The History of English Poetry, from the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century

THE spirit of versifying the psalms, and other parts of the Bible, at the beginning of the reformation, was almost as epidemic as psalm-singing. William Hunnis, a gentleman of the chapel under Edward the Sixth, and afterwards chapel-master to queen Elisabeth, rendered into rhyme many select psalms *, which had not the good fortune to be rescued from oblivion by being incorporated into Hopkins's collection, nor to be sung in the royal chapel. They were printed in 1550, with this title, Certayne Psalmes chosen out of the Psalter of David, and drawen furth into Englysh meter by William Hunnis servant to the ryght honourable syr William Harberd knight. Newly collected and imprinted "."

I know not if among these are his SEVEN SOBS of a sorrowful

* [On the back of the title to a copy of Sir Thomas More's works, 1557, (presented to the library of Trin. Coll. Öxon. by John Gibbon, 1630,) the following lines occur, which bear the signature of our poet in a coëval hand.

"MY LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT. To God my soule I do bequeathe, because it is his owen,

My body to be layd in grave, where to my frends best known:

VOL. IV.

Executors I wyll none make, thereby

great stryffe may grow; Because the goods that I shall leave, wyll not pay all I owe.

W: Hvnnys."-PARK.]

a I have also seen Hunnis's "Abridgement or brief meditation on certaine of the Psalmes in English metre," printed by R. Wier, 4to. [8vo. says Bishop Tanner.-PARK.]

soul for sin, comprehending the SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS in metre. They are dedicated to Frances countess of Sussex, whose attachment to the gospel he much extols+, and who was afterwards the foundress of Sydney college in Cambridge. Hunnis also, under the happy title of a HANDFUL OF HONEYSUCKLES, published Blessings out of Deuteronomie, Prayers to Christ, Athanasius's Creed, and Meditations‡, in metre with musical notes. But his spiritual nosegays are numerous. To say nothing of his RECREATIONS on Adam's banishment, Christ his Cribb, and the Lost Sheep, he translated into English rhyme the whole book of GENESIS, which he calls a HIVE FULL OF HONEY. But his honey-suckles and his honey are now no longer delicious. He was a large contributor to the PARADISE OF DAINTY DEVISES, of which more will be said in its place. In the year 1550, were also published by John Hall, or Hawle,

[The "Certayne Psalmes" did not appear among the "Seven Sobs," which were licensed to H. Denham Nov. 1581, and printed in 15—, 1585, 1589, 1597, 1629 and 1636. Hunnis's "Seven Steps to Heaven were also licensed in 1581. The love of alliteration had before produced "a Surge of Sorrowing Sobs," in the " gorgeous gallery of gallant inventions," 1578.-PARK.]

+ [Her ladyship's virtue and courtesie are extolled; but godlie fear, firm faith, &c. are only enumerated among the dedicator's wishes.-PARK.]

[To these were added the poore Widowes mite, Comfortable Dialogs betweene Christ and a Sinner, A Lamentation of youth's follies, a psalme of rejoising, and a praier for the good estate of Queen Eliza beth. The last being the shortest is here given for Hunnis was rather a prosaic penman.

So shall all we that faithfull be
Rejoise and praise thy name :
O God, ô Christ, ô Holie-Ghost,
Give eare, and grant the same. Amen.
PARK.]

Printed by T. Marshe, 1578. 4to.
[And entitled "A Hyve full of Hun-
nye; contayning the firste Booke of
Moses called Genesis. Turned into En-
glish Meetre by William Hunnis, one of
the Gent. of her Majestie's Chappel and
Maister to the Children of the same,"
&c. It is inscribed to Robert Dudley,
Earl of Leicester, in an acrostic on his
name, which is followed by another on
the versifiers "to the friendlye reader."
Thos. Newton has verses prefixed "in
commendation of this his Frendes tra-
vayle," which was written, as it seems,
"in the winter of his age." He names
as previous productions of Hunnis,
"Enterludes and gallant layes, and ron-

Thou God that guidst both heaven and deletts and songs, his Nosegay and his

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Wydowes Myte, with other fancies of his forge. And he tells us, that in the prime of youth his pen "had depaincted Sonets Sweete." This probably is allusive to his contributions in the "Paradise of Daintie Devises." Wood calls Hunnis a crony of Thomas Newton, the Latin poet. Ath. Oxon. i. 152.—PARK.]

a surgeon or physician of Maidstone in Kent, and author of many tracts in his profession, "Certayne chapters taken out of the proverbes of Solomon, with other chapters of the holy Scripture, and certayne Psalmes of David translated into English metre by John Hall." By the remainder of the title it appears, that the proverbs had been in a former impression unfairly attributed to Thomas Sternhold. The other chapters of Scripture are from Ecclesiasticus and saint Paul's Epistles. We must not confound this John Hall with his cotemporary Eliseus Hall, who pretended to be a missionary from heaven to the queen, prophesied in the streets, and wrote a set of metrical visions d. Metre was now become the vehicle of enthusiasm, and the puritans seem to have appropriated it to themselves, in opposition to our service, which was in prose *.

William Baldwyn, of whom more will be said when we come to the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES, published a Phraselike declaration in English meeter on the CANTICLES OF SONGS OF SOLOMON, in 1549 t. It is dedicated to Edward the

There is an edition in quarto dedicated to king Edward the Sixth with this title, "The Psalmes of David translated into English metre by T. Sternhold, sir T. Wyat, and William Hunnis, with certaine chapters of the Proverbes and select Psalms by John Hall." I think I have seen a book by Hall called the COURT OF VIRTUE, containing some or all of these sacred songs, with notes, 1565. 8vo. [16mo.] He has a copy of verses prefixed to Gale's ENCHIRIDION OF SURGERY, Lond. 1563. See John Reade's Preface to his translation of

F. Arcaeus's ANATOMY.

d Strype, ANN. i. p. 291. ch. xxv. ed. 1725.

Colophon : "Imprinted at London by William Baldwin,servaunt with Edwarde Whitchurche." Baldwin, in the dedication to his royal patron, expresses a pious wish that these swete and mistical songs may drive out of office "the baudy balades of lecherous love," which were indited and sung by idle courtiers in the houses of princes and noblemen. To forward the same purpose, he tells us his Majesty [Edw. VI.] had given a notable example,in causyng the Psalmes, brought into fine Englysh meter, by his godly disposed servaunt Thomas Sternholde, to be song openly before his grace, in the hearyng of all his subjectes." Baldwin's metrical paraphrase of the Song of Solomon, exhibits a greater facility of versification than the psalmody of his predecessor, and the lyrical varie

[I suppose that church service of chant and anthem is here meant ; otherwise, their preaching and praying was at least as bad prose as ours.- -ASHBY.]

↑ [With the sight of this rare book I have been favoured by a friend; its title runs thus: "The CANTICLES or BALADES of SALOMON, phraselyke declared in En. glysh metres, by WILLIAM BALDWIN.

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The History of English Poetry, from the Close of the Eleventh to the ..., כרך 4