Besides other benefactions, the commissioner gave the author, whom he calls Daniel De Foe, esquire, an exclusive privilege to sell his encomiastic strains for seven years, within the country of his celebration.
It may not be the opinion of all, that Cromwell’s actions were of that obscure and pitiful character which the majesty of song rejects, and Johnson has before observed, that Waller’s choice of encomiastic topics in this poem is very judicious.
It may be remarked, that in this elegy, and in most of his encomiastic poems, he has forgotten or neglected to name his heroes.
His choice ofencomiastic topics is very judicious; for he considers Cromwell in his exaltation, without inquiring how he attained it; there is consequently no mention of the rebel or the regicide.
Thus Donne shows his medicinal knowledge in some encomiastic verses: In everything there naturally grows A balsamum to keep it fresh and new, If 'twere not injured by extrinsic blows: Your youth and beauty are this balm in you.
To those verses it would not have been just to deny regard, for they contain some of the most elegant encomiastic strains; and among the innumerable poems of the same kind it will be hard to find one with which they need to fear a comparison.
Pope's ambition of this new art produced some encomiastic verses to Jervas, which certainly show his power as a poet; but I have been told that they betray his ignorance of painting.
He published, soon afterwards, a volume of poems, with theencomiastic character of his deceased patron, the Earl of Dorset.
