Sion's Elegies, wept by Jeremie the

Prophet.

THIS is a paraphrase of the Lamentations, in elegies of six couplets. And he follows the Hebrew form, by beginning them alphabetically.

backt with fears,

And I, poor I, lie pickled up in tears."

An Alphabet of Elegies upon Dr. Ailmer.

In the same form as the Lamentations, concluded with an alphabetical epitaph,in which, however, he leaves out X and Z, and makes I and U stand each, as in the dictionary, for two letters.

Elegy on Dr. Wilson of the Rolls. THE dedication, to Robert, son of Sir Julius Cesar, is very striking.

P. 505. "My passion has no April in her eyes.

I cannot spend in mists; I cannot mizzle; My fluent brains are too severe to drizzle Slight drops, my prompted fancy cannot shower

And shine within an hour."

"let such perfume Suspicious lines with skill, whilst I presume On strength of nature."

Spirit and evil he uses as monosyllables.

Mildreiados. To the Memory of Mildred, Lady Luckyn.

In this poem he has imitated the manner of Phineas Fletcher.

The epitaph is in shape of an hour-glass.

Gascoigne.

THE affair in which he was taken prisoner must be that which is so misrepresented in Grimestone's History, p. 558. See also P. Bor. i. 504, where, though still with an injurious suspicion, the matter is better explained. And the Commentarios of D. Bernardino de Mendoza, ff. 250.

land in March," it appears that he had visited that country before.

xl. A pretty stanza, but it tells what everybody knows.

Here is the opinion stated that the sick feel the ebb and flow.1

63. Strawberries seem to have required more care in winter then than now. Was this needless care? or had the plant not yet become acclimated?

85. What trees are meant by raisins? can this word be used for vines? I think not, because grapes, white and red, are mentioned in the same list.

86. "Dame Profit shall give thee reward for thy pain."

88. Cattle fed in the winter upon loppings; and sheep, during snow, upon misletoe and ivy.

96. This mutilation of fillies seems no longer to be practised. One is glad to find any barbarous practice fall into disuse.

102. Swans, a part of the live stock, 110. 109. And peacocks.

126. Number of dogs, a plague to the farmer.

131. Use of leeks in March.

132. "No spoon-meat no belly full, labourers think."

138. "Save step for a stile, of the crotch of the bough."

172. "Where chamber is sweeped, and wormwood is strewn,

No flea for his life dare abide to be known."2

181. The saffron plot served for bleach

pay."

28.

"Hog measeled kill,

For Fleming that will."

39." Thy measeled bacon-hog, cow, or thy boar,

Shut up for to heal, for infecting thy

store;

Or kill it for bacon, or souse it to sell
For Fleming, that loves it so daintily well."

41." Be sure of vergis, a gallon at least, So good for the kitchen, so needful for beast."

See The Doctor, &c. "The Spaniards think that all who die of chronic diseases, breathe their last during the ebb." P. 207. One volume.-J. W. W.

183." Grant harvest-lord more by a
penny or two,

To call on his fellows the better to do;
Give gloves to thy reapers, a largess to cry,
And daily to loiterers have a good eye."

188. "The better thou thrivest, the gladder am I."

190. Lent-provision: salt fish, and"Go, stack it up dry, With pease-straw between it, the safer to lie."

2 See Second Series, p. 637.-J. W. W.

The Fletchers.

GILES FLETCHER (the father I suppose) was involved in some factious opposition to Dr. Goad, the Provost of King's College; and confessed the slander and falsehood of the charges he had assisted in bringing against him. There are several letters upon this matter among the Lansdowne MS. p. 46, No. 23, 19 and seq.

Ib. p. 122, No. 65, 59. Dr. Fletcher to Lord Burghley, of his intention to write in Latin the history of the Queen's times, with a sketch of it.

Ib. p. 216, No. 112, 39. Some merchants, trading to Russia, represent that if some passages in Dr. Fletcher's History of Russia are not expunged, their trade will be ruined. The book was accordingly suppressed.

Some good remarks on both by Sir Egerton Brydges in the Preface to his Genevan edition of the Theatrum Poetarum.1

There also he observes, and I think justly, that Kirke White seems sometimes to have come nearest to the manner of Giles Fletcher.

DRAYTON.

In the original preface to the Heroical Epistles, he gives his reason why he observes not the person's dignity in the dedication of each couple: "Seeing none to whom I have dedicated any two epistles, but have their states overmatched by them who are made to speak in the epistles, however the order is in dedication, yet in respect of their degrees in my devotion, and the cause before recited, I hope they suffer no disparagement, seeing every one is the first in their particular interest, having in some sort sorted the complexion of the epistles to the character of their judgments to whom I dedicate them, excepting only the blamefulness of the person's passion, in

Geneva. From the press of Bonnant, 1824. In the copy before me, Southey has carefully marked this Preface.-J. W. W.

those points wherein the passion is blameful. Lastly, such manifest difference being betwixt every one of them, where, or howsoever they be marshalled, how can I be justly appeached of unadvisement ?" This part of the preface was omitted in the later editions.

He apologized also for his notes, saying that he had introduced the matters historical, which required such explanation, because "the work might in truth be judged brainish, if nothing but amorous humour were handled therein."

The dedications, of which he speaks, are in a very affected style. From that to Edward, Earl of Bedford, we learn that he was first bequeathed to the noble lady, his countess, "by that learned and accomplished gentleman, Sir Henry Goodere (not long since deceased), whose I was whilest he was, whose patience pleased to bear with the imperfections of my heedless and unstayed youth. That excellent and matchless gentleman was the first cherisher of my muse, which had been by his death left a poor orphan to the world, had he not before bequeathed it to that lady whom he so dearly loved."

Mary, the French Queen, was dedicated to Sir H. Goodere: and then to "the happy and generous family of the Goodere's " he "confesses" himself" to be beholding for the most part of his education."

To his most dear friend, Master Henry Lucas, son to Edward Lucas, Esq. he says, "Sir, to none have I been more beholding than to your kind parents, far (I must truly confess) above the measure of my deserts. Many there be in England of whom, for some particularity, I might justly challenge greater merit, had I not been born in so evil an hour, as to be poisoned with that gall of ingratitude." This seems to mean that he had met with unkind or ungrateful treatment.

"YET these mine own; I wrong not other

men.

Nor traffic farther than this happy clime,

In the debate upon sending Mr. Howard to the Tower, for the letter which he had circulated (1675), Mr. Mallett said, "There is another precedent, of Withers the poet, which if true does us justice."-Parl. Hist. vol. 4. p. 749.

Compare his conduct during the Plague with Van Helmont's, an enthusiast of a different kind. See p. 12.

"WHOEVER," says PHILLIPS," shall go about to imitate his lofty style, may boldly venture to ride post and versify."

Ben Jonson (vol. 8, p. 7-9) satirizes George Wither, and in a way which shows him to have been a popular writer at that time.

The plates in his emblems, first appeared in a book with this title; "Gab. Rollenhagii Emblematum Centuriæ," 2 vols. Cologne, 1613. M'Pherson's Catalogue.3

SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT.

"QUARRELS of Authors," vol. 2, p. 212. An account of the Attacks on Gondibert, in which D'Israeli has committed two extraordinary blunders: he speaks of the poem as published when Charles's Court gave the law-and supposes Dr. Donne to have been one of his four ironical vindicators.p. 230-1.

There are some verses by Charles Cotton (Chalmers, vol. 6, p. 748) in answer to some in the Seventh Canto of the Third Book of Gondibert, directed to his Father. This canto has not been published, but seven stanzas of it are prefixed to these verses of Cottons.

Gondibert, p. 92. An irreverent allusion to the Resurrection, not in accord with the feeling of the poem.

3 I may observe here, that Southey had a long cherished wish of editing a collected edition of Wither's Poems. He expressed himself to this intent on the imperfect republication of them by Gutch.-J. W. W.

"YET these, whom Heaven's mysterious choice fetched in,

Quickly attain devotion's utmost scope; For, having softly mourned away their sin, They grow so certain as to need no hope." Ib. p. 185. 187. Here too, as in G. Herbert, a prediction that religion will take its way to America.

198. "Common faith-which is no more Than long opinion to religion grown."

210. "For love and grief are nourished best with thought."

224-5. In favour of a universal monarchy. 250. "If you approve what numbers lawful think,

Be bold, for number cancels bashfulness. Extremes from which a king would blushing shrink,

Unblushing senates act as no excess."

With how much feeling might he write this!

294. Political feeling.

329-332. He would have the good labour to acquire wealth and power, as the means of beneficence. See, too, his preface, p. 19, 20. 51.

A just remark in his preface (p. 2), that "story, wherever it seems most likely, grows most pleasant."

6. As if Du Bartas ranked at that time above Ariosto in public opinion.

13. A fine passage, contrasting the philanthropy of the Christian religion with the Jewish and Gentile religions.

26. A remarkable passage concerning wit, not however taking it in Barrow's sense, but in its earlier and wider acceptation.

40. Conscientious writers become for that reason voluminous. A very just observa