VII. p. 95. On the Queen of Bohemia. This sprightly poem must have been written during the short interval which elapsed after Sept. 1619, before the brief day of Elizabeth's Bohemian sovereignty was clouded. It has been a favourite theme for imitations and additions; of which three stanzas will be a sufficient specimen. The first and second are taken from Archbishop Sancroft's MS., Tann. 465, fol. 43, where they rank as fourth and sixth (compare a somewhat similar copy in the "Topographer," i. 421); the third, in which the metre is altogether altered, is taken from the end of the copy in the Aberdeen "Cantus." It has found its way, with some variations, among Montrose's poems (Napier's "Life of Montrose," 1856, Appendix, p. xl).

"You rubies that do gems adorn,

And sapphires with your azure hue,
Like to the skies or blushing morn;
How pale's your brightness in our view,
When diamonds are mixed with you?
"The rose, the violet, all the spring,
Unto her breath for sweetness run;
The diamond's darkened in the ring;
If she appear, the moon's undone,
As in the presence of the sun.
"Should little streams command great seas,
Or little ants the stinging bees?

Should little birds with eagles soar,

Or little beasts with lions roar?

No, no, not so, it is not meet

The head should stoop down to the feet."

VIII. p. 96. Sir Albertus Morton was Wotton's nephew, and had been his secretary at Venice. He was frequently employed by King James on foreign affairs, was knighted by him in 1617, and died secretary of state in 1625. Sir Henry never

mentions him without adding some expressions of affectionate regard.

IX. p. 98. Sir A. Morton's wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Apsley, of Thakeham, Sussex; was married Jan. 13, 1624, and died s. p. in 1627.

x. p. 98. The allusion in the first stanza is to the planet which was said to be visible at noon-day at the birth of Charles II., May 29, 1630. It was commemorated at the time, more or less directly, by Wotton, King, Corbet, Cleveland, and Herrick; and after the restoration, by Cowley and Waller. The figure of a star is found on some of the medals of Charles II.

XI. p. 99. Sir H. Wotton wrote a Latin tract (afterwards inserted in "Rel. Wotton.") upon the same occasion, with the title, "Ad Regem è Scotiâ reducem Henrici Wottonii plausus et vota, MDCXXXIII." It was reprinted in various forms, both in Latin and English.

XIII. p. 103, line 1. valing ebbs-i. e. failing, or retiring. Near the end, vade is fade, depart.

xv. p. 106. Howell's Dodona's Grove. This flattering estimate of Howell's allegory has not been ratified. Mr. Hallam summarily calls it "an entire failure." The reference in line 4 is doubtless to the well-known "Argenis" of John Barclay, and the "Advices from Parnassus" of Trajan Boccalini.

XVII. p. 109. I have transferred this well-known piece from the "Complete Angler," as particularly suitable in style and subject, if not in authorship, to have formed part of the collection in 66 Rel. Wotton."

Page 110, line 6. "Mind," i, e. mine, as it is

spelt in Sancroft's MS. In some copies the line Dig out the bowels," which may be

begins, correct.

66

Page 110, line 20. An angel was a piece of money worth ten shillings (see above, p. 28, line 24, and note). To “vie angels" is to stake or hazard coins against an antagonist, who may vie" if he is able, by putting down a larger sum. Page.111, line 7. In Sancroft's MS. these lines stand thus:

"Here dwell no heating loves, no palsy fears,
No short joys purchased with eternal tears:

re

Here will I sit, and sigh my hot youth's folly," &c. XVIII. p. 111, line 3. Observe that the word "world's" is here a dissyllable, as it occurs twice in the Hatfield MS. (see above, p. 38, line 17, and p. 47, line 2.)

XIX. p. 112. Dr. Samuel Brooke, the intimate friend of Dr. Donne, was a member of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated as M.A. in 1604, and as D.D. in 1615. He was successively Divinity Professor of Gresham College, Rector of St. Margaret's, Lothbury, Master of Trinity, and Archdeacon of Coventry; and died in 1631. His brother, Christopher Brooke, was better known as an English poet. He is probably the author of "The Ghost of Richard the Third," 1614, a poem which was republished by the Shakespeare Society. References to both brothers may be found among the poems of Donne, Crashaw, and William Browne.

xx. p. 114. Chidiock Tychbourne, of Southampton, was executed, with Ballard and Babington, in 1586. The reply to his verses, which I copied many years ago from a contemporary MS., has

66

been preserved in rather an imperfect form. In line 4, the MS. reads, Thy hope in hurt as wasted," the writer's eye having caught the line above; in line 11, there is an evident omission, which I have attempted to supply; in line 16, the MS. reads, "hadst ne'er been born;" and, in the last line, it makes an unnecessary insertion,— Which, O unhappy man," &c. I am doubtful about the reading of one or two other words. "Lewdly," in line 14, means mistakenly, ignorantly.

XXI. p. 116. The repetition of “ thoughts" in line 4 appears to be an error; but it stands so in all the editions I have used. The shortness of line 5 in the old editions is not countenanced by the form of the other stanzas. The word which I have supplied is found only in some modern copies. This piece is followed in "Rel. Wotton." by Raleigh's lines, "Even such is time," which have been given already in Part I. No. XXII. p. 54.

66

XXII. p. 117. Though there is no reason to doubt that Bacon wrote these verses, his claim does not seem to have been commonly known; for it will be seen that his name was an after-insertion in many of the MS. copies, as well as in Rel. Wotton." The lines bear some resemblance to a well-known epigram ascribed to Posidippus, which had been very frequently translated; e. g. in Tottel's " Songs and Sonnets," 1557; in Puttenham's "Art of Poesy," 1589; by Sir John Beaumont, and by others. Possibly from this circumstance, the last line frequently occurs in almost exactly the same shape among the minor poems of the time; e. g. Bacon, as here:

"What then remains, but that we still should cry
For being born, and, being born, to die?"

Drummond of Hawthornden, "Works," 1711; Poems, p. 44:

"Who would not one of those two offers try,—
Not to be born, or, being born, to die?"

Bishop King, "Poems," &c. 1657, p. 145:

"At least with that Greek sage still make us cry,
Not to be born, or, being born, to die."

The mythical author of the phrase was Silenus, who is said to have bestowed it on his captor, King Midas.

xxv. p. 121, No. 1. The son of Hoskins who is generally mentioned was called Benedict or Bennet. Hence it is very probable that Hoskins wrote "My little Ben," &c. which is the reading of a Rawlin. son MS.

NOTES ON PART III.

T will save repetition to note here, that the old editions of the early poetical mis

cellanies, by which I have rectified the text of extracts, are as follows:-Tottel's "Songs and Sonnets," those of 1557 and 1585; "The Paradise of Dainty Devices" (first published in 1576), those of 1580 and 1596; “The Phoenix Nest," 1593; "England's Helicon," the first edition, 1600; and Davison's "Poetical Rhapsody" (first published in 1602), generally the fourth edition, 1621. But in giving mere lists of first lines, I have referred by page to the reprnits of Park, Brydges, &c., as most likely to be commonly accessible; and I have availed myself, in one or two