THE EARL OF SURREY, SIR THOMAS WYAT, 

 AND SIR JOHN DAVIES; 



BEING No. I. OF 

 CRITICAL NOTICES OF THE LESS KNOWN ENGLISH POETS. 



WE do not know of any portion of our literature, which requires 

 developement more than that appertaining to our earlier poets. 

 Johnson's ' Lives' are splendida vitia; and although they are, perhaps, 

 about the noblest monument of his genius, they are not biographical 

 or critical notices to satisfy the poet or the scholar. He went back 

 no farther than Cowley, and his list, even as far as it comes down, is 

 incomplete. It is true that he cannot, perhaps, be fairly charged 

 with the very imperfect nature of the materials forming his Lives of 

 the Poets, as the names were furnished him by the publishers ; but 

 it is much to be regretted that the omissions have not yet been com- 

 pletely filled up. Johnson's Lives comprise fifty-three authors only, 

 whilst we are satisfied that not less than two hundred writers 

 deserve a place in a complete edition of our English poets. 



Chaucer, Spenser, Shakspeare, Milton, Dryden, and Pope, as the 

 chief priests of song, have been abundantly 'annotated and com- 

 mented upon ; arid yet we think that Chaucer has not yet had full 

 justice done to him. It is wonderful to observe with what ease and 

 sportiveness he plays with his cumbrous language, and how his 

 native simplicity and dignity shine out through his quaint and 

 sometimes repulsive dress. His great work, " The Canterbury 

 Tales," have had done for them all that the wit of man can, 

 perhaps, do ; but his minor poems still want a critic. What can 

 exceed the ease, the playfulness, the copious illustration, and graphic 

 skill of his " Balade in the praise, or rather dispreise, of Women for 

 their doubleness?" 



" This world is full of variaunce 

 In every thinge who takith hede, 

 That faithe and truste, and all constaunce, 

 Exilid bene this is no drede ; 

 And save only in woman lied, 

 I can yse no sikirnes : 

 But for all that yet as I rede, 

 Beware alwaye of doubleues. 



Also that the freshe somir floures, 

 The white and red, and blewe and grene, 

 Ben sodenly with winter shours 

 Made fente and fade, withoutin wene ; 



