individual pursuits-Friends in Council—Serious and gay books

-English humour-Southey's ballad—Necessity of intellectual

discipline-Disadvantage of courses of reading-Books not

insulated things--Authors who guide-Southey's Doctor-Elia

-Coleridge—Divisions of Prose and Poetry-Henry Taylor's

Notes from Books—Poetry not a mere luxury of the mind-

Arnold's habits of study and taste—The practical and poetical

element of Anglo-Saxon character—The Bible-Mosaic Poetry

-Inadequacy of language-Lockhart's character of Scott-Ar-

nold's character of Scipio-Tragic poetry-Poetry for children

-Robinson Crusoe and the Arabian Nights-Wordsworth's Ode

to Duty-Character of Washington........ .............Page 54

LECTURE III.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Medium of ideas often forgotten-Witchery of English words-

Analysis of good style difficult-The power of words-Our duty

to the English language-Lord Bacon's idea of Latin-Milton-

Hume's expostulation with Gibbon-Daniel's Lament—Exten-

sion of English language-French dominion in America-Lan-

dor's Penn and Peterborough-Duty of protecting and guarding

language-Degeneracy of language and morals—Age of Charles

II.—Language part of character-Arnold's Lectures on Modern

History—Use of disproportionate words-Origin of the English

language in the North-Classical and romantic languages-

Saxon element of our language-Its superiority—The Bible

idiom-Structure of sentences-Prepositions at the end of most

vigorous sentences—Composite sentences, and the Latin element

-Alliteration-Grandeur of sentences in old writers—Modern

short sentences—Junius-Macaulay-No peculiar poetic diction

-Doctor Franklin's rules—Shakspeare's matchless words-

Wordsworth's sonnet-Byron-Landor-Coleridge's Christabel

_"The Song in the Mind”-Hood–The Bridge of Sighs....... 85

LECTURE IV.

EARLY ENGLISH LITERATURE.

Early English prose and poetry—Sir John Mandeville-Sir Tho-

mas More's Life of Edward the Fifth-Chaucer's Tales-At-

tempted paraphrases—Chaucer Modernized— Conflict of Nor-

man and Saxon elements—Gower-Reign of Edward the Third-

Continental wars—Petrarch-Boccacio-Froissart-The church

-Wyclif-Arts and Architecture-Statutes in English--Chau-

cer resumed–His humour and pathos–Sense of natural beauty

-The Temple of Fame-Chaucer and Mr. Babbage-The flower

and the leaf-Canterbury Tales-Chaucer's high moral tone-

Wordsworth's stanza-Poet's corner and Chaucer's tomb-The

death of a Language-English minstrelsy-Percy's Reliques

-Sir Walter Scott-Wilson-Christian hymns and chaunts-

Conversion of King Edwin-Martial ballads—Lockhart-

Spanish ballads-Ticknor's great work-Edom of Gordon-

Dramatic power of the ballad—The Two Brothers—Contrast of

early and late English poetry...

..................Page 121

LECTURE V.

LITERATURE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

Dawn of letters a false illustration Intellectual gloom from Ed-

ward III. to Henry VIII.-Chaucer to Spenser-Caxton and

the art of printing-Civil wars—Wyatt and Surrey—The son-

net naturalized in English poetry-Blank verse-Henry VIII.

-Edward VI.-Landor's Sonnet-Sternhold and Hopkins-

Bishop Latimer-Goodwin Sands and Tenterden Steeple-

“Bloody Mary”-Sackville—" The Mirror of Magistrates”-

His career-Age of Elizabeth-Contrasts of her life—The

Church as an independent English power—Shakspeare-His

journey to London-Final formation of the English language

_“The well of English undefiled”—The Reformation—Sir

Philip Sydney—The Bishop's Bible-Richard Hooker-Spen-

ser and Shakspeare—Wilson's Noctes Ambrosiana-Sir Walter

Raleigh-Shakspeare's Prose.....

..............155

LECTURE VI.

LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, WITH INCIDENTAL

SUGGESTIONS ON SUNDAY READING.

Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity-Progress of English literature-

Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World-Bacon's Essays

Milton-Comus-Hymn on the Nativity-Suggestions as to

Sunday reading—Sacred books—Forms of Christian faith-

Evidences of Religion-Butler's Analogy-Charles Lamb's Re-

marks on Stackhouse-History of the Bible-Jeremy Taylor-

Holy Living and Dying-Life of Christ-Pulpit-oratory-Sou-

they's Book of the Church-Thomas Fuller~Wordsworth's

Ecclesiastical Sonnets Izaak Walton's Lives—Pilgrim's Pro-

gress—The Old Man's Home-George Herbert-Henry Vaughan

-Milton resumed—Paradise Lost-Criticism on it as a purely

sacred poem-Shakspeare's mode of treating sacred subjects-

Spenser-The Faery Queen-John Wesley-Keble's Christian

Year-George Wither--Aubrey De Vere—Trench’s Sonnet. Page 184

LECTURE VII.

LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.

Milton's old age—Donne’s Sermons-No great school of poetry

without love of nature-Blank in this respect between Paradise

Lost and Thomson's Seasons-Court of Charles the Second-

Samson Agonistes-Milton's Sonnets-Clarendon's History of

the Rebellion—Pilgrim's Progress-Dryden's Odes—Absalom

and Achitophel-Rhyming tragedies-Age of Queen Anne-

British Statesmen-Essayists—Tatler-Spectator—Sir Roger

De Coverley—Pope-Lord Bolingbroke-English Infidels-

Johnson's Dictionary-Gray-Collins—Cowper-Goldsmith-

The Vicar of Wakefield— Cowper—Elizabeth Browning........... 215

LECTURE VIII.

LITERATURE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.

Literature of our own times—Influence of political and social re-

lations—The historic relations of literature—The French Revo-

lution, and its effects—Infidelity-Thirty years' Peace-Scien-

tific progress coincident with letters-History—Its altered tone

-Arnold—Prescott-Niebuhr-Gibbon-Hume-Robertson-

Religious element in historical style-Lord Mahon-Macaulay's

History-Historical romance-Waverley Novels—The pulpit-

Sydney Smith-Manning—Poetry of the early part of the cen-

tury-Bowles and Rogers-Campbell-Coleridge's Christabel-

Lay of the Last Minstrel-Scott's poetry......... ............. 248
LECTURE IX.

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE.

• Lord Byron-His popularity and its decline-His power of sim-

ple, vigorous language—Childe Harold—The Dying Gladiator

-The Isles of Greece-Contrast of Byron's and Shakspeare's

creations-Miss Barrett-Miss Kemble's sonnet-Byron as a

poet of nature-His antagonism to Divine truth, The Dream,

the most faultless of his poems—Don Juan-Shelley-Leigh

Hunt's remarks on-Carlyle – His earnestness — Southey-

His historical works—Thalaba—Wordsworth—His character-

istics—Female authors—Joanna Baillie-Miss Edgeworth-

Mrs. Kemble-Mrs. Norton-Miss Barrett--Cry of the Chil-

dren, &c...

......... Page 272

LECTURE X.

TRAGIC AND ELEGIAC POETRY.

Contrast of subjects, serious and gay-Tragic poetry—Illustrated in

history-Death of the first-born-Clarendon's raising the stand-

ard at Nottingham-Moral use of tragic poetry-Allston's cri-

ticism—Elegiac poetry-Its power not mere sentimentalism-

Gray's Elegy, an universal poem-Philip Van Artevelde—Caro-

line Bowles—“Pauper's Death Bed”—Wordsworth's Elegies-

Milton's Lycidas-Adonais-In Memoriam-Shelley's Poem on

Death of Keats—Tennyson-In Memoriam reviewed................. 309

LECTURE XI.

LITERATURE OF WIT AND HUMOUR.

Subtlety of these emotions-Sydney Smith and Leigh Hunt

Dullness of jest-books-Hudibras a tedious book-Sydney

Smith's idea of the study of wit-Charles Lamb—Incapacity

for a jest-German note on Knickerbocker-Stoicism and Pu-

ritanism-Guesses at Truth-Cheerful literature needed for

thoughtful minds—Recreative power of books—Different modes

of mental relaxation–Napoleon-Shelley-Cowper-Southey's

merriness-Doctor Arnold-Shakspeare and Scott's humour-

The Antiquary—Burke-Barrow's definition of wit—Hobbes-

Forms of Humour-Doctor Johnson's grotesque definitions-

Collins the landscape painter—Examples of grotesque style-

Irish Bulls—Rip Van Winkle--Sydney Smith and Doctor Parr

-Humour in old tragedies—Lear and the fool-Hamlet and

the grave-digger-Irony-Macbeth and the doctor-Anne Bo-

leyn-Bishop Latimer-Fuller-Dean Swift and Arbuthnot-

Gulliver-Sir Roger De Coverley—Charles Lamb-Swift and

Byron's humour—Prostitution of wit—Sir Robert Walpole-

Lord Melbourne-Hogarth-Danger of power of humour illus-

trated-Ruskin's criticism....

.................Page 337

LECTURE XII.

THE LITERATURE OF LETTER-WRITING.

Characteristics of a true letter-Historical and familiar letters-

Lord Bacon-Dr. Arnold's remarks-Despatches of Marlbo-

rough-Nelson-Franklin-John Adams-Reception by George

III.—Washington's correspondence-Bishop White's anecdote

of Washington-American diplomatic correspondence-Lord

Chatham's Letters-Duke of Wellington's—Archdeacon Hare's

remarks on-General Taylor's official letters-Familiar letters

-Cowley—Impropriety of publishing private correspondence

-Arbuthnot and Johnson's remarks on-Burns's Letters-Ten-

nyson-Howell's Letters—The Paston Letters—Lady Russell's

- Pope's-Hartley Coleridge's remark-Chesterfield—Horace

Walpole-Swift and Gray's—Cowper's—Scott's-Byron's—

Southey's, and Lamb's Letters of Dedication--Lamb's, to his

sister. ...........

.............376