of true poetic power increased into a steady and permanent light. Some of the larger poems of this era, which appear to have possessed a considerable share of popularity, are deficient both in spirit and design, and exhibit only the rude efforts of inexperienced rhymers. Little must have been known of the true nature of poetry when such productions could obtain general approbation; and we may accordingly conclude that the taste of the people had as yet received none of those strong impressions which at once determined its direction, and enabled it to judge intuitively of what is presented to its judgment. It was before our poetic literature had reached this stage of its progress, that Layamon, a priest of Ernesley upon Severn, translated Wace's Brut d'Angleterre'—which is a Norman-French version of Geoffrey of Monmouth's history-into English verse. We do not pos sess any materials for a biographical notice of this early writer; but regarding his translation as one of the earliest specimens of metre in the native language, we have used his name for the purpose of introduc ing a few remarks on the state of our poetical literature towards the close of the second period of English history. Mr Ellis supposes that Layamon finished his translation in 1180, and conceives our language to have been formed betwixt that period and 1216. The following is a specimen of Layamon's verses :— And of alle than folke The wuneden ther on folde, That is, in English-" And of all the folk that dwelt on earth was this land's folk the handsomest (people told); and also the women handsome of hue." Mr Ellis regards the dialect of Layamon as pure Saxon. Mr Campbell's opinion seems more just, that it is truly neither Saxon nor English, but something intermediate betwixt the old and new languages," something," to use his own beautiful simile, "like the new insect stirring its wings before it has shaken off the aurelia state.” There is good evidence that the following ballad must have been composed in the reign of Henry III., probably soon after the battle of Lewes, which was fought in 1264. It is entitled, 'Richard of Al maigne,' and seems to have been written by one of Leicester's adhe rents : "Sitteth alle stille, ant herkneth to me: For te make the pees in the countrẻ, Ant so he dude more. Richard, Thah thou be ever trichard, Tricthen shalt thou never more. Richard of Alemaigne, whil that he wes kyng, 'Essay on English Poetry, p. 33. Alexander Hales. DIED A. D. 1249. ALEXANDER HALES was born in Gloucester at the beginning of the 13th century, and received his name from a monastery belonging to the Franciscan order, in which he received his education. While yet a youth he was sent to the university of Paris, where he applied himself to study with the most indefatigable industry. He soon distinguished himself by the extent and variety of his learning, but especially in those cherished pursuits of the age, scholastic theology and the canon law. No sooner had he taken his degree of doctor, than he became professor in these branches, and his profound erudition and uncommon acuteness soon gained him the title of the Irrefragable doctor.' Some of his pupils afterwards became as distinguished as their master, and even more so. Among them were the celebrated Duns Scotus and John Fedanza, better known by the name of Cardinal Bonaventura. In 1222, the irrefragable doctor consigned himself to the monastic life amongst the Franciscans at Paris. Here he passed the rest of his days employing his time in that most laborious trifling—the composition of various works of scholastic theology. The greater part of them have long since perished; many extant works, however, are ascribed to him, but the only one that critics regard as genuine is the 'Summa Unversia Theologia,' or Commentaries on the Four Books of Sentences. He entered upon this work by order of Pope Innocent IV. It was first printed at Nuremberg in 1482, fol.; then at Basil in 1502; at Venice, 1575-6; and at Cologne in 1622. It is needless to say there have been no later editions. This work displays, of course, much of that oracular dogmatism and ambitious speculation which distinguished all performances of a similar stamp and of the same age, together with much also of that metaphysical subtlety and acute reasoning from faulty premises which were no less characteristic of them. In vain, however, shall we in general look either for useful knowledge or sound argumentation. Alexander Hales was one of the great admirers and expositors of Aristotle, and together with his contemporaries Albertus Magnus, Duns Scotus, and Thomas Aquinas, gave the Aristotelian philosophy that pre-eminence which it enjoyed over all Europe, till Bacon, that great iconoclast, disputed its claims to the homage of mankind, and aimed the first deadly blow at the reputation of the scholastic philosophers and their master. Since that these laborious and learned writers have been rarely looked into; they lived only as the commentatators and expounders of Aristotle, or as the authors of works wholly constructed on his philosophy, and it was neither just nor probable that their fame should survive his. As a theologian, Alexander Hales, like his contemporaries, adopted that most pernicious custom of applying the Aristotelian philosophy, or rather the extravagant system which they wrought out of it, and of illustrating the sacred page by the flickering light of the lamp of the Stagirite. By this means every book of theology, not less than of philosophy, was soon crowded with verbal quibbles and metaphysical subtleties. The Commentaria in quatuor libros sententiarum,' published under the uame of Hales at Lyons in 1515, are ascribed by the best critics to another author. In addition to the works usually ascribed to him, it is supposed that many of his MSS. exist in the libraries of Milan, Oxford, and Lambeth. Requiescant in pace! Those who wish to know more of this 'irrefragable doctor,' may consult Dupin, Leland, and Cave. Matthew Paris. DIED A. D. 1259. ONE of the most faithful and best informed of the numerous English historians of the 13th century was Matthew Paris, an individual of whose personal history little is known. Fuller makes him a native of Cambridgeshire, but upon no better authority than the fact that there was an ancient family of his name in that county. The first circumstance of his life which we know with certainty is, that he assumed the habit in the abbey of St Albans in 1217. Here he continued to reside until the period of his death in 1259, having never obtained any higher office than that of historiographer to the brotherhood,' although he enjoyed the friendship and even familiarity of several crowned heads. By his own sovereign, Henry III., he was treated in a very kind and confidential manner, being often invited to his table and employed in different missions of importance. He even hints that the king condescended to lend him occasional assistance in the composition of his great work, although our author was certainly no sycophant or flatterer of princes, but, on the contrary, appears to have frequently admonished his sovereign with great boldness of speech. Indeed, no historian of his age has recorded the follies and vices as well as the virtues of the great with a more unsparing hand; and even though a monk himself, he has depicted the insatiable avarice, the intolerable tyranny, the luxury and perfidy of the court of Rome in the strongest colours. To this perfect integrity and fearlessness of character, he added no small share of genius and learning. "He was," says Pit, "an elegant poet, an eloquent orator, an acute logician, a subtle philosopher, a solid divine, a celebrated historian, and, which crowned the whole, a man justly famous for the purity, the integrity, the innocence and simplicity of his manners. Among the princes who honoured him with their confidence and correspondence was Haco, king of Norway, for whom he transacted some affairs of importance in London, and who having obtained a bull from Pope Innocent IV. authorizing him to adopt steps for the reformation of the manners of the ecclesiastics in his kingdom, fixed upon Paris as the best qualified person to aid him in the projected reformation. At Haco's invitation, our historian went to Norway in 1248, and spent about a year in that country in restoring monastic discipline to its primitive strictness and regularity. During his residence in Norway, he acted as ambassador for Louis IX. of France, whose friendship he had won by his learning and integrity. The theological works of Matthew Paris have perished, but his his- Hist. Angl. p. 494. M. Paris, 504. 6 torical labours have been more fortunate. The greatest and most valuable of these is his Historia Major,' which contains the history of England from the conquest to the 43d of Henry III. or 1259. In the early portion of this work, our historian stands much indebted to the labours of his predecessor in the office of historiographer to the abbey of St Albans, Roger de Wendover; and it was continued after his death to 1273 by his successor in the same office, William Rishanger. Of this work our author executed an abridgment under the title of 'Historia Minor,' which is still preserved in MS. The first part of Matthew of Westminster's 'Flowers of History,' extending from the creation of the world to the conquest of England, is said to have been little more than a transcript of an unpublished work of Matthew Paris. Our author likewise wrote the lives of the two Offas, kings of Mercia, and of the twenty-three first abbots of St Albans. His historical compositions have been several times printed, and will be always consulted with interest and profit by the student of early English history. They are, indeed, disfigured with many ridiculous legends, but such kind of credulity was the folly of the times rather than of the man. The best and most complete edition of his works was published at London in 1684. The first edition of the Historia Major' appeared in 1571. Roger Bacon. BORN A. D. 1214.-DIED A. D. 1292. THE celebrated Roger Bacon, a monk of the order of St Francis, was born at Ilchester in Somersetshire, in the year 1214. He is, perhaps, entitled to be considered as at least equal to any man of his age; and when we say this, we do not forget that Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus, Bonaventura, and Alexander Hales, flourished in the same century. That Roger Bacon was their match in general learning and powers of reasoning, will be readily admitted, while it must be granted that he far surpassed all of them in the knowledge of nature. This extraordinary man certainly gave strong practical indications that he was acquainted with the true way of studying the physical sciences,— with the secret of the experimental philosophy; though undoubtedly deficient in his method, and with a very imperfect conception of those vast and comprehensive general principles, which his great namesake FRANCIS BACON—a singular coincidence-showed to be applicable to all the sciences, and to constitute the only way in which man can become the interpreter of nature.' Thus Bacon deserves to be considered one of the greatest of the many forerunners of that auspicious era, which was to usher in a revival both of literature and religion, and to witness the most splendid discoveries in all departments of science; he was one of the many prophets, who amidst imperfect revelations and beclouded knowledge, gave promise to the world of the 'better dispensation.' It was not until many such had appeared, flashing one after another through the night of ages, and successively penetrating the thick darkness with a brighter and steadier ray, that at length the day Hist. et Antiq. Oxon. p. 136. |