True widow maid still followeth Diana."
2.
"Our Bonny-boots could toot it, yea and foot it;
Say lusty lads, who now shall bonny-boot it?
Who but the jolly shepherd, bonny Dorus?
He now must lead the Morris dance before us."
The conjecture that Bonny-boots was the Earl of Essex at once falls to the ground; for he was not beheaded till 1601, and the title-page of Morley's Canzonets bears date 1597.
That some conceit relative to the Lady Oriana existed long before the appearance of The Triumphs, is evident. Although the latter work was not published till the year 1601, yet in 1597 the idea had been acted upon by Nicholas Yonge in his Second Book of Musica Transalpina; for therein is the well-known madrigal by Giovanni Croce from Il Trionfo di Dori, adapted to the English words, "Hard by a crystal fountain," and ending with the burden, "Long live fair Oriana." Dr. Burney (Hist. of Music, vol. iii. p. 124.) says, that according to Hearne, a madrigal beginning with these words used annually to be sung by the fellows of the New College, Oxon, but he was unable to find it. Other madrigals in praise of Oriana may be found in Bateson's First Set of Madrigales, 1604; Pilkington's First Set of Madrigales, 1613; and in Vautor's First Set of Songes, 1619.
The publication of madrigals in praise of Queen Elizabeth, after her death, may be easily accounted for. They were (it is evident upon examination) originally composed with the others, but sent too late for insertion in the set; after which their respective composers had no opportunity of publishing them until the dates above given.
The conclusion then I arrive at is this, that Il Trionfo di Dori was printed in Italy (most probably at Rome) between the years 1588 and 1597; that N. Yonge procured a copy of it from thence (as may be inferred from his Preface), and from it published Croce's madrigal. This copy was most probably seen by Thomas Morley, and gave him the idea of his Triumphs of Oriana. Morley was at this time an especial favourite with the queen, who had recently rewarded him with "a faire gold chaine." An offering then like the Orianas could not fail of being acceptable to the vanity of Elizabeth, who, even at the age of sixty-eight, was extremely susceptible of flattery—especially when directed towards her person. It doubtless had the desired effect, and secured for Morley the patronage of the queen and the principal nobility. The publication of this work is thus easily explained without the intervention of any "secret piece of history."