ms he occupied
here--unless they were hired for him by Burleigh's son-in-law Edward de
Vere, Earl of Oxford. This person, though few of his writings are now
extant, is nevertheless an interesting figure in Elizabethan literature.
The second part of _Euphues_ published in 1580, and the _Hekatompathia_
of Thomas Watson, are both dedicated to him, and he seems to have acted
as patron to most of Lyly's literary associates when they left Oxford
for London. Lyly became his private secretary; and as the Earl was
himself a dramatist, though his comedies are now lost, his influence
must have confirmed in our author those dramatic aspirations, which were
probably acquired at Oxford; and we have every reason for believing that
Lyly was still his secretary when he was publishing his two first plays,
_Campaspe_ and _Sapho_, in 1584. But this point will require a fuller
treatment at a later stage of our study.

[10] Mr Baker however seems to think that his reference to Cambridge
(_Euphues_, p. 436) implies a term of residence there. Baker, p. xxii.

Somewhere about 1585 Fate settled once and for all the lines on which
Lyly's genius was to develop, for at that time he became an assistant
master at the St Paul's Choir School. Schools, and especially those for
choristers, at this time offered excellent opportunities for dramatic
production. Lyly in his new position made good use of his chance, and
wrote plays for his young scholars to act, drilling them himself, and
perhaps frequently appearing personally on the stage. These
chorister-actors were connected in a very special way with royal
entertainments; and therefore they and their instructor would be
constantly brought into touch with the Revels' Office. As we know from
his letters to Elizabeth and to Cecil, the mastership of the Revels was
the post Lyly coveted, and coveted without success, as far as we can
tell, until the end of his life. But these letters also show us that he
was already connected with this office by his position in the
subordinate office of Tents and Toils. The latter, originally instituted
for the purpose of furnishing the necessaries of royal hunting and
campaigning[11], had apparently become amalgamated under a female
sovereign with the Revels' Office, possibly owing to the fact that its
costumes and weapons provided useful material for entertainments and
interludes. Another position which, as Mr Bond shows, was held at one
time by Lyly, was that of reader