And alfo for the love which thou doest beare To th' Heliconian ymps, and they to thee; They unto thee, and thou to them, moft deare: Deare as thou art unto thyfelfe, fo love That loves and honours thee; as doth behove. E. S.

To the Right Honourable the Earle of Northumberland.

THE facred Mufes have made alwaies clame To be the Nourses of Nobility,

Ver. 10.

And alfo for the love &c.] The author of The Arte of English Poefie mentions this nobleman as a poet more than once: "And in her Maiefties time that now is, are fprong up another crew of courtly Makers, Noblemen and Gentlemen of her Maiefties own Servauntes, who have written excellently well, as it would appear, if their doings could be found out and made publicke; with the rest of which number is first that noble gentleman, Edward Earle of Oxford." B. 1. C. 31. In another place he gives a specimen of his verses. "Edward Earle of Oxford, a most noble and learned gentleman, made, in this figure of refponse, an emblem of Defire, otherwise called Cupide, &c." It is indeede a Dialogue between Fancy and Defire. He likewife mentions this nobleman together with "Maifter Edwards of her Maiefties Chapell, as the moft eminent writer of Comedy and Enterlude in his time."

T. WARTON. Henry Lok, in his Ecclefiaftes paraphrafed, 4to. 1597, has infcribed a Sonnet to this Nobleman; in which the poet conjures him

"by his wonted prayfe,

"Awhile his fong to heare, and trueth indure:" And he tells his Lordthip,

"Your paffed noble proofe doth well affure

"Your blouds, your minds, your bodies excellence."

TODD.

Ver. 14. That loves &c.] Here is an elleipfis of him before that. T. WARTON.

And Regiftres of everlafting fame,

To all that armes profeffe and chevalry. Then, by like right, the noble Progeny, Which them fucceed in fame and worth, are tyde

T'embrace the service of fweet Poetry, By whofe endevours they are glorifide; And eke from all, of whom it is envide,

To patronize the authour of their praise, Which gives them life, that els would foone have dide,

And crownes their ashes with immortall baies. To thee therefore, Right Noble Lord, I fend This prefent of my paines, it to defend.

E. S.

Ver. 5. Then, by like right, &c.] It does not appear that this Nobleman deferved that tribute of poetick praise which, Spenfer tells us in this Sonnet, are due to fame and worth. He was nominated ambaffador to France, but excufed himself from that service. This was Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, not Thomas his brother, who was beheaded at York for his engagement in the Northern rebellion. T. WARTON. It appears however that this Nobleman obtained another tribute of poetick praife. For thus Henry Lok, in his Ecclefiaftes paraphrafed, 4to. 1597, addreffes him in a Sonnet: "To the right honorable the Earle of Northumberland: "Who would intreat of earthly happineffe,

"He need but take a patterne of your state,
"Born noble, learned bred; whofe acts expreffe

"That honour cannot vertues force abate, &c." TODD.

To the Right Honourable the Earle of Cumberland.

REDOUBTED Lord, in whofe corageous

mind

The flowre of chevalry, now bloofming faire, Doth promise fruite worthy the noble kind Which of their praises have left you the haire ;

To this humble present I prepare,

you

For love of vertue and of martial praise
To which though nobly ye inclined are,
(As goodlie well ye fhew'd in late affaies,)
Yet brave enfample of long paffed daies,

In which trew honor ye may fashiond fee,
To like defire of honor may ye raise,
And fill your mind with magnanimitee.
Receive it, Lord, therefore as it was ment,
For honor of your name and high descent.

Ver. 1.

E. S.

in whofe corageous mind &c.] The valour of this nobleman is highly commended alfo in a Sonnet by Henry Lok, addreffed to him at the end of Ecclefiaftes paraphrafed, 4to. 1597. In 1598 he greatly harraffed the Spaniards in the Weft Indies. See Camden's Annals. TODD.

To the moft Honourable and excellent Lord the Earle of Effex, Great Maister of the Horfe to her Highneffe, and Knight of the Noble order of the Garter, &c.

MAGNIFICKE Lord, whofe vertues excel

lent

Doe merit a most famous Poets witt To be thy living praises inftrument ; Yet doe not fdeigne to let thy name be writt In this bafe Poeme, for thee far unfitt:

Nought is thy worth difparaged thereby. But when my Mufe, whofe fethers, nothing flitt,

Doe yet but flagg and lowly learne to fly,. With bolder wing fhall dare alofte to sty

To the laft praifes of this Faery Queene;

Ver. 1. Magnificke Lord, &c.] Lord Effex was a warm admirer and patron of Spenser. He was the general friend to men of talents. See the Life of Speufer. TODD.

Ver. 7. flitt,] Flitt is the adjective feet, thus written for the fake of the rhyme; as the verb fleet, in other places. See F. Q. iv. xi. 34.

"Thence doth by Huntingdon and Cambridge flit." And in Aftrophell :

"Forthwith her ghost out of her corps did flit."
T. WARTON.

Ver. 10. the lat praifes] The laft praifes of the Faerie Queene, fignify nine more Books which Spenfer had propofed to complete, according to his original plan. Thefe Sonnets, it must be remembered, were fent with the three firt Books, which in the laft line of this Sonnet the poet styles "thefe first labours." T. WARTON,

Then shall it make most famous memory Of thine heroicke parts, fuch as they beene: Till then, vouchfafe thy noble countenaunce To their firft labours needed furtheraunce.

E. S.

To the Right Honourable the Earle of Ormond and

Offory.

RECEIVE, moft Noble Lord, a simple taste Of the wilde fruit which falvage foyl hath

bred;

Which, being through long wars left almost

wafte,

With Brutish barbarifme is overfpredd: And, in fo faire a land as may be redd, Not one Parnaffus, nor one Helicone, Left for fweete Mufes to be harboured, But where thyfelfe haft thy brave manfione:

Ver. 1. Receive, moft Noble Lord, &c.] This Earl was an Irish Lord; was Prefident of Munster, Lieutenant-General of the army in Ireland, and related to the Queen. Spenfer wrote the three Books, sent with this Sonnet, in Ireland, which had been miferably defolated by long and frequent civil wars, and was at this time a country totally uncultivated and uncivilized. As this Nobleman appears from this Sonnet to have been a lover of learning, fo probably Spenfer had met with many inftances of favour from him. The unclaffick foil of Ireland Spenfer alfo hints at, in his Sonnet to Lord Grey. The bar barism and diftreffes of Ireland he mentions in other places. See my note on F. Q. vii. vii. 55. T. WARTON.

Ver. 8. where thyfelfe haft thy brave manfion;] The Earl feems to have lived in the Barony of Arclo, as we may VOL. II.