one another in glory, is "essentially immortal," still exerts its sweet influence, and gathers increase of honours from successive years. Cowper died in 1800. His poetry is in every house. It is without spot or blemish-inspired by the genius of Christianity-full of humanity and piety-tender and holy as the writer's heart, and beautiful as the rural sights and sounds which delighted his pure nature. Since Cowper-Rogers, Walter Scott, Southey, Crabbe, Campbell, Byron, Moore, and Wordsworth, have appeared in the world. Collectively they have produced a vast increase of wealth in the treasury of our intellectual riches. Mr. Rogers is moral and sentimental. The others are peculiarly original, and the inventive talent of each is employed upon materials furnished principally by the varieties of human passions and manners, as they have existed in different ages and countries. The inexhaustible storehouse of history, or the observation of local character, has supplied subjects to these admirable minds which are in unison with general sympathies; and in no period since the existence of our language has such extended homage been paid to living poets, as in the present century. The legends of Scotland are made familiar and inexpressibly interesting, all over the world, by the minstrelsy of Scott-the valleys of America are brought out of obscurity by the genius of Campbellthe " gorgeous east" glitters in the pictured pages of Moore. "Woods that wave o'er Delphi's steep, have again breathed their inspiration, and the British name of Byron is now associated with the birth place of all the muses. The talent of Southey has celebrated the chivalry of Spain; and the rural life of England, in all its forms of good and evil, has been recorded for ever by the masterly hands of Crabbe and Wordsworth. Nothing like criticism upon the several works of these authors, can be useful to young readers. Read first, judge afterwards. All that is contained in this volume, is collected to inspire love for the pursuit of literature, and to make it agreeable by making it intelligible. Young persons are here introduced to a community of the most venerable and gifted minds that ever lived, and they are invited to assimilate their moral nature, by purity of heart and of thought, to this goodly fellowship; and to the repositories of their heavenly fancies, repairing "as to their fountain," thence to draw light that shall not grow dim with age, but shine brighter and brighter to the perfect day of their intellectual progress. Various changes that the language has undergone are exhibited by English poetry. Our language has not always been written as it now is. English grammars and dictionaries were not in general use till the latter half of the last century; before that time, however, good English writers nearly agreed in their orthography and grammatical construction, and from their practice, in respect to orthography and grammar, our rules are principally taken. Here are four specimens of English poetry, written at different times. The first is from Chaucer: 66 Emilie, that fayrer was to sene Chaucer's Knighte's Tale, verses 1037—1048. If a school boy should alter these verses after his own habits, and preserve the words as nearly as possible, he would write them thus: "Emilie, that fairer was to see And saith, arise, and do thine observance." Spenser published the Faery Queene in 1570, one hundred and seventy years after Chaucer died. The following description of a fine lady's ornaments and equipage is taken from the Faery Queene: "Hee had a faire companion of his way, A goodly lady clad in scarlet red, Purfled with gold and pearle of rich assay; She wore with crowns and owches garnished; This is not so simple a description, not so easy to be understood, nor does it present so beautiful an image, as that of the sweet Emilie-rising with the dawn, and going forth among the flowers in May,-"herself the fairest flower," as the poet Milton afterwards said of Eve in Paradise. Chaucer's lady is lovely in herself, but Spenser's goodly fair one is thought much less of than the splendour with which she is attired and mounted. A fine woman dressed in a robe of scarlet, adorned with pearls and gold richly wrought, wearing a splendid crown, and governing a noble horse, himself covered with cloth of silver, and reined with a glittering and tinkling bridle, may be looked at for a moment with pleasure, but not for the same length of time, or with the same satisfaction as she must be regarded, whose beauty is the expression of gracefulness, modesty, and kindness. The next specimen shows the progress of our language, and teaches the very lesson that a moral comparison between the preceding ones may do. It was written but a few years after that of Spenser. The author, Ben Jonson, died 1616. "Give me a look, give me a face They strike my eyes and not my heart." The following specimen, written in 1821, is like the orthography of that which preceded it two hundred years: "Tis eve, the soft, the purple hour, The dew is glistening on the bower; The lily droops its silver head, The violet slumbers on its bed; Heavy with sleep the leaflets close, Veiling thy bloom, enchanting rose, Still gazing on the western ray The last sweet worshipper of day."-Croly. English poetry is not confined to the British dominions-our western world has produced a poet whose memory will be proof ""Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity"-whose verses embellish these pages, and whose talent we should cherish with sentiments of pride and pleasure. EDMUND SPENSER. Spenser is the earliest English poet whose writings afford any specimens suitable to this collection. English History furnishes an interesting and useful subject of study to the young scholar, if it afford him just views of English mind. If history describes those only who have conquered certain armies, who have devastated countries, or who have built towns and forts, it informs us of little that is useful and improving. But it is delightful to learn from history that wise men have arisen in a nation after long periods of general ignorance-delightful to read the works which during centuries have made one generation of men after another, wiser and better,-delightful to turn from the barbarous triumphs of mad ambition and physical force to the dominion of intellect, and to enrich the understanding by the talent of others, who have refined and exalted society ever since they came into being. Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne of Britain in 1558. Elizabeth was attached to the Protestant faith, made it the national religion, cultivated learning herself, and cherished genius in others. Shakspeare lived in her reign, and paid homage to this maiden queen. He styles her, "a fair star, throned in the west;" and makes one, speaking of her infancy, say, "Sheba was never More covetous of wisdom, and fair virtue, -Truth shall nurse her; Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her." "In the reign of Elizabeth," says Campbell, "the English mind put forth its energies in every direction, exalted by a purer religion, and enlarged by new views of truth. This was an age of loyalty, adventure, and generous emulation. The chivalrous character was softened by intellectual pursuits, while the genius of chivalry itself still lingered, as if unwilling to depart, and paid his last homage to a warlike and female reign. A degree of romantic fancy remained in the manners and superstitions of the people; and allegory might be said to parade the streets in their public pageants and festivals. Quaint and pedantic as those allegorical exhibitions might often be, they were nevertheless more expressive |