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abbot Whethamftede to collect valuable books for him '. Some of Whethamstede's tracts, manufcript copies of which often occur in our libraries, are dedicated to the duke2: who prefented many of them, particularly a fine copy of Whethamstede's GRANARIUM, an immenfe work, which Leland calls ingens volumen, to the new library. The copy of Valerius Maximus, which I mentioned before, has a curious table or index made by Whethamftede ‘. Many other abbots paid their court to the duke by sending him presents of books, whofe margins were adorned with the most exquisite paintings. Gilbert Kymer, Gilbert Kymer, physician to king Henry the fixth, among other ecclefiaftic promotions, dean of Salisbury, and chancellor of the university of Oxford, inscribed to duke Humphrey his famous medical system Diaetarium de fanitatis cuftodia, in the year 1424'. I do not mean to anticipate when I remark, that Lydgate, a poet mentioned hereafter, tranflated Boccacio's book de CASIBUS VIRORUM ILLUSTRIUM at the recommendation and command, and under the protection and fuperintendence, of duke Humphrey whofe condefcenfion in converfing with learned ecclefiaftics, and diligence in ftudy, the translator displays at large, and in the ftrongest expreffions of panegyric. He compares the duke to Julius Cefar, who amidst the weightiest cares of ftate, was not afhamed to enter the rhetorical fchool of

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Cicero at Rome. Nor was his patronage confined only to English scholars. His favour was folicited by the most celebrated writers of France and Italy, many of whom he bountifully rewarded". Leonard Aretine, one of the first reftorers of the Greek tongue in Italy, which he learned of Emanuel Chryfoloras, and of polite literature in general, dedicates to this univerfal patron his elegant Latin tranflation of Ariftotle's POLITICS. The copy prefented to the duke by the tranflator, moft elegantly illuminated, is now in the Bodleian library at Oxford'. To the fame noble encourager of learning, Petrus Candidus, the friend of Laurentius Valla, and secretary to the great Cosmo duke of Milan, inscribed by the advice of the archbishop of Milan, a Latin verfion of Plato's REPUBLIC. An illuminated manuscript of this tranflation is in the British museum, perhaps the copy prefented, with two epiftles prefixed, from the duke to Petrus Candidus'. Petrus de Monte, another learned Italian, of Venice, in the dedication of his treatife DE VIRTUTUM ET VITIORUM DIFFERENTIA to the duke of Glocefter, mentions

PROL. Sign. A. ii. A. iii. edit. Wayland, ut fupr. He adds,

And hath joye with clarkes to commune,
And no man is more expert in langage,
Stable in study.-

His courage never dothe appall

To study in bokes of antiquitie.-
He ftudieth ever to have intelligence,
Readyng of bokes.-.

And with fupport of his magnificence,
Under the wings of his protection,-
I fhall proceed in this tranflation.-
Lowly fubmittyng, every houre and space,
My rude langage to my lordes grace.
See alfo fol. xxxviii. b. col. 2. Lydgate
has an epitaph on the duke, MSS. Afhmol,
59. 2. MSS. Harl. 2251. 6. fol.
is a curious-letter of Lydgate, in which he
fends for a fupply of money to the duke,
while he was tranflating BOCHAS. "Lit-

7.

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a moy Humfrey Duc de Gloceftre du don "P. Candidus fecretarie du duc de Mylan." Catal. MSS. Angl. tom. ii. pag. 212. Num. 6858. [See MSS. Harl. 1705. fol.]

the

the latter's ardent attachment to books of all kinds, and the fingular avidity with which he pursued every species of literature". A tract, entitled COMPARATIO STUDIORUM ET REI MILITARIS, written by Lapus de Caftellione, a Florentine civilian, and a great tranflator into Latin of the Greek claffics, is alfo infcribed to the duke, at the defire of Zeno archbishop of Bayeux. I must not forget, that our illuftrious duke invited into England the learned Italian, Tito Livio of Foro-Juli, whom he naturalised, and constituted his poet and orator". Humphrey also retained learned foreigners in his service, for the purpose of transcribing, and of translating from Greek into Latin. One of these was Antonio de Beccaria, a Veronese, a tranflator into Latin prose of the Greek poem of Dionyfius Afer DE SITU ORBIS: whom the duke employed to translate into Latin fix tracts of Athanafius. This tranflation, infcribed to the duke, is now among the royal manuscripts in the British Museum, and at the end, in his own hand-writing, is the following insertion: "C'est livre est a moi Homphrey Duc le Glouceftre: le quel "je fis tranflater de Grec en Latin par un de mes fecretaires Antoyne de Beccara, nè de Verone '.'

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An astronomical tract, entitled by Leland TABULE DIRECTIONUM, is falfely supposed to have been written by duket Humphrey. But it was compiled at the duke's inftance, and according to tables which himself had constructed, called by the anonymous author in his preface, Tabulas illuftriffimi principis et nobiliffimi domini mei Humfredi, &c'. In the library of Grefham college, however, there is a fcheme of calculations in

MSS. Nowic. MORE. 257. Bibl. publ. Cantabrig.

Author of the Vita Henrici quinti, printed by Hearne, Oxon. 1716. And of other pieces. See Hollinfh. iii. 585.

• Printed at Venice 1477. Ibid. 1498. Parif. 1501. Bafil. 1534. 4to.

P MSS. Reg. 5 F. 4to. ii. In the fame library is a fine folio manufcript of "ChroVol. II.

H

"nique des Roys de France jufques a la "mort de S. Loys, l'an. 1270.' At the end is written with the duke of Gloucester's hand," Ceft livre eft a moy Homfrey duc "de Glouceftre du don des executeurs le "Sr de Faunhore." 16 G. vi.

See Hollingfh. Chron. fub. ann. 1461. f. 662. col. 2. MSS. More, 820.

aftronomy,

aftronomy, which bear his name. Aftronomy was then a favourite science: nor is to be doubted, that he was intimately acquainted with the politer branches of knowledge, which now began to acquire eftimation, and which his liberal and judicious attention greatly contributed to restore.

I close this fection with an apology for Chaucer, Gower, and Occleve; who are fuppofed, by the feverer etymologists, to have corrupted the purity of the English language, by affecting to introduce fo many foreign words and phrases. But if we attend only to the politics of the times, we shall find these poets, as alfo fome of their fucceffors, much less blameable in this respect, than the critics imagine. Our wars with France, which began in the reign of Edward the third, were of long continuance. The principal nobility of England, at this period, refided in France, with their families, for many years. John king of France kept his court in England; to which, exclufive of these French lords who were his fellow-prifoners, or neceffary attendants, the chief nobles of his kingdom must have occafionally reforted. Edward the black prince made an expedition into Spain. John of Gaunt duke of Lancaster, and his brother the duke of York, were matched with the daughters of Don Pedro king of Caftile. All these circumftances must have concurred to produce a perceptible change in the language of the court. It is rational therefore, and it is equitable to suppose, that instead of coining new words, they only complied with the common and fashionable modes of fpeech. Would Chaucer's poems have been the delight of those courts in which he lived, had they been filled with unintelligible pedantries? The cotemporaries of these poets never complained of their obfcurity. But whether defenfible on these principles or not, they much improved the vernacular style by the use of this exotic phrafeology. It was thus that our primitive diction was enlarged and enriched. The English language owes its copiousness, elegance, and harmony, to these innovations.

• MSS. Gresh. 66. See MSS. Ashmol. 856.

SECT.

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Confider Chaucer as a genial day in an English spring. A brilliant fun enlivens the face of nature with an unusual luftre: the fudden appearance of cloudless skies, and the unexpected warmth of a tepid atmosphere, after the gloom and the inclemencies of a tedious winter, fill our hearts with the visionary prospect of a speedy fummer: and we fondly anticipate a long continuance of gentle gales and vernal ferenity. But winter returns with redoubled horrors: the clouds condenfe more formidably than before; and thofe tender buds, and early bloffoms, which were called forth by the tranfient gleam of a temporary fun-shine, are nipped by frofts, and torn by tempests.

Most of the poets that immediately fucceeded Chaucer, seem rather relapfing into barbarism, than availing themfelves of thofe ftriking ornaments which his judgment and imagination had disclosed. They appear to have been infenfible to his vigour of verfification, and his flights of fancy. It was not indeed likely that a poet should soon arise equal to Chaucer: and it must be remembered, that the national distractions which enfued, had no fmall share in obstructing the exercise of those studies which delight in peace and repofe. His fucceffors, however, approach him in no degree of proportion. Among thefe, John Lydgate is the poet who follows him at the shortest interval.

I have placed Lydgate in the reign of Henry the fixth, and he seems to have arrived at his highest point of eminence about the year 1430. Many of his poems, however,

In a copy of Lydgate's Chronicle of English Kings, there is a stanza of Edward the fourth. MSS. Harl. 2251.3. In his poem Ab inimicis noftris, &c. Edward the fourth,

his Quene and Modir are remembered. MSS. Harl. ibid. 9. fol. 10. But thefe pieces could not well be written by Lydgate." _For he was ordained a fubdeacon, 1389. DeaH 2

con,

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