The rise of the ballad in the eighteenth century . h told long since in homely wise,Hath never failed of melting gentle eyes: T^et no nice sir despise our hapless dameBecause recording ballads chaunther name; Those venerable ancient song-enditersSoared many a pitch above our modern writers:They caterwauld in no roraantick for Philliss or Chloes they drew the fair, and spoke her sung her by her Christian name - twas numbers may be more refined than those,But what weve gained in verse, weve lost in words no shuffling, double-meaning knew,
The rise of the ballad in the eighteenth century . h told long since in homely wise,Hath never failed of melting gentle eyes: T^et no nice sir despise our hapless dameBecause recording ballads chaunther name; Those venerable ancient song-enditersSoared many a pitch above our modern writers:They caterwauld in no roraantick for Philliss or Chloes they drew the fair, and spoke her sung her by her Christian name - twas numbers may be more refined than those,But what weve gained in verse, weve lost in words no shuffling, double-meaning knew, speech was homely, but their hearts were true. We would know this was written for the Englishman g^tfof the age of Pope and Dryden, oy tne reference to the high-•sounding names of Phillis and Chloe, and to the polishedverse form of the day; but the criticism regarding the 0000— The Tragedy of Jane Shore, by Hicholas Rowe. London, atthe Cross - Keys. Boston, D. G. Heath and Co., 1907. Reliques?^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^Book II. vol. 2 in the. -42- sacrificing of truth for form, and polish for true-hearted-ness,seem to us to be in the true Romantic spirit. Another poet of the early eighteenth century whorefers to ballads is John Gay. In the Shepherds Week,Dallad singing is made a natural part of the merrimentwhich ends the v/eek. One of the shepherds is asked to sing. Uo sonner gan he raise his txmeful lads and lasses round about him ballad-singer placd above the crowdSings v/ith a note so shrilling sweet and loud. After singing of natures laws and fairsand shows, Then sad he sung The Children in the Y/ood:*(Ah, barbarous uncle, stained with innocentblood) How blackberries they plucked in desarts wild;And fearless at the glittering faulchionsmiled; Their little corpse the robin-red-breastsfound. And strewed with pious bill the leaves around.(Ah, gentle birdsi if this verse lasts so names shall live forever in my song.)For *Buxom Joan he sund th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjecttheses, bookyear1911
