With the year 1597 the first half of the poet's literary life closes. He had become famous by this rapid production of volumes, and he rested on his oars. It would seem that he was much favoured at the court of Elizabeth, and he hoped that it would be the same with her successor. But when, in 1603, he addressed a poem of compliment to James I., on his accession, it was ridiculed, and his services rudely rejected. His bitterness of spirit found expression in a satire, _The Owl_, which he printed in 1604, although he had no talent in this kind of composition. Not much more entertaining was his scriptural narrative of _Moses in a Map of his Miracles_, a sort of epic in heroics printed the same year. In 1605 Drayton reprinted his most important works, that is to say, his historical poems and the _Idea_, in a single volume which ran through eight editions during his lifetime. He also collected his smaller pieces, hitherto unedited, in a volume undated, but probably published in 1605, under the title of _Poems Lyric and Pastoral_; these consisted of odes, eclogues, and a fantastic satire called _The Man in the Moon_. Some of the odes are extremely spirited. In this volume he printed for the first time the famous _Ballad of Agincourt_. He had adopted as early as 1598 the extraordinary resolution of celebrating all the points of topographical or antiquarian interest in the island of Great Britain, and on this laborious work he was engaged for many years. At last, in 1613, the first part of this vast work was published under the title of _Poly-Olbion_, eighteen books being produced, to which the learned Selden supplied notes. The success of this great work, which has since become so famous, was very small at first, and not until 1622 did Drayton succeed in finding a publisher willing to undertake the risk of bringing out twelve more books in a second part. This completed the survey of England, and the poet, who had hoped "to crown Scotland with flowers," and arrive at last at the Orcades, never crossed the Tweed. In 1627 he published another of his miscellaneous volumes, and this contains some of his most characteristic and exquisite writing. It consists of the following pieces: _The Battle of Agincourt_, an historical poem in _ottava rima_ (not to be confused with his ballad on the same subject), and _The Miseries of Queen Margaret_, written in the same verse and manner; _Nimphidia, the Court of Faery_, a most joyous and graceful little epic of fairyland; _The Quest of Cinthia_ and _The Shepherd's Sirena_, two lyrical pastorals; and finally _The Moon Calf_, a sort of satire. Of these _Nimphidia_ is perhaps the best thing Drayton ever wrote, except his famous ballad on the battle of Agincourt; it is quite unique of its kind and full of rare fantastic fancy.