Not knowing what th[e]y sing or saye; But like a starling or a popingaye, Which learned are to spe ke by long vsage, Them I compare to byrdes in a cage.

Right so children and ladies of honours,

Praye all in Latyne, thorowont the land so wide,
Mumbling their mattens, euensong and howres,
The Lorde's prayer also, and the crede,
Were it not as pleasant to the spirite in dede,
God have mercy vpon me for to say thus,
As to saye, Miserere mei Deus.

Saint Jerom in his owne tounge Romaine,
The lawe of God did truely translate

Out of Hebrew and Greke, in Latine plaine,
Which hath bin hid from vs long time God woot,

Vnto this time; but after my conceite

Had Saint Jerom bene borne in Argyle,
Into Irishe his bokes he wold compile.

Prudent Saint Paull doth make narration,
Touching the diuers speache of euery lande,
Saing, there is more edification,

In fyue wordes that men do vnderstand,
Then to pronounce of wordes ten thousand,
In a straunge language, that is to no reason:
I think such pattering is not worth too peason.

Vnlearned people on the holye daye,

Solemly heare the gospell sounge,
Not knowing what the priest doth saye;

But as a bell, when they heare it

rounge;

Yet if the priestes in there mother tounge,

Would passe to the pulpit and that doctrine declare, Vato the lewd people, it were more necessare.

I would

I would prelats and doctours of the law,
With vs lewd people, were not discontent,
Though we in our vulgar tounge did know,
Of Christ Jesu the life and testament;
And how to kepe his commaundement:
Both in our language let vs pray and reede,
Our Lorde's prayer, and our creede.

I wolde some prince of great discretion,
In vulgar language wolde translate,

The nedefull lawes of this religion;

Then wolde there not be halfe so great debate,
Among vs people of the lowe state.

If euerye man the verite did know,

We neded not to intreat these men of law.

To doe our neighbour wrong we wolde bewar,
If we did know the lawes punishment,
There wolde not be suche brauiing at the bar,
Nor men of lawe leap to suche roiall rent,
To kepe the lawe if all men were content;
And eche man doe as he wolde be done vnto,
The judges should haue but littell ado.

The prophet Dauid, kyng of Israell,

Compiled the pleasant psalmes of the psalter,
In his owne proper tounge, as I here tell,
And Salomon, which was his soune and heyre,
Did make his booke in his speach vulgar:
Why should not their saying to vs be showne
In our language? I wold it were knowne.

Let dectours write their curious questions,
And argumentes so full of sophistrye,
Their logicke, and their high opinions;
Their darke judgement of astronomy;'
Their medicines and philosophye;

Let

Let poets shew their glorious engine,
Howe euer they please in Greke or Latine.

But let vs haue the bokes necessare,

To common welth and our saluation;
Justly translated in our tong vulgare:

And also I make to the supplication,
O gentill reader haue no indignation,
Thinking I medle with to hye a matter;
Now to my purpose forward will I fare."

The volume is interspersed with wood cuts, several of them repeatedly given, making the number not more than twenty-two that have different subjects.

Conduit street.

J. H.

ART. II. The Life and Death of Hector. One and the first of the most puissant, ualiant, and renowned monarchies of the world, called the Nyne Worthies. Shewing his jnvincible force, together with the marvailous, and maste famous acts by him atchieved and done in the great, long, and terrible siege which the Princes of Greece held about the towne of Troy, for the space of tenne yeares. And finally his unfortunate death after hee had fought a hundred mayne battailes in open field against the Grecians: the which heerein is all at large described. Wherein there were slaine on both sides fourteene hundred, and sixe thousand, fourscore, and sixe

men,

Written by John Lidgate, Monke of Berry, and by him dedicated to the high and mighty Prince Henrie the Fift, King of England. At London printed

printed by Thomas Purfoot. 1614.* Folio. pp. 318. Double columns.

In the preceding article the works of a popular poet, universally sought for, being construed from the language of a sister kingdom into the vernacular tongue, for more general comprehension and accommodation of the English reader, seem a consistent labour, and the editor probably invited to it by the public voice: but in the present article a poem printed above a century, with a subsequent edition, not simply modernized, but transposed, and new modelled, from the heroic couplet into six-line stanzas, extending to the incredible number of above thirty thousand lines, † appears the most extraordinary instance of useless patience, unwearied perseverance, and distorted taste in an editor that can be recorded in our language, for which scarce

This title is in the center of a wood cut, size of the page the royal arms in an erch at top, with head, border of roses, and thistles; at the corners the four quarters of the globe represented with usual names and animals on escutcheons; on pedestals of each side whole-length figures of “Wisedome" and "Science." n a small compartment at top t e figure of Fame, and in another at the bottom the author in his study writing, table, books, &c. Q. If same ornament was not used by an earlier printer, and described by Herbert; in whose work it cannot be easily referred to, from the want of a more copious index?

The following analysis of this perversion of genius inay be worth preServing.

Book contains 9 chapters, 799 stanzas.

I

any popularity of the author could furnish a reasonable pretence.

The poem was first printed by Pinson, in 1513, under the title of "The hystory, sege, and dystruccyon of Troye;" again by Marshe in 1555. These editions supplied all demands of the public until the regeneration in the present article, which commences with "The Epistle as it was dedicated vnto the high and mightie Prince Henry the Fift," consisting of thirteen seven-line stanzas; then follows,

"Lenvoy.

"Go forth, my booke, vaild with the princely grace
Of him, that is extold for excellence

Throughout the world, but do not shew thy face,
Without support of his magnificence:

And who so ere against thee takes offence,
Be thou not stubborn with presumption;
But see thou arme thyselfe with patience,
And gently yeeld to their correction."

"The Translator to his booke.

"And sith thou art not limb'd with trees nor flowers
Of eloquence, but clad in white and blacke;
Thou must prepare thyselfe t'abide the showers,
Of them that of dislike occasion take:

And when thou likeliest art to go to wracke,
Seeme not gainst them thine error to defend;

But rather yeeld a little and give backe,

And pray them, that they will thy faults amend."

These lines may be found in Herbert, 'p. 258, and shew the harmony of versification possessed by the editor, or demi-author.

The