poems, which are written in a low style of Latin verfification, is prefixed an edict from the lords of privy council, figned, among others, by Cowper bishop of Lincoln, Lord Warwick, Lord Leicester, fir Francis Knollys, fir Chriftopher Hatton, and fir Francis Walfingham, and directed to the queen's ecclefiaftical commiffioners, containing the following paffage. "For"afmuche as the fubject or matter of this booke is fuch, as is "worthie to be read of all men, and especially in common "schooles, where diuers HEATHEN POETS are ordinarily read " and taught, from which the youth of the realme doth rather "receiue infection in manners, than aduancement in uertue : "in place of fome of which poets, we thinke this Booke fit to "read and taught in the grammar schooles: we haue therefore thought, as wel for the encouraging the faid Ocklande and "others that are learned, to bestowe their trauell and ftu"dies to fo good purposes, as alfo for the benefit of the "youth and the removing of fuch lafciuious poets as are com"monly read and taught in the faide grammar-schooles (the "matter of this booke being heroicall and of good inftruction) "to praye and require you vpon the fight hereof, as by our special order, to write your letters vnto al the Bishops through"out this realme, requiring them to giue commaundement, "that in al the gramer and free schooles within their feuerall "dioceffes, the faid Booke de ANGLORUM PRÆLIIS, and "peaceable Gouernment of hir majestic, [the ELIZABETHA,] may be in place of fome of the heathen poets receyued, and publiquely read and taught by the scholemasters "." With fuch abundant circumfpection and folemnity, did these profound and pious politicians, not fufpecting that they were acting in oppofition to their own principles and intentions, exert their endeavours to bring back barbarifm, and to obftruct the progrefs of truth and good fenfe°. Hollingshead mentions Lucas Shepherd of Colchester, as an eminent poet of queen Mary's reign'. I do not pretend to any great talents for decyphering; but I prefume, that this is the fame person who is called by Bale, from a most injudicious affectation of Latinity, Lucas OPILIO. Bale affirms, that his cotemporary, Opilio, was a very facetious poet and means to pay him a still higher compliment in pronouncing him not inferior even to Skelton for his rhimes. It is unlucky, that Bale, by difguifing his name, fhould have contributed to conceal this writer fo long from the notice of pofterity, and even to counteract his own partiality. Lucas Shepherd, however, appears to have been nothing more than a petty pamphleteer in the cause of Calvinism, and to have acquired the character of a poet from a metrical tranflation of fome of David's Pfalms about the year 1554. Bale's narrow prejudices are well known. The puritans never suspected that they were greater bigots than the papists. I believe one or two of Shepherd's pieces in profe are among bishop Tanner's books at Oxford. Bale alfo mentions metrical English verfions of ECCLESIASTES, of the hiftories of ESTHER, SUSANNAH, JUDITH, and of the TESTAMENT OF THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS, printed and written about this period, by John Pullaine, one of the original students of Chrift-church at Oxford, and at length archdeacon of Colchester. He was chaplain to the duchess of n Signat. A. ij. Then follows an order from the ecclefiaftical commiflioners to all the bishops for this purpose. See fupr. vol. ii. 461. P CHRON. vol. iii. p. 1168. Suffolk; Suffolk; and, either by choice or compulfion, imbibed ideas of reformation at Geneva. I have feen the name of John Pullayne, affixed in manuscript to a copy of an anonymous verfion of Solomon's Song, or "Salomon's balads in metre," abovementioned', in which is this ftanza. She is fo young in Chriftes truth, There were numerous verfions of Solomon's SONG before the year 1600 and perhaps no portion of fcripture was selected with more propriety to be cloathed in verfe. Befide those I have mentioned, there is, "The SONG OF SONGS, that is the most "excellent Song which was Solomon's, tranflated out of the "Hebrue into Englishe meater with as little libertie in departing from the wordes as anie plaine tranflation in profe can vse, " and interpreted by a fhort commentarie." For Richard Schilders, printer to the ftates of Zealand, I fuppofe at Middleburgh, 1 1587, in duodecimo. Nor have I yet mentioned Solomon's Song, translated from English profe into English verfe by Robert Fletcher, a native of Warwickshire, and a member of Merton college, printed at London, with notes, in 1586'. The CANTICLES in English verfe are among the loft poems of Spenser ". Bishop Hall, in his nervous and elegant fatires printed in 1597, meaning to ridicule and expofe the spiritual poetry with which his age was overwhelmed, has an allufion to a metrical English verfion of Solomon's Song". Having mentioned SAINT PETER'S COMPLAINT, written by Robert Southwell, and printed in 1595, with fome other religious effufions of that author, he adds, Yea, and the prophet of the heavenly lyre, For this your zeal and far-admired skill, It is not to any of the verfions of the CANTICLES which I have hitherto mentioned, that Hall here alludes. His cenfure is levelled at "The Poem of Poems, or SION'S MUSE. Con"taynyng the diuine Song of King Salomon deuided into eight ner, a puritan, who retired to Middleburgh to enjoy the privilege and felicity of preaching endless fermons without moleftation. Middleb. 15S7. 8vo. w B. i. SAT. viii. But for this abuse of the divine fonnetters, Marfton not inelegantly retorts against Hall. CERTAYNE SATYRES, Lond. for E. Matts, 1598.12mo. SAT. iv. Come daunce, ye ftumbling Satyres, by his fide, If he lift once the SYON MUSE deride. Some fillabub, whilst he does fweetly fing And like a fierce-enraged boare doth foame At Sacred Sonnets, O daring hardiment! At all Tranflators that do ftriue to bring * Origen and Jerom say, that the youth of the Jews were not permitted to read SOLOMON'S SONG till they were thirty years of age, for fear they should inflame their paffions by drawing the fpiritual allegory into a carnal fenfe. Orig. Homil. in CANTIC. CANT. apud Hieronymi Opp. Tom. viii. p. 122. And Opp. Origen. ii. fol. 68. Hieron. Proem. in Ezech. iv. p. 330. D. a Du Bartas's Divine Weeks. "be "Eclogues. Bramo affai, poco fpero, nulla chieggio. At London, "printed by James Roberts for Mathew Lownes, and are to "be folde at his shop in faint Dunftones church-yarde, 1596'." The author figns his dedication, which is addreffed to the facred virgin, diuine mistress Elizabeth Sydney, fole daughter of the euer admired fir Philip Sydney, with the initials J. M. Thefe initials, which are subscribed to many pieces in ENGLAND'S HELICON, fignify Jarvis, or Iarvis, Markham. Although the translation of the fcriptures into English rhyme was for the most part an exercife of the enlightened puritans, the recent publication of Sternhold's pfalms taught that mode of writing to many of the papifts, after the fudden revival of the mafs under queen Mary. One Richard Beearde, parfon of faint Mary-hill in London, celebrated the acceffion of that queen in a godly pfalm printed in 1553. Much about the fame time, George Marshall wrote A compendious treatife in metre, declaring the firft original of facrifice and of building churches and aultars, and of the first receiving the criften faith here in England, dedicated to George Wharton efquire, and printed at London in 1554*. In 1556, Miles Hoggard, a famous butt of the proteftants, published “ a shorte treatise in meter vpon the CXXIX pfaline of "David called De profundis. Compiled and set forth by Miles Huggarde fervante to the quenes maieftie ." Of the oppofite or heretical perfuafion was Peter Moone, who wrote a metrical tract on the abuses of the mass, printed by John Ofwen at 66 |