An Historical Sketch of the Origin of English Prose Literature, and of Its Progress Till the Reign of James ID. A. Talboys, 1835 - 103 pages |
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Historical Sketch of the Origin of English Prose Literature, and of Its ... William Gray No preview available - 2016 |
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accomplished accordingly adorn afterwards allure antiquity assiduous Bacon barbarous Bible Boccacio Canterbury Canterbury Tales Caxton century Chaucer chronicles church civil classic clergy college of cardinals composition contemporary countrymen cultivated curious dialect diction Edward the Confessor elegance eloquence eminent energy England ENGLISH PROSE erudite expression fancy French genius Gower gratifying Greek grete Henry the eighth ignorance imperfect indebted intellectual invention John John of Salisbury king knowledge labour land Langlande Latin Latin language LAYAMON learning liberal literary lord Lord Bacon manner Matthew Paris ment mind monasteries muse narratives native language neral ness noble numerous original ornament Oxford period perusal philosophy poet poetic poetry pope popular printed provement racter reign Richard Robert of Gloucester Roger Ascham Roman Rome rude Sapience Saxon says scarcely singular sixth spirit studious style taste thorghe tion tongue translation treatises trifling verse Warton William Caxton wisdom writings yere
Popular passages
Page 44 - Ah ! freedom is a noble thing ! Freedom makes man to have liking ! Freedom all solace to man gives ! He lives at ease, that freely lives...
Page 15 - Pope had only a little, because Dryden had more ; for every other writer since Milton must give place to Pope ; and even of Dryden it must be said, that if he has brighter paragraphs, he has not better poems.
Page 77 - ... affectionate study of eloquence and copie of speech, which then began to flourish. This grew speedily to an excess; for men began to hunt more after words than matter; and more after the choiceness of the phrase, and the round and clean composition of the sentence, and the sweet falling of the clauses, and the varying and illustration of their works with tropes and figures, than after the weight of matter, worth of subject, soundness of argument, life of invention, or depth of judgment.
Page 76 - Surely, like as many substances in nature which are solid do putrify and corrupt into worms ; so it is the property of good and sound knowledge to putrify and dissolve into a number of subtle, idle, unwholesome, and (as I may term them) vermiculate questions, which have indeed a kind of quickness and life of spirit, but no soundness of matter or goodness of quality.
Page 56 - The credit of his sister, the countenance and example of his prince, the boisterousness of the times, nothing softened, nothing roughened the mind of this amiable lord, who was as gallant as his luxurious brotherin-law, without his weaknesses — as brave as the heroes of either Rose, without their savagoness — studious in the intervals of business — and devout after the manner of those whimsical times.
Page 83 - The constitution of her mind is exempt from female weakness, and she is endued with a masculine power of application. No apprehension can be quicker than hers, no memory more retentive. French and Italian she speaks like English; Latin with fluency, propriety, and judgment; she also spoke Greek with me, frequently, willingly, and moderately well.
Page 88 - In the reign of Elizabeth, the English mind put forth its energies in every direction, exalted by a purer religion, and enlarged by new views of truth. This was an age of loyalty, adventure, and generous emulation. The chivalrous character was softened by intellectual pursuits, while the genius of chivalry itself still lingered, as if unwilling to depart ; and paid his last homage to a Warlike and Female reign. A degree of romantic fancy remained...
Page 14 - To be, or not to be, that is the question ; Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The stings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by opposing, end them...
Page 15 - Of genius, that power which constitutes a poet ; that / quality without which judgment is cold, and knowledge is , inert; that energy which collects, combines, amplifies, and f animates ; the superiority must, with some hesitation, be * allowed to Dryden.
Page 76 - For the wit and mind of man, if it work upon matter, which is the contemplation of the creatures of God, workcth according to the stuff, and is limited thereby : but if it work upon itself, as the spider worketh his web, then it is endless, and brings forth indeed cobwebs of learning, admirable for the fineness of thread and work, but of no substance or profit.