The Romance of Biography (Vol 2 of 2) or Memoirs of Women Loved and Celebrated by Poets, from the Days of the Troubadours to the Present Age. 3rd ed. 2 Vols.   By: Anna Jameson (1794-1860)

VOL. II.

LONDON: PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, Dorset Street, Fleet Street.

THE ROMANCE OF BIOGRAPHY;

OR

MEMOIRS OF WOMEN

LOVED AND CELEBRATED BY POETS,

FROM

THE DAYS OF THE TROUBADOURS TO THE PRESENT AGE;

A SERIES OF ANECDOTES INTENDED TO ILLUSTRATE THE INFLUENCE WHICH FEMALE BEAUTY AND VIRTUE HAVE EXERCISED OVER THE CHARACTERS AND WRITINGS OF MEN OF GENIUS.

BY MRS. JAMESON,

Authoress of the Diary of an Ennuyée; Lives of Celebrated Female Sovereigns; Female Characters of Shakespeare's Plays; Beauties of the Court of Charles the Second.

THIRD EDITION, IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II.

LONDON: SAUNDERS AND OTLEY. MDCCCXXXVII.

CONTENTS

OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

Page

CHAPTER I. CAREW'S CELIA. LUCY SACHEVEREL 1

CHAPTER II. WALLER'S SACHARISSA 15

CHAPTER III. BEAUTIES AND POETS IN THE REIGN OF CHARLES I. 33

CHAPTER IV. CONJUGAL POETRY. OVID AND PERILLA SENECA'S PAULINA SULPICIA CLOTILDE DE SURVILLE 43

CHAPTER V. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) VITTORIA COLONNA 60

CHAPTER VI. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) VERONICA GAMBARA CAMILLA VALENTINI PORTIA ROTA CASTIGLIONE 81

CHAPTER VII. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) DOCTOR DONNE AND HIS WIFE HABINGTON'S CASTARA 94

CHAPTER VIII. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) THE TWO ZAPPI 131

CHAPTER IX. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) LORD LYTTELTON PRINCE FREDERICK DOCTOR PARNELL 139

CHAPTER X. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) KLOPSTOCK AND META 154

CHAPTER XI. CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) BONNIE JEAN HIGHLAND MARY LOVES OF BURNS 182

CHAPTER XII.

CONJUGAL POETRY (continued.) MONTI AND HIS WIFE 209

CHAPTER XIII. POETS AND BEAUTIES FROM CHARLES II. TO QUEEN ANNE.

COWLEY'S ELEONORA MARIA D'ESTE ANNE KILLEGREW LADY HYDE GRANVILLE'S MIRA PRIOR'S CHLOE DUCHESS OF QUEENSBURY 218

CHAPTER XIV. SWIFT, STELLA AND VANESSA 240

CHAPTER XV. POPE AND MARTHA BLOUNT 274

CHAPTER XVI. POPE AND LADY M. W. MONTAGU 287

CHAPTER XVII. POETICAL OLD BACHELORS. GRAY COLLINS GOLDSMITH SHENSTONE THOMSON HAMMOND 308

CHAPTER XVIII. FRENCH POETS. VOLTAIRE AND MADAME DU CHÂTELET MADAME DE GOUVERNÉ 317

CHAPTER XIX. FRENCH POETS (continued.) MADAME D'HOUDETOT 333

CONCLUSION. HEROINES OF MODERN POETRY 342

THE LOVES OF THE POETS.

CHAPTER I.

CAREW'S CELIA. LUCY SACHEVEREL.

From the reign of Charles the First may be dated that revolution in the spirit and form of our lyric poetry, which led to its subsequent degradation. The first Italian school of poetry, to which we owed our Surreys, our Spensers, and our Miltons, had now declined. The high contemplative tone of passion, the magnanimous and chivalrous homage paid to women, gradually gave way before the French taste and French gallantry, introduced, or at least encouraged and rendered fashionable, by Henrietta Maria and her gay household. The muse of amatory poetry (I presume there is such a Muse, though I know not to which of the Nine the title properly applies,) no longer walked the earth star crowned and vestal robed, "col dir pien d'intelletti, dolci ed alti," "with love upon her lips, and looks commercing with the skies;" she suited her garb to the fashion of the times, and tripped along in guise of an Arcadian princess, half regal, half pastoral, trailing a sheep hook crowned with flowers, and sparkling with foreign ornaments,