SE C T. XXXIV. IN N tracing the gradual acceffions of the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, an incidental departure from the general line of our chronologic feries has been incurred. But fuch an anticipation was unavoidable, in order to exhibit a full and uninterrupted view of that poem, which originated in the reign of Mary, and was not finally completed till the beginning of the seventeenth century. I now therefore return to the reign of queen Mary. To this reign I affign Richard Edwards, a native of Somersetshire about the year 1523. He is faid by Wood to have been a scholar of Corpus Chrifti college in Oxford: but in his early years, he was employed in fome department about the court. This circumstance appears from one of his poems in the PARADISE OF DAINTIE DEVISES, a mifcellany which contains many of his pieces. In youthfull yeares when firft my young defires began To pricke me forth to ferve in court, a flender tall young man, My fathers bleffing then, I asked upon my knee, Who bleffing me with trembling hand, these wordes gan fay to me, My fonne, God guide thy way, and shield thee from mifchaunce, And make thy just desartes in court, thy poore estate to advance, &ca. In the year 1547, he was appointed a senior student of Christchurch in Oxford, then newly founded. In the British Museum there is a small set of manuscript sonnets figned with his initials, addreffed to fome of the beauties of the courts of queen Mary, and of queen Elifabeth. Hence we may conjecture, that he did not long remain at the university. About this time he was probably a member of Lincoln's-inn. In the year 1561, he was constituted a gentleman of the royal chapel by queen Elisabeth, and master of the finging boys there. He had received his mufical education, while at Oxford, under George Etheridge. When queen Elifabeth vifited Oxford in 1566, she was attended by Edwards, who was on this occafion employed to compose a play called PALAMON AND ARCITE, which was acted before her majesty in Christ-church hall. I believe it was never printed. Another of his plays is DAMON AND PYTHIAS, which was acted at court. It is a mistake, that the first edition of this play is the fame that is among Mr. Garrick's collection, MSS. COTTON. Tit. A. xxiv. " To "fome court Ladies."-Pr. "Howarde is not hawghte, &c.". с George Etheridge, born at Thame in Oxfordshire, was admitted Scholar of Corpus Chrifti college Oxford, under the tuition of the learned John Shepreve, in 1534. Fellow, in 1539. In 1553, he was made royal profeffor of Greek at Oxford. In 1556, he was recommended by lord Williams of Thame, to Sir Thomas Pope founder of Trinity college in Oxford, to be admitted a fellow of his college at its first foundation. But Etheridge chufing to pursue the medical line, that scheme did not take effect. He was perfecuted for popery by queen Elifabeth at her ace ceffion; but afterwards practifed phyfic at Oxford with much reputation, and establifhed a private feminary there for the inftruction of catholic youths in the claffics, mufic, and logic. Notwithstanding his active perfeverance in the papiftic perfuafion, he prefented to the queen when the vifited Oxford in 1566, an Encomium in Greek verfe on her father Henry, now in the British Museum, MSS, BIBL. REG. 16 C. x. He prefixed a not inelegant preface in Latin verfe to his tutor Shepreve's HYP POLYTUS, an Answer to Ovid's PHÆDRA, feem to have been Lord Williams, Sir printed printed by Richard Johnes, and dated 1571. The first edition was printed by William How in Fleet-street, in 1570, with this title, "The tragical comedie of DAMON AND PITHIAS, "newly imprinted as the fame was playde before the queenes "maieftie by the children of her graces chapple. Made by "Mayfter Edward then being mafter of the children'." There is fome degree of low humour in the dialogues between Grimme the collier and the two lacquies, which I prefume was highly pleafing to the queen. He probably wrote many other dramatic pieces now loft. Puttenham having mentioned lord Buckhurst and Master Edward Ferrys, or Ferrers, as moft eminent in tragedy, gives the prize to Edwards for Comedy and Interlude. The word Interlude is here of wide extent. For Edwards, befides that he was a writer of regular dramas, appears to have been a contriver of mafques, and a compofer of poetry for pageants. In a word, he united all thofe arts and accomplishments which minister to popular pleasantry: he was the first fiddle, the most fashionable fonnetteer, the readieft rhymer, and the most facetious mimic, of the court. In confequence of his love and his knowledge of the hiftrionic art, he taught the chorifters over which he prefided to act plays; and they were formed into a company of players, like thofe of faint Paul's cathedral, by the queen's licence, under the fuperintendency of Edwards". The most poetical of Edwards's ditties in the PARADISE OF DAINTIE DEVISES is a defcription of May'. The rest are moral fentences in ftanzas. His SOUL-KNELL, fuppofed to have been written on his death-bed, was once celebrated *. His popularity feems to have altogether arifen from those pleasing talents of which no fpecimens could be tranfmitted to pofterity, and which prejudiced his partial cotemporaries in favour of his poetry. He died in the year 1566 '. In the Epitaphs, Songs, and Sonets of George Turbervile, printed in 1570, there are two elegies on his death; which record the places of his education, ascertain his poetical and musical character, and bear ample teftimony to the high diftinction in which his performances, more particularly of the dramatic kind, were held. The fift is by Turbervile himself, entitled, Epitaph on Maifter Edwards, fometime Maister of the Children "of the Chappell and gentleman of Lyncolnes inne of court." Ye learned Mufes nine And facred fifters all; Now lay your cheerful cithrons downe, And to lamenting fall. For he that led the daunce, The chiefeft of your traine, I meane the man that Edwards height, O ruth! he is bereft, That, whilft he lived here, For poets penne and paffinge wit Could have no English peere. It is mentioned by G. Gascoigne in his Epifle to the young Gentlemen, before his works, 1587. qu. I Wood, ATH. Oxon. i. 151. See also, ibid. FAST. 71. The other is written by Thomas Twyne, an assistant in Phaer's Tranflation of Virgil's Eneid into English verfe, educated a few years after Edwards at Corpus Chrifti college, and an actor in Edwards's play of PALAMON AND ARCITE before queen Elifabeth at Oxford in 1566". It is entitled, "An Epitaph vpon the death of the worshipfull Mayfter Richarde Shakespeare has inferted a part of Edwards's fong In Commendation of Muficke, extant at length in the PARADISE OF DAINTIE DEUISES, (fol. 34. b.) in RoMEO AND JULIET. "When griping grief, "&c." Acr iv. Sc. 5. In fome Mifcellany of the reign of Elifabeth, I have seen a fong called The WILLOW-GARLAND, attributed to Edwards: and the fame, I think, that is licenced to T. Colwell in 1564, beginning, "I am not the fyrft that "bath taken in hande, The wearynge of the "willowe garlande." This fong, often reprinted, seems to have been written in confequence of that fung by Defdemona in OTHELLO, with the burden, Sing, O the greene willowe shall be my garland. OTHELL. ACT iv. Sc. 3. See REGISTER OF THE STATIONERS, A. fol. 119. b. Hence the antiquity of Desdemona's fong may in fome degree be afcertained. I take this opportunity of obferving, that the ballad of SUSANNAH, part of which is fung by fir Toby in VOL. III. n Eyes. • Fol. 142. b. 1 P Miles Winfore of the fame college was another actor in that play, and I fuppofe his performance was much liked by the queen. For when her majefty left Oxford, after this vifit, he was appointed by the university to fpeak an oration before her at lord Windfor's at Bradenham in Bucks: and when he had done fpeaking, the queen turning to Gama de Sylva, the Spanish ambaffador, and looking wiftly on Winfore, faid to the ambaffador, I net this a pretty young man? Wood, Aн. Oxon. i. 151. 489. Winfore proved af terwards a diligent antiquary. |