In 1591 he produced his first book, _The Harmony of the Church_, a volume of spiritual poems, dedicated to Lady Devereux. The best piece in this is a version of the Song of Solomon, executed with considerable richness of expression. A singular and now incomprehensible fate befell the book; with the exception of forty copies, seized by the archbishop of Canterbury, the whole edition was destroyed by public order. It is probable that he had come up to town laden with poetic writings, for he published a vast amount within the next few years. In 1593 appeared _Idea: The Shepherd's Garland_, a collection of nine pastorals, in which he celebrated his own love-sorrows under the poetic name of Rowland. The circumstances of this passion appear more distinctly in the cycle of 64 sonnets, published in 1594, under the title of _Idea's Mirror_, by which we learn that the lady lived by the river Ankor in Warwickshire. It appears that he failed to win his "Idea," and lived and died a bachelor. In 1593 appeared the first of Drayton's historical poems, _The Legend of Piers Gaveston_, and the next year saw the publication of _Matilda_, an epical poem in rhyme royal. It was about this time, too, that he brought out _Endimion and Phoebe_, a volume which he never republished, but which contains some interesting autobiographical matter, and acknowledgments of literary help from Lodge, if not from Spenser and Daniel also. In his _Fig for Momus_, Lodge has reciprocated these friendly courtesies. In 1596 Drayton published his long and important poem of _Mortimerades_, which deals with the Wars of the Roses, and is a very serious production in _ottava rima_. He afterwards enlarged and modified this poem, and republished it in 1603 under the title of _The Barons' Wars_. In 1596 also appeared another historical poem, _The Legend of Robert, Duke of Normandy_, with which _Piers Gaveston_ was reprinted. In 1597 appeared _England's Heroical Epistles_, a series of historical studies, in imitation of those of Ovid. These last poems, written in the heroic couplet, contain some of the finest passages in Drayton's writings.