Stay, reader, and observe Death's partial doom, A spreading virtue in a narrow tombe; A generous mind, mingled with common dust, Like burnish'd steel, cover'd, and left to rust. Dark in the earth he lyes, in whom did shine All the divided merits of his line. The lustre of his name seems faded here, No fairer star in all that fruitful sphere. In piety and parts extreamly bright, Clear was his youth, and fill'd with growing light, A morn that promis'd much, yet saw no noon; None ever rose so fast, and set so soon. All lines of worth were centered here in one, Yet see, he lies in shades whose life had none. But while the mother this sad structure rears,} A double dissolution there appears--} He into dust dissolves, she into tears.} RICHARDUS EARLE[BU], Barn^{tus}. Obijt decimo tertio die Aug^{ti} Anno Dom. 1697. AEtatis suae 24. FOOTNOTES: [BT] Two other epitaphs appear in this collection, on the Earles of Norfolk, with whom I cannot find our author to have had the least connection. A full account of this family may be seen in Blomefield's _History of Norfolk_, vol. iii. p. 531. [BU] The title was created by Charles the First, July 2, 1629, and, I believe, became extinct at the decease of this person. No. XI. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF BOOKS OF CHARACTERS. No. i. _A Caueat for commen Cvr setors vulgarely called Uagabones, set forth by Thomas Harman. Esquier. for the vtiliteand proffyt of hys naturall Countrey. Newly agmented and Jmprinted Anno Domini._ M.D.LXUjj. [P] _Vewed, examined, and allowed, according vnto the Queenes Maiestyes Iniunctions_ [Roughly-executed wood-cut, of two persons receiving punishment at the cart's tail from the hands of a beadle.] _Imprinted at London in Fletestret at the signe of the Faulcon by Wylliam Gryffith, and are to be solde at his shoppe in Saynt Dunstones Churche yarde in the West._ [4to. black letter, containing thirty folios, very incorrectly numbered.] I commence my list of _Characters_, with a volume, which, although earlier than the period I originally intended to begin from, is of sufficient curiosity and interest to warrant introduction, and, I trust, to obtain pardon from the reader for the additional trouble I am thus preparing for him. Mr. Warton, in his _History of English Poetry_, (iv. 74.) has given, with some trifling errors, a transcript of the title, and says he has a faint remembrance of a Collection of Epigrams, by the author, printed about 1599: these I have never been fortunate enough to meet with, nor do they appear in the collections of Ames or Herbert, neither of whom had seen a copy of the present work, although they mention Griffith's licence to print it as dated in 1566[BV].