The sun., 1892-12-18

a greater ornament to him and greater honor
| to his party than would have been his election
to tho Presidency" NJ. W. II.
MorIey's "EnElisk Writer'S"
the scops OF the ninth volume OF English
Writers. tho attempt toward history OF Eng
lish literature made By Prof HENRY MORLEY
| tCassell X Coz Among the authors OF whom
| the book before US offers estimates, at onco
| biographical and critical may be mentioned.
| besides Spenser. Sir Philip Sidney. Richard
Hooker. John Lyly. George Peels. Robert
Greene Christopher Marlowe. Thomas Lodge.
and Thomas Nash. We also hear good deal
about Sir Walter Raleigh and Francis Bacon
In tho early stages OF their career. The first
plays OF Shakespeare also fall within the period
covered by this volume. but q consideration Of
them is reserved for the next lnstalment Of
this work. which will be devoted to shake.
speare and his Time.'
Among the topics here discussed by Prof.
Morley. those which are least familiar to the
general reader are. first. tho genesis OF the
English novel. which was contem poraneous
with the far moro splendid outburst OF the
Elizabethan drama: and. secondly. the per.
sistent. but unsuccessful efforts made in the
latter half OF the sixteenth century to natu.
lhliLo HkcoA Suu A1htlu m0tToS III EDR RllBn verso
The English novel may be said to have be-
gun with the publication Of "Euphues." and
its sequel. "Euphues in England" but John
Lyly produced no other stories to continus
their success. After Lyly gave himself en-.
tirely to tho production OF court plays. the
chief purveyor Of novels was Robert Greene.
who is invested for us with singular interest,
not only on account Of his varied lit
erary achievements. but OF his unfriend-
ly attitude toward Shakespeare. exem-
plifed In certain well-known lines. It
wis natural. perhaps. that the group OF
young university mon to which Greene
belonged should look with some disdain on q
yok from Warwickshire who had to educate
himself. and whose knowledge OF men and
women was derived less from books than from
actual contact with life. Upon this point Prof.
Morley discourses at some length in chapter
mainly allotted to Marlowc. 1t is pointed out
that Marlowe. like Peele. Greene. Lodge. and
Nash. had his genius quickened by lively fel-
lowship with comrades. who. in a great uni.
versity. build up living mirror OF some part
OF the outer world. with all its features bright
ened by reflection from the frank minds Of the
young. The graduate Of q university may
write successful drama soon after taking his
degree; there are many examples OF such an
achievement. No man. on the other hand. who
has spent his youth among the fields can be a
dramatist until he has seen the play Of life
where there is full resort OF men. Mar-
lowe went from Cambridge to London at
tho age OF 22. and forthwith became tho
author Of Tamburlaine." the most success
full play OF the year t15s6 or 1897 in which it
was produced. Shakespeare went at tho same
age, at the same time. from Stratford to Lon
don. but he wac not known as dramatist un-
til he had seen much OF life in tho great city.
The truth Is that nearly all the playwriters at
this epoch were young men who had been
trained at the universities where they had
made their mark as poets and had many
friends ready to certify to their abilities.
Shakespeare. in that respect. had all his
friends to find. He was not. like popular
young university man. upon the royal road to
trust among the players But II Marlowe had
the advantage over Shakespeare in instantane-
Gus and great success. Shakespeare drew from
his years OF study in the metropolis not only
full knowledge OF life. but wisdom in the ap-
prehension OF it. and sympathetic insight
into character to which no other Englishman
had made SO close an approach.
To return to Greene. He was born about
1859 at Norwich OF parents who. as he records,
were for their gravity and honest life we'll
known and esteemed among their neipbbors
Admitted to st. Johns College. Cambridge. In
1875. he took his b. A. deeree about four veara
later after which he travolled In Italv and
Spain. and. returning to his university. OH
tanned his NJ. A. degree in l5S3 Few writers
have ever had more cause than Greene 70 saw
do as write. not as lido" 1--we can trnst
his autobiography. his short life was ar-
tremely dissolute. hut he mt the hast a, hi.
heart and mind into his hooks which were nil
wholesome. That CRANE was dra wn into dia.
sipation by a Kindly socIol tcmner Tint
no sank from good company into bad. and that
be was ruined iv unst.odiness n, chnr-