Sir William Temple's Essays on Ancient and Modern Learning and on Poetry |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
admirable Aelius Spartianus Ancient antient Poetry Aristotle Atchievements Authors barbarous began Books Cæsar Chaldæans Charms CHIG China Clymat common Conquests Countries Critical Disputes Divine Don Quixot Egypt Empire English Epicurus ERSIT Essays esteemed excellent Fables Florus Force French GAN UNIVERS Gaul Genius Gothick Goths greatest Grecians Greece Greek Herodotus Homer Honour Horace Humour imployed Indian Invention kind Knowledge Language Latin Lives Love Lucretius Lycurgus Magick MICHI UNIV Modern Learning Musick Nations Nature Numbers observed Olaus Wormius Opinions Passions perhaps Phalaris Philosophy Pilpay Plato Pleasure Poem Poetry Poets pretend Priapeia Princes Prose Pythagoras Regions Ridicule Roman Rome RSITY Runers Runick Saint-Évremond's Science Scythian seems sort Spirit Stesichorus Story Subject Temple Temple's things thought Tongue translated true turned UNIV MICHIS UNIV RSIT UNIV SITY UNIV UNIV UNIV UNIV UNIV Vein Verse Virgil wholly World Writ Writings Y-OF
Popular passages
Page 53 - The truth is, there is something in the genius of poetry too libertine to be confined to so many rules; and whoever goes about to subject it to such constraints loses both its spirit and grace, which are ever native, and never learnt, even of the best masters.
Page 35 - Politian with some others have attributed them to Lucian: but I think he must have little skill in painting, that cannot find out this to be an original; such diversity of passions, upon such variety of actions and passages of life and government* such freedom of thought, such boldness of expression, such bounty to his friends, such scorn of his enemies, such honour of learned men, such esteem of good, such knowledge of life, such contempt of death, with such fierceness of nature and cruelty of revenge,...
Page 35 - I think he 10 must have little skill in Painting, that cannot find out this to be an Original; such diversity of Passions upon such variety of Actions and Passages of Life and Government, such Freedom of Thought, such Boldness of Expression, such Bounty to his Friends, such Scorn of his Enemies...
Page 3 - could 'not end his learned treatise without a panegyric of modern learning in comparison of the ancient; and the other falls so grossly into the censure of the old poetry, and preference of the new, that I could not read either of these strains without some indignation;. which no quality among men is so apt to raise in me, as self-sufficiency.
Page 33 - Years so as 20 to be hardly known for the same, or any thing of the former Styles to be endured by the later ; so as they can no more last like the Ancients, than excellent Carvings in Wood like those in Marble or Brass.
Page 53 - Poetry in 15 general, and of its Elevation in these two Particulars, that I know not whether of all the Numbers of Mankind that live within the Compass of a Thousand Years, for one Man that is born capable of making such a Poet as Homer or Virgil, there may not be a Thousand born Capable of...
Page 74 - Thus we come to have more originals, and more that appear what they are ; we have more humour, because every man follows his own, and takes a pleasure, perhaps a pride, to shew it.
Page 35 - Epistles, both living near the same time, which was that of Cyrus and Pythagoras. As the first has been agreed by all ages since for the greatest master in his kind, and all others of that sort have been but imitations of his original ; so I think the Epistles of Phalaris to have more race, more spirit, more force of wit and genius, than any others I have ever seen, either ancient or modern.
Page 79 - I doubt not but the pleasure and requests of these two entertainments will do so too ; and happy those that content themselves with these, or any other so easy and so innocent, and do not trouble the world, or other men, because they cannot be quiet themselves, though nobody hurts them...