XV. A SONNET BY Q. ELIZABETH. The following lines, if they display no rich vein of poetry, are yet so strongly characteristic of their great and spirited authoress that the insertion of them will be pardoned. They are preserved in Puttenham's 'Arte of English Poesie:' a book in which are many sly addresses to the queen's foible of shining as a poetess. The extraordinary manner in which these verses are introduced shews what kind of homage was exacted from the courtly writers of that age, viz. 'I find,' says this antiquated critic, 'none example in English metre, so well maintaining this figure [Exargasia, or the Gorgeous, Lat Expolitio] as that dittie of her majesties owne making, passing sweete and harmonicall; which figure beyng as his very originall name purporteth the most bewtifull and gorgious of all others, it asketh in reason to be reserved for a last complement, and desciphred by a ladies penne, herselfe beying the most bewtifull, or rather bewtie of queenes.1 And this was the occasion: our soveraigne lady perceiving how the Scottish queenes residence within this realme at so great libertie and ease (as were skarce meete for so great and dangerous a prysoner) bred secret factions among her people, and made many of the nobilitie incline to favour her partie: some of them desirous of innovation in the state: others aspiring to greater fortunes by her libertie and life: The queene our soveraigne ladie to declare that she was nothing ignorant of those secret practizes, though she had long with great wisdome and pacience dissembled it, writeth this dittie most sweete and sententious, not hiding from all such aspiring minds the daunger of their ambition and disloyaltie: which afterward fell out most truly by th' exemplary chastisement of sundry persons, who in fauour of the said Sc. Q. declining from her Maiestie, sought to interrupt the quiet of the Realme by many euill and vndutiful practizes.' (p. 207.) This sonnet was probably written in 1584, not long before Hen. Percy, eighth Earl of Northumberland was imprisoned on suspicion of plotting with F. Throckmorton, Tho. Lord Paget, and the Guises, for invading England, and liberating the Q. of Scots, &c. (See Collins's Peerage, 1779, II. 405.) The original is written in long lines or alexandrines, each of which is here, on account of the narrowness of the page, subdivided into two; but her majesty's orthography, or at least that of her copyist, is exactly followed. In the first edition of Harrington's 'Nugæ Antiquæ,' 1st Vol. 1769, 12mo. p. 58, is a copy of this poem, with great variations, the best of which are noted below. It is there accompanied with a very curious letter, in which this sonnet is said to be of her Highness own enditing . 6 My Lady Wil loughby did covertly get it on her Majesties tablet, and had much hazard in so doing; for the Queen did find out the thief, and chid for spreading evil bruit of her writing such toyes, when other matters did so occupy her employment at this time; and was fearful of being thought too lightly of for so doing.'*** 1 She was at that time near three-score. THE doubt of future foes, Exiles my present ioy, And wit me warnes to shun such snares As threaten mine annoy. For falshood now doth flow, And subiect faith doth ebbe, Which would not be, if reason rul'd Or wisdome weu'd the webbe. But clowdes of tois vntried, Do cloake aspiring mindes, Which turne to raine of late repent, By course of changed windes. The toppe of hope supposed, The roote of ruthe wil be, And frutelesse all their graffed guiles, Then dazeld eyes with pride, Which great ambition blinds, The daughter of debate,1 That eke discord doth sowe, Shal reap no gaine where former rule No forreine bannisht wight Shall ancre in this port, Ver. 1, dread. Harrington's Ed.-Ver. 6, subjects. Har.-Ver. 7, should. Har.-Ver. 8, wove. Har.-Ver, 9, joys. Har.-Ver. 11, raigne. Puttenham. -Ver. 22, That discorde aye. Har.-Ver. 23, formor. Put. 1 1 Scil. the Queen of Scots. Our realme it brookes no strangers force, Let them elsewhere resort. Our rusty sworde with rest, To polle their toppes, that seeke such change, เ 30 tit I cannot help subjoining to the above sonnet another distich of Elizabeth's preserved by Puttenham (p. 197.) which (says he) our soveraigne lady wrote in defiance of fortune.' Never thinke you, Fortune can beare the sway, Where Vertue's force can cause her to obay. The slightest effusion of such a mind deserves attention. XVI. KING OF SCOTS AND ANDREW BROWNE. This ballad is a proof of the little intercourse that subsisted between the Scots and English, before the accession of James I. to the crown of England. The tale which is here so circumstantially related does not appear to have had the least foundation in history, but was probably built upon some confused hearsay report of the tumults in Scotland during the minority of that prince, and of the conspiracies formed by different factions to get possession of his person. It should seem from ver. 97 to have been written during the regency, or at least before the death, of the Earl of Morton, who was condemned and executed June 2, 1581; when James was in his 15th year. The original copy (preserved in the archives of the Antiquarian Society, London) is intitled, 'A new Ballad, declaring the great treason conspired against the young king of Scots, and how one Andrew Browne an Englishman, which was the king's chamberlaine, prevented the same. To the tune of Milfield, or els to Green-sleeves.' At the end is subjoined the name of the author W. Elderton.' 'Imprinted at London for Yarathe James, dwelling in Newgate Market, over against Ch. Church,' in black-letter, folio. This Elderton, who had been originally an attorney in the sheriffs' courts of London, and afterwards (if we may believe Oldys) a comedian, was a facetious fuddling companion, whose tippling and rhymes rendered him famous among his contemporaries. He was author of many popular songs and ballads; Ver. 27, realme brookes no seditious Sects. Har.-Ver. 32, such like is supplied from Harrington's Ed. in which are other variations, that seem mere mistakes of the transcriber, or printer. and probably other pieces in these volumes, besides the following, are of his composing. He is believed to have fallen a victim to his bottle before the year 1592. His epitaph has been recorded by Camden, and translated by Oldys. Hic situs est sitiens, atque ebrius Eldertonus, Dead drunk here Elderton doth lie; Dead as he is, he still is dry: So of him it may well be said, Here he, but not his thirst, is laid. See Stow's Lond. [Guild-hall.]—Biogr. Brit. [Drayton, by Oldys, Note B.] Ath. Ox.-Camden's Remains.-The Exale-tation of Ale, among Beaumont's Poems, 8vo. 1653. [Our alas!] what a griefe is this That princes subjects cannot be true, Alas! for woe, why should it be so! In Scotland is a bonnie kinge, As proper a youth as neede to be, That can be in a kinge to see: On Whitsun eve it so befell, A posset was made to give the king, And that it was a poysoned thing: One Browne, that was an English man, Out with his sword, and bestir'd him than, He met the bishop coming fast, 6 Bishop,' quoth Browne, what hast thou there? Nothing at all, my friend, sayde he; But a posset to make the king good cheere.' Before thou go any further in; Be it weale or woe, it shall be so;' The bishop sayde, Browne, I doo know, Thou art a young man poore and bare; Livings on thee I will bestowe: Let me go on, take thou no care.' Happe well or woe, it shall be so, 25 30 35 40 45 50 |