CHAPTER VIII.

ENTER DRAYTON AND DANIEL-MANY POETS—

SHAKESPEARE'S

Daniel.

SAMUEL DANIEL was born in Somersetshire-Fuller in his "Worthies" says, not far from Taunton—in 1562 or 1563. His father is said to have been John Daniel, Samuel a music-master. A brother of his, John Daniel, became well known as a musician. Samuel Daniel-only a year or two older than Shakespeare-was entered in his seventeenth year, in 1579, as a commoner at Magdalen Hall, Oxford. Three years afterwards he left the University without a degree, but well exercised in English history and poetry.

In 1585 Daniel published in London-dedicated to Sir Edward Dymock, the Queen's Champion, printed for Simon

Translation of Giovio's Imprese.

Waterson-a translation of Giovio's treatise on Emblems, "The Worthy Tract of Paulus Iouius, containing a Discourse of rare inventions both Military and Amorous, called Imprese. Whereunto is added a Preface contayning the Arte of composing them, with many other notable deuises. By Samuel Daniell, late student in Oxenforde." Paolo Giovio-born at Como in 1483 was a learned and witty physician, who was made by Clement VII. Bishop of Nocera in 1527. He died in 1552, leaving as his chief work Historiarum sui Temporis, ab anno 1494-1547, Lib. xxxxiv., in two folio volumes. He formed for himself a gallery of portraits of famous men of all

countries and ages, to which he attached descriptions. Some of these descriptions were published in six books, as an Elogia Doctorum Virorum. There had been a translation by P. Ashton, in 1546, of "A Short Treatise upon the Turkes Chronicles by Paulus Jovius," and a version in 1555, several times reprinted, of his "Historie of the legation or ambassade of greate Basilius Prince of Moscovia to Pope Clement vij," before young Daniel translated, from the Italian, Paolo Giovio's Ragionamento sopra i motti et disegni d'arme et d'amore che communemente chiamono Imprese. This way of beginning his work as a writer indicated, not only the interest taken by Daniel in Italian literature from the outset of his career, but also a young poet's part in the taste of the day for mottoes and emblems, which had grown rapidly since the publication in 1522, at Milan, of the Emblematum Libellus by the Italian jurisconsult, Andrea Alciati. Giovio's book was, indeed, the first set treatise on the subject.

Sonnets to
Delia.

Daniel's first encourager to verse was Philip Sidney's sister, Mary, Countess of Pembroke. Daniel was in Italyperhaps travelling with a pupil-in 1590 or 1591. In 1591 Thomas Nash prepared for Thomas Newman an edition of Sidney's "Astrophel and Stella," to which he added “sundrie other rare Sonnets of divers Noblemen and Gentlemen," the chief part of that addition being twenty-seven of the sonnets by Daniel that were published in the next year (1592) as "Delia. Contayning certayne Sonnets: with the complaint of Rosamond." A Latin motto on the title-page-Actas prima canat veneres postrema tumultus-indicates that Daniel had already planned or begun his poem on "The Civil Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and York."

Michael Drayton, who was of like age with Daniel, also began with a collection of love-sonnets-" Idea "—and went on to a poem on "The Lamentable Civil Wars of Edward

O-VOL. X.

Michael
Drayton.

"The Harmonie of the Church."

:

"The

the Second and the Barons," described shortly as Barons' Wars." Drayton was born in 1563, at Hartshill, in Warwickshire. He speaks of himself as nobly bred and well allied, says that he was in his youth a page-probably a page in the service of Sir Henry Goodere, of Polesworth, in Warwickshire, not far from Hartshill. To Sir Henry Goodere, Drayton says that he was indebted for "the most part" of his education. Drayton did not study at either of the Universities. His first book was "The Harmonie of the Church, Containing the Spirituall Songes and holy Hymnes of godly men, Patriarkes, and Prophetes all sweetly sounding to the praise and glory of the Highest. Now (newlie) reduced into sundrie kinds of English Meeter, meete to be read or sung for the solace and comfort of the godly. By M. D.” This was dedicated on the tenth of February, 1590 (1591), to Lady Jane Devereux, of Merivale, whose bountiful hospitality to him Drayton records. The contents of the book were: The Most Notable Song of Moses, which he made a little before his death; the Song of the Israelites for their deliverance out of Egypt; the Most Excellent Song of Solomon, Containing Eight Chapters; the Song of Anna; the Prayer of Jonah; the Prayer of Jeremiah; the Song of Deborah and Barak; a Song of the Faithful for the Mercies of God; another Song of the Faithful; a Song of Thanks to God; another Song of the Faithful. Added to these eleven were three more songs and prayers out of the books of Apocrypha. The three Songs of the Faithful were from the twelfth and sixteenth chapters of Isaiah and the third chapter of Habakkuk. For some orthodox fancy of his own, Archbishop Whitgift caused all copies of this book to be destroyed, except forty that were to be kept in the archbishop's library at Lambeth.

In 1592 Daniel published his sonnets to "Delia," with

Daniel's "Delia " and Drayton's "Idea."

a love poem founded upon history: "The Complaint of Rosamond." In 1593 Drayton published his sonnets to "Idea," followed, in 1594, by a love poem founded upon history: "Matilda," with "Idea's Mirrour, Amours in Quatorzains." One of Daniel's sonnets associates "Delia" with a river by which she dwelt--the Avon. One of Drayton's sonnets associates "Idea" with a streamlet by which she dwelt-the Anker, which flows by Hartshill, Drayton's birthplace, to enter the Tame at Tamworth. There was some lady, no doubt, to whom each set of sonnets was addressed in the usual way of compliment; a way that did not of old commonly imply any real suit for love or marriage, although, of course, it might now and then follow the course of a real courtship, as in the sonnets of Spenser.* Daniel married at some time in his life, and was childless. Drayton did not marry. "Delia " and "Idea" were but themes for one kind of love poetry, as "Matilda" and "Fair Rosamond" for another. In the sonnets to "Idea," Drayton writes with a fresh vigour of his own--sometimes even a rough vigour— and a manliness that gives no place to any unreasoning love-sickness. Daniel, with abundant grace, conforms more closely to the soft Italian conventions. It is to be noted that these fourteen-lined pieces-which in Daniel are often shaped into a series by framing from the last line of one the first line of its successor—are not true sonnets in the structure of their verse. Each of them has three quatrains of alternate rhyme, in which every writing. pair of rhymes is quite independent of the

Sonnet

others, and one couplet to close and complete the quatorzaine. The form used by Drayton and Daniel was the form used by Spenser and others, and by Shakespeare, who about this time began writing occasional sonnets. Shakespeare's sonnets were not published until 1609, and when "E. W." ix. 372.

we come to that year we shall consider them. But unprinted sonnets of Shakespeare were known in 1598, and referred to by Meres as his "sugred sonnets among his private friends."

Henry Constable's "Diana "

Henry Constable published, in 1592, twenty-three sonnets under the title of "Diana; or the Praises of his Mistres in Certaine Sweete Sonnets": five were added to the next edition in 1594. Other occasional verses and his "Spiritual Sonnets" bear witness to his ingenuity and sense of music. Henry Constable was born about 1555, of a good Roman Catholic family. He graduated B.A. of St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1579, and falling, as a Roman Catholic, under suspicion of treasonable correspondence with France, left England in 1595. In 1601 or 1602 he ventured to return, but was discovered and committed to the Tower. There he was at the end of Elizabeth's reign, for he was not released until the close of 1604. He was dead in 1616. Henry Constable was esteemed by the foremost poets of his time. Ben Jonson wrote, with reference to the series of sonnets published under the title of "Diana "

"Hath Constable's ambrosiac muse
Made Dian not his notes refuse?"

It is to be observed that while Spenser's and Shakespeare's sonnets, Daniel's, Drayton's, and many more, are fourteenlined poems consisting of three quatrains and a couplet, and each of Watson's sonnets was in three six-lined stanzas of common verse, Constable's are true sonnets in their construction. In some of them he even avoids the pairing of rhyme in the two last lines, and so follows the best Italian model.

To Thomas Watson's verse, attention has already been given.* He died in 1592. Another book of sonnets was

* "E. W." ix. 162-164.