John DrydenDryden's poetry is straightforward, bold, and energetic. He was in the public eye for some forty years, holding positions at court for a long period of time. He was indisputably perceived as the leading writer of his day. He excelled in all the types of writing practiced at the time. He wrote more, and in more genres than anyone. He accumulated to himself (it is a odd distinction) a huge mass of attacks, ranging from the reasoned to the scabrous. Dryden explained his attitudes and intentions in a large number of prologues, epilogues, prefaces, defences, and vindications-thereby quite casually producing the first body of what we now call 'criticism' in English. And yet his life and character remain something of a mystery. |
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Page 251
... Lucretius , whom I have translated more happily in those parts of him which I undertook . If he was not of the best age of Roman poetry , he was at least of that which preceded it ; and he himself refined it to that degree of perfection ...
... Lucretius , whom I have translated more happily in those parts of him which I undertook . If he was not of the best age of Roman poetry , he was at least of that which preceded it ; and he himself refined it to that degree of perfection ...
Page 252
... Lucretius ; who though often in the wrong , yet seems to deal bona fide [ in good faith ] with his reader , and tells him nothing but what he thinks ; in which plain sincerity , I believe he differs from our Hobbes , who could not but ...
... Lucretius ; who though often in the wrong , yet seems to deal bona fide [ in good faith ] with his reader , and tells him nothing but what he thinks ; in which plain sincerity , I believe he differs from our Hobbes , who could not but ...
Page 255
... Lucretius ; ° I have not here designed to rob him of any part of that commendation , which he has so justly acquired by the whole author , whose fragments only fall to my portion . What I have now performed , is no more than I intended ...
... Lucretius ; ° I have not here designed to rob him of any part of that commendation , which he has so justly acquired by the whole author , whose fragments only fall to my portion . What I have now performed , is no more than I intended ...
Contents
To John Hoddesdon on his Divine Epigrams I | 1 |
Astraea Redux | 9 |
Absalom and Achitophel | 177 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Absalom and Achitophel Aeneas Aeneid ancient Arcite Aristotle arms bear beauty behold Ben Jonson betwixt blessed blood breast Caeneus Chaucer Cinyras courser cried crime crown death Dryden e'en earth English eyes fair fame fate father fear fight fire flames force Georgics give goddess gods grace Greek ground hand haste head heart heaven honour Iliad John Dryden Jove kind king labour leave light live lord lover Lucretius maid Metamorphoses mighty mind mortal muse nature never night numbers o'er once Ovid pain Palamon passion Pindar Pirithous plain play pleased poem poet praise Priam prince pursue queen race rage rest rhyme Roman sacred Satire of Juvenal seas Sejanus sighed sight sire skies soul stood sweet sword tears thee Theseus thou thought translation Twas verse Virgil vows wife wind words youth