style, in general, has great perspicuity and facility. It is also remarkable, that his lines are seldom broken by transpositions, antithese, or parentheses. His sense and sound are equally flowing and uninterrupted.— From this single consideration, an internal argument arises, which plainly demonstrates that Britaine's Ida is not written by Spenser. Let the reader judge from the following specimen.

dayes, shall not follow Piers Plowman, nor Gower, nor Lydgate, nor yet Chaucer; for their language is now out of use with us." b. 3. c. 1.

The Fairy Queen was not published when this critic wrote, so that this censure is levelled at the Pastorals, which, however, in another place he commends. "For eglogue and pastoral poesie, Sir Philip Sydney, and Maister Challener, and that other gentleman who wrote the late Shepherd's Kalender." b. 1. c. 31. Spenser had published his Pastorals about ten years before; to which he did not prefix his name.

One of Spenser's cotemporary poets has ridiculed the obsolete language of the Fairy Queen.

Let others sing of Knights and Palladines,

In aged accents and untimely words.

Daniel, sonnet lii.

Amongst the rest, that all the rest excell'd,

A daintie boy there wonn'd, whose harmlesse ycares
Now in their freshest budding gentlie swell'd:

His nymph-like face ne'er felt the nimble sheeres,
Youth's downie blossome through his cheek appeares;
His lovelie limbes (but love he quite discarded),
Were made for play, (but he no play regarded) ;
And fitt love to reward, and be with love rewarded.

High was his forehead, arch'd with silver mould,
(Where never anger churlish wrinkle dighted),
His auburn lockes hung like dark threads of gold,
That wanton airs (with their faire length incited)
To play among their wanton curles delighted.
His smiling eyes with simple truth were stord;
Ah! how should truth in those thief eyes be stord;
Which thousand loves had stoln, and never once restord.

His chearfull lookes, and merie face would prove (If eyes the index be where thoughts are read) A daintie play-fellow for naked love.

Of all the other parts. &c *.

But there are other arguments which

prove

this poem to be the work of a different hand. It has a vein of pleasing description; but is at the same time, filled with conceits and

* Spenser's works, Lond. 1750. vol. vi. pag. 34. duod.

witticisms, of which Spenser has much fewer than might be expected from the taste of his age. It's manner is like that of Fletcher's Purple Island. I suspect it to have been written in imitation of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis *. The author, whoever he was, certainly lived about the latter end of Eliza beth, or the beginning of James I.

Our author's Pastorals are written in professed imitation of Chaucer's style. This he tells us expressly in the beginning of Colin Clout's Come Home Again,

The shepherd's boy, best knowen by that name,
That after Tityrus† first sung his lay.

* The first Edition of which was printed, London, før William Leake, 1602, 12mo.

Milton, in imitation of our author, styles Chaucer Tityrus, where he hints at Chaucer's having travelled into Italy.

Quin et in has quondam pervenit Tityrus oras.
Mansus, v. 34.

And the tale of the Oak and Brier, in the Eclogue of Februarie, is more peculiarly modelled after Chaucer's manner, and is accordingly thus introduced.

And in another pastoral he hints at his having copied Chaucer.

That Colin hight which well could pipe and sing,
For he of Tityrus his song did lere.

In the Pastorals he likewise appears to have attempted an imitation of the Visions of Pierce Plowman; for, after exhorting his muse not to contend with Chaucer, he adds,

Nor with the Plowman that the pilgrim playde awhile *.

And besides, that his Pastorals might, in every respect, have the air of a work in old English, he has adopted and given them the title of an old book, called the Shepheard's

Kalender*, first printed by Wynkin de Worde, and reprinted about twenty years before he published these Pastorals, viz. 1559. This is what E. K. means, where he says in his epistle prefixed, "He tearmeth it the Shepheard's Kalender, applying an old name to a new work." One of Spenser's reasons for using so much ancient phraseology in these Pastorals, was undoubtedly the obvious one of cloathing rural characters in the dress of doric simplicity; but the principal reason is, most probably, that which is delivered by

* Hearne calls this piece tr a comical odd book, of which I have an imperfect copy, and look upon it as a great Curiosity." Not, ad Gul. Neubrig. vol. iii.

pag. 749.