The works of the English poets. With prefaces, biographical and critical, by S. Johnson, Volume 471790 |
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Page 9
... fatire . The perfons themselves , rather than allow the objection , would forgive the fatire ; and if one could be tempted to afford it a serious answer , were not all affaffinates , popular infurrections , the infolence of the rabble ...
... fatire . The perfons themselves , rather than allow the objection , would forgive the fatire ; and if one could be tempted to afford it a serious answer , were not all affaffinates , popular infurrections , the infolence of the rabble ...
Page 10
... fatire , when it is the confequence of vice , prodigality , or neglect of one's lawful call- ing ; for then it increases the public burden , fills the streets and highways with robbers , and the garrets with clippers , coiners , and ...
... fatire , when it is the confequence of vice , prodigality , or neglect of one's lawful call- ing ; for then it increases the public burden , fills the streets and highways with robbers , and the garrets with clippers , coiners , and ...
Page 11
English poets. and characters were too facred for fatire ; and the public objecting on the other , that they are too mean even for ridicule ? But whether bread or fame be their end , it must be allowed , our Author , by and in this Poem ...
English poets. and characters were too facred for fatire ; and the public objecting on the other , that they are too mean even for ridicule ? But whether bread or fame be their end , it must be allowed , our Author , by and in this Poem ...
Page 12
... fatire , much more should folly or dul- nefs , which are ftill more involuntary ; nay , as much so as perfonal deformity . But even this will not help them : deformity becomes an object of ridicule when a man fets up for being handsome ...
... fatire , much more should folly or dul- nefs , which are ftill more involuntary ; nay , as much so as perfonal deformity . But even this will not help them : deformity becomes an object of ridicule when a man fets up for being handsome ...
Page 14
... for fuch virtues as he had long obferved in them , and only at fuch times as others cease to praise , if not begin to calumniate them , I mean when out of power or out of fa- fhion c . A fatire , therefore , on writers 14 A LETTER.
... for fuch virtues as he had long obferved in them , and only at fuch times as others cease to praise , if not begin to calumniate them , I mean when out of power or out of fa- fhion c . A fatire , therefore , on writers 14 A LETTER.
Common terms and phrases
abufed abuſe Advertiſements Æneid affures againſt alfo ancient Bavius Bookfellers called caufe cauſe character Charles Gildon Cibber Criticiſm Critics Curll Dæmon defign Dennis Dryden dull Dulneſs Dunce Dunciad Edition Edmund Curll Effay Epic faid fame fatire fays fecond feem feven fhall fhew fhould fince fing firft firſt fleep fome ftand ftill fubject fuch fure genius gentleman Gildon Goddefs greateſt hath Hero himſelf Homer honour Ibid Iliad JOHN DENNIS Journal juft King laft laſt learned lefs Letter LEWIS THEOBALD Lord Mift's moft moſt Mufe muſt o'er obferved occafioned octavo Oldmixon perfons pleaſure Poem Poet Poetry Pope Pope's praiſe Pref prefent printed profe publiſhed racter reader reafon reft REMARKS rife SCRIBL Scriblerus Senfe Shakeſpeare ſhall ſome thee thefe Theobald theſe thing thofe thoſe thou Tibbald tranflated uſe VARIATION verfe verſes Virgil Welfted whofe whoſe word writ writings
Popular passages
Page 259 - Night primeval and of Chaos old ! Before her, fancy's gilded clouds decay, And all its varying rainbows die away. Wit shoots in vain its momentary fires, The meteor drops, and in a flash expires. As one by one, at dread Medea's strain, The sick'ning stars fade off th' ethereal plain ; As Argus
Page 260 - Light dies before thy uncreating word : Thy hand, great Anarch, lets the curtain fall, And universal darkness buries all.
Page 213 - The moon-struck prophet felt the madding hour : Then rose the seed of Chaos, and of Night, To blot out order, and extinguish light, Of dull and venal a new world to mould, And bring Saturnian days of lead and gold.
Page 104 - For thee we dim the eyes, and stuff the head With all such reading as was never read : For thee explain a thing till all men doubt it, And write about it, goddess, and about it : So spins the silkworm small its slender store, And labours till it clouds itself all o'er.
Page 97 - Blasphem'd his gods, the dice, and damn'd his fate ; Then gnaw'd his pen, then dash'd it on the ground, Sinking from thought to thought, a vast profound ! Plung'd for his sense, but found no bottom there, Yet wrote and flounder'd on in mere despair.
Page 205 - Furthermore, it drove out of England (for that season) the Italian Opera, which had carried all before it for ten years.
Page 26 - ... or science, which have not been touched upon by others ; we have little else left us, but to represent the common sense of mankind in more strong, more beautiful, or more uncommon lights. If a reader examines Horace's Art of Poetry...
Page 205 - The person who acted Polly, till then obscure, became all at once the favourite of the town ; her pictures were engraved, and sold in great numbers ; her life written, books of letters and verses to her published, and pamphlets made even of her sayings and jests.
Page 204 - This piece was received with greater applause than was ever known. Besides being acted in London sixtythree days without interruption, and renewed the next season with equal applause, it spread into all the great towns of England; was played in many places to the thirtieth and fortieth time ; at Bath and Bristol fifty, &c.
Page 196 - The forests dance, the rivers upward rise, Whales sport in woods, and dolphins in the skies ; And last, to give the whole creation grace, Lo ! one vast egg produces human race. Joy fills his soul, joy innocent of thought : 'What power,' he cries, 'what power these wonders wrought?