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Remains of the Late Rev. Charles Wolfe; With a Brief Memoir of His Life
Remains of the Late Rev Charles Wolfe With a Brief Memoir of His Life Author:Charles Wolfe General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1827 Original Publisher: Hamilton, Adams, and Co. Subjects: Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Religion / Sermons / Christian Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illus... more »trations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Our author immediately distinguished himself by his high classical attainments, for which he was early rewarded by many academical honours. The first English poem which attracted general notice was written very early in his college course, upon a subject proposed by the heads of the university. It evinces a boldness of thought, a vigour of expression, and somewhat of a dramatic spirit, which seems to entitle it to a place in this little collection; and it shall therefore be presented first in order to the reader. The prison-scene of Jugurtha (which is the subject of the poem) gave the author full scope for a masterly exhibition of the darkest and deadliest passions of human nature in fierce conflict. Disappointed ambition, revenge, despair, remorse, were to be represented as raging by turns in the captive's mind, or dashing, as it were, against each other, and struggling for utterance. The subject was proposed in the following form -- " JUGURTHA INCARCERATUS, VITAM INGEMIT RELICTAM." Well -- is the rack prepared -- the pincers heated ? Where is the scourge ? How ! -- not employ'd in Rome ? We have them in Numidia. Not in Rome ? I'm sorry for it; I could enjoy it now; I might have felt them yesterday; but now, -- Now I have seen my funeral procession : The chariot-wheels of Marius have roll'd o'er me : His horses' hoofs have trampled me in triumph, -- I have attain'i! that terrible consummation My soul...« less