Lives of the English Poets: Cowley-DrydenClarendon Press, 1905 - English poetry |
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Page x
... common with the rest of the ' Hill brothers , ' had in his nature a strong literary bent . Injury to sight which had befallen him when still a young man , from earnest study under unfavourable conditions as he thought , raised a barrier ...
... common with the rest of the ' Hill brothers , ' had in his nature a strong literary bent . Injury to sight which had befallen him when still a young man , from earnest study under unfavourable conditions as he thought , raised a barrier ...
Page 23
... common readers of poetry . Thus Cowley on Knowledge : The sacred tree midst the fair orchard grew ; The phoenix Truth did on it rest , And built his perfum'd nest , That right Porphyrian tree which did true logick shew . Each leaf did ...
... common readers of poetry . Thus Cowley on Knowledge : The sacred tree midst the fair orchard grew ; The phoenix Truth did on it rest , And built his perfum'd nest , That right Porphyrian tree which did true logick shew . Each leaf did ...
Page 31
... common topick , the danger of procrasti- 91 nation , is thus illustrated : ' That which I should have begun In my youth's morning , now late must be done ; And I , as giddy travellers must do , Which stray or sleep all day , and having ...
... common topick , the danger of procrasti- 91 nation , is thus illustrated : ' That which I should have begun In my youth's morning , now late must be done ; And I , as giddy travellers must do , Which stray or sleep all day , and having ...
Page 33
... common subject , which poets have contended to adorn . Dryden's Night is well known * ; Donne's is as follows : ' Thou seest me here at midnight ; now all rest , Time's dead low - water ; when all minds divest To - morrow's business ...
... common subject , which poets have contended to adorn . Dryden's Night is well known * ; Donne's is as follows : ' Thou seest me here at midnight ; now all rest , Time's dead low - water ; when all minds divest To - morrow's business ...
Page 35
... common people die , Unless you write my elegy . ' Eng . Poets , vii . 107 . ' We have had in our language , ' wrote Gray , ' no other odes of the sublime kind than that of Dryden On St. Cecilia's Day ; for Cowley , who had his merit ...
... common people die , Unless you write my elegy . ' Eng . Poets , vii . 107 . ' We have had in our language , ' wrote Gray , ' no other odes of the sublime kind than that of Dryden On St. Cecilia's Day ; for Cowley , who had his merit ...
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Common terms and phrases
Addison admired Aeneid afterwards Anec Ante appears Aubrey Aubrey's Brief Lives Biog blank verse Boswell's Johnson Brief Lives Butler Charles Clarendon Cowley's criticism Cromwell daughter death delight Denham describes Diary Donne Duke Earl edition elegance English Essay excellence father friends genius heroick Hist honour HORACE WALPOLE Hudibras Hurd's Cowley images imitation John John Milton King labour language Latin learned Letters lines Lord Lycidas Malone's Dryden Masson's Milton metaphysical poets Milton's Poems mind Misc nature never NIHIL numbers Otway Oxon Paradise Lost Paradise Regained parliament passage perhaps Phillips Pindar play poetical poetry POPE Pope's praise Preface publick published quoted reader rhyme Rochester says seems sentiments shew Southey's Cowper Spectator Sprat style thing thou thought tion translation verse viii Virgil Waller Warton words write written wrote
Popular passages
Page 163 - In this poem there is no nature, for there is no truth ; there is no art, for there is nothing new. Its form is that of a pastoral ; easy, vulgar, and therefore disgusting ; whatever images it can supply are long ago exhausted ; and its inherent improbability always forces dissatisfaction on the mind.
Page 276 - ... bowers to lay me down ; To husband out life's taper at the close. And keep the flame from wasting by repose. I still had hopes, for pride attends us still, Amidst the swains to show my...
Page 20 - If by a more noble and more adequate conception that be considered as wit which is at once natural and new, that which, though not obvious, is, upon its first production, acknowledged to be just...
Page 78 - O could I flow like thee, and make thy stream My great example, as it is my theme! Though deep, yet clear, though gentle, yet not dull, Strong without rage, without o'er-flowing full.
Page 100 - Whether we provide for action or conversation, whether we wish to be useful or pleasing, the first requisite is the religious and moral knowledge of right and wrong ; the next is an acquaintance with the history of mankind, and with those examples which may be said to embody truth, and prove by events the reasonableness of opinions. Prudence and Justice are virtues and excellencies of all times and of all places; we are perpetually moralists, but we are geometricians only by chance.
Page 88 - This he steadily denies, and it was apparently not true ; but it seems plain, from his own verses to Diodati, that he had incurred
Page 292 - Of sentiments purely religious, it will be found that the most simple expression is the most sublime. Poetry loses its lustre and its power, because it is applied to the decoration of something more excellent than itself.
Page 136 - I have a particular reason," says he, " to remember ; for whereas I had the perusal of it " from the very beginning, for some years, as I " went from time to time to visit him, in parcels of " ten, twenty, or thirty verses at a time (which, " being written by whatever hand came next, might " possibly want correction as to the orthography
Page 440 - From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began : When Nature underneath a heap Of jarring atoms lay, And could not heave her head, The tuneful voice was heard from high, Arise, ye more than dead.