But, by occafion hereof, many other Adventures are intermedled; but rather as accidents then in tendments: as the Love of Britomart, the Overthrow of Marinell, the Mifery of Florimell, the Vertuoufnes of Belphœbe, the Lafcivioufnes of Hellenora; and many the like. Won Cold sh sub 250} "Thus much, Sir, I have briefly overronne to direct your understanding to the wel-head of the Hiftory; that, from thence gathering the whole intention of the conceit, ye may as in a handful gripe al the difcourfe, which otherwife may happily feem tedious and confufed. So, humbly craving the continuance of your honourable favour towards me, and th' eternall establishment of your happines, I humbly take leave.

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WADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR. C ly th

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A Vifion upon this conceipt of the Faery Queene,

ME thought I faw the grave where Laura lay,
Within that Temple where the vestall flame

*The two Sonnets figned W. R. are understood to be written by Sir Walter Raleigh, who was certainly a poet of no mean fame: The Verfes figned Hobynoll are the very elegant production of Gabriel Harvey, by which fignature he is defcribed in the Shepherd's Calendar: The Poem figned R. S. may be attributed to Robert Southwell, or Richard Stanyhurft, or Richard Smith, or Richard Stapleton, who were poetical writers contemporary with Spenfer; and, of whom, Stapleton and Smith are known as authors of other commendatory verfes; yet Mr. Upton would affign this little Poem to Robert Sackville, eldeft fon of Lord Buckhurst, the Sackvilles (he fays) being not only patrons of learned men, but learned themfelves: I am at a lofs to whom to ascribe the Poem figned H. B., and can offer no other opinion in respect to the author of the next, fubfcribed W. L., than what the compiler of the Bibliographia Poetica has given, that it might be William Lifle, the poetical tranflator of part of Du Bartas, and (which the compiler of the Bib. Poet. appears not, to have known) of part of Heliodorus: The laft Poem bears a fignature' affumed by feveral writers in the age of Elizabeth; and I am unable to fix on the author. TODD. Ver. 1, Me thought I faw &c.] Mr. Warton has noticed Milton's poffible obligation to this elegant Sonnet of Sir Walter Raleigh, in his Sonnet on his deceased wife:

"Methought I faw my late efpoufed faint &c."

But it has efcaped Mr. Warton's obfervation, that there is a pleafing Sonnet, among others, prefixed to Drayton's Matilda, edit. 1594, entitled The vifion of Matilda, and figned H. G. Efquire, which obviously requires to be mentioned:

"Methought I faw vpon Matildas tombe

"Her wofull ghoft, &c." TODD."

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Was wont to burne; and paffing by that way
To fee that buried duft of living fame,
Whofe tomb faire Love, and fairer Virtue kept;
All fuddeinly I faw the Faery Queene:

At whofe approch the foule of Petrarke wept,
And from thenceforth those Graces were not feene
;
(For they this Queene attended;) in whose steed
Oblivion laid him down on Lauras herfe:
Hereat the hardest stones were feene to bleed,
And grones of buried ghoftes the hevens did perfe:
Where Homers fpright did tremble all for griefe,
And curft th' acceffe of that celeftiall Theife.

Another of the fame.

W. R.

THE prayfe of meaner wits this Worke like profit brings,

As doth the Cuckoes fong delight when Philumena

fings.

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If thou haft formed right true Vertues face herein, Vertue herfelfe can beft difcerne to whom they written bin.

If thou haft Beauty prayfd, let Her fole lookes divine

Judge if ought therein be amis, and mend it by Her eine. P

Ver. 10. Oblivion laid him down &c.] We are apt at first to refer "him down" to Petrarke, “ Oblivion laid Petrarke down;" while the meaning is, " Oblivion laid himself down." There is a particular beauty in the allegorical turn of this little compofition in praife of the Faerie Queene, as it imitates the manner of the author whom it compliments. #TWARTON.

If Chaftitie want ought, or Temperaunce her dew, Behold Her Princely mind aright, and write thy Queene anew.

Meane while She fhall perceive, how far Her vertues fore

Above the reach of all that live, or fuch as wrote of yore:

And thereby will excufe and favour thy good will; Whofe vertue can not be expreft but by an Angels quill.

Of me no lines are lov'd, nor letters are of price, (Of all which speak our English tongue,) but those of thy device.

W. R

To the learned Shepheard.

COLLYN, I fee, by thy new taken taske,
Some facred fury hath enricht thy braynes,
That leades thy Mufe in haughty verse to maske,
And loath the layes that longs to lowly fwaynes;
That liftes thy notes from Shepheardes unto Kinges:
So like the lively Larke that mounting finges.

Thy lovely Rofalinde feemes now forlorne;
And all thy gentle flockes forgotten quight:
Thy chaunged hart now holdes thy pypes in scorne,
Those prety pypes that did thy mates delight;
Those trufty mates, that loved thee fo well;
Whom thou gav'ft mirth, as they gave thee the bell.

Yet, as thou earft with thy fweete roundelayesi
· Didft ftirre to glee our laddes in homely bowers;
So moughtst thou now in these refyned layes
Delight the daintie eares of higher powers.
And fo mought they, in their deepe skanning skill,
Alow and grace our Collyns flowing quill.

And faire befall that Faery Queene of thine!
In whose faire eyes Love linckt with Vertue

fittes;
Janp
Enfufing, by thofe bewties fyers divine, do out
Such high conceites into thy humble wittes,
As raised hath poore Pastors oaten reedes
From rufticke tunes, to chaunt heroique deedes,

So mought thy Redcroffe Knight with happy hand Victorious be in that faire Ilands right,

(Which thou doft vayle in type of Faery land,) Elizas bleffed field, that Albion hight:

That thieldes her friendes, and warres her mightie foes, igral ni canin

Yet ftill with people, peace, and plentie, flowes.

But, iolly Thepheard, though with pleasing stile Thou feaft the humour of the courtly trayne; Let not conceipt thy fettled fence beguile,

Ne daunted be through envy or difdaine. Subiect thy doome to Her empyring fpright,. From whence thy Mufe, and all the world, takes light. ;low di som Lovol tub & u HOBYNOLL {'