curious relation of "A straunge and terrible Wunder, &c. in the Parish Church of Bongay," &c. 1577-Extract from it-Stanzas in rhyme by him quoted from his "Bright burning Beacon" on the Earthquake of 1580-Fleming's list of poets, &c who wrote on the same subject-Turberville and N. Breton-R. Greene's blankverse in "Perimedes the Blacke-Smith," 1588-Two specimens "Enones complaint," in blank-verse, from George Peele's “Arraygnment of Paris," 1584-Thomas Heywood's authority for the introduction of the classic measures in his "Apology for Actors," 1612-His practice in his "Pleasant Dialogues and Dramas," 1637-Aske's Elizabetha triumphans, 1588, and quotation from it regarding Mary Queen of Scots-W. Vallan's "Tale of two Swannes," 1590-Christopher Marlow's translation of the first book of Lucan's Pharsalia, 1600, in blank-verse, with specimens and observations-Cause of his death before 1593 -Comparison between Marlow and Thomas May-Anonymous production of the same kind of verse, "Queen Elizabeth's Entertainment by the Earl of Hertford," in 1591-Description of a poet from it, and quotation of a passage in his address-Speech of the "Fairy Queene" in the same-George Chapman-Francis Sabie's productions, and particularly his "Fisherman's Tale" and "Floras Fortune," 1595, in blank-verse-Sabie's poetical experiments in hexameters, blank-verse and rhyme, the last in a work only recently discovered-Richard Mulcaster-His Nœnia Consolans, 1603, on the death of Queen Elizabeth, and its translation into blank-verse, by himself—Its character, and

extracts.

THE

POETICAL DECAMERON.

THE SECOND CONVERSATION.

BOURNE. The work, a MS. copy of which I now hold in my hand, I can assure you is one of the greatest rarities in the literature of our country. It supplies, too, an important hiatus in our literary history.

ELLIOT. It has therefore a value beyond its mere rarity. What is it called?

BOURNE. "The Tryumphes of Fraunces Petrarcke, translated out of Italian into English."

MORTON. In Ellis's Specimens it is said, I remember, that they were translated by one William Fowler, and presented in MS. to a Scotch University.

BOURNE. They were also Englished by a Scotch Lady of the name of Hume, but the translation I speak of was much before either of those.

MORTON. When was it printed?

BOURNE. I should apprehend, in the reign of Edward VI., but the version was made some years before, while Henry VIII. was yet upon the throne.

MORTON. That is early indeed, when Italian poetry, with its faux brillans (as Boileau is pleased to call them), began to be in fashion, in consequence of the imitations and translations by Lord Surrey and Sir T. Wyat.

ELLIOT. They, I believe, particularly introduced Petrarch to the notice of the English nation.

BOURNE. That is one source of the value of this production; but it would be a great mistake to suppose, that the author of this translation of the Triumphs of Petrarch is to be named on the same day, or to be considered as of the same day with them.

MORTON. You have not yet told us who he was. BOURNE. Henry Parker, Lord Morley.

MORTON. He is included among the Royal and Noble Authors of Lord Orford.

BOURNE. He is, but although he wrote many pieces in prose and verse, this in my hand is the only one yet found in a printed shape, and this only has been recovered within almost a few months. The copy from which this MS. was made is not absolutely unique, but I apprehend there is only another in this country. It is extremely singular that not one of our industrious literary antiquaries, until very lately, ever met with the work, although it was to be found in the British Museum.

ELLIOT. That is very remarkable, especially when we recollect, that the principal recommendation of

most of them has been their plodding and patient industry and research.

BOURNE. It was, of such antiquaries as Hearne and Ritson: the last says expressly, "Henry Parker, Lord Morley, is reported by Bale to have written in English not only comedies and tragedies, but many verses-none of which are now known to be extant.” Much the same is repeated by others, nor is a hint given of the existence of this work in the Censura Literaria, the British Bibliographer, nor in Restituta. MORTON. Then it must of course be excessively rare. Are you the first to bring it to light?

BOURNE. I do not say that, for a short specimen is supplied in Dr. Nott's Lives of Lord Surrey and Sir T. Wyat, but it is strange, that professing to quote it accurately there are not less than 100 errors of the press or of the transcriber in it. Even Mr. Dibdin, in Vol. IV. of his edition of Ames, makes a blunder, though only literal, in the short description he gives of the work; but he copied from the MS. memoranda of Herbert, not having himself seen a copy.

ELLIOT. We must hear an extract or two from this valuable relic.

MORTON. Most assuredly. I should be very sorry to see the book closed without reading a part of it.

BOURNE. I intended to show you one or two passages, but you must not be disappointed if you do not meet with any thing like the ease and harmony of the versification of Lord Morley's illustrious con

temporaries, if indeed they ought to be looked upon as his contemporaries. When this book was printed I apprehend that Lord Morley must have been far advanced in life: he was a very voluminous author, and the scribbling mania long continued upon him; agro in corde senescit. In the dedication to young Lord Matravers, son to the Earl of Arundel, he states that he translated it first for Henry VIII., who expressed himself highly pleased with it. It is worth while to note that he here speaks of Henry VIII. as then dead, though Wood erroneously says that Lord Morley himself died in the latter end of the reign of that king. The book in question has no date; but John Cawood, whose colophon is given at the end; printed no work that is known before 1550.

ELLIOT. Though not perhaps printed until after 1550, if he translated it for Henry VIII. it does not at all follow that Lord Morley was an old man when he undertook it.

BOURNE. It also appears from the dedication, that the first copy which he gave to Henry VIII. he could not recover, and consequently that he had translated it anew in its present form.

MORTON. If you have nothing more to remark by way of introduction, let us now examine the book itself.

BOURNE. If you please; only first we ought to hear what the author himself says regarding the difficulties with which he had to contend. He ob