f bald
Rymers, and also of the very best of them too; and for prescribing
certain laws and rules of quantities of English syllables for English
verse." Spenser "is more in love with his English versifying than with
ryming,"--"which," he says to Harvey, "I should have done long since, if
I would then have followed your counsel." Harvey, of course, is
delighted; he thanks the good angel which puts it into the heads of
Sidney and Edward Dyer, "the two very diamonds of her Majesty's court,"
"our very Castor and Pollux," to "help forward our new famous enterprise
for the exchanging of barbarous rymes for artificial verses;" and the
whole subject is discussed at great length between the two friends; "Mr.
Drant's" rules are compared with those of "Mr. Sidney," revised by "Mr.
Immerito;" and examples, highly illustrative of the character of the
"famous enterprise" are copiously given. In one of Harvey's letters we
have a curious account of changes of fashion in studies and ideas at
Cambridge. They seem to have changed since Spenser's time.

I beseech you all this while, what news at _Cambridge_?
_Tully_ and _Demosthenes_ nothing so much studied as they were
wont: _Livy_ and _Sallust_ perhaps more, rather than less:
_Lucian_ never so much: _Aristotle_ much named but little
read: _Xenophon_ and _Plato_ reckoned amongst discoursers, and
conceited superficial fellows; much verbal and sophistical
jangling; little subtle and effectual disputing. _Machiavel_ a
great man: _Castilio_, of no small repute: _Petrarch_ and
_Boccace_ in every man's mouth: _Galateo_ and _Guazzo_ never
so happy: but some acquainted with _Unico Aretino_: the
_French_ and _Italian_ highly regarded: the _Latin_ and
_Greek_ but lightly. The _Queen Mother_ at the beginning or
end of every conference: all inquisitive after news: new
_books_, new fashions, new laws, new officers, and some after
new elements, some after new heavens and hells too. _Turkish_
affairs familiarly known: castles built in the air: much ado,
and little help: in no age so little so much made of; every
one highly in his own favour. Something made of nothing, in
spight of Nature: numbers made of cyphers, in spight of Art.
Oxen and asses, notwithstanding the absurdity it seemed to
_Plautus_, drawing in the same yoke: the Gospel taught, not
learnt; Charity cold; nothing good, but by imput