The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-26

- HAT which is best survives, whether
 in art music or literature. The true
 1 creator and his worthy brain child live today, tomorrow and on and on aye. they will never be relegated to the creamatory of forgetfuness-
 Let us turn back the leaves of time to the great age, to the greatest writers, to the writers whose lasting careers De- gan under the reign of "Good queen Bess" and were continued under Jaines II. those who passed, as 1t were rom one reign to another, the literary graces' Shakespeare, Spencer, Chapman, Jonson' Bacon. Sidney and the last of the age' Milton, Of this wonderfully brilliant mem tai activity, men have searched for the cause chiefly in those things which lea to the revival of learning and doubtless these bore on the whole of Europe. but we shall seek It's nearest causes in the "orh done during the early years or Sueen Elizabeth, and in doing this we snail ma these outbursts were not so sudden ai'er ail. It was preceded by a, various ana plentiful, but quite inferior, literature in which new forms of poetry and prose writing were tried, and new veins ol thc, ght were tapped, which were after- yard wrought out full and brilliantly All the germs of the great age and com ing years are to be found in these ~ wears. The outburst of bud into flower seems sudden, but the whole growth or the plant has caused it, and the towering cf Elizabethan literature was simply the slow result of the previous literature and the influences that bore upon 1t. Frequent translations were made from the classical writer's More than dozen scholars did this work Already in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward " ancient writers nao been made English, and before 159 ovid, Cicero Demosthenes and many Greek and Latin plays were translated. In this way the best models were brought before the people. and 1t Is in the influence of the Greek and Roman literature that we find the most active causes of the greatness ps the later literature of this period The Bible became common property. and It's language glided into all theological writ ings and gave them literary tone, while the publication of John Foxes "Aots and Monuments" gave the people all over England book which, by its simple style and ease of story telling, made the peas- ants who read it feel what is meant by literature.
 The old English poets were not neglect ed, though Chaucer and Lydgate were no longer initiated in this creative period, they were studied and added their im- pulse of life to original poets like Spen- cer. Then, too, it was considered part of every scholars education to travel in Italy to finish his education in that lan- guage, which at that time was believed would displace all other languages of con- tinental Europe and rival Latin in the struggle to restore universal tongue English was too much the language Of the common people, Many of the greatest writers had little or no faith in the per petuity of English as literary language. rr,t.- -.1- l<~ft 4..f fttAp a aff and his drudge, the play-poet. But Sack vile, the courier, by grafting the blank verse, and Spencer, the poet, the sonnet of Italy, to the sturdy English stock had shown a way, which Shakespeare the actor, made safe and sure for the gener- ations coming after, to keep all exotics fro mthe garden of their tho oughts
 Let us glance for one moment at the man, who, in his work, stands furthest aloof, of all men, from the actual world. yet was called on to be a witness, and finally an actor in some of the stormiest of the worlds scenes-Slr Edmund Spen- cer-who, swept away from Ireland by the storm of devastation and rebellion, fleeing from his sacked and burning cas- tie, Kilcolmon, to London. broken in for tune and spirit, dying in tavern in the great city, was laid to sleep close by Chaucer in Westminster Abbey. London, his most kindly nurse, takes care of his dust, and England keeps him in her love. His "Shepheardes Calendar proclaimed him the poets poet.' So fresh, so musi- cal and so abundant in ,the finer life of beauty were it's 12 eclogues that it was de- clared that at last England had a poet as original as Chaucer
 he 'Faerie Queen in it's ideal whole represents the new love of chivalry, of classical learning, the de- light in mystic theories of love, religion, in allegorical scheme, in splendid spec tacles and pageants, in wild adventure; the love of England the hatred of Spain, the strange worship of the Queen, even Spencer's own new love. It takes up and uses the popular legends of faeries, dwarfs and giants, all the machinery of the Italian epics and mingles them with the wild scenery of Ireland and the saw ages and wonders of the new world. AL most the whole spirit of the Renais- sance under Elizabeth except it's coarser and baser elements, is in its pages. And Spencer adds to all his own sacred love