1580." It contains translations into prose and original poems. Gifford dedicates his little book to Edward Cope as "the only maister that euer I serued, vnto whom (my parentes excepted) I acknowledge my selfe more bounde then to al the worlde besides." He adds also before the second part of his book, which contains his original verses, a letter of dedication to the worshipful John Stafford of Bletherwick, Esquire. The prose part of the book consists of translations chiefly from pieces of Italian there is only one from the French-that Gifford had thought worth reproducing in English. First there is a treatise in form of an epistle "written in Italian by Maister Claudius Ptholomæus for the comforting of his uery loving and learned friend Maister Dionysius being fallen into poverty," a piece following the fashion of the Golden Epistles of Guevara, founded upon the moral essays of Plutarch and Seneca. The Italian author was the Bishop Claudio Tolomei, founder of the Academia delle virtù, who died in 1555, and was active in endeavour to introduce Latin and Greek versemeasures into Italian poetry. Gifford translated also another letter by Tolomei in answer to a friend, who asked why he who had much learning chose to remain in a poor calling. The next piece-translated from the French-is a very allegorical picture of the state of the man warred against by Mishap and Poverty, entitled a "Supplication presented by John Meschinot Esquire unto the Duke of Brittany his Lord and Master, wherein he nameth himself the Banished from Joyfulness." Jean Meschinot, who died in 1509, was Maître d'Hôtel to Anne of Bretagne and to a duke or two before her. Five pithy tales from the Italian complete the prose part of the book. The verse begins with a prayer, in which the first, third, fifth, and other such alternate lines begin with letters forming the names, Dorothy, Samuel, Daniel, Danvers; the second, fourth and sixth, and other such alternate lines begin with letters

forming the words, Temperance, Justice, Prudence, leaving the last lines in each series to begin with letters that give severally the names Humphri and Giffard. But Humphrey Gifford does not again attempt this kind of ingenuity, except in a piece of four quatrains, where a fifth quatrain is formed by the opening words of the sixteen successive lines.

There is colour and perfume in Gifford's "Gilleflowers." He writes musical verse, and tunes it to the fancies of a poet. There are playful tales; there is religious aspiration; there is praise of music as the type of spiritual harmony; there is heartening of brave soldiers, with their battle turned into a type of the long war against the world, the flesh, and devil; there is praise of the peace England owed to God and to the queen. Two pieces are taken from French

poets-one from Marot; and after a poem of his own entitled "Farewell Court!" written at some length on the suggestion of a friend, Gifford finishes his "Posie" with a translation from the Italian of eighteen rhymed riddles.

One of the poems of Gifford that "Of the Vanitie of the World," is in three stanzas of elaborated music, each of sixteen dancing lines, of which the first six are in a measure used afterwards with exquisite grace by Drayton in his "Nymphidia." This is the first of the three stanzas—

"As I lay musing in my bed,

A heap of fancies came in head,
Which greatly did molest me.
Such sundry thoughts of joy and pain
Did meet within my pondring brain,
That nothing could I rest me.
Sometimes I felt exceeding joy,
Sometimes the torment of annoy,
Even now I laugh, even now I weep,

Even now a slumber made me sleep.

Thus did I with thoughts of strange device
Lie musing in a pensive wise :

I knew not what means might health procure,
Nor finish the toil I did endure.

And still I lay, and found no way

The best could make my cares decay."

The ballad measure of "The Children in the Wood," used afterwards by Cowper in the story of "John Gilpin," was used playfully by Humphrey Gifford in his "mery Iest," that begins

"Sometimes in France, a woman dwelt,

Whose husband being dead,

Within a year, or somewhat more,

Another did her wed."

A poor scholar came by her house when her husband was away. He asked alms, therefore, of the dame. She had him in and gave him meat, and asked from whence he

*The old ic, ich, that became I, was joined to the verb, making icham for I am, ichould for I would, which became cham and chould n rustic speaking that preserved old forms. This was commonly used as a mark of country folk's English.

"Indeed,' quoth he, 'he was displeased,
And thought it far unmeet,

You having all, to send him hence

With nothing but a sheet.''

The good wife then sent to her first husband in Paradise a large bundle of clothes by this trustworthy messenger. Her second husband returned in half an hour, was told what she had done, called her a fool, and rode after the scholar with a bundle (fardell) at his back. The scholar, when overtaken, hid the bundle in a ditch. tion whether he had seen a man with a fardell at his back, he answered he had seen him pass over yonder stile.

"With hasty speed he down alights,

And doth the scholar pray,

Till he the man had overta'en
So long the horse to stay.

"Until he passed out of sight

Full still the scholar bides:

Who taking then his fardell on
His horse, away he rides."

The husband marched home in his boots.

"His wife did meet him at the door,

To the ques

'Hayee caught man?' quoth she.
'No, dame,' he said, 'he caught my horse :
The Divel take him and thee!'

"With that she laughed, and clapt her hands,

And said, 'cham glad ich swear,

For now he hath a horse to ride

He will be quickly there.'"

Little is to be said of a volume entitled "The most famous and Tragicall Historie of Pelops and Hippodamia. Whereunto are adioyned sundry pleasant deuises, Epigrams, Songes and Sonnettes. Written by Mathew Groue. Imprinted at London by Abel

Mathew
Grove.

Ieffs dwelling in the Fore streete without Creeplegate, neere

vnto Grub streete. 1587." R. Smith, in a metrical dedication to Lord Compton, grandson to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, said that he had picked the manuscript out of the water more than four years ago, and knew nothing of who the author was or whether he were alive or dead. It was written, therefore, in or before 1583. There remained only Lord Ellesmere's one copy of the printed book when Dr. Grosart reproduced it in a limited edition of fifty copies. The poems have no interest except as specimens of poor thought, imperfectly expressed; but it is to be remembered to the credit of their author that he was not answerable for their publication. Having made his collection, and then felt its feebleness, he seems to have himself attempted to dispose of it in a judicious way.

Italian Influence.

But the life that breaks into full utterance by song was rising in free power through the years when Spenser was at work upon his "Faerie Queene." English poets were still touched, not only by the courtly fashions, but also by the genius of Italy. Watson's Latin Amyntas" appeared twelve years after Tasso's Italian "Amintà,” and Abraham Fraunce, in 1591, united the two in his English hexameters published as "The Countess of Pembroke's Yuychurch. Conteining the affectionate Life and unfortunate Death of Phyllis and Amyntas; That in a Pastorall; this in a Funerall." Of the Pastoral, the greater part is a close translation of Tasso's "Amintà"; the Funeral is mainly an English version of Watson's "Amyntas." But Tasso concerns us most as a great poet of his own day who was read by Spenser with a delight that finds its echoes in "The Faerie Queene." Ariosto-whose "Orlando Furioso" had undoubtedly contributed to the first shaping of Spenser's poem, and by which, perhaps, it had been first inspired-had died in 1533, 'twenty years before Spenser was born; but Tasso, born in 1544, was Spenser's contemporary, only nine years older than himself.