The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-19

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| depression, when all bis sins and frailties were
magnihed to his distempered vision, for in
| another place, "wanton pamphlet to which
he alludes with regret, is the beautiful "Phi-
| lomela," dedicated to that good woman the
| Lady Bridget Ratclif, and certainly containing
| nothh G unfit for such virtuous gentlewoman to
| read. That there are many sentences in his
/ writings which would not be allowed to pass un-
4 reproved to-day Is undeniable; but compared
| with the effusions of other light writers of his
| time, Greene's books are singular in their free.
dom from coarseness. The few blemishes are
| not owing, and cannot be traced to any native
lmpurity of imagination, but are attributable in
| great measure to the laxity of the age: and it
IL as unfair to Judge his writings without taking
| into consideration the times in which they were
sent FORTH as it would be to condemn Fielding
because his characters swear and talk slang as
naturally and 1uently as gentlemen did when
| that author portrayed them.
An American writer, aluding to DRYDEN who
| under different circumstances to those by which
| Greene was surrounded and influenced, stooped
to become parasite, writing comedies teeming
| with lcentiousness, says Had he lived in
| the reign of George III, he would not have been
more immoral than Churchill. Had he lived IN
| our days his muse would have been as pure as
that OF Campbell" Had Robert Greene lived in
purer age, doubtless the few blemishes would
not be found in his writings.
Greene's hie during the period of his associa-
| ton with Nash, Marlowe, Peele, and other Bohe-
nlans, was afterwards described by himself as
| the days of 'an arch pay-making poet,D whose
| purse, ''llke the sea, sometimes swelrd. and
| anon like the sea fell % but whose labors were so
| well esteemed that "seldom he wanted - al
though he had sh1fte of lodgings when in every
| place his hostesse writ up the wofull remem-
orance OF him, has tduadresse and has bOy for
they were ever in his household, besides retay-
ners in other places.n The reference to his
laundress and his boy throws a light upon a
dark and intensely painful portion OF his history.
Leading life so opposed to all that was good
and peaceful, 1t became necessary for him to
employ a strong band of blackguards "to guard
N Onr M - l..
contemporaries. The leader OF this gang was a
noted rutfian named Cutting Ball, who was
afterwards hung. at Tyburn, or as Greene said,
"truss'd under a tree as round as q ballD and
immortalZed by Nash who in one of his pieces
threatens an individual that "ballets" shall be
made of bis death, "as there was of Cutting
Ball." This mans sister, "a sorry ragged
queene," Greene took under his projection.
Very little Is known of her, save that she was
the.mother of his child Fortunatus, 0F; as his
enemies DESIGNATED 1t, Iniortunatus, and that
for some years she shared his checkered fortune
The ichild died the year following that of its
fathers unt1mely end, and there is an entry of
burial at st. Leonard's Church, 1883. Fortu-
natus Green was buryd the same day." the
date August 18th. The sudden and disgrace
tul deaths of so many OF Greene's boon
companions do not appear to have affected
him, for his days continued to be spent
with the 'lewdest OF the land.n In the
society, however, of such men he appears to
nave used all his powers of observation, learn
ing ali their tricks, and studying all their
knayery, slang, and can't The knowledge so
acquired afterwards was turned to so GOOD ac.
count in an exposure of the doing OF that 'un-
cleane generation of vpers," as to render his life
unsafe. AT this period he appears co have been
quite irendless, unless aehouse companions
may be considered friends; and his daily life
was round OF debauchery, varied by hours of
bitter but snproductive repentance, followed by
nights OF Literary labor, when, with the fumes of
wine still hanging about him, he wrote SEN
tences which would do no shame to the most
moral writer OF to-day. The deeper the de-
gradatlon OF his life, the brighter and finer his
IDEAS appear to have been, and one can easily
understand how poignant must have been the re-
morse of man who knew what was right and
good, and yet had not the moral courage to
follow It. The inconsistency of such lite of
vice and debauchery with his better nature and
with his DEAL is manifest from code which
he drew up for the proper conduct of life, but
which, alas he himself was unable to act up
10, embracing as its sentences such as the fol-
loWing:-
"Let Gods worship be thy morning worke and
his Misdome the direction OF thy days labour.
Rise not without thankes, nor sleepe not without
''of thy wife be wise make her thy secretary;
else locke thy thoughts in thy hearts for women are
LET thy children's nurture be their richest DOR.
ton; for wisdom IS more precious than wealth."
And also from his advice to Philador:-
First, serve God; let him be the author of all thy
actions. Please him with PRAYER and penance, lest
il he frown he conlound all thy fortunes, and they
labors be like the drops of ram a sandy ground,
BE secretary to thysolf, and speak no
more to any privately that thou wouldst have pub
they that consume thee laugh at thee: nor too
eoyetous, for sparlng oftentimes IS dishonor.
Little tax shows much wisdom; but hear what thou
oanst, for thou hast two ears. Turne not
to painted godoesse, but to pitilul God"
Careful only TO have "a spell in his purse to
conjure up a good cup Of wine with at all
times" as Nash SAID of him, Greene appears TO
put all consideration for the morrow upon one
side, living day by day from hand to mouth,
and trusting to the pen which never failed him
until the unsteady hand ana trembling fingers
refused any longer to guide it, to bring HIM not
only the means wherewlth to purchase food, but
also to support his extravaganza. 1t is, how
ever, satisfactory TO find that although his
companions, harlowe, Peele and Nash, were
more than careless IN matters OF religion,
Greene's sins in this respect appear to have
been more of omission than OF commission.
seem to have been dictated by a true
reVersntial feeling, and in allusion to Mariowe's
plays ne said, II could not make my verses get
upon the stage in tragIcal buskins . .
daring COD out OF heaven like that atheist
Tamerlane." So far, however as immortality of
lite was concerned, there does not appear to
have been much, if any, difference. ii their
writings differed from each other in degree of
purity and morality Of sentiment and purpose
the lives OF the BohemIans OF that day were
wonderfully similar - excepting from this
charge, however, Lodge, who, although an
associate, seems to have led a virtuoas and
quiet lite; and Shakespeare, who can scarcely
be considered Bohemian, and whose only con-
nectlon with Greone appears TO have been the
founding Of As You Like IL upon Greenes Rosd-
lSade, and OF the Winters Tale upon his Pan
dOsta, in the latter of which plays the great
dramatist plagisrZed Gresne's error of placing
Bohemia upon the sea'coast.
1t could not be expected that life m ade up