CONTENTS. ELEGI O E N THE REVERENTDH OM S A H S E PARD 16 , 77. By the Reverend Urian Oakrs. THRE E E L EGIE A S ND AN EPITAPH. By the Reverend Cotton Mather. ON THE REVEREN J D O HN WILSON. From Johanne in Erno, r 695. ON SEVEN YOUNG M INISTERS. From Vigilantius, I 705. ON EZEKIE C L H EEVER. From Cosderius Americunus. From Hades Lookd into, must fill this volume if we take works by dates, for not only was little else produced during many years, but so abundant is it that it would easily fill another volume. For variety of subject, however, chronology may not be hereafter followed. The first poem here reproduced seems to have been the first that was written, printed, and pub lished with its own title-page in our country. It is An Elegy on the Reverend Thornas Shqard of Charlestown, by the Reverend Of the latter a sketch has been given in the preface to the third volume of this series. At the time he wrote the Elegy he was superintending Harvard College. Four years later he died. The Reverend Thomas Shepard, the son of a distinguished minister of Ca nbridge w ho bore the same name, was born in London in 1634, and with his father came to New England in 163j. In 1653 he graduated at Harvard. Six years later he was ordained teacher f the Church in Charlestorrrn, where, until 1671, he was an associate of the Kev erend Zechariah Symmes, but afterwards he was alone. Mather tells us Magnalia, 189 that he was as Great a Blessing and Glory as ever Charles town had, and many a good and prominent inan had already lived there. A portion of this Elegy was printed in small modern type by the Reverend LVilliam I. Budington in his History of the First Church, CharIestowi. The present complete and exact reproduction is from a copy owned by the writer that belonged to the late Geoi-ge Brinley of Hartford, in the catalogue of whose library it is called excessively rare, a term which there had much significance.I The title-page, supposed to be the first of a poem both written and printed within the present limits of our country, is reproduced in modern type, and in fac-simile by process Heliotype Company which shows the imperfect type and inking of the original. Although the Reverend wrote only two poems issued as separate publications, he also wrote several that appear as parts of other works. The former are reproduced in the third volume of this series. Three of the latter and a long Epitaph that shows the authors Latin are given on the following pages. All the five works, it is believed, are for the first time reproduced in their original form, page for page. 3 uhannw im Ererno contains Lives of five promi neat ministers republished in different form seven years later in the Magnalia, as also was the poem on the Reverend John JViIson. The latter is here, perhaps for the first time, reproduced in its original style from a fine copy of the rare and valuable edition of 1695, owned by Mr. Sumner Hollings worth. Mr. Wilson, the first minister of Boston, is so well known that no sketch of him is needed here. Born, in 1588, of eminent ancestry, educated in Law and in Divinity, he came to Boston in 1630. He died August 7th, 1667, and was Intewd with more than Ordinary Solemnity Life, p. 28. V giantius . . A Discourse Occasioned by the Early Death of Seven Young Ministers, was preached At Boston Lecture, 8. d. g. m...