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 ...

ROBERT FABIAN.

RObert Fabian was born and bred in London, as witnesseth Bale and Pits; becoming one of the Rulers thereof, being chosen Sheriff, Anno 1493. He spent his time which he had spare from publick Employments, for the benefit of posterity; writing two large Chronicles: the one from Brute to the Death of King Henry the Second; the o∣ther, from the First of King Richard, to the Death of Henry the Seventh. He was (saith my Author) of a merry disposition, and used to en∣tertain his Guests as well with good Discourse as good Victuals: He bent his Mind much to the Study of Poetry; which according to those times, passed for currant. Take a touch of his Abilities in the Prologue to the second Volume of his Chro∣nicle of England and France.

Now would I fayne, In words playne, Some Honour sayne, And bring to mynde; Of that auncient Cytye, That so goodly is to se, And full true ever hath be, And also full kynde, To Prince and Kynge That hath borne just rulynge, Syn the first winnynge Of this Iland by Brute. So that in great honour By passynge of many a showre, It hath euer borne the flowre; And laudable Brute, &c.

These Verses were made for the Honour of Lon∣don; which he calleth Ryme Dogerel, and at the latter end thereof, excuseth himself to the Reader in these words:

Who so him lyketh these Versys to rede, With favour I pray he will theym spell; Let not the rudenes of theym hym lede For to dispraue thys Ryme Dogerell: Some part of the honour it doth you tell Of this old Cytye Troynouant; But not thereof the halfe dell; Connyng in the Maker is so adaunt: But though he had the Eloquence Of Tully, and the Moralytye Of Seneck, and the Influence Of the swyte sugred Armony, Or that faire Ladye Caliope, Yet had he not connyng perfyght, This Citye to prayse in eche degre As that shulde duely aske by ryght.

Sir John Suckling, a prime Wit of his Age, in the Contest betwixt the Poets for the Lawrel, maketh Apollo to adjudge it to an Alderman of London; in these words;

He openly declar'd it was the best sign Of good store of Wit, to have good store of Coyne, And without a syllable more or less said, He put the Lawrel on the Alderman's Head.

But had the Scene of this Competition been laid a hundred and fifty years ago, and the same remitted to the Umpirage of Apollo, in sober sad∣ness he would have given the Lawrel to this our Alderman.

He died at London, Anno 1511. and was buried at St. Michael's Church in Cornhil, with this Epi∣taph;

Like as the Day his Course doth consume, And the new Morrow springeth again as fast; So Man and Woman by Natures custom This Life do pass; at last in Earth are cast, In Joy and Sorrow, which here their Time do wast, Never in one state, but in course transitory, So full of change is of the World the Glory.

Dr. Fuller observeth, That none hath worse Poetry than Poets on their Monuments; certain∣ly there is no Rule without Exceptions; he him∣self instancing to the contrary in his England's Worthies, by Mr. Drayton's Epitaph, and several others.