53 
but three legacies to leave :—Melancholy without measure to his 
friends, beggary without shame to his family, and to his creditors 
patience. The Queen received his compliments gracefully, but 
she was not gracious enough to complement the matter by a 
payment in coin or place. Although his petitions received no 
answer, Lyly’s loyalty never abated. He died in 1606, aged 52. 
He wrote several dramatic pieces in which the euphuistic style 
is clearly discernible. In these works we meet with words which 
come to us with a familiar ring. The word ‘ bosse”’ is applied 
to a well set woman. ‘Old huddles” he uses as a term of 
contempt for sordid age. ‘‘ What mad cattell you women be,” 
says one of his characters. ‘‘ Huddle” signities an embrace. 
* Quandary’ and ‘“ wrastling’’ occur several times. A youth 
who had lost his character is a “ lorrel lad; an idle, skulking 
fellow is styled a ‘“‘micher.” In one play he says ‘strangers 
have green rushes where daily guests are not a worth a rush.” 
Lyly’s books afford many glimpses of the history and customs of 
the people. Tobacco is spoken of (in words adopted long years 
afterwards by Chas. Kingsley) as ‘‘the most sovereign and 
precious weed that ever the earth tendered to the use of man.” 
The wearing of false hair, after being discarded during the dark 
ages, had come into vogue again. In Lyly’s play ‘“ Midas,” a 
servant speaking of her mistress’s tresses says, ‘‘ I mean the hair 
that she must wear to-day.’’ We find that it was fashionable to 
dye the hair yellow out of compliment to the natural colour of 
the hair of the Queen. Human nature is the same in every age. 
In Lyly'’s “ Paterfamilias,” Bombre says, ‘‘ What we (fathers) 
get together with a rake, the sons cast abroad with a fork, and 
we must wear our legs to purchase our children arms.” 
After Lyly, the most distinctly euphuistic author was Robert 
Greene. He had a genius as a story-teller. From his 
** Pandosto,” Shakespeare is said to have derived his ‘‘ Winter’s 
Tale.’’ Greene stands forward in defence of the poets of his 
own country against those who were always sounding the praises 
of the Italian writers : ‘“‘ Should the challenge of deep conceit be 
intended by any foreigner to bring our English wits to the 
touchstone of art, I would prefer divine Master Spenser, the 
miracle of wit, to bandy line for line for my life in the honour of 
England against Spain, France, Italy, and all the world.” 
When this eulogy was penned, the fame of Spenser depended on 
that ‘‘ Shepherd’s Calendar,” a part of which we believe to have 
been written at Hurstwood. Spenser seldom indulged in the 
fashion of writing of his time. Occasionally, however, we meet 
with an euphuistic line: ‘“‘ With mourning pyne I, You with 
pining mourne.” Again— 
‘** The Sovereign of Seas he blames in vaine, 
That once sea-beate, will to sea again.” 
