home, and by Iohn Collet, Deane of Paules, was elected Master of Pauls Schoole, which he had newly founded.

Thomas

Shortly after began to grow eminent, aswell for Poesie as all other generall learning, Sir Thomas Challoner, Sir 5 Knight (father to the truly honest, and sometime louer of Challoner. all excellent parts, Sir Thomas Challoner, who attended vpon the late Prince); borne in London, brought vp in Cambridge; who, hauing left the Vniuersitie, and followed the Court a good while, went ouer with Sir Henry Knyuet, 10 Embassadour to Charles the fift, as his friend and com. panion; what time the Emperour being preparing a mightie fleete against the Turkes in Argier, the English Embassadour, Sir Thomas Challoner, Henry Knowles, M. Henry Isam, and others, went in that seruice as voluntaries 15 with the Emperour. But the Galley, wherein Sir Thomas Challoner was, being cast away by foulenesse of weather, after he had laboured by swimming for his life as long as he was able, and the strength of his armes failing him, he caught hold vpon a cable throwne out from another galley, 20 to the losse and breaking of many of his teeth, and by that meanes saued his life. After the death of King Henry the 8, he was in the battaile of Muskleborough, and knighted by the Duke of Sommerset. And in the beginning of the raigne of Queene Elizabeth, hee went ouer Embassadour 25 into Spaine, where, at his houres of leisure, he compiled ten

elegant bookes in Latine vers, de Repub. Anglorum instauranda, superuised after his death by Malim, and dedicated to the old Lord Burghley, Lord Treasurer. Being sent for home by her Maiestie, he shortly after died in London, 30 and was buried in Paules neere to the steppes of the Quire, toward the South-doore, vnder a faire marble; but the brasse, and epitaphe written by Doctor Haddon, by sacrilegious hands is since torne away. But the Muse and Eternall Fame haue reared him a monument more lasting 35 and worthy the merit of so excellent a man.

Chaucer.

SirGeoffrey Of English Poets of our owne Nation, esteeme Sir Geoffrey Chaucer the father; although the stile for the antiquitie may distast you, yet as vnder a bitter and rough rinde there lyeth a delicate kernell of conceit and sweete inuention. What Examples, Similitudes, Times, Places, 5 and aboue all, Persons with their speeches and attributes, doe, as in his Canterburie-tales, like these threds of gold the rich Arras, beautifie his worke quite thorough! And albeit diuers of his workes are but meerely translations out of Latine and French, yet he hath handled them so 10 artificially that thereby he hath made them his owne, as his Troilus and Cresseid. The Romant of the Rose was the Inuention of Iehan de Mehunes, a French Poet, where. of he translated but onely the one halfe; his Canterburietales without question were his owne inuention, all 15 circumstances being wholly English. Hee was a good Diuine, and saw in those times without his spectacles, as may appeare by the Plough-man and the Parsons tale; withall an excellent Mathematician, as plainly appeareth by his discourse of the Astrolabe to his little sonne Lewes. 20 In briefe, account him among the best of your English bookes in your librarie.

Gower.

Lydgate.

Gower, being very gracious with King Henrie the 4, in his time carried the name of the onely Poet, but his verses, to say truth, were poore and plaine, yet full of 25 good and graue Moralitie; but, while he affected altogether the French phrase and words, made himself too obscure to his Reader; beside, his inuention commeth farre short of the promise of his Titles. He published onely (that I know of) three bookes, which at S. Marie Oueries in 30 Southwarke, vpon his monument lately repaired by some good Benefactor, lie vnder his head; which are, Vox clamantis, Speculum Meditantis, and Confessio Amantis. He was a Knight, as also was Chaucer.

After him succeeded Lydgate, a Monke of Burie, who 35

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wrote that bitter Satyre of Peirs Plow-man. He spent most part of his time in translating the workes of others, hauing no great inuention of his owne. He wrote for those times a tollerable and smooth verse.

Then followed Harding, and after him Skelton, a Poet Harding. Laureate, for what desert I could neuer heare. If you Skelton. desire to see his veine and learning, an Epitaph vpon

King Henry the seauenth at West-minster will discouer it.

Surrey.

In the latter end of King Henrie the 8, for their excellent Henrie 10 facultie in Poesie were famous the right noble Henrie Earle of Earle of Surrey (whose Songs and Sonnets yet extant are of sweete conceipt) and the learned but vnfortunate Sir Thomas Wyat.

Sir

In the time of Edward the sixth lived Sternhold, whom Thomas Wyat. 15 King Henry, his father, a little before had made groome of his Chamber, for turning certaine of Dauids Psalmes into verse; and merrie Iohn Heywood, who wrote his Epigrammes, as also Sir Thomas More his Vtopia, in the parish wherein I was borne; where either of them dwelt North20 and had faire possessions.

mimmes, in Her

neere to

About Queene Maries time flourished Doctor Phaer, ford-shire, who in part translated Virgils Eneids, after finished by SArthur Golding.

In the time of our late Queene Elizabeth, which was 25 truly a golden Age (for such a world of refined wits and excellent spirits it produced, whose like are hardly to be hoped for in any succeeding Age), aboue others who honoured Poesie with their pennes and practise (to omit her Maiestie, who had a singular gift herein) were Edward 30 Earle of Oxford, the Lord Buckhurst, Henry Lord Paget; our Phonix, the noble Sir Philip Sidney; M. Edward Dyer, M. Edmund Spencer, M. Samuel Daniel, with sundry others, whom (together with those admirable wits yet liuing and so well knowne), not out of Enuie, but to 35 auoide tediousnesse, I ouerpasse. Thus much of Poetrie.

banes.

MICHAEL DRAYTON

EPISTLE TO HENRY REYNOLDS, ESQUIRE, OF POETS AND POESIE

1627

To my most dearely-loued friend,
HENERY REYNOLDS, Esquire, of
Poets and Poesie.

MY dearely loued friend, how oft haue we

In winter euenings, meaning to be free,

To some well chosen place vs'd to retire,
And there with moderate meate and wine and fire,
Haue past the howres contentedly with chat,
Now talk'd of this, and then discours'd of that,
Spoke our owne verses 'twixt our selues; if not,
Other mens lines, which we by chance had got,
Or some Stage pieces famous long before,
Of which your happy memory had store;
And I remember you much pleased were
Of those who liued long agoe to heare,
As well as of those of these latter times,
Who haue inricht our language with their rimes,
And in succession, how still vp they grew,
Which is the subiect that I now pursue;
For from my cradle, you must know that I
Was still inclin'd to noble Poesie,

And when that once Pueriles I had read,

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And newly had my Cato construed,

In my small selfe I greatly marueil'd then, Amonst all other, what strange kinde of men These Poets were: And, pleased with the name, 5 To my milde Tutor merrily I came,

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(For I was then a proper goodly page,

Much like a Pigmy, scarse ten yeares of age)
Clasping my slender armes about his thigh,
O my deare master! cannot you, quoth I,
Make me a Poet? doe it if you can,

And you shall see Ile quickly be a man.
Who me thus answered, smiling: Boy, quoth he,
If you'le not play the wag, but I may see
You ply your learning, I will shortly read
Some Poets to you. Phœbus be my speed,
Too't hard went I, when shortly he began,
And first read to me honest Mantuan,

Then Virgils Eglogues; being entred thus,
Me thought I straight had mounted Pegasus,
And in his full Careere could make him stop,
And bound vpon Parnassus by-clift top.

I scornd your ballet then, though it were done
And had for Finis William Elderton.
But soft, in sporting with this childish iest,
I from my subiect haue too long digrest,
Then to the matter that we tooke in hand,
Ioue and Apollo for the Muses stand.

That noble Chaucer, in those former times,
The first inrich'd our English with his rimes,
And was the first of ours that euer brake
Into the Muses treasure, and first spake
In weighty numbers, deluing in the Mine
Of perfect knowledge, which he could refine,
And coyne for currant, and asmuch as then
The English language could expresse to men,