University of Virginia Library

—Is extracted from an ancient historical poem in XIII Books, intitled Albion's England by William Warner: “An author (says a former editor) only unhappy in the choice of his subject, and measure of his verse. His poem is an epitome of the British history, and written with great learning, sense, and spirit. In some places fine to an extraordinary degree, as I think will eminently appear in the ensuing episode [of Argentile and Curan]. A tale full of beautiful incidents, in the romantic taste, extremely affecting, rich in ornament, wonderfully various in style; and

in short, one of the most beautiful pastorals I ever met with.” [Muses library 8vo. 1738.] To this elogium nothing can be objected, unless perhaps an affected quaintness in some of his expressions, and an indelicacy in some of his pastoral images.

Warner is said to have been a Warwickshire man, and to have been educated in Oxford at Magdalene Hall : in the latter part of his life he was retained in the service of Henry Cary lord Hunsdon, to whom he dedicates his poem. More of his history is not known. Tho' now his name is so seldom mentioned, his contemporaries ranked him on a level with Spenser, and called them the Homer and Virgil of their age . But Warner rather resembled Ovid, whose Metamorphosis be seems to have taken for his model, having deduced a perpetual poem from the deluge down to the æra of Elizabeth, full of lively digressions and entertaining episodes. And tho' he is sometimes harsh, affected, and obscure, he often displays a most charming and pathetic simplicity: as where he describes Eleanor's harsh treatment of Rosamond:

The edition of Albion's England here followed was printed in 4to, 1602; said in the title-page to have been “first penned and published by William Warner, and now revised and newly enlarged by the same author.” The story of Argentile and Curan is I believe the poet's own invention; it is not mentioned in any of our chronicles. It was however so much admired, that not many years after he published it, came out a larger poem on the same subject in stanzas of six lines, intitled, “The most pleasant and delightful historie of Curan a prince of Danske, and the fayre princesse

Argentile, daughter and heyre to Adelbright, sometime king of Northumberland, &c. by William Webster. London 1617.” in 8 sheets 4to. An indifferent paraphrase of the following poem.

Tho' here subdivided into stanzas, Warner's metre is the old-fashioned alexandrine of 14 syllables. The reader therefore must not expect to find the close of the stanzas consulted in the pauses.