The fenfe has generally fuch a fufficient paufe, and will admit of fuch a punctuation at the clofe of the fecond line, and the verfe is very often as harmonious too, as if it was calculated for a modern ear : tho' the great number of obfolete words retained would incline us to think the editors had not procured any very extraordinary alteration of the original edition, which we have 1.ever feen. The pre-, fent one is nearly printed; and, if it fhould occafion another, we cannot think but a fhort gloffary at the end of it; or explanations at the bottom of the pages, where the most uncouth and antiquated terms occur, would justly increase the value of it, by adding confiderably to the perfpicuity of this writer; who, in other refpects, feems to have been a learned divine, a confcientious christian, a lover of peace, and well endued with patience; for the exercife of which virtue, the confufions at the latter end of his life, about the time of the death of Charles I. furnished him with frequent opportunities, the account of his own hard meafures being dated in May 1647. We have met with no other poetical writings of the bishop's, except three anthems, compofed for the use of his cathedral-church, and indeed, it feems as if his continual occupation after his youth, and his troubles in age, were fufficient to fupprefs any future, propensity to fatirical poetry which we may infer from the conclufion of the first fatire of his fourth book. While now my rhimes relifh of the ferule ftill, Hath three times conftrued either Flaccus o'er, RICHARD ૫૫ ૨૫ ૨૫ ૨૬ મ RICHARD CRASHAW. SON of an eminent divine named William Crafhaw, was educated in grammar learning in Sutton's-Hofpital called the Charter-Houfe, near London, and in academical, partly in Pembroke-Hall, of which he was a scholar, and afterwards in Peterhouse, Cambridge, of which he was a fellow, where, as in the former houfe, he was diftinguished for his Latin and English poetry. Afterwards he took the degree of mafter of arts; but being foon after thrown out of his fellowhip, with many others of the Univerfity of Cambridge, for denying the Covenant during the time of the rebellion, he was for a time obliged to fhift for himself, and ftruggle against want and oppreflion. At length being wearied with perfécution and poverty, and forefeing the calamity which threatened and afterwards fell upon his church and country, by the unbounded fury of the Prefbyterians, he changed his religion, and went beyond fea, in order to recommend himself to fome Popish preferment in Paris; but being a mere fcholar was incapable of executing his new plan of a livelihood. Mr. Abraham Cowley hearing of his being there, endeavoured to find him out, which he did, and to his great furprize faw him in a very miserable plight: this happened in the year 1646. This generous bard gave him all the affiftance he could, and obtained likewise some relief for him from Henrietta Maria the Queen Dowager, then refiding at Paris. Our author receiving letters of recommendation from his Queen, he took a journey into Italy, and by virtue virtue of thofe letters became a fecretary to a Cardinal at Rome, and at length one of the canons or chaplains of the rich church of our lady of Loretto, fome miles diftant from thence, where he died in 1650. : This conduct of Crafhaw can by no means be juftified when a man changes one religion for another, he ought to do it at a time when no motive of intereft can well be fuppofed to have produced it; for, it does no honour to religion, nor to the perfon who becomes a convert, when it is evident, he would not have altered his opinion, had not his party been fuffering; and what would have become of the church of England, what of the Proteftant religion, what of chriftianity in general, had the apoftles and primitive martyrs, and later champions for truth, meanly abandoned it like Crashaw, because the hand of power was lifted up against it. It is an old obfervation, that the blood of the martyrs is the feed of the church; but Crafhaw took care that the church fhould reap no benefit by his perfeverance. Before he left England he wrote poems, entitled, Steps to the Temple; and Wood fays, "That he led his life in St. Mary's church near 66 66 to Peterhouse, where he lodged under Tertullian's "roof of angels; there he made his neft more glad than David's fwallow near the house of God, where like a primitive faint he offered more prayers in the night than others usually offer in the day. There he pen'd the poems "called Steps to the Temple for Happy Souls to: "climb to Heaven by. To the faid Steps are 66 joined other poems, entitled, The Delights of "the Mufes, wherein are feveral Latin poems; "which tho' of a more humane mixture, yet are "fweet as they are innocent. He hath alfo writ"ten Carmen Deo Noftro, being Hymns and o"ther facred Poems, addreffed to the Countess of "Denbigh. "Denbigh. He is faid to have been master of five "languages, befides his mother tongue, viz. He"brew, Greek, Latin, Italian, and Spanish." Mr. Crafhaw feems to have been a very deli. cate and chafte writer; his language is pure, his thoughts natural, and his manner of writing tender. AN WILLIAM ROWLEY, N author who lived in the reign of Charles I. and was fome time a member of Pembroke-Hall in Cambridge. There are no particulars on record concerning this poet. He was beloved, fays Langbaine, by Shakespear, Johnson, and Fletcher, and writ with the former the British Merlin, befides what he joined in writing with poets of the third clafs, as Heywood, Middleton, Day, and Webster. The author has fix plays in print of his own writing, which are as follows; 1. A New Wonder, a Woman never vext, a Comedy, acted Anno 1632. The Widow's finding her wedding Ring (which the dropt croffing the Thames) in the Belly of a Fith, is taken from the Story of Polycrates, in the Thalia of Herodotus. 2. A Match at Midnight, a Comedy, acted by the Children of the Revels, 1633. Part of the Plot is taken from a Story in the English Rogue, Part the fourth. 3. All's loft by Luft, a Tragedy, acted at the Phoenix in Drury-lane by the Lady Elizabeth's Servants, Servants, 1633. This is esteemed a tolerable Play 4. Shoemaker's a Gentleman, a Comedy, acted at the Red-Bull, 1638. This Play was afterwards revived at the Theatre in Dorfet-Garden. Plot from Crifpin and Crifpianus; or the History of the Gentle Craft. 5. The Witch of Edmonton, a Tragi-Comedy, acted by the Prince's Servants at the Cock-pit in Drury-Lane, 1658. This Play was afterwards acted at Court with Applause. 6. The Birth of Merlin, a Tragi-Comedy, 1662. The Plot from Geofrey of Monmouth. Shakespear affifted in this Play. He joined with Middleton in his Spanish Gypfies, Webster in his Thracian Won der. A THOMAS NASH, Verfifier in the reign of King Charles I, was educated in the univerfity of Cambridge, and was defigned for holy orders. He was defcended from a family in Hertfordshire, and was born at Leoftoff in Suffolk. Whether he obtained any preferment in the church, or was honoured with any great man's patronage, is no where determined. It is reafonable to believe the contrary, because good fortune is feldom without the evidence of flattery, or envy, whereas diftrefs and obfcurity, are almost infeparable companions. This is further confirmed in fome lines vehemently paffionate, in a performance of his called Piers Pennilefs; which to fay nothing of the poetry, are a ftrong picture of rage, and defpair, and part of which as they will fhew that he was no mean verfifier, fhall be quoted by way of fpecimen. In the abovementioned piece of Piers Penniless |