The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-05-06
From the New England Bibllepolist.
The Glasse of Time Divinely Han
dIo1
By THOMAS PEYToN, of Iincolnes Inn,
Gent.

By THOMAS PEYToN, of I.ncolnes Inn,
Gent.
! may say, by way of preface, that it is
difficult to do justice to this poem in the
necessarily limited space allotted me. Per-
| haps few words concerning the history
of its author may not be out of place. The
| brief notice of the author, by the editor,
| Col. j. L. Peyton, of Stanton, Va, is so in
teresting that only lack of space prevents
my transcribing it.
Thomas Peyton came OF good British
stock, and was born in Royston, Cam
bridge county, England, A. d. 1896 He
studied at the schools in his native town,
and afterwards finished his education at
the University of Cambridge. He then
went to London and was admitted to the
Society of Lincoln's Inn, and there entered
upon the study of the law in the year 1913.
He was only eighteen years old at the
time. 1t is probable that he did not wait
to be called to the Bar, for he decided
shortly afterwards to give up. his law
studies for an even more ennobllng Dur-
suit, that of theology. He entered upon
the work of his short but we'll spent life,
at a peculiarly fitting time, for the fair
field of English literature was not then
overgroWn with the ephemeraltare which
are the bane of scholarship today. The
Bible was substantially the only book in
England at the time. But what book it
was and is. 1t was read and studied by
all sorts and conditions of men. 1t was
the classic the source of inspiration for
the English speaking race, from the sover
eign down. Grotius, the great jurist, who
was the Dutch Envoy to England ten years
after the death Of Elizabeth, said THE
ology rules there, all point their studies in
that directiou.''
1t is safe to say that the author was
Churhman and a Royalist Judging from his
thrust at the Romanists on the one
side, and the Paritans (Pritents he called
them) on the other. He was representa-
tive country gentleman of his time aud
believed i'll his Church and King. Hedied
at the early age of thirty-one. and thus
had no opportunity to take a hand in the
struggle which was impending Although
his grave is unknown, his poem consti-
tutes a more enduring monument than
any that the hand of man could raise it is
a link connecting him-With ali reverence
be it said-with his Creator.
The first volume of THE Glasse of
Time" commences with the beginning OF
existence, and treats mainly of the fall of
man the second follows the descendants
of Adam to the time of Noah. He prom
ised to continue the story, but death
called him away For upwards of a cen
fury and a half no knowledge existed. OF
the poems, which turned up about eighty
years ago. The account of its finding
reads like a fairy tale. The editor in his
introduction says = copy of this book,
deliberately bound III vellum, ornamented
with gold, with coat of arms and regal de-
vice, illustrated with curious cuts, and
quantity printed, had been kept in the pos
session of some English family, and was
buried in the chest of an illlterate descend
ant until his recent death created a train
of circumstances, which in the end placed
the treasure before our eyes. Mean
while Millions Paradise Lost, with its
harmonious and sonorous numbers, had
appeared.
A thoughtful article by l.. E. Dubois.
entitled IAN 'Inglorious Milton, came
out in the North american Reuieae for Oc
tober, 1860. The writer concludes that
Milton used it in the preparation OF the
Paradise Lost in short that his great work
was not entirely original with him. Space
will not allow to adduce parallel passages
from Peyton and Milton. After a careful
reading of this remarkable poem, can
safely say it contains many points OF sim
ilarity with Milton. That the theology
of the two writer's should be alike IS not
surprising, for CalviDism was deeply
rooted in English theology at the time.
But it is surprising that the scope and
trend of the two poems should be thS
same, for do not know that there was any
other epic at tho time to c0mnare with
either There seem to be two ways OF
explaining the dilemma. l., That both
writer's used a common original. 2. That
Milton used Peyton's work to greater or
less extent. 1t does not seem probable
that the first hypothesis is Il true one, for
had they used q common original it IS moi
very strange that no mention of it even
has survived !? To account for it on this
ground would seem 10 be to introduce an
other difficulty. | draw my main argu-
ment for the second hypothesis from III
ternal evidence, and | submit that it is a
very strong one. 1t may have been made
over by Milton in much the same way that
Bunyan made over the reyeries of a pioas
medieval monk into the Pilgrims Prog, S
resS as Shakespeare did some OF the
dramas that come to his hand as Scott
did the old romaneeS that be found. 1t
seems as if Milton must have drawn from
lle earlier poem to a greater or less ex.
tent.
This poem is written in the quaint lam
gnage and spelling of tie period, and
many Of the words are obsolete. The +
style is terse and vigorous. II criticism
of such Il work is pardonable, ! should say
that it contains occasional passages which
doubtless conformed to the canons of good
taste in the seventeenth century, but
would hardly be So IN the nineteenth. The
verse is not Us polished as Millions, but
it contains thoughts worthy ofan Ossian.
| give short extract below
80 heavenly ticdt why should we here below
Trouble ourselves thy secrets past to know
When thy dread wold which Thou from heaven
hath sent,
The world aud all can give US scarce content,
But still we strive and at thy secrets aim,
Till Thou reason in our Sense doth maine,
Here is the glory of the eternal crowne,
Mans earthly wisdom utterly throws doWne.
I2ll Tlnaaid PnUine Eeu of Rnefnaa -