That thee, dear DANIEL, so did bless, Nam'd; west of London by fair Thames."; He died Feb. 14, 1646, æt. 59, and was buried in Otterden church.§ The following poetical address is worth transcribing. "Poetarum facile Principi, ac Coriphao, Michaeli Drayton, Ar. περί της τω δε των Βιβλων Πολυ-Ολβινοος και Παλαι-Αλείονος προς άλληλες παρονομασίας Επιγραμμα! Φιλικονδε και υπομνημονευτικόν. "Dear divine Drayton, I admire On whose plain song seld one more blest, * "So Master Daniel writes of himself; and Wilten, of which Wilton, Wiltshire (alluded to by some from the wild plains, quasi Wilde-sbire) takes her name; ubi in villa Bedwyn antiquitus totius Comitatus pæne nulli secundâ, nec satis ignobili, tam ob incolarum rusticitatem, quam ob suarum olim celebritatum jacturam, aliquandiu moram traxit.". "Rhutupiæ, or the coasts of Dover and Sandwich east, and St. David's, called Menevia, in the west, are, and are ordinarily accounted the utmost limits, those ways, of Great Britain." ↑ "Chelsea College is King James's foundation, and in the patent so called of his name.” § See Hasted ut supra-and Topographer, I. 406. A list of his other works may be found in Wood's Ath. II. 111. VOL. IX, Seld Seld one more seen in old Folk-mote, Do not envy me, though I sing My Palo-Albion thus to write. My harsh tunes, notes rude symphony; Ken many a fair and happy day! Whiles Avon's clear source that hears thee sing, As she slides from her christal spring, Shall teach our Severn's banks to sound With echoes shrill to the sea-nymph round, Thy Olbion's Odes, tuning with joy Albion's chief pride, Thames and her Troy."* The author addresses a copy of Latin hexameters to his friend S. Purchas, (whose Collection of Voyages Among the commendatory verses are those in Latin of N. Gwin, Jo. Slatyer, his brother, and Tho. Newton. has has preserved his name), in which he gives an amiable picture of his pursuits and the sentiments which they generate. Indeed his Latin poetry is so far superior to his English, that it seems to be rather his want of command of his vernacular language than his deficiency of genius that gives so uncouth and uninteresting a character to his English rhymes. The ensuing extract will justify my remask. "Vivam igitur quocunque solo, aut ubicunque locorum, Florenti stadio: nec me formidine terrent Rus geniale colo, lustro, lito, laudo Camœnas Sylvestreis, quod aiant, & agrestia, numina Faunos!" The poem itself is divided into ten odes; and each ode is divided into many cantos. 1. The first ode contains a brief description of Britain and Ireland, with the first succession of Kings from Samothes, descended A. M. 1787, till Albion, A. 2200, by the space of 400 years. 2. The second, a second race of Kings: Albion & Bergion with their descent, with their defeat by Hercules, circa Ann. 225c. 3. The third sets forth the anarchy or interregnum of the giants that succeeded Albion and Hercules from Ann. 2300 to Brute, A. 2850. 4. The fourth, Brute and his succession from A. 2850 till Malmutius Dunwallo, A. 3500. 5. The fifth, Malmutius and his race, till the Roman Conquest under Julius Cæsar, A. 3900. 6. The sixth, from Cæsar's Conquest till Valentinian's days, A. 4400. 7. The seventh, the coming of Hengist, and seven kingdoms of the Saxons. 8. The eighth, the rapines of the Danes, and the kings of England from Egbert to Harold. 9. The ninth, the Norman Conquest to Hen. VII. 10. The tenth, the Union of England and Scotland under James I. In the end a brief touch of the Scotish, Irish, and French Histories. The whole is written both in Latin and English verse, the Latin on one side, and English on the other. I will give the sixth canto of the first ode, as the nearest to poetry, and of the most general interest. σε Ειδύλλιον σ. Encomium Britannia. "Sed nimium neque stricta gelu, neque sidere ferves, Sedes Sedes antiqua, atque satis famosa Gygantum-s "CANZ. VI. The quality and richness of the soil. In the temperate zone, the south parts of Britain, about the degree of fo: of north latitude reaching thence 10 degrees north; the longitude thereof being from the degree 17 to 25, or thereabouts, So the degrees of Latitude measuring the length, of longitude the breadth of the island. |