THE LESS KNOWN ENGLISH POETS. 15 



That trust is none, as ye may sene, 

 In nothing;, nor no stedfastnes, 

 Except in women, thus I mene ; 

 Yet aye, beware of doublenes. 



The crokid mone, this is no tale, 

 Somewhile ishene, and bright of hewe, 

 And after that ful derke and pale 

 And every monith chaungith newe ; 

 And who the veray sothe knew 

 AH thinge is bilt on brotlenes, 

 Save that women alwaye be trewe ; 

 Yet aye beware of doublenes." 



And so on, for many more verses, he carries on his cautionary com- 

 pliments, in a style of gallantry, as just as it is beautiful, ending by 

 a I' envoy e, with 



" O ye women ! whiche ben enclined 

 By influence of your nature, 

 To ben as pure as gold yfined, 

 And in your trouth for to endure, 

 Arrnith yourself in strong armure, 

 Lest men assaile your sikirnes, 

 Set on your brest, yourself to 'assure, 

 A mighty shield of doublenes." 



But to our more immediate purpose. Chaucer lifted himself so 

 high above his contemporaries, and made so long a stride forward in 

 our language, that, for the space of a century and a half, he remained 

 almost alone, as a national poet. Langland, Gower, Lydgate, 

 Skelton, and other writers, showed, indeed, that the " spirit of 

 song" was not dead ; but they produced little worthy of record : nor 

 was it till the middle of the reign of the eighth Henry that any 

 notable advance was made in poetry amongst ourselves. Then 

 arose the " twin stars" of love and poesy, Surrey and Wyat, realising 

 our most exalted ideas of chivalry and romance. To the noble and 

 gallant Surrey more especially belongs the merit of being the first 

 classical poet in our language. It is difficult to say why he is now 

 so little known, as he has hardly been rivalled in the pathos and 

 simplicity of his love-verses. They are a thousand times superior to 

 the mawkish sentimentality and puling tenderness of the major part 

 of later amatory poets. They are full of nature and simplicity, and 

 free from the metaphysical caste of Petrarch and other Italian poets, 

 who are supposed to have been his models, a caste which ruined the 

 writings of Cowley and many of his immediate followers. Surrey 

 offers to our contemplation one of the noblest specimens of our race, 

 and even his heroic vanities lend a charm to the higher attributes of 

 his character. As a scholar, a poet, a warrior, a statesman, and a 

 lover, he stood forth the most accomplished gentleman of his age ; 

 and as his verse reflects his character, it is natural that it should be 

 full of noble sentiments, and generous devotion to that sex, the great 

 ornament of which, " the fair Geraldine," was so long the idol of his 



