THOMAS SACKVILLE, LORD BUCKHURST. "Thomas Lord Buckhurst, in King Henry "the eighth's time, is esteemed by the author "of the Art of English Poetry, equal with "Edward Ferris, another Tragic writer, of "both whom he faith, for fuch doings as I have seen of theirs, they deserve the price." FERRER S. "Edward Ferris, a writer for the most part "to the Stage in K. Henry the 8th time, in "Tragedy, and fometimes Comedy, or Inter"lude, with much skill and magnificence in "his metre, and wherein, faith the author of "the Art of English Poetry, he gave the King "fo much good recreation, as he hath thereby, many good rewards." F In these In these two articles by Phillips, of SACK VILLE, and FERRERS, there are feveral mistakes. -Sackville was not born till 1536—was educated at Oxford, during the reign of Queen Mary; from whence he removed to the Inner Temple foon after travelled, and returned to inherit his father's vaft property in 1566. During his refidence in the Temple, he pursued the more pleafing ftudy of Poetry, inftead of the dull and narrow trammels of the Law, and produced two works of uncommon luftre, which will presently be mentioned-But now his birth, patrimony, accomplishments, and abilities acquired the confidence of Q. Elizabeth, and the poet was foon loft in the ftatefinan, and negotiations and embaffies extinguifhed the milder ambitions of the ingenuous Mufe.* In 1567 he was created Lord Buckhurft. In the beginning of James's reign he was advanced to the Earldom of Dorfet-and died fuddenly at the Council-Board, 19 April, 1608. Ferrers's name was GEORGE, not EDWARD: there was an Edward Ferrers, of the family of Baldefley-Clinton, in Warwickshire; but Warton thinks he has no other pretenfions to the poetical fame afcribed to him than what have arifen from his being confounded with this *Warton, III. p. 210.† Ibid. p. 213, 293. George George Ferrers-Edward Ferrers died in 1564. George Ferrers, the undoubted coadjutor of Sackville, was born at or near St. Albans in Hertfordshire; was educated at Oxford, and thence went to Lincoln's Inn, where he became a Barrister; was taken into the court, became a favourite of Hen. VIII. and was returned M. P. for Plymouth, 1542. He was one of the Commiffioners of the carriage of the army into Scotland, under the protector, Edward Duke of Somerset. He is faid to have compiled the history of Q. Mary's reign, which makes a part of Grafton's Chronicle. In 1553, being then a Member of Lincoln's Inn, he bore the office of Lord of Mifrule, at the Royal Palace of Greenwich, during the twelve days of Chriftmas. No common talents were required for these feftivities. He died at Hemfted in Hertfordshire, 1579. Sackville's claim to the laurel arifes from his having invented the design, and written the two most valuable articles of the "Mirror for Magiftrates." As my book pretends not to be more than a compilation, I will not mar the beauty of Mr. Warton's ideas by changing his expreffions: but transcribe verbatim his introductory criticism to that work; as it is unufually interefting. "True genius, unfeduced by the cabals, and unalarmed by the dangers of faction, defies or neglects thofe events which destroy the peace of mankind; and often exerts its operations amid the most violent commotions of a state. Without patronage, and without readers, and I may add without models, the earlier Italian writers, while their country was shook by the inteftine tumults of the Guelfes, and Guibelines, continued to produce original compofitions, both in profe and verse, which yet ftand unrivalled. The age of Pericles and of the Peloponnefian war was the fame. Careless of those, who governed or difturbed the world, and fuperior to the calamities of a quarrel, in which two mighty leaders contended for the prize of univerfal dominion, Lucretius wrote his fublime didactic poem on the system of Nature; Virgil his Bucolics; and Cicero his books of Philofophy. The profcriptions of Auguftus did not prevent the progrefs of the Roman literature. In the turbulent and unpropitious reign of Queen Mary, when controversy was no longer confined to speculation, and a spiritual warfare polluted every part of England with murthers, more atrocious than the most bloody civil contest, a poem was planned, although not fully compleated, which illuminates with no common luftre that interval of darkness, which occupies the annals of English poetry from Surry to Spenfer, entitled "A Mirrour Mirrour for Magiftrates." More writers than one were concerned in the execution of this piece: but its primary inventor, and most diftinguished contributor, was Thomas Sackville. Much about the fame period, the fame author wrote the first genuine English* Tragedy."+ About 1557, he formed the plan of a poem, in which all the illuftrious but unfortunate characters of the English hiftory, from the conqueft to the end of the fourteenth century, were to pass in review before the poet, who defcends, like Dante, into the infernal region, and is conducted by Sorrow. But he had leisure only to finish an Induction; and the legend of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, which was to have been the last of his feries.-He recommended therefore the completion of his defign to George Ferrers beforementioned, and WILLIAM BALDWYNE. William Baldwyne, is not mentioned by Phillips. He feems to have been a western man by birth: he was educated at Oxford, where he appears to have taken his degree in arts about 1532: after he had left the university with the character of a good poet, he became a schoolmaster, and a minister; and a writer of many books. He verfified Solomon's Song, *Gorboduc. + Warton, III. p. 209, 210. F 3 which |