The History of His Own Time Compiled From the Original Manuscripts of his Late Excellency Matthew Prior, Revised and Signed by Himself; and Copied Fair for the Press by Mr Adrian Drift, His Executor. Miscellaneous Works of His Late Excellency Matthew Prior Consisting of Poems on Several Occasions

Two volumes of works by Matthew Prior. Two leather bound volumes with gilt titles to the spine. Matthew Prior (July 21, 1664 – September 18, 1721) was an English poet and diplomat. When Queen Anne died and the Whigs regained power, Prior was impeached by Robert Walpole and kept in close custody for two years (1715–1717). In 1709, he had already published a collection of verse. During this imprisonment, maintaining his cheerful philosophy, he wrote his longest humorous poem, Alma; or, The Progress of the Mind. This, along with his most ambitious work, Solomon, and other Poems on several Occasions, was published by subscription in 1718. Prior's poems show considerable variety, a pleasant scholarship and great executive skill. The most ambitious, i.e. Solomon, and the paraphrase of The Nut-Brown Maid, are the least successful. But Alma, an admitted imitation of Samuel Butler, is a delightful piece of wayward easy humour, full of witty turns and well-remembered allusions, and Prior's mastery of the octo-syllabic couplet is greater than that of Jonathan Swift or Pope. His tales in rhyme, though often objectionable in their themes, are excellent specimens of narrative skill; and as an epigrammatist he is unrivalled in English. In full calf bindings. There is some wear to the extremities including minor bumping to the corners, creasing to the spine and some slight rubbing to the leather. The bindings are tight and firm with all pages securely attached although the joints are cracked on both volumes. Internally the pages are clean and bright with the occasional handling mark and isolated spot. There are some water stains to several pages in Volume II. There are bookplates to the front pastedowns. Very Good.…