trust committed unto him, for the service of his Prince and Country.

And all Readers are requested to believe, that he was worthy of a more worthy pen, to have preserved his Memory, and commended his Merits to the imitation of posterity. Iz. WA.

AN

ELEGY ON SIR HENRY WOTTON,

WRIT BY

MR. ABRAHAM COWLEY.

What shall we say, since silent now is he,
Who when he spoke all things would silent be?
Who had so many languages in store,

That only Fame shall speak of him in more.
Whom England now no more return'd, must see;
He's gone to Heaven, on his fourth embassy.
On earth he travell'd often, not to say,
He'd been abroad to pass loose time away;
For in whatever land he chanced to come,
He read the men and manners; bringing home
Their wisdom, learning, and their piety,
As if he went to conquer, not to see.
So well he understood the most and best
Of tongues that Babel sent into the West;
Spoke them so truly, that he had, you'd swear,
Not only liv'd, but been born every-where.
Justly each nation's speech to him was known,
Who for the world was made, not us alone :

Nor ought the language of that man be less,
Who in his breast had all things to express.
We say that learning's endless, and blame Fate
For not allowing life a longer date,

He did the utmost bounds of Knowledge find,
And found them not so large as was his mind;
But, like the brave Pellean youth, did moan,
Because that Art had no more worlds than one.
And when he saw that he through all had past,
He died-lest he should idle grow at last.

172

THE WORKS

OF

SIR HENRY WOTTON.

"RELIQUIÆ WOTTONIANE; or, a Collection of Lives, Letters, Poems with Characters of sundry Personages, and other incomparable Pieces of Language and Art: By the curious Pencil of the ever memorable Sir Henry Wotton, Knt. late Provost of Eaton College, 1651." A second edition in 4to. appeared in 1654: a third in 1672. In the fourth edition which appeared in 1685, is the valuable addition of Letters to the Lord Zouch.

This collection contains the "TREATISE on the ELEMENTS of ARCHITECTURE," first published in 1624, 4to. This Treatise is still held in high estimation, has been translated into Latin, and annexed to the works of Vitruvius, and to Freart's "Parallel of the Ancient Architecture with the Modern."

66

In Cibber's, or rather Shield's Lives of the Poets, the only specimen given of Sir Henry Wotton's poetry, is the famous composition, "THE WORLD'S A BUBBLE," which, in The Reliquiæ Wottonianæ," is said to have been found among his papers, the author unknown. Farnabie, in his "Epigrammata Selecta, 1629," ascribes it to Lord Bacon. He has translated it into Greek, and has some various readings.

Of Sir Henry Wotton's Latin Panegyric on Charles I. there are two translations by unknown hands: The one is inserted in "The Reliquiæ Wottonianæ;" the other is very scarce, printed in a very small twenty-fours, on a large type, containing 118 pages, besides the Dedication and Preface.

Besides the pieces in "The Remains," Sir Henry Wotton

wrote

'THE STATE of CHRISTENDOM; or a most exact and curious Discovery of many Secret Passages and hidden Mysteries of the Times. London, 1657." To which is added "A SUPPLEMENT to the HISTORY of the STATE of CHRISTENDOM." Reprinted in 1677.

Several of Sir Henry Wotton's letters are inserted in "Cabala, or Mysteries of State. London, 1654," in 4to; and in "Cabala, or Scrinia sacra. London, 1663," Fol.: also in "Strafford's

Letters and Despatches, 1739," Fol.

The two following tracts, written by Sir Henry Wotton, were never printed; namely,

"The JOURNAL of his EMBASSIES to VENICE;" a MS. fairly written, and formerly in the library of Lord Edward Con

way.

"THREE PROPOSITIONS to the COUNT D'ANGOSCIOLA, in Matters of Duels;" a MS. preserved in the library of the College of Arms.