Epicedium, a funerall song: first printed allusion to Shakespeare's Lucrece

Epicedium, a brief quarto pamphlet made up of only a single poem in memory of Lady Helen Branch, contains one of the earliest allusions to Shakespeare’s Lucrece by name. Lady Branch, the widow of Sir John Branch, who had served as Lord Mayor of London in 1580, died on April 10, 1594. This is one of four poetic tributes to her published shortly after her death.

The opening stanza of Epicedium departs slightly from the traditional form of the funeral poem. Rather than invoking the muse, the poem’s speaker lists several poets who would be better equipped to praise the late Lady Branch:

You that haue writ of chaste Lucretia,
Whose death was witnesse of her spotlesse life:
Or pend the praise of sad Cornelia,
Whose blamelesse name hath made her fame so rise:
As noble Pompeys most renoumed wife.
                Hither vnto your home direct your eies:
                Whereas vnthought on, much more matter lies. (A2r)

The first poet, of course, is likely Shakespeare, whose popular Lucrece was first published in 1594. The speaker suggests that the real women of England, like Lady Branch, would be richer subjects for poetry and are unfairly neglected by poets who write about classical figures. The second poet is probably Robert Garnier, whose tragedy Cornelia had been published in two separate issues in 1594.

Epicedium includes an attribution to “W. Har” on its last page, but the poem is generally attributed to the naval officer William Hervey, Baron of Kidbrooke and later Ross (sometimes proposed as a candidate for the “Mr. W.H.” of Shakespeare’s sonnets).

Two copies are known to survive: one at the British Library and one at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Mr. Folger purchased this volume in March 1927.