Royal MS 12 A XII

'VIOLA MARTIA': complimentary verses to Charles I on the birth of his daughter Anne, 17 Mar. 163⁶/₇ (she died 8 Dec. 1640), by eighteen members of Westminster School, then 'Chesvici exulibus'. In Latin, except two in English. One of the latter (f. 16) is by Edmund Berry Godfrey, afterwards justice of the Peace for Westminster (knighted 1666), murdered in 1678. Richard (f. 10) and John Godfrey (f. 14) are probably his brothers. Of the other writers, Thomas Benson (f. 9), Gilbert Dethicke (f. 15), Samuel Everard (f. 3), Richard Geale (f. 8), Richard Nichols (f. 20), Francis Palmer [lecturer on Moral Philosophy 1660-1664] (f. 11), Thomas Severne (f. 18), Robert Sharpe (f. 4), and William Snow (f. 7) went to Christ Church, Oxford; Thomas Beauchamp (f. 17), Anthony French (f. 13), William Hickes (f. 12), Thomas Parke (Engl. verse, f. 5), Edward Philpott (f. 19), and Jac. Upton (f. 6) became scholars of Trinity College, Cambridge. Some further particulars will be found in Welch's Westminster Scholars (London, 1832), including references to other collections (The Noble Deserts of Lord Bayning, Oxford, 1638, Horti Carolini Rosa Altera, Oxford, 1640, &c.) to which many of them contributed. All are written in one hand. On the fly-leaves are copies of the royal signature and other scribbling and drawing. Paper; ff. 21. Quarto. 7 in. x 5¹/₄ in. A. D. 1637. Not in the old catalogues.