thor's stanza is verbofe, profaic, and tedious: and for many pages together, his poetry is little better than a trite homily in verfe. The title promises much character and pleasantry : but we shall be difappointed, if we expect to find the foibles of the crew of our fhip touched by the hand of the author of the CANTERBURY TALES, or expofed in the rough yet ftrong fatire of Pierce Plowman. He fometimes has a ftrokeof humour: as in the following stanza, where he wishes to take on board the eight fecondaries, or minor canons, of his college. "Alexander Barclay ad FATUOS, ut dent locum OCTO "SECUNDARIIS beatæ Mariæ de Ottery, qui quidem prima hujus "ratis tranftra merentur ? Softe, Foolis, fofte, a litle flacke your pace, I have eyght neyghbours, that first shall have a place The ignorance of the English clergy is one of the chief objects of his animadverfion. He fays', For if one can flatter, and beare a hawke on his fift, These were rich benefices in the neighbourhood of faint Mary • Fol. 68. P To the collegiate church of faint Mary Ottery a school was annexed, by the munificent founder, Grandifon, bishop of Exeter. This college was founded in the year 1337. 9 Know. I write I write no jeste ne tale of Robin Hood', For Philip the fparrow the dirige to sing. The last line is a ridicule on his cotemporary Skelton, who wrote a LITLE BOKE OF PHILIP SPARROW, or a Dirge, For the foule of Philip Sparrow That was late flaine at Carow, &c. And in another place, he thus cenfures the fashionable reading of his age: much in the tone of his predeceffor Hawes. For goodly fcripture is not worth an hawe, As is a foolish jeft of Robin hode". As a specimen of his general manner, I infert his character of the Student, or Bookworm: whom he supposes to be the First Fool in the veffel. That "in this fhip the chiefe place I governe, By this wide fea with foolis wandering, For to have plentie it is a pleasaunt thing, But yet I have them in great reverence I keepe them fure fearing least they should be loft But if it fortune that any learned man I drawe the curtaynes to fhewe my bokes then, And while the commen, my bookes I turne and winde, Ptolomeus the riche caufed, longe agone, Lo in likewise of bookès I have store, Eche is not lettred that nowe is made a lorde, On fuche chance now fortune throwes her dice: So in likewife, I am in fuch a cafe, Though I nought can2, I would be called wife; Which may for me my bookès exercife; Or els I will enfue the common guise, And say concedo to every argument Left by much speech my Latin should be spent *. In one part of the poem, Prodicus's apologue, of Hercules meeting VIRTUE and PLEASURE, is introduced. In the fpeech of PLEASURE, our author changes his metre; and breaks forth into a lyrical ftrain, not totally void of elegance and delicacy, and in a rhythmical arrangement adopted by Gray. z Know. a Fol. z. All All my veftùre is of golde pure, b Nor his minde wounde, but if he will, &c. All antient fatirical writings, even those of an inferior caft, have their merit, and deferve attention, as they tranf |