Byrd in 1588. They have been reprinted from his text in _Cens.
Lit_ ii. 108-110, and _Exc. Tudor_, i. 100-103. Percy inserted
them in the _Reliques_ with some alterations and additions; but
he changed his mind more than once as to whether they were two
distinct poems, or only the discovered parts of one (see i.
292-294. 303., ed. 1767; and i. 307-310. ed. 1839). The third
(containing four stanzas) is among Sylvester's _Posthumous
Poems_ p. 651.; and Ellis reprinted it under his name. In _Cens.
Lit._ ii. 102., another copy of it is given from a music book by
Gibbons, 1612. Now the longest, and apparently the earliest of
these poems is signed 'E. DIER,' in MS. Rawl. Poet. 35., fol.
17. That copy contains _eight_ stanzas, and one of the two which
are not in Byrd corresponds with a stanza which Percy added. The
following are the reasons which incline us to trust this
MS.:--(1.) Because it is the very MS. to which reference is
commonly made for several of Dyer's unprinted poems, as by Dr.
Bliss, _A.O._ i. 743.; and apparently by Mr. Dyce, ed. of
Greene, i. p. xxxv. n.; and by Park, note on Warton, iii. 230.
Park is the only person I can recollect who has mentioned this
particular poem in the MS., and he cannot have read more than
the first line, for he only says, 'one of them bears the popular
burden of "My mind to me a kingdom is."' (2.) Because it is
quite impossible that Dyer wrote many extant poems, of which he
is not known to be the author; for, as Mr. Dyce says, none of
his (_acknowledged_) productions 'have descended to our times
that seem to justify the contemporary applause which he
received.' (3.) Because I cannot discover that there is any
other claimant to this poem. One of Greene's poems ends with the
line,