304 CALLOGRAPHY. 



of his lighter pieces, the Tempest, sm& Midsummer Night's Dream, 

 as among the best. Of Ben Jonson, Shakspeare's worthy contem- 

 porary, the best dramas are the Alchemist, Epicene, and Volpone; 

 full of energy and humor. Beaumont and Fletcher, wrote many 

 plays, but very few of them can be recommended for perusal. Mil- 

 ton's Comus, and Samson Agonistes, are worthy of his fame. 

 Dryden's Ml for Love, and his Don Sebastian, are energetic, but 

 rather bombastic. Otway's Orphan, and his Venice Preserved, are 

 deep tragedies, though obnoxious to criticism. Lee's Theodosius, 

 is rather extravagant ; but Howe's Jane Shore, and his Fair Peni- 

 tent, are noble and spirited productions. Congreve's Mourning 

 Bride, has considerable merit. Dr. Young's Revenge, is energetic, 

 but deeply tragic. Addison's Cato, is beautiful, though rather frigid ; 

 and Thomson's Tancred and Sigismunda, has the same fault. 

 Home's Douglas, is a tragedy of great merit. We have farther 

 room to name only Sheridan's Pizarro ; Moore's Gamester ; Miss 

 Hannah More's Percy; Brooke's Guslavus Vasa ; Gibber's Xime- 

 na; and Hughes's Siege of Damascus ; as superior tragedies: and 

 of comedies, Dodsley's King and Miller of Mansjield ; Goldsmith's 

 She Stoops to Conquer; Hoadley's Suspicious Husband; and 

 Sheridan's Rivals ; may be added as works of note. Gay's Beg' 

 gar's Opera, is among the famed productions of its class. 



Of English romantic poetry, we have spoken in part at the com- 

 mencement of this section. Crabbe's collection of Tales, is gene- 

 rally interesting ; and Prior's Henry and Emma, is a sweet poem 

 of its kind. So is Goldsmith's Edwin and Angelina. Most of 

 Sir Walter Scott's poems are of this class ; as The Lay of the Last 

 Minstrel; Marmion ; The Lady of the Lake ; The Vision of 

 Don Roderick; Eokeby ; The Lord of the Isles ; and others of 

 minor note. Here also we would class many of Byron's poems, as 

 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; The Giaour; The Bride of My- 

 dos ; The Corsair; Lara; The Siege of Corinth; The Pri- 

 soner of Chillon ; Beppo ; Mazeppa; and others. Next to these 

 we mention Southey's poems, Thalaba ; Madoc ; The Curse 

 of Kehama; and Roderick. Moore's Lalla Rookh, and Loves of 

 the Angels, are imaginative and pleasftig : and Wordsworth's Peter 

 Bell, and his Waggoner, are tales of interest. We have only room 

 to name farther Shelley's Revolt of Islam, zndJHastor; Keats's^n- 

 dymion, and Isabella; Montgomery's Wanderer of Switzerland; 

 Bowles's Missionary; Miss Landon's Improvisatrice, and Trouba- 

 dour ; Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Christabel ; 

 and Professor Wilson's City of the Plague, and Isle of Palms ; as 

 prominent poems of this class. 



The earliest romances, relating to, or written in England, were in 

 the French language, introduced by the Norman conquerors; and 

 have been referred to under French Callography. (p. 298). The 

 oldest one, not translated from the French, is probably the metrical 

 romance of Sir Tristram, by Thomas of Ercildoun ; which has 

 been edited by Sir Walter Scott. The Romances relating to Arthur 

 and Charlemagne, were followed by those called classical, applying 

 ancient names to the characters and manners of the crusaders. Sir 



