''A Poem Upon the Late Glorious Successes of Her Majesty's Arms'' is a 1707
pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...
poem by the British writer
Nicholas Rowe, later
poet laureate. It was composed as a
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of grc, ...
to commemorate the campaigns of the British general the
Duke of Marlborough during the
War of the Spanish Succession. It was one of a group of celebratory works that came in the wake of Marlborough's victory at the
Battle of Ramillies. Rowe's fellow writer
Joseph Addison had produced ''
The Campaign'' in similar style.
It was inscribed to
Lord Godolphin, at time
Lord Treasurer and head of government. It has been described as "Rowe's first major statement as a poet" and was part of the developing
Whig tradition in writing, that broke with the earlier
Toryism of
John Dryden. It was published by
Jacob Tonson, known for his association with Whig writers through the
Kit Cat Club.
The same year Rowe also produced another political work ''Unio'' to celebrate the recent
Act of Union that created the
Kingdom of Great Britain.
[Bernard & Sowerby p.3-4]
See also
* ''
The Battles of Talavera'', an 1809 work in similar style commemorating the
Battle of Talavera
References
Bibliography
* Stephen Bernard & Robin Sowerby. ''The Plays and Poems of Nicholas Rowe, Volume IV: Poems and Lucan’s Pharsalia (Books I-III)''. Taylor & Francis, 2016.
* Alan Houston & Steve Pincus. ''A Nation Transformed: England After the Restoration''. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
* Annibel Jenkins. ''Nicholas Rowe''. Twayne Publishers, 1977.
British poems
1707 poems
Works by Nicholas Rowe
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