n_, eighteen books being
produced, to which the learned Selden supplied notes. The success of
this great work, which has since become so famous, was very small at
first, and not until 1622 did Drayton succeed in finding a publisher
willing to undertake the risk of bringing out twelve more books in a
second part. This completed the survey of England, and the poet, who had
hoped "to crown Scotland with flowers," and arrive at last at the
Orcades, never crossed the Tweed. In 1627 he published another of his
miscellaneous volumes, and this contains some of his most characteristic
and exquisite writing. It consists of the following pieces: _The Battle
of Agincourt_, an historical poem in _ottava rima_ (not to be confused
with his ballad on the same subject), and _The Miseries of Queen
Margaret_, written in the same verse and manner; _Nimphidia, the Court
of Faery_, a most joyous and graceful little epic of fairyland; _The
Quest of Cinthia_ and _The Shepherd's Sirena_, two lyrical pastorals;
and finally _The Moon Calf_, a sort of satire. Of these _Nimphidia_ is
perhaps the best thing Drayton ever wrote, except his famous ballad on
the battle of Agincourt; it is quite unique of its kind and full of rare
fantastic fancy.

The last of Drayton's voluminous publications was _The Muses' Elizium_
in 1630. He died in London on the 23rd of December 1631, was buried in
Westminster Abbey, and had a monument placed over him by the countess of
Dorset, with memorial lines attributed to Ben Jonson. Of the particulars
of Drayton's life we know almost nothing but what he himself tells us;
he enjoyed the friendship of some of the best men of the age. He
corresponded familiarly with Drummond; Ben Jonson, William Browne,
George Wither and others were among his friends. There is a tradition
that he was a friend of Shakespeare, supported by a statement of John
Ward, once vicar of Stratford-on-Avon, that "Shakespear, Drayton and Ben
Jonson had a merry meeting, and it seems, drank too hard, for Shakespear
died of a feavour there contracted." In one of his poems, an "elegy" or
epistle to Mr Henry Reynolds, he has left some valuable criticisms on
poets whom he had known. He was even engaged in the labour of the
dramatists; at least he had a share, with Munday, Chettle and Wilson, in
writing _Sir John Oldcastle_, which was printed in 1600. That he was a
restless and discontented, as well as a worthy, man may be gathered from
his own admissions.

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