XIII. TO MR. H. LAWES ON HIS AIRS. ibid. LY CID A S*. *This poem firft appeared in a Cambridge Collection of verfes on the Death of Mr. Edward King, fellow of Chrift's College, printed at Cambridge in a thin quarto, 1638. It confifts of three Greek, nineteen Latin, and thirteen English poems. The three Greek are written by William Ivefon, John Pots, and Henry More, the great Platonic theologist, and then or foon afterwards a fellow of Christ's college. The nineteen Latin are by Anonymous, N. Felton, R. Mafon, John Pullen, Jofeph Pearfon, R. Browne, J. B. Charles Mason, Coke, Stephen Anftie, Jofeph Hoper, R. C. Thomas Farnaby, Mr. King's Schoolmaster, but not the celebrated rhetorician, Henry King, Mr. Edward King's brother, John Hayward chancellor and canon refidentiary of Lincoln, M. Honywood who has two copies, William Brearley, Chriftopher Bainbrigg, and R. Widdrington. The thirteen English; by Henry King abovementioned, J. Beaumont, Anonymous, John Cleveland the Poet, William More, William Hall, Samson Briggs, Ifaac Olivier, J. H. C. B. R. Brown, T. Norton, and our author John Milton, whofe Monody, entitled LYCIDAS, and fubfcribed with his initials only, ftands laft in the Collection. J. H.'s copy is infcribed, "To the deceafed's vertuous Sifter, the Ladie Margaret. Loder." She here appears to have lived near Saint Chad's church at Litchfield, and to have excelled in painting. Cleveland's copy is very witty. But the two concluding lines are hyperboles of wit. 66 66 Our teares shall seem the Irish feas, The contributors were not all of Chrift's College. The Greek and Latin pieces have this title, which indeed ferves for the title to the book, "Jufta EDOVARDO KING naufrago, ab Amicis mærentibus, amoris et véas xe. Si recte calculum ponas, ubique σε naufragium eft. Petron. Arb. CANTABRIGIÆ, Apud Thomam "Buck et Rogerum Daniel, celeberrima Academiæ typographos. 1638." The English are thus intitled, "Obfequies to the memorie "of Mr. Edward King, Anno Dom. 1638. Printed by Th. Buck "and R. Daniel, printers to the Vniverfitie of Cambridge. 1638." To the whole is prefixed a profe infcriptive panegyric on Mr. King, containing fhort notices of his life, family, character, and deplorable catastrophe. This I fufpect to have been compofed either by Milton A or In this Monody the author bewails a learned friend, unfortunately drowned in his passage from Chester on the Irish seas, 1637. And by occafion foretels the ruin of our corrupted clergy, then in their highth. ET once more, O ye Laurels, and once more YET Ye Myrtles brown, with Ivy never sere, or Henry More, who perhaps were two the most able mafters in Latinity which the college could now produce. Peck examined this first edition of LYCIDAS, which he borrowed of Baker the antiquary, very fuperficially. And all that Milton's laft editor, the learned bishop of Bristol, knew about it, is apparently taken from Peck. Peck is of opinion, that Milton's poem is placed laft in this Cambridge Collection, on account of his fuppofed quarrel with Chrift's college. A more probable and obvious reafon may be affigned. Without entering at prefent into the story of Milton's difpute with his college, I fhall only juft obferve, that when he wrote LYCIDAS, he had quitted the univerfity about five years, and that he now refided with his father and mother at Horton in Buckinghamshire: he was therefore folicited by his friends whom he had left behind at Chrift's college, to aflift on this occafion, and, who certainly could never intend to disgrace what they had asked as a favour. In a collection of this fort, the laft is the place of honour. V.1. Yet once more, &c.] The best poets imperceptibly adopt phrafes and formularies from the writings of their contemporaries or immediate predeceffours. An Elegy on the death of the celebrated Countefs of Pembroke, fir Philip Sydney's fifter, begins thus. Yet once againe, my Muse. See SONGES AND SONNETTES OF VNCERTAIN AUCTOURS, added to Surrey's and Wyat's Poems, edit. Tottell, fol. 85. It is a remark of Peck, which has been filently adopted by doctor Newton, that this exordium, Yet once more, has an allufion to fome. of Milton's former poems on fimilar occafions, fuch as, ON THE DEATH OF |