Note.

The following is the title-page of "Thalia Rediviva from the only known copy, (with which I have been favoured by the Rev. Thomas Corser, M.A., Stand Rectory, near Manchester :)

THALIA REDIVIVA:

London. Printed for Robert Pawlett att the Bible in

Chancery-lane, near Fleet street, 1678. [120.] Collation: Title-page-Epistle-Dedicatory pp 4-to the Reader, one page-preliminary Verses pp 7-[unpaged] — Poems. one leaf unpaged and pp 73-the Latin Poetry of

-

Eugenius Philalethes, with separate title-page, and pp 7193, and three pages of books published by Pawlet. Our exemplar was that sold at Skegg's for a guinea, and it is believed was the same that Mr. Lyte had, so that latedated as the little volume is, it would seem to be of the rarest of rarities. It looks as though the Silurist had bought in and suppressed it. I am pleased to find that Mr. Corser's unique copy was secured at his Sale for the British Museum. See our Essay in the present Volume for more on Thalia Rediviva. The sacred Poetry from it will be found in Vol. Ist. G.

Epistle-Dedicatory.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND TRULY NOBLE HENRY, LORD MARQUIS AND EARL OF WORCESTER.1 &c.

MY LORD,

HOUGH dedications are now become a kind of tyranny over the peace and reof great men; yet I have confidence I shall so manage the present address as to entertain your lordship without much disturbance;

pose

This was Henry Somerset, seventh earl and third marquis of Worcester, and created Duke of Beaufort second December 1682. He was son of Edward sixth earl and second marquis (author of the "Century of Inventions") by his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Dormer Knight, and succeeded to his father's titles on his death, 3rd April, 1667. He refused to subscribe the oaths of allegiance to William III, and lived in retirement after his accession to the throne. He married Mary, daughter of Arthur, Lord Capel, and widow of Henry, Lord Beauchamp, and had five sons and four

and because my purposes are govern'd by deep respect and veneration, I hope to find your lordship more facile and accessible. And I am already absolv'd from a great part of that fulsome and designing guilt, being sufficiently remov'd from the causes of it: for I consider, my Lord! that you are already so well known to the world in your several characters and advantages of honour it was your's by traduction, and the adjunct of your nativity; you were swaddl'd and rock'd in't, bred up and grew in't, to your now wonderful height and eminence: that for me under pretence of the inscription, to give you the heraldry of your family, or to carry your person through the fam'd topicks of mind, body, or estate, were all one as to perswade the World that fire and light were very bright bodies, or that the luminaries themselves had glory. In point of protection I beg to fall in with the common wont, and to be satisfied by the reasonableness of the thing, and abundant worthy precedents; and although I should have secret prophecy and assurance that the ensuing Verse would live etern

daughters. He died 21st January, 1699. Our MemorialIntroduction shews the relationship of Vaughan to the Family. G.

ally, yet would I, as I now do, humbly crave it might be fortifi'd with your Patronage; for so the sextile aspects and influences are watch'd for, and applied to the actions of life, thereby to make the scheme and good augurics of the birth pass into Fate, and a success infallible.

My Lord! By a happy obliging intercession, and your own consequent indulgence, I have now recourse to your lordship, hopeing I shall not much displease by putting these twin poets into your hands. The Minion and Vertical planet of the Roman lustre and bravery, was never better pleased than when he had a whole constellation about him: not his finishing five several Wars to the promoting of his own interest, nor particularly the prodigious success at Actium' where he held in chase the wealth, beauty and prowess of the East; not the triumphs and absolute dominions which followed: all this gave him not half that serene pride and satisfaction of spirit as when he retir'd himself to umpire the different excellencies of his insipid friends, and to distribute lawrels among his poetick heroes: If now upon

1 Augustus: the victory of Actium over Antony and Cleopatra, on September 2nd, B.C. 31. G.

Tasteless: but an odd application of the word. G.