but this, though I have been many years fecking after, yet I cannot get a fight of it."* Fitzgeffrey was the fon of Alexander Fitz geoffrey, of a good family in Cornwall-He became a commoner of Broadgate-hall in Oxford, in 1592, aged 17, took the degrees in Arts, and entered into orders. At length he became Rector of St. Dominick in his own county, where he was efteemed a grave and learned divine, as he was, while at the University, an excellent Latin Poet. His works are I. The Life and Death of Sir Francis Drake; which being written in lofty verfe, while he was A. B. he was then called "the high towering Falcon." II. Affaniæ five Epigrammata lib. III.7 Oxon. 1601. in 8vo. Cenotaphia lib. I.S

III. Several Sermons. He died at his parfofonage of St. Dominick, and was buried in the chancel of the church there, 1636.†‡

Ath. I. p. 606. † Wood ut fupr. No. 6841, in Farmer's Catalogue was Fitzgeffrey's "Bleffed Birthday celebrated," Oxford, 1634, 4to.

CHRISTOPHER,

CHRISTOPHER MIDDLETON.

"Charles" (a mistake for Christopher) "Middleton, another of the fame time, or there"about, of the fame concernment in the fore" mentioned collection."

There are feveral extracts from his Poems in Allot's Collection. But I have not been fortunate enough to discover any thing of his hiftory, or of the titles of his works, except the "Life of Duke Humphry" 1600.*

THOMAS ACHELLY.

His name appears, like Middleton's, with feveral others under the account of W. Warner, but nothing more is faid of him. The extracts from him, in Allot's book, are very short-and I am not able to give any further account of him. t

*Farmer's Catalogue, No. 7208. † P. 18, 26, 51, 68, 74, 105, 152, 187, 196, 206, 224, 238, 247, 289, 303, 305, 308, 313, 319, 442, 45, 456.

EDWARD

EDWARD GILPIN, whofe name does not occur in Phillips's book, has furnished a few paffages for "England's Parnaffus,"* but his name is not recorded by Tanner, nor have I discovered any other memorials of him.

M. ROYDON lies under a fimilar cloud. The extracts from his poems, in the above collec tion, rather exceed those from the other.+

JOHN WE EVER

JOHN WEEVER, like Achelly, has his bare name only recorded by Phillips, among the poets of Queen Elizabeth's reign. His book of Epigrams in 1599, (12mo.) has been already mentioned, and an Epigram addressed to R. Allot, and C. Middleton, has been transcribed. But his works have escaped the induftry of Tanner.

Of W. Weever, I am equally ignorant. §

*P. 67, 121, 144, 221, 223, 251, 281. † P.114, 161, 168, 180,2 61, 290, 319, 424, 484, 486, 488. ‡ John Weever, born 1576, educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, the induftrious Collector of the "Ancient Funeral Monuments," Lond. 1631, fol. died 1632, aged 56. Could he be the fame ?

In "England's Parnaffus" are extracts from J. Weever, at p. 8, 13, 175, 195, 285, 310, 323. 329, 358. § Ibid. p. 15.

HENRY CONSTABLE.

Like the preceding, is merely mentioned by Phillips, under the article of Warner. Wood fays, he was "a noted English Poet, not unfitly ranked with Sir Edward Dyer, Chancellor of the most noble Order of the Garter, a poetical writer, and of good efteem in the faid Queen's time, as living in the 39th year of her reign. The faid Henry Conftable, who was born (or at least descended from a family of that name) in Yorkshire, had fpent fome time among the Oxonian Muses, was a great mafter of the English tongue; and there was no gentleman of our nation had a more pure, quick, and higher delivery of conceit than he ;* witness, among all others, that Sonnet of his before the poetical tranflation called "The Furies" made by King James the Firft of England, while he was King of the Scots. He hath alfo feveral Sonnets extant, written to Sir P. Sydney, fome of which

*See Bolton's opinion hereafter cited under Drayton.

are

P

are fet before the Apology for Poetry, written by the faid Knight."*

Dr. Birch thought him to be the fame Mr. Henry Conftable, who, was a zealous Roman Catholic, and whofe religion feems to have occafioned him to live in a ftate of banishment from England. This perfon took occafion to write to Mr. Anthony Bacon from Paris on the 6th Oct. 1595, beginning his letter with obferving, that it had been his own good fortune once to be beloved of the moft part of the virtuous gentry, of his country; and that he did not think he had deferved their evil liking fince." To you only," fays he, "I was never "known. Howbeit I have had a long defire "to offer my fervice unto you for thofe reports, "which I have fo often, and in fo many places. "heard of your deferts. If I were as I was

once reputed, I should hope you would not

contemn my profered fervice; and as I am, "I defpair not. I truft, I have given my Lord "of Effex fufficiently to underftand the duti"ful affection I bear to my country; and all

my Catholic countrymen that know me, are "witneffes how far I am against violent proceedings; and there is nothing but my re"ligion can prejudice me; which I cannot

'