Metaphysical poets Flecknoe" and Joseph Addison, in quoting him, singled out the poetry of George Herbert as providing a flagrant example. There is no scholarly consensus regarding which English poets or poems fit within the Metaphysical genre. In his initial use of the term, Johnson quoted just three poets: Abraham Cowley, John Donne, and John Cleveland. Colin Burrow, writing for the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", singles out John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvell, and Richard Crashaw as 'central figures', while naming many more, all or part of whose work has been identified as sharing its characteristics. Herbert Grierson’s "Metaphysical
Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets twenty-four pages, less than those awarded William Mason and Erasmus Darwin, who precede and follow him. Where it is pertinent, Johnson’s critical opinions are quoted (although not always approved), and in Goldsmith’s case Johnsonian anecdotes are introduced. Robert Anderson prefaced his "A complete edition of the poets of Great Britain" (1795) with the statement that “When a new collection of English poetry is offered to the public, it will doubtless be inquired what are the deficiencies of preceding collections.” To answer the question he went on to survey such anthologies over two centuries, noting in what ways they fell short