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in 1547, published in two volumes a collection of religious interludes, which abounded in Germany. They are in Latin, and not taken from legends but the Bible.

The puritans were highly offended at thefe religious plays now revived. But they were hardly less averfe to the theatrical representation of the chriftian than of the gentile story. Yet for different reafons. To hate a theatre was a part of their creed, and therefore plays were an improper vehicle of religion. The heathen fables they judged to be dangerous, as too nearly refembling the fuperftitions of popery.

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A very late fcripture-play is, "A newe merry and witte comedie or enter"lude, newlie imprinted treating the hif66 tory of JACOB AND ESAU, &c." for H. Bynneman, 1568. 4to. Bl. Lett. But this play had appeared in queen Mary's reign,

An enterlude vpon the history of Jacobe "and Efawe, &c." Licenced to Henry Sutton, in 1557. REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 23. a. It is certain, however, that the fashion of religious interludes was not entirely difcontinued in the reign of queen Elifabeth. For, I find licenced to T. Hackett in 1561, "A newe enterlude of the "ij fynnes of kynge Dauyde." Ibid. fol. 75. a. And to Pickeringe in 1560-1, the play of queen Efther. Ibid. fol. 62. b. Again, there is licenced to T. Colwell, in 1565, "A playe of the ftory of kyng "Darius from Efdras." lbid. fol. 133. b. Alfo "A pleafaunte recytall worthy of "the readinge contaynynge the effecte of "iij worthye fquyres of Daryus the kinge "of Perfia," licenced to Griffiths in 1565. Ibid. fol. 132. b. Often reprinted. And in 1566, John Charlewood is licenced to print "An enterlude of the repentance "of Mary Magdalen." Ibid. fol. 152. a. Of this piece I have cited an antient manufcript. Alfo, not to multiply inftances, Colwell in 1568, is licenced to print "The "playe of Sufanna." Ibid. fol. 176. a. Ballads on fcripture subjects are now innumerable. Peele's DAVID AND BATHSHE

BA is a remain of the fashion of fcripture. plays. I have mentioned the play of HoLOFERNES acted at Hatfield in 1556. LIFE OF SIR THOMAS POPE, p. 87. In 1556, was printed" A ballet intituled the hifto"rye of Judith and Holyfernes." REGISTR. ut fupr. fol. 154. b. And Registr. B. fol. 227. In Hearne's manufcript CoLLECTANEA there is a licence dated 1571, from the queen, directed to the officers of Middlesex, permitting one John Swinton Powlter, "to have and ufe some playes "and games at or uppon nine severall fon"daies," within the faid county. And because greate reforte of people is lyke to come thereunto, he is required, for the prefervation of the peace, and for the fake of good order, to take with him four or five difcreet and fubstantial men of those places where the games shall be put in practice, to fuperintend duringe the contynuance of the games or playes. Some of the exhibitions are then specified, fuch as, Shotinge with the brade arrowe, The lepping for men, The Pytchynge of the barre, and the like. But then follows this very general clause, "With all fuche other games, as haue at

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anye time heretofore or now be lycensed, "ufed, or played." COLL. MSS. Hearne, tom. lxi. p. 78. One wishes to know, whether any interludes, and whether religious or profane, were included in this inftrument.

SECT.

SECT. XXXVII.

IT

T appears, however, that the cultivation of an English style began to be now regarded. At the general restoration of knowledge and taste, it was a great impediment to the progress of our language, that all the learned and ingenious, aiming at the character of erudition, wrote in Latin. English books were written only by the fuperficial and illiterate, at a time when judgment and genius fhould have been exerted in the nice and critical task of polishing a rude fpeech. Long after the invention of typography, our vernacular ftyle, inftead of being strengthened and refined by numerous compofitions, was only corrupted with new barbarisms and affectations, for want of able and judicious writers in English. Unless we except fir Thomas More, whose DIALOGUE ON TRIBULATION, and HISTORY OF RICHARD THE THIRD, were esteemed standards of style so low as the reign of James the firft, Roger Afcham was perhaps the first of our scholars who ventured to break the fhackles of Latinity, by publishing his ToxOPHILUS in English; chiefly with a view of giving a pure and correct model of English compofition, or rather of shewing how a subject might be treated with grace and propriety in English as well as in Latin. His own vindication of his conduct in attempting this great innova tion is too fenfible to be omitted, and reflects light on the revolutions of our poetry. "As for the Lattine or Greeke tongue,

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euerye thinge is fo excellentlye done in Them, that none can "do better. In the Englishe tongue contrary, euery thing in 86 a maner fo meanlye, both for the matter and handelinge, that 66 no man can do worfe. For therein the learned for the most "" part

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"part haue bene alwayes moft redye to write. And they which "had leaft hope in Lattine haue bene most bould in Englishe "when furelye euerye man that is moft ready to talke, is not "moft able to write. He that will write well in any tongue, "muft folow this counfell of Aristotle; to speake as the com"mon people do, to thinke as wife men do. And fo fhoulde euerye man vnderstand him, and the iudgement of wife men "alowe him. Manye Englishe writers haue not done fo; but vfinge ftraunge wordes, as Lattine, French, and Italian, do "make all thinges darke and harde. Ones I communed with a "man, which reafoned the Englishe tongue to be enriched and "encreased thereby, fayinge, Who will not prayse that feast "where a man fhall drincke at a dinner both wyne, ale, and "beere? Truly, quoth I, they be al good, euery one taken by "himselfe alone; but if you put Malmefye and facke, redde

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wyne and white, ale and beere, and al in one pot, you shall "make a drinke neither eafye to be knowen, nor yet holsome "for the bodye. Cicero in folowing Ifocrates, Plato, and De"mofthenes, encreased the Lattine tongue after another fort. "This way, because diuers men that write do not know, they "can neyther folow it because of their ignoraunce, nor yet will

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prayfe it for uery arrogancy: two faultes feldome the one out "of the others companye. Englishe writers by diuerfitie of "tyme haue taken diuers matters in hand. In our fathers time

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nothing was red, but bookes of fayned cheualrie, wherein a "man by readinge fhould be led to none other ende but only "to manslaughter and baudrye. If anye man suppose they were good enough to paffe the time withall, he is deceiued. "For furely vaine wordes do worke no fmal thinge in vaine, ignorant, and yong mindes, specially if they be geuen any thing thervnto of their owne nature. These bookes, as I "haue heard fay, were made the most part in abbayes and mo"nafteries, a very likely and fit fruite of fuch an ydle and blind

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But

"kind of living. In our time now, whan euery man is geuen "to know much rather than liue wel, very many do write, but "after fuch a fashion as very many do fhoote. Some fhooters "take in hande ftronger bowes than they be able to maintaine. "This thinge maketh them fometime to ouerfhoote the marke, "fometime to fhoote far wyde and perchance hurt fome that "loke on. Other, that neuer learned to fhoote, nor yet know"eth good shaft nor bowe, will be as bufie as the best ». Afcham's example was followed by other learned men. the chief was Thomas Wilfon, who published a fyftem of LOGIC and RHETORIC both in English. Of his LOGIC I have already spoken. I have at prefent only to speak of the latter, which is not only written in English, but with a view of giving rules for compofing in the English language. It appeared in 1553, the first year of queen Mary, and is entitled, THE ARTE OF RHETORIKE for the vfe of all fuche as are ftudious of Eloquence, fette forthe in Englishe by THOMAS WILSON. Leonarde Cox, a schoolmaster, patronised by Farringdon the last abbot of Reading, had published in 1530, as I have obferved, an English tract on rhetoric, which is nothing more than a technical and elementary manual. Wilfon's treatife is more liberal, and difcurfive; illuftrating the arts of eloquence by example, and examining and afcertaining the beauties of compofition with the speculative skill and fagacity of a critic. It may therefore be justly confidered as the first book or fyftem of criticism in our language. A few ex

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tracts from so curious a performance need no apology; which will also serve to throw light on the prefent period, and indeed on our general fubject, by displaying the state of critical knowledge, and the ideas of writing, which now prevailed.

I must premife, that Wilfon, one of the most accomplished scholars of his times, was originally a fellow of King's College', where he was tutor to the two celebrated youths Henry and Charles Brandon dukes of Suffolk. Being a doctor of laws, he was afterwards one of the ordinary mafters of requests, master of faint Katharine's hospital near the Tower, a frequent embaffador from queen Elifabeth to Mary queen of Scots, and into the Low countries, a fecretary of state and a privy counsellor, and at length, in 1579, dean of Durham. He died in 1581. His remarkable diligence and dispatch in negotiation is said to have refulted from an uncommon ftrength of memory. It is another proof of his attention to the advancement of our English style, that he translated seven orations of Demofthenes, which, in 1570, he dedicated to fir William Cecill.

Under that chapter of his third book of RHETORIC which treats of the four parts belonging to elocution, Plainneffe, Aptneffe, Compoficion, Exornacion, Wilfon has these observations on fimplicity of ftyle, which are immediately directed to those yho write in the English tongue. Among other leffons this "should first be learned, that we neuer affect any ftraunge ynke"horne termes, but to speake as is commonly receiued: neither

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seking to be ouer fine, nor yet liuing ouer careleffe, vfing our "speache as mofte men do, and ordering our wittes as the fewest "haue doen. Some feke fo farre for outlandishe Englishe, that they forget altogether their mothers language. And I dare

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Admitted scholar in 1541. A native

of Lincolnshire. MS. Hatcher.

• Which had been alfo tranflated into Latin by Nicholas Carr. To whofe verfion Hatcher prefixed this diftich. [MSS. More, 102. Carr's Autograph. MS.]

Hæc eadem patrio Thomas fermone polivit

Wilfonus, patrii gloria prima foli.

Wilfon published many other things. In Gabriel Harvey's SMITHUS, dedicated to fir Walter Mildmay, and printed by Binneman in 1578, he is ranked with his learned cotemporaries. See SIGNAT. D iij.-E ij.—I j.

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