XII.

WILLIAM HUNNIS,

HUNNIS was a gentleman of the Royal Chapel under Edward the Sixth, and afterwards chapel-master to Queen Elizabeth. He was the author of "Certayne Psalmes chosen out of the Psalter of David, and drawen forth into English metre ;" "A Handfull of Honeysuckles;" "A Hive full of Honey;" "Various Paraphrases of portions of Scripture History;" and "Seven Sobs of a Sorrowful Soule for Sinne, comprehending those Seven Psalmes of the Princelie Prophet David, commonly called Pœnitentiall." It is from these various works that the extracts in these pages are derived.

XIII.

THOMAS BRYCE.

THOMAS BRYCE appears to have been a clergyman: according to Ritson, an epitaph of “ Mr. Bryce, preacher," was licensed to John Allde. He, however, escaped the rage of Queen Mary, and in 1559 he published "A Compendious Register in Metre, conteigning the names and pacient suffryngs of the membres of Jesus Christ; and the tormented and cruelly burned within England, since the death of our famous Kyng of immortall memory Edwarde the Sixte: to the entrance and beginnyng of the raign of our Soueraigne and derest lady Elizabeth of England, Fraunce, and Irelande, quene etc."

XIV.

SIR NICHOLAS BRETON.

LITTLE is known of this poet, but Bishop Percy says he was of some fame in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. He is known to be the author of several works, and many are ascribed to him which appeared anonymously. Those from which the annexed specimens are derived are entitled: "A small Handfull of Fragrant

Flowers gathered out of the louely garden of Sacred Scriptures, fit for any honorable or worshippfull gentlewomen to smell to;" "An Olde Man's Lesson;" "An excellent Poeme upon the longing of a blessed heart: which loathing the world, doth long to be with Christ;""The Soule's immortall Crown; consisting of seaven glorious graces. 1. Virtue. 2. Wisdome. 3. Love. 4. Constancie. 5. Patience. 6. Humilitie. 7. Infiniteness;" with a conclusion entitled Gloria in Excelsis Deo; and a small volume of sonnets, entitled "The Soule's Harmony."

XV.

JOHN HALL, M.D.

DR. HALL was a celebrated writer in the age of Elizabeth on matters pertaining to anatomy and chirurgy. He was also well known, in his day, as a poet. His chief work, copies of which are extremely rare, was published in 1565, under the title of "The Court of Virtue: contaigning many Holy or Spretual Songs, Sonnettes, Psalms, Ballets, and short sentences, as well of Holy Scripture as others, with Musical Notes."

XVI.

GEFFREY WHITNEY.

GEFFREY WHITNEY wrote "A choice of Emblemes, and other Devises, for the moste parte gathered out of sundrie writers, Englished and moralized, and divers newly devised. A worke adorned with varietie of matter, both pleasant and profitable: wherein those that please maye finde to fit their fancies: Bicause herein by the office of the eie, and the eare, the minde may reape dooble delight throughe holesome preceptes, shadowed with pleasand deuises: both fit for the vertuous, to their incoraging; and for the wicked, for their admonishing." From one of the emblems in this volume, which was printed at Ley

den in 1586, it appears that the author was a native of Cheshire, it being inscribed, "To my countrimen of the Namptwiche in Cheshire;" the wood-cut of which represents a phoenix rising from the flames, and the lines underneath allude to the rebuilding of Namptwiche after a dreadful fire which consumed a great part of it in 1593. Each emblem is illustrated by a wood-cut. Thus the emblem, having for its motto Super est quod supra est, which is here reprinted, has a print representing a pilgrim leaving the world (a geographical globe) behind, and travelling towards the symbol of the divine name in glory at the opposite extremity of the scene.

XVII.

HUMPHREY GIFFORD.

THIS author, of whom nothing seems to be known by biographers, wrote "A Posie of Gilloflowers," which was published in 1580.

XVIII.

WILLIAM BYRD.

WILLIAM BYRD was one of the "Gentlemen of the Queene's Maiestie's honorable Chappell." In 1583 he published a work entitled "Medius: Psalmes, Sonets, and Songs of Sadness and Pietie," from which the following specimens are derived. In the original copies the poetry is set to music.

XIX.

ANTHONY MUNDAY.

ANTHONY MUNDAY, "servant to the Queen's most excellent Majestie," published in 1588, "A Banquet of Daintie Conceits. Furnished with verie delicate and choyse inuentions, to delight their mindes, who take pleasure in musique, and therewithall to sing

sweete ditties, either to the lute, bandora, virginalles, or anie other instrument." He was also the author of "The Mirrour of Mutibilitie," published in 1579, which describes the fall of princes and others, as recorded in Scripture. From these two very rare works the specimens in these pages are transcribed.

XX.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

CONSIDERABLE uncertainty prevails as to Sir Walter Raleigh's poetical productions, but that he was capable of producing poetry of a very high order, some pieces undoubtedly written by him abundantly testify. Among these are one or two hymns written during his imprisonment, which exhibit not only his genius, but the sincerity of his heart and the piety of his feelings.

XXI.

ABRAHAM FRAUNCE.

FRAUNCE was a poet of some note in the age of Queen Elizabeth; but nothing is known of him beyond the simple fact, that he published in 1591 a volume entitled "The Countesse of Pembroke's Yuychurch. Conteining the affectionate life and vnfortunate death of Phillis and Amyntas: that in a pastorall; this in a funerall; both in English hexameters ;" and that to this was added a second part, entitled "The Countesse of Pembroke's Emanuel. Conteining the Nativity, Passion, Buriall, and Resurrection of Christ: together with certeine Psalmes of Dauid: all in English hexameters." The measure in which Fraunce wrote these productions was adopted by his contemporaries, Sir Philip Sidney and Richard Stanyhurst, but it is altogether foreign to our inflexible English language. Thomas Nash says of it: "The hexameter verse I grant to be a gentleman of an ancient house-so is many an English beggar ;-yet

this clime of ours he cannot thrive in our speech is too craggy for him to set his plough in; he goes twitching and hopping like a man running upon quagmires, up the hill in one syllable and down the dale in another, retaining no part of that strictly. smooth gait which he vaunts himself with among the Greeks and Latins." The specimen derived from this author's pages will illustrate the correctness of these sentiments.

XXII.

JOHN DAVIES.

JOHN DAVIES-usually called "John Davies of Hereford, to distinguish him from Sir John Davies-was a contemporary of Sir Philip Sidney. His poetical works are numerous: consisting of "Microcosmos," "Summa Totalis, or All in All, and the same for ever;" ;" "The Holy Roode, or Christ's Cross: containing Christ crucified, described in speaking picture;' "The Muses' Sacrifice, or Divine Meditations;” “The Scourge of Folly;" "Humours Heau'n on Earth; with the ciuil warres of Death and Fortune;" "Witte's Pilgrimage, by poetical essaies, through a world of Amorous Sonnets, Soule's Passions, and other passages, divine, philosophical, and moral:" etc, etc. From these various works the specimens in this volume are derived.

XXIII.

THOMAS HOWELL.

THOMAS HOWELL wrote "The fable of Ouid treting of Narcissus, translated out of Latin into Englysh Mytre, with a moral thervnto, very pleasant to rede." This work was published in 1560, and the stanzas annexed to his name are extracted from the moralization.