A History of English Literature: In a Series of Biographical Sketches |
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Page 18
... poetic legends of his country ; and when , grown more skilful , he learned to string into rude verses the story of ... poetry of the Anglo - Saxons was neither modulated according to foot - measure , like that of the Greeks and Romans ...
... poetic legends of his country ; and when , grown more skilful , he learned to string into rude verses the story of ... poetry of the Anglo - Saxons was neither modulated according to foot - measure , like that of the Greeks and Romans ...
Page 19
... poet sought after greater dignity . In the manuscripts the Saxon poetry is always written continuously , like prose ; but the division of the lines is generally marked by a point . " The chief Anglo - Saxon poems that have come down to ...
... poet sought after greater dignity . In the manuscripts the Saxon poetry is always written continuously , like prose ; but the division of the lines is generally marked by a point . " The chief Anglo - Saxon poems that have come down to ...
Page 20
... poetry . The " Paraphrase " of Caedmon contained , besides other portions of the Bible , the story of the Creation ... poet has been most foolishly grounded . It is believed that Caedmon died about 680. Some think that there were two ...
... poetry . The " Paraphrase " of Caedmon contained , besides other portions of the Bible , the story of the Creation ... poet has been most foolishly grounded . It is believed that Caedmon died about 680. Some think that there were two ...
Page 38
... poetry of the Saxons was distinguished from their prose by a peculiar kind of alliteration . Metre or rhyme they had none . These attributes of English verse were imported from the Continent by the Normans , who copied both from the ...
... poetry of the Saxons was distinguished from their prose by a peculiar kind of alliteration . Metre or rhyme they had none . These attributes of English verse were imported from the Continent by the Normans , who copied both from the ...
Page 40
... poet , Kendal , are mentioned by Robert of Brunne as the authors of " Sir Tristrem , " a romance which was little known ... poetry , among the more educated classes , and had also to contend with another rival in the prose romance ; but ...
... poet , Kendal , are mentioned by Robert of Brunne as the authors of " Sir Tristrem , " a romance which was little known ... poetry , among the more educated classes , and had also to contend with another rival in the prose romance ; but ...
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Addison afterwards amid Anglo-Saxon appeared Archbishop of Canterbury beauty became Bible born brilliant called Cambridge century CHAPTER character Charles chief chiefly Church College coloured court death died dramatic Dublin Earl early Edinburgh Edinburgh Review England English poetry Essays Faerie Queene fame father finest France genius gentle heart Henry History honour Illustrative extract James John John Milton King Lady land Latin letters literary lived London Lord Milton mind minstrels night noble novel novelist Oxford paper Paradise Lost picture play poem poet poet's poetic poetry political poor prose published Puritan Queen reign ROGER ASCHAM romance round royal scene Scotland Scottish Shakspere song SPECIMEN spent story style Supplementary List sweet Tatler Thomas Thomas Fuller thought took tragedy translation Trinity College University of Edinburgh verse wife WILLIAM words writer written wrote young
Popular passages
Page 210 - The other shape, If shape it might be called that shape had none Distinguishable in member, joint or limb; Or substance might be called that shadow seemed; For each seemed either; black it stood as night, Fierce as ten furies, terrible as Hell, And shook a dreadful dart; what seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on...
Page 211 - Hail, horrors ! hail, Infernal world ! and thou, profoundest Hell, Receive thy new possessor ! one who brings A mind not to be changed by place or time. The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
Page 212 - No sooner had the Almighty ceased but — all The multitude of Angels, with a shout Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from blest voices, uttering joy — Heaven rung With jubilee, and loud hosannas filled The eternal regions.
Page 379 - It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then the dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision.
Page 243 - That every man with him was God or devil. In squandering wealth was his peculiar art; Nothing went unrewarded but desert. Beggared by fools, whom still he found too late ; He had his jest, and they had his estate.
Page 190 - For so have I seen a lark rising from his bed of grass, and soaring upwards, singing as he rises, and hopes to get to heaven, and climb above the clouds : but the poor bird was beaten back with the loud sighings of an eastern wind, and his motion made irregular and inconstant — descending more at every breath of the tempest, than it could recover by the...
Page 243 - He sought the storms ; but, for a calm unfit, Would steer too nigh the sands to boast his wit.
Page 227 - I' th' middle of his speech, or cough, H' had hard words ready to show why, And tell what rules he did it by ; Else, when with greatest art he spoke, You'd think he talked like other folk.
Page 447 - Who gave you your invulnerable life, Your strength, your speed, your fury, and your joy, Unceasing thunder and eternal foam ? And who commanded — and the silence came — Here let the billows stiffen, and have rest...
Page 149 - Yet his real power is not shown in the splendour of particular passages, but by the progress of his fable and the tenor of his dialogue ; and he that tries to recommend him by select quotations will succeed like the pedant in Hierocles, who, when he offered his house to sale, carried a brick in his pocket as a specimen.