THE

PLAIN SPEAKER:

OPINIONS

ON

BOOKS, MEN, AND THINGS.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

HENRY COLBURN, NEW BURLINGTON-STREET.

1826.

ENGLISH
OXFORD

LIBRARY

LONDON:

PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITEFRIARS.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

Page

Essay II.-On Dreams

Essay IV.

Essay I.-On the Prose-Style of Poets

Essay III.-On the Conversation of Authors

The same Subject continued

1

31

49

77

Essay XII.-Whether Genius is conscious of its Powers? 279

Essay XIII.-On the Pleasure of Hating

305

.

Essay XIV.-On Dr. Spurzheim's Theory.

Essay XV.-On Egotism.

Essay XVI.-Hot and Cold

Essay XVII.-The New School of Reform

ERRATA.

P. 141 for the friend of Dante, read the admirer of Dante.
P. 216-17-for Sir Harry Englefield, read Captain Englefield.
P. 266-for Earl Cowper, read Earl Gower.

Motto to Essay on Prose-style of Poets

"Do you read or sing? If you sing, you sing very ill !"

ESSAY I.

ON THE PROSE-STYLE OF POETS.

B