any favourer of learning, I shall not be disappointed though I should conclude it, if less be possible, with less; for I have been long wakened from that dream of hope in which I once boasted myself with so much exultation, (2) My Lord, Your Lordship's most humble, most obedient Servant, ARLINGTON STREET, November 13, 1760 Do you know, I had the curiosity to go to the burying t'other night; I had never seen a royal funeral; nay, I walked as a rag of quality, which I found would be, and so it was, the easiest way of seeing it. It is absolutely a noble sight. The Prince's Chamber, hung with purple, and a quantity of silver lamps, the coffin under a canopy of purple velvet, and six vast chandeliers of silver on high stands, had a very good effect. The Ambassador from Tripoli and his son were carried to see that chamber. The procession through a line of foot-guards, every seventh man bearing a torch, the horse-guards lining the outside, their officers with drawn sabres and crape sashes on horseback, the drums muffled, the fifes, bells tolling, and minute guns, all this was very solemn. But the charm was the entrance of the Abbey, where we were received by the Dean and Chapter in rich copes, the choir and almsmen all bearing torches; the whole Abbey so illuminated, that one saw it to greater advantage than by day; the tombs, long aisles, and fretted roof, all appearing distinctly, and with the happiest chiaroscuro. There wanted nothing but incense, and little chapels here and there, with priests saying mass for the repose of the defunct-yet one could not complain of its not being catholic enough. I had been in dread of being coupled with some boy of ten years old-but the heralds were not very accurate, and I walked with George Grenville, taller and older enough to keep me in countenance. WALPOLE 7. From a scrutiny of the subject and style of the following extracts assign the authorship of each. State clearly the reasons that lead you to select the particular author. Write a brief appreciation of the style of each extract. (1) Mr Davies mentioned my name; and respectfully introduced me to him. I was much agitated; and recollecting his prejudice against the Scotch, of which I had heard much, I said to Davies, "Don't tell where I come from."-"From Scotland," cried Davies, roguishly. "Mr Johnson," said I, I do indeed come from Scotland, but I cannot help it." I am willing to flatter myself that I meant this as light pleasantry to soothe and conciliate him, and not as a humiliating abasement at the expense of my country. But however that might be, this speech was somewhat unlucky; for with that quickness of wit for which he was so remarkable, he seized the expression "come from Scotland," which I used in the sense of being of that country; and, as if I had said that I had come away from it, or left it, retorted, "That, sir, I find, is what a very great many of your countrymen cannot help." This stroke stunned me a good deal; and when we had sat down, I felt myself not a little embarrassed, and apprehensive of what might come next. (2) I have presumed to mark the moment of conception: I shall now commemorate the hour of my final deliverance. It was on the day, or rather night, of the 27th of June, 1787, between the hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the last lines of the last page, in a summer-house in my garden. After laying down my pen I took several turns in a berceau, or covered walk of acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake, and the mountains. The air was temperate, the sky was serene, the silver orb of the moon was reflected from the waters, and all nature was silent. I will not dissemble the first emotions of joy on recovery of my freedom, and, perhaps, the establishment of my fame. But my pride was soon humbled, and a sober melancholy was spread over my mind, by the idea that I had taken an everlasting leave of an old and agreeable companion, and that, whatsoever might be the future fate of my history, the life of the historian must be short and precarious. (3) An' now, auld Cloots, I ken ye're thinkin, Some luckless hour will send him linkin," But, faith! he'll turn a corner jinkin, An' cheat you yet. (4) "I fought just as well," continued the Corporal, "when the regiment called me Trim, as when they called me James Butler." "And for my own part," said my uncle Toby, "though I should blush to boast of myself, Trim;-yet, had my name been Alexander, I could have done no more at Namur than my duty." "Bless your Honour!" cried Trim, advancing three steps as he spoke, "does a man think of his Christian name when he goes upon the attack?" . . "Or when he stands in the trench, Trim?" cried my uncle Toby, looking firm. . . . “Or when he enters a breach?" said Trim, pushing in between two chairs. . . . “Or forces the lines?" cried my uncle, rising up, and pushing his crutch like a pike. . . . "Or facing a platoon?" cried Trim presenting his stick like a firelock. . . "Or when he marches up the glacis?" cried my uncle Toby, looking warm and setting his foot upon his stool. 8. How far are the statements in the following passage correct? Give examples of what Macaulay refers to, and say if his remarks are exaggerated in any form. Johnson came up to London precisely at the time when the condition of a man of letters was most miserable and degraded. It was a dark night between two sunny days. A writer had little to hope from the patronage of powerful individuals. The patronage of the public did not yet furnish the means of comfortable subsistence. . . . If he had lived thirty years earlier he would have sat in parliament, and would have been entrusted with embassies to the High Allies. MACAULAY 9. State how far the principles set out in the passage below are followed in the novel of the eighteenth century. A novel is a large diffused picture, comprehending the characters of life, disposed in different groups and exhibited in various attitudes, for the purposes of an uniform plan. This plan cannot be executed with propriety, probability, or success, without a principal personage to attract the attention, unite the incidents, unwind the clue of the labyrinth, and at last close the scene, by virtue of his own importance. SMOLLETT, Ferdinand, Count Fathom 10. "The eighteenth century established a prose style." (Craik.) Discuss this statement on some such lines as the following: (a) Was there no "established" style in prose before the eighteenth century? (b) Who "established" it then? (c) What are the peculiarities of the new prose style? (d) What are the purposes for which it was used? (e) Has it been perpetuated? (f) Who has used it? 11. Matthew Arnold calls Burns "a beast with splendid gleams." Why a "beast"? And what does he mean by the "gleams"? Is the criticism fair to Burns? 12. Account for the great development of the novel during the eighteenth century. 13. Who are most obviously the "transitional" poets of the century? In what sense are they transitional? 14. Give a historical account of the rise of the lyric during the eighteenth century. 15. Estimate the influence of French learning and literature upon English literature during the eighteenth century. CHAPTER X THE RETURN TO NATURE TIME-CHART OF THE CHIEF AUTHORS The thick line shows the period of important literary work. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (1790-1830) To an overwhelming extent the history of the time is the record of the effects of the French Revolution. 1. The European War. The close of the eighteenth century saw England and France engaged in open war 362 |