of taking the oath, and expreffed great tendernefs towards him. This vifit and feeming friendfhip of Cromwel not a little affected him, he revolved in his mind the propofal which he made, and as his fate was approaching, perhaps his refolution ftaggered a little, but calling to mind his former Vows, his confcience, his honour, he recovered himself again, and ftood firmly prepared for his fall. Upon this occafion it was that he wrote the following verfes, mentioned both by Mr. Roper and Mr. Hoddefon, which I fhall here infert as a fpecimen of his poetry.

Ey flattering fortune, loke thou never fo fayre,
Or never fo pleasantly begin to fmile,
As tho' thou would'ft my ruine all repayre,
During my life thou shalt not me begile,
Truft fhall I God to entre in a while
His haven of heaven fure and uniforme,
Ever after thy calme loke I for a storme.

On the 6th of July, 1534, in the 54th year of his age, the fentence of condemnation was executed upon him on Tower Hill, by fevering his head from his body. As he was carried to the scaffold, fome low people hired by his enemies cruelly infulted him, to whom he gave cool and effectual anfwers. Being now under the fcaffold, he looked at it with great calmness, and obferving it too flenderly built, he faid merrily to Mr. Lieutenant, "I pray you, Sir, "fee me fafe up, and for my coming down let "me fhift for myfelf." When he mounted on the fcaffold, he threw his eyes round the multitude, defired them to pray for him, and to bear him witnefs that he died for the holy catholic church, a faithful fervant both to God and the King. His gaiety and propenfion to jefting did not forfake him in his last moments; when he laid his head upon the block, he bad the executioner ftay till he

had

"that that

had removed afide his beard, faying, "had never committed treafon." When the executioner asked his forgiveness, he kiffed him and faid, "thou wilt do me this day a greater "benefit than any mortal man can be able to give "me; pluck up thy spirit man, and be not afraid "to do thy office, my neck is very short, take heed "therefore that thou strike not awry for faving thy " honesty."

Thus by an honeft but mistaken zeal fell Sir Thomas More; a man of wit and parts fuperior to all his cotemporaries; of integrity unfhaken; of a generous and noble difpofition; of a courage intrepid; a great fcholar and a devout chriftian. Wood fays that he was but an indifferent divine, and that he was very ignorant of antiquity and the learning of the fathers, but he allows him to be a man of a pleafant and fruitful imagination, and a ftatesman beyond any that fucceeded him.

His works befides thofe we have already men. tioned are chiefly thefe,

A Merry Jeft, How a Serjeant will learn to play a Friar, written in verfe.

Verfes on the hanging of a Painted Cloth in his Father's House.

Lamentations on Elizabeth Queen of Henry VII,

1503.

Verfes on the Book of Fortune.
Dialogue concerning Herefies.

Supplication of Souls, writ in answer to a book called the Supplication of Beggars.

A Confutation of Tindal's Anfwer to More's Dialogues, printed 1533.

The Debellation of Salem and Bizance, 1533. In answer to another book of Tindal's.

Treatife on the Paffion of Christ.

--Godly Meditation.

------Devout Prayer.

Letters

Letters while in the Tower, all printed 1557.
Progymnafmata.

Refponfio ad Convitia Martini Lutheri, 1523. Quod pro Fide Mors fugienda non eft, written in the Tower 1534.

Precationes ex Pfalmis.

*****

******

HENRY HOWARD, Earl of
SURRY

AS fon of Thomas, duke of Norfolk, and

W Elizabeth, daughter of Edward, duke of

Buckingham. The father of our author held the highest places under King Henry VIII, and had fo faithfully and bravely ferved him, that the nobility grew jealous of his influence, and by their united efforts produced his ruin. After many excellent fervices in France, he was conftituted Lord Treasurer, and made General of the King's whole army defign'd to march against the Scots: At the battle of Flodden, in which the Scots were routed and their Sovereign flain, the earl of Surry rémarkably diftinguished himself; he commanded under his father, and as foon as the jealousy of the Peers had faftened upon the one, they took care that the other should not efcape. He was the first nobleman (fays Camden) that illuftrated his high birth with the beauty of learning; he was acknowledged by all, to be the galianteit man, the politeft lover, and the most compleat gentleman of his time. He received his education at Windfor with a natural fon of Henry VIII, and became first eminent for his devotion to the beautiful Geraldine, Maid of Honour to Queen Catherine; fhe firft infpired him

with

J

with poetry, and that poetry has conferred immortality on her: So tranfported was he with his pasfion, that 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 fhewed him the image of his Geraldine in a glafs, fick, weeping on her bed, and melting into devotion for the abfence of her lord; upon fight of this he wrote the following paffionate fonnet, which for the fmoothness of the verfe, the tenderness of expreffion, and the heartfelt fentiments might do honour to the politeft, cafieft, most paffionate poet in our own times.

All foul, no earthly flesh, why doft thou fade ? All gold; no earthly drofs, why look'st thou pale?

Sickness how dareft thou one fo fair invade ?.
Too bafe infirmity to work her bale.

Heaven be diftempered fince fhe grieved
pines,

Never be dry, thefe my fad plaintive lines.

Pearch thou my fpirit on her filver breafts,

And with their pains redoubled mufick beatings,

Let them tofs thee to world where all toil refts, Where blifs is fubject to no fears defeatings, Her praife I tune, whofe tongue doth tune the spheres,

And gets new mufes in her hearers ears.

Stars fall to fetch fresh light from the rich eyes, Her bright brow drives the fun to clouds be

neath.

Her

Her hair reflex with red ftrakes paints the fkyes, Sweet morn and evening dew flows from her breath:

Phœbe rules tides, fhe my tears tides forth draws.

In her fick bed love fits, and maketh laws.

Her dainty lips tinfel her filk-foft sheets,

Her rofe-crown'd cheeks eclipfe my dazled fight. O glafs with too much joy, my thoughts thou

greets,

And yet

thou fheweft me day but by twilight. I'll kiss thee for the kindness I have felt. 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 firft drew air, he was tranfported with extafy of joy, his tongue overflowed with her praises, and Winftanly fays he eclipfed the fun and moon with comparifons of his Geraldine, and wrote another fonnet in praise of the chamber that was honoured (as he fays) with her radiant conception; this fonnet is equally amorous and spirited with that already inferted. In the duke of Florence's court he published a proud challenge against all comers, whether Christians, Turks, Canibals, Jews, or Saracen, in defence of his miftrefs's beauty; this challenge was the better received there, ́ as she 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 access into his dominions unmolested till the trial were ended.

In