which was to be curiously obscured afterwards when he became better known as Thomas May, the parliamentarian secretary and authorized historian of the Long Parliament. With no such twist in the end of his career as yet anticipated, he was still loyal Tom May, a "chosen friend" of Ben Jonson, and looking, it was said, for the laureateship, in the event of Ben's death.-MASSON, DAVID, 1858, The Life of John Milton, vol. 1, ch. vi.

May had no reason for rejoicing in his early intimacy with Clarendon, whose portrait of him is more enduring than brass. -WARD, ADOLPHUS WILLIAM, 1875-99, A History of English Dramatic Literature, vol. iii, p. 142.

HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT

1650

Impartially true. . . saving some little mistakes in his own judgment, and misinformations which some vain people gave of the state, and more indulgence to the king's guilt than can justly be allowed.HUTCHINSON, MRS. LUCY, 1664? Memoirs of Colonel Hutchinson.

May's "History of the Parliament' is a good model of genuine English; he is plain, terse, and vigorous, never slovenly, though with few remarkable passages, and is, in style as well as substance, a kind of contrast to Clarendon. -HALLAM, HENRY,

1837-39, Introduction to the Literature of Europe, pt. iii, ch. vii, par. 36.

A work which is less polished or eloquent than the author's poetical tastes might have led us to expect.-SPALDING, WILLIAM, 1852-82, A History of English Literature, p. 240.

Their histories, like May's for instance, are flat and heavy.-TAINE, H. A., 1871, History of English Literature, tr. Van Laun, vol. I, bk. ii, ch. v, p. 398.

May is a man of letters playing the historian. He flaunts you his Latin at every turn, decking his narrative with quotations from Claudian, Petronius, Lucan, and stopping to translate them with superfluous nicety. He conceives of history rather as an art than a science; his object is to instruct ignorance, not to assist investigation; he will insert a document here and there, but for the most part you must take his word for his authorities.

And, as is the wont of literary men, it is the personal note that attracts him most, not as with the modern school, analysis of hidden cause and obvious effect; so that the best part of his book is to be found in the touches of characterisation, in the sketches of Pym, of Strafford. As a describer of battles he is hardly vigorous or picturesque enough. Indeed to style in writing he never attains. He has not the gift of the paragraph; page after page is a string of disconnected notes. And his diction is so far Latinised as to become bald, without catching the felicities which Latinisms sometimes convey.CHAMBERS, EDMUND K., 1893, English Prose, ed. Craik, vol. II, p. 225.

As a prose writer May's reputation rests on his "History of the Long Parliament." It is written in a flowing and elegant style, abounding, like all May's writings, with quotations and parallels from Latin literature. Strafford is compared to Curio, Marie de Medicis to Agrippina. May bases his history on the newspapers and on the official manifestos of the two parties. He keeps himself studiously in the background, avoids, as far as possible, any expression of his own opinion, and is silent about his own reminiscences. professes to relate facts without rhetoric or invective, to recall to the minds of his readers the judgments passed at the time on the facts he records, and to inform

He

the world of the right nature, causes, and growth of the civil strie.

Secret motives

or hidden causes he makes no attempt to explain. FIRTH, C. H., 1894, Dictionary of National Biography, vol. XXXVII, p. 145.

On the whole, May's "History" is a colourless production, though the style is easy and fluent. He is generally content. to narrate events without comment or criticism, and is equally unmoved by animosity or enthusiasm. Indeed, the personal opinions of the writer only very rarely appear in the course of the record, a fact which seems to indicate either indifference or strong self-repression. is sometimes happy in his references to Roman history, but, considering his high reputation for learning, the volume is very little "ornamented" with quotations or illustrations. All this seems to show that the writer's task was perfunctory and uncongenial, and that the work was written like Milton's "Eikonoklastes," to order,

May

The Heire, being borne, was in his tender age Rockt in the Cradle of a private Stage, Where, lifted up by many a willing hand, The child did from the first day fairely stand; Since, having gather'd strength, he dares preferre

His steps into the publike Theater,

The World: where he despaires not but to find

A doome from men more able, not lesse kind. -CAREW, THOMAS, 1633, To my Honoured Friend, Master Thomas May, upon his Comedie, The Heire.

I am sure his Enemies must allow him to be a good Poet, tho' possibly he fell short of Sir William D'Avenant: and tho' I no ways abet his self Opinion, yet I learn from Horace, that even Ill Poets, set a value on their Writings, tho' they are despis'd by others;

Ridentur mala qui componunt Carmina, verùm Gaudent Scribentes, & se venerantur, & ultrò, Si taceas, laudant, quicquid scripsere beati.

And therefore I hope the moderate Critick will bear with the Frailty of our Author: and I doubt not but if they will read his Works with Candor, and especially his Plays, they will find he had some Reason for his Opinion of what he writ. -LANGBAINE, GERARD, 1691, An Account of the English Dramatick Poets, p. 361.

His battle-pieces highly merit being brought forward to notice; they possess the requisites in a considerable degree to interest the feelings of an Englishman, while in accuracy they vie with a gazette, they are managed with such dexterity as to busy the mind with unceasing agitation, with scenes highly diversified and impassioned by striking character, minute incident, and alarming situations.-HEADLEY, HENRY, 1787, Select Beauties of Ancient English Poetry.

Of May and Beaumont it is not necessary to say much: the former is occasionally nervous and energic, and their national subjects might enhance their reputation; their poems, however, are but too often little superior to gazettes in rhyme. -DRAKE, NATHAN, 1798, Literary Hours, No. xxviii.

He has ventured in narrative poetry on

a similar difficulty to that Shakspeare encountered in the historical drama, but it is unnecessary to show with how much less success. Even in that department, he has scarcely equalled Daniel or Drayton.-CAMPBELL, THOMAS, 1819, Specimens of the British Poets.

The first Latin poetry which England can vaunt is May's "Supplement to Lucan," in seven books, which carry down the history of the Pharsalia to the death of Cæsar. This is not only a very spirited poem, but, in many places at least, an excellent imitation. The versification, though it frequently reminds us of his model, is somewhat more negligent. May seems rarely to fall into Lucan's tumid extravagances, or to emulate his philosophical grandeur: but the narration is almost as impetuous and rapid, the images as thronged; and sometimes we have rather a happy imitation of the ingenious sophisms Lucan is apt to employ. The death of Cato and that of Cæsar are among the passages well worthy of praise. In some lines on Cleopatra's intrigue with Cæsar, while married to her brother, he has seized, with felicitous effect, not only the broken cadences, but the love of moral paradox, we find in Lucan.-HALLAM, HENRY, 1837-39, Introduction to the Literature of Europe, pt. iii, ch. v, par.74. "Nero" is, manifestly the work of a highly accomplished scholar, such as May undoubtedly was, and the theme must have had special interest for the translator and continuer of Lucan. It is, moreover, the work of a dramatic poet capable of writing admirable blank verse of the stronger sort, and often pithy in the substance of his diction. The canvas is crowded with characters, but they are graphically distinguished, and the whole picture of the feather-brained despot and his strangely-assorted surroundings is, without any slavish dependence on Tacitus and the other classical authorities, skilful in the choice and disposition of its details as well as striking in its total effect. WARD, ADOLPHUS WILLIAM, 187599, A History of English Dramatic Literature, vol. III, p. 143.

His verse is fluent and sometimes musical, but apart from this his plays possess no special merit.--MASTERMAN, J. HOWARD B., 1897, The Age of Milton, p. 93.

PERSONAL

I know I need no arguments to induce you to my service. Duty and loyalty are sufficient to a man of so much honour as I know you to be: Yet as I think this of you, so I will have you to believe of me, that I would not invite you to share of my hard fortune, if I intended you not to be a plentiful partaker of my good. The bearer will acquaint you of my designs, whom I have commanded to follow your directions in the pursuit of them. I will say no more but that I am your assured friend. CHARLES, KING, 1642, Letter to Montrose, May 7.

.

In his down-going, from the Tolbooth o the place of execution, he was very richly clad in fine scarlet, laid over with rich silver-lace, his hat in his hand, --his bands and cuffs exceeding rich, his delicate white gloves on his hands, -his stockings of incarnate (flesh-coloured) silk, and his shoes with their ribbands (roses) on his feet, and sarks, (embroidered linen,) provided for him, with pearling (lace) about, above ten pund the elne. All these were provided for him by his friends, and a pretty cassock put on upon him, upon the scaffold, wherein he was hanged. To be short, nothing was here deficient to honour his poor carcase, more beseeming a bridegroom, nor (than) a criminal going to the gallows.-NICHOLL, JOHN, 1650, Diary, by Napier, Memoirs, vol. II, p. 547.

He was a gentleman of a very ancient extraction, many of whose ancestors had exercised the highest charges under the king in that kingdom, and had been allied to the crown itself. He was of very good He was of very good parts, which were improved by a good education: he had always a great emulation, or rather a great contempt of the marquis

of Argyle, (as he was too apt to contemn those he did not love), who wanted nothing but honesty and courage to be a very extraordinary man, having all other good talents in a great degree. Mountrose was in his nature fearless of danger, and never declined any enterprise for the difficulty. of going through with it, but exceedingly affected those which seemed desperate to other men, and did believe somewhat to be in himself which other men were not acquainted with, which made him live more easily towards those who were, or were willing to be, inferior to him (and towards. whom he exercised wonderful civility and generosity), than with his superiors or equals. He was naturally jealous, and suspected those who did not concur with him in the way, not to mean so well as he. He was not without vanity, but his virtues were much superior, and he well deserved to have his memory preserved and celebrated amongst the most illustrious persons of the age in which he lived.-CLARENDON, LORD (EDWARD HYDE), 1674? History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, bk. xii, par. 142.

GENERAL

But a poet who lived slightly anterior to those we mentioned, the brilliant Marquis of Montrose who was even still readier with the sword-appears to have excelled them all, with the exception of Lovelace that is, in the poetry of love. -SMITH, GEORGE BARNETT, 1875, English Fugitive Poets, Poets and Novelists, p. 387.

Montrose was a poet as well as a warrior and statesman. His poems have a political purpose, but, unlike most political verses, they have a poetic vigour which would have given them life apart from the