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in some way offended. The 'Merry Tales' were widely cir- culated as a chap-book, in times long subsequent to the author's death. Mr. Halliwell sought in vain for an edition printed earlier than the commencement of the present century. Like Joe Miller's Jest-book, probably no two editions were alike, portions being inserted or abstracted to suit the tastes of different ages and localities. Anth. à Wood bears un- hesitating testimony, however, to the antiquity of the original work, which he says was printed in London, in the reign of Henry VIII, at which period "it was accounted a book full of wit and mirth by scholars and gentlemen;" but he adds, "afterwards being often printed, it is now sold on the stalls of ballad singers."

In the edition of Mr. Halliwell (which exhibits satisfactory evidence of some interpolating hand having introduced local names and circumstances, for the purpose of accom- modating the anecdotes to the Nottinghamshire village) there are several jests which are still current as belonging to Sussex. A mayor is alluded to, though the first mentioned locality never had such an official ; and proximity to the sea is implied in one of the tales; but that which seems most distinctly to point to Pevensey is, the story of some men, who having stocked a pond with red herrings and other dried fish, and finding nothing in the water, next year, but a large eel, came to the conclusion that he had eaten all the fish, and resolved to put him to death by casting him into another pond—a sufficiently broad allusion to the practice of drowning crimi- nals, which formerly prevailed at Pevensey.⁹ The joke moreover was formerly told in East Sussex, as having occurred at this place. The tale is as follows :—

"When that Good Friday was come, the men of Gotham did cast their heads together, what to do with their white herrings, red herrings, their sprats, and salt fish. Then one consulted with other, and agreed that all such fish should be cast into the pond or pool which was in the middle of the town, that the number of them might increase against the next year. Therefore every one that had got any fish left did cast them into the pond. Then one said, 'I have as yet gotten left so many red herrings.' 'Well,' said the other, 'and I have yet left so many whitings.' Another immediately cry'd out, 'I have as yet gotten so many sprats left.' And said the last, 'I have got so many salt fishes.' Let them all go together into the great pond without any distinction, and we may be sure to fare like lords the next year. At the

⁹ See 'Custumal of Pevensey,' in Suss. Arch. Collections, vol. iv, p. 210.