He welcomed his Majesty to his British dominions with a congratulatory poem printed in 4to, 1603.  The same year he was chosen by Sir Walter Aston one of the esquires who attended him, when he was with others created knight of the Bath at the coronation of his Majesty.  It no where appears, that ever our author printed those poems in praise of his Majesty; and the ungrateful reception they met, as well as the disagreeable experience of the universal degeneracy at court, so different from that of the Maiden Reign, might extinguish all hope of raising himself there.

In the year 1613 he published the first part of his Poly-olbion.  It is a chorographical description of the rivers, mountains, forests, castles; &c. in this Island, intermixed with the remarkable antiquities, rarities, commodities, &c.  This part is addressed to Prince Henry, the promising son of James I. by whose encouragement it was written.  He had shewed Drayton some singular marks of his favour, and seems to have admitted him as one of his poetical pensioners, but dying before the book was finished, he lost the benefit of his patronage.  In this volume there are eighteen songs, illustrated with the notes of the learned Mr. Selden, and there are maps before every song, whereby the cities, mountains, forests, rivers, &c. are represented by the figures of men and women.  It is interwoven with many episodes, such as the conquest of this Island by the Romans, the arrival of the Saxons, the Danes and Normans, &c.  And bishop Nicholson observes, that Poly-olbion affords a much more accurate account of this kingdom and the Dominion of Wales than could have been expected from the pen of a poet.  How poetically our author has conducted and executed his plan, is admirably expressed by the ingenious Dr. James Kirkpatrick, in a beautiful poem of his called the Sea-Piece.  Canto ii. which I cannot here omit transcribing.

  Drayton, sweet ancient bard, his Albion sung,
  With their own praise, their ecchoing vallies rung;
  His bounding muse o’er every mountain rode,
  And ev’ry river warbled where he flow’d.

In 1619 came out his first folio-volume of poems.  In 1622 the second part of his Poly-olbion was published, making in all thirty books or songs.  In 1622 we find him stiled Poet Laureat:  It is probable this appellation of Poet Laureat was not confined and restricted as it is now to his Majesty’s Servant known by that title, who at that time it is presumed was Ben Johnson, because it was bestowed promiscuously as a mark of any poet’s excellency in his profession.

In 1627 was published the second volume of his poems, containing the battle of Agencourt, in stanzas of eight lines.  The mysteries of Queen Margaret in the like stanzas.  Nymphidia, or the Court of Faeries.  The Quest of Cynthia, another beautiful piece, both reprinted in Dryden’s Miscellanies.  The Shepherd’s Sirena; also the Moon Calf; Satire on the Masculine Affectations of Women, and the the