New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-05
THE POET LAUREATESHIP
A History of the Office and It's
Incumbents.

THE POETS LAU REATT or ENGLAND. Their
History AMI Their Odes By ". Forbes Grey
illustrated $40. pp VI 3l5. Z. ?. Du.ton 90.
This is a welcome piece of work well
done, the only one on its subject, we
believe, since Walter Hamilton's book,
published in 1876, long out of date, and
never reliable. Mr.. Grey begins at the
the very beginning, with the laurel
crowned poets of Greece and imperial
Rome. He traces the revival of the
custom in the Italy of the Renaissance,
when the bays were worn by Petrarch
and awarded TO Torquato Tasso, who
died on the day set for his public
coronation on Capitol Hill. The old
German Empire had its official poets
laureate crowned by the Emperor, the
Counts Palatine, or the universities.
In France. on the other hand, this Gus
tom of laureation, whether by the mon
arch or the universities, seems TO have
been unknown. But in Spain crowned
poets were so plentiful that they fell
into disrepute. for Sancho Panza, ad-
dressing his donkey, said: 81 promise
to put a crown of laurel upon thy head
so as thou shalt look like a poet
laureate"
Until the days OF Ben Jonson poets
laureate crowned by the universities
were distinct from the Kings Nersl-
tiers, as they were called. though usu-
ally the versiter was selected from the
laureates. Henry | had an official
versitcr of the deeds and events OF
his reign called Vale; Richard Lion
Heart was accompanied TO Palestine
by one called Guglielmus Peregrinus.
Henry HIS Master Henry the Nersi-
fer" was a Frenchman, who IS OF his
tOric interest because he Is the first
salarled court poet on record in Eng
land. Robert Baston, a poet laureate
of oxford and versiter to Edward II,
was captured at Bannockburn, and
forced by Robert the Bruce to cele-
brate the defeat of his own king and
country in rhymed heXameters.
1t is doubtful If Chaucer can be
counted among the court poets on the
strength of the pensions granted him
by Edward III, and the same may be
said of Spenser The title of "the
kings humble poet laureate" was first
used by John Kaye in the dedication
of his Siege of Rhodes" to Edward
", but there is no evidence that il
was official II seems that for a while
it was assumed by English poets with
out explicit warrant, as in the case
of John SHELTON. who repeatedly styled
himself Poet Laureate and Regius Ora
tor He was a member of the house
hold Of Prince Henry, afterward
Henry VIII.
With Ben Jo7son begins the line Of
Englard's Poets Laureate by direct ap-
pOintment by the King. James | did
not use the title, in his grant to the
poet of letters patent and an annual
pension for literary services TO the
Court" but he certainly created the
office. 1t is 10 Jonson and his four
teen successors that the bulk of these
pages is devoted. The author does not
include the present incumbent of the
post, Dr. Robert Bridges, but gives his
portrait the place OF honor as the
frontispiece of the book. The studies
are not exclusively literary; they are
also biographical, social, and 10 some
extent political, for, especially in
Georgian days, the post was practically
at the disposal of the party in power.