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plain old Gothic edifice stripped of its few fignatures of antiquity, have loft that little and almost only strength and support which they derived from antient phrases. Such alterations, even if executed with prudence and judgment, only corrupt what they endeavour to explain; and exhibit a motley performance, belonging to no character of writing, and which contains more. improprieties than those which it profeffes to remove. Hearne is highly offended at these unwarrantable and incongruous emendations, which he pronounces to be abominable in any book, "much more in a facred work;" and is confident, that were Sternhold and Hopkins "now living, they would be so far from

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owning what is afcribed to them, that they would proceed "against the innovators as CHEATS'." It is certain, that this translation in its genuine and unsophisticated state, by ascertaining the fignification of many radical words now perhaps undefervedly disused, and by displaying original modes of the English language, may juftly be deemed no inconfiderable monument of our antient literature, if not of our antient poetry. In condemning the practice of adulterating this primitive verfion, I would not be understood to recommend another in its place, entirely new. I reprobate any verfion at all, more especially if intended for the use of the church.

In the mean time, not to infist any longer on the incompatibility of these metrical pfalms with the fpirit of our liturgy, and the barbarism of their style, it should be remembered, that they were never admitted into our church by lawful authority. They were first introduced by the puritans, and afterwards continued by connivance. But they never received any royal approbation or parliamentary fanction, notwithstanding it is faid in their title page, that they are " set forth and ALLOWED to be fung in all churches of all the people together before and "after evening prayer, and also before and after fermons and "moreover in private houses for their godly folace and comfort,

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• GLOSS. ROB, GL. p. 699.

"laying apart all ungodly fongs and ballads, which tend only "to the nourishing of vice and the corrupting of youth." At the beginning of the reign of queen Elifabeth, when our ecclefiaftical reformation began to be placed on a folid and durable establishment, thofe English divines who had fled from the fuperftitions of queen Mary to Franckfort and Geneva, where they had learned to embrace the oppofite extreme, and where, from an abhorrence of catholic ceremonies, they had contracted a diflike to the decent appendages of divine worship, endeavoured, in conjunction with some of the principal courtiers, to effect an abrogation of our folemn church fervice, which they pronounced to be antichristian and unevangelical. They contended that the metrical pfalms of David, fet to plain and popular mufic, were more fuitable to the fimplicity of the gospel, and abundantly adequate to all the purposes of edification: and this propofal they rested on the authority and practice of Calvin, between whom and the church of England the breach was not then fo wide as at prefent. But the queen and those bishops to whom she had delegated the bufinefs of fupervifing the liturgy, among which was the learned and liberal archbishop Parker, objected, that too much attention had already been paid to the German theology. She declared, that the foreign reformers. had before interpofed, on fimilar deliberations, with unbecoming forwardness and that the Common Prayer of her brother Edward had been once altered, to quiet the fcruples, and to gratify the cavils, of Calvin, Bucer, and Fagius. She was therefore invariably determined to make no more conceffions to the importunate partifans of Geneva, and peremptorily decreed that the choral formalities should still be continued in the celebration of the facred offices'.

* See CANONS and INJUNCTIONS, A. D. 1559. NUM. xlix,

SECT.

TH

SECT. XXVIII.

HE fpirit of verfifying the pfalms, and other parts of the Bible, at the beginning of the reformation, was almost as epidemic as pfalm-finging. William Hunnis, a gentleman of the chapel under Edward the fixth, and afterwards chapel-master to queen Elifabeth, rendered into rhyme many select pfalms, which had not the good fortune to be rescued from oblivion by being incorporated into Hopkins's collection, nor to be fung in the royal chapel. They were printed in 1550, with this title, Certayne Pfalmes chofen out of the Pfalter of David, and "drawen furth into Englysh meter by William Hunnis fervant "to the ryght honourable fyr William Harberd knight. Newly "collected and imprinted "."

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I know not if among these are his SEVEN SOBS of a forrowful foul for fin, comprehending the SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS in metre. They are dedicated to Frances countess of Suffex, whose attachment to the gospel he much extols, and who was afterwards the foundrefs of Sydney college in Cambridge. Hunnis also, under the happy title of a HANDFUL OF HONEYSUCKLES, published Bleffings out of Deuteronomie, Prayers to Chrift, Athanafius's Creed, and Meditations, in metre with mufical notes. But his spiritual But his fpiritual nofegays are numerous. To say nothing of his RECREATIONS on Adam's banishment, Chrift his Cribb, and the Loft Sheep, he tranflated into English rhyme the whole book of GENESIS, which he calls a HIVE FULL OF HONEY. But his honey-fuckles and his honey are now no longer delicious. He was a large contributor to the PARADISE

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a I have alfo feen Hunnis's " Abridge

'ment or brief meditation on certaine of

"the Pfalmes in English metre," printed by R. Wier, 410.

b Printed by T. Marfhe, 1578. 4to.

OF

OF DAINTY DEVISES, of which more will be faid in its place. In the year 1550, were also published by John Hall, or Hawle, a furgeon or phyfician of Maidstone in Kent, and author of many tracts in his profeffion, "Certayne chapters taken out of "the proverbes of Solomon, with other chapters of the holy "Scripture, and certayne Pfalmes of David tranflated into "English metre by John Hall." By the remainder of the title it appears, that the proverbs had been in a former impreffion unfairly attributed to Thomas Sternhold. The other chapters of Scripture are from Ecclefiafticus and faint Paul's Epiftles. We must not confound this John Hall with his cotemporary Elifeus Hall, who pretended to be a miffionary from heaven to the queen, prophefied in the streets, and wrote a fet of metrical vifions". Metre was now become the vehicle of enthusiasm, and the puritans feem to have appropriated it to themselves, in opposition to our service, which was in profe.

William Baldwyn, of whom more will be faid when we come to the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, published a Phrafelike declaration in English meeter on the CANTICLES or SONGS OF SOLOMON, in 1549. It is dedicated to Edward the fixth. Nineteen of the psalms in rhyme are extant by Francis Seagar, printed by William Seres in 1553, with musical notes, and dedicated to lord Ruffel'.

Archbishop Parker also verfified the pfalter; not from any oppofition to our liturgy, but, either for the private amusement and exercise of his religious exile, or that the people, whofe

There is an edition in quarto dedicated to king Edward the fixth with this ti tle, "The Pfalmes of David translated "into English metre by T. Sternhold, fir "T. Wyat, and William Hunnis, with "certaine chapters of the Proverbes and "felect Pfalms by John Hall." I think I ́ have seen a book by Hall called the COURT OF VIRTUE, containing fome or all of these facred fongs, with notes, 1565. 8vo. He has a copy of verfes prefixed to Gale's ENCHIRIDION OF SURGERY, Lond.

1563. See John Reade's Preface to his tranflation of F. Arcaeus's ANATOMY. Strype, ANN. i. p. 291. ch. xxv. ed. 1725.

In quarto. I have feen alfo “ The "Ballads or Canticles of Solomon in Profe "and Verfe." Without date, or name of printer or author.

fAt the end is a poem entitled, "A "Description of the Lyfe of Man, the "World and Vanities thereof." Princ. "Who on earth can justly rejoyce."

predilection

predilection for pfalmody could not be fuppreffed, might at least be furnished with a rational and proper translation. It was finished in 1557. And a few years afterwards printed by Day, the archbishop's printer, in quarto, with this title, "The "whole Pfalter tranflated into English metre, which contayneth an hundredth and fifty pfalmes. The first Quinquagene *. Quoniam omnis terræ deus, pfallite fapienter. Ps. 14. 47. Im"printed at London by John Daye, dwelling over Alderfgate "beneath Saint Martyn's. Cum privilegio per decennium"." Without date of the printer', or name of the translator. In the metrical preface prefixed, he tries to remove the objections of those who cenfured verfifications of Scripture, he pleads the comforts of fuch an employment to the perfecuted theologist who fuffers voluntary banishment, and thus difplays the power of facred mufic.

The pfalmist stayde with tuned songe

The rage of myndes agast,

As David did with harpe among
To Saule in fury cast.

With golden ftringes fuch harmonie
His harpe so sweete did wreft,
That he relieved his phrenesie

Whom wicked fprites poffeft *.

Whatever might at firft have been his defign, it is certain that his verfion, although printed, was never published: and notwithstanding the formality of his metrical preface above

The fecond quinquagene follows, fol. 146. The third and laft, fol. 280.

In black letter. Among the prefaces are four lines from lord Surrey's ECCLESIASTES. Attached to every pfalm is a profe collect. At the end of the pfalms are verfions of Te Deum, Benedictus, Quicunque vult, &c. &c.

i Day had a licence, Jun. 3, 1561, to print the pfalms in metre. Ames, p. 238. * He thus remonftrates against the fecular ballads,

Ye fonges fo nice, ye fonnets all,
Of lothly lovers layes,

Ye worke mens myndes but bitter gall
By phanfies peevish playes.

mentioned,

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