[833]At the end of the History of the World (vide last folio, Hist. World), he laments the death of the most noble and most hopefull prince Henry,[834] whose great favourite he was, and who, had he survived his father, would quickly have enlarged him, with rewards of honour. So upon the prince's death ends his first part of his History of the World, with a gallant eulogie of him, and concludes[835], Versa est in luctum cithara mea; et cantus[836] meus in vocem flentium.
He had[LXXVI.] an apparatus for the second part, which he, in discontent, burn't, and sayd, 'If I am not worthy of the world, the world is not worthy of my workes.'
[LXXVI.] From his grand-nephews my school-fellowes.
[837]His booke sold very slowly at first, and the bookeseller complayned of it, and told him that he should be a looser by it, which put Sir W. into a passion; and sayd that since the world did not understand it, they should not have his second part, which he tooke and threw into the fire, and burnt before his face.
Mr. Elias Ashmole saies that Degore Whear in his Praelectiones Hyemales gives him an admirable encomium, and preferres him before all other historians.
[838]Verses W. R. before Spencer's F. Queen.
[839]He was somtimes a poet, not often[840].—Before Spencer's Faery Q. is a good copie of verses, which begins thus:—
Methinkes I see the grave wher Laura lay;
at the bottome W. R.: which, 36 yeares since, I was told were his.