Leland, Cheke, and other illuftrious rivals in polished compofition. Erafmus was entertained and patronised by the king and nobility; and the greek language, that ineftimable repofitory of genuine elegance and fublimity, was taught and admired. In this age flourished John Skelton; who, notwithstanding the great and new lights with which he was furrounded, contributed nothing to what his ancestors had left him nor do I perceive, that his versification is, in any degree, more refined than that of one of his immediate predeceffors, Hawes. Indeed, one would hardly suspect, that he wrote in the fame age with his elegant cotemporaries Surrey and Wyat. His beft pieces are written in the allegorical manner, and are his CROWNE of LAWRELL, and BowGE of COURT. But the genius of Skelton feems little better qualified for picturesque than fatyrical poetry. In the one he wants invention, grace, and dignity; in the other wit and good manners * I should be guilty of injuftice to a nation, which amid a variety of difadvantages, has kept a conftant pace with England in the progrefs of literature, if I *Wood informs us, that Skelton, for his fatirical abufes of the Dominican monks, incurred the fevere cenfure of Richard Nykke, bifhop of Norwich; and that he was moreover, " guilty of certain crimes, "AS MOST POETS ARE." Ubi fupr. vol. 1. pag. 23. neglected to mention, in this general review, two scottish poets who flourished about this period, Sir David Lyndefay, and Sir William Dunbar; the former of which in his DREAM, and other pieces, and the latter in his GOLDEN TERGE, or Shield, appear to have been animated with the nobleft spirit of allegoric fiction. Soon afterwards appeared a series of poems, entitled, the MIRROR of MAGISTRATES, formed upon a dramatic * plan, and capable of admitting fome of the the most affecting pathetical strokes. But these pieces, however honoured with the commendation of Sydney, * Every Perfon is introduced speaking. Richard II. is thus introduced in a particular fituation: "Suppofe you fee the corpfe of this "prince, all to be mangled with blewe wounds, lying pale and wan, "all naked, upon the ftones, in St. Paules Church, the people ftand ing round about him, and making his complaynt, in manner follow❝ing, &c."......Lydgate's FALL of PRINCES gave rife to the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES. In the year 1550, R. Baldwine was requested to continue Lydgate's series of the great Unfortunate; but he chofe rather to confine himself entirely to our english story, and began with Robert Trefilian, 1388, and ended with Lord Haftings, 1483. In this work he was affifted by others; and particularly by Thomas Sackville, who wrote the life of the Duke of Buckingham, together with this INDUCTION; intending, at the fame time, to write all those remarkable lives which occurred from the Conqueft to Trefilian, with whom Baldwine originally begun, and to have printed his additional part, together with all that Baldwine, and his friends, had already per formed, in one volume, and to have prefixed this INDUCTION as a general preface to the whole. But this was never executed. Afterwards another collection appeared under the fame title, by W. Higgins, 1587. The seem to be little better than a biographical detail *. There is one poem indeed, among the reft, which exhibits a groupe of imaginary perfonages, fo beautifully drawn, that in all probability, they contributed to direct, at least to ftimulate, Spenser's imagination in the construction of the like representations. Thus much may be truly faid, that Sackville's INDUCTION approaches nearer to the FAIRY QUEEN in the richness of allegoric description, than any previous or fucceeding poem. After the FAIRY QUEEN, allegory began to decline, and by degrees gave place to a fpecies of po The last edition of the whole, with additions, was published by Richard Niccols, 1610. Drayton's Legends are written on this plan; and are therefore added in Niccols's edition. Mr. Walpole, in his entertaining account of Royal and Noble Authors, remarks, that this fet of poems gave rife to the fashion of hiftorical plays, particularly to Shakespeare's. vol. 1. pag. 166. ed. 2. But the cuftom of acting HISTORIES feems to have been very old on our stage. Stowe feems to make them a distinct species of drama; but perhaps improperly. "Of late days, inftead of those stage-playes, [at Skinner's "Well, 1391, and 1409.] have been used comedies, tragedies, enter"ludes, and HISTORIES, both true and fained." Survey of London, edit. 1618. quarto, pag. 144. *Bishop Hall ridicules the Mirror of Magiflrates, in the following paffage of his fatires. Another whofe more heavie-hearted faint Delights in nought but notes of ruefull plaint, B. 1. f. 5. etry*, whofe images were of the metaphyfical and abstracted kind. This fashion evidently took it's rife from the predominant ftudies of the times, in which the difquifitions of school divinity, and the perplexed fubtilities of philofophic difputation, became the principal pursuits of the learned. Then UNA FAIR gan drop her PRINCELY MIEN t. James I. is contemptuouЛly called a PEDANTIC Monarch. But furely, nothing could be more ferviceable to the interests of learning, at it's infancy, than this supposed foible. "To ftick the doctor's chair into the "throne," was to patronise the literature of the times. In a more enlightened age, the fame attention to letters, and love of scholars, might have produced proportionable effects on fciences of real utility. This caft of mind in the king, however indulged in fome cafes to an oftentatious affectation, was at leaft innocent. * Mason's Museus. But the fpirit of chivalry, of which prince Henry was remarkably fond, together with fhews and pageantries, ftill continued, yet in a lefs degree. Hence G. Wither introduces Britannia thus lamenting the death of prince Henry. Alas, who now fhall grace my Turnaments, Or honour me with deeds of Chivalrie? What shall become of all my Merriments, My Ceremonies, Showes of Heraldrie, And other Rites ? ... Prince Henries Obfeq. Eleg. 31. pag. 368. Lond. 1617. See Davies on the IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, Lord Brooke's TREATISE OF HUMAN LEARNING, Donne's Works, &c. Allegory, Allegory, notwithstanding, unexpectedly rekindled fome faint fparks of it's native fplendor, in the PURPLE ISLAND * of Fletcher, with whom it almost as foon disappeared: when a poetry fucceeded, in which imagination gave way to correctness, fublimity of defcription to delicacy of fentiment, and majestic imagery to conceit and epigram. Poets began now to be more attentive to words, than to things and objects. The nicer beauties of happy expreffion were preferred to the daring strokes of great conception. Satire, that bane of the fublime, was imported from France. The mufes were debauched at court, and polite life, and familiar manners, became their only themes f. * Printed in the year 1633. The principal fault of this poem is, that the author has discovered to much of the anatomift. The Purple Island, is the Isle of Man, whose parts and construction the poet has described in an allegorical manner, viz. the bones are the foundation of it, the veins it's brooks, &c. Afterwards the intellectual faculties are represented as perfons: but he principally fhines where he perfonifies the paffions and evil concupifcencies of the heart, who attack the good quali ties of the heart alike perfonified, which under the conduct of their leader INTELLECT, Tout the former. In this poem there is too fomewhat of a metaphyfical turn. As the whole is fuppofed to be fung by two fhepherds, the poet has found an opportunity of adorning the beginnings and endings of his cantos with fome very pleasing paftoral touches. This poem feems to bear fome resemblance to the PsycOMACHIA of Prudentius. †Thus when Voltaire read his HENRIADE to Malezieuz, that learned man affured him, his work would not be tafted; for, fays he, "Les François n'ont pas le tete epique." In other words." The French have 66 no idea of SOLEMN and SUBLIME poetry; of FICTION and FABLE: "the Satires of Boileau will be preferred to the best epic poem." The |
