(_c_) _The Ode._ In Spenser’s _Epithalamion_ and _Prothalamion_ we have seen the irregular ode attain to a high degree of perfection. In this age we observe the appearance of the Pindaric ode, which was to be so popular in the succeeding generations. Though it appears to be irregular, the Pindaric ode is really bound by stringent rules; its language is ornately artificial; and its diction mannered and unreal. Therefore it is suited to the needs of a transitional period that desires artificiality with a show of freedom. Cowley’s _Pindarique Odes_ (1656) are the first of their class in English. (_d_) _Descriptive and Narrative Poetry._ In this wide class we may include Milton’s _L’Allegro_ and _Il Penseroso_, Herrick’s pastoral poems, and Crashaw’s religious-descriptive pieces. To these may be added the _Cooper Hill_ (1641) of =Sir John Denham (1615–69)=, a descriptive poem much praised in its day, and the romantic poem _Pharonnida_ (1659) by =William Chamberlayne (1619–89)=. In all these poems we may observe the growing tendency to avoid contact with actual wild nature, and to seek rather the conventional and bookish landscapes familiar in the more artificial classical authors. Already the new classicism is declaring itself. =2. Drama.= Earlier in this chapter we have noticed the decline and temporary collapse of the drama (1642). The plays of Massinger sustain the expiring spirit of the great Elizabethans; those of Ford follow the tragical school of Webster and Tourneur. Other playwrights are =James Shirley (1596–1666)=, who wrote some pleasing comedies of London life, such as _The Lady of Pleasure_ (1637), and the feebler writers =Suckling= and =Davenant=. =3. Prose.= While the period is almost devoid of narrative prose of the lighter sort, it is quite rich in prose of other kinds. (_a_) _The Sermon._ This period has been called “the Golden Age of the English pulpit.” No doubt the violent religious strife of the time has much to do with the great flow of sermon writing, which is marked with eloquence, learning, and strong argument. In addition to Jeremy Taylor and Fuller, already mentioned, we may notice =Robert South (1634–1716)=, who writes rather more briefly and simply than the rest, =Isaac Barrow (1630–77)=, learned and copious, and =Richard Baxter (1615–91)=, a Nonconformist, whose _Saints’ Everlasting Rest_ (1649) has survived all his preachings. (_b_) _Philosophical Works._ On the moral side there are the works of Sir Thomas Browne; on the political those of Hobbes; and on the religious side the books of =John Hales (1584–1656)=. Works of this type show a growing knowledge and advancing scholarship, joined sometimes to quaint conceits and artless credulity. (_c_) _Historical Works._ In this class Clarendon’s and Fuller’s works stand pre-eminent. The development of the history will be noticed in a future chapter (see p. 340).