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Life and Death of Edmund Geninges, (alias Ironmonger.) 4to. Portrait and Plates. St. Omers. 1614.

Gulston, 21.; Townley, 51.; G. Nassau, 1824, blue morocco, 127. 5s.

"Edmund Jennings," says Granger, "was admitted into the English College, at Rheims, under Dr. afterwards Cardinal Allen, and when he was 20 years of age, ordained Priest. He was soon afterwards sent into England, where he was apprehended in the act of celebrating Mass. He was executed by hanging and quartering in Gray's Inn Fields, Dec. 10th, 1591."

In the above rare book are several Historical Prints, representing the principal circumstances of his Life and Death. This work was published at a considerable expence by the Papists, in order to perpetuate the remembrance of two " Miracles," which are there said to have happened at his death. The first is, that, after his heart was taken out, he said, "Sancte Gregori, ora pro me," which the Hangman hearing, swore, "God's wounds! see his heart is in my hand; yet Gregory is in his mouth." The other is, that an holy Virgin being desirous of procuring some relick of him, contrived to approach the basket into which his quarters were thrown, and touched his right hand, which she esteemed most holy from its having been employed in acts of consecration and elevating the Host, and immediately his thumb came off without force or discovery, and she carried it home, and preserved it with the greatest care.

Han ay's (Patrick).—The Nightingale, Sheretine, and Mariana-A Happy Husband-Effigies on the Death of Queen Anne-Songs and Sonnets. 8vo. For Mat. Butler. 1622. *With Portrait of the Author on the engraved Title.

"Of this Sonnetteer," says Granger, vol. ii. p. 17, “ I find no mention made by any of our Biographical Authors."

Beloe, in his Anecdotes, calls the above "a book by no means of common occurrence;" and from its estimation among Collectors, if we may judge from the price it has obtained in three recent sales, he appears to have been pretty correct in his appreciation of its rarity.

At Mr. Bindley's sale it produced 357. 148.; at Mr. Perry's, 1822, 381. 68. described as containing the Portraits of Hannay and of his Patroness, Anne of Denmark. Sir M. Sykes's copy, which had been Mr. Bindley's, sold, in 1824, for 427. 10s. 6d.

The following extracts may be found in Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature, vol. vi. and which I hope I shall be excused fo abstracting, considering the value of the Book cited, and the difficulty of obtaining even a glance at such Bibliomaniacal Desiderata.

Experienced Nature in this latter age,

Willing her master-piece should then be wrought,
Such my faire Celia set on Earth's large stage,
As all the Gods in emulation brought,

For they did thinke if Nature only might
Brag of her worth, she should insult o're them;
Wherefore they 'greed to have an equal right,
That they of her perfection part might claime:
Pallas gave wisdome, Juno statelinesse,
And the milde morning gave her modestie;

The Grace's carriage, Venus lovelinesse,

And chaste Diana choisest chastitie.

Thus heaven and earth their powers did combine
To make her perfect, kind love made her mine,

TO CELIA.

Once early as the ruddy bashfull morne

Did leave wan Phoebus purple streaming bed,
And did with scarlet streames east Heaven adorne,
I to my fairest Cælia's chamber sped:

She, goddesse-like, stood combing of her haire,
Which like a sable vaile did cloathe her round,
Her ivorie combe was white, her hand more faire,
She straight and tall, her tresses trailed to ground,
Amazed I stood, thinking my deere had beene
Turn'd goddesse, every sense to sight was gone,
With bashfull blush my blisse fled I once seene,
Left me transformed as it were in stone,

Yet did I wish so ever to have remained,
Had she but stay'd, and I my sight retained,

Drayton's (Michael) Poly-Olbion, with the second part, folio. Frontispiece and Portrait of Prince Henry by Hole, and all the other Plates. 1613-1622.

- Col. Stanley's sale, 1813, 97. 19s. 6d.; G. Nassau, Esq. 1824, 51.

"In 1613," says Phillips's Theatrum Poetarum, 8vo. 1800,' "Drayton published the first part of his Poly-olbion, by which Greek title, signyfying very happy, he denotes England; as the antient name of Albion is by some derived from Olbion, happy. It is a chorographical description of the rivers, moun

tains, forests, castles, &c. in this Island, intermixed with it's remarkable antiquities, rarities, and commodities. Prince Henry, to whom this first part is dedicated, and of whom it exhibits a Print, in a military posture, exercising a pike, had shewn the Poet some singular marks of his favor: the immature death, therefore, of this young Prince, was a great loss to him. There are eighteen songs in this volume, illustrated with the learned notes of Selden; and there are maps before every song, wherein the cities, mountains, forests, rivers, &c. are represented by the figures of men and women. His metre of twelve syllables being now antiquated, it is quoted more for the History than the Poetry in it; and in that respect is so very exact, that, as Bishop Nicholson observes, it affords a much truer account of this kingdom and the dominion of Wales, than could well be expected from the pen of a Poet. It is interwoven with many fine Episodes; of the conquest of this Island by the Romans; of the coming of the Saxons, the Danes, and the Normans, with an account of their Kings; of English Warriors, Navigators, Saints, and of the Civil Wars of England, &c. This volume was reprinted in 1622, with the Second Part, or continuation of twelve Songs more, making thirty in the whole, and dedicated to Prince Charles, to whom he gives hopes of bestowing the like pains upon Scotland."

Winstanley, in his Lives of the English Poets, says of Drayton that "he was a Poet of a pious temper, his conscience. having always the command of his fancy; very temperate in his life, slow of speech, and inoffensive in company. He changed his laurel for a crown of glory, anno 1631, and was buried in Westminster Abbey."

Smith's (Captn. John) History of Virginia, New England,

1624. With Frontispiece,

and the Summer Isles. Folio. containing the Portraits of Queen Elizabeth, King James 1st, and Prince Charles; also the scarce Portraits of the Duchess of Richmond and Matoako,* the Portrait of Captn. Smith on the Map of New England, and several other Maps and Prints. Folio. 1624.†

A fine copy of this book, handsomely bound, was in Collins the bookseller's catalogue, a few years back, marked 87. 8s.— Payne and Foss mark a copy at 67. 6s.-At Dr. F. Bernard's sale, in 1698, a copy sold for four shillings and two pence!! A large paper copy at Hunter's sale, in 1813, produced 271. 6s.

It is remarked by Mr. Grenville (says Dibdin), that sheet O in this work is suppressed, and that the defective paging from 96 to 105 is not supplied in ALL the copies of this book.

Captain John Smith, Admiral of New England, (says Granger,) deserves to be ranked with the greatest travellers and adventurers of his age. He was sometime in the service of the Emperor, and the Prince of Transylvania, against the Grand Signior, where he distinguished himself by challenging three Turks of quality to single combat, and cutting off their heads,

* The Portrait of Matoako, by Simon Passe, alone is valued by Caulfield at 41. 4s. Smith's own Portrait, by Passe, of an 8vo. size, is at top on left hand corner of the Map of New England, and also occurs several times on another Map belonging to the same History. See Granger, vol. i. p. 399.

An Edition, folio, dated 1632, with Portraits and Plates, sold in the sale of G. Nassau's Library, 1824, for 77.

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