A History of English Literature in a Series of Biographical SketchesT. Nelson & Sons, 1893 - 550 pages |
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Page 11
... letters and print our books . In swampy places by the Nile , where the retreating flood had left pools , a yard or so deep , to stagnate under the copper sky , there grew in old times vast forests of tall reeds , whose triangular stems ...
... letters and print our books . In swampy places by the Nile , where the retreating flood had left pools , a yard or so deep , to stagnate under the copper sky , there grew in old times vast forests of tall reeds , whose triangular stems ...
Page 15
... letters of which our thirty - eight thousand words are made . Much of this opening chapter deals with countries far from Britain , and an age anterior , in the Old World at least , to the birth of British literature . But it is not a ...
... letters of which our thirty - eight thousand words are made . Much of this opening chapter deals with countries far from Britain , and an age anterior , in the Old World at least , to the birth of British literature . But it is not a ...
Page 21
... letters , sitting among his books and plying his patient pen , as his time - candle burns down , ring after ring , through the hours allotted to literary toil . Both sword and pen were familiar tools in that cunning right hand . Alfred ...
... letters , sitting among his books and plying his patient pen , as his time - candle burns down , ring after ring , through the hours allotted to literary toil . Both sword and pen were familiar tools in that cunning right hand . Alfred ...
Page 25
... Letters of Alcuin give a life - like picture of the great events of his day . The wars of Charlemagne against the Saracens and the Saxons are there described ; and there , too , we find a graphic account of the inner life of the ...
... Letters of Alcuin give a life - like picture of the great events of his day . The wars of Charlemagne against the Saracens and the Saxons are there described ; and there , too , we find a graphic account of the inner life of the ...
Page 27
... letters , sitting among his books and plying his patient pen , as his time - candle burns down , ring after ring , through the hours allotted to literary toil . Both sword and pen were familiar tools in that cunning right hand . Alfred ...
... letters , sitting among his books and plying his patient pen , as his time - candle burns down , ring after ring , through the hours allotted to literary toil . Both sword and pen were familiar tools in that cunning right hand . Alfred ...
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Common terms and phrases
Addison afterwards Alcuin Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury beauty became Bible blank-verse born brilliant called Cambridge Canterbury Canterbury Tales CHAPTER Charles chief chiefly Church College colour Court death died dramatic Earl early Edinburgh England English poetry Essays Faerie Queene fame father finest France genius grace Greek heart Henry History History of Scotland honour Illustrative extract James John King Lady land Latin letters literary lived London Lord Milton mind minstrel night noble novel novelist Oxford Paradise Lost picture play poem poet poet's poetic poetry poor Pope prose published Puritan Queen reign Roger Ascham romance round royal Saxon scene Scotland Scottish Shakspere song SPECIMEN spent story style Supplementary List Surrey sweet tale Thomas thought took tragedy translation Trinity College verse Vicar of Wakefield volumes WILLIAM wonderful writer written wrote young
Popular passages
Page 296 - twas a pleasing fear, For I was as it were a child of thee, And trusted to thy billows far and near, And laid my hand upon thy mane — as I do here.
Page 96 - Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses, Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There's no such thing: It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes.
Page 332 - Ye Ice-falls! ye that from the mountain's brow Adown enormous ravines slope amain Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice, And stopped at once amid their maddest plunge!
Page 143 - The other Shape — If shape it might be called that shape had none Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb ; Or substance might be called that shadow seemed, For each seemed either — black it stood as Night, 670 Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell, And shook a dreadful dart : what seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on.
Page 145 - Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence : Here we may reign secure, and, in my choice To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell : Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven...
Page 290 - I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards to avenge even a look that threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded ; and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever.
Page 295 - Thy shores are empires, changed in all save thee — Assyria, Greece, Rome, Carthage, what are they? Thy waters wasted them while they were free, And many a tyrant since; their shores obey The stranger, slave, or savage; their decay Has dried up realms to deserts: — not so thou, Unchangeable save to thy wild waves' play — Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow — Such as creation's dawn beheld thou rollest now.
Page 97 - Prick'd from the lazy finger of a maid : Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut, Made by the joiner squirrel, or old grub, Time out of mind the fairies' coach-makers. And in this state she gallops night by night Through lovers...
Page 262 - In all my wanderings round this world of care, In all my griefs — and God has given my share — I still had hopes, my latest hours to crown, Amidst these humble bowers to lay me down; To husband out life's taper at the close, And keep the flame from wasting by repose...
Page 145 - No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but all The multitude of angels, with a shout Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from blest voices, uttering joy...