And more, me thought I heard the Angels sing An Alleluia for to welcome him. As thus attendant faire Astrea flew, The Nobles, Commons, yea, and euerie wight. FINIS. VOL. II. L ART. XXII.-Will of Cowley the Poet: extracted from the Registry of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. 104 Carr. Cowley's last essay in his printed works is entitled "Of Myself." It is very beautiful, with a tone of individual melancholy throughout-fresh and pleasing at the fiftieth reading. It is well known: not so his last essay of all-his will, which I have had the good fortune to discover in the poet's own handwriting, in that rich field of biographical information, the Prerogative Will-office of the Court of Canterbury. Sprat makes a direct reference to it in the first paragraph of the poet's life; yet such has been the penury of research displayed by the several writers who have undertaken to exhibit in detail the few events of the poet's life, that it has been hitherto altogether overlooked. To lessen the reproach of neglecting the last essay of a poet and prose writer of Cowley's quality, I have had the will transcribed from the original for the pages of the Shakespeare Society's Papers. I have only to subjoin, in addition to the notes appended to the will, that Cowley died on the 28th July, 1667, and that the will (occupying two sides of a foolscap sheet of paper) was proved by the poet's brother on the 31st of the following August. Hammersmith, 22 August, 1845. P. CUNNINGHAM. TESTAMENT.1 In the name of God Almighty, to whom bee for ever all glory, Amen. I, ABRAHAM COWLEY, of Chertsea, in the county of Surrey, beeing at present by God's mercy in perfect health and understanding, and well considering the uncer 1 This is the endorsement in Cowley's handwriting. tainty of human life, most especially in these tymes of sicknes and mortality, doe, in attendance of God's blessed pleasure concerning my life or death, make and declare this my last Will and Testament as followeth. I humbly recommend my soule to that greate God from whom I had it, beseeching him to receive it into his bosome for the merits of his sonne, the saviour of sinners, amongst whome I am one of the greatest, and my body to the earth, from whence it came, in hopes of a happy resurrection. O Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, O Lord, I repent, pardon the weakness of my repentance. my 1 All my worldly goods, moneys and chattels, I bequeath to brother Thomas Cowley, whome I doe hereby constitute my sole heyr and executor, hee paying out of yt estate, wch it has pleased God to bestowe upon me, much above my deserts, these ensueing Legacies. I leave to my neveu Cowley (if hee bee yet alive) ten pounds. To my cosen Beniamin Hind, towards his education in learning, fivety pounds; To my cosen — Gauton, of Nutfield, in Surrey, for ye same use of his eldest sonne, fivety pounds; To my cosen Mary Gauton, twenty pounds; To Thomas Fotherby, of Canterbury, Esquire, one hundred pounds, wch [I] beseech him to accept of as a small remem 2 1 For his three brothers, he always maintained a constant affection: and having survived the two first, he made the third his heir.-Sprat's Life of Cowley. His brother lived in the King's Yard, i.e., the King's Arms Yard in the city. Letter from Cowley to Evelyn, Chertsea, May 13, 1667, in Evelyn's Memoirs, 4to. ed., vol. 2, p. 177. 2 Uncle of Martin Clifford, of the Charter House. Cowley acquired his friendship at Trinity College, Cambridge. "This brought him into the love and esteem of the most eminent members of that famous society; and principally of your uncle, Mr. Fotherby, whose favours he since abundantly acknowledged, when his benefactor had quite forgot the obligation."-Sprat's Life of Cowley, in a letter to Martin Clifford. brance of his ancient kindnes to mee; To Sir Will Davenant, twenty pounds; To Mr. Mart Clifford, twenty pounds; To Mr. Thomas Sprat, twenty pounds; To Mr. Thomas Cook, 2 twenty pounds; To Dr. Charles Scarburgh,3 twenty pounds; To Dr. Thomas Croyden, twenty pounds; To my mayd, Mary (besides what I ow her, and all my wearing linen) twenty pounds; To my servant, Thomas Waldron, ten pounds and most of my wearing clothes at my brother's choise; To Mary, my brother's mayd, five pounds; To the poore of the town of Chertsea, twenty pounds. I doe farther leave to the Honorable John Hervey,' of 1 Of Martin Clifford, usually called Mat Clifford, little is known. Wood mentions, in his manuscript additions to his own copy of the Athenæ Oxonienses, that he was a Lieutenant in Thomas Earl of Ossory's regiment, in 1660; for which he quotes Merc. Pub., p. 510. He was elected from Westminster to Trinity College, Cambridge, made Master of the Charter House, 17th Nov., 1671, and died 10th Dec., 1677. -Malone's Life of Dryden, p. 95. He is said to have had a hand in "The Rehearsal," performed for the first time on the 7th Dec. 1761; and to have been the author of "Four Letters" on Dryden's Poems, printed in 4to., 1687-ten years after his death. The last letter is dated Charter House, July 1, 1672. Sprat wrote the Life of Cowley in the form of a letter to his friend, Martin Clifford. 2 He (Mr. Cowley) told me the last time that ever I saw him of which his friend, Mr. Cook, is a witness.-Sprat's Life of Cowley. 3 Soon after his return to London, he was seized by some messengers of the usurping powers, who were sent out in quest of another man; and being examined, was put into confinement, from which he was not dismissed without the security of a thousand pounds, given by Dr. Scarborough.-Johnson's Life of Cowley. To Dr. Scarborough one of the Pindaric odes is addressed. Wood says he wrote a poem on Cowley's death, which he had sought for in vain. 4 * John Hervey, of Ickworth, Treasurer of the Household to Catherine, queen of Charles II., ob. 18th Jan., 1679-80. "The first 1 Ickworth, Esquire, my share and interest in his Highnes the Duke of York's Theater, And to ye Right Honble the Earl of St Albans, my Lord, and once kind Master, a Ring of ten pounds, onely in memory of my duty and affection to him, not being able to give anything worthy his acceptance, nor hee (God bee praised) in need of any gifts from such persons as I. If any thing bee due to mee from Trinity College, 2 I leave it to bee bestowed in books upon yt library, and I leave besides to Doctor Robert Crane, Fellowe of ye said College, a Ring of five pounds valew, as a small token of or freindship. I desire my dear friend, Mr Thomas Sprat, to trouble himselfe wth ye collection and revision of all such writings of mine (whether printed before or not) as hee shall thinke fit to be published, Beseeching him not to let any passe which hee shall iudge unworthy of the name of his friend, and most especially nothing (if any thing of yt kind have escaped my pen) wch may give the least offence in point of religion or good manners. And in consideration of this unpleasant task, I desire him to accept of my Study of Books.3 occasion of his entering into business was the elegy that he wrote on Mr. Hervey's death. This brought him into the acquaintance of Mr. John Hervey, the brother of his deceased friend; from whom he received many offices of kindness through the whole 'course of his life, and principally this, that by his means he came into the service of my Lord St. Alban's."-Sprat's Life of Cowley. Mr. Hervey's mother was Susan Jermyn, daughter of Sir Robert Jermyn, of Rushbrook, grandfather to Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Alban's. 1 Cowley's Comedy, "Cutter of Coleman Street," was acted at the Duke's Theatre for the first time on the 16th Dec., 1661. (See Pepys under that date.) The poet's friend, Sir William Davenant, was the patentee of the Theatre. 2 Trinity College, Cambridge. 3 Mr. Cowley in his will recommended to my care the revising of all his works that were formerly printed, and the collecting of those papers |