COURSE OF ENGLISH POETS printed in 1586, entirely omits our author, and places Phaier at the Head of all the English tranflators'. Thomas Nafhe, in his APOLOGY OF PIERCE PENNILESSE, printed in 1593, obferves, that " Stanyhurft the "otherwise learned, trod a foul, lumbring, boisterous, wallowing measure in his tranflation of Virgil.-He had neuer "been praised by Gabriel Harvey' for his labour, if therein he "had not been fo famously abfurd." Harvey, Spenfer's friend, was one of the chief patrons, if not the inventor, of the English hexameter, here ufed by Stanyhurft. I will give a specimen in the first four lines of the second book. With tentiue liftning each wight was fetled in harkning ; With all this foolish pedantry, Stanyhurft was certainly a fcholar. But in this tranflation he calls Chorebus, one of the Trojan chiefs, a bedlamite, he says that old Priam girded on his fword Morglay, the name of a fword in the Gothic romances, that Dido would have been glad to have been brought to bed even of a cockney, a Dandiprat bopthumb, and that Jupiter, in kiffing his daughter, buft bis pretty prating parrot. He was admitted at Univerfity college, in 1563, where he wrote a system of logic in his eighteenth year ". Having taken one degree, he became fucceffively a student at Furnival's and Lincoln's Inn. He has left many theological, philofophical, and historical books. In one of his EPITAPHS called COMMVNE DEFUNCTORUM, he mentions Julietta, Shakespeare's Juliet, among the celebrated heroines. The title, and fome of the lines, deserve to be cited, as they shew the poetical squabbles about the English hexa"meter. An Epitaph against rhyme, entituled COMMVNE D8"FUNCTORUM fuch as our vnlearned Rithmours accuftomably "make vpon the death of euerie Tom Tyler, as if it were a laft "for euerie one his foote, in which the quantities of fyllables "are not to be heeded." A Sara for goodneffe, a great Bellona for budgeneffe, With fundrie namelesse, and women many more blameleffe, &c. His Latin DESCRIPTIO HIBERNIA, tranflated into English, appears in the first volume of Hollinfhed's Chronicles, printed in 1583. He is ftyled by Camden, "Eruditiffimus ille nobilis "Richardus Stanihurftus "." He is faid to have been careffed for his literature and politeness by many foreign princes. He died at Bruffels in 1618'. "Harmonia five Catena Dialectica in "Porphyrianas conftitutiones," a commentary on Porphyry's ISAGOGE. Lond. 1570. fol. Campion, then of S. John's college, afterwards the Jefuit, to whom it was communicated in manufcript, fays of the author, "Mirifice lætatus fum, effe adolef"centem in academia noftra, tali familia, "eruditione, probitate, cujus extrema pue"ritia cum multis laudabili maturitate vi"ris certare poffit." EPISTOL. edit. Ingoldftat. 1602. fol. 50. Four or five of Campion's EPISTLES are addreffed to Stanyhurft. * Meres mentions Stanyhurft and Gabriel Harvey, as "Jambical poets." Ubi fupr. fol. 282. p. 2. Stanyhurft tranflated VOL. III. fome epigrams of fir Thomas More. They are at the end of his Virgil. At the end of his Virgil. SIGNAT. Hiij. He mentions the friends Damon and Pythias in the fame piece. z In HIBERNIA. Com. WEST-MEATH. • In the title of his HEBDOMADA MARIANA he styles himself "Sereniffimorum "principum SACELLANUS." That is, Albert archduke of Auftria and his princess Isabell. Antw. 1609. 8vo. Coxeter fays a mifcellany was printed in the latter end of Elifabeth's reign" by "R. S. that is, R. Stanyhurt." I prefume he may probably mean, a collection called "The PHOENIX NEST, Built vp "with most rare and refined workes of 3 E "noble Abraham Fleming, brother to Samuel, published a version of the BUCOLICs of Virgil, in 1575, with notes, and a dedication to Peter Osborne efquire. This is the title, "The BUKO"LIKES of P. Virgilius Maro, with alphabeticall Annotations, "&c. Drawne into plaine and familiar Englishe verfe by "Abr. Fleming ftudent, &c. London by John Charlewood, "&c. 1575." His plan was to give a plain and literal tranflation, verfe for verse. These are the five first lines of the tenth Eclogue. O Arethufa, graunt this labour be my last indeede ! A few fonges vnto Gallo, but let them Lycoris reede : Needes must I finge to Gallo mine, what man would fonges deny? So when thou ronneft vnder Sicane feas, where froth doth fry, Let not that bytter Doris of the falte streame mingle make. Fourteen years afterwards, in 1589, the fame author publifhed a new verfion both of the BUCOLICS and GEORGICS of "noble men, woorthy knights, gallant gentlemen, Mafters of Art, and braue "fchollars. Full of varietie, excellent in"uention, and fingvlar delight, &c. Sett "forth by R. S. of the Inner Temple "gentleman. Imprinted at London by John Jackfon, 1593." 4to. But I take this R. S, to be Richard Stapylton, who has a copy of verfes prefixed to Greene's MAMILLIA, printed in 1593. Bl. Lett. By the way, in this mifcellany there is a piece by "W. S. Gent." p. 77. Perhaps by William Shakespeare. But I rather think by William Smyth, whofe "CLORIS, or "the Complaynt of the Paffion of the "despised Sheppard," was licenced to E. Bolifaunt, Oct. 5, 1596. REGISTR. STATION. C. fol. 14. a. The initials W. S. are fubfcribed to "Corin's dreame of his "faire CHLORIS," in ENGLANDS HELICON. (Signat. H. edit. 1614,) And prefixed to the tragedy of LOCRINE, edit, 1595. Also "A booke called AMOURS by "J. (or G.) D. with certen other Son"netts by W. S." is entered to Eleazar Edgar, Jan. 3, 1599. REGISTR. C. fol. 55. a. The initials W. S. are fubfcribed to a copy of verfes prefixed to N. Breton's WIL OF WIT, &c. 1606. 4to. They were both born in London. Thinne apud Hollinfh. vol. ii. 1590. Samuel wrote an elegant Latin Life of queen Mary, never printed. He has a Latin recommendatory poem prefixed to Edward Grant's SPICILEGIUM of the Greek tonge, a Dialogue, dedicated to Lord Burleigh, and printed at London in 1575. 8vo. Virgil, 66 Virgil, with notes, which he dedicated to John Whitgift archbishop of Canterbury. This is commonly faid and supposed to be in blank verfe, but it is in the regular Alexandrine without rhyme. It is entitled, "The BUKOLIKES of P. Virgilius Maro, &c. otherwife called his paftoralls or Shepherds Meetings. Together with his GEORGICS, or Ruralls, &c. "All newly translated into English verse by A. F. At London "by T. O. for T. Woodcocke, &c. 1589." I exhibit the five firft verses of the fourth Eclogue. O Muses of Sicilia ile, let's greater matters finge! Shrubs, groves, and bushes lowe, delight and please not every man: If we do finge of woodes, the woods be worthy of a con ful. Nowe is the last age come, whereof Sybilla's verfe fore told; And now the Virgin come againe, and Saturnes kingdom come. The fourth Georgic thus begins. O my Mecenas, now will I dispatch forthwith to fhew Look on this piece of worke likewife, as thou haft on the rest. Abraham Fleming fupervised, corrected, and enlarged the fecond edition of Hollinfhed's chronicle in 1585. He tranflated Aelian's VARIOUS HISTORY into English in 1576, which he dedicated to Goodman dean of Westminster, "Elian's Re The Bucolics and Georgics, I think thefe, are entered, 1600. REGISTR. STAT. See alfo under 1595, ibid. His brother Samuel affifted in com piling the INDEX, a very laborious work, and made other improvements. 3 E 2 giftre giftre of Hystories by Abraham Fleming." He published alfo Certaine Jelect epiftles of Cicero into English, in 1576. And, in the fame year, he imparted to our countrymen a fuller idea of the elegance of the antient epiftle, by his "PANOPLIE OF EPISTLES from Tully, Ifocrates, Pliny, and others, printed. "at London 1576h." He tranflated Synefius's Greek PANEGYRIC on BALDNESS, which had been brought into vogue by Erasmus's MORIE ENCOMIUM'. Among fome other pieces, he Englished many celebrated books written in Latin about the fifteenth century and at the restoration of learning, which was a frequent practice, after it became fashionable to compofe in English, and our writers had begun to find the force and ufe of their own tongue. Sir William Cordall, the queen's folicitorgeneral, was his chief patron'. William Webbe, who is ftyled a graduate, tranflated the GEORGICS into English verfe, as he himself informs us in the DISCOURSE OF ENGLISH POETRIE, lately quoted, and printed in 1586. And in the fame discourse, which was written in g Lond. in quarto. In quarto. Quarto. For Ralph Newbery. i Lond. 1579. 12mo. At the end, is his FABLE of HERMES. * See fupr. p. 260. Among his original pieces are, "A memorial of the cha"ritable almes deedes of William Lambe, gentleman of the chapel under Henry 8th, and citizen of London, Lond. 1580. 8vo.-The Battel between the "Virtues and Vices, Lond. 1582. 8vo. The Diamant of Devotion in fix parts, Lond. 1586. 12mo.-The Cundyt of Comfort, for Denham, 1579." He prefixed a recommendatory Latin poem in iambics to the VOYAGE of Dennis Settle, a retainer of the earl of Cumberland, and the companion of Martin Frobisher, Lond. 1577. 12mo. Another, in English, to Kendal's FLOWRES OF EPIGRAMMES, Lond. 1577. 12mo. Another to John Baret's ALVEARE, or quadruple Lexicon of English, Latin, Greek, and French. Dedicated to Lord Burleigh, Lond. 1580. fol. edit. 2. [See Mus. ASHMOL. Oxon. 835.] Another to W. Whetstone's ROCK OF REGARD. I take this opportunity of obferving, that the works of one John Fleming an antient English poet, are in Dublincollege library, of which I have no farther notice, than that they are numbered, 304. See REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 160. a. 171. a. 168. a. 1 His PANOPLIE is dedicated to Cordall. See LIFE OF SIR THOMAS POPE, p. 226. edit. 2. For the fake of juxtapofition, I observe here, that Virgil's Bucolics and fourth Georgic were tranflated by one Mr. Brimfly, and licenced to Man, Sept. 3, 1619. REGISTR. STATION. C. fol. 305. a. And the" fecond parte of Virgill's Æneids in "English, tranflated by fir Thomas Wroth "knight," Apr. 4, 1620. Ibid. fol. 313. b. defence |