Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Vol. 1 Of 3: Consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and Other Pieces of Our Earlier Poets; Together with Some Few of Later Date (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Vol. 1 of 3: Consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs, and Other Pieces of Our Earlier Poets; Together With Some Few of Later Date

In 1763 he published five pieces of Runic poetry, with translations into Latin prose, which met with only moderate success. In 1764 appeared a Key to the New Testament -a work which proved that he was not neglecting his profes sional studies, and which became popular. This year Johnson visited him at his Vicarage, and remained most part of three months in the highest enjoyment - now poring over the Old Spanish romance of Felixmarte of Hyrcania, now helping Mrs Percy to feed her ducks, and now talking leamedly to her learned lord. Percy had before this commenced the work which was destined to make him immortal - the collection of Old ballads. He had himself a large folio ms. Of ballads, and he set to work to procure others from every part of the British empire - from Derbyshire, Wales, Ireland, and even the West Indies. In these researches he was either aided or encouraged by the most eminent men of his day - by Gold smith, Garrick, Thomas Warton, Shenstone, and Gray, as well as by such professed antiquarians as Birch, Farmer, and Stevens. Percy seems to have been personally popular with all of these; and most of them, besides, admired old poetry. Grainger, too, author of the forgotten Sugar Cane, and of the beautiful ode to Solitude, was a warm friend and an efficient ally to Percy.

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