n Queenes _Maries_ time florished
aboue any other Doctour _Phaer_ one that was well learned & excellently
well translated into English verse Heroicall certaine bookes of _Virgils
Aeneidos_. Since him followed Maister _Arthure Golding_, who with no lesse
commendation turned into English meetre the Metamorphosis of _Ouide_, and
that other Doctour, who made the supplement to those bookes of _Virgils
Aeneidos_, which Maister _Phaer_ left vndone. And in her Maiesties time
that now is are sprong vp an other crew of Courtly makers Noble men and
Gentlemen of her Maiesties owne seruauntes, who haue written excellently
well as it would appeare if their doings could be found out and made
publicke with the rest, of which number is first that noble Gentleman
_Edward_ Earle of Oxford, _Thomas_ Lord of Bukhurst, when he was young,
_Henry_ Lord Paget, Sir _Philip Sydney_, Sir _Walter Rawleigh_, Master
_Edward Dyar_, Maister _Fulke Greuell_, _Gascon_, _Britton_, _Turberuille_
and a great many other learned Gentlemen, whose names I do not omit for
enuie, but to auoyde tediousnesse, and who haue deserued no little
commendation. But of them all particularly this is myne opinion, that
_Chaucer_, with _Gower, Lidgat_ and _Harding_ for their antiquitie ought
to haue the first place, and _Chaucer_ as the most renowmed of them all,
for the much learning appeareth to be in him aboue any of the rest. And
though many of his bookes be but bare translations out of the Latin &
French, yet are they wel handled, as his bookes of _Troilus_ and
_Cresseid_, and the Romant of the Rose, whereof he translated but one
halfe, the deuice was _Iohn de Mehunes_ a French Poet, the Canterbury
tales were _Chaucers_ owne inuention as I suppose, and where he sheweth
more the naturall of his pleasant wit, then in any other of his workes,
his similitudes comparisons and all other descriptions are such as can not
be amended. His meetre Heroicall of _Troilus_ and _Cresseid_ is very graue
and stately, keeping the staffe of seuen, and the verse of ten, his other
verses of the Canterbury tales be but riding ryme, neuerthelesse very well
becoming the matter of that pleasaunt pilgrimage in which euery mans part
is playd with much decency. _Gower_ sauing for his good and graue
moralities, had nothing in him highly to be commended, for his verse was
homely and without good measure, his wordes strained much deale out of the
French writers, his ryme wrested, and in his inuentions sma