Vulgar Errors, displays great eloquence, learning, and shrewdness, in exposing the erroneous sources of many commonly received opinions. His most celebrated work is Hydriotaphia, a discourse upon some sepulchral urns dug up in Norfolk. Sir Thomas here takes occasion to speculate upon the vain hopes of immortality cherished by men respecting their worldly names and deeds, since all that remains of those buried in the Norfolk urns is a little dust, to which no name, nor the remotest idea as to individual character, can be attached. Many of his thoughts on this subject are truly sublime, and the whole are conveyed in the most impressive language. One of the most important literary undertakings of this era, was the present authorized translation of the Bible. At the great conference held in 1604 at Hampton Court, between the established and puritan clergy, the version of Scripture then existing was generally disapproved of, and the King, consequently, appointed fifty-four men, many of whom were eminent as Hebrew and Greek scholars, to commence a new translation. In 1607, fortyseven of the number met, in six parties, at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster, and proceeded to their task, a certain portion of Scripture being assigned to each. Every individual of each division, in the first place, translated the portion assigned to the division, all of which translations were collected; and when each party had determined on the construction of its part, it was proposed to the other divisions for general approbation. When they met together, one read the new version, whilst all the rest held in their hands either copies of the original, or some valuable version; and on any one objecting to a passage, the reader stopped till it was agreed upon. The result was published in 1611, and has ever since been reputed as a translation generally faithful, and an excellent specimen of the language of the time. Among the less important prose-writers of the reigns of James and Charles, may be mentioned, John Speed, a tailor of the city of London, who compiled large works SPELMAN-BROWNE. 71 on the geography and history of Great Britain, in a style superior to his predecessors; Sir Henry Spelman, an eminent writer on legal antiquities; Sir Robert Cotton, a historical and antiquarian writer, whom posterity has to thank for the valuable collection of historical manuscripts now preserved in the British Museum; Samuel Purchas, the compiler of a great collection of voyages, and of an account of all the religions in the world; Thomas May, author of a History of the Long Parliament; James Usher, Archbishop of Armagh (1581-1656), who wrote many able and learned works in controversial theology and ecclesiastical history; James Howell (1596-1668), a Welshman, who had travelled in many countries, and in 1645 published a series of letters, referring to historical and political subjects, which are considered the first good specimens of epistolary literature in the language; Dr Peter Heylin, a noted writer of ecclesiastical history, but full of prejudices; and lastly, the sovereigns themselves, whose works, however, are now only estimated in the light of curiosities. The During the reigns of Elizabeth, James, and Charles, literary language received large accessions of Greek and Latin, and also of the modern French and Italian, and made a great advance in flexibility, grace, and ease. prevalence of Greek and Roman learning was the chief cause of the introduction of so many words from those languages. Vain of their new scholarship, the learned writers delighted in parading Greek and Latin words, and even whole sentences; so that some specimens of the composition of that time seem to be a mixture of various tongues. Bacon, Burton, and Browne, were among those who most frequently adopted long passages from Latin authors; and of Ben Jonson it is remarked by Dryden, that he did a little too much to Romanize our tongue, leaving the words which he translated almost as much Latin as he found them.' It would appear that the rage, as it may be called, for originality, which marked this period, was one of the causes of this change in our language. 6 Many think,' says Dr Heylin in 1658, that they can never speak elegantly, nor write significantly, except they do it in a language of their own devising; as if they were ashamed of their mother tongue, and thought it not sufficiently curious to express their fancies. By means whereof, more French and Latin words have gained ground upon us since the middle of Queen Elizabeth's reign, than were admitted by our ancestors (whether we look upon them as the British or Saxon race), not only since the Norman, but the Roman conquest.' To so great an extent was Latin thus naturalized among English authors, that Milton at length, in his prose works, and also partly in his poetry, introduced the idiom, or peculiar construction of that language; which, however, was not destined to take a permanent hold of English literature; for we find immediately after, that the writings of Clarendon, Dryden, and Barrow, were not affected by it. FOURTH PERIOD. THE COMMONWEALTH, AND REIGNS OF CHARLES II. AND JAMES II.-[1649-1689.] THE forty years comprehended in this period, produced, in the department of poetry, the great names of Milton and Dryden-in divinity, those of Barrow and Tillotson -and in philosophy, those of Temple and Locke. This was also the era of Bunyan, who was the first successful instance of the unlettered class of writers, since become so numerous. It may be called a period of transition; that is to say, the ease, originality, and force of the Elizabethan era, were now in the process of being exchanged for the artificial stiffness and cold accuracy which marked our literature during the eighteenth century. WALLER COWLEY. 73 POETS. Among the poets, EDMUND WALLER (1605-1687) ranks first in point of time. He was by birth a gentleman, and figured on the popular side in the Long Parliament, though he afterwards became a royalist. His poetry partakes of the gay and conceited manner of the reign of Charles I., and chiefly consists in complimentary verses, of an amatory character, many of which are addressed to a lady whom he calls Sacharissa, and whose proper name was Lady Dorothy Sydney, afterwards Countess of Sunderland. In his latter years, he wrote in the new and more formal manner which had by that time been introduced. ABRAHAM COWLEY (1618-1667) retains a higher reputation than Waller. He wrote poetry of considerable merit at ten years old, and had greatly improved in the art at twelve. His works consist of Anacreontics, (light gay trifles in the manner of the Greek poet Anacreon;) elegiac poems; an epic named The Davideis; a long poem descriptive of plants; and a few epistles and miscellanies. These compositions possess great shrewdness, ingenuity, and learning; yet, though they frequently excite admiration, they seldom convey pleasure. The false taste of the age, and a fatal propensity to treat every thing abstractly or metaphysically, deform in his case the productions of a very able intellect. His Anacreontics alone are now relished; and of these one of the best is the ODE TO THE GRASSHOPPER. Happy insect! what can be Thou dost drink, and dance, and sing, Thee country hinds with gladness hear, Thee Phoebus loves, and does inspire; Phoebus is himself thy sire. To thee, of all things on the earth, Life is no longer than thy mirth. Happy insect! happy thou Dost neither age nor winter know: But when thou'st drunk, and danc'd, and sung, Thy fill, the flow'ry leaves among, (Voluptuous and wise withal, Epicurean animal!) Sated with thy summer feast, The greatest poet of this age, if not in the whole range of the English poets, was JOHN MILTON (1608-1674), the son of a London scrivener, and born in that city. This illustrious person, who had the rare fortune to be educated as a man of letters, wrote, in his early years, some short poems, in the manner of the reign of Charles I., already described, but with more taste. Of these, L'Allegro and Il Penseroso continue in the highest degree popular, and will probably ever be so. In middle life, being of republican principles, he employed himself in writing pamphlets in favour of the Commonwealth, and afterwards acted as Latin secretary to Cromwell. At the Restoration he went into retirement, and, though struck with blindness, devoted himself to the composition of an epic poem, which he had long contemplated, upon the subject of the Fall of Man. This memorable work was publish |