rhymer, he was the fubject of numerous fonnets, or popular ballads. I will not except Sydney. I could produce evidence to prove, that he scarce ever went out of England, or even left London, on the moft frivolous enterprize, without a pastoral in his praife, or a panegyric in metre, which were fold and fung in the streets. Having interested himself in the fashionable poetry of the times, he was placed high in the ideal Arcadia now juft eftablished: and among other instances which might be brought; on his return from Portugal in 1589, he was complimented with a poem, called "An Egloge gra"tulatorie, entituled to the right honorable "and renowned Shepherd of Albion's Arcadie, "Robert, Earl of Effex, and for his returne "lately into England."* This is a light, in which Lord Effex is feldom viewed. I know not if the Queen's fatal partiality, or his own inherent attraction, his love of literature, his heroilm, integrity and generofity; qualities which abundantly overbalance his presumption, his vanity, and impetuofity, had the greatest share in dictating these praises. If adulation were any where justifiable, it must be when paid to the man who endeavoured to fave Spenser from starving in the ftreets of Dublin, and who buried him in Westminster Abbey, with be

Licenced to R. Jones, August 1, 1589.

coming folemnity. Spenfer was perfecuted by Burleigh, because he was patronized by Effex. I need not remind the reader that these beautiful paffages are from the pen of Mr. Thomas Warton.*

HENRY, LORD PAGET is recorded as a poet, in the following paffage of " Puttenham's Art of Poefy, 1589." "In her majefty's time fprung up another company of courtly poets, who have writ excellently well, if their doings could be found out, and made public with the reft; of which number, is Edward Earl of Oxford, Thomas Lord Buckhurst when young, Henry Lord Paget, fir Philip Sydney, fir Walter Raleigh, and many others." If the chriftian name of this Lord Paget be accurate, he must have been the second peer of the family, who died as early as 28 December, 1569, when he must have been a young man. His brother Thomas, the third peer, died in 1589, and Camden obferves, "his death proved a sad and univerfal lofs to the common-wealth of learning." Notwithstanding therefore the name of "Henry" it seems most probable, that Lord Thomas was the poet.

WILLIAM WYRLEY, fon of Auguftin Wyrley, of Netherfeile in Leicestershire, (by Mary his wife, daughter of Walter Charnells) fon of

Hift. E. Poet. III. p. 421, 422.

William

William Wyrley, of Handfworth in Staffordfhire, defcended from an ancient family, was fometime entertained by Sampfon Erdfwicke, of Sandon, the hiftorian of Staffordshire, during which period he published a book, entitled "The true ufe of Armory, fhewed by history, and plainly proved by example, the neceffities thereof alfo difcovered: with the maner of differings in ancient time, the lawfulnes of honorable funerals and moniments: with other matters of antiquitie, incident to the advauncing of banners, enfignes, and marks of nobleneffe and chevalrie, by William Wyrley. Imprinted at London, by J. Jackson, for Gabriell Cawood, 1592, 4to." To this very fenfible and learned treatife, which fills only 28 pages, are added two poems, of the nature of thofe hiftorical legends, of which the example had been given in the " Mirror for Magistrates." The first is entitled, "Lord Chandos. The glorious life and honorable death of fir John Chandos, Lord of Saint Salviour, le Vicount, great Seneschall of Poyctou, high conftable of Acquitaine, Knight of the honorable order of the Garter, elected by the firft founder King Edward the Third, at his inftitution thereof." It begins at p. 29, and ends at p. 108.

The treatise was re-published with fome additions by Dugdale, under the title of "The ancient ufage of bearing arms."

The

Buz.

The fecond poem is entitled " Capitall de The honorable life and languifhing death of fir John de Gralhy, Capitall de Buz, one of the Knights elected by the firft founder of the Garter, into that noble order, and sometime one of the principall Governors of Guyen, ancestor to the French King that now is." This poem continues to p. 159, where the volume ends.

These compofitions are dull creeping hiftorical narratives, that never feem to rife to the spirit or harmony of poetry; and I will confefs, that I never could exert the patience to wade entirely through them.

There is a doubt whether they were not really the work of Erdfwicke, rather than of Wyrley: but there feems no reasonable ground for this. The poems are not worth contending for; the heraldrical treatife indeed is highly valuable: but there appears no caufe to fuppofe Wyrley unequal to it. He was unquestionably a very ingenious antiquary. He was conftituted Rouge-Croix Herald in 1604, and died 1617.

• Wood's Ath. 1. p. 428, 429.

QUEEN

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

But while I record the names of those who brightened the reign of Queen Elizabeth with their poetical talents, I ought not to close the account of that fplendid period, without noticing the powers for poetry which that illuf trious heroine herfelf difcovered.

In Percy's Ballads, II, p. 127, are printed her "Verfes, while prifoner at Woodstock, writ with charcoal on a fhutter," 1555. They were preserved by Hentzner, in his travels. In Headley's felect Beauties of Antient Poetry, II, p. 85, and in the "Specimens of the early English poets," printed for Edwards, 1790, 8vo. at p. 66, are "Verfes by Queen Elizabeth, upon Mount Zeur's departure," beginning

I greeve, and dare not fhewe my difcontent," &c.

The following ditty on the factions raised by the Queen of Scots, while prifoner in England, and printed* not long after, if not before, the

*They were, if I recollect, printed in Puttenham's Art of Poetry. They were re-printed in the Topographer, II. p. 176, from Harf MSS. No. 6933

be