tlemen, magiftrates, and women. He alfo attacked the abuses of his age in thirty-one EPIGRAMS, first printed in 1551. The subjects are placed alphabetically. In his first alphabet are Abbayes, Alehoufes, Alleys, and Almefhouses. The fecond, Bailiffs, Bawds, Beggars, Bear-bayting, and Brawlers. They display, but without fpirit or humour, the reprehenfible practices and licentious manners which then prevailed. He published in 1551, a kind of metrical fermon on Pleasure and Pain, Heaven and Hell. Many of these, to fay nothing of his almost innumerable controverfial tracts in profe, had repeated editions, and from his own prefs. But one of his treatises, to prove that Lent is a human invention and a fuperftitious institution, deserves notice for its plan: it is a Dialogue between Lent and Liberty. The personification of Lent is a bold and a perfectly new profopopeia. In an old poem of this age against the papists, written by one doctor William Turner a physician, but afterwards dean of Wells, the Mass, or mistress MISSA, is perfonified, who, arrayed in all her meretricious trappings, must at least have been a more theatrical figure'. Crowley likewise wrote, and printed in 1588, a rhyming manual, The School of Vertue and Book of good Nurture. This is a tranflation into metre, of many of the less exceptionable Latin hymns antiently used by the catholics, and ftill continuing to retain among the proteftants a degree of popularity. One of these begins, Jam Lucis orto fydere. At the end are prayers and graces in rhyme. This book, which in Wood's time had been degraded to the ftall of the ballad-finger, and is now only to be found on the shelf of the antiquary, was intended to fuperfede or abolish the original Latin hymns, which were only offenfive because they were in Latin, and which were the recreation of scholars in our univerfities after dinner on feftival days. At an archiepifcopal vifitation of Merton college in Oxford, in the year 1562, it was a matter of enquiry, whether the fuperftitious hymns appointed to

See Strype, ECCL. MEM. ii. p. 138. See the fpeakers in Ochin's Dialogue a

gainst the Pope, englished by Poynet, printed in 1549. Strype, ibid. 198. be

be fung in the Hall on holidays, were changed for the pfalms in metre: and one of the fellows is accused of having attempted to prevent the finging of the metrical Te Deum in the refectory on All-faints day.

It will not be foreign to our purpose to remark here, that when doctor Cofins, prebendary of Durham, afterwards bishop, was cited before the parliament in 1640, for reviving or fupporting papistic ufages in his cathedral, it was alledged against him, that he had worn an embroidered cope, had repaired fome ruinous cherubims, had used a confecrated knife for dividing the facramental bread, had renovated the blue cap and golden beard of a little image of Chrift on bishop Hatfield's tomb, had placed two lighted tapers on the altar which was decorated with emblematic sculpture, and had forbidden the pfalms of Sternhold and Hopkins to be fung in the choir ".

Strype's Parker, B. 11. Ch. ii. pag. 116, 117. Compare LIFE OF SIR THOMAS POPE, 2d edit. p. 354.

Neale's HIST. PURIT. vol. ii. ch. vii. pag. 387. edit. 1733. Nalfon's COLLEC TIONS, vol. i. pag. 789.

SECT.

SE C T. XXIX.

UT among the theological verfifiers of thefe times, the moft notable is Chriftopher Tye, a doctor of mufic at Cambridge in 1545, and mufical preceptor to prince Edward, and probably to his fifters the princeffes Mary and Elifabeth. In the reign of Elifabeth he was organift of the royal chapel, in which he had been educated. To his profeffion of mufic, he joined fome knowledge of English literature: and having been taught to believe that rhyme and edification were closely connected, and being perfuaded that every part of the Scripture would be more inftructive and better received if reduced into verfe, he projected a tranflation of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES into familiar metre. It appears that the Book OF KINGS had before been verfified, which for many reasons was more capable of fhining under the hands of a tranflator. But the moft fplendid historical book, I mean the most susceptible of poetic ornament, in the Old or New Teftament, would have become ridiculous when clothed in the fashionable ecclefiaftical stanza. Perhaps the plan of setting a narrative of this kind to mufic, was ftill more prepofterous and exceptionable. However, he completed only the first fourteen chapters: and they were printed in 1553, by William Serres, with the following title, which by the reader, who is not acquainted with the peculiar complexion of this period, will hardly be fufpected to be ferious. "The ACTES OF THE APOSTLES tranflated into Englyshe metre, and dedicated to the kinges most excellent "maieftye by Cristofer Tye, doctor in mufyke, and one of the Gentylmen

"Gentylmen of hys graces most honourable Chappell, with "notes to eche chapter to fynge and also to play upon the Lute, "very neceffarye for studentes after theyr studye to fyle their "wittes, and alfoe for all chriftians that cannot fynge, to reade "the good and godlye ftoryes of the lives of Chrift his apof"tles." It is dedicated in Sternhold's ftanza, "To the ver"tuous and godlye learned prynce Edward the fixth." As this fingular dedication contains, not only anecdotes of the author and his work, but of his majefty's eminent attention to the study of the scripture, and of his skill in playing on the lute, I need not apologise for transcribing a few dull ftanzas; efpecially as they will alfo ferve as a fpecimen of the poet's native ftyle and manner, unconfined by the fetters of tranflation.

A young monarch finging the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES in verse to his lute, is a royal character of which we have seldom heard. But he proceeds,

That fuch good thynges your Grace might move

Your Lute when ye affaye,

In ftede of fonges of wanton love,

These stories then to play.

That is, they are plain and unifonous: the established character of this fort of mufic.

And