Author: FREE (John):
Title: Poems on Several Occasions, Formerly Written.... The Second Edition, With Additions of later Pieces; and an historical and critieal [sic] Account of the Origin and peculiar Nature of English Poetry, in a Letter to a Member of Parliament.
Description: London: Printed by E. Owen... And Sold by T. Osborned..., R. and J. Dodsley..., J. Rivington..., 1757 12mo, 165 x 100 mms., pp. x, 165 [166 adverts], including list of subscribers, recently rebound in boards, with paper label on spine and front cover. A very good copy. Free is described on the title-page as "Vicar of East Coker..., Lecturer of St. Mary-Hill, London, and Lecturer of Newington in Surrey." The book was first published in 1751 as Poems, and Miscellaneous Pieces formerly Written by John Free. The reviewer in The Monthly Review for 1758 observed, "This work, of which we do not recollect any former entire edition...is a miscellany on very different subjects, and executed with different success. The verses to the fair sex, from the Greek of Naumachius, and a few others are not bad; many are entitled to the character of mediocrity; and others undoubtedly fall short of it.... [W]e may fairly assure our Readers there is as great a variety for the price, under almost every poetical denomination, as could well be contained in about 200 pages.... [T]hough we do not consider him among the humblest versifiers, we conceive he will be prudent in sitting down contented in a moderate station among the minor poets; and compensate himself for any deficiency that way, by the solid reputation he enjoys, of being a truly well principled Englishman, and a very good natured man." ESTC N12098 locates copies in Bodleian, Oxford Christ Church, John Rylands in these islands; and Harvard, McMaster, Newberry, Northwestern, Stanford, Library of Congress, Chicago, and Illinois in north America. Copac adds BL and several other British locations.

Keywords: poetry literary criticism literature


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