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renowned heroes of antiquity, whofe lives and misfortunes he relates at large, and often in the most glowing colours of poetry. Alexander's murther of Clitus is thus defcribed in stanzas, pronounced by the poet and not by Buckingham.

And deeply grave within your ftonie harts
The dreerie dole, that mightie Macedo
With teares unfolded, wrapt in deadlie fmarts,
When he the death of Clitus forrowed fo,
Whom erft he murdred with the deadlie blow;
Raught in his rage upon his friend fo deare,
For which, behold loe how his panges appeare !

alas!

The launced speare he writhes out of the wound,
From which the purple blood spins in his face:
His heinous guilt when he returned found,
He throwes himself
uppon the
And in his armes howe oft doth he imbrace
His murdred friend! And kiffing him in vaine,
Forth flowe the floudes of falt repentant raine.

corps,

His friendes amazde at fuch a murther done,
In fearfull flockes begin to fhrinke away;
And he thereat, with heapes of grief fordone,
Hateth himselfe, wishing his latter day.-

He calls for death, and loathing longer life,
Bent to his bane refufeth kindlie foode,

And plungde in depth of death and dolours ftrife
Had queld himselfe, had not his friendes withstoode.
Loe he that thus has fhed the guiltleffe bloode,

Though he were king and keper over all,

Yet chofe he death, to guerdon death withall.

a Killed. Manqueller is murderer.

This prince, whofe peere was never under funne,
Whofe glistening fame the earth did overglide,
Which with his power the worlde welnigh had wonne,
His bloudy handes himfelfe could not abide,

But folly bent with famine to have dide;
The worthie prince deemed in his regard

That death for death could be but juft reward.

Our MIRROUR, having had three new editions in 1563, 157!, and 1574, was reprinted in quarto in the year 1587, with the addition of many new lives, under the conduct of John Higgins.

Higgins lived at Winsham in Somersetshire. He was educated at Oxford, was a clergyman, and engaged in the inftruction of youth. As a preceptor of boys, on the plan of a former collection by Nicholas Udal, a celebrated master of Eton fchool, he compiled the FLOSCULI OF TERENCE, a manual famous in its time, and applauded in a Latin epigram by the elegant Latin encomiaft Thomas Newton of Cheshire f. In the pedagogic character he also published "HOLCOT'S DICTIONARIE, newlie "corrected, amended, fet in order, and enlarged, with many "names of men, townes, beaftes, fowles, etc. By which

you may finde the Latine or Frenche of anie Englishe worde you "will. By John Higgins, late ftudent in Oxeforde "." In an engraved title-page are a few English verfes. It is in folio, and printed for Thomas Marshe at London, 1572. The dedication to fir George Peckham knight, is written by Higgins, and is a

This edition, printed by Thomas Marfhe, has clx leaves, with a table of contents at the end.

This edition, printed alfo for T. Marshe, is improperly enough entitled "The Laft Parte of the MIRROUR FOR "MAGISTRATES, &c." But it contains all that is in the foregoing editions, and ends with JANE SHORE, or SHORE'S WIFE. It has 163 leaves. In the title page the work is faid to be "Newly corrected and amended." They are all in quarto, and in black letter.

Ed But in the Preface Higgins fays he began to prepare it twelve years before. In imitation of the title, a ftory-book was published called the MIRROUR OF MIRTH, by R D. 1583. bl. lett. 4to. Alfo The MIRROUR OF THE MATHEMATIKES, A MIRROUR OF MONSTERS, &c.

• DEDICATION, ut infr.

f In TERENTII FLOSCULOS N. Udalli et 7. Higgini opera decerptos. ENCOM. fol. 128. It also prefixed to the book, with others.

Perhaps at Trinity college, where one: of both his names occurs in 1566.

good

good fpecimen of his claffical accomplishments. He calls Peckham his principal friend, and the most eminent patron of letters. A recommendatory copy of verfes by Churchyard the poet is prefixed, with four Latin epigrams by others. Another of his works in the fame profeffion is the NOMENCLATOR of Adrian Junius, tranflated into English, in conjunction with Abraham Flemming, and printed at London, for Newberie and Durham, in 1585. It is dedicated in Latin to his most bountiful patron Doctor Valentine, mafter of Requefts, and dean of Wells, from Winsham', 1584. From this dedication, Higgins seems to have been connected with the fchool of Ilminster, a neighbouring town in Somersetshire *. He appears to have been living fo late as the year 1602. For in that year he published an Answer to William Perkins, a forgotten controverfialift, concerning Chrift's defcent into hell, dedicated from Winfham.

To the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES Higgins wrote a new INDUCTION in the octave ftanza; and without affistance of friends, began a new feries from Albanact the youngest son of Brutus, and the first king of Albanie or Scotland, continued to the emperor Caracalla'. In this edition by Higgins, among the pieces after the conqueft, first appeared the Life of CARDINAL WOLSEY, by Churchyard"; of SIR NICHOLAS BURDET, by Baldwine"; and of ELEANOR COBHAM, and of HUMFREY DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, by Ferrers. Also the Legend of KING JAMES THE FOURTH OF SCOTLAND,

h Octavo.

The Dedication of his MIRROUR TO MAGISTRATES is from the fame place.

* He fays, that he tranflated it in London. "Quo facto, novus interpres Waldenus, "Ilmeftriæ gymnafiarcha, moriens, prius"quam manum operi fummam admoviffet, "me amicum veterem fuum omnibus libris "fuis et hoc imprimis Nomenclatore [his "tranflation] donavit." But Higgins found his own verfion better, which he therefore published, yet with a part of his friend's.

At fol. 108. a, The two laft lives in the latter, or what may be called Bald

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said to have been penned fiftie yeares ago, and of FLODDEN FIELD, faid to be of equal antiquity, and fubfcribed FRANCIS DINGLEY, the name of a poet who has not otherwife occurred. Prefixed is a recommendatory poem in stanzas by the abovementioned Thomas Newton of Cheshire', who underftood much more of Latin than of English poetry.

The most poetical paffage of Higgins's performance in this collection is in his Legend of QUEENE CORDILA, or Cordelia, king Lear's youngest daughter". Being imprisoned in a dungeon, and coucht on frawe, fhe fees amid the darkness of the night a griefly ghost approach,

Eke nearer still with stealing steps shee drewe :

Shee was of colour pale and deadly hewe.

Her garment was figured with various forts of imprisonment, and pictures of violent and premature death.

Her clothes resembled thousand kindes of thrall,
And pictures plaine of haftened deathes withall.

Cordelia, in extreme terror, afks,

What wight art thou, a foe or fawning frend ?
If Death thou art, I pray thee make an end
But th' art not Death!-Art thou fome Fury fent
My woefull corps
with paynes more to torment?

With that she spake, "I am thy frend DESPAYRE.

*

"Now if thou art to dye no whit afrayde

"Here shalt thou choose of Inftruments, beholde,
"Shall, rid thy restlesse life."

Fol. 255. b.

• Fol. 258. b.

* Subfcribed THOMAS NEWTONUS Ceyf trefbyrius, 1587.

Fol. 36. b.

DESPAIR

DESPAIR then, throwing her robe afide, fhews Cordelia a thousand inftruments of death, knives, fharpe fwordes, and ponyards, all bedyde with bloode and poyfons. She presents the fword with which queen Dido flew herself.

"Lo! here the blade that Dido' of Carthage hight, &c.

Cordelia takes this fword, but doubtfull yet to dye. DESPAIR then represents to her the state and power which the enjoyed in France, her troops of attendants, and the pleasures of the court he had left. She then points out her present melancholy condition and dreary fituation.

She shewde me all the dongeon where I fate,

The dankish walles, the darkes, and bade me smell

And byde the favour if I like it well.

Cordelia gropes for the fword, or fatall knife, in the dark, which
DESPAIR places in her hand.

DESPAYRE to ayde my fenceless limmes was glad,
And gave the blade to end my woes fhe bad.

At length Cordelia's fight fails her fo that she can fee only
DESPAIR who exhorts her to strike.

And by her elbowe DEATH for me did watch.

DESPAIR at last gives the blow. The temptation of the Redcroffe knight by DESPAIR in Spenfer's FAERIE QUEENE, feems to have been copied, yet with high improvements, from this scene. These stanzas of Spenfer bear a strong resemblance to what I have cited from CORDELIA's Legend.

Then gan the villaine" him to oueraw,

And brought unto him fwords, ropes, poysons, fire,
And all that might him to perdition draw;

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