PARODIES OF THE WORKS OF ENGLISH and 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 paradox, 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 II. CONTAINING PARODIES OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, JOHN MILTON, JOHN DRYDEN, DR. WATTS, ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, H. W. LONGFELLOW, THOMAS HOOD, BRET HARTE, MATTHEW ARNOLD, E. A. POE, WOLFE’S ODE, AND “MY MOTHER” ―――――――― REEVES & TURNER, 196, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. 1885. “_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. “_La Parodie, fille ainée de la Satire, est aussi ancienne que la poésie méme. Il est de l’essence de la Parodie de substituer toujours un nouveau sujet & celui qu’on parodie; aux sujets sérieux, des sujets légers et badins, en employant autant que possible, les expressions de l’auteur parodié._” _Traité des Belles-Lettres sur la Poésie Française, par M. le Père de Montespin_, (_Jesuite_) _Avignon_, 1747. BROWN & DAVENPORT, 40, SUN STREET, FINSBURY, LONDON, E.C. PREFACE. [Illustration: W]hen this Collection was originally projected it was intended to publish a few only of the best Parodies of each author. After the issue of the first few numbers, however, 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.