The effigies of love being a translation from the Latine of Mr. Robert Waring of Christ-Church in Oxford, master of arts, and proctor of that university. To which is prefixt a tombstone-encomium, by the same author, sacred to the memory of the prince of poets, Ben. Johnson; also made English by the same hand.

THE PROEM OF WILLIAM GRIFFITH TO THE READER.

TAke, Reader, to thy self, what thou hast so long desir'd, the new Edition of this polite lit∣tle Work; little indeed, if thou regardest the bulk, and not the merit of the Piece, to prevent the te∣dious labour of transcribing so frequent∣ly requested Copies. This was the Printers care, to whom I was willing to

condescend, that if I could any way be ayding, this third Edition should come forth more copious and more corrected. To which end, if any thing were done to the purpose by me, it is all to be ascri∣bed to that worthy and excellent per∣son, through whose favour the Lear∣ned World enjoys the lovely birth of so divine a Wit; I mean, that no∣ble Gentleman Sir John Birkenhead, who was not satisfi'd to inter and pre∣serve the Ashes of the Author, who was his intimate Acquaintance, unless be might also preserve his Memory; which he did, by exposing to the world these draughts and descriptions of Love deposited in his custody. They have breathed forth Nard where're they came, with the fragrant Odours of Amomum. The name of the Author was absent from the Title in the first Edition: For then it crept forth, such was the sate of those times, as the work of a person who had been always faithful to his Prince, and therefore thought it ne∣cessary

to conceal his name, which was all he could do. For it became not such an Ingenuity to be conceal'd, which like Royal Furniture carries its peculiar marks where-ever it is found.

Nor is that small Addition to be de∣spised, I mean, the Tombstone-Enco∣mium upon the Prince of our English Poets, BEN. JOHNSON, by which he has rendered his Memory, with his own, immortal; which the Author finding most miserably mangled in a Book called Johnsonus Viribius, was for∣ced almost to make new again, that he might restore it to its first splendour, to himself a Peonian Apollo, renewing, like the Pelican, that life which he had given to his Off-spring once born, and twice restored to life; born from the hand and invention of the Author, ri∣sen once from the Errours of the Press, and a third time expos'd to Eternity by the favour of the forementioned Knight. The Author was deservedly number'd among the chiefest Wits of his time, as

Cartwright, Gregory, Diggs, Masterson, and the rest: Who while they liv'd, Oh Heavens how great they were! of all whom for all, the noble Birkenhead onely survives. These were the Tutelar Nu∣mens of Oxford, every one an Ingenu∣ity descended from Heaven; which while she kept within her walls, Oxford stood, yielding neither to the policy nor force of her Enemies. In vain the E∣nemy labour'd to intice these Heroes to his Party: Whom nevertheless while a greater force, piety and fidelity to their Prince, carri'd several ways, whereby their Pens were not able to assist the Roy∣al Arms, reduced to Extremity, at length the hostile fury prevail'd, while they were otherwise employed; as the Temple of Diana burnt at Ephesus, while she was busie at the birth of Alexander. The Enemy therefore having obtained his wishes, proudly using his Victories, as it were triumphing over Victory her self, carried away as many of these Genius's as he could meet with; believing he could

no otherwise restrain and curb those divine Souls, than with Cords and Chains. As the Tyrians tyed the same golden Chain to the Ogmean Hercules, lest he should desert them, which the Gauls tyed to the tongue of the same Deity, to attract and allure others. In the midst of these Cruelties, the most of those Heroes breathed forth their blessed Souls, yet not yielding to fate, in regard that every one of them has drawn Eter∣nal Lines in their several Writings, as amongst the rest, ROBERT WARING has depainted The Effigies of Love to all Eternity.