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 ...
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Title
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 ...
Author
Winstanley, William, 1628?-1698.
Publication
London :: Printed by H. Clark for Samuel Manship ...,
1687.
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Subject terms
Poets, English.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A66698.0001.001
Cite this Item
"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 ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A66698.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2024.
Pages
HENRY HOWARD Earl of Surrey.
THis Honourable Earl was Son to Thomas
Howard Duke of Norfolk, and Frances his
Wife, the Daughter of John Vere Earl of Oxford.
He was (saith Cambden) the first of our English
Nobility that did illustrate his high Birth with
the Beauty of Learning, and his Learning with
the knowledge of divers Languages, which he at∣tained
unto by his Travels into foreign Nations;
so that he deservedly had the particular Fame of
Learning, Wit and Poetical Fancy.
descriptionPage 50
Our famous Poet Drayton, in his England's He∣roical
Epistles, writing of this Noble Earl, thus
says of him;
The Earl of Surrey, that renowned Lord,Th'old English Glory bravely that restor'd,That Prince and Poet (a Name more divine)Falling in Love with Beauteous Geraldine,Of the Geraldi, which derive their NameFrom Florence; whether to advance her Fame,He travels, and in publick Justs maintain'dHer Beauty peerless, which by Arms he gain'd.
In his way to Florence, he touch'd at the Em∣peror's
Court; where he fell in acquaintance
with the great Learned Cornelius Agrippa▪ osb▪ fa∣mous
for Magick, who shewed him the Image of
his Geraldine in a Glass, sick, weeping on her Bed,
and resolved all into devout Religion for the ab∣sence
of her Lord; upon sight of which, he made
this Sonnet.
All Soul, no earthly Flesh, why dost thou fade?All Gold, no earthly Dross, why look'▪st thou
poleSickness, how dar'st thou one so fair invade?Too base Infirmity to work her Bale.Heaven be distempered since she grieved pines,Never be dry these my sad plantive Lines.
Pearch thou my Spirit on her Silver Breasts,And with their pains redoubled Musick beatings,Let them toss thee to world where all toil rests,Where Bliss is subject to no Fear's defeatings;
descriptionPage 51
Her Praise I tune whose Tongue doth tune
the Sphears,And gets new Muses in her Hearers Ears.
Stars fall to fetch fresh light from her rich eyes,Her bright Brow drives the Sun to Clouds be∣neath.Her Hairs reflex with red strakes paints the
Skies,Sweet Morn and Evening dew flows from her
breath:Phoebe rules Tides, she my Tears tides forth
draws,In her sick-Bed Love sits, and maketh Laws.
Her dainty Limbs tinsel her Silk soft Sheets,Her Rose-crown'd Cheeks eclipse my dazled
sight.O Glass! with too much joy my thoughts thou
greets,And yet thou shew'st me day but by twilight.He kiss thee for the kindness I have felt,Her Lips one Kiss would unto Nectar melt.
From the Emperor's Court he went to the City
of Florence, the Pride and Glory of Italy, in which
City his Geraldine was born, never ceasing till he
came to the House of her Nativity; and being
shewn the Chamber her clear Sun-beams first thrust
themselves in this cloud of Flesh, he was transport∣ed
with an Extasie of Joy, his Mouth overflow'd
with Magnificats, his Tongue thrust the Stars out
of Heaven, and eclipsed the Sun and Moon with
Comparisons of his Geraldine, and in praise of
the Chamber that was so illuminatively honoured
descriptionPage 52
with her Radiant Conception, he penned this
Sonnet:
Fair Room, the presence of sweet Beauties
pride,This place the Sun upon the Earth did hold,When Phaeton his Chariot did misguide,The Tower where Jove rain'd down himself in
Gold,Prostrate as holy ground Ile worship thee.Our Ladies Chappel henceforth be thou nam'd;Here first Loves Queen put on Mortality,And with her Beauty all the world inflam'd.Heaven's Chambers harbouriug fiery Cheru∣bins,Are not with thee in Glory to compare.Lightning, it is not Light which in thee shines,None enter thee but streight entranced are.O! if Elizium be above the ground,Then here it is, where nought but Joy is
found.
That the City of Florence was the ancient Seat
of her Family, he himself intimates in one of his
Sonnets: thus;
From Tuscan came my Ladies worthy Race;Fair Florence was sometimes her ancient Seat,The Western Isle, whose pleasant Shoar doth
face,Whilst Camber's Cliffs did give her lively heat.
In the Duke of Florence's Court he published a
proud Challenge against all Comers, whether
Christians, Turks, Canibals, Jews, or Saracens, in
descriptionPage 53
defence of his Geraldines Beauty. This Challenge
was the more mildly accepted, in regard she whom
he defended, was a Town-born Child of that
City; or else the Pride of the Italian would have
prevented him ere he should have come to perform
it. The Duke of Florence nevertheless sent for
him, and demanded him of his Estate, and the
reason that drew him thereto; which when he
was advertiz'd of to the full, he granteth all Coun∣tries
whatsoever, as well Enemies and Outlaws,
as Friends and Confederates, free access and re∣gress
into his Dominions immolested, until the
Trial were ended.
This Challenge, as he manfully undertook, so
he as valiantly performed; as Mr. Drayton de∣scribes
it in his Letter to the Lady Geraldine.
The shiver'd Staves here for thy Beauty broke,With fierce encounters past at every shock,When stormy Courses answerd Cuff for Cuff,Denting proud Beavers with the Counter-buff;Which when each manly valiant Arm essays,After so many brave triumphant days,The glorious Prize upon my Lance I bare,By Herald's Voyce proclaim'd to be thy share.
The Duke of Florence for his approved Valour,
offered him large Proffers to stay with him; which
he refused: intending, as he had done in Florence,
to proceed through all the chief Cities in Italy;
but this his Purpose was frustrated, by Letters
sent to him from his Master King Henry the 8th.
which commanded him to return as speedily as
possibly he could into England.
descriptionPage 54
Our famous English Antiquary John Leland,
speaking much in the praise of Sir Thomas Wiat
the Elder, as well for his Learning, as other ex∣cellent
Qualities, meet for a man of his Calling;
calls this Earl the conscript enrolled Heir of the
said Sir Thomas Wiat: writing to him in these
words;
Accipe Regnorum Comes illustrissime Carmen,Quo mea Musa tuum landavit moesta Viallum.
A certain Treatise called The Art of English Poe∣try,
alledges, That Sir Thomas Wiat the Elder,
and Henry Earl of Surrey were the two Chieftains,
who having travelled into Italy, and there tasted the
sweet and stately Measures and Style of the Italian
Poesie, greatly polished our rude and homely manner of
vulgar Poesie from what it had been before; and may
therefore justly be shewed to be the Reformers of our
English Meeter and Style.
I shall only add an Epitaph made by this Noble
Earl on Sir Anthony Denny, Knight (a Gentleman
whom King Henry the 8th. greatly affected) and
then come to speak of his Death.
Death and the King did as it were contend,Which of them two bare Denny greatest Love;The King to shew his Love, gan far extend,Did him advance his Betters far above:
descriptionPage 55
Near Place, much Wealth, great Honour eke
him gave,To make it known what Power great Princes
have.
But when Death came with his triumphant
Gift,From worldly Cark he quit his wearied Ghost,Free from the Corps, and streight to Heaven it
lift,Now deem that can who did for Denny most;The King gave Wealth, but fading and un∣sure,Death brought him Bliss that ever shall en∣dure.
But to return, this Earl had together with
his Learning, Wisdom, Fortitude, Munifi∣cence,
and Affability; yet all these good and ex∣cellent
parts were no protection against the King's
Displeasure; for upon the 12 th. of December, the
last of King Henry the 8th. he, with his Father
Thomas Duke of Norfolk, upon certain surmises of
Treason, were committed to the Tower of Lon∣don,
the one by Water, the other by Land; so
that the one knew not of the others Apprehension:
The 15th. day of January next following, he was
arraigned at Guildhall, London, where the greatest
matter alledged against him, was, for bearing cer∣tain
Arms that were said belonged to the King and
Prince; the bearing whereof he justified. To be
short, (for so they were with him) he was found
guilty by twelve common Juriars, had Judgment
of Death; and upon the 19th. day of the said
Month (nine days before the Death of the said
descriptionPage 56
King Henry, was beheaded at Tower-Hill) He was
at first interred in the Chappel of the Tower,
and afterwards, in the Reign of King James, his
Remainders of Ashes and Bones were removed to
Framingham in Suffolk, by his second Son Henry
Earl of Northampton, where in the Church they
were interred, with this Epitaph;
Henrico Howardo, Thomae Secundi Ducis Nor∣folciae
filio primogenito, Thomae tertij Patri,
Comiti Surriae, & Georgiam Ordinis Equiti
Aurato, immature Anno Salutis 1546. abrepto.
Et Francisae Vxori ejus, filiae Johannis Comitis
Oxoniae. Henricus Howardus Comes North∣hamptoniae
filius secundo genitus, hoc supremum
Pietatis in Parentes Monumentum posuit, A. D.
1614.
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