"plein Rhetorique" in two books, written by Pierre Fabri, properly Le Fevre, an ecclefiaftic of Rouen, for teaching elegance in profe as well as rhyme, is dated still higher. Goujet mentions a Gothic edition of this tract in 1521'. It contains remarks on the verfification of mysteries and farces, and throws many lights on the old French writers. But the French had even an ART OF POETRY fo early as the year 1548. In that year Thomas Sibilet published his Art poetique at Paris, Veuve François Regnault. This piece preferves many valuable anecdotes of the old French poetry: and, among other particulars which develope the ftate of the old French drama, has the following fenfible strictures. "The French "farce contains little or nothing of the Latin comedy. It has "neither acts nor fcenes, which would only ferve to introduce "a tedious prolixity: for the true fubject of the French farce, "or SOTTIE, is every fort of foolery which has a tendency to "provoke laughter. - -The fubject of the Greek and Latin "comedy was totally different from every thing on the French stage. For it had more morality than drollery, and often as "much truth as fiction. Our MORALITIES hold a place in"differently between tragedy and comedy: but our farces are RER. ET URB. AMST. Lib. ii. c. xvi. pag. 118. edit. 1611. fol. In the preceding chapter, he fays, that this fraternity of rhetoricians erected a temporary theatre, at the folemn entry of prince Maurice into Amfterdam in 1594, where they exhibited in DUMB SHOW the history of David and Goliah. Ibid. c. xv. p. 117. Meteranus, in his Belgic hiftory, speaks largely of the annual prizes, affemblies, and contefts, of the guilds or colleges of the rhetoricians, in Holland and the Low Countries. They answered in rhyme, queftions propofed by the dukes of Burgundy and Brabant. At Ghent in 1539, twenty of thefe colleges met with great pomp, to difcufs an ethical queftion, and each gave a folution in a moral comedy, magnificently prefented in the public theatre. In 1561, On the rhetorical guild of Antwerp, called the 7 BIBL. FR. 361. He mentions another edition in 1539. Both at Paris, 1 2m0. z In 16mo. really what the Romans called mimes, or Priapées, the in"tended end and effect of which was exceffive laughter, and "on that account they admitted all kinds of licentioufnefs, as "our farces do at prefent. In the mean time, their pleasantry "does not derive much advantage from rhymes, however flowing, "of eight fyllables." Sibilet's work is chiefly founded on Horace. His definitions are clear and juft, and his precepts well explained. The most curious part of it is the enumeration of the poets who in his time were of moft repute. Jacques Pelletier du Mans, a physician, a mathematician, a poet, and a voluminous writer on various fubjects both in prose and verse, also published an ART POETIQUE at Lyons, in 1555. This critic had fufficient penetration to perceive the falfe and corrupt tafte of his cotemporaries. "Inftead of the regular ode and fonnet, "our language is fophifticated by ballads, roundeaux, lays, and "triolets. But with these we must reft contented, till the farces "which have fo long infatuated our nation are converted into comedy, our martyr-plays into tragedy, and our romances "into heroic poems .' And again, "We have no pieces in "our language written in the genuine comic form, except fome ❝ affected and unnatural MORALITIES, and other plays of the fame character, which do not deferve the name of comedy. "The drama would appear to advantage, did it but resume its proper state and antient dignity. We have, however, fome tragedies in French learnedly tranflated, among which is the "HECUBA of Euripides by Lazare de Baïf, &c." Of rhyme the fame writer says, "S'il n'etoit queftion que de parler orne❝ment, il ne faudroit finon écrire en profe, ou s'il n'etoit queftion que de rimer, il ne faudroit, finon rimer en farceur: "mais en poefie, il faut faire tous les deux, et BIEN DIRE, et 66 a Liv. ii. ch. viii. At the end of Sibilet's work is a critical piece of Quintil against Ch. Fontaine, firft printed feparately at Paris, 1538. 16m0. By Jean de Tournes. 8vo. d Ch. DE LA COMEDIE ET DE LA TRAGEDIE. See alfo, to the fame purpose, Collettet Sur la poefie morale, and Guillaume des Autels, Repos d'un plus grand. travail. "BIEN RIMER." His chapters on IMITATION and TRANSLATION have much more philosophy and reflection than are to be expected for his age, and contain obfervations which might edify modern critics'. Nor muft I forget, that Pelletier alfo published a French tranflation of Horace's ART OF POETRY at Paris in 1545. I prefume, that Joachim du Bellay's Deffense et Illuftration de la LANGUE FRANÇOISE was published at no great distance from the year 1550. He has the fame just notion of the drama. "As to tragedies and comedies, if kings and states "would restore them in their antient glory, which has been ufurped by farces and MORALITIES, I am of opinion that you would lend your affiftance; and if you wish to adorn our language, you know where to find models "." 66 h The Italian vernacular criticism began chiefly in commentaries and discourses on the language and phrafeology of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccace. I believe one of the first of that kind is, "Le tre Fontane di Nicolò Liburnio fopra la grammatica, e l'eloquenza di Dante, del Petrarcha, e del Boccacio. In Ve"nezia, per Gregorio Gregori, 1526." Numerous expofitions, lectures, annotations, and discourses of the fame fort, especially on Dante's Inferno, and the Florentine dialect, appeared soon afterwards. Immediately after the publication of their respective poems, Ariofto, whofe ORLANDO FURIOSO was styled the nuova poefia, and Taffo, were illuftrated or expounded by commentators more intricate than their text. One of the earliest of these is," Spofizione de Simon Fornari da Reggio fopra "l'Orlando Furiofo di Lodovico Ariofto. In Firenze per Lo"renzo Torrentino 1549 *." Perhaps the first criticism on what the Italians call the Volgar Lingua is by Pietro Bembo, "Profe " di Pietro Bembo della volgar Lingua divife in tre libri. In Liv. ii. ch. i. De la RIME. Par Michel Vafcofan. 8vo. In quarto. Again, per Marchio Seffa, 1534. 8vo. In 8vo. The Seconde Partie appeared ibid. 1550. 8vo. "Firenze "Firenze per Lorenzo Torrentino, 1549." But the first edition seems to have been in 1525. This fubject was difcuffed in an endless fucceffion of Regole grammaticali, Offervazioni, Avvertimenti, and Ragionamenti. Here might alfo be mentioned, the annotations, although they are altogether explanatory, which often accompanied the early translations of the Greek and Latin claffics into Italian. But I refign this labyrinth of research to the fuperior opportunities and abilities of the French and Italian antiquaries in their native literature. To have faid nothing on the subject might have been thought an omiffion, and to have faid more, impertinent. I therefore return to our own poetical annals. Our three great poets, Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, feem to have maintained their rank, and to have been in high repu tation, during the period of which we are now treating. Splendid impreffions of large works were at this time great undertakings. A fumptuous edition of Gower's CONFESSIO AMANTIS was published by Berthelette in 1554. On the fame ample plan, in 1555, Robert Braham printed with great accuracy, and a diligent investigation of the antient copies, the firft correct edition of Lydgate's TROYBOKE". I have before incidentally remarked", that Nicholas Briggam, a polite scholar, a ftudent at Oxford and at the Inns of Court, and a writer of writer of poetry, in the year 1555, depofited the bones of Chaucer under a new tomb, erected at his own coft, and inscribed with a new epitaph, in the chapel of bishop Blase in Westminster abbey, which still remains °. Wilson, as we have just feen in a citation from his RHETORIC, records an anecdote, that the more accomplished and elegant courtiers were perpetually quoting Chaucer. Yet William Caxton the printer and which, this must be reftricted to the courtiers of Edward the fixth. And indeed there is a peculiar reafon why Chaucer, exclufive of his real excellence, fhould have been the favorite of a court which laid the foundations of the reformation of religion. It was, that his poems abounded with fatyrical ftrokes against the corruptions of the church, and the diffolute manners of the monks. And undoubtedly Chaucer long before, a lively and popular writer, greatly affifted the doctrines of his cotemporary Wickliffe, in opening the eyes of the people to the abfurdities of popery, and expofing its impoftures in a vein of humour and pleasantry. Fox the martyrologist, a weak and a credulous compiler, perhaps goes too far in affirming, that Chaucer has undeniably proved the pope to be the antichrift of the apocalypfe". Of the reign of queen Mary, we are accuftomed to conceive every thing that is calamitous and difgufting. But when we turn our eyes from its political evils to the objects which its literary history prefents, a fair and flourishing scene appears. In this profpect, the mind feels a repofe from contemplating the fates of thofe venerable prelates, who fuffered the most excruciating death for the purity and inflexibility of their faith; and whofe unburied bodies, diffipated in afhes, and undistinguished in the common mafs, have acquired a more glorious monument, than if they had been interred in magnificent fhrines, which might have been vifited by pilgrims, loaded with superstitious gifts, and venerated with the pomp of mistaken devotion. |