This volume concludes the authoritative turn-of-the-century edition of Henry Vaughan's writings, focusing primarily on his secular poetry, translation work, and miscellaneous literary remains. The text brings together the rare contents of 'Olor Iscanus' and 'Thalia Rediviva', alongside the English and Latin verse-remains of the poet's twin brother, Thomas Vaughan.
Opening with an extensive biographical note by editor E. K. Chambers, the book attempts to untangle the obscure details of Vaughan's life, his dubious connection to Jesus College, Oxford, and his likely service on the Royalist side during the English Civil War. Chambers scrutinizes the family genealogy, tracking the Vaughan lineage back to the Tretower branch and examining the poet's marriages and descendants in Brecknockshire.
The core of the book comprises Vaughan's secular verse, including his early London-period poems addressed to Amoret, elegies for friends fallen in the Civil War such as the battle of Rowton Heath, and various commendatory verses on contemporaries like Fletcher and Cartwright. These are supplemented by substantial translations from classical and continental authors, including Ovid, Boethius, Casimir, and Ausonius.
A significant portion of the volume is dedicated to the literary remains of Thomas Vaughan, known under his pseudonym Eugenius Philalethes. Chambers investigates the controversial claims surrounding Thomas's alchemical pursuits, his marriage to Rebecca, and the fanciful modern legends that recast him as a Rosicrucian mystic and secret adversary of Christianity.
The editorial apparatus is exceptionally thorough, offering detailed textual notes that trace the sources of Vaughan's borrowings, clarify local Welsh topographical references, and resolve bibliographical puzzles regarding early editions. While providing no definitive answers to every biographical mystery, the volume stands as an indispensable resource for students of seventeenth-century poetry, presenting the complete poetic output outside of 'Silex Scintillans' with rigorous scholarly care.
