Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-19
Famous Literary Mysteries
who Was the First Poet Laursatcfe

Who Was the First Poet Laureatcf?
 The origin of the title of poet iau- reater has given rise to much specula- ton. It is generally considered to be of English origin, but 1t was a prac- tice during the Middle Ages, it was GUS tonlary among the Greeks to crown with the laurel a favorite poet. For cx- ample, Petrach was crowned with great solemndty at Rome in 1341. At Paris, Oxford and Cambridge the laurel wreath was sometimes placed on the learning or poetry.
 The laurel, the leaves of which tree in ancient Greece were sacred to Apol- To, as such was used to form crown or wreath of honor for poets and he roes. The word 'faureate' or 'dsEe- ater" thus came in English to signify eminent or associated with glory of whatever character. In olden times H was not uncommon to use the 1ea .n laureate letters" to indicate the, ds. patches announcing a victory.
 John Skelton, who died in 1529, re- ceived the laureate honor from both the universities, and accordingly styled himself "Poeta Laureatus.' Attached to the households of the medieval Eng Aish kings were minstrels and poets. From the more general use of the term 1 poet laureate" arose it's restriction in England to the office of the poet at- tached to the royal household, first held l by Ben Johnson, for whom the pos.- | tion was in it's essentials. created by | Charles II in 1917. He does not seem to have been formally appointed poet laureate, but his position was equiva' | lent to that.
 l fr1ta of1Ca dAxyelryy51 1le91i of the practice of earlier times, wher the vefisifers were a part of the reti nue of the king. Richard Occur de LiUI l is said to have 'versiicater regis, l while Henry III had versihcator 1 Master Henry as early as the iitteentl century Edward w had humble poe laureate" for such John Kay described l himself
 Moreover, the crown had shown it l patronage in various ways. Chaucet was granted by Edward III pension Of twenty marks in 1856, and afteF wards, in 1874, he was given a pttche perqtlisites of the laureateship. Bu Chaucer never received an official ap pontrnent to the post.
 Spencer was given a pension b.
 Queen Elizabeth, and W. Hamilton classes Chaucer, Gower, Kay Andrew
 Bernard. skeMon. R(berE Wilmington. Richard Edwards and Samuel Darhe as volunteer laureates." On Deoen. Der il, 1888, William D'Avenart recetv
 ed from Charles I a pension of $500 year, but no title accompanied ths
 grant, thus succeeding Johnson. D'Ave nant, however, was assumed to be lau
 reate, especially after the Restoration
 So far as is known the first Englis
 poet to receive the title of poet lau
 reate was John Dryden, the honor hay
 ing been conferred upon him on Angus 1s, 1870. Dryden received a pension c
 S1,500 and "butt' Of Canary Wine
 With Dryden the post became a regula
 institution though the emoluments va
 riee.
 The office Of poet laureate of Englan
 is a rather trying one and it would b difficult for future appointees to come U
 so fully to all the requirements as Al
 fred Tennyson and even his predecessors
 Southey and Wordsworth Being court official formerly, he was consider ; ed responsible for producing formal an {, al propriate verses on blr.::.Lsys an state occasions but his activity in this re
 spect has varied, according to circuni
 stances and the custom ceased U Ia eh , liaatory after Pyres de;,:h II iSlS Wordsworth ss!pula ed, before ac cepting the honor, t-at nc formal ei fu;-ions from hin h;G.6 5A ecasidere necessity; but Tennyson was general ly happy in his numerous poems c
 this class. The emoluments of the pos have varied considerably, and the tiers
 of Canary wine" has been omitted as (