondosam,
Herae vultu speciosam.
Veni Darlington, prope vicum
Conjugem duxi peramicam;
Nuptiis celebrantur festa,
Nulla admittuntur moesta,' &c.
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