requite it: for he was in his friendships just and constant; and would not have practised foully against those he took to be enemies. No man had eredit enough with him to corrupt him in point of loyalty to the king, whilst he thought himself wise enough to know what treason was: but the new doctrine, and distinction of allegiance, and of the king's power in and out of parliament, and the new notions of ordinances, were too hard for him, and did really intoxicate his understanding, and made him quit his own to follow theirs, who, he thought, wished as well and judged better than himself. His vanity disposed him to be his excellency; and his weakness to believe that he should be the general in the houses as well as in field, and be able to govern their counsels, and restrain their passions, as well as to fight their battles; and that by this means he should become the preserver and not the destroyer of the king and kingdom. With this ill-grounded confidence, he launched out into that sea, where he met with nothing but rocks and shelves, and from whence he could never discover any safe port to harbour in.9

Wood says he was no way inclined to the sullen opinion of those men who disclaim the muses; but if less severe hours of leisure offered themselves in his retired studies, he would employ that time in the perusal of some serious poem: and being reported to

• The noble historian seems in this place to countervail his former assertion, that he had "no ambition of title." He is said to have refused a dukedom.

Hist. of the Rebellion, vol. ii. p. 209. 8vo. edit.

have great judgment, especially in English verse, it was his csutom to applaud the professors of that art2, as high as their deserts merited, and to reward them above it; "particularly Francis Quarles and George Wither, puritanical poets." So strong has been the prejudice excited against these versemen by Denham, Butler, Pope, and others, that to have been the patron of such writers will, by the bulk of mankind, be considered as a reproach. Quarles, however, has been ably vindicated from critical obloquy by the pens of Headley, Sir E. Brydges', and Jackson of Exeter; and Wither has at length found one zealous advocate in Mr. Alexander Dalrymple.' Lord Essex

2 Captain Wm. Mercer, from his "lodging at the Three Pidgeons in King-street, Westminster," dedicated his Angliæ Speculum, in 1545, to his noble patron Rob. Devereux, earl of Essex, lord-generall, &c. Mercer seems to designate himself as a Scotsman, in a poetical petition to the lords and commons, the lordmayor and aldermen, &c. We have had a modern Scots poet of that name, vivid in valent.

4

3 Athen. Oxon. vol. ii. col. 93.

+ Biographical Sketches, p. lxi.

› Gentleman's Magazine, for 1793, p. 211.

6 Letters on various Subjects.

7 See Extracts from Juvenilia, 1785, 8vo. Mr. Granger was content to retail the character of Wither at second hand; and it is certainly much more convenient to condemn an author in this summary way by a witty quotation, than to be at the trouble of perusing his works, in order to form an impartial judgment of them. Hence, Wither has had the ill fortune, in common with many a voluminous writer, to have his productions stigmatized as contemptible, because they were too numerous to be read. The common-place sarcasm, that if his verses rhym'd and

therefore will suffer no depreciation in the minds of the liberal or candid, because he protected those poets whose morality and piety procured them the aspersion of being "puritanically affected."

Under the name of lord Essex, while he was captain-general, were published,

"Several Letters to the Speakers of the House of Lords and Commons."

"Letters to several Persons."

rattled all was well," does not apply to the verses of Wither: for he paid less attention to the metrical arrangement of his compositions, than to their nervous sense, shrewd satire, and moral application. Had he sacrificed sentiment to sound with less reluctance, he would doubtless have been more read, and, by many, more highly estimated. Mr. Dalrymple says very justly, "there is in his works uncommon strength of mind with peculiarity of thought, often most happily expressed; and his pen was always employed in the cause of virtue." His politics, however, gave a party-blight to his poetry. [On the above note Sir E. Brydges has made the following observations. “All the fault imputed to the poet Wither, does not arise from the idleness of those who condemn him, and yet want exertion to read him. His prolixity, want of compressing, and carelessness, are intolerable. The currens calamus was by far too much indulged; and his frequent colloquialities and party venom, will account for the contempt into which his rhymes have fallen." Yet he certainly possessed much genius, if it had been duly regulated. This Sir Egerton admitted, on a previous occasion, when he added, — "If he had written less, and pruned a little more, he would have deserved the character of a very elegant poet. He had true poetical feelings."]

8 Wood, ut sup. col. 391.

"Relations concerning Skirmishes, Battles, taking of Towns, Houses, &c."

"Declarations and other such like Things:" says Wood. In two small tracts were also printed,

"Lawes and Ordinances of Warre, established for the better Conduct of the Army by his Excellency the Earle of Essex, Lord Generall of the Forces raised by the Authority of Parliament for the Defence of the King and Kingdom." Lond. 1642, 4to.

These laws and ordinances treat" of duties to God, of duties in generall, of duties toward superiors and commanders, of duties morall, of a soldier's duty touching his armes, of duty in marching, of duties in the camp and garrison, of duties in action, of the duties of commanders and officers in particular, of the duty of the muster-masters, of victualers, of administration of justice."

"A precious and divine Letter from the Earl of Essex to the Earl of Southampton," 1642.

The Harl. MS. 6798, has three pieces ascribed to the Earl of Essex, viz.

"The Island Voyage, The Battle of Newport, and The Siege of Ostend."

The Harleian manuscripts, 7007 and 7008, contain three short letters from Robert, earl of Essex, to his lordship's juvenile associate, Henry Frederick, heirapparent. These have been printed by Dr. Birch in his Life of that promising prince, and are of little interest.

9 Wood, ut sup. col. 95.

Rushworth has printed another in his Historical Collections, vol. ii. p. 3. relating to military proceedings; but his lordship's speech and protestation at the head of his army, in Sept. 1642, reflects higher honour on his character, and may afford a short ex

tract.

"Gentlemen and fellow-soldiers,

"Ye are at this time assembled for the defence of his majesty, and the maintenance of the true Protestant religion, under my command. I shall therefore desire you to take notice what I, that am your generall, shall by my honour promise to perform towards you, and what I shall be forced to expect that you shall perform towards me.

"I do promise in the sight of almighty God, that I shall undertake nothing but what shall tend to the advancement of the true Protestant religion, the securing of his majesty's royal person, the maintenance of the just privilege of parliament, and the liberty and property of the subject. Neither will I engage any of you into any danger, but I will in my own person run an equal hazard with you; and either bring you off with honour, or (if God have so decreed) fall with you, and willingly become a sacrifice for the preservation of my country.

"Likewise I do promise, that my ear shall be open to hear the complaint of the poorest of my soldiers, though against the chiefest of my officers; neither shall his greatness, if justly taxed, gain any privilege; but I shall be ready to execute justice against all, from the greatest to the least.