Great Britain -- History -- Poetry; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Sources
Warton, in a note on the first line, remarks: “I have never seen his
SONNETS, which would be a valuable accession to our old poetry. But
probably the term _Sonnets_ here means only verses in general, and
may signify nothing more than his part in the Mirror of Magistrates
and his Gorboduc.” An oversight of the critic leaves this conjecture
without any weight. The above lines were in print before either the
communication was made to the Mirror for Magistrates, or the play
performed. Several other writers are named by Heywood, in the same
address, also their works, and those works known; the _sonnets_ of
Sackville and the _ditties_ of Norton and Yelverton excepted. This
circumstance may well support a belief of their having been published
as well as the others: neither is there any thing improbable that the
_sonnets_ and _ditties_ of “such yong men three” were united in one
volume, however it has hitherto escaped all research. There is a single
sonnet by our author which shall be here preserved as not an inelegant
relic of his pen. It is prefixed to _The Courtier of Count Baldessar
Castilio_, done into english by Sir Thomas Hoby, who died embassadour
at Paris 13 July, 1566, æt. 36, and was buried at Bisham, co. Berks.
This translation was printed 1561, 1577, 1588, (the last supplying the
present copy,) again 1603, where the sonnet is omitted.
Thomas Sackeuyll in commendation of the worke.
To the Reader.
These royall kinges, that reare vp to the skye
Their pallace tops, and deck them all with gold:
With rare and curious workes they feede the eye:
And shew what riches here great princes hold.
A rarer worke and richer far in worth,
Castilio’s hand presenteth here to thee:
No proude, ne golden Court doth he set forth,
But what in Court a Courtier ought to be.
The prince he raiseth huge and mightie walles,
Castilio frames a wight of noble fame:
The king with gorgeous tissue clads his halles,
The Count with golden vertue deckes the same;
Whose passing skill, lo, Hobbie’s pen displaies,
To Britaine folk, a work of worthy praise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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