From these remarks upon the poetry of England between the age of Chaucer and that of Elizabeth, we proceed to notice the prose writers of the same period. These will be found both more numerous, and of more elevated merit than the former.

SIR JOHN FORTESCUE, the first prose writer that appeared after Chaucer and Wickliffe, was born of an ancient family at Wear Gifford, in Devonshire about 1405. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, whence he removed to Lincoln's Inn, London, for the purpose of preparing for the law. His legal attainments soon became so great as to attract the attention of the court, and in 1430 he received the degree of sergeant-at-law. In 1441 he was made king's sergeant-at-law, and the next year appointed chief-justice of the king's bench at Westminster. These marks of royal confidence and favor were the result of Fortescue's integrity, wisdom, and firmness; but his attachment to the house of Lancaster proved the source of bitter persecutions; for in the first parliament of Edward the Fourth, he was attainted of high treason. Henry the Sixth had, meantime, escaped into Scotland, whither Fortescue immediately followed him, and was nominated by the exiled monarch, Chancellor of England.

From Scotland he embarked with queen Margaret and her son prince Edward, in 1463, for Holland, and remained for several years in exile in Lorraine. It was during his residence abroad that the chancellor composed most of his literary works, after which he returned to England, became reconciled to the reigning sovereign, and passed the remainder of his life in the quiet of retirement. He lived to reach nearly the ninetieth year of his age, and must therefore have died about 1495.

Besides several performances in the Latin language, chief-justice Fortescue wrote, The difference between an Absolute and a Limited Monarchy, as it more particularly regards the English Constitution, in English; in which he draws a striking, though, perhaps, exaggerated contrast between the condition of the French under an arbitrary monarch, and that of his own countrymen, who even at that time possessed very considerable privileges as subjects. The following extract from this work conveys at the same time, an idea of the literary style, and of the manner of thinking of that age.

ENGLISH COURAGE.

It is cowardice and lack of hearts and courage, that keepeth the Frenchmen from rising, and not poverty; which courage no Frenchman hath like to the Englishman. It hath been often seen in England that three or four thieves, for poverty, hath set upon seven or eight true men, and robbed them all. But it hath not been seen in France, that seven or eight thieves have been hardy to rob three or four true men. Wherefore it is right seld1 that Frenchmen be hanged for robbery, for that they have no hearts to do so terrible an act. There be therefore mo men hanged in England, in a year, for robbery and manslaughter, than there be hanged in France for such cause of crime in seven years. There is no man hanged in Scotland in seven years together for robbery, and yet they be oftentimes hanged for larceny, and stealing of goods in the absence of the owner thereof; but their hearts serve them not to take a man's goods while he is present and will defend it; which manner of taking is called robbery. But the Englishman be of an other courage; for if he be poor, and see an other man having riches which may be taken from him by might, he wal not spare to do so, but if that poor man be right true. Wherefore it is not poverty, but it is lack of heart and cowardice, that keepeth the Frenchmen from rising.

3

WILLIAM CAXTON, the English prose writer who follows Fortescue, and who is worthy to be held in immortal remembrance as the first who gave to England the means of diffusing knowledge through the medium of printing, was born in the weald of Kent about 1410. Having been brought up a mercer, he was employed by the Mercer's Company of London as their agent in the Netherlands-a situation which he filled with great credit to himself for the space of twenty-three years. During this agency he was employed by Edward the Fourth to negotiate a treaty between that

1 Seldom.

2 But if-unless.

3 The art of impressing characters upon paper with blocks of carved wood, was discovered in 1430, by Laurence Coster of Haarlem, in the Netherlands; and movable types were invented by John Guttenburgh of Mentz, in Germany, 1440; soon after which Shoeffer and Faust founded types of metal.

prince and the Duke of Burgundy, and was subsequently in the employment of Lady Margaret, the duke's wife.

Some years after he commenced his residence in the Netherlands, Caxton acquired a knowledge of the art of printing, and at the request of the duchess he translated The Recuyell of the Histories of Troye, from the French, and printed it at Cologne in 1471. This is the earliest typographical production in the English language, and is now very scarce, and therefore of very great value. Soon after this event he returned to England, and in 1476, established a printing press in Westminster Abbey, the first w issued from which was the Game and Playe of Chesse. From this peri he continued his typographical labors for about eighteen years, and died in 1492, in his eighty-third year. From the writings of this author we quote the following characteristic passage, found at the conclusion of his translation of the Golden Legends.

name.

LEGEND OF ST. FRANCIS.

* *

*

Francis, servant and friend of Almighty God, was born in the city of Assyse, and was made a merchant unto the 25th year of his age, and wasted his time by living vainly, whom our Lord corrected by the scourge of sickness, and suddenly changed him into an other man; so that he began to shine by the spirit of prophecy. For on a time, he, with other men of Peruse, was taken prisoner, and were put in a cruel prison, where all the other wailed and sorrowed, and he only was glad and enjoyed. And when they had repreved1 him thereof, he answered Know ye,' said he,' that I am joyful: for I shall be worshipped as a saint throughout all the world.' On a time as this holy man was in prayer, the devil called him thrice by his own And when the holy man had answered him, he said, none in this world is so great a sinner, but if he convert him, our Lord would pardon him; but who that sleeth himself with hard penance, shall never find mercy. And anon, this holy man knew by revelation the fallacy and deceit of the fiend, how he would have withdrawn him fro to do well. And when the devil saw that he might not prevail against him, he tempted him by grievous temptation of the flesh. And when this holy servant of God felt that, he despoiled his cloaths, and beat himself right hard with an hard cord, saying, 'Thus, brother ass, it behoveth thee to remain and to be beaten.' And when the temptation departed not, he went out and plunged himself in the snow, all naked, and made seven great balls of snow, and purposed to have taken them into3 his body, and said, 'This greatest is thy wife; and these four, two ben thy daughters and two thy sons; and the other twain, that one thy chambrere, and that other thy valet or yeman; haste and clothe them: for they all die for cold. And if thy business that thou hast about them, grieve ye sore, then serve our Lord perfectly.' And anon, the devil departed all confused; and St. Francis returned again unto his cell glorifying God.

*

*

He was ennobled in his life by many miracles * and the very death, which is to all men horrible and hateful, he admonished them to praise it. And also he warned and admonished death to come to him, and said, 'Death, my sister, welcome be you.' And when he came at the last hour, he slept in our Lord; of whom a friar saw the soul, in manner of a star, like to the moon in quantity, and the sun in clearness.

1 Reproved.

2 Took off.

3 Unto.

Lecture the Fifth.

ROBERT FABIAN AND EDWARD HALL-SIR THOMAS MORE-ALEXANDER BARCLAY JOHN FISCHER--SIR THOMAS ELYOT-HUGH LATIMER-JOHN BALE.

TOWARD

WARD the close of the last lecture we commenced our remarks upon the prose writers of the period at present under consideration. This subject we shall now resume.

Of English historical prose writers, the earliest of whom we have any knowledge are Robert Fabian, and Edward Hall. They both were extremely simple in their manner of writing, and aimed in their compositions at no literary excellence, not even perspicuity of arrangement-their object being merely to narrate minutely, and as far as opportunity afforded, faithfully, the events in the history of their country, of which they were treating. These Chronicles, therefore, form masses of matter which a modern writer in search of materials alone, would now be likely to peruse. Yet it must be admitted, that to their minute and indiscriminate character, we are indebted for the preservation of many curious facts, and illustrations of manners, which otherwise would have been lost.

FABIAN flourished during the reign of Henry the Seventh. He was an alderman and afterward sheriff of London, and died in 1512, but at what age is uncertain. He wrote a general chronicle of English history under the title of The Concordance of Stories. His work is particularly minute with regard to what would probably appear the most important of all things to the worthy alderman-the succession of officers of all kinds in the city of London; and he also carefully repeats all the fabulous stories of early English history, first circulated by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In order to present an idea of the first English historical writer's style, we quote the following passage:

*

THE DEPOSITION OF KING VORTIGERN.

*

An heresy, called Arian's heresy, began then

to spring up in Britain. For the which, two holy bishops, named Germanus and Lupus, as of Gaufryde is witnessed, came into Britain to reform the king, and all other that erred from the way of truth.