Frivolous and without weight or moment were these airy nothings, but they were fairy-like and charming with their wealth of grace, fantasy and imagination. They had a wit which won. They possessed no coarseness, yet they were funny, and posterity has called them the first of English prose comedy. To-day their interest is wholly literary and their importance lies not in themselves, but in what they helped to effect.

The best of Lyly's comedies were collected by Edward Blount in 1632, under the title "Sixe Court Comedies." It includes "Alexander," "Campasne and Diogenes," "Sapho and Phao," "Gallathea," "Endimion," "Midas," and "Mother Bombie."

Lyly was born in Kent, in 1553, it is supposed. He went to Magdalen, Oxford, in 1569, was graduated in 1575. As before stated, he went to London in 1578, where he became acquainted with Gabriel Harvey. It was Lyly's ambition to become Master of the Revels, but he never attained farther than assistant. He died in 1606, and was buried in St. Bartholomew's the Less.

The work for which Lyly is most famous is his novel, "Euphues.' This concerns one Euphues, an Athenian gentleman, who goes to Naples, makes a friend of one called Philautus, supplants his friend in the love of Lucilla, and is himself in turn supplanted, whereat he leaves Naples in sorrow. Most of it is a play with words. Antithetical structure and periodic sentences make the book one of the most monotonous and most difficult to read of all English books. But the author was a man of wit and a philosopher of quaint ideas, and there is sufficient evidence in the Shakespeare plays, especially in "Romeo and Juliet," "Twelfth Night" and "As You Like It," to show how thoroughly Shakespeare must have perused "Euphues" at one time.

Greene was born at Norwich, in 1560, was graduated at Cambridge in 1579 or

thereabouts, and then went Robert abroad. He was of a dissoGreene lute temper and participated 1560-1592 in adventures at once many and reckless. He married in 1580, spent his wife's money and finally settled down

in London. He died in 1592 and was buried "by Bethlehem Hospital in the new churchyard."

Greene's genius was of the spontaneous order. His lyrics, scattered chiefly through his romances, have made his fame. Thus his novelette, "Pandosto," has had the honor of having "The Winter's Tale" based upon it. His plays that have survived are five in number, of which “The Honourable Historie of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" and "George a Greene" are most worth mentioning. The first deals with practically the same subject as Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus," though it is in no way an imitation. "George a Greene" is founded on the legend of Pinner of Wakefield and his adventures with Robin Hood. The characteristics of Greene's plays which mean most are "the poetry of his landscapes and the presentation of his women." These are considered to have influenced Shakespeare in no small degree.

George Peele 1558-1597

George Peele was graduated from Christ Church in 1577. Then he turned to his pen for a living and has come down to us known principally for the sweetness and smoothness of his blank verse, traces of the influence of which appear in Shakespeare's earlier works. The work of Peele best known is "David and Bethsabe."

rhyme make way for the majestic poetry that was to make drama literature. Marlowe was not graceful, nor was he refined. He was excessive, but only by being excessive did he gain his point.

was

Marlowe was born in 1564 and graduated from Cambridge. Soon after 1583 he attached himself to the theatrical company of the Earl of Nottingham. Between 1587-90 he wrote "Tamburlaine," "Dr. Faustus," "The Jew of Malta" and "Edward II." "The Massacre at Paris" and “Dido” are imperfectly preserved, and there is a fragment, "Hero and Leander," that is of exceptional beauty. But just as his powers were ripening Marlowe was killed, stabbed by a jealous rival in some love affair.

In the terms of "The Age of Shakespeare,"

The term alchemist was well applied to Marlowe. He borrowed the unrhymed metre of the pedants and rendered it acceptable to the popular element in the audience. He took the romantic themes of the playwrights and rendered them palatable to the scholarly part of his audience in defiance of the set rules and the unities of antique and classical models.

** * * *

There is a power and magnificence about Marlowe that is irresistible Whether it be mainly in the roll of his verses or the march of his mind, there is about his work a certain elemental force and simplicity of genius which sponstaneously finds great words for the expression of great emotions. With his melodious and intoxicating spontaneity, with his radiant joy in the unattainable he combines an instinctive and enthusiastic love for fine literature.

Selections

From "Dr. Faustus." By Christopher Marlowe.

The story of Dr. Faustus was derived from a small book printed at Frankfurt in 1587 and entitled "Life and Adventures of Dr. Faustus. Master of the Black Art, with how he sold himself to the Devil." Marlowe made but few changes in the tale, merely putting the facts with some slight changes into the poetical, dramatic form. The play consists of sixteen scenes of which the selection is the last and climax.

(Enter Faustus with Scholars.) FAUST. Ah, gentlemen.

FIRST SCHOLAR. What ails Faustus?

FAUST. Ah my sweet chamber-fellow, had I lived with thee, then had I lived still. But now I die eternally. Look! comes he not? SECOND SCHOLAR. What means Faustus? THIRD SCHOLAR. Belike he is grown into some sickness by being over solitary.

FIRST SCHOLAR. If it be so, we'll have physicians to cure him. 'Tis but a surfeit. Never fear, man.

FAUST. A surfeit of deadly sin that hath damned both body and soul.

SECOND SCHOLAR. Yet Faustus, look up to Heaven: remember God's mercies are infinite. FAUSTUS. But Faustus's offences can never be pardoned: the serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus. Ah, gentlemen, hear me with patience and tremble not at my speeches. Though my heart pants and quivers to remember that I have been a student here these thirty years, oh! that I had never seen Wertenberg; never read book. And what wonders I have done, all Germany can witness, yea! all the world: for which Faustus hath lost both Germany and the world, yea, Heaven itself; Heaven the seat of God, the throne of the blessed, the kingdom of joy; and must remain in hell forever. Sweet friends! what shall become of Faustus being in hell forever?

THIRD SCHOLAR. Yet Faustus, call on God. FAUST. On God, whom Faustus hath abjured; on God, whom Faustus hath blasphemed. Ah, my God, I would weep, but the Devil draws in my tears. Gush forth blood instead of tears! Yea, life and soul! Oh, he stays my tongue. I would lift up my hands, but see, they hold them! they hold them!

ALL. Who, Faustus?

FAUST. Lucifer and Mephistophilis. Ah, gentlemen, I gave them my soul for my cunning.

ALL. God forbid!

FAUST. God forbade it indeed; but Faustus hath done it: for vain pleasure of twenty-four years hath Faustus lost eternal joy and felicity. I writ them a bill with mine own blood! date is expired; the time will come, and he will fetch me.

The

FIRST SCHOLAR. Why did not Faustus tell us of this before that divines might have prayed for thee?

FAUSTUS. Oft have I thought to have done so: but the Devil threatened to tear me in pieces if I named God; to fetch both body and soul if I once gave ear to divinity: now it is too late!. Gentlemen, away! lest you perish with me.

SECOND SCHOLAR. Oh, what shall we do to save Faustus?

FAUST. Talk not of me, but save yourselves; and depart. THIRD SCHOLAR.

God will strengthen

me.

I will stay with Faustus. FIRST SCHOLAR. Tempt not God. sweet friend; but let us into the next room and there pray for him.

FAUST. Ay, pray for me, pray for me. And what noise soever ye hear come not unto me. for nothing can rescue me.

SECOND SCHOLAR. Pray thou and we will pray that God may have mercy upon thee. FAUST. Gentlemen, farewell. If I live ti" morning I'll visit you: if not-Faustus is gone to hell.

ALL. Faustus, farewell.

See, see, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament.

One drop would save my soul-half a drop: ah. my Christ.

Yet will I call on him: O, spare me. Lucifer.
Where is it now? 'tis gone! and see where God
Stretcheth out His arm, and bends His ireful
brows.

Mountain and hills, come, come and fall on me,
And hide me from the heavy wrath of God.
No; no!

Then will I headlong run into the earth;
Earth gape! O no, it will not harbor me.
You stars that reigned at my nativity,
Whose influence hath allotted death and hell,
Now draw up Faustus like a foggy mist
Into the entrails of yon laboring clouds,
That when they vomit forth into the air,

My limbs may issue from their smoky mouths, So that my soul may but ascend to Heaven. (Clock strikes the half hour.)

Ah, the half-hour is passed. "Twill all be passed

anon.

O God!

If thou wilt not have mercy on my soul,
Yet for Christ's sake whose blood hath ran-
somed me,

Impose some end to my incessant pain;
Let Faustus live in hell a thousand years-
A hundred thousand, and-at last-be saved!
O, no end is limited to damned souls.
Why wert thou not a creature wanting soul?
Or why is this immortal that thou hast?
Ah, Pythagoras' metempsychosis! Were that

true,

This soul should fly from me, and I be changed
Unto some brutish beast! All beasts are happy,
For, when they die,

Their souls are soon dissolved in elements;
But mine must live, still to be plagued in hell.
Curst be the parents that engendered me.
No. Faustus, curse thyself: curse Lucifer
That hath deprived thee of the joys of Heaven.
(Clock strikes twelve.)

O, it strikes! it strikes! Now, body, turn to air.

Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell.

(Thunder and lightning.)

O, soul, be changed into little water-drops,
And fall into the ocean-ne'er be found.
(Enter devils.)

My God! my God! look not so fierce on me.
Adders and serpents, let me breathe awhile,
Ugly hell, gape not! Come not Lucifer!
I'll burn my books! Ah Mephistophilis!
(Exeunt devils with FAUSTUS.)

Macedonian Supremacy began in the reign of Philip II: known more commonly as Philip of Macedon. Philip was a man of diplomatic genius as well as a master in the art of warfare, and, having succeeded in getting his own

*0, slowly slowly, run, ye horses of the night.Ovid.

kingdom into good order and flourishing condition, he conceived an ambition to enlarge his dominions and to spread his rule over other Grecian States. He succeeded in establishing his power first over the Greek cities of Chalcidice, which belonged to the Olynthian Confederacy under the leadership of Olynthus. In

punishment for their having allied themselves with Athens he destroyed the city Olynthus in 348 B. C. and sold the inhabitants into slavery. He destroyed thirty cities and all Chalcidice became a part of Macedonia. Then he conquered Western Thrace and founded Philippi.

In the meantime occurred the Second Sacred War 355-46 B. C. The First Sacred War was caused by the cities Crissa and Cirrha, who robbed the treasures of the Delphian temple. The Second War of the name was due to the Phocians, who put to secular use lands consecrated to Delphian Apollo. Remonstrated with the Phocians went further and robbed the temple and Thebes, unable to subdue them, called upon Philip for aid, which was quickly rendered with good effect. Philip was now given the Phocian place in the Delphian Amphictyony, a position of which Philip proceeded to make good use.

But Demosthenes of Athens saw through Philip's design, and inflamed the public mind by his famous "Philippics," until Athens and Thebes joined forces and met Philip on the field of Chaeronea in Boeotia. The Theban army was utterly destroyed and Philip's power had to be acknowledged through all Greece. As leader he then took his place in the league of Greek states against the Persians and preparations were made for an expedition against the old enemy. But in the midst of them Philip was assassinated and Alexander, his son, succeeded to the throne, 336 B. C.

For

Alexander was twenty years of age. two years he was kept busy suppressing revolt against his authority. When Thebes opposed him, he razed it to the ground-an example of the determination of the man. When, however, he had succeeded in restoring quiet, he prepared to carry out his father's Asiatic expedition. In 334 B. C. he set out with thirtyfive thousand men to conquer the Persian Empire. He crossed the Hellespont, routed the Persians in the battle of the Granicus, defeated them at Issus, besieged and overcame Tyre, thus gaining the command of the Phoenician fleet, conquered Egypt, founded Alexandria,

then turned back toward the Persian Capital and fought the Battle of Arbela 331 B. C. This is one of the world's decisive battles, marking the end of the struggle between East and West; Persia and Greece and making possible the spread of Hellenic civilization. After Arbela. Alexander entered Babylon and Susa and seized the treasure of the Great King. Then he moved on to Persepolis, obtained more treasure and avenged Greek injuries at Persian hands by burning the Palaces and selling many of the inhabitants into slavery.

When this was done, Alexander set himself up in the state of an Oriental monarch. Between 329-328 B. C. he conquered Bactria and Sogdiana and married a Bactrian princess, Rosena. After that he went into India and reduced many native princes to a state of subjection. His desire was to extend his conquests to the Ganges, but his soldiers began to complain and he abandoned the plan. But he established Greek colonies and cities throughout the extent of the conquered territory to make his sway sure. To establish water communication he explored and discovered the old sea-route from the Indus to the Euphrates. The design of Alexander was to push his conquests as far west as he had east and his plans were elaborate for the complete Hellenizing of the world. But he was suddenly seized by a fever and died at Babylon 323 B. C. when he was only thirty-two years of age. He was carried to Alexandria and there buried in a casket of gold. A magnificent mausoleum was erected to his honor over the grave.

The influence of Alexander's conquests was far-reaching. Through him the world had been given a universal language of culture and the distinction between Barbarian and Greek was obliterated. All this prepared the way for Christianity. But there were evil effects, too. By the conquests Greece was made rich and the contact with luxury had the effect of martial deterioration and the same thing that later caused Rome to fall now undermined the power of Greece.

The tales related in the present lesson are taken from Greek Mythology and, like many of the Greek stories, are explanations of certain natural phenomena. Most of the legends have Latin versions as well.

APOLLO AND DAPHNE.

After the flood the earth produced all manner of things, good and evil. Among them was Python, a monster serpent whom Apollo killed with his arrows. One day Apollo noticed Cupid, God of Love and son of Venus, with a quiver and arrows and chided him, bidding him leave weapons of warfare to men. Apollo boasted of his own prowess, whereupon Cupid exclaimed: "You may strike all things else with your arrows, but I shall strike you with mine." So Cupid chose two arrows, one of gold to engender love and one lead-tipped to cause repulsion. He shot the golden one at Apollo and the leaden one at Daphne, a nymph, daughter of Peneus the river-god. Immediately Apollo conceived a vast love for Daphne while she was abhorrent at the very thought of love or marriage.

Finally Apollo so overwhelmed her with his importunities that she fled from him. But he chased after her, on and on and always though gradually gaining. At length, he came so close that she could feel his breath upon her neck, whereupon she cried to her father Peneus to change her into some other form. Instantly her foot took root in the ground, her hair turned into foliage, her face into a tree-top, her arms into branches. Apollo was worsted, but he contented himself with declaring the tree sacred to him thereafter. That is how the Laurel came to compose the wreath of poetic honor and the prize to the victor in the Greek

games.

PYRAMUS AND THISBE.

There lived in Babylonia in the reign of Semiramis, a beautiful maiden called This be and a youth named Pyramus. The homes of the two were adjoining and as was natural the youth and the maiden grew to love each other. But their parents would not consent to their marriage and forbade intercourse between them. There was, however, a crack in the wall through some neglect or accident and this crack the lovers discovered and thereafter they used it to talk through. But one day they decided to brook interference no longer and so they planned to meet at a certain tomb during the night and run away together. The one who reached the trysting-place first was to await the other beneath a nearby mulberry tree.

Thisbe arrived first and stood under the tree. While she was waiting a she-lion came along

with fangs all wet with blood recently shed and frightened, Thisbe took refuge in a hollow rock. But in her flight she dropped her veil, which the lion caught up and dropped again, all stained with blood. Pyramus arrived a little later and most unfortunately found the bloody veil. At once he concluded that Thisbe was dead, and that he was indirectly the cause of her death. So he plunged his sword into his body and the blood flowing, soaked into the ground around the mulberry-tree, was absorbed by the roots and drawn upward, turning the white berries red. When Thisbe came forth from her hiding-place, she discovered her lover dying and at once she picked up the sword and ended her own life. But ever since the mulberry tree has borne a berry, purple in hue.

THE RIVALS OF JUNO.

Jupiter, albeit he was father and king of the gods, was endowed with some very human attributes. One of his worst characteristics was his infidelity to his wife Juno. One day Juno caught him caressing a beautiful white heifer and immediately guessed that it was some nymph changed in form. As a matter of fact it was Io, daughter of Machus, a river god, and Jupiter was flirting with the maiden when he perceived Juno's approach, Juno very adroitly asked for the heifer as a gift and Jupiter, afraid of discovery, granted the request. Juno at once set Argus, who possessed a hundred eyes, to watch over the heifer, and Jupiter, sorry for the maiden's plight, dispatched Mercury to her aid.

Mercury entertained Argus with songs and stories until the hundred eyes were all closed in sleep, then he cut off his head and cast it away. Juno picked up the hundred eyes and had them set in the tail of her peacock. Then she sent a gadfly to torment the beautiful heifer, who fled all over the world in search for means of escape. At last Jupiter was forced to intercede for her and by promising never again to pay any attention to her, he succeeded in obtaining Juno's consent to having Io returned to her true form.

CALLISTO.

Another maiden who excited Juno's jealousy was Callisto, and in her wrath the queen of the gods transformed her into a bear. But the poor thing was so continuously moaning and groaning that Jupiter had pity upon her and when, one day, Callisto's own son, not knowing his mother was about to slay her, Jupiter took both up and set them in the heavens as the Great and Little Bear. Juno, revengeful still, forbade the ocean god to let them enter his waters. So that is why the constellations of the Great and Little Bear never set.