PARODIES OF THE WORKS OF ENGLISH & AMERICAN AUTHORS, COLLECTED AND ANNOTATED BY WALTER HAMILTON, _Fellow of the Royal Geographical and Royal Historical Societies; Author of "A History of National Anthems and Patriotic Songs," "A Memoir of George Cruikshank;" "The Poets Laureate of England;" "The Æsthetic Movement in England," etc._ "We maintain that, far from converting virtue into a parodox, and degrading truth by ridicule, PARODY will only strike at what is chimerical and false; it is not a piece of buffoonery so much as a critical exposition. What do we parody but the absurdities of writers, who frequently make their heroes act against nature, common-sense, and truth? After all, it is the public, not we, who are the authors of these PARODIES." * * * * * D'ISRAELI'S Curiosities of Literature. * * * * * VOLUME I, CONTAINING PARODIES OF THE POEMS OF ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, BRET HARTE, THOMAS HOOD, AND THE REVEREND C. WOLFE. * * * * * REEVES & TURNER, 196, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. * * * * * 1884. _"Le sujet que l'on entreprend de parodier doit toujours être un ouvrage connu, célèbre, estimé. La critique d'une pièce médiocre ne peut jamais devenir intéressante, ni piquer la curiosité. Il faut que l'imitation soit fidèle, que les plaisantéries naissent du fond des choses, et paraissent s'être présentées d'elles-mêmes, sans avoir coûté aucune peine."_ _Mémoire sur l'origine de la Parodie, etc. Par M. l' Abbé Sallier_, 1733. _"It was because Homer was the most popular poet, that he was most susceptible of the playful honours of the Greek parodist; unless the prototype is familiar to us, a parody is nothing!"_ ISAAC D'ISRAELI. THOBURN & CO., St. Bride's Steam Press, 136, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street, London, E.C. PREFACE. [Illustration] When this Collection was originally projected, it seemed so unlikely to receive much support from the general public that it was intended to publish a few only of the best Parodies of each author. After the issue of the first few numbers, however, it became evident that "a hit--a palpable hit--" had been made, the sale rapidly increased, and subscribers not only expressed their desire that the collection should be made as nearly complete as possible, but by the loans of scarce books, and copies of Parodies, helped to make it so.