ADVERTISEMENT. THE lovers of our old English Poetry must often have felt a wish for a closer and more intimate acquaintance with its beauties. There may be many volumes rich in Thought and Expression, but their size, in most instances, renders them unsuitable to be the daily companions of our travels. I must also confess that much dross is mixed with some of the choicest gems in our earlier Poetical Literature. In selecting the Specimens contained in this Volume, I found my chief difficulty lay in deciding where to stop; and, therefore, much has been rejected fully equal in merit to the Pieces I have chosen. The Classification is, in some respects, imperfect. It was necessary to bring the Specimens into some order and sequence,-the Lighter or more Cheerful taking precedence, the Meditative following, and where the last reached a graver strain of reflection, they also required a place to themselves. It only remains for me to add that a smaller Edition, which appeared some time ago, seems to have afforded pleasure to those who admire such Collections, and this has encouraged my Publishers and myself to offer the present Edition, which contains a few choice additional Pieces, for acceptance. It will be observed that the date of an Author's birth and death appears only once in the text-the first time of the insertion of the name. EMILY TAYLOR. LONDON, April, 1864. |