Maria Nevila
Alia Minerva."
And then follow some "Stanzes Dedicatory," subscribed—
Most deuoted to your honourable vertues.—J. S."
On the last page is—
"London, printed by Milch Bradwood, for Edward Blount, 1607."
The Automachia is a poem of 188 lines, in heroic metre, and is followed by a shorter poem, entitled "A Comfortable Exhortation to the Christian in his Self-conflict."
Do any of your correspondents know of the existence or authorship of this little work? It is not in the British Museum, nor could the curators of the library there, to whom it was shown, make out anything about it.
The discovery of its authorship might tend to throw some light on that of "The Pedlar's Song," attributed to Shakspeare, and appearing in Vol. i., p. 23. of "Notes and Queries." The song contains the line—
"Such is the sacred hunger for gold."