fion, that according to the romantic fpirit of thofe times, he made a tour to the most elegant courts in Europe, to maintain her peerless beauty against all oppofers, and every where made good his challenge with honour. In his way to Florence, he touched at the emperor's court, where he became acquainted with the learned Cornelius Agrippa, fo famous for magic, who is faid to have fhewed him the image of his Geraldine in a glass, fick, weeping on her bed, and melting into devotion for the absence of her lord; upon fight of this, we are told, it was that he wrote the following paffionate fonnet, which for the fmoothnefs of the verfe, the tenderness of expreffion, and the heart-felt fentiments, might do honour to the politeft, eafieft, moft paffionate poet in our own times. All foul, no earthly flesh, why dost thou fade? All gold; no earthly dross, why look'st thou pale ? Sickness how dar'ft thou one fo fair invade ? Heaven be diftempered fince the grieved Never be dry, these my fad plaintive lines. Pearch thou my fpirit on her filver breasts, Let them tofs thee to world where all toil refts, And gets new mufes in her hearers ears. Stars fall to fetch fresh light from her rich eyes, neath. #Her 1 Her hair reflex with red ftrakes paints the fkyes, Sweet morn and evening dew flows from her breath: Phoebe rules tides, the my tears tides forth draws, In her fick bed love fits, and maketh laws. . Her dainty lips tinfel her filk-soft sheets, Her rofe-crown'd cheeks eclipse my dazled fight, O glafs with too much joy, my thoughts thou greets, And yet thou fhewest me day but by twilight. Her lips one kifs would into nectar melt. From the emperor's court he went to the city of Florence, the pride and glory of Italy, in which city his beauteous Geraldine was born, and he had no reft till he found out the house of her nativity, and being fhewn the room where his charmer first drew air, he was tranfported with extafy of joy, his tongue overflowed with her praises, and Winftanly fays, he eclipsed the fun and moon with comparifons of his Geraldine, and wrote another fonnet in praife of the chamber that was honoured (as he fays) with her radiant conception; this fonnet is equally amorous and fpirited with that already inferted. In the duke of Florence's court he published a proud challenge against all comers, whether Chriflians, Turks, Canibals, Jews, or Saracens, in defence of his miftrefs's beauty; this challenge was the better received there, as the whom he defended was born in that city. The duke of Florence however fent for him, and enquired of his fortune, and the intent of his coming to his court; of which when the earl informed him, he granted to all countries whatever, as well enemies and outlaws, as friends and allies, free accefs into his dominions unmolefted till the trial were ended. In In the course of his combats for his mistress, his valour and skill in arms fo engaged the Duke to his interest, that he offered him the highest preferments if he would remain at his court. This propofal he rejected, as he intended to proceed thro' all the chief cities in Italy; but his design was fruftrated by letters fent by King Henry VIII. which commanded his speedy return into England. In the year 1544, upon the expedition to Boulogne in France, he was made field marshal of the English army, and after taking that town, being then knight of the garter, he was in the beginning of September 1545 conftituted the King's lieutenant, and captain-general of all his army within the town and county of Boulogne +. During his command there in 1546, hearing that a convoy of provifions of the enemy was coming to the fort at Oultreaw, he refolved to intercept it; but the Rhinegrave, with four thousand Lanskinets, together with a confiderable number of French under the de Bieg, making an obftinate defence, the English were routed, Sir Edward Poynings with divers other gentlemen killed, and the Earl himself obliged to fly, tho' it appears, by a letter to the King dated January 8, 1548, that this advantage coft the enemy a great number of men. But the King was fo highly displeased with this ill fuccefs, that from that time he contracted a prejudice against the Earl, and foon after removed him from his command, and appointed the Earl of Hertford to fucceed him. Upon which Sir William Page wrote to the Earl of Surry to advise him to procure fome eminent poft under the Earl of Hertford, that he might not be unprovided in the town and field. The Earl being defirous in the mean time to regain his former favour with the King, skirmished with the French and routed them, but foon after writing over to the King's council that VOL. I. No 1. Dugdale's Baronage. D 23 as the enemy had caft much larger cannon than had been yet feen, with which they imagined they fhould foon demolish Boulogne, it deferved confideration whether the lower town fhould stand, as not being defenfible; the council ordered him to return to England in order to reprefent his fentiments more fully upon those points, and the Earl of Hertford was immediately fent over in his room. This exafperating the Earl of Surry, occafioned him to let fall fome expreffions which favoured of revenge and diflike to the King, and a hatred of his Councellors, and was probably one cause of his ruin, which foon after enfued. The Duke of Norfolk, who discovered the growing power of the Seymours, and the influence they were likely to tear in the next reign, was for making an alliance with them; he therefore preffed his fon to marry the Earl of Hertford's daughter, and the Dutchefs of Richmond, his own daughter, to marry Sir Thomas Seymour; but neither of thefe matches were effected, and the Seymours and Howards then became open enemies. The Seymours failed not to infpire the King with an averfion to the Norfolkfamily, whofe power they dreaded, and reprefented the ambitious views of the Earl of Surry; but to return to him as a poet. That celebrated antiquary, John Leland, fpeaking of Sir Thomas Wyat the Elder, calls the Earl, The confcript enrolled heir of the faid Sir Thomas, in his learning and other excellent qualities. The author of a treatife, entitled, The Art of English Poetry, alledges, that Sir Thomas Wyat the Elder, and Henry Earl of Surry were the two chieftains, who having travelled into Italy, and there tafted the fweet and stately meafüres and ftile of the • Italian poetry, greatly polished our rude and homely manner of vulgar poetry, from what it had been before, and therefore may be juftly called, The Reformers of our English Poetry and Stile.' Our Our noble author added to learning, wifdom, fortitude, munificence, and affability. Yet all these excellencies of character, could not prevent his falling a facrifice to the jealousy of the Peers, or as fome fay to the refentment of the King for his attempting to wed the Princefs Mary; and by these means to raise himself to the Crown. Hiftory is filent as to the reasons why the gallantries he performed for Geraldine did not iffue in a marriage. Perhaps the reputation he acquired by arms, might have enflamed his foul with a love of glory; and this conjecture feems the more probable, as we find his ambition prompting him to make love to the Princefs from no other views but those of dominion. He married Frances, daughter to John Earl of Oxford, after whose death he addreffed Princess Mary, and his first marriage, perhaps, might be owing to a defire of ftrengthening his intereft, and advancing his power in the realm. The adding fome part of the royal arms to his own, was alfo made a pretence against him, but in this he was justified by the heralds, as he proved that a power of doing fo was granted by fome preceeding Monarchs to his forefathers. Upon the strength of these fufpicions and furmifes, he and his father were committed to the Tower of London, the one by water, the other by land, fo that they knew not of each other's apprehenfion. The fifteenth day of January next following he was arraigned at Guildhall, where he was found guilty by twelve common jurymen, and received judgment. About nine days before the death of the King he loft his head on Tower-Hill; and had not that Monarch's decease so soon enfued, the fate of his father was likewife determined to have been the fame with his fons. It is faid, when a courtier asked King Henry why he was fo zealous in taking off Surry; "I obferved him, fays he, an enterprizing youth; * his spirit was too great to brook fubjection, and D 2 "tho |