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To Chloris, p. 29.

CHLORIS fince firft our calm of peace, &c.] I never had the leaft fufpicion that this little poem was not ge nuine, before I found this memorandum annexed to the title of it in the table of an old edition, " which "Mr. Waller fays is fuppofititious, in an edition given

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my father, (out of which I tranfcribed the additions "into this) faultily printed, but corrected by the Au"thor, under his own hand." After all, the verfes are written fo exacly in Mr. Waller's manner, and I not being able to inform the reader to whom this book formerly belonged, I fuppofe he will think himself at liberty to believe, that our Author wrote them when he was young, and afterwards was too delicate to own them under the title which they bear in the first impreffion,To Chlaris upon a favour received.

To Mr. William Larves, &c. p. 3T.

He was mafter of the publick and private muûck to K.Charles 1.bywhom he was diftinguifhedwith marks of particular efteem, and ufually called The Father of Mufick. In the Great Rebellion he preferved his duty and gratitude inviolate, and was flain in the quarrel of his royal mafter at the fiege of Chefter, in the year 1645. All the beût pocts of that age were ambitious

of having their verses composed by this incomparable artist; who, having been educated under Signor Coperario, introduced a fofter mixture of Italian airs than before had been practised in our nation.

To his worthy friend Sir Thomas Higgons, upon bis tranf0. lation of the Venetian Triumph, p. 38.

THE Venetian Triumph was a poem composed by Gio. Francesco Bufenello, addressed to his friend Pietro Liberi, inftructing him to paint the famous fea-fight between the Turks and Venetians near the Dardanelles, in the year 1656; which Thevenot, who was at Conftantinople during the action, has defcribed in the fifty-third chapter of the first book of his Travels. This method of addrefs was afterwards imitated by Mr. Waller, in his poem on the Duke of York's victory over the Dutch, and continued long the prevailing mode, both in panegyrick and fatire, till one of our poets difgraced it fo effectually, by degrading it from the pencil to Vanderbank's loom, that it will require a writer of Mr. Waller's genius and authority to bring it again into fashion among us. I cannot think, after all Bufenello's compliments, that Liberi ever attained to any distinguishing excellence in his art, fince I do not remember that he is mentioned among the most eminent mafters of the Venetian School. Befides this poem, Bufenello compofed two

dramatick baubles, the subftance of which are Popper and Statira, which were acted by the Virtuofi Cantanti at Venice; to the latter of which there is prefixed a proteft, which, because it is fhort, and gives us an idea of the writer, I will here tranflate: "The au "thor protests that every word and phrafe relating "to the Deity, viz. gods, idols, idolatry, stars, hea

ven, destiny, chance, and such others, are purely "the flights of his pen, to adorn his poefy, and give "strength to his diction: In other respects the fame "author, who writes like a poet, adheres religiously “to the faith and practice of a Christian.”

To a friend, of the different fuccefs of their loves, p. 39. THE title of this poem in the first edition is, “To "A. H. on the different fuccefs of their loves;" which initial letters were probably intended for Alexander Hampden, arelation of our author, who engaged with him in that confederacy which is commonly called Mr. Waller's Plot; and tho' perhaps his name preferved him from being profecuted with the fame feverity as others, yet the parliament fuffered him to die in prison, though no judgment had been given against him; for "the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

Volume II.

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To Zelinda, p. 40.

THE Author feems to have composed these verfes purely for an exercife of his fancy, upon reading the fixth book of Des Maretz's Ariane; where Palamede addreffing his courtship to Zelinda, who was defcended from the Parthian kings, the answered, "I am a "princefs, and being fuch, I will liften to proposals "of this kind from none but a prince." Upon this the gallant takes fire, and the dialogue grows fo warm, that, as himself observes, it looked as if he came to affront the princess, rather than to infinuate himself into her affections. Mr. Waller being probably of opinion that Monfieur Palamede's arguments were too brufque to be advanced in a dispute with a lady, who numbered not fewer than twenty kings of her progenitors, wrote this poem in a more tender and courtly ftyle, which I leave to be compared with Des Maretz's profe, by thofe who are inclined to decide the prize of gallantry between them.

To my Lady Morton, Sc. p. 42.

ANNE Countess of Morton was daughter to Sir Edward Villiers, (the great Duke of Buckingham's brother) and wife of Robert Douglas Lord Dalkeith, who, on the death of his father, fucceeded to the Earldom of Morton. She was one of the most admired

beauties of that age, and the graces of her mind were not inferiour to those of her perfon; for which reason she wasdistinguished by the concurrent choice of King Charles!. and his Queen, to be governess to the Princefs Henrietta, whom the conveyed, in disguise, from Oatlands into France, in the year 1646. At that time Mr. Waller was there in exile, and to his private calamities had a large addition of forrow, in seeing that coaft covered with the wrecks of a royal family which, but a few years before, he had beheld in fo flourishing a security, that one might have reasonably believed the greatest violence of Fortune would have beat on it ia vain. And very disproportionate to their affliction and former grandeur was their reception at the court of France, through the artifice of that poorfpirited politician Mazarine; who, though he was a member of the Sacred College, feems to have reverenced Cromwell more than his Maker. But, having first observed that Mr. Waller presented these verses to the Lady Morton, anno Dom. 1650, ætat. 45, I will difmifs this unpleafing subject with Cardinal de Retz his account of a vifit which he paid at the Louvre, as it is told by his tranflator. *** "I went to vifit "the Queen of England, whom I found in her daugh"ter's chamber, who hath been fince Duchess of Or"leans. At my coming in, she said, "You fee I am 66 come to keep Henrietta company; the poor child "could not rife to-day for want of a fire." The truth

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