ON

Affairs of State,

From 1620. to this present Year 1707.

Many of them by the most eminent Hands,

A Collection of fome Satyrical Prints against the French King, Elector of Bavaria, &c. Curiously ingraven on Copper-Plates.

VO L. IV.

London, Printed in the Year 1707.

The Preface to the Reader.

H

Aving formerly publish'd Poems on Affairs of State in Three Vol. which contain very many valuable Pieces, from the time of King James I. to the Year 1704. most of which were done from Manufcripts, or from private Prints which had been handed about from one Gentleman to another, and never before made Publick; thefe Collections met with fo good Encouragement, that they have had several Im preffions. Since the publishing of the last Vol, which was Anno 1704. Several Choice Poems have been communicated to me by Ingenious Gentlemen, defiring I would make another Vol. and that fuch Pieces as Mr. William Shakespear's (the Great Genius of our English Drama) Rape of Lucrece, and his Venus and Adonis, which were never printed in his Works, might be preserv'd, Accordingly by the Affistance of thofe Gentlemen I fet about the Work; and have been this twelve Months in perfecting this Volume. What variety it is compos'd of the Index will how the Reader, whom I must acquaint with one thing more; That having procur'd from beyond Sea a Collection of Satyrical Prints done in Holland and elsewhere, by Rom. de Hoog, and other the best Masters, relating to the French King and his Adherents,

À 2

fince

fince he unjustly begun this laft War, I have perfuaded the Bookfeller to be at the Expence of ingraving feveral of them; to each of which ĺhave given the Explanation in Englifh Verse, they being in Dutch, French, or Latin in the Originals. And as to the Cuts, I must say,our English Artifts have not come short of the Originals,as may be seen at the Publisher's of this Vol. Befides, the Cuts that are ingrav'd, I have given the Explanation of feveral others, for there are about thirty in all; but fome of them are almost the fame over again, or elfe not fo futable to an English Reader, therefore I have chofe out those that are fo, and which are a very great Curiofity, not elsewhere to be met with.

The Publisher does not doubt but he ball be encourag'd to make another Collection, for which he will endeavour to furnish himself with the most valuable Pieces. And if any Gentlemen have fuch in Print or, Manufcript, if they please to fend them to Mr. James Woodward in St. Chriftopher's Church-yard behind the Exchange, care will be taken to have them correctly printed.

Erat. P. 8. 1. 20. for being anger'd read be inaugur’d.

(v)

ADVERTISEMENT.

W

Hereas there was fometime fince publish'd a Collection of Poems relating to State-Affairs, in one Volume, which pretends to contain all or moft that are already printed in the three Volumes of State-Poems, befides large Ad ditions never before publifh'd: This is to inform the World, That the faid Pretence is notorioufly falfe and fcandalous, and defign'd to impofe on the Publick; there being above three hundred Poems of the faid three Volumes left cut, many of. which are as good, if not better than any inferted in their Edition, as may be judg'd by the Catalogue hereto annex'd. And whereas 'tis hinted in the Preface, that the three Volumes before publish'd, are stuff'd with merry Catches, and half-penny Ballads, (tho by the by these Catches and Songs thow more the Humour of the Times than the best and graveft Foem, which is the Reafon they were preferv'd in the Third Volume) fuch as Buckingham, Sidley, &c. would have blufh'd at, which are all left out in their Collection, the Publishers thereof are defy'd to produce in the faid Volumes any thing more mean and low than what they have put in, for feveral Pages, beginning at P. 452. who having had choice enough of what was good, have thereby discover'd a very bad Judgment. As to the Correctnefs of that Volume, if one may judg by the firft Poem that was look'd into, there's near half as many Errors as Lines; and therefore to pretend they publifh from the Originals, is to impofe on the common fenfe of Mankind, they having fer from the Printed Volumes without correcting.

Poems, &c. left out in the Collection in one Volume.

Andrew Marvel to the King.

Poem on his Friend Mr.

Marvel.

Dedicat. to Dr. Wilkins, by Dr.
Sprat, before the Poem on
0. Cromwel.

Epitaph on Ld Fairfax, by D.
Buckingh.

On the E. of Shaftsbury's Death.
Character of the English.
Cullen with his Flock of Miffes.
Armstrong's Ghoft.
The Royal Game.

The Dream of the Cabal.

On three Dukes killing a Bea

dle.