the fame time, and who employed himself, among other things, in biography,, deferves to be mentioned with praise upon that account; but he can by no means be compared with Leland.

The period we are confidering was not unfruitful with regard to poetic writers. John Skelton had exerted his talents in this refpect during the preceding reign; but his chief compofitions belong to the time of Henry the Eighth. For his offences against decency, he must be spoken of in the strongest terms of condemnation. It is not fufficient to apologize for him, by charging his coarfenefs, obscenity, and fcurrility on the manners of the age; for he exceeded the licentioufnefs of the times, and was cenfured by his contemporaries. His characteristic vein of humour is capricious and extravagant; his fubjects are often ridicu lous; and his matter is fometimes debased by his verfification. On the whole, his genius was more adapted to low burlesque than to liberal and manly fatire. In a poem of a graver kind, he hath fhewn hirnfelf capable of exhibiting allegorical imagery with fome degree of fpirit and dignity; but it is ftill the comic vein which predominates. When Skelton attempts the higher poetry, he is not long able to fupport the dignity of the fubject; and in his best efforts he is a very unequal writer. In a fhort ode which was compofed by him, he has exhibited a fpecimen of the ftructure and phraseology of a love fonnet, about the beginning of the fixteenth century. For the most part,, when Skelton wrote in any other vein than that of Satire and Jocularity, he mistook his talents. An anomalous and motley mode of verfification was practised by him, of which he is commonly fuppofed to have been the author. Notwithstanding Skelton's fcurrility, he was a claffical fcholar, in which respect he has been applauded by Erafmus; and his elegiacs are a demonstration, that if he had not been led aftray by his propenfity to the ridiculous, he might have fhone among the first writers of Latin Poetry in England, at the general restoration of literature.

Moralities

ifties of his poetry. Sir Thomas Wyat appears in the most pleasing light, when he difplays the happiness of retirement, and attacks the follies, vanities, and vices of a court. This he hath done with the indignation of a philofopher, and the freedom and pleafantry of Horace. There is reafon to regret, from three of his poetical epiftles, profeffedly written in this ftrain, that he did not apply more to a fpecies of compofition for which he feems to have been eminently qualified. He may juftly be efteemed the first polifhed English fatirift. There was an inviolable friend-, hip between Wyat and Surrey, arifing, perhaps chiefly from a fimilarity of ftudies. Befides adopting the fame principal fubject for their poetry (the Paffion of Love), they were alike anxious to improve their native tongue, and to attain the elegancies of compofition. Both of them employed themselves in tranflating parts of Virgil, and in rendering felect portions of Scripture into English verfe.

Other poets of this reign, and poets too of high rank, were Sir Francis Bryant, the friend of Wyat, and an accomplifhed courtier; George Boleyn, Vifcount Rochford, brother to Queen Anne Boleyn; and Nicholas Lord Vaux, an eminent ftatefman and foldier.-In Tottel's collection of the poetical writings of this period, is found the first example that is known in our language of the pure and unmixed paftoral. It is an example, likewife, of extraordinary merit. In eafe of numbers, elegance of rural allufion, and fimplicity of imagery, there is nothing of the kind equal to it in Spenfer. The fame collection affords one of the earliest instances of the pointed English epigram; and it is fuppofed, with fome degree of probability, that it came from the pen of Sir Thomas More. Several poems, which were chiefly the performances of his youth, were written by Sir Thomas in his native tongue. They are now become obfolete, and are not recommended by any striking excellence. What principally renders them worthy to be mentioned, is their having been the productions of the restorer of literature in England.

Mr. Warton, to whofe excellent Hiftory of English poetry we are under fuch peculiar obligations, hath brought

to

to light Nicholas Grimoald, a name which hitherto had been entirely unknown in the poetical annals of our country. He was an eminent claffic fcholar, and wrote a Latin tragedy, which was probably acted at Merton-College in Oxford, of which he was a fellow. But he is here noticed on account of his being the next English poet after the earl of Surrey, who wrote in blank verfe. Befides having the honour of being the second perfon who adopted this new mode of verfification, he gave to it additional ftrength, elegance, and modulation. Amidst many inftances of those diffonancies and afperities which still adhered to the general ftate of our diction, he often approaches, in the difpofition and conduct of his cadencies, to the legitimate structure of blank-verfe, as it has fince been improved and perfected. Grimoald wrote, likewife, in rhine; in which respect he is inferior to none of his contemporaries, for a masterly choice of chafte expreffion, and the concife elegancies of didactic verfification. Some of the couplets, in one of his productions, have the smartness which marks the modern ftyle of fententious poetry.

There were in this reign fome poets of a fubordinate clafs, who, though they were far inferior to the earl of Surrey and fir Thomas Wyat, and, indeed, were perfect trangers to the Italian fchool, had nevertheless a certain degree of merit. One of these was Andrew Borde, whom we have before mentioned as a phyfician, and whose poetry, even when he wrote in his medical character, was of the facetious kind. Such is the defcription which is given of his "Breviary of Health." He is thought, likewise, to have compiled or compofed the " Merry Tales of the mad "Men of Gotham," which had their admirers in their day, and ftill retain their popularity in the nursery. But Borde's chief poetical work, was "The first Boke of the Introduc"tion of Knowledge;" in praife of which, however, our readers will be fenfible how little can be faid, when they are informed, that it has Skelton's baldness of allufion, and barbarity of verfification, without his ftrokes of fatire and feverity. The only book of Borde's that can now afford any degree of entertainment, is his Breviary of Health, in which he has preferved many anecdotes of the private 1787. b life,

life, cuftoms, and arts of our ancestors.-John Bale fuftains some rank among the poets of his time. Many scriptural interludes, chiefly from incidents of the New Testament, were composed by him. Thus was the Bible profaned and ridiculed from a principle of piety: but it is a confolation to reflect, that the fashion of acting myfteries appears to have expired with this writer.-Other poets, of whom it will be fufficient to mention their names, were Brian Anfley, Andrew Chertfey, Wilfrid Holme, Charles Barnfley, and Edward Haliwell.

John Heywood, commonly called the Epigrammatist, must not be omitted. He is reprefented by fome perfons as the first writer of comedies in England; but when this character is given of him, it is fpoken without determinate ideas. A fufficient diftinction is not made, in fuch language, between comedies and moralities and interludes. It muft, however, be allowed, that he is among the first of our dramatists who drove the Bible from the stage, and introduced representations of familiar life and popular manners. His Epigrams, which are fix hundred in number, display the great want of refinement, not only in the compofition but in the converfation of our ancestors. Heywood's largest and most laboured performance is the "Spider and the Flie," which is a very long poem in the octave stanza. The author feems to have intended a fable on the burlesque construction; but he has been very unfortunate in the execution of his purpose. It is fcarcely poffible to tell when he would be ferious and when witty. The fact is, that the age was not yet fufficiently refined, either to relifh or to promote much burlesque poetry.

To fome part of Henry the Eighth's reign must be assigned the once celebrated compofition, entitled, "The Tournament of Tottenham, or the Wooeing, Winning, and Wedding of Tibbe the Reeve's Daughter there." This poem is a burlesque on the parade and foppery of Chivalry itfelf, in which light it may be regarded as a curiofity. It does honour to the good fenfe and difcernment of the writer, that, while he faw through the folly of thefe fashionable exercises, he was fenfible at the fame time, that they were too popular to be attacked by the more folid weapons

of

of reafon and argument. To give dignity to the narrative, and to heighten the ridicule, the author appears to have affected an antique ftyle; and to this caufe it is probably owing, that the work has been ascribed to the age of Henry the Sixth.

Another poem, to which a higher degree of antiquity has been affigned than it can rightfully claim, but which was probably the production of the prefent period, is the celebrated Notte Browne Mayde." Prior, feventy years ago, fuppofed it to be then three centuries old; but this was a hafty conjecture, founded upon his ignorance of our ancient poetry. It was first printed in 1521, and it is evident, from its language, that it could not have been written earlier than the beginning of the fixteenth century. There is scarcely in the whole piece an obfolete word, or one that requires a gloffary. Many parts of Surrey and Wyat are harder to be understood; and if any two ftanzas are reduced to modern orthography, the appearance of ancient poetry will nearly vanish. There is reafon to fufpect that the fentiment of the "Notte Browne Mayde" was too refined for the general tafte, though it has been enumerated among the popular tales and ballads of this country. Since Prior's paraphrase of it, it hath become more known than any other production of the fame age. Whoever was the author of the Notte Browne Mayde, he has difplayed great fkill in contriving a plan which powerfully detains the attention, and interefts the paffions. Amidft a viciffitude of feelings, a ftriking contraft of character is artfully formed, and uniformly fupported; and, at length, our fears fubfide in the triumph of fuffering innocence and patient fincerity. It is much to the credit of the poet's invention, that he hath fo happily fucceeded in imagining the modes of trying the lady's patience, and in feigning fo many new fituations, which open a way to defcription, and introduce a variety of fresh scenes and images.

Other anonymous poems were produced in this reign, most of which were long known only to the curious refearch of the Antiquary. The pageantries of Henry the Eighth's time afford a proof that an acquaintance with claffical learning was gradually diffufing through the nation;