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is a legitimate off-fpring, fo lovely, and fo much defired, that the often copying of it hath tired my pen to give my feverall friends fatisfaction, and brought me to a neceffity of producing it to the publike view; and now to offer it up in all rightfull devotion to thofe fair hopes, and rare endowments of your much promifing youth, which give a full affurance, to all that know you, of a future excellence. Live, fweet Lord, to be the honour of your name, and receive this as your own, from the hands of him, who hath by many favours been long obliged to your honoured parents, and as in this representation your attendant Thyrfis, fo now in all reall expreffion

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Your faithfull and moft humble Servant,

H. LAWES &.

This dedication does not appear in the edition of Milton's Poems, printed in 1673, when Lord Brackley, under the title of Earl of Bridgewater, was ftill living. Milton was perhaps unwilling to own his early connections with a family, confpicuous for its unfhaken loyalty, and now highly patronised by King Charles the fecond. T. WARTON.

1 Milton, in his edition of 1673, omitted alfo the letter written by Sir Henry Wotton. Yet it has not been fuppofed that, by withdrawing the letter, he intended any difrefpect to the memory of his learned friend: nor might the dedication perhaps have been withdrawn through any unwillingness to own his early connections with the Egerton family. It might have been inexpedient for him at that time openly to avow them; but he would not, I think, forget them. He had lived in the neighbourhood of Afhridge, the feat of the Earl of Bridgewater; for his father's

The Copy of a Letter written by Sir HENRY WOOTTON, to the Author, upon the following

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SIR,

From the Colledge, this 13. of April. 1638 *.

IT was a special favour, when you lately beftowed upon me here the first taste of your acquaintance, though no longer then to make me know that I wanted more time to value it, and to enjoy it rightly; and in truth, if I could then have imagined your farther stay in these parts,

house and lands at Horton near Colnbrook, in Buckinghamshire, were held under the Earl, before whom Comus was acted. See Mr. Warton's Note, Epitaph. Damon. v. 149. and infr. in the Account of the Earl of Bridgewater and his family. Milton afterwards lived in Barbican, where the earl had great property, as well as his town-refidence, Bridgewater House: and, though Dr. Johnfon obferves that Milton "had taken a larger house in Barbican for the reception of scholars," it is not improbable that he might. have been accommodated with it rent-free, by that nobleman, who, it may be fuppofed, would gladly embrace an opportunity of having in his neighbourhood the admirable author of Comus, and of promoting his acquaintance with that finished scholar, who, being "willing" fays his nephew Phillips" to impart his learning and knowledge to his relations, and the fons of gentlemen who were his intimate friends," might afford to his family at least the pleasure of his converfation, if not to fome of them the advantage of his inftruction. This dedication does not appear in Tickell's and Fenton's editions of Milton's poetical works. It was restored by Dr. Newton. TODD.

April, 1638.] Milton had communicated to Sir Henry his defign of feeing foreign countries, and had fent him his Mask, He fet out on his Travels foon after the receipt of this letter. See the Account of his Life. TODD.

which I understood afterwards by Mr. f H., 1 would have been bold, in our vulgar phrase, to mend my draught (for you left me with an extreme thirst) and to have begged your converfation again, joyntly with your said learned friend, at a poor meal or two, that we might have banded together fom good authors of the ancient time: among which, I obferved you to have been familiar.

Since your going, you have charged me with new obligations, both for a very kinde letter from you dated the fixth of this month, and for a dainty peece of entertainment which came therwith. Wherin I fhould much commend the Tragical part, if the Lyrical did not ravish me

Mr. H., Mr. Warton in his first edition of Comus fays, that Mr. H. was "perhaps Milton's friend, Samuel Hartlib, whom I have feen mentioned in fome of the pamphlets of this period, as well acquainted with Sir Henry Wotton:" but this is omitted in his fecond edition. Mr. Warton perhaps doubted his conjecture of the perfon. I venture to ftate from a copy of the Reliquiae Wottonianæ in my poffeffion, in which a few notes are written (probably foon after the publication of the book, 3d edit. in 1672) that the perfon intended was the " ever-memorable" John Hales. This information will be fupported by the reader's recollecting Sir Henry's intimacy with Mr. Hales; of whom Sir Henry fays, in one of his letters, that he gave to his learned friend the title of Bibliotheca ambulans, the walking Library. See Reliq. Wotton. 3d edit. p. 475. TODD.

the Tragical part,] Sir Henry, now provost of Eton college, was himself a writer of English odes, and with fome degree of elegance. He had alfo written a tragedy, while a young ftudent at Queen's college, Oxford, called Tancredo, acted by his fellow◄ ftudents. See his Life by Walton, p. 11. He was certainly a

with a certain Dorique delicacy in your fongs and odes; wherunto I must plainly confess to have seen yet nothing parallel in our language: Ipfa mollities. But I must not omit to tell you, that I now onely owe you thanks for intimating unto me (how modeftly foever) the true artificer. For the work itfelf I had viewed fom good while before with fingular delight, having received it from our common friend

polite fcholar, but on the whole a mixed and defultory character. He was now indulging his ftudious and philofophick propenfities at leifure. Milton, when this letter was written, lived but a few miles from Eaton. T. WARTON.

In Mr. Zouch's excellent edition of Walton's Lives, 4to. 1796, it is also observed, p. 172, that an ingenious modern critick has justly remarked, that the poetical compofitions of Sir Henry Wotton, when confidered in their proper light, namely as the effufions of one who merely scribbled for his amusement, will be found deferving of praife. TODD.

h Ipfa mollities.] Thus Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdefs is characterised by Cartwright, "where foftnefs reigns." Poems, p. 209. ed. 1651. But Sir Henry's conceptions did not reach to the higher poetry of Comus. He was rather struck with the pastoral mellifluence of its lyrick meafures, which he styles a certain Dorique delicacy in the fongs and odes, than with its graver and more majestick tones, with the folemnity and variety of its peculiar vein of original invention. This drama was not to be generally characterifed by its fongs and odes: nor do I know that foftnefs and fweetnefs, although they want neither, are particularly characteristical of those paffages, which are most commonly rough with strong and crowded images, and rich in perfonification. However, the fong to Echo, and the initial strains of Comus's invitation, are much in the ftyle which Wotton de fcribes. T. WARTON.

Mr. R. in the very close of the late R.'s Poems, printed at Oxford, whereunto it is added (as I

Mr. R.] I believe "Mr. R." to be John Roufe, Bodley's librarian. "The late R." is unquestionably Thomas Randolph, the poet. It appears from his monument, which I have feen, in the church of Blatherwyke in Northamptonshire, that he died on the feventeenth day of March, in 1634: in which year Comus was performed at Ludlow Castle on Michaelmas-night. In the year 1638, Randolph's Poems were printed at Oxford, viz. "Poems, with the Muses Looking-glass and Amyntas. By Thomas Randolph, M. A. late Fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge. Oxford, Printed by L. Litchfield, printer to the Vniverfitie, for Fr. Bowman, 1638." In quarto. Containing one hundred and fourteen pages. But who has ever seen a copy of this edition of Randolph's Poems with Comus at the end? Sir Henry fuppofes, that Comus was added at the clofe of these poems, "that the acceffory might help out the principal, according to the art of stationers, and to leave the reader Con la bocca dolce." Randolph's poems were published by his brother, who would not think fuch a recommendation was wanted; and who furely did not mean to include the works of others. It was foreign to his purpofe. It marred the integrity of his defign. He was not publishing a mifcellany. Such an extraneous addition would have been mentioned in a preface. Nor were Randolph's Poems fo few or fo fmall, as to require any fuch acceffion to make out the volume. A fecond edition of Randolph's Poems, much enlarged, appeared at Oxford in duodecimo, in 1640, and with recommendatory verses prefixed, by the fame printers and publishers. Here we are equally disappointed in feeking for Comus: which, one might expect, would have been continued from the former edition. I think this perplexity may be thus adjusted. Henry Lawes the mufician, who compofed Comus, being wearied with giving written copies, printed and published this drama, about three years after the prefentation, omitting Milton's name, with the following title. "A Make prefented at Ludlow caftle, 1634, on Michaelmaffe night, before the right honorable the Earle of Bridgewater, Vicount Brackly, Lord Prefident of Wales, and one of his majefties most honorable privie counfell:

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