As though she had not thyther come, to leaue her lothsome lyfe,
As though she had not come, to taste the stroke of fatall knyfe;
But euen as if in brydale bed her iourney were to meete
Corebus deare, not hauing mynde of death, nor winding sheete,
When looking rounde on euery side she took her leaue of all,
From vapourde eyes of younge and olde the trickling teares doe fall.
The Greekes themselues to griefe are mou'de to see this heauy sight,

So pity pearst the headman's heart, that thrise aboute to smite
He stayde the smot; with shiuering hand yet once agayne he tryed,
And from her shoulders stroke her heade, and thus the vyrgin dyed,"

The ninthe tragedy of Lucius Annæus Seneca, called Octauia; translated out of Latine into Englishe by Thomas] N[uce or Newce.]*

Seneca, in character, having described the age of Saturn, &c. proceeds;

"But now this age much worse then all the rest
Hath leapt into her mother's broken breast:
And rusty lumpish yron and massy gold
Hath digged out, that was quite hid with mold.
And fighting fistes haue armd without delay,
And drawing forth their bondes for rule to stay,
Haue certayne seuerall ioly kingdomes made,
And cities new haue raysde now rulde with blade,
And fenseth eyther with their proper force

Stravige stoundes, or them assaults the which is worse.
The starry specked virgin, flowre of skies,

Which Justice hight, that guilty folke discries,
Now lightly esteemd of mortall people here,
Each earthly stound is fled, and comes not neerc
The sauage mannerd route, and beastly rude,
With dabbed wristes in goary bloud embrude;
The great desyre of griesly warre is sprong:
And raping thurst of gold, it is not young."

Prebendary of Ely Cathedral, 1586. Ob. 1617.

The

The tenth tragedy of L. Annae. Seneca, entituled Hercules Octavs: translated out of Latin into Englishe by Iohn] S[tvdley.]

The following lines are from the chorus to the third

act.

"Fyll true the dytty is

that holy Orphevs sang,

On Thracian harpe with sounde whereof

the rocks of Rodop rang,

That nothing is creat

for euer to endure;

Dame Nature's byrdes each on must stoupe;

when death throwes out the lure.

The head wyth crispen lockes,

or goulden hayres full,

In time hath borne an hoary bush,

or bin a naked scull.

And that which tract of time

doth bring out of the grayne,
Olde Satvrne sharps his syth at length

to reape it downe agayne.

Though Phoebvs ryse at morne,

with glistring rayes full proude,

Hee runnes his race, and ducketh downe

at length in foggy clowde.

To th' Gotans Orphevs sang

such kinde of melody;

And how the gods themselues were bouude

to lawes of destiny.

The shiuerynge sunne in heauen

shall leese his fadyng lighte;

The pallace of the frames of heavens

shall runne to ruin quight.

And all these blockish gods

'some kynd of death shall quell,

And in confused chaos blynde

they shall for euer dwell,

And after ruin made

of goblin, hegge, and elfe, Death shall bringe finall destenye

at last vppon it selfe."

Col. Imprinted at London in Flet streate neare vnto Sainct Dunstons church by Thomas Marshe. 1581. These short specimens are given as supplementary to the critical account of the volume inserted by Warton in the History of English Poetry, Vol. III. p. 382, That writer observes, "it is remarkable that Shakspeare has borrowed nothing from the English Seneca;" yet it seems probable a translation produced at the juncture when holy mysteries were fast declining in estimation, assisted other writers, and formed no mean extension of the rising freedom given to dramatic genius. George Gascoigne, whose pieces for public representation class among the earliest we now possess, has some lines in one of his miscellaneous poems descriptive of the characters that supported the extravagant buffoonery then displayed on the stage in the form of a pageant.

"Thus is the stage slakt out, where all these partes be plaide,
And I the prologue should pronounce, but that I am afraide.
First Cayphas playes the priest, and Hero le sits as king,*
Pylate the judge, Judas the jurour verdicte in doth bring,

"If one at a solemne stage play, would take vpon him to pluck of the plaier's garments, whiles they were saying theyr partes & so discipher vnto the lokers on the true & natiue faces of eche of the players, shoulde hee not (trow yee) marre all the matter; and well deserue for a madman to be pelted out of the place with stones: yee shoulde sec yet straightwayes a new trans. mutation in thinges, that who before played the woman, should than appeare to be a man who seemed youth, should shew his hore heares: who counterfaited they should tourne to a rascall, and who played God Almighty, shoulde become a coller as he was before." The prayse of Follie, &c. Englished ly Sir Thomas Chaloner, Knight. 1577.

Vaine

Vaine tatling plaied the vice, well cladde in rich aray,*

And poor Tom Troth is laught to skorn, wt, garments nothing gay
The woman wantonnesse, she commes with ticing traine,

Pride in her pocket playes bo-peepe, and bawdrie in her braine.

Hir handmaides be deceipte, daunger, and dalliance,

Riot and reuell follow hir, they be of hir alliance;

Nexte these commes in Simme Swash, to see what sturre they keep,
Climme of ye. Clough then takes his heeles, tis time for him to creep;
To packe the pageaunt up, commes Sorowe with a song,

He says these iests can get no grotes, & al this geare goth wrong;
Fyrst pride withoute cause, why he sings the treble parte,

The meane he mumbles out of tune, for lack of life and hart:
Cost lost, the counter tenor chanteth on apace,

Thus all in discords stands the cliffe, and beggrie sings the base.
The players loose their paines, where so few pens are sturring,
Their garments weare for lacke of gains, & fret for lack of furring
When all is done and past, was no parte plaide but one,

For euery player plaide the foole, till all be spent and gone."

Conduit street.

J. H.

ART. XIV. On the modern Corruption of Sternhold's Version of the Psalms.

TO THE EDITOR OF CENSURA LITERARIA.

SIR,

As some persons, I find, have doubted whether there are so many variations between the ancient editions of Sternhold's version and the modern ones, as I have

ters.

"Now Roscius pleades in the senate house; asses play vpon harpes; the stage is brought into the church; and vices make plaies of church inat-They shall put off their fooles coate, and leaue snapping of their wodden dagger, and betake themserues to a soberer kinde of reasoning, which will bee verie hard for such vices to do.. -Wearie of our stale mirth, that for a penie may haue farre better by oddes at the Theater and Curtaine, and any blind playing house euerie day. Like Wil. Sommers, when you knowe hot who bob'd you, strike him that first comes in your foolish head.” Martin's Month's minde, 1589.

mentioned

mentioned in my last, the following comparison between them will sufficiently convince them of the truth of the fact with respect to that short portion alone of the ninetieth Psalm.

V. 3.

V. 5.

V. 7.

V. S

V. io.

The earth and world abroad.

And then thou sayest againe return,

Againe ye sons of men.

Thou unto them dost say again

Return ye sons of men.

All as a sleep and like the grass.

Ev'n as a sleep or like the grass.
And of thy fervent wrath and fume
And of thy fervent wrath O Lord.
Our privie faults, yea, eke our thoughts.
Our privy faults yea all our thoughts.
Our time is threescore yeeres and ten
That we do live on mould,

If we see fourscore, surely then

We count him wondrous old.
The time of our abode on earth

V. 10.

Is three score years and ten,

But if we come to four score years,

Our life is grievous then.

V. 11.

Yet of this time the strength and age,

V. 11.

V. 12.

The which we count upon,

Is nothing else but painfull grief.

For of this time the strength and chief,

We dote so much upon,

Is nothing else but pain and grief.

Who once doth know what strength is there,
What might thine anger hath.

V. 12.