The most elegant, and elabourate Poems Of that Great Court-wit, M^r William Drummond. Whose Labours, both in Verse and Prose, being heretofore so precious to Prince Henry, and to K. Charles, Shall live and flourish in all Ages whiles there are men to read them, or Art & Judgment to approve them.
Horat. Carm. Lib. 1. --Multaq; pars mei Vitabit Libitinam--
_London, Printed for William Rands Bookseller, at his House over against the Beare Taverne in Fleetstreet,_ 1659.
Collation: A-O⁴, paged. Engraved portrait by R. Gaywood. The titlepage is a cancel pasted over the original one printed by W. H. for the Company of Stationers in 1656. Address to the reader signed E. P. Commendatory verses signed: Edw: Phillips, D. F. (Lat.), (one copy in Lat. unsigned), Iohn Spotswood, Mary Oxlie of Morpet. ‘Tears on the Death of Moeliades’, ‘The Wandering Muses’ and ‘Speeches to the high and excellent Prince, Charles, ... Delivered from the Pageants the 15^th of June, 1633’, have each a separate titlepage with the imprint ‘London, Printed in the Yeare, 1656.’ The ‘Poems’ were first published in 1616 and the present edition appears to be the third; both the former ones however had several issues.
Du Bartas his Deuine Weekes and Workes: With A Complete Collection of all the other most delightfull Workes, Translated and Written by that famous Philomusus Josuah Syluester, Gent. With Additions. _London, Printed by Robert Young, and are to bee sold by William Hope, at the signe of the Unicorne in Cornehill,_ 1641.
Collation: 3 leaves unsigned, A⁶B⁸C-3M⁶, paged. Engraved portrait of Sylvester signed Corn: v. Dalen facing engraved titlepage signed R. Elstracke, the inscription on which is altered from the previous edition of 1633. The printed titlepage follows. Anagram on James Stuart. French and Italian verses to James signed Josua Sylvester and J. S. respectively. ‘Corona Dedicatoria’. Table of contents. Woodcut portrait of Du Bartas with verses in French and English. Verses on Sylvester signed John Vicars. Printer’s address to the reader. Memorial to Sidney. Verses ‘Indignis’ and ‘Optimis’. Commendatory verses in Latin signed: Jo. Bo. Miles, Car. Fitz-Geofridus Lati-Portensis, (2 copies unsigned), E. L. Oxon., G. B. Cantabrig.; in English signed: Ben Jonson, John Davies of Hereford, Jos. Hall, Samuel Daniel, G. Gay-wood; also Jo. Mauldeus Germanus (Lat.), Si. Ca. Gen. (Lat.), E. G., R. H., R. R., R. N. Gent, and R. N. Various parts have separate titlepages, and more dedicatory verses, etc. At sig. 2G1 begins ‘A Briefe Index, explaining most of the hardest words’, preceding the ‘History of Judith’. On I 4^v is a woodcut of Eden, and after 3H 1 is inserted a folding plate facing the titlepage of the ‘Posthumi’. Mr Hazlitt (H. 171) supposes that the first edition appeared in 1593, but only separate portions are known of this, or of the 1598-99 edition. The earliest of which complete copies survive is that of 1605-7. The present is the last and most complete edition and contains some of Sylvester’s original poems.