and
Buckler, or Serving Man's Defence_, in six-line stanzas, 4to. Lond.,
imprinted in 1602. A copy of this was sold in Steevens's sale, No. 767.,
and is now among "Malone's Collection of Early Poetry" in the Bodleian
Library at Oxford. And, according to Ritson, he wrote another work,
published in the same year, viz. _Three Pastorall Elegies of Anander,
Anytor and Muridella_, entered to Joseph Barnes, 28 May, 1692, of which
I am not aware that any copy is now in existence. These, with the
addition of _Great Brittaines Sunnes-set, bewailed with a Shower of
Teares_, at Oxford, printed by Joseph Barnes, 1613, the fragment of
which is in the possession of Mr. Collier, appear, as far as I can yet
ascertain, to be the only known publications of William Basse, with his
name attached to them in full. Other works, however, have been
attributed to him from the similarity of the initials,--but most of them
probably without much foundation; viz. 1. _Scacchia Ludus: Chesse-play_:
a poetical translation of Vida's poem at the end of _Ludus Sacchiae,
Chesse-Play_, by W.B. 4to. Lond. 1597; by Ritson. 2. _A Helpe to
Discourse; or a Miscelany of Merriment_, by W.B. and E.P. 2nd edit. 8vo.
Lond. 1620; by Mr. Malone. And 3. _That which seemes Best is Worst,
exprest in a Paraphrastical Transcript of Iuuenals tenth Satyre.
Together with the Tragicall Narration of Virginius Death interserted_,
by W.B. small 8vo. Lond.; imprinted by Felix Kyngston, 1617, by Mr.
Octavius Gilchrist, who however rather leans to the opinion of William
Barkstead being the author, from the circumstance of his having, as
early as 1607, paraphrased, much in a similar way, the interesting tale
of Myrrha, the mother of Adonis, from the 10th Book of the
Metamorphoses. (See _Restitutu_, vol. i. p. 41.)

Cole, in his MS. Collectanea for _Athenae Cantabrigiensis_, says:

"Mr. Knight, jun. shewed me a MS. written by William Basse, and
corrected by him, in 4to., called _Polyhymnia_.--Dedication. To
the Right Noble and vertuous Lady, the Lady Bridget, Countess of
Lindsey, and Baroness of Eresbie and Ricot, in verse, with
Verses to the Right Hon. Francis Lord Norreys, Earl of Berkshire
(in his days). To the Right Hon. the Lady Aungier (then wife of
Sir Thos. Wenman) upon her coming out of Ireland and return
thither. To the Right Hon. the lady Viscountess Falkland, upon
her going into Ireland, two Sonnets. The Youth in the Boat.
Acrostics