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“ His sympathies were wholly with the Royalists,—the Roysterists, as he called them once; and, when the town surrendered, the "water poet" returned to London and kept a public-house under the sign of The Crown, in Phœnix Alley, Long Acre. ”

“ On his return to England he took up the trade of Thames waterman, and for a time at any rate was a collector of the dues exacted by the lieutenant of the Tower on all wines destined for London. The title of "Water Poet," which he owes to his occupation on the river, is a misnomer. Taylor was no poet, though he could string rhymes together with facility; his wit, which was vigorous and vulgar, found best expression in rollicking prose. He shows a broad sense of rough fun, occasionally of humour ”