Augustine Birrell

Excerpt: BY AUGUSTINE BIRRELL New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN CO., Ltd. 1905 All rights reserved Copyright, 1905, By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1905. Norwood Press J.S. Cushing Co.Berwick Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. vPREFACE I desire to express my indebtedness to the following editions of Marvells Works: (1) The Works of Andrew Marvell, Esq., Poetical, Controversial, and Political: containing many Original Letters, Poems, and Tracts never before printed, with a New Life. By Captain Edward Thompson. In three volumes. London, 1776. (2) The Complete Works in Verse and Prose of Andrew Marvell, M.P. Edited with Memorial-Introduction and Notes by the Rev. Alexander B. Grosart. In four volumes. 1872. (In the Fuller Worthies Library.) (3) Poems and Satires of Andrew Marvell, sometime Member of Parliament for Hull. Edited by G.A. Aitken. Two volumes. Lawrence and Bullen, 1892. Reprinted Routledge, 1905. Mr. C.H. Firths Life of Marvell in the thirty-sixth volume of The Dictionary of National Biography has, I am sure, preserved me from some, and possibly from many, blunders. A.B. 3 New Square, Lincolns Inn, June 3, 1905. viiCONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE Early Days at School and College 1 CHAPTER II The Happy Garden-State 19 CHAPTER III A Civil Servant in the Time of the Commonwealth 48 CHAPTER IV In the House of Commons 75 CHAPTER V The Rehearsal Transprosed 151 CHAPTER VI Last Years in the House of Commons 179 CHAPTER VII Final Satires and Death 211 CHAPTER VIII Work as a Man of Letters 225 Index 233 1ANDREW MARVELL CHAPTER I EARLY DAYS AT SCHOOL AND COLLEGE The name of Andrew Marvell ever sounds sweet, and always has, to use words of Charles Lambs, a fine relish to the ear. As the author of poetry of exquisite quality, where for the last time may be heard the priceless note of the Elizabethan lyricist, whilst at the same moment utterance is being given to thoughts and feelings which reach far forward to...