Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 2.djvu/22

 2. The Queen of Arragon, a Tragi-Comedy, which play he shewed to Philip Earl of Pembroke, who having a high opinion of it, caused it to be acted at court, and afterwards to be published, the contrary to the author's inclination.

3. Observations on History, Lond. 1641, 8vo.

4. History of Edward IV. Lond. 1640, in a thin folio, written and published at the desire of King Charles I. which in the opinion of some critics of that age, was too florid for history, and fell short of that calm dignity which is peculiar to a good historian, and which in our nation has never been more happily attained than by the great Earl of Clarendon and Bishop Burnet. During the civil war, Mr. Habington, according to Wood, temporized with those in power, and was not unknown to Oliver Cromwell; but there is no account of his being raised to any preferment during the Protector's government. He died the 30th of November, 1654.

We shall present the readers with the prologue to the Queen of Arragon, acted at Black-Fryars, as a specimen of this author's poetry.


 * Ere we begin that no man may repeat,
 * Two shillings, and his time, the author sent
 * The prologue, with the errors of his play,
 * That who will, may take his money and away.
 * First for the plot, 'tis no way intricate
 * By cross deceits in love, nor so high in state,
 * That we might have given out in our play-bill
 * This day's the Prince, writ by Nick Machiavil.
 * The language too is easy, such as fell
 * Unstudied from his pen; not like a spell
 * Big with mysterious words, such as inchant
 * The half-witted, and confound the ignorant.
 * Then, what must needs, afflict the amourist,
 * No virgin here, in breeches casts a mist

Before