GLORUM ENCOMIA, published at London in 1589 *. He is perhaps the first Englishman that wrote Latin elegiacs with a claffical clearness and terfeness after Leland, the plan of whofe ENCOMIA and TROPHÆA he feems to have followed in this little work'. Most of the learned and ingenious men of that age, appear to have courted the favours of this polite and popular encomiaft. His chief patron was the unfortunate Robert earl of Effex. I have often incidentally mentioned fome of Newton's recommendatory verses, both in English and Latin, prefixed to cotemporary books, according to the mode of that age. One of his earliest philological publications is a NOTABLE HISTORIE OF THE SARACENS, digefted from Curio, in three books, printed at London in 1575". I unavoidably anticipate in remarking here, that he wrote a poem on the death of queen Elifabeth, called "ATROPOION DELION," or, "the Death of "Delia with the Tears of her funeral. A poetical excufive dif"course of our late Eliza. By T. N. G. Lond. 1603"." The next year he published a flowery romance, "A plefant new history, "or a fragrant pofie made of three flowers Rofa, Rofalynd, and "Rosemary, London, 1604°." Philips, in his THEATRUM POETARUM, attributes to Newton, a tragedy in two parts, called TAMBURLAIN THE GREAT, OR THE SCYTHIAN SHEPHERD. But this play, printed at London in 1593, was written by Christopher Marloe1. He feems to have been a partisan of the puritans, from his pamphlet of CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP, with an Invective against dice-play and other profane games, printed at London, 1586. For fome time our author practised phyfic, and, in

* His mafter John Brunswerd, at Macclesfield school, in Chefhire, was no bad Latin poet. See his PROGYMNASMATA ALQUOT POEMATA, Lond. 1590. 4to. See Newton's ENCOм. p. 128 131. Brunf werd died in 1589, and his epitaph, made by his fcholar Newton, yet remains in the chancel of the church of Macclesfield. Alpha poetarum, coryphæus grammati

corum,

Flos war, hac fepelitur humo.

I Lond. 1589. 4to. Reprinted by Hearne, Oxon. 1715. 8vo.

m In quarto. With a SUMMARY annexed on the fame subject.

In quarto. For W. Johnes. • In quarto.

See Heywood's Prologue to Marlow's JEW OF MALTA, 1633.

In octavo. From the Latin of Lamb. Danæus,

the

the character of that profeffion, wrote or tranflated many medical tracts. The first of these, on a curious fubject, A direction for the health of magiftrates and fudents, from Gratarolus, appeared in 1574. At length taking orders, he first taught school at Macclesfield in Cheshire, and afterwards at Little Ilford in Effex, where he was beneficed. In this department, and in 1596, he published a correct edition of Stanbridge's Latin Profody'. In the general character of an author, he was a voluminous and a laborious writer. He died at Little Ilford, and was interred in his church, in 1607. From a long and habitual courfe of ftudious and induftrious pursuits he had acquired a confiderable fortune, a portion of which he bequeathed in charitable legacies.

It is remarkable, that Shakespeare has borrowed nothing from the English Seneca. Perhaps a copy might not fall in his way. Shakespeare was only a reader by accident. Hollinfhed and translated Italian novels fupplied most of his plots or stories. His ftorehouse of learned history was North's Plutarch. The only poetical fable of antiquity, which he has worked into a play, is TROILUS. But this he borrowed from the romance of Troy. Modern fiction and English history were his principal resources. These perhaps were more fuitable to his tafte: at least he found that they produced the most popular fubjects. Shakespeare was above the bondage of the claffics.

I must not forget to remark here, that, according to Ames, among the copies of Henry Denham recited in the register of the Company of Stationers', that printer, is faid, on the eighth of January, in 1583, among other books, to have yielded into the bands and difpofitions of the mafter, wardens, and assistants, of

"cud. R. Waldegrave." I know not if this edition, which is in octavo, is the first. See our author's ENCOм. p. 128, Our author published one or two tranflations on theological fubjects.

"Vocabula magiftri Stanbrigii ab in"finitis quibus fcatebant mendis repur "gata, obfervata interim (quoad ejus fieri "" potuit) carminis ratione, et meliufcule "etiam correcta, ftudio et industria Tho"mae Newtoni Ceftrefhyrii. Edinb. ex3 D

VOL. III.

* I find nothing of this in REGISTER. B. that

that fraternity, "Two or three of Seneca his tragedies Thefe, if printed after 1581, cannot be new impreffions of any fingle plays of Seneca, of thofe published in Newton's edition of all the ten tragedies.

Among Hatton's manufcripts in the Bodleian library at Oxford", there is a long translation from the HERCULES OETAEUS of Seneca, by queen Elifabeth. It is remarkable that it is blank verse, a measure which her majesty perhaps adopted from GORDORUC; and which therefore proves it to have been done after the year 1561. It has, however, no other recommendation but its royalty.

OUT, as scholars began to direct their attention to our ver

peared in English verfe. Before the year 1600, Homer, Mufaeus, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, and Martial, were translated. Indeed most of these verfions were published before the year 1580. For the fake of presenting a connected difplay of these early tranflators, I am obliged to trespass, in a flight degree, on that chronological order which it has been my prefcribed and constant method to obferve. In the mean time we must remember, that their verfions, while they contributed to familiarise the ideas of the antient poets to English readers, improved our language and verfification; and that in a general view, they ought to be confidered as valuable and important acceffions to the stock of our poetical literature. These were the claffics of Shakespeare.

I fhall begin with those that were tranflated first in the reign of Elifabeth. But I must premife, that this inquiry will neceffarily draw with it many other notices much to our purpose, and which could not otherwife have been fo conveniently disposed and displayed.

Thomas Phaier, already mentioned as the writer of the story of OWEN GLENDOUR in the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, a native of Pembrokeshire, educated at Oxford, a ftudent of Lincoln's Inn, and an advocate to the council for the Marches of Wales, but afterwards doctorated in medicine at Oxford, tranflated the seven first books of the Eneid of Virgil, on his retirement to his patrimonial feat in the forest of Kilgarran

3 D 2

garran in Pembrokeshire, in the years 1555, 1556, 1557. They were printed at London in 1558, for Ihon Kyngston, and dedicated to queen Mary. He afterwards finished the eighth book on the tenth of September, within forty days, in 1558. The ninth, in thirty days, in 1560. Dying at Kilgarran the fame year, he lived only to begin the tenth ". All that was thus done by Phaier, one William Wightman published in 1562, with a dedication to fir Nicholas Bacon, "The nyne first books of the "Eneidos of Virgil conuerted into English verfe by Thomas "Phaer doctour of phyfick, &c." The imperfect work was at length completed, with Maphaeus's fupplemental or thirteenth book, in 1583, by Thomas Twyne, a native of Canterbury, a phyfician of Lewes in Suffex, educated in both universities, an admirer of the mysterious philofophy of John Dee, and patronifed by lord Buckhurst the poet'.

a In quarto. Bl. Lett. At the end of the feventh book is this colophon, " Per "Thomam Phaer in forefta Kilgerran fi"nitum iij. Decembris. Anno 1557. Opus "xij dierum." And at the end of every book is a fimilar colophon, to the fame purpofe. The first book was finished in eleven days, in 1555. The fecond in twenty days, in the fame year. The third in twenty days, in the fame year. The fourth in fifteen days, in 1556. The fifth in twenty-four days, on May the third, in 1557," poft periculum eius Karmerdini," i. e. at Caermarthen. The fixth in twenty days, in 1557.

Phaier has left many large works in his feveral profeffions of law and medicine. He is pathetically lamented by fir Thomas Chaloner as a moft skilful phyfician, ENCOM. p. 356. Lond. 1579. 4to. He has a recommendatory English poem prefixed to Philip Betham's MILITARY PRECEPTS, translated from the Latin of James earl of Purlilias, dedicated to lord Studley, Lond. 1544. 4to. For E. Whitchurch.

There is an entry to Purfoot in 1566, for printing" ferten verfes of Cupydo by "Mr. Fayre [Phaier]." REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 154. a.

The ninth, tenth, eleventh,

bEx coloph. ut fupr.

In quarto. Bl. Lett. For Rowland Hall.

See fupr. p. 287. His father was John Twyne of Bolington in Hampshire, an eminent antiquary, author of the Commentary DE REBUS ALBIONICIS, &C. Lond. 1590. It is addreffed to, and publifhed by, with an epiftle, his faid fon THOMAS. Laurence, a fellow of All Souls and a civilian, and John Twyne, both THOMAS's brothers, have copies of verfes prefixed to feveral cotemporary books, about the reign of queen Elifabeth. THOMAS wrote and tranflated many tracts, which it would be fuperfluous and tedious to enumerate here. To his BREVIARIE OF BRITAINE, a tranflation from the Latin of Humphrey Lhuyd, in 1573, are prefixed recommendatory verfes, by Browne prebendary, and Grant the learned fchoolmafter, of Westminster, Llodowyke Lloyd a poet in the PARADISE OF DAINTIE DEVISES, and his two brothers, aforefaid, Laurence and John.

Our tranflator, THOMAS TWYNE, died in 1613, aged 70, and was buried in the chancel of faint Anne's church at Lewes, where his epitaph of fourteen verfes ftill, I believe,