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The learned Afcham wishes that fome of these translators had used blank verfe instead of rhyme. But by blank verfe, he seems to mean the English hexameter or fome other Latin measure, He fays, "Indeed, Chaufer, Thomas Norton of Bristow, my "Lord of Surry, M. Wiat, Thomas Phaier, and other gentle"men, in tranflating Ouide, Palingenius, and Seneca, haue gone as farre to their great praise as the coppy they followed "could cary them. But if fuch good wittes, and forward diligence, had been directed to followe the best examples, and "not haue beene caryed by tyme and custome to content them"felves with that barbarous and rude Ryming, amongest theyr "other woorthye prayses which they haue iuftly deferued, this "had not been the leaft, to be counted among men of learning " and skill, more like vnto the Grecians than the Gothians in handling of theyr verfe '." The sentiments of another cotemporary critic on this fubject were fomewhat different.

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queene Maries time florished aboue any other doctour Phaier, "one that was learned, and excellently well tranflated into English verse heroicall, certaine bookes of Virgil's Æneidos. "Since him followed maister Arthur Golding, who with no less "commendation turned into English meetre the Metamorphofis "of Ouide, and that other doctour who made the fupplement "to those bookes of Virgil's Æneidos, which maister Phaier " left vndoone." Again, he commends "Phaier and Golding, "for a learned and well connected verse, specially in translation "cleare, and uery faithfully answering their authours intent '."

I learn from Coxeter's notes, that the FASTI were tranflated into English verse before the year 1570. If fo, the many little pieces now current on the subject of LUCRETIA, although her legend is in Chaucer, might immediately originate from this fource. In 1568, occurs, a Ballett called "the grevious complaynt of Lucrece "." And afterwards, in the And afterwards, in the year 1569, is

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Fol. 52. a. 53. b. edit. 1589. 4to. Puttenham's ARTE OP ENGLISH POESIE, Lond. 1589. 4to. Lib. i. ch. 30. fol. 49.51.

"REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 174. a. To John Alde. The ftory might however have been taken from Livy: as was "The "Tragedy of Appius and Virginia," in

licenced to James Robertes, "A ballet of the death of Lu"cryffia "." There is also a ballad of the legend of Lucrece, printed in 1576. These publications might give rise to Shakefpeare's RAPE OF LUCRECE, which appeared in 1594. At this period of our poetry, we find the fame subject occupying the attention of the public for many years, and fucceffively presented in new and various forms by different poets. Lucretia was the grand example of conjugal fidelity throughout the Gothic ages3.

The fable of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, in the fourth book of the METAMORPHOSIS, was tranflated by Thomas Peend, or De la Peend, in 1565'. I have feen it only among Antony Wood's books in the Ashmolean Museum. An Epistle is prefixed, addreffed to Nicolas Saint Leger efquire, from the writer's ftudie in Chancery-lane oppofite Serjeant's-inn. At the end of which, is an explanation of certain poetical words occurring in the poem. In the preface he tells us, that he had tranflated great part of the METAMORPHOSIS; but that he abandoned his defign, on hearing that another, undoubtedly Golding, was engaged in the fame undertaking. Peend has a recommendatory

verfe. This, reprinted in 1575, is entered
to R. Jones, in 1567. Ibid. fol. 163. a.
And there is the Terannye of judge Apius,
a ballad, in 1569. Ibid. fol. 184. b.
w REGISTR. A. fol. 192. b.

* It is remarkable, that the fign of Berthelette the king's printer in Fleet-ftreet, who flourished about 1540, was the Lucretia, or as he writes it, LUCRETIA ROMANA.

There is another Lucretia belonging to our old poetic ftory. Laneham, in his Narrative of the queen's vifit at Kenilworth-caftle in 1575, mentions among the favorite ftory-books" Lucres and Euria"lus." p. 34. This is, "A boke of ij "lovers Euryalus and Lucreffie [Lucretia] "pleafaunte and dilectable," entered to T. Norton, in 1569. REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 189. a. Again, under the title of "A booke entituled the excellent historye "of Euryalus and Lucretia," to T. Creede,

O&. 19, 1596. REGISTR. C. fol. 14. b. This story was firft written in Latin profe, and partly from a real event, about the year 1440, by Eneas Sylvius, then im perial poet and fecretary, afterwards pope Pius the fecond. It may be feen in EpisTOLARUM LACONICARUM ET SELECTARUM FARRAGINES DUÆ, collected by Gilbertus Cognatus, and printed at Bafil, 1554. 12mo. (See FARRAG. ii. p. 386.) In the course of the narrative, Lucretia is compared by her lover to Polyxena, Venus, and AEMILIA. The laft is the Emilia of Boccace's Theseid, or Palamon and Arcite. p. 481.

It is licenced to Colwell that year, with the title of the "pleasaunte fable of "Ovide intituled Salmacis and Herma. "phroditus." REGISTR. STATION. A. fol, 135. a.

poem

poem prefixed to Studley's verfion of Seneca's AGAMEMNON, in 1566. In 1562, was licenced "the boke of Perymus and Thefbye," copied perhaps in the MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM. I suppose a translation from Ovid's fable of Pyramus and Thisbe ".

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The fable of Narciffus had been tranflated, and printed feparately in 1560, by a nameless author, "The fable of Ovid treting of Narciffus tranflated out of Latin into English 66 mytre, with a moral thereunto, very plefante to rede, Lond. "1560." The tranflator's name was luckily fuppreffed. But at the close of the work are his initials, "Finis. T. H." Annexed to the fable is a moralisation of twice the length

In quarto. Lond. for T. Hackett. Bl. Lett.

a REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 92. a. To William Griffiths. I know not whether the following were regular verfions of Ovid, or poems formed from his works now circulating in English. Such as, "the Ballet of Pygmalion," to R. Jones, in 1568. Ibid. fol. 176. a. Afterwards reprinted and a favorite ftory. There is the

Ballet of Pygmalion," in 1568. Ibid. fol. 176. a.—“A ballet intituled the Gol"den Apple," to W. Pickering, in 1568. Ibid. fol. 175. a. -"A ballet intituled "Hercules and his Ende," to W. Griffiths, in 1563. Ibid. fol. 102. b. There is alfo, which yet may be referred to another fource, “A ballet intituled the Hif"tory of Troilus, whofe troth had well "been tryed," to Purfoote, in 1565. Ibid. fol. 134. b. This occurs again in 1581, and 1608. The fame may be faid of the "History of the tow [two] moofte noble

prynces of the worlde Aftionax and Po"lixene [Aftyanax] of Troy," to T. Hackett, in 1565. Ibid. fol. 139. a. Again, in 1567, "the ballet of Acrifious" that is, Acrifius the father of Danae. Ibid. fol. 177. b. Alfo, "A ballet of the mefy. "rable state of king Medas," or Midas, in 1569. Ibid. fol. 185. b. These are a few and early inftances out of many. Of the METAMORPHOSIS of PIGMALIONS IMAGE, by Marton, printed 1598, and alluded to VOL. III.

by Shakespeare, [MEAS. MEAS. iii. 2.] more will be faid hereafter.

There is likewife, which may be referred hither, a" booke intitled Procris and Ce"phalus divided into four parts," licenced Oct. 22, 1598, to J. Wolfe, perhaps a play, and probably ridiculed in the MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, under the title Shefalus and Procras. REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 302. a.

There is alfo, at leaft originating from the English Ovid, a paftoral play, prefented by the queen's choir-boys, Peele's ARRAIGNEMENT OF PARIS, in 1584. And I have feen a little novel on that subject, with the fame compliment to the queen, by Dickenson, in 1593. By the way, fome paffages are transferred from that novel into another written by Dickenson, "ARISBAS, Euphues amidst his flumbers, "or Cupid's Iourney to hell, &c. By J. "D. Lond. For T. Creede, 1594. 4to.' One of them, where Pomona falls in love with a beautiful boy named Hyalus, is as follows. Signat. E 3. "She, defirous to "winne him with ouer-cloying kindneffe, "fed him with apples, gaue him plumes, "prefented him peares. Having made "this entrance into her future folace, the "would vse oft his company, kisse him, "coll him, check him, chucke him, walke "with him, weepe for him, in the fields, "neere the fountaines, fit with him, fue to "him, omitting no kindes of dalliance to 3 G 44 10

in the octave ftanza. Almost every narrative was antiently fuppofed or made to be allegorical, and to contain a moral meaning. I have enlarged on this fubject in the DISSERTATION ON THE GESTA ROMANORUM. In the reign of Elifabeth, a popular ballad had no fooner been circulated, than it was converted into a practical instruction, and followed by its MORALISATION. The old registers of the Stationers afford numerous inftances of this cuftom, which was encouraged by the encrease of puritanism. Hence in Randolph's MUSE'S

"to woe him, &c." I have felected this
paffage, because I think it was recollected
by Shakespeare in the MIDSUMMER
NIGHT'S DREAM, where he describes the
careffes bestowed by the queen of the fairies
on her loved boy, Aer v. Sc. i.

Come fit thee down upon this flowery bed
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,
And stick musk roses in thy fleek smooth
head.-

I have a ventrous fairy that shall seek
The fquirrel's hoard, &c.

See also, Act ij. Sc. i. In the ARRAIGNE-
MENT OF PARIS juft mentioned, we have
the fame fubject and language.

Playes with Amyntas lufty boye, and coyes him in the dales.

To return. There is, to omit later inflances, "A proper ballet dialogue-wife

between Troylus and Creffida," Jun. 23, in 1581. REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 180. b. "Endimion and Phebe," a booke, to John Bufbye, April 12, 1595. Ibid. fol. 13. b. A ballad, "a mirror meete for

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wanton and infolent dames by example "of Medufa kinge of Phorcius his daugh"ter." Feb. 13, 1577. Ibid. fol. 145. b. "The Hiftory of Glaucus and Scylla," to R. Jones, Sept. 22, 1589. Ibid fol. 248. b. Narciffus and Phaeton were turned into plays before 1610. See Heywood's AroLOG. ACTORS. Lilly's SAPPHO and Pнло, ENDIMION, and MIDAS, are almost too well known to be enumerated here. The two laft, with his GALATHEA, were licenced to T. Man, O&t. 1, 1590. [But fee

fupr. p. 406.] Of PENELOPES WEBBE, UN-
lefs Greene's, I can fay nothing, licenced
to E. Aggas, Jun. 26, 1587. Ibid. fol.
219. b. Among Harrington's EPIGRAMS,
is one entitled, "Quid's Confession tran-
"Dated into English for General Norreyes,
"1593." EPIGR. 85. lib. iii. Of this I
know no more. The fabject of this note
might be much further illustrated.

As, "Maukin was a Coventry mayde,”
moralised in 1563. REGISTR. A. fol. 102.
a. With a thoufand others. I have feen
other moralisations of Ovid's stories by the
puritans. One by W. K. or William Kethe,
a Scotch divine, no unready rhymer, men-
tioned above, p. 305. In our finging.
pfalms, the pfalms 70, 104, 122, 125, 134,
are fignatured with W. K. or William
Kethe. These initials have been hitherto
undecyphered. At the end of Knox's Ap-
PELLATION to the Scotch bishops, printed
at Geneva in 1558, is pfalm 93, turned
into metre by W. Kethe. 12mo. He wrote,
about the fame time, A ballad on the fall
of the whore of Babylon, called "Tye the
"mare Tom-boy." See fupr. p. 170. n.
And Strype, ANN. REF. vol. ii. B. i. ch.
11. pag. 102. edit. 1725. Another is by
J. K. or John Kepyer, mentioned above
as another coadjutor of Sternhold and Hop-
kins, (fee fupr. p. 186.) and who occurs in
"The ARBOR OF AMITIE, wherein is
"comprised plefaunt poems and pretie
"poefies, fet foorth by Thomas Howell
"gentleman, anno 1568." Imprinted at
London, J. H. Denham, 12mo. Bl. Lett.
Dedicated to ladie Anne Talbot. Among
the recommendatory copies is one figned,

"Joha

LOOKING-GLASS, where two puritans are made spectators of a play, a player, to reconcile them in fome degree to a theatre, promises to moralife the plot: and one of them answers,

That MORALIZING

I do approve : it may be for inftruction *.

Ovid's IBIS was tranflated, and illuftrated with annotations, by Thomas Underdowne, born, and I suppose educated, at Oxford. It was printed at London in 1569, with a dedication to Thomas Sackville, lord Buckhurst, the author of GORDOBUC, and entitled, "Ouid his inuective against Ibis Tranflated into

meeter, whereunto is added by the tranflator a short draught " of all the stories and tales contayned therein uery pleasant to "read. Imprinted at London by T. Eaft and H. Middleton, * Anno Domini 1569." The notes are large and historical. There was a fecond edition by Binneman in 1577°. This is the firft ftanza.

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The fame author opened a new field of romance, and which seems partly to have suggested fir Philip Sydney's ARCADIA, in tranflating into English profe the ten books of Heliodorus's Ethiopic hiftory, in 1577'. This work, the beginning of

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