This article provides excerpts from "The Four Ages of Poetry" (1820), by Thomas Love Peacock; "The Defence of Poetry" (1821), by Percy Bysshe Shelley; and "On Milton" (1826), by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Although Shelley is the main focus, the essays are arranged chronologically. Brackets indicate editorial asides; original spelling and punctuation have been maintained; the subheadings are added. All are available on various Web sites in the public domain.