POETARUM ANGLICANORUM.

VOLUME II.

1. LORD BROOK.

SIR Fulk Grevile, Lord Brook a great friend and associate of Sir Philip Sydney; whose Life he wrote; as also several things in poetry; both Dramatic, as his Alaham, Mustapha, and Marcus Tullius Cicero; and others, commonly of a political subject, and among the rest a posthume work not published till within a very few years, being a two-fold Treatise; the first, Of Monarchy; the second, Of Religion; in all which is observable a close, mysterious, and sententious way of writing, without much regard to elegancy of style, or smoothness of verse.

2. THOMAS CAMPION.

Th. Campion, a writer of no extraordinary fame; but who hath the honour to be named by Camden with Sydney, Spenser, Drayton, and other the chief of our English poets.

3. JOHN DONNE.

John Donne, a student in his younger years in Lincoln's Inn, whither he betook himself from the University of Oxford; but, instead of poring upon tedious Reports, Judgments, and Statute Books, he accomplished himself with the politer kind of Learning; moderately enjoyed the pleasures of the Town; and frequented good company, to which the sharpness of his wit, and gaiety of fancy, rendered him not a little grateful: in which state of life he composed his more brisk and youthful poems, which are rather commended for the height of fancy and acuteness of the conceit, than for the smoothness of the verse. At last by king James his command, or rather earnest persuasion, setting himself to the study of Theology, and entering into Holy Orders, he was first made Preacher of

Lincoln's Inn; afterwards advanced to be Dean of Paul's and as of an eminent poet he became a much more eminent Preacher, so he rather improved than relinquished his poetical fancy, only converting it from human and worldly to divine and heavenly subjects.

4. SIR WILLIAM LEIGHTON,

William Leighton, dedicated to king James a poetical piece, entitled Wertue Triumphant, or lively description of the Four Virtues Cardinal, which came forth an. 1603.

5. WILLIAM ALABASTER.

William Alabaster, a considerable poet, so accounted, in the time he flourished, which was under Queen Elizabeth, the chief transactions of whose reign he began to describe in a Latin Poem, entitled Elisæis, which he left unfinished.

6. FRANCIS DAVISON.

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Francis Davison's Poetical Rhapsody, dicated to W. Earl of Pembroke, Lord Steward of the Household to his late Majesty king Charles the First, appears to have been in

those days not ill received, since it endured four impressions.

7. JOHN FLETCHER.

John Fletcher, one of the happy Triumvirate, (the other two being Jonson and Shakespeare,) of the chief dramatic poets of our nation, in the last foregoing age; among whom there might be said to be a symmetry of perfection, while each excelled in his own peculiar way: Ben Jonson, in his elaborate pains and knowlege of authors; Shakespeare, in his pure vein of wit, and natural poetic height; Fletcher, in a courtly elegance, and gentle familiarity of style; and withal a wit and invention so overflowing, that the luxuriant branches thereof were frequently thought convenient to be lopped off by his almost inseparable companion, Francis Beaumont.

8. FRANCIS BEAUMONT.

Francis Beaumont, an inseparable companion and coadjutor to Fletcher in the making of many of his Plays; besides what he made solely himself. There is also extant a poem of his, entitled, Salmacis and Her

maphroditus, a Fable taken out of Ovid's Metamorphoses.

9. GILES FLETCHER.

George (Giles) Fletcher, the author of a poem, entitled Christ's Victory and Triumph in Heaven and Earth over and after Death. He wrote in the reign of King James, and King Charles the First.

10. WILLIAM BROWNE.

William Browne, the author of a Poem, entitled Britain's Pastorals; which though not of the sublimest strain, yet for a subject of that nature, amorous and rural, containing matter not unpleasant to the reader.

11. GEORGE WITHER.

George Withers; a most profuse pourer forth of English Rhime, not without great pretence to a poetical zeal against the vices of the Times, in his Motto; his Remembrancer; and other such like Satirical Works: besides which, he turned into English verse the Songs of Moses; and other Hymns of the Old Testament; in all which, and whatever else there