- Dedication to the Earl of Oxford
- Letter to the Earl of Oxford
- Dedicatory Poems to the Earl of Oxford
Anthony Munday was ambitious both in the realms of royal agent and freelance writer. His information about the English Seminary in Rome went first to members of the Privy Council and their own agents. Soon he was in their pay.
In 1579, however, he was still apparently in amateur status in the former. In the latter he had somehow gained the patronage of the great Earl of Oxford. This he celebrates with two dedicatory poems, one an acrostic upon his name and title, the other upon his Latin motto: Vero Nihil Verius.
¶ The Authors Commendation of the Right Honorable Earle of Oxenford.
Except I should in fréendship séeme ingrate,
Denying duty, where to I am bound:
With letting slip your Honnors woorthy state,
At all assayes, which I have Noble found.
Right well I might refrayne to handle pen:
Denouncing aye the company of men.
Down dire despayre, let courage come in place,
Exalt his fame whom Honnor dooth imbrace.
Vertue hath aye adornd your valiant hart,
Exampled by your déeds of lasting fame:
Regarding such as take God Mars his parte,
Eche where by proofe, in Honnor and in name.
Eche one dooth knowe no fables I expresse,
As though I should encroche for private gayne:
Regard you may (at pleasure) I confesse,
Letting that passe, I vouch to dread no paine.
Eche where, gainst such as can my faith distaine.
Or once can say, he deales with flatterye:
Forging his tales to please the fantasye.
Of mine intent your Honnor iudge I crave,
Xephirus blowe your Fame to Orient skyes:
Extoll I pray this valiant Brittayne brave,
Not séeming once Bellona to despise.
For valliantnes beholde young Caesar héere,
Or Hanniball loe Hercules in place:
Ring foorth (I say) his Fame both farre and neere,
Dout not to say, De Vere will foes deface.
¶ Verses written by the Author upon his Lords Posey.
VERO NIHIL VERIVS.
Vertue displayes the trueth in every cause,
Eche vaine attempt her puisance dooth disproove:
Repelling falsehood, that dooth seek eche clause,
Of dire debate Dame Trueth for to remoove.
Nothing vvee say that truer is then trueth,
It follie is against the streame to strive:
Hard is the hap that unto such ensueth,
In vain respects the trueth for to deprive,
Let such take heed for folly dooth them drive.
Vaunt not to[o] much of thy vainglorious state,
Esteeme the trueth for shee vvil guide thee right:
Refrain alvvay to trust to fickle fate
In end shee fayles so simple is her might.
Use tried trueth so shalt thou never fall:
Svveet is the yoke that shall abridge thy thrall.
FINIS.
His schoolmaster, Claudius Hollyband will provide a commendatory verse in French, below, which he will translate into English. Various Latin, Italian, French exercises, name-dropping, curious exploits: nothing is held back. All is calculated to impress the educated reader.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- More on Thomas North as Shakespeare and author of Arden of Feversham. June 14, 2021. “This is also the reason why the title pages included the address of the shop that was selling the book.”
- A 1572 Oxford Letter and the Player’s Speech in Hamlet. August 11, 2020. “The player’s speech has been a source of consternation among Shakespeare scholars for above 200 years. Why was Aeneas’ tale chosen as the subject?”
- Gutenberg, proto-Hack Writers and Shakespeare. May 26, 2020. “A less well known effect of the Reformation was that many young Catholic men who had taken religious orders in order to receive an education began to lead lives at large from monastic discipline. Like Erasmus and Rabelais they took up the pen.”
- Shakespeare’s Funeral Meats. May 13, 2020. “Famous as this has been since its discovery, it has been willfully misread more often than not. No mainstream scholar had any use for a reference to Hamlet years before it was supposed to have been written.”
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Letters Index: Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
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