Who are the speaker and the one addressed? Whom does the cicada of the
tale symbolize? Whom the singer helped by the cicada? What application
is made of the story? What serious meanings and feelings underlie the
tone of raillery? What things mark the light and humorous tone of the
speaker? Point out the harmony between style and theme.
CAVALIER TUNES. (PAGE 67.)
Note the swinging, martial movement, and the energetic spirit in these
lyrics. For an account of the history of the period, see Green's
_Short History of the English People_, Chapter VIII, and
Macaulay's _History of England_, Chapter I. For an account of the
qualities of the Cavaliers, see Macaulay's _Essay on Milton_.
I. MARCHING ALONG
1. =Kentish Sir Byng=. The first of the family known to fame was
George Byng, Viscount Torrington (1663-1733), who could not be the man
meant here by Browning.
2. =crop-headed=. In allusion to the close-cropped hair of the
Puritans. Long wigs were the fashion among the Cavaliers; hence the
Puritans were nicknamed "Roundheads.
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