printed in 12mo. London, 1632. The ftory of Alexander's beftowing Campafpe, in the enamoured Apelles, is related by Pliny in his Natural Hiftory. Lib, xxxv. L. x. Endymion, a Comedy, prefented before Queen Elizabeth, by the children of her Majefty's chaple, printed in 12mo. 1632. The ftory of Endymion's being beloved by the moon, with comments upon it, may be met with in most of the Mythologifts. See Lucian's Dialogues, between Venus and the Moon. Mr. Gambauld has writ a romance called Endymion, tranflated into English, 08vo. 1639. Galathea, a Comedy, played before the Queen at Greenwich on New year's day, at night, by -the children of St. Paul's, printed in 12mo. London, 1632. In the characters of Galathea and Philidia, the poet has copied the ftory of Iphis and Tanthe, which the reader may find at large in the ninth book of Ovid's Metamorphofis. Maid's Metamorphofis, a Comedy, acted by the children of St. Paul's, printed in 12mo. 1632. Mydas, a Comedy, played before the Queen on Twelfth-night, printed in 12mo. London, 1632. For the ftory, fee the xith book of Ovid's Metamorphofis. Sappho and Phaon, a Comedy, played before the queen on Shrove-Tuesday, by the children of Paul's, and afterwards at Black Fryars, printed in Twelves, London 1632. This ftory the reader may learn from Ovid's Epiftles, of Sappho to Phaon, Ep. 21. Woman in the Moon, prefented before the Queen London 1667. Six of thefe plays, viz. Alexander and Campafpe, Endymion, Galathea and Mydas, Sappho and Phaon, with Mother Bombie, aComedy, by the fame author, are printed together under the title of the Six Court-Comedies, Izmo, London 1632, and dedicated by Mr. Blount, to the lord viscount Lumly of Waterford; the other two are printed printed fingly in Quarto.He alfo wrote Loves Metamorphofis, a courtly paftoral, printed 1601. Sir THOMAS OVERBURY WAS 7AS fon of Nicholas Overbury, Efq; of Burton in Gloucestershire, one of the Judges of the Marchest. He was born with very bright parts, and gave early discoveries of a rifing genius. In 1595, the 14th year of his age, he became a gentleman commoner in Queen's-College in Oxford, and in 1598, as a 'fquire's fon, he took the degree of batchelor of arts; he removed from thence to the Middle-Temple, in order to ftudy the municipal law, but did not long remain there *. His genius, which was of a fprightly kind, could not bear the confinement of a student, or the drudgery of reading law; he abandoned it therefore, and travelled into France, where he fo improved himself in po-, lite accomplishments, that when he returned he was looked upon as one of the most finished gentlemen about court. Soon after his arrival in England, he contracted an intimacy, which afterwards grew into friendfhip with Sir Robert Carre, a Scotch gentleman, a favourite with king James, and afterwards earl of Somerfet. Such was the warmth of friendship in which thefe two gentlemen lived, that they were infeparable. Carre could enter into no fcheme, nor purfue any measures, without the advice and concurrence of Overbury, nor could Overbury en-* -joy any felicity but in the company of him he Wood Athen, Oxon. Winft. ubi fupra. " loved; their friendship was the fubject of courtconverfation, and their genius feemed fo much alike, that it was reasonable to fuppofe no breach could ever be produced between them; but fuch it feems is the power of woman, fuch the influence of beauty, that even the facred ties of friendship are broke afunder by the magic energy of these fuperior charms. Carre fell in love with lady Frances Howard, daughter to the Earl of Suffolk, and lately divorced from the Earl of Effex ↑. He communicated his paffion to his friend, who was too penetrating not to know that no man could live with much comfort, with a woman of the Countefs's ftamp, of whofe morals he had a bad opinion; he infinuated to Carre fome fufpicions, and thofe well founded, against her honour; he diffuaded him with all the warmth of the fincereft: friendship, to defift from a match that would involve him in mifery, and not to fuffer his paffion for her beauty to have fo much fway over him, as to make him facrifice his peace to its indul-, gence. Carre, who was defperately in love, forgetting the ties of honour as well as friendship, communicated to the lady, what Overbury had faid of her, and they who have read the heart of woman, will be at no lofs to conceive what reception fhe gave that unwelcome report. She knew, that Carre was immoderately attached to Overbury, that he was directed by his Council in all things, and devoted to his intereft. Earth has no curfe like love to hatred turn'd, This was literally verified in the cafe of the countefs; the let loofe all the rage of which fhe was capable against him, and as fhe panted for the confummation of the match between Carre and her; * Winft. ubi fupra. fhe the fo influenced the Viscount, that he began to、 conceive a hatred likewife to Overbury; and while he was thus fubdued by the charms of a wicked woman, he seemed to change his nature, and from the gentle, eafy, acceffible, good-natured man he formerly appeared, he degenerated into the fullen, vindictive, and implacable. One thing with refpect to the countefs ought not to be omitted. She was wife of the famous Earl of Effex, who afterwards headed the army of the parliament against the King, and to whom the imputation of impotence was laid. The Countefs, in order to procure a divorce from her husband, gave it out that tho' fhe had been for fome time in a married ftate, fhe was yet a virgin, and which it feems fat very uneafy upon her. To prove this, a jury of matrons were to examine her and give their opinion, whether he was, or was not a Virgin This fcrutiny the Countess did not care to undergo, and therefore entreated the favour that he might enter masked to fave her blushes this was granted her, and he took care to have a young Lady provided, of much the fame fize and exterior appear ance, who perfonated her, and the jury afferted her to be an unviolated Virgin. This precaution in the Countefs, no doubt, diminishes her character, and is a circumftance not favourable to her honour; for if her husband had been really impotent as he pretended, the needed not have been afraid of the fearch; and it proves that the either injured her husband, by falfely afperfing him, or that he had violated her honour with other men. But which ever of these causes pre, vailed, had the Countefs been wife enough, fhe had no occafion to fear the confequences of a fcrutiny; for if I am rightly informed, a jury of old women can no more judge accurately whether a woman has yielded her virginity, than they can by examining a dead body, know of of what distemper the deceafed died; but be that as it may, the whole affair is unfavourable to her modefty; it fhews her a woman of irregular paffions, which poor Sir Thomas Overbury dearly experienced; for even after the Countess was happy in the embraces of the Earl of Somerset, she could not forbear the perfecution of him; fhe procured that Sir Thomas fhould be nominated by the King to go ambassador to Ruffia, a destination fhe knew would difpleafe him, it being then no better than a kind of honourable grave; fhe. likewife excited Earl Somerfet to feem again his friend, and to advise him ftrongly to refufe the embaffy, and at the fame time infinuate, that if he fhould, it would only be lying a few weeks in the Tower, which to a man well provided in all the neceffaries, as well as comforts of Life, had no great terror in it. This expedient Sir Thomas embraced, and abfolutely refused to go abroad; upon which, on the twenty-first of April 1613, he was fent prifoner to the Tower, and put under the care of Sir Gervis Yelvis, then lord lieutenant. The Countefs being fo far fuccefsful, began now to conceive great hopes of compleating her fcheme of assassination, and drew over the Earl of Somerset her husband, to her party, and he who a few years before, had obtained the honour of knighthood for Overbury, was now fo enraged against him, that he coincided in taking measures to murder his friend. Sir Gervis Yelvis, who obtained the lieutenancy by Somerset's interest, was a creature devoted to his pleasure. He was a needy man, totally deftitute of any principles of honour, and was eafily prevailed upon to forward a scheme for deftroying poor Overbury by poifon. Accordingly they confulted with one Mrs. Turner, the first inventer (fays Winftanley of that horrid garb of yellow ruffs and cuffs, and in which garb fhe was afterwards hanged) who having acquaintance with one James Franklin, a man |