163. 29. Lyly. John Lyly (1554?-1606), an English dramatist and lyrist. 30. Kyd. Thomas Kyd (1557?-1595?), an English dramatist who wrote tragedies of blood.' Marlowe's mighty line. Christopher Marlowe (1564?— 1593), an English poet and dramatist. Marlowe's plays are written in sonorous blank verse. the 33. Eschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, great Greek writers of tragedy, of the 5th century B. C. 35. Pacuvius, a Roman tragic poet (c. 220-C. 129 B. C.). Accius, a Roman tragic poet (born c. 170 B. C.). him of Cordova, Seneca (c. 4 B. C.-65 A. D.), a Roman Stoic philosopher and writer of tragedy. 36. buskin, the cothurnus, or high boot, anciently worn by actors in tragedy. 37. socks. The sock (Latin soccus) was a light shoe worn by the ancient actors of comedy. 45. Apollo. Apollo, the god of light, was also patron of music and poetry. 46. Mercury, the messenger of the gods, noted for his versatility and power of fascination. 51. Aristophanes, greatest of the Greek comic poets (c. 448-c. 380 B. C.). 52. Terence, a celebrated Roman writer of comedy (c. 185-c. 159 B. C.). Plautus, a Roman writer of comedy (died 184 B. C.). 71. Swan of Avon, a reference to Shakspere's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. 74. Eliza, Queen Elizabeth. James, James I. A PINDARIC ODE Pindar (c. 522-433 B. C.), the greatest of the Greek lyric poets, was especially famous for his odes. Sir Lucius Cary (c. 1610-1643) was a politician and a man of letters. He married the sister of Sir Henry Morison. 1. infant of Saguntum. Saguntum was a town in Spain besieged and taken by the great Carthaginian general, Hannibal, in 219 B. C. The story here recounted by Jonson was actually recorded by Pliny, the Roman historian. 9. summed, complete. 170. 8. Willy. In this song Browne is paying a tribute to William Ferrar, son of an eminent London merchant. The boy died young at sea. 171. 9. Thetis' train. Thetis was the mythical queen of the nereids, or sea-nymphs. 25. Arion-like. Arion, a Greek poet of Lesbos, flourished probably about 700 B. C. The story runs that while he was returning from a musical contest in Sicily, he was thrown into the sea by the sailors, but was saved and carried to shore by dolphins that had gathered about the ship to listen to his lyre. DENHAM: ON MR. ABRAHAM COWLEY'S DEATH For selections from Cowley, see p. 183. 182. 7. Aurora, the dawn. Spenser. See above, pp. 104 ff. 10. Phœbus, Apollo, god of poetry and music. 11. Jonson. See p. 161. Fletcher. See p. 168. 16. bays, wreaths. 35. Horace, Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 B. C.), a famous Roman lyric and satirical poet. state, stateliness. 40. Jason. Jason with other Argonauts made an expedition to Colchis, in Asia, to obtain the Golden Fleece. 43. Flaccus, the Roman poet Horace. 44. The Theban Swan, Pindar (c. 522-443 B. C.), the greatest of the Greek lyric poets. 188. a. 3. One of the fathers. Both Jerome and Augustine have a similar saying; neither uses exactly these words. 29. The poet, Lucretius (1st century B. C.) in the Latin poem On the Nature of Things. 30. the sect, of the Epicureans. 52. round, straightforward, or as we should say, square. b. 4. Montaigne. Essays ii, 18. 17. it being foretold. Luke xviii, 8. V. OF ADVERSITY 24. Seneca. The Roman philosopher and tutor of Nero (4 B. C.-65 A. D.). Both the passages quoted are from his Epistles. 39. transcendencies, hyperboles, exaggerations. 53. in a mean, in a moderate or prosaic style. 54. temperance, moderation. VII. OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN 189. a. 53. Solomon saith. b. 7. shifts, subterfuges. 37. the precept. Ascribed by Plutarch to the Pythagoreans. Plutarch (1st century A. D.) wrote in Greek, but Bacon doubtless read him in a Latin translation. VIII. OF MARRIAGE AND SINGLE LIFE 51. impediments, hindrances, in the sense that they may deter a man from taking big risks. 190. a. 20. humorous, subject to humors, or moods. 29. churchmen, clergymen. 36. hortatives, exhortations. 44. exhaust, exhausted. The form Bacon uses is taken directly from the Latin past participle. 50. Ulysses refused to share immortality with the goddess Calypso, and returned home to his wife Penelope. b. 4. a quarrel, a pretext or excuse. 5. one of the wise men. The saying quoted is ascribed by Plutarch and Montaigne to the Greek philosopher, Thales. X.- OF LOVE 35. Marcus Antonius (83-30 B. C.), the lover of Cleopatra. 37. Appius Claudius, the Roman decemvir who became enamored of Virginia 449 B. C. See Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome. 45. saying of Epicurus. Quoted by Seneca, Epistle vii. 56. braves, exaggerates. 191. a. 2. it hath been well said. By Plutarch. 9. it was well said. The reference may be to Publius Syrus, or to Plutarch. 16. the reciproque, mutual affection. 22. he that preferred Helena. Paris, who awarded the apple to Venus in return for the gift of Helen, rejecting the offers of Juno (the sovereignty of Asia) and Pallas (renown in war). 34. keep quarter, keep within bounds. 36. check, interfere. XII. OF BOLDNESS 191. b. 1. Demosthenes. The story of the great Greek orator (385-322 B. C.) is told by Cicero and by Plutarch. XLVII. OF NEGOTIATING 33. tender, delicate or difficult. 43. success, result. 48. affect, are inclined to. 50. quickeneth, spurs on, encourages. 199. a. 2. prescription, prestige, reputation previously won. 7. in appetite, eager for advancement. 10. upon conditions. A. agrees to do something if B. will do something. Who is to do his part first? A. must unless (1) B.'s part necessarily comes first; or (2) A. will still need B. for some other part of the scheme; or (3) A. is known to be more trustworthy and B. can therefore depend on him. 18. practice, negotiation. man's plans or character. to do something. discover, to ascertain a work, to induce a man |