Class-Book of English Poetry and Prose, comprising select specimens of ... poets and prose writers ... With biographical notices, explanatory notes, etc

Appendix

ON AMERICAN LITERATURE BY F. H. AHN, ph. D. PROFESSOE OF MODEEN LANGUAGES AT THE HIGH-SCHOOL OF TREVES. COLOGNE: PUBLISHED BY M. D UMONT-S C H AUBE R G. MDCCCLXIX. VI the First Period embraces the infancy of the English Language and Literature, a period which was but a prelude to that glorious outburst of genius which characterized the reigns of Elizabeth and James, and which, however attractive to the advanced student, affords little interest to the younger scholar, for whom this work is more especially designed. The Second Period comprises the literature of the Elizabethan age up to the death of James. The Drama being such a peculiarly national and brilliant portion of English literature I have devoted a separate chapter to Shakspere, his predecessors and successors. The Third Period treats of the literature during the Reign of Charles I. and the Commonwealth, com prising chiefly the so-called metaphysical poets.

The Fourth Period includes the literature of the Restoration. The Fifth Period embraces the whole of the XVIII. century, to the time of the French Revolution; a period marked by an artificial style of thought and manners not in England only but throughout Europe generally. The Sixth (and last) Period is devoted to the nineteenth century up to the present date. Especial promi nence has been given to such important authors as Scott, Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth, and others whose names adorned the commencement of the century. An appendix has been added containing the principal American writers of the day, which, it is hoped, will be found useful to those who are desirous of gaining a knowledge of transatlantic literature, the importance and intrinsic merits of which are daily on the increase. These Introductory Sketches do not profess to form a complete critical history of English literature, but, though brief and incomplete, it is believed that they will give the student in a concise and simple form an accurate idea of the principal beauties of the literature of England.

For more copious information the student is referred to 'Shaw's' or 'Craik's' ■English Literature', as being the most reliable authorities which we possess on the subject. The Biographical Notices have been written as briefly as possible, so that they may be committed to memory, if judged advisable by the teacher. The principal events in the life of each author have been given, and his most important works enumerated ; which could not have been done in the Introductory Sketches without interrupting the course of the narrative. As regards the Extracts I have neverlost sight of the fact that my work is mainly intended for the use of schools. Such being the case, I have selected portions from the writings of the most celebrated authors only. By thus limiting the number I have been able to increase the length of the extracts and at the same time to preserve the size of the work within convenient limits.

It seemed more advantageous to give complete citations from such writers as Shakspere, Milton, Sheridan, Scott, Byron &c, than to give short selections from authors of inferior note. In the latter case the portraits would have been incomplete , and the student would have been unable to form a clear idea of the various styles of writing. As will be observed, I have given Shakspere's Julius Cæsar, Sheridan's School for Scandal, Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel &c, almost entire; the portions omitted are given in prose in my own words. This plan not only possesses the advantage of economising space, but it also keeps alive the interest in the plot, and does not break the course of the action, as must necessarily be the case when portions only of a play or long poem are given without any connecting link between them.

In general my aim has been to give the contents of a work from which I have made an extract, in order to enable the reader to have a clear view of the whole. I must not, of course, be considered to express my own opinions in the passages selected. I have indeed endeavoured to exclude every thing that might offend the most fastidious taste, but, as a rule, I have freely admitted every shade of opinion. The Notes consist chiefly of etymological hints and notices of the principal alterations in the form of words in the same or different languages — of a comparison of the grammatical state of the English language in successive ages — of hints conceived to be suggestive of the manner in which the inner spirit of an author might be illustrated in the sphere of class examination — of parallelism of thought and expression in writers — and of simple suggestions and references respecting the geography, mythology, or history contained in the extract.

The notes will perhaps be found rather too copious, but I know but too well how much trouble it cost me to find many of the elucidations subjoined to the text, and how frequently teachers are at a Pag-e. From .Macbeth' 121 Lady Macbeth after reading her Husband's Letter. . . 121 Macbeth's mental Struggle 122 The Murder 124 From .King Rickard II! 126 (Jaunt's Prophecy 126 Richard's Despair 127 From .Second Part os Henry IV.' 128 Henry's Soliloquy on Sleep 128 From .Hamlet' 128 Polonius counsels his Son on his Departure for Travel 128 Hamlet's Soliloquy on Death 129 From Shakspere's Lyrics 130 Amiens' Song 130 Dirge of Fidele 131 Invitation 131 The Fairy's Song 132 Sympathizing Love 132 From Shakspere's Sonnets 134 Detached Passages 136 1. Proper Use of Talents 136 2. Take the Beam out of thine own Eye 136 3.

The Voice of the Dying 136 5. A Good Conscience 136 6. Wolsey to Cromwell 137 7. Good Name 137 BEN JONSON 138 From fiatiline' 138 Meeting of the Conspirators Lentulus, Cethegus, and Catiline 138 From Catiline's Address to his Army 141 The Fall of Catiline 141 From tSejanus' 143 Accusation and Death of Silius in the Senate -house. . 143 From tEvery Man in his Humour' 148 The Boasting and Chastisement of Bobadil 149 Advice to a reckless Youth 150 From .The Masque of Queens' 151 A Meeting of Witches 151 From _The Forest' 153 Farewell to the World 153 From _The Underwoods' 154 To the Holy Trinity 154 BEAUMONT and FLETCHER 155 From tThe False One'' 155 Cæsar's Lamentation over Pompey's Head 155 From .The Two Noble Kinsmen' 156 From tNice Valour'1 158 Melancholy 158 From , Valentinian' 159 To Sleep 159 An honest Man's Fortune 159 PHILIP MASSINGER 159 From tTke Cily Madam' 160 The Extravagance of the City Madam's aping Court- Fashions reprehended ' THIKD PERIOD.

LITERATURE DURING THE REIGN OF CHAELES I. AND THE COMMONWEALTH. (1625—1660.) Page. Inteodcctoby Sketch 163 JOHN MILTON 167 On the Morning of Christ's Nativity 167 L'Allegro 173 From ,11 Penseroso' 177 Extracts from _Paradise Lost' 181 The Invocation and Introduction 181 The fallen Angels in the burning Lake 183 Satan presiding in the Infernal Council 185 Speech of Belial in the Debate 186 Satan, in his Expedition to the upper World, meets Sin and Death 189 Address to Light 193 The Angelic Worship 195 Satan's Soliloquy on Mount Niphates in Sight of Paradise 196 Paradise 198 Evening in Paradise 199 Adam and Eve's Morning- Hymn 200 The Messiah 202 Overthrow of the Rebel Angels 203 Michael's Message from God 205 Expulsion of Adam and Eve . '. 205 Extracts from .Paradise Regained' 206 Christ's Soliloquy on entering the Desert 207 Rome and Athens 209 From .Samson Agonistes' 212 Lament of Samson 213 Chorus 214 A Messenger relates Samson's Fall 215 From tThe Sonnets' 216 On his Blindness 216 FOURTH PERIOD.

LITERATURE OF THE RESTORATION. Inteoductoky Sketch 217 SAMUEL BUTLER 224 From .Hudibras' 224 The Accomplishments of Sir Hudibras 224 Sword and Dagger of Sir Hudibras 227 Miscellaneous Thoughts 228 JOHN DRYDEN 229 Alexander's Feast, an Ode in Honour of St. Cecilia's Day 229 From the .Annus Mirabilis' 233 London after the Fire 233 From .Absalom and Achitophel ' 234 Character of Shaftesbury (Achitophel) 234 Character of Zimri (Villiers, Duke of Buckingham) . . 235 From A.AII for Love' 236 Omens of Evil 236 Antony roused by Ventidius X Page. 243 Detached Pieces from Dryden's Plays From .Religio Laid' „.. Opening of the , Religio Laici ••••••*•..''' O-H*. The Position of Man in the Scheme of Redemption . . Z40 Veni Creator „.„ On Milton • • £' Ben Jonson „ _ Beaumont and Fletcher Jls JOHN BUNYAN If From .The Pilgrim's Progress' f*y The Valley of Humiliation *??

Christian at the Cross ial EDWARD HYDE, earl op claeendon 252 Character of Charles I Character of Oliver Cromwell . • 255 JOHN LOCKE 259 From .Thoughts concerning Education1 <=59 From the .Essay on Human Understanding' 263 Causes of Weakness in Men's Understanding 263 Reading 265 Practice and Habit 267 Prejudices 268 From .Letters on Toleration' 269 Toleration of other Men's Opinions 269 263 FIFTH PERIOD LITERATURE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Inteoductoey Sketch 271 ALEXANDER POPE 287 From ,The Essay on Criticism' 287 Nature the Basis of Art 287 Impediments to the Attainment of just Taste 291 From _The Essay on Man' 294 Self-knowledge 294 The Future mercifully concealed 295 The Order of Nature 296 The Universal Prayer 297 Ode on St. Cecilia's Day 298 Contentment 302 The dying Christian to his Soul 303 Epitaph on Mr. Gay, in Westminster Abbey 303 JOHN GAY 304 Fables 304 The Shepherd and the Philosopher 304 The Shepherd's Dog and the Wolf 306 The Court of Death 307 A Thought on Eternity 308 To my native Country 309 A Ballad 309 EDWARD YOUNG 310 From .Night Thoughts' 310 Man (Night I) 310 On Procrastination (Night I) 311 Value of Time (Night II) 312 God (Night IV) 312 Argument for the Existence of God (Night IX) .... 313 The last Day (Night IX) 314 Apostrophe to Night (Night IX) Page.

JAMES THOMSON 315 From .The Seasons' 315 a) From (Spring' 315 b) From (Summer' 317 c) From (Autumn' 320 d) From (Winter' 322 THOMAS GRAY 325 Ode on the Spring 326 On a distant Prospect of Eton College 327 Elegy, written in a Country Churchyard 330 The Progress of Poesy 335 The Bard ' 339 WILLIAM COWPER 343 From .The Task' 344 God's Omnipotence 344 Slavery 345 England 345 The Winter Evening 346 Address to Evening 347 God the Author of Nature 348 A Comparison , 349 Human Frailty 349 Alexander Selkirk's Soliloquy 350 On receiving his Mother's Picture 351 JAMES MACPHERSON 354 Carthon 354 The Songs of Selma 359 THOMAS CHATTERTON 363 The Invitation 364 Resignation 364 Elegy 365 ROBERT BURNS 366 To a Mouse, ou turning her up in her Nest with the Plough 366 To a Mountain Daisy 368 The Cotter's Saturday Night 369 Farewell to the Highlands 373 To Mary in Heaven 373 John Anderson 374 John Barleycorn 374 Verses left at a Friend's House 376 A Prayer 377 The first Psalm 377 RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN 378 The School for Scandal 378 BISHOP PERCY 445 From the _Reliques of ancient English Poetry' 446 Sir Lancelot du Lake 446 Gernutus, the Jew of Venice 449 King Leir and his three Daughters 453 JONATHAN SWIFT 457 From fiulliver's Travels' 457 Voyage to Lilliput 457 The Academy of Lagado 470 Receipt to make an epic Poem 475 Thoughts on various Subjects 475 JOSEPH ADDISON 476 The English Language 477 On the Extent and Advantage of Commerce Page.

The Excellency of Modesty On Politeness T™ The Mountain of Miseries *°* The Homage which Man owes his Creator Reflections in Westminster Abbey 490 OLIVER GOLDSMITH f° From .The Traveller' *^i From .The Deserted Village' *;» Picture of a Village Life *9? Edwin and Angelina °"1 From .The Vicar of Wakefield' 504 Moses at the Fair 504 The disabled Soldier 507 Earthquake at Calabria, in the year 1638 511 SAMUEL JOHNSON 513 From .The Rambler' 513 Religious Use of Retirement 513 On the Knowledge of the World 515 From the .Preface to Shakspere' 516 From the .Lives of the Poets' 520 . Comparison of Dryden and Pope 520 DANIEL DEFOE 521 From .The great Plague in London' 522 Incident during the Plague 525 HENRY FIELDING 527 The Man of the Hill 527 TOBIAS SMOLLETT 543 Roderick Random's Progress at School 543 Roderick's Adventure with a Sharper in London .... 544 The Soldier's return 546 LAURENCE STERNE 549 From .Tristram Shandy' 549 The Story of Le Fevre 549 From the .Sentimental Journey' 556 The Monk 556 DAVID HUME 558 From the .History of England ' 558 The Ancient Britons . 558 Death and Character of Elizabeth 560 Character of Henry VIII 563 From the .Essays' 564 Of Qualities immediately agreeable to others 564 WILLIAM ROBERTSON ."* 568 From the .History of Scotland' 568 Death and Character of Mary, Queen of Scots .... 568 From the .History of Charles V.' 572 Marriage between Philip of Spain and Mary of England 572 From the .History of America' 575 Discovery of America 575 EDWARD GIBBON 580 From .His Autobiography' *■,§-) Conception and Completion of his History . 580 From .The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' 581 The Schools of Athens 581 Charlemagne 5g2 Mahomet 534.

Invention and use of Gunpowder 587 Remarks on Reading 5gg Pag-e. PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, eakl of chesterfield .... 590 From .Letters to his Son' 590 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE 596 From her setters' 596 EDMUND BURKE 604 From Reflections on the Revolution in France' 604 English Reverence for Antiquity 604 From the _Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful' 606 Sympathy a Source of the Sublime 606 Reflections on Sympathy in the Distresses of Others. . 607 SIXTH PERIOD. LITERATURE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. Intboductoby Sketch 608 SIR WALTER SCOTT 622 The Lay of the Last Minstrel 622 From Jvanhoe' 708 The Combat 709 Interview between Rebecca and the Lady Rowena. . . 714 LORD BYRON 717 Childe Harold 717 From _Don Juan' 760 The Shipwreck 760 From Faliero' 761 The Doge's Speech before his Execution 761 From .Hours of Idleness' 763 On a distant View of the Village and School of Harrowon-the Hill 763 From tThe Hebrew Melodies' 764 THOMAS MOORE 770 From .Lallah Rookk' 771 Paradise and the Peri 771 From LThe Fire Worshippers' 785 Hinda's Despair 785 Dirge of Hinda 786 From the .Irish Melodies' 787 Before the Battle 787 Weep on, Weep on 787 On Music 788 Has Sorrow thy young Days shaded 788 In the Morning of Life 789 From the Rational Airs' 790 O !

Days of Youth 790 See, the Dawn of Heaven 790 All that's bright must fade 791 From the sacred Songs' 791 Thou art, O God 791 The World is all a fleeting Show 792 Come, ye Disconsolate 792 O, teach me to love thee 793 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY 793 The Sensitive Plant 793 To a Skylark 801 The Cloud 803 Time Pag-e. THOMAS CAMPBELL ' 806 From .The Pleasures of Hope' <™t> Introduction Hope, the last Blessing that forsakes Man 807 Hope's Exhortation to youthful Genius 807 Maternal Hope 809 Hope triumphant in Death 810 The final Triumph of Hope 811 From .Gertrude of Wyoming' 811 Gertrude's Death 812 To the Rainbow • 814 The Soldier's Dream 815 Ye Mariners of England 816 WILLIAM WORDSWORTH 817 Childhood 817 Sonnet 817 To a Skylark . • 818 To May 819 Ode to Duty 820 Ode on the Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of early Childhood 821 The Affliction of Margaret 824 Laodamia 826 From: _The Egyptian Maid,' or .The Romance of the Water- Lily' 831 From .The Excursion' 833 Nature, worshipped by the Greeks 833 Address to the Supreme Being 834 Religion's Consolations amidst earthly Change 837 SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE 838 From .The Ancient Mariner' 839 From .ChrislabeV 846 .

Broken Friendship 846 Night 846 ■ Work without Hope 846 Love, Hope, and Patience in Education 847 Song 847 Answer to a Child's Question 848 Youth and Age 848 Love 849 Tell's Birth-place 852 Hymn before Sunrise , in the Vale of Chamouni .... 852 ROBERT SOUTHEY 855 From .Thalaba the Destroyer' 855 The widowed Mother 855 From .

The Curse of Kehama' 857 Mount Meru 857 A Voyage through the Sky \ 858 From .Roderick, the Last of the Goths' 861 ■ The Vale of Cavadonga 861 Mary, the Maid of the Inn ; . . 863 Lord William and Edmund 865 Henry the Hermit 867 The old Man's Comforts, and how he gained them . . 868 The Holly Tree 869 The Complaints of the Poor 870 Youth and Age g*->j Remembrance g72 The Evening Rainbow 873 Industry \ g^g Pag-e. From the iLife of Nelson' 874 Final Departure of Nelson from England: His Death and its Effects 874 LORD MACAULAY g77 From the .History of England' 878 Introduction 878 Flight of the Duke of Monmouth after the Battle of Sedgemoor, his Capture and Execution. . . . 879 William, Prince of Orange 888 The Peace of Ryswick 892 ALFRED TENNYSON . . . .fc 897 The May Queen 898 New-Year's Eve 899 Conclusion 901 From .In Memoriam' 903 Mariana 910 Love and Death 912 The Death of the Old Year 912 The Golden Year 914 Bugle Song 914 Cradle Song 915 CAPTAIN MARRYAT 915 From .Jacob Faithful' 916 Domine Dobiensis 916 The Domine's Trip to Greenwich 918 Deaf Stapleton on the Senses 924 SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON 933 From .The Last Days of Pompeii 933 The Christians at Pompeii 934 Apæcides 941 The Amphitheatre 944 The Death of Arbaces 950 The End 953 CHARLES DICKENS 954 From .Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick - Club' 955 The Pickwickians 855 The Review and what followed 958 Letters 966 Sam's Evidence and the Conclusion of the Trial . . . 966 From .Oliver Twist' 971 Burial of a Pauper 971 From .Dombey and Son' 973 Death of Paul Dombey 973 W. M. THACKERAY 976 From .Vanity Fair' 976 Departure of Amelia and Becky.

Their Arrival at the Former's Home 977 Rebecca at Mr. Sedley's 989 JOHN LINGARD 995 From the .History of England' 996 Character of Henry VIII 996 An Account of Cromwell's Expulsion of the Parliament in 1653 1002 The Plague in London in 1665 1005 CHARLES LAMB 1008 From the .Essays' - 1008 The Poor Relation 1008 From the .Tales from Shakspere' 1011 King Lear Page. THOMAS CARLYLE * From the .History of the French Revolution 10^ The Death of Louis XVI , 1022 From .Past and Present' 1026 Labour 1026 From the .Critical and Miscellaneous Essays' 1027 Signs of the Times 1027 Schiller 1031

APPENDIX.

. AMERICAN LITERATURE. Introductory Sketch 1035 H. W. LONGFELLOW 1037 From .Voices of the Night' 1037 A Psalm of Life 1037 Footsteps of Angels 1038 The Reaper and the Flowers 1039 Excelsior 1040 The two Angels 1041 Evangeline 1043 From the .Tales of a Wayside Inn' 1055 The Sicilian's Tale 1055 King Robert of Sicily 1055 WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT 1060 Thanatopsis 1060 From .A Forest Hymn' 1062 Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood 1063 To a Water-Fowl 1064 To the Past 1065 The Child and Lily 1066 Blessed are they that mourn 1067 No Man knoweth his Sepulchre 1067 EDGAR ALLAN POE 1068 The Raven 1068 The Bells 1071 WILLIAM H. PRESCOTT 1073 From .The Conquest of Mexico' 1074 The Spaniards enter Tlascala. Description of the Capital 1074 Seizure of Montezum-i 1077 GEORGE BANCROFT 1084 From the .History of the United Stales' 1084 The Aborigines of America 1084 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER 1104 From .The Spy' 1104 Death of Captain John Lawton 1105 Parting Interview between Washington and Birch . . . 1109 WASHINGTON IRVING 1113 From .The Sketch- Book' 1113 Rural Life in England 1113 The Country Church 1117 The Widow and her Son 1121 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1126 The Way to Wealth 1126 Index FIRST PERIOD From the earliest times to the reign of Elizabeth (— 1558 A. D.) 1.

Early Celtic, Latin, and Saxon Literature. — The earliest inhabitants of Britain, of whom we have any knowledge, were the Cells, a branch of that great family of man, which in the gloom of prehistoric times emigrated from the East, and overran the whole of Western Europe. In many respects, such as in their laws, their customs, and especially in national character, the original inhabitants of Britain seem to have borne a close resemblance to those of Gaul, when that country was first visited by the Romans. In Britain the Celts were divided into two great tribes, the Gael and the Cymri. The former finds its representative at the present day among the peasants of the Scotch Highlands and of Ireland; the latter among the Welsh, where the ancient language still lives and is cherished. Of the earliest Celts we possess no literary remains whatever.

Those works which still exist, such as the Psalter of Cashel, the Annals of Tigernach, and the Four Masters of Ulster are of much more recent date, and belong probably to the ninth century. They were composed after the introduction of Christianity among the natives, and, for the most part, are mere collections of those ecclesiastical legends so common in the Middle Ages. These writings are all in the Gaelic dialect; but in the Welsh or Cymric we have preserved some poems of the Bards, and a collection of legendary lore, respecting King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, which proved an inexhaustible mine of materials for the Romances of a later period. The Celtic literature, such as it was, exercised some influence on the people at large, and on their descendants, but the same remark does not apply to the Celtic language.

The Celtic and Anglo-Saxon or Gothic never amalgamated, though in close contact for several generations; indeed so little is modern English indebted to the ancient language once spoken by the early inhabitants of the Island, that in a vocabulary of 40,000 words it would be difficult, if not impossible, Ahn, Claaa-Book. Landing* of Saxons A. D. 449. Beowulf CaeJmon, died 680. to point to 100 derived immediately from a Celtic source. But the time was fast approaching when the Romans who had governed Britain with firmness and moderation, should quit it for ever. In pressing haste the Legions were recalled to defend the Empire now shaken to its very centre, by the fierce assaults of northern barbarians. The Britons, enervated by a premature and perhaps superficial civilization, had nei ther the courage nor the capacity to defend themselves from the attacks of their warlike neighbours.

Down from the Highlands of Scotland there poured swarm after swarm of ruthless invaders, who ravaged the fertile lowlands, and marked their course with death and destruction. The unhappy Britons had but one means left whereby to protect themselves from these savage foes, and in their distress they begged the as sistance of the Saxons. This people inhabited the modern Jutland and Schleswig-Holstein, and derived their origin from a Gothic source. Under their leaders Hengist and Horsa, they landed on the shores of Kent; and here we mark the com mencement of the second act in that great historical drama, of which England was destined to be the scene. It is mainly to these bold and hardy Teutons, these grim sea-rovers, that the English of to-day are indebted for the ground-work of their national character and their national language.

The genius of the Saxon people was active rather than contemplative, and they did not cultivate literature with either zeal or success. The earliest fragment of their literature we possess is the poem of Beowulf, written probably before the conversion of the natives to Christianity. On this account it is doubly valuable, as it affords us a glimpse of the inner life of the people, and exhibits the feelings and modes of thought of an age preceding the dawn of history. The poem commemorates the exploits of Beowulf, a hero of Jutland, who lived in the fourth century, and breathes much of that simple eloquence and true poetic spirit which is met with in the ear liest literature of a nation. The first Saxon writer after the settlement of this people in England is Cædmon, a Northumbrian monk, who flourished in the latter part of the seventh century.

Like Iopas in Vir gil, he sang a song of Creation, but his greatest work was a metrical Paraphrase of the Scriptures. Some passages of his poem are very fine, and are even supposed to have been consulted by Milton in certain portions of Paradise Lost. Together with this vernacular literature we also find that Latin was to a certain extent cultivated. Indeed during the seventh and eighth centuries of our era, there was probably as much intellectual energy in England as in any country of Northern Europe, though perhaps this is rather doubtful praise. About this time lived and wrote Sedulius, whose hymns are still read and admired, Aldhelm, abbot of Malmesbury, and above all Bede, surnamed the Venerable. The life Bede* of this great man, _affbrds a perfect type of the outward re pose and intellectual activity of the Monastic life in its best aspect'.

At the age of seven he entered the Monastery of Wearmouth, where he lived during fifty peaceful years, and where he composed all his works. Beyond all comparison he was the greatest writer of his age, and is not more remarkable for the depth and extent of his learning than for his sound sense and enlightened views. He wrote on almost every subject which attracted attention in his day, but the work on which his fame chiefly rests, is the Ecclesiastical History of England, still the standard authority for the civil and religious history of that early period. After the death of Bede in 733 a period of great intelof lectual torpor ensued. The country was distracted by the Airredt&e fierce wars of the Heptarchy, and by the repeated invasions -jst^-H'^. of the Danes, who at length succeeded in obtaining a settlement in the North and East of England.

During these tu multuous times Literature became well nigh extinct. One name however, that of King Alfred, shines out all the more brilliantly from the darkness with which it was surrounded. Almost the perfect type of a patriot King, a warrior and a philosopher, he did all that one man could do by his unaided efforts to prop up the declining cause of Letters. With a foresight far beyond his age he established schools, and him self translated several works, among others, the Consola tions of Boethius, and Bede's Ecclesiastical History. The nation however did not second his exertions, and after his death that learning which he had laboured so hard to esta blish almost entirely disappeared, until the Norman Conquest infused a new life into the people. It will be observed that almost all the Saxon prose literature was written in La tin, a few works however, principally monkish Chronicles, were composed in the vernacular language.

The chief of these SaxonChro. is the Saxon Chronicle, a register of current events, comnscie 89i— menced A. D. 891, and not completed until the reign of Henry II. 1154' The versification of Saxon poetry is very peculiar, and for a long time puzzled the ingenuity of philologists. The only principle that was adhered to consistently was alliteration,^}^3-™* which we find also in the early German poetry, and in Welsh language. to the present day. Their verses were written in couplets, and the requirements of the metre were amply satisfied, if in every two lines three words began with the same letter. An example taken from a poem of a later period will make this plain: A deep dale beneath A donjon therein, With deep ditches and dark, And dreadful of sight. Vision of Piers Ploughman. 1* The Anglo-Saxon language differed from modern English in two most important respects.

It was what is called a ho mogeneous language, that is its words all came from one stock; the language was as it were complete in itself, and borrowed nothing from any other source. It was also in flected, and like the modern German, declined its nouns and adjectives without the use of prepositions. As in Greek some of the pronouns had three numbers, singular, dual, and plu ral, and the adjectives had three genders. Thus it not un frequently happens, that words still in use are met with in Anglo-Saxon writings, but are so altered in form as to be to tally unintelligible to the modern reader; of which we may give an example from Alfred's translation of Orosius, where every word, except one, is still retained in the English language. flhthere sæde his hlaforde Ælfrede kynincge, thœt he ealra Northmanna norlhmest bude.

He cwœth thœt he bude on thœm lande northeweardum with tha west see. He sæde thœt he eel sumum cyrre wolde fandian hu lange thœt land northrihte lage, oththe hwœther cenig man be northern theem weslene bude' — which is, literally translated : .Ohthere said to his lord Alfred (the) King that he, of all the northmen, northmost abode. He quoth that he abode on the land northwards, along the west sea. He said that he at an occasion wished to find how long (far) that land right north extended, or whether any man to the north of that waste abode.7 2. Progress of the Language after the Norman Conquest. — When the Normans under Hrolf the Ganger wrested Normandy from the feeble successors of Charlemagne, they abandoned their old Scandinavian language, and adopted that of the country they had conquered.

This was a dialect of that wide spread Romance language which sprang from the ruins of classical Latin, after the destruction of the Roman Empire. The Romance tongue was divided into two dialects, — named from the word which in each meant _yes' — the Langue d'Oc (hoc) spoken in in the south of France, and the Langue d'Oil (probably iltud) spoken north of the Loire. The Normans had adopted the latter, and they introduced it into England at the time of the Conquest (A. D. 1066). No doubt, how ever, it was understood before, and had even to a certain extent become popular at the court of Edward, the last King of the old dynasty. But for two centuries after the Conquest the Norman-French and Anglo-Saxon existed side by side as separate and dictinct languages. The former was the lan guage of the Aristocracy, the latter of the Peasantry.