This, blessed Warre, thy blessed book A worthy work, and worthy well XXVII. TO EDWARD FILMER,2 ON HIS MUSICAL WORK, DEDICATED TO THE QUEEN. HAT charming peals are these, That, while they bind the senses, do so please? They are the marriage-rites Of two, the choicest pair of man's delights, French air, and English verse, here wedded lie. Who did this knot compose, Again hath brought the lily to the rose; And, with their chained dance, Re-celebrates the joyful match with France. 2 To Edward Filmer, on his musical work, &c.] This epigram first appeared in the folio of 1640, after the death of our poet. Possibly it might have been prefixed to the work it celebrates, and from thence transcribed into the edition above mentioned. Though no date is set to any of the Epigrams, this excepted, yet circumstances will assist us to guess at the time of those addressed to the greatest persons then living. In general, they were written before 1616, as most of them are contained in the edition of Jonson's works, which was published in that year. WHAL. Here is much ado about nothing. What Whalley means by most of them, and in general, I know not, since, blunders excepted, the second edition of the old folio is a mere transcript of the first, with the reserve of the present lines, which, notwithstanding their date (1629), are absurdly inserted among the Epigrams printed in They are a school to win The fair French daughter to learn English in; To make the language sweet upon her tongue.3 XXVIII. TO RICHARD BROME, ON HIS COMEDY OF THE NORTHERN LASS.1 HAD you for a servant once, Dick Brome, Now you are got into a nearer room Which I, your master, first did teach the age. 3 To make the language sweet, &c.] From Chaucer. It is a pretty compliment to Henrietta, who had probably encouraged the work, from an attachment to her native tunes. 4 The Northern Lass.] These lines are addressed, “To my faithful servant, and (by his continued virtue) my loving friend, the author of this work, master Richard Brome. 1632." I have already noticed the attempts of Randolph and others to create a feeling of hostility in our poet towards Brome. That they met with no success is evident; for Jonson always remained warmly attached to his old and meritorious servant, and Brome continued no less grateful and affectionate towards his generous master. Even after Jonson's death, the kindness of the latter breaks out in a little poem to the memory of Fletcher : "I knew him, (Fletcher)— I knew him in his strength; even then, when HE, That was the master of his art, and me, Most knowing Jonson, proud to call him son, His very self," &c. You learnt it well, and for it serv'd your time, That knew the crafts they had been bred in right; An honest bilboe-smith would make good blades, And the physician teach men spew and The cobler kept him to his awl; but now, He'll be a poet, scarce can guide a plough. XXIX. A SPEECH AT A TILTING. WO noble knights, whom true desire, and zeal, Hath arm'd at all points, charge me humbly To thee, O king of men, their noblest parts 5 Both learned, and unlearned, all write plays, &c.] "Though this," says the watchful Langbaine, "be an imitation of Horace, yet I doubt not but the reader will pardon Ben for his ingenious application: Navem agere ignarus navis timet: abrotonum ægro Non audet, nisi qui didicit, dare. Quod medicorum est Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim. 6 This Speech, which was copied from Ashmole's MSS., and kindly transmitted to me by Mr. Bliss, is said to have been "presented to king James at a tilting, in the behalf of the two noble brothers, sir Robert and sir Henry Rich." The lines have no date, but were probably produced on one of those festive occasions to which the attachment of prince Henry to martial exercises gave birth. It was the first appearance, perhaps, of the brothers in arms; and this address of the knight, who presented them to the sovereign, formed a part of the entertainment: for these little tournaments were usually prefaced with some kind of poetical fable. The elder of these two' rich hopes increase, His life, his love, his honour which ne'er dies, As true oblations. His brother's emblem says, The elder of these two.] These youths were the sons of Robert Rich, first earl of Warwick, by the too celebrated sister of the earl of Essex. Robert, the elder, succeeded his father, as earl of Warwick, in 1618. He protests much (like Hamlet's player-queen) in his speech, and he kept his word somewhat in the same manner. James was scarcely dead, when he deserted his successor, threw himself into the arms of the parliament, took the command of the fleet, and carried on a thriving trade, as Lord Clarendon says, “in the desperate commodity of rebellion." His brother, Henry Rich, notwithstanding his emblem, or impress, trod in Sir Robert's steps. James loaded him with favours, and not long before his death created him earl of Holland. Fresh honours were conferred upon him by Charles, in return for which he deserted and betrayed him. He was not long in receiving his reward from his new masters, who, less scrupulous than his indulgent sovereign, deprived him of his head for some alleged tergiversation, in 1649. XXX. AN EPISTLE TO SIR EDWARD SACKVILE. Now earl of Dorset. 8 F, Sackvile, all that have the power to do them too, And knew their how, and where; we should have then Less list of proud, hard, or ungrateful men. 8 An Epistle to sir Edward Sackvile.] At that time lord chamberlain; he succeeded his father, Thomas Sackvile, in the title of earl of Dorset, who died suddenly at the council-table in 1608. WHAL. We have here a cluster of mistakes. The father of sir Edward Sackvile was not Thomas, but Robert, second earl of Dorset, his son; nor did Edward succeed his father, but his elder brother Richard, third earl of Dorset, who died in 1624. What Whalley means by at that time lord chamberlain, it is difficult to say. There is no allusion to any such office in the poem, nor could there be, for the earl of Dorset was not made chamberlain till 1642, five years after the poet's death. This sir Edward Sackvile is the person who engaged in that ferocious and fatal duel with the lord Bruce, of which the interesting account given by himself was copied into the Guardian, from the MS. in the library of Queen's College, Oxford. This affair took place in 1613, when he was only three and twenty. Afterwards, however, he nobly redeemed his extravagancies, and became one of the brightest characters of his day. Lord Clarendon says that "his person was beautiful, graceful, and vigorous; his wit pleasant, sparkling, and sublime, and his other parts of learning and language of that lustre, that he could not miscarry in the world." This "Epistle" was the favourite poem of Horne Tooke. He had it by heart, and delighted to quote it on all occasions. Its date may be pretty nearly ascertained by the expression "now earl of Dorset," which seems to imply that sir Edward had not long enjoyed the title. He returned to England, from Italy, on hearing of the death of his brother, which took place the 28th of March, |