I regret that I am unable to offer any information in answer to "Mr. P.
Collier's" inquiry (No. 13. p. 200.) respecting the existence of a
perfect or imperfect copy of a poem by William Basse on the Death of
Prince Henry, printed at Oxford by Joseph Barnes, 1613, and am only
aware of such a poem from the slight mention of it by Sir Harris Nicolas
in his beautiful edition of Walton's _Complete Angler_, p. 422. But as
the possessor of the 4to. MS. volume of poems by Basse, called
_Polyhymnia_, formerly belonging to Mr. Heber, I feel greatly interested
in endeavouring to obtain some further biographical particulars of
Basse,--of whom, although personally known to Isaac Walton, the author
of one or two printed volumes of poems, and of the excellent old songs
of "the Hunter in his Career" and "Tom of Bedlam," and worthy of having
his verses on Shakspeare inserted among his collected poems, yet the
notices we at present possess are exceedingly slight. We learn from
Anth. Wood, in his _Ath. Oxon._, vol. iv. p. 222., that Basse was a
native of Moreton, near Thame in Oxfordshire, and was for some time a
retainer of Sir Richard Wenman, Knt., afterwards Viscount Wenman, in the
peerage of Ireland. He seems also to have been attached to the noble
family of Norreys of Ricot in Oxfordshire, which is not far from Thame;
and addressed some verses to Francis Lord Norreys, Earl of Berkshire,
from which I quote one or two stanzas, and in the last of which there is
an allusion to the [plainness of the] author's personal appearance:
"O true nobilitie, and rightly grac'd
With all the jewels that on thee depend,
Where goodnesse doth with greatnesse live embrac'd,
And outward stiles, on inward worth attend.
Where ample lands, in ample hands are plac'd
And ancient deeds, with ancient coats descend:
Where noble bloud combin'd with noble spirit
Forefathers fames, doth with their formes inherit.
"Where ancestors examples are perus'd
Not in large tomes, or costly tombs alone,
But in their heires: and being dayly us'd
Are (like their robes) more honourable growne, {296}
Where Loyalty with Piety is infus'd,
And publique rights are cherish'd w'th their owne;
Where worth still finds respect, good friend, good word,
Desart, reward. And such is _Ricot's_ Lord.
"But what make I (vaine voyce) in midst of all
The Quires that have already sung the fame
Of this great House, and those that henceforth shall
(As that will last) for ever sing the same.
But, if on me, my garland instly fall,
I justly owe my musique to this name.
For he unlawfully usurps the Bayes
That has not sung in noble _Norrey's_ prayse.
"In playne (my honour'd Lord) I was not borne,
Audacious vowes, or forraigne legs to use,
Nature denyed my outside to adorne,
And I, of art to learne outsides refuse.
Yet haveing of them both, enough to scorne
Silence, & vulgar prayse, this humble muse
And her meane favourite; at yo'r comand
Chose in this kinde, to kisse your noble hand."
His Polyhymnia is dedicated to the sister of this person, the Lady
Bridget, Countess of Lindsey, and Baroness of Eresbie and of Ricot.
Besides the "Anglers' Song" made at Walton's request, and the
before-mentioned two songs, which are given at length in the Appendix to
the _Complete Angler_, p. 420., Sir H. Nicolas's edit., besides these,
and the verses "on William Shakespeare, who died in April, 1616,"
sometimes called "Basse his Elegie on Shakespeare," which appear in the
edition of Shakespeare's Poems of 1640, 8vo., and are reprinted in
Malone's edition of his Plays, vol. i. p. 470.: another poem by William
Basse will be found in the collection entitled _Annalia Dubrensia, upon
the Yearely Celebration of Mr. Robert Dover's Olympick Games upon
Cotswold Hills_, 4to. 1636. This consists of ten stanzas, of eight lines
each, "To the noble and fayre Assemblies, the harmonious concourse of
Muses, and their Ioviall entertainer, my right generous Friend, Master
Robert Dover, upon Cotswold." Basse was also, as Mr. Collier remarks,
the author of a poem, which I have never seen, called _Sword and
Buckler, or Serving Man's Defence_, in six-line stanzas, 4to. Lond.,
imprinted in 1602. A copy of this was sold in Steevens's sale, No. 767.,
and is now among "Malone's Collection of Early Poetry" in the Bodleian
Library at Oxford. And, according to Ritson, he wrote another work,
published in the same year, viz. _Three Pastorall Elegies of Anander,
Anytor and Muridella_, entered to Joseph Barnes, 28 May, 1692, of which
I am not aware that any copy is now in existence. These, with the
addition of _Great Brittaines Sunnes-set, bewailed with a Shower of
Teares_, at Oxford, printed by Joseph Barnes, 1613, the fragment of
which is in the possession of Mr. Collier, appear, as far as I can yet
ascertain, to be the only known publications of William Basse, with his
name attached to them in full. Other works, however, have been
attributed to him from the similarity of the initials,--but most of them
probably without much foundation; viz. 1. _Scacchia Ludus: Chesse-play_:
a poetical translation of Vida's poem at the end of _Ludus Sacchiæ,
Chesse-Play_, by W.B. 4to. Lond. 1597; by Ritson. 2. _A Helpe to
Discourse; or a Miscelany of Merriment_, by W.B. and E.P. 2nd edit. 8vo.
Lond. 1620; by Mr. Malone. And 3. _That which seemes Best is Worst,
exprest in a Paraphrastical Transcript of Iuuenals tenth Satyre.
Together with the Tragicall Narration of Virginius Death interserted_,
by W.B. small 8vo. Lond.; imprinted by Felix Kyngston, 1617, by Mr.
Octavius Gilchrist, who however rather leans to the opinion of William
Barkstead being the author, from the circumstance of his having, as
early as 1607, paraphrased, much in a similar way, the interesting tale
of Myrrha, the mother of Adonis, from the 10th Book of the
Metamorphoses. (See _Restitutu_, vol. i. p. 41.)
Cole, in his MS. Collectanea for _Athenæ Cantabrigiensis_, says:
"Mr. Knight, jun. shewed me a MS. written by William Basse, and
corrected by him, in 4to., called _Polyhymnia_.--Dedication. To
the Right Noble and vertuous Lady, the Lady Bridget, Countess of
Lindsey, and Baroness of Eresbie and Ricot, in verse, with
Verses to the Right Hon. Francis Lord Norreys, Earl of Berkshire
(in his days). To the Right Hon. the Lady Aungier (then wife of
Sir Thos. Wenman) upon her coming out of Ireland and return
thither. To the Right Hon. the lady Viscountess Falkland, upon
her going into Ireland, two Sonnets. The Youth in the Boat.
Acrostics of the truly noble, vertuous, and learned Lady, the
Lady Agnes Wenman; of the Lady Penelope Dynham; of Mrs. Jane
Wenman. Verses on the Chapel of Wadham College consecration, St.
Peter's Day, 1613; on Caversham or Causham House; of Witham
House, Oxfordshire, the house of a noble Knight, and favourer of
my Muse; and Elegy on a Bullfinch, 1648; of the Four Mile Course
of Bayaides Green, six times run over, by two famous Irish
footmen, Patrick Dorning and William O'Farrell.--It contains
about 40 leaves, much corrected, and at the end is 'L'Envoy':--
"'Go, sweet Polymnia, thanks for all your cost
And love to me; wherein no love is lost.
As you have taught me various verse to use,
I have to right you to be a Christian Muse.'"
I have been thus particular in transcribing this passage from Cole,
because this copy, mentioned as being in the possession of Mr. Knight,
jun. (quere, where is it now?), varies from mine, obtained from Mr.
Heber's Collection, and was no doubt the one prepared and corrected for
the press by Basse. The following poems, mentioned by Cole, are not in
my copy:--
"To the Right Hon. the Lady Aungier (then wife of Sir Thos.
Wenman) upon her coming out of Ireland, {297} and return
thither. Acrostics of the truly noble, vertuous, and learned
Lady, the Lady Agnes Wenman; of the Lady Penelope Dynham; of
Mrs. Jane Wenman. Verses on the Chapel of Wadham College
consecration, St. Peter's Day, 1613; and on Caversham or Causham
House."
My copy, however, contains the following poems, not mentioned in the
other:--
"Of a Great Floud; of the Raine-bowe; of Pen and Pensill, upon a
fayre and vertuous Ladye's Picture; and the Spirituall Race."
The MS. contains 52 leaves, beautifully written without any corrections,
and is in the original binding. It was procured by Mr. Heber from
Hanwell, the Bookseller in Oxford, who had probably purchased it on the
taking down of Ricot, the old seat of the Norreys family, and the
dispersion of its contents. It has the autograph of Francis Lord Norreys
on the fly-leaf, and was no doubt a presentation copy to him from Basse.
The poetry of this work does not rise above mediocrity, and is not equal
in thought or vigour to the Epitaph on Shakspeare. The chief portion of
the volume is occupied with the singular tale of "The Youth in the
Boat," which is divided into two parts; the first, containing (with the
introduction) 59 verses of four lines each, and the second 163,
exclusive of the "Morall," which occupies 11 more.
We know that it was Basse's intention to have published these poems,
from some lines addressed by Dr. Ralph Bathurst "To Mr. W. Basse upon
the intended publication of his poems, January 13. 1651," which are
given in Warton's _Life and Literary Remains of Dean Bathurst_, 8vo.
1761, p. 288. In these lines the Dean compares Basse, who was still
living, "to an aged oak," and says:--
"Though thy grey Muse grew up with elder times,
And our deceased Grandsires lisp'd thy rhymes,
Yet we can sing thee too."
From these lines, therefore, written nearly 50 years after the
publication of his former works in 1602, when we may reasonably suppose
he could not have been under 20, it is certain that Basse was then well
stricken in years; and the probability is, that he died very shortly
afterwards, and that this was the reason of the non-publication of his
poems. It is possible that a search into the registers at Thame or that
neighbourhood, or in the court at Oxford, might settle this point, and
also furnish some further information concerning his family and
connections. Cole mentions that a person of both his names was admitted
a sizar in Emanuel College, Cambridge, in 1629, of Suffolk, and took his
degree of B.A. in 1632 and M.A. in 1636. But this was too modern a date
for our poet, and might possibly be his son.
I have been informed that in Winchester College library, in a 4to.
volume, there are some poems by Mr. William Basse; but the title of the
volume I have not been able to obtain.
Mr. Collier concludes his remarks, with a supposition that Basse "was a
musical composer, as well as writer of verses." I believe Mr. C. to be
right in this notion, from a passage which I find in the commencement of
the 2nd Part of "The Youth in the Boat," where, alluding to "sweete
Calliope," he remarks:--
"A Muse to whom in former dayes
I was extremely bound,
When I did sing in _Musiques_ prayse,
And _Voyces_ heau'nly sound."
And from the circumstance also of one of the Ballads in the Roxburghe
Collection, "Wit's never good till 'tis bought," being sung to the tune
of "Basse's Carreere." Mr. Collier has reprinted this in his elegant
_Book of Roxburghe Ballads_, 4to. 1847, p. 264., and says:--
"The tune to which is sung, 'Basse's Carreere,' means of course,
the tune mentioned in Walton's _Angler_, 'The Hunter in his
Career,' composed, as he states by William Basse."
I have a distant recollection of having seen other pieces in some of our
early musical works, composed by Basse. Sir Harris Nicolas, also, in the
"Life of Walton," prefixed to his edition of _The Complete Angler_, p.
cxx., says:--
"He (Walton) appears to have been fond of poetry and music....
and was intimate with _Basse, an eminent composer_, in whose
science he took great interest."
I fear that these notices of William Basse, thus collected together from
scattered sources, will not afford much information to Mr. Collier,
beyond what he is already possessed of; but they may possibly interest
others, who may not be quite so conversant with our early writers as
that gentleman is known to be. I shall feel much gratified and obliged
if he or any other of your correspondents will add any further notices
or communications respecting one who may possibly have been personally
known to Shakspeare, but whose name, at all events, will be handed down
to posterity in connection with that of our immortal bard.