Foxe had been driven out of England by the Marian persecutions, and in a wandering but diligent life on the Continent he conceived the idea of writing a history of the persecutions of the church from the earliest days to his own.  The part relating to England and Scotland was published, in Latin, in 1559 under a title as sonorous and impressive as the Roman office for the dead,—­Rerum in Ecclesia Gestarum Maximarumque per Europam Persecutionum Commentarii.  On his return to England Foxe translated this work, calling it the Acts and Monuments; but it soon became known as the Book of Martyrs, and so it will always be called.  Foxe’s own bitter experience causes him to write with more heat and indignation than his saintly theme would warrant, and the “holy tone” sometimes spoils a narrative that would be impressive in its bare simplicity.  Nevertheless the book has made for itself a secure place in our literature.  It is strongest in its record of humble men, like Rowland Taylor and Thomas Hawkes, whose sublime heroism, but for this narrative, would have been lost amid the great names and the great events that fill the Elizabethan Age.

CAMDEN AND KNOX.  Two historians, William Camden and John Knox, stand out prominently among the numerous historical writers of the age.  Camden’s Britannia (1586) is a monumental work, which marks the beginning of true antiquarian research in the field of history; and his Annals of Queen Elizabeth is worthy of a far higher place than has thus far been given it.  John Knox, the reformer, in his History of the Reformation in Scotland, has some very vivid portraits of his helpers and enemies.  The personal and aggressive elements enter too strongly for a work of history; but the autobiographical parts show rare literary power.  His account of his famous interview with Mary Queen of Scots is clear-cut as a cameo, and shows the man’s extraordinary power better than a whole volume of biography.  Such scenes make one wish that more of his time had been given to literary work, rather than to the disputes and troubles of his own Scotch kirk.

HAKLUYT AND PURCHAS. Two editors of this age have made for themselves an enviable place in our literature.  They are Richard Hakluyt (1552?-1616) and Samuel Purchas (1575?-1626).  Hakluyt was a clergyman who in the midst of his little parish set himself to achieve two great patriotic ends,—­to promote the wealth and commerce of his country, and to preserve the memory of all his countrymen who added to the glory of the realm by their travels and explorations.  To further the first object he concerned himself deeply with the commercial interests of the East India Company, with Raleigh’s colonizing plans in Virginia, and with a translation of De Soto’s travels in America.  To further the second he made himself familiar with books of voyages in all foreign languages and with the brief reports of explorations of his own countrymen.  His Principal Navigations,