Amenities of Literature, Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature, Volume 1Baudry's European Library, 1842 - Authors, English |
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ancient Anglo-Saxon Anthony à Wood antiquary antiquity appears Armorica Ascham barbarous bard Beowulf Bishop British Britons Cædmon Cæsar Caxton century character Chaucer chivalry Chronicle composed court critic curious dialect diction discovered dramas Druids edition Edward Elizabeth Elyot England English English language FABYAN fancy favourite France French genius Gower Henry the Eighth historian honour humour idiom imagination invention Italian king labour land language Latin Layamon learned literary Lord manuscript Milton minstrel modern monarch monastery monk mystery native never noble obscure observed origin passion period Petrarch Piers Ploughman poem poet poetic poetry political popular printed printer prose queen readers Reformation reign rhyme Robert of Gloucester ROGER ASCHAM romance royal rude satire Saxon seems singular Sir Thomas Sir Thomas Elyot Skelton society style Surrey tale taste tion tongue translation vernacular idiom vernacular literature verse volume Warton words writers written
Popular passages
Page 247 - I find His Grace my very good lord indeed, and I believe he doth as singularly favour me as any subject within this Realm; howbeit, son Roper, I may tell thee I have no cause to be proud thereof, for if my head would win him a castle in France (for then there was war between us), it should not fail to go.
Page 35 - And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.
Page 314 - ... as well for the recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure when we shall think good to see them, during our pleasure.
Page 114 - ... plainlie her own, with such shift, as nature, craft, experiens and folowing of other excellent doth lead her unto, and if she want at ani...
Page 39 - It pleased the Lord to call me for some time, and with some persons, to practice the Hebrew, the Greek, Latin, French, and Dutch. The Secretary of the Council, (Mr. Milton) for my Dutch I read him, read me many more languages.
Page 255 - This neglect then of rime so little is to be taken for a defect, though it may seem so perhaps to vulgar readers, that it rather is to be esteemed an example set, the first in English, of ancient liberty recovered to heroic poem from the troublesome and modern bondage of riming.
Page 37 - In billows, leave i' the midst a horrid vale. Then with expanded wings he steers his flight Aloft, incumbent on the dusky air That felt unusual weight, till on dry land He lights, if it were land that ever...
Page 195 - It was probably the taste of his royal master which inspired this bard's allegorical romance of chivalry, of love, and of science. This elaborate work is " The Pastime of Pleasure, or the History of Graunde Amour and la bel Pucel, containing the knowledge of the seven sciences and the course of man's life." At a time when sciences had no reality, they were constantly alluding to them; ignorance hardily imposed its erudition ; and experimental philosophy only terminated in necromancy. The seven sciences...
Page 308 - (saith he) ' that my bill will not pass, but I will have it pass, or I will have some of your heads,' and without other rhetoric or persuasion returned to his chamber.
Page 304 - hard by the imperial table at the feast of the golden fleece/ watched with wonder the emperor's progress through ' sod beef, roast mutton, baked hare,' after which ' he fed well of a capon ;' drinking also, says the fellow of St. John's, 'the best that ever I saw;' he had his head in the glass five times as long as any of them, and never drank less than a good quart at once of Rhenish wine.* " Eating was now the only physical gratification which he could still enjoy, or was unable to resist.