The History of English Literature: With an Outline of the Origin and Growth of the English Language : Illustrated by Extracts : for the Use of Schools and of Private StudentsD. Appleton, 1877 - 413 pages |
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admirable Æneid allegory ancient Anglo-Saxon beautiful belong Ben Jonson Bishop blank verse called celebrated Celts century character Chaucer chiefly chivalrous Chronicle church classical close Comedy composition critical declension dialect diction didactic drama earliest early ecclesiastical Edinburgh Review eloquence eminent England English Language Essays Faerie Queene fancy feeling French genius Geoffrey of Monmouth honour illustrations imagination interesting kind king Knight's Tale knowledge language Latin Layamon learning less likewise literary literature living lyrical merit metrical middle ages Milton mind modern moral narrative native nature never Norman Conquest Old English opinions original passages perhaps period philosophy poems poet poetical poetry possessed prose reign religious romances satire Saxon scenes Scotland Scottish sentiment Shakspeare specimens Spenser spirit story style taste theological thing thou thought tion tone tongue translation treatise truth verse vigorous words writers written
Popular passages
Page 342 - Ambition this shall tempt to rise, Then whirl the wretch from high, To bitter Scorn a sacrifice, And grinning Infamy. The stings of Falsehood those shall try And hard Unkindness...
Page 281 - That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
Page 342 - Th' unfeeling for his own. Yet, ah ! why should they know their fate, Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies? Thought would destroy their paradise! No more ; — where ignorance is bliss. Tis folly to be wise.
Page 356 - In all my wanderings round this world of care, In all my griefs — and God has given my share — I still had hopes, my latest hours to crown, Amidst these humble bowers to lay me down; To husband out life's taper at the close, And keep the flame from wasting by repose...
Page 341 - A stranger yet to pain! I feel the gales that from ye blow A momentary bliss bestow, As waving fresh their gladsome wing My weary soul they seem to soothe, And, redolent of joy and youth, To breathe a second spring.
Page 60 - When in the chronicle of wasted time I see descriptions of the fairest wights, And beauty making beautiful old rhyme, In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights, Then in the blazon of sweet beauty's best, Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow, I see their antique pen would have express'd Even such a beauty as you master now.
Page 287 - Of bees' industrious murmur, oft invites To studious musing ; there Ilissus rolls His whispering stream : within the walls then view The schools of ancient sages ; his, who bred Great Alexander to subdue the world, Lyceum there, and painted Stoa next...
Page 282 - In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou seest the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
Page 326 - But being ill-used by the above-mentioned widow, he was very serious for a year and a half ; and though, his temper being naturally jovial, he at last got over it, he grew careless of himself, and never dressed afterwards. He continues to wear a coat and doublet of the same cut that were in fashion at the time of his repulse...
Page 247 - For take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity and courage he will put on when he finds himself maintained by a man, who to him is instead of a God, or melior natura...