CENSURA LITERARIA. NUMBER XII. [Being the Fourth Number of Vol. III.] ART. I. A Musicall Consort of heavenly Harmonie (compounded out of manie parts of Musicke) called Churchyard's Charitie. Imprinted at London, by Ar. Hatfield, for William Holme. 1595. 4to. us, THE industrious historiographer of Oxford informs * that he had taken much labour to recover the titles of Churchyard's pieces: the present however appears to have eluded his research. In the additions to Herbert's Typographical Antiquities, † the title may indeed be traced; but the tract itself will vainly perhaps be sought after in the libraries of those, who have been most successful in treasuring up the relics of our early vernacular poetry. The copy, now employed, was freely imparted by a gentleman, whose slightest claim it is to national celebrity, that he possesses the most complete dramatic library in the kingdom. Churchyard's Musical Consort is thus inscribed: "To the right honorable Robert Devereux, Earle of Essex and Ewe, Vicount of Hereford, Lord Ferrer of Chartley, Borcher, and Lovaine, Master of the Queenes Majesties horse, Knight of the noble order of the Garter, and one of hir Majesties honourable privie counsell; Thomas Churchyard wisheth increase of all wished honor, happiness of life, world's good will, and everlasting fame. "A greater boldnes cannot be committed, (right honorable) than to present pamphlets and poetrie to noble counsellors, that governes a publike state; though in all ages reasonable writers, that kept an orderly compasse, were suffered in verse or prose, (so their inventions were not farced ful of vanitic) to shew good will in the dedication of some honest labors to such honorable personages, as was woorthie of any good volumes, or in the woorth of vertue excelled the waight and value of numbers, that neither merits laudation, nor shew no sufficiency to be saluted with a booke. But what I see, and the world reports, of your lordship, makes me somewhat hardie to offer a present: yet simplenes of spirit, and want of profound learning, hath so muffled my Muses, that they dare not speake, nor I presume to write. Nevertheless, thinking on your twentyfold honorable Father, my great good Lord, matchlesse in our world; that caried in his breast the feare of God, and wan with his life the love of men; (so noble was his minde!) I stood nothing discouraged; bicause a soldier-like noble sonne of his is left alive, to follow * • Waller, Earl of Essex, and Ewe, and carl marshal of Ireland, where he died, in 1576. the the steps of so stately a father, and to shine above and beyond the course of thousands in this time, or is likely to come after to this age. To treate of particulars in that behalfe, I should presume too far, and unadvisedly come too short of matter fit for this cause. Wherefore I am to leave those deepe considerations, and drop into the shallownes of mine own studies; that brings foorth a booke of the coldnes of Charitie, bicause a great noble man told me, this last wet sommer, the weather was too colde for Poets.' On which favorable words I bethought me, that Charitie in court, and all the world over was become so cold, that neither hot sommer, fervent fire, nor heat of sunne, could make warme againe, in that comfortable sort as our forefathers have felt it. So, my good Lord, following that onely theame of cold weather; (being apt to take any theam to write on, in as sweete a phrase and termes as I may devise) putting in the praise of poets withall: I smoothly passe over (without bitter speeches) the corruption of this world, and disguised maners of men, riding by the new fanglenes of a multitude, and not dashing any one's infirmitie with blot, or disgrace, or blemish of credit: hoping the best sort shall stand pleased with, howsoever the worst (happily may be touched) do of meere malice wrest awry the honest meaning of a plaine writer. For the dutifull regard towards the purchasing of your L.'s favor hath so sifted every word and sentence, that no one verse or line shall bee offensive to a sounde judgment and good construction. And for that now (by reason of great age) my wits and inventions are almost wearied with writing of bookes, (this being one of the last) I tooke this taske in hand, at large to dilate somewhat of Charitie, which would to God I had as great power to revive, as the world hath occasion to remember. Thus over-bold to trouble your L. so long with the reading of so simple an epistle, I proceed under your honorable supportation, to my purposed matter, wishing your L. everlasting fame, credit, and honor, "Most humbly at commandement, "THOMAS CHURCHYARD." After the dedication, follows a metrical address "To the generall readers" on two pages, in which he reasserts his title to be considered as the legitimate author of those compositions, which had been published in his name, and particularly of the legend of Jane Shore. Hence he declares "Both beast and bird their yoong ones do defend, To which he adds this attestation: "Sir Rafe Bowser, a worshipfull Knight, witnesseth where and when I penned that." Another address of "the author to his Booke" occupies nearly three pages; and conveys the instructions of sage experience. After much cautionary advice, he thus recommends an adherence to courtly patronage. "The goodlie floures of court thou needs not feare, *See Cens. Lit. II. 310. Thy Thy master's pen hath purchast favour there A verse or word, thou hast a garland gain'd Of glorie great; for fame hir selfe must sound The main poem, entitled "Churchyard's Charitie," next commences, and runs on to 23 pages, comprising 90 seven-line stanzas; a short specimen of which may be acceptable: and those passages become most interesting in our ancient poets which in the moderns are censured as egotistic. Churchyard thus closes his very desultory work. "You, whose cleer speech doth loud as trumpet sound, And may command the world, the skies, and stars, And rules at beck the massie earth so round, and wars, Sets orders downe, and can make peace My breath but bores a hole within the aire, My date, neer done, calls for a shrouding sheet; Churchyard commonly uses the verb in the singular, though governed by a plural antecedent: and such is still the provincial usage in Suffolk. When |