a poetical dedication to Sir Kenelm Digby; of whofe acquaintance all his contemporaries feem to have been ambitious; and "Naufra 66 gium Joculare," a comedy written in Latin, but without due attention to the ancient models; for it is not loose verse, but mere profe. It was printed, with a dedication in verse to Dr. Comber, mafter of the college; but having neither the facility of a popular nor the accuracy of a learned work, it feems to be now univerfally neglected. At the beginning of the civil war, as the Prince paffed through Cambridge in his way to York, he was entertained with a reprefentation of the "Guardian," a comedy, which Cowley fays was neither written nor acted, but rough-drawn by him, and repeated by the scholars. That this comedy was printed during his abfence from his country, he appears to have confidered as injurious to his reputation; though, during the fuppreflion of the theatres, it was fometimes privately acted with fufficient approbation. In 1643, being now mafter of arts, he was, by the prevalence of the parliament, ejected from from Cambridge, and fheltered himself at St. John's College in Oxford; where, as is faid by Wood, he published a fatire, called "The "Puritan and Papift," which was only inferted in the laft collection of his works*; and fo diftinguished himself by the warmth of his loyalty, and the elegance of his converfation, that he gained the kindness and confidence of those who attended the King, and amongst others of Lord Falkland, whofe notice caft a luftre on all to whom it was extended. About the time when Oxford was furren dered to the parliament, he followed the Queen to Paris, where he became fecretary to the Lord Jermyn, afterwards Earl of St. Albans, and was employed in fuch correspondence as the royal caufe required, and particularly in cyphering and decyphering the letters that paffed between the King and Queen; an employment of the highest coufidence and honour. So wide was his pro *In the first edition of this Life, Dr. Johnfon wrote, "which was never inferted in any collection of his "works" but he altered the expreffion when the Lives were collected into volumes. The fatire was added to Cowley's works by the defire of Johnfon. N. vince of intelligence, that, for feveral years, it filled all his days and two or three nights in the week. In the year 1647, his "Mistress" was published; for he imagined, as he declared in his preface to a fubfequent edition, that poets are scarcely thought freemen of their 66 company without paying fome duties, or "obliging themselves to be true to Love." This obligation to amorous ditties owes, I believe, its original to the fame of Petrarch, who, in an age rude and uncultivated, by his tuneful homage to his Laura, refined the manners of the lettered world, and filled Europe with love and poetry. But the basis of all excellence is truth: he that profeffes love ought to feel its power. Petrarch was a real lover, and Laura doubtless deferved his tenderness. Of Cowley, we are told by Barnes*, who had means enough of information, that, whatever he may talk of his own inflammability, and the variety of characters by which his heart was divided, he in * Barnefii Anacreontem. Dr. J. reality reality was in love but once, and then never had refolution to tell his paffion,. This confideration cannot but abate, in fome measure, the reader's efteem for the work and the author. To love excellence, is natural; it is natural likewife for the lover to folicit reciprocal regard by an elaborate difplay of his own qualifications. The defire of pleafing has in different men produced actions of heroifm, and effufions of wit; but it feems as reasonable to appear the champion as the poet of an "airy nothing," and to quarrel as to write for what Cowley might have learned from his master Pindar to call the dream of a fhadow." It is furely not difficult, in the folitude of a college, or in the buftle of the world, to find useful ftudies and ferious employment. No man needs to be fo burthened with life as to fquander it in voluntary dreams of fictitious occurrences. The man that fits down to fuppofe himself charged with treafon or peculation, and heats his mind to an elaborate purgation of his character from crimes which he was was never within the poffibility of committing, differs only by the infrequency of his folly from him who praifes beauty which he never faw; complains of jealousy which he never felt; fuppofes himself sometimes invited, and fometimes forfaken; fatigues his fancy, and ranfacks his memory, for images which may exhibit the gaiety of hope, or the gloominefs of defpair; and dreffes his imaginary Chloris or Phyllis fometimes in flowers fading as her beauty, and fometimes. in gems lafting as her virtues. At Paris, as fecretary to lord Jermyn, he was engaged in tranfacting things of real importance with real men and real women, and at that time did not much employ his thoughts upon phantoms of gallantry. Some of his letters to Mr. Bennet, afterwards Earl of ArJington, from April to December in 1650, are preferved in "Mifcellanea Aulica," a collection of papers published by Brown. These letters, being written like thofe of other men whofe minds are more on things than words, contribute no otherwife to his reputation than as they fhew him to have been above the affectation of unfeasonable ele |