Independence of character-A watchword for the battle of life-

Where is thy stronghold?-"Sink not in spirit"-Instances

of self-reliance-The charm of self-reliance-Self-sacrifice-

"Bill the Banker," a story of true chivalry-Obedience a law of

chivalry--The spirit of contumacy and disorder-Independence

compatible with submission-Moral courage-The fear of "what

will Mrs. Grundy say?"-What constitutes true heroism-

Examples of moral courage-Physical bravery-Trials of the

medieval scholars contrasted with those of the present day-

Professor Blackie on "virtuous energy "-It is altogether a

matter of doing-The real and the ideal-The necessity of

perseverance-Every student has his Canaan to conquer-Ex-

amples of the application of perseverance to self-culture-

Mental and moral discipline-Moderation essential to the for-

mation of character-Collapse through immoderate study-It

is muddle that kills-Benjamin Franklin's scheme of employ-

ment for twenty-four hours-Brain labour must be restricted-

Examples of intellectual labour-Work and pleasure-The game

of life is not easily played-Do not attempt too much-Make

a due estimate of your powers, and "stick to the cow!"--The

vanity of human ambitions—“They also serve who only stand

and wait"

45-64

CHAPTER IV.

CONDUCT.

Conduct is accepted as the reflex of character-Youth is apt to pre-

sume on the innocence of its intentions and to defy the world

-The laws of society-Eccentricities of conduct-What true

self-culture will do for us-'
-The ethics of daily conduct-The

positive value and efficiency of money-Take care of the pounds

and keep out of debt-Advantages and disadvantages of poverty

-Honourable poverty and squalid poverty-The snares of dress,

gambling, ostentation, and expensive amusements-The disease

of money-making-Economical anusements-An encomium of

economy-The love of Nature an essential part of true wisdom

-Ruskin on the influence of Nature-Our objects in life-High

resolves "How charming is divine philosophy!" -Tempta-

tions besetting young men-The habit of drinking-Stimulants

not necessary to the student-"There is but one temple in the

universe "-The sin of impurity-Be sure your sin will find

you out-The best mode of maintaining purity

65-76

Sir John Herschel on a taste for reading-Reading must play the

principal part in self-culture-Obvious benefits of reading-The

irony of history-Great events and their meanings-The true

philosophy of history-Companionship with the minds of old-

Immortal guests-Feasting upon genius-A complete armoury

-The therapeutic use of reading-Books as medicine-Variety

in reading-"Heroic touches from history and poetry "-The

reader's picture gallery of memorable scenes- - Historical

portraits-Primary uses of knowledge-What is reading?—

Sir Arthur Helps on reading-Reading must be regular-Read-

ing must be intelligent-Dr. Arnold's suggestions-Cross-ex-

amination in reading-Something more than titles must be

remembered-An Ollendorffian system of reading-It is not

the multitude of books that gives wisdom-Assistance to be

derived from use of a commonplace-book or Index Rerum—

Make marginal notes on your own books-Four signs suggested

-Importance of classification-The student must systematise

his thoughts-Reading must be methodical-Lord Bacon and

John Locke on reading--A method of study-One thing at a

time-Desultoriness not to be confounded with versatility-Our

reading must be discriminative-Thomas Fuller's classification

-How to read and what to read-The student's Index Ex-

purgatorius-Sir Walter Scott's comfort--"Seek those things

that are above"-Tasting and testing books

CHAPTER II.

ENGLISH POETRY: A COURSE OF READING.

A few plain sign-posts for the use of the student-Early English
poems-Chaucer-"The Canterbury Tales"-Green's descrip-

79-102

CONTENTS.

tion of them-Taine's estimate of Chaucer-A blank in the re-

cords of our literature-The English Renascence-The Italian

Renascence-Some Scotch poets-The poetry of Nature-Eliza-

bethan poetry-The first regular English drama-The first

regular English satire-Spenser - A thorough knowledge of

Spenser essential to the student of English poetry-Leigh Hunt

on Spenser "The Faery Queen "-The first regular English

tragedy-The first English comedy-Shakespeare-Guides to

Shakespearian study-Principles of study-Chronology of Shake-

speare's plays-The sources from which Shakespeare borrowed

the plots of his plays-Shakespeare's contemporaries and imme-

diate successors-Ben Jonson-Wit-combats at the "Mer-

maid"-Beaumont-Fletcher-Dekker-Marston-Massinger-

Webster-Ford-Chapman-Minor Elizabethan poets-The first

English metaphysical poem-Courtly poets-Pastoral poetry-

Shakespeare's poems and sonnets-The "Fantastic School "-

Herbert and Herrick-Butler, the poet of the Restoration-

Marvel-Wither-Quarles-Donne-Cowley-Milton, the third

great name in English poetry-Morley's analysis of the parallel-

ism in structure of "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso"-Milton's

literary labours-"Paradise Lost"-"Samson Agonistes❞—

Dryden-The dramatists of the Restoration-Pope-His charac-

teristics as a poet-Criticisms of Pope-Thomson, the first of

our Nature-poets-Gray-Goldsmith-Collins-Minor poets-

Cowper-The main features of his poetry-Burns-The story of

his life-Carlyle's estimate of Burns-Crabbe-Wordsworth,

the greatest of the Nature-poets-His poetical life-Coleridge-

Southey-Campbell's war songs and lyrics-Rogers-Moore-

Bryon-Shelley-Shelleyan literature-Keats-Scott-Hood-

Hunt-Proctor-Landor-Taylor-Bailey-Browning-Tenny-

son-His artistic sense-The study of Tennyson-The Vic-

torian poets

xi

PAGE

103-157

CHAPTER III.

ENGLISH HISTORY: A COURSE OF READING.

Division in groups-Historical writers before and after the Con-

quest-During the reigns of Henry II., John, and Henry III.,

Edward I., II., III.-The Black Prince-The reigns of Henry

IV. and V.-The Wars of the Roses-The reigns of Henry

VI., Edward IV., and Richard III.-The reigns of Henry VII.

and VIII.-The reigns of Edward VI. and Mary-The reign of

Elizabeth-The reigns of James I. and Charles I.-The Civil

War-The Commonwealth-Cromwell-The reigns of Charles

II., James II., and William III.-The reign of Queen Anne-

The Georgian era-Our own times

158-172

xii

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

ENGLISH BIOGRAPHY: A COURSE OF READING.

-

The revelations of biography-Biography has always been popular

reading-To write a good biography is not easy-Two classes

of biographies-Sir Thomas More's "Richard the Third"-Lucy

Hutchinson's "Memoirs of her Husband "-Autobiography of

Lady Fanshawe-Izaak Walton's Lives-Ellwood's "History of

my Life"-Lord Hervey and Gibbon Boswell's "Life of

Johnson"-Mrs. Thrale-Piozzi's "Anecdotes" and "Autobio-

graphy"-Sir Joshua Hawkins' and Arthur Murphy's Lives—

Forster's "Life of Goldsmith "-Essays by Carlyle and Mac-

aulay-Johnson's "Lives of the Poets"-Cole's biographies of

the Duke of Marlborough and Sir Robert Walpole-Roscoe's

Lives of Lorenzo de' Medicis and Leo X.-Lives of Sir Walter

Raleigh-Lives of the Scottish Cavaliers-Sir W. Napier's Life

of his brother, Sir Charles-Lives of Robert Burns-Lives of

Cowper-Lives of Nelson-M'Crie's Life of Knox-Lockhart's

Lives of Napoleon and Scott-Lives of novelists, poets, states-

men, seamen, and others-The bulk of many of our bio-

graphies is too great-Popularity of the biographical essays or

summaries-Dean Stanley's Life of Dr. Arnold "-Stopford

Brooke's Life of Robertson-Books which stimulate the moral

and intellectual nature-The science of biography - Pictures

of original and individual characters Companions to our

histories-Valuable autobiographies — Historical biographies

-The philosophical biography Some recent biographies of

interest and merit.

66

-

PAGE

173-184

CHAPTER V.

ENGLISH FICTION: A COURSE OF READING.

-

-

The romance and the novel-Their origin-Dunlop's "History of

Fiction" - More's "Utopia"-Sidney's "Arcadia"- Lyly's

"Euphues, or the Anatomy of Wit"-Bacon's "Atlantis"—

Harrington's "Oceana "-Mrs. Aphra Behn's novels-Defoe's

novels - Swift - Addison Steele-Richardson - Fielding ·

Smollett-Sterne-Goldsmith-Frances Burney-Melodramatic

fiction - Walpole - Mrs. Radcliffe-Scott-"The Waverley

Novels"-Jane Austen-Miss Edgeworth-Mrs. Opie-Theo-

dore Hook-Captain Marryatt-John Galt-T. L. Peacock-

Michael Scott-Mrs. Gore-Charlotte Brontë-Kingsley-Lord

Beaconsfield-Lever-"George Eliot"-Thackeray-Dickens

-Bulwer

185-206

TRAVEL AND DISCOVERY: A COURSE OF READING.

English love of adventure-First complete book in English was a

book of travel-Records of the early voyagers-Drake, Raleigh,

Middleton, and others-Purchas' "Pilgrims "-Davis' "The

World's Hydrographical Description "-Lithgow's "Total Dis-

course"-Ray's "Observations"-Letters of James Howell-

Herbert's "Travels in Africa"-Heylin's "Microcosmus"-

Fielding's "Voyage to Lisbon "-Sterne's "Sentimental Jour-

ney"-Cobbett's "Year's Residence in the United States "-

Young's "Travels in France"-Sir John Carr's Works-Books

upon China-Bruce's "Travels in Abyssinia"-African travel-

Egyptian travel-Italian travel-Arctic adventure-Eastern

travel-Numerous miscellaneous travel books-Recent works of

travel-Rocks ahead

207-215

CHAPTER VII.

ENGLISH THEOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY, AND METAPHYSICS:

A COURSE OF READING.

The highest morality must be shaped and inspired by religious prin-
ciples-The why, the whence, and the whither of life-The
vastness of the field-Latimer-Hooker-Lord Bacon - The
Baconian philosophy-The Idola of the human mind and the
ideas of the divine-The "inductive method"-The study of
Nature-The Newtonian method-The English "Democritus"
-Hall-Milton-Hobbes, the philosopher of Malmesbury-The
selfish system of philosophy-Hobbes's challengers-Boyle-
Ray-Dr. Henry More, the great English Platonist-Christian
Platonism-Tulloch's examination of More's philosophico-religi-
ous system-Jeremy Taylor-Chillingworth-The Cambridge
Rationalists-Cudworth-Whichcote - Baxter - Fuller - Bar-
row-South-Locke-The objects of human knowledge-Locke
on toleration and his treatises of government-Popular rights
-Sir Thomas Browne-Dr. Clarke of Norwich-Dr. Daniel
Waterland - Dr. Humphrey Prideaux - The third Earl of
Shaftesbury-Dr. Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne-The Berkeleian
philosophy-Viscount Bolingbroke-Bishop Butler-Christian
ethics-Some devotional writers-David Hume-Hume's ideo-
logy-Dr. Adam Smith-Answers to Hume-The philosophy of
common sense - Priestley-Tucker-Paley's system of moral
philosophy-Dr. Watson, Bishop of Llandaff-Robert Hall-
Thomas Chalmers-Dr. Thomas Brown-A group of metaphy-
sicians-The Tractarian movement-Cardinal Newman-F. W.
Newman-The Hares-Archbishop Whately-Deans Trench,