The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume I.Cibber, Theophilus
General
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume I.
Cibber, Theophilus
Poets, English -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Poets, Irish -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
14. An Ode. 15. A Pastoral. 16. A Description of Beauty. 17. To the
Angel Spirit of Sir Philip Sidney. 18. A Defence of Rhime. All these
pieces are published together in two volumes, 12 mo. under the title
of the poetical pieces of Mr. Samuel Daniel.
But however well qualified our author's genius was for poetry, yet
Langbain is of opinion that his history is the crown of all his works.
It was printed about the year 1613, and dedicated to Queen Anne. It
reaches from the state of Britain under the Romans, to the beginning
of the reign of Richard II. His history has received encomiums from
various hands, as well as his poetry: It was continued by John Trusul,
with like brevity and candour, but not with equal elegance, 'till the
reign of Richard III. A.D. 1484. Mr. Daniel lived respected by men of
worth and fashion, he passed through life without tasting many of the
vicissitudes of fortune; he seems to have been a second rate genius,
and a tolerable versifier; his poetry in some places is tender, but
want of fire is his characteristical fault. He was unhappy in the
choice of his subject of a civil war for a poem, which obliged him
to descend to minute descriptions, and nothing merely narrative
can properly be touched in poetry, which demands flights of the
imagination and bold images.
* * * * *
Sir JOHN HARRINGTON,
Born at Kelston near the city of Bath, was the son of John Harrington
esquire, who was imprisoned in the Tower in the reign of Queen Mary,
for holding a correspondence with the Lady Elizabeth; with whom he was
in great favour after her accession to the crown, and received many
testimonies of her bounty and gratitude. Sir John, our author, had the
honour to be her god-son, and both in respect to his father's merit,
and his own, he was so happy to possess her esteem to the last[1].
He had the rudiments of his education at Eaton; thence removing to
Cambridge, he there commenced master of arts, and before he arrived at
his 30th year, he favoured the world with a translation of the Orlando
Furioso of Ariosto, by which he acquired some reputation. After this
work, he composed four books of epigrams, which in those times were
received with great applause; several of these mention another
humorous piece of his called Misacmos Metatmorphosis, which for a
while exposed him to her Majesty's resentment, yet he was afterwards
received into favour. This (says Mrs. Cooper) is not added to the rest
of his works, and therefore she supposes was only meant for a Court
amusement, not the entertainment of the public, or the increase of
his fame. In the reign of King James I. he was created Knight of the
Bath[2], and presented a manuscript to Prince Henry, called a Brief
View of the State of the Church of England, as it stood in Queen
Elizabeth and King James's reign in the year 1608. This piece was
levelled chiefly against the married bishops, and was intended only
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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