hoebe_, a volume which he never republished, but
which contains some interesting autobiographical matter, and
acknowledgments of literary help from Lodge, if not from Spenser and
Daniel also. In his _Fig for Momus_, Lodge has reciprocated these
friendly courtesies. In 1596 Drayton published his long and important
poem of _Mortimerades_, which deals with the Wars of the Roses, and is a
very serious production in _ottava rima_. He afterwards enlarged and
modified this poem, and republished it in 1603 under the title of _The
Barons' Wars_. In 1596 also appeared another historical poem, _The
Legend of Robert, Duke of Normandy_, with which _Piers Gaveston_ was
reprinted. In 1597 appeared _England's Heroical Epistles_, a series of
historical studies, in imitation of those of Ovid. These last poems,
written in the heroic couplet, contain some of the finest passages in
Drayton's writings.

With the year 1597 the first half of the poet's literary life closes. He
had become famous by this rapid production of volumes, and he rested on
his oars. It would seem that he was much favoured at the court of
Elizabeth, and he hoped that it would be the same with her successor.
But when, in 1603, he addressed a poem of compliment to James I., on his
accession, it was ridiculed, and his services rudely rejected. His
bitterness of spirit found expression in a satire, _The Owl_, which he
printed in 1604, although he had no talent in this kind of composition.
Not much more entertaining was his scriptural narrative of _Moses in a
Map of his Miracles_, a sort of epic in heroics printed the same year.
In 1605 Drayton reprinted his most important works, that is to say, his
historical poems and the _Idea_, in a single volume which ran through
eight editions during his lifetime. He also collected his smaller
pieces, hitherto unedited, in a volume undated, but probably published
in 1605, under the title of _Poems Lyric and Pastoral_; these consisted
of odes, eclogues, and a fantastic satire called _The Man in the Moon_.
Some of the odes are extremely spirited. In this volume he printed for
the first time the famous _Ballad of Agincourt_.

He had adopted as early as 1598 the extraordinary resolution of
celebrating all the points of topographical or antiquarian interest in
the island of Great Britain, and on this laborious work he was engaged
for many years. At last, in 1613, the first part of this vast work was
published under the title of _Poly-Olbio