Effigies poeticae, or, The portraits of the British poets; illustrated by notes biographical, critical, and poetical - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1824 Excerpt: ...good. The whole gives us the idea of a timid mind. There is an uncertain character about the eye, and a mean look about the mouth, which are not the usual marks of a poet. Neither was Waller a high poet. He has been called by some person (and since that, followed by fifty others) the " refiner" of English verse! He was a refiner, with a vengeance. He wrote later than Milton, and wrote differently, as every body knows:--but that his verse had a tithe of the refinement of Milton, or a hundredth part of his poetry, would be utterly new to its, who do not respect things because of their novelty only. His little song, however, of "Go, lovely rose," is entirely graceful. No. 69. CHARLES COTTON. From a Picture by Lcly, in the possession of John Beresford, Esq. It is unlucky for us that the likeness of Cotton should not have been different. The translator of Montaigne, the author of the Voyage to Ireland, and other very delightful poems, should have lived at a different period: for the French fashions have been too much for him. With the exception of a little quickness in the eye, we can detect nothing of the witty or the humorous in the countenance of Cotton: in fact, he is absolutely overshadowed by the forest of hair, which weighs upon his head. We wonder how his wit (for he had a good deal) could possibly have endured to assume so preposterous a disguise. And we wonder more, that the friend and companion of Isaac Walton, who was accustomed to 58 DR. HENRY'MORE. take his stand in the wet spring mornings by the side of the rippling Dove, could have so utterly forgotten the green looks of the country and the simplicities of his old silver-haired friend, as to have enshrouded his own clever brain in such a mass of wig, or atfronted the divinity ...