HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE BY BERNHARD TEN BRINK EDITED BY DR. ALOIS BRANDL TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY L. DORA SCHMITZ VOL. III FROM THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY TO THE DEATH OF SURREY LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS 1902 23 533 KM J 32019 TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. * THE pathetic circumstances connected with the publication of the Second Volume of Ten Brink's "History of English Literature" naturally cast a deeper shadow still over the last part of his work. The First Part of the Second Volume had at least passed through the press under his supervision and had received his latest corrections. This Second Part was, however, still in the author's hands awaiting his final touches when he was suddenly struck down by death in the prime of life on the 29th of January, 1892. Ten Brink's death is a lamentable loss to students of English literature, for with the appearance of the First Volume of his "History"-as far back as 1877-he was at once recognized by scholars to be one of the leading authorities in all that concerned the earliest period of English literature, and his subsequent treatment of Chaucer is admitted on all hands to stand wellnigh unrivalled. Dr. Alois Brandl, who succeeded Ten Brink in the Chair of English Philology in Strassburg, was appointed one of his literary executors, and entrusted. with the MS. material left by the eminent Dutch scholar. Dr. Brandl devoted himself to his task with so much zeal and assiduity that before the close of the year (1892) the present volume was in the hands of his German readers. In his Preface, *It has been found more convenient to issue the translation of the two Parts as Volume II. and Volume III. 843936 Dr. Brandl tells us that up to the end of Chapter IV. of Book VI. he found all practically ready for the press, the pages numbered and evidently finally revised by the author. The remainder of the MS., although carefully arranged, was unpaged, yet without gaps, beyond two blank leaves which Dr. Brandl has filled in to the best of his ability (this passage occurs in our volume on p. 211, 1. II, to the end of the chapter). Of the Appendix, which had been referred to by the author as far back as 1889, only a few pages were to be found, and although some of the promised notes are wanting, we have others which had not been looked for. This is a further proof of the method Ten Brink is said to have adopted in work, viz. of taking up his subjects as the spirit moved him, and this may possibly also account for the omission in this volume of some writers whom Ten Brink may have intended to deal with in their turn before finally arranging his material for publication. His "History" remains unfinished, in any case, and this is the more to be regretted as the next volume would have presented the more serious discussion of the Elizabethan era, a subject which he had already made a part of his University lectures, and by which he had attracted students from all parts of the world. Ten Brink's last words in this volume, on the untimely death of the Earl of Surrey, Dr. Brandl very appropriately quotes in connection with Ten Brink's own sad fate: "Great things he might still have accomplished, but what he did accomplish has not been lost to posterity." May, 1895. L. DORA SCHMITZ. |