Note 1. III. Anonymous.—In the Harleian MSS. there is a small volume bound in white vellum, entitled “A Handful of Celestiall Flowers; viz. Divers selected Psalms of David in verse, differently translated from those used in the Church; Divers Meditations upon our Saviour’s Passion; Certain Hymnes or Carrolls for Christmas Daie; A Divine Pastorell Eglogue; Meditations upon the 1st and 13th verses of ye 17 Chap. of Job. Composed by divers worthie and learned gentlemen. Manuscrib’d by R. Cr.” The Psalms in this MS. are verbatim copies of those in another Harl. MS., and were written by Francis and Christopher Davison and others. Specimens of these may be found in the “Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth.” The “Pastorell Eglogue” was written by T. Randolph, and will be found under his name. The “Meditations, Hymns, and Carrols,” are partly anonymous, and it does not appear by whom the Meditations on the 17th Chapter of Job were written. It is from this part of this curious volume that the annexed specimens are derived. The “Handful of Celestial Flowers” was compiled by Ralph Crane, himself a poet, for a new-year’s gift to Sir Francis Ashley, Knt.; and it subsequently belonged to Lady Henrietta Holles, daughter of John, last Duke of Newcastle of that name, who married Edward Harley, second Earl of Oxford, whence it came into the Harleian Collection. [back]
