A Century of Parody and Imitation

by Unknown

[P. 298.] Proverbial Philosophy. Here are some typical lines by Martin Tupper:

A man too careful of danger liveth in continual torment,

But a cheerful expecter of the best hath a fountain of joy within him:

Yea, though the breath of disappointment should chill the sanguine heart,

Speedily gloweth it again, warmed by the live embers of hope;

Though the black and heavy surge close above the head for a moment,

Yet the happy buoyancy of Confidence riseth superior to Despair.

[P. 300.] Read incessantly thy Burke—i.e., Burke's Peerage. The Prince of Modern Romance—i.e., Lord Lytton.

[P. 301.] The Cock and the Bull. As Mr. Seaman truly remarks, this is a recognized masterpiece of the higher stage of parody, when an author's literary methods—in this case Browning's The Ring and the Book—are imitated. (From Fly-Leaves.)