I. The two literary periods in our colonial age—Their points of dis-
tinction-The times and the men-Our intended line of march
through the second period....
II.-John Norton-His poem on the death of Anne Bradstreet-John
Rogers-His poetic praise of Anne Bradstreet.......
III.-Urian Oakes-His high literary gifts-His elegy on the death of
Thomas Shepard..............
IV.-Peter Folger, the ballad-writer-Benjamin Tompson, the satirist..
V.—Michael Wigglesworth, the sturdy rhymer of New England Calvin-
ism-His great popularity-Puts into verse the glooms and the
comforts of the prevailing faith-The realistic poet of hell-fire—
"God's Controversy with New England"-"Meat out of the
Eater"-"The Day of Doom "-Synopsis of the latter poem-Its
wide diffusion and influence-His son, Samuel Wigglesworth, a
true poet-" A Funeral Song" by the latter.....
VI.-Nicholas Noyes, the last and greatest of our Fantastics-His fine
personal career-The monstrosities of his muse-Prefatory poem
on the "Magnalia "-Lines on John Higginson-Elegy on Joseph
Green-Verses on the painful malady of a Reverend friend................
VII. Strong influence in America of the contemporary English poets,
especially Pope, Blackmore, Watts, Thomson, Young-Echoes of
them in Francis Knapp, Benjamin Colman, Jane Turell, Mather
Byles-The career and poetry of Roger Wolcott-His Connecti-
cut epic-His "Poetical Meditations
VIII.-Humorous poetry-John Seccomb and his burlesque verses-
The facetiousness of Joseph Green His impromptus His
"Entertainment for a Winter Evening "....