The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-06
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
THE IAuRsArEsHIP OF ENGLAND.
Tn. Grand Contest which Used to Take
Place ut the English Colleges In
Rhetoric and Poetry.


Five or six hundred years ago the two
vyeat universities OF England. oxford ana
cambridge, used TO have a grand contest
every year I'm rhetoric and poetry, or per-
hans II we're nearer the mark 70 call IL
-versincation." But the entrants for the
competition must be youns men who APP
proved themselves highly. both IN prose
and verse composition, two Of the subjects
being an essay in prose and theme III
verse. The one whose composition showed
the highest merit was adjudged laurea 40
randus, his brow was publicly "redlneu
with laurel in the presence OF al. uc
members OF the university ana huhdreuS
OF visitors, and he was AWARDED ne
proud title OF poeta laureatus OF ms yea,
IL was a title of distinction equal TO- II
NOT greater than. what is now known at
Cambridge as the senior wransieshlp'
which has nothing Of the clement OF
s.wrangling" I'm H. as II once had, out ~
merely the highest position IN hhatne-
MATES OF the year.
Toward the end OF the fourteenth or
abb ut the beginning Of the hfteenth con
fury. th. universities discontinued thus
particular kind of competition, ara WIN
II the name poeta laureatus. Inc court
then took up the title, and from ABOUT tne
middle Of the fifteenth century Q4O) the
English monarChs used 10 have poeta
iaureatus attached 10 their royal house
hold. For over four hundred years. there
fore. the poeta laureate has had no con-
nectlon with university, but has been
a graduated rhetorician." as he has been
called. in the service OF king or queen.
The name Of the first poet laureate or
a monarch is John Key, who obtained ms
appointment from Edward ~" but OF
whom ungrateful time has preserved no
further record.
The remuneration Of the laureateship
was 100 $500 and a tierce OF canary
wine; but the wine was committed In the
time Of Bob" Southey. as the irreverent
head of the satanic school" OF poetry
characterized Wordsworth's predecessor
In the laureateship for an annual payment
Ct "a $3.50. The duty Of the poet lau-
Teate was TO write an ode or poem Cele-
brating every anniversary of the birthday
OF the reigning sovereign: but George Ill,
although he was not over gifted In
general way with good sense, had sense
enough to see the Stiffness Of Harvesting
up an aspiring Pegasus in this way, and
ne removed all restrictions on the lau-
reate's subjects and allowed him to write
on what he pleased.
The poets laureate were not poets Of
repute until 1910, when John Dryden
added luster TO the Office. GLORIOUS
John" was succeeded in the laureateship
by a string of men who, like the original
laureate. are merely so many Names or
II they have left anything behind them it
has been mostly gathered into Times
wallet as aims for oblivion. Nahum
llFt
Brady was one of them; and Colley
Cibber, writer Of bad and mangler of
good plays. was another. There were
also Nicholas Rowe and Eusden, and
Whitehead, and Thomas Warton, and
the 'POetical Pye," whom a mere NEIL
tion by Byron in his "English Bards and
Scotch Reviewers" has rescued from an
altogether deserved oblivion. Pye was
succeeded by Bob" Southey. Southey by
Wordsworth and Wordsworth by Tenny-
son. 1t will thus be seen that there were
not many genuine poets in the catalogue
raisOnne of laureates-only three, Dry
den. Wordsworth and Tennyson, unless
we were 10 allow Southey, contrary to
the delightful decision in 1.-THE Vision Of
Judgment" to squeeze himself in among
the Yates sacri.
The question that will now come up 10
agitate the English Government and
Queen and people will be, Who of the
poets now living shall succeed Tennyson?
IL would be needless to say that no one of
them is the peer Of Tenyson, or gives any
promise Of ever reaching any such level
Every one Of the possible successors to
the office is considerably advanced In
years, the youngest OF the sextette being
over fifty; so that il is probable that the
best work Of every one Of them is now
behind and not in front Of him. Who
ever may succeed in gaining the distinc-
ton will suffer sadly by the comparison
that will Immediately institute itself be-
tween him and his predecessor. 1t will be
So no matter whether the lightning fall
on Swinburne, on William Morris. on
Alfred Austen. on Edwin Arnold, on
Lewis Morris, or on Robert Buchanan.
These are the six who are supposed 10
constitute the list from which a selection
will be made And, indeed, il would be
difficult TO greatly extend the list so as
20 widen the area of choice.-New Or
leans Times-D Democrat.