London, Printed by E. P. for Henry Seile, and are to bee sold at his shop at the Signe of the Tygers-head in S. Pauls Church-yard. 1636. Sm. 8vo, pp. 96.

This very scarce edition of the Poetical Blossomes is entirely unnoticed by both Watt and Lowndes. After the short dedication to the Bishop of Lincoln as in the first impression, is a prose address "To the Reader" by Cowley, in which he apologizes for his "poetical boldness" in publishing at so early an age, and himself confirms the account before stated as to the time when these verses were composed: "I should not bee angrie to see any one burne my Pyramus and Thisbe, nay, I would doe it myselfe, but that I hope a pardon may easily bee gotten for the errors of ten yeeres age. My Constantia and Philetus confesseth mee two yeers older when I writ it. The rest were made since upon severall occasions, and perhaps doe not belie the time of their birth." With the exception of this address the contents of the first portion of this edition are exactly similar to the preceding, the "Pyramus and Thisbe" having a separate title-page and dedication to his Master Osbalston as before. At the end of the "Dreame of Elysium" on Sig. E 1, a fresh title-page occurs, "Sylva, or Divers Copies of Verses made upon sundry occasions by A. C.," with the imprint and date as above. This portion embraces sixteen leaves with the title, and contains poems "On his Majesties returne out of Scotland," "A Song on the same," "A Vote," "A Poeticall Revenge," "To the Dutchesse of Buckingham," "To his very much honoured Godfather, Master A. B.," "An Elegie on the Death of Mrs. Anne Whitfield," "An Elegy on the death of Iohn Littleton Esquire, Sonne and heyre to Sir Thomas Littleton, who was drowned leaping into the water to save his younger Brother," "A Translation of Verses upon the B. Virgin, written in Latine by the right worshipfull Dr. A.," and seven odes on various subjects. From these latter we extract the sixth as a short example of Cowley's light, fanciful and airy style:

Foole 'tis thy life, and the fond Archer, thou,
Of all the time thou'st shot away
I'le bid thee fetch but yesterday,
And it shall be too hard a taske to doe.
Besides repentance, what can'st find
That it hath left behind?

Our life is carried with too strong a tyde,
A doubtful cloud our substance beares,
And is the horse of all our yeeres.
Each day doth on a winged whirle-wind ride.
Wee and our Glasse run out, and must
Both render up our dust.

But his past life who without griefe can see,
Who never thinkes his end too near,
But sayes to Fame thou art mine Heire.
That man extends lifes natural brevitie,
This is, this is the onely way
T'out-live Nestor in a day.

This copy has a very fine impression of the rare portrait by Vaughan of Cowley, "Etatis suæ 13," with a single angel above placing a wreath of aurel on his head, and has an additional one inserted of the same reversed, without date. A copy of this scarce edition sold in Bibl. Heber., pt. iv. No. 443, for 21. 38., and in Skegg's ditto, No. 443, for 27. 18s. Collation: Title-page A 2; Sig. A. to F 8, in eights.

COWLEY, (ABRAHAM.) - Poeticall Blossomes. The third edition. Enlarged by the Author.

sit surculus Arbor.

London. Printed by E. P. for Henry Seile, and are to bee sold at the signe of the Tygers-head in Fleet-street between the Bridge and the Conduit. 1637. Sm. 8vo.

The contents of the first part of this third edition of Cowley's juvenile poems are exactly similar to that of the second, although it is not that impression with a mere change of title, but an entire newly printed edition. But at the end are added Cowley's two comedies of "Loves Riddle" and

"Naufragium Joculare," which were here published for the first time. They have each separate titles, the first being:

"Loves Riddle. A Pastorall Comœdie; Written at the time of his being Kings Scholler in Westminster Schoole, by A. Cowley. London, Printed by John Dawson, for Henry Seile, and are to be sold at the Tygres head in Fleet-street over against St. Dunstans Church. 1638."

This has a poetical "Epistle Dedicatorie" "To the Worthy and Noble Sir Kenelm Digbie Knight." It was written while Cowley was a King's scholar at Westminster school, and only fifteen years of age; and when it is considered that the plot of the play is entirely original and unborrowed, and the whole composed at so early an age, we must allow it to be entitled to much commendation. The title of the other play is:

"Naufragium Ioculare, Comoedia: Publicè coram Academicis Acta, in Collegio S. S. et individuæ Trinitatis. 4 Nonas Feb. An. Dom. 1638. Authore Abrahamo Cowley.

Mart.

Non displicuisse meretur

Festinat, Lector, qui placuisse tibi.

Londini, Imprimis Henrici Seile, 1638."

This is dedicated in some Latin verses to Dr. Comber, Dean of Carlisle, and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. It was acted with great applause before the University by the members of Trinity College, and, like the former play, its plot was original. These first editions of the two Comedies were published separately, and as such are mentioned by Lowndes and Watt, but this third.impression of the poems is not noticed by either. It is scarce, and this copy has a fine impression of the portrait of the author, "Etatis suæ 13," and has a duplicate also of the same before the plays. From the Mainwaring collection at Peover.

In the original Calf binding, red edges.

CRANE, (RAPH.) — The Pilgrimes New-yeares-Gift: or, Fourteene Steps to the Throne of Glory. By the 7. Corporeall and 7. Spirituall Acts of Charitie, and those made Parallels. By Raph Crane.

Proverb. 19. 17.

Mutuat Iehoua, qui gratiosè largitur tenui, et Beneficium ipsius rependet ipsi.

1. Thes. 5. 4.

Consolamini eos qui pusillo animo sunt: sublevate infirmos.
Printed at London by M. F. n. d. Sm. 8vo, pp. 48.

Under the title of The Workes of Mercy, both Corporeall and Spirituall, a former edition of this scarce poetical tract had been published in 1621, 8vo, which was dedicated to the Earl of Bridgewater, and of which a copy from the Bridgewater collection sold in Sir Mark M. Sykes's sale, No. 807, for 91. 108. The present and later edition is probably the same work, with merely a change of title to some copies which had remained unsold. It is without any dedication, but commences at once with "The Authors Induction" in verse, from which we learn that he was born in the city of London, his father having been a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company and borne "offices of worth." After receiving his education he appears to have been brought up to the law, and was for seven years clerk to Sir Anthony Ashley, Clerk of the Council, and afterwards a writer for the lawyers in the Inns of Court, but seems to have suffered from loss and poverty during the period of the great Plague in London, of which he was an eye witness; and although he escaped the disease himself, he suffered much from penury and woe, and was advanced in years when he penned the present work as a New-years Gift. The poem is divided into short cantos of little more than a page each, with a prelude of four lines prefixed to each, the first part containing "Mercies seuen Acts Corporeall," and the latter the same "Spirituall," which are thus made Parallels:

Corporeall.

To giue Bread to the hungry.
To giue Drinke to the thirsty.
To cloath the naked.

To Ransom Prisoners.

To Harbour the harbourlesse.

To Visit the Sick.

To Bury the Dead.

Spirituall.

To correct the Sinner.
To Instruct the Ignorant.
To Counsel the Doubtful.
To Comfort the sorrowfull.
To beare wrongs patiently.
To forgiue all men.

To pray for others, even our Enemies.

The verse is of a very humble and mediocre kind, and we prefer quoting a few lines from the induction descriptive of the Plague, than from the work itself, which has little to recommend it beyond its rarity:

Thinke of that yeare,

(In marble hearts too soone forgot, I feare,
In those that haue Compassion, and Remorse,
It needs must sticke an euerlasting force :)

That Pestilentiall yeare, that heavy Time,
(A Parallel to that, which (for his Crime)
Dauid selected, when he chose to lie
Vnder Gods hand, and not Mans Tyrannie)
Wherein depopulating sicknesse, want,
And famine (Ram-like) did their Forces plant
To batter and lay leuell with the ground
This City glorious, famous, and renown'd)
(For whom my selfe had cause ('fore many other)
Much to lament (because she was my Mother)
And for whose sake (with Ionathans swift Boy)
To serue her I would run with eager ioy :

She was my Nurse; but (which was worst of all)

Shee in my cradle) gaue me such a fall,

That howsoeuer yeares might heale the same,

Yet with Mephibosheth, I still goe lame.

This holy Place, for which the Lewes would mourne

As for Ierusalem, besieg'd, forlorne

This beauteous Temple, for which Dauid must

Needes weepe, to see her honour in the dust:

From whence no Child of hers, (if they had power)
But fled vnkindly lest she should deuoure
(As Myriam did) the Fruit of her owne wombe,
And so be both their chamber and their Tombe,

Onely some Pillars stood to keepe it vp,

(The City Pretors :) — Of this bitter Cup

They ventur'd drinking: - honour'd be their worth,
That then so good examples did bring forth :
But for those silly Soules, that staid behind
(Either for loue, or need) they could not find
Like Noahs Doue) a place to rest their feet
But crept from lane to lane, from street to street;
Where naught was seen, felt, tasted, toucht, or heard
But Coffins, Pits, Bels-knowling, things prepar'd,
To drag poore wretches, (dog-like) to the earth,
And that sometimes, ere consummating death
Had fully taken on them his possession,

Such was the fearefull hast, such the expression

Of Horrors shape: such griefe, such Tragick sighes
The Sufferer feeles, and the Spectator frights

For one man to another was a Caine,

No sooner met, but fearing to be slaine

By him they met: - take East, West, North, or South,
No wind that blew, but blew death in their mouth;