occafion'd Mr. Winstanley's mistake: but I affure my Reader, that that Play was writ by Chapman, for I have it by me with his Name

affixt to it.

Mr. Philips mentions fome Remnants of his Poetry extant in a Book call'd England's Hellicon, which I never faw.

Mary Countess of PEMBROKE.

The belov'd Sifter of the Admirable Sr. Philip Sidney (to whom he dedicated his Arcadia) and Patron to the Ingenious Daniel. A Lady whofe Inclinations led her not only to the Patronage but love of the Mufes as appears by a Tragedy of Hers in print, call'd. Antonius, which to my regret I never yet faw, though I have earnestly defired it; it is thus commended by Mr.Daniel, in his Dedication of Cleopatra.

I, who contented with an humble Song,

Made Mufick to my self that pleas'd me beft, And only told of Delia, and her wrong, [unreft, And prais'd her Eyes, and plain'd mine own AText, from whence my Mufe had not digreft, Had I not feen thy well grac'd Anthony, Adorn'd by thy Sweet ftile, in our fair Tongue, Requir'd his Cleopatra's Company.

Mr. Philips through mistake (as formerly) has afcrib'd another Play to her, viz. Albion's Triumph, a Mafque. I know nothing else of this Admirable Lady's Writing.

Mrs.

Mrs. Katherine PHILIPS.

A Lady of that admirable Merit, and Reputation, that her Memory will be honour'd of all Men, that are Favourers of Poetry. One, who not only has equall'd all that is reported of the Poeteffes of Antiquity, the Lesbian Sapho, and the Roman Sulpitia, but whofe Merit has justly found her Admirers, amongst the greatest Poets of our Age: and though I will not prefume to compare our Poets with Martial, who writ in praife of Sulpitia, or Horace, Aufonius, and Sydonius, who commended Sapho, leaft Í offend their Modefty who are ftill living: yet I will be fo far bold as to affert, that the Earls of Orrery and Rofcommon, the Incomparable Cowley, and the Ingenious Flatman, with others (amongst whom I must not forget my much refpected Countryman James Tyrrel Efq;) would not have employ'd their Pens in praife of the Excellent Orinda, had the not justly deferv'd their Elogies, and poffibly more than thofe Ladies of Antiquity: for as Mr. Cowley obferves, in his third Stanza on her Death,

Of Female Poets, who bad Names of old,
Nothing is fhewn but only told,
And all we hear of them, perhaps may be
Male Flattery only, and Male Poetry
Few Minutes did their Beauties Lightning waste,
The Thunder of their Voice did longer laft,
But that too foon was past.

The certain proofs of our Orinda's Wit,
In her own lafting Characters are writ,
Cc 2

And

And they will long my Praife of them furvive,
Tho' long perhaps that too may live.
The Trade of Glory manag'd by the Pen
Tho' great it be, and every where is found,
Does bring in but small profit to us Men,
'Tis by the numbers of the Sharers drown'd;
Orinda, in the Female Couts of Fame
Engroffes all the Goods of a Poetick Name,
She doth no Partner with her fee;

Does all the buifineß there alone, which we
Are forc'd to carry on by a whole Company.

The Occafion of our mention of this Excellent Perfon in this place, is on the Account of two Dramatick Pieces, which fhe has tranflated from the French of Monfieur Corneille; and that with fuch exquifite Art and Judgment, that the Copies of each feem to tranfcend the Original.

Horace, a Tragedy; which I fuppofe was left imperfect by the untimely Death of the Authrefs; and the fifth Act was afterwards fupply'd by Sir John Denham. This Play was acted at Court, by Perfons of Quality; the Duke of Monmouth fpeaking the Prologue: Part of which being in Commendation of the Play, I fhall tranfcribe.

This MartialStory,which thro' France did come,
And there was wrought in Great Corneille's
Loom;
Orinda's Matchlefs Mufe to Brittain brought,
And Forreign Verfe, our English Accents
So foft that to our fhame,we understand [taught;
They could not fall but from a Lady's Hand.

Thus

Thus while a Woman Horace did tranflate, Horace did rife above a Roman Fate. For the Plot of this Play, confult Livy's Hiftory, Lib. 1. Florus Lib. 1. C. 3. Dionyfius Hallicarnaffæus, &c.

Pompey, a Tragedy, which I have feen acted with great applaufe, at the Duke's Theatre; and at the End was acted that Farce printed in the fifth Act of The Play-houfe to be Let. This Play was tranflated at the Requeft of the Earl of Orrery, and published in Obedience to the Commands of the Right Honourable the Countess of Corfe; to whom it is dedicated. How great an Opinion My Ld Orrery had of this Play,may appear from the following Verfes, being part of a Copy addreft to the Authrefs.

You English Corneille's Pompey with such
Flame,
That you both raife our wonder and his Fame ;
If he could read it, he like us would call
The Copy greater than the Original:
You cannot mend what is already done,
Unless you'l finish what you have begun :
Who your Tranflation fees, cannot but fay,
That 'tis Orinda's Work, and but his Play.
The French to learn our Language now will feek,
To bear their Greatest Wit more nobly speak;
Rome too would grant, were our Tongue to her
known,

Cæfar Speaks better in't, than in his own.
And all thofe Wreaths once circled Pompey's
Brow,

Exalt his Fame, less than your Verfes now.

Gc 3

Both

Both thefe Plays with the reft of her Poems, are printed in one Volume in Fol. Lond. 1678. This Lady to the Regret of all the Beau Monde in general, died of the Small-pox, on the 22a. of June 1664. being but One and Thirty Years of Age, having not left any of her Sex, her Equal in Poetry.

Sam. PORDAGE, Efq;

A Gentleman who was lately (if he be not fo at prefent) a Member of the Worthy Society of Lincolns-Inn. He has publifht two Plays in Heroick Verse, viz.

A

Herod and Mariamne, a Tragedy acted at the Duke's Theatre, and printed 49. Lond. 1673.. This Play was writ a dozen Years, before it was made publick, and given to Mr. Settle by a Gentleman, to ufe and form as he pleas'd: he preferr'd it to the Stage, and dedicated it to the Dutchefs of Albermarle. For the Plot, I think the Author has follow'd Mr. Calpranede's Cleopatra, a Romance, in the Story of Tridates but for the true Hiftory, confult JoSephus, Philo-Judæus, Eberus, Egyfippus, &c.

Siege of Babylon, a Tragi-comedy; acted at the Theatre; dedicated to her Royal Highness the Dutchefs, and printed 40. Lond. 1678. This Play is founded on the Romance of Caffandra.

Henry PORTER.

An Author in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, who wait a pleasant Hiftory, called The two

An