the "Tatler" and the "Guardian."-Pope and Chesterfield influ-

enced by it.-Dryden's position in the Movement.-His provoking

Character.-A Trimmer all his Life.-His Conversion to Romanism

examined, and Mr. Bell's Theory.-Hallam.-Progress of Scepticism.

-Bolingbroke and Shaftesbury.-Swift and Atterbury, Pope and

Garth.-Critique on "The Hind and Panther."-Its Allegory de-

fended.-Johnson.-Macaulay.-Dryden's striking Intellectuality.-

His Conduct in the Literary Crisis, and Review of the Rise of

Euphuism.-Singular inequality of his Genius.-His "Absalom and

Achitophel."-His lenient View of Shaftesbury explained.-A Poli-

tical Writer.-His Dramas Political Pamphlets.-The old Dramatists

not Politicians.-Authorship of the "Essay on Satire."-Growth of

French Tastes.-Oldham.-Butler.-Addison.-The English Drama

modelled on the French and Spanish.-Dryden's Theory of Tragedy

founded on Ariosto.-Revolution in Taste in the next Generation

curiously exemplified.-Low State of Criticism.-Rymer as a Critic.

-Dryden's Prose Writings.-His Comedies.-His Controversy with

Collier investigated. — His "Virgil.”—National Interest in it.

Compared with Pope's "Homer"

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PAGE

112

CHAPTER IV.

DE FOE, AND THE RISE OF PAMPHLETEERING.

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Political Discussion is, in its Infancy, Political Satire.-Progress of

Political Satire.-First, Verse.-Then, Prose.-Barbour and Cowley

before Swift.-Reason of this. Its Superior Form adapted to

a Superior State of Intelligence.-Dryden.-Oldham.-Wilkes.-

Junius.-The Restoration.-Culminating Point of Political Satire.-

"Hind and Panther," &c.-Popular Reasons for the Change into

Sober Prose.-Increase of Party and Party Spirit.-The Revolution

the Era of Polemical Literature.-Somers.-Locke.-Sidney.-Wal-

pole. On the Invasion of Wit by Politics.-History of Pamphleteer-

ing.-Ben Jonson.-Burton.-Sir Roger L'Estrange.-The Claims

of Pamphleteering to Notice, as an Element of Literary and Political

History.-Warburton.—Mrs. Macaulay.-The Fate of the Pamph-

leteer described by One of themselves.-Authors sometimes depend

on their Works for Notoriety.-Sometimes the contrary.-Hobbes.-

Warburton.-Bolingbroke.-De Lolme.-Shakspeare.—The Abbé

St. Pierre.-De Foe.-De Foe's Political Experience.-Iis Adoption

of Popular Views.-The Letter to a Dissenter.-The Proper Course

for the Dissenters to have adopted on James's Indulgence.-De

Foe's striking Personal Resemblance to William.-The Crisis of the

Succession Bill.-Republication of Republican Works.-Fletcher.-

Harrington. Sidney.-The Trueborn Englishman.-De Foe and

Anne.--True Character of Anne.-De Foe's Political Activity.-The

question of Peace, and Curious Plight of Swift.-De Foe's strange

Political Martyrdom.-His Shortest Way with the Dissenters, a

Literary Curiosity.-His Sufferings contrasted with Swift's Course

of Triumph in Ireland. His imaginative Works.-Monopoly of

Fame by his "Crusoe."-Parallel instance.-De Foe and Bunyan,

representatives of a Sect, or Caste.-Bunyan's power of Allegorizing.

-Milton.-Eschylus.-De Foe.-Swift.-The "Crusoe " singularly

characteristic of the Religious Nature of De Foe.-Plagiarism by a

French Author to propagate Rousseau's opinions.—Account of it.—

De Foe no Poet.— Coleridge. – "Tatlers" and "Spectators."-

Swift's writings, how far Philosophical.-De Foe as Anticipator of

Howard, Macadam, and the Free-trade Catechism.-His strong Eng-

lish Characteristics contrasted with the tastes of his Literary Con-

temporaries

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PAGE

. 178

CHAPTER V.

POPE AND SWIFT, BOLINGBROKE AND HARLEY.

-

-

Literary Biography Prolix and Minute.-English and Continental

Men of Letters.-The Moral and Physical Welfare of Literary Men

before and after the Revolution.-The System of Dedication a Mark

of their Condition.-The Theory of External Rewards at the Revo-

lution examined.-Dissociation of Literature from Politics after

Anne, and consequent Dissociation of Literary Men from the Court.

-Pope.-Arbuthnot.-Gay.-Johnson.-Its results in creating a

Literature of the Beau Monde.-Relations between the two Litera-

tures. — Goldsmith.-Gibbon.—Mrs. Macaulay.-Johnson.-Lord

Lyttleton. Walpole. Chesterfield. Mutual Intercourse of Lite-

rary Men.-The Quarrels of Authors.-Churchill.-Philips.-Moore.

-Byron.-Macaulay. - Pope.-His Early Position as a Man of

Letters. His Splenetic Habits.-His Quarrel with Addison.-An

Unbiassed Estimate of Addison's Character.-Pope's Treatment of

his Friends.-The Affair of his Letters.-The Relation of Bookseller

and Bookmaker Examined and Exemplified.-Pope's Poetical Posi-

tion Defined. - Dryden. ― Reaction in English Poetry.- Cowper's

Place in that Reaction.-Scott.-Byron.-Effect of Politics on Poetry.

-Classic Poctic Fervour.-Speculation on Pope's proposed Epic.-

His Satires and Epistle to Abelard Criticized.-Swift as a Satirist.—

D'Alembert on English Criticism.- Milton.-Bacon. — Addison.—

Swift's Poetry to be Examined by the Light of his Life.-Attempt

at Elucidating his Real Character.-Not Trusted by Queen Anne's

Ministry. The Opposite Theory Refuted.-Harley's Character.-

Bolingbroke. His Historical Position.-His Personal Demeanour.-

Connection with Pope and Swift.-Particular Estimate of his Intel-

lectual Career. His Superiority to Harley.-His Versatile, Imposing

Genius

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. 215

CHAPTER VI.

GOLDSMITH, AND THE HISTORY OF PROSE FICTION

IN ENGLAND.

Rise of Fiction in England.-The Stage.-Priority in Development

of French Imaginative Literature.-The Voyages Imaginaires of

Swift and De Foe.-Richardson compared with Marivaux.-The

Preternatural School.-Reaction in favour of History, Scott.-And

of Domestic Portraiture, Miss Austen.-Peculiar Sectarian Character

of Modern Fiction. Mr. Reade and Mr. Dickens equivalent to

Howard and Bentham.-Effect on the Personal Character of the

Author.-His Wide Sphere of Action.-Goldsmith.-Lord Macau-

lay. The Popular Estimate of him rather Sensational than Intellec-

tual. The Lives of the Novelists Influenced their Works.-Con-

dition of Literary Men in Goldsmith's Day.-Goldsmith Compared

with Sterne.-His Colloquial Powers Contrasted with Johnson's.-

His Curious Psychological Development.-His Literary Talents.-

As an Imaginative Writer, as an Essayist, and as an Historian and

Poet. His View of European Literature Criticized.-The Sweetness

of his Style.-Examination into the Style of the Commonwealth

Writers, and the New School of Anne.-Boileau.-Addison.-John-

son.-Esthetic Tastes of the latter.-Goldsmith, as a Dramatist, com-

pared with Farquhar.-A Final Estimate of his Character

PAGE

. 285

CHAPTER VII.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ANCIENT AND MODERN

ORATORS.

Rise of Oratory.-Historical Oratory preceded by Historical Dialogue.

-Herodotus as a Dialogist.-Hume.—Shakspeare. - Herodotus's

Set Speeches. His Character as a Historian.—Mr. Sewel, and the

Author of the "Theosophy of English History."-Xenophon.-The

"Anabasis" and the "Tales of the Crusaders."-The “Cyropædia."

-Cyrus a Godfrey or Rinaldo.-Xenophon's Vanity.-His Oratory.

-Thucydides.-His Utilitarianism.-His Description of Demoraliza-

tion in Greece compared with Machiavelli's Account of Italy. -

Thucydides contrasted with Tacitus and Sharon Turner.-His Ora-

tory. His Idea of History, and Fox's Objections anticipated.-His

Speeches as Debates, as Authentic, probably, as Johnson's.-The

Speeches of Latin Historians.-Tacitus.-Sallust.-Livy.-Cæsar.—

The later Greek Historians.—Dionysius and Dion Cassius.—Modern

Historical Composition Examined.-Rise of Oratory Proper.-State

-

of Greece and of Rome in the most Flourishing Period of Oratory.

-Decline of Ancient Oratory.-Cicero. Tacitus. Augustus.

Suetonius.The Greek Rhetoricians.—Quintilian.-The System of

National Education adapted to turn out an Orator.-Rise of Pro-

fessional or Forensic Orators.-Demosthenes and Cicero were the

Swift and Junius of their Generation.-The Artifices of Oratory.—

Bubb Dodington. - Grattan. -Cicero.- Quintilian.-The "Insti-

tutes" Examined.-The Artistic Devotion of Ancient Audiences.-

The Areopagus and the Forum contrasted with the Old Bailey and

Westminster Hall.-Cicero's Character Animadverted on.-Demo-

sthenes.- Hume's Criticism Examined. — Rise of Modern Oratory.

-Its Development in England at the Renaissance.-Bacon.-Ben

Jonson's Criticism.-Oratory of the Rebellion.-Of the Revolution.

-Bolingbroke's Oratory.-Reason of its Peculiar Vocal Character-

istics. Chesterfield's Receipt.-Contrast of the Present Parliamentary

Oratory.-Oratory in Walpole's Time.-Growth of Artistic Oratory.

-Chatham.-Compared with Mirabeau.-Parliamentary Oratory

now Uninfluential.-Pitt.-Fox.-Fox and Demosthenes Compared.

-Lord Brougham.-Burke, a Psychological Study.-Criticism on

Oratory scant.-Aristotle.-Dionysius. — Longinus.-—Quintilian.—

Cicero.-Merits of Modern Dialogists

PAGE

322

ЕТНІ СА.

66

CHAPTER I.

THE MENTAL HISTORY OF MONTAIGNE.

The Literary Relation between France and England, and England and Germany, investigated.-Lessing and Johnson.-The late Mr. St. John's “Montaigne.”—Mr. Crowe's "History of France."-M. Thierry.M. Guizot.-Independence of Literature on Politics.-Montaigne's 'Essays" an Autobiography.-Resemblance to Colley Cibber's "Apology."-His Birth and Education.-Extraordinary Prejudices of his Father. His Son's remarkable Training.-His curious Mental Deficiencies. His absence of Memory compared to Wycherley's. His Literary Indolence.-Effects of the Political Crisis on him.-Examination of the Character of Religious Wars in France.-Reformers in France and England contrasted.-The English Puritan a Syncretism of the Pastoreaux and Jacquerie Element.-Effects of the prevailing anti-Erastianism on French Revolutions. - Montaigne's Apathy towards both Political and Religious Movements.-His Absolute Doctrines.-Hobbes and Filmer.-Partly the Result of his Court Education.-Effects of the Literary Revolution in France on him.— Ronsard. - Marot. - Malherbe.- His Marriage and Sentiments on Matrimony. - The Oxford Reviewer refuted.-Discovery of Montaigne's "Diary."-Overlooked by Biographers, but essential to his Characterization. Contrasted as a Classical Diarist with Addison. -His curious Experiences at Rome.-Criticism of his Essays."Their great Originality. - Their Language and Style.-Montaigne's reputed Egotism inquired into.-Was Montaigne a Christian ?-His Intellectual Liberality.-The Mental Characteristics of his Age.-His remarkable Positivism.-Striking Anticipation of Bacon.-His Miscellaneousness.-Ben Jonson.-His real Merit as a Thinker, and his Philosophic Position.-An Educational Reformer.-Cowper.

66

THE literary relation between France and England has undergone a complete change since the day that Maupertuis pleaded the merits of Newton, or, still more recently, since the day that Dumont expounded the