The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-30

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Scraps From English Literature.
spRSsgR.
Alter the death Of Chaucer came long
interval In which We find no great writer's.
The people we're too busy with the Wars of
the Roses, the contentious OF the houses Of
York and Lancaster, to take time to de-
velop their literary talent, II thoy had any.
The Lancasters, descendants OF John Of
Gaunt, fourth son Of Edward Ill.,, wore as
their insignia a red rose, and the Yorka,
descendants Of the Duke Of York, the third
n, white rose, hence the name Of their
wars. & j :
Frsm the time Of Chau,er's death, in
l4Oo. to 1858, the accession OF Elizabeth,
ten kings sat on the throne; and Of these.
sl1 held disputed crowns. No wonder
1t was an age Of turmoil. Within this time
printing had been introduced into England
by William Caxton; books had become
much cheaper and more plentiful, 40 that
learning had spread among the middle and
lower classes, and was not confined to a
few mobiles and the clergy.
In the reign OF Eiiz loeth England had
become much changed since the days Of
Cbaucer; 80 much, that now it was called
"Merrie England" and the time was long
remembered as the days OF good Queen
Is ss." Houses were much more comfort.
al among tho lower classes, and were
EVIL elegant among the nobility. The &C.
counts OF the dressing, feasting and revelry
@! those days read like portions from a
larry tale. The Protestant Reformation,
begun under Henry VIII, WAS in the
ascendancy; America had heea discovered,
and the Spanish Armada, a fleet of one
hundred and thirty ships. sent cut BY
Philip II. Of Spain, had been defeated.
When not wholly occupied with these
stirring events, poetry seems to have been
the business Of the day, as two hundred
poets are enumerated among the writers
This period is known in English literature
as the Elizabethan Age, aud embraces be.
aides the reign Of Elizabeth. that OF James
l., the con Of Mary Queen ofSco.s, executed
in the reign OF Elizabeth. n
The period is made iliustrious BY many
great names. First .mes that OF Sir Ed
lnund Spenser, second of the first four great
English poets. He was born in London.
OF his youth little is known, but it is sup.
posed to have been passed in the north OF
England. His parents were well connect
ed, but poor, and when he entered college
at Cambridge, be went as a sizar, one who
waited on other students as a kind OF ser.
want, and received as pay his tuition and
the scraps Of food that were left. Though
he received his education under very
humiliatlug circumstances, lie accumulated
a vast amount Of knowledge Of which he
afterwards made very good use.
While at college be began to write verses,
aud was noticed by Gabriel Harvey, a
distinguished scholar OF those times. Alter
he left college he went to the North OF En-.
gland as tutor ia family, and while
there wrote his pastoral poem, "Tne
Shepherds Calendar" He did not re-.
main there long, but soon returned to
London. It is supposed that at this time he
met Sir Philip Sidney, then one Of the
most distinguished knights Of Elizabeth's
court. She called him 1.-The jewel Of her
dominions." Sidney lived with his sister,
the Countess Of Pembroke, at beautiful
place called Penshurst, near London.
Here Spenser visited him, and they spent
many happy days together. Here 1.-THE
Shepherds Calendar" was Prepared for
publication, and dedicated to Sidney. II
isquite probable that Sir Walter Raleigh
sometimes joined them at Psnshurst, for
at this time he too wasa great favorite
with Elizabeth The three were abont the
same age. Raleigh was born in ''52, Spsn.
ser in '53, and Sidney in "a. ~.
Sidney introduced Spencer at court, and
5000, through the influence OF his friends
he went to Ireland as Secretary to Lord
Grey, OF Wilton. He remained, there un,
I'll 1852. when be returned TO London. Il
is probable that at this time his marriage
occurred. Not much is known Of his vile
but he is supposed to have been happily
married. Her name was Elizabeth, and in
commemoyation Of their union he wrote
bis "Epitha!amium," or marriage song.
In 1856, having received grant Of the
forfeited lands Of the Earl of Desmond, he
returned to ireland accompanied by biz
wife, and they took up their residence al
Kilcolman castle, in the county OF Cork
The castle was lonely, desolate plact
which stood in q wide marshy- plain, two
miles from tho hills and the MullR river
While they lived there he wrote the greater
part Ct the "Faerie Queen" Raleigh Wis
tied him here, to whom he read part O.
his great poem. Raleigh was so pleased
with 1t that he became bis patron and pur
suaded him to return to England to make
arrangements for publishing the first three
books. They appeared in 1890, dedicated
to Queen Elizabeth. She gave him a pen
sion Of ESQ q year, thus virtually making
him poet laureate. Wa
He returned TO Ireland and wrote sew
raj poems, his "View Of the state Of Ireland''
and the fourth, fifth and sixth volume o.
the "Fserie Queer" In 1903, in the Irish
instruction under Tyrone, Kilcolman cas-
tie was burned by the rebels, and Spensel
.. and bis wife were obliged to fly for thell
lives. Their infant child periahed in the
aAmes. They fled to. London, where hs
died the next year in o common lodgins
houee. Ben johnson Gays he died for lacl
I. OF bread, but this is hardly probable. H,
seems TO have been deserted by bis friends
and to have lost favor and popularity. Hi
friend Raleigh was no doubt away on ont
Of his many expeditions. Taine says hi
life consisted Of Interpretations and re-
bluffs, many sorrows and many dreams
some few JOYS and q irightful and sudde1
calamity, small fortune and a premature
end; this, indeed, was poets liic." H.
was buried in Westminster Abbey by tn
side OF Chaucer. FRI, - 49,
The "Faerie Queen" is the poem b.
which he will always be remembered
The original design was to write lively
books, each one to represent one Of tn,
moral virtues in the guisc of knight. Th
| last six y books were never published
Some think they were burned in Kilcol
man Castle, or lost In the sea- as Spensa
was coming to England. It is quite prob,
Fe that they were never written. At III