Corrupts with words good maners still,
Offends both eie and eare,

Brings in loose life by custom's ill,
And takes away true feare *

Of God and men, such poets leud
Were banisht and exilde,

Because with foule condishons shreud

Their country they defilde.

Good poets were in evry age

Made of, and nourisht well;

They were the flowres of gardens gaie,
That gave the goodly smell. †

The true forewarners of great things,
That after did befall,

The joy of godly vertuous kings,

And honest subjects all,

Our age and former fathers' daies

(Leave Goore and Chauser out)

Hath brought foorth here but few to praise,
Search all our soyle about.

Yet of all those that newly wrate

In prose or verse of late,

Let Sydney weare (for stile of state)

The garland lawreate. ‡

* Linus of Thebes, a most ancient poet: he was the sonne of Mercury, and wrate the course of the sun, moone, and spheres, in excellent verse.

+ Tiberius Nero, the emperor, a poet; and Lucan, his tresorer, a poet; on a publike theater they shewed the tragedie Orpheus.

Adrianus Augustus, Emperor, a poet and preferrer of poetrie.

His

His bookes makes many bookes to blush,
They shew such sence and wit,

Our dribbers shoots not woorth a rush,
When he the marke doth hit. *

His phrase is sifted like fine flowre,
That maketh manchet bread,

Sweet evry where and nothing soure
That flowes from Sydneyes head. †

Sweete dewe dropt out of Sydneyes quill,
As raine great moysture shows,
And from his muse there did distill
A liquor sweete as rose.‡

A quintesence, a spirit of wine,
Naie nectar better namde,

A bevrage for the gods devine

Of compounds made and famde. §

That whosoever drinks thereon
Immortall shall be made,

His books he left to looke upon,
When we in worldly shade ||

Sits mumping evry houre of daie,

And scarce knows where we are;
Our braines, like bucke, doth stande at baie,
Beset about with care. **

* Julianus, emperor, and Caius Julius Cæsar.
+ Oppianus, of great nobilitie.

Sextus Aurelius Propertius, one of the Dedicie.
Scenica, a Spanish knight, Nero's schoolemaster.
Sophocles and Pericles.

**Emilius Scaurus, a man of noble parentage.

1

Of

Of this or that, when Sydneyes books
Cals up a drowping ghost;
For whosoever thereon looks,

With worldly troubles tost, *

He shall finde quietness thereby,
And Christian comfort great,
Woorth all the treasure under skie
It climes to Jove's hie seat:

And sits among the angels sweet
Where psalmes and himnes are sung,

And all base humors under feet
Are out of favor flung. †

The poets that can clime the cloudes,

Like ship boy, to the top,

When sharpest stormes do shake the shroudes,

Sets ware to sale, in shop. +

Of heavenly things, that earthly men

Can scarcely understand,

Did not our Chauser's golden pen,

That beautifide this land, ||

Reach to the sunne and highest star,
And toucht the heavens all:
A poets' knowledge goes so far,

That it to mind can call §

* Anacreon of Teios, with Policrates, king of the Samians.

† Aratus, all his life-time lived with Antigonus.

Lucius Cecilius, Cæsar's play felowe.

Cirus, the poet, treasurer of the emperor Theodosius, and a patrician.

§ Publius and Laberius, companions with Julius Cæsar.

Each

Each wonder since the world began,

And what was seene in skies:

A poet is no common man,

He lookes with Argoes' eyes. *

Like linx, throw steele or stonie wals,
No secret 'scapes his sight,
Of future time, and what befals
In world, by day or night:†

He sees and sometimes writes thereof,
When scornfull people scowle;

And makes of earnest words a scoffe,
Or cals faire speches fowle." +

[To be continued.]

T. P.

ART. XII. The right excellent and famous Historye of Promos and Cassandra: devided into two commicall discourses. In the fyrste parte is showne the unsufferable abuse of a lewde Magistrate: the vertuous behaviours of a chaste Ladye: the uncon trowled leawdenes of a favoured Curtisan: and the undeserved estimation of a pernicious Parasyte. In the second parte is discoursed, the perfect magnanimitye of a noble Kinge, in checking vice and favouringe vertue: wherein is showne, the ruyne and overthrowe of dishonest practises; with the advauncement of upright dealing. The worke of George Whetstone, Gent. Fama nulla fides.

* Arian, the poet of Periander, king of Corinth.

Radullides, with Julianus, the emperor.

Claudianus his tombe honoured by Honorius and Arcadius, emperors.

Colophon.

Colophon. Imprinted at London by Richard Jhones, Aug. 20, 1578. 4to.

This dramatic history seems to have been the earliest of Whetstone's publications. In the copy, whence the above title is taken, it is spoken of by the printer as having appeared before, and was left in his hands (according to the author's dedication to his kinsman, Wm. Fleetwoode, Esq. Recorder of London), when Whetstone resolved to accompany the adventurous captain, Sir Humfrey Gilbert, in a naval expedition, and dispersed his writings among his learned friends, for their revision. The play has been reprinted in the dramatic selections of Dodsley, and Nichols; and is only noticed here as the earliest publication of Whetstone, respecting whom the following particulars were mostly drawn together by the late intelligent Mr. Reed,* whose loss to English literature and to those who studied in the same track will not soon be repaired.

Of George Whetstone very little is known. From being kinsman to the Recorder of London, it is presumed that he was of a reputable family. From his own works it is further supposed that he first tried his fortune at court, where he consumed his patrimony in fruitless expectation of preferment. He therefore, like Churchyard and Gascoigne, commenced soldier, and served abroad; though in what capacity is not told. Such however was his gallant behaviour, that he was rewarded with additional pay: but he returned

* Biog. Dram. I. 468. Respecting which work such preparations had been made by Mr. Reed for a new edition, that he computed its extent would reach to four octavo volumes.

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