ABSTRACT
In the age of the Renascence which prided itself on Imitation as the highest goal of literary art, it was inevitable that verse-writing should become an important discipline. Scholars regarded verses as the mark of knowledge and ability. Schoolmasters, who have ever been anxious to be included in the ranks of the scholars, made valiant efforts at verses themselves and attempted to induce their pupils to cultivate the coveted skill. There can be no doubt that Latin verse-writing was part of the work of a good Grammar School in the period 1500-1660. Latin verses were part of the school curriculum, and any school of serious pretensions made efforts in Greek verses. The description of verse-making holds for a considerable time anterior to the poem. Besides the exposition of school practices in the making of Latin and Greek verses, Charles Hoole has the distinction of recognising the importance of the active and practical study of English poets in the Grammar School.
