I resalute thee here, and gratulate
To those new knights created by a queen,
Peerless for wisdom and for majesty,
The honour of the Garter: may they long
Wear them as notes of true nobility,

And virtue's ornaments. Young Northumberland,
Mounted on fortune's wheel, by virtue's aim
Become thy badge, as it becometh thee,
That Europe's eyes thy worthiness may see.
And, Worcester, what pure honour hath put on
With chaste and spotless hands, in honour wear;
Answer the noblest of thine ancestry,

In deeds to fame and virtue consecrate.
Borough, brought up in learning and in arms,
Patron of music and of chivalry,

Brandish thy sword in right, and spend thy wits
In commonwealth affairs: it shall become
Thy forwardness to follow virtue's cause,
And great designs of noble consequence.
And, Sheffield, shape thy course no otherwise
Than loyalty, the load-star of renown,
Directs; that as thine ancestors have done,
Thine earthly race in honour thou mayʼst run.
To thee, old man," with kindness quoth the king,
"That reap'st this honour in thy waning age,
See what a trophy Queen Elizabeth

Prepares before thy hearse: long may'st thou live,
And die in fame, that hast well near atchiev'd

The noble Norris' honour in thy sons,

Thrice noble lord, as happy for his few,

As was the king of Troy for many moe."
With that he ceas'd, and to the foremost earl,-
For why methought I see them every man,
Stall'd in their places, and their ornaments,—

66

Percy," quoth he, " thou and thy lordly peers, Your names are in this register of Fame, Written in leaves and characters of gold; So live, as with a many moe you may Survive and triumph in eternity, Out of Oblivion's reach, or Envy's shot; And that your names immortally may shine In these records, not earthly but divine." Then shalms and sackbuts sounded in the air, But shrill'st of all, the trumpet of Renown; And by and by a loud retraite he rung. The train retir'd, as swift as stars don shoot, From whence they came, and day began to break ; And with the noise and thunder in the sky, When Fame's great double doors fell to and shut, And this triumphant train was vanish'd quite, The gaudy Morn out of her golden sleep Awak'd, and little birds uncag'd gan sing, To welcome home the bridegroom of the sea.

EPILOGUS.

Wherewith I rous'd, recounting what I saw :
And then thought I; were it as once it was,
But long ago, when learning was in price,
And poesy with princes gracious,

I would adventure to set down my dream,
In honour of these new advanced lords,
St. George's knights. I was encouraged,
And did as I have done; which humbly here
I yield, as firstlings of my scholar's crop,
Consecrated purely to your noble name,
To gratulate to you this honour's height,
As little boys with flinging up their caps,
Congratulate great kings and conquerors.

Take it in gree,* fair lord: Procul hinc turba invi

MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.