cholas be deceast; that is, asleepe. For so the word is taken to sleepe, to dye, to dye, to sleepe; a very figure, sir.

:

"Will. Our comic poet gives the reason sweetly, Plenus rimarum est, he is full of loop holes, &c.

"Rog. Did I for this consume my quarters in meditation, vowes, and wooed her in Heroicall Epistles? Did I expound the Owle; and undertook with labour and experience the collection of those thousand pieces, consumed in cellars and tobacco-shops, of that our honour'd Englishman, Nich. Breton ?”

The "Scornful Lady" being first printed in 1616, it may indicate Breton to have been then living; and if the Norton epitaph produced by Mr. Brydges, belong to the poet, he continued to live till June 22, 1624. Mr. Gough seems to concur in opinion that he did so as may be gathered from a note in Vol. II. of Queen Elizabeth's Progresses. By those, however, who possess the lonely power of inspecting the early miscellanies of Nicholas Breton, it remains to be determined whether he incidentally bespeaks himself to have held any military commission in the Low Countries under the Earl of Leicester, as this would identify the monumental inscription.* Mr. Ellis has given some pleasing specimens from the poetry of Breton, and Mr. Brydges has done honour to his memory, by calling the ballad of Phillida and Corydon,+ a delicious little poem, from which if we are to judge of his poetical powers (for

* For which, see Brydges's Theat. Poet. and Ritson's Bib. Poet. See Percy's Reliques, Ellis's Specimens, and the Muse's Library.

surely he had the powers of a poet) they were distinguished by a simplicity, at once easy and elegant. *

T. P.

ART. CV. The Soules immortall Crowne; consisting of Seaven glorious Graces. 1. Virtue. 2. Wisedome. 3. Love. 4. Constancie. 5. Patience. 6. Humilitie. 7. Infinitenes. Devided into Seaven Dayes Workes and dedicated to the King's most Excellent Majestic. At London, printed by H. Lownes; and are to be sold by I. C. and F. B. 1605. 4to. 34 leaves.

THIS is one of the curious, though not most rare productions, of that prolific writer Nicholas Breton, who supplied the press with a rich diversity of ingenious compositions for more than forty years. The scheme of this poem was suggested probably by the "divine weeks" of Du Bartas; though Breton's manner of treating his subject is very different, and being much more concise is therefore more impressive. I cite a few stanzas from the fourth division of the work, which are very creditable to the ear and mind and heart of the author.

"

"O Constancie! thou only kingly thought," That keepes the spirit in her purest kinde; And hast against all idle frailty fought,

And like a mountaine settlest fast the minde: Let me conceive some part of thy content, Where pleasure's spirit is most sweetly spent.. And though I cannot reach that royall height,

Wherein thy sacred majestie doth sit:

Since this was written, two poems of Breton have appeared in 1814, and 1815, from the private press of Lee Priory; and two prose tracts have been reprinted in Archaica.

Yet, as a servant let me humbly waite,
To see thine honour and to speake of
And so to speake, that all the world may see
Wisdom, Love, Honor, only lives in thee.

The constant eve hath never wandring sight,
The constant ear hath no unkindly hearing,
The constant tongue doth ever speake aright,
The constant heart hath ever happy chearing;
The constant minde the fairest thoughts unfold thee,
The constant soule on earth and heaven behold thee.

It loves no change, and breeds the joy of choice,
It feares no fortune, and it serves no folly,
It keepes the rule where reason doth rejoice,
And is the substance of contentment wholly:
It is a stay that strengtheneth the minde,
And knits the senses in a sacred kinde.

It is the lock upon the heart of Love,

A chest that keepes the treasure of the mind; Within the soule a rocke that cannot move,

A band that doth the thoughts together bind: A light where wisdom vertue's honour seeth, And life where only grace with loue agreeth.

Oh, how it writes the worthiness of those,

That strove for honour to the stroke of death:

And how without comparison it shows

The mouth of wisdom blessed in her breath: And how it makes the fame of them to flourish, That with their bounty vertuous spirits nourish."

• See a farther account of this poem in No. 15 of Restituta.

ART: CVI. Love's Martyr, or Rosalin's Complaint, allegorically shadowing the truth of Love in the constant fate of the Phonix and Turtle. A poem, enterlaced with much varietie and raritie; now first translated out of the venerable Italian Torquato Caliano, by Robert Chester. With the true legend of famous King Arthur, the last of the nine worthies; being the first Essay of a new British poet : collected out of authenticall records. To these are added some new compositions of several modern writers; whose names are subscribed to their severall workes; upon the first subject; viz. the Phanix and Turtle. 1601.

THE above title was transcribed from a Note to Malone's Supplement to Shakspeare, 1780, Vol. I. p. 732: but the Editor has since had the volume itself in his hands by the favour of Messrs. Longman, who now possess the copy, perhaps unique, from whence Malone took his account.

The principal writers associated in this collection are Shakspeare, B. Jonson, Marston, and Chapman : and there is one short poem by Ignoto. There is a second title preceding the contributions of these authors in the following words:" Hereafter follow diverse poeti-cal essaies on the former subject; viz. the Turtle and Phænix. Done by the best and chiefest of our modern writers, with their names subscribed to their particular workes. Never before extant. And now first consecrated by them all generally to the love and merit of the truly noble Knight, Sir John Salisburie."

1

The poem of Shakspeare, copied by Malone, is the xxth of "The Passionate Pilgrim," beginning

"Let the bird of loudest lay

On the sole Arabian tree,
Herald sad and trumpet be,

To whose sound chaste wings obey."

ART. CVII. Foure Paradoxes: of Arte, of Lawe, of Warre, of Service. By T. S.

Cupias quodcunque necesse est.

At London Printed for Thomas Bushell. 1602. Small 8vo. 24 leaves.

THESE Paradoxes are poetical, and the only copy I have seen was formerly Major Pearson's. The name of the author is revealed by the following dedication.

"To the most honorable and more vertuous Lady, the Ladie Helena, Marquesse of Northampton.

"MADAM,

"Your friends send you jewelles; your tenants, the fruit of their store; and your servants, many good wishes; all of them, in their kinde, being testimonies of their loves and dueties. I, that am too poore to present you with the two former, and too ambitious, to supply my wants with the latter, have presumed in another manner to expresse my humilitie; sending you, not the riches of my exterior fortunes, but the fruite and issue of my braine, in the begetting whereof I wasted much pretious time.