they appear to include in their censure the best writers who preceded the date of its publication.

North's Plutarch.

18. Of the ephemeral abuses in matter of language which were prevalent in the latter half of the 16th century enough has already been said, and we may now try to illustrate the judicious use, that contributed to real progress, by specimens from two works, each in its own way worthy of note. The first is the translation of Plutarch's Lives, made by Sir Thomas North (1579) from the French version of Amyot, and notable as being the source from which Shakspere derived his knowledge of Roman history. The following passage from the life of Coriolanus may shew North's style:

So Martius being a stowte man of nature, that never yelded in any respect, as one thincking that to overcome allwayes, and to have the upper hande in all matters, was a token of magnanimitie, and of no bare and fainte corage, which spitteth out anger from the most weake and passioned parte of the harte, much like the matter of an impostume: went home to his house, full fraighted with spite and malice against the people, being accompanied with all the lustiest young gentlemen, whose mindes were nobly bent, as those that came of noble race, and commonly used for to followe and honour him. But then specially they floct about him, and kept him companie, to his muche harme: for they dyd but kyndle and inflame his choller more and more, being sorie with him for the injurie the people offred him, bicause he was their captaine and leader to the warres, that taught them all marshall discipline, and stirred up in them a noble emulation of honour and valiantnes, and yet without envie, praising them that deserved best.

If the practice of later times may be taken as a test of judicious use, the language of this passage certainly satisfies the test; there is hardly a word in it that is not still current. But while the passage shews that there was abundance of excellent

material at hand, it shews at the same time that among those who had the good taste to use such material, the power to use it skilfully was sometimes wanting. In the next specimen we may see as well the excellence of the material as the skill in its use. The extract that follows is from Sidney's Apologie for Poetrie (c. 1581), of which Marsh says, that in style and diction it was the best secular prose yet written in England:

Sidney's Apologie for

Poetrie.

Certainly I must confesse my own barbarousnes, I neuer heard the olde song of Percy and Duglas, that I found not my heart mooued more then with a Trumpet: and yet is it sung but by some blinde Crouder, with no rougher voyce, then rude stile: which being so euill apparrelled in the dust and cobwebbes of that unciuill age, what would it worke trymmed in the gorgeous eloquence of Pindar? In Hungary I haue seene it the manner at all Feasts, and other such meetings, to haue songes of their Auncestours valour; which that right Souldier-like Nation thinck the chiefest kindlers of braue courage. The incomparable Lacedemonians did not only carry that kinde of Musicke euer with them to the field, but euen at home, as such songs were made, so were they all content to bee the singers of them, when the lusty men were to tell what they dyd, the olde men what they had done, and the young men what they wold doe. And where a man may say, that Pindar many times prayseth highly victories of small moment, matters rather of sport then vertue: as it may be answered, it was the fault of the Poet, and not of the Poetry; so indeede, the chiefe fault was in the tyme and custome of the Greekes, who set those toyes at so high a price, that Phillip of Macedon reckoned a horse-race wonne at Olimpus among hys three fearefull felicities. But as the unimitable Pindar often did, so is that kinde most capable and most fit, to awake the thoughts from the sleep of idlenes, to imbrace honourable enterprises.

Of this passage we may fairly say that it is worthy of one

who held that 'for the uttering sweetly and properly the conceit of the mind, that English hath equally with any other tongue in the world.' It was written about the time that Lyly was giving the nation a new English, and shews that fortunately there was an old English which might prevent those of true taste from desiring the new, for they could rightly say of it that the old was better.

To give further specimens, taken from the great writers of the Elizabethan age, is unnecessary. The progress of the language up to the point reached in such prose as Sidney's has been slightly illustrated, and the sources from which the vocabulary was drawing fresh material have been pointed out. The student who wishes to realise the position that had been attained by English at the beginning of the 17th century, must look not merely to brief extracts, but must read the literature in which its powers are shewn by the great masters of language.

CHAPTER XIII

The language of the early part of the 17th century

- classical studies Burton—his Anatomy of Melancholy — Sir Thomas Browne's Vulgar Errors - its scientific vocabulary — Milton's Areopagitica its vocabulary — its style — Dryden's Essay of Dramatic Poetry — modern in vocabulary and style-writers of the first half of the 18th century Addison and Swift on words from foreign languages — Johnson and his style-example of Addison's style — Johnson's criticism of it contrast to it shewn by Johnson's style in the Rambler — influence of Johnson on the language of his time—his influence not permanent — English in the 19th century—the earlier history of the language indicated by its present form.

The lan

guage of the

the 17th
century.

1. FROM the times of Elizabeth to our own there has been no break in the line of great writers; and their works, considered as literature, might call for a fuller notice than do those of all their prede- early part of cessors. But while the history of the literature during this period would have to deal with a subject whose noteworthy material was always growing in volume, the history of the language, at least so far as its outlines are concerned, finds less to record than had been the case in earlier times. As regards grammatical forms, hardly any change remains to be noticed; and as regards vocabulary, the admission of new words continues after the same fashion as had prevailed in the latter part of the 16th century. Greater facility, indeed, is gained by the later writers

in the management of their material, and the stately and sometimes involved style of the earlier gives place to one which has more freedom and clearness. Detailed examination, e.g. of a play of Shakspere, will of course shew both constructions that are not now usual, and words either not used at all or not used with their present meanings; but most readers of Shakspere are willing to dispense with grammatical notes, and are satisfied with but few references to a dictionary of archaic words. We still to a great extent possess the language of Shakspere. By this it is not meant to be implied that no important changes have been made in the language since 1600. Changes, by modification of old material or acquisition of new, of such magnitude have been going on, that all changes of thought that have taken place since that date have found adequate expression in the language. But when dealing only with the outlines of its history such changes may be more briefly indicated than is the case with some of perhaps less importance in the earlier stages of its development; and again it is to the literature that the student must turn to get a proper appreciation of the subject.

Continuation

of classical

studies in the 17th century.

2. If classical studies had been prosecuted in the last quarter of the 16th century because of royal example, they were not likely to be discontinued in the first quarter of the 17th for want of similar encouragement from a king, who 'at his departure' from the Bodleian Library 'brake out into that noble speech, If I were not a king, I would be an University man.' And Burton, who quotes this saying, may be appealed to as an instance, which by presenting the case in a somewhat extreme form, may the more easily illustrate the point. How wide was the reading of the author of The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) may be seen by the endless Latin quotations it contains. The following passage may serve both as a specimen of English written by a scholar, and as an illustration of a scholar's familiarity with Latin: