Another curious tract by Dekker is his "Warres, Warres, Warres. Arma virumque cano. Into the Field I bring Souldiers and Battailes : Boeth their Fames I sing. Imprinted at London by I. G. 1628. 12mo, pp. 16." 1628. 12mo, pp. 16." Of which only a single copy appears to be known. It is dedicated by Dekker to Hugh Hammersley, Lord Mayor of London and the Sheriffs, and is described by Mr. Collier at length in his Bibliogr. Cat., vol. i. p. 210. There was a copy in Sir Mark M. Sykes's Cat., pt. iii. No. 1074, which was bought by Mr. Heber for 177. 17s., and at the sale of the latter, pt. iv. No. 496, was resold for 67. 2s. 6d. Dekker was a voluminous and very miscellaneous author, having written or assisted in writing seven or eight and twenty plays, some of them now lost, several of them possessing considerable merit, but with which we are not here concerned. Besides these he wrote some five and twenty tracts, which abound with wit and raillery, and prove him to have been a full par ticipator in all the follies and leading vices of his time. He was generally needy, often in prison, and writing from hand to mouth as his necessities prompted him. He began as an author soon after 1594, and is supposed to have died in 1639, or soon after, his last work having been published the year before; and it is known that he also wrote the Lord Mayor's Pageant in that year. DELAUNE (HENRY.) — IATPIKON ANРON. Or, A Legacy to his Sons. Being a Miscellany of Precepts; Theological, Moral, Political, Oeconomical, Digested into Seven Centuries of Quadrins. By Henry Delaune. The Second Edition, Corrected, and much Enlarged by the Author. Baudius. Non Temporum tenore, Sed Laudum modo, Quam non pudet vixisse, nec piget Mori. London, Printed by A. M. for Henry Seile, over against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet street. 1657. Sm. 8vo, pp. 184. Opposite to the above title are eight metrical lines addressed "To the Printer," then a short dedication of six lines, which is followed by poetical addresses "To the Reader," "To the Judicious Reader," "To the Censorious Reader;" and by commendatory verses "To my Friend the Author" by Cha: Gibbes. The work is divided into seven Centuries of 100 Quatrains each; and consists of a collection of useful, moral and religious precepts from a father to his children, written in rather a quaint and formal style, but worthy of being adopted by all who read them. The following stanzas form a portion of the Third Century, beginning at the 72nd stanza: 72. The World's a Farm: The Landlord God: and We What folly then, (as if, in simple Fee, The Soyl were ours ;) So to Build, Fence, & Till? Love, Man, and Death; where they, Consorted, play; 75. The World's a Stage; and We the Actors are; 76. The World's a Tennis-Court; The Gamester, Fate; The Hazard Death; and Care, and Toyl, the Wals. 77. The World's a Garden, hedg'd with thorns of Care: The World's a Sea, that ever Ebbs, and Flows: Where nothing's fixt, but all Things move to Change. What next Day's light may bring, of new and strange. The present copy formerly belonged to Mr. Park, whose description of the work we transcribe from his manuscript notes written on the fly leaves. "This book was first printed in 1651, and entitled, A Father's Legacy to his Sons. The whole was comprised in 253 stanzas, and a short Poem was subjoined, which bore the title of The Penitent Christian his Metamorphosis, by H. Delaune. London, Printed for Henry Seile. Of this sensible *Piccadilly means here a celebrated ordinary near to St. James's, built by one Higgins, a tailor, who had made his fortune by piccadillos, a sort of stiff collar or band then in fashion, from whence the street so called took its name. author, I have not yet obtained any biographical information; but it is probable that he may have been a Hibernian, as a copy of verses signed H. Delaune (forsan Delauny) was prefixed to Belling's sixth book to the Arcadia, printed at Dublin in 1624. The preceptive monitions in this volume are morally estimable, and the versification is in general correct. Many passages strongly resemble the Night Thoughts of Young, in pithiness of style and force of expression." This is the copy from the Bibl. Ang. Poet., No. 206, for which Mr. Heber in 1815 gave 4l. 4s. Mr. Bindley's copy sold for 47.; see Cat. pt. i. No. 1766. DELONEY (THOMAS.) — The Garland of Good-Will. Divided into Three Parts. Containing many pleasant Songs and pretty Poems to sundry notes. - With a Table to find the Names of all the Songs. Written by T. D. London, Printed for G. Conyers at the Golden Ring in Little Britain. sm. 8vo. n. d. (circa 1700.) It would be unpardonable in a work of this kind were we to omit all notice of the songs and poems of the "ballading silk weaver" of London, Thomas Deloney, who, along with Elderton, Martin Parker, and other wellknown authors, were the great ballad framers of the seventeenth century. Deloney was the composer of several works, both in prose and verse, some of which, especially his songs, were so popular, that although they are reported to have gone through some thirty or more editions, the wear and tear occasioned by their popularity has rendered the early impressions wellnigh unattainable in the present day. Deloney appears to have commenced writing about the year 1583 or 1584, and continued his literary labours till his death in 1600. Like many others of his class, he was generally struggling with poverty, and wrote for his daily support. Some of his songs, such as "Fair Rosamond," the "Spanish Lady," and others, are above the average in merit, &c., whilst occasional passages of genuine poetical talent, superior to many of his contemporaries, prove him to be possessed of considerable natural fancy. The present volume, which is what is termed a chap book, is a collection of local and historical tales in verse, and went through numerous editions. It is supposed to have been first printed about 1596, but no copy of so early a date is known to exist. The earliest known is one printed by E. A. for E. White, in 1604, 8vo, but neither of this is any copy existing. The oldest edition now known is that printed in 1631, 8vo, blk. lett., of which there is a copy wanting one sheet in the Bodleian Library. It was again printed in 1659, 1678, 1685, 1688 and 1696, all of them of the greatest rarity. Then comes the present more common and inferior one, printed for G. Conyers, circa 1700, 8vo, which having been collated with that of 1678, was reprinted by the Percy Society in 1851, edited by James Henry Dixon, Esq. On the title-page there is a small woodcut, which has been copied. in this reprint. It opens with the song of "The Death of the fair Lady Rosamond," which contains some verses of true poetry, as witness the following: Most peerless was her beauty found, Her favour and her face, A sweeter creature in this world Did never prince embrace. Her crispèd locks like threads of gold Her comely eyes like orient pearls, The blush within her crystal cheeks, Did such a colour drive, As if the lily and the rose For mastership did strive. We present our readers with one more specimen of Deloney's verse, called "The Widow's Solace, or Comfort in Distress :" To the tune of " Robinson's Almain.” Mourn no more, fair widdow, Thy tears are all in vain, 'Tis neither grief nor sorrow, Can call the dead again. Man's well enough compared Unto the summer's flower, Which now is fair and pleasant, Yet withereth in an hour: And mourn no more in vain, As one whose faith is small; Be patient in affliction, And give God thanks for all. All men are born to die, The scripture telleth plain : To earth we must again; Nor Alexander's fame, That could death's fury tame : The thing that will away? |