The Tragedy is founded on the story of Cleopatra in Plutarch's Lives, and was much esteemed in its day. It was not intended, apparently, to be performed, and is constructed on the classic models of antiquity, with the ancient chorus. Like most of the other works of Daniel, it received great alterations and corrections in the later editions. It simply refers to the last few hours of Cleopatra's life, and is not remarkable for any force or passion of language, but the annexed simile, near the close of the play, is botli tenderly and happily expressed:

Looke how a Mother at her sonnes departing

For some far voyage, bent to get him fame,

Doth intertaine him with an idle parling,

And still doth speake, and still speakes but the same,
Now bids farewell, and now recalls him back,
Tells what was told, and bids again farewell,

And yet againe recalls; for still doth lack

Something that loue would faine and cannot tell.
Pleas'd hee should goe, yet cannot let him goe.
So shee, although shee knew there was no way
But this, yet this shee could not handle so
But shee must shew that life desir'd delay.

Faine would she entertaine the time as now,

And now would faine that Death would seaze vpon her:

Whilst I might see presented in her brow,

The doubtfull combat tryde 'twixt Life and Honor.

At the end of the book is the colophon: "At London Printed by James Roberts and Edward Allde, for Simon Waterson 1594."

Copies of this edition seldom occur for sale. Reed's, No. 6780, sold for 37. 48.; Midgley's, No. 255, 21. 198.; Heber's, pt. iv. No. 466, 37. 118.; Skegg's, No. 490, 87.; Bright's, No. 1599, 51.; Bibl. Ang. Poet., No. 190, 107. The present is a beautiful copy of this rare edition, and is further illustrated with a portrait of Daniel.

Collation: Sig. A, two leaves; B to N 8, in eights.

Bound by C. Lewis. In Venetian Morocco; gilt leaves.

DANIEL, (SAMUEL.) The First Fowre Bookes of the civile wars. between the two houses of Lancaster and Yorke. By Samuel Daniel.

Ætas prima canat veneres postrema tumultus.

At London, Printed by P. Short for Simon Waterson, 1595. 4to, pp. 178.

The Civil Wars, by Daniel, written in imitation of Lucan's Pharsalia, were first published in this edition of 1595, containing only four books; a fifth being added in 1599. In some copies of this first edition there is another title with the same date, but varying in the border and printer's ornaments, and having the following transposition: "Printed at London by P. Short for Simon Waterson." From this circumstance it has been said that there were two editions published in 1595, but it is more probably supposed that the work did not sell sufficiently well, and that in consequence a new title-page was prefixed, for we find that when the additional book was printed, in 1599, the old copies of the first four books were made use of again, without any alterations or corrections of the errors of the press. The title-page of this first edition is within a neat woodcut compartment, with four kneeling figures and the royal initials at the sides, the letters "IHS” at the top, and a death's head at the bottom. Without any dedication or introductory matter, the poem commences at once after the title, and is written in eight-line stanzas, or ottava rima as it was called, which Daniel probably adopted from having been in Italy, — each book being preceded by a short Argument of a single stanza. Of a Poem so well known, and yet perhaps at the present day, from the dry and confined nature of the Author's subject, so little read, it will be needless here to enter into any long discussion of its merits. Like Drayton, his unfortunate choice of a subject, confining himself to a limited and barren narration of events of individual fortunes, without any agreeable episodes to enliven and diversify the narrative, render his poem rather dull and languid, or as an old writer has expressed it, "somewhat aflat." Yet with all its defects, its flatness and frequent prosaic dulness, and its absence of the higher flights of poetry, Daniel's work contains many sweet and poetical passages. His strict adherence to the truth of history, the purity and elegance of his language, the correctness of his taste, and his occasional touches of the pathetic, all place him among the better writers of his day, and an ornament of his age; and if not among our first great epic composers, certainly one of the chiefest and best of our second class of poets. Daniel lived on terms of friendship and esteem with most of the eminent men of his time, and with the single exception of snarling Ben Jonson, was favoured with the praises of all his contemporaries. Spenser has described his worth and character; and when

we enumerate Drayton, Will. Browne, Edmund Bolton, Gabriel Harvey, Drummond of Hawthornden, Nash, Francis Davison, Sir John Harington, Barnfield, Stradling, Sylvester and others, among the admirers of Daniel, we may be sure that he was well deserving of their praises and commendations. He was born at or near Taunton in Somersetshire in 1562; entered as a Commoner of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, in 1579, where he remained for three years, but left the University without a degree, and devoted himself to poetry and English history. He appears to have been under some pecuniary obligation to Queen Elizabeth, and afterwards, partly through his own merits, and partly through his brother-in-law John Florio, became in the next reign Gentleman Extraordinary, and Groom of the Privy Chamber to Queen Anne, the consort of James I., for which office he received a salary of 60l. per annum. In 1598 he succeeded Spenser as Poet Laureat, and was much in favour with Anne Countess of Pembroke and Dorset in whose family he acted as tutor, and to whose patronage he was much indebted. Daniel appears to have been a careful, prudent and moral man, and to have saved money, with which he purchased or rented some property at Beckington in Somersetshire, whither he retired, and continued to live till his death in October 1619, and was buried in the Church there, where a monument to his memory was erected by the Countess of Pembroke. Dr. Bliss has mentioned that his will is still preserved in the Canterbury Court, made shortly before his death, in which he leaves his brother John Daniel, a musician of some eminence, his sole executor. Daniel published various works, of which a copious list is given in the Ath. Oxon., vol. ii. p. 270.

We must not omit to give an extract or two from this poem, which we do from the part that relates the melancholy journey of Richard II. to the Metropolis, when made prisoner in the Castle of Flint by the Duke of Lancaster, afterwards Henry IV.:

66.

Straight towards London in this heate of pride

The Duke sets forward as they had decreed,

With whom the Captiues King constraind must ride,
Most meanely mounted on a simple steed:

Degraded of all grace and ease beside,

Thereby neglect of all respect to breed:

For th' ouer-spreading pompe of prouder might

Must darken weaknes and debase his sight.

67.

Approaching nere the Citty he was met
With all the sumptuous shewes ioy could deuise,
Where new-desire to please did not forget
To passe the vsuall pompe of former guise
Striuing applause as out of prison let,

Runnes on beyond all boundes to nouelties:
And voice and hands and knees and all do now
A straung deformed forme of welcome show.

68.

And manifold confusion running greetes

Shootes, cries, claps hands, thrusts, striues and presses nere:

Houses impou'risht were t' enrich the streetes,

And streetes left naked that vnhappy were,

Plac'd from the sight where ioy with wonder meets,

Where all of all degrees striue to appeare;

Where diuers speaking zeale, one murmure findes

In vndistinguisht voice to tell their mindes.

Borne great, matcht great, liu'd great, and euer beene
Partaker of the worlds best benefits,

Had plac'd her selfe, hearing her Lord should passe
That way where shee unseene in secret was.

72.

Sicke of delay and longing to behold
Her long mist loue in fearefull ieoperdies,
To whom although it had in sort beene told
Of their proceeding, and of his surprize,
Yet thinking they would neuer be so bold
To lead their Lord in any shamefull wise,

But rather would conduct him as their King,
As seeking but the states reordering.

73.

And forth shee looks: and notes the formost traine
And grieues to view some there she wisht not there,
Seeing the chiefe not come, staies, lookes againe,
And yet she sees not him that should appeare:
Then backe she stands, and then desire was faine
Againe to looke to see if he were nere,

At length a glittring troupe farre off shee spies,
Perceiues the throne, and heares the shouts and cries.

74.

Lo yonder now at length he comes (saith shee)
Looke, my good women, where he is in sight:
Do you not see him? yonder that is hee
Mounted on that white courser all in white,

There where the thronging troupes of people bee,

I know him by his seate, he sits vpright:

Lo, now he bows: deare Lord, with what sweet grace:
How long haue I long'd to behold that face?

75.

O what delight my hart takes by mine eie!

I doubt me when he comes but something neare

I shall set wide the window: what care I
Who doth see me, so him I may see cleare?
Thus doth false ioy delude her wrongfully
Sweet lady, in the thing she held so deare;

For nearer come, shee findes shee had mistooke,
And him shee markt was Henrie Bullingbrooke.

As the eulogistic lines on the unfortunate favourite of Queen Elizabeth,