Part 2

2. Vpon the Faire Ethiopian, &c. 165

3. On marriage 165

4. On Nanus mounted upon an ant 165

5. Vpon Venus putting-on Mars his armes 166

6. Vpon the same 166

7. Out of Martiall 166

II. SACRED EPIGRAMS, NEVER BEFORE PRINTED, 167-205.

+x 1. St. Paul and the viper G. 169

+x 2. The miracle of the loaves G. 169

+x 3. Of the tears of the suffering Christ G. 170

+x 4. The sepulchre of the Lord G. 171

+x 5. The parting words of Love G. 172

+x 6. Herod devoured of worms G. 172

+x 7. It is good to be here G. 173

+x 8. Look on the lilies, &c. R. WI. 173

+x 9. The deaf healed R. WI. 173

+x 10. The modesty of the blessed Virgin G. 174

+x 11. I send you as lambs, &c. G. 174

+x 12. Christ carried by the devil G. 175

+x 13. St. John the Baptist a voice G. 175

+x 14. John the Voice, Christ the Word G. 176

+x 15. On the birth of the Lord, &c. G. 176

+x 16. Of the 'blue-blood' pride of the Athenians G. 177

+x 17. I am the True Vine G. 178

+x 18. The departure of Christ lamented, &c. G. 178

+x 19. On the descent of the Holy Spirit R. WI. 179

+x 20. Life and Death G. 179

+ 21. I am the Doore CR., G. 180

+ 22. Upon the thornes taken downe from our Lord's head, &c. CR., G. 181

+x 23. Nicodemus G. 181

+x 24. To Domitian, concerning St. John, &c. R. WI. 183

+x 25. The voice of the Baptist G. 183

+x 26. On St. Peter loosed by the angel R. WI. 184

+ 27. On St. Peter casting away his nets, &c. CR., G. 184

+x 28. The Lamb of God, &c. G. 185

+x 29. The miraculous draught of fishes G. 186

+x 30. Lord, not my feet only, &c. G. 186

+x 31. Though they beheld so many miracles, &c. G. 186

+x 32. On the cloud which received the Lord R. WI. 187

+x 33. He saw the city, and wept over it G. 188

+x 34. Nor even as this publican R. WI. 189

+x 35. His Disciples came and awoke Him R. WI. 189

+x 36. The woman of Canaan G. 189

+x 37. Wherefore sitteth your Master with sinners, &c. G. 191

+x 38. Miracles of healing, &c. G. 191

+x 39. To St. Luke the physician R. WI. 192

+x 40. He bears His own cross G. 193

+ 41. Upon our Lord's last comfortable discourse, &c. CR., G. 194

+x 42. And they spat upon Him G. 194

+x 43. He besought that He would go with him, &c. G. 194

+x 44. For dread came upon him, &c. G. 196

+ 45. But now they have seen and hated CR., G. 196

+x 46. The blind suppliant G. 197

+x 47. The Pharisees insidiously watching, &c. G. 199

+x 48. Touched the hem of His garment, &c. R. WI. 200

+x 49. The departing Saviour R. WI. 200

+x 50. Paul unfearing [page 45, and] G. 201

+x 51. The message of the Baptist to Christ R. WI. 202

+x 52. Gifts to Jesus R. WI. 202

+x 53. On the blessed Virgin's easy parturition R. WI. 203

+ 54. Upon our Saviour's tombe, &c. CR., G. 204

+x 55. On the Holy Spirit descending, &c. R. WI. 205

+ 56. Life for death CR. 205

+x 57. On the Divine love CR. 205

III. LATIN POEMS. PART FIRST: SACRED. HITHERTO UNCOLLECTED, 207-218.

x Faith, which alone justifies, exists not without hope and love G. 209

x Baptism cancels not after-sins CL. 216

IV. LATIN POEMS. PART FIRST: SACRED. NEVER BEFORE PRINTED, 219-242.

+ Psalm 1. 221

+x Wrath of the judgment-whirlwind R. WI. 221

+x Even so: come, Lord Jesus R. WI. 223

+x Circumcision of Christ R. WI. 225

+x The Virgin Mary, on losing the Child Jesus R. WI. 229

+x War in heaven R. WI. 231

+x We do not receive, but make, a short life R. WI. 233

+x Martyrs R. WI. 235

+x Hope R. WI. 237

+x On Stephen's crown R. WI. 239

x Jesus Christ's expostulation with an ungrateful world R. WI. 241

LATIN POEMS. PART SECOND: SECULAR, 243-92.

I. _From 'Steps to the Temple' and 'Delights of the Muses.'_

x The Bubble G. 247

x Peace of mind, under the similitude of a captive song-bird G. 258

x Gain out of loss G. 263

x Description of human life R. WI. 266

x On Pygmalion A., G. 269

x Arion G. 273

x On Apollo pining for Daphne G. 279

x Aeneas the bearer of his father G. 283

x Of the generation and regeneration of the Phoenix G. 284

x Epitaph A., G. 286

x Elegy R. WI. 289

x Woman a treasury of evils G. 290

LATIN POEMS. PART SECOND: SECULAR. NEVER BEFORE PRINTED, 293-330.

II. _Miscellaneous and Commemorative._

+x The beautiful not lasting G. 296

+x A hymn to Venus G. 300

+x A description of Spring R. WI. 303

+x Priscianus beaten and being beaten R. WI. 308

+x To a Tractate on this subject, &c. R. WI. 315

+ Purgation 317

+x To my most estimable preceptor ... R. Brooke R. WI. 319

x On death of Rev. Dr. Mansell R. WI. 323

x To the Right Hon. Lord Robert Heath, on being made a judge, &c. R. WI. 326

+ Ode on Horace, Lib. ii. 13, in Greek 329

LATIN POEMS. PART SECOND: SECULAR, 331-84.

III. _Royal and Academical._

x The Return of the King A. 333

x To the royal Infant not yet born R. WI. 335

x To the King on recovery from small-pox R. WI. 337

x To her serene Majesty child-bearing in winter R. WI. 339

x To the Queen CL. 342

x To the Queen ... from the university R. WI. 345

x On birth of Princess Mary CL. 346

+x On the same R. WI. 350

x To the Queen R. WI. 354

x The prayer of Peterhouse for the House of God [=its chapel] S.S. 357

x A groan on occasion of the difficult parturition of the remaining works of Peterhouse R. WI., G. 362

x To the venerable man, Master Tournay, &c. CL. 371

x To Master Brooke R. WI. 374

x Epitaph on Dr. Brooke R. WI. 376

x Epitaph on William Herries G. 378

x On the same R. WI. 383

x On the Portrait of Bishop Andrewes CR. 384

Glossarial Index 385

ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOL. II. 4TO.

Photograph of the Cartoon for the memorial-window to Crashaw in Peterhouse, by F. Madox-Brown, Esq. R.A. _facing title-page._

The captive Song-bird, by Mrs. Blackburn _vignette to Essay._

Vignette illustrations, by W.J. Linton, Esq. _pp._ 96, 242, 251, 295, 329, 350, 373, 377.

ESSAY ON THE LIFE AND POETRY OF CRASHAW.[2]

In our Memorial-Introduction (vol. i. p. xxvi.) we make two promises, which fall now to be redeemed:

(_a_) A STUDY OF THE LIFE AND POETRY OF RICHARD CRASHAW.

(_b_) A MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CRASHAW, B.D., HIS FATHER.

The latter is in so many ways elucidative and illuminative of the former, outwardly and inwardly, that I deem it well to give it first.

I. MEMOIR OF WILLIAM CRASHAW, B.D.

The late laborious and accurate Joseph Hunter, in his MS. collections yclept Chorus Vatum, which by rare good fortune are preserved in the British Museum (Addl. MSS. 24.487, pp. 34-39), thus begins, _s.n._

'I am here introducing a name which may be said to be hitherto unknown in the regions of Poetry, and which has been unaccountably passed over by biographical writers of every class; yet one who has just claims on our attention of his own as well as in being the father of Richard Crashaw, whose merits are admitted;' and he continues with a pleasant egotism that one can readily pardon, 'and he has particular claims upon me, as having been a native of the part of the kingdom from which I spring, and bearing a name which is that of a numerous family from whom I descend.'

We shall find onward, that the elder Crashaw had a unique gift of Poetry; but independent of that, a somewhat prolonged acquaintance with his numerous books enables us emphatically to ratify the 'claims' of '_his own_' otherwise--though in strong, even fierce, antagonism as Divine and Writer to his gentle-natured son's after-opinions.

Hitherto, in the brief and meagre notices of his son, and of the paternal Crashaw, it has simply been stated that he was a '_Yorkshireman_.' This is mentioned incidentally in various places. We are now enabled by the interest in our researches of local Antiquaries, together with aid from the Hunter and Cole MSS., to give for the first time family-details. Handsworth, sometimes spelled Hansworth, near Sheffield, one of the hamlets of England in the 'Black Country'--once couched among green fields and hedge-row 'lanes,' though now blighted and begrimed--was the 'nest' of the Crashaws; and there and in the neighbourhood the name is met with until comparatively recent times.[3] The Church-Register goes back to 1558, and under Baptisms, Aug. 24th, 1568, is this entry, 'Thomas, son of Richard Crawshaw, baptised;' and, alas, under the following 'November 14th,' 'Thomas, son of Richard Crawshaw, buried.' Next comes our Worthy:

'1572, October 26th, WILL., son of Richard Crawshaw, baptised.' There follow: January 12th, 1574, 'Francis;' November 24th, 1577, 'Ann'--both baptised; April 26th 1585, 'Richard,' son of Richard, buried; 1591, 'Robert Eairl [_sic_] and Dorothy Crawshaw married;' 1608, November 20th, 'Hellen Crawshaw, widow, buried.' Then in 1609, 1611, 1613, 1615, 1619, 1623, 1627, entries concerning the 'Francis' of 1574 and his household. The name does not reappear until 1682, January 1st, when 'William, son of William Crawshaw, is 'baptised;' and so the usual record of the light and shadow of 'Births and Marriages and Deaths' goes on until July 22d, 1729.

It appears from these Register-data that the father of our William Crashaw was named 'Richard,' and that he died in April 1585, when Master William was passing his 13th year. It also appears that his mother was named 'Hellen,' and that she died as 'a widow' in November 1608. In addition to these entries, I have discovered that this 'Hellen' was daughter of John Routh, of Waleswood; a name of mark in Yorkshire, in itself and through marriages.[4] That we are right in all this is made certain by his Will, wherein our Crashaw (_pater_) leaves 'to the parishe of Hansworth, in Com. Ebor., where I was borne, my owne works, all to be bounde together, to lye in the churche; and fourty shillings in monye to the stocke of the poor of that parishe.'[5] So far as I can gather from several family-tables which have been furnished to me, _the_ Richard Crashaw, father of our William Crashaw, was son of another Richard Crashaw, who in turn was Rector of Aston, next parish to Handsworth, in 1539. Thus, if not of 'blue blood' in the heraldic sense, the Crashaws must have been well-to-do; for they are found not only intermarrying with good Yorkshire families, but also occupying considerable social status: _e.g._ a son of Francis--described as of Hansworth-Woodhouse, a hamlet of Hansworth--brother of William, was admitted to the freedom of the Cutlers' Company of Sheffield in 1638, and was Master in 1675. I have lineal descents brought down to the present year; and the annals of the House may hold their own in family-histories.[6] Our Worthy had life-long intercourse and life-long friendships with the foremost in Yorkshire, as his Will genially and quaintly testifies.

Fatherless in his 13th-14th year, his widowed mother must have been in circumstances pecuniarily that enabled her to have William, at least, '_prepared_' for the University. He was of renowned 'St. John's,' Cambridge, designated by him his 'deere nurse and spirituall mother.'[7] A MS. note by Thomas Baker, in his copy of 'Romish Forgeries and Falsifications' (1606), now in the Library of St. John's, furnishes almost the only definite notice of his University career that I have met with, as follows: 'Guil. Crashawe Eboracensis admissus socius Coll. Jo. pro Dna Fundatrice, authoritate Regia, sede vacante Epi. Elien. 19 Jan. 1593.'[8] Such is the 'entry' as given by Baker; but in the original it is as follows: 'Gulielmus Chrashawe Eboracensis admissus sum sisator pro Mr. Alveye Maij 1, 1591.' The Master and each senior Fellow chose sizars at this date. Again: 'Ego Gulielmus Crashawe Eboracensis admissus sum socius huius Collegij pro domina fundatrice, Authoritate regia, sede vacante Episcopi Eliensis, 19 Januarij 1593' [_i.e._ 1593-4]. The Bishop of Ely had the right of nominating one Fellow.[9] The See of Ely was vacant from the death of Bishop Richard Cox, 22d July 1581, to the occupancy of Martin Heton in 1598-9. Hence it came that the Queen presented Crashaw to the fellowship of St. John's. (See Baker's St. John's, by Mayor (vol. i. p. 438), for more details.) This was somewhat late. How he obtained the patronage of Elizabeth does not appear. The entry in 'White Vellum Book' of the College Treasury runs simply, 'Being crediblie informed of the povertie and yet otherwise good qualities and sufficiencie of Wm. Crashaw, B.A.' &c. The opening paragraphs of his Will characteristically recount his successive ecclesiastical appointments and preferments, and hence will fittingly come in here. 'In the name of the true and everlivinge God, Amen. I William Crashawe, Bachelor in Divinitie, Preacher of God's Worde. Firste at Bridlington, then at Beverley in Yorkshire. Afterwards at the Temple; since then Pastor of the Churche of Ag[nes] Burton, in the diocese of Yorke; nowe Pastor of that too greate Parishe of White-Chappell in the suburbs of London: the unworthye and unprofitable servante of God, make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament.' Previous to the death of Elizabeth he had been '_deprived_' of a 'little vicarage' ('A Discourse on Popish Corruptions requiring a Kingly Reformation:' MS. in Royal Library). Inquiries at Bridlington, formerly Burlington, and the several places named, have resulted in nothing, from the destruction of muniments, &c. In the earlier he must have been 'Curate' only. His many legacies of his 'owne workes,' which were to 'lye' in many churches, have all perished, or at least disappeared; and equally so his various 'monyes' for the 'poore.' It is sorrowful to find how so very often like provisions are discovered to have gone out of sight, to an aggregate few indeed suspect.

With Agnes Burton he had closer relations, inasmuch as one 'item' of his Will runs: 'The next avoydance of Ag. Burton, taken in my brother's name (for which he knoweth what hath byn offered), I give and bequeathe the same to my said brother Thomas, to be by him disposed to some worthy man.'

He describes 'Mr. Henry Alvay,' 'the famous Puritan,' as his 'ffather in Christ,' in bequeathing him 'one siluer pott with a cover loose, parcell guilt, of about 13 ounces.'[10] When, or from whom, he received 'orders' and ordination does not appear, but what our Worthy became as a Preacher his 'Sermons' remain to attest. They attest his evangelical fervour even to passion, his intense convictions, his wistful tenderness alternated with the most vehement rebuke of fashionable sins and worldliness, his deep personal love for the Lord Jesus, and a strangely pathetic yearning for all men to be 'safe' in Him. He had a kind of holy ubiquity of zeal in occupying pulpits where 'witness' was to be borne 'for the Truth.' His motto, found in a copy of Valerius Maximus, and elsewhere, was 'Servire Deo regnare est' (Notes and Queries, 3d S. vii. 111). America ought to prize his Sermon 'Preached in London before the Right Honourable the Lord Lawarre, Lord Governour and Captaine Generall of Virginia, and others of his Maiestie's Counsell for that Kingdome, and the rest of the Adventurers in that Plantation. At the said Lord Generall his leaue-taking of England, his natiue countrey, and departure for Virginia, February 21, 1609. By W. Crashaw, Bachelar of Divinitie, and Preacher at the Temple. Wherein both the lawfulnesse of that Action is maintained, and the necessity thereof is also demonstrated, and so much out of the grounds of Policie, as of Humanity, Equity and Christianity. Taken from his mouth, and published by direction.' 1610. The running heading is 'A New Yeere's Gift to Virginea.' The text is St. Luke xxii. 32: 'I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.' There is no nobler Sermon than this of the period; and it is only one of various equally eloquent, impressive, and powerful. Politically the Preacher saw far ahead, and his patriotism is chivalrous as Sidney's. Dr. Donne later preached for the same Virginia Company. He had 'sought' to go as secretary in the outset.

Our Worthy was twice married. Of his first wife--mother of Richard, our 'sweet Singer'--I have failed utterly to get so much as her name. Of his second wife there remains a privately-printed tractate entitled 'The Honovr of Vertve, or the Monument erected by the sorowfull Husband, and the Epitaphes annexed by learned and worthy men, to the immortall memory of that worthy gentlewoman Mrs. Elizabeth Crashawe. Who dyed in child-birth, and was buried in Whit-Chappell, October 8, 1620. In the 24 yeare of her age.' Of inconceivable interest would this remarkable tractate have been, had this been the Poet's mother; but the date shows that Hunter, in his 'Chorus Vatum,' and others, are mistaken in their statement that she was such. Richard Crashaw was born in 1612-3, while the 'Epitaphes' and other allusions touchingly inform us that this fatal 'child-birth' was, 'as she most surely expected,' of her only child. The great Usher preached her funeral-sermon, 'at which Sermon and Funerall was present one of the greatest Assemblies that ever was seene in man's memorie at the burial of any priuate person.' The illustrious Preacher--who 'vseth,' the Memorial says, 'to be very wary and modeste in commendation'--is very full and articulate in his praises of the dead. One bit we read with wet eyes; for among other traits Usher praises 'her singular motherly affection _to the child of her predecessor_--a rare vertue [as he noted] in step-mothers at this day.'[11] One can scarcely avoid a sigh that such a 'step-mother' was not spared to such a 'child.' No 'quick' name is found to any of the Verse, nor is the Verse intrinsically very memorable, except for its wealth of sympathy towards the Widower.[12]