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 joyes (With devotion) these TOYES。                     Richard Lovelace。

 This lady was the wife of the unfortunate John; second Lord Lovelace; who suffered so severely for his attachment to the King's cause; and daughter to the equally unfortunate Thomas; Earl of Cleveland; who was equally devoted to his sovereign; and whose estates were ordered by the Parliament to be sold; July 26; 1650。 See PARLIAMENTS AND COUNCILS OF ENGLAND; 1839; p。 507。



               VERSES ADDRESSED TO THE AUTHOR。



       TO MY BEST BROTHER ON HIS POEMS CALLED 〃LUCASTA。〃

Now y' have oblieg'd the age; thy wel known worth Is to our joy auspiciously brought forth。 Good morrow to thy son; thy first borne flame Which; as thou gav'st it birth; stamps it a name; That Fate and a discerning age shall set The chiefest jewell in her coronet。

Why then needs all this paines; those season'd pens; That standing lifeguard to a booke (kinde friends); That with officious care thus guard thy gate; As if thy Child were illigitimate? Forgive their freedome; since unto their praise They write to give; not to dispute thy bayes。

As when some glorious queen; whose pregnant wombe Brings forth a kingdome with her first…borne Sonne; Marke but the subjects joyfull hearts and eyes: Some offer gold; and others sacrifice; This slayes a lambe; that; not so rich as hee; Brings but a dove; this but a bended knee; And though their giftes be various; yet their sence Speaks only this one thought; Long live the prince。

So; my best brother; if unto your name I offer up a thin blew…burning flame; Pardon my love; since none can make thee shine; Vnlesse they kindle first their torch at thine。 Then as inspir'd; they boldly write; nay that; Which their amazed lights but twinkl'd at; And their illustrate thoughts doe voice this right; Lucasta held their torch; thou gav'st it light。                          Francis Lovelace; Col。



                   AD EUNDEM。

En puer Idalius tremulis circumvolat alis; Quem prope sedentem castior uret amor。 Lampada sic videas circumvolitare Pyrausta; Cui contingenti est flamma futura rogus。 Ergo procul fugias; Lector; cui nulla placebunt Carmina; ni fuerint turpia; spurca; nigra。 Sacrificus Romae lustralem venditat undam: Castior est illa Castalis unda mihi: Limpida; et ; nulla putredine spissa; Scilicet ex puro defluit illa jugo。 Ex pura veniunt tam dia poemata mente; Cui scelus est Veneris vel tetigisse fores。                Thomas Hamersley; Eques Auratus。

 Old ed。 SIDENTEM。

 Old ed。 CARTIOR。

 See Scheller's LEX。 TOT。 LAT。 voce PYRAUSTA and PYRALIS



                ON THE POEMS。

How humble is thy muse (Deare) that can daign Such servants as my pen to entertaine! When all the sonnes of wit glory to be Clad in thy muses gallant livery。 I shall disgrace my master; prove a staine; And no addition to his honour'd traine; Though all that read me will presume to swear I neer read thee: yet if it may appear; I love the writer and admire the writ; I my owne want betray; not wrong thy wit。 Did thy worke want a prayse; my barren brain Could not afford it: my attempt were vaine。 It needs no foyle: All that ere writ before; Are foyles to thy faire Poems; and no more。 Then to be lodg'd in the same sheets with thine; May prove disgrace to yours; but grace to mine。                     Norris Jephson; Col。



     TO MY MUCH LOVED FRIEND; RICHARD LOVELACE Esq。

                 CARMEN EROTICUM。

Deare Lovelace; I am now about to prove I cannot write a verse; but can write love。 On such a subject as thy booke I coo'd Write books much greater; but not half so good。 But as the humble tenant; that does bring A chicke or egges for's offering; Is tane into the buttry; and does fox Equall with him that gave a stalled oxe: So (since the heart of ev'ry cheerfull giver Makes pounds no more accepted than a stiver); Though som thy prayse in rich stiles sing; I may In stiver…stile write love as well as they。 I write so well that I no criticks feare; For who'le read mine; when as thy booke's so neer; Vnlesse thy selfe? then you shall secure mine From those; and Ile engage my selfe for thine。 They'l do't themselves;  this allay you'l take; I love thy book; and yet not for thy sake。                     John Jephson; Col。

 TO FOX usually means to intoxicate。  To fox oneself is TO GET DRUNK; and to fox a person is TO MAKE HIM DRUNK。 The word in this sense belongs to the cant vocabulary。 But in the present case; fox merely signifies TO FARE or TO FEAST。

  A Dutch penny。  It is very likely that this individual had served with the poet in Holland。

 Three members of this family; or at least three persons of this name; probably related; figure in the history of the present period; viz。; Colonel John Jephson; apparently a military associate of Lovelace; Norris Jephson; who contributed a copy of verses to LUCASTA; and to the first folio edition of Beaumont and Fletcher's plays; 1647; and William Jephson; whose name occurs among the subscribers to the SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT; 1643。



     TO MY NOBLE AND MOST INGENIOUS FRIEND;    COLONEL RICHARD LOVELACE; UPON HIS 〃LUCASTA。〃

So from the pregnant braine of Jove did rise Pallas; the queene of wit and beautious eyes; As faire Lucasta from thy temples flowes; Temples no lesse ingenious then Joves。 Alike in birth; so shall she be in fame; And be immortall to preserve thy Name。



          ANOTHER; UPON THE POEMS。

Now; when the wars augment our woes and fears; And the shrill noise of drums oppresse our ears; Now peace and safety from our shores are fled To holes and cavernes to secure their head; Now all the graces from the land are sent; And the nine Muses suffer banishment; Whence spring these raptures? whence this heavenly rime; So calme and even in so harsh a time? Well might that charmer his faire Caelia crowne; And that more polish't Tyterus renowne His Sacarissa; when in groves and bowres They could repose their limbs on beds of flowrs: When wit had prayse; and merit had reward; And every noble spirit did accord To love the Muses; and their priests to raise; And interpale their browes with flourishing bayes; But in a time distracted so to sing; When peace is hurried hence on rages wing; When the fresh bayes are from the Temple torne; And every art and science made a scorne; Then to raise up; by musicke of thy art; Our drooping spirits and our grieved hearts; Then to delight our souls; and to inspire Our breast with pleasure from thy charming lyre; Then to divert our sorrowes by thy straines; Making us quite forget our seven yeers paines In the past wars; unlesse that Orpheus be A sharer in thy glory: for when he Descended downe for his Euridice; He stroke his lute with like admired art; And made the damned to forget their smart。                John Pinchbacke; Col

 Many poets have celebrated the charms of a CAELIA; but I apprehend that the writer here intends Carew。

 Waller。

 Original has IS。

 P。 10。 JOHN PINCHBACK; COL'ONEL'。 Pinchback neither is nor was; I believe; a name of common occurrence; and it is just possible that the Colonel may be the very 〃old Jack Pinchbacke〃 mentioned by Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; in his MERRY PASSAGES AND JESTS; of which a selection was given by Mr。 Thoms in his ANECDOTES AND TRADITIONS; 1839。  L'Estrange; it is true; describes the Colonel as a 〃gamester and rufler; daubed with gold lace;〃 but this is not incompatible with the identity between the PINCHBACKE; who figures in LUCASTA; and OLD JACK; who had perhaps not always been 〃a gamester and ruffler;〃 and whose gold lace had; no doubt; once been in better company than that which he seems to have frequented; when L'Estrange knew him。 The 〃daubed gold lace;〃 after all; only corresponds with the picture; which Lovelace himself may have presented in GUNPOWDER ALLEY days。



                                       Villiers Harington; L。C。



  TO HIS MUCH HONOURED FRIEND; MR。 RICHARD LOVELACE; ON HIS POEMS。

He that doth paint the beauties of your verse; Must use your pensil; be polite; soft; terse; Forgive that man whose best of art is love; If he no equall master to you prove。 My heart is all my eloquence; and that Speaks sharp affection; when my words fall flat; I reade you like my mistresse; and discry In every line the quicknesse of her eye: Her smoothnesse in each syllable; her grace To marshall ev'ry word in the right place。 It is the excellence and soule of wit; When ev'ry thing is free as well as fit: For metaphors packt up and crowded close Swath  minds sweetnes; and display the throws; And; like those chickens hatcht in furnaces; Produce or one limbe more; or one limbe lesse Then nature bids。  Survey such when they write; No clause but's justl'd with an epithite。 So powerfully you draw when you perswade; Passions in you in us are vertues made; Such is the 

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