The Humourous Poetry of the English Language

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LESSING, GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM--The well-known German author; born 1729;
died 1781. The epigrams of Lessing have been so frequently stolen by
English writers, that, perhaps, they may now be considered as belonging
to English literature, and hence entitled to a place in this
collection. At least we found the temptation to add them to our stock
irresistible.
LINDSAY--A friend of Dean Swift. A polite and elegant scholar; an
eminent pleader at the bar in Dublin, and afterward advanced to be one
of the justices of the Common Pleas.
LOWELL, JAMES RUSSELL--The American Poet. Born at Boston, in the year
1819. To Mr. Lowell must be assigned a high, if not the highest place,
among American writers of humorous poetry. The Biglow Papers, from
which we have derived several excellent pieces for this volume, is one
of the most ingenious and well-sustained jeux d'esprit in existence.
MAPES, WALTER DE--A noted clerical wit of Henry the Second's time.
MOORE, THOMAS--The Irish poet; born at Dublin in the year 1780. Moore
has been styled the best writer of political squibs that ever lived. He
was employed to write comic verses on passing events, by the conductors
of the "London Times," in which journal many of his satirical poems
appeared. The political effusions that gave so much delight thirty
years ago are, however, scarcely intelligible to the present
generation, or if intelligible, not interesting. But Moore wrote many a
sprightly stanza, the humor of which does not depend for its effect
upon local or cotemporary allusions. This collection contains most of
them.
MORRIS, GEORGE P--The father of polite journalism in this city, and the
most celebrated of American Song-writers. Born in Pennsylvania about
the beginning of the present century.
"PERCY RELIQUES"--A celebrated collection of ancient ballads, edited
by Bishop Percy, a man of great antiquarian knowledge and poetic
taste. The publication of the "Percy Reliques" in the last century,
introduced the taste for the antique, which was gratified to the
utmost by Sir Walter Scott, and which has scarcely yet ceased to rage
in some quarters.