-a romantic spot, situated in a plain surrounded by mountains, and watered by the Mulla. Here he was visited by Sir Walter Raleigh, to whom he showed a portion of his poem, The Faery Queen, on which he had been long working. His interview with Raleigh he thus describes,-speaking of himself and his brother poet as two shepherds, who amuse themselves by playing on their pipes:

"One day," quoth he, "I sate (as was my trade)
Under the foot of Mole, that mountain hoar,
Keeping my sheep amongst the coolly shade
Of the green alders by the Mulla's shore;
There a strange shepherd chanced to find me out,
Whether allured with my pipe's delight,
Whose pleasing sound yshrilled far about,

Or thither led by chance, I know not right;
Whom when I asked from what place he came,
And how he hight, himself he did ycleepe
The shepherd of the ocean by name,

And said he came far from the main-sea deep."

Raleigh was charmed with the poem, and induced Spenser to return to London with him, so that he might present him and his poem to the queen. Accordingly, he returned to England 1389, and in the following year the first three books of The Faery Queen were published. It was received on all hands with wonder and admiration, and Elizabeth bestowed upon the poet a pension of £50 ayear. Spenser returned to Ireland in the spring of 1591, and immediately commenced the composition of the poem called Colin Clout's Come Home Again, from which the above extract is taken. In this poem the poet describes his meeting with Raleigh, his voyage to England, the reception he met with at Court, the distinguished persons whom he met there, and his return to Ireland again. Besides being full of beautiful poetry, the work is interesting on account of its bearing upon Spenser's own history. This poem was published in 1594; and in the same year the poet married, but as to what family the lady belonged nothing is known.

Spenser again visited England in 1596, bringing with

him the fourth, fifth, and sixth books of The Faery Queen. It was originally intended that the poem should extend to twelve books, each containing twelve cantos. Only six, however, were completed, but two additional cantos were published after the author's death. As it is, the poem is one of the longest in existence, and contains about thirty-five thousand lines. Each of the six books, however, is a complete poem in itself, the only connection between them being the occasional appearance of King Arthur. This prince is in love with Gloriana, the "Faery Queen," who is an emblem of virtuous renown, and is also designed to represent Queen Elizabeth. The finest of all the books is the first, which contains the Legend of the Red Cross Knight, who is the type of Holiness. He is the appointed champion of Una, the representative of Truth, and in her service he performs many deeds of valour. For a time, however, he is separated from her by the allurements of the beautiful witch Duessa, or Falsehood; but he at length escapes from her enchantments, slays the dragon, which is Una's enemy, and is betrothed to the lady. In the story of Una is shadowed out the history of the English Church, Duessa being designed to represent the Church of Rome. In each of the other five books, the central figure is a knight who is the emblem of some abstract virtue'; as temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy; and the poet sometimes introduces a secondary and subordinate signification. Thus the fifth book, which contains the legend of Sir Artegal, not only illustrates the principle of justice, but is intended to celebrate the government of Lord Grey, in Ireland.

Spenser is supposed to have returned to Ireland some time in 1597. The last authentic notice of him that has been discovered is a letter from the queen to the Irish government, dated 30th Sept. 1598, recommending him for the office of sheriff of the county of Cork. In the month following, Tyrone's rebellion broke out, and Kilcolman was attacked by a band of rebels who sacked and burnt the house. Spenser and his wife escaped, but their new

born babe was consumed in the flames. Broken in spirit, and utterly destitute, he reached London, but died shortly afterwards. Ben Jonson tells us that "he died for lack of bread in King Street, and refused twenty pieces sent to him by my lord of Essex, and said he was sorry he had no time to spend them." At his own desire he was buried in Westminster Abbey, by the side of Chaucer. A monument was erected over his remains thirty years afterwards, by Anne, Countess of Dorset.

Spenser wrote several other poems besides those that have been mentioned, and was also the author of a prose work, entitled, A View on the State of Ireland, which is said to display considerable knowledge of the country, and to contain sound statesman-like opinions.

Spenser is one of our greatest English poets, and ranks with Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. His principal work, The Faery Queen, is, as the name implies, an allegorical poem; but in reading it we forget the sym bolism, and are carried away by the vivid pictures which it contains. In no other poet is the imagination so profuse. We are conducted through wild forests, solitary glades, and beautiful gardens; and we meet with dark caves, fabulous monsters, and enchanted castles. Scenes of heroic daring and ideal purity are also brought before us, and the whole is couched in language remarkable for its sweetness, and musical rhythm. The stanza employed by Spenser, and which now bears his name, is the Italian ottava rima; but he added an Alexandrine, or long line, which breaks the monotony, and gives it a pleasing finish. It is sometimes urged against him that he disfigures his language by the introduction of obsolete words and phrases; but though this may be true to a certain extent in some of his minor poems, the objection scarcely holds with respect to The Faery Queen. The antique phraseology seems quite suitable to the subject of the poem, and, as the poet Campbell has remarked, "like the moss and ivy on some majestic building, covers the fabric of his language with romantic and venerable associations."

RICHARD HOOKER.-1553-1600.

ONE of the most distinguished prose writers in the time of Queen Elizabeth was Richard Hooker, an able and learned theologian, who was born at Exeter about the year 1553. His parents, though respectable, were poor, and he was indebted for his earlier education to the kindness of his uncle, who also brought him under the notice of Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury. That prelate was so pleased with his character and attainments, that he sent him to Oxford and contributed to his support. At the university he studied with ardour and success; in 1577, he became a fellow of his college, and two years later was appointed Hebrew lecturer to the university.

After three years residence as fellow he took orders, and soon was appointed to preach at St. Paul's Cross, London. It was the custom at this time for the preacher who came up from the country to stay at a certain house, where board and lodging were provided for two days before the sermon and one day after. Hooker reached the "Shunammite's house," as it was called, wet and weary with his journey from Oxford. He received much kindness and attention from his hostess, and was so grateful to her that he readily listened to all she had to say: "So the good man came to be persuaded by her that he was a man of a tender constitution; and that it was best for him to have a wife, that might prove a nurse to him— such an one as might both prolong his life, and make it more comfortable; and such a one she could and would provide for him, if he thought fit to marry." Hooker commissioned her to select a wife for him, and she provided her own daughter. He married her according to his promise, but he does not seem to have enjoyed much domestic comfort.

His fellowship of course ceased with his marriage; but he was presented to the rectory of Drayton Beauchamp, in Buckinghamshire. Here he was visited by two of his old pupils, Edward Sandys, son of the Bishop of London, and

George Cranmer, nephew of the archbishop. He was found, not in his study but tending a few sheep in a common field, with a copy of Horace in his hand, which he told his friends he was obliged to do as his servant was gone home to dine and assist his wife in some necessary household matters. The servant at longth relieved him of his charge, and, on their returning to the house with him, their quiet conversation was interrupted by a shrill voice calling for Richard to "come and rock the cradle." The visitors were glad to depart on the following morning; and in taking their leave, Cranmer expressed his regret at the smallness of his old tutor's income, and the uncomfortable nature of his domestic affairs. "6 "My dear George," replied Hooker, "if saints have usually a double share in the miseries of this life, I, that am none, ought not to repine at what my wise Creator hath appointed for me, but labour (as indeed I do daily) to submit mine to His will, and possess my soul in patience and peace."

Sandys, on his return to London, made an urgent appeal to his father on Hooker's behalf, the result of which was his appointment, in 1584, to the office of Master of the Temple. He accordingly removed to London and commenced his duties as forenoon lecturer. It so happened that the afternoon lecturer was a Mr. Travers, a man of great eloquence and learning, but whose theological opinions were very different from those of Hooker. The consequence of this was that the sermons of the morning and afternoon differed very much in character, and, indeed, in some instances the orators avowedly preached in opposition to each other. At length Archbishop Whitgift interfered, and Travers was suspended from preaching. A printed controversy now ensued, but this was so contrary to Hooker's wishes and disposition that he begged the archbishop to allow him again to return to the country. In a letter addressed to the primate, he says: "My lord, when I lost the freedom of my cell, which was my college; yet, I found some degree of it in my quiet country parsonage; but I am weary of the noise and oppositions of this place; and, indeed, God and nature