Masques, as will be seen by this, are not very interesting to read. They must, however, have been delightful The best architects and musicians of the to hear and see. day contributed and no expense was spared. An important feature of these masques was the elaboration of scenery. Inigo Jones even invented sliding scenes, such as are used today. Mechanical devices, designed for masques, gradually made their way, especially after the Restoration, into the regular theater. Milton's Comus is far more serious and moral than most masques. It contains long speeches in blank verse and may have bored courtiers who came to be amused. Possibly it is a poor masque, but it is a great poem. II. LATER POETRY, UNDER THE literature of the court of Charles is the literature of without The Court of men moral convic CHARLES THE FIRST A "Cavalier" King. Observe the long hair, the rich clothing, the general air of aristocratic refinement. tions. The few who had these lacked that sympathy with the world about them that is necessary to creative work. As in the court of Louis XVI, just before the French Revo lution, there was an idle dismissing of serious questions. The man who took things too seriously was in danger of being suspected of Puritanism. A few poets won fame, — John Donne, George Herbert, and Henry Vaughan. Herbert and Vaughan wrote reli gious poems of great beauty, marred, however Donne, Vaughan by "conceits" and fantastic similes. Donne's Herbert, The following passage Be thou thine own home, and in thyself dwell; Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail. The type of ingenious "conceit" that disfigures the work of this period is well illustrated by one extract from a minor poet. I saw fair Cloris walk alone Where feathered rain came softly down, To court her in a silver shower; Like little birds into their nest, And overcome with whiteness there For grief it thawed into a tear, Thence falling on her garment's hem "Conceits" Another group is of poets of a lighter sort, typical Cavaliers, of whom we cannot approve, yet whom we cannot help liking. We feel towards them as we do towards Falstaff, towards Rip Van Winkle, or towards Tam O'Shanter. We like them because of their joy. Herrick The chief of this group is Robert Herrick, worldly, idle, clever, gay, and a clergyman of the church of England. He had a country parish in the West. In the pulpit he preached (at least let us hope so) Christian virtues, and in his verse he pleasantly encouraged young and old to get along happily Some of the best of his poems are included in the Golden Treasury and similar collections. one poem on page 200 of this book. See the quotation from His highest charm lies in such stanzas as those quoted. He spent most of his life in country surroundings and mixes almost childish simplicity with a disgusting vulgarity and a pagan view of life. Lovelace, Suckling, and Carew, however, were courtly poets in fact as well as in spirit. They wrote as they Other Cava- lived, gracefully. What could better give lier Poets the spirit of the perfect Cavalier than the following by Lovelace: Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind Of thy chaste breaste and quiet mind Yet this inconstancy is such. As you too should adore; I could not love thee, Dear, so much, Loved I not Honor more. QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW I. Compare Bacon's personality to Shakspere's, reading selections from each. Try to see the difference between the two. What did Bacon accomplish in science and philosophy? What is the merit of his essays in thought and substance? Who was Machiavelli, and why does one think of him in connection with these essays? Mention several facts about Raleigh that make him one of the most broadly representative men of his age. In what is Browne's prose style unusual? quoted, look up others if possible. use of poetically suggestive words. Read aloud the selection Observe the rhythm and Explain the statement that the King James translation was made "at just the right time." What advantage over earlier times? over later? What effect had this translation (a) in inspiring thought and style? (b) in fixing the language in permanent form? II. In what respects did a masque differ from a play? What was the origin of the masque? What effect had it upon Shakspere's plays? Who was a distinguished writer of masques? Explain how the masque developed the scenery for the modern stage. What is meant by "conceits"? Illustrate by reference to the poetry of Donne. For what qualities is Herrick still read? What serious faults in his work? In what respects are Lovelace, Suckling, etc., characteristic of the Cavalier court? What connection between the faults of this age and the beginnings of Puritanism? CHAPTER X PURITANISM THE Elizabethan age carried within it seeds of decay. By the time of Charles the downfall had begun. As the inspiration of the great Elizabethans passes, one sees the "conceits," the "humors," the euphuistic decorations that charmed us in Shakspere, revealed in all their emptiness. Besides this decline in artistic taste, the pagan element, the low moral standard (page 200) only too clearly shown in Shakspere's contemporaries, now, in his successors, came openly to the front. No wonder that the Puritans, in disgust with the excesses of the followers of art and culture, forsook art and culture for simple life and godly aims. Decline in Puritanism Puritanism is associated in history with certain leaders and organizations. Here it is enough to see Puritanism as a tendency, a Christian reaction against paganism, and a moral reaction against license. Incidentally it was a rebellion of informal religion against formal, a rebellion of popular government against the Divine Right of Kings. Without it, England would have sunk into artistic immorality and sensual pleasure. It need not, on its moral side, have been against the Church of England or against Catholicism. Had all been of one |