(404) 15-20. For the first form of these lines, before Johnson revised them, see Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, Globe ed., p. 593. ¶ 16. Tityrus: see Virgil's first eclogue. ¶ 18. Mantuan: Virgil was born near Mantua. 27. Duck: Stephen Duck (1705-56), a farmlaborer, who published two volumes of poems that had some success. 49. Crabbe was born at Aldborough, a poor seaport town on the coast of Suffolk. (422) 206. Hume's: David Hume's History of England (1754-61). ¶220. Guthrie: William Guthrie (1708-70), author of a History of England. ¶222. stall: a fixed seat in the choir or chancel of a church or cathedral, chiefly for the use of the clergy. (423) 231-33. There is an apocryphal story that Queen Elizabeth gave a ring to her favorite, the Earl of Essex, promising that she would forgive him any offense if he should send her the ring; that when he was under sentence of death for treason against the queen, he tried to get the ring to her by the Countess of Nottingham, who kept it, being the queen's rival for the love of Essex; and that the countess on her deathbed confessed her deed to Elizabeth, who stormed at her and soon after died of remorse. CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM "It has long been objected to the pastoral Muse that her principal employment is to delineate scenes that never existed, and to cheat the imagination by descriptions of pleasure that never can be enjoyed. Sensible of her deviation from nature and propriety, the author of the present poem ["The Village"] has endeavored to bring her back into the sober paths of truth and reality. It is not, however, improbable that he may have erred as much as those whom he condemns. For it may be questioned whether he who represents a peasant's life as a life of unremitting labor and remediless anxiety, who describes his best years as embittered by insult and oppression, and his old age as squalid, comfortless, and destitute, gives a juster representation of rural enjoyments than they who, running into a contrary extreme, paint the face of the country as wearing a perpetual smile, and its inhabitants as passing away their hours in uninterrupted pleasure and unvaried tranquility. It must not, however, be denied that the poem contains many splendid lines, many descriptions that are picturesque and original, and such as will do credit to the ingenious author of 'The Library.'"-The Monthly Review, November, 1783. "It ["The Newspaper"] cannot be considered as the production of a superior genius; but it is not destitute of poetical beauties; and the good taste of the author is to be commended when we see him endeavoring to imitate the natural expression of Pope rather than the obscure sentimental jargon and affected tortuosities of some popular versificators of the present day." -The English Review, November, 1785. GLOSSARY TO SCOTCH POEMS NOTE.-Some words which have "a," "au," or "i," where the corresponding English words have "o"-as "aff," "bane," "lang," saft," auld," "bauld," "fauld," "brither," 'ither,' "mither"-are omitted. A', all. A-back, behind. Abeigh, off. A Ablins, aiblins, maybe. Aboon, above; get aboon, rejoice. Abread, abroad. Acquent, acquainted. Ae, one. Ahint, behind. Ain, own. Air, early. Airt, direction, quarter. Aith, oath. Amaist, almost. An, if. Ance, once. Ane, one. Asklent, askance. A steer, astir. Ava, at all. A-will, spontaneously, of itself. B Bleeze, blaze. Blellum, babbler. Blethering, bleth'rin, gabbling. Blew, blue. Blink, glance, shine Blink, bit, snatch. Bluid, blood. Blume, bloom. bonilie, Boddle, farthing. Bogle, bogie. Bombazed, confused [like an idiot]. Bonie, bonnie, pretty, beautiful; Bore, chink. Borrows town, a royal borough. Bouck, body. Bra, fine. Brae, slope, hillside. Braid, broad; braid-claith, broadcloth. Brattle, scamper, clatter. Braw, fine; brawlie, finely, perfectly. Breeks, breeches. Brent, brand. Ben, parlor; into the parlor, inside; come farer ben, become more intimate, obtain greater favor. Benty, covered with coarse grass. Beuk, book. Brent, straight. Brig, bridge. Brock, badger. |