X. TO ALTHEA FROM PRISON. This excellent fonnet, which poffeffed a high degree of fame among the old Cavaliers, was written by Colonel Richard Lovelace during his confinement in the gate-boufe Weftminster: to which he was committed by the houfe of Commons, in April 1642, for prefenting a petition from the county of Kent, requefting them to restore the king to his rights, and to fettle the government. See Wood's Athenæ, Vol. II. p. 228; where may be feen at large the affecting fory of this elegant writer, who after having been diftinguished for every gallant and polite accomplishment, the pattern of his own fex, and the darling of the ladies, died in the lowest wretchedness, obfcurity, and want, in 1658. This fong is printed from a scarce volume of his poems intitled, "Lucafta, 1649. 12mo." collated with a copy in the editor's folio MS. WHEN love with unconfined wings Hovers within my gates, And my divine Althea brings To whisper at my grates; When I lye tangled in her haire, And fetter'd with her eye, The birds that wanton in the aire, Know no fuch libertye, VOL. II. Y 5 When When flowing cups run fwiftly round With no allaying thames, Our careleffe heads with roses crown'd, 10 When healths and draughts goe free, Fishes, that tipple in the deepe, 15 Know no fuch libertle. When, linnet-like, confined I And glories of my king; When I shall voyce aloud how good, He is, how great should be, Th' enlarged windes, that curle the flood, Know no fuch libertìe. 20 XI. THE DOWNFALL OF CHARING-CROSS. Charing-crofs, as it stood before the civil wars, was one of those beautiful Gothic obelisks erected to conjugal affection by Edward I. who built fuch a one wherever the herfe of bis beloved Eleanor refled in its way from Lincolnshire to Westminster. But neither its ornamental fituation, the beauty of its ftructure, nor the roble defign of its erection (which did honour to humanity) could preferve it from the merciless zeal of the times: For in 164. it was demolished by order of the House of Commons, as popish and fuperftitious. This occafioned the following not-unhumorous farcafm, which has been often printed among the popular fonnets of those times. The plot referred to in ver. 17. was that entered into by Mr. Waller the poet, and others, with a view to reduce the city and tower to the fervice of the king; for which two of them, Nath. Tomkins, and Rich. Chaloner, fuffered death July 5. 1643. Vid. Ath. Ox. II. 24. Ndone, undone the lawyers ate, UNdone, They wander about the towne, Nor can find the way to Westminster, Now Charing-crofs is downe: At the end of the Strand, they make a fland, 5 Swearing they are at a lofs, And chafing fay, that's not the way, They must go by Charing crofs. Y 2 The . The parliament to vote it down For fear it should fall, and kill them all, To give command, it fhould not stand, Men talk of plots, this might have been worse For any thing I know, Than that Tomkins, and Chaloner Were hang'd for long agoe. Our parliament did that prevent, 10 15 20 Methinks the common-council fhou'd Of it have taken pity, 'Caufe, good old crofs, it always stood So firmly to the city. Since croffes you so much difdain, Faith, if I were as you, For fear the king fhould rule again, I'd pull down Tiburn too. 45 ** Whitlocke fays, " May 3. 1643, Cheapfide cross and "other croffes were voted down," &c. When this vote was put in execution does not appear, probably not till many months after Tomkins and Chaloner had fuffered. See above ver. 18. We had a very curious account of the pulling down of Cheapfide Crofs lately published in one of the numbers of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, 1766. |