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admirable adventures afterwards Alcuin ancient Anglo-Saxon appeared ballads beautiful blank verse born Byron Canterbury Tales career century character Chaucer chief chiefly Chronicle Church composition death dramatic educated England English English language English poetry essays exhibit exquisite fiction French genius GILES FLETCHER give graceful Henry Henry VIII human humor illustration inimitable intellectual intense interest JOHN Julius Cæsar Lady language Latin latter learning legends literary literature London Lord lyric manner mediæval merit Milton mind modern Molière moral narrative native nature noble novels original Oxford passion peculiar perhaps period personages philosophical picturesque pieces poems poet poetical poetry political popular principal produced prose published reader reign religious remarkable romance satire Saxon scenes Scotland Scott sentiment Shakspeare society songs spirit story style taste THOMAS tion tone tragedy translation Trouvère verse versification vigorous Walter Scott Wicliffe WILLIAM writings written wrote
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Page 440 - For over all there hung a cloud of fear; A sense of mystery the spirit daunted, And said, as plain as whisper in the ear, The place is haunted!
Page 212 - ... from a lucky hitting upon what is strange ; sometimes from a crafty wresting obvious matter to the purpose. Often it consisteth in one knows not what, and springeth up one can hardly tell how. Its ways are unaccountable and inexplicable ; being answerable to the numberless rovings of fancy and windings of language.
Page 212 - ... sometimes it is couched in a bold scheme of speech, in a tart irony, in a lusty hyperbole, in a startling metaphor, in a plausible reconciling of contradictions, or in acute nonsense ; sometimes...
Page 456 - ... by night in places of interment. Some stalked slowly on, absorbed in profound reverie ; some, shrieking with agony, ran furiously about like tigers wounded with poisoned arrows ; whilst others, grinding their teeth in rage, foamed along more frantic than the wildest maniac. They all avoided each other; and, though surrounded by a multitude that no one could number, each wandered at random unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a desert where no foot had trodden.
Page 267 - which you did me the honour to subscribe for.' — 'Oh,' said Bentley, 'ay, now I recollect — your translation: — it is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope; but you must not call it Homer?
Page 527 - mere oblivion," a dead letter: for all that is worth remembering in life, is the poetry of it. Fear is poetry, hope is poetry, love is poetry, hatred is poetry, contempt, jealousy, remorse, admiration, wonder, pity, despair, or madness, are all poetry. Poetry is that fine particle within us, that expands, rarefies, refines, raises our whole being: without it "man's life is poor as beast's.
Page 147 - tis most certain, Iras. Saucy lictors Will catch at us, like strumpets ; and scald rhymers Ballad us out o' tune : the quick comedians Extemporally will stage us, and present Our Alexandrian revels : Antony Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness I
Page 465 - We find in it the diligence, the accuracy, and the judgment of Hallam, united to the vivacity and the colouring of Southey. A history of England, written throughout in this manner, would be the most fascinating book in the language. It would be more in request at the circulating libraries than the last novel.
Page 426 - But, from the arms of silence — list ! O list ! The music bursteth into second life ; The notes luxuriate, every stone is kissed By sound, or ghost of sound, in mazy strife...
Page 127 - The reluctant pangs of abdicating royalty in Edward furnished hints which Shakspeare scarcely improved in his Richard the Second; and the death-scene of Marlowe's king moves pity and terror beyond any scene ancient or modern with which I am acquainted.