owed its rife to tranflation. At rude periods the modes of original thinking are unknown, and the arts of original compofition have not yet been studied. The writers therefore of fuch periods are chiefly and very usefully employed in importing the ideas of other languages into their own. They do not venture to think for themfelves, nor aim at the merit of inventors, but they are laying the foundations of literature; and while they are naturalifing the knowledge of more learned ages and countries by tranflation, they are imperceptibly improving the national language. This has been remarkably the cafe, not only in England, but in France and Italy. In the year 1387, John Trevifa, canon of Westbury in Wiltshire, and a great traveller, not only finished a tranflation of the Old and New Teftaments, at the command of his munificent patron Thomas Lord Berkley, but also tranflated Higden's Polychronicon, and other Latin pieces. But thefe tranflations would have been alone infufficient to have produced or faftained any confiderable revolution in our language: the great work was referved for Gower and Chaucer. Wickliffe had alfo trannated the Bible: and in other refpects his attempts to bring about a reformation in religion at this time proved beneficial to English literature. The orthodox divines of this period generally wrote in Latin: but Wickliffe, that his arguments might be familiarifed to common readers, and the bulk the of people, was obliged to compofe in English his numerous theological treatifes against the papal corruptions. Edward the Third, while he, perhaps, intended only to banish a badge of conqueft, greatly contributed to efta blifh the national dialect, by abolishing the use of the Norman tongue in the public acts and judicial proceedings, as we have before obferved, and by fubftituting the natural language of the coun try. But Chaucer manifeftly first taught his countrymen to write English; and formed a ftyle by naturalifing words from the Provencial, at that time the most polifhed dialect of any in Europe, and the beft adapted to the purposes of poetical expreffion. "It is certain that Chaucer abounds in claffical allufions: but his poetry is not formed on the antient models. He appears to have been an univerfal reader, and his learning is fometimes mittaken for genius: but his chief fources were the French and Italian poets. From thefe originals two of his capital poems, the Knight's Tale, and the Romaunt of the Rofe, are imitations or translations." The feven laft fections of the first volume are entirely dedicated to Chaucer, and contain a complete analyfis and critical hiftory of the principal of his poems. Our author begins his fecond volume, which has been given to the public in the course of the prefent year, with an account of Gower, the cotemporary of Chaucer. His poems are in general of a grave and fententious caft, not deftitute of harmony; and some of the few, which are of a higher turn, have even a confiderable degree of fimplicity and elegance. The poetic fpirit of England. feems, by making too vigorous an exertion exertion, to have almost exhausted itself in Chaucer. The reign of Henry the Fourth affords but the name of one folitary miferable poet: that of his fucceffor was not much more happily diftinguished either in number or merit. Even Lydgate, who flourished in the time of Henry the Sixth, falls very short of Chaucer, both in imagination, judgment, and the powers of poetical expreffion. In addition to the extract containing the character of this poet, which we have given in another part of our volume, (see p. 21.) we will prefent our readers with the following fpecimens of his talent at defcription in two different ftyles. They are taken out of a poem of his called Troy Boke. "This poem," fays Mr. Warton, "is replete with defcriptions of rural beauty, formed by a felection of very poetical and picturefque circumftances, and cloathed in the mòft perfpicuous and musical numbers. The colouring of our poet's morning is often remarkably rich and splendid." And them whom winter's blaftes have fhaken bare With fotè blofomes freshly to repare: Frequently in thefe florid landfcapes we find the fame idea dif ferently expreffed. Yet this circumftance, while it weakened the description, taught a copioufnefs of diction, and a variety of poetical phrafeology. There is great foftnefs and facility in the following delineations of a delicious retreat: Streaks of light. A very common word in Lydgate. Y. 579. col. 2. Urr. p. 455. And while the twilight and the rowis red + Salute, Chafe. Open. Chaucer, Ka. T. Change. Colours. Tyll Tyll at the laft, among the bowès glade, And fofte as velvette was the yongè grene: There is much elegance of fentiment and expreffion in the portrait of Crefeide weeping, when the parts with Troilus : The ftrokes on the helmets are thus expreffed, ftriking fire amid the plumes. But ftrokys felle, that men might herden rynge, On baffenetts, the fieldès rounde aboute, Of foyle of galde, of fethers white and grene. Mr. Warton next proceeds to the reign of Edward the Fourth, which he introduces with a very elaborate account of the French tranflations of the ancient claffic authors, and other writers of a more modern date, with which that century abounded. By means of thefe tranflations he believes that ed with ancient literature at our countrymen became acquaintmuch earlier period than is imągined. "How greatly our poets," he adds, "in general availed themfelves of thefe treasures, we may collect from this circumftance only: even fuch writers as Chaucer and Lydgate, men of education and learning, when they tranflate a their work through the medium of Latin author, appear to execute a French verfion." In the fame reign, our author finds the first mention of the King's Poet Laureate; his account of the origin of which office we And brought to Hector. Sothly there he have already given our readers under the head of Antiquitiest. floode Among the Grekes, al bathed in their bloode: The which in hafte ful knightly he beftrode, And them amonge like Mars himfelfe he Lode. * Mingled. The reigns of Richard the Third and Henry the Seventh, furnish a long catalogue of obfcure verfifiers. Barclay, the author of a popular fatirical poem on those + See p. 139. times, called the Ship of Fools, is the moft confiderable. His language is more cultivated than that of many of his cotemporaries, and he certainly contributed his fhare to the improvement of the English phrafeology. Our author is alfo of opinion that his Egloges are the first that appeared in the English language. They are all, he fays, like Petrarch's and Mantuan's, of a moral and fatirical kind; and contain but few touches of rural defcription and bucolic imagina tion. Having brought the Hiftory of English Poetry down to the fixteenth century, the author takes a view of the cotemporary itate of poetry in Scotland, and has given us an account at large of fome of the most celebrated productions of the Scotch poets of that age. Thefe are, the Thifle and the Rofe, and the Golden Terge, of William Dunbar the tranflation of the Eneid, and fome original poems, by Gawen Douglas-the poems of Sir David Lindefey, and fome anonymous pieces. The merit of thefe poems, in the opinion of Mr. Warton, is very confiderable, and inferior in no refpect to the productions of the English mufe of the fame age, thofe of Chaucer. only excepted. We are now arrived at the end of the hiftorical part of the fecond volume, which brings the history of our poetry down to the beginning of the fixteenth century. The period in which the author has been hitherto engaged, though it be not fo brilliant and fplendid as that which fucceeded, has ne vertheless been productive of abundance of matter extremely interefting and curious to an English reader. It exhibits (to use the author's words) the gradual improvement of our poetry and the formation of our taste, at the fame time that it uniformly represents the progreffion of our language. Nor muft our obligations to Mr. Warton, be forgotten, for having brought out of their obfcurity the remains of fo many of our early and almost unknown poets.-Some of their writings, from their intrinfic worth, deferved a better fate; even thofe of an inferior caft have their merit, and deferve to be known, as they tranfmit pictures of familiar manners, and preferve popular customs. In the two laft fections our author takes a general view of the The fifteenth fection of this volume appears to us to be a little misplaced. Skelton, who is the principal fubject of it, was the cotemporary of Hawes, (who appears in the 10th fect.) and ought therefore to have preceded Barclay and the Scotch poets. This would alfo have prevented the series of his history from being broken by this northern digreffion, and have thrown that fubject into its proper place, the end of this volume. If we may be allowed to find any fault with a work fo replete with inftruction and amufement, we could have wifhed that the author had attended a little more to the arrangement of his materials. The hiftory of the origin of the English drama, in particular, which is profeffedly treated of in the firft volume, is again refumed in the 9th fection of the fecond; and, laftly, begun over again in the 15th and 16th. This defultory mode of writing may be very convenient to the needy compilers of the age, but is not fuited to the xinua is at which we expect from the hands of fo respectable a literary character as Mr. Warton. revival HERE Tbooks are perhaps no books that are read with a more general curiofity than thofe hiftorical compilations, which appear under the name of State Papers; and, indeed, when their authenticity is unqueftionable, and the felection made with candour and judgment, there are no works more useful, or that deferve more eminently the attention and encouragement of the public. The very high and refpectable name* that has been given to the world as the publisher of thefe volumes, leaves us nothing to fay with refpect to their merit on any of thofe heads: the introductions prefixed to the several divifions of these papers, and the notes, with which they are occafionally elucidated, are fufficient proofs of the noble writer's judgment, and extensive knowledge of hiftory. As we have already given our readers feveral extracts from this curious and valuable collection, we fhall content Lord Hardwicke. ourselves at prefent with giving them the heads of the different articles that compofe it in the order they occur. VOLUME I. No. L. Certain notes taken out of the entertainment of Katharine, wife of Arthur, Prince of Wales, O&. 1501. [From the Harleian Collection. [This is a curious picture of the manners of thofe times, and, as the editor very well obferves, may be thought a good companion to the picture of the Champ de Drap d'Or in Windfor Caftle.] No. II. Original Letter of Thomas Leigh, one of the vifitors of the Monafteries, to Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal, dated from the Monaftery of Vale Royal, Aug. 22, 15361. [From the Harleian Collection.] No. III. The Privy Council to the Duke of Norfolk, the Marquis of Exeter, and Sir Anthony Brown, Knt. Inftructions for the levying men to go against the rebels in the north, 1536. [From the Harleian Collection.] The Privy Council to the Duke of Norfolk, and the Marquis of Exeter, being in their march towards Doncaster, against the rebels, Oct. 20, 1536. The Privy Council to the Duke. Instructions about dealing with the rebels, and offering them pardon, Dec. 2, 1536. The Privy Council to the Duke of Norfolk, Dec. 6, 1536. See this letter in our article of Characters, p. 8. of this volume. The |