the poetry of
Tennyson's _Lotos Eaters_ without the message. The others have the
energy of thought, of passion; they do not soothe the ear as do Peele's
verses, but they strike the deeper chords of the human heart. None of
the three passages should be taken as fairly representing its author's
normal style, but the contrast illustrates the essential nature of the
difference between the work of Peele and Greene.

The reader who agrees with what has been said above will be prepared to
acknowledge that Peele must stand below Greene, at least, in the ranks
of dramatists. Strength and individuality are the life-blood of
successful drama, and these he lacked. Yet he merits the fame awarded to
his group. He was a poet; the refinement, the music, the gentler
attributes of his best verse were a valuable contribution to the drama;
his sweetness joined hands with Marlowe's energy in helping to drive
from the stage, as impossible, the rude irregular lines that had
previously satisfied audiences.

It has been claimed that he was also, to some extent, an artist in
plot-structure. The mingle-mangle of scarcely connected incidents which
did duty with Greene for a plot, the irrepressible by-play with which
Lyly loved to interrupt his main story, were rejected by him. _Edward
the First_ is an exception; in his best plays he achieved a certain
dignified directness and simplicity. But he was as incapable as Greene
of concentration upon one point, or of working up the interest to an
impending catastrophe. He was content with chronological order for his
guide; his directness is the directness of the Chronicle History. _The
Battle of Alcazar_ and _David and Bethsabe_ follow this method as
completely as his avowedly chronicle play, _Edward the First_. It is a
strange thing how plot-structure fell into abeyance in comedy after its
long and strenuous evolution through the Interludes to _Ralph Roister
Doister_ and _Gammer Gurton's Needle_. We must confess, however
reluctantly, that those early plays set an example in unity and
concentration of interest that was never surpassed by any of the
comedies of the University Wits. Lyly may be said to have come nearest
to it, though, handicapped by a passing affectation, he could never
excite the same degree of interest. Greene's plots lack unity, and
Peele's emphasis. We have to wait for Shakespeare before we can see
comedy raised above the architectural standard set by Nicholas Udall.

The list of Pee