and is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has a strange sweetness in her mind and singular purity in her affections; is most just and conscientious in all her conduct; and you could not persuade her to do anything wrong or sinful, if you should give her all the world, lest she should offend this Great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness, and universal benevolence of mind; especially after this Great God has manifested himself to her mind. She will sometimes go about from place to place, singing sweetly; and seems to be always full of joy and pleasure; and no one knows for what. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have some one invisible always conversing with her. If we can find a quality common to these three so very different extracts, we will be very likely to find in it the quality most characteristic of the mind of Edwards. A little consideration will show this common quality to be the "God consciousness." It is because God is to him absolutely supreme that sin against God is to him so intolerably hateful. All nature is, in the second extract, conceived as the manifestation of God. And that which especially distinguishes the last selection from any lover's rhapsody, besides the beauty and purity of thought and style, is the same consciousness of God, pervading every line. Besides sermons and pamphlets, Edwards' published writings, with the dates of their first appearance, are as follows: Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God Modern Prevailing Notions of the Freedom of the Will 1736 1746 1754 1758 1774 The awful doctrine which Edwards expressed in poetic prose was unconsciously caricatured by Michael Michael WigglesWigglesworth in very prosaic verse. His so-called worth, poem, “The Day of Doom," was very widely read 1631-1705. in the old days; but its own day of doom from the general public arrived long ago. Thompson, The first verse-writer of American birth, so far as known, was Benjamin Thompson, of Braintree, Benjamin Massachusetts, one of the first masters of the Boston 1642-1714. Latin School. He published, in 1675, some verses called "New England's Crisis," a description of King Philip's War. Like most of the ambitious verse of this period, it is written in the favorite measure of Pope, the rimed iambic pentameter. Godfrey, The colonial period closes with the name of Thomas Godfrey. He wrote the first American Thomas dramatic poem, which appeared in Philadelphia, 1736-1763. in 1765, two years after the author's death. It was called "The Prince of Parthia, a Tragedy," and was written in blank verse, composed with considerable skill; the dialogue is spirited, and there are passages of real poetic quality. Godfrey shows more of the literary spirit, that is, the love of writing for its own sake, as the chosen mode of expressing one's self, than does any other writer of the time. The others are all men of affairs with whom Literature is secondary. But this young Philadelphian, jeweller, soldier, traveller, was a writer to whom other forms. of activity were secondary. Thus, though in no sense great, he is to all students of our Literature a very important and interesting character. I give as "The Prince of Parthia," 1765. the last selection for this period a few lines from the "Prince of Parthia.” 5 ΙΟ 20 Evanthe. When I am dead, dissolved to native dust, Yet let me live in thy dear memory. One tear will not be much to give Evanthe. Arsaces. My eyes shall e'er two running fountains be, And wet thy urn with overflowing tears; Joy ne'er again within my breast shall find A residence. Oh! speak once more! My father-Oh! protect his honored age, He's long been fortune's sport support me - ah! — Forever Arsaces Oh! Arsaces. Stay! oh stay! -- Or take me with thee - dead! she's cold and dead! Her eyes are closed! and all my joys are flown. Now burst ye elements from your restraint! Let order cease and chaos be again. Break! break! tough heart. Oh torture! life dissolve ! To kindly free me from this pain? One blow, These lines show comparative ease in using the measure employed. Notice how in the passages of greatest excitement of feeling, from lines 11-20, the metrical accents correspond with the rhetorical; and how the broken line, 8, corresponds with the weak and broken utterance of the dying girl. While, historically, Godfrey's name is much less important than many others we have considered, he gives us, more than any of them, the promise of an artistic Literature, and so with him we fittingly close one period of our study. QUESTIONS What marked differences were there between the beginnings of American and British history which affected strongly the beginnings of Literature in the two countries? When was the Virginia colony founded? What were some of the chief incidents in the career of John Smith? Give some account of the "True Relation." What famous story is in "The General History of Virginia"? What are some of the literary qualities displayed in this story? What early colonial writing is associated with one of the plays of Shakespeare, and how? What translation of classical poetry was made in America during the colonial period? What was the character of the writings of Alexander Whittaker? When was the Plymouth colony founded? Who were the "Pilgrims "? Who were the "Puritans"? What were some of the chief incidents in the life of William Bradford? Compare the extract from his writings with that from John Smith. What sort of a man was Thomas Morton, and what was the character of his book? For what was Roger Williams famous? What was the nature of John Eliot's work, and what literary monument did he leave? Give some account of the life and writings of Nathaniel Ward. Give some account of the life and writings of Anne Bradstreet. When was the first college founded in America? When was the first book printed in America, and what was it? When was the first newspaper established in America? What was the character and influence of John Bartram? What was the nature of the writings of Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur? Give some account of Sewall's Diary. Give some account of the life and of the writings of Increase and Cotton Mather. What was the relation of these three men and of Robert Calef to the witchcraft delusion? Who was the first to prepare a popular “ Almanac "? Give some of the particulars of the life and writings of Jonathan Edwards. What characteristic is found in the three extracts from his writings? Who was the first writer of verse born in America? Who was our first dramatic poet? What are some of the elements of excellence in his writings? 66 CHAPTER II PERIOD OF THE LATER EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, 1765-1800 THE colonial period is to be considered only as introductory to the history of American Literature. Thus far we have found but one name which deserves to be recorded for the actual achievement in Literature for which it stands. Jonathan Edwards left writings which have survived, been read and republished for a hundred and fifty years. The others left writings indeed; but they are read mainly for their historical interest. The men are of importance in our early history. What they wrote is of importance because it illustrates them and the events connected with their lives. We can detect real Literature by the fact that in its study we reverse the process, and read the life and history for the sake of illustrating the writings. The same thing is true in general of the period we now study. But there is more than one name of real interest to Literature, though only one name of such interest as that of Edwards. We notice in the writings of this time a growing independence of thought, following upon and connected with political independence. There is a manifest reaction from the theological type of think |