A Meditation upon the 27, 28, 29 Verses of the xxvII Chapter of St. Matthew: or a Paterne for a King's Inauguration. Written by the King's Majestie.

Psal. ii. 10.

Be wise now therefore, O yee Kings: bee instructed, yce Judges of the earth.

London, printed by John Bill, printer to the King's mosk excellent Majestie: M. DC. XX.

12mo. pp. 172.

THIS little work has not been noticed in the Royal and Noble Authors, nor in Harris's Memoir, nor was it included in Bishop Montague's edition of the works of our first James, from having been subsequently published. An epistle dedicatory of considerable length is addressed by the Monarch to his "dearest and only Sonne," afterwards Charles the First, and it exhibits a circumstance of some historical curiosity; namely, that Villiers, the King's minion, was his occasional amanuensis. That the King himself evinced great solicitude to direct his Son's affections into the same channel of court favouritism, may be seen from the following passage. He succeeded, as history witnesses, too well.

"One day reading privately to myselfe the Passion of Christ in the end of St. Matthew's Gospel, I lighted upon that part

where the governour's souldiers mocked our Saviour, with putting the ornaments of a king upon him: which appeared to me to be so punctually set downe, that my head hammered upon it divers times after; and specially the croune of thornes went never out of my mind-remembring the thorny cares, which at king (if he have a care of his office) must be subject unto; as (God knows) I daily and nightly feele in mine owne person. Whereupon I apprehended, that it would be a good Paterne to put inheritors to kingdomes in mind of their calling, by the forme of their Inauguration; and so borrowed some houres from my rest, to write a short Meditation upon it. But, on a time, telling Buckingham this my intention, and that I thought you the fittest person to whom I could dedicate it, for divers reasons following: he humbly and earnestly desired mee, that he might have the honour to bee my amanuensis in this worke. First, because it would free me from the paine of writing, by sparing the labour both of mine eyes and hand: and next, that he might doe you some peece of service thereby; protesting that his naturall obligation to you, next mee, is redoubled by the many favoures that you daily heape upon him. And indeed, I must confesse to my comfort without flatterie, that in making your affections to follow, and second thus, your Fathers's, you show what reverent love you carry towards me in your heart. Besides, the worthy example you give to all other King's eldest Sonnes for imitation: beginning hereby to performe one of the rules set doune to my sonne HENRY, (that is with God,) in my BAƐIAIKON AMPON. And, indeed, granting of this request to Buckingham, hath much eased my labor; considering the slownesse, ilnesse, and uncorrectnesse of my hand.* As I dedicated therefore my 'Meditation upon the Lord's Prayer' to him, in regard as well of the necessitie that Courtiers have to pray (considering that among great resort

my

What the King here says of his hand-writing is said with great humility and candid veracity, as some of his literary reliques show.

of people they cannot ever be in good company, besides the many allurements they have to sinne; as also that short prayers are fittest for them, (for they have seldome leisure to bestow long time upon praying) as I told him in my Preface: even so I can dedicate this my Paterne of a King's Inauguration' to none so fitly as to you, my dearest Son, both for the subject. and the shortnesse of it: the shortnesse, since you spend so much time abroad, as you can bestow but little upon the Muses at home."

For this the King himself furnishes a feasible excuse in his very interesting dedication; which is followed by an advertisement to the reader: and in this he speaks of the present production as a ground upon which he meant (if God should spare him days and leisure) to set down at large the whole principal points belonging to the office of a King. "And if my leisure (he adds) cannot permit, whereof I despaire, I intend, God willing, to set some other more nimble pen on worke, with my instructions. In the meane time, I have made this as a short forewarning to my Sonne, that he may in time prepare himself for the bargaine, and study his craft."

After these copious extracts from the prefatory matter, I forbear to cite any portion of the work itself, which combines much learning and ingenuity, with what the pacific Monarch particularly delighted in, an intermixture of school-divinity.

Epigrammisatiron. The Time's Whistle: or a newe daunce of seven Satires. Wherunto are annexed divers other Poems, comprising things naturall, morall, and theologicall. Compiled by R. C. Gent.

-Septem compacta cicutis

Fistula.

4to. 54 leaves.

THIS is the title of a MS. in the Cathedral Library of Canterbury, written in the 17th century. The name of the author or compiler (as he terms himself) has been erased.but the work seems to be perfect, excepting an introductory address to the reader, which wants half a page. It is not known to have appeared in print, though professedly intended for publication. The volume is very closely and fairly written, and contains in sequence to the seven Satires, several miscellaneous with Latin mottos, the first lines of which I will exhibit, as they may furnish a clue to casual discovery of the reputed authors.

"What makes a perfect man? my Muse declare."
"Apollo to his flaming carre adrest."

"Astronomers, with their heaven-searching eyes."

"Each sublunarie bodie is composde."

"What may the reason be that we doe call."
"A certaine man which great possessions had."
"About the dead time of the silent night."
"Out from the depth of griefes infernall cave."
"Well have the poets fainde the queene of chance."

"Like as a tree from forth the earth doth spring."
"The world by some, and that not much amisse."
"Hard is it for the patient which is ill."
"A monstrous beast there is, Hyena namde."
"What profitts it the well-built ship to ride."
"He that in youth doth vertue's pathway tread."
"The poets faine (for soe I know I read)."
"Climene's brat, aspiring Phaeton."
"Johnson, they saye's turn'd Epigrammatist."
"A country lasse, of silly parents bred.”
"Base sycophants, crumbe-catching parasites."
"About that time when as the chearfull Spring."
"You high aspiring witts, which seeke to prie."
"Mounted on wings of high aspiring thought."
"Like a young tender lambe that man must be."
"A ship unto a certain haven bent."
"Philosophers which search the cause of things."
"Of all the numbers arithmeticall."

"When sinfull man in Eden's garden plac'd."
"Momus, that foul mouth'd slave, my verse derides."

Some of the above are metaphysical, others satirical, poems; others pastoral and amatory. The latter are written in heroic rhyme, or six-lines stanzas, somewhat like those in the collections entitled " England's Helicon," and the "Paradise of daintie Devises." From the allusion to Ben Jonson's Epigrams, they were probably composed about 1616.

The following address was placed before these miscellaneous poems:

"Ad Lectorem.

"I had not thought (courteous reader) to have protended thus conspicuously in thy sight this rude and indigested chart