OF THE

Early English Poets,

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH

OF THE

RISE AND PROGRESS

OF THE

ENGLISH POETRY AND LANGUAGE;

IN THREE VOLUMES.

BY GEORGE ELLIS, ESQ.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND CO.
FOR G. AND W. NICOL, BOOKSELLERS TO HIS

MAJESTY, PALL-MALL;
AND J. WRIGHT, PICCADILLY.

1801.

PREFACE.

The first edition of this Miscellany, which appeared in 1790, was intended as an attempt “to comprise, within the compass of one « volume, all the most beautiful small poems “ that had been published in this country

during the sixteenth and seventeenth cen

turies;” but it was at the same time admitted, that “ the completion of the publisher's “plan had been prevented by the difficulty of

procuring a sufficient stock of materials.”

This difficulty has been since removed, by the kind assistance of my friends; and the work in its present state contains a selection, made with some care and attention, from a considerable number of the best poetical