Readings in poetry: a selection from the best English poets, from Spenser to the present times; and specimens of several American poets

A SELECTION FROM THE

BEST ENGLISH POETS,

FROM

SPENSER TO THE PRESENT TIMES;

AND

SPECIMENS OF SEVERAL AMERICAN POETS."

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED,

A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE

HISTORY OF ENGLISH POETRY.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE COMMITTEE OF GENERAL LITERATURE AND EDUCATION,
APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING

CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

THE SEVENTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS.

LONDON:
JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND.

M.DCCC.XLIII.

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CONTENTS.

PREFACE .

. . . . .

Brief Survey of the History of English Poetry , .

English Versification . . . . . .

On Reading Poetry . . . . . .

On the different Species of Poetry. . . . .

Addison, Joseph, (6. 1672,

Paraphrase on Psalm XXIII. 87

Divine Mercy to the Penitent 88

Akenside, Mark, (b. 1721,

d. 1770.)

The Flight of Imagination. 240

. . .

Burning of the Forest, and

Battle by Night . . 289

Barton, Bernard.

The Solitary Tomb

290

A Poet's Noblest Theme. 292

A Colloquy with Myself. 447
Beattie, Dr. James (6. 1735,

d. 1803.)
· X Poet's Childhood. . 176

The Sage . . . 177

Page
Blair, Robert, (b. 1699, d.

1746.)

The Grave . . . . 103

Death . .

. 105

The Entrance of Death into

Sun-dial in a Church-yard . 323

The Greenwich Pensioners 324

Brooke, Henry, (6. 1706,

d. 1783.)
Universal Beauty . . 154

Burns, Robert, (6. 1759, d.

1796.)

The Cotter's Saturday Night . 168
Lament for James, Earl of

Glencairn · · · 174
Byrom, Dr. John, (6.1691,

d. 1763.)

St. Philip Neri and the Youth 108

The Country Fellows and the

Ass . . . . . 109

The Pond

139

199

1756.)

44

Page

Campbell, Thomas.

Davies, Sir John, (6. 1570,

The Downfall of Poland ., 218

d. 1626.)

Imagination-Hope . .220

- The Im mortality of the Soul 43

The Last Man . . . 221

Dryden, John, (6. 1631, d.
To the Rainbow . . .223

Hohenlinden . . . 225

1700.)

David's Friends . . . 63

Chatterton, Thomas, (b. 1752,

A Dream

. . . 66

d. 1770.)

Veni Creator . . . . 68

Hymn for Christmas-day. 165. | Falconer, William, (b. 1730,
The Copernican System . 166

d. 1769.)
The Resignation : : 167 The Fallen Condition of Greece 135
Coleridge, S.T.

The Shipwreck ..

136

Description of a Ninety-gun

Hymn before Sunrise, in the

Ship . . .

Vale of Chamouny. 196

Fletcher, Giles.

Tell's Birth-place . . . 198

Night .

The Morning of the Resurrec-

The Dissolution of Friendship 199 tion . . . . 47

Collins, William, (6. 1720, d.

Fletcher, Phineas, (d. 1650.)

Intellect, the Prince of the

Purple Island

Ode to Fear . . . 123

The Happiness of a Rural Life 46

The Passions . . . 125

Gay, John, (6. 1688, d. 1732.)

Cowper, William, (6. 1731, d. The Pin and Needle . . 96

1800.)

The Butterfly and the Snail . 97

The Turkey and the Ant ,

The Winter Evening : 160

The Hare and many Friends 99

Praise of the Country . . 162

Gray, Thomas, (6. 1716, d.

Crabbe, George, (6. 1754, d.

1771.)

1832.)

The Progress of Poesy . 145

An English Peasant . . 180

On Education . . . 148

The Patronized Boy . . 181 | Goldsmith, Oliver, (6. 1731,

d. 1774.)

Croly, George.

The Traveller : · 151

The Entry into Jerusalem .257

Habington, William, (6. 1605,

The Dead Sea . . . 258

Bellator Moriens. . . 258

d. 1654.)

The Retreat of the French

The Brief Triumph of the

Army from Moscow . 259

Jacob's Dream : . . 265 Heber, Reginald, (6. 1783, d.

The Female Convict to her

The Crusade . . , 278

Hymn, Fifteenth Sunday after

Funeral Dirge (from the

Trinity .

279

Widow of Nain) ..

An Evening Walk in Bengal 407

98

Wicked .

51

264

The Trumpet . . . . 280

Ivan the Czar. . . 281
The Siege of Valencia. 283
Casabianca. .

284

The Cid's Funeral Procession 285

Description of a Lady Singing 58

Description of a Storm . . 59

Address to Light .

Satan's Address to the Sun , 61

Montgomery, James.

The Wanderer's Return

Greenland

228

The Pelican Island . . 230

The Common Lot. . . 231

The Cast-away Ship .

A Mother's Love . . . 234

The Time-piece

236

226

Herrick, Robert.

To Blossoms
To Daffodils

232

Hervey, T. K.

My Sister's Grave . . . 311

The Convict Ship . : 313

Hogg, James.

Elegy . . . . . . . 329

The Fate of Macgregor , 330
Howitt, William and Mary.

The Conqueror . . . 294

Telle est la Vie . . 296
Johnson, Dr. Samuel, (6.,

1709, d. 1784.)
The Vanity of Human Wishes 155

Keats, John, (6. 1796, d. 1821.)

Ode to a Nightingale . . 325

Robin Hood

Montgomery, Robert.

Omnipresence of the Deity . 314

Lost Feelings . . .

London . . . . 317

America. .. . . 318

Hymn of the Angels at the

Birth of Christ . . . 320

327

301

Milman, Henry Hart.

Hymn of the Captive Jews : 266
The Summons of the Destroy-

ing Angel to the City of

Babylon . . . 267
The Fall of Jerusalem, Hymn 268
Choral Hymn of the Jewish

Maidens . . . . 270
Milton, John, (b. 1608, d.

1674.)
The Garden of Eden .. .
The Preparations for the

Battle of the Angels. . 55
Eve's Lament on her Expul-

sion from Paradise .
The Subsiding of the Waters

of the Deluge · · · 56
Samson's Lament for the Loss

of his Sight . . . 57

Moultrie, Rev. J.

My Brother's Grave . . 307
Parnell, Thomas, (6. 1679, d.

1717.)
The Hermit.

A Fairy Tale . . . 75

Pollok, Robert, (6. 1799,

d. 1827.)

The Course of Time

300

True Liberty :

The Death of the Young

Mother . . . . . 301

Pope, Alexander, (6. 1688,

d. 1744.)
The Messiah
The Dying Christian to his

· · · · 92
The Medal ..

The City and Country Mouse. 94
Prior, Matthew, (6. 1664,

d. 1721.)

Books

Readings in poetry: a selection from the best English poets, from Spenser to ...