EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGUSH LABOURING-CLASS POETS

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGUSH LABOURING-CLASS POETS"

Baldwin Payne
5 years ago
Views:

1 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGUSH LABOURING-CLASS POETS VOLUME III Edited by Tim Burke LONDON PICKERING & CHATTO 2003

2 CONTENTS OF VOLUME III Acknowledgements Introduction Chronology Note on the Text xv xvii xxxv xxxix JOHN FREETH ( ) 1 From The Political Songster (1790) On the Petitions for the Abolition of the Slave Trade 3 From A Touch on the Times (1803) The Year Ninety-Five 4 ANONYMOUS ('AN UNLETTERED BARD 5 ) (JL 1781) 7 From Poems on Various Subjects, Chiefly Pastoral (1781) Verses Written Under a Hill 8 EDWARD RUSHTON ( ) 9 [Rebellion tottering stands] 11 From The Dismember'd Empire (1782) [Preface] 12 Neglected Genius: Or, Tributary Stanzas to the Memory of the Unfortunate Chatterton (1787) 15 From West-Indian Eclogues (1787) Advertisement 21 Dedication 22 Eclogue the First 22 Eclogue the Fourth 25

3 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LABOURING-CLASS POETS: VOLUME III From Poems (1806) To a Redbreast in November, Written near one of the Docks of Liverpool 28 On the Approach of the Gout 30 Mary le More 30 To the Memory of Robert Burns 32 The Swallow 35 A Caution to my Friend J. M. 35 From Poems and Other Writings (1824) Song in Commemoration of the French Revolution, DAVID LOVE ( ) 39 <W W ('A WEAVER') (// ) 43 A Summer's Day 43 WILLIAM JOB (Jl. 1785) 45 From Poems, on Various Subjects (1785) Preface 46 Eulogy, &c. On Isaac Elton, Esq. 46 [Lines, Occasioned by Seeing a Paragraph in one of the Bristol Journals, Relating to a Trial] 48 To Mr. T r, on Receiving a Gift of Two Volumes, Call'd 'The Art of English Poetry' 49 WILLIAM NEWTON (// ) 51 From Verses, Written by Miss Anna Seward, in the Blank Leaves of her own Poems, Presented by her to William Newton 53 Sonnet to Miss Seward 54 Sonnet: When will my weary aching head have rest?' 55 ANN YEARSLEY ( ) 57 From Poems, on Several Occasions (1785) A Prefatory Letter to Mrs. Montagu. By a Friend 61 Night. To Stella 64 VI

4 CONTENTS To the Same; on her Accusing the Author of Flattery, and of Ascribing to the Creature that Praise which is Due Only to the Creator 70 Soliloquy 71 To the Honourable H e W e, on Reading The Castle of Otranto. December, On Mrs. Montagu 75 Clifton Hill. Written in January From Poems, on Several Occasions (fourth edition, 1786) [Mrs Yearsley's Narrative] 85 From Poems, on Various Subjects (1787) Pedication] 90 To Mr. ****, an Unlettered Poet, On Genius Unimproved 90 On Jephthah's Vow, Taken in a Literal Sense 92 Elegy, on Mr. Chatterton 95 From A Poem on the Inhumanity of the Slave-Trade (1788) [Introduction; condemnation of avarice] 97 From The Rural Lyre (1796) Dedication 99 The Genius of England, on the Rock of Ages, Recommending Order, Commerce and Union to the Britons 100 ROBERT BURNS ( ) 103 From Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786) Preface 114 JOHN FREDERICK BRYANT ( ) 117 From Verses by John Frederick Bryant (1787) Wanton Betty 119 A Song, Written for a Club of Convivials 120 On a Piece of Unwrought Pipe-clay 122 The Author on his Own Situation 123 From Morning [Daybreak; God revealed in nature] 124 [The rich and poor of Clifton; Ann Yearsley; conclusion] 127

5 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LABOURING-CLASS POETS: VOLUME III GEORGE CAMPBELL (c ) 131 GAVIN WILSON (JL 1788) 133 ANONYMOUS ('A FRIEND TO ALL MANKIND') (JL 1788) 135 From The Wrongs of Almoona, or the Africans Revenge (1788) Preface 136 [Almoona's sufferings] 137 [D'Oiley's tactics for the defeat of Alphonso] 139 [D'Oiley applauds Almoona's discipline; conclusion] 140 JOHN WALKER (JL 1789) 143 From A Descriptive Poem on the Town and Trade of Liverpool (1789) Preface 144 [Introduction; history of trade in Liverpool] 144 [The Stone Delf; urban expansion] 147 [Colonel Banastre Tarleton] 149 [Defence of the slave trade] 150 ELIZABETH HANDS ( ) 153 From The Death of Amnon... and Other Poetical Pieces (1789) [Dedication] 155 From The Death of Amnon From Canto the'first [Amnon's desire for his sister] 156 From Canto the Third [Amnon's remorse after the rape] 157 A Poem, on the Supposition of an Advertisement Appearing in a Morning Paper, of the Publication of a Volume of Poems, by a Servant Maid 159 A Poem, on the Supposition of the Book Having Been Published and Read 161 The Favourite Swain 163 Written While the Author Sat on a Cock of Hay 165 Friendship. An Ode 166 Vlll

6 CONTENTS On Reading Pope's Eloiza to Abelard 167 Written, Originally Extempore, on Seeing a Mad Heifer Run through the Village Where the Author lives 168 Critical Fragments, on Some of the English Poets 169 DAVID SILLAR ( ) 171 From Poems (1789) Preface 172 Epistle to R. Burns 173 JAMES WHEELER (e ) 177 ALEXANDER WILSON ( ) From Poems (1790) From [Preface] From [Journal] Morning. Scene, A Barn Day-Break. Scene, The Town To the Famishing Bard, From a Brother Skeleton From Lochwinnoch. A Descriptive Poem [Scottish industry] [The rustic poet of Lochwinnoch] ELIZABETH BENTLEY ( ) 193 From Genuine Poetical Compositions, on Various Subjects (1791) Preface 194 On Reading Mr. Pope's Poems, On the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade. July, From Poems (1821) To the Redbreast 200 The Prospect of Plenty 201 JOHN LEARMONT (JL ) 203 From Poems: Pastoral, Satirical, Tragic, and Comic (1791) An Address to the Plebeians 205 From The Petition of the Journeymen Gardeners of Scotland 208 IX

7 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LABOURING-CLASS POETS: VOLUME III [The gardeners' labours and grievances] 208 [The gardeners' impact upon the landscape] 211 WILLIAM LANE (b. 1744) 215 From Cliffden (c ) [The agriculture, architecture, and poetry of Berkshire] 217 From Poems on Various Subjects (1795) On Monopoly 219 On Independence 222 From Poems (1806) To a Lady, Who had Indulged the Author with a Perusal of Burns's Poems 223 To a Young Lady, Who had Lent the Author Cowper's Translation of Madame Guion's Poems 225 To Miss W ms, Whose Late Father (T. W ms, Esq. M. P.) had Procured the Author a Donation from the Literary Fund 226 On Mr. B d's Indulging the Author with his Company 228 From A Few Clusters of the Seventy-fifth Vintage (1819) From Some Cursory Remarks On the Life and Character of Solomon [The author and Robert Bloomfield compared with 'nobler geniuses'] 230 JANET LITTLE ( ) 233 From The Poetical Works of Janet Little, The Scotch Milkmaid (1792) On a Visit to Mr. Burns 234 Given to a Lady Who Asked Me to Write a Poem 235 Epistle to Nell, Wrote from Loudoun Castle 237 Nell's Answer 238 Another Epistle to Nell 239 Epistle to a Lady. November On Reading Lady Mary Montague and Mrs. Rowe's Letters 242 An Epistle to Mr. Robert Burns 242 A Poem on Contentment. Inscribed To Janet Nicol, A

8 CONTENTS Poor Old Wandering Woman, Who lives By The Wall At Loudoun 244 From Alonzo to Delia 248 From Delia to Alonzo 248 From Delia to Alonzo. Who had Sent Her a Slighting Epistle 249 To a Lady, Who Sent the Author Some Paper with a Reading of Sillar's Poems 251 ELLEN TAYLOR (JL 1792) 253 From Poems by Ellen Taylor, the Irish Cottager (1792) Introduction 255 On Seeing the Print of a Female Figure in a Weeping Attitude, Leaning on an Urn 256 This Poem Address'd to a Gentleman, who had Lent her Some Books 257 Written by the Barrow Side, Where She was Sent to Wash Linen 258 SAMUEL THOMSON ( ) 261 From Poems on Different Subjects, Partly in the Scottish Dialect (1793) Dedication 264 From New Poems on a Variety of Different Subjects (1799) Acrostic to Damon 265 From November 266 THOMAS SPENCE ( ) 267 Edmund Burke's Address to the Swinish Multitude 270 The Downfall of Feudal Tyranny, Severely Felt by the Moderns, Under the System of Landlord and Tenant 272 EDWARD WILLIAMS (IOLO MORGANWG) ( ) 275 From Poems, lyric and Pastoral (1794) Preface 277 To Laudanum 282 XI

9 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LABOURING-CLASS POETS: VOLUME HI Love's Eloquence. A Song 283 Solitude 284 The Parting, A Lyric Pastoral 286 To Ivor the Liberal, On Being Presented by Him with a Pair of Gloves. From the Welsh of Dafydd ap Gwilym 288 A Song Written in 1785, for the Use of a Little Select Society of Journey-men Masons 290 Ode, on Converting a Sword into a Pruning Hook 292 Poetic Triades, or Triades of Song 295 ANONYMOUS ('A COUNTRY JOURNEYMAN TAYLOR') (JL 1794) 297 [Introductory letter by 'Porkulus'] 299 A Descant on the Approaching Fast, in a Dialogue Between the King's Herald and a Free-thinker 299 JOHN FORSTER (JL 1797) 301 From Poems, Chiefly on Religious Subjects (1797) [Robert Storry's Preface to the first edition] 302 Gratitude for a Plentiful Harvest 303 ROBERT ANDERSON ( ) 305 From Poems on Various Subjects (1798) Preface 307 The Soldier, a Fragment 308 Epistle I. To Robert Burns, Written and Sent to that Celebrated Scotch Bard a Few Weeks before his Death 310 Episde II. To a Youthful Friend, with a Copy of Gregory's Legacy 315 To John Home Tooke Esq. 317 To a Redbreast, Which Visited the Author Daily for Some Months 318 Song. Lucy Gray of Allendale 318 From Ballads in the Cumberland Dialect (1805) Preface 319 The Lass Abuin Thirty 320 Canny Cummerlan 321 Xll

10 CONTENTS From The Poetical Works of Robert Anderson (1820) Carel Fair Louisa, a Ballad To Mrs. Charlotte Smith WILLIAM GIFFORD ( ) Epistle to Peter Pindar (1800) Prologue to The Satires of Persius (1817) Notes Glossary of Dialect Words Thematic Index Index of First lines Index of Tides Xlll

ROBERT BURNS THE CRITICAL HERITAGE DONALD A. LOW. Edited by. London and New York

ROBERT BURNS THE CRITICAL HERITAGE Edited by DONALD A. LOW London and New York Contents ABBREVIATIONS PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION page XIV NOTE ON THE TEXT 59 Poems, chiefly in the Scottish