¶The first volume of this splendid work is formed of an extended essay on English poetry, from the time of the Norman Conquest ( 'a great inundation' upon the English language), to the poets of the early 18th century. Of the poets 'in succession to Alexander Pope' (d.1744), the author has spoken 'in their respective biographies'. The volumes are arranged chronologically, and include specimens of the works and biographical information on more than 250 poets, from Chaucer, Marlowe, Shakespeare and Raleigh, through to Burns, Cowper, and Erasmus Darwin.