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Richmond, from the general plan of the MIRROUr of MaGISTRATES: more especially, as many of Shakespeare's ghosts there introduced, for inftance, King Henry the fixth, Clarence, Rivers, Hastings, and Buckingham, are the perfonages of five of the legends belonging to this poem.

SECT.

SECT. XXXIII.

BY way of recapitulating what has been faid, and in order

to give a connected and uniform view of the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES in its most complete and extended state, its original contents and additions, I will here detail the subjects of this poem as they ftand in this laft or Niccols's edition of 1610, with reference to two preceding editions, and some other incidental particularities.

Niccols's edition, after the Epiftle Dedicatorie prefixed to Higgins's edition of 1587, an Advertisement To the Reader by Niccols, a Table of Contents, and Thomas Newton's recommendatory verses abovementioned, begins with an Induction called the AUTHOR'S INDUCTION, written by Higgins, and properly belonging to his edition. Then follow thefe Lives.

Albanact youngest fon of Brutus. Humber king of the Huns. King Locrine eldest fon of Brutus. Queen Elftride concubine of Locrine. Sabrina daughter of Locrine. King Madan. King Malin. King Mempric. King Bladud. Queen Cordelia. Morgan king of Albany. King Jago. Ferrex. Porrex. King Pinnar flain by Molucius Donwallo. King Stater. King Rudacke of Wales. King Kimarus. King Morindus. King Emerianus. King Cherinnus. King Varianus. Irelanglas coufin to Caffibelane. Julius Cefar. Claudius Tiberius Nero. Caligula. King Guiderius. Lelius Hamo. Tiberius Drufus. Domitius Nero. Galba. Vitellius. Londric the Pict. Severus. Fulgentius a Pict. Geta. Caracalla. All these from Albanact, and in the

* Pag. 1.

Ending with pag. 185.

fame

fame order, form the first part of Higgins's edition of the year 1587. But none of them are in Baldwyne's, or the firft, collection, of the year 1559. And, as I prefume, thefe lives are all written by Higgins. Then follow in Niccols's edition, Caraufius, Queen Helena, Vortigern, Uther Pendragon, Cadwallader, Sigebert, Ebba, Egelred, Edric, and Harold, all written by Thomas Blener Haffet, and never before printed. We have next a new title, "The variable Fortvne and vnhappie "Falles of fvch princes as hath happened fince the Conquest. "Wherein may be feene, &c. At London, by Felix Kyngston. "1609." Then, after an Epistle to the Reader, subscribed R. N. that is Richard Niccols, follow, Sackville's INDUCTION. Cavyll's Roger Mortimer. Ferrers's Trefilian. Ferrers's Thomas of Woodstock. Churchyard's Mowbray. Ferrers's King Richard the second. Phaer's Owen Glendour. Henry Percy. Baldwyne's Richard earl of Cambridge. Baldwyne's Montague earl of Salisbury. Ferrers's Eleanor Cobham. Ferrers's Humfrey duke of Gloucefter. Baldwyne's William De La Poole earl of Suffolk. Baldwyne's Jack Cade. Ferrers's Edmund duke of Somerset. Richard Plantagenet duke of York. Lord Clifford. Tiptoft earl of Worcester. Richard lord Warwick. King Henry the fixth. George Plantagenet duke of Clarence. Skelton's King Edward the fourth. Woodvile lord Rivers. Dolman's Lord Haftings. Sackville's Duke of Buckingham. Collingburne. Cavyll's Blacksmith. Higgins's Sir Nicholas Burdet. Churchyard's Jane Shore. Churchyard's Wolfey. Drayton's Lord Cromwell. All thefe, Humfrey, Cobham, Burdet, Cromwell, and Wolfey, excepted, form the whole, but in a lefs chronological difpofition, of Baldwyne's collection, or edition, of the year 1559, as we have seen above: from whence they were reprinted, with the addition of Humfrey, Cobham, Burdet, and Wolfey, by Higgins, in his edition aforefaid of 1587, and where Wolfey clofes the work. Another title then appears in Niccols's

Where they end at fol. 108. a. • After P. 250.

• That is, from p. 250.

edition,

edition, "A WINTER NIGHT'S VISION. Being an Addition of "fvch Princes especially famovs, who were exempted in the for"mer HISTORIE. By Richard Niccols, Oxon. Magd. Hall. At "London, by Felix Kyngston, 1610." An Epistle to the Reader, and an elegant Sonnet to Lord Charles Howard lord High Admiral, both by Niccols, are prefixed. Then follows Niccols's INDUCTION to these new lives. They are, King Arthur. Edmund Ironfide. Prince Alfred. Godwin earl of Kent. Robert Curthose. King Richard the firft. King John. King Edward the fecond. The two Young Princes murthered in the Tower, and King Richard the third. Our author, but with little propriety, has annexed" ENGLAND'S ELIZA, or the victoriovs and trivmphant reigne of that virgin empreffe of facred memorie Eli"zabeth Queene of England, &c. At. London, by Felix Kyngston, 1610." This is a title page. Then follows a Sonnet to the virtuous Ladie the Lady Elifabeth Clere, wife to fir Francis Clere, and an Epistle to the Reader. A very poetical INDUCTION is prefixed to the ELIZA, which contains the hiftory of queen Elifabeth, then just dead, in the octave stanza. Niccols, however, has not entirely preferved the whole of the old collection, although he made large additions. He has omitted King James the first of Scotland, which appears in Baldwyne's edition of 1559*, and in Higgins's of 1587'. He has also omitted, and probably for the fame obvious reason, king James the fourth of Scotland, which we find in Higgins". Nor

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has Niccols retained the Battle of Flodden-field, which is in Higgins's edition ". Niccols has also omitted Seagars's King Richard the Third, which first occurs in Baldwyne's edition of 1559°, and afterwards in Higgins's of 1587. But Niccols has written a new Legend on this fubject, cited above, and one of the best of his additional lives ". This edition by Niccols, printed by Felix Kyngfton in 1610, I believe was never reprinted. It contains eight hundred and feventy-five pages. The MIRROUR of MAGISTRATES is obliquely ridiculed in bishop Hall's SATIRES, published in 1597.

Another, whofe more heavie-hearted faint
Delights in nought but notes of ruefull plaint,
Urgeth his melting mufe with folemn teares,
Rhyme of fome drearie fates of LUCKLESS PEERS.
Then brings he up fome BRANDED WHINING GHOST
To tell how old Misfortunes have him tost'.

It was,

That it should have been the object even of an ingenious fatirist, is fo far from proving that it wanted either merit or popularity, that the contrary conclufion may be justly inferred. however, at length length fuperfeded by the growing reputation of a new poetical chronicle, entitled ALBION'S ENGLAND, published before the beginning of the reign of James the first.

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May run for fence full tollerable lines.
What not mediocra firma from thy fpight?
But must thy enuious hungry fangs needs
light

On MAGISTRATES MIRROUR? Must thou
needs detract

And ftrue to worke his antient honors
wrack?

What shall not Rosamond, or Gaueston,
Ope their fweet lips without detraction?
But must our moderne Critticks enuious
eye, &c.

The two laft pieces indeed do not properly
belong to this collection, and are only on
the fame plan. Rofamond is Daniel's Coм-
PLAINT OF ROSAMOND, and Gauefton is
Drayton's monologue on that subject.

That

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