Thus old expiring oakes crush, and create
Fame from their fall, and triumph from their fate,
The courage was not choler heere; the flame,
Not from complexion, but from vertue came:
Valour's not borne of nature, but the will;
They only conquer that with judgment kill.
The fire subdues the ayre, yet his proud rayes
Still without trophies win still without bayes.
The mind, not the tough flesh, was his defence;
He lost the feare of wounds, but not the sense;
That were t' have been some engine, and a stroak
Had prov'd him a burst javeline, or sword broak;
His scarrs had then been cracks, and every blow
Had hurt the weapon; statues conquer so.
No such resistance here, the veines were known,
Noble, and cleare as saphires, yet not stone.
The wars were not his plot, he did not eat

By the sword and wounds, and skirmish for his meat.
He could be stout in peace, and the same ray
Threw lightning in the field, in the court day.
Eagles are eagles though no foe appeare;

Good perfumes, though unchaf'd, sweet incense reare;
No conquest made him swell, an equall brow
Sustain'd the lawrel, and the cypresse bough
The same calme view'd retreates and victories,
One compos'd sense heard shoutes, and elegies.
"Weake spirits count their going back a doome,
And if they but retire, are straight orecome:
Those jewels cast a faint and drowsy light,
Which cause they are once sullied, are lesse bright:
The current stopt, grew greater here, and he
That did retyre a streame, return'd a sea.
No rudenesse made the publick shares more thin,
Spoiles were his purchase only, ne're his sin
No rich foe made him glad; no needy, pause;
He fought not 'gainst the booty, but the cause;
He punish't cities, pass'd no village by,
The just heat scorcht the phoenix with the fly:
And having now subdude the Spanish pride,
He saw no foe could kill him, and so dy'd.

M: LEW ELLIN."

Of this author some notices may be derived from Wood's Athen. Oxon. II. 700.* *

J. J. P.

*The above elegy may be found in Men-Miracles with other cemes, by the same author, where it is entitled "second edition," and has several variations.

The Story of King Lear from Caxton's Chronicle, 1480.

As the commentators upon Shakspeare have not printed any text of the story of KING LEAR of a more ancient date than that of Holinshed's impression, and as Mr. Burnett, in his Specimens of Early English Prose Writers, has contented himself with the antiquity of Fabian's text, it may probably gratify some of your curious readers if I subjoin the most ancient printed text of it in existence; with variations from another text of nearly equal antiquity. In the following pages, therefore, will be found a faithful imprint of it from CAXTON'S CHRONICLE of 1480; compared with the text of the same printed at ST. ALBANS; from a copy of each impression in the library of Earl Spencer.

"Of kyng Leir and of the ansuere of his yongest doughter that graciously was maried to the kyng of fraunce. Ca. XII.

"After this kyng Bladud regned Leir his sone and this Leir made the toune of leycestre and let calle the toune after his name and he gouerned the toune well and nobely This kyng Leir had iij. doughters the fyrst was called Gonorill the second Rigan and the thridde Cordeill and the yongest doughter was fairest and best of condicions The kyng hir fadre became an olde man and wold that his doughtres were maried er that he deide, but first he thought to assay whiche of hem loued hym most and best, for she that loued hym best shold best bene maried and he axed of the fyrste doughter how moche she hym loued and she ansuerd and said better than hir owne

VARIATIONS in the ST. ALBAN's edition.

bthis' omitted.

<< well.'

a Son to Bladud.' 4 her which usually precedes 'father' instead of the.']

lyfe.

lyfe, Nowe certes quod the fadre that is a grete loue Tho axed he of the second doughter how moche she him loued and she said more and passyng all the creatures off the worlde [ar] ma foy qd the fadre I may no more axe And tho axed he of the thridde doughter how moche she hym loued certes fadre quod she my sustres haue tolde yow glosing wordes, but forsoth I shall stelle trouth, for I loue yow as moch as I ought to loue my fadre and for to bring yow more in certain how I loue yow I shall yow telle as moche as ye bene worth so moche shall ye be loued The kyng hir fadre wente that she had scorned hym and become wonder wroth and swore by heuen and erth she sholde neuer hane" good of hym but his doughtres that loued hym so moche sholde bene well auaunted and maried And the first doughter he maried to Maugles kyng of Scotland, and the second he maried to hanemos Erle of Cornewaille and so they ordeyned and spake bitwene hem that they sholde departe the Reame bitwene hem two after the deth of kyng Leir hir fadre so that Cordeill his yongest doughter shold no thyng haue of his land, but this Cordeill was wonder faire and of so k good condicions and † maners that the kyng of fraunce Agampe herde of hir speke and sente to the kyng leir hir fadre for to haue hir vn to his wyfe and praied hym therof and kyng Leir hir fadre sent hym word that he had departed The londem vnto his two doughtres" and said he had no more lande wher with hir to marien.

"And whan Agape herde this ansuer he sente anone ayene to leir and said that he axed no thyng with hir but onely hir clothyng and hir boby And anone kyng leir sent hir ouer the see to the kyng of fraunce And he resseyued hir with moche wurshipp and with moche P solempnite hir spoused and made hir quene of frannce. §

• Erroneously printed for haue.’ † The ' and' is turned upside down. § For fraunce.'

For body.'

"Howe kyng leir was driven out of his land thurgh his folie and howe Cordeil his yongest* doughter helpe hym in his nede. Capitulo xiij.

"Thus it fel afterward that tho ij. eldest doughtren wolde nat abide till leir hir fadre was dede but werred vpon hym whiles that he leued and moche sorwe† and shame hym did wher for they benomen hym holy the roialme and bitwene hem had ordeyned that one of hem shold haue kyng leir to soiourne all his lyfe tyme with xl. kughtest and squyuers that he myght wurshipfully gone and ride whidder that he wolde in to what contre that bym liked to pley and to solace. So that Managles kyng of Scotland had kyng leir with hym in the maner as is aboue said and or othir half yere wer passed Corneill that was his eldest doughter and quene of Scotland was so a noied of hym and of his peple that anone she and hir lorde spake to gedre wherfor his knyghtes half and his squyers from hym were gone and no mo left but only xxx. and when this was done leir bigan for to make moche sorwe for encheson that his estate was empeired. And men had of hym more scorne and despite then euer they had bifor wherfor he nist what for to done and at the last thought that he wolde wende in to Cornewaill to Rigan his othir doughter And when he was come the Erle and his wif that was leires doughter hym welcomed and with hym made moche Joye and ther he duelled with xxx. knyshtes and squyers And he had nought duelled ther scarsely tuelfmonth that his doughter of hym was fully and of his 2 co panie and hir lorde and she of hym had scorne and despite, so that from xxx. knyghtes they broughten vnto x. and afterward v. and so there left with hym no mo. Tho made he sorwe y nowh aud § said sore wepyng Allas that euer he come in to that londe and said yit had me better to haue duelled with my fyrst doughter And anon wened thennes to his fyrst doughter But anone as

b

t for sorrowe.'
§ for and.

h

she saw hym come she swore by god and his holy names and by as moche as she myght that he shold haue no mo with hym but one knyght yf he wolde ther abide Tho bigan leir ayen weepe and made moche sorwe and said tho allas nowe to long haue I lyuet that this sorwe and meschief is to me nowe falle For nowe am I porer that some tyme was riche, but nowe haue I no frende ne kyn that me wull do any good But when I was riche all men me honoured and wurshipped and nowe euery man hath of me scorne and despite, and nowe I wote well that Cordeill my yongeste doughter said me trougth when she said as moche as I had so moche shold I bene beloued and alle the while that I had good tho was I beloued and honoured for my ricchesse but my two doughtres glosed me tho and nowe of me they sette litell pris and soth tolde me Cordeill but I wolde nat beleue it ne understond and therfore I let hir gone fro me as a thing that I sette litell pris of, and nowe wote I neuer what for to done sith my ij doughtres haue me thus disceyued that I so moche loued, and nowe mot I nedes sechen hir that is in an othir land that lightely I let hir gone fro me withoute any rewarde or yiftes and she said that she loued me as moche as she ought to loue hir fadre by all maner of reson and tho I sholde haue axed of hir no more, and tho that me othirwise behighten thurgh hir fals speche nowe haue me disceyued. In this maner Leir long tyme began to make his mone and at the last he shope hym to the see and passed ouer in to fraunce and asked and aspied wher the Qnene* myght be founden, and men tolde hym where she was And whan he come to the Cite that she was in, preuelich he sent his squyer vnto the quene to telle hir that hir fadre was comen to hir for grete nedes And when the squyer come to the quene he tolde hir euery dele of hir sustres from the begynnyng vnto the ende Cordeill the quene anone toke gold and siluer plente and toke it to the squyer in counceille that he shold gone & bere it vn to hir fadre and that he shold go in to a certain Cite and hym araien laten and wasshen and than come ayene to hir and bring with hym an honest companye of knyghtes xl. attem