Parting from the place Thereon a heavy haplesse curse did lay, To weet, that wolves, where she was wont to space In Colin Clout's Come Home Again, where he is praising England, he does it by an enumeration of some of the miseries of Ireland. No wayling there, nor wretchednesse is heard, No griesly famine, nor no raging sweard: The shepherds there abroad may safely lie On hills and downes, withouten dread or danger: Spenser, speaking of the massacres committed upon the people of Munster, in Ireland, after the rebellion, paints in the strongest colours, though in prose. "Out of every corner of the woodes and glennes they came creeping forth upon their handes, for their legges could not bear them: they' looked like anatomies of death; they spake like ghostes crying out of their graves; they eat the dead carrions, happy were they could they find them, yea, and one another soon after; insomuch, as the very carcases they spared not to scrape out of their graves. And if they found a plot of water-cresses, or shamrockes, there they flocked, as to a feast, for the time; yet not able long to continue there withall, &c*." Spenser himself died in Ireland, in the most wretched condition, amid the desolations of this rebellion; as appears from the following curious anecdote in Drummond, who has left us the heads of à conversation between himself and B. Jonson." Ben Jonson told me that Spenser's goods were robbed by the Irish in Desmond's Spenser's View of the State of Ireland, p. 154. vol. vi. works, 12mo. 1750. rebellion; his house, and a little child of his burnt, and he and his wife nearly escaped; that he afterwards died in King-street, [Dublin] by absolute want of bread; and that he refused twenty pieces sent him by the Earl of Essex, and gave this answer to the person who brought them, that he was sure he had no time to spend them*." Camden informs us, that Spenser was in Ireland when the rebellion broke out under Tyrone, 1598, but that being plundered of his fortune, he was obliged to return into England, where he died, that same, or the next year†. Camden Works, fol. pag. 224. Heads of a Conversation between the famous poet Ben Jonson, and William Drummond of Hawthornden, January, 1619. Jonson conceived so high an opinion of Drummond's genius, that he took a journey into Scotland, on purpose to converse with him, and remained some time with him, at his house at Hawthornden. + Camden. Annales Eliz. p. iv. pag. 729. Lugd. BaSee also Sir J. Ware's pref. to Spenser's View of Ireland, Dublin. fol. 1633. edit. 1. tav. adds, that he was buried in the abbey of Westminster, with due solemnities, at the expence of the Earl of Essex. If Drummond's account be true, it is most probable, that the Earl, whose benefaction came too late to be of any use, ordered his body to be conveyed into England, where it was interred as Camden relates. It must be owned that Jonson's account, in Drummond, is very circumstantial; and that it is probable, Jonson was curious enough to collect authentic information on so interesting a subject. At least his profession and connexions better qualified him to come at the truth. Perhaps he was one of the poets who held up Spenser's pall*. B. vi. c. vi. s. xx. To whom the prince, him faining to embase. At. Him for himself is the language of poetry * Poetis funus ducentibus. Camden ubi supr. at present. The elder poets took greater `liberties in this point, so that sometimes it is difficult to determine whether him is used for se or illum. Of this the verse before us is an instance. Thus again, Scudamore coming to Care's house 4. 5. ARG. That is, "expells sleep from himself." Thus in Raleigh's elegant Vision upon the conceipt of the Faerie Queen. At whose approache the soule of Petrarcke wept, We are apt, at first, to refer him down, &c. to Petrarcke, Oblivion laid Petrarcke 66 down," while the meaning is, "Oblivion laid himself downe." |