Middletown transcript., 1897-03-06

they offered for sale, juggiers, minstreIs and
bufoons whose business 1t was to entertain
and amuse the people who came to the
merchant stalls to buy. These street enter
tainments, not being Of the highest order,
had a bad effect upon the populace. The
people became idle and lazy and less relig-
ious. The better class tried to put stop to
these shows, but at first failed. Finally
they turned actors themselves, and gave en-
tertainments of such superiority that they
destroyed the street shows.
These plays were of sacred nature, and
finally led to the miracle plays and
mysteries" These amusements continued
to be given on ''sacred days" and holidays
for centuries. John Haygood, 1t is said,
did much by his writings to driYe the Bible
from the stage, and to introduce familiar
life and popular manners. In Shakespeares
time, there were already seven theatres.
The first public theatre was established in
Blackfriars in 1876
In 1860, Thomas Sackville produced
"Gordobuc," the first regular English
tragedy. It had divisions of acts, scenes,
and chorus. Every act was introduced by
the ''dumb show While the play con-
tains some purity and perspicuity. it lacks
the proper language to give it the correct
coloring in its different parts. This tragedy
with its chorus reminded the people of a
classic taste of the beautiful Greek TRACE
dies, and before the end of the sixteenth
century the most Of them had been trans
lated into English.
The greatest poet after Chaucer was
Edmund Spenser who was born in 1868.
His associates were many of the renowned
men of the time Of Queen Elizabeth. He
is: the author of the "FaiFy Queen" which
has given him a high place in literature,
and the inventor of a new stanza of nine
lines. Burns and Byron made use of the
Spenserian stanza in two of their best
poems.
Poetry, up to the Elizabethan period, had
been narrative or epic. 1t now became
romantic and fantastic. Shakespeare
brought the drama to perfection, and gave
a new impetus to literature. The names of
Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, with galaxy
Of other great names, made the reigns of
Elizabeth and James illustrious. A writer
says: "The literary triumphs of this won
derful epoch are principally confined to the
drama, which "heaven Of invention" was,
to use the beautiful expression of one of
these playwrights, studded as a frosty
night with stars"
The Church literature of this era con-
tributed by Hooker, Taylor and Barrow
was an ornament to this noted period of |
great things. Hooker was one of the few
who wrote good English prose before the
year 1880.
The first noted poet after the close of the |
Renaissance was John Milton, man of
fine genius and liberal education. He
wrote elegant prose: but we know him prin-
cipslly as the author of Paradise Lost"
It is considered the greatest epic Of the
English language.
The Restoration brought with it a new
kind of literature, political satire. The
first to succeed in the new field was Samuel |
Butler, perhaps the greatest master who |
ever lived of the comic or burlesque species |
Of satiric writing" In "Hudibras." he |
satirizes the follies and vices of the repub-
licans, giving many laughable pictures of
the Puritans. "Hudibras" has been COM
pared to "Don Quixote."
The first strong man after the Restoration /
was John Dryden, good man in himself,
who pandered to the low tastes of a corrupt
and icentious court. He possessed great
powers of satire, but very little .humor.
He was the first great critic of English
literature, and did much to improve and
beautify it. English versifcation, however,
remained imperfect until Pope brought 1t 10
perfection. His great mock-heroic, "The
Rape Of the Lock-" is a perfect piece Of
verse.
Dryden wrote many plays, but they were
impure and base. To these, Wicherly and
Congreve and Mrs. Behn added a flood of
plays which none but an i'm
moral age could have endured. And while
here were attacks against the immortality
If the stage and the total depravity of the
people, swearing was considered no sin, and
nfidelity was rampant until the beginning
If the eighteenth century. Yet in this un-
believing and corrupt age appeared that
beautiful allegory. Pilgrims Progress"
which is read more in England to-day than
my other book except the Bible. 1t it said
hat Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress" and his
Holy War; are the last English works of
,rose fiction in which, for many a.day, we
ind high poetical ideality.
For centuries, in England, the ballads or
'broadsides" answered the purpose, in a
manner, of the newspaper. But at the be-
,inning of the eighteenth century these
we're partially superseded by the ''Tatlern
md the Spectator" which may be con-
idered the beginning of the modern news
'aper. By means of these papers, Addison,
'teel and Swift made swearing unfashion-
.ble, and did much to correct the errors of
he stage and to elevate the tastes Of the
,eople. From these simple sheets have
prung the great dailies, magazines and
eviews of our time. Some claim that the
modern novel had its origin in these papers;
,thers, that it is the product or outgrowth
# the epic and drama, as novel is read
or its story, which is the epic, and for the
the dramatic.
Deefoe. Swift, Richardson and Fielding
aid the foundation for our later novelists,
uch as George Eliot" Thackeray end
Dickens. Since the first of the last century,
very branch Of English literature has con-
aimed some eminent writers. Even to
lame them would be task.
-FOUR to California via Pennsylvania
Railroad.
In Southern California Is found the reali-
'ation of the dream of the ancients. Here
ire the "Golden Apples Of the Hesperides," :
ipening beneath sky more beautiful than
hat of Rome, and in climate more per
u 81 a Il 4