Contents

Chapter I.

The Historical Scope of the Subject.

Literature and Science—English Literature—General Principle—Celts and Cymry—Roman Conquest—Coming of the Saxons—Danish Invasions—The Norman Conquest—Changes in Language

Chapter II.

Literature a Teacher of History. Celtic Remains.

The Uses of Literature—Italy, France, England—Purpose of the Work—Celtic Literary Remains—Druids and Druidism—Roman Writers—Psalter of Cashel—Welsh Triads and Mabinogion—Gildas and St. Colm

Chapter III.

Anglo-Saxon Literature and History.

The Lineage of the Anglo-Saxon—Earliest Saxon Poem—Metrical Arrangement—Periphrasis and Alliteration—Beowulf—Caedmon—Other Saxon Fragments—The Appearance of Bede

Chapter IV.

The Venerable Bede and the Saxon Chronicle.

Biography—Ecclesiastical History—The Recorded Miracles—Bede's Latin—Other Writers—The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: its Value—Alfred the Great—Effect of the Danish Invasions

Chapter V.

The Norman Conquest and Its Earliest Literature.

Norman Rule—Its Oppression—Its Benefits—William of Malmesbury—Geoffrey of Monmouth—Other Latin Chronicles—Anglo-Norman Poets—Richard Wace—Other Poets

Chapter VI.

The Morning Twilight of English Literature.

Semi-Saxon Literature—Layamon—The Ormulum—Robert of Gloucester—Langland. Piers Plowman—Piers Plowman's Creed—Sir Jean Froissart—Sir John Mandevil

Chapter VII.

Chaucer, and the Early Reformation.

A New Era: Chaucer—Italian Influence—Chaucer as a Founder—Earlier Poems—The Canterbury Tales—Characters—Satire—Presentations of Woman—The Plan Proposed

Chapter VIII.

Chaucer (Continued).—Reforms in Religion and Society.

Historical Facts—Reform in Religion—The Clergy, Regular and Secular—The Friar and the Sompnour—The Pardonere—The Poure Persone—John Wiclif—The Translation of the Bible—The Ashes of Wiclif

Chapter IX.

Chaucer (Continued).—Progress of Society, and of Language.

Social Life—Government—Chaucer's English—His Death—Historical Facts—John Gower—Chaucer and Gower—Gower's Language—Other Writers

Chapter X.

The Barren Period Between Chaucer and Spenser.

Greek Literature—Invention of Printing. Caxton—Contemporary History—Skelton—Wyatt—Surrey—Sir Thomas Moore—Utopia, and other Works—Other Writers

Chapter XI.

Spenser and the Elizabethan Age.

The Great Change—Edward VI. and Mary—Sidney—The Arcadia—Defence of Poesy—Astrophel and Stella—Gabriel Harvey—Edmund Spenser: Shepherd's Calendar—His Great Work

Chapter XII.

Illustrations of the History in the Faerie Queene.

The Faerie Queene—The Plan Proposed—Illustrations of the History—The Knight and the Lady—The Wood of Error and the Hermitage—The Crusades—Britomartis and Sir Artegal—Elizabeth—Mary Queen of Scots—Other Works—Spenser's Fate—Other Writers

Chapter XIII.

The English Drama.

Origin of the Drama—Miracle Plays—Moralities—First Comedy—Early Tragedies—Christopher Marlowe—Other Dramatists—Playwrights and Morals

Chapter XIV.

William Shakspeare.

The Power of Shakspeare—Meagre Early History—Doubts of his Identity—What is known—Marries and goes to London—"Venus" and "Lucrece"—Retirement and Death—Literary Habitudes—Variety of the Plays—Table of Dates and Sources

Chapter XV.

William Shakspeare (Continued).

The Grounds of his Fame—Creation of Character—Imagination and Fancy—Power of Expression—His Faults—Influence of Elizabeth—Sonnets—Ireland and Collier—Concordance—Other Writers

Chapter XVI.

Bacon, and the Rise of the New Philosophy.

Birth and Early Life—Treatment of Essex—His Appointments—His Fall—Writes Philosophy—Magna Instauratio—His Defects—His Fame—His Essays

Chapter XVII.

The English Bible.

Early Versions—The Septuagint—The Vulgate—Wiclif; Tyndale—Coverdale; Cranmer—Geneva; Bishop's Bible—King James's Bible—Language of the Bible—Revision

Chapter XVIII.

John Milton, and the English Commonwealth.

Historical Facts—Charles I.—Religious Extremes—Cromwell—Birth and Early Works—Views of Marriage—Other Prose Works—Effects of the Restoration—Estimate of his Prose

Chapter XIX.

The Poetry of Milton.

The Blind Poet—Paradise Lost—Milton and Dante—His Faults—Characteristics of the Age—Paradise Regained—His Scholarship—His Sonnets—His Death and Fame

Chapter XX.

Cowley, Butler, and Walton.

Cowley and Milton—Cowley's Life and Works—His Fame—Butler's Career—Hudibras—His Poverty and Death—Izaak Walton—The Angler; and Lives—Other Writers

Chapter XXI.

Dryden, and the Restored Stuarts.

The Court of Charles II.—Dryden's Early Life—The Death of Cromwell—The Restoration—Dryden's Tribute—Annus Mirabilis—Absalom and Achitophel—The Death of Charles—Dryden's Conversion—Dryden's Fall—His Odes 207

Chapter XXII.

The Religious Literature of the Great Rebellion and of the Restoration.

The English Divines—Hall—Chillingsworth—Taylor—Fuller—Sir T. Browne—Baxter—Fox—Bunyan—South—Other Writers 221

Chapter XXIII.

The Drama of the Restoration.

The License of the Age—Dryden—Wycherley—Congreve—Vanbrugh— Farquhar—Etherege—Tragedy—Otway—Rowe—Lee—Southern 233

Chapter XXIV.

Pope, and the Artificial School.

Contemporary History—Birth and Early Life—Essay, on Criticism—Rape of the Lock—The Messiah—The Iliad—Value of the Translation—The Odyssey—Essay on Man—The Artificial School—Estimate of Pope—Other Writers 241

Chapter XXV.

Addison, and the Reign of Queen Anne.

The Character of the Age—Queen Anne—Whigs and Tories—George I.—Addison: The Campaign—Sir Roger de Coverley—The Club—Addison's Hymns—Person and Literary Character 254

Chapter XXVI.

Steele and Swift.

Sir Richard Steele—Periodicals—The Crisis—His Last Days—Jonathan Swift: Poems—The Tale of a Tub—Battle of the Books—Pamphlets—M. B. Drapier—Gulliver's Travels—Stella and Vanessa—His Character and Death 264

Chapter XXVII.

The Rise and Progress of Modern Fiction.

The New Age—Daniel Defoe—Robinson Crusoe—Richardson—Pamela, and Other Novels—Fielding—Joseph Andrews—Tom Jones—Its Moral—Smollett—Roderick Random—Peregrine Pickle 280

Chapter XXVIII.

Sterne, Goldsmith, and Mackenzie.

The Subjective School—Sterne: Sermons—Tristram Shandy—Sentimental Journey—Oliver Goldsmith—Poems: The Vicar—Histories, and Other Works—Mackenzie—The Man of Feeling 296

Chapter XXIX.

The Historical Triad in the Sceptical Age.

The Sceptical Age—David Hume—History of England—Metaphysics—Essay on Miracles—Robertson—Histories—Gibbon—The Decline and Fall 309

Chapter XXX.

Samuel Johnson and His Times.

Early Life and Career—London—Rambler and Idler—The Dictionary—Other Works—Lives of the Poets—Person and Character—Style—Junius 324

Chapter XXXI.

The Literary Forgers in the Antiquarian Age.

The Eighteenth Century—James Macpherson—Ossian—Thomas Chatterton—His Poems—The Verdict—Suicide—The Cause 334

Chapter XXXII.

Poetry of the Transition School.

The Transition Period—James Thomson—The Seasons—The Castle of Indolence—Mark Akenside—Pleasures of the Imagination—Thomas Gray—The Elegy. The Bard—William Cowper—The Task—Translation of Homer—Other Writers 347

Chapter XXXIII.

The Later Drama.

The Progress of the Drama—Garrick—Foote—Cumberland—Sheridan—George Colman—George Colman, the Younger—Other Dramatists and Humorists—Other Writers on Various Subjects 360

Chapter XXXIV.

The New Romantic Poetry: Scott.

Walter Scott—Translations and Minstrelsy—The Lay of the Last Minstrel—Other Poems—The Waverley Novels—Particular Mention—Pecuniary Troubles—His Manly Purpose—Powers Overtasked—Fruitless Journey—Return and Death—His Fame 371

Chapter XXXV.

The New Romantic Poetry: Byron and Moore.

Early Life of Byron—Childe Harold and Eastern Tales—Unhappy Marriage—Philhellenism and Death—Estimate of his Poetry—Thomas Moore—Anacreon—Later Fortunes—Lalla Rookh—His Diary—His Rank as Poet 384

Chapter XXXVI.

The New Romantic Poetry (Continued).

Robert Burns—His Poems—His Career—George Crabbe—Thomas Campbell—Samuel Rogers—P. B. Shelley—John Keats—Other Writers 397

Chapter XXXVII.

Wordsworth, and the Lake School.

The New School—William Wordsworth—Poetical Canons—The Excursion and Sonnets—An Estimate—Robert Southey—His Writings—Historical Value—S. T. Coleridge—Early Life—His Helplessness—Hartley and H. N. Coleridge 414

Chapter XXXVIII.

The Reaction in Poetry.

Alfred Tennyson—Early Works—The Princess—Idyls of the King—Elizabeth B. Browning—Aurora Leigh—Her Faults—Robert Browning—Other Poets 428

Chapter XXXIX.

The Later Historians.

New Materials—George Grote—History of Greece—Lord Macaulay—History of England—Its Faults—Thomas Carlyle—Life of Frederick II.—Other Historians 439

Chapter XL.

The Later Novelists as Social Reformers.

Bulwer—Changes in Writers—Dickens's Novels—American Notes—His Varied Powers—Second Visit to America—Thackeray—Vanity Fair—Henry Esmond—The Newcomes—The Georges—Estimate of his Powers 450

Chapter XLI.

The Later Writers.

Charles Lamb—Thomas Hood—Thomas de Quincey—Other Novelists—Writers on Science and Philosophy 466

Chapter XLII.

English Journalism.

Roman News Letters—The Gazette—The Civil War—Later Divisions—The Reviews—The Monthlies—The Dailies—The London Times—Other Newspapers 475

Alphabetical Index of Authors