Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 12.djvu/124

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JNOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. xn. A. 14, 1915.

It is known that N abbes lived in London from about the year 1630 ; but several allusions to Worcester in his miscellaneous poems (e.g., his ' Encomium on the Leaden Steeple at Worcester,' and his verses he dranke at the Towne of Wich in Worcester- shire') have been understood as showing that he spent the earlier years of his life in that neighbourhood. The writer has discovered that he was educated at the King's School, Worcester, under Canon Henry Bright, one of the most famous head masters of his time, whom Anthony .a Wood, Aubrey, Fuller, and other seven- teenth-century authorities mention in terms of the highest praise. Nabbes was elected to a King's Scholarship 20 April, 1616, and vacated it 23 June, 162Q, He matriculated from Exeter College, Oxford, 3 May, 1621, as " Thomas Nabber, Wore. pleb. fil., aged 16," a fact omitted in Mr. Bullen's memoir, but given in the ' D.N.B.' In Chambers' s ' Biographical Illustrations of Worcestershire ' the date of Nabbes' s death is given as 1 645, tout all other biographers by their silence confess entire ignorance on this point. The writer has been unable to discover on what authority Chambers made the state- ment, and would be glad of any information.
 * Upon some excellent strong Beere which

In Nabbes' s poem ' Upon losing his way in a Forest,' &c., occur the lines,

And Hermes thou whose understanding eye

Sees all the secrets of Phylosophie ;

Thou cunning Moule that knowest to work thy

way Through thickest mysteries to the cieerest day

Of radiant Knowledge

There is a note to the name " Hermes '' stating that the allusion is to " An Astrologer in the company that maintained a nuncius inanimatus to bee effected by the beanies of the Moone, and many other ridiculous things." It is possible that this " cunning Moule " was a certain Henry Mowle alias Randall or Randolph, who was born in 1569, was hypodidascalus at the King's School, Worcester,. 1589-1627, archididascalus 1627-43, and died at his rectory of Knight- wick, Worcestershire, in 1644.

In 1638 was published a poem entitled ' Worcester's Elegie and Eulogie,' by John Toy, afterwards head master of the King's School, commemorating the terrible plague which fell upon the city of Worcester in 1637, and the generosity shown by various bodies and individual gentlemen to the distressed inhabitants. Prefixed to this work are four pieces of commendatory verse, the third of which, ending with a pun

on the name Toy, is addressed ' To his countrvman, the Author,' and is signed "T. N. ":

I cannot but commend thy song and thee Though it be all cromaticke harmonie ; And therefore proper to the subject, where Each note should be a groan, each close a tear. Yet above all I must thy zeale preferre That mak'st thy ivorke a grateful Register Of actions and their owners, that will be A faire example for posteritie.

I know thy Muse was sad like those sad tinif* Fitter for Dirges than for lively rithmcs : But Libitina's is neglected now ; And other altars with their incense glow. Sing then some active straines, that may inspire Thy hearers (like thine owne Pliebean fire) With imitation ; How'd the Muses joy Were ev'ry child o' th' Braine no worse a Toy 2

T. N.

With these verses compare the following lines from a poem by Nabbes entitled ' An Elegie on the death of the hopefull Mr. William Roberts, aged 11,' &c. : What subject hath Death brought for my sad

Muse

To practise art, and sorrow on ? to use (Her lightsome layes, & spriteful ay res laid by) Some mixture of Cromatick harmonie ?

Come Libitina then ; deck thy sad browes

The evidence for ascribing these com- mendatory verses to Nabbes may be thus summarized :

1. The initials T. N.

2. The allusion to Libitina a favourite one with Nabbes the quaint phrase cro- maticke harmonie, and, it may be safely added, the general style.

3. The dedication To his countryman, both Toy and Xabbes being Worcestershire men.

4. The date, 1638. All the known pieces of commendatory verses by Xabbes were written during the period 1637-41.

Here surely is proof sufficient to justify the inclusion of these verses by T. N. among the miscellaneous poems of Thomas Nabbes, though it must be confessed they are unlikely to enhance his literary reputation.

CYRIL HANCOCK.

MARK AKENSIDE. There has just come into my possession, through second-hand book sources, a copy of Mark Akeiisicle's ' The Pleasures of Imagination,' inscribed as "a new edition " of the Hampstead poet's and physician's work, which was originally published byDodsley in 1744, and remodelled in 1757. The date upon its title- page is 1814, and it is prefixed by a critical essay on the poem by another Hampstead