Emaricdulfe, a sequence of forty sonnets by "E. C., Esq.," appeared in 1595.1 It embraces few of the conventional themes. Most of the sonnets are in praise of the lady's beauty. They are bound together by no narrative vein, and, strangely enough, the lady is not reproached for hard-heartedness. This latter omission, however, is explained by the author's dedication, in which he confesses the whole series to be a literary pastime.
The theme mentioned last in the criticism of Spenser is here treated in the thirty-second sonnet, in which the poet, with something of Shakspere's vehemence (perhaps in imitation), rails against impure love. The theme may be used as a touchstone, whereby the poorness of E. C.'s art and taste is made painfully clear.
1A Lamport Garland, Chas. Edmonds, The Roxburghe Club, 1881.
