obdurate Puritans: "These are the true designs and ends of works of this
nature: these are academies for the lover, schools of war for the
soldier, and cabinets for the statesman; they are the correctives of
passion, the restoratives of conversation, ... in a word, the most
delightful accommodations of civill life."[328]

Another goes so far as to give the lie direct to the Puritans, to
"those morose persons" who condemn novels; in truth, "delight is the
least advantage redounding from such compositions." French romances
(which seem to have altered somewhat in this respect) are nothing but a
school of morality, generosity, and self-restraint: "Not to say anything
concerning the ground work which is generally some excellent piece of
ancient history accurately collected out of the records of the most
eminent writers of old, ... the addition of fictitious adventures is so
ingenious, the incident discourses so handsome, free and fitted for the
improvement of conversation (which is not undeservedly accounted of
great importance to the contentment of human life), the descriptions of
the passions so lively and naturally set forth; yea the idea of virtue,
generosity and all the qualifications requisite to accomplish great
persons so exquisitely delineated that ... I must speak it, though I
believe with the envy and regret of many, that [the French] have
approv'd themselves the best teachers of a noble and generous morality
that are to be met with."[329]

[Illustration: ENDYMION PLUNGED INTO THE RIVER IN THE PRESENCE OF DIANA.

(_French Engraving used in an English book._)]

Sometimes both the engravings and the story were imported from France.
As the illustrations to Harington's translation of "Ariosto" had been
originally made by an Italian artist, so now French engravings began to
be popularized in England. For example, when a translation appeared
of "Endimion," the curious mythological novel of Gombauld, with its
pleasant descriptions and incidents, half dreamy, half real, the plates
from drawings by C. de Pas were sent over to England and used in the
English edition. Sometimes, too, the English copies had original plates
or engraved titles; but even in these the French style was usually
apparent. Robert Loveday, who translated La Calprenede's "Cleopatre,"
prefaces his book with one such plate; and it is curious to notice when
reading his published correspondence that the engraving was made
according to his own minute d