royall family excepted, which, in respect to majesty, or their owne safety, they must have spared, or the kingdome been left to the misery of seeing so much bloud laid out as the triall of so many crabbed titles would have required; there being then, according to report, no lesse then fourteene, of which Parsons the jesuite, so impudent is this fraternity, makes the infanta the first. But they could not be these considerations that restrained Herbert, who wanted leasure no lesse then capacity to use. them, though laid in his way by others: And therefore, if this effeminacy produced good to the nation, (at that time doubted by many,) the honor is only due to God, whose miraculous power was no lesse manifested, (upon so high a provocation and great incouragement as the whole field afforded Philip,) in raising so much fleagme in a man nobly borne as might master so great a fury, then when he discovered to Sampson a cold fountaine in the jaw-bone of an asse. And such of his friends as blame his youth for doing nothing, take away all excuse could have been made for him had he done too much: Since all commonly arrive at the yeares of valour, before they can attaine to those of discretion. This I can attest for the man, that he was intolerable cholerick and offensive, and did not refraine, whilest he was chamberlaine, to break many wiser heads then his owne: Mr May, that translated Lucan, having felt the weight of his staffe; which, had not his office, and the place, being the banqueting house, protected, I question whether he would ever have strook againe : I 'Pembroke was Lord High Chamberlain to Charles I. It is probable that his violent demeanour, in the exercise of his office, was the subject of Fletcher's ridicule, when describing that of Calianax, in the Maid's Tragedy; who, in office, temper, talent, and poorness of spirit, exactly resembles Pembroke. "Would he were here," says the deputy-chamberlain, employed in keeping back the crowd at a masque; " he would run raging among them, and break a dozen wiser heads than his own in the twinkling of an eye."-Act I. Scene II. Clarendon says, the exercise of Pembroke's office required some rudeness, and that the order of the court depended upon his incivilities. So disobliging were the most gratefull pleasures of the court; whose maskes and other spectacles, though they wholy intended them for shew, and would not have been pleased without great store of company, yet did not spare to affront such as came to see them which accuseth the king no lesse of folly, in being at so vast an expense for that which signified nothing but in relation to pride and lust, then the spectators. (I meane such as were not invited) of madnesse, who did not only give themselves the discomposure of body attending such irregular houres, but to others an opportunity to abuse them. Nor could I, that had none of their share, who passed through the most incommodious accesse, count count my selfe any great gainer, (who did ever find some time before the grand night to view the scene,) Thomas May, who underwent the rude repulse mentioned in the text, was a man of talents. He translated Lucan, wrote several tragedies, an original poem on the exploits of Edward III., and a prose history of the Long Parliament, to which he was secretary. He died in 1652. after I had reckoned my attendance and sleepe: There appearing little observable, besides the company, and what imagination might conjecture from the placing of the ladies, and the immense charge and universall vanity in cloathes, &c. 24. I have been told, the mother of Herbert tore her hair at the report of her son's dishonour, who, I am confident, upon a like opportunity, would have ransom'd her own repute, if she had not redeemed her countries. She was that sister of Sir Philip Sidney, to whom he addressed his Arcadia, and of whom he had no other advantage, than what he received from that partiall benevolence of fortune, in making him a man; which yet she did, in some judgments, recompense in beauty: Her pen being nothing short of his, as I am ready to attest, as far as so inferiour a reason may be taken, having seene incomparable letters of hers. But, lest I should seeme to trespasse upon truth, which few doe unsubborn'd, as I protest I am, unlesse by her rhetorick, I shall leave the world her epitaph, in which the author doth manifest himselfe a poet in all things but untruth: Under neath this sable herse Shall turn statue, and become Both her mourner and her tombe.' 25. In the meane time, the king was much troubled at this accident, not being able to ruminate upon the consequence it might have produced, without trembling: Nor could he refraine from letting fall sharp expressions against the insolency of the Scots and folly of the English, whose bloud he The first six lines of this celebrated epitaph are found in Ben Jonson's works. It is possible that he cancelled the remainder, on account of the outrageous false wit with which they disgrace the commencement, |