Epilogue

Abstract

William Herbert, third Earl of Pembroke, died on his fiftieth birthday, as Hugh Sanford had prophesied at the time of his birth. In those fifty years the English language had developed from something that might be serviceable for giving practical instruction to those who knew no Latin, into the subtle and delicate medium in which Shakespeare could record the infinite variety of mankind. Already in 1598 Francis Meres had said ‘that the Muses would speak with Shakespeares fine filed phrase if they would speak English’; but the Sidneys had taught the new language to the Muses. Dr. Johnson observed something of this when compiling his Dictionary.