6.6

"Denham for Rafe Newberye dwelling in Fleet-ftreate. Anno 1565. Aprilis 18." Bishop Tanner, deceived by Wood's papers, fuppofes that this first edition, which he had evidently never feen, and which is indeed uncommonly rare, contained only the first seven books. In the epistle dedicatory to secretary fir William Cecill, he mentions his " fimple trauayles lately de"dicated vnto your honor." These are his fet of miscellaneous poems printed in 1563, or, "Eglogs, Epytaphes, and Sonnetes, "newly written by Barnabe Googe, 15 Marche, for Rauve [Raufe] Newbury dwelling in Flete-ftrete a little aboue the "Conduit in the late fhop of Thomas Berthelet ".” He apologifes for attempting this work, three books of which, as he had understood too late, were " both eloquentely and excellently Englished by Maifter Smith, clark vnto the most honorable of the queenes maiefties counsell. Whose doings as in other "matters I haue with admiration behelde, &c." Googe was

* In 12mo. Bl. Lett. Not paged. The laft fignature is Yy iiij. The colophon, "Imprinted at London by Henry Den "ham, &c." On the fecond leaf after the title, is an armorial coat with fix copartments, and at the top the initials B. G. Then follow Latin commendatory verses, by Gilbert Duke, Chriftopher Carlile doctor in divinity, James Itzwert, George Chatterton fellow of Chrift college in Cambridge, and David Bell, with fome anonymous. Doctor Christopher Carlile was of Cambridge, and a learned orientalift, about 1550. He published many tracts in divinity. He was a writer of Greek and Latin verfes. He has fome in both languages on the death of Bucer in 1551. See Bucer's ENGLISH WORKS, Bafil. fol. 1577. f. 903. And in the Collection on the death of the two Brandons, 1551.4to. ut fupr. Others, before his Reply to Richard Smyth, a papiftic divine, Lond. 1582. 4to. He prefixed four Latin copies to Drant's ECCLESIASTES abovementioned, Lond. 1572. 4to. Two, to one of doctor . John Jones's books on BATHS, Lond. 1572. 4to. A Sapphic ode to Sadler's verfion, of

Vegetius, Lond. 1572. 4to. A Latin copy to Chaloner's DE REP. ANGLORUM, Lond. 1579. 4to. A Latin hexaftic to Batman's DOOм, Lond. 1581. 4to. Two of his Latin poems IN PAPAM, are (MS. Bale.) in MSS. Cotton. TIT. D. x. f. 77. He tranflated the Pfalms into English profe, with learned notes. Finished Jun. 24, 1573. Among MSS. MORE, 206. Colomefius has published a fragment of a Latin Epiftle from him to Caftalio, dat. kal. Maii, 1562.. CL. VIROR. EPIST. SINGUL. Lond. 1694.

12mo.

y In 12mo. Bl. Lett. See REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 88. b.

z It is doubtful whether he means fir Thomas Smith, the secretary. Nor does it appear, whether this tranflation was in verfe or profe. Sir Thomas Smith, how. ever, has left fome English poetry. While a prifoner in the Tower in 1549, he tranflated eleven of David's Pfalms into Englifh metre, and compofed three English metrical prayers, with three English copies of verses befides. These are now in the British Museum, MSS. REG. 17 A. xvii. I ought to have mentioned this before.

first a retainer to Cecill, and afterwards in 1563, a gentlemanpenfioner to the queen. In his address to the vertuous and frendley reader, he thus, but with the zeal of a puritan, defends divine poetry. "The diuine and notable Prophecies of Efay, the La"mentation of Jeremie, the Songs and Ballades of Solomon, "the Pfalter of Dauid, and the Booke of Hiob, were written "by the first auctours in perfect and pleasaunt hexameter verses. "So that the deuine and canonicall volumes were garnished and "set forth with fweete according tunes and heauenly foundes "of pleafaunt metre. Yet wyll not the graceleffe company of "our pernicious hypocrites allow, that the Pfalmes of Dauid "should be tranflated into Englishe metre. Marry, faye they,

bycause they were only receiued to be chaunted in the church, "and not to be song in euery coblers fhop. O monstrous and "malicious infidels !-do you abhorre to heare [God's] glory "and prayse founding in the mouth of a poore christian arti"ficer? &c." He adds, that fince Chaucer, "there hath

flourished in England fo fine and filed phrases, and fo good "and pleasant poets, as may counteruayle the doings of Virgill, "Ouid, Horace, Iuuenal, Martial, &c." There was a fecond edition in 1588, in which the former prefatory matters of every kind are omitted. This edition is dedicated to lord Buckhursta. From the title of this work, ZODIACUS VITÆ, written in Latin hexameters by Marcello Palingeni, an Italian, about the year 1531, the reader at least expects fome aftronomical allufions. But it has not the most distant connection with the ftars: except that the poet is once tranfported to the moon, not to measure her diameter, but for a moral purpose; and that he once takes occafion, in his general furvey of the world, and in reference to his title, to introduce a philofophic explanation of the zodiacal fyftem. The author meaning to divide his poem into twelve books, chofe to diftinguish each with a name of the celeftial

figns juft as Herodotus, but with lefs affectation and inconfiftency, marked the nine books or divifions of his hiftory with the names of the nine Mufes. Yet fo ftrange and pedantic a title is not totally without a conceit, as the author was born at Stellada, or Stellata, a province of Ferrara, and from whence he calls himself Marcellus Palingenius Stellatus f.

This poem is a general fatire on life, yet without peevishness or malevolence; and with more of the folemnity of the cenfor, than the petulance of the satirist. Much of the morality is couched under allegorical perfonages and adventures. The Latinity is tolerably pure, but there is a mediocrity in the verfification. Palingenius's tranfitions often difcover more quickness of imagination, and fertility of reflection, than solidity of judgment. Having started a topic, he pursues it through all its poffible affinities, and deviates into the moft diftant and unneceffary digreffions. Yet there is a facility in his manner, which is not always unpleafing: nor is the general conduct of the work void of art and method. He moralifes with a boldness and a liberality of fentiment, which were then unusual; and his maxims and strictures are fometimes tinctured with a spirit of libertinism, which, without expofing the opinions, must have offended the gravity, of the more orthodox ecclefiaftics. He fancies that a confident philofopher, who rafhly prefumes to fcrutinise the remote myfteries of nature, is fhewn in heaven like an ape, for the public diverfion of the gods. A thought evidently borrowed by Pope. Although he submits his performance to the fentence of the church, he treats the authority of the popes, and the voluptuous lives of the monks, with the fevereft acrimony. It was the last circumstance that chiefly contributed to give this poem almost the rank of a claffic in the reformed countries, and probably produced an early English tranflation. After his death, he was pronounced an heretic; and his body was taken up, and committed to the flames. A measure

It fhould have been STELLATENSIS.

See ESSAY ON POPE, P. 94.

which only contributed to fpread his book, and diffeminate his doctrines.

Googe feems chiefly to have excelled in rendering the defcriptive and flowery paffages of this moral ZODIAC. He thus defcribes the Spring.

The earth againe doth florishe greene,
The trees repaire their springe;
With pleasaunt notes the nightingale
Beginneth new to fing.

With flowers fresh their heads bedeckt,

The Fairies dance in fielde:

And wanton fonges in moffye dennes
The Drids and Satirs yielde.
The wynged Cupide fast doth caft

His dartes of gold yframed, &c".

There is fome poetic imagination in SAGITTARIUS, or the ninth book, where a divine myftagogue opens to the poet's eyes an unknown region of infernal kings and inhabitants. But this is an imitation of Dante. As a fpecimen of the tranflation, and of the author's fancy, I will transcribe some of this imagery.

Now open wyde your springs, and playne

Your caues abrode difplaye,

You fifters of Parnaffus hyll

Befet about with baye!
And vnto me, for neede it is,

A hundred tongues in verse
Sende out, that I these ayrie kings
And people may rehearse.

Here fyrst, whereas in chariot red

Aurora fayre doth ryse,

And bright from out the ocean seas
Appeares to mortal eyes,

B. ii. TAURUS. Signat. Biij.

And

And chafeth hence the hellish night.
With blushing beauty fayre,

A mighty King I might difcerne,
Placde hie in lofty chayre:
Hys haire with fyry garland deckt

Puft vp in fiendish wise;

Wyth browes full broade, and threatning loke,

And fyry-flaming eyes.

Two monstrous hornes and large he had,

And noftrils wide in fight;

Al black himself, (for bodies black

To euery euyll spright,

And ugly shape, hath nature dealt,)
Yet white his teeth did fhowe ;
And white his grenning tuskes ftode,
Large winges on him did growe,
Framde like the wings of flindermice;
His fete of largest fise,

In fashion as the wilde-duck beares,

Or goose that creaking cries:
His tayle fuch one as lions haue:
All naked fate he there,
But bodies couered round about

Wyth lothsome shagged haire,

A number great about him stoode, &c1.

After viewing the wonders of heaven, his guide Timalphes, the fon of Jupiter and Arete, fhews him the moon, whose gates are half of gold and half of filver. They enter a city of

the moon.

The loftie walles of diamonde strong

Were raysed high and framde;

The bulwarks built of carbuncle

That all as fyer yflamde.

B. ix. Signat. H H iiij.

And