ation; the
Ceremonial Law in word abrogated, the Judicial in effect
disannull'd, the Moral abandon'd; _the Light, the Light_ in
every man's lips, but mark their eyes, and you will say they
are rather like owls than eagles. As of old books, so of
ancient virtue, honesty, fidelity, equity, new abridgments;
every day spawns new opinions: heresy in divinity, in
philosophy, in humanity, in manners, grounded upon hearsay;
doctors contemn'd; the _devil_ not so hated as the _pope_;
many invectives, but no amendment. No more ado about caps and
surplices; Mr. _Cartwright_ quite forgotten.

* * * * *

_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 Rosalind