-- according to his birth, but to the increase of his fortune, and by that means, by hooke or crooke, hee attayneth to some place in the Court: Then begins hee with gifts to winne hearts, by fayned humility to auoyd hatred, by offices of friendship, to bind his equalls, by cunning insinuations to worke his superiors, by which meanes hee is held to be worthely a Statesman :-being growne to this steppe higher, the authority likes him not without the stile, wherein if any crosse him, looke for poyson in his cuppe, or conspiracy in his walkes,-yea so pestilent is his nature, that (like fire raked vp in embers) hee neuer sheweth but to consume, both himselfe and others: - if hee perceaue any that by ripe Iudgment conceiteth his courses, with him hee ioyneth, as if hee sought his onely protection vnder the wing of his Glory, but the very truth is, hee hath no other intent but this, to clip the wings of his renowne for feare hee flie beyond him; if the nature of the Nobleman whom hee enuieth be gentle, hee bringeth him in feare, either of his seruants in his household, or his familliars that loue his honour, or else some mislike betwixt his Prince and him, sworne confirmed by flatteries and intelligences, till the Noble loseth either his land, anthoritie, or place, and hee attaine both his stile and promotion :—yet plaie he neuer so cunningly, such vncertaine honours beget daily dangers, and makes him carelesse of his soules prosperitie: For then there entereth into his mind a delightfuil sinne called curiosity, by which to make him more able in other mischiefes, hee giues entertainment to witches and charmers, and consorts himselfe with nouell mongers, and strange inuenters of banquets, to set lust on fire, and that can deuise confections to besot youth with luxury, that for an irefull man can worke strange reuenges,- for a fearefull, a strong tower to keepe him in :- to be excellent at poysons, to kill lingringly, like the Italian. In the latter portion of the discourse, there is a more direct application of the subject to the parties concerned in this foul transaction the flagitious Countess of Essex and her guilty paramour: All you that haue your hearts pierced with sad considerations, take this for a remembrance of greefe, that is; — That when a Woman of noble Parentage, placed on the mountaine of smiling chance, hauing the dignity of Greatnesse shining on her fore-head, should humble herselfe to base conditions, giuing her whole mind to malicious hatred, secret consent of iniquity, selfe-will and wicked proceedings neuer pacified till the end of damned performances. Oh! was not this Woman created for a deep sorrow to her Alliance, a great greefe vnto her Country, and a foule staine vnto her owne reputation? Is it not also a lamentable example, for a Gentleman of good birth and calling, placed in dignity, in high office and charge for his Country, to giue way by consent to a bloody stratagem, and for feare of the displeasures of Greatnes intangles himselfe in the snares of reproch? Will not this also be a contiuuall remembrance to his posterity, and a barre of disgrace branding the coat Armes of his house, to haue the common course of iustice passe vpon him in the eye of the multitude? Is it not also great pitty that for want of grace, some of a seruile (yet an obseruing condition), should from the golden meane of low estate wait at the elbow of Greatnes, and bring fuell to their fire of iniquity, wherein at the length they themselues are likewise consumed. Oh! wherefore should simplicity thus blind vp their eyes of vnderstanding, to bee thus the instruments of such dangerous drifts, that ayme at nothing but grudge and malice? If with Solons saying, they had sealed vp their hearts, Remember the end, this had neuer beene :-then how are they led away with amisse, that hauing the gifts of art and experience, the secrets of the simples of Phisick, ordained by God for mans good vse, should by the Diuell and them be conuerted thus to malignant purposes;— if the feare of God had shined in their hearts, it would haue been a light to haue led them from all those darke practises, which hath now spotted the foreheads of their reputations with the marks of black infamy :- - shame cannot choose but be the reward of such enterprisers, that for the fauours of Greatnes, will dip their hands in the blood of Innocents, and euen as it were worke against nature:- Oh more then sauage minded Creatures, in the very deepenesse of your blacke and bloody imaginations (imboldened by whomsoeuer) this might haue been your Memento, in which I conclude, that strange and wonderfull are Gods iudgements, that in these fore-passed stratagems, haue shined in great glory, say you then, that blood innocently shed, is layd vp in Heauens Treasury, not one drop of it can be lost, but lent out to Vsury: - Water poured forth, sinkes downe quietly into the earth, but blood spilt on the ground, sprinkles vp to the Firmament,-Murder is wide mouthed, and will not let GOD rest till hee grant reuenge, not onely the blood of the slaughtered, but the soule of the Innocent ascending to his throne, crying out and exclaiming for Justice, which (the Lord be praysed) hath beene, and will bee carefully followed by the learned and worthy Magistrates of this Kingdome, whom the Lord God prosper and protect in all their proceedings, to which let all true hearts say, Amen. The latter part of the tract contains "Mistris Turners Teares, for the Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury who was poysoned in the Tower of London." This is a poem in thirty-four verses, occupying eight pages, from which we quote a few of the verses as a short specimen of these sorrowful and repentant confessions, which are supposed to be poured forth by Mrs. Turner herself. 18. O crying sinne, which smothered nere so deep 19. Euen graues of dead men rotten long agoe 20. Th' Almighties Arrowes fly both sure and strong No hidden mark but stands within his eie Witnesse my selfe and others, who defying 22. When to Mans Sence 'twas as impossible 23. Our maskes pluck'd off our faces now appeare 24. The Wolues are caught in snares; the shepherd now Knows that a lamb was slain, by whom and how, The blood of whom by cruell friend so spilt, Flowes like a Sea, yet washes off no guilt. 25. If any aske mee, why I was so led And why so neare to hell I ventured I was bewitch'd, for what I did behold, Was a most bitter Pill, but wrap'd in gold. 26. That liquorish baite intic'd me take it downe As wholesome Phisick, but (with shame) 'tis known No poison can so soone destroy the Soule, The outside glorious, but the inside foule. 27. O Gold! thou glittering diuell that confoundest The Richest, Fairest, Strongest, Wisest, Soundest, Would God, as he to Indians is vnknowne That so their Drossy God were theirs alone. 28. Soules would not tumble then so fast to Hell, On the last leaf is "A Prayer made by Mistris Turner, the night before her Suffering Death," and "Master Westons Teares, for the Murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, who was poysoned in the Towre of London," which conclude the volume. There was another impression printed with the date 1616, 4to, of which a copy sold in Strettall's sale, No. 361, for 3l. 13s. 6d. Besides the woodcut portraits of Mrs. Turner and Weston in the title, the present copy has an additional portrait of Overbury inserted, and is OVID. - The fable of Ovid treting of Narcissus, traslated out of Latin into English Metres, with a moral ther unto, very pleasante to rede. God resysteth the proud in euery place All these be vayne, and shal consume at length. Imprynted at London by Thomas Hackette, and are to be sold at hys shop in Cannynge strete, over agaynste the thre Cranes. M.D.LX. 4to, blk. lett. Caxton printed his translation of the Metamorphosis, which contained the fables of Ovid, in 1480. With this single exception, the present appears to be the earliest attempt at a translation of any of the fables of Ovid into English metre, Golding's version of the first four books not having been printed till 1565, and of the whole fifteen bookes not till 1567. The authorship of this volume, in consequence of these initials at the end, "Finis, Quod. T. H.," is ascribed with confidence by Ritson to Thomas Howell, who was the writer of The Arbor of Amitie, 1568, 8vo, and of another volume of poems entitled "Deuises for his owne exercise, and of his Friends pleasure," 1581, 4to, but this opinion, although probably correct, is not supported by Ritson by any corroboratiug proof, nor do we find this volume noticed by Mr. Collier in his extracts from the Registers of the Stationers' Company. The title is within a woodcut border, on the back of which are fourteen lines, "The prenter to the Booke," and on the next page "The Argument of the fable," in prose. The translation of Ovid's fable of Narcissus occupies five pages only, containing 192 lines written in the Alexandrine measure. "The moralization of the Fable in Ovid of Narcissus" extends to twenty-six pages, and is composed of 128 stanzas of seven lines each. In this part the author does not confine himself to the subject of the fable, but introduces other illustrations, both from scripture and the classics; and while this portion of the work is more than twice the length of the other, it is also much superior in its style and versification. We transcribe a few of the stanzas from the "Moralization" of the fable -a custom which very generally prevailed at that period of our literature, when almost every narrative was supposed or made to be allegorical, and to contain a moral meaning. The office of the minde, is to haue power Now where the minde is drowned with desyre And bringe the bodye, to so euil a case. For thus the minde, that oughte of righte, to bee The teacher of the bodye to do well Doth make the same to euery euill agree And as Narcissus, neuer coulde attayne |