The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-12-14

tnee alone, &C., Wrltbeu INV J'S'S 90
IN Saxon English.
Hundreds of years after, Lord Surrey
wrote poem to bis wife, which is tame
compared with the other, VIZ:
"Oiten and often we two have agreed
That nothing would part US" &C.
Does this not deserve to be ranked with
"Dsmen and Pythias," an Memorlam"
and such poems?
We point out these instances IN order
to Indicate the fountain source whence
we get out our true knowledge OF the
early times and our poetry. The poet
is the agent to catch the emotions, the
feelings, the inner life OF an age ana
transmit it TO after time.
THE NoRMANs,
But we glide along in the tide OF time
to the Norman invasion against the
plucky, beer drinking, beet eating
Saxons, who defed the law and
robbed the rich, but gave to the
poor. The greatest OF these old
border chiefs were Robin Hood and Lit
tie John of the Wood. OF the former
subsequent historian merely says: ale
was prince of outlaws and q most gen.
tie thief" But let the history OF Eng
land paddle its own canoe. Head the
Robin Hood ballads and Chevy Chase
and YOU will have better idea of English
! life of that time than in any other way.
Another characteristic poem is that OF
Piers Ploughman, generally attributed TO
| VIM. Langlsnd. But Chaucer Is the
father OF that kind of literature. In his
writings the well of pure English is
unde6ied. He gives you the effects OF
the Norman conquest, OF habits, &c.
In word, if you wish to have the real
! life of the time, read Chsucer's Canter-
| bury Tales, where he has persons from
all ranks of society, as they are on their
pilgrimage TO the Thomas-a-Becket, each
to tell story. See what field he had
| before himl
Three persons have given ia q descrlp
ton of preacher, viz: Chaucer, Dry
den and Goldsmith, and all seem to have
taken Luke's description OF Barnsoss.
They could not improve upon 1t.
No nation ever yet unslded attained
its own freedom. The Saxons are an OBJ
slinate race. Yet things incongruouS
and Mosaic make up their life. Their
language was to become great by the In
PRODUCTION of other literature. The IN
PRODUCTION of these refined writings, such
AS Dante, suggests the idea OF gold
ring in sow's nose. The majority OF the
peers could not read, snd certainly none
of the lower classes could. But some
English writers visited Italy at this time,
and ImbIOed some of their sweetness.
Lord Surrey Travelled, ard returning,
wrote his poems on Love" appealed to
Heaven about his wife, &c.
Petrarch wrote without an ideal love,
bu. Lord Surrey wrote about MS Eng.
hsh wife. These were the times when
every knight had true love, and wore
lock of her hair in MS bonnet; when
yhey fought for the smile OF fair one
This was the QuiXotic devotion to la.
dies. All this you know, but you do not
know half if you do not read that
matchless poem the Fairy Queen. 1t Is
An categorical poem, in which the highest
virtues of 10 ness, charity, &c. are laud-
cd. Prince Arthur Is the hero. Tbe
poem Is auciy4L, but what can surpass
the beauty and elegance of its descnp.
ton OF Una and the lion?"
LATER ENGLISH WRITERS.
But there is always reaction, and
such was the case here. After Spencer,
came men of brains and men of words,
men of wonderful capacity for saying
what they had to say, but they had little
to Say thst WAS worth hearing. They
seemed TO lose the poetic soul of their
predecessors. An old Irish woman re-
marked TO me, coming into my office
one day at Harper's Ferry, 81 niver
could enjoy POETRY, especially WIN L
WAS a cookln', but whin L go out to feed
the pigs, and perch meselt on the fence
aud pour out me whole soul in q 'ew
Ines OF Captain Jlnks, thin L enjoy it."
This is indicative of the poetic sentiment
that followed Spencer. But Lord
Bacon had wealth of knowledge,
aud in his writings reflected rather the
past age than his own. 1t WAS be who
said: ITO spend too much time in study
! Is sIoth" "SOme books are made to tesI,
some to read, and some to be devoured
and digested." "Reading makes a full
man. conference q ready man, and writ
/ ing an exact man; therefore, II u man
write little be must need have great
memory, If he confer little he must need
| have present wit, and if he read little
be must need have much cunning to seem
10 know that be doth not" Like statue
OF Mercury by an ancient highway, he
Indicated Il way he himself was not to
follow.
There are many more of whom | can
not stop to tell you, The dramatic era
was he era OF the Reformation, But the
drama. . the drama! the drama! What
| power tor good, and what power TO
drag us down tO destruction. But We
must not eOndemn it because of Its evil
influence. The purest gold most needs
| alloy. The most powerful religion is to
make use OF It's power. Like bright
blade, 1t has It's righttul uses and It's
murderouS, sinful uses. But the drama
we'll Illustrated It's Sge.
Again, in poetry we have the
genial Waller fashionable man
aud wit, who lived 10 the green
Old age Of 81. In his youth he wrote
verses to Cromwell, and III later years TO
the King. o, course, the latter was less
than the former, and one day the King
twitted him upon it thus: "Ah! son,
poets always do better when writing fc
tion' He also wrote few love songs,
&c. q "Go Lovely Rose Talking about
love songs, there are Just three beautiful
love songs in the language, one from the
Scotch poet Burns, so Mary in
Heaven" one OF Christopher MarIowe,
Come live with me and be my love-
and, one OF Tom Moore, Come pray with
me my seraph love"
We come now to the two greatest
names in English htersture; so similar
yetso dissimllar in many important re-
,pects; both equally important because
80 well illustrating their respective ages.
Need say these are Shakespeare and
Milton? | will net attempt to describe
Shakespeare. No one has ever Oeen able
TO do that, and whatever we might say
has already beer said. To know oneself
l. said In ha WISF,m hint Ia Enau all