Memorandum:--he was proud: to such, a check often gives that distemper.
He was passionately in love with Dorothea, the eldest daughter of the
earle of Leicester[CJ], whom he haz eternized in his poems: and the
earle loved him, and would have been contented that he should have had
one of the youngest daughters; perhaps _this_ might be the check[XCII.].
[XCII.] Mr. Thomas Big of Wickham haz been dead these 20 yeares, who
could have told me the cause. I beleeve that I am right. You see how
things become antiquated.
... Waller (I thinke, Walter) was his tutor at King's College,
Cambridge, who was a very learned man, and was afterwards vicar of
Broad Chalke, Wilts.
A burghesse in Parliament, for Beconsfield, in king James's[1149] time,
and has been of all the Parliaments since the restauration of king
Charles II (1680, aetat. 74 +).
One of the first refiners of our English language and poetrey. When he
was a brisque young sparke, and first studyed poetry, 'Methought,' said
he, 'I never sawe a good copie of English verses; they want smoothnes;
then I began to essay.' I have severall times heard him say, that he
cannot versify when he will; but when the fitt comes upon him, he does
it easily, i.e. in plaine termes, when his Mercurius and Venus are well
aspected.
He told me he was not acquainted with Ben. Johnson (who dyed about
1638), but familiarly with Lucius, lord Falkland; Sydney Godolphin, Mr.
Hobbes; &c.
He was very much admired at Court before the late civill warres. 164-,
he being then a member of the House of Commons, he was committed
prisoner to the Tower, for the plott, with <Nathaniel> Tomkins (his
cosen-germane)[1150] and <Richard> Chaloner, for firing the City of
London, and delivering the Parliament, etc. to the King's partie:
vide Transactions of those times. He had much adoe then to save his
life, and in order to it, sold his estate in Bedfordshire, about[1151]
1300 _li._ per annum, to Dr. Wright, M.D. for 10,000 _li._, (much
under value) which was procured in 24 hours' time, or els he had been
hanged (quaere E. Wyld, esq.). With which money he bribed the whole
House, which was the first time a House of Commons was ever bribed.
His excellent rhetoricall speech to the House (vide his speech to
save his life), as also his panegyrique to Oliver, Lord Protector, he
would not suffer to be inserted in the edition of his Poems since the
restauration of king Charles II.
After he had obtayned his pardon of the Parliament, he went to France,
where he stayed ... yeares, and was there very kindly recieved, and
esteemed. Anno Domini ... he returned into England.
When king Charles II returned, he recieved Mr. Waller very kindly,
and no man's conversation is more esteemed at court now then his. The
dutches of Yorke (daughter to the duke of Modena) very much delights
<in> his company, and hath layed her commands on him to write, which he
hath dedicated to her highnes.
His intellectualls are very good yet[1152] (1680), and makes verses;
but he growes feeble. He wrote verses of the Bermudas 50 yeares since,
upon the information of one that had been there; walking in his fine
woods, the poetique spirit came upon him.
He is of somewhat above a middle stature, thin body, not at all
robust: fine thin skin, his face somewhat of an olivaster; his hayre
frizzd, of a brownish colour; full eye, popping out and working:
ovall faced, his forehead high and full of wrinckles. His head but
small, braine very hott, and apt to be cholerique--_Quanto doctior,
eo iracundior._--CICERO. He is something magisteriall, and haz[1153]
a great mastership of the English language. He is of admirable and
gracefull elocution, and exceeding ready.
He has spent most of his time in London, especially in winter; but
oftentimes in the summer he enjoyes his muse at Beconsfield, which is
incomparable aire, and where are delicious walks in the woods. Now I
speake of woods, I remember he told us there, that he cutt downe and
grubbed-up a beech wood of his, at Beconsfield in Bucks, and without
soweing, but naturally, there grew up[1154] a wood all of birch.
A.D. ... he was admitted a fellow of the Royall Societie.
He haz but a tender weake body, but was alwayes very temperate. ...
(quaere Samuel Butler) made him damnable drunke at Somerset-house,
where, at the water-stayres, he fell downe, and had a cruell fall.
'Twas pitty to use such a sweet swan so inhumanely[1155].
[1156]He hath a great memory, and remembers a history, etc. etc. best
when read to him: he uses to make his daughters read to him. Yet,
notwithstanding his great witt and mastership in rhetorique, etc.
he will oftentimes be guilty of mispelling in English. He writes a
lamentably <bad> hand, as bad <as> the scratching of a hen.
I have heard him say that he so much admired Mr. Thomas Hobbes' booke
_De Cive_, when it came forth, that he was very desirous to have it
donne into English, and Mr. Hobbes was most willing it should be done
by Mr. Waller's hand, for that he was so great a master of our English
language. Mr. Waller freely promised him to doe it, but first he would
desire Mr. Hobbes to make an essaye; he (T. H.) did the first booke,
and did it so extremely well, that Mr. Waller would not meddle with
it[1157], for that nobody els could doe it so well. Had he thought
he could have better performed it, he would have himselfe been the
translator.
Memorandum: his Speech against Ship-money which is in his booke of
Poems: his Panegyrique to Oliver the Protector I have: and also to King
Charles II.
He sayes that he was bred under severall ill, dull, ignorant
schoolmasters, till he went to Mr. Dobson, at ... Wickham, who was a
good schoolmaster, and had been an Eaton scholar.
Memorandum:--later end of Aug. 1680, he wrote verses, called 'Divine
Love,' at the instance and request of the lady viscountesse Ranulagh.
He missed[1158] the Provostship of Eaton Colledge, <Feb.> 1680 <i.e.
0/1>; <Zachary Cradock> haz it.
[1159]He lies buried in the church-yard (south east of the church),
where his grandfather and father were buried. This burying-place
<is> railed about like a pound, and about that bignesse. There is a
walnut tree planted, that is, perhaps, 50 yeares old: (the walnut tree
is their crest.) There are nine graves or cippi, no gravestone or
inscription. They lye thus:
[Illustration: _Edm. Waller ~Pastor~ Poeta._]
[1160]From Capt. Edmund Hamden, his cousin-german, 1690:--Edmund
Waller, esq., was borne in the parish of Agmundesham, in
Buckinghamshire, at a place called Winchmore-hill, which was sold by
his father, and which he had a very great desire to have bought again,
not long before his death, but the owner would not sell it: part of
the house haz been new-built, but the roome wherein he was borne is
yet standing. Said he, to his cousin Hamden, _A stagge, when he is
hunted, and neer spent, alwayes returnes home_. He dyed at 83, and his
witt was as florid then as at any time of his life. He derived his
poëtick[1161] witt from the Hamdens; severall of them have been poets.
Whereas Rutt, that kept the ... Inne (the Crowne, I thinke) at
Beconsfield, told me, many yeares since, that he had been distempered;
captain Hamden affirmes it is false; but his brother was a foole, as to
discourse or businesse, but was very learned. And whereas Dr. <Peter>
Birch told me that he had a prodigiouse memorie; his sonnes affirme
that he had no good memorie, and was never good to learne a thing by
heart, but some things that pleased him he did strongly retaine.
[1162]Captain Hamden told me that the soldiers came to Beconsfield to
search for money; his mother told them if they would goe along with
her, she would shew them where she had buried five thousands pounds,
and had them to the house of office.
[1163]Edmund Waller, esq., poet:--Mr. Christopher Wase repeating to him
the bitter satyricall verses[XCIII.] made on Sir Carre Scroop, viz.--
Thy brother murdred, and thy sister whor'd,
Thy mother too--and yet thy penne's thy sword;
[XCIII.] 4 or 6 verses made against him by Driden or somebody else.
<Marginal note by Anthony Wood.>
Mr. Waller replyed _sur le champ_ 'that men write ill things well and
good things ill; that satyricall[1164] writing was downehill, most
easie and naturall; that at Billingsgate one might hear great heights
of such witt; that the cursed earth naturally produces briars and
thornes and weeds, but roses and fine flowers require cultivation.'
All his writings are free from offence.
His poems are reprinted now (1682) by his owne orders and his pictures
(young and old) before it, and underneath
Sed Carmina major imago.