NOTES TO THE POEMS
1. 22. Brest: the most important French naval station
on the Atlantic coast.
He fell among thieves.
P. 87, 1. 17. Sometime : former.
P. 88, 11. ^6-7.^ Tassin river : Laspur hills : in the Ghitral
district, in the extreme north-west of India, on the
borders of Afghanistan. A native rising took place in
the district in 1895.
1. 10. Wistaria : a climbing shrub (with lilac-coloured
flowers).
1. 23. College Eight: the boat crew.
1. 24. Dons: fellows or tutors of the college, who dine
on a dais or slightly raised platform.
The Highwayman.
Alfred Noyes (b. 1880) was born at Wolverhampton and
educated at Exeter College, Oxford. He has dealt
poetically with great historical actions, as in " Drake "
(1908) and " The Torchbearers" (1922-25-30).
Such shorter poems as " The Highwayman" and
" The Barrel-Organ " have achieved wide popularity.
The Passionate Shepherd to his Love.
Christopher Marlowe (1563-1593) was born at Canter-
bury and educated at Cambridge. While still at the
University, he began to write for the London stage.
He belonged to the group of University Wits, who
derived a precarious living from literature. He was
killed at the age of twenty-nine in a tavern brawl at
Deptford. His most famous play, perhaps, is " Dr.
Faustus." His contributions to the growth of the
secular drama were his stately yet elastic blank verse
and his conception of the tragic protagonist. He also
wrote a narrative poem, " Hero and Leander," com-
pleted by Chapman, and a few exquisite lyrics.
P. 97, 1. 8. Madrigal: a kind of part-song, unaccom-
panied, in the pastoral style.
1. 11. Kirtle : gown, petticoat.
Winter.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Little is known for
certain about the facts of Shakespeare's life. Hewas born
in Stratford-on-Avon, educated probably at the local
grammar school, may have gone to London as early as
1584 to seek his fortune, and became actor and drama-
tist. About 1610, having made sufficient money out
of the success of his plays, Shakespeare retired to
Stratford and bought New Place, a solid country house.