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Horfe, under Edward Duke of Somerset, Lieutenant-General of the Army against the Scots, and made Banneret by the Protector immediately after the battle of Muffelborough, about 27 Sept. 1547.* He died Chief Jufticiary of Ireland, at Waterford, 1548.† He was nephew to John Bourchier, Lord Berners, the tranflator of Froiffart. He tranflated from French, Guevara's Differtation on the Life of a Courtier, Lond. 1548, 8°. Several of the poems by uncertain authors, beforementioned, are alfo fuppofed to have been the productions of Bryan.

There is one other principal poet of this day, who has been rescued by Warton from total oblivion. This perfon's name was NICHOLAS GRIMOALD; a native of Huntingdonfhire, educated both at Cambridge and Oxford. He is the fecond English poet after Lord Surrey who wrote in blank verfe. He wrote a poem on the death of Marcus Tullius Cicero; and another on the death of Zoroas, an Egyptian Aftronomer, both printed in Tottel's collection, 1557, with the initials N. G. Warton fays that as a writer of verfes in rhyme, he yields to none of his cotemporaries, for a masterly choice of chafte expreffions and the concife ele

Wood's Ath. I. 73. † Warton, III, p 42.

gancies

gancies of didactic verfification. A third fpecimen of early blank verfe was by WILLIAM VALLANS, 1590, in a "Tale of Two Swannes," which under a poetic fiction defcribes the fituation and antiquities of feveral towns in Hertfordfhire.*

EDMUND LORD SHEFFIELD, created a Baron by Edw. VI. and killed by a butcher in the Norfolk infurrection, is faid by Bale to have written fonnets in the Italian manner.†

"It would be unpardonable," fays Warton, to difmifs Tottel's valuable mifcellany without acknowledging our obligations to him, who deferves highly of English literature, for having collected at a critical period, and preferved in a printed volume, fo many admirable fpecimens of antient genius, which would have mouldered in manufcript, or perhaps from their detached and fugitive ftate of existence, their want of length, the capriciousness of taste, the general depredations of time, inattention, and other accidents, would never have reached the prefent age. It feems to have given birth to two favorite and celebrated collections of the fame kind, The Paradife of Dainty Devifes; beforementioned, and England's Helicon, which appeared in the reign of Elizabeth."

*Warton ut fupra, p. 65. † Ibid. Ibid. p. 69.

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SIR THOMAS MORE.

"Sir Thomas More, a great credit and or"nament in his time, of the English nation, "and with whom the learnedest foreigners of "that age were proud to have correfpondence. "For his wit, and excellent parts, he was "chofen Speaker of the House of Commons, "and afterwards advanced to be Lord Chan"cellor of England by K. Henry the 8th,

however he fell unfortunately a victim to "the displeasure of that prince. His Utopia, "though not written in verfe, yet in regard of "the great fancy, and invention thereof, may "well país for a poem; befides his latin epigrams, which have received a general esteem among learned men."

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Of a character fo well known as that of SIR THOMAS MORE, it would be useless to say much. He has left a few obfolete poems, which derive their claim to notice from the fame of the writer. Yet in his "Rufull Lamentation" on the death of Elizabeth of York, wife of

wife of Henry the VIIth, he fhews fome glimmerings of poetical powers, which cultivation might have conducted to excellence. He was born 1480, and beheaded 6th July, 1535, æt. 55. His tutor, THOMAS LINACRE, is recorded by Phillips as having had the repute of no mean poet, but I prefume for his Latin compofitions.

SIR THOMAS ELYOT.

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"Sir Thomas Eliot, a perfon of note in the

reign of Q. Elizabeth, and of whose writing "there is a learned treatise of Government, "which hath been in principal esteem: more"over what he hath writ in poetry is alfo men"tioned with fingular commendation."

Phillips has made a ftrange mistake regarding the time in which ELYOT lived. He died 25 Mar. 1546, before the death of Hen. the VIIIth. He was employed in feveral honourable embaffies during that reign, was courted and celebrated by all the learned of his time, and was the particular friend of Sir Thomas More. His Caftle of Health," London, 1541,

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1541, 8°. and his "Governor," in three books, London 1544, 8°. are his most celebrated performances-But no poems have defcended to pofterity; nor is he recorded as a poet by Warton. An exquifite portrait of him, by Bartolozzi, from Holbein's fketches, as well as of Thomas Lord Vaux, John Poins, to whom Sir Thomas Wyat's famous epiftle is addreffed, and others of that day, has lately been published by Chamberlayne.

HENRY PARKER,

LORD MORLEY.

"Henry Lord Morly, a nobleman of great account in the reign of K. Henry the 8th, "by whom he was fent with the Garter to the "Archduke of Auftria. There are mentioned "with honour in our English Hiftories, feve"ral works of his writing, for the most part "poetical, and particularly feveral tragedies "and comedies."

HENRY PARKER, LORD MORLEY, was fon and heir of Sir William Parker, Kt. by Alice;

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