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ART. II. Miscellaneous Antiquities; or, a Collection of curious Papers: Either republished from fcarce Tracts, or now first printed from original MSS. No. 1. To be continued occafionally. 4to. Strawberry-hill printed; and fold by Bell in the Strand. 1772. HE Reader will not be at a lofs to conjecture from what hand this publication principally proceeds. Though the advertisement speaks of feveral gentlemen as engaged in the undertaking, the name of Strawberry-hill, together with the fubjects here offered to our confideration, fufficiently indicate the curious and affiduous enquirer after antiquity who is the great promoter of this defign.

The Editors obferve that, The tafte for anecdotes and hiftoric papers, for ancient letters that record affairs of state, illuftrate characters of remarkable perfons, or preferve the memory of former manners and customs, was never more general than at present.'

To indulge this difpofition, we are informed that, having feveral original MSS. in their own poffeffion, and having been promised the use of others, they propose to publish, in Numbers, fome of the most entertaining of these literary curiosities; at the fame time intending to mix with them other pieces formerly printed, though now little known, and not to be met with but by accident. It is farther faid, that the Numbers will not appear with any periodic regularity, but as it shall suit the leifure and convenience of the Gentlemen who have undertaken the work, which is an imitation of Peck's Defiderata Curiofa, and is folely calculated for amusement: on these accounts the Editors enter into no engagements, but acquaint the public that, they fhall take the liberty of continuing, varying, or dropping the plan, when and in what manner they please a notice, it is added, they think right to give, that no man may complain hereafter of being disappointed.

Such is the account which the publishers give of their performance and defign. This firft Number prefents us with no original pieces. It confifts of eight chapters, extracted from a thin folio written by Sir William Segar, Norroy; and called by the author, Honour military and civil; printed at London in 1602. Among other curious notices in this work, the third book has preferved fome of the fplendid and romantic ceremonies, practifed in the reign of our heroine Elizabeth. Thefe with fome other chapters are here prefented to the public.

We are here acquainted with the ancient forms and methods of directing Jufts and Tournaments, and other martial diverfions. The Reader is amufed with an account of, A Triumphe in the reigne of Richard the Second, 1390; alfo of, A Militaire Triumph at Bruifels, Anno 1549; which laft is the most romantic of any here mentioned. Some Triumphes Military for Honour and Loue

of

of Ladies: brought before the Kings of England, are also here re lated, beginning with one before King Edward the Third, 1343, and concluding with, Another Action of Armes published in the Chamber of Prefence at Westminster by a King of Armes, 25 of November in the 1 & 2 of Philip & Mary.

In the feventh chapter we have fome account of Actions in Armes in the reigne of Queene Elizabeth.

The originall occafions of yeerely Triumphs in England is the fub. ject of the last chapter. Here, fays the writer, will we remember alfo (& I hope without enuie fo may) that these annual exercifes in Armes, folemnized the 17 day of Nouember, were first begun & occafioned by the right vertuous & honourable Sir Henry Lea, Mafter of her Highneffe Armorie, & now deferuingly Knight of the moft noble Order, who of his greate zeale & earnest defire to eternize the glory of her Maiefties Court, in the beginning of her happy reigne, uoluntarily vowed (vnleffe infirmity, age or other accident did impeach him) during his life to present himselfe at the Tilt armed, the day afore fayd yeerely, there to performe in honour of her facred-Maieftie the promise he formerly made. Whereupon the Lords & Gen tlemen of the fayd Court, incited by fo worthy an example, de-termined to continue that cuftome, and not vnlike to the ancient Knigthood della Banda in Spaine, have euer fince yeerely affembled in armes accordingly: though true it is, that the Author of that cuftome (being now by age ouertaken) in the 33. yeere of her Maieftics reigne refigned & recommended that office unto the right noble George Earle of Cumberland.'

The above quotation is followed by an account of the ceremonies of this affignation, publiquely performed in prefence of her Maieftie, her Ladies & Nobilitie, alfo an infinite number of people beholding the fame.' Among other parts of this ceremony, we are told that, the mufique was accompanied with these verses pronounced & fung by M Hales her Maiefties feruant, a Gentleman in that arte excellent, & for his voice both commendable & admirable:

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My golden locks time hath to filver turn'd,
(Oh time too fwift, & fwiftnefs neuer ceasing)

My youth 'gainft age, & age 'gainst youth hath spurn'd,
But fpurn'd in vaine, youth waineth by encreafing.
Beauty, ftrength, & youth, flowers fading beene,
Duty, faith, & love, are rootes & euer greene.

My helmet now shall make a hiue for bees,
And louer's fongs fhall turne to holy pfalmes:
A man at armes must now fit on his knees,
And feed on pray'rs, that are old ages almes.
And fo from court to cottage I depart,
My Saint is fure of mine vnípotted hart.

And

And when I fadly fit in homely cell,

I'le teach my fwaines this carrol for a song,

Bleft be the hearts that thinke my fouereigne well,
Curs'd be the foules that thinke to doe her wrong.
Goddeffe, vouchfafe this aged man his right,

To be your Beadfman now, that was your Knight.' Surely the ingenious Dr. Cotton had feen the foregoing verses; the two laft lines of the first stanza of which are closely followed in his Verfes to a Child:

"But, dear girl, both flowers and beauty

Bloffom, fade, and die away;

Then purfue good fenfe and duty,

Evergreens that ne'er decay."

Dodley's Mifcell. vol. iv. p. 257.

ART. III, Mifcellaneous Antiquities; cr, a Collection of curious Papers, &c. No. 2. 4to. zs. Strawberry-hill printed. 1772.

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HIS fecond Number contains the Life of Sir Thomas Wyat the Elder, together with his Defence after the Indiment and Evidence against him; to which is added, an Appendix, confifting of a quotation from an ancient book written in defence of Henry VIII.

The papers relative to Sir Thomas Wyat were copied by Mr. Gray from the originals in the Harleian collection now in the British Museum. The Parnaffian flame, fay the Editors, that had prophecied from the mouth of the Bards, could condefcend to be a transcriber. In this inftance his labour was the homage of juftice paid to a genius, his predeceffor. What Mr. Gray thought worth copying, who will not think worth reading?"

This Sir Thomas Wyat the Elder was born, we are told, in 1503, at Allynton Caftle in Kent. His family was ancient and honourable a circumftance which the Editor mentions to his glory, only because he did not think it a difpenfation from every other kind of merit.' He appears to have received an excellent education, which adorned his retired and illuftrated his political life. He was greatly in favour with Henry VIII. Such intereft had he with that Prince, and fo ready was the King to receive his recommendations, that when a man was newly preferred, it was ufual to fay, that he had been in Sir Thomas Wyat's clofet. Henry, after knighting him, fhowered down favours upon him: lands were beftowed on Wyat amongst

So called, to diftinguish him from Sir Thomas Wyat who fuffered death for high treaton in the reign of Queen Mary.

REV. Apr. 1773:

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others,

others, and embaffies were heaped on embaffies, even beyond his wifh, as he owns in his defence.

Notwithstanding this, Sir Thomas was twice difgraced and imprifoned. The grounds of the firft imprisonment have been mifreprefented, and the accounts difagree. It has been faid that he fell into the King's disfavour about the business of Queen Anna Bullen; but this our Author endeavours to difprove, and thinks it entirely fet afide by what Wyat fays in his defence upon the second trial, where he exprefsly imputes his first imprifonment to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who had done him ill offices. His first misfortune, we are told, flowed from a court cabal; the fecond from the villainy, jealousy, and falfe accufation of that wretch Bonner, Bishop of London, whofe clownish manners, lewd, behaviour, want of religion, and malicious perverfion of truth, Sir Thomas paints with equal humour and afperity.'

His defence on this trial, which is added to the account of his life, is fenfible, fpirited, and well worthy of being preferved. But, clear as his defence is, it is obferved, we fhould not be juftified in prefaming from thence that he was acquitted, though he artfully infinuates to the jurats that the Peers who tried Lord Dacre had dared to find a verdict in his favour. But there is better evidence of his acquittal, from the filence of historians, and from his having been again employed.'

The last commiffion he received from the King proved fatal. Riding poft in the heat of fummer he was attacked with a malignant fever, which carried him off at Shireburne in Dorfetfhire, in the year 1541, when he had not compleated the 38th year of his age. His works that remain, which, in a life no longer, and fo butily employed, could not well be many, áre a few fongs and poems, printed with thofe of his entile friend the Earl of Surrey; the penitential pfalms in English metre, and the whole pfalms of David; his defence on his trial, and fome of his difpatches during his embaffy in France.

According to Lloyd, Sir Thomas Wyat commenced the reformation by a bon mot, and planned the fall of Wolfey by an appofite ftory. It was an apologue of curs baiting the butcher's dog; but the particulars are not told us. The other was a fhort reflection well expreffed. Henry was lamenting the Pope's dilatorinefs in the affair of the divorce" Lord, faid Wyat, that a man cannot repent of his fin, but by the Pope's leave!" He expreffed as concifely very found advice on church-lands; and if the policy of difperfing those lands among the nobility and gentry was embraced from that apothegm, Sir Thomas Wyat may juttly be faid to have placed the key-ftone of the reformation, which holds the whole fabric together. Henry was

afraid of feizing the eftates of the Popith clergy: " Butter the rooks nefts, faid Sir Thomas, and they will never trouble you." This we are informed meant, "fell and give their lands to confiderable families, whofe intereft it will become to prevent the re-establishment of the Roman religion." I am glad, adds the Writer, we are told the meaning, for in truth I should not have understood the phrafe—with its comment it deferves remembrance.'

This Writer informs us, that in Vertue's MS. collections he finds that Mr. Vertue was acquainted with a Mr. Wyat who lived in Charterhoufe-yard, and was the reprefentative defcendant of that refpectable family. In 1721, and at other times, Vertue faw, at that gentleman's houfe, portraits of his ancestors for seven defcents, and other pictures and ancient cu riofities. It is added, in a note, It would be fortunate if men tion of these pictures fhould lead to the knowledge of the perfon who now poffeffes them.

The account of Sir Thomas Wyat's life concludes with the following juft remark: The great merit of the elder Sir Thomas demanded the foregoing difcuffion; yet his own ora tion will undoubtedly give the Reader more fatisfaction than the very limited fuccefs that has attended the pains taken to clear up his ftory *.'

We fhall only obferve farther, that the extract in the Appendix is taken from a book entitled, Le Peregryne, and ada dreffed to the famous Peter Aretine, in an epiftle bold and fingular, by William Thomas, Clerk of the Council to King Edward, Prebendary of St. Paul's, &c. In the courfe of his attempt to exculpate King Henry, he brings a charge against Anne Boleyn of adultery, and of confpiring against the King's life. This is the more remarkable, as the author was a warm Proteftant, and lived at the time: but, on the whole, our curious Antiquarian obferves, that he knows not how to allow 3 the authority of a man who seems wantonly of ignorantly to have grievously exaggerated the accufation; and, on the whole, concludes that Mafter William Thomas had intended to make his court to, perhaps his peace with, Henry, and did not weigh very fcrupulously the authority on which he grounded his compliments.

The Reader will find fome juft remarks on the literary charac ter of Sir Thomas Wyat, in the account given of him in Cibber's Lives of the Poets, vol. i.