THE INDUCTION TO THE MIRROR FOR MAGISTRATES. 49 LORD SACKVILLE. (1527 ?-1608.) "THOMAS SACKVILLE, the first Lord Buckhurst and Earl of Dorset, was the son of Richard Sackville, Esq. of Buckhurst, in Sussex." He is almost the only light in poetry that illuminates the gloomy reign of Mary. From his early years he manifested great vivacity of talent. He enjoyed the advantage of the education of both universities. While a student in the Inner Temple he composed his tragedy of "Gorboduc," or, as it was afterwards entitled, "Ferrex and porrex." This is the first specimen in English literature of the tragic drama. "This tragedy, and his contribution of the "Induction," and "Legend of the Duke of Buckingham" to the “Mirror for Magistrates," compose the poetical history of Lord Sackville's life."-(Campbell.) The statesman soon superseded the poet in Sackville's career. He filled various important and conspicuous situations during the reign of Elizabeth; and, on the accession of James, was confirmed for life in his office of Lord High Treasurer of England. His career as a minister reflects great honour on the integrity and vigour of his character. He died suddenly, in his vocation at the council board, of disease in the brain, in 1608. "As to Gorboduc' it is a piece of monotonous recitals, and cold and heavy accumulation of incidents."—(Campbell.) It is, however, praised for the purity of its language, and the dignity and correctness of its sentiments. The Mirror for Magistrates" is a collection of narratives by several poets of the misfortunes of the great in English history. It was planned by Sackville on the scheme of Dante's "Inferno." His contributions to it, however, as above noticed, were slight. Sorrow conducts the poet through the infernal regions: the "Induction" is filled with scenic allegory, little inferior in vigour of execution to that of Spencer. This collection of tragical histories is said to have furnished hints to Shakespeare, and to have suggested the historical plays, ALLEGORICAL PERSONAGES IN HELL DESCRIBED. AND first within the porch and jaws of hell Her eyes undstedfast rolling here and there, See Dodsley's " Old Plays." Stinted, ceased. "And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse!" Romeo and Juliet, Act 1. Sc. 3 E So was her mind continually in fear, Tossed and tormented with the tedious thought And next, within the entry of this lake, When fell Revenge with bloody foul pretence Of Misery, that next appeared in sight. His face was lean, and some deal pined away, His food for most, was wild fruits of the tree, By him lay heavy Sleep, the cousin of death, # 1 Countenance.-See note 10, p. 32. 2 Revenge is masculine in Collins' Ode on the Passions. 3 To such an extent. 4 Fetched. "Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine."-Macbeth, Act i. Sc. 4. THE COMPLAINT OF HENRY DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. And next in order sad Old Age we found, 3 Crookbacked he was, tooth shaken, and blear eyed, FROM THE COMPLAINT OF HENRY DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.⭑ Ye kings and peers that swim in worldly good, In seeking blood, the end, advert, you playne, And see if blood aye ask not blood again. Consider Cyrus in your cruel thought, A makeless prince in riches and in might, And weigh in mind the bloody deeds he wrought, His head dismembered from his mangled corpse, With clottered blood of them that felt her force. Behold Cambyses and his fatal day, Where murder's mischief mirror like11 is left: 1 The Fates.-See Keightley's Mythology, p. 153. 2 An allusion to the riddle of the Sphinx. 51 * Deprived of hair. Lat pilus, hair. "I had as lief be the list of an English kersey as be piled, as thou art piled for a French velvet."-Measure for Measure, Act i. Sc. 2. The accomplice and victim of Richard III. 5 Consider that you lament the result. Lat. advertere. 6 Matchless. Reward. Ang. Sax. wardian; to look at; to regard; hence the idea of recompense. 8 Of Scythia.-Herodotus, I. c. 205. • End. "Riches fineless."-Shakesp. Othello. 10 For the opposite accounts of the historical Cyrus see Xenophon and Herodotus; for the Cyrus of Scripture, see Skene's Sacred Chronology. Where, in whom; like, alike. 1 Smerdis. While he his brother Mergus1 cast2 to slay, O bloody Brutus, rightly didst thou rue, That with the sword wherewith thou Cæsar slew That murderers be, of murder to your meed: Lo Bessus," he that, armed with murderer's knife What booted him his false usurpéd reign, Take heed, ye princes and ye prelates all, Such guilts, wherewith both earth and air ye file," You see the examples set before your face. 2 See note 16, p. 11. 3 Afterwards. Lief, also written leve (adj. noun, and adv.) wilfully; benoom or benum; commonly now written benumb; to deprive, (viz of sensation). Old English, nim; German, nehmen, to take; hence numskull, one deprived of intellect, a blockhead. This word furnishes with his name Corporal Ným, the follower of Falstaff. "Overnome."-Chaucer. See note 8, p. 13. The murderer of Darius Codomannus. See any history of Alexander the Great. 6 Secretly. "To seel her father's eyes up."-Othello, Act iii. Sc. 3. "To seel a hawk is to sew up his eyelids."-Malone. 7 Defile. "For Banquo's issue I have 'filed my mind."-Macbeth, Act iii. Sc. 2. Byron uses the same form.-Childe Harold, Canto iií. St. 113. ROBERT SOUTHWELL. (1550-1595.) SOUTHWELL, descended from an ancient family in Norfolk, entered the order of Jesuits at Rome. He was involved in persecution, resulting from the intrigues of that order in Elizabeth's reign, and was seized, racked, and executed at Tyburn. The features of his poetry are sad and contemplative; breathing a spirit of gentleness and amiability. "It is not possible," says Campbell, referring to his prose compositions, " Mary Magdalene's Tears," and the "Triumph over Death," "to read the volume without lamenting that its author should have been either the instrument of bigotry or the object of persecution." See Gentleman's Magazine, for November 1798, p. 983.'-Ritson. SELF-CONTEMPLATION. Retiréd thoughts enjoy their own delights, A brief wherein all miracles summéd lie, Of fairest forms and sweetest shapes the store, Most graceful all, yet thought may grace them more. The mind a creature is, yet can create, To nature's patterns adding higher skill What thought can think another thought can mend. Man's soul of endless beauties image is, TIMES GO BY TURNS. The loppéd tree in time may grow again, The sea of Fortune doth not ever flow; |