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Mr. Hayley thus speaks of this dedication in the Life of Cowper. "If we turn to an early season of our epistolary language, we may observe, that the Letter of Sir Philip Sidney to his Sister, Lady Pembroke, (prefixed as a dedication to his Arcadia) is distinguished by tender elegance, and graceful affection."

The poetry in this work has not been sufficiently known, or admired, as the following extracts will prove.

The Madrigall that was sung by Basilius.

"Why dost thou haste away,

O Titan faire, the giver of the day?

Is it to carry newes

To westerne wights, what starres in east appeare?
Or doest thou thinke that here

Is left a sunne, whose beams thy place may use !
Yet stay and well peruse

What be her gifts, that make her equal thee;

Bend all thy light to see

In earthy clothes inclos'd a heav'nly spark:
Thy running course cannot such beauties marke.

No no, thy motions be

Hast ned from us with barre of shadow dark,

Because that thou, the author of our sight,

Disdain'st we see thee stain'd with other's light.”*

The Song of Basilius, as a fairing of his Contentment.

"Get hence, foule Griefe, the canker of the minde; Farewell Complaint, the Miser's onely pleasure; Away vaine Cares, by which few men doe finde

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Ye helplesse Sighes, blow out your breath to nought,
Teares drowne your selves, for we (your case is wasted)
Thought, thinke to end, too long the fruit of thought

My minde hath tasted.

But thou, sure Hope, tickle my leaping heart;
Comfort, step thou in place of wonted sadnesse,
Forefelt Desire, begin to savour part

Of comming gladnesse.

Let voice of sighes into cleare musicke run;
Yes, let your teares with gazing now be mended,
Instead of thought true Pleasure be begun,

And never ended."*

[More extracts shall probably be inserted hereafter.]

The foregoing selection from Sir P. Sidney's poetry in the Arcadia, may best be concluded with the following passage from the close of his Defence of

Poesie:

"But if (fie of such a but,) you be borne so neere the dul-making cataract of Nilus, that you cannot heare the planet-like musick of poetry; if you have so earthcreeping a mind, that it cannot lift itselfe up to look to the skies of poetry, or rather by a certaine rusticall disdain, will become such a mome, as to be a Momus of poetry; then though I will not wish unto you the asses eares of Midas, nor to be driven by a poet's verscs, as Bubonax was, to hang himselfe, nor to be rimed to death, as is said to be done in Ireland; yet thus much curse I must send you in the behalf of all poets, that while you live, you live in love, and never get favour, for lacking skill of a sonnet; and when you die, your memory die from the earth for want of an epitaph."

* P. 379.

I.S.C.

ART.

ART. XII. Mischief's Mysterie; or Treason's Master piece: the Powder Plot, invented by hellish malice; prevented by heavenly mercy; truly re lated, and from the Latin of the learned and Reverend Doctor Herring, translated and very much dilated by John Vicars.

Underneath a wooden cut, representing King James with a crown on his head, sitting on a throne under a rich canopy, with his sceptre in one hand, and the other held out for a letter which an eagle has brought, and which Cecil is receiving, whereon are these lines.

"The gallant eagle, scaring up on high
Beares in his beake treason's discovery.
Mount, noble eagle, with thy happy prey,

And thy rich prize to th' King with speed convey." London. Printed by L. Griffin, dwelling in the Little Olde Bayly neare the signe of the King's Head. In two parts. 16 7. pp. 120.

It is dedicated to Sir John Leman, Kt. Lord Mayor of London, and to Sir Craven, Kt. Alderman and President of Christ's Hospital, with Mr Richard Heath, Treasurer, and all the Governors. He was induced to it by three motives; 1st. being the high-topt cedars of Lebanon, chief magistrates of the famous city of London, and pious professors of Christ's verity, they should have had no small part, yea, too great and insupportable a portion, and pondrous burden of sorrow and lamentation in this unparallelled project of the powder treason; the 2d. was, that he received his education in Christ's Hospital, of which they were

the

the patrons; and the third motive was, that it might be received as a small pledge of his obliged duty; and as a symbol of his service, which was and ever should be wholly at their lordship's and worship's command.

To the poem is also prefixed a poetical address by the translator, and some commendatory verses by his friends, one of which was by a Thomas Salisbury, a M.A. of Cambridge; and another by Joshua Sylvester, with a short address to Momus, or the Carping Catholick.*

There is then another wooden cut, in the middle of which is a circle containing the view of a church with two crowned heads; and round it are the heads of a bishop and several figures blowing with all their force in vain against it. Underneath which are written six verses, beginning,

"Enclos'd with clouds of ignorance and error,

Rome, Hell, and Spain do threaten England's terror."

The character of Guy Fawkes may be considered as a fair and sufficient specimen of the poem.

-A man to mischief prompt,

Swift to shed blood, and soon with treason stair'd;

With envy stufft, and puff'd; else malecontent,
Dissembling Simon, double-diligent;

Whose name he ever changeth with his place
Of residence, like Neptune Proteus,
His name and shame equal in his disgrace;
Foster sometimes, Johnson, and Brunius,
His name not nature, habit not his heart,

He takes, forsakes, as best befits his part."

* A. Wood says, another was by Nathan Chamber of Gray's Inn, &c.

Wood's A.h. II. 154. Editor.

Prefixed

Prefixed to the second part is another wooden cut, representing the Parliament House, with Guy Fawkes at the door with a key in one hand, and a dark lanthern in the other. Several courtiers appear discovering him; and many stars are seen in the hemisphere.

"Infernal Fawkes with demoniacke heart, Being ready now, to act his hellish part, Booted and spurr'd, with lanthern in his hand, And match in's pocket, at the doore doth stand; But wise Lord Knevet, by divine direction, Him apprehends, and findes the Plot's detection." There is a poetical dedication to Mr. Jay, Alderman of London, and Governor of Christ's Hospital; and at the end are several smaller poems; as a Paraphrase on the 123d Psalm; an Epigram against the Jesuits; epitaphs to the memory of Prince Henry; and some verses to the Queen with an enigmatical riddle.*

Aylesbury, 27 Oct. 1806.

J.H.

ART. XIII. Old Spanish Historians of the Discovery of the New World.

In the Note to a former article (p. 351) I have ascribed the original of Nicholas's Translation of the Conquest of New Spain, to Bernal Diaz del Castillo: but I have since had reason to think I have committed an

A. Wood says, that "Vicars afterwards making some additions to this translation, repaired to Dr. Sam. Baker, chaplain to Laud, Bishop of London, to have it licensed, but was denied for several reasons."

Vicars was a native of London; and died 1652, aged about 72. He was deemed a tolerable poet by the Puritans, but not by the Royalists, being, as they said, inspired by ale or viler liquors." Wood's Ath. II. 153. EDITOR.

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