The Early Modern Commons

The Age of Oddities: Reading the Eighteenth Century

Recent Posts

'An Extempore Invitation to the Earl of Oxford, Lord High Treasurer. 1712.' - Matthew Prior

10 April 2019

‘If weary’d with the great Affairs, Which Britain trusts to Harley’s Cares,Thou, humble Statesman, may’st descend,Thy Mind one Moment to unbend.’ ‘An...

'The Woman of Colour: A Tale' (1808) - Anon

16 January 2019

‘…this was evidently meant to mortify your Olivia; it was blending her with the poor negro slaves of the West Indies! It was meant to show her, that, in Mrs. Merton’s...

'A Nocturnal Reverie' - Anne Finch

9 January 2019

‘In such a Night let Me abroad remain, Till Morning breaks, and All's confus'd again;Our Cares, our Toils, our Clamours are renew'd. Or Pleasures, seldom reach'd, again pursu'd.‘A...

'The Banished Man' - Charlotte Smith

19 December 2018

‘In losing every thing but my honour and my integrity, I have learned, that he who retains those qualities can never be degraded, however humble may be his fortune.’The...