Of poetrye, and the palme attayne, The gold dewe dropys of speche and eloquence And fonde the flouris firft of rethoryke That in our tunge was never none hym lyke, For want of hym now in my grete nede 14 21 28 30 Anonymous verfes taken by Mr. Speght out of a book of Mr. Storv's. Fathers and founders of enornat eloquence, O curfed Death! why haft thou those poets flaine? 7 Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, in the preface tobistran flation of Virgil's Æneis, printed at Edin. 1710, p· 9• THоCH venerabill Chaucere, principall poete but pere, Hevinly trumpet, orlege and regulere, HO In eloquence balme, condict and diall, That he couth follow word by word Virgill, &c. T Leland, in his Encomia illuftrium Virorum, Coll. vol. v p. 141. In laudem Gallofridi Chaucer, Ifiaci, DUM juga montis aper, frondes dum læta volucris, Aonio primus carmine femper erit; Altifonufque lyræ, Phœbo applaudente, Latinæ Nec minus & nofter Galfridus fumma Britannæ Idem, ibid. p. 141, PREDICAT Aligerum merito Florentia Dantem, 6 12 4 Idem, ibid p. 152. This was written by Leland at the requeft of Thomas Bertbelet, a diligent and learned printer, who firft printed Chaucer's Works, put out by Mr. Thynne (d). QUUM (e) vivum teres Atticus leporem (d) Leland in Chaucer's life. al. novum brevis. (e) Lel. in vita Chauceri. (f) Al. Barbaros reliquos vocare cœpit. (g) Al. veftigia. (b) Intenso studio fequens Latinum Et cum Græco alios rudes vocavit. Formofam ex hedera citi coronam. The publisher of John Lydgate's Hiftory and Chronicle of the Trojan War, printed 1555, in the pifle to the reader. As the verye perfect disciple [speaking of Lydgate] and imitator of the great Chaucer, the onely glorye and beauty of the fame. Nevertheles, lykewyfe as it hapned the same Chaucer to lease the prayfe of (5) Al. Ter certo pede perfequens. (i) Al. bene. (k) Superbé. (Deeft hic verfus. (m) Quare." (n) Al. Suave-Spirantes. that tyme wherin he wrote, beyng then when indede al good letters were almost aflepe, fo farre was the grofeneffe and barbaroufneffe of that age from the understandinge of fo devyne a wryter, that if it had not bene in this our time, wherin all kindes of learnyng, (thancked be God) have as much floryshed as ever they did by anye former dayes within this realme, and namely by the dylygence of one Willyam Thynne, a gentilman who, laudably fludyoufe to the polyfhing of fo great a jewell, with right good judgment, travail, and great paynes, caufing the fame to be persected, and stamped as it is now read, the fayde Chaucer's Works had utterly peryfhed, or at the left bin fo depraved by corrupcion of copies that at the lafte there fhoulde no parte of hys meaning have ben founde in any of them. Roger Afcham in his Schole-Mafter, printed 1571, f. 6c, b. Some that make Chaucer in English and Petrarch in Italian their gods in verfes, and yet be not able to make trew difference what is a fault and what is a just prayfe in thofe two worthie wittes, will much mislike this my writyng, [against riming] but fuch men be even like followers of Chaucer and Petrarke, as one here in England did folow Syr Tho. More, who being moft unlike unto him in wit and learnyng, nevertheles in wearing his gowne awrye upon the one fhoulder, as Syr Tho. More was wont to do, would needs be counted like unto him. |