244 Lawrence Mason, 



Done's "most faithful friend and executor."^ With Walton himself 

 King could boast a friendship of forty years' standing, in 1664, as 

 an invaluable letter^ shows ; this letter, too long for insertion here 

 gives many new details about King's life, in particular the part he 

 ])layed in the preservation of the last three Books of Hooker's "Ec- 

 clesiastical Polity," and should be consulted in connection with this 

 sketch of his life, together with the other letters in Appendix B. 

 Several other friendships were commemorated by King in particular 

 poems,^ and so may be left to his own accounts. 



Verse-writing was one of the accomplishments of the finished gen- 

 tleman, at this time, and consequently Bishop John King* and all 

 five sons^ figure in various Oxford collections of verse (usually in 

 Latin or Greek) in their day. Next to Henry, John seems to have 

 written most frequently in English verse, as we have seen above,® 

 and as the ascription of "My Midnight Meditation"'' to him shows. 

 But Philip, the youngest, is no mean contender for recognition here, 

 for the whole editio frinceps of Henry's poems was once assigned to 

 him,8 Wood notes a commendatory poem from his pen included 

 among similar effusions by "Benj. Johnson, Mich. Drayton, etc.,"-' 

 and a fine elegy signed "Phill: King: " has been preser\'ed in two 

 MSS. in the British Museum.^*^ There is, however, some ground for 

 doubt as to the identity of the particular Philip King reponsible for 

 the last two items, inasmuch as Wood ^^ lists five other gentlemen 

 of this name, in addition to Bishop John King's son, and all associated 

 with Christ Church or Oxford at this same period ! Whichever Philip 

 King wrote the elegy seems to have had Henr}- King's "Exequ}'" 

 in mind, or before him ; and, in general, there is a distinct family 

 likeness in the verse-productions of the several brothers, to be ac- 



1 Sir H. Nicholas' easily accessible ed. of Walton should be consulted for 

 \arious details of King's friendships with Donne, Walton, Spenser, etc. 



2 This letter has not been reprinted in Appendix B because it is so easily 

 accessible in any good edition or biography of Walton. 



3 E. g., the poems on Ben Jonson, Blount, and Sandys. 

 * "Alum. West.," 54. 



5 "Alum. West.," 77, 78; Hannah, x, footnote. 

 ^ Cf. p. 238, sup. 



'' A brief meditative poem, of no very great merit, included in the editio 

 princeps of Henry King's poems. 



8 Cf. Bibliog., p. 265, inf. 



9 "Athen. Oxon.," II, 435. 



10 Addit. MS. 25,707, ff. 79V— 81, and Harl. MS. 6917, ff. 28— 29V. 



11 "Fasti Oxon.," II, 89. 



