Where care hath greatest power, it frets the heart;
It frets the heart, and doth perplex the spirit:
The spirit perplext, procures the bodie's smart;
The bodie's smart doth quite expell delight:
Expell delight, then life is like to death;
To death I yeeld, yet cannot lose my

breath.

My breath, why did it not forsake me than?

Me than, e'en then, when that my friend deceast: My friend deceast, e'en as my joyes began;

My joyes began, e'en as my joyes surceast.

My joyes surceast, e'en as my friend did dy,

My friend did die,-and so would God might I.

I know not whether Puttenham has afforded an example, or devised any tramontane term of art for this laborious mode of poetic trifling.

The holy Roode or Christ's Crosse: containing Christ crucified, described in speaking-picture.

Davies.

And who in passion sweetely sing the same,

Doe glorifie their owne in Jesus' NAME.

Crux Christi clavis Cæli.

London, printed for N. Butter.

By John

4to. pp. 80.

The colophon bears-London, printed by John Windet for Nathaniel Butter, and are to be sold in Paul's church-yard by Saint Austin's gate, 1609.

A METRICAL dedication follows the title, addressed to the "well accomplished lady, Alice, Countesse of Derby, and her three right noble Daughters, by birth, nature, and education." Complimentary verses follow by Edw. Herbert, knight, Michael Drayton, and N. Deeble and a sonnet "to all passionate poets," by Davies of Hereford, the author of this production: which is piously delineative of the crucifixion of our blessed Saviour. The ardour of the Poet indeed failed, but that of the Christian thus triumphed.

"To thee, my God, my Lord, my Jesus Christ,
Will I ascribe all glory, pow'r, and grace;

Thee will I serve, say pagans what they list,
And with the arms of love Thee still embrace;
That for my love, in love dost deigne to die
This death of shame, my life to glorifie.

None other booke but thy unclasped side,
Wherein's contain'd all skills angelical;
None other lesson but Christ crucified'

Will I ere learne: for that is all in all;
Wherein selfe-curiositie may find

Matter to please the most displeased mind.

Here, by our Master's nakedness, we learne

What weeds to weare: by his thorn-crowned head How to adorne us: and we may discerne

By his most bitter gall, how to be fed :

How to revenge, by praying for his foes;
And lying on his Crosse, how to repose.

O worke without example! and O grace
Without deserving! Love, O largest love,

Surmounting measure: that for wormes so base,
And basely bad, such hels of woes doth prove!

Had we been friends, what would he then have done,
That, being his foes, no woes for us doth shun?

Appended to the principal poem are eight sonnets, in consonance with its general tenour; and these are so morally ingenious, as to invite the transcription of a moiety.

I.

"Altho' we doe not all the good we love,

But still in love desire to do the same;

Nor leave the sinnes we hate, but hating move

Our soule and bodie's pow'rs, their pow'rs to tame :

The good we do, God takes as done aright;
That we desire to do, He takes as done;

The sinne we shun, He will with grace requite,
And not impute the sinne we seeke to shunne.
But good desires produce no worser deeds;
For God doth both together lightly* give;
Because he knowes a righteous man must needes
By faith, that workes by love, for ever live;
Then to do nought, but only in desire,

Is love that burnes, but burnes like painted fire.

II.

A righteous man still feareth all his deeds,
Lest done for feare, or in hypocrisie ;

Hypocrisie, as with the corne do weeds,
Still growes up with Faith, Hope, and Charitie.

But it bewrays, they are no hypocrites

That most of all hypocrisie do feare:

Lightly is here used for commonly.

For who are worst of all in their owne sights,
In God's deare sight do best of all appeare.
To feare that we nor love nor feare aright,
Is no less perfect feare, than rightest love;
And to suspect our steps, in greatest light,
Doth argue God our hearts and steps doth move:
But right to run, and fear no whit at all,
Presageth we are neare a fearfull fall.

III.

'It's not so blessed to receive as give!'
Yet men, abounding in all blessings, take
Relief from all; yet they will some relieve,
Sith they see riches here men blessed make.
Then this world's blest in show, but curst in deed;
Christ's body in the earth growes lesse and lesse,
Whose members, that should one another feed,
Let one another pine, through wretchednesse.
Yet seed is not the soyl's wherein it's sown,
But his that sow'd it: so, the almes we sowe,
Is not so much the beggar's as our owne;
Sith it in them for our soule's gaine doth grow:
Then of all soyles that yeeld most interest,
The belly of the beggar is the best.

IV.

Virtue consists in action; which consists
In doing that which Virtue doth command:
But this injurious world the same resists,
Whose actions are perform'd by Vice's band.
Then hardly can the willing, weake in act,
Shew forth the vertue of their active will;
But that the world their vertue will coact,
To act the part of vice with greater skill.

Then let the willing-weake the world forego,
And act the parts of vertue, where alone
God and his angels may their actions know;
So shall they be beloved, prais'd, and knowne.
For cleere is muddy water, standing still,
But being stirr'd, it looke like puddle will.

And hide me in the wildest waste or wood,
Yet Fame wil find me out, if I be good."

A Pack of Patentees: opened, shuffled, cut, dealt, and

played.

London, printed in the

yeare 1641.

4to. pp. 16.

THIS is a sort of semi-dramatic production, in which the characters introduced are rather descriptive than colloquial, and consist of Coals, Soap, Starch, Leather, Vinum, Salt, Hop, Tobacco, Gold Wire, War Horns, Butter, and Eggs: and these are followed by others, shuffled up together, with the cutting, the dealing, and the playing. But there is little ingenuity, and less wit in this meagre publication. One specimen will suffice.

66

Enter the Hop.

Dispatch the Hopman next; he cannot stay

To take his bill, except he hops away.