British Bibliographer. N° III. ART. I. Memoir of Lord Vaux. AN account of Lord Vaux is given in the preface to the new edition of The Paradise of Dainty Devises: but as that will hereafter be separated from the Bibliographer, it is necessary to say a few words of him here, to accompany the engraved head which appeared in the last number. It is now universally admitted, that Lord Vaux the poet was not Nicholas, the first Peer, who died in 1524; and it seems at length sufficiently ascertained, that the author who merits this denomination was, Thomas his son and heir, second Baron, who died about 1555, rather than the grandson, William, third Lord Vaux, of whose pretensions some doubt has been suggested; and who died in 1595. The mistake of the name of Nicholas is believed to have originated with Puttenham in his Art of Poetry. Mr. PARK has observed, that it appears by a pas sage in the prose Prologue to Sackville's Induction in the Mirror for Magistrates, that Lord Vaux had undertaken to pen the history of King Edward's two sons, cruelly murdered in the Tower of London; but that it does not appear he ever executed his intention. This poet is more distinguished by morality and sentiment, than by imagery. Yet, even in the latter, his two celebrated poems of The Assault of Cupid; and VOL. I. Royal and Noble Authors, I. 310. N The The Aged Lovers renunciation of Love, so well known from having long since found a place in Dr. Perry's Reliques, are far from deficient; and the sweet and touching simplicity of the ideas, and the airy ease of the language, entitle them to high commendation. I have expressed in another place what seems to me to be the merit of those pieces by this noble author, which are printed in The Paradise of Dainty Devises. He who speculates on the productions of genius, may justly wonder that, of all men, they whose elevated situation enables them to appreciate the value of retirement, and whose refined leisure gives them the best opportunity of pursuing and fixing the passing phantoms of intellect, should have done so little in this way in the long lapse of ages. Yet how few have there been of high rank in this country, who have even attempted to produce fruit of this kind! And of those few, how. very rarely have the attempts been successful! It is a fair inference, that to write good poetry requires, in addition to native genius, some qualities to which a lofty station is unfavourable. Much artificial skill indeed, which can only be attained by much and continued labour, is necessary to enable the most fertile mind to communicate its wealth to others in the form of genuine poetical composition. There are many steps between thinking poetically, and writing poetically. Lord Vaux could do both. With a sensibility that made him shrink from the follies, the vexatious ambition, the crimes and dangers of the active life into which his rank had thrown him, his mind overflowed with all those plaintive reflections on frail humanity, which soften the bosom, and he joined to these stores the command of those "strokes of art," by which he could convey to others, in the most pleasing manner, a transcript of the ideas with which he himself was impressed. In the Aged Lover, there are two or three stanzas most delicately turned, yet of exquisite simplicity. That numbers of his own rank have lived as happily accomplished as he was, cannot reasonably be doubted. * See Vols I. and il. But But as they have suffered the flame of the muse to expire selfishly within their own breasts, their memories are justly forgotten in the dust, while the soul of Lord Vaux still lives to delight and refine us, and to draw down flowers of new blossom on his grave. Dec. 4, 1809. ART. II. Chronological List of the Works, in verse and prose, of George Wither. Having fallen in with a bevy of Wither's picces at a book-shop, several years ago, which led me to purchase others, and to undertake the perusal of more, I have tried to form somewhat like a Catalogue Orné of this writer's voluminous productions; and trust it may be likely to find "fit audience though few" among the patrons of the BRITISH BIBLIOGRAPHER.* The following list is gathered chiefly from Wither's own catalogue, t from Wood's Athenæ, from Dalrymple's Extracts, from the collection of my friend Mr Hill, and from the King's pamphlets, &c. in the British Museum. T. P. 1. "lter Hibernicum: or his Irish voyage." Verse. 4. "Philarete's Complaint." Ver. These four are mentioned by Wither as composed in his minority, and therefore may be called his Juvenilia, but were "lost in manuscript." From the term JUVENILIA being applied afterwards to other pieces published by Wither in 1622 and 1633,§ Wood has erroneously * An able and interesting Memoir of Wither has been given in No I. of the present publication; to which this bibliographical essay is designed as supplemental, and may at least evince the persevering patience of its contributor. Printed at the end of "Fides Anglicanæ," 1660. Extracts from Juvenilia, or Poems, by George Wither. Printed at London, 1785 and presented to literary friends by the late Alex. Dalrymple, Esq. S Wither himself in 1633 described his printed works to consist of two vols.; the first containing his Juvenilia, and the second, his Britain's Remem brancer. N 2 asserted asserted that the above-named "were recovered and printed more than once.' 5. "Abuses stript and whipt: or Satyricall Essayes. Divided into two bookes." Ver. (1611,† 1613, 2 edits. 1614, 1615, 167, 16×2, 1626, 1633, 8vo. and 12m0. A satire is annexed called "The Scourge:" with Certaine Epigrams," addressed to several persons who were presented with this publication. Much of the writer's early history occurs in this work and much of it is general satire. The leading heads of its contents may be seen in CENSURA LITERARIA, Vol. II. p. 294. The title might have been suggested by Marston, § who says "I'le strip you nak't, and whip you with my rimes." Scourge of Villanie, 1598. Great variations are observable in different editions. 6. "Prince Henrie's Obsequies; or mournefull Elegies upon his Death. With a supposed Interlocution be Athen. Oxon. II. 392. Wither numbers them among those MSS. which were lost when his house was plundered, or by other casualties: and offers the restorer of them such satis action as he shall reasonably demand. This date is given from Dalrymple, who said in 1785" Mr. Herbert has a copy of Abuses stript and whipt,' wanting the title-page, with Wither's head, 1611 etat: suæ 21+15811609; so that 1611 must refer to the publication, and not to Wither's age." This to some readers may appear doubtful; but it places the birth of Wither in 1590: and that was the year of his nativity. I am therefore inclined to believe, that his Satires were not printed till 1613, (the earliest known edition) though certainly written in 1611, as the following lines from a later production sufficiently attest and ascertain: "In sixteen hundred ten and one I notice took of publick crimes: Which was so oft misunderstood, That I, for being so employ'd, Have been three times nigh quite destroy'd." Wither's Warning-piece to London, scr. 1662. Taylor, in his Aqua Musæ, says that the lines under Wither's portrait wer made by himself. Qu. who was Sir T. 1. supposed to Le? See the Plate to No. 1 This Satire will remind the poetic antiquary of Hall and Marston. Or perhaps from a puritanical pamphlet printed in 1569, and entitled "the Children of the Chapel stript and whipt." See Warton's Hist. III. 288. tweene |