But whan þe hawethorn bereth blomes,
Þt hound haþ lorn his smel,
If he fele swetnes of þe flouris;
And þus þe hunteris tel."
Is there any truth in this statement?
C. H.
264. Cooper's Miniature of Cromwell.
—Can any of your readers inform me what has become of the original miniature of Oliver Cromwell painted by Samuel Cooper? It was long in the possession of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and given by his will to Richard Burke the younger, who survived him only two years, dying unmarried in 1794.
Should the portrait be still extant, and the subject attract any notice, I am prepared to supply some authentic particulars as to its early history, respecting which Northcote was completely misinformed. See his Life of Reynolds, vol. ii. p. 221. 2d edition.
BRAYBROOKE.