תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

"to be a companion of my flight. ANT. Go then into mifer"able banishment! O my antient father, ftretch out your dear "hand! I will accompany you, like a favourable wind to a ship. OED. Behold, I go! Daughter, be you my unfortu"nate guide! ANT. Thus, am I, am I, the most unhappy of "all the Theban virgins! OED. Where shall I fix my old "feeble foot? Daughter, reach to me my staff. ANT. Here, go here, after me. Place your foot here, my father, you "that have the strength only of a dream. OED. O most un

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

happy banishment! Creon drives me in my old age from my

"country.

Alas! alas! wretched, wretched things have I

"fuffered, &c "."

So fudden were the changes or the refinements of our language, that in the second edition of this play, printed again with Gascoigne's poems in 1587, it was thought neceffary to affix marginal explanations of many words, not long before in common ufe, but now become obfolete and unintelligible. Among others, are beheft and quell'. This, however, as our author fays, was done at the request of a lady, who did not understand poetical words or termes*.

Seneca's ten Tragedies were tranflated at different times and by different poets. These were all printed together in 1581, under this title, "SENECA HIS TENNE TRAGEDIES, TRANS66 LATED INTO ENGLISH. Mercurii Nutrices hora. IM

t

PRINTED AT LONDON IN FLEETSTREETE neare vnto "faincte Dunstons church by Thomas Marshe, 1581*." The book is dedicated, from Butley in Cheshire, to fir Thomas Henneage,

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

treasurer of the queen's chamber. I shall speak of each man's tranflation distinctly ".

[ocr errors]

The HYPPOLITUS, MEDEA, HERCULES OETEUS, and AGAMEMNON, were tranflated by John Studley, educated at Westminster school, and afterwards a scholar of Trinity college in Cambridge. The HYPPOLITUS, which he calls the fourth and moft ruthfull tragedy, the MEDEA, in which are fome alterations of the chorus", and the HERCULES OETEUS, were all first printed in Thomas Newton's collection of 1581, just mentioned. The AGAMEMNON was firft and feparately published in 1566, and entitled, "The eyght Tragedie of Seneca enti"tuled AGAMEMNON, translated out of Latin into English by John Studley student in Trinitie college in Cambridge. Imprinted at London in Flete streete beneath the Conduit at the figne of S. John Euangelyft by Thomas Colwell A. D. "M.D.LXVI "." This little book is exceedingly fcarce, and hardly to be found in the choiceft libraries of those who collect our poetry in black letter". Recommendatory verses are prefixed, in praise of our tranflator's performance. It is dedicated to fecretary Cecil. To the end of the fifth act our tranflator has added a whole fcene: for the purpose of relating the death of Caffandra, the imprisonment of Electra, and the flight of Oreftes. Yet these circumstances were all known and told before. The narrator is Euribates, who in the commencement of the third act had informed Clitemneftra of Agamemnon's return. Thefe efforts, however imperfect or improper, to improve the plot of a drama by a new conduct or contrivance, deferve particular

"I know not the purport of a book licenced to E. Matts, "" Difcourfes on Se"neca the tragedian," Jun. 22, 1601. REGISTR. STATION. C. fol. 71. b.

w See NEWT. edit. fol. 121. a. * But I must except the MEDEA, which is entered as tranflated by John Studley of Trinity college in Cambridge, in 1565-6, with T. Colwell. REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 140. b. I have never feen this feparate edition. Alfo the HIPPOLITUS, is en

[blocks in formation]

notice at this infancy of our theatrical taste and knowledge. They fhew that authors now began to think for themselves, and that they were not always implicitly enslaved to the prescribed letter of their models. Studley, who appears to have been qualified for better ftudies, mifapplied his time and talents in tranflating Bale's Acts of the Popes. That tranflation, dedicated to Thomas lord Effex, was printed in 1574". He has left twenty Latin diftichs on the death of the learned Nicholas Carr, Cheke's fucceffor in the Greek profefforfhip at Cambridge.

The OCTAVIA is tranflated by T. N. or Thomas Nuce, or Newce, a fellow of Pembroke-hall in 1562, afterwards rector of Oxburgh in Norfolk, Beccles, Weston-Market, and vicar of Gayfley, in Suffolk; and at length prebendary of Ely cathedral in 1586. This verfion is for the most part executed in the heroic rhyming couplet. All the rest of the translators have used, except in the chorus, the Alexandrine measure, in 'which Sternhold and Hopkins rendered the pfalms, perhaps the most unsuitable fpecies of English verfification that could have been applied to this purpose. Nuce's OCTAVIA was first printed in 1566 '. He has two very long copies of verses, one in English and the other in Latin, prefixed to the first edition of Studley's AGAMEMNON in 1566, just mentioned.

Alexander Nevyle, tranflated, or rather paraphrased, the OEDIPUS, in the fixteenth year of his age, and in the year 1560, not printed till the year 1581'. It is dedicated to doctor Wootton, a privy counsellor, and his godfather. Notwithstand

In quarto. Bl. Lett. "The pageaunt "of POPES, &c. &c. Englished with fun"drye additions, by J. S." For Thomas Marshe, 1574•.

At the end of Bartholomew Dodington's EPISTLE of Carr's Life and Death, addressed to fir Walter Mildmay, and subjoined to Carr's Latin Tranflation of feven Orations of Demofthenes. Lond. 1571. 4to. Dodington, a fellow of Trinity college, fucceeded Carr in the Greek chair, 1560. See Camden's MONUM. Ecclef. Coll, Weftmon. edit. 1600. 4to. Signat. K 2.

[blocks in formation]

ing the tranflator's youth, it is by far the most spirited and elegant verfion in the whole collection, and it is to be regretted that he did not undertake all the reft. He feems to have been perfuaded by his friends, who were of the graver fort, that poetry was only one of the lighter accomplishments of a young man, and that it fhould foon give way to the more weighty pursuits of literature. The first act of his OEDIPUS begins with these lines, spoken by Oedipus.

The night is gon, and dreadfull day begins at length t' apeere,
And Phoebus, all bedimde with clowdes, him felfe aloft doth reere:
And gliding forth with deadly hue, a dolefull blase in skies
Doth beare: great terror and dismay to the beholders eyes!
Now fhall the houses voyde be feene, with Plague deuoured
quight,

And slaughter which the night hath made, shall day bring forth to light.

Doth any man in princely throne reioyce? O brittle ioy!

How many ills, how fayre a face, and yet how much annoy,
In thee doth lurk, and hidden lies? What heapes of endles

ftrife?

They iudge amiffe, that deeme the Prince to haue the happie life.

Nevyl was born in Kent, in 1544', and occurs taking a master's degree at Cambridge, with Robert earl of Effex, on the fixth day of July, 1581*. He was one of the learned men whom archbishop Parker retained in his family': and at the time of the archbishop's death, in 1575, was his fecretary ". He wrote a Latin narrative of the Norfolk infurrection under Kett, which is dedicated to archbishop Parker, and was printed

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

in 1575". To this he added a Latin account of Norwich, printed the fame year, called NORVICUS, the plates of which were executed by Lyne and Hogenberg, archbishop Parker's domestic engravers, in 1574°. He published the Cambridge verfes on the death of fir Philip Sydney, which he dedicated to lord Leicester, in 1587. He projected, but I fufpect never completed, an English translation of Livy, in 1577 o. in 1577. He died

in 1614'. The HERCULES FURENS, THYESTES, and TROAS, were tranflated into English by Jasper Heywood. by Jasper Heywood. The HERCULES FURENS was first printed at London in 1561, and dedicated to William Herbert lord Pembroke, with the following pedantic Latin title. "Lucii Annaei Senecae tragoedia prima, quæ in"fcribitur HERCULES FURENS, nuper recognita, et ab omni

"Lond. 4to. The title is, "KETTUS, "five de furoribus Norfolcienfium Ketto "duce." Again at London, 1582, by Henry Binneman, 8vo. And in English, 1615, and 1623. The difturbance was occafioned by an inclosure in 1549, and began at an annual play, or fpectacle, at Wymondham, which lafted two days and two nights, according to antient cuftom, p. 6. edit. 1582. He cites part of a ballad fung by the rebels, which had a most powerful effect in fpreading the commotion, p. 88. Prefixed is a copy of Latin verfes on the death of his patron archbifhop Parker. And a recommendatory Latin copy by Thomas Drant, the firft tranflator of Horace. See alfo Strype's PARKER, p. 499. Nevile has another Latin work, APOLOGIA AD WALLIE PROCERES, Lond. for Binneman, 1576. 4to. He is mentioned in that part of G. Gascoigne's poems called DEVISES. His name, and the date 1565, are inscribed on the CARTULARIUM S. GREGORII CANTUARIÆ, among bishop More's books, with two Latin lines which I hope he did not intend for hexameters.

• It is fometimes accompanied with an engraved map of the Saxon and British kings. See Hollinfh. CHRON. i. 139.

Lond. 4to. viz. "Academiæ Canta

brigienfis Lacrymæ tumulo D. Philippi

"Sidneii facratæ."

See Note in the Register of the Stationers Company, dated May 3, 1577Regiftr. B. fol. 139. b. It was not finished in 1597.

Octob. 4. Batteley's CANTERB. App. 7. Where fee his Epitaph. He is buried in a chapel in Canterbury cathedral with his brother Thomas, dean of that church. The publication of Seneca's OEDIPUS in English by Studley, or rather Gascoigne's JOCASTA, produced a metrical tale of ETEOCLES AND POLYNICES, in "THE "FORREST OF FANCY, wherein is con"tained very pretty APOTHEGMES, and "PLEASANT HISTORIES, both in meeter " and profe, SONGES, SONETS, EPIGRAMS, "and EPISTLES, &c. Imprinted at Lon"don by Thomas Purfoote, &c. 1579." 4to. See SIGNAT. Bij. Perhaps Henry Chettle, or Henry Conítable, is the writer or compiler. [See fupr. p. 292.] At least the colophon is, "Finis, H. C." By the way, it appears, that Chettle was the pub. lifher of Greene's GROATSWORTH OF WIT in 1592. It is entered to W. Wrighte, Sept. 20. REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 292. b.

• In 12mo.

"" bus

« הקודםהמשך »