Nor is this paffage unfupported by a warmth of imagination, and the spirit of pathetic poetry. The general caft of the whole poem fhews, that our author was not ill qualified for dramatic compofition. Another of Grimoald's blank-verfe poems, is on the death of Zoroas an Egyptian aftronomer, who was killed in Alexander's first battle with the Perfians. It is opened with this nervous and animated exordium. Now clattering armes, now ragyng broyls of warre, As forceth kindled yre the lyons keene, Whose greedy gutts the gnawing honger pricks, In the midst of the tumult and hurry of the battle, appears the fage philofopher Zoroas: a claffical and elegant description of whose skill in natural science, forms a pleafing contrast amidst images of death and destruction; and is inferted with great propriety, as it is neceffary to introduce the history of his catastrophe. Shakyng her bloody hands Bellone, among The Perfes, fowth all kynde of cruel deth.— Him fmites the club; him wounds far-ftrikyng bow; The Memphite Zoroas, a cunning clarke, And in celeftiall bodies he could tell Whether our tunes heavens harmony can yeld :— What ftar doth let the hurtfull fire to rage, Or him more milde what oppofition makes: Our aftronomer, finding by the stars that he is destined to die fpeedily, chufes to be killed by the hand of Alexander, whom he endeavours to irritate to an attack, firft by throwing darts, and then by reproachful fpeeches. Of mothers bed! Cowards among? Shameful ftain Why lofeft thou thy ftrokes A match more mete, fir king, than any here. Alexander is for a while unwilling to revenge this infult on a man eminent for wisdom. t With plenty. "Spring. Printemps. Whether any mufic made by man can resemble that of the Spheres. * Hinder. y Saturn. z Of Mavors, or the planet Mars. The The noble prince amoved takes ruthe upon What error, what mad moode, what frenfy, thee For all these fawes? When thus the foveraign fayd, I have a fufpicion, that these two pieces in blank-verse, if not fragments of larger works, were finished in their present ftate, as prolufions, or illuftrative practical specimens, for our author's course of lectures in rhetoric. In that cafe, they were written so early as the year 1547- There is pofitive proof, that they appeared not later than 1557, when they were first printed by Tottell. I have already mentioned lord Surrey's Virgil: and for the fake of juxtapofition, will here produce a third specimen of early blank-verse, little known. In the year 1590, William Vallans published a blank-verse poem, entitled, A TALE OF TWO SWANNES, which, under a poetic fiction, defcribes the fituation and antiquities of several towns in Hertfordshire. The author, a native or inhabitant of Hertfordshire, feems to have been con nected with Camden and other ingenious antiquaries of his age. I cite the exordium. When Nature, nurfe of every living thing, Gave juft occafion to the cheerfull birdes With sweetest note to finge their nurse's praise. Among the which, the merrie nightingale With fwete and fwete, her breast against a thorne, Vallans is probably the author of a piece much better known, a hiftory, by many held to be a romance, but which proves the writer a diligent fearcher into antient records, entitled, "The "HONOURABLE PRENTICE, Shewed in the Life and Death "of Sir JOHN HAWKEWOOD fometime Prentice of London, "interlaced with the famous Hiftory of the noble FITZ"WALTER Lord of Woodham in Effex', and ofthe poisoning "of his faire daughter. Alfo of the merry Cuftomes of DUN"MOWE, &c. Whereunto is annexed the moft lamentable "murther of Robert Hall at the High Altar in Westminster Abbey." 66 The reader will obferve, that what has been here faid about early fpecimens of blank-verse, is to be restrained to poems not London, Printed by Roger Ward for Robert Sheldrake, MDXC. 4to. 3. Sheets. He mentions molt of the Seats in Hertfordfhire then exifting, belonging to the queen and the nobility. See Heane's LEL. ITIN. V. Pr. p iv. feq. ed 2. f The founder of Dunmowe Priory, af terwards mentioned, in the reign of Henry the third. There are two old editions, at London, in 1615, and 1616, both for Henry Goffon, in 5 fh. 4to. They have only the author's initials W. V. See Hearne, ut modo fupr. iii. p. v. ii. p. xvi. written written for the stage. Long before Vallans's Two SWANNES, many theatrical pieces in blank-verfe had appeared; the first of which is, The TRAGEDY OF GORDOBUCKE, written in 1561. The fecond is George Gafcoigne's JOCASTA, a tragedy, acted at Grays-inn, in 1566. George Peele had alfo published his tragedy in blank-verfe of DAVID and BETHSABE, about the year 1579. HIERONYMO, a tragedy alfo without rhyme, was acted before 1590. But this point, which is here only tranfiently mentioned, will be more fully confidered hereafter, in its proper place. We will now return to our author Grimoald. Grimoald, as a writer of verfes in rhyme, yields to none of his cotemporaries, for a masterly choice of chafte expreffion, and the concise elegancies of didactic verfification. Some of the couplets, in his poem IN PRAISE OF MODERATION, have all the smartness which marks the modern ftyle of fententious poetry, and would have done honour to Pope's ethic epiftles. The auncient Time commended not for nought Both right and left, amiffe a man may flide. Icar, with fire' hadft thou the midway flown, k If middle path kept had proud Phaeton, Shakespeare did not begin writing for the ftage till 1591. Jonfon, about 1598. Icarus, with thy father. * Strait. Sea. m That which. Julius Cefar. "Auguftus Cefar. Worship |