tion of an imaginary island, supposed to have been discovered by Portuguese navigators, where the people enjoy all the blessings of social happiness and civil liberty. There was neither laziness nor avarice among the people; all were employed in useful labour, and all were contented with the necessaries of life without desiring ornament or luxury. Such a state of society is of course impossible so long as human nature remains what it is, and hence the word Utopian came to be applied to every scheme of national improvement which is founded on mere theory; or, more generally, to any proposal which, although desirable, is impracticable. Several of More's opinions, however, were by no means Utopian in the present sense of the word: they were in advance of the age in which he lived, but have been adopted in modern times. Thus he taught that the proper remedy for crime was popular education; and that no man should be punished for his religious belief. More was very fond of domestic life, and his letters to the various members of his family afford some of the best specimens of his style as an English writer.

The following extract is from a letter to his children

"Hereafter I expect every day letters from every one of you: neither will I accept of such excuses as you complain of; that you have no leisure, or that the carrier went away suddenly, or that you have no matter to write: John is not wont to allege any such thing. Nothing can hinder you from writing; but many things may exhort you thereto. Why should you lay any fault upon the carrier, seeing you may prevent [foresee] his coming, and have them ready made up and sealed two days before any offer themselves to carry them? And how can you want matter of writing unto me, who am delighted to hear either of your studies or of your play; whom you may even then please exceedingly, when, having nothing to write of, you write as largely as you can of that nothing, than which nothing is more easy for you to do. But this I admonish you to do; that, whether you write of serious matters or trifles, you write with diligence and consideration, premeditating of it before. Neither will it be amiss, if you first indite it in English; for then it may more easily be translated into Latin, whilst the mind, free from inventing, is attentive to find apt and eloquent words. And, although I put this to your choice, whether you will do so or no, yet I

enjoin you, by all means, that you diligently examine what you have written before you write it over again; first considering attentively the whole sentence, and after examine every part thereof; by which means you may easily find out if any solecisms have escaped you; which being put out, and your letter written fair, yet then let it not also trouble you to examine it over again; for sometimes the same faults creep in at the second writing, which you before had blotted out. By this, your diligence, you will procure, that these, your trifles, will seem serious matters. For as nothing is so pleasing but may be made unsavoury by prating garrulity, so nothing is by nature so unpleasant, that by industry may not be made full of grace and pleasantness."

ROGER ASCHAM.-1515-1568.

ROGER ASCHAM, like Sir Thomas More, is distinguished by the purity of his style in writing English prose. He was among the first to reject the use of foreign words and idioms, which became so prevalent in the reign of Henry VIII.

Ascham was born at Kirbywiske, near Northallerton, in Yorkshire, in 1515; his father was house steward in the noble family of Scroop. From his childhood he displayed a taste for learning, and he was received into the family of Sir Anthony Wingfield and educated along with his own sons. In 1513, he was sent, at his patron's expense, to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself by the attention which he paid to the study of Greek, and by his adherence to the principles of the Reformation. The Greek language had hitherto received little attention in England, or indeed in Europe generally; but a great impulse was given to its study after the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, by the dispersion of learned Greeks throughout Europe. Ascham in due time became fellow of his college, and afterwards public orator of the university; and the letters which he wrote in his official capacity are remarkable not only for their style but for their beautiful penmanship.

In 1544, Ascham published his Toxophilus, a treatise

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on archery. Notwithstanding the discovery of gunpowder and the introduction of fire-arms, the bow was still the main weapon of the English soldier; and Ascham recommends its use, not only on account of its military importance, but also as being one of the best and healthiest of out-door amusements. It is said that Ascham published his treatise with a twofold purpose: to exhibit a specimen of pure English prose, and to attract the notice of the king. He succeeded in his design; the king granted him a pension of £10 a-year, and he became tutor to the Princess Elizabeth.

In 1550, Ascham visited Germany in attendance on the ambassador at the court of Charles V. Here he remained for three or four years, and during his residence he wrote a Report on the State of Germany. During his absence abroad, his friends not only procured the continuance of his pension, which had ceased with the death of Henry VIII., but obtained for him the post of Latin secretary to the Court. The death of Edward VI. led to the recall of the ambassador with whom Ascham returned to England. By this event he also lost both his pension and preferment, and he retired to his college almost in despair. Sir William Paget, however, whose recommendation of Toxophilus had procured the pension from Henry VIII., now exerted his influence with Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, who thenceforth, in spite of Ascham's strong Protestant principles, became his steady patron. Ascham's book was brought by the bishop before Queen Mary's council, and was considered so useful a work that the objections to the author's advancement were removed. His pension was restored, and he was reappointed Latin secretary to the Court.

On the accession of Elizabeth, Ascham was continued in office and was also appointed tutor to the queen in the learned languages. During the rest of his life he was a constant resident at Court. He spent some hours every day in reading Latin and Greek with his royal pupil; and often enjoyed the honour of being her partner or opponent in games of chance.

In 1563, Ascham wrote his most celebrated work, The Schoolmaster, though the book was not printed until after his death. In that year the Court had fled to Windsor to escape the plague which was then raging in London. Dining one day with Cecil, the secretary of state, Ascham was told that some of the Eton boys had run away from school through fear of punishment. This led to a discussion on discipline and the comparative efficiency of love and fear as a means of maintaining it. The treasurer, Sir Richard Sackville, was much interested in the discussion, and especially with the opinions enunciated by Ascham, who was in favour of kindness; and at his suggestion Ascham undertook to write the book. It consists of two parts; the first, on "Teaching the Bringing up of Youth;" the second, on "Teaching the Ready Way to the Latin Tongue." The whole work is both interesting and suggestive, and his method of teaching Latin is almost identical with that which is now adopted in our schools with so much success. He showed the necessity of teaching the rules of grammar by means of numerous exercises; and for more advanced pupils, he urged the importance, not only of making translations, on paper, of the particular author studied, but also of afterwards making a retranslation of the passages into Latin and comparing them with the original.

Ascham was never very strong, and was seldom able to study in the afternoon or evening. Towards the close of 1568, however, he imprudently resumed his night study in order to complete a poem which he intended to present to the queen on New Year's Day. This brought on an attack of ague, so severe as to cause his death after only a week's illness (Dec. 30, 1568). The news of his decease caused universal regret, and Elizabeth declared that "she would rather have ten thousand pounds cast into the sea than have lost her tutor Ascham."

EDMUND SPENSER.-1552-1599.

EDMUND SPENSER was born in London, which we have seen was the birthplace of More, and probably also of Chaucer. At the age of sixteen or seventeen he entered Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, where he remained seven years. He does not appear to have distinguished himself at the university, but he formed a friendship with Gabriel Harvey, a fellow of his own hall, and one of the most learned men of his time. On leaving Cambridge, he appears to have spent two years in the north of England, probably in Lancashire, as the poet is supposed to have belonged to the Spensers of Hurstwood, near Burnley. While in the north, he formed an acquaintance with the lady whom he celebrates under the name of "Rosalind ;" and there also he wrote his Shepherd's Calendar, or at least a portion of it.

By the advice of Harvey he returned to London, and his friend introduced him to Sir Philip Sidney, who was about his own age. The Shepherd's Calendar was now published and gained much popularity; and the poet was introduced by Sidney to his uncle, the Earl of Leicester. In 1580, Spenser was appointed, through the interest of Leicester, secretary to Lord Grey of Wilton, who was going to Ireland as lord-deputy. Lord Grey returned to London in 1582, and it is probable, though not certain, that Spenser returned with him. If so, he only remained in England for a short time, as he had several appointments in Ireland which required his presence. In 1586, Spenser obtained from the crown a grant of three thousand acres of land in the county of Cork, being part of the forfeited estate of the Earl of Desmond. The grant is dated the 27th of June, and it is supposed that he was indebted for it to the influence of his friend Sir Philip Sidney. If so, it would be almost his last act of friendship, for Sidney died in October, the same year, from the wounds which he received at Zutphen. Spenser now took up his abode at Kilcolman Castle