dedicates his "Maronides; or, Virgil Travestie, 8vo. 1673, to the said Dr. Val. Oldis. He died in 1685, aged sixty-five years, and was buried near his father. See the pedigree of the Oldis's."* This ART. VIII. THOMAS RAWLINS. person was engraver to the Mint, 1648. He died in that employment in 1670. He was author of a Tragedy, called " Rebellion," 1640, 4to. and again 154, 4to. He also published a book of Poems, under the title of "Calanthe," 8vo. 1648; and likewise, if not the same "Good Friday; or, divine Meditations on the Passion of Christ;" and with it some other small pieces of poetry, 4to. 1663. † ART. IX. THOMAS JORDAN. Jordan was first a player in the company at the Red Bull. After the Restoration he was city poet, and described several Lord Mayors' Shows. He was succeeded by Matthew Taubman, and he by Elkanah Settle, who was the last, There was a little collection of Jordan's verses, *From Oldys's MS. notes to Langbaine. In the article Oldys, in the General Biographical Dictionary, Vol. XI. p. 315, are mentioned "Memoirs of the Oldys family" which in a note are said to be among the Birch MSS. No. 4240, and to contain an account of the family, drawn up by W. Oldys himself. Alexander Oldys called "The Little Poet," and sometimes "The English Scarron," appears by this MS. to have been a relation of W, Q. Oldys's MS, ut supra. See also Walp Anecd. of Painting, ii. 256. called, "Wit in a Wilderness of Promise----Poesic," in 8vo. a pamphlet without date, dedicated to Dr. Thomas Turner, Dean of Canterbury, printed in Oliver's time by the encomiums on red noses in it. He has also some acrostics, anagrams, and epigrams; and in most of his other compositions, instances of low wit, and poor stile Yet his friend Henry Stonestreet has two copies in praise of him, and in praise of his old acquaintance John Tatham. : Thomas Jordan also published " A royal arbour of loyal poems, &c." 1663; also "Pictures of passions, fancies, and affections, in variety of characters," 8vo. no date also" Piety and Poetry," &c. 8vo. no date: also "The Muses Melody, in a consort of Poetry," &c. by the same, 8vo. no date: also, "Jewels of ingenuity set in a coronet of poetry," 8vo. no date: also "A nursery of novelties for delightful censure, 8vo. no date also " A Rosary of rarities in a garden of poetry:" also "Music and poetry in raillery and drollery" also " Clarigil and Clarinda in a forest of fancies," 8vo. no date. In the "Rosary of rarities in a garden of poetry," 8vo. no date, but printed about 1662, is a comical entertainment made for Sir Thomas Allen, Lord Mayor, and the Aldermen, in 1659. He has besides "Jordan's Cabinet of Mirth," in two parts, or vols. 8vo. 1674, consisting of jests, stories, &c. "Rules to know a Royal King from a disloyal subject, &c." by T. Jordan, 4to. 1647. He died about the latter end of Charles II.* For his dramatic works, see the Biographia Dramatica. Oldys's MSS. ut supra. ART. ART. X. THOMAS HEYWOOD. This author, who was an actor, and lived in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, King James, and King Charles I. was the most voluminous dramatic writer, that this nation or indeed any other ever produced, except the celebrated Spanish playwright, Lopez de Vega. He wrote a poem, called "The Hierarchy of the Blessed Angels, with notes," fol. Lond. 1635. "In reading over this book," says Langbaine, "I find our author informing the world that he intended to commit to the public view the lives of the poets, foreign and modern, from the first before Homer to the novissimi and last, of what nation or language soever, so far as any history or chronology would give him "But this work," continues Langbaine, warrant." "notwithstanding our author's intention, I presume, was never completed, or at least published." On this Oldys observes, "it was too wide a plan: he would have found enough to have made him weary in giving an account of the poets of his own country, which no man has yet done. The scheme of William Brown, the pastoral poet, was more modest and practicable; of whom, Nat. Carpenter in his Geography, lib. ii. p. 364, says "that as Brown had honoured his country with elegant pastorals, so he further graced it by drawing out the line of his poetical ancestors from Josephus Iscanius down to himself; a noble design had it been effected." * * Oldys's MSS. ut supra. ART. ART. XI. The Muses Sacrifice; or, Divine Meditations. London, Printed by T. S. for George Norton, and are to be sold at his Shop, under the Black Bell within Temple Bar, 1612. 12mo. This was written by John Davies of Hereford, as appears by his name subscribed to the dedication. The author died about 1618, and an account of him may be found in Wood's Athenæ, I. 444. These meditations are in verse, and dedicated "To the most noble and no less deservedly renowned Ladies, as well darlings as patronesses of the Muses, Lucy Countess of Bedford, Mary Countess Dowager of Pembroke, and Elizabeth, Lady Cary, wife of Sir Henry Cary, glories of women," in a poetical epistle. The first meditation is "A Confession of Sinnes, with petition for grace," consisting of twelve four lined stanzas of alternate rhyme, with a couplet at the close of the poem. This is followed by forty more meditations on similar subjects, which end at page 100. Then succeeds "The Doleful Dove; or, David's Seven Penitential Psalms, somewhere paraphrastically turned into verse." At page 110 commences "Rights of the living and the dead; being a proper Appendix to the precedent meditations." Of these the first article is " A Funeral Elegie on the death of the most vertuous and no less lovely Mrs. Elizabeth Dutton, eldest daughter of the worthy and generally beloved Sir Thomas Egerton, Knight, eldest sonne to the Right Honourable Thomas Lord Elesmere, Lord Chancellor of England: which Elizabeth was, at the age of eleven years, married to John Dutton of the age of fifteen years, sonne and heyre heyre of Thomas Dutton, of Dutton in the Countie of Chester, Esquier; which John deceased about the age of seaventeene veeres, and left the said Elizabeth a virgin-widow: who so lived, till she died the first of October, at the age of sixteene yceres and a halfe, in anno 1611." This is followed by "An Epitaph on the death of the right vertuous Lady Leigh, sole daughter of the same Right Honourable Lord Elesmere, Lord Chancellor of England; which Lady deceased the third day of April, A. D .612." At page 158 are lines" To the Lady Anne Glemmam, upon the death of her noble Fatber;" and at page 165, "To my most honored and approved best friend and ally, Sir Franc. Lovell, Knight." The following short poem is at page 171. "To my most deare and no lesse worthily-beloved friend and pupill Henry Mainwarring, Esquier, with the truely noble and venterous Knight, Sir Henry Thynne, accompanying into Persia the meritoriously-farre-renowned Knight, Sir Robert Sherley, Englishman; yet Lord Ambassadour sent from the great Persian Potentate to all Christian Princes, for the good of Christendome." Heroic Pupil, and most honour'd friend, To thee, as to my moiety, I bequeath My son, sole son, and all I ever had, Unto thy care and service I commend; The absence of so dear a son as these, Must needs affect thine honour'd sire with grief; But |