him with one of the perfons recorded in the note below*.

He was a writer, fays Percy, of fome fame in the reign of Queen Elizabeth: he published an interlude, intitled "An Old Man's Leffon, and a Young Man's Love," 4to. and many other little pieces in profe and verfe, the titles of which may be feen in Winftanley, Ames's Typography, and Ofborne's Harleian Catalogue, &c. He is mentioned with great respect by Meres in his fecond part of Wit's Commonwealth', 1598, folio 283, and is alluded to

* In Shaw's Staffordshire, under the hiftory of Tamworth, vol I. p. 422, are the following patfages. "Erdfwick fpeaking of this town, fays, In Staffordshire fide there is a house of the Bretons, ⚫ who have long had their feat there; for 9 Edward II. John Breton • was Lord of Tamworth. He had iffue William, who had iffue · John, who had iffue John and William, fince which time the race of them have continued unto this day.'

John Breton, efq. was one of the members of parliament for this borough, 27th Elizabeth, and there is an old infcription noticed in the church farther on, for John Breton, fon and heir of Richard Breton, of Tamworth, efq. who died May 11, 1507. And in an old vifitation, are the following arms for John Brittayne, of Sirefcot in this parish, "B. a bend or between 6 mullets gules." What more I find of this family, is the following infcription from Norton church.

Here lyeth the body of Nicholas Breton, esq. son of Captain J. Breton, of Tamworth, efq. co. Stafford. Hee alfo was Captain of a Foot Company in the Low Countries, under the command of the right Hon. Dudley, earl of Leicester. He marryed Ann, daugh⚫ter of Sir Edward Leigh, of Rushall, in co. Stafford, a wife of rare virtue and piety. He had by her five fons and four daughters, viz. Edward, Chriftopher, John, William and Howard, Frances, Lettice, &c. He departed from the troubles of this life to eternal happiness, June 22, 1624.

• Nicolaus

in Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady, act II; and again, in Wit without Money, act III, (fee Whalley's B. Johnfon, III. p. 103)*.

England's Helicon" 1600, is the collection in which fome of his pieces are to be found.

In Farmer's catalogue were "Bretton's Bowre of Delights" 1597+. "Breton's Melancholicke Humours" 1600‡. "Breton's Honour of Valour" 1605§. "Breton's Sir P. Sydney's Ourania" 1655||.

The ballad of Phillida and Corydon, reprinted by Percy, is a delicious little poem; and if we are to judge from this fpecimen, his poetical powers, for furely he must have had the powers of a poet, were distinguished by a fimplicity, at once easy and elegant.

"Nicolaus Breton, vir paucis comparandus, animam pie et placide "creatori reddidit 4o Junii 1658."

"Famam apud pofteros reliquit diutiffime duraturam. Quicquid "mori potuit fub hoc marmore depofuit, lectiffima ejus conjux, Eli"zabetha, Georgii Knight, viri apud Londinenfes ampli et generofi, "filia et heres unica, ipfa pulchræ et numerofæ fobolis mater marito "chariffimo fibique, ut utriufque reliquiæ beatam refurrectionem "hic una præftolentur."

• Percy's Ballads, III. p. 62. § No. 6399. || No. 6400.

+ No. 6395. ‡ No. 6398.

Y

RICHARD

RICHARD BARNFIELD.

"Richard Barnfield, one of the fame rank "in poetry with Doctor Lodge, Robert Green, "Nicholas Breton, and other contemporaries

66

already mentioned in the foregoing treatife of "the moderns."

BARNFIELD is one of those poets, whofe memory has fallen into fuch obfcurity, that I cannot recover a fingle memorial of his history, yet it seems he was well-known in his day; as appears by the following paffage from Warton's History of Poetry. That critic speaking of Abraham Fraunce's tranflation of Virgil's Alexis, adds: "It must be owned, that the felection of this particular eclogue from all the ten for an English verfion, is fomewhat extraordinary. But in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, I could point out whole fets of fonnets written with this kind of attachment, for which, perhaps, it will be but an inadequate apology, that they are free from direct impurity of ex

• III. p. 405.

preffion

preffion and open immodefty of fentiment. Such, at leaft, is our obfervance of external propriety, and fo ftrong the principles of a general decorum, that a writer of the prefent age who was to print love-verfes in this ftyle, would be feverely reproached, and univerfally proscribed. I will inftance only in the Affectionate Shepherd' of RICHARD BARNFIELD, printed in 1595. Here, through the courfe of twenty fonnets, not inelegant, and which were exceedingly popular, the poet bewails his unfuccefsful love for a beautiful youth, by the name of Ganymede, in a ftrain of the most tender paffion, yet with profeffions of the chafteft affection. Many defcriptions and incidents which have a like complexion, may be found in the futile novels of Lodge and Lilly."

Another edition of "the Affectionate Shepherd" appeared in 1596, Lond. for H. Lownes, 16mo. together with his "Cynthia" and "Legend of Caffandra." In the preface of this fe cond edition he apologifes for his fonnets "I "will unshadow my conceit: being nothing: "elfe but an imitation of Virgil in the fecond "eclogue of Alexis." But I find (adds Warton)" Cynthia with certeyne Sonnettes and the "Legend of Caffandra" entered to H. Lownes, Jan. 18, 1594.*

* In Farmer's Catalogue, No. 6391, was "Richard Bamfield's" (qu. Barnfield's?) " Encomion of Lady Pecunia,” 1598.

HUGH HOLLAND.

Hugh Holland, a poetical writer, thought "worthy by fome to be mentioned with Spen

cer, Sidny and other, the chief of English 66 poets; with whom, nevertheless he must "needs be confeffed inferior, both in poetic "fame and merit."

HUGH HOLLAND, fon of Robert Holland (by his wife, the daughter of one Pain, of Denbigh) fon of Lewis Holland, son of Llewellin, fon of Griffith Holland, of Vaerdee, by Gwervilla his wife, daughter of Howell ap Madock, ap Jem, ap Eynion; was born at Denbigh, bred in Westminster school, while Camden taught there, and elected to Trinity college, Cambridge, 1589, of which he was afterwards fellow. Thence he travelled into Italy, and at Rome was guilty of several indifcretions, by the freedom of his converfations. He next went to Jerufalem, to pay his devotions at the Holy Sepulchre, and in his return touched at Conftantinople, where he received a reprimand from the English ambaffador, for

the