itical career, distinguished as it was, that
Sackville is remembered, but by his share in early life in two works,
each of which was, in its way, a new departure in English literature. In
_A Myrroure for Magistrates_, printed by Thomas Marshe in 1559, he has
sometimes been erroneously credited with the inception of the general
plan as well as with the most valuable contributions. But there had been
an earlier edition, for the editor, William Baldwin, states in his
preface that the work was begun and partly printed "four years agone."
He also says that the printer (John Wayland) had designed the work as a
continuation of Lydgate's _Fall of Princes_ derived from the narrative
of Bochas. Fragments of this early edition are extant, the title page
being sometimes found bound up with Lydgate's book. It runs _A Memoriall
of such princes, as since the tyme of Richard the seconde, have been
unfortunate in the realme of England_, while the 1559 edition has the
running title _A briefe memorial of unfortunate Englysh princes_. The
disconnected poems by various authors were given a certain continuity by
the simple device of allowing the ghost of each unfortunate hero "to
bewail unto me [Baldwin] his grievous chances, heavy destinies and
woefull misfortunes." After a delay caused by an examination by Stephen
Gardiner, bishop of Worcester, the book appeared. It contained nineteen
tragic legends by six poets, William Baldwin, George Ferrers, "Master"
Cavyll, Thomas Chaloner, Thomas Phaer and John Skelton. In 1563 appeared
a second edition with eight additional poems by William Baldwin, John
Dolman, Sackville, Francis Segar, Thomas Churchyard and Cavyll.
Sackville contributed the _Complaint_ of Henry Stafford, duke of
Buckingham, to which he prefixed an _Induction_. This was evidently
designed as an introduction to a version of the whole work, and, being
arbitrarily transposed (1610) to the beginning by a later editor,
Richard Niccols, led to the attribution of the general design to
Sackville, an error which was repeated by Thomas Warton. The originators
were certainly Baldwin and his "printer." In 1574 Thomas Marshe printed
a series of new tragedies by John Higgins as the _Firste parte of the
Mirour for Magistrates.... From the coming of Brute to the Incarnation._
The seventh edition (1578) contained for the first time the two
tragedies of Eleanor Cobham and Humphrey duke of Gloucester. In 1587,
when the original editor was dead, the two