The Stars of all yet were not absolute

And Fates conspir'd to keep the in their wants :
But Gods and Fates, desert and publicke brute,
Have all pronounc'd him sole the worthy one,
To weare the Garland made of many plants,
And adde eternall Scepters to his Throne:
Of whom Apollo in his sacred rage

Did as you heard, such wondrous things præsage.
And to accomplish full his happinesse,
Heavens have to him a royall Spouse decreed;
All those frail Saints and flatter'd Goddesses
Shall kneele to her, so wise, so faire, so loyall,
So great, yet meeke; as doth her sexe exceed,
And both thrice blessed in their issue royall.
For he and they which shal from them descend,
Shall raigne in Britaine till the world have end.

of verses 66

The volume closes with the following copy Vpon King Henrie the Second the first Plantagenet of England" &c., which are not found in the first edition:

When Warlike HENRY by his Puissance

Had set his Foote upon the brest of France,
Scepter'd Hibernia, without Blood, or sweat,
And by his Conquests made his Name so great,
That it found way to Victory and Fame,
And burst the gall of War, where ere it came.
To crowne his fate, and make him greater yet;
There was no Title but PLANTAGENET :
To whose immortall linage Fame could adde
No greater glories; then from him they had
A Name so Great in Destiny and Fate,
Rome would have envi'd, or have trimbled at,
And her proud Tryumphs too, looke pale: set
By the brighter honors of PLANTAGENET,
Whilst their imperial bayes, as checkt with thūder
Dropt frō their swelling temples, even with wōder,
To see their Fate so farre out shin'd by odds,

And Pedigree of all their Demy-gods;

And to be heire unto great Henries fame,

Would not be Rome, but change her fate and name.

This edition is more frequently met with than the former, though of some rarity. The Gordonstoun copy, No. 299, sold for 31. 138. 6d. ; Bindley's

ditto, pt. i. No. 753, for 4l.; and the one in the Bibl. Ang. Poet. No. 24, for 41. 108.

Fine copy. Bound by Hering in Venetian Morocco, gilt edges.

B. [uc], G.[EORGE.]—The famous History of Saint George, Eng. lands brave Champion. Translated into verse and enlardged. The three first Chapters. By G. B. His first Edition. The first Book.

Autograph MS. 4to. n.d. pp. 524.

Although we have placed this manuscript poem under the above name, because it has been confidently stated in the Bibl. Hebr., part ii. No. 98, from which the manuscript was derived, that it was entirely in the handwriting of Sir George Buc, the initials corresponding with his name, and the handwriting being similar to a manuscript dedication of his poem to Lord Chancellor Egerton, preserved at Bridgewater House, it is certain that it was not written by him. It is unfortunate that there is no date in any part of the volume, by which the time when it was composed could be identified. But from some allusions made in the course of the poem relative to Oliver Cromwell's interment in 1660, it is clear that it could not have been written by Sir George Buc, the Master of the Revels in the reign of James I., who it is well known died in 1623, in which year his will was proved. On folio 118 occurs the name of "Dorothy Brampton" as the former owner of the volume, and the name of Brampton is seen again on the reverse of folio 181. Gaudy Brampton, who in 1660 was Lord of the Manor of Blow Norton in the county of Norfolk, Esq., married for his second wife Dorothy, daughter of John Briscoe, of Hackney, Esq., and had a daughter named Dorothy; and our own conjecture is, judging from these circumstances, that G.[audy] B.[rampton], who was a native of Norfolk, and whose initials correspond, was the writer of the manuscript, and that his daughter Dorothy was the former owner of the volume. On carefully examining the manuscript, and comparing the songs interspersed in it with those in Richard Johnson's History of the Seven Champions of Christendome, 1608, 4to, we discovered that the present work was a translation of that prose romance into verse, that the whole of the songs were taken literatim from that work, but that the prose part was enlarged and filled in with original descriptions and touches of scenery, passion and character,

sometimes in rather a poetical style, but generally and for the most part in simple and unredeemed doggrel; and the manuscript is perhaps chiefly remarkable for being undertaken by the writer at such an advanced period of life. We are not aware of any other similar attempt thus to versify an old romance.

It is a thick quarto volume of 524 closely-written pages, and was formerly in the possession of the Duke of Roxburghe, and afterwards in that of Mr. Heber. The history extends to 19 chapters, and, besides that of St. George, comprehends also the histories of the other six champions. The volume commences with a metrical Preface, addressed to Typographus or the Printer, entitled "The Muses Apologie," in which he says:

And again:

To put these to the Presse yet do intend
what is amisse Typographus must mend.
Consider that my Muse is aged growne,
whose Pilgrimage to seventy-six is knowne.

Farewell my Book, go forth to seeke your Fate,
pray Jove your journy may bee fortunate.
Then I expect thou'll find some better use,
and for thy labour suffer no abuse.
The Country's thy best place to travell ene
small faults to vulger eyes are seldom seene.

Let not thy Spirits be dejected so,

though in unhappy habit thou dost go. Thy nimble steps to Norfolk none forbeare

I'me confident thou shalt bee welcom'd there,

Where that thy Autor hee was bred and borne,

though to Parnassus' Girles was never sworne.

This is followed by some other short metrical effusions from the author; the first being addressed "To the vertuous Lady the Lady Bacon at Readgrave-hall in Suffolk," the next "To the Courteous Reader,” beginning: Some certaine Gentlemen did mee engage

to publish forth this work done in myne age
That this, my aged act, it may survive
my Funerall and keep me still alive,
The which I wish may bee of such behaviour
that it may gaine a worthynesse of favour,
And kind esteeme, that you will it defend,

the Anchors are whereon my hopes depend.

The last, entitled "The Autor," is signed "Vale G. B."; after which are

added the following lines, apparently referring to some circumstances in his private life:

Some Poets they are poore, and so am I,
except I bee reliev'd in Chancery;

I scorne to begg, my Pen nere us'd the trade
this Book to please my friends is only made.
Which is performed by my aged Quill

for to extend my Country my good will.

Let not my country think I took this paynes

in expectation of any gaines.

The work is dedicated, in a prose epistle, "To the virtuous Lady and his most honour'd Friend, the Lady Bacon at Readgrave-hall in Suffolk, wife to St Edmond Bacon, Prime Baronett of England." The title is then repeated more fully, as we have given it above, and a sonnet of invocation to the Muses added at the bottom of the same page. The poem, which is composed in ten-syllable couplets, then commences, each chapter being preceded by the argument in verse. It is evident, from the style of the handwriting, that the poem had been written by the author at an earlier period of his life, and that the introductory portion, from which we have before quoted, had been added in his declining years.

Our readers will naturally look for a specimen or two of the author's style and composition, and may first compare the subjoined account of the fair Sabra in her distress at St. George's captivity in Persia with the original prose narrative of the same, which we afterwards annex, and which perhaps they will pronounce the more preferable of the two.

We now returne to Egipt where we left
fayre Sabra of hir dearest Love bereft,
(Lamenting sore) wants his societie

and comfort of his dayly company;

Whose tender love it was ingross'd intyre

burning with rage, did Aetnas flames inspire. Sabra that wore the Garlands of the spring, with Floras ritches, and hir Imbroydering.

The fayrest Lady that ere eyes beheld

nature and art did both consent to yeld Their curious workmanship: - She did outvy the rare perfections of a Deitie.

That whosoever shall attempt t' excell

against the Lady Nature doth rebell.

Those in this orb do search to find a better,

to the world's Emperess remaine a debter

Hir body it was straight, like Ceders tall,

hir wast it was as slender in the small: Whose beautie did outvy the Paphian Queene when Natures pride in hir was to be seene. These comely featurs sorrowes did confound

and showres of greefes hir rosy cheekes had drown'd. Hir face bore characters shew'd discontents

the lively portraiturs of sad Laments:

And the true picturs of a soule distrest

where greefes and sorrowes clayme their interest. All company were lothsome to hir sight

in sollitary meades, hir sole delight. Societie with Ladies then she did exclud

nor any honor'd Knights that durst intrud. Into the portall of hir chamber dore

where they receiv'd free welcome all before.

Betakes hir to hir private Cabinet

replenished with woes, alone did sett

To trifle time away, sat sewing there,

upon each stitch she made dropt downe a teare. With manie a woefull story pictur'd out,

did fill hir crimson Sampler round about. Whereon somtimes she bathed wounded harts

that long before were perc'd wth Cupids dartes. With luke-warme teares fell from hir mournefull eyes, which with hir crisped haire againe she dryes. These were hir handmaides that did wait upon hir,

sorrowes and greefes they were hir maides of honor.

Then thinking on hir deare beloved Knight

and on his promise he to hir did plight.

Fell into passions and these complaints

would not alow a span to their restraints.

Wee now leaue Saint George, languishing in great miserie, & returne againe into Egypt, where we left Sabra the Champions betrothed Lady, lamenting the want of his company, whome shee loued dearer then any Knight in all the world.

Sabra, that was the fayrest mayd that euer mortall eye behelde, in whom both Arte & Nature seemed to excell in curious workemanship, her bodie being comlier then the stately Cedar, and her beautie purer then the Paphian Queenes :· the one with ouer burthened greife was quite altered, and the other stayned with floods of brackish teares, that dayly trickled downe her chrystall cheekes:whereby shee found the very image of discontent, the mappe of woe, & the onely mirrour of sorrow; she accounted all companie lothesome to her sight, & excluded the fellowshippe of all Ladies, onely betaking her selfe to a solitarie Cabbinet, where shee sate sowing manie