The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.G. Walker ... [and 9 others], 1820 |
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Page 4
... considered , that it was not wholly impossible to surmount , at least in part , the difficulties which had stopt me , and to go somewhat farther than the learned writers * , who have published in French some pieces of Aristophanes ; not ...
... considered , that it was not wholly impossible to surmount , at least in part , the difficulties which had stopt me , and to go somewhat farther than the learned writers * , who have published in French some pieces of Aristophanes ; not ...
Page 24
... purer air gratifies the sense ; that , notwith- standing the powers of the other comic poets of Athens , Menander has always been considered as possessing a salt peculiar to himself , drawn from the same waters that 24 A DISSERTATION ON ...
... purer air gratifies the sense ; that , notwith- standing the powers of the other comic poets of Athens , Menander has always been considered as possessing a salt peculiar to himself , drawn from the same waters that 24 A DISSERTATION ON ...
Page 38
... considered as times that enjoyed a particular privilege of excel- lence , though we may distinguish the good authors from the bad , as in our days , yet we ought to suspend the vehemence of criticism , and proceed with caution and ...
... considered as times that enjoyed a particular privilege of excel- lence , though we may distinguish the good authors from the bad , as in our days , yet we ought to suspend the vehemence of criticism , and proceed with caution and ...
Page 54
... considered as ridi- culous . It would be safer to double and treble all the tragedies of our greatest poets , and use all their subjects over and over , as has been done with Oedipus and Sophonisba , than to bring again upon the stage ...
... considered as ridi- culous . It would be safer to double and treble all the tragedies of our greatest poets , and use all their subjects over and over , as has been done with Oedipus and Sophonisba , than to bring again upon the stage ...
Page 58
... considered , it will require deeper thoughts to form a plan just and simple ; to produce happy surprises without apparent contrivance ; to carry a passion skilfully through its gradations to its height ; to arrive happily to the end by ...
... considered , it will require deeper thoughts to form a plan just and simple ; to produce happy surprises without apparent contrivance ; to carry a passion skilfully through its gradations to its height ; to arrive happily to the end by ...
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Common terms and phrases
amuse ancient appear Aristophanes Athenians Athens Banquo beauty censure CHAP character comedy comic common considered danger delight desire died hereafter discovered easily elegance endeavoured equally Eupolis Euripides evil expected eyes favour fear felicity folly fortune genius give gratified Greek Greek comedy happiness happy valley honour hope hour human imagine Imlac inquire kayah kind knowledge labour lady learned less likewise live look Macbeth mankind manner Menander ment mind misery Moliere nations nature Nekayah ness never observed once opinion passage passed passions Pekuah perhaps phanes Plautus pleased pleasure Plutarch poet present prince PRINCE OF ABISSINIA princess racter Rasselas reader reason rest ridicule scarcely scene sentiments Shakespeare shew Socrates solitude sometimes success suffered supposed surely taste Terence thing thou thought Tibullus tion tragedy truth virtue weary witches writers
Popular passages
Page 98 - Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crown'd withal.
Page 130 - She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Page 105 - Pale Hecate's offerings; and wither'd murder, Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my whereabout And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it.
Page 109 - Tis much he dares; And, to 5 that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety.
Page 299 - YE who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow ; attend to the history of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia.
Page 417 - The prince heard this narration with very serious regard, but the princess smiled, and Pekuah convulsed herself with laughter. 'Ladies,' said Imlac, 'to mock the heaviest of human afflictions is neither charitable nor wise. Few can attain this man's knowledge, and few practise his virtues; but all may suffer his calamity. Of the uncertainties of our present state, the most dreadful and alarming is the uncertain continuance of reason.
Page 138 - The gates of hell are open night and day ; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way : But, to return, and view the cheerful skies — In this the task and mighty labour lies.
Page 103 - All things are hush'd as Nature's self lay dead, The mountains seem to nod their drowsy head : The little birds in dreams their songs repeat, And sleeping flowers beneath the night dews sweat. Even lust and envy sleep...
Page 418 - In time, some particular train of ideas fixes the attention, all other intellectual gratifications are rejected, the mind, in weariness or leisure, recurs constantly to the favourite conception, and feasts on the luscious falsehood, whenever she is offended with the bitterness of truth.
Page 418 - There is no man whose imagination does not sometimes predominate over his reason, who can regulate his attention wholly by his will, and whose ideas will come and go at his command. No man will be found in whose mind airy notions do not sometimes tyrannize and force him to hope or fear beyond the limits of sober probability.