LODGE, THOMAS, is supposed to have been born about the year 1556. He was entered at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1673, took a degree, and then, going to London, became an actor and play-writer. About 1580, in an answer to Gosson's 'School of Abuse,' he wrote a 'Defence of Stage-Plays,' which was suppressed by authority, and is now one of the rarest of English books, only two copies being known. Another work of Lodge, his 'Alarum against Usurers,' which takes up incidentally the defence of the stage, was printed in 1584. In the same year he was a student of Liucola's Inn. Afterwards, it has been conjectured, ho became a soldier; and It is known that, in some capacity or other, he accompanied the expeditions of Clarke and Cavendish. According to the opinion most commonly received by the historians of our early literature, this flighty person went through yet another change; for he is usually identified with a Doctor Lodge, who took his degree In medicine at Avignon, printed in 1603 'A Treatise on the Plague,' and in 1616 obtained a passport from the Privy Council to "travel Into the Archduke's country," and recover debts owing to him. Lodge is believed to have died of the plague in 1625.
He was a Voluminons and versatile writer, He translated Josephus and Seneca (' The Works of Josephus,' fol., Lond., 1602; Seneca 's Works, both Moral and Natural,' foL, Lond., 1614); he wrote several novels, volumes of verses, and miscellaneous pamphlets; and he was a distinguished contributor to the drama in the years immediately preceding the appearance of Sbakspere. His extant dramatic works are two :-1. 'The Wounds of Civil War, lively set forth in the True Tragedies of Marina and Sylla,' 4to, 1594, reprinted in the last edition of Dodsley'e ' Old Plays,' voL viii.; a stately historical play, with
some eloquence, much action, and little interest either of character or Incident. 2. 'A Looking-Glass for London and Englande, made by Thomas Lodge, Gent, and Robert Greene, in Artibus Magister,' 4to, 1594, 1595, 1602, 1617; a whimsical but animated dramatic picture, alluded to already in our notice of Greene. [GREENE, Ronzni..] But Lodge's own exertions as a dramatist, although they entitle his name to a place beside those of Greene and Peele, are less interesting to us than the assistance which oue of his works furnished to a greater than himself. One of his novels is entitled ' Rosalyude: Euphues Golden Legacie ; found after his death in his cell at Silexedra. Bequeathed to Philantus Sonnes, noursed up with their Father in England. Fetcbt from the Canaries ;' 4to, 1590, 1592, 1620, 1623, 1642, &c.; reprinted in Mr. Collier's ' Shakespeare's Library,' 1840. From this novel Shekapere borrowed closely the leading incidents (indeed many also of the minor ones), the grouping of the characters, and many of the strokes of portraiture, for his ' As You Like It.' While a perusal of the novel cannot diminish our admiration of the play, it is yet an agreeable duty. In the midst of much that is unskilful, somewhat that is dull, and a good deal in the bad taste of Lyly's Eupbuea, the novel is yet interesting, lively on the whole, and in many places finely poetical, both in its prose descriptions and narratives, and in the interspersed verses.