Note 317 — QUARRELS OF AUTHORS; (continued 3)

As a specimen of what old Anthony calls “a jerking flirting way of writing,” I transcribe the titles of these answers which Marvell received. As Marvell had nicknamed Parker, Bayes, the quaint humour of one entitled his reply, “Rosemary and Bayes;” another, “The Transproser Rehearsed, or the Fifth Act of Mr. Bayes’s Play;” another, “Gregory Father Greybeard, with his Vizard off;” another formed “a Commonplace Book out of the Rehearsal, digested under heads;” and lastly, “Stoo him Bayes, or some Animadversions on the Humour of writing Rehearsals.”—Biog. Brit. p. 3055.

This was the very Bartlemy-fair of wit!