, 1870-07-16
Unknown Celehfitfets
Etro7,1 fh< pt}f NrU F1-sfyr

It is curious how little We know Of the per-
sona1 history Of some Of our greatest men Of
letters. We are not ccrtain Of tho year in
which Chaucer was born, nor do we know the
at which he studied shakspeAre's
biogrsphers amuse or fatigue their readers
facts with which to supplement their fancies.
About spenser We know even less, and the lat
est editor Of his works, in sketch Of the
poet's.life, acknowledges tho meagrenesa Of
lis facts by writing; His poems are his best
biography. In the sketch Of his life to be Civ
en- here bis poems should he cur one great
authority Nj ton sublime egotist, tells us
almost IS much nbout himself Is his biogrnph-
cra arc able to collect from e1traneons sources.
or Biehop Jeremy Taylor, Miiton's contempo-
rary, his equal in eloquenoe aud learning and
fhe greatest pulpit orator England has pro-
even q question whether, like the poet, he
married three wives, or contented himself with
two; which reminds Us that it is also open to
question whether Ben Jonson married d Sc
cond time, or whether Fletcher, twin dramatst
to Beaumont, married at all. Who has not
'.Anatomy Of Melanoholy7" Yet Of Burton lit
tie more is relAted than that be resided chiefly
ut Oxford, was an indefatigabls student, and
foreto1d his own decease, which happened SO
exactly 1t the time predicted that, according
to Anthony Wood, eomo Of the students said
that rather than there should be . mistake
in the calculation, he sent up hs..soul}to heaven
through slip about bis neck A few years
before Buttons death, Was born one OF the
most notable men OF letters that England has
produced. Just as Ben Jonson hold higher
rank than Shakespeare among his compan-
ions, 80 WAS Dryden esteemed in his own day
far moro highly than Milton. Yet it is atrange
low little, even in Dryden's biography, belongs
strictly 10 the region Of fact. He Is sAid to
have done this, it is conjectured that he did
that, it is probable TINT he acted in such or
such manner. Thus is the mods Of writing
adopted, and no doubt wisely adopted, by the
biog1aphers Of "g1otious John; and Mr.
Christie IN his admirable "Globe edition, just
published, observes that, in spite Of Ill re.
search, the deficiency OF information about
DRYDEN is still remarkable, and, /" the names
and dates and order Of bis publications make
large portion Of bis biography let DfJ'
den vas Poet Laureate and Histo!7ogtapne'
Royal; be was fellow Of the Royal Society
he Was popular dramatlet; he WAS the au:
premo object Of ieslouey to the, literary hActf
Of lis day, just AZ Pope Was TO Grub street
ecribblera forty years later; his name Tor
long period was constantly before the public
the works produced in his old age we're ever
more heartily welcomed than those produced Il
middle life. and when he died he had "sp!en
| did funeral, and was followed by hundred
/ carriages to his fitting resting g-place in Poets
Corner, The conspicuous position occuplet
| by DRYDEN, II contrasted with the paucity o
o1r information about him, proves as in tn
| carlier instances wa have mentioned, that whA
Iord Mhcsulay calls the tsLues Boswelliana'
| h a complaint OF modern growth. The e1ten
| to which it exhibits itself in these days !
sometimes ridiculous enough. We are to1