this kingdom; so that, were the rest of his papers retrieved, we could not perhaps have a more pleasing view of the main arcana of those reigns that his writings would give us." Of the various editions of these letters which have been printed, the last and best is that of Oxford, in 1703, published by Mr. Elstob, who has added from MSS. many letters, not in the former editions; but has omitted Ascham's Poems, inserted in the rest. Another work of our author's is mentioned by Wood, intitled, Apologia contra Missam, &c. i. e. An Apology against the Mass, said to be printed in 1577, in 8vo. There is still another ascribed to him, intitled, De Imitatione, included in the last edition of his let ters. In 1761, a new and complete edition of his English works was published by Mr. James Bennet, to which his Life is prefixed by Dr. Johnson. In this edition are to be found, some letters never before printed. His works have, perhaps, been less read than their merit deserves. It has been observed, in respect of his literary habits, that "he lost no time in the perusal of mean or unprofitable books;" a rule which merits the attention of every student who reads for information, and who pursues information in order to acquire knowledge. Roger Ascham must be classed among the most distinguished scholars of his time. Dr. Johnson observes, that he "entered Cambridge at a time when the last great revolution of the intellectual world was filling every academical mind with ardour or anxiety. The destruction of the Constantinopolitan empire had driven the Greeks with their language into the interior parts of Europe. The art of printing had made the books easily attainable, and Greek now began to be taught in England. The doctrines of Luther had already filled all the nations of the Romish communion with controversy and dissention. New studies of literature, and new tenets of religion, found employment for all who were desirous of truth, or ambitious of fame. Learning was at that time prosecuted with that cagerness and perseverance, which in this age of indifference and dissipation it is not easy to conceive. To teach or to learn was at once the business and the pleasure of the academical life; and an emulation of study was raised by Cheke and Smith, to which even the present age perhaps owes many advantages, without remembering or knowing its benefactors.-Ascham soon resolved to unite himself to those who were enlarging the bounds of knowledge, and immediately upon his admission into the college, applied himself to the study of Greek. Those who were zealous for the new learning, were often no great friends to the old religion; and Ascham, as he became a Grecian, became a protestant. The reformation was not yet begun; disaffection to popery was considered as a crime justly punished by exclusion from favour and preferment, and was not yet openly professed, though superstition was gradually losing its hold upon the public. The study of Greek was reputable enough, and Ascham pursued it with diligence and success equally conspicuous." It has been before observed, that the restoration of ancient literature, notwithstanding its beneficial influence on taste and general refinement, tended in the first instance to check the progress of the English language: for all persons of education, ambitious of the character of erudition, wrote in Latin. From the introduction of the ancient classics to the publication of Ascham's Toxophilus, no man of literary eminence (with the exception of sir Thomas More) published any piece of consequence in English. On this account, the vernacular language, long after the invention of printing, instead of being refined, was corrupted by various affected additions and barbarisms. In the extract from the Toxophilus, we have seen Ascham complaining of this; and feeling its impropriety, he was the first, after More, who had the resolution to throw off the fetters of a learned language. The Toxophilus (as above noticed) was published the last year of Henry VIII. or in 1545. This universal attention to polite literature, the prominent feature in the literary character of the age of which we are treating, had one bad effect: it excluded philosophy We need not regret, perhaps, that the redoubted logicians and metaphysicians Duns Scotus, and Thomas Aquinas were abandoned; but we have reason to lament that words usurped the place of things, to the knowledge of which they are merely secondary and subservient. The improvement of society can never be greatly advanced by mere verbalists. These men had their use in their day; but it re |