-is found in a very scarce miscellany intitled "Davison's Poems, or a poeticall Rapsodie divided into sixe books. .... The 4th impression newly corrected and augmented, and put into a forme more pleasing to the reader. Lond. 1621, 12mo." This poem is reported to have been written by its celebrated author the night before his execution, Oct. 29. 1618. But this must be a mistake, for there were at least two editions of Davison's poems before that time, one in 1608 *, the other in 1611+. So that unless this poem was an after-insertion in the 4th edit. it must have been written long before the death of Sir Walter: perhaps it was composed soon after his condemnation in 1603. See Oldys's Life of Sir Walter Raleigh, p. 173, fol. GOE, soule, the bodies guest, Feare not to touche the best, The truth shall be thy warrant : Goe tell the court, it glowes Then give them both the lye. Tell zeale, it lacks devotion; And wish them not reply, Tell age, it daily wasteth; Tell honour, how it alters; Tell beauty, how she blasteth; Tell favour, how she falters; And as they shall reply, Give each of them the lye. Tell wit, how much it wrangles 5 333 40 45 50 10 Tell schooles, they want profoundnesse, And stand too much on seeming: If arts and schooles reply, 65 Give arts and schooles the lye. 25 Tell, vertue least preferreth: 70 30 Catalogue of Sion coll. library. This is either lost or ruslaid. And, if they doe reply, Spare not to give the lye. So, when thou hast, as I Commanded thee, done blabbing, Although to give the lye Deserves no less than stabbing, Yet stab at thee who will, KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY. 16 V. VERSES BY KING JAMES I. In the firs. edition of this book were inserted, by way of spect en of his Majesty's poetic talents, some punning verses made on the disputations at Sterling; but it having been suggested to the Editor, that the king only gave the quibbling commendations in prose, and that some obsequious courtrhymer put them into metre; it was thought proper to exchange them for two sonnets of King James's own composition. James was a great versifier, and therefore out of the multitude of his poems, we have here selected two, which (to shew our impartiality) The are written in his best and his worst manner. first would not dishonour any writer of that time; the second is a most complete example of the Bathos. A SONNET ADDRESSED BY KING JAMES TO HIS SON PRINCE HENRY. From King James's Works in folio: where is also printed another called his Majesty's "own Sonnet;" it would perhaps be too cruel to infer from thence that this was not his Majesty's own sonnet. GOD gives not kings the stile of Gods in vaine, If then ye would enjoy a happie reigne, Observe the statutes of our heavenly King; And from his law make all your laws to spring; Since his lieutenant here ye should remaine. KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY. The common popular ballad of "King John and the Abbot" seems to have been abridged and modernized about the time of James I. from one much older, entitled, "King John and the Bishop of Canterbury." The Editor's folio MS. contains a copy of this last, but in too corrupt a state to be reprinted; it however afforded many lines worth reviving, which will be found inserted in the ensuing stanzas. The archness of the following questions and answers hath been much admired by our old balladmakers; for besides the two copies above mentioned, there is extant another ballad on the same subject (but of no great antiquity or merit), entitled, "King Olfrey and the Abbot.: Lastly, about the time of the civil wars, when the cry ran against the See a folio, intitled, "The Muses welcome to King James. See the collection of Historical Ballads, 3 vols. 1727. Mr. Wise supposes Olfrey to be a corruption of Alfred, in bis pamphlet concerning the White Horse in Berkshire, 6. bishops, some puritan worked up the same story into a very doleful ditty, to a solemn tune, concerning "King Henry and a Bishop ;" with this stinging moral : "Unlearned men hard matters out can find, When learned bishops princes eyes do blind." The following is chiefly printed from an ancient black-letter copy, to " The tune of Derry down." An ancient story Ile tell you anon Of a notable prince, that was called King John; And Ile tell you a story, a story so merrye, 5 THE OLD AND YOUNG COURTIER. 169 VII. YOU MEANER BEAUTIES. This little sonnet was written by Sir Henry Wotton, knight, on that amiable princess, Elizabeth daughter of James I. and wife of the Elector Palatine, who was chosen King of Bohemia, Sept. 5, 1519. The consequences of this fatal election are well known: Sir Henry Wotton, who in that and the following year was employed in several embassies in Germany on behalf of this unfortunate lady, seems to have had an uncommon attachment to her merit and fortunes for he gave away a jewel worth a thousand pounds, that was presented to him by the emperor, because it came from an enemy to his royal mistress the Queen of Bohemia." See Biog. Britan. This song is printed from the Reliquia Wottoniana, 1651, with some corrections from an old MS. copy. You meaner beauties of the night, That poorly satisfie our eies More by your number, than your light ; Like a flourishing young gallant, newly come to his With a new-fangled lady, that is dainty, nice, and spare, Who never knew what belonged to good housekeeping, or care, [air, Who buyes gaudy-color'd fans to play with wanton And seven or eight different dressings of other women's hair; Like a young courtier, &c. With a new-fashion'd hall, built where the old one stood, Who when her lady has din'd, lets the servants not [good, Hung round with new pictures, that do the poor no With new titles of honour bought with his father's With a fine marble chimney, wherein burns neither | old gold, [sold; coal nor wood, [ne'er stood; And a new smooth shovelboard, whereon no victuals And this is the course most of our new gallants hold, For which sundry of his ancestors old manors are Like a young courtier, &c. Which makes that good house-keeping is now grown so cold, With a new study, stuft full of pamphlets, and plays, IX. Among the young courtiers of the king, SIR JOHN SUCKLING'S CAMPAIGNE. When the Scottish covenanters rose up in arms, and advanced to the English borders in 1639, many of the courtiers complimented the king by raising forces at their own expence. Among these none were more distinguished than the gallant Sir John Suckling, who raised a troop of horse, so richly accoutred, that it cost him 12,000l. The like expensive equipment of other parts of the army, made the king remark, that the Scots would fight stoutly, if it were but for the Englishmen's fine cloaths." [Lloyd's Memoirs.] When they came to action, the rugged Scots proved more than a match for the fine shewy English: many of whom behaved remarkably ill, and among the rest this splendid troop of Sir John Suckling's. This humorous pasquil has been generally supposed to have been written by Sir John, as a banter upon himself. Some of his contemporaries however attributed it to Sir John Mennis, a wit of those times, among whose poems it is printed in a small poetical miscellany, intitled, "Musarum delicia: or the Muses recreation, containing several pieces of poetique wit, 2d edition.-By Sir J. M. [Sir John Mennis] and Ja. S. [James Smith.] London 1656, 12mo." -[See Woods Athenæ, II.397, 418.] In that copy is subjoined an additional stanza, which probably was written by this Sir John Mennis, viz. "But now there is peace, he's return'd to increase, His money, which lately he spent-a, But his lost honour must lye still in the dust; At Barwick away it went-a." SIR John he got him an ambling nag, To Scotland for to ride-a, With a hundred horse more, all his own he swore, |