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pounds ten shillings for "Sophonisba," a tragedy, and "Spring," a poem. For the rest of the "Seasons," and some other pieces, one hundred and five pounds of John Millar; which were again sold to Millar, nine years afterwards, for one hundred and five pounds. When Millar died, his executors sold the whole copy-right to the trade for five hundred and five pounds.

Gray, the Poet, speaks thus of Thomson:"He has lately published a poem, called the › Castle of Indolence,' in which there are some good stanzas." "In an ordinary critic, possessed of one-hundredth part of his sensibility and taste, such total indifference to the beauties of this exquisite performance would be utterly impossible."-(Stewart's Philos. Essays.)

RICHARD EDWARDS.

THIS Poet, who enjoyed considerable eminence in the early part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, was born about 1523. He early became a courtier, and, in the year 1561, was constituted a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and Master of the singing boys.

When Queen Elizabeth visited Oxford in

1566, she was attended by Edwards, who was on this occasion employed to compose a play called "Palamon and Arcite," which was acted before her Majesty in Christ Church Hall. Another of his plays is entitled "The Tragical Comedy of Damon and Pythias:" it was acted at Court, and is reprinted in Dodsley's Collection. This is a very curious specimen of the early English Drama, when it was approaching to something of a regular form; and there is much humour in the dialogue of some of the inferior characters: but the scenes intended to be serious are many of them full of low and ludicrous expressions.

The following may serve to give some idea of the style of this heterogenous composition.

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The sturdy kuave is gone, the devil him take!

He hath made my head, shoulders, arms, sides, and all to ake.

Thou whoreson villain boy, why didst thou wait no better? As he paid me, so will I not die thy debtor.

JACK.

Master, why do you fight with me? I am not your match,

you see;

You durst not fight with him that's gone, and will you your anger on me?

wreak

CARISOPHUS.

Thou villain, by thee I have lost mine honour,
Beaten with a cudgel like a slave, a vagabond, or a lazy

lubber,

And not given one blow again : hast thou handled me well ?

JACK.

Master, I handled you not; but who did handle you very handsomely, you can tell.

CARISOPHUS.

Handsomely! thou crack-rope.

JACK.

Yea, Sir, very handsomely: I hold you a groat,

He handled you so handsomely, that he left not one mote in your coat.

CARISOPHUS.

Oh! I had firk'd him trimly, thou villain, if thou hadst given me my sword.

JACK.

It is better as it is, Master, believe me at a word."

The first edition of this Play was printed in 1570, only twenty years before Shakspeare produced the earliest of his inimitable Dramas; and yet so little progress had dramatic poetry at that time made in this country, that Puttenham, in his "Arte of English Poetry, 1589," gives the

prize to Edwards for comedy and interlude; and Meres, in his "Palladis Tamia, 1598," recites "Maister Edwards of her Majesty's Chapel as one of the best for comedy."

In the "Paradise of Dainty Devices,” a collection of miscellany Poems, published in 1576, the "pithy precepts, learned counsels, and excellent inventions," in which are said, in the title, to be "devised and written for the most part by Master Edwards," are numerous songs and other pieces from his pen. Of these, there is one on Terence's well-known apophthegm of “ Amantium iræ amoris integratio est," which Sir Egerton Brydges, who has reprinted this Miscellany, considers, even without reference to the age which produced it, among the most beautiful morceaux of our language. As we fully coincide in this opinion, we cannot refrain from inserting this exquisite little piece, in order to give the reader an opportunity of judging for himself. "In going to my naked bed, as one that would have slept, I heard a wife sing to her child that long before had

wept;

She sighed sore, and sang full sweet, to bring the babe

to rest,

That would not cease, but cried still, in sucking at her

breast.

She was full weary of her watch, and grieved with her child,

She rocked it and rated it till that on her it smiled;

Then did she say, 'Now have I found this proverb true

to prove,

The falling out of faithful friends renewing is of love.'

Then took I paper, pen, and ink, this proverb for to write,
In register for to remain of such a worthy wight,
As she proceeded thus in song unto her little brat,
Much matter utter'd she of weight, in place whereat she

sat,

And proved plain there was no beast, nor creature bearing

life,

Could well be known to live in love, without discord and

strife;

Then kissed she her little babe, and sware by God above, 'The falling out of faithful friends renewing is of love.'

She said that neither King nor Prince, nor Lord, could live aright,

Until their puissance they could prove, their manhood and their might.

When manhood shall be matched so that fear can take

no place,

Then weary works make warriors each other to embrace, And leave their force that failed them, which did con

sume the rout,

That might before have liv'd their time and their full nature out.

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