A Manual of English Literature

twenty-eighth quarto volume, and is not yet out of the fourteenth century. No one in England seems to dream of anything of this kind. Yet the older universities could easily supply as many men as were needed,-men in the prime of life and full of geniality and latent power,—who, if once set to work, would quickly remove from us the reproach of imperfectly knowing and estimating our own literature. It is not capacity, nor zeal for letters, that is wanting, but organisation. Oxford and Cambridge, intent on examinations and athletic exercises, and still without constituted faculties, are wearing out the patience of the country, and letting the time of grace slip by. If they do not bestir themselves, this great work will eventually be taken out of their hands, and done,not well nor genially, but still done,-by the non-conformists and the Victoria University.

A volume of extracts published by Messrs. Longmans in 1882 as a companion volume to the 'Manual,' under the title of English Poetry and Prose,' is everywhere referred to in the notes to this work as 'Extract Book.'

DUBLIN: November 1884.

CONTENTS.

HISTORICAL SECTION.

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

PART 1. ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD: A.D. 449-1066.

Character of Anglo-Saxon Literature.-Works in Latin: Bede, Alcuin.

-Poetry: Gleeman's Song, Beowulf, Caedmon's Paraphrase, Andreas

and Elene; Cynewulf; Judith, Brunanburg War-Song.-Prose:

Alfred, Saxon Chronicle

PART II. NORMAN PERIOD: 1066-1350.

PAGES 1-19

Decline of the Saxon tongue.-2. Later portion of the Saxon Chronicle.
4. Impulse given to Learning by the Moors.-SCHOLASTIC PHILOSO-
PHY: 6. St. Anselm ; Abelard; St. Bernard; 9. Peter Lombard; Alex-
ander Hales; Duns Scotus; William of Occam; Burley.--HISTORIANS
AND CHRONICLERS, 11-30: Eadmer; Ingulfus; William of Malmes-

-bury; Ordericus Vitalis; Geoffrey of Monmouth; Alfred of Beverley;

Symeon of Durham; Florence of Worcester; St. Ailred; Henry of Hunt-

ingdon; Benedictus Abbas; William of Newbury; Diceto; Giraldus

de Barri; Roger de Hoveden; Roger de Wendover; Matthew Paris;

Wikes; Rishanger; Trivet; Higden. Monastic Chronicles, 30:

Jocelin de Brakelond.-LAW; MEDICINE; MISCELLANEOUS WRIT-

INGS, 31-37: Gratian's Decretum; Glanvile; Salerno; John of Salis-

bury; Geoffrey Vinsauf; Walter Map; Sæwulf; Richard of Bury.

-SCIENCE, 38-40; Adelard Roger Bacon.-MEANS OF EDUCA-

TION: Universities; Monasteries; Invention of Paper.-POETRY:

Early English Fragments, 46-49; Canute's Song; St. Godric's

Hymn, &c. Leonine Verses, 50; Latin Satires and Epics; Vinsauf,

Iscanus, Wireker, &c. French Poets, 56; Troubadours; Trouvères;

French Romances; the Arthur Cycle, 60; legend of the Saint Graal,

63-69; other epopees; the Roman d'Alexandre, 71; Fabliaux, 72;

Satires; Historical Poems, 74; Wace, Benoit, Gaimar. Ancient

Welsh poems, 74a. English Poets, 75-93; 'Havelok'; 'King Horn';

Oc-

Riming Chroniclers; Lagamon, 81; Robert of Gloucester, 84; Robert

Manning, 85; Religious Poems; Ormulum,' 86; Proverbs of Hen-

dyng'; Cursor Mundi'; Hampole's Pricke of Conscience.'

casional Poems, 91; Battle of Lewes,'

Poem.-Early English Prose, 94; Ancren Riwle,' 'Ayenbite of

Inwyt'

PAGES 20-82

Owl and Nightingale,' Moral

CHAPTER I.

EARLY ENGLISH PERIOD: 1350-1450.

Latin and French Compositions, 1-7; Froissart, Elmham, Avesbury,

Knyghton, Walsingham, Fordun, Bradwardine, Wyclif, Walden.

Growth of the English Language and Literature, 8; Alliterative

Poems, 9-20; Sainte Marherete,' 'Joseph of Arimathie,' 'William

of Palerne,' 'Geste Hystoriale,' Clannesse,' 'Pacience,' 'Plowman's

Crede'; connection between alliteration and irregularity of versifica-

tion, 16; Langland's Vision of Piers the Plowman,' 17.-Chaucer,

Sketch of his life, 21; authenticity of his writings, 22-27; Chrono-

logy of his writings, 28. His Early Poems, 29-35; Romaunt of the

Rose'; the new style; Assembly of Foules,' 'Boke of the Duchesse,'

"Quene Anelyda,' Chauceres A B C.'-Poems of Middle Life, 36-40;

'Troylus and Cryseyde,' Court of Love,' 'House of Fame,' 'Pala-

mon and Arcite '-His Later Poems, 41-64; 'Legende of Good

Women'; ballads and other short pieces, 43; Canterbury Tales';

their order, 45; Prologue, 46; Knightes Tale,' 'Milleres Tale,' &c.

-Gower, 65, 66; Occleve; Lydgate, 68-72; Minot.-SCOTTISH

POETS, 74; Barbour, James I., Wynton.-PROSE WRITERS, 75;

Maundevile, Chaucer, Wyclif, Trevisa; Promptorium Parvulorum,'

77; Lyndewode

83-142

CHAPTER II.

REVIVAL OF LEARNING: 1450-1558.

Decline of Literature; invention of Printing, 2; Caxton and his work;

foundation of Schools and Universities.-POETRY AND ROMANCE, 3:

Hardyng, Shirley, Burgh, Malory, Hawes, Dame Berners, Barclay,

Skelton, Surrey, Wyat; the 'Mirrour for Magistrates;' first Poet

Laureate.-SCOTTISH POETS, 12-17: Henryson, Blind Harry, Dunbar,

Gawain Douglas, Lyndsay.-LEARNING, 18-28; Renaissance move-

ment; Grocyn; Linacre; Colet; Lilye's Grammar; Archbishop

Warham; More; the Humanities; state of the Universities. -PROSE

WRITERS, 29-39; Pecock, Fortescue, Caxton, Paston Letters,' Le-

land, More; his 'Utopia.' Chroniclers, 33: Polydore Virgil, Mair,

Capgrave, Fabyan, More, Hall, Grafton; Bale's 'Summarium.

Theological Writers, 34: Latimer, Tyndale; More, 36-7; Roger

CHAPTER III.

ELIZABETHAN PERIOD: 1558-1625.

Brilliant Period of our Literature; connected with the Social Prospe-

rity of the Country.-POETS, 3-24; Spenser, Harvey, the 'Faerie

Queene,' 5; shorter poems, 6, 7; Shakspere's Poems, 8; Southwell,

Hall, Constable, Warner, Daniel, Drayton, Donne, Davies, Lodge,

Chapman, Marston, Gascoigne, Sidney, Dyer, Tusser, Marlowe,

Raleigh, Lord Brooke.-TRANSLATORS, 24; Rise and Progress of the

English Drama, 25–58; Miracle-plays; Coventry Mysteries; Towneley

Mysteries; Moralities, 27; Earliest Comedies, 28-9; Heywood's

Interludes; earliest Tragedy, 31; Plays of Marlowe; Kyd; Dramatic

Unities; Greene's Pamphlet. Shakspere, 35; sketch of his life; his

Comedies, 37-8; his Tragedies, 39, 40; his historical Plays, 41-2;

'Pericles,' 43; Titus Andronicus'; Doubtful Plays, 44. Ben Jonson,

45; Beaumont and Fletcher, 46; Greene, Peele, Nash, Massinger,

Ford, Webster, Marston, Chapman, Dekker, T. Heywood, Middleton,

Rowley, Tourneur, Randolph, Shirley; 'Histriomastix;' Suppression

of the Stage, 58.-LEARNING; the Universities; Sir H. Savile, Sir

T. Bodley; Bodleian library, 58a.-PROSE WRITERS, 59: Novels;

Lodge; Lyly's Euphues'; Sidney's 'Arcadia,' 62; Hall. Books of

Travel, 64; Hakluyt, Purchas. Essays, 65; Bacon, Burton, Over-

bury; Criticism, 67; Gascoigne, Webbe, Puttenham; Sir Philip

Sidney. Earliest Newspaper.-HISTORIANS, 69-75: Holinshed,

Stow, Campion, Knox, Camden, Bacon, Speed, Knolles, Raleigh;

Foxe's Martyrs.'-THEOLOGIANS, 76-80: Jewel, Harding, Parker,

Hooker, The Mar-Prelate' controversy, Parsons, Stapleton, Harps-

field, James I., Andrewes; Translation of the Bible.-PHILOSOPHY,

82: Francis Bacon; explanation of his Method; his Philosophical

Works, 84-5. Lord Herbert's 'De Veritate,' 85a. Political Science,

86; Buchanan, Bellenden, Spenser, Raleigh: R. Scot. PAGES 183-264

CHAPTER IV.

CIVIL WAR PERIOD: 1625-1700.

Sketch of the leading Political Events: Eikon Basilike' and its
authorship, 2a.-POETRY BEFORE THE RESTORATION, 4-28: Jonson;
the Fantastic School; Cowley, 6-8; Waller, Crashaw. Song-writers,
10. Herbert, Sandys, Wotton, Corbet, Randolph, Carew, Drummond,
Cleveland, Suckling, Cartwright, Herrick, Lovelace, Denham, Ha-
bington, Quarles, K. Philips, Vaughan. Milton, 20-26: Sketch of
his literary life; Wither, Marvell, lines on Charles I. attributed to
him. POETRY AFTER THE RESTORATION, 29-39: Dryden: Sketch
of his literary life; Roscommon, 37; Butler; Davenant, Doyle,
Oldham, Rochester, Dorset. THE DRAMA, 40-51: Heroic Plays:
Dryden, Otway, Lee, Shadwell, Settle, Crowne, Behn. Comedy of