On her while we thus firmly fixt our iyes, And by and by a dum dead corps we sawe, His dart anon out of the corps he tooke, Lastly stoode Warre in glitteryng armes yclad, He razed townes, and threwe downe towers and all. Cities he sakt, and realmes that whilom flowered, G EDWARD VERE, the seventeenth Earl of Oxford, was born in 1534, and succeeded to the title and estates of his father in 1562. He was a pensioner of St. John's, Cambridge; spent several years in travel; sate as Great Chamberlain of England upon the trial of Mary Queen of Scots; and was one of the most distinguished officers employed against the Spanish Armada. In youth he was remarkable, says Wood, for his wit, adroitness in exercises, and valour and zeal for his country; but he is said to have returned from Italy a finished coxcomb, and it is recorded that he was the first who introduced into England embroidered gloves and perfumes. In consequence of his continually aping Italian dress and manners, he was nicknamed "the Mirrour of Tuscanismo." Some discreditable anecdotes of his life have been preserved. The story of his quarrel with Sir Philip Sidney is little to his repute, and shows the length to which aristocratic privilege was at that time carried. The Earl being one day at play in the Tennis Court, took offence at some remark of Sidney's, ordered him to leave the room, and, on his refusal, applied to him an epithet of contempt. Sir Philip gave his lordship the lie direct, and quitted the place, expecting to be followed by the peer. But Lord Oxford very prudently waited, until the Queen had time to command the peace. Her Majesty then reminded Sir Philip of the difference between earls and gentlemen,-superiors and inferiors. The gallant Sidney, however, boldly protested against such a distinction in such a matter, and refused to obey her Majesty's directions that he should "make submission" to his opponent. Lord Oxford died in 1604. His Poems, which were greatly extolled by his contemporaries, have never been published in a volume; and are only to be found scattered among various "collections." "All that I have seen of them," says Anthony Wood, "are certain Poems on several subjects, thus entitled: -1. His good Name being blemished, he bewaileth. 2. The Complaint of a Lover wearing Black and Tawnie. 3. Being in Love he complaineth. 4. A Lover rejected complaineth. 5. Not attaining his desire, he complaineth. 6. His mind not being quietly settled, he complaineth: with many such." The most graceful of his productions is that entitled "Fancy and Desire," which Dr. Percy extracted from the "Garland of Good Will," and which is praised by Puttenham for its "excellencie and wit." It was originally published in Breton's "Bower of Delights," edit. 1597, and is to be found in "England's Helicon,"-a volume from which we have also extracted "the Shepheard's Commendation of his Nimph." From "the Paradise of Dayntie Devises" we have copied the poem, entitled, "A Lover disdained, complaineth;" and from these two rare collections of Fugitive poetry, we have borrowed "the Judgement of Desire," and the "Lines attributed to the Earl of Oxford," from a MS. in the Bodleian. In transcribing both, however, we have availed ourselves of copies printed for private circulation by the late Mr. Haslewood - which differ slightly from those that had previously been in print. Lord Oxford is a fair example of a race of minor poets, who obtained large notoriety which they considered fame, by the occasional production of a few lines in verse, giving utterance to some quaint thought, or absurd conceit, or imaginary grievance, of which "Being in Love he complaineth" was the cuckoo note. Compositions of this description were doubtless passed from hand to hand, found patrons enough in doleful lovers, under similar circumstances, and were thus frequently fathered upon persons who had no claim to the creation, while some of the best and sweetest of such productions have remained, even to our own day, among the class "anonymous." The age of Queen Elizabeth is particularly rich in these anonymous productions; it forms no part of our plan to include them in this volume, but we must regret that we are therefore compelled to omit many that would adorn any collection of English Poetry.. Lord Oxford, like the greater number of the lesser "wits" of his age, is full of conceit and antithesis, and labours hard to render his thoughts obscure. Yet we may refer our readers to the extracts we have given for proof that he scarcely merits the sarcasm of Dr. Percy-that his reputation has lost nothing in consequence of his writings not having been preserved. The few of his compositions which now exist, lead us, rather, to regret that the other--perhaps the better-productions of his muse have not been transmitted to us. If he acquired fame, while he lived, far beyond his deserts, posterity has too much neglected him. VERE. FANCY AND DESIRE. COME hither, shepherd's swayne: I praye thee, shewe to me thy name. When wert thou borne, Desire? 66 In pompe and pryme of May." By whom, sweet boy, wert thou begot? "By fond Conceit men say." Lord Oxford is a fair example or a race of minor poets, who obtained large notoriety which they considered fame, by the occasional production of a few lines in verse, giving utterance to some quaint thought, or absurd conceit, or imaginary grievance, of which "Being in Love he complaineth" was the cuckoo note. Compositions of this description were doubtless passed from hand to hand, found patrons enough in doleful lovers, under similar circumstances, and were thus frequently fathered upon persons who had no claim to the creation, while some of the best and sweetest of such productions have remained, even to our own day, among the class "anonymous." The age of Queen Elizabeth is particularly rich in these anonymous productions; it forms no part of our plan to include them in this volume, but we must regret that we are therefore compelled to omit many that would adorn any collection of English Poetry.. Lord Oxford, like the greater number of the lesser "wits" of his age, is full of conceit and antithesis, and labours hard to render his thoughts obscure. Yet we may refer our readers to the extracts we have given for proof that he scarcely merits the sarcasm of Dr. Percy-that his reputation has lost nothing in consequence of his writings not having been preserved. The few of his compositions which now exist, lead us, rather, to regret that the other-perhaps the better-productions of his muse have not been transmitted to us. If he acquired fame, while he lived, far beyond his deserts, posterity has too much neglected him. |