Thus in Browne's Paftorals: Not that by mindes commerce, and joint eftate. B. I. Song 2. Holinfhed's account of the difpofition of the English Army, is as follows-" Then he ordeined three battels, in the firft 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 Loid 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 Earie of Northampton, the Earle of Arundell, the Lords Ros and Willowbie, Baffet, S. Albine, Multon, and others. The third battel the King led himfelfe, having with him seven hundred men of armes, and two thousand archers; and in the other battell even to the number of eight thousand men of armes, and twelve hundred archers. Thus was the English armie marfhalled according to the report of Froiffard." 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: "Alfo at the fame inftant there fell a great raine, and an eclipfe 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 Marfhalls, &c. &c. Thus placed to the beft advantage, King Edward vifiteth the ranckes in perfon, riding upon a pleafant hobby (having onely a white rod in his hand, as if he would chaftife fortune) betweene the two Marshalls of his field whofe very prefence, with a few feasonable and unenforced words on behalfe of God and his right, in fteed of long orations, did inspire the faintest hearts among them with freshest vigour and alacritie. SPEED, 577 Horror in all her faddeft shapes appear'd. Page 32. Sir F. Sidney has a very fublime defcription 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 fo bravely with rich furniture, gilt fwords, fhining armours, pleasant pencils, that the eye with delight had fcarce leifure to be afraid: but now all univerfally defiled with duft, broken armour, mangled bodies, took away the mask, and fet forth Horror in bis own horrible manner. Page 33. Pemb. Arcadia, B. III.446. 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 Holinfhed :-The valiant king of Bohem being almost blind, caufed his men to faften 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, king, and late elected emperour, came in good order to the battel; but I when he faw how the matter went awrie on their part, he departed and faved himself. His father, by the means aforefaid, went fo far forward, that, joining with his enemies, he fought right valiantlie, and fo 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 ●ch to other. P. 372. The attitude May has reprefented 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 fince prefented by the Duke to the Bodleian Library, is a dying Amazon; fhe 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 fpiritum ægrè trabens nondum tamen arcum e manu emifit" 48 Gem. Some of the moft remarkable and moft ftriking beauties in Poetry, Painting, and Statuary, are taken immediately from the agonies of Death. Virgil has a circumstance in this way full of horrid minuteness, which is by some cou dered as a blemish, but furely too faftidiously: Te decifa fuum, Laride, dextera quærit ÆN. X. 395• The fame Poet, in defcribing the arms of Minerva, represents the Medusa on her breaft-plate as still rolling its eyes after the head is fevered from the neck: ipfamque in pectore Dive Gorgona, defecto vertentem lumina collo. Æn. VIII. 437. For remarks on fimilar fubjects, fee Mr. Spence's most excellent Eflay on the Odyffey, 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 fo manie nobleman, as were flaine at the fame battell, fought between Creffie and Broy on the faturdaie next following the feaft of Saint Bartholomew being (as that yeare fell) the 26th. of August. Among others which died that daie, thefe Ifind registered by name as cheefest, John King of Boheme, Rafe Duke of Lorraine, Charles of Alanfo, 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 Auffere, Aumerle, and Saint Poule, befides diverse other of the nobilitie. Holinfhed'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, Knights, 1400 gentlemen, 4000 men at arms, befides about 30,000 of inferior rank."-On the fide of the English, he fays, "there were killed in it only one Efquire, and three Knights, and a very few of inferior rank.” Pages 35 and 36. These beautiful lines feem to have fuggested the plan of a most exquifite little piece called "The Hamlet," by Mr. T. Warton, which contains fuch a felection of beautiful rural images as perhaps no other poem of equal length in our language prefents us with. The latter part of it more closely reminds us of Fletcher. A fhepherd's life is to be found in Spenfer's Fairy Queen, B. VI. Cant. 9, St. 20. See likewise J. Sylvefter's Tranflation of Du Bartas. Ed. 1641. page 29, 30. Page 37. It may not be amifs to fet before the reader a few extracts from our old Hiftorians, 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 fecret way or mine cut through a rocke, upon which the faid caftle is built, one iffue whereof openeth toward the river Trent, which runnes under it, and the other venteth itselfe farre within upon the furface, and is (at this prefent) called Mortimer's hole; through this the young King, well armed and strongly feconded, was conducted with drawne fwords, by fome his trufty and fworne fervants (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 (fo fearless is blinded affection) was unfhut, and with her was Mortimer ready to goe to bed, whom, with the flaughter of a Knight, and one or two that refifted, they laid hold upon. This was not reputed a a flender enterprife, in regard, that in Mortimer's retinue were not fewer (they lay) then one hundredth and fourscore Knights, befides Efquires 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 ftondith 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 alfo 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 ftaire to go downe by the rok to the ripe of line." Hearne's Edit. fol. 3, 1745. Holinfhed'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 feventeenth day of October, within the caftell of Notingham, where the king with the two queenes, his mother and his wife, and diverfe 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 fuch, as it was doubted how he might be arrested (for he had, as fome writers affirme, at that prefent in retinue nine fcore knights, befides efquires, 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 accufed the faid earle of March for the murther of king Edward the fecond, found means by intelligence had with Sir William de Cland, conftable of the caftell of Notingham, - Sir Notingham, to take the faid earle of March, with his foune the lord Roger or Geffrey Mortimer, and Simon Bereford, with other. 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 mifgovernance of the earle of March. But whofcever was glad or forie for the trouble of the faid earle, fuerlie the queene mother took it most heavilie above all other, as fhe that loved him more (as the fame went) than ftood with her honour. For as fome write, fhe was found to be with child by him. They kept, as it were, houfe togither; for the earle, to have his provifion the better cheape, laid his pen e with hirs, fo that hir takers ferved him as well as they did hir, both of vittels and carriages; of which misusage (all regard to honour and eftimation 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 offenfe heerein was fo 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. Page 46. Of richest texture. Book X, p. 441, Paradise Loft. And through the ragged entrailes of the cave. Thus Shakespeare in a much-admired fimile; Which like a taper in fome monument Page 47. Titus And. Scene VI. Carnarvon Edward's manes had poffeft On Mortimer's impeachment, the firft of the five articles laid to his charge, was, "That he had procured Edward of Carnarvon, the king's father, to be murthered, in moft heinous and tyrannous manner, within the caftel of Berklie." Holinfhed, p. 349. Page 48. May feems here to have confulted Stow in his account. "Upon a certaine night, the king lying without the caftle (Nottingham) both he and his friends were brought by torch light through a fecret way under ground, Dear Son (for well fhe knew her fon was there), &c. &c. be beginning far off from the fayde caftle, 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 alfo armed without the doore of the chamber, least that his mother shoulde efpie him :they which entred in flew Hugh Turpington, knight, who refifted 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 fonne, take pittie upon gentle Mortimer, for the fufpected that her fonne was there, though the faw him not." Chron. fol. 1615, p. 229. Page 40. The particular relation that the whole of this Piece bears to many paffages in Milton's Paradife Loft, and the great fublimity of the Poetry, are reafons fufficient to make it acceptable to every reader of taste, notwithstanding its being a translation. Of the Sofpetto D'Herode it is to be lamented, that poetical readers in general know fo little, from the specimen here produced, every English reader must be inclined to wifh 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 verfe, and that the title-page of the tranflation ftands 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 Tranflation would be highly worth republishing, particularly if executed in a superior style to Crafhaw, which feems to me hardly poffible: His eyes the fullen dens of Death and Night, &c. Milton gives him eyes That sparkling blaz'd. Milton has this fimile of a Comet in his 2d Book. on th' other fide, Incens'd with indignation Satan stood, Unterrify'd; and like a comet, burn'd, That fires th' Arctic sky, and from his horrid hair 193. 1. 710. Again, he compares him to the fun in an Eclipfe. 598. 1 B. P. Loft. Page 50. While his steel fides found with his tail's strong lash. Thus Milton fpeaking of the Old Dragon, upon the very fame occafion: A Swindges the fcaly horrour of his tail. Hymn of the Nativ. 18 Stan. |