who flourished about the time of the Reformation; and when that mode of writing had been cultivated by the best scholars in various parts of Europe, was celebrated for the terseness of his epistolary style. I believe the second published correspondence of this kind, and in our own language, at least of any importance after Hall, will be found to be EPISTOLÆ HOELIANÆ, or the Letters of James Howell, a great traveller, an intimate friend of Jonson, and the first who bore the office of the royal historiographer, which discover a variety of literature, and abound with much entertaining and useful informationi.

i "EPISTOLÆ HOELIANE, Familiar Letters, Domestic and Foreign, divided into sundry sections partly historical, political, and philosophical." Lond. 1645. 4to. They had five editions from 1645, to 1673, inclusive. A third and fourth volume was added to the last impression. I must not dismiss our satirist without

observing, that Fuller has preserved a witty encomiastic English epigram by Hall, written at Cambridge, on Greenham's Book of the SABBATH, before the year 1592. CHURCH-HISTORY, B. ix. CENT. xvi. §. vii. pag. 220. edit. 1655. fol. I find it also prefixed to Greenham's wORKS, in folio, 1601.

SECTION LXV.

IN the same year, 1598, soon after the appearance of Hall's Satires, John Marston, probably educated at Cambridge, a dramatic writer who rose above mediocrity, and the friend and coadjutor of Jonson, published "The metamorphosis of Pigmalion's image. And Certaine Satyres. By John Marston. At London, printed for Edmond Matts, and are to be sold at the signe of the hand and plough in Fleetstreete, 1598b." I have nothing to do with PIGMALIONS IMAGE, one of Ovid's transformations heightened with much paraphrastic obscenity. The Satires here specified are only four in number. In Charles Fitzgeoffry's AFFANIÆ, a set of Latin epigrams, printed at Oxford in 1601, he is not inelegantly complimented as the second English Satirist, or rather as dividing the palm of priority and excellence in English satire with Hall.

a The Colophon at the end of the book, is "At London printed by James Roberts, 1598."

b In duodecimo. With vignettes. Pages 82. They are entered to Matts, May 27, 1598. REGISTR. STATION. C. f. 36. b. Hall's Satires are entered only the thirtieth day of March preceding. Of this piece I shall say little more, than that it is thought by some, notwithstanding the title-page just produced, not to be Marston's. But in his SCOURGE OF VILLANIE he cites it as his own. B. ii. 6. Again, B. iii. 10. And in ENGLAND'S PARNASSUS, published in 1600, part of the dedication to OPINION is quoted, with the name J. Marston, p. 221. He seems to have written it in ridicule of Shakespeare's VENUS AND ADONIS. He offers this apology, B. i. 6. (ut supr.)

Know, I wrot

Those idle rimes, to note the odious spot
And blemish, that deformes the linea-

ments

Of Moderne Poesie's habiliments.
Oh, that the beauties of inuention
For want of iudgement's disposition,
Should all be spoil'd! O, that such
treasurie,

Such straines of well-conceited poesie,
Should moulded be in such a shapelesse
forme

That want of art should make such wit a scorne!

The author of the Satires appears in stanzas, x. xiv. xix. I have thought that this poem suggested to Shakespeare what Lucio says in MEASURE FOR MEASURE. A. iii. S. ii. Vol. ii. p. 92. [See supr. p. 243.

Ad JOHANNEM MARSTONIUM.
Gloria Marstoni satyrarum proxima primæ,
Primaque, fas primas si numerare duas:.
Sin primam duplicare nefas, tu gloria saltem
Marstoni primæ proxima semper eris.
Nec te poeniteat stationis, Jane: secundus,

Cum duo sunt tantum, est neuter, et ambo pares.

d

In general it is not easy to give a specimen of Marston's satires, as his strongest lines are either openly vitiated with gross expression, or pervaded with a hidden vein of impure sentiment. The following humorous portrait of a sick inamorato is in his best, at least in his chastest, manner of drawing a character.

For when my eares receau'd a fearfull sound
That he was sicke, I went, and there I found
Him laide of loue, and newly brought to bed
Of monstrous folly, and a franticke head.
His chamber hang'd about with elegies,
With sad complaints of his loue's miseries:
His windows strow'd with sonnets, and the glasse
Drawne full of loue-knotts. I approacht the asse,
And straight he weepes, and sighes some sonnet out
To his faire loue! And then he goes about
For to perfvme her rare perfection

With some sweet-smelling pink-epitheton.
Then with a melting looke he writhes his head,
And straight in passion riseth in his bed;
And hauing kist his hand, strok'd vp his haire,
Made a French congè, cryes, O cruell Faire,
To th' antique bed-post!

d Lib. ii. Sig. F. 4. In Davies's SCOURGE OF FOLLY, there is an Epigram "The acute Mr. John Marston," on his comedy of the MALECONTENT. p. 105.

to

[In a curious MS. described by Mr. Todd in his edition of Milton, the fol

lowing couplet occurs, which may be surmised to glance at this comedy. JOHN MARSTONE bad his friends unto a play;

But being come, they bad themselves away.-PARK.]

The midwife's phrase.

In these lines there is great elegance of allusion, and vigour of expression. He addresses the objects of his satire, as the sons of the giants,

Is Minos dead, is Rhadamanth asleepe,

That thus ye dare vnto Ioue's palace creepe?
What, hath Rhamnusia spent her knotted whip,
That ye dare striue on Hebe's cup to sip?
Yet know, Apollo's quiuer is not spent,
But can abate your daring hardiment.
Python is slaine, yet his accursed race
Dare looke diuine Astrea in the face.

In the same satire he calls himself

A beadle to the world's impuritie!

Marston seems to have been the poetic rival of Hall at Cambridge, whom he repeatedly censures or ridicules. In the fourth satire, he supposes Hall's criticisms on Dubartas, the versions of David's Psalms by Sternhold and king James, Southwell's MARY and SAINT PETER'S TEARS, the MIRROUR for Magistrates, and other pieces of equal reputation, to be the production of pedantry or malignity. And the remainder of this satire is no unpleasant parody of Hall's prefatory stanzas against envy *.

i Sat. 5.

It aypears from the SCOURGE OF VILLANIE, that Hall had caused a severe Epigram to be pasted on the last page of every copy of Marston's PIGMALION'S IMAGE, that was sent from London to the booksellers of Cambridge. B. iii. 10. The Epigram is there cited. This tenth satire of the third Book was added in the second edition, in 1599. It is addressed "to his very friend maister E. G." One Edward Gilpin is cited in ENGLAND'S PARNASSUS, 1600.

It appears from this Satire, that the devices on shields and banners, at tournaments, were now taken from the

classics.

He who upon his glorious scutchion,
Can quaintly show wits newe inuention,
Advancing forth some thirstie Tantalus,
Or els the vulture on Prometheus,
With some short motto of a dozen lines,
&c.

Peacham says, that of Emblems and Impresses, "the best I have seen have been the devices of tilting, whereof many were till of late reserved in the private gallery at White-Hall, of sir Philip Sydney, the earl of Cumberland, sir Henry Leigh, the earl of Essex, with many others: most of which I once collected with intent to publish them, but the charge dissuaded me." COMPL. GENT. CH. Xviii. p. 277. edit. 3a.1661. 4to.

A Thrasonical captain, fresh from the siege of Cadiz, is delineated in this lively colouring.

Great Tubrio's feather gallantly doth waue,

Full twenty falls do make him wondrous braue!
Oh golden jerkin! Royall arming coate!
Like ship on sea, he on the land doth floate.-
What newes from Rodio?

"Hot seruice, by the lord," cries Tubrio.

Why dost thou halt? "Why, six times through each thigh

Push'd with the pike of the hot enemie.

Hot service, Hot!--The Spaniard is a man.

I say no more—And as a gentleman

I serued in his face. Farwell, Adew!"

Welcome from Netherland-from steaming stew.i

Marston's allusions often want truth and accuracy. In describing the ruff of a beau, he says,

His ruffe did eate more time in neatest setting,
Than Woodstock-worke in painfull perfecting.

The comparison of the workmanship of a laced and plaited ruff, to the laboured nicety of the steel-work of Woodstock, is just. He adds, with an appearance of wit,

It hath more doubles farre than Ajax shield.

This was no exaggeration. The shield of Ajax was only sevenfold. To say nothing of one of the leading ideas, the delicacy of contexture, which could not belong to such a shield.

But Marston is much better known as a satirist by a larger and a separate collection, yet entirely in the strain of the last, called the SCOURGE OF VILLANY, published the same year. I will give the title exactly and at length. "The SCOVRGE OF VILLANIE. Three Bookes of SATYRES. [No Name of the Author.]--Nec scombros metuentia carmina nec thus. At London, Printed by I. R. [James Roberts,] and are to be sold by

i Sat. i.