Read Freneau's more jovial war satires in comparison with Whittier's "Letter from a Missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church" ("American Poetry," p. 255); John R. Thompson's "On to Richmond" ("American Poetry," p. 325); Edmund C. Stedman's "How Old Brown took Harper's Ferry" ("American Poetry," p. 317); and Lowell's "Biglow Papers." * * * * * Read Freneau's "Pictures of Columbus" in comparison with Lowell's "Columbus" ("American Poetry," p. 382); Lanier's "Sonnets on Columbus" ("American Poetry," p. 458); and Joaquin Miller's "Columbus" ("American Poetry," p. 564). * * * * * "The Progress of Balloons" derives its title from a whole series of preceding "progress" poems. Cite others and compare them as you can. * * * * * With reference to Freneau's diction in nature passages as compared with that of Ames and Lewis in the text, read Wordsworth's essay on "Poetic Diction" prefatory to the lyrical ballads of 1798, with which Freneau agreed and which he anticipated in certain of his poems. CHAPTER VII THE EARLY DRAMA In the growth of most national literatures the theater has developed side by side with the drama, the stage doing for the play what the printing press did for the essay, poem, and novel. But in America, the land of a transplanted civilization, the order was changed and the first plays were supplied from abroad just as the other forms of literature were. In the history of the American stage, therefore, the successive steps were the presentation of English plays by American amateurs in regular audience rooms with improvised stages; then the development of semiprofessional and wholly professional companies who played short seasons at irregular intervals; then the erection of special playhouses; and finally the formation of more permanent professional companies, both English and American,--all of which took place in the course of nearly two generations before the emergence of any native American drama. Recent investigations have so frequently pushed back the years of first performances, playhouses, and plays that now one can offer such dates only as subject to further revision. [Illustration: CHRONOLOGICAL CHART I. AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1600-1800 JAMES I 1603-'25 CHARLES I '25-'49 PROTECTORATE '49-'60 CHARLES II '60--'85 JAMES II '85-'89 WM.-MARY '89--1702 ANNE '02-'14 GEORGE I '14--'27 GEORGE II '27--'60 GEORGE III '60------>1820 1600 ' ' ' ' 1700 ' ' ' ' 1800