A History of English Poetry

The Faery Queen: Professed design of the Poem explained in the pre-
fatory letter to Raleigh: Actual design literary as in The Shepherd's
Calendar.

EXAMINATION OF THE EXECUTION OF SPENSER'S DESIGNS

The Shepherd's Calendar: Unity of the design: Propriety in the Alle-
gory: Unreality in the characters of the speakers justified by the traditions of
the Eclogue: Sidney's criticism on the rustic character of the diction: How
far just Spenser's archaism the result of deliberate experiment: Contrast
with Surrey's standard of Poetical Diction: Contrast with the standards of the
Classical Revivalists and the Letter-Hunters: Spenser's attention to subject
matter: His misunderstanding of Chaucer's style: Rustic effects produced by
his adaptation of Chaucer's style: Features and general effect of Spenser's
archaism: Metrical Experiments: Lyrical passages in The Shepherd's
Calendar the prelude to the style of the Prothalamion and Epithalamion, and to
Milton's Lycidas: General criticism of The Shepherd's Calendar.

The Faery Queen: Great variety of matter in the poem: How far reduced
to unity Upton's and Hurd's theories as to the unity of the design not
tenable Comparison of the Faery Queen with the Orlando Furioso: Secret
of the Unity of the Furioso: The poem not seriously romantic; Specimens of
its Irony Ariosto's character and circumstances; Character of the Furioso:
Materials of the poem: Their treatment by Pulci and Boiardo: Ariosto's
Philosophy His feeling for Chivalry: His sense of Humour: His genius as
a Painter: Harmonious fusion of all his materials in his style: Spenser's
misunderstanding of Ariosto's motives: His own aim in the Faery Queen:
How far he was able to apply his poetical principles to his subject: Propriety
of the allegory in the First and Second Books: Collapse of the allegorical
principle in the remaining books: Comparison of the narrative methods of
Ariosto and Spenser: Fight between Orlando and the Ork: Fight between
the Red-Cross Knight and the Dragon : Ariosto's superiority to Spenser as a
story-teller: Superiority of Spenser to Ariosto in sublimity of Feeling: In
Delicacy; In Allegorical Painting: Specimens of Allegorical Painting in
Ariosto and Spenser: Comparison between Ariosto and Spenser as word-
painters: Spenser a great metrical Musician as well as a great Word-Painter:
His construction of the Spenser stanza: Variety and beauty of its metrical
effects.

SPENSER'S PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH POETRY

Not to be ranked with Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare: Nor with
Chaucer, Ariosto, and Cervantes: His genius in Poetry resembles that of
Sidney in Romance.

Spenser, the Poet of Chivalry.

His ideas of Chivalry rendered unpractical by the nature of Court life :
His picture of the perfect courtier in Mother Hubberd's Tale: His flattering
allegories of the Queen: His own distresses as a suitor at Court: Illustrated
from Mother Hubberd's Tale.

Spenser the Poet of Mediæval Allegory.

The successor of Dante and Langland: Contrast between the allegory of

Spenser and the allegory of Dante and Langland: Effects of the Reformation

on Allegorical Interpretation.

The beauty of Spenser's poetry derived, not from his subject matter, but from

the beauty of his own mind: His power of harmonising opposite ideas: Illus-
trated from the Second Book of the Faery Queen: Poetry and Religion.

CHAPTER X

Reflection of the Change in Taste in the later Miscellanies of Elizabeth's

reign The Phenix Nest; England's Helicon; England's Parnassus; The

Poetical Rhapsody.

Growth of the Critical spirit: Illustrated by the Critical Treatises pub-

lished in the latter half of the sixteenth century.

Wilson's Art of Rhetoric: Not relating to Poetry.

Gascoigne's Notes of Instruction concerning the Making of Verse: Remarks
on the nature of English "feet" and on the cæsura.

Treatises advocating the adoption of "Quantity" in English verse: Cor-

respondence between Spenser and Gabriel Harvey: Campion's Observations

on the Art of English Poesy: Webbe's Discourse of English Poesy: His speci-

men of the English hexameter: Admiration for Spenser, Lyly, Harvey, and

Phaër.

Puttenham's Art of English Poesy: His good sense and right perception :

Contents of his Treatise: Remarks on the Cæsura.

Sidney's Defence of Poetry: Its contents: Arguments against the

Euphuists.

Various groups of Euphuistic Poets aiming at different objects.

I. THE UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS

Gabriel Harvey: His birth, education, history, and character: His

attempt to introduce the principle of quantity in place of accent and rhyme :

Specimens of his and Spenser's hexameters : War between him and Thomas

Nash.

Abraham Fraunce: His translation of Thomas Watson's Amyntas into

English hexameters.

2. THE SONNET-WRITERS

Thomas Watson: His birth, education, history, and character: His

poetical motives: Specimen of the Sonnets in his 'Ekатoμmalia: Spenser's

allusion to him in Colin Clout's Come Home Again.

Henry Constable: His birth, education, history, and character: His

poetical aims: Specimens of his style in the sonnet.

Other writers of sonnets: Lodge, Giles Fletcher, Daniel, Drayton : Purely
ideal character of their compositions: Barnabe Barnes: Character of his
sonnets Marston's satire on him and other sonnet-writers of the time.

Dyer His birth, education, history, and character: Specimens of his
lyrical poetry.

Essex His position as favourite of Elizabeth: Specimens of his poetry.
Raleigh Directness and absence of affectation in his style: Specimens of
his poetry.

Oxford: Coxcombry of style: Early chivalric manner: His most charac-
teristic verse epigrammatic.

4. THE PASTORAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL POETS

General influences productive of Pastoralism.

Nicholas Breton: His birth, education, history, and character: His early
compositions in Gascoigne's manner: Imitation of Barclay's satirical style:
Adoption of the new pastoral vein: His Passionate Shepherd: Specimens of
his verse.

Richard Barnfield: Birth, education, history, and character: Lack of
matter in his verse: Originality of style: Specimens of his poetry.

Robert Greene: His Love-tales in prose: Specimen of his lyrical poetry.
Thomas Lodge: His birth, education, history, and character: Versatility
of his genius Specimen of his Sonnets: More successful in his Songs: First
to introduce the mythological tale in the manner of Ovid's Metamorphoses :
His Scilla's Metamorphosis: His Euphues' Golden Legacy: Origin of As you
Like It: Specimens of his lyrical poetry.

Christopher Marlowe : Vigour of his genius: Exemplified from his Hero
and Leander: His style contrasted with that of Chapman : Nature and limits
of his powers.

CHAPTER XI

The English Drama the product of a long development: Schlegel's
mistaken view of Shakespeare's genius.

The development of the drama determined by changes in the taste of the
audience and improvements in the tradition of the art.

CHANGES IN THE TASTE OF THE AUDIENCE IN ENGLAND

The progress of the Stage from the Miracle Play to the Morality:
Declining influence of the Church: Increased influence of the popular taste :

Influence of the taste of the Nobility seen in the Moralities: Moralities acted
by companies of servants in noble Houses.

Influence of the Court on the Stage: The Interlude: Interference of the

State with the performance of Interludes: Acts of Parliament in 1543 and

1572 for the regulation of the Stage.

The influence of the Universities and the Inns of Court: Conflict between

the Puritanic element in the nation and the Actors: The Puritanism of the
City Authorities: Theatres built outside the jurisdiction of the Municipal
Authorities: Great mixture of tastes in the audiences in the Theatres.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TRADITION OF THE DRAMATIC ART

Necessity of classifying the Moralities: Contrast between the early and
later Moralities: Form of the early Moralities derived from the Miracle Plays:
Gradual disappearance of the theological element from the Morality: Secular
aims in the Moralities of the Sixteenth Century.

Interludes influenced by the Renaissance.

The Four Elements: Its structure compared with that of The Castle or
Perseverance: Plot of the Play.

Wit and Science: Its character.

Interludes influenced by the Reformation.

Lusty Juventus: Its Personages and Plot.

New Custom: Its Personages and Plot.

The Conflict of Conscience: Introduction of a real character under a
general name: Its Dramatis Persona: Strange mixture of reality
and allegory: Facts altered to suit the Moral.

Interludes based on the representation of Manners.

The Nice Wanton: Its Personages and Plot.

The Disobedient Child; Its Personages and Plot.

Like Will to Like: Combination of new characteristic with features of

the old Moralities: Types of human character introduced instead of

abstractions: The transformation of the "Vice": Specimen of the

Vice's part.

The Three Ladies of London: Elaboration of the Plot and of the

characters: Appearance of reality given to Allegorical Personages :

Specimen of the dialogue: The play a landmark in the development

of the drama.

Interludes showing the decline of Allegory and the growth of human