taphs;" GEORGE CHAPMAN, the translator of Homer, who wrote classical plays; THOMAS DEKKER, who "united the simplicity of prose with the grace of poetry;" THOMAS MIDDLETON, notable for his witches; JOHN MARSTON, a satirical dramatist; THOMAS HEYWOOD, a clever and graceful writer; and JAMES SHIRLEY, whose plays give us excellent pictures of the fashionable society of his time.

CHAPTER VII.

PROSE LITERATURE.

FROM 1558 TILL 1660.

Sir Philip Sidney-Sir Walter Raleigh-Hooker-Bacon-Hobbes -Sir Thomas Browne-Jeremy Taylor-Other Authors. SIR. PHILIP SIDNEY (b. 1554, d. 1586).-Sir Philip was not only one of the handsomest men at the court of Elizabeth, but was also a brave soldier, a kind hearted and courteous gentleman, and one of the most splendid scholars of his age. No wonder that the Queen called him "the jewel of her court." He was fatally wounded at the battle of Zutphen, in the Netherlands, whither he had been sent to help the inhabitants against their enemies, the Spaniards. Everybody knows the story of the generosity of Sidney, in parting with the cup of cold water to the soldier whose necessity he considered greater than his own. He died shortly afterwards, at Arnheim.

He wrote sonnets, as Surrey had done before him, and, like Surrey, he had a lady love to whom he addressed them. Surrey had his Geraldine, and Sidney his Stella. But he is better known in literature for two prose works -The Arcadia, written to amuse his sister, the Duchess of Pembroke; and A Defence of Poesy, against the attacks of the Puritans, who thought the reading of poetry was a sin. The former is simply a pastoral poem written in prose form, and was an immense favourite with the ladies

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

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of the court. The Defence is the more manly work, and shows, among other things, how the old ballads (short story-poems) about the great heroes of bygone days may stir up the reader of them to become heroic too; and how real poetry not only helps us to be good scholars, but teaches us to be noble, and honest, and true.

Sidney's prose and poetry both are disfigured by "conceits," or far fetched ideas; but his high estimate of female character had a most excellent influence on the morals of his time.

FROM THE "DEFENCE OF POESY."

"Now, of all sciences-I speak according to the human conceit -is our poet the monarch. For he doth not only show the way, but giveth so sweet a prospect into the way, as will entice any man to enter into it. Nay, he doth, as if your journey should lie through a fair vineyard, at the very first, give you a cluster of grapes; that, full of that taste, you may long to pass farther. He beginneth not with obscure definitions; but he cometh to you with words set in delightful proportion, either accompanied with, or prepared for, the well-enchanting skill of music; and with a tale, forsooth, he cometh unto you, with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner; and pretending no more, doth intend the winning of the mind from wickedness to virtue."

SIR WALTER RALEIGH (b. 1552, d. 1618).-This was the most extraordinary of all the writers of this period. He was remarkable in many ways. As a soldier, he distinguished himself both at home and abroad, both at sea and on shore; as a courtier, he was gallant and accomplished, and, like Sidney, a great favourite with the Queen; and, as an adventurer, he crossed the Atlantic, visited North and South America, founded a colony, and brought home the potato and the tobacco leaf. But, when James I. became King, he was imprisoned on a charge of being connected with a plot, with which in reality he had nothing to do. After twelve years' confinement in the Tower, he was liberated by the money loving King, who allowed him to go to South America to look for gold to fill the royal purse. But he

was most unfortunate. He failed to find the gold; he displeased the Spanish by attacking one of their settlements; and, losing his eldest son, returned to England a broken-hearted man. He was immediately placed in his old prison; and, to please the Spaniards, who had complained of Raleigh's behaviour in South America, the King caused him to be executed in 1618.

Raleigh's great book is The History of the World, written during his long imprisonment. It gives an account of the world from the time of the Creation till about 170 B.C., and is remarkable for the clearness of its language, its interesting style, and its great display of learning; but the reader may detect in its pages the heart sadness of the imprisoned author.

APOSTROPHE TO DEATH.

(From the "History of the World.")

"Oh, eloquent, just and mighty Death! whom none could advise, thou hast persuaded; what none hath dared, thou hast done; and whom all the world hath flattered, thou only hast cast out of the world, and despised; thou hast drawn together all the far-stretched greatness, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition of man, and covered it over with these two narrow words-Hic jacet."

RICHARD HOOKER (b. 1553, d. 1598).This was a man who, though born of poor parents, rose to a high position in the church to which he belonged. At school he was noted for his cleverness, and for his gentle and modest disposition. When at college (to which a kind bishop had sent him) he was a highly distinguished student, and when he took orders he speedily became a prominent clergyman in the Church of England. He was induced to marry a woman who was a shrew; but he did not rebel, being of a meek and quiet spirit. For some time he was Master of the Temple in London. Here he had a colleague who disagreed with him on many subjects, and used to preach doctrines in the forenoon that he (Hooker) had to contradict in the afternoon. This duty was so much disliked by the amiable Master that he

begged to be allowed to have a church in the country, where he might be at peace. His request was granted; and during his quiet hours he wrote his great book—A Treatise on the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. This work explains the laws by which the Church of England is governed. It is considered one of the finest examples of English prose. The style is simple, clear, earnest, and

free from the ridiculous ideas and far-fetched illustrations so common in the religious writings of that age.

ON LAW.

"Of law there can be no less acknowledged than that her seat is the bosom of God; her voice the harmony of the world. All things in heaven and earth do her homage; the very least as feeling her care, and the greatest as not exempted from her power. Both angels and men, and creatures of what condition soever, though each in different sort and manner, yet all with uniform consent, admiring her as the mother of their peace and joy."-Ecclesiastical Polity.

FRANCIS BACON (b. 1561, d. 1626). This was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, a favourite at the court of Elizabeth, and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. Burleigh, the Queen's adviser, was the uncle of Francis, who from his very childhood showed signs that he would ere long be greater than either father or uncle. He studied at Cambridge, and there he became fond of philosophy-the love of knowledge seeking. Afterwards, he travelled on the continent, where he became better acquainted with men and manners; and, on his return, he was persuaded by Burleigh to study the law. This he did with such success that in a comparatively short time he became one of the best lawyers of the day. The Earl of Essex was his friend, and on one occasion gave him the gift of a fine estate to console him for a disappointment. In the House of Commons, of which he was for some time a member, he was considered a great speaker; but it could not escape notice that he used slavish and discreditable means at court in order to further his own interests. His conduct towards his kind friend Essex is an example of this. When the un

fortunate earl came to be tried on a charge of high treason, the man who did his utmost to secure his execution was Francis Bacon! It is pleaded by way of excuse, that a sense of duty to his Queen and country prompted him to do this mean thing! When James I. succeeded to the throne, Bacon courted the friendship of the royal favourites, in order to ingratiate himself with the King. In this he was successful, and ere long we find him receiving the title of Viscount St. Albans, and becoming Lord High Chancellor, the most important judge in England. He held office for four years, and might have held it longer, but that he was accused of taking bribes. To this charge he had to plead guilty, and besides being degraded from his high office, he was fined and condemned to be imprisoned in the Tower; but the king did not desert him, for the fine was greatly modified, and his stay in prison was very brief. After his disgrace he lived for five years, and died believing that posterity would do justice to his abilities.

As a writer on philosophy Bacon has no equal; and to him the world is indebted for much that has been accomplished in science and the arts since his day. He first wrote a book to show that the world, considering its age, ought to have possessed more knowledge than it then did; and that this was because its wise men had been taking a wrong way, or at least, a slow way, of investigating nature. In his next book he explains his method of philosophy, and shows that it is only by the use of observation and experiment that we can verify the knowledge we already possess, and learn the secrets of the earth we live upon, of the air we breathe, and of the stars in the sky overhead. In the three books that follow, he gives examples to show how his plan is intended to work, and remarks that the students who carefully use his method will speedily realize results that will command the astonishment of the world. And his prediction has come true. By the aid of the Baconian philosophy, our homes have been made more comfortable, our means of enjoyment greater, and we are better able