Thus in Browne's Paftorals: Not that by mindes commerce, and joint estate. BJ Song 2. Holinshed's account of the disposition of the English Army, is as follows-" Then he ordeined three battels, in the first was the Prince of Wales, and with him the Earl of Warwicke, the Lord Godfrey of Harecourt, the Lord Stafford, the Lord de la Ware, the Lord Bourchier, the Lord Thomas Clifford, the Lord Riginald Cobham, the Lord Thomas Holland, Sir John Chandos, Sir Bartholomew Browash, Sir Robert Nevill. They were eight hundred men of armes, and two thousand archers, and a thoufand of others, with the Welshmen. In the second battell was the Earle of Northampton, the Earle of Arundell, the Lords Ros and Willowbie, Baffet, S. Albine, Multon, and others. The third battel the King led himselfe, having with him seven hundred men of armes, and two thousand archers; and in the other battell even to the number of eight thousand mert of armes, and twelve hundred archers. Thus was the English armie marshalled according to the report of Froissard." Chron. p. 371. Page 28. Darke grew the troubled ayre, &c. &c. Both Speed and Holinshed mention this. The following extract is from the latter: "Also at the fame instant there fell a great raine, and an eclipse with a terrible thunder, and before the raine there came flieng over both armies a great number of crowes, for feare of the tempeft coming." P. 372. Twixt both the Marshalls, &c. &c. Thus placed to the best advantage, King Edward visiteth the ranckes in perfon, riding upon a pleafant hobby (having onely a white rod in his hand, as if he would chastise fortune) betweene the two Marshalls of his field: whose very presence, with a few seasonable and unenforced words on behalfe of God and his right, in steed of long orations, did inspire the faintest hearts among them with freshest vigour and alacritie. SPEED, 577 Page 32. Horror in all her saddest shapes appear'ď. Sir P. Sidney has a very fublime description of a field of Battle: "And now the often changing fortune began also to change the hue of the battels; for, at the first, though it were terrible, yet terror was decked so bravely with rich furniture, gilt swords, shining armours, pleasant pencils, that the eye with delight had scarce leifure to be afraid: but now all univerfally defiled with dust, broken armour, mangled bodies, took away the mask, and fet forth Horror in bis own horrible manner. Pemb. Arcadia, B. III. 446. Page 33. But most the warrelike Monarch of Boheme, &c. &c. The circumftance of his valiant death, and the flight of his fon, is thus mentioned by Holinshed:--The valiant king of Bohem being almost blind, caused his men to fasten all the reins of the bridels of their horfes ech to other, and fo he being himselfe amongst them in the foremost ranke, they ran on their enemies. The lord Charles of Boheme, fonne to the fame king, 1 king, and late elected emperour, came in good order to the battel; but when he saw how the matter went awrie on their part, he departed and saved himself. His father, by the means aforesaid, went so far forward, that, joining with his enemies, he fought right valiantlie, and so did all his companie: but finallie being entred within the prease of their enemies, they were of them inclosed and flaine, together with the king their mafter, and the next daie found dead, lieng about him, and their horfes all tied ech to other. P. 372. The attitude May has represented the brave old King as found in, is a very fine one : His cold dead band did yet that fword retaine One of the finest of the Marlborough gems, a copy of which collection was fome short time since presented by the Duke to the Bodleian Library, is dying Amazon; she is drawn as just falling from her horfe, and fupported by an attendant in all the languor of death, but ftill grafping her bow in her right hand. In the very elegant explanation that accompanies the plate are these words: "Penthefileam effe creditur: quæ licet spiritum ægrè trabens nondum tamen arcum e manu emifit." 48 Gem. Some of the most remarkable and most striking beauties in Poetry, Painting, and Statuary, are taken immediately from the agonies of Death. Virgil has a circumstance in this way full of horrid mimteness, which is by some cou Adered as a blemish, but furely too faftidioufly: Te decisa suum, Laride, dextera quærit ΕΝ. Χ. 395. The same Poet, in describing the arms of Minerva, represents the Medusa on her breast-plate as still rolling its eyes after the head is severed from the neck: ipfamque in pectore Dive Gorgona, defecto vertentem lumina collo. Æn. VII. 437. For remarks on fimilar subjects, see Mr. Spence's most excellent Effar on the Odyssey, p. 44, 45. Page 34. A most compleat and glorious victory. The flaughter of the Frenchmen was great and lamentable, namelie for the loffe of so manie nobleman, as were flaine at the fame battell, fought between Creffie and Broy on the faturdaie next following the feast of Saint Bartholomew being (as that yeare fell) the 26th. of August. Among others which died that daie, these I find registered by name as cheefest, John King of Boheme, Rafe Duke of Lorraine, Charles of Alanso, brother germane to King Philip, Charles Earle of Blois, Lewis Earl of Flanders, also the Earle of Harecourt, brother to the Lord Geoffrie of Harcourt; with the Earles of Aussere, Aumerle, and Saint Poule, befides diverse other of the nobilitie. Holinshed's Chron, 372. The number of the flain (according to Hume) was as follows; "On the day of battle, and on the enfuing, there fell, by a moderate computation, 1200 French Knights, 1 : Knights, 1400 gentlemen, 4000 men at arms, besides about 30,000 of inferior rank."-On the side of the English, he says, "there were killed in it only one Esquire, and three Knights, and a very few of inferior rank." Pages 35 and 36. These beautiful lines seem to have suggested the plan of a most exquifite little piece called "The Hamlet," by Mr. T. Warton, which contains such a felection of beautiful rural images as perhaps no other poem of equal length in our language presents us with. The latter part of it more closely reminds us of Fletcher. A shepherd's life is to be found in Spenser's Fairy Queen, B. VI. Cant. 9, St. 20. See likewife J. Sylvester's Tranflation of Du Bartas. Ed. 1641. page 29, 30. Page 37. It may not be amifs to set before the reader a few extracts from our old Historians, relative to the caftle of Nottingham, and the capture of Mortimer there. "There was in the castle of Nottingham (and at this day is), a certaine secret way or mine cut through a rocke, upon which the faid castle is built, one issue whereof openeth toward the river Trent, which runnes under it, and the other venteth itselfe farre within upon the furface, and is (at this present) called Mortimer's hole; through this the young King, well armed and strongly seconded, was conducted with drawne swords, by some his trufty and sworne servants (among which was that brave Montacute, whom his virtues under this King raised to the Earledome of Salisbury, &c. &c.) up to the Queene's chamber, whose dore (so fearless is blinded affection) was unshut, and with her was Mortimer ready to goe to bed, whom, with the flaughter of a Knight, and one or two that resisted, they laid hold upon. This was not reputed a a flender enterprise, in regard, that in Mortimer's retinue were not fewer (they say) then one hundredth and fourscore Knights, besides Esquires and Gentlemen. Speed's Chron. Ed. 1627, p. 580.” Leland, in his Itinerary, gives a very particular account of the place, but too long for infertion here. What directly relates to Mortimer is this = "The dungeon or kepe of the Caftel stondith by South and Eft, and is exceeding strong et natura loci et opere. Ther is an old fair chapelle, and a welle of a gret depthe; and there is also a chochlea with a turret over it, wher the kepers of the Castella fay Edwarde the thirdes band cam up thorough the rok, and toke the Earle Mortymer Prifoner. Ther is yet a faire staire to go downe by the rok to the ripe of line." Hearne's Edit. fol. 3, 1745. Holinshed's account is the following;-In a parlement holden at Notingham, about faint Luke's tide, Sir Roger Mortimer, the earle of March, was apprehended the seventeenth day of October, within the caftell of Notingham, where the king with the two queenes, his mother and his wife, and diverse other were as then lodged, and though the keies of the caftell of Notingham were dailie and nightlie in the cuftodie of the faid earle of March, and that his power was such, as it was doubted how he might be arrefted (for he had, as fome writers affirme, at that present in retinue nine score knights, befides esquires, gentlemen and yeomen) yet at length by the king's helpe, the lord William Montacute, the lord Humfrie de Bohun, and his brother Sir William, the lord Rafe Stafford, the lord Robert Clifford, the lord William Clinton, the lord John Nevill of Hornbie, and diverse other, which had accused the faid earle of March for the murther of king Edward the second, found means by intelligence had with Sir William de Cland, conftable of the caftell of Notingham, 1 Notingham, to take the faid earle of March, with his fonne the lord Roger or Geffrey Mortimer, and Simon Bereford, with other. - Sir Hugh Trumpington (or Turrington as fome copies have), that was one of his cheefeft freends, with certaine other, were flaine as they were about to refift against the lord Montacute and his company in taking of the faid earle. The manner of his taking I paffe over, bicause of the diversitie in report thereof by fundrie writers. From Notingham he was fent up to London with his fonne the lord Roger or Geoffry de Mortimer, Sir Simon Bereford, and the other prifoners, where they were committed to prifon in the Tower. Shortlie after was a parlement called at Westminster, cheefelie (as was thought) for reformation of things difordered through the misgovernance of the earle of March. But whoscever was glad or forie for the trouble of the faid earle, suerlie the queene mother took it most heavilie above all other, as the that loved him more (as the fame went) than stood with her honour. For as fome write, she was found to be with child by him. They kept, as it were, house togither; for the earle, to have his provifion the better cheape, laid his pene with hirs, fo that hir takers ferved him as well as they did hir, both of vittels and carriages; of which misusfage (all regard to honour and estimation neglected) everie fubject spake shame. For their manner of dealing, tending to fuch evill purposes as they continuallie thought upon, could not be fecret from the eies of the people, and their offense heerein was so much the more heinous, because they were perfons of an extraordinarie degree, and were the more narrowlie marked of the multitude or common people. P. 349. That is, a canopy of lawn. State was the word more commonly used. His high throne which under flate Of richest texture. Book X, p. 441, Paradise Loft. Page 46. And through the ragged entrailes of the cave. Thus Shakespeare in a much-admired simile; Which like a taper in some monument Page 47. Titus And. Scene VI. Carnarvon Edward's manes had possest On Mortimer's impeachment, the first of the five articles laid to his charge, was, "That he had procured Edward of Carnarvon, the king's father, to be murthered, in most heinous and tyrannous manner, within the caftel of Berklie." Holinshed, p. 349. Page 48. Dear Son (for well she knew her son was there), &c. &c, May seems here to have confulted Stow in his account. "Upon a certaine night, the king lying without the castle (Nottingham) both he and his friends were brought by torch light through a fecret way under ground, be beginning far off from the fayde castle, till they came even to the Queenes chamber, which they by chance found open: they therefore being armed with naked fwords in their hands, went forwards leaving the king also armed without the doore of the chamber, least that his mother shoulde espie him: they which entred in flew Hugh Turpington, knight, who resisted them, Master John Nevels of Horn, by giving him his deadly wound. From thence they went toward the Queene Mother, whom they found with the earle of March readie to have gone to bedde: and having taken the fayde Earle, they ledde him ont into the hall, after whom the Queene followed, crying, Bel filz, Bel filz, ayes pitie de gentil Mortimer: Good fonne, good sonne, take pittie upon gentle Mortimer, for she suspected that her fonne was there, though she saw him not." Chron. fol. 1615, p. 229. Page 40. The particular relation that the whole of this Piece bears to many passages in Milton's Paradife Loft, and the great fublimity of the Poetry, are reasons sufficient to make it acceptable to every reader of taste, notwithstanding its being a tranflation. Of the Sofpette D'Herode it is to be lamented, that poetical readers in general know so little, from the specimen here produced, every English reader inust be inclined to wish for more. A very intelligent correfpondent in Maty's Review for March, 1785, (Article; Phillip's Edition of Crashaw) has told us, that the whole Poem has already been rendered into English verse, and that the title-page of the tranflation stands thus. "The flaughter of the Innocents by Herod; written in Italian by the famous poet the Cavalier Marino, in four books, newly Englished, 1675; to which is added in my copy in writing, " Englished by T. R;" to whom the initials T. R. belong I know not; but the tranflation feems fuperior to Crafhaw."-- An Epitome of the 2d book is then given. Surely a republication of this Translation would be highly worth republishing, particularly if executed in a superior style to Crashaw, which feems to me hardly possible: His eyes the fullen dens of Death and Night, &c. on th' other fide, Incens'd with indignation Satan stood, Again, he compares him to the fun in an Eclipse. 598. 1 B. P. Loft. Page 50. While his steel fides found with his tail's strong lash. Thus Milton speaking of the Old Dragon, upon the very fame occafion: A Swindges the scaly horrour of his tail. Hymn of the Nativ. 18 Stan. |