Mae. 24. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



217 



LONDON, SATVnDAY, MARCH 24, 1855. 



LETTER OF THOMAS PARK, F.S.A., TO EDMOND MALONE, 

 TOGETHER WITH COLLECTIONS BY THE LATTER 

 RESPECTING HENRY PEACHAM, AUTHOR OF "THE 

 COMPLEAT GENTLEMAN.'" 



Sir, 



Piccadilly, June 17, —96, 



Of Henry Peacham's biography I leai-n little 

 from Other writers ; but from liis own scattered 

 hints in Thalia s Banquet, 1620, I glean the fol- 

 lowing particulars, which may not prove unwel- 

 come. 



It appears that he was born at I^orth Minims, in 

 Herts (Epig. lxxx.), and that he became a mem- 

 ber of Trin. Coll., Cambridge.* But his stay 

 there should seem to have been of short continu- 

 ance, as he repines "to thinke how rawlie he was 

 torne from it." Before his Emblems, however, he 

 writes himself a Master of Arts, which I think 

 requires occasional residence at college for the 

 term of seven years. From Epig. xxx. it may be 

 collected, that he was some time Master of a Free 

 School at Windham, or Wimondham, in Norfolk, 

 but that he loathed the toil of such an occupation. 

 Epig. Lxxxvii. is addressed to his ingenious pupil, 

 Maister J. Cock, of Deepham, Norfolk ; Epig. 

 CIV. to his ever-loved scholar, Hammond Claxton ; 

 and Epig. lxx. to his towardly and hopeful scholar, 

 Edw. Chamberlaine of Barnham Broome. In this 

 epigram he notices his power of liinning portraits, 

 landscapes, [flowers, and insects ; which art he 

 seems to have practised only as an amusement. 

 There also he speaks of " a set of Airs in four and 

 five parts, ready for the presse : " whence it may 

 be inferred that he was a musical amateur and a 

 composer. He farther mentions having laboured 

 to produce " a second volume of Emblems, done 

 into Latin verse, with their pictures." Such a 

 work seems pointedly alluded to at the " Conclu- 

 sion" of his Emblems in 1612 ; but, without doubt, 

 never was printed. From Epig. cxi. he had 

 visited the Netherlands ; as he describes some in- 

 scriptions over inn-doors at Antwerp, Arnheim, 

 &c. ; and addresses Epig. lxxxiii. to " R. H., his 

 jovial host at Utrecht." 



In his poetical preface, " Thalia loquitur," and 

 says he had " borne amies." Before an emblem 

 (1612, p. 170.) he describes his father, " of Le- 

 verton, in Holland, in the co. of Lincoln." He 

 has four copies of burlesque verses to Coryat in 

 The Odcombian Banqvet, 1611. He printed A 

 Relation of the Affaires of Cleve and Gulick in 

 1615 ; The Compleat Gentleman in 1634 ; and The 

 Valley of Varietie in 1638. 



* To this Society he acknowledges his obligations in 

 his Emblems (p. 98.), for the education he had received 

 there; and hints that he had derived some advantages 

 from Oxford. 



Your accurate and extensive acquaintance with 

 the literary history "Poetarum Seniorum" may 

 enable you to add much to the imperfect hints of, 

 Sir, 

 Your obliged and obedient humble servt. 



T. Park. 

 Pray do you possess Thos. Howell's Dejjwes /or 

 his own Exercise, printed in 1581 ? 

 Edmond Malone, Esq., 

 No. 65. Queen Anne Street East. 



The entire title of the work cited in the above 

 letter runs thus : 



" Thalia's Banquet ; furnished with an Hundred and 

 odde Dishes of newly deuised Epigramms. Whereunto 

 (beside many worthie Friends) are invited all that love 

 inoffensive Mirth and the Muses. By H. P. London; 

 printed \>y Nicholas Okes, for Francis Constable, dwelling 

 in Paule's Church^'al■d, at the Signe of the ' White Lyon,' 

 1620. 12nio." 



I subjoin two of the "Epigramms" quoted in the 

 letter : 



" To the Towne of Wimondham, in Norfolk. 



Epigram xxx. 

 " WincOiam, I loue thee, and I- loue thy soile. 

 Yet euer loath'd that neuer ceasing toile 

 Of thy faire schoole ; which, whiles that it was free, 

 Myselfe, the Maister, lost my libertie." 



" To my towardly and hopefull Schohr, Maister Edward 

 Chamberlaine, of Barnham Broome. 



Epigram lxx. 

 " Ned, neuer looke againe those dales to see. 

 Thou liued'st M-hen thou appliedst thy booke with me, 

 What true affection bare we, each to either, 

 How often walking in the fields together, 

 Haue 1 in Latin giu'n the names to thee 

 Of this wild flower, that bent, this blossom'd tree ; 

 This speckled flie, that hearb, this water-rush; 

 This worme or weed, the bird on yonder bush? 

 How often, when yee haue been ask'd a play. 

 With voices, viols, we haue pass'd the daj^ : 

 Now entertaining those weake aires of mine,* 

 Anon the deep delicious Transalpine ; 

 Another while with pencil or with pen 

 Haue limn'd or drawn our friends' pourtraies, and then 

 Commixing many colours into one, 

 Haue imitfited some carnation. 

 Strange field- found flower, or a rare seene flie; 

 A curious land-schap, or a clouded sky.!* 

 Then haply, wearie of all these, would goe 

 Vnto that ' Poeme,' f I haue labour'd so : 

 Thus past our leasureable howers away ; 

 And you did learne euen in the midst of play." 



" To my ingenious Pupi'l, and most honest Aiturney, Maister 

 John Cock of Deepham. 



Epigbaji lxxxvii. 

 " If reason be the soule of law, I faine 

 In this point (pupill) would resolued bee, 

 How is it that a statute doth maintaine 

 That when the law defines the contrarie, 



* " A set of four or five partes of the author's ready for 

 the presse." 



•]• " A second volume of Emblemes, done into Latine 

 verse, with their pictures." 



