_David_, _Ulysses_, and _Solon_, feign'd themselves fools and madmen; our fools and madmen feign themselves _Davids_, _Ulysses's_, and _Solons_. It is pity fair weather should do any hurt; but I know what peace and quietness hath done with some melancholy pickstraws.
The letters preserve a good many touches of character which are interesting. This, for instance, which shows Spenser's feeling about Sidney. "New books," writes Spenser, "I hear of none, but only of one, that writing a certain book called _The School of Abuse_, [Stephen Gosson's _Invective against poets, pipers, players, &c._] and dedicating to M. Sidney, was for his labour scorned: _if at least it be in the goodness of that nature to scorn_." As regards Spenser himself, it is clear from the letters that Harvey was not without uneasiness lest his friend, from his gay and pleasure-loving nature, and the temptations round him, should be carried away into the vices of an age, which, though very brilliant and high-tempered, was also a very dissolute one. He couches his counsels mainly in Latin; but they point to real danger; and he adds in English,--"Credit me, I will never lin [= cease] baiting at you, till I have rid you quite of this yonkerly and womanly humour." But in the second pair of letters of April, 1580, a lady appears. Whether Spenser was her husband or her lover, we know not; but she is his "sweetheart." The two friends write of her in Latin. Spenser sends in Latin the saucy messages of his sweetheart, "meum corculum," to Harvey; Harvey, with academic gallantry, sends her in Latin as many thanks for her charming letter as she has hairs, "half golden, half silver, half jewelled, in her little head;"--she is a second little Rosalind--"altera Rosalindula," whom he salutes as "Domina Immerito, mea bellissima Colina Clouta." But whether wife or mistress, we hear of her no more. Further, the letters contain notices of various early works of Spenser. The "new" _Shepherd's Calendar_, of which more will be said, had just been published. And in this correspondence of April, 1580, we have the first mention of the _Faery Queen_. The compositions here mentioned have been either lost, or worked into his later poetry; his _Dreams_, _Epithalamion Thamesis_, apparently in the "reformed verse," his _Dying Pelican_, his _Slumber_, his _Stemmata Dudleiana_, his _Comedies_. They show at least the activity and eagerness of the writer in his absorbing pursuit. But he was still in bondage to the belief that English poetry ought to try to put on a classical dress. It is strange that the man who had written some of the poetry in the _Shepherd's Calendar_ should have found either satisfaction or promise in the following attempt at Trimeter Iambics.