"Survey of London," 1598; Speed's "Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain," 1606; and his "History of Great Britain," in 1614. Besides these appeared the "Memoirs of Rushworth." Thurloe's and Whitelock's were written, but did not appear till a later period. The commencement of the Long Parliament marked also a remarkable era that of the first English newspaper, under the name of "Diurnals," or daily records of parliamentary proceedings. The idea once started, newspapers rapidly spread, so that betwixt the commencement of the civil war and the restoration, nearly two hundred were published, but none more frequently than once a week for some time, nor afterwards oftenor than twice or three times a week. It was, moreover, an age of political tracts and pamphlets. In science the discovery of the circulation of the blood by Harvey, and of logarithms by Napier, were the great events of that department. On the whole, the intellectual development of the age was as great and marvellous as was its political advance. To no other modern nation can we point which in one and the same period has produced three such men as Shakespeare, Milton, and Bacon, amid a host of lesser, but scarcely less precious lights, at the same time that it was working out one of the most stupendous revolutions in human government, and the imperishable principles of it, that the world has seen. On reviewing this period, well might Wordsworth exclaim:—
Great men have been amongst us; hands that penned.
And tongues that uttered wisdom, better none;
The later Sydney, Marvel, Harrington,
Young Vane, and others who called Milton friend.
These moralists could act and comprehend;
They knew how genuine glory is put on;
Taught us how rightfully a nation shone
In splendour.
And well did he add:—
We must be free or die, who speak the tongue
That Shakespeare spoke; the faith and morals hold
That Milton hold. In everything we arc sprung
Of earth's best blood,—have titles manifold.
MUSIC.
Some of the eminent musical composers mentioned at the close of our review, still continued to embellish the reign of James. Amongst these were Ford, Ward, Weelkes, and Orlando Gibbons. The three first are distinguished for their madrigals, and Weelkes for ballads, which are unrivalled. Ward's "Die not, Fond Man," is still as popular as ever. Gibbons composed both madrigals and cathedral music. He was organist of the royal chapel, and was made Doctor of Music by the University of Oxford. The sacred music of Gibbons is enough of itself to exempt this country from the often advanced charge of being unmusical. In 1622, Dr. Heyther, a friend of Camden, the antiquary, established a professorship of music at Oxford. Charles I. was not only fond of music, but played himself with considerable skill on the viol da gamba. Dr. William Child, himself an excellent composer, was the organist of his chapel, and Lawes, the friend of Milton, who is referred to in his sonnets and in "Comus," was patronised by him. Lawes was greatly admired, and justly, by other poets, especially Herrick and Waller. Charles I., however, set a bad example, by encouraging foreign musicians instead of his own subjects. He made Laniere, an Italian, a man in real musical science far inferior to several Englishmen then living, "Master of our Music," and his example has only been too diligently followed by our princes and nobles ever since.
The rise of the commonwealth was the fall of music in England. The stern puritans, and especially the Scotch presbyterians, who dubbed an organ "a kistful o' whistles," denounced all music as profane, and drove organs and orchestras from the churches. Nothing was tolerated but a simple psalm tune. Cromwell, however, did not partake of this fanaticsm. He was fond of music, and frequently had musical entertainments at Whitehall and Hampton Court. The great organ which had been pulled out of Magdalen College, Oxford, he had carefully conveyed to Hampton Court, where it was one of his greatest solaces. Under Cromwell, the lovers of music brought out their concealed instruments, and there was once more not only domestic enjoyment of music, but open musical parties.
PAINTING, ENGRAVING, AND SCULPTURE.
If the civil war in England was auspicious to liberty, it was disastrous to art. From the time of Henry VIII. the British monarchs had shown a decided taste for the arts. Henry had munificently patronised Holbein, and had made various purchases of foreign chefs-d'œuvres. Prince Henry inherited the taste of his mother, instead of the coarse buffoonery of his father, and showed a strong attachment to men of genius and to works of genius. He began a collection of paintings, bronzes, and medals, which fell to his brother Charles. Charles was an enthusiast in art, and had he not possessed his fatal passion for despotism, would have introduced a new era in this country as regarded intellectual and artistic pursuits. The study of Italian models,, both in literature and art, by the nobility, made them prepared to embrace the tastes of the monarch; and England would soon have seen the fine arts flourishing to a degree which they had never enjoyed here before, and which would have prevented the Gothic ages that succeeded. During Charles's early rule the greatest artists of the continent flocked over to this country, and found a liberal reception here. Rubens, Vandyck, Jansen, Vansomer, and Mytens, Diepenbeck, Polemberg, Gentileschi, and others visited London, and Vandyck, the greatest of them all, remained here permanently. The works of Vandyck, in this country, are numerous, and if we, perhaps except his famous picture of "The Crucifixion" at Slechlin, we possess the best of his productions. At Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Blenheim, Wilton House, and Wentworth House, the bulk of his finest pictures are to be seen. His portraits of our princes and the chief nobility of the time are familiar to all English eyes, and place him only second to Titian in that department. At Wilton House alone there are twenty-five of Vandyck's paintings; the portrait of Philip, earl of Pembroke, with his family, is declared by Walpole to be itself a school of this master. His dramatic portrait of Stafford and his secretary, Mainwaring, at Wentworth House, Walpole asserts to be his masterpiece. Charles had proposed to him to paint the history of the order of the garter on the walls of the Banqueting House at Whitehall, but the sum he demanded, said to be eighty
