Horace Walpole to Mary Berry, 17 October (in letter begun 16 October) 1790, on visit from his friend, and Berry's cousin, Miss Seton that day: 'As she was going she desired me to read to her Prior's "Turtle and Sparrow," and his "Apollo and Daphne," with which you were so delighted, and which, tho' scarce known, are two of his wittiest and genteelest poems.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Horace Walpole Print: Book
Horace Walpole to Mary Berry, 17 October (in letter begun 16 October) 1790, on visit from his friend, and Berry's cousin, Miss Seton that day: 'As she was going she desired me to read to her Prior's "Turtle and Sparrow," and his "Apollo and Daphne," with which you were so delighted, and which, tho' scarce known, are two of his wittiest and genteelest poems.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Horace Walpole Print: Book
'Thursday, 11th February,
Spent evening at home . Edie painting poppy heads for someone. This modern idea may sound interesting in a few years ? when the fashion has passed.
Elections in both Warbreck and Walton ? busy at Committee rooms.
Read ? ?Shorter Poems? (Matthew Prior)
I like the light epigrammatic stuff in this book, but I could not get wildly excited over it like Pat [George Eric Paterson, friend of Moore's] ? but then no one can emulate the wild abandon of Pat?s enthusiasms. In any case he certainly understands Matt. and his contemporaries better than I do.'
[Matthew Prior, 1664-1721 - Poet, politician and diplomat. As ambassador to Paris negotiated the Treaty of Utrecht 1713, popularly known as 'Matt's peace'. Subsequently impeached and imprisoned. On release, his poems were published in 1717].
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Gerald Moore Print: Book
'Mrs. Thrale disputed with him on the merit of Prior. He attacked him powerfully ; said he wrote of love like a man who had never felt it: his love verses were college verses; and he repeated the song "Alexis shunn'd his fellow swains," &c. in so ludicrous a manner, as to make us all wonder how any one could have been pleased with such fantastical stuff. Mrs. Thrale stood to her gun with great courage, in defence of amorons ditties, which Johnson despised, till he at last silenced her by saying, "My dear Lady, talk no more of this. Nonsense can be defended but by nonsense."
Mrs. Thrale then praised Garrick's talents for light gay poetry ; and, as a specimen, repeated his song in "Florizel and Perdita," and dwelt with peculiar pleasure on this line:
"I'd smile with the simple, and feed with the poor."'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Johnson Print: Unknown
'Mrs. Thrale disputed with him on the merit of Prior. He attacked him powerfully ; said he wrote of love like a man who had never felt it: his love verses were college verses; and he repeated the song "Alexis shunn'd his fellow swains," &c. in so ludicrous a manner, as to make us all wonder how any one could have been pleased with such fantastical stuff. Mrs. Thrale stood to her gun with great courage, in defence of amorons ditties, which Johnson despised, till he at last silenced her by saying, "My dear Lady, talk no more of this. Nonsense can be defended but by nonsense."
Mrs. Thrale then praised Garrick's talents for light gay poetry ; and, as a specimen, repeated his song in "Florizel and Perdita," and dwelt with peculiar pleasure on this line:
"I'd smile with the simple, and feed with the poor."'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Hester Thrale Print: Book
'I asked whether Prior's Poems were to be printed entire: Johnson said they were. I mentioned Lord Hailes's censure of Prior, in his Preface to a collection of "Sacred Poems", by various hands, published by him at Edinburgh a great many years ago, where he mentions, "those impure tales which will be the eternal opprobrium of their ingenious authour". JOHNSON. "Sir, Lord Hailes has forgot. There is nothing in Prior that will excite to lewdness. If Lord Hailes thinks there is, he must be more combustible than other people".
I instanced the tale of Paulo Purganti and his Wife. JOHNSON. "Sir, there is nothing there, but that his wife wanted to be kissed when poor Paulo was out of pocket. No, Sir, Prior is a lady's book. No lady is ashamed to have it standing in her library".'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: James Boswell Print: Book
'I asked whether Prior's Poems were to be printed entire: Johnson said they were. I mentioned Lord Hailes's censure of Prior, in his Preface to a collection of "Sacred Poems", by various hands, published by him at Edinburgh a great many years ago, where he mentions, "those impure tales which will be the eternal opprobrium of their ingenious authour". JOHNSON. "Sir, Lord Hailes has forgot. There is nothing in Prior that will excite to lewdness. If Lord Hailes thinks there is, he must be more combustible than other people".
I instanced the tale of Paulo Purganti and his Wife. JOHNSON. "Sir, there is nothing there, but that his wife wanted to be kissed when poor Paulo was out of pocket. No, Sir, Prior is a lady's book. No lady is ashamed to have it standing in her library".'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes Print: Book
'I asked whether Prior's Poems were to be printed entire: Johnson said they were. I mentioned Lord Hailes's censure of Prior, in his Preface to a collection of "Sacred Poems", by various hands, published by him at Edinburgh a great many years ago, where he mentions, "those impure tales which will be the eternal opprobrium of their ingenious authour". JOHNSON. "Sir, Lord Hailes has forgot. There is nothing in Prior that will excite to lewdness. If Lord Hailes thinks there is, he must be more combustible than other people".
I instanced the tale of Paulo Purganti and his Wife. JOHNSON. "Sir, there is nothing there, but that his wife wanted to be kissed when poor Paulo was out of pocket. No, Sir, Prior is a lady's book. No lady is ashamed to have it standing in her library".'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Johnson Print: Book
'The Simile to the rope Dancer in Prior's Alma is only a good Versification of Dryden's Thought in the preface to Fresnoy's Art of Painting.
"Plac'd on the isthmus of a narrow State"
that Thought, & almost the whole Line is taken from Cowley.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Hester Lynch Thrale Print: Book
'Johnson's newly written Lives are delightful, but he is too hard on Prior's Alma: he will be keenly reproached for his Toryism, but what cares he? he calls himself a Tory, & glories in it. he should have been more sparing of Praise to the Fair Penitent I think, because the Characters are from Massinger - I care not how much good is said of the language; but Old Phil: has the Merit of that Contrast, more happy perhaps than any on our Stage, of the Gay Rake, and the virtuous dependent Gentleman'.
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Hester Lynch Thrale Print: Book
‘You perhaps recollect the only rememberable lines in Prior’s Solomon – that very respectable
poem, which nevertheless, is rather too like one of Mrs. Fry’s Newgate-made Quakeresses to be
quite so moral as Mat meant it to be. Yet it is an excellent copy of verses, the work of no
common genius, but of a man worse both in head and heart for being a Batchelor and a
Politician. Well, but the line is: "And tho' I call'd another, Abra came."'
Century: 1800-1849 Reader/Listener/Group: Hartley Coleridge Print: Book