This is the first ever English translation of Sir David Lindsay’s masterpiece of 16th-century Scottish political theatre, Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis in Commendatioun of Vertew and Vituperatioune of Vyce. The work’s importance lies in its status as a well-known piece of national literature, and as a historical document of interest to historians of Scottish and European court politics.The verse translation available here is of over 3,000 lines, in an edition which combines a h...

The best of John Donne's poemsJohn Donne (1572-1631) was born into a Catholic family and studied law before sailing with Essex to attack Cadiz in 1596. He was appointed secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, the Lord Keeper (later Lord Chancellor), in 1598, but forfeited his worldly prospects when he secretly married Ann More, Lady Egerton's niece, in 1601; he was dismissed by Egerton and briefly imprisoned. The next twelve years or so were passed in poverty, without reg...

No poet has been more wilfully contradictory than John Donne, whose works forge unforgettable connections between extremes of passion and mental energy. From satire to tender elegy, from sacred devotion to lust, he conveys an astonishing range of emotions and poetic moods. Constant in his work, however, is an intensity of feeling and expression and complexity of argument that is as evident in religious meditations such as 'Good Friday 1613. Riding Westward' as it is in secular love poems s...

L'Allegro (which means "the happy man" in Italian) is invariably paired with the contrasting pastoral poem, Il Penseroso ("the pensive man"), which depicts a similar day spent in contemplation and thought. Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Henry IV sits on a usurped throne, his conscience and his nobles in revolt, while his son Hal is immersed in a self-indulgent life of revelry with the notorious Sir John Falstaff. Shakespeare explores questions of kingship and honor in this masterly mingling of history, comedy, and tragedy.Under the editorial supervision of Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, two of today’s most accomplished Shakespearean scholars, this Modern Library series incorporates definitive texts and authorit...

The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth was written by the English playwright William Shakespeare, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication in the First Folio of 1623. Stylistic evidence indicates that the play was written by Shakespeare in collaboration with, or revised by, his successor, John Fletcher. It is also somewhat characteris...

Fools have been a feature of virtually every recorded culture in the history of civilization, making significant contributions to the development of early theatre and literary drama. This book offers a reign by reign chronicle of English court fools.

Erasmus considers war to be an unmitigated evil, which should only be turned to as a last resort. Erasmus asserts the pacificist democratic argument which is popular in the Age of Enlightenment and with modern liberals that wars are not the desire of the common man. The implication is the traditional structures of power were overturned, and politics were more democratic, wars would cease. Leaders should not turn to counsel from those who have an interest in war, arms dealers, and the inexp...

Fourteenth-Century England.After suffering the Black Plague, the Great Famine, and ongoing war with France, the common folk of England didnt need a corrupt ecclesiastical system that bled them dry.Into this dark time came Doctor John Wycliffe, the "Morning Star of the Reformation", who raged publicly against the abuses within the Church of his day.Doctor Wycliffe engineered the first English translation of the Bible for all to read, and he inspired his foll...

John Milton's poem, "Lycidas" has been called "'probably the most perfect piece of pure literature in existence…' [employing] patterns of structure, prosody, and imagery to maintain a dynamic coherence. The syntax of the poem is full of 'impertinent auxiliary assertions' that contribute valuably to the experience of the poem,". The piece itself is incredibly dynamic, enabling many different styles and patterns that overlap, "the loose ends of any one pattern disappear into the interweaving...

The authoritative edition of Henry IV from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.Family relationships are at the center of Henry IV, Part 1. King Henry IV and Prince Hal form one major father-son pair, with Henry in despair because Hal lives a dissolute life. The father-son pair of Hotspur (Lord Henry Percy) and his father, the Earl of Northumberland, is in seeming contrast;...

After defeat at the Battle of Shrewsbury the rebels regroup. But Prince Hal’s reluctance to inherit the crown threatens to destroy the ailing Henry IV’s dream of a lasting dynasty. Shakespeare’s portrait of the prodigal son’s journey from youth to maturity embraces the full panorama of society.Under the editorial supervision of Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, two of today’s most accomplished Shakespearean scholars, this Modern Library series incorporates definitive texts and auth...