Curiosities of Literature, Volume 3J. Murray, 1823 - English literature |
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Abbé Abridgers addressed admirably Æneid agreeable amongst amused ancient anecdote Anthony Weldon appeared Ariosto Astrea Bayle beautiful BEN JONSON bible Boileau Brantome Cardinal Richelieu Celadon celebrated censure character Charles charms composed composition Corneille court Crebillon critics curious death dedicated delight Diana duke English English council expression favour favourite fire Folly formed French frequently friends genius give gondoliers Henry III honour humour husband imagination imitated ingenious Italian James king King of Navarre labour lady learned letters literary literature Lord majesty manner marriage married Mary merit muse never observed occasioned original pamphlets passion Perceforest persons PETRARCH philosopher poem poet poetical poetry Pope prince printed published queen Quintilian reader religion ridiculous romances Saint salute says Scarron servants singular Spain style Tasso taste thing tion translation Turkish Spy verses Virgin Voltaire volumes wife word writers written wrote
Popular passages
Page 98 - I behold like a Spanish great galleon and an English man-of-war. Master Coleridge, like the former, was built far higher in learning, solid, but slow in his performances. CVL, with the English man-of-war, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about, and take advantage of all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention.
Page 16 - I could be content that we might procreate like trees, without conjunction, or that there were any way to perpetuate the world without this trivial and vulgar way of coition ; it is the foolishest act a wise man commits in all his life, nor is there any thing that will more deject his cooled imagination, when he shall consider what an odd and unworthy piece of folly he hath committed.
Page 184 - Tho' still some traces of our rustic vein 270 And splay-foot verse remain'd, and will remain. Late, very late, correctness grew our care, When the tir'd nation breath'd from civil war. Exact Racine, and Corneille's noble fire, Show'd us that France had something to admire.
Page 81 - A dungeon horrible on all sides round As one great furnace flamed; yet from those flames No light; but rather darkness visible Served only to discover sights of woe...
Page 101 - Twere simple fury, still, thyself to waste On such as have no taste; To offer them a surfeit of pure bread, Whose appetites are dead! No, give them...
Page 166 - This man, who had bravely served his country in war, and who had been invested with the highest dignities, was delivered into the hands of the executioner, and torn in pieces by the most inhuman torments. Amidst the severe agonies which he endured he frequently repeated an ode of Horace, which contained sentiments suited to his deplorable condition.
Page 208 - ... be vain: Your silence there is better than your spite, For who can rail so long as they can write?
Page 97 - He was an eminent instance of the truth of that rule, Poeta non fit, sed nascitur — one is not made but born a poet. Indeed his learning was very little, so that as Cornish diamonds are not polished by any lapidary, but are pointed and smoothed even as they are taken out of the earth, so nature itself was all the art which was used upon him.
Page 164 - ... souffrir le voisinage, En mort de qualité je lui tins ce langage : « Retire-toi, coquin; va pourrir loin d'ici. II ne t'appartient pas de m'approcher ainsi. — Coquin! ce me dit-il d'une arrogance extrême! Va chercher tes coquins ailleurs, coquin toi-même! Ici tous sont égaux; je ne te dois plus rien : Je suis sur mon fumier comme toi sur le tien.
Page 97 - Many were the wit-combats betwixt him and Ben Jonson, which two I behold like a Spanish great galleon, and an English man-of-war ; Master Jonson (like the former) was built far higher in learning ; solid, but slow in his performances. Shakespeare with the English man-ofwar, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about and take advantage of all winds, by the quickness of his wit and...