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appeared before. He was a monk of the Benedictine abbey of Bury in Suffolk, and an uncommon ornament of his profeffion. Yet his genius was fo lively, and his accomplishments fo numerous, that I fufpect the holy father faint Benedict would hardly have acknowledged him for a genuine difciple. After a fhort education at Oxford, he travelled into France and Italy"; and returned a complete master of the language and the literature of both countries. He chiefly ftudied the Italian and French poets, particularly Dante, Boccacio, and Alain Chartier; and became fo diftinguished a proficient in polite learning, that he opened a school in his monaftery, for teaching the fons of the nobility the arts of verfification, and the elegancies of compofition. Yet although philology was his object, he was not unfamiliar with the fashionable philofophy: he was not only a poet and a rhetorician, but a geometrician, an astronomer, a theologist, and a difputant. On the whole I am of opinion, that Lydgate made confiderable additions to those amplifications of our language, in which Chaucer, Gower, and Occleve led the way: and that he is the first of our writers whose style is cloathed with that perfpicuity, in which the English phraseology appears at this day to an English reader. To enumerate Lydgate's pieces, would be to write the catalogue of a little library. No poet feems to have poffeffed a greater versatility of talents. He moves with equal ease in every mode of compofition. His hymns, and his ballads, have the fame degree of merit: and whether his fubject be the life of a hermit or a hero, of saint Austin or Guy earl of Warwick, ludicrous or legendary, religious or romantic, a

con, 1393. And prieft, 1397. Registr. Gul. Cratfield, abbatis de Bury, MSS Cott. TIBER. B. ix. fol. 1. 35. 52. Edward came to the crown, 1461. Pitts fays, that our author died, 1482. Lydgate, in his PHILOMELA, mentions the death of Henry

lord Warwick, who died in 1446. MSS. Harl. ibid. 120. fol. 255.

" See one of his DITTIES, MSS. Harl. 2255. 41. fol. 148.

I have been offte in dyvers londys, &c.

hiftory

history or an allegory, he writes with facility. His tranfitions were rapid from works of the moft ferious and laborious kind to fallies of levity and pieces of popular entertainment. His mufe was of univerfal accefs; and he was not only the poet of his monaftery, but of the world. in general. If a difguifing was intended by the company of goldsmiths, a mask before his majesty at Eltham, a maygame for the sheriffs and aldermen of London, a mumming before the lord mayor, a proceffion of pageants from the creation for the festival of Corpus Chrifti, or a carol for the coronation, Lydgate was confulted and gave the poetry *.

About the year 1430, Whethamstede the learned and liberal abbot of faint Albans, being defirous of familiarifing the history of his patron faint to the monks of his convent, employed Lydgate, as it should seem, then a monk of Bury, to tranflate the Latin legend of his life in English rhymes. The chronicler who records a part of this anecdote feems to confider Lydgate's tranflation, as a matter of mere manual mechanism; for he adds, that Whethamstede paid for the translation, the writing, and illuminations, one hundred fhillings. It was placed before the altar of the faint, which Whethamstede afterwards adorned with much magnificence, in the abbey church".

Our author's ftanzas, called the DANCE OF DEATH, whichhe tranflated from the French, at the request of the chapter of faint Paul's, to be infcribed under the representation of DEATH leading all ranks of men about the cloister of their

* See a variety of his pieces of this kind, MSS. Afhmol. 59. ii. Stowe fays, that at the reception of Margaret queen of Henry fixth, feveral pageaunts, the verfes by Lydgate, were fhewn at Paul's gate, in 1445. Hift. p. 385. See alfo MSS. Harl. 2251.118. fol. 250. b. The COVENTRY PLAY for Corpus Chrifti day, in the Cotton library, was very probably written by our author. VESPAS. D. viii. fol.

Y GEST. Joh. Whethamft. ut fupr. p.

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church in a curious feries of paintings, are well known. But their history has not, I believe, yet appeared. These verfes, founded on a fort of spiritual mafquerade, anciently celebrated in churches", were originally written by one Macaber in German rhymes, and were tranflated into Latin about the year 1460, by one who calls himself Petrus Defrey Orator. This Latin translation was published by Goldaftus, at the end of the SPECULUM OMNIUM STATUUM TOTIUS ORBIS TERRARUM compiled by Rodericus Zamorenfis, and printed at Hanau in the year 1613. But a French translation was made much earlier than the Latin, and written about the walls of faint Innocents cloister at Paris; from which Lydgate formed his English verfionc.

In the British Museum is a moft fplendid and elegant manuscript on vellum, undoubtedly a present to king Henry the fixth. It contains a fet of Lydgate's poems, in honour of faint Edmund the patron of his monaftery at Bury. Befides the decoration of illuminated initials, and one hundred and twenty pictures of various fizes, reprefenting the incidents related in the poetry, executed with the most delicate pencil, and exhibiting the habits, weapons, architecture,

See fupr. vol. i. p. 210. Notes, h.

A DANCE OF DEATH feems to be al-
luded to fo early as in Pierce Plowman's
VISIONS, written about 1350.
DEATH came driving after and al to duft pashed
KYNGS, and KAISARS, KNIGHTS, and POPES.

b In 4to.

See the DAUNCE OF MACABRE, MSS. Harl. 116. 9. fol. 129. And ОBSERVATIONS on the FAIRY QUEEN, vol. ii. p. 116. feq. The DANCE OF DEATH, falily fuppofed to have been invented by Holbein, is different from this, though founded in the fame idea. It was painted by Holbein in the Auguftine monaftery at Bafil, 1543. But it appeared much earlier. In the chronicle of Hartmannus Schedelius, Norimb. 1493. fol. In the Quotidian Offices of the church, Paris, 1515. 8vo. And, in public buildings, at Minden, in

Weftphalia, fo early as 1383. At Lubec,
in the portico of faint Mary's church, 1463.
At Drefden, in the caftle or palace, 1534.
At Annaberg, 1525. At Leipfic, &c.
Paul Chriftian Hilfcher has written a very
learned and entertaining German book on
this fubject, printed at Drefden, 1705.
8vo. Engravings of Holbein's pictures at
Bafil were published, curante Matthæo
Meriano, at Francfort 1649, and 1725,
4to. The German verfes there ascribed,
appeared in Latin elegiacs, in Cafpart
Laudifman's DECENNALIA HUMANE PE-
REGRINATIONIS, A. D. 1584. I have not
mentioned in my Obfervations on Spenfer,
that Georgius Emylius published this
DANCE at Lyons, 1542. One year before
Holbein's painting at Bafil appeared. Next,
at the fame place, 1547. 8vo.
a MSS. Harl. 2278. 4to.

utenfils,

utenfils, and many other curious particulars, belonging to the age of the ingenious illuminator, there are two exquifite portraits of the king, one of William Curteis abbot of Bury, and one of the poet Lydgate kneeling at faint Edmund's fhrine. In one of the king's pictures, he is reprefented on his throne, crowned, and receiving this volume from the abbot kneeling: in another he appears as a child proftrate on a carpet at faint Edmund's fhrine, which is richly delineated, yet without any idea of perspective or proportion. The figures of a great number of monks, and attendants, are introduced. Among the reft, two noblemen, perhaps the king's uncles, with bonnets, or caps, of an uncommon shape. It appears that our pious monarch kept his Christmas at this magnificent monaftery, and that he remained here, in a state of feclufion from the world, and of an exemption from public cares, till the following Easter: and that at his departure he was created a brother of the chapter'. It is highly probable, that this fumptuous book, the poetry of which was undertaken by Lydgate at the command of abbot Curteis, was previously prepared, and prefented to his majesty during the royal vifit, or very foon afterwards. The fubstance of the whole work is the life or hiftory of faint Edmund, whom the poet calls the "precious charboncle of martirs alle"." In fome of the prefatory pictures, there is a

e There is an antient drawing, probably coeval, of Lydgate prefenting his poem called the PILGRIM to the carl of Salisbury, MSS. Harl. 4826. 1. It was written 1426. Another of thefe drawings will be mentioned below.

f Fol. 6.

• Curteis was abbot of Bury between the years 1429, and 1445. It appears that Lydgate was alfo commanded, "Late charchyd in myn oold days," to make an English metrical tranflation of De Profundis, &c. To be hung against the walls of the abbey church. MSS. Harl. 2255. 11. fol. 40. See the last stanza.

The poet's Prayer to faint Edmund for

bis affiftance in compiling his LIFE, fol. 9. The hiftory begins thus, fol. 10. b.

In Saxonie whilom ther was a kyng
Callid Alkmond of excellent nobleffe.
It seems to be taken from John of Tin-
mouth's SANCTILOGIUM, who flourished
about the year 1360. At the end, con-
nected with faint Edmund's legend, and a
part of the work, is the life of faint Fre-
mand. fol. 69. b. But Lydgate has made
many additions. It begins thus,

Who han remembre the myracles merueilous
Which Crift Jhefu lift for his feyntes fhewe.
Compare MSS. Harl. 372. 1. 2. fol. 1.
25.43. b.

defcription

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defcription and a delineation of two banners, pretended to belong to faint Edmund'. One of these is most brilliantly displayed, and charged with Adam and Eve, the serpent with a human shape to the middle, the tree of life, the holy lamb, and a variety of fymbolical ornaments. This banner our bard feigns to have been borne by his faint, who was a king of the east Angles, against the Danes: and he prophefies, that king Henry, with this enfign, would always return victorious. The other banner, given alfo to faint Edmund, appears to be painted with the arms of our poet's monastery, and its blazoning is thus defcribed.

The' other standard, ffeld fable, off colour ynde',
In which of gold been notable crownys thre,
The first toknè: in cronycle men may fynde,
Grauntyd to hym for royal dignyte :
And the fecond for his virgynyte :

For martyrdam the thridde, in his fuffring.

To these annexyd feyth, hope, and charyte,
In toknè he was martyr, mayd, and kyng.
These three crownys" kynge Edmund bar certeyn,
Whan he was fent by grace of goddis hand,

At Geynesburuhe for to sleyn kyng Sweyn.

A fort of office, or fervice to faint Edmund, confifting of an antiphone, verficle, refponse, and collect, is introduced with these verses.

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