count of Painter's
life and the circumstances under which his book appeared, and the style
in which he translates. We have seen how his book was greeted on its
first appearance by the adherents of the New Learning and by the
opponents of the stage. The many followers in the wake of Painter have
been enumerated, and some account given of their works. It has been
shown how great was the influence of the whole school on the Elizabethan
dramatists, and even on the greatest master among them. And having
touched upon all these points, we have perhaps sufficiently introduced
reader and author, who may now be left to make further acquaintance with
one another.

HASLEWOOD'S

Preliminary Matter.

_OF THE TRANSLATOR._

William Painter was, probably, descended from some branch of the family
of that name which resided in Kent. Except a few official dates there is
little else of his personal history known. Neither the time nor place of
his birth has been discovered. All the heralds in their Visitations are
uniformly content with making him the root of the pedigree.[31] His
liberal education is, in part, a testimony of the respectability of his
family, and, it may be observed, he was enabled to make purchases of
landed property in Kent, but whether from an hereditary fortune is
uncertain.

[Footnote 31: The Visitation Book of 1619, in the Heralds College,
supplied Hasted with his account. There may also be consulted Harl.
MSS. 1106, 2230 and 6138.]

The materials for his life are so scanty, that a chronological notice of
his Writings may be admitted, without being deemed to interrupt a
narrative, of which it must form the principal contents.

He himself furnishes us with a circumstance,[32] from whence we may fix
a date of some importance in ascertaining both the time of the
publication and of his own appearance as an author. He translated from
the Latin of Nicholas Moffan, (a soldier serving under Charles the
Fifth, and taken prisoner by the Turks)[33] the relation of the Murder
which Sultan Solyman caused to be perpetrated on his eldest Son
Mustapha.[34] This was first dedicated to Sir William Cobham Knight,
afterwards Lord Cobham, Warden of the Cinque Ports; and it is material
to remark, that that nobleman succeeded to the title Sept. the 29th,
1558;[35] and from the author being a prisoner until Sept. 1555, it is
not likely that the Translation was finished earlier than circa 1557-8.

[Footnote 3