Southampton and Shakspeare after 1594. Probably there was much else to
claim Lord Southampton's attention--his marriage, and the Essex
rebellion to wit. This, however, leads somewhat wide of the present
work.

So much for the circumstances which appear to have called forth "The
Choise of Valentines." The next consideration is, Has it ever appeared
in print before? Oldys, in his MS. notes to Langbaine's _English
Dramatic Poets_ (_c_. 1738) says:--"Tom Nash certainly wrote and
published a pamphlet upon Dildos. He is accused of it by his
antagonist, Harvey." But he was writing nearly 150 years after the
event, and it is certainly very strange that a production which it
can be shown was well known should, if printed, have so entirely
disappeared. At all events, no copy is at present known to exist.[e]
John Davies of Hereford alludes to it, but leaves it uncertain whether
its destruction occurred in MS. or in print. In his "Papers
Complaint"[f] he writes:--

But O! my soule is vext to thinke how euill
It is abus'd to beare suits to the Deuill.
_Pierse-Pennilesse_ (a _Pies_ eat such a patch)
Made me (agree) that business once dispatch.
And having made me vndergo the shame,
Abusde me further, in the Deuills name:
And made [me] _Dildo_ (dampned Dildo) beare,
Till good men's hate did me in peeces teare.

As regards the manuscript copies there are one or two points worthy of
note. At present we know of two, more or less incomplete, but each of
which supplements, in some degree, the other. These MSS. are