"As Accius, M. Attilius, and Milithus were called Tragædiographi, because they writ tragedies: so may wee truly terme Michael Drayton Tragædiographus, for his passionate penning the downfals of valiant Robert of Normandy, chast Matilda, and great Gaueston.

"As Joan. Honteras in Latine verse writ 3 bookes of Cosmography wt. geographicall tables, so Michael Drayton is now in penning in English verse a poem called Polu-olbion, geographical and hydrographicall, of all the forests, woods, mountaines, fountaines, riuers, lakes, flouds, bathes and springs, that be in England.

"As Aulus Persius Flaccus is reported among al writers to be of an honest life and vpright conuersation, so Michael Drayton (que toties honoris & amoris causa nomino) among schollers, souldiours, poets, and all sorts of people, is helde for a man of vertuous disposition, honest conuersation, and wel gouerned cariage, which is almost miraculous among good wits in these declining and corrupt times, when there is nothing but rogery in villanous man, & whe cheating and craftines is counted the cleanest wit, and soundest wisedome.

"As Decius Ausonius Gallus in libris fastorum, penned the occurrences of ye. world from the first creation of it to his time, that is, to the raigne of the Emperor Gratian, so Warner, in his absolute Albion's Englande hath most admirably penned the historie of his own country from Noah to his time, that is, the raigne of Queene Elizabeth; I haue heard him termd of the best wits of both our vniuersities, our English Homer.

"As Euripedes is the most sententious among the Greek poets, so is Warner among our English poets. "As the soule of Euphorbus was thought to liue in

Pythagoras,

Pythagoras, so the sweete wittie soule of Ouid liues in mellifluous & hony-tongued Shakespeare, witnes his Venus and Adonis, his Lucrece, his sugred sonnets among his priuate friends, &c.

"As Plautus and Seneca are accounted the best for comedy and tragedy among the Latines, so Shakespeare, among ye. English, is the most excellent in both kinds for the stage; for comedy, witnes his Getleme of Verona, his Errors, his Loue Labor's Lost, his Loue Labour's Wonne, his Midsummer's Night Dreame, & his Merchant of Venice: for tragedy, his Richard the 2. Richard the 3. Henry the 4. King Iohn, Titus Andronicus, and his Romeo and Juliet.

"As Epius Stolo said that the muses would speak with Plautus' tongue if they would speak Latin, so I say that the muses would speak with Shakspeare's fine filed phrase, if they would speake English.

"As Museus, who wrote the loue of Hero and Leander, had two excellent schollers, Thamaras & Hercules so hath he in England two excellent poets, imitators of him in the same argument and subiect, Christopher Marlow, and George Chapman. "As Ouid saith of his worke,

Iamq. opus exegi, quod nec Iouis ira, nec ignis, Nec poterit ferrum, nec edax abclere vetustas. "And as Horace saith of his; Exegi monumentum are perennius; Regaliq; situ pyramidum altius ; Quod non imber edax; non Aquilo impotens possit diruere; aut innumerabilis series & fuga lemporum: so say I seuerally of Sir Philip Sidney's, Spencer's, Daniel's, Drayton's, Shakespeare's and Warner's workes;

Non Iouis ira, imbres: Mars: ferrum: flamma, senectus, Hoc opus, vnda: lues: turbo: venena ruent.

Et

Et quanquam ad pulcherrimum hoc opus euertendum tres illi Dij conspirabut, Cronus, Vulcanus, & pater ipse gentis; Non tamen annorum series, non flamma, nec ensis,

Eternum potuit hoc abolere Decus.

"As Italy had Dante, Boccace, Petrarch, Tasso, Celiano and Ariosto: so England had Mathew Roydon,* Thomas Atchelow,† Thomas Watson, Thomas Kid, Robert Greene, & George Pecle.

"As there are eight famous and chiefe languages, Hebrew, Greek, Latine, Syriack, Arabicke, Italian, Spanish and French: so there are cight notable seuerail kindes of poets, heroicke, lyricke, tragicke, comicke, satiricke, iambicke, elegiacke & pastoral.

"As Homer and Virgil among the Greeks and Latines are the chief heroick pocts, so Spencer and Warner be our chiefe heroicall makers.

"As Pindarus, Anacreon and Callimachus among the Greeks, and Horace and Catullus among the Latines are the best lyrick poets: so in this faculty the best among our poets are Spencer (who excelleth in all kinds) Daniel, Drayton, Shakespeare, Bretto.

"As these tragicke poets flourished in Greece, Aes

• Author of some occasional introductory lines in commendation of his sotemporaries, and of an epitaph on Sir Philip Sidney, inserted in "The Phoenix Nest," 1593.

Or Acheley. See CENS. Vol. vii. p. 167.

The title of Kyd to be considered the English Tasso appears at present very slender. He has been pointed out by Mr. Park as a contributor to the "Belvedere," and alo "England's Parnassus." It is conjectured by Hawkins, he wrote the tragedy of "Soliman and Perseda," which arises from an apparent connection it seems to have with his play of "The Spanish Tragedy, containing the lamentable end of Don Horatio and Bel-imperia." Upon the last he was universally ridiculed, and the effect seems to have been an increased demand by the public. The editions were, besides one without date, 1602, 1603, 1610, 1615, 1618, 1623, 1633. It is inserted in Dodsley's Collection, as also his other play of Cornelia.

chylus,

chylus, Euripedes, Sophocles, Alexander Aetolus, Achæus Erithriæus, Astydamus Atheniesis, Apollodorus Tarsensis, Nicomachus Phrygius, Thespis Atticus, and Timon Apolloniates; and these among the Latines, Accius, M. Attilius, Pomponius Secundus, and Seneca: so these are our best for tragedie, the Lorde Buckhurst,* Doctor Leg of Cambridge,† Doctor Edes of Oxforde, Maister Edward Ferris, the authour of the Mirrour for Magistrates, Marlow, Peele, Watson, Kid, Shakespeare, Drayton, Chapman, Decker, and Beniamin Iohnson.

"As M. Anneus Lucanus writ two excellent tragedies, one called Medea, the other de Incendio Troia cum Priami calamitate: so Doctor Leg hath penned two famous tragedies, ye. one of Richard the 3, the other of the destruction of Ierusalem.

"The best poets for comedy among the Greeks are these, Menander, Aristophanes, Eupolis, Atheniensis, Alexis Terius, Nicostratus, Amipsias Atheniensis, Anaxadrides Rhodius, Aristonymus, Archippus, Athenie sis, and Callias Atheniesis; and among the La

* Jointly with Thomas Norton wrote Ferrex and Porrex. See Dodsley's Collection, 2d Edit. Vol. i. p. 101.

+ Vice-chancellor of Oxford, author of two tragedies not printed. Died 1607, aged 72.

Dean of Worcester, died Nov. 19, 1604.

$ Dr. Farmer had noticed in the margin the christian name of Ferrers as George, which seems a doubtful question. The words in Puttenham are`

that for tragedie, the Lord of Buckhurst and Maister Edward Ferrys for such doings as I have sene of theirs do deserue the hyest price:" and Warton was inclined to consider them the same person, but Ritson has attempted to prove the contrary, in the Bibliographia Poetica. If Puttenham alluded to the writer in the Mirrour for Magistrates, does it not appear singular the omitting to mention Baldwin and the other persons concerned in that production?

tines, Plautus, Terence, Næuius, Séxt. Turpilius, Liciníus Imbrex, and Virgilius Romanus: so the best for comedy amongst vs bee, Edwarde Earle of Oxforde, Doctor Gager of Oxforde,* Maister Rowley once a rare scholler of learned Pembrooke Hall in Cambridge,† Maister Edwardes, one of her Maiestie's Chappell,+ eloquent and wittie Iohn Lilly, Lodge, Gascoyne, Greene, Shakespeare; Thomas Nash, Thomas Heywood, Anthony Mundye, our best plotter, Chapman, Porter, Wilson,|| Hathway,** and Henry Chettle.††

William Gager. Baker; in his Companion to the Play House, 1764; has the following passage." The commendation which Anth. à Wood gives of him as to his poetical talents is somewhat extraordinary. He was (says that author) an excellent poet, especially in the Latin tongue; ahd reputed the best comedian (by which I suppose he means dramatic writer) of his time, whether, adds he, it was Edward Earl of Oxford, Will. Rowley, the once ornament for wit and ingenuity of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, Richard Edwards, John Lylie, Tho. Lodge, Geo. Gascoigne, Will. Shakespeare, Tho. Nash, or John Heywood. A combination of names, by the bye, so oddly jumbled together, as must convince us that Mr. Wood was a much better biographer than a judge of dramatic writings:" This "odd jumble" is continued in the Biographia Dramatica by Reed; the origin of which the reader will now easily discover. Dr. Gager was living 1610. His controversy with Rainoldes respecting stage-plays is known to all readers of theatrical works.

I consider this as Samuel Rowley the player, as well as poet; and that a portion of the character of William Rowley, given in the Biographia Dramatica, should be transferred to the preceding article. Reed's Shak. Vol. 3. Henslowe's list passim.

† Author of various poems in the Paradise of Dainty Devises. Died about 1566.

§ Wrote the pleasant history of the two angry women of Abington, printed 1599, a second part acted 1598, n. p. and Love prevented, acted 1598.

|| See note postea.

* Richard Hathwaye was concerned in writing six dramatic pieces, not prin ed. The researches of Mr.Malone first discovered their titles, which are enumerated in Barker's Continuation of the Theatrical Remembrancer to 1803. ++ This writer assisted in 29 pieces also mentioned by Barker.

VOL. IX.

E

"As