West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1898-03-10
THE AGE OF elizabeth.
Poetry-PhIlosophy- Drama.


furnish for your columns this arti-
Gle upon the above subject. have
made it as brief as possible, and
think that it does not conflict with
Myers General History.
The study OF the Elzabethan
Age which includes the reigns of
Elizabei h and James |. of England,
is valuable to the student OF Uni.
ted States history and literature for
It's Cavaliers founded jamestown
and its Separatists planted Ply.
mouth; while it's literary prcduc.
tons embraced the philosophy of
Bacon, the poetry of Spencer and
the drama of Shakespeare. The
study Of this age should all be of
interest to oil English speaking
people for during it's years was
made the first English translation
OF the Bible and occurred the irst
successful resistance Of the House
OF Commons against the Crown.
The Age Of Elizabeth stands as
the greatest and most wonderful
age of literature. 1t was the age of
the revival Of classical bearing and
OF great literary genius. While
preeminent in literature this age
was noted for great soldiers and
able statesmen and for great deeds
ard great changes; and during it's
years occurred the Reformation.
the defeat of the Armada. the voy,
ages of Drake. the colonization of
Ulster and America, the naval SUI
premacy of England, and the IN.
PRODUCTION of tobacco and the
potato into Europe from America.
Elizabeth was a woman of excel
lent judgment but was treacher-
Gus and ungrateful. She had will
and courage, but was capricicus !;
possessed political talent and states.
craft, but was inscriptions and
cruel. and was known in her day
as being the "greatest aud most
successful liar OF Europe"
Elizabeth irrespective of party or
creed and independent of personal
preference, selected for her Minis
tiers, the sblest men of her king
dom, and her councillors enjoyed
the reputation of having wise heads,
brave hearts and strong wills-a
trinity of unconquerable powers.
Elizabeth was succeeded BY
James /, a strange compound Of
Scottish shrewdness, obstlnacy and
slowness, who wrote the first arLi.
Gle against the use Of tobacco, and
was called the "wisest fool IN
Christendom." When James came
to the throne Spencer had been
dead but few years, while Bacon
and Shakespeare were just coming
into prominence, and when his
reign closed it marked the ending
Of the grandest age of English
literature.
Sir Thomas Wyatt and Lord Sur.
reg were the harbinger poets of the
EllzAbethan age, the former dying
young and the latter executed with.
out cause by Henry VIII. The
poets OF this age who may be
counted by the hundred we're diyi-
ded into two classes, those who
wrote during the first period Of the
age when Spencer ruled supreme,
and the others who nourished dur
ing the second or dramatic period
when Shakespeare held the throne
Of English literature. Among the
lesser poets Of the age may be men
tioned. Lord Thomas SackvIlIe,
george Gascoigne, Sir Philip SID,
neY, Samuel Daniel, William War
Rer, Michael Drayton, George
Chapman. Sir John Davies, Phineas
and Giles Fletcher, Joshua Sylyes-
ter, and Dr.. Donne and Bishop
Hall who were the founders Of En-
glish satire.
The literary harvest or the Eliza.
betbar Age came late in the intel
lectual life Of England, but came
with "profusion and richness
never known in any other age or
country" II was OF "aneoualled
extent and unequalled variety OF
energy and poWer." All classes
we're represented from sidney and
RaleIgh, the courtly aud polished
cgvsliers to Bacon, the lawyer and
shakespeare, the lowly Trademarks
an. and its glories and beauties