The following may be taken as a specimen of the poem, from Canto 2. It records pestilential symptoms.

"On some this Plague doth steal insensibly,
Their muddy nature stirring secretly
To their destruction. Some, it striketh so
As if a mortali hand had with a blow
Arrested them, and on their flesh hath seene
A palme's impression, to appearance, beene,
One man is faint, weake, sickly, full of feare,
And drawes his breath where strong infections are,
Yet scapes with life. Another man is young,
Light-hearted, healthy, stout, well-temper'd, strong,
And lives in wholesome ayre, yet gets a fit
Of this land-calenture, and dies of it.
Some are tormented by it, till we see
Their veines and sinewes almost broken be,
The

very soule distracted, sense bereft,

And scarce the smallest hope of scaping left,
Yet soone recover. Other some, againe,
Fall suddenly, or feele so little paine

When they are seized, that they breathlesse lye,
Ere any dying symptomes we espy,

On some, an endless drowsinesse doth creepe;
Some others cannot get one winke of sleepe,
This useth, ev'ry day, preservatives,
Yet dies; another taketh none, yet lives.

Ev'n thus uncertainly this sicknesse playes;

Spares, wounds, and killeth, many sev'rall wayes.”

The following extract from Canto 4 describes a scene of peculiar horrors, during the most calamitous period of the plague:

"Ev'ry place with sorrowes then abounded,
And ev'ry way the cryes of mourning sounded.

c 3

Yea,

Yea, day by day, successively till night,
And from the evening 6 the morning light,
Were scenes of griefe, with strange variety,
Knit up in one continuing tragedy,

No sooner wak'd I, but twice twenty knels,
And many sadly-sounding passing-bels,
Did greet mine eare, and by their heavy towles
To me gave notice that some early soules
Departed whilst I slept: that other some
Were drawing onward to their longest home,
And seemingly presag'd, that many a one
Should bid the world good night, ere it were noone.
My chamber entertain'd mee all alone,
And in the roomes adjoyning lodged none.

Yet, through the darksome, silent night did flye
Sometime, an uncouth noise, sometime a cry;

And sometime mournfull-callings pierc'd my roome,
Which came, I neither knew from whence, nor whom.
Glad was I, when I saw the sun appeare

(And with his.rayes to blesse our hemisphere)
That from the tumbled-bed I might arise,
And with more lightsomenesse refresh mine eyes:
Or, with some good companions, read or pray,
To passe the better, my sad thoughts away:
For, though such thoughts oft usefull are and good;
Yet knowing well I was but flesh and blood,

I also knew man's natural condition

Must have in joys and griefes an intermission,

Lest too much joy should fill the heart with folly, Or, too much griefe, breed dangerous melancholy." Beccles. W. T. SPURdens.

ART. IV. Anglia Speculum, or England's Looking Glasse. Devided into two parts, by C[aptain] W[illiam] Mercer. Scribimus indocti, doctique poemata passim. London. Printed by Tho. Paine. -1646.

Anglia

Anglia Speculum: or England's Looking-Glasse. The Second Part. Consisting of severall speeches, anagrams, epigrams, acrosticks, and sonnets, &c. C. W. Mercer. 4to. Sign. Q. 2.

By

The wood-cut of a mirror follows the title-page, with four lines above, and eight on the reverse. Others precede the dedication to Robert Earl of Essex and Ewe, &c. with a print of him by W. Marshall, followed by an acrostic sonnet on his name.. Then the epistle dedicatory and address to the "curteous reader," and to the "criticall reader," commendatory sonnets by T.F. [perhaps Flatman] and W. M. [the author:] The first part, ending with signature F, contains one long poem

of civil wars

Of such disasters and distracted jars,

As tell a story tragi-comicall,

And sing the praises of his Generall," &c.

The Second Part consists of short poems inscribed: 1. To the Lords assembled in Parliament.

2. To the Hon. House of Commons.

3. To the Lords Commissioners of Scotland
4. To the Committees.

5. To Algernon, Earl of Northumberland.

6. To Philip, Earl of Pembroke.

7. To William Cecil, Earl of Salisbury.

8. To Robert, Earl of Warwick.

9. To Bazil, Earl of Denbigh. 10. To Earl Henry Rich.

11. To Edward, Earl of Manchester.

12. To Henry, Earl of Stamford.

13. To John, Earl of Lauderdale.

14. To Earl Loudon, Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

C4

*15. To

15. To John, Lord Balmerinoch.

16. To William, Visct. Say and Seal.
17. To William, Lord Gray.
18. To John, Lord Robarts.

19. To Thomas, Lord Bruce.

20. To William Lenthall, Esq. Speaker of the House

of Commons,

21. To the Hon. James Fiennes.

22. To Sir John Merrick, Kt.

23. To Sir Henry Mervyn, Kt, his father-in-law.

24. To Sir William Belfour, Kt.

25. To Sir Philip Stapleton, Kt.
26. To Sir John Clatworthye, Kt,
27. To William Jepsone.
28. To Sir Chas. Erskine, Kt,
29. To Alexander Popham, Esq.
30. To Denzal Hollis, Esq.
31. To John Goodwin, Esq.

32. To Michael Noble, Esq.

33. To Col. Audelay Mervin, his brother-in-law,

34. To Sir Richard Strodę, Kt.

35. To Thos. Adams, Ld. Mayor.

36. To the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen,

37. To Sir John Northeal, Kt.

38. To Sir Samuel Roule.

39. To Anthonie Nicholls, Esq.

40. To Major General Edwd. Massie,

41. To Godfraie Bossezile, Esq.

42. To Mr. Hue Kennedie.

43. To Mr. John Cheesly, Secretary to the Com

missioners for Scotland.

44. To the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common

Councell Men.

45. To the renowned, learned, and worthy divines,

Mr.

Mr. Alexr. Henderson, Mr. Sam. Rutherford, Mr. Rob. Bayly, Mr. Geo. Gilespie, Commissioners for the church of Scotland.*

46. For Apologie to these persons of Honour. 47. To Alexander Ramsey, M. D.

48. To my brother Capt. John Mercer.

49. To the famous poet Capt. Geo. Withers. 50. To Sir Archibald Johnstoun, Ld. Warestone. 51. To Sir Oliver Fleming.

52. The pen-man's apologie to the common reader. 53. A Satyre.

54. To the Lords and Commons in Parliament, "the humble petition of Captain William Mercer, who's forced to leave off prose and turn a verser."

55. One word more to Momus.

56. To the feareful passenger.

57. Ad eundem.

58. Upon the Title of the Book."

From the above addresses it may be gathered that Captain Mercer was a parliamentarian adherent: but that he was no great credit to the party, as a volunteer laureat, the following short specimen of his versing will sufficiently prove.

"Upon the Title of the Book.

"There are some books which bears the very name
That mine does own, yet they are not the same.

Thou never heldst a Glasse before thine eyes,
Wherein thou saw all these nobilities,

And worthies; wherefore thou must needs confesse
'Tis fitly named England's Looking-Glasse!

See Todd's Milton V. 469, and VI. 92.