Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/614

600 —author of "Cyder," a poem, the "Splendid Shilling," &c. —West, and others. In fact, this age produced poets enough to have constituted the rhythmical literature of a nation, as they had as much genius as they had learning.



Besides the miscellaneous poets, the dramatic ones numbered Congreve, Vanbrugh, Farquhar, Colley Cibber, Nicholas Rowe—already mentioned—Savage, Lansdowne, Ambrose Philips, and others. In many of the plays of these authors there is great talent, wit, and humour, but mingled with equal grossness. Congreve's dramas are principally "The Old Bachelor," "The Incognita," "The Double Dealer," "The Way of the World," comedies, and "The Mourning Bride," a tragedy. Vanbrugh, the celebrated architect, produced "The Relapse," "The Provoked Wife," "The Confederacy," "The Journey to London," and several other comedies. Farquhar’s principal plays are "The Beaux Stratagem," "Love in a Bottle," and "The Constant Couple." Savage was the author of the tragedy of "Sir Thomas Overbury;" Nicholas Rowe, of five or six tragedies and one comedy, the most popular of which are "The Fair Penitent" and "Jane Shore." Rowe also translated Lucan's "Pharsalia." As for Colley Cibber, he was a mere playwright, and turned out above two dozen comedies, tragedies, and other dramatic pieces. Lord Lansdowne was the author of "Gallantry," a comedy, and "Heroic Love," a tragedy of some merit; and John Hughes wrote "The Siege of Damascus," a tragedy, which still remains on the stage.

In the department of philosophy flourished the celebrated bishop Berkeley, author of "The Principles of Human Knowledge," who startled the world with the theory that matter has no existence in the universe, but is merely a fixed idea of the mind; Dr. Mandeville, a Dutchman by birth, who settled in London, and published various medical and metaphysical works of a free-thinking character; Hutchinson, an opponent of Dr. Woodward in natural history, and Newton in natural philosophy; and David Hartley, author of "Observations on Man." Bishop Butler, Warburton, Hoadley, Middleton, author of "A Free Enquiry into the Miraculous Powers of the Church," and Seeker, archbishop of Canterbury, were the leading theologists in the church; but dissent could also boast of its theologians in Dr. Isaac Watts, author of a system of logic and of the popular Hymns, Calamy, the opponent of Hoadley, Doddridge, &c.

In the department of novel writing, no age had yet produced such a constellation as Fielding, Richardson, Sterne, and Smollett. Their works are still read with admiration by all who have a strong relish for the vivid and masterly delineations of life; their only drawback being, that they are all more or less stained and mildewed with the grossness and licentiousness of the age. From these serious faults Richardson is most free, and in his "Sir Charles Grandison" he has shown himself ahead of his age in the wisdom and liberality of his ideas. He discountenanced duelling, and taught the soundest principles of honour and morality. The photographic minuteness of Richardson's style unfortunately prevents the general reading of his works at the present day of abundant new literature. The principal novels of Fielding, "Joseph Andrews," "Tom Jones," and "Amelia," abound in wit, vigour, and knowledge of human nature. He wrote also some plays, and edited several periodicals. His sister, Sarah, also wrote "David Simple," a novel, and translated Xenophon's "Memoirs of Socrates." Smollett in his novels paints life in strong, bold, but somewhat coarse lines, full of vigour, but with even more grossness and obscenity than Fielding. "Peregrine Pickle," "Count Fathom," "Roderick Random," "Humphrey Clinker," and "Sir Launcelot Greaves," if not now generally read, have been carefully studied and made use of by some of our living novelists. Smollett, besides, wrote plays, satires, poems, and edited "The Briton," a weekly newspaper. Sterne struck out a style of writing peculiar to himself and