The volume closes with the somewhat liturgical formula, "Here end the
first three Bookes of Sir Thomas Vrchard's Epigrams," and with a
doxology, the latter being almost the only trace of matter in it to
justify the use of "Divine" in the title. The author was evidently
prepared to go on with more "bookes" of the kind, if he got any
encouragement from publishers or public, but, probably, both thought it
about time for him to stop. The fact that, in five years after this
volume of poems had appeared, a second edition should apparently have
been brought out, would seem at first to indicate that there must have
been some little run upon the _Epigrams_. But the truth of the matter
is, that one "William Leake" had evidently got the "remainder," and
issued them in 1646 with a new title-page.
In the Introductory Notice to Sir Theodore Martin's edition of Rabelais,
some information is given concerning a folio volume of unpublished
Epigrams by Urquhart, which is still in existence.[158] It consists of
ten books, called after Apollo and the Muses, each containing 110
Epigrams, except the last, which has 113. The MS. is dedicated to the
Marquis of Hamilton; but, in addition to this, each book has a separate
dedication to some one of the author's political associates or friends.
The persons thus honoured are the Marquis of Huntly, the Earl of
Arundel, the Earl of Northumberland, the Earl of Pembroke, the Earl of
Dorset, the Earl of Holland, the Earl of Newcastle, the Earl of
Stafford, Lord Craven, and Lord Gaurin (Gowran). According to the custom
of that time, the reader finds his progress barred by several prefaces,
respectively named, in this instance, as the "Isagoge," or
"Introduction," the "Premonition," and the "Prolog," and cannot get away
without a "Corollarie," an "Animadversion," several extra leaves of
verses, "A Table for the more easie finding out of such Epigrams as
treat of one subject," an "Index," and a "List of proper names." For one
of these latter he has reason to be grateful to Sir Thomas, for the
"Index" is a glossary of "the harshest and most difficult words
contained in the preceding Epigrams."
[Illustration: Fac-simile of Sir Thomas Urquhart's handwriting
considerably reduced.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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