The lives of the most famous English poets, or, The honour of Parnassus in a brief essay of the works and writings of above two hundred of them, from the time of K. William the Conqueror to the reign of His present Majesty, King James II / written by William Winstanley, author of The English worthies ...

JOHN HARDING.

JOhn Harding, our Famous English▪ Chronologer, was born (saith Bale) in the Northern parts, and most likely in Yorkshire, being an Esquire of an eminent Parentage. He was a man equally ad∣dicted to Arms and Arts, spending his Youth in the one, and his Age in the other: His first Mili∣tary

Employment was under Robert Vmfreuil, Governor of Roxborough-Castle, where he did good Service against the Scots. Afterwards he followed the Standard of King Edward the Fourth, to whom he valiantly and faithfully adhered, not only in the Sun-shine of his Prosperity, but also in his deepest Distress.

But what endeared him the most to his Favour, and was indeed the Masterpiece of his Service, was his adventuring into Scotland; a desperate At∣tempt, and performed not without the manifest hazarding of his Life; where he so cunningly de∣meaned himself, and insinuated himself so far into their Favour, as he got a sight of their Records and Original Letters; a Copy of which he brought with him to England, and presented the same to King Edward the Fourth: Out of these he collected a History of the several Submissions, and sacred Oaths of Fealty openly taken from the time of King Athelstane, by the Kings of Scotland, to the Kings of England, for the Crown of Scotland; a Work which was afterwards made much use of by the English; although the Scotch Historians stickle with might and main, that such Homage was performed only for the County of Cumberland, and some parcel of Land their Kings had in England South of Tweed.

Now as his Prose was very useful, so was his Poetry as much delightful; writing a Chronicle of our English Kings from Brute to King Edward the Fourth, and that in English Verse; for which he was accounted one of the chiefest Poets of his time; being so exactly done, that by it Dr. Fuller adjudges him to have drunk as deep a draught of Helicon, as any in his Age: And another saying,

that by the same he deservedly claimed a Seat a∣mongst the chiefest of the Poetical Writers.

But to give you the better view of his Poeti∣cal Abilities, I shall present you with some of his Chronicle-Verse, concerning the sumptuous Hou∣shold kept by King Richard the Second, cap. 193.

Truly I herd Robert Ireleffe say, Clarke of the Green-cloth, and that to the Hou∣shold Came euery daye, forth most part alway Ten thousand folke, by his Messes told, That followed the hous aye as thei wold. And in the Kechin, three hundred Seruitours, And in eche Office many Occupiours.

And Ladies faire, with their Gentleweomen, Chamberers also and Lauenders, Three hundred of theim were occupied then; There was great pride emong the Officers, And of all men far passing their compeers, Of rich arraye, and much more costous, Then was before, or sith, and more precious, &c.

This our Poet Harding was living Anno 1461. being then very aged; and is judged to have sur∣vived not long after.