Parodies of Ballad Criticism (1711-1787) A Comment Upon the History of Tom Thumb, 1711, by William Wagstaffe; The Knave of Hearts, 1787, by George Canning

There is another Matter which deserves to be clear'd, whether this is a Fiction, or whether there was really such a Person as _Tom Thumb_. As to this, my Friends tell me, 'Twas...

There are certain forms and etiquettes in life, which, though the neglect of them does not amount to the commission of a crime, or the violation of a duty, are yet so establishe...

The original texts printed all names in Italic type; italicized passages put names in Roman type. To avoid ambiguity, these have been marked with *asterisks*. All verse citation...

the _Spectator's_ critiques of Shakespeare [not underlined in original] Artfulness and Embellishments of the _Romans_ [text reads "Embel/llishments" at line break] the first Per...