File:The rise of the ballad in the eighteenth century (1911) (14779780554).jpg

Identifier: riseofballadinei00heni (find matches)
Title: The rise of the ballad in the eighteenth century
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Henion, Lora Atkins
Subjects: Ballads Theses
Publisher:
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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ite of the inventionof printing, those of our own country and those of Spainescaped the same fate. There is, indeed, little doubtthat oblivion covers many English songs esiual to any thatwere published by Bishop Percy. Eighty years ago, Englandpossessed only one tattered copy of Ghilde Jaters and 3irGauline, and Spain only one tattered copy of the noblepoem of The Gid. The snuff of a candle, or a mischievousdog, might, in a moment, have deprived the world foreverof any of those fine compositions. Why, then, was there a revival of interestin the ballad? It v;as a natural part of the revolt againstthe classicism of the early part of the century - a partof the regeneration of English style due to the imitationof Spenser and lailton, and the aroused interest in theOothic manners and the Geltic literature. With the balladrevival, as with any movement which reverts to the pastfor its inspiration, antiquaries usually lead the way. --0000— T. B. Macaulay; Lays of Ancient Rome, Introduction.
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Pope shows his attitude toward this research in Imitationsof Horace:- Authors, like coins, jjrow dear as they grow old;It is the rust we value, not the f^old.Chaucers v/orst rihaldry is learned hy rote,And beastly Skelton heads of houses c^uote:One likes no language but the Faery U^een;A Soot will fight for Christs Kirk o the Green.And each true Briton is to Ben so civil, h He swears the liuses not him at the Devil, Paul Mallets Introduction to the History of Denmark (1755) ; Llacphersons Ossian (176y; RichardHurds Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762); EvansSpecimens of the Poetry of the Antient 7/elsh Bards fl764) ;and Tyrwhitts edition of Chaucer (1775-1778); were some ofthe sources of inspiration. The decade from 1760 to 1770is an important one, and the most important title is Relicjuesof xlncient English Poetry: Consisting of Old Heroic Ballads,Songs, and other Pieces of our Uarlier Poets, publishedin three volumes in 1765. Thomas Percy v;as horn in 1729 at Bridgenorthin Shropsh

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