But so little had he kept up his reading of anything but sermons and hymns, that he learned for the first time from Johnson's Lives the existence of Collins.

He is the offspring of the Religious Revival rather than of any school of art.

His most important relation to any of his predecessors is, in fact, one of antagonism to the hard glitter of Pope.
In urging her companion to write poetry, Mrs.Unwin was on the right path, her puritanism led her astray in the choice of a theme.

She suggested _The Progress of Error_ as a subject for a "Moral Satire." It was unhappily adopted, and _The Progress of Error_ was followed by _Truth_, _Table Talk_, _Expostulation_, _Hope_, _Charity_, _Conversation_, and _Retirement_.

When the series was published, _Table Talk_ was put first, being supposed to be the lightest and the most attractive to an unregenerate world.