L E IG H H U N T

P O ET A N D E S S A Y I S T
 OS nU an tgm p ress
B A L L A N T Y N E, H A N S O N A ND co .

ED IN B U RG H A N D L O ND N
O
 l d l i k e 10 em a i n e
'

1 si z o u r v i si bl i n l 12 1 s si z a pe . TIz e

M a l pl ea se s m y s elf
9
l z l tl e f
o 7/ 0; l I cou ld w i s/z t o
’
ée a c c o n m e d w or l /z
l

f l am i n g o f/z e r s
‘
.

l
L EIG H H U NT , B o o les .
 C O N T EN T S .

B IO G R A P H IC A L IN T RO D U C T IO N

L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

Th e S tory o f Ri m i n i
T h e F eas t o f t h e P oets
T h e S ong o f C eres
1 h e G rassho pper and t h e Cri c k et
T o J ohn H unt , E tat F o u r .

T ho hts 0 11 the Avon

u
g
To T hornton H u nt JEt a t S i x
, .

Q u i et Eveni n g s
0 11 a L o o k o f M i lton s H a i r
’

Th e Panther
H ero and L eander
M art ial ss Epi t a ph 0 11 Er o t i o n
’

C oronat i on S ol i lo q u y o f G eorg e the Fourth

To a S pi der r u nn i n g across a R oo m
o

Mah m o u d
0 11 R ead i ng P o m fret s C ho i ce
’

S u dden F 1 1 1 e W eather
S on g o f Fari es B o b b i n g a n O rchard
P a g an i n i
C apta i n S word a n d C apta i n P 0 11
Th e G love a n d t h e L i ons
S on g s o f t h e F lowers
tD

Th e F i s h t h e M a n and the S pi r i t
, ,

O u r C ottag e
C hri st m as
B o dr y dda n .

A H ym n to B i sho p Va l ent i ne
R ondeau
To t h e Q u een
T o t h e Infant P i i n c e ss R oy al
C onfront i ng F oes
M ag i c In fl uence o f M u s i c
Three V i s i ons
vi C O NTENTS .

Ol d K en s ing ton Palace

Ri d in g P i ll i on
\Ve a 1t h a n d “r o m a nhood
'

Alb u m s
G eneral S ong o f th e F lowers
A H eaven u pon Earth
T h e L over o f M u s i c to h i s P i ano forte
R e fl ect i ons o f a D ead B o dy
C u pi d S wallowed
C at u ll u s 5 R et u rn H o m e to S i i m i o
’

A n Ang el 1 n t h e H o u se
A b o u B e n A dhe m
J affar
T h e B i tter G o u rd
Th e L ang u ag e o f F lowers
To M a y
T o J u ne
D i rg e f o r a n Infant
T h e R oyal L i ne
T O C harles D i c k ens

H U NT S ES S A Y S
’
L EIG H .

A D a y b y the F i re
T h e O l d L ady
P leasant R e c ollect i ons
T o a n y o n e who m B a d W eather D e presses
O n t h e H o u sehold G ods o f t h e A nc i ents
S oc ial G enealo g y
An g l i n g
L u d i cro u s Exa g g erat i on
T otal M i stak e o f N ervo u s D i s o r d e l s f 0 1 Insan i ty
M i sts a n d F o g s
F a r C o u ntri es
A Tale fo r a C h i m ney C orner
Th i eves Anc i ent a n d M odern
,

A F e w T ho u g hts on S leep
T h e F a i r R even g e
S pi r i t o f t h e Anc i ent M y th olo g y
G ett in g u p 0 11 C old M orn i n g s
Th e O l d G entlem a n
H ats, Ne w a n d A nc i ent

S eam en o n S hore
O n t h e R eal i t i es o f Im a g inat i on
H ool e a n d F a i rfax s Tas s o
’

D eaths of L i ttle C h i l dren

P oet i cal A no m al i es o f S hape
D a i si es
M ay day
O f S ti cks
O f t h e S i g ht of S he ps
A R a i ny D a y
 CO NTENTS . vi i

A Ne w — de sc n
pt i v e a Hot Da y
'

of
S hak in g H ands
O n rece i v i n g a S pri g o f L a u rel fro m a u c l u se

C oaches a n d the i r H orses

Tho u g hts a n d G u esses o n H u m a n Nature
O n C o m m e n da t m y V erses
U pon Indexes
O f D rea m s .

A H u m an A n i m al a n d t h e other Extre m e
O n t h e Tal k in g o f Nonsense
Th e S acred C orner o f P i sa
G enoa t h e S uperb
Th e G lory o f C olour i n Italy
Th e G i u l i T r e
M y B ook s
S pri ng
O n see ing a Pi g eon m a k e L ove
F i ct i on a n d m atter o f fact
V e r-
V ert — t h e Parrot o f the N u ns

An Even ing w i th P o pe
C ri t i c i s m on F e m ale B ea uty
C onversat i on o f S wi ft
A Ma n i ntroduced to h i s An ce s tors
A Novel P arty
Panto m i m es
B a d W eather
F i ne D ays i n J anuary and F e b r u a r v
W al k s H o m e b y Ni g ht
S ecret o f so m e Ex i st ing F ash i ons
Danc in g i n G eneral
O n t h e G races a n d A nxi et i es of Pi g Di i vi n g
A n Earth upon H eaven
S pec i m ens o f B ri t i sh P oetesses
T e a D r in k i n g
-

W indows
T h e C a t b the i re
’ y
F
A No w -
descri pt ive of a C old D a y
Th e Arch i tect o f S t Pa u l s
’
.

P ort rai ts i n S tat i oners H all

’

H eralds C olle g e
’

Ri chard L ovelace
S a m u el Ri chardson
W ay f are r s i n C hancery L a ne
T h e P i anoforte
Th e Wa i ter
B ri c k s a n d B ri c klayers
C olo u r
Vi s it to t h e Z oolog i cal G ardens
L ady M ary Wortley M ontag u
B oo k stal l s
M a i r i a g e s fro m t h e S tag e .

O n deceased S tatesmen who ha v e wr i tten verses

vi i i C ONTENTS .

B oo k b i nd i ng and H e l i o do r u s
O n t h e R are V i ce called L y i n g
C owley and Thom son
P o pe s S u rro u nd in g s
’

Ph y s i c i a ns a n d L ove L e t t e i s
S oc i al M oral i ty
A nacreon
G eorg e C ol m an t h e Elder
G eorg e C ol m an t h e Y o u n g er
S am u el P epy s
Madam e de S evi g ne
A J a r o f H oney fro m M o u nt H y b la
G eorg e S el w y n
Im ag inat i on a n d F ane y
S penser
C hau cer
M arlowe
S h a k spe a r e
M i lton
C oleri dg e
S helley
Ii ea ts
Tab le Tal k
I i St on
A

W i ld F owers , F u rze , and W i m b edon l

Ecl i pses , H u m a n B e i ng s, and t h e L ower C reat i on
M al i ce O f F ortu ne
T h e M onthl y N u rse
T h e C ond u ctor
W Vi t a n d H u m o u r
Th e Ins i de o f an O m n i b u s
O verru n b y a Floc k o f S hee p
Th e L as t V i ct i m o f a H oa x
B eds a n d B edroo m s
T h e W orld o f B o o k s
B a gpi pes
Th e C o u ntenance a fter D eath
G i bb on
W orlds of D i fferent Peo ple
R u ssi an H orn B and
W eepi n g
C heerf u lness i n Eng l i sh L i teratu re
L e on t i u s
B i b l i o g raphy
 A B IO G R APH IC A L IN TRO D U C TIO N .

—o o 0

L EIG H H U NT is so delightful a writer both in prose an d ,

verse an d his good things have until n o w lain scatte red

, , ,

broadcast through so many volumes numbering in all at a ,

moderate computation at least eighty most o f which are ,

long since entirely o u t of print that it a ppears almost ,

incredible that m ore than a hundred years should hav e

elapse d since his bi r th without h is choicest productions as
Poet and Essayist having been hithe r to brought together , ,

i n a single volum e It is this though t which h a s n aturally

.

led at last to the issuing from the press o f the present col
lection It endows its possessor at once according to
.
, ,
’
Marlowe s familiar phrase with ,

In fi n i te ri ches in a l i ttle room .

It embraces within it to begin w ith many w ell known

, ,
-

m asterpieces As a companion it ca n always be relied u pon

.

to charm and to exhilarate A nd its influence like that o f.

,

its author throughout his literary career will i nvariably b e ,

found by the re a der as h e turns these leaves about the

, ,

brightest and pl easantest well im a ginable W ithin this .

n arrow compass have been brought together the spright

liest runnings fro m his pen selected from all his varied and
,

voluminous periodicals from the rVe ws t he Ex a m i n e r

,
—
, ,

the R efl ect o r th e Ro u n d Ta bl e t h e In di c a t o r the L i be r a l

, , , ,

the C o m p a n i o n the 0 1m of t h e We e k the Ta l l e r L e i g h

»

, , ,
’ ’
H u n t s L o n do n J o u r n a l L e i g h H u n t s J o u r n a l and the
, ,

i ll o n l l i l g/ R epo si t ory Together with the choicest passages

.

thus tak en from his own seri a l publications selections ,

 A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR O D U C TION .

have here been made also from among his contributions

to many other contemporary organs o f public opinion ,

such as F r a ser s hf a g a z i n e A i n sw o r t h s l l a g a z i n e T a i t s
’
,
’
i
,
’

xl l a g a z i n e the N e w J Io n th l g/ J Ia g a z i n e the A t l a s the

, , ,

T r a ve l l e r the Tr u e S u n the M or n i n g Ch r o n i c l e the hf u s i c a l

, , ,

T i m es the Wes t m i n st e r Re v i e w the Edi n bu r g h R ev i e w and

, , ,
'

t h e flf o n t hl y C h r on i c l e .

W hat is especially noticeable in regard to the writings of

L eigh Hunt is the fact that they were penned almost with
o u t any premeditation whatever They were produced so .
,

to spea k from hand to m o n t h 0 11 t he emergency of the

, ,

moment in Obedience to t he clamorous necessity o f the

,

occasion Whenever he wrote it was always at a drive

'

.
, ,

an d c u r r e n t e ca l a m o Even when he sat down to indite a

.

three volume novel he had i n submission to the imperious

, ,

demand O f the hour to supply his publisher with ch apter ,

i ft e r chapter at rapid intervals so as to secure fo r his hom e

needs the advantage Of a weekly payment O n e of his .

periodicals and that a daily on e the Ta l l er so long as his

, , ,

health enabled h i m to do so he wrote entirely himself with , ,

out any extraneous assistance whatever In putting this .

fact upon record h e adds not very surprisingly t hat the

, , ,

labour of its continuous production almost killed him .

Beginning the brain work o f his life as he did besides -

, , ,

when h e was a mere stripling he had to persist in it ,

strenuously almost to the very last Bearing this i n .

mind it hardly seems matter for amazement to find him

,

stating frankly in his Autobiogra phy that the staple ,

productions of his hand as an author his prose writings , ,

w ere called into existence always under m ore o r less excite

ment his face becoming flushed as he wrote and his whole
, ,

n ervous system visibly agitat ed In startling contrast t o .

this he takes note there of the calming influence u pon h i m

, , ,

Of metrical com position verse as h e says having been i h , , ,

variably written by hi m w ith the utmost composure His .

rhythmical effusions indeed , sweeten e d for him the whole ,

current of his existence .

 A B IO G RA PH IC A L INT R OD U C TIO N . x i

\V h a t appears now in the retrospect all b u t i n c o m

, , ,

prehensible in his regard is the circumstance that at the , ,

outset of his career L eigh Hunt was fo r several years

,

together in the early part o f this century assailed by mor e

than one of the leading organ s o f public opinion with a
scurrility that was often nothing le s s than ferocious a nd
malignant It arose clearly from the completes t m i s a p
.

prehension by his v i l i fi e r s alike o f his writings an d o f h is

, ,

character His writings both prose and verse remain t o

.
, ,

this da y intact unaltered and unm odified N othing i n

— .

them having been cancelled or withdrawn they can speak ,

for themselves His character again such as it was then

.
, , ,

continued in all e ss entials identically the same to the very

, ,

end — ripened it m ay b e with th e mere lapse o f years but

, , ,

o therwise uncha n ged

’

O ther poets o f tha t peri od with whom f r om the first ,

his name was intimate ly associated a nd wh o s e w ritings are ,

now among the glories of o u r lite rature were n o doubt by ,

those same critics alternately derid ed an d reviled But .

L eigh H unt being in point of tim e their immediate pre

,

c ursor w a s the chos en and central target u po n which were

,

concentrate d by that select band o f revi ewers their fierces t

and most unmeasured vituperations He was held m ainly .

responsible by them a s th e originato r an d leade r o f what

was scornfully dubbed the C ockn ey S chool o f Poetry .

Keats it is al most ridiculous n ow t o recall to mind was

, ,

con temptuously spoken of by the m as a n insi g n ificant

disciple of his whom he was vainly striving to lift i nto
,

notoriety All through that distressing interval dur i ng

.
,

which L eigh Hunt h a d to bide the pelting o f this pitiless

storm he not only held o n his course with the m ost perfect
,

equanimity but exercised a truly remarkable influe n c e over

,

some o f the most illustrious o f his contem porari es Byron .

,

w hen they eventuall y met told him tha t it was t h e sight ,

of h i s earliest volume at Harro w that had bee n o n e o f his

own first incentives t o writ e verses — fi v e years prior that is , ,
”
to the pu blication o f the Hours o f I dleness Keats .
xi i A B IO G RA PHI CA L INTR O D U C TIO N .

paid him the signal tribute o f dedicating to him his fi rst

volume o f poetry and t h e yet more signal tribute o f imitat
,

“ ”
ing him in his last volume m eaning L amia S helley
,
.
,

besides layin g clai m to him as h i s dearest friend offered him ,

“
the homage o f echoing in Julian and Mandalo the
fluent and refin ed yet often masculine v e r si fi c a t i o n in which
he had su n g o f the fateful loves o f Pa u lo and Francesca .

W hile later o n John Forster gratefully ack nowledged that

, , ,

at the outset of his career a s a student he was mainly ,

i ndebted to L eigh Hunt for his strong predilection for and ,

final adoption of literature as his profession

, .

W h o and what then after all was this long reviled

, , ,
-

gentle kindly gifted creature when his character came t o

”

, ,

be really known and his writi n gs whether in prose o r verse

, , ,

dispassionately examined by m en peculiarly well qualified ,

to j udge as to the merits and dem erits of himsel f and his

boo k s ? W hat fo r exa m ple w a s the deliberate utterance in
, ,

his regard o f the usually atrabilious cynical captions , , ,

dyspeptic C arlyle ? It was this that L eigh Hunt in his , ,

“
estimation was ,
— A man of genius in a very strict sense
o f that word of brilliant varied gifts o f graceful fertility 3
,

of clearness lovingness , truthfulness o f childlik e open

,

character also o f most pure an d even exempla r y private

,

deportment a man who can be other than loved only by

t h ose who have n ot seen him or seen him from a distance ,

through a false medium C harles D ic k ens again has no

.
, ,

less emphatically pronounced L e i gh Hunt to have been

A man who in the midst of the sorest tem ptations
t a i n e d his honesty unblemished by a single stain — who i n
all public and private transactions was th e very soul of truth
and honour— who never bartered his opinion o r betrayed
”
his friend . Any one who could have been so l ovingly
regarded an d so earnestly S poken of by men of such sterling
qualities and o f such searchingly keen intelligence as
,

D ickens an d C arlyle could only have been systematically

,

assailed by means o f a series o f monstrous libels and mis

represe nt a t i o n s
-
It is inconceivable — h e s aid himself lo n g
.
 A B I O G RAPH IC A L INT R OD U C T IO N . xii i
afterwards — t o what extent h e su ffered i n mind body an d , ,

estate in consequence Further on in his life however there

.
, ,

came to him in compensatio n for all this what James

, ,

“ ”
Hannay aptl y termed an Indian summer of fame when ,

he h imself could exultingly remark It is not poss ible for ,

many persons t o have greater fri ends than I have ; and

could eve n add what m a y have be en in his o w n exp e rience
almost still sweeter I am n o t aware that I have n o w a
,
”
single e nemy If the goal he was then approaching was
.

an O l d Age in Europe it was also j u s t as distinctly what

,

i s termed a Euthanasia .

J A M ES H EN R Y L EIG H H U N I whose parents were both o f ' ‘

Transatlantic origin was born on th e l g t h O ctober 1 7 8 4

, , , ,

about eight miles n orth o f L ondon at the pretty little ,

rustic village o f S outhgate i n Middlesex His father Isaac ,

.
,

Hunt who was a native of Barbados was the son grandson

, , , ,

and great grandson of a succession o f cl ergym e n o f the En g

-

lish C hurch in that colony According to a family tradition .

,

they were descended from a race o f Tory C avaliers one o f ,

whom at about the mi ddle o f the seven te enth c e ntury had

, ,

fled from D evonshire to the W est I ndie s to e sc ape from th e

ascendancy o f C romwell and o n reaching his destination , , ,

had take n his place at once among t h e earliest English

settlers in the island of Barbados Isaac Hu nt having bee n .
,

sent thence in his boyhood for his education to Philadelphia

, , ,

had complete d his academical course by taking his degree ,

both i n that city and at N e w Y ork as a Master of ,

Arts Immediately after this he decided upon s e ttling down

.

permanently at Philadelphia where he married Mary S h e w e l l , ,

the daughter o f a flouris hing merchant o f that plac e a n d ,

though ori g inal ly set apart for the C hurch by his father ,

finally resolved himself upon adopting the law as h i s pr o fe s

sion His practice — according to the American system
.
,

about equally that o f a t t o r n e y a n d barrister— was as rapidly

increasing upon h i s hands as his family was upon those o f ,

h i s wife when th e ir d o mestic fortunes were completely

,
xiv A B IO G R AP H ICA L INTR O D U CTIO N .

transformed by the abrupt outbreak of the Revolution S o .

pronoun ced in its earlier stages was his general bearing as a

loyalist that to escape the popular fury o r in other words
, , ,

the imminent ri sk o f being tarred and feathered he h a d n o ,

choice but hurriedly to take flight from Philadelphia This .

was accomplished so precipitately that he had to go alon e

to England leaving his wife and children to follow h i m
,

thither at the first available opportunity Pending their .

arrival in his wak e in the o l d ancestral mother country

, ,
-

the ex lawyer from Philadelphi a had to open for himself a

—

new path in l ife by tard i ly carrying out as through an after ,

’
thought his father s earliest intention in his regard Though
,
.

his religious views were from first to last of rather dubious

orthodoxy , he readily ma de up his mind at this sudden
turning point in his career to become a clergyman o f the
-

C hurch of England S hortly after this decision was arrived

.

at he was duly ordained by L owth the then Bishop o f

, ,

L ondon His reputation thereupon soon became remark

.
, ,

able as that o f a fa shionable preach er .

W hen his young family and their mother at length

j oined him in England they found him o ffi ciating in this
,

capacity at Bentinck C hapel in L i sso n G rove His hom e .

,

t he n tempo rarily established in N ewman S treet O xford ,

S treet was soon afterwards removed to Hampstead S quare

, ,

and the s c e n e o f his labours as a pulpit orator from Padding

ton to S outhgate There near S outhgate was a se a t o f the
.
, , '

D u k e o f C handos the then Master of the Hors e who being

, , ,

numbered amongst his congregation was needless to say the , , ,

most influential of them all And there u nder his G race s .

,
’

favour the genial and scholarly parson was appointed and

, ,
’
for several years remained tutor to the D u k e s nephe w , ,

Mr L eigh It is curious to bear i n mind for a moment i n

. .
,

association with both Master and Pupil that thanks to the , ,

’
genius o f the Rev Isaac s youngest son who was born to
.
,

him there in S outhgate their united n ames are still to this

,

day held in remembrance .

Under the patronage of so powe r ful a nobleman a s t h e

x vi A B IO G RA PH ICA L INTR OD U CTI ON .

yo ungest o f them all L eigh Hu n t shortly after whose

, ,

birth at S outhgate their l ittle home h ad been moved to

Finchley he was the especial pet of every o n e under its roof
,

beams ; and even a s a mere child was clearly t h e m ost

, ,

introspective and thoughtful member o f the whole house

hold W hile yet i n his infancy he gave in his adhesion to
.

Universalism out of t h e iv e r y revulsion of feeling inspired

,

by the alarming reflection that occurred to him o n e day

whe n o n his knees repeating t h e L itany S uppos e Eternal
Equally characteristic of
”
Punishment should be true !
him at th at same tender age is the incident of his having
been led o n e day o u t o f the very horror inspired by the
,

most trivial oath (perhaps as he conj ectured o u t o f the very

, ,

excess of it ) to snatch a fearful j oy by its utterance when ,

such was the remorse he experienced that for a long while

after wards he could not receive a bit o f praise o r a ,

pat o f encouragement on the head without thinking to ,

“
himself Ah ! they little suspect I am the boy who said
, ,

d— n it I n 1 792 being then seven he donned the red

.
, ,

leather belt the yellow tunic and stockings and the

, ,
’
blu e gown o f a student of C hrist s Hospital — entering
that institution j ust after C harles L amb and C oleridge had
quitted it .

His Mast e rs and S choolfellows as h e recalls them to mind , ,

live again in his Recollections There is S alt the morning .

,

reader who spok e in his throat with a sound a s o f weak

,

ness and corpulence and who was famous among them for
,

sa y ing m u r r a c l e s instead o f miracles ! There is Field th e ,

under grammar m a ster who was so good natured that when

-

,
-

h e feebly hit o n e o f the boys w ith a cane he would make a

face as if h e were taking ph y si o and w h o was so absent
minded and at the sam e tim e so deaf that if a b o y instead , ,

o f ask ing his permission to go and see a friend t h en in wait

ing put to him som e preposterous question entirely wide o f

,
“
the mark such as Are y o u n o t a great fool sir 2 o r Isn t
, , ,
’

your daughter a pretty girl 13 would answer quite innocently ,

“ ”
Ye s, child ! Then , ag ain , th ere is the wa ggish J u n i o r
 A B IO G R A PHI C A L INTR OD U CTION . vi i
x

P u pil who, under pu nishment , us ed to snatch his j okes o u t “

o f the very flame and fury o f the Master like S napdragon ,

And L e G rice , o n e o f the Head boys who whimsically ,

e xcus ed himself for not having don e a particular exercise by

“ ”
saying that he had had a lethargy and who , by the very ,

impudence o f his plea escaped even a word o f reproof ! An d

,

another Allen the handsom e G recian who so captivated

, , ,

every one who came near h i m that blundering o n e day i n ,

the stree t against an apple woman an d turnin g round t o -

appease her in the midst o f her re vilings he had yelled after ,

him ,
“
W here are you dri ving to y o u great hul k ing goo d , ,
”
—
for nothing beautiful fello w G o d bless y o u !
-
Ea ch in ,

turn after the lapse of years is photographed t o the li fe in

, ,
’
the camera o f L eigh Hunt s Autobiogr aphy .

As for himself sensitive and delicat e though he w a s

,

during the earlier part o f the seven years he remai n ed at

the Bluecoat S chool he must even then as these sketc he s
, , ,

indicate h ave be en keenly observant W hat he was like at

,
.

that period is realized for us upo n t h e instant by the e x c l a

m ation o f the fat an d comely under grammar m aste r , -

”
S tevens whom you loved as you l oo ked at , says Hunt ,
and seemed as if y o u must love the more the fatte r he
”
becam e whose gen i al greeting whenever the bo y made ,
“
his appearance , was Here comes o u r littl e black haired
,
-

friend who stammers so L e t us se e what we can do fo r .

”
him The impediment in his speech here referr e d to , unlike
.

that o f C harles L amb happi ly proved , as years ran o n t o

, ,

b e only temporary His j et black hair and dark eyes h e

.
-

inherited from his mother as he did also , as w a s shown ,

“
from h is earliest bo y hood , h e r two accomplishm e nts
a lov e o f nature and a lov e o f books The classics curiously .
,

e nough h e recoiled fro m — all e xcept a single episode in

,

Virgil .

He took to his heart however thr e e wo rks t h e content s

, ,

o f which he devoured at every opportunity — these bein g

L e m pr i ér e s D ictionary Tooke s Pantheon and S pence s

’ ’ ’
, ,

Po l y m e t i s, t h e great folio editio n with plates To th e se .

6
xvi ii A B I OG R APH I C A L INTR OD U CTI ON .

’
three books indeed and to C ooke s darling little duodecimo
, ,

edition of the Englis h Poets— which was j ust then provi ,

de n t i a l l y for him coming out in sixpenny numbers, and which

,

instalments h e bought over and over again fresh sets o f ,

them in his hands as he records , disappearing like but

,
”
t e r e d crumpets — L eigh Hunt may be said to have owed ,

in truth the chief part of his education Very soon as was

,
.
,

but natural he began to e mulate these chosen instructors

,

by writing verses himself his first poem being in ho n ou r ~ -

“ ’ ”
o f the D u k e o f Y ork s Victory at D un k i rk which said ,

Victory (only, however after the poem was completed ) ,

turned o u t , greatly to his m o r t i fi c a t i o n to be a D efeat His , .

ambition rising he wrote a poem of larger dimensions called

, ,
“
W inter in emulation o f Thomson and another o f yet
”
,
“ ”
greater elaboration called The Fairy King in emulation
,

o f S penser .

W hat is especially remarkable , however, in r e gard t o o n e

who was afterwards to become so delightful an essayist is ,

the fact that h e could make nothing of his schoolboy

attempts to imitate the S p ec t a t o r , his master Boyer crum p , ,

ling up his themes and tossing them away with t h e utmost

contem pt Prose composition in th e production of w hich
.
,

h e was so soon afterwards to show such extraordinary facility

and vivacity appeared indeed at the outset , fo r him , to have
, ,

been hedged roun d with insuperable difficulties .

I n I 7 99 being then fifteen L eigh Hunt reluctantly— with

, ,

tears even to the surprise o f b oth masters a n d school mates

,
’
took his departure from C hris t s Hospital F o r som e littl e .

ti m e after this his lif e w a s very desultory He h aunted .

the bookstalls He took h i s place fo r a while in the law

.

o fii c e o f his brother S tephen H e continued persistently .

and most industriously to writ e verses A col lection o f .

.

these writte n betwee n the ages o f twelve and sixteen wa s

, ,

inconsiderately put toget her by h i s father and precipitately

”
published i n 1 8 0 1 , under the title o f Juvenili a with a
, ,

p ortrait o f the b o y —author by Jackson pre fi xed to it as a , ,

frontis piec e It h a d a success , t o o , that m ight hav e proved

.
 A B I OG R A PH IC A L I NTR OD U C TIO N .

disastrous It ran through t wo editions within the twe lve

.

month , a third makin g its appearance early in 1 8 0 2 I .

”
was as proud perhaps o f the book at that time wrote
, , ,

L eigh Hunt when he had gro w n grey and had become famous ,
”
as I am ashamed o f it now Before reputation o f any.

kind could be won however he had to serve a lon g a ppr e n

, ,

t i c e sh i p both to the periodicals and the bo oksellers .

His first venture in j ournalism was his contributing i n ,

“ ”
1 804 ,
a series o f papers called The Traveller to the
evening j ournal of that name afterwards incorporated
with the G l o be Mr Town , Junior C ritic and C ensor
. .
,
”
G eneral was the signature he appended to these essays all
, ,

but the Junior being borrowed from the Elder C olman s ’

”
C onnoisseur Then, too — so far at least as the production
.

o f the manuscript w a s c o n c e r n e d— h e wrote a couple o f

x

Farces a C omedy and a Tragedy I n 1 8 0 5 he supplied T h e

, , .

N e w s a j ournal th at year started by his brother John with

, ,

a succession o f animated and thoroughly i ndependent

“
Theatrical C riticisms a s electio n from which was after
,
”

wards published under t he title o f C ritical Essays o n the

Performers of t h e L ondon Theatres Besides writing i n .
,

1 8 0 6 i n Th e flf o n t h l
, y R ep o s i t o r
y of T h e o l ogy a n d G e n e ra l

L i t e r a t u re b e contributed fi v e introductory biographical

,

papers three Of them having r elation to Voltaire Johnson

, , ,

and G oldsmith to C lassic T ales which as a collection

“
,
”
,

was completed in 1 8 0 7 i n five volumes .

Early in the following year o n t h e 8 th January 1 8 0 8 , , ,

appeared the first number o f Th e Ex a m i n er o f w hich ,

his brother John was the proprietor a n d o f which he ,

himself being then j ust twenty thre e years o f age under

, ,

took the editorship S hortly before this an d for a littl e

.
,

while afterwards he held the position o f clerk in the

,

W a r O ffice to which he had been in ducted through t h e

,

influence O f his father s friend the then Premier ’

, ,

Mr Addington afterwards L ord S i dmouth , but who

.
,

had ceased to be Prime Minister , as it ha ppe n ed ,

b efore Th e Ewa m i n e r act u ally c a m e into e x istence The .

 IO G R A PHI C A L I NTR O D U C TI O N
“

ax A B .

motto o f that j ournal , which was pronouncedly L iberal

and o f no political party whateve r , was from S wift
“ ”
Party is t h e madness o f many and t h e gain o f a few .

F o r fourteen years together L eigh Hunt conducted it n ot ,

m erely as a critical but as a political organ w ith the ,

utmost boldness and independence This is all the more .

noteworthy seeing that he was himself i n no way a politician

,
.

O n his bookshelves y o u would have looked in vain for a

singl e political text book like Th e W ealth Of N ations
-

, .
”

They were abundantly laden instead wi th S pensers and

Arabian N ig hts .

The literary artistic , and theatrical notabilities with

,

w hom he was then brought into contact he depicts Often , ,

to t h e ve r y lif e in retrospe ct by an apt phrase or two of

,

extraordinary v ividness C ampbell , who gave him the

.

idea of a French Virgil h e found to be as ha n dsome as t h e

,
’
Abb é D elille is said to have been u gly Fuseli s dominant .

“
colouring he realizes to us upon the instant a s a sort o f
,
”
livid green , like brass diseased The incongruous bust of
.

L iston the com edian he shapes out for us by no more tha n

,

a touch o r two o f his pen — the mouth and chin , with t h e

throat under it h a ging like an Old bag , but the upper
n
“

part o f t h e head being as fi n e as possibl e .

I n t h e second year Of Th e Ex a m i n er L eigh Hunt ,

m arried M a rianne the daughter o f Thomas and A n n Kent

“

, .

I n that sam e year , 1 8 0 9, h e firs t saw o n e who afterwards

cam e to be t h e clearest of his f r iends S helley I n 1 8 1 0 he , .

e dite d a n ew quarterly called Th e R eflec t o r which was ,

another literary ventur e started by his brother John but ,

o n e that e xt e nded only to four numb e rs I n its final .

insta lme n t a pp e are d t h e e arliest and perh a ps t h e m ost

charact e ristic o f thos e colloquial e ssays i n t h e writing o f
which he may be said to stand a lone It takes its place there .

fore by right in t h e present c o l l e c t l o n (pages 8 1 — 96 ) as t h e

initial specimen o f his most charming manner as an Essayist .

At the very time , however when he was chattin g thus

,
”
delightfully with his reader By the Fir e in Th e Refl ec t o r ,
 A B IO G RA PH ICA L INTR OD U CTIO N . xx i

he wa s by h is vigorous an d uncom promising denunciation

,

Of the Prince Regent in the columns o f Th e Ex a m i n e r ,

callin g down up on himself and his brother the pe naltie s

o f a S tate prosecution More than onc e previously that
.

j ournal had been arraign e d (t o n o purpos e a s it happened ) , ,

as an assailant Of t h e powers th a t be at t h e bar o f publi c ,

opinion B u t its O ffenc e w a s n o wt o o heinous to admi t o f

.

its any lo n ger evading condign punishm e nt An adulator . .

e n fawned upon h i m in print

o f t h e Re gent had but
just th .

“ ”
i n so many words as an Adonis in loveline ss VVh e r e .

upon L eigh Hunt revolted by such nauseating sycophan cy

, ,

a n d unabl e to suppr e ss h i s sens e o f t h e ridiculous had ,

“
i ronically recalled to public re collectio n the fa ct that This
A don i s of loveliness was a corpulent m a n o f fifty ,
So .

o ign ant was th e sting o f this pe r s ifl a g e that a s t h e res ult

p , ,

o f the Trial which took pl a ce o n D ecembe r 9 1 8 1 2 In

, , ,

the C ourt o f Kin g s Bench at W estminster be fo r e L o r d

’
, ,

Ell e nborough Th e Princ e o f W al es v Th e Examin e r

“ ”
, .
,

Joh n an d L e igh Hunt were cond e mned t o pay into C ou rt ,

each Of them , a fi n e o f f : 50 0 and t o undergo apa rt from , ,

o n e another in fact in separate goals t w o yea r s i m priso n

, , .

ment Horsemo n ger L a n e G aol d uri n g the whol e Of that

.
,

time w a s the scene of L eigh Hunt s incarceration Enter

,
’
.

ing it o n the 3 r d February 1 8 1 3 he quitted it only a s it , ,

were when t h e last grain o f sand at t h e last turn o f

, ,

the h ou r glas s had run out at t h e close o f the appointed

-

, ,

interval , o n th e 3 r d February 1 8 1 5 Beyon d t h e cruel .

gap thus mad e i n the l ives o f himsel f and h is brothe r ,

by their isolation for so long a period within t h e walls of

a prison they found themselves m ulcted when the penalty
, ,

in flicted upon them had been p a id t o t h e las t farthing n o t to ,

the tune of merely 50 0 apiece but when all wa s said and , ,

done o f fully two thousand pounds sterling

, .

Putting a cheerful face u pon the matter from the very

outset however in obedienc e t o the dictates Of his o w n blithe
, ,

philosophy L e igh Hunt m ade a sunshin e i n that shady

,

lace by turning t h e r oom a llo t te d t o h i m o n e o f t h e ampl e

p ,
xx ii A B IO G RA PH IC A L IN PR OD U C TI O N .

wards o f t h e i n fi r m a r y into a very bower Of contentment , .

He papered its walls with a trellis O f roses He ha d its .

ceiling coloured with the semblanc e o f cl ouds floating i n a

blue sky Its barred windows were hidde n from vie w by
.

Venetian blinds Bookcases were set up surmounted with

.

busts Flowers either i n bouquets o r be tter s till gro wing

.
, , , ,

in pots were disposed about the apartment A pianoforte

,
.
,

by bringing a look o f hom e to it a n d infusing a ve ry soul ,

o f music into it all gave the finishing touch to his arrange ,

m ents His delight was whenev e r a stranger cross ed his

.
,

threshold to note h is stare Of amazement at such u n e x

,

p e c t e d surroundings C harles L amb protested that there

.

was no room at all like it anywhere except in a fairy tale , .

A garden to match in the little gaol yard j ust outsid e ,

-

this halcyon cham ber , was sedulously cultivated by th e

sybarite prisoner who to screen from sight its sordid s ur
, ,

roundings enclosed it with green trellis work and adorning

,
-

its centre with a grass plot prided himself u pon getting a pud -

d i ng i n his secon d year o u t o f his apple tree and upon hear

, ,
-

ing o n e o f his visitors (Tom Moore ) declare that he had

seen n owhere such heartse a se Upon o n e of the book shelves .

i n his house room besides as a very talisman o f delight to

-

, ,

himself L eigh Hunt had at t h e beginning o f his time Of

, ,

d urance placed with loving hands what was for him as he

, ,
“ ”
declared truly a lump o f sunshine the fi ft y six duodecimo
, ,
—

“ ”
volumes o f the Parnasso Italiano with vignettes which he ,

had picked up for thirty pounds and always regarded as a ,

bargain it having throughout h i s life repaid h i m a million

“

times over i n the happiness he derived from it .

Meantime all through the period o f his incarceration a

world Of sympathy from outsiders pour ed i n upon the com
p u l so r y recluse Jeremy Bentham venerable
. m age but ,

with the simplicity Of a child took part with him there in , , ,

a game Of battledore and shuttlecock L ord Byron know .

,

ing he was engaged at the time upon a D ante esque poem -

bro u ght to him und e r his arm a couple Of quarto volumes ,

with a vi e w to aid h i m i n h i s writing by t he sup ply of a u t h o ~

xxi v A B IOG RA PH ICA L INTR OD U CTIO N .

who , whe n app a rently at the last gasp had but j ust w o n ,

his way back to freedom .

Already when the second year of his imprisonment was

,

approaching L eigh Hunt had issued from the press as a

, ,

substantive reprint from Th e Refle c t o r his maiden poem a , ,

j
’
eu d e s r i t suggested by The S ession f the Poets f S i r
p o o
“ ”
John S uckling It was entitled The Feast o f the Poets
.
,
’
and though obviously a mere p z e c e d o c c a s i o n and as light
, ,

an d frothy as a whipped syllabub was so vivacious that it ,

ran into a second edition in the year Then , t o o in 1 8 1 5 .

, ,

“ ”
he publ is hed The D escent o f L iberty a Masque in cele ,

bration o f t h e fall o f N apoleon which he inscribed to his ,

o l d schoolfellow at C hrist s Hospital

’
with whom he h a d ,

learnt Italian Thomas Barnes wh o two years afterwards

, ,

became the e ditor o f 1 71 3 Ti m es A l l through the period .

when L eigh Hunt was u nder lock an d key in t h e S urrey

gaol it should be born e i n mind that he had persevered i n
,

his editorial labours o n Th e Ex a m i n e r A s a welcome relaxa .

tion in t h e midst o f h is political and critical drudgery upon

that j ournal he had se e n after his release brought t o a
, , ,

completion the poem begun prior to his conviction continued

, ,

at inte rvals during his con fi nement and at length i n th e , ,

spring o f 1 8 1 6 published soon after he had m a de fo r him

,

self a n e w ho me in the Vale o f Health at Hampstead .

“ ”
This was The S tory of B i m i n i which he inscribed to ,

L ord Byron and by the instant success and undoubted i n

,

fl u e n c e o f which upon contemporary poets as illustrious a s

Keats and S h e lley h e may very confidently be said to have
,

made his most enduring mark upon English literature .

W ith Keats, at this happy period o f their lifetime , Hunt w a s

then first brought to the delight o f both into personal com
, ,

m u n ic a tion How the younger poet rej oiced in the u nloo k ed

.

for ple a sure awakened in his h eart b y their intimate com

m u n i n g s he clearly enough in di cated by t h e exquisite sonnet
,

addressed to his new friend shortly after they had been thus
brought together the o n e beginnin with the lament that
g
G lory and lovel i ness have passed away
 A B IO G RA PH ICA L INTR OD U C TIO N . xx v

ending
B there are le ft del i g hts a s h i g h as the se
ut ,

A n d I shall ever b less m y dest i ny

That i n a t i m e when u nder pleasant trees
Pa n i s n o lon g er so u g ht I f eel a free , ,

A leafy l u xu ry see in g I co u ld please

,

W i th these poor o ff ering s a m a n l i k e thee ,

.

“
The Julian and Mandalo of S helley on the other ,

hand showed at once in a very signal manner how great

,
’
had bee n the effect upon him of L eigh Hunt s exultant
“ ”
revival o r readaptation in The S tory o f Rimini o f t he
, , ,

resonant v e r si fi c a t i o n o f C hauce r and the ringing triplets ,

o f D ryden In collabor ation with Hazlitt h e i n 1 8 1 7

.
, , ,

b ro u ght out i n two volumes a collection of Essays on

L iterature Men an d Mann ers which the j oint authors
, , ,

entitled T/z e Ro u n d Ta bl e To this L eigh Hu nt contributed .

twel v e some o f whic h however were m erely reprints from

, .
,

Th e R eflec t o r .

I n 1 8 1 8 he is sued from the press und er the title o f ,

Foli a g e what h e afterwards referred t o with an evident

, ,

“
sense o f regret as a hasty set o f miscellaneo us po ems , ,

both original an d translated Those which were origi nal .

,

he headed G reenwoods ; and — more appropriately

those which were transl ations from the poets o f antiquity ,
”
Evergreens Meanwhile through T h e Euc a wn n e r he
'

.
, ,

was availing himsel f o f every discoverable o pportunity to

spread the fame of his more cherished friends an d inti
mates Through its col um ns both Keats an d S helley were
.

first brought to the knowledge of the outer world There .

,

too C harles L amb gave brillian t evidence o f h i s peerless

,

ski ll in poetic and especially i n dramatic criticism There

, ,
.
,

moreover in Th e Ex a m i n er it is worth m e ntioning that

, ,

O C o n n e l l produ ced o n e of the very earliest of his thence

’

forth famous addresses Another p eriodical p ublication of .

Hunt s called T h e L i t e ra r y P o c ke t B o o le appeared in 1 8 1 9

’
,
-

, ,

as well as in 1 8 2 0 after w hich it w a s discontinued It , .

contained among other dainty contributions from his han d

, ,
 A B IO G RAPH IC A L INTR O D U CTION .

a C alendar descriptive o f the s u ccessive b e a utie s of t h e ye ar ,

after ward s i n 1 8 2 1 republished in a collected form as

, , ,
“
The Months In 1 8 1 9 again he iss u ed fro m t he p ress
.
, ,

t w o poems upo n c l a ss i c theme s o n e o f th e m relating to ,

”
H e r e h “
and L eander and t e other to Bacchus an d ,

Ariadne while i n 1 8 2 0 b e reprod u ced fro m Tasso

, , ,

A m y n t a s a Tale o f the W oods which he i nscribed to

”
, ,

Keats .

W hat is o f far greater interest to note however in his , ,

regard at this period o f his literary career as m a rking

, ,

more particularly its laborious development is the fact ,

that bet w een t h e 3 r d O ctober 1 8 1 9 and the 2 1 s t March

,

1 82 1 ,
he brought o u t from week to week i n sixty six , ,
-

numbers o n e of the most ra cy and delectable o f all his

,

periodicals — J lt e In di c at o r In it j ust as the humour

'
.
,

o f the moment prompted him to his choic e o f a theme ,

h e discoursed always deliciously u pon topics the most

, ,

varied and wildly incongruous i n the wid e u n iverse o f ,

things upon S ticks Hats Thieves S hops Books D reams

—
, , , , , ,

C oaches It was in recognition of his exceptional success

.

in this new character th a t C harles L a mb apostrophized h i m

i n t h e couplet— w

Wi t poet prose m a n party m a n transl a tor

, ,
-

,
-

, ,

H u nt t h y b est t i tle yet i s Ind i ca tor

”
.
,

It is interesting to bear in recollection the fa c t in regard

to these essays tha t among m any o f the more n otabl e ,

men w h o were contemporaries when from week to week , ,

they made their first appearance each had his special ,

favourite Thus S helley t ook by preference to The Fair

,
“
Revenge L ord Holland to those o n the Ol d L ady and
,
” “
the O l d G entleman Hazlitt to the o n e o n S leep L amb , ,
”
to the D eaths o f L ittle C hildren Keats to a
“
No w ,
‘ ’

descriptive o f a Hot D a y — the l as t mentioned not i m po s ,

si b l y
,
because he happened to be livi n g with L eigh Hunt at
1 3 Mortimer Terrace Kentish Town at the very tim e , ,

when i t was b e ing written and because he had hi m s e lf , ,

 A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR O D U CT IO N . x v x ii
in fact c o ntributed o n e or t wo hints towards th e m ore
,

vivid realization of the picture therein describe d .

D uring t h e year in which L eigh Hunt had brought his

delightful but al m ost killing work on Th e In di ca t o r t o a
conclusion he contributed four articles to Th e Ex a m i n e r
, ,

upon a s many popular poets then living — o n e of them now

al m ost forg otten ce r tainly never read — to wit the S onneteer
, ,

Bowles ; and the other three being Byron C ampbell , and ,

C oleridge For some time past the hitherto well sustained

.
-

prosperity o f that j ournal had be e n sensibly declining born e ,

down o n the o n e hand as Hunt himsel f conj ecture d by

, , ,

the long continued ascendancy o f the Tories and 0 11 t h e

-

other by t h e all but abandonment by the W higs o f t h e

Reform Movement Under these depressing circumstances
.
,

wit h his delicate frame worn down by his anxious and c x v

h a u st i v e l abours , it is sm a ll matter fo r surpris e th a t h i s

health at this j uncture failed h i m c o m pl e t e l y
'

Acting i n obed ience to the earnest advice o f his friends ,

and hearten ed t o so bold a movemen t by the direct i n

v i t a t i o n o f the dearest of them all S helley he embarked , ,

for Italy 0 11 the 1 st h of N ovember 1 8 2 1 i n search o f ,

better fortunes and a brighter climat e, taking with him o n

this (for h i m ) hazardous enterprise his sick wife and their
w hole b r e e d of children Alth ou gh they d ropped down the
.

river no later than the next morning the weather was so ,

ad v erse to them when once they were in the C hannel that ,

n ot until the 2 2 n d D ecember had they reached Plymouth ,

where having landed they decided upon putting o ff t h e

, ,

continuance o f their voyage to the followin g s pring There .

,

at Plymouth L eigh Hunt s j ournalistic rep ute was so far

,
’

appreciated by the D evonshire L iberals that t o his pl e a su r ,

”
abl e embarrassment he t h e privatest of all public men
, , ,

as he says found himself com plim ented , face to face w ith

,

his readers by the presentation of a silver cup by w a y of

,

testimonial Havin g r e embarked at Plymo uth o n th e

.
-

1 3 t h May 1 8 2 2 it was not until t h e very close o f June

,

that they contrived to r each L eghorn S o long h a d bee n .

xxvii i A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR OD U CTI ON .

their j ourney that it was only to be compared as Peacock ,

said to on e of the voyagings o f Ulysses

, W hat was .

designed i n connectio n with this rather venturesome migra

tion o f L eigh Hunt and his family t o C entral Italy was ,

the association o f himself with Byron a n d S helley in the ,

production of a new quarterly , to be publishe d by Mu rray ,

and to be called Th e L i be r a l W he n upon the day of L eigh .

Hunt s landing he had come face to face again with L ord

’

B yron at Monte N ero where the latter was living i n ,

villeggiatura they had some di fi i c u l t y in recognizing on e

,

another— Byron h a d grown so fat and Hunt so thin .

S hortly after the latter had returne d to L eghorn fr o m

that first m eeting he was vi sited at his hotel by S helley
, ,

whose villeggiatura was at L erici an d who alm ost imm e ,

di a t e l y accompanied the travellers to Pisa wh ere h e and ,

Byron had both o f them their town residence L ord

, , .

Byron quitting Monte N ero by pre arrangement at the -

same time reached their place o f destination almost simul

,

t a n e o u sl y For the n e w abode o f the Hunts in which

.
, ,

S helley was so eager to see them comfortably housed was ,

’
the ground —fl o o r of L ord Byron s Pisan mansion , said to
have been built by M ichael Angelo the Casa L anfranchi ,

o n the river Arno .

L eigh Hunt ever afterwards remembered with emotion

o n e d elightful afternoon during S helley s brief stay with
’
,

his fri ends at Pisa when the two o f them wandered for
,

hours about the o l d world city and visited together that

-

wonderful grass grown corner of it where stand con

-

fronted the L eaning Tower and the Cathedral W hen the

, .

evening o f that fatal day closed in S helley drove in a post ,

chaise to L eghorn whence urged on by a des ponding note

, , ,

which he found awaitin g him there fro m his w ife he too k ,

his departure sooner than h e had intended accompanied by ,

his friend C aptain W illiams and a seaman named C harle s

, ,

Vivian in an op en boat and in the midst of a terrific storm

, , .

o f thunder and lightning o n his return home to L erici , .

Fro m that m oment a wee k of terri ble suspense dra gged o n

,
 A B IO G RA P H IC A L INTR O D U C T IO N . xxi x
’
before the worst was known Then the y oung p oet s body .

was washed o n shore near the town o f Via Reggi e — i n th e

’
j acket pocket being found , open L eigh Hunt s copy o f ,

Keats s L amia borrowed on the day o f his d eparture from

’

,
”

Pisa by S helley whose last reading o f it h a d evidently be en

, ,

interrupted by the sudden outbreak of the tem pest .

The catastrophe had o c c u r r e d o n the 8 th July and upon .

,

the l 6 t h August in the heavenliest weather o n t h e shore o f

, ,

the gulf o f S pezzia with the blue waters of the M e di t e r

,
’
r a n e a n lapping o n the golden sands S helley s remains in , ,

the presence o f Byron Hunt and Trelawny , were after t h e

, , ,

ancient fas hion burnt with all the class ic accom paniments
,
’
o f fran k i ncense and libations of wine with Keats s last ,

volume o f poetry thrown as a finishing touch u po n t h e

,

funeral pile the flame of the fire bearing away to w ards

heaven in vigorou s am plitude waving and quivering with
‘
‘

,
”
a b r i g h t n e sa o f incon ceivable be a uty
'

Thence the heart , .

,

which remained unconsum e d and which was give n t o L eigh ,

H unt was , at the lat ter s insta n ce later o n con v e yed t o

,
’

Rome where under t h e inscriptio n C o r c o r di a m it was

, , ,

reverently laid hard by t h e tomb o f C e s t i u s and n o t far

, ,

from the grave of Adonais in that English cem ete ry sown , ,

even i n winter with violets and daisies of which S hell ey ,

“
himself had so recently wr it t en : I t might make o n e i n
love with death to think o n e shoul d be buried in so sweet
,

a Three m onths after this t h e first number o f The

L i ber a l reached L ord Byron and L eigh Hunt at their Pis an ,

home in the C asa L anfranchi conta i ning besid es t h e , ,

’ “ ” ’
former s Vision o f Judgment and the latte r s L e tter ,
” ’
from Abroad descriptive o f Pisa their dead friend s splendid
, ,

version o f t h e Mayday N ight ”

from t h e Faust o f ,

G oethe .As had pr e viously bee n the cas e with T h e Refle ct o r ,

n o more than four numbers i n a l l o f Th e L i be ra l m ade their

appearance In a monetary point o f view it was a failure
. .

It ce a sed in 1 8 2 3 in which year between t h e st h July and

, ,

the 2 7t h D ecember Hunt wrote as an u nstamped supple

, ,

ment to his o l d we e kly j ournal in England , twenty seven -

xxx A B I OG RA PHI CA L INTR O D U C TION
‘

numbers o f the L i t er a r y E x a m i n er the first of whic h ,

appeared as N o 6 7 o f T h e In di c a t o r
. .

S helley being n o w dead L ord Byron found that upon ,

himsel f alone would then ceforth devolve the resp onsibility

o f aiding L eigh Hunt his sick wife and their numero u s
,

family to secure for their support in Italy anythi n g like a

,

m oderate competence L ivi n g together under the same

.

roof beams at the C asa L anfranchi the daily existence o f the

-

,
’
two friends passed for some time very pleasantly Byron s .

occupation as a rule until lo n g after midnight was at this

, , ,

period the writing o f his incomparabl e masterpiece D o n ,

Juan . L ate in the m orning breakfast having been cleared ,

'

away he would be overheard singing some Italian air ,

,

ge nerally one of Rossini s in the courtyard whence ascen d

’

, .
, ,

ing into the little garden filled with orange trees h e would -

cheerily call L eigh Hunt to his study w indow by the play ,

-

ful name into which the t w o had been abbreviated by

Emerging then
”
S helley and himself t o wit —
L eon tiu s ,
.

from his room the latter would saunter by the hour with
,

his companion among the orange bushes Byron cl ad at that —

,

time i n the airy costume o f a nankin j acket with white waist

coat and trousers and a peak ed cap o f either velvet or line n
,
.

J a r r i n g incidents u nhappily were only too soon however , ,

t o drive the two friends int o som ething like a n estra n g e

ment L eigh Hunt s pec un iary embarrassments w ere of
.
’

such frequent recurrence that they came at last to be ,

sources only o f increasing worry and depression to Byron at

the very time when all his thoughts an d aspirations were
beginning to turn eagerly towards the fast nearing W a r o f
Independence in G reece i n t h e furtherance o f which his life
,

wa s so soon afterwards to be heroically sacrificed Imme .

di a t e l y after L ord Byron again had pledged L eigh Hunt , ,

to u ndert a k e the conduct of Th e L i ber a l he was disappointed ,

t o find that the l atter had ceas e d to have any further

i nt e rest in T h e Ex a m i n er than as a mere contributor so that
his chief rel ian ce see m ed to be o n the precarious foothold o f
t h e n ew venture Added to all this it must have been
.
,
Xx xii A B I O G RA PH I CA L INTR O D U C TION .

and his health still broken and with a painful sense upo n
,

him of his Italian excursion being regarde d amon g his

friends as n othing less than a fi a sc o L eigh Hunt then com ,

m i t t e d the o n e m i stake o f his life as an author by publishing ,

in 1 8 2 8 his distressing and most regrettable wor k entitled ,

“ ”
L ord Byro n and some o f his C ontemporaries It was .

written from fi r st to l a st u nder the profou n dest error o f

’
j udgment It dre w d own upon its author s h e ad a very
.

storm of obloquy The book was eagerly read but by t h e

.
,

vast maj ority with burning indignation Appearing origi .

nally as a costly quarto volume embellished with cleverly

engraved portraits of the author h imself o f Keats o f , ,

C harles L amb and o f the C ountess G uiccioli i t seemed

, ,

to flaunt rather significantly as its frontispiece the m ost

odious caricatur e o f Byron — a sort o f ghostly s i l h ou e tt e r e
versed — white that is o n a black ground It was recognized
, ,
.

as o f a piece with th e letterpress which was universally ,

regarded as h a v i n g b e e n penned in t h e worst possible taste .

S o attractive was the theme however — Byron then being , , ,

a nam e to conj ure with — that the work p a ssed at once into
a second edition in two volumes octavo But with that its .
, ,

course was ru n o u t completely As an authority it w a s .

obsolete o n t h e morrow of its republication An d the .

tim e soon arrived when L eigh H u nt frankly acknowledged

( among others to myself
, ) his profound regret that it had
ever been produced .

W hile living at Highgate in 1 8 2 8 Hunt resumed his con ,

genial labours as a weekly essayist by issuing from the press

in twenty eigh t numbers a n ew periodical entitled Th e
-

C om p a n i o n the first instalment o f which was dated the 9t h

,

January and the last the 2 g r d July S ecuring to itself readers

,
.

fit certainly, but few it ce a sed like so many other o f his serial

, ,

issues for want o f an adequate circulation Having moved his .

family i n 1 8 2 9from Highgate to Epsom h e there st a r t e d a

‘

lighter and more gossipy weekly, cal led Th e Cha t of t h e Wee k,

N o 1 o f which appeared o n the st h Jun e 1 8 3 0 but with t h e
.
,

t h ir t ee n th number , printe d o n t h e 2 8 t h August , its e x iste n c e

 A B IO G R A PHI C A L INTR OD UCTION .

terminated L
eigh Hunt then embarked upon a m or e onerous
.

u n de r t a ki n n a m el that o f himself prod ucing without

g y
~
,

the aid o f any other contributor a daily j ournal o f litera ,

~

ture and the stage , called Th e T a t l e r S o long as his health .

could bear the un natural strain this he actually aecom

?
,

pl i sh e d .It so cru elly taxed his e n ergies however that , ,

towards the close o f its career he had no alternative but to

call i n extran eous assistance Beginning o n t h e 4t h S ept e mbe r
.

1 8 o i t e nded its course on the 1 3 th February 1 8 3 2 his c o n

3 , ,

st a n t l y recurring toil s upo n it often extendin g far o n past ,

m idnight into the small hours o f the morning more than ,

o nce taxing his powers to the very utte rmost .

W hile still residing at Epsom , L eigh Hunt began writing ,

there i n the manner o f a fictitious autobiography his thre e

, ,
”
volume novel o f S i r Ralph Esher d escriptive o f t h e ,

adventures o f a gent leman o f the days o f the C om mon

wealth and o f the C ourt of C harles II O n the mere pro .

mise o f his undertaking to write this work his publisher , ,

Mr C olburn h ad enable d him t o r e t u rn home from Italy

.
, .

This historical romanc e whi ch w a s first publis hed in 1 8 3 2

, ,

ran in to a secon d edition i n 1 8 3 6 , and into a third in 1 8 50 ,

_

the last mentioned im print o f t h e tale being inscribe d to

-

L ord John Russell .

At the instance o f John Fors te r , a n d i ndeed also at h i s

e xp e nse there were printed in 1 8 3 2 what may be te rmed
,

the Articles o f Faith o f L eigh Hunt entitled C hristianism , ,

”
o r Belief and Unbelief Reconciled , be ing some thirty o n e -

Exercises an d Meditations W hat was t h e crowning bene

.

'

faction o f that y ear to L eigh Hunt howbe it , wa s the publi

cation by subscriptio n o f the first coll ected e dition o f his
Fo e m s D uring that twelvemonth also he wrote a prefac e
.

o f th i rty pages t o th e volume containin g S h elley s

“ ’
Masqu e
”
o f An archy From a sequestered part o f O l d Brompton ,
.

whither he had migrate d in 1 8 3 0 im mediately o n quitting

Epsom and where he had his o l d friend C harles Knight as his
,

landlord L eigh Hunt in 1 8 3 3 moved first o f all fo r a while

, , ,

to S t John s W ood , and then back a g a i n to t h e N e w Road ,

.
’
xxxi v A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR O D U C TIO N .

in which last home he all but died from t h e after effects o f -

his long continued drudgery o n the periodicals Thence he

-

p a ssed o n i n a sout h westerly direction to a qui et corner o f

-

C helsea where he settled down in a c u l de sa e near the river

,
- -

Thames , with a beautiful lime tree immediately in front o f -

h i s house an d where he first came to kno w C arlyle W hose

, ,

acquaintance soon ripened into intimate friendship Here .

again in spite o f his precarious health , he industriously set

,
’
to work contributing articles to T a i t s h l a g a z i u e between
,

January and S eptember besides writing from the 1 6 th ,

A u gust to the 2 6 t h D ecember o n the Tr u e S u n an o ff shoot ,

from T h e S u n into which old j ournal that n e w comer and

,
-

rival was shortly afterwards absorbed .

C ollecting together a goodly assortment o f his choicest

e ssays L eigh Hunt in 1 8 3 4 published as a Miscellany for
,

the Fields and Fireside two attractive volumes called

after the periodicals in which they had originally appeared ,
”
The Indicator and The C ompanion I n that same year he .

began , o n t h e 2 n d April issuing from the press in weekly ,

numbers what was the delight o f his readers fo r nearly t w o

—

whole years not closing its c areer u n til the 2 6 t h D ecember

,

1 835 . It was then completed in a n o b l e d ouble folio volume

o f 8 0 0 triple columned pages as filled as an egg is with meat
-

o r as a pomegranat e is with seeds , with essays sketches , ,

e pigrams , anecdotes criticisms , poems and translations as

, , ,

well as with the most carefully chosen selections from the

wide world of literature This in fact was o n e o f the most .
, ,

famous and popular o f all his periodicals— still occasionally

to b e met with and always as a very treasure trov e o n the
, ,

o l d bookstalls — known and prized by every tru e book fancier

-

,
’
wh en so encountered as L ei g h H u n t s L o n don J o u r n a l
, '
.

Has not L auncelot Cr o ss w r i t t e n the daintiest panegy ric

u pon it in a volumette o f 57 pages octavo u nder the heading
”
of
“
C haracteristics of L eigh Hunt ? In it among other

p earls o f price L eigh Hunt gav e to the world his inimitable

m etrical fragment in celebration o f that peerless magicia n

“ ”
o f the b o w , Paganini .
 A IO G RA P HI C A L INT R O D U C TION xxxv
'

B .

Aiding him , for o n e brief i nterval in its prod u ction Hunt ,

had at least o n e deliciously congen ial contributor in poo r

dead an d gone Egerton W eb b e , whose grave faced emula —

tion of the classic epigrams of Martial r e sulted in such a

preposterous imitation as this

TO TH OM S ON , C O N CERNIN G D IX ON A ND J AC K S O N .

H o w D i xon th J ack son b ear

can wi ,

Y o u a sk m e T ho m son to declare
, , ,

Thom son D i xon s J ack son s he i r

’ ’
.
,

Recalling which to mind L eigh Hunt exclai ms W ere ever , ,

“

three patronymics j umbled so t ogether C l or with such a

delightful importance 2 — adding It i s lik e the j ingling o f ,

’ ”
the money in Jackson s po cket .

From t h e very outset the Journal wa s design ed as indi

,
’“
c a t e d by Hunt s motto to assist the inquiring to animat e ,

the struggling and to sympathiz e wi th all

,
W hile it was .
”

yet in mid career he brought out i n book form as a striking

—
,

d enounce ment o f W a r his poem o f C aptain S word and

,
”
C aptain Pen his description in which of the incidents o n
,

th e battle fi e ld at night— such as the shriek o f the horse ,

the bridegroom sabred in the ditch and th e ta ken city— are ,

among his most powerful imaginings .

S everal poems and articles it should be said h e re wer e , ,

contributed by Hunt in 1 8 3 5 and 1 8 3 6 to the N e w i l l o nthl g/

Jlf a g a z i n e Between July 1 8 3 7 and March 1 8 3 8 he wrot e
.

abundantly in Th e 11l on t hl y Rep osi t o r y — one of his best known

“
e ffus i ons i n which was his Blue S tockin g Revels o r t h e ,
”
Feast o f t h e Violets His first contribution to o n e o f t h e
.

q u arterlies was his article o n L ady Mary W ortley Montagu

“ ”
,

i n the West m i n s t e r Revi e w for April 1 8 3 7 D uring four .

years from 1 8 3 8 to 1 8 4 1 he was numbered upon the sta ff o f

, ,

writers on Th e fi l on th l y Ch r o n i c l e which within that inte r val ,

was published in seven volumes by th e L o n g m a n s Befor e .

its completion L eigh Hunt scored o n e o f his most brillian t

,
’
successes by the first night s p e rformance, o n Friday the 7t h ,

February 1 8 4 0 , at Covent G arden Theatre of his singularly ,

 A B IO G RAPH ICA L INTR OD U CTION .

“
beautiful and poetic fi v e act play , A L egend o f Florence
-
.

W ritten in si x weeks it wa s welcomed enthusiastically at the

close of each act by its first audience the applause o n the ,

fall o f the curtai n being according to the Ti m es report

, ,

tumultuous e ach actor being called for in turn and L eigh ,

Hunt himself the shyest o f all shy m e n of letters bei n g

, ,

finally summoned into the glar e o f the footlights t o bow his

acknowledgments Four times during its first season it was
.

witnessed by the young Queen Ten years afterwards it .

was revived at S adler s W ells an d o n the 2 3 r d January

’

,
’
1 8 52 it was performed by Her Maj esty s command at
W indsor C astle The triumph achieved by it therefore
.
, ,
’
was something m ore than a mere s u c c es d es t i m e Its .

popularity was thoroughly genuine an d spontaneous .

D uring the same year in which the fortun e o f th e drama

was first secured its author co l lected together under the
, ,
“ ”
title of The S eer o r C om mon Places Refreshed the pick
, ,

o f t h e most entertaining papers in his L o n do n J o u r n a l .

Then also in 1 8 4 0 he prefixed a brief but brilliant sketch

, ,

o f S heridan to the complete dramatic works o f t h e author o f

,
“
the Rivals and t h e S chool fo r S candal
“
W ritten in .
”

a kindred vein but at greater length and with larger pre

,

tension were the biographical and critical n otices o f W y c h e r

,

ley C ongreve , V a n b u r g h and Farquhar with which he i n

, , ,

t r o du c e d the goo dl y volume containing t h e dramatic master

pieces o f those great playwrights o f the Restoration It w a s .

this work which suggested to Macaulay the th e me o f his

m asterly paper in the Edi n bu r g h Revi e w o n the D ramatists
o f t h e R e storation t h e openi n g words o f which so large a
,

m ultitud e of readers hav e sinc e echoed W e hav e a kind

”
ness fo r Mr L eigh Hunt
. After that it could hardly b e
.

m atter fo r surpris e t o find L eigh Hunt himself contributi n g

to the Edi n bu r g h in O ctober 1 8 4 1 t h e subj ect o f his articl e
,

therein be ing Th e C olman Family Prior t o its appear .

a nc e ,
in t h e e arlier part o f 1 8 4 1 after havi n g soj ourned
,

fo r se ven years in t h e near n eighbourhood o f C arlyle L eigh ,

Hu n t re m ov e d h is ho m e fro m C helsea t o Kensingto n .

 A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR O D U CTION . xxxv ii
There h e composed fo r t h e most part in Kensington G ardens
,

and L ord Holland s W alk hi s p o etical love story o f O l d

’

,
-

“
Times calle d T h e Palfrey which was first pu b l i sh c d in,

1 8 42 . An other collection o f papers from his L on don J o u rn a l

“
was m ade by him in t h e following year entitled O n e ,

Hu ndred R omances o f Real L ife while in 1 8 4 4 he pr o

’
du c e d u nd er th e title o f
,
Imagination and Fancy a ,

vol u me of selections from the poets wi th intercalary ,

comments o f his own so attra cti ve in its general cha

,

r a c ter that it rapidly won its way to popularity running

, ,

into a second editi on i n 1 8 4 6 and into a third edition i n ,

'

1 8 52 . A second contributio n o f his to the Edi n bu r g h

appeared in the nu mber for July 1 8 4 4 its subj ect being ,

G eorge S elwyn his C orrespondents and C ontemporaries

, .

W hat rendered that year pr e eminently memorable to him -

self however was th e fact that within it was re alized for

, ,

him the most d early cheri shed o f all his day dreams — t h e -

publ ication o f poems by himself produce d i n a ch eap a n d ,

popular form as a handy volume that might be easily carri ed

, ,

in the p o cket a s a home companion like those darling littl e ,

duodecimos o f G ray an d C ollins so dearly loved by him in ,

the happy days when he was a Bluecoat b o y Then al so i n .

,

1 8 44 ,
he was benefited by t h e generosity o f the wido w o f
”
his frien d o f frie nds Mrs S helley and o f her son S i r
“
,
.
, ,

Percy S helley who o n succeeding t o the family estates and

,

the Baronetcy o n t h e death o f the poet s father s e ttled upon ’

L eigh Hu nt an annuity o f £ 1 2 0 D uring 1 8 4 5 h e contri .

buted several minor poems to A i n swort h s M a g a z i n e an d o n e ’

o f rather larger dimensions translated from the Italian o f

,

Berni to t h e N e w l il o n thl g M a g a z i n e under the whimsical

, ,

“ ”
title o f L azy C orner o r Bed v e rs u s B usiness
,
For the .

first series o f an amusing work , published in 1 8 4 6 and ,

“ ”
called Heads O f the People being portrait s o f t h e,

English , d rawn by Kenny Meadows he penned character ,

i st i c sketches o f The Monthly N urse and

”
The O mnibus ,
”
C onductor among his fello w contributors to this publi
,
-

cation being D ouglas Je rrold , L aman Blanchard S amuel ,

xxxvi i i A B I OG RA PH IC A L INTR O D U CTION .

L over, and Thackeray D urin g that same year he brought .

o u t in two volumes summarized in prose S tories from the

, ,
”
Italian Poets interspersed with the choicer passages fro m
,

them daintily v e r si fi e d and accompanied by t h e lives o f ,

D ante Pulci Boiardo Tasso and Ariosto

, , Famili ar though
, , .

the subj ect matter o f the work was t o him and delightful
-

, ,

as a very labour o f love though the toil o f its compilation , ,

so d eli cate was his health at this ti me an d so worn down ,

was he by long continued anxiety an d incessant occupation ,

that immediately after he had finished it he was prostrated

by a serious i l lness .

It was about this tim e that , at twenty t wo years o f age -

I bega n my twenty fi v e years editorship of the oldest o f the

-

daily L ondo n Journals a fter Th e Ti m e s and it thenceforth ,

became my privilege amo n g the many agreeable d uties ,

devolving u pon m e as a reviewer t o sit in j udgment ,

upon each o f L eigh Hunt s subsequent works at t h e ’

time o f its first appearance The earliest o f these w a s .

his mirthful selection from the poets known as W i t an d

“
,
”
Humour And attention is here directed to the circum
.

stance because young though I was L eigh Hunt to my

, , ,

great delight did m e the honour o f seeking my personal

, ,

acquaintance by reason o f what I as his anonymous critic , ,

had written about him ; an d when we were once bro u ght

together that acquaintance i n spite o f the disparity of
, ,

years between us soon ripened into an intimate and a ffe c

,

t i o n a t e friendship .

L eigh Hunt contributed a series o f papers to T h e A t l a s

during 1 8 4 7 which papers fourteen years afterwards were
,

collecte d together and posthumously published as a volume ,

entitled “ A S aunter through the W est En d After forty .

years incessant toil in the service of the periodicals and th e

’

booksellers he was thus still drudging on as laboriously as

,

ever in a vain endeavour t o avoid running i n to d eb t whil e

supporting h i s family o n the narrowest income I t became .

evident at last not only to his personal friends but to the

,

public at large and e ventually to the G overnment , that t h e

,
x1 A B IOG RA PH IC A L INTR O D U CTION .

Ou t of this grew o u r personal knowledge o f each other ,

and my admission before long to the privilege of his inti

m ate friendship .

O n e o f his most characteristic work s appeared in 1 8 4 8 , i n ,

A Jar of Honey from Mount Hyb l a daintily illustrated ,

”

by Richard D oyle This had been preceded but a fe w

.
,

m onths earlier in the same year by his t w o charming ,

“ ”
vol umes o f The Town descriptive o f all the mor e ,

interesting localities in L on don from S t Paul s to S t .

’
.

’
James s and the materials of which had originally appeared
,

fourteen years previously in a series o f supplements to ,

’
L ei g h H u n t s L on do n J o u r n a l In 1 8 4 9 h e contented .

himself with producing a couple of what artists depreca

tingly call mere pot boilers O n e was a miscellaneous selec
-
.

tion in t w o volumes of Pros e an d Verse e ntitled by h i m

, ,
“ ”
A Book fo r a C orner Th e other was a yet more fugi
.

”
tive collection o f minor pieces called Readings fo r Railways ,
.

He was reserving himself in fact , at this time and was con , ,

c e n t r a t i n g a l l his best powers with t h e ripened wisdom ,

o f exp e rience upon t h e production o f his next book which

, ,

o n its appearan ce in the following year 1 8 50 proved to be , , ,

incomparably among all his works his prose masterpiece

, , .

“ ”
This w a s his enthralling Autobiography in thre e ,

volumes adm i rably well described by C arlyle as the r e cord

,
“
of a gifted gentle patient an d valiant human soul as it
, , , ,

bu ffets its way through the billows o f time and will n ot ,

drown though o ften i n danger : can not be drowned but

conquers and leaves a track of radiance behind it It .

j ustifies its right t o be placed upo n t he same shelf with L ock s

’ ’
hart s S cott and even with Boswell s J ohnson It accou n ts
,
.

for the fact that those who knew him best regarded L eigh
Hunt every o n e of them with mingled feelings o f love
— —

and respect It was at the very heart of the nineteenth cen

.

tury that this manly record o f his life was thus rounded to a
close W hile it was yet win ni n g its way into the affection s
.

o f its readers its author w a s contributing poems alternately

,

t o A m sw or th s M a g a z i n e and the N ew M o n tl z l y , and at t h e

’
 A B IO G RA PH ICA L INTR OD U CTION .

en d of took heart o f grace to set o n foot the l ast

1 8 50 h e
o f his periodicals S imply and attractively e ntitled L e i g h
.

H u n t s J o u r na l it had howe ver on e o f the briefest runs of

’
, , ,

them all extending only to seventeen numbers i t s first

, ,

i ss u e appearing o n the 7t h D ecember 1 8 50 and its last o n ,

the 2 9t h March 1 8 51 W ithin the year last m ention ed. ,

”
Table Talk origi nally contributed to Th e A t l a s made its
, ,

appearance in a separat e and complet e form A great .

home grief befell L eigh Hunt at the close o f O ctober 1 8 52 ,

i n the death o f his youn ges t s o n Vincent an d whil e ,

the anguish o f that loss was still freshly upon him h e pub ,
“
l i sh e d in 1 8 53 under th e title o f The Religion o f t h e
,
”
Heart a Manual o f Faith and D uty which was an e x pa n
,
”
sion of his previous book calle d C hristianism At this .

time he w a s still livin g at Kensingto n from which place he ,

supplied a series o f articles t o the columns o f the fll u si c a l

Ti m es between the D ecember o f 1 8 53 and the N ovember
o f 1 8 54 His anecdotal memorials of that locality quaintly
.
,

d ubbed by him The Ol d C o urt S uburb appeare d in two ,

“ ”
volumes in 1 8 55 as did his o w n S torie s in Verse then
, ,

first colle ct e d D u ring t h e sam e twelve month he edited

.
,

with notes and an introductory prefa ce o f some elaboration ,

a collection o f the finest scenes , lyrics and other beauties , ,

from the dramatic mas t e rpieces o f Beaumont an d Fletcher .

Th e following year 1 8 56 , would have been a blank o n e in,

his career but for his being busily engaged toward s its clos e
in t h e careful revision o f a compl e te e ditio n of his Poetical
W orks in two volumes , published in 1 8 57, at Bosto n i n the
United S tates .

Th e crowning grief o f his life cam e to him at the b e gin

ning o f 1 8 57 when his wife who had be e n t h e share r o f all
, ,

his j oys and sorrows for nearly half a century died at t h e ,

age o f sixty nine leaving him thenceforth with a sense as

-

, ,

he said that he belonged as much t o t h e next world as to

,

this O n e other literary enj oy ment was yet reserved fo r him

.
,

meaning t hat of witnessing o n W ednesday the 2 0 t h January , ,

1 8 58 , the first performance at the L yceum The a tre o f , ,

xl ii A B IO G RA PH I C A L INTR O D U C TION .

’
his three act play of L overs Amazements
-

Thre e other .

dramatic productions o f his remain to this moment unprinte d

and unperformed nam ely what was originally called The
—
,

S ecret (and afterwards The Prin ce s ) Marri a ge — a t w o act ’

-

”
piece ca lled The D ouble an d L ook to your Morals —
,

a prose after piece o r little comedy I n the Jun e o f

~
.

that year I addressed to him through B en t l ey s M i sc e l l a n y , ’

under his Byronic or S helleyan title of L e o n t i u s the ,

lines which I am tempted t o give at th e en d of this

volume (see p if only by reason o f their having
.

caused him to write for me o n t h e fly leaf o f my copy -

o f his Poems :

I wish I had happened to give this book to C harles

Kent ; but n o t having d on e so I can only tak e occasion
, ,

from it to thank him for the honour h e has done my

verses by his o wn and to wish him all t h e happin e ss in life
,

d ue to those wh o love to bestow it .

L EIG H H U NT .

Twic e be for e penning those words h e had w ritten letters

to me o n the same sub j ect expressing his cordial acknow
,

l e dg m e n t s .

D uring the first eight months o f 1 8 59h e w a s still indus

t r i o u sl y contributing to the periodicals O nt h e 1 5t h J anuary .

h e be gan supplying the Sp ec t a t o r with a series o f papers ,

“ ”
headed Th e O ccasional the sixteenth and a s it prove d
, ,

the last o f which appeared o n the 2 0 t h of Aug u st W hile as

, .
,

an evidence that the well —spring o f poetic thought which had ,

so long been the delight o f his existence was still flowin g , ,

in spite of his being so far advanced in his s e venty fi ft h —

year he wrote in the February number of F r a ser s Jlf a g a z i n e

,
’

a poem called Th e Ta pi se r s Tale in imitation o f C haucer

“ ’

,
”
,

“
and another in the May number , called The S h e w e o f
”
Faire S eeming in imitation of S penser
,
.

Although by this time we had in many respects come t o

know e a ch oth er thoroughly it was characteris t ic o f the ,

gentle courtesy for wh ich L eigh Hunt all through his life
had been remarkable , and by which he h a d en deared h i m
 A B I O G R A PH IC A L INT R O D U C TIO N . xl ii i
self to more than o n e generation o f h i s intimates that by , ,

reason o f his silence to o n e so much his j un ior as myself ,

for several weeks together in the summer o f 1 8 59 he should , ,

o n the 2 t h July have gone o u t o f h i s way to write m e a

9 ,

long letter of most earnest apology for his appare nt neglect .

'

How I answered him m ay be inferred fro m his instant

reply t h e opening wor ds o f wh ich were
,

My dear and kind Forgiver right Friend and G entleman 1

,

Most relieved and thankful your letter has mad e me and ,

most happy shall I b e to see you t o morrow (Tuesday ) a s -

”
close upon t h e hour you mention as possible .

W ithout giving here the whole of t h e letter which was ,

couched throughout in terms o f the utmost kindness I will ,

add i n this place merely the very end o f it i n which I ,

fou nd myself n o t without emotion thus addresse d

, ,

Y our letter expresses an am ou nt o f pleasure so much

like my o w n with the addition o n my sid e o f th e certa i nty
,

o f being forgiven
(such strange adva ntages sometimes may
the culpable have over the guiltless that I also feel o u r
present communication like a doublement o f the bon d
be tween u s It is like o n e o f the friendships o f former
.

days come bac k to me in my o l d age as if i n reward fo r m y ,

fid elity to their m emory

Y our affectionate friend ,

“
L EIG H H U NT .

He was then living i n a little v illa farther west than

K ensington — i t was his last home i n what h e spoke o f in
—

“
on e of his letters to m e as the n ot very attra ctive sub
urbanity o f Hammersmith W hen I arrived that evening
”
.

he was alone and i n a moo d at first of unusual pensiveness

, .

He appeared eager at this pe r i o d w h e n e v e r h e could find the

,

Opportunity to talk of the mysteries o f the hereafte r It

,
.

seemed to m e later on that evening when we had once more ,

been left alone together to talk o n thus late into the night ,

as if his tho u ghts reverted w ith an awful j oy to the sam e

hi gh argument L ookin g back t o them n o w I can n ot hel p
, ,
xl i v A B IO G RA PH IC A L INTR OD U CTIO N .

feeling that thes e wer e but t h e instinctive fi u t t e r i n gs o f his

spiri t as he felt the j arring back o f the bolts o f life at th e
port al o f th e grave o r as Y oung more finely terms it i n
,
”
his Night Thoughts that ,

D ark L att i ce letti ng i n Eternal Da y .

For all that he still evidenced the same insatiable a ppe t i t e

,

he had all through life betrayed for the sugar pl ums o f -

existence the lumps o f flowers and the snatches o f melody

, .

Y e t to the last too he i n d u lged in those freakish turns of

, ,

thoug h t and fantas t ic whimsicalities o f expression which ,

brightened so delightfully at u nexpected moments al l ,

through his career both his essay writing and his familiar
,

conversation As when h e described Kinnaird t h e loyal

.

G o d sav e the King a s

’
magistrate listening reverently to ,

if his soul had taken its hat o ff 1 O r as when recalli n g ,

to mind his reception o n e day o f W ords w orth i n his study ,

u nder which was an arch w ay leading to a nursery ground -

h e mentioned that a cart happened to g o through it whil e

he w a s inquiring if his visitor would tak e any refreshment ,

and W ords w orth uttered in so lofty a voice the words Any ,

”
thing that is g o i n g fo r wa r d that he felt half inclined
,
“ ”
to ask him whether he would take a piece o f the cart !
Thus still to t h e last he could not resist the inclination to
, ,

turn even o n e o f his own i n fi r m i t i e s into a j est — c o n g r a t u

lat i ng himself to me upon having that day lost a tooth from ,

the exultant sense it gave him o f having made that addi

t i o n a l advanc e towards being e therealized ! H o w genially
sympathetic his whole nature was even when prostrated by
'

the las situd e o f age an d o f profound exha ustion his next

, ,

letter to m e dat e d the 5t h August will su fficiently indicate

, , .

It ran thus
My dear young Frien d, good for keeping youth alive in
the o l d
“ I have delayed ans
w ering your letter in the hope o f ,

s e nding y o u a long o n e i n return ; for it came t o me at a

moment whe n I was busy with work that I wa s unable to set
 A B I O G RA PH IC A L INTROD U C TION . xlv
a si de B u t what thus engro ss e d m e has so knock e d m e up
.
,

that I cann ot well settl e mys e l f down t o anything but pure

n u ll i fic a t ion and a solitary word
,
Y o u must therefore
.

s up po se that in this brief response I feel all which I do not

, ,

e xpress — all which is du e t o the pleasure y o u gav e us the

other evening I thank you also in my o wn heterodox par

.

t i c u l a r for t h e kindly toleration which m y Opinions r ec eived

from o n e who is so earnest in h i s own an d am most truly
and heartily you r affectionate friend ,
“
L EIG H H U NT .

O n e other communica tion I was to receiv e from him — and

but o n e which cam e to m e thre e d ays afterwards M e re
,
.

memorandum though it was— pledging m e t o go to him o n

the following afternoon i t wa s o n e as the sequel showed
-

, ,

full o f significance closing with a benison that sound s

,

almost like a prophetic farewell W ritte n o n t h e 8 th

.

August , without any preamble it said ,

To morro w (Tuesday ) by all means And the eveni n g

-

will suit m e better than any other fo r a v e r v cu rious e x,

”
te m poraneous reason as you will h e ar .

The reason bei n g simply that , had I gon e after that

evening I should have fo u nd h e had already taken h i s
,
’
departure from home i n search o f health at a friend s
,

hous e upo n the opposite bank of the Thames C o ntinuin g .

his note h e then added

,
“ ’
Ainsworth s word s a r e very valuabl e to me , and I
thank y o u hea rtily fo r them Indeed I never kn e w either
.

his word s o r his handsome face turned upon m e but i n

kindn e ss
Al l blessings attend you prays ,

Y our affectionat e friend ,

L EIG H H U NT .

Early the following e vening (W ednesday , the 9t h

on

A u gtl st ) I was with him again — i t was fo r the last time

fo r him and fo r m e — a t that last o f all h is L ondon
homes , 7 C ornwall Road , Hammersmith There I r e .
xlvi A B IO G RA PH I C A L INTR O D U CTI ON .

mained with him in the mids t o f t h e hom e group of his

daughters and his grandchildren until long after n ightfall ,
.

In all my intercourse wit h him I never remember him

m ore delightful l Throughout the evening he charmed u s
.
ae

all by his varying moods according to the fluctuating ,

themes o f the conversation among us L ate that night .

we all stood at the garden gate o f his littl e villa to see -

him dri ve away t o t h e house o f his o l d friend Mr C harles , .

R e y n e l l at Putn ey where so soon afterwar ds o n the 2 8 t h

, , ,

o f August 1 8 9 h e died when within two months o f the

5 ,

completion of h is seventy fi ft h year He was buried in his -

.

o wn chosen resting place in Kensal G reen C emetery ,

-

where for the next ten years his grave re mai n ed u nm arked
by any monume nt D uring that interval , however funds
.
,

were raised a mong his friends for the erection o f a suitable

m emorial D esigned by Joseph D urham
. and ,

costing no more than £ 1 50 thanks to the generosity o f ,

the sculptor , who willingly undertook the work for th e

mere expense o f employed labour and m a terials , it bore on
its front belo w a life li k e bust o f the poet his name with
,
—
, ,

the dates o f his birth and death and as its most appro ,

pr i a t e motto his own words

Wri te me as one wh o loves h i s fellow m e n -

.

In pt he
res e nce of a n u m ber o f the admirers and
intimate personal friends of L eigh Hunt this memorial ,

was o n the l g t h O ctober 1 8 6 9 uncovered by the late L ord

, ,

Houghto n .

The last contribution from hi s industrious hand to the

periodicals appeared before t h e close o f the year o f his
death in the D ecember number of F r a se r s M a g a z i n e ’
,

it being his posthumous v indication o f h i s especial

In t h e D u bl i n U n i ver si ty M a g a z i n e fo r Novem b er 1 8 6 1 , I wrote
a a
p p er ent i tled “
L e i g h H u nt s L as t Even i ng at H om e, wh i ch I
’ ”

afterwards elab orated i nto the m onog raph of “ L e i g h H u nt the —

”
T own P oet i n a work o f m i ne called Footprints o n t h e R oa d
’
, ,

pu b l i shed i n 1 8 6 b
4 y the M e s srs Chapm an and H all — ED . . .
xlvi i i A B IO G RA PH ICA L INTR OD U CTION .

the im m ortal 1 4 th line of the 3 1 st carmen of C atullus , “

Ad
”
S i r m i o n e m Pe n i n su l a m , he rendered the
Ri dete q u i c q u i d e st dom i c a c h i n n o r u m
L au g hs every d i m ple on t h e cheek o f ho m e .

W hen referring to natural gaiety and sprightliness o f

t he
L eigh Hunt and h i s aboundi n g animal spirits Hazlitt takes ,
“
occ sion to say that what he calls the vinous quality o f his
a
”
mind produced an immediate fascination and intoxi cation
i n those who came in contact with him Upon which Pro .

fe ss o r D owden very justly observes that , instead of the heavy

’
liquor implied by H a z l i t t s words what coursed through ,

the vei n s o f h i s frien d was a bright , light wine

,

Tast i ng F lora
and the country g reen
of ,

D ance and Proven cal son g and s u nb u rnt m i rth .

It typifies o n the o n e hand as it seems to me , that blith e

, ,

philosophy o f the hearth which he was ever striving to

,

disseminate that his very first e ssay with which I there

, ,
“
fore her e naturally c om mence , should have been A D a y
by the Fire ; an d o n the other hand that genial gospel of ,

w hat sc holiasts cal l the humanities which he was always e u ,

de a v o u r i n g to scatter among his fellow men that o n e o f t h e -

very last , with which I t herefore bri n g this collection to a

close was o n e inculcating above all thi n gs among his brother
,

writers the good accruing from t h e cultivation o f C heer

”
fuln e ss i n Englis h L it e rature .
W H EN th e Au t h o r a b o y a t sc h o o l h e u se d t o l o o k a t o n e o f
wa s ,

t h e po c k e t vo lu m e s o f C o oke s Edi t io n o f G ray C o ll i n s a n d o t h e rs

'

, , ,

t h e n i n c o u rse o f pu b l i c at i o n a n d fan c y t h at i f e ve r h e c o u ld
,

pro du c e an y thi n g o f t h a t sort i n t h at sh ape h e sh o u l d c o n side r

, ,

h i m se l f a s h avi n g at t ai n e d t h e h a ppi e st e n d o f a hu m an b e i n g s
’

e x iste n c e
. Th e fo rm h a d b e c o m e cl e a r t o h i m fo r t h e c o nt e n t s ,

a n d t h e re pu t at i o n se e m e d prove d b y t h e c h e apn e ss . In re spe c t o f

h i s wi sh e s fo r h i s m e re s e l f t h e y a r e pr e c i sely t h e sam e as t h ey we re
,

t he n ; a n d wh e n M r M o x o n pr o po sed t o h i m t h e pre se n t vo lu m e
.
,

h e se e m e d t o re ali z e t h e o b je c t o f h i s life a n d t o re q u ire n o o t h e r

,

pro spe ri t y
— P r f a c e t o t h e 1 8 44 Edi t i o n of
e Th e P o e t i c a l W o r k:

f
o L e ig h H u n t .
 L E IG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
.

TH E S T O RY OF RIMIN I .

(1 8 1 6 )

T H E O C C A S KH L

’
TIS morn , and never did a lovelier day
S alute Ravenna from its leafy bay ;
Fo r a warm eve , and gen tle rai n s at night ,
Have left a sparkling welcome for the light ,

And April with his white hands wet with flowers ,

,

D azzles the bridem a ids look ing from the towers : ,

G reen vineyards and fair orchar ds far and near , ,

G l itter with drops and heave n is sapphire clear ,

And the lark rings it and the pine trees glow ,,

—

And odours from the citrons come and go ,

And all t h e landscape — earth and sk y and sea , ,

Breathes like a bright eyed face that laughs out op e nly

-

Tis nature full o f spirits waked and l oved

’
, , .

E e n sloth to da y goes quick and unreproved

’
-

, ,
’
For w here s the living soul priest minstrel clown , , , ,

M erchant o r lord that speeds not to the town ?

, ,

Hence happy faces striking through the green

,

O f leafy roads at every turn are seen

,

And the far ships lifting their sails o f white

,

L ike j oy f ul hands , come u p wit h sca ttered ligh t 5

 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

C omegleaming u p true to the wished for day

— -

And chase the whistling brine and swirl into t h e bay ,

.

And well may all the world come crowding there ,

If peace returning and processions rare , ,

An d to crown all a marriage in t h e spring

, ,
’
C a n set men s hearts and fancies o n the wing ;
’
For o n this beauteous day Ravenna s pride
, ,

The daughter o f their prince — becomes a bride ;

A bride to ransom an exhausted land
And he whose victories have obtained her hand ,
,

Has tak en with the dawn — so flies report

His promised j ourney to the expecting C ourt ,

W ith b a st i n g pomp a n d squires o f high degre e ,

,

The bold G iovanni L ord o f Rimini , .

A G L IM P S E OF TH E P A G EANT .

First come the trumpeters clad all in white , ,

Except the breast which wears a scutcheon bright

, .

By four and four th e y ride o n horses grey ; ,

An d as they sit along their easy way ,

’
To the steed s motion y i e ldin g as they go ,

Each plants his trumpet o n his saddle b o w -

The heralds next appear in vests attired , ,

O f sti ffening gold with radiant colours fired ;

And then the pursuivants who wait o n thes e ,
All dressed i n painted richnes s to the knees ;
Ea ch rides a dappled horse and bears a shield , ,

C harged with three h eads upon a golden field .

Twelve ranks o f squires come after twelve i n , on e,

W ith fork ed pe nnons lifted i n the sun ,

W hich tell as they look back ward in the wind ,

,

The bearings o f the knights that rid e behind .

Their horses are deep bay and ever y squire

His master s colour shows in his attir e
’
.

These past and a t a lordly distance com e

, ,

The knights themselves , and fill the quickening hu m

The flower o f Rimini Apart they ride, .

Two in a rank their falch ions by their side

, ,
 TH E S TO RY O F R IM INI .

But otherwise unarmed and clad in hues ,

S uch as their ladies had been pleased to choos e ,

Bridal and gay— orange and pink and white , ,

All but the scarlet cloak fo r every knight

W hich thrown apart and hanging loo se behi nd , ,

Rests o n the horse an d ruffles i n the w i nd

,
.

The horses black and glossy every o n e

, ,

S upply a further stately unison

A solemn constancy o f martial show ;
'

Their frothy bits keep wrangling as they g o .

The bridles red and saddle cloths o f white

,
-

Match well the blackness with its glossy light ,

W hile the rich horse cloths mantling half the steed
-

, ,

Are some o f them all thick with golden threa d

O thers have spots on grounds o f di fferent h u e
,

As burning stars upon a cloth of blue

’
O r heart s ease purple with a velvet light
-

Rich from the glary yellow thickening bright ; ,

O r silver roses in carnation sewn ,

O r fl owers in heaps or colours pur e alone ,

But all go sweeping back and s e em to dress ,

Th e forward march with loite ri n g stateliness .

F RANC ES CA S FIR S T S IG H T O F P A O L O
’
.

The talk increases now and now advance , ,

S pace after space with many a spri ghtly prance ,

,

The pages o f the C ourt in rows of three ; ,

O f white and crimson in their livery .

S pace after spac e an d still the train appear ;

,

A fervent whisper fills the general ear

’ ’
Ah— yes — n o tis not he but tis the squires ,

W h o go before him when his pomp requires .

”

And now his huntsman shows the lessening train ,

N o w the squire —carver , and the C hambe r lain

And now his banner comes a n d n o w his shield , ,

Borne by the squire that waits him to the field

And then an interval a lordly space -

’
A pin drop silence stri k es o er all the place
-
.

The Princess from a distance , scarcely kn ows

,

W hich way to look her colour comes a n d goes ,

 L E I GH H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

And with an impulse like a piteous plea

, ,

S h e lays her hand upon her father s k nee

’
,

Wh o look s upon her with a laboured smile

"

G athering it up into his o w n the while ,

W hen some one s voice as if it knew n ot how

’
,

To check itself exclaims , The Prince ! now now 1

, ,

Upon a milk white courser li k e the air

—
'

, ,

A glorious figure S prings into the square

Up with a burst o f th u nder goes the shout
, , ,

A n d rolls the trembling walls an d peopled roofs about .

N ever
was nobler finish of fair sight
’
Twas like the coming o f a shape o f light 3
And many a lovely gazer with a start , ,

Felt the quick pleasure smite across her heart .

The Princess who at first could scarcely see

, ,

Though look ing still that way from dignity ,

G athers new courage as the praise goes round ,

And bends her eyes to learn what they have found .

An d see— his horse obeys the check unseen ,

And with an air twixt ardent and serene

,
’
,

L etting a fall of curls about h i s brow ,

He tak es to a ll his cap o ff with a b o w

, ,
.

Then for another and a deafening shout, ,

And scarfs are waved and flowers come pouring o u t

,

And shak en by the noise the reeling air

, ,

S weeps with a giddy whirl among the fair ,

A n d W his ks their garments and their s h ining hair .

W ith busy interchange of wonder glows

T h e crowd and loves his bravery as he goes ;
,

But o n his shape the gentler sight attends ,

Moves as he p a sses a s he b ands h i m bends

,

W atches his air his gesture and his face

, , ,

And thinks it never saw such manly grace

S o fine are his bar e throat and curls o f black ,

S o lightsomely dropt in his lordl y back , ,

His thigh so fi tted fo r the tilt o r dance ,

S o heaped with strength and turned with eleganc e ,

But above all so meaning in his look

, , ,

As easy t o b e r e ad as o pen book ;

 L EIG H H U NT S POEM S
’
.

May I come in ? said he — i t made her start

That smil ing voice — she coloured pressed her heart ,

A m oment as for breath and then with free

, ,

And usual tone said O yes certainly , ,

.

There s wont to be at conscious times like these ,

’

An affectation o f a bright eyed ease -

An air o f something quite serene and sure ,

As if to seem so were to be secure , , .

W ith t hi s the lovers met with this they spok e , ,

W ith this sat down to read the self same book , -

An d Paolo by degrees gently embraced

, ,

W ith o n e permitted arm her lovely waist

And both their cheeks like peaches o n a tree , ,

G ame with a touch together thrillingly ,

’
And o er the boo k they hung and noth i ng said , ,

And every lingering page grew longer as they read .

And thus they sat and felt with leaps o f he a rt ,

Their colour change they came upon the part ,

W here fond G enevra with her flame long n u r st , ,

S miled upon L auncelot when he kissed her first ,

That touch at last through every fibre slid ;

, ,

And Paolo turned scarce k nowing what he did , ,

O nly he felt he could no more dissemble ,

And kissed her mouth to mouth all in a trembl e

, , .

O h then she wept — the poor Francesca wept

,

And pardon o ft he prayed ; and then she swept

The tears away and look ed him in the face ,

And well as wor ds might save the truth disgra ce ,

,

S h e told him all up to that very hour

,
, ,

The father s guile t h undwelt i n bridal bower

’
,
’
-

And wished for wings on which they two might soar

Far far away as doves to their o wn shore
, , ,

W ith claim from non e — That day they read n o more .

TH E H U S B A ND V ENG EA NCE
’
S .

The spiteful fo p I spoke o f he that set ,

’
His eyes at work t o pay h i s anger s debt
This idi ot pry i ng from a neighbouring tower
, ,
’
Had watched the lover to the lady s bower ,

And flew to make a madman o f her lord ,

Just then enca m ped w ith l e ss a shame his soul abhorr e d , .

 TH E S TO RY O F RIM INI .

Pale first then red his eyes u po n t h e stretch

, ,
'

Then d eadly white the husband heard the wretch , ,

W h o in soft terms almost with lurk ing smile , ,

Ran on expressing his re g ret the while

,
.

The husband prince cripple and brother h e ard

, , ,

Then seemed astonished at the man t h e n st i r r e d

His tongue but could not speak then dashed asid e
His chair as he arose and loudly cried , ,

L iar and madman 1 thou art he was seen

Risk ing the fangs which thou hast rushed betwee n .

”
Regorge the filth in thy detested throat .

An d at the word with his huge fist he smot e ,

L ike iron o n t h e place then seized him all , ,

And dashed in swoon against the bleeding wall .

’
T w as d usk — h e summoned an old chieftain stern ,

G iving him charge of all till his return ,

And with o n e servant got to horse a n d rode

All night until he reached a lone abode
,

N o t far from the green bower N ext day at noon .

,

Through a byway free to himsel f a lone , ,

Alone he rode yet ever in disguise, ,

His hat pulled over his assassin eyes ,

An d coming through the wood there left his horse , ,

Then down amid the fruit trees half by force —

, ,

Made way ; and by the summer house s door ’

W hich he found shut paused till a doubt was o er ,

’
.

Paused and gave ear There w a s a low sweet voic e

, .

The door was one that opened without n oise ;

And opening it h e look ed within and sa w
, , ,

N ought h e a r i n g nought suspecting not in a w e

, ,

O f o n e created thing in earth o r s k ies ,

The lovers interchanging wor ds and sighs

, ,

L ost i n the heaven of o n e another s eyes

’
.

”
To thee it was my father wedded me ,

Francesca said I never loved but thee .

The rest was ever but an ugly dream .

D amned be the soul that says it cried a scream ,

”
.

Horror is in the room shriek s roaring cries — —

,

P a r r y i n g s of feebl e palms — blind ] y shut eyes

W hat without arms availed grief strength de S pa i r ?
, , , ,

Or what the two poor hands put forth in prayer ?

 ‘
to LE I GH H U NT s P O EM S .

’
H o t is t h e dagger
from the brother s heart ,

D eep in the wife s

’
— dead both and dashed apart
,

Mighty the murderer felt as there they lay ;

Mighty for o n e huge moment o er his prey
, ,
’

Then li k e a drunken man he rode away

, ,
.

To
’
tell what horror smote the pe e ple s ears ,

The questionings the amaze the many tears

, , ,

The secret household thoughts the public awe , ,

And how those ran back shrieking that first s a w ,

The beauteous bodies lying in the place ,

Bloody and dead in midst Of all their grace ,

W ould keep too long t h e hideous deed in sight

Back was the slayer in his camp that night ;
And fell next day with such a desperate sword
Upon the rebel army at a ford ,

As sent the red news rolling to the sea ,

And steadied his wild nerves with victory .

TH E F EAS T OF TH E P O ETS .

( Th e Refle c t o r NO , .
4,

A P OLLO then led through the door without state ,

Each bard as he followed him blessing his fate ;

, ,

And by som e charm o r other as each took his chair , ,

There burst a most beautiful wreath in his hair .

’
I can t tell em all but the groundwork was bay
’
,

And C ampbell in his had some o a k leaves and may

, ,
-

And S outhey a palm branch and Moore had a vine

-

, ,

And pepper leaf Byron surmounted with pine

-

And m ountain a s h W ordsworth with grou ndsel and y e w

-

And C oleridge t h e rare petals fou r that endue ,

Their finder with m agic and lovely to tell , ,

’
They spark led with drops from Apollo s o wn w ell .

Then Apollo put his o n , that sparkled with beams ,

And rich rose t h e feast as an epicure s dream s ’

N o t epicure civic o r grossly inclined

, ,

But such as a poet m ight dream e r e he dine d

 TH E S O NG or C ER ES . i :

Fo r the god had no sooner determined t h e fare ,

Than it turned to whatever was racy and rare :

The fish and the flesh for example were done , , ,

O n account o f their fineness in flame from the sun ,

The wines were all n ectar Of different smack ,

To which Muscat was nothi n g nor Virginis L a c , ,

N o nor even J O h a n n i sb e r g soul o f the Rhine

, , ,

N o r Montepulciano though k ing o f al l wine ,

.

Then as fo r the fruits you might garden for ages

, , ,

Before you could raise me such apples and gages

And all on t h e table no sooner were sprea d ,

Than their cheek s next the god blushed a beautiful

red .

’
Twas magic in short and deliciousness all ,

The very men servants gre w handsom e and tall

-

To velvet hung ivory the furniture turned

-

The service with opal and adamant burned

Each candlestick changed t o a pillar o f gold ,

W hile a bundle of beams took the place o f the mould .

The decanters a n d glasses pure diamon d became ,

And the corkscrew ran solidly ro u n d into flame

In a word so completely forestalled were the wishes ,
,

E e n harmony struck from the n e i s e o f the dishes

’
.

TH E S ON G OF C ER ES .

(Th e Descent of L i ben y ,

a Mas q u e ,

OH,thou that art our Queen again ,

And m a y in the su n be seen a gain ,

C ome C ER ES come , , ,

For the war s gone home ’

,

And the fields are quiet and green a gain .

The air dear goddess sighs for thee

, , ,

The light heart brook s aris e for thee

-

And the poppies red

O n their wistful bed
Turn u p their dark blue eyes for the e .
 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
I: .

L a ugh in the loose green j erki n

ou t
’
That s fit for a goddess to work in ,
W ith shoulders brown ,

A n d the W heaten crown

About thy temples perki ng .

An d with thee c o m e S tout Heart , in ,

An d Toil that sleeps his cart in ,
,

A n d Exercise ,

The ruddy and wise ,

His bath ed foreloc k s parting .

A n d D ancing
’
too that s lither
,

Than willow o r birch drop hither, ,

To thread the place

W ith a finishing grace ,

And carry o u r smooth eyes with her .

[ Enter three r u st i c fi gu res O

o f S T U T H EA R T , T I , a n d EX ER C IS E, O L
w th a and
i b ale
o f R EA P E R S a n d V IN E G A T H ER ER S , m -
an d

e ale
f m , rst a anl swa n n cord ro w th
— th
e fi m y i i oa en u y i an k
c d el
u econd
g , the s h te w th a or over
in w i isho lder f k h is u , t h e

th rd reen w th a va lt n sta
i in g i u s ned
i g -
rest
ff , a n d b u k i Th e of .

t he m en have s c les i k r n n hoo s at the r s de handled

and p u i g k -
i i ,
l e words
ik s han n ro sword elts
and gi g f m wo en are n b ; t he m -
i
s hort wh te owns w t rose olo red od ces
i g i h c s raw
u -
b i , and t
hats w th r ands
i ib the overhead enter
To
. m, recl n n ,
O ER E S i i g -

on a horn lent
of p l d n lowl alon on a s
y , and g i i g s er y g um m
clo du . sa l
Sh e i la h n
p ump and re ressed n a loose
ug i g fi gu ,
d i
g ree od ce w t are ho lders lar e a rn c rls
n b i , i h b s u ,
a g u bu u , and

crown wheat
of s oes a on
A sh e g
. a es o l sal tes
l g s h e m k j y f u u

to ac ro nd rea s nto olden

P E AC E a n d L IB ER T Y , a n d t h e b kg u b k i g
fi elds corn that wave n
of s nsh ne wh le nes
i the u over a
i , i vi run
l n d tance
h i l i t h e is trees n ront are h n w th the
, a n d t he
i f u g i m
l e arlands ro
ik g o h to o h
f m b ug b ug .

TR IO A ND C H O RU S .

Al ljo y to the giver o f wine and Of corn ,

W ith her elbo w at ease o n her well fi l l e d horn -

To the sunny cheek brown ,

And the shady wheat crown ,

And the ripe golden locks that come smelling o f

S TO U T
’
H EA RT . Tis she in ou r veins that puts daily
delight .
 T O TH E G RA S S IIO PPER A ND TH E C R IC K ET . 13

TOIL Tis she in our beds puts us kindly at night

.
’
.

EX ER CIS E And taps at o u r doors in the m orning brigh t

. .

C H O R U S Then j oy t o the giver

.
,

W e ll fling o n o u r fl a sk e t s and forth with the sun

’
, ,

W ith o u r trim an k led yoke fellows every o n e - -

W e ll gather and reap ’

W ith o u r arm at a sweep ,

A nd o h ! fo r the dancing when all is done ;

EX
’
R
E C IS EY e s yes we ll b e up when the sin g ing bird
.
, ,
-

starts .

TO IL W e ll level her harvests and fill up her carts

.
’

S TO U T H EA R T And shake o ff fatigue with o u r bounding

.

hearts .

C H O RU S Then hey for the fl a sk e t (t o

.
,
.

[B y thi s t i m e C E R ES h a s crossed the scene a n d a s u nb eam s u ddenl y ,

stri k ing do w n to t h e m i d dle o f i t i n front O f L IB ER T Y a ,

l i g htso m e fi g u re wi th wing s at h e r feet a n d sho u lders co m es

, ,

r api dly tri ppi n g down i t a n d ta k i ng a s pr in g b efore s h e reaches

, ,

t h e b otto m leaps i nto a g race f u l att i t u de o f prepar at i on

,
.

TO TH E G RA S S H O PP ER A N D T H E C RI CK ET .

(D ecem b er 30 ,

G R EEN little vaulter i n the sunny grass ,

C atching your heart up at t h e feel o f June ,
S ole voice that s heard amidst the lazy noon ,
’

W hen even the bees lag at the summoning brass

And y o u warm little housekeeper who class
, ,

W ith those who think the candles come too soon ,

L oving the fire and with your tricksom e tune ,

N ick the glad silent moments as they pass ;

O h sweet and tiny cousins that belong , ,

O n e to
the fields the other t o the hearth , ,

Both have your sunshine ; both though small are stro n g , ,

At your clear hearts and both seem given t o earth

To ring in thoughtful ears this natural song
Indoors and o u t , sum m er a n d winter , Mirth .
 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
I4

TO J O H N HUN T ,
AETAT . FO UR .

(1 8 1 6 )
AH, little ranting Joh nny ,

Fo r ever blithe and bonny ,

And singing nonny n onny , ,

W ith hat j ust thro wn upon y e

O r w histling li k e the thrushes
W ith voice in silver gushes
O r twisting random posies
W ith daisies weeds and roses , ,

And strutting in and o u t so ,

O r dancing all about so ,

W ith cock u p nose so lightso m e

-

An d sidelong eyes so brightsome ,

And cheeks as ripe as apples ,

An d head as rough as D apple s ’

And arm s as sun ny shining

’
As if their veins they d win e in
And mouth that smiles so truly ,

Heaven seems to have made it newly

It breaks into such sweetness
W ith merry lipped completeness
-

Ah Ja c k ah G ianni m i o
, ,

As blithe as L aughing Trio ,

S i r Richard too y o u rattler ,
-
, ,

S o christened from t h e Ta t l er ,

My B a cchus in his glory ,

My li ttle C o r di fi o r i - -

My trick some Puck my Robin , ,

W h o i n and o u t come bobbing ,

A S full o f feints and frolic as

That fi bb i n g rogue Autolycus ,

And play the graceless robber on

Y our grave eyed brother O beron
-

Ah D ick ah D olce riso

,
-

How can you can y o u b e so ? ,

On e cannot turn a minute ,

’
B ut m i schief— there you re in it ,
16 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’

’
I n S hort because you re very
,

G C o d tempered Jack and merry ;

-

, ,

And are as quick at giving ,

As easy at receivi ng
And in the midst o f pleasu re
Are certain to find leisure
To thin k my boy o f ours , , ,

And bring us l u mps Of flowers .

But see the sun shines brightly

,

C ome put your hat o n rightly

, ,
’
And we ll among the bushes ,

And hear your friends the thrushes

And see what flowers the weather
Has rendered fit to gather
And when we home must j og you
, ,

S hall ride my back y o u rogue y o u , ,

Y our hat adorned with fine leaves ,

Horse chestnut o a k and vine leaves

-

, ,
-

’
And so with green o e r h e a d John
, , ,

S hall whistle home to bed John , .

TH O U G HT S ON T H E AV ON .

(S eptem b er 2 8 , 1

IT is the loveliest day that we have b a d

This lovely month spark ling an d full o f cheer ;
,

The sun has a S harp eye yet k ind and glad ; ,

C olours are doubly b right all things appear

S trong outlined in the spacious atmosphere
And through the lofty air the white clouds go ,

As o n their way to some celestial show .

The ban k s o f Avon must look well to day ; ~

Autum n is there in all his glory and treasure

The river must run bright the ripples play
Their crispest tunes to boats that rock at leisur e ;
The ladies are abroad with cheeks o f ple a s ure ;
And the rich orchards in their sunniest robes
Are pouting thick with all their winy globes .
 TO TH O R NTO N H U NT, JETA T . S IX . I7

And why must I b e thi n k ing o f t h e pride

O f distant bowers as if I had no nest ,
’
To sing in her e though by the houses side ?
,

As if I could n o t in a minute rest

I n leafy fields quiet and self po sse st
, ,
-

Having o n o n e side Hampstead for my looks

, , ,
’
O n t other L ondon with its wealth o f book s ?
, ,

It is not that I envy autumn there ,

N o r the sweet river though my fields have non e ; ,

N o r yet that in its all productive air -

W a s born Humanity s divinest son ’

That sprightliest gravest wisest kindest o n e

, , ,

S h a k spe a r e nor yet Oh no— that here I miss ,

S ouls not unworthy to be named with his .

NO but it is that o n this very da y

, ,
’
And upon S h a k spe a r e s stream a little lowe r , ,

W here drunk with D elphic air it comes away

, ,

D ancing in pe rfume by the Peary S hore ,

W a s born the lass that I love more and more

A fruit as fine as in the Hesperian store ,

S mooth roundly smiling n oble to the core

, ,

An eye fo r art : a nature that o f yore ,

Mothers and daughters wives and sisters w e r e , ,

W hen in the golden age o n e tune they bore ;

Marianne — w h o mak es my heart and very rhy mes
,
’
run o e r .

TO TH O RNT ON HU N T , fETA T . S IX .

(1 8 1 7 )
S L EEP bre athes at l a st from out the e ,
My little patient boy ,

And balmy rest about thee

’
S mooths o ff the day s annoy .

I sit me down and think ,

Of all thy winning ways

Y e t almost wish with sudden shrin k ,

That I had less to praise .

 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

Thy sidelong pillo wed meekness ,

Thy than k s to all that aid ,

Thy heart in pain and weakness,

,

O f fancied faults afraid

The littl e trembling hand
That wipes thy quiet tears ,

These these are things that may de m a n d

,

D read memories fo r years .

’
S orrows I ve had severe o n es , ,

I will not think Of now

’
And calmly mi dst my dear ones
Have wasted with dry brow
But when thy fingers press
And pat my stoopi n g head ,

I cannot be ar the gentleness

The tears are in thy bed .

Ah fi r st born Of thy mother

,
-

W hen life and hope were n e w ,

Kind pl aymate o f thy brother ,

Thy sister father too ; ,

’
My light where er I go , ,

My bird when prison bound ,

,
-

My hand in hand companion no —

,

My prayers shall hold thee round .

“
To say He has departe d
“
His voice h i s face — is gon e ;
To feel impatient he ar ted -

Y e t feel we must bear on ;

Ah I could n ot endure
,

To whisper Of such woe ,

Unless I felt this sleep ensur e

That it will not be so .

’
Y e s, still he s fixed and sleeping ,

This silence t OO the while

Its very hush and creeping
S eem whisperin g us a smile
S omething divine and dim
’
S eems goin g by one s ear ,

L ike parting wings o f S eraphim ,

XVh o say , W e ve finished her e

“ ’
.
 ON A L O OK O F M IL TO N S H A IR
’
.

QUI ET EV EN I NG S .

D EA R
Bar n es whos e native taste solid and clear
, , ,

The throng of life has strengthened without harm ,

Y o u know t h e rural feeling and the charm ,

That stillness has for a world fretted ear : -

’
Tis n ow deep whispering all about me here
W ith thousand tiny h u sh i n g s like a swarm ,

O f atom bees o r fairies in alarm

, ,

O r noise o f numerous bliss from distant sphere

'

This charm our evening hours duly restor e

N ought heard through all o u r little lulled abode , ,

S ave the crisp fire o r leaf o f book turned o er

’

, ,

O r watch dog o r the ring o f frosty road

-

,
.

W ants there no other sound then — y e s one more , ,

The voice o f friendly visiting long owed ,

.

ON A L O OK O F MI L T ON S H A I R
’
.

(F o l i a g e ,

IT lies before me there and my own breath ,

S tirs its thin outer threads as though besid e ,

The living head I stood in honoured pride ,

Tal k ing of lovely things that conquer death .

Perhaps he pressed it once o r underneath ,

Ran his fine fingers w hen h e leant b l a n k e y e d,

, ,

And saw in fancy Adam and h i s bri de

, ,

W ith their rich lock s o r his own D elphic wreath

, .
’

There seems a love in hair though it be dea d ,

.

It is the gentlest yet the strongest thread

,

Of o u r frail plant a blossom from the tree

—

S urviving the proud trun k as tho u gh it said

Patience and G entleness is Power In m e .

Behold affectionate eternity .

 L EIG H H U NT S POEMS
’
.

TH E PAN TH ER ,

(1 8 1 8 )
TH E panth er leaped to the front o f his lair ,

And stood with a foot up and snuffed the air ;

,

He quivered his tongue from h i s panting mouth ,

And looked with a yearning towards the south
For he scented afar in the coming breeze
N ews Of the gums and their blossoming trees
And o u t o f Armenia that same day
He and his race came bounding away .

O ver the mountains and down to the plains

L ik e Bacchus s panthers with wine i n their veins ,
’

They came where the woods wept Odorous rains

A n d there with a quivering every beast
, ,

Fell to his Old P a m ph y l i a n feast .

The people who lived not far away ,

Heard the roaring on that same day ;

And they said as they lay in their carpeted room s
, ,
“
The panthers are come and are drinking the gum s
,

And some of them going with swords and spears

To gather their share o f the rich round tears ,

The panther I spo k e o f followed them back ;

And dumb] y they let him tread close in the track ,
And lured h i m after them into th e town
And then they let the portcullis down ,

And took the panther which happened to be

,

The largest wa s seen in all P a m ph i l y .

By every one there was the panther admired ,

"
S o fine was his shape and so sleek ly attired ,

And such an air both princely and swift

, ,

He had when giving a sudden lift

,
’
To his mighty paw he d turn at a sound
, ,

A n d so stand panting and look ing around ,

A S if h e atten ded a monarch crowned .

And truly they wondered the more to behold

,

About his neck a collar o f gold ,

O n which was written in characters broad
,
.

”
A r sa c e s the king to the Ny si a n god .
 H ER O A ND L EAND ER . 2 !

S o t hey
tied to the collar a golden chain ,

W hich made the panther a captive again ,

And by degrees he grew fearful and still ,

As though he had lost his lordly will .

But now c a me the spring when free b o rn love ,

-

C al ls up nature in forest and grove ,

And makes each thing leap forth and b e ,

L oving and lovely and blithe as he

, ,
.

The panther he felt the thrill of the air ,

An d he gave a leap up like that at his lair ;,

He felt the sharp s w eetness more streng t hen his v e in s

Ten times than ever the spicy rains ,

A n d ere they re aware he has b urst his chains

’
,

He has burst his chains and ah ha he s gone , , ,

’

And the lin k s and t h e gazers are left alone ,

’
And Off to the mountain the panther s flown .

No w
what made the panther a prisoner be ?
’
L o ! twas the spices and luxury .

And what set that lordly panther free

Twas L ove 1— twas L ove
’ ’
twas no o n e but h e -
’
.

H ER O A N D L EAN D ER .

(1 8 1 9)
S WEET
’
Hero s eyes three thousan d years ago
, ,

W ere mad e precisely li k e the best we know ,

L ooked the same looks and spok e no other G reek

,

Than eyes of honeymoons begun last wee k .

Alas ! and the dread shock that stunned her bro w

’
S trained them as wide as any wretch s n o w .

I never think of poor L eander s fate ’

And how he swam and how his bride sat late

, ,

And watched the dreadful dawning o f the light ,

But as I would o f t w o that died last night .

S O might they now have lived and s o have died ,

’
The story s heart to me still b eats a gainst i t s sid e
, , .
 L EIG H H U NT S POEM S
’
22 .

Fair is the morn the sof t trees kiss and breath e ;

,

C alm blue and glittering is t h e se a beneath :

, ,

And by the window a sweet maiden sits ,

G rave with glad thoughts and watching it by fits , ,

For o e r that sea d rawn to her with del ight

’

, ,

Her love L eander is to come at night ;

T o come not sailing or with help o f e a r
, , ,

But with his o wn warm heart and arms— no mor e

A n aked bridegroom bound from shore to shore , .

.
A
priestess Hero is an orphan dove , ,

L odged in tha t turret o f t h e Q u een o f L ov e ;

A yout h L eander born e across the strait , ,

W hose wealthy k i n deny him his sweet mat e ,

Beset with spies and dogged with daily spite ;

,

But he has made high compact w ith delight ,

A n d foun d a wondrous passage through t h e w e lteri n g

night .

’
At last with twinkle o e r a distant tower,
,

A sta r appeared that was to S ho w t h e hour .

The virgin saw ; and goi n g to a room

W hich held an altar burning with perfum e ,
C u t o ff a lock o f her dark sol i d hair ,

And laid it with a little whispered prayer,

,

Before a statue that o f marble bright,

’
S a t smiling downwards o er the rosy light .

Then at the fl ame a torch o f pin e sh e lit ,

And o e r her head anxiously holding it

’

Ascended to the roof and le a ning there ,

L ifted its light into the d a rk some air .

The boy beheld — beheld it from the sea ,

And parted his wet locks and breathed with gl e e , ,

An d rose, in swimming more triumphantly , .

S mooth was the sea that night the lover strong , ,

And in th e springy waves he danced along .

He rose he dipped his breast he aimed he o u t

, , ,

W ith his clear arms and from before him put ,

Th e pa i t i n g waves and in and out the air ,

His shoulders felt , and trailed his washing hair ;

 L EIG H H U NT S P OEMS
’
.

CO R ON ATI ON S O L I L O QU Y O F G EOR G E
TH E F O URTH .

(J u ly 1 9,

To the t u ne of A m o , a m a s,
I l o ve a l o ss
A S c e da r t a l l a n d s l e n de r ;
S u c c t c o wsl ip s g r a ce ,
’

1 8 he r n o n u n a t w e c a s e ,
A d s e s of t h e f e m i n i n e g e n de r
h ’
n .

H or u m qu or u m ,
S u n t di v o r u m ,
Il a r u m , s c a r m n , di vo ,
Ta g r ag, m er r y de r r a) , pe l m ay a nd Iz a t ba n d,
1 1 1 0, h o e , h o m m , g e n i t i vo .

O
’
K EEF E .

Reg o , r eg i s,
G ood G o d, what s
’
this ?
W hat only half my
,
Pe er i e s l
Reg a s , r eg a t ,
G ood G o d, what s
’
that ?
’
The voice is li k e my deary s 1
O h no m ore there ;
,

S hut the door there

Harum sc a r u m strife O, , ,

Bags S herry D erry periwigs a n d fat

, , ,

S ave us from our wife 0 ,

I decline a
0 Reg i n a ,
.

’
alone s more handsom e
R ea:
Oh what luck S i r , ,

Ex i t u x or I
Ru r s u s eg o a man su m .

G lory ,
glory
How will story
Tell h o w I was gazed at !
Perfect f r om my pumps to the plumes above , hatband ,

All are me amazed at !

 C OR ONA TION S OL IL O Q U Y O F G EOR G E TH E F O UR TH . 2 5

Y e s,my hat S irs , ,

Think o f that S irs , , ,

Vast and plumed and S pain lik e

, ,
-

S e e my big ,

G rand robes my W i g ,

Y oung yet l ion manc l i ke ,

- -

G lory glory !
’
I m not hoary ;
Age it can t come o e r me ’ ’

caps grave caps gazing on the grand m an

, , ,

All alik e adore me .

I k now where
A fat a fair , ,

S w eet other self is doting

’
I d reply
W ith wink of eye ,

B u t fear the newsman noting .

Hah ! the Toying ,

N ever cloying ,

C ometh to console me
C rowns an d sceptres j ewellery state s w ords , , ,
W h o n o w s hall control me !
V .

Must I wal k now

W hat a baul k now
N on es t r eg i s mi te .

O,for youth now

For in truth now ,

N on su m cr a m qu a l i s .

W ell well roar us

, , ,

0 11 before us ,

Harum flarum stout O , , ,

greatly periwig a n d trumpets

,

O h could I leave but my gout 0

, !

Wh at a ( l i es
H o w it fri e s -

Hand k erchiefs for sixty .

 5 L EIG H H U NT S P OEMS
’
2 .

A pp r o ba t i o
S i bi l u ti o
How I feel be twixt y e
C urlies burlies , ,

D ukes and earlies ,

Bangs and clangs o f ba n d 0 !

S houty , fl o u t y heavy rig and gouty
, , ,

W hen shall I come to a stand 0

Bliss at last
The street is passed
’
The aisle I ve dragged me through
—
i t
Oh the rare
O l d crowning chair
I fear I flopped into it .

Balmy balmy , ,

C omes the psalmy

Bland the organ blows me
C rown down coming o n a peri wig that fits m e ,
All right royal shows m e !

VIII.

O h h o w bo n a
My rc o on a

S itting so how du l c i s !
My oc u l u s grim ,

And my spec t r u m slim ,

An d proud as I hold it my puls e, ,

S hout us chorus ,

O rgans roar us ,

Realms let a secret start ye

,

D ragon killing G e orge o n the coin is myself

-

And the dragon is Bonapart e .

And yet alas

’
Must e en I pass
Through hisses again o n foot S irs ,

Oh pang profound
And I now walk crowned ,

And with sceptre in hand to boot , S irs !

 C OR ONAT ION S O L IL O Q U Y OF G EO R G E T H E F O UR TH . 2 7

I go I go
, ,

W ith a fire in my toe ,

l m bowi n g blasting baking

’

, ,

0 Hall , Ope your doors and let your gu e st in ; ,

Every inch I m a— king

’
.

X .

But now we dine

O h word divine ,
’
Beyond what e en h a s crowned it
Envy may call
G reat monarchs small ,

But feast and you dumb found i t ,

-

Brandy brandy , ,

To steady me handy
For playing my knife and fork O
G reen fat , and devilry shal l warrant me e r e bed time ,
,
-

In drawing my twentieth cork O .

Hah , my C hampy
Pl u my trampy ,
’ ’
A st l e y s best can t beat him !
S e e his frown !
His glov e thrown down
S hould a fe e appear h e d eat h i m 1
’

G lory glory
, ,

G lut and glory

I mean po u r y ,

G lut and po u r y
P o u r y morey
, ,

S pl a sh and fl o o r y ,

C rown us drown us m vo I
’

, ,

dram , never end plethora be d— ned , man,

Vi va t Rex dead alive O -

 8 L EIG H H U NT S P OEM S
’
2 .

TO A S PI D ER RU N N I N G A C t OS S A R O OM
’

(Th e L i be r a l , NO 3 . ,

T H O U poisonous rascal running at this rate ,

O e r the perplexing desert o f a mat

’

S crambling and scuttling on thy scratchy legs ,

L ike a scared miser with his money bags —

Thou thief— thou scamp — thou hideous much in li ttl e

B e aring away th e plunder o f a spital
C a i t i fi o f corners doer o f dark deeds
'

, ,

Mere l ump o f poison lif ted o n starved threads ,

That while they run go shuddering here and th e re ,

, ,

As if abhorri n g what they re forced to bear ’

L i k e an o l d bloated tyrant whom his slaves

Bear from the gapin g of a thousan d graves ,

And ta k e to some vile corner o f a C ourt ,

W here felons o f his filthy race resort

I have thee now I have thee here full blown ,
, ,

Thou lost old wretch benighted by the noon

W hat dost thou say ? W hat dost thou think ? D ost se e
’
Providence hanging o er thee to wit me , ,

D ost fear ? D ost S hrink with all thine eyes to view ,

The shadowi n g threat o f mine avenging shoe ?

N o w n o w it comes — one pang and thou wilt l i e
,

Flat a s the sole that treads thy gorged impurity .

MAHM O U D .

(The L i be r a l , NO 4 , .

T H ERE cam e a man mak ing his hasty m oa n

,

Before the S ulta n Mah m oud o n his throne ,

And crying o u t My sorrow is m y right

And I w i ll see the S ultan and t o night , .

“
S orrow said Mahmoud
,
is a reverend thing ,

I recognize its right as k i n g with k in g ;

,
”
S peak o n A fiend has got into my house
.
,
“
Exclaimed the staring man and tortures u s ,
 M AH M O U D . 2 9

On e Of thine o ffi cers —
h e comes , th e abhorred ,
And takes possession o f my house , my board ,

My bed z I have two daughters and a wife

- v
,

And the wil d villain comes and makes me m a d with life ,

.

Is he there n o w ? said Mahmoud N o he left .

The house when I did o f my wits bereft ,

And laughed me down the street because I vowed ,

’
I d bring the prince himself to lay him in his shroud
’
I m m a d with want , I m mad with misery ’

And o h thou S ultan Mahmoud , G o d cries o u t fo r thee

,

The S ultan comforted the man an d said , ,

G o home and I will send thee win e and bread

,

(F o r he was poor
) an d other comforts G O;
,
.

And should the wretch return let S ultan Mahmoud know , .

’
In two days time with haggard eyes and h e a r d, ,

And shak en voice the suitor reappeared , ,

’ ”
And said He s come — Mahmoud said not a word
,
.
,

But rose and took four slaves each with a sword

, , ,

And went with the vexed man They reach the place .
,

An d hear a voice and se e a female face , ,

That to the window fluttered in affright .

“
G o in said Mahmoud
, and put o u t the light ,

But tell the females first to leave the room

And when the drunk ard follows them we com e , .

The man went in There was a cry and hark ! .

,

A table falls the window is struck dark

,

Forth rush the breathless women and behind

WVi t h curses comes t h e fiend i n desperate mind .

I n vain the sabres soon cut short the strife ,

And chop the shrie k ing wretch and drink his bloody l ife , .

light the S ultan cried aloud

N o w li g ht t h e , .

Twas done he took it in his hand an d bowed

’
,

O ver the corpse a n d looked upon the face ;

,

Then turned and knelt beside it in the place ,

And said a prayer a n d from his lips there crept

,

S ome gentle words O f pleasure and he wept , .

 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S ’
.

In reverent silence the s pe ctators wait ,

Then bring him at his call both wine and meat

And when he had refreshed his noble heart ,

He bad e his host be blest and rose up to depart , .

Th e man am azed all mi ldness now and tears,

, ,
’
Fell at the S ultan s feet with m any prayers , ,

A n d begged him to vouchsafe to tell his slave ,

The reason first of that command he gave
About t h e light ; then when he saw t h e face ,

W h y he k nelt down and lastly how it was , ,

That fare so poor as his detained him in the plac e .

Th e S ultan sai d with much humanity

, ,

S ince first I saw thee come and heard thy cry, ,

I could not rid me o f a dread that o n e ,

By who m such daring villanies were done ,

Must be some lord of mine perhaps a lawless son , .

W h o e e r he was I knew my task but feared

’
, ,
’
A father s heart in case the worst appeared
,
.

For this I had the light put o u t But when .

I saw the face and found a stranger slain

, ,

I knelt and thanked the sovereign arbiter ,

W hose work I had performed through pain and fear ;

And then I ros e and was refreshed with food
, ,
’
Th e first time sinc e thou c a m st and m a r r e dst my solitude , .

ON R EA D I NG P O MFR ET S ’
C H OI CE .

“
I H A V E been reading Pomfret s C hoice this spring , ’

A pretty kind o f sort o f— k ind of thi n g

—
,

N o t much a verse and poem n on e at all

, ,

Y e t as they say extremely natural

, , .

’
And yet I k now not There s an art in pi c s .
,

I n raising crusts as well as galleries ;

And he s the poet more o r less who knows
’

, ,

The charm that hallows the least truth from pros e ,

And dresses it in its m ild singing clothes .
 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
32 .

Fishi n g I hate because I think about it

, ,

W hich m akes it right that I should do without it .

A dinner o r a death might not be much

, , ,
’
But cruelty s a rod I d are n o t touch .

I o w n I cannot see my right to feel

’
Fo r my o w n j aws and tear a trout s with steel
,

T o troll h i m here and there and spi k e and strain , , ,

A nd let him l oose to j erk him back again .

Fancy a preacher at this sort o f work ,

N o t with his trout o r gudgeon but his clerk ,

The clerk leaps gapi n g at a tempting b i t ,

And hah an ear ache with a knife in it !

,
—

All manly gam es I d play a t — golf and quoits

’ '

And crick et to set lungs and limbs to rights

, ,

And make me conscious with a due respect , ,

O f muscles o n e forgets by long neglect .

W ith these o r bowls aforesaid and a ride

, , ,

Book s music frien ds the day would I divide

, , , ,

Most with my family but when alone , ,

Absorbed in some new poem o f my o w n

A tas k which mak es my time so richly pass ,

S o like a sunshine cast through painted glass ,

(S ave w here poor C aptain S word cra s hes the pan e s

) ,

T hat could my friends live too and were t h e gains ,

O f toiling men but free from s ordid fears ,

W ell co uld I wal k this earth a thousand years .

S U D D EN FI N E W EATH ER .

(The Ta t lc r , M a y

R E AD E R what soul that loves a verse can see ,

The spring return nor glow lik e y o u and me ?

,

Hear the quick birds and see the lan dscape fill , ,

N o r lo n g to u tter h i s melodious will ?

This m ore than e ver l eaps into the veins

W hen spring has been delayed by winds and rains ,
 S U DD EN F INE “W
EA TH ER .

And coming with a burst comes like a show , ,

Blue all abov e and b a sk ing green below

, ,

And all the people culli n g the sweet prime

Then issues forth the bee to clutch the thym e ,

And the bee po et rushes in t o rhyme .

For 10 I no sooner has th e cold withdrawn ,

Than the bright e l m is tufted o n the lawn ;

The merry sap has run up in the bowers ,

And bursts the windows o f the buds i n flowers ;

W ith song the bosoms of the birds run o e r ’

,
’
The cuck oo calls the swallow s at the door
, .

And apple trees at noon with bees alive

—
, ,

Burn with the golden chorus of the hive

N o w all these sweets these sounds this vernal blaze
, , ,

Is but o n e jo y expressed a thousand ways

,

And honey from the flowers and song from birds , ,

’
Are from the poet s pen his overflowing words .

Ah, friends ! methink s it w ere a pleasant sphere ,

I f like the trees we blossomed every year
, ,

If l ock s gre w t h i c k again and rosy dyes ,

Returned in chee ks and racin ess in eyes , ,

And all around us vital to the tips , ,

The human orchard laughed with cherry lips !

L ord !
what a burst o f merriment and play ,

Fair dames were that an d what a fir st of May !

,

S o natural is the wish that bards gone by ,

Have left it all in some i m mortal sigh !

, ,

And yet the winter months were not so well

W h o would li k e chan ging as t h e seasons fell ? ,
’
Fade every year and stare midst ghastly friends , ,

W ith falling hairs and stuck out fingers ends ?

,
-
’

Besides this tale of youth that comes again

, ,

Is no more true o f apple trees than men -

Yewits and bards then pray discern your duty , ,

And learn the lastingness o f human beauty .

Y our finest fruit to some two months may reach

’
I ve k nown a cheek at for t y li k e a peach .
 L E I G H H U NT S PO EM S
’

34 .

But se e t h e weather calls me Here s a b e e .

’

C om e s boun ding in my r o o m imperiously ,

And talking t o himself hastily burns ,

About mine ear an d so in he at returns

, .

0 li ttl e brethren of the fervid soul ,

Kissers o f fl owers lords o f the golden bowl ,

,

I follow to your fields and tufted brooks

W inter s the time to which t h e poet loo k s
’

Fo r hiving his sweet thoughts and making honied books , .

S ON G OF FAI RI ES R O BBI NG A N O R C HAR D .

(1 8 3 2 )
W E the Fairies blithe and antic , ,

O f dimensions not gigantic ,

Though the moonshine mostl y kee p u s,

O ft in orchards frisk and peep us .

S tolen sweets are always s weeter ,

S tolen kisses much completer ,
S tolen look s are nice in chapels ,
S tolen , stolen b e your apples .

W hen to bed the world a r e bobbing ,

’
The n s th e time for orchard robbing
Y e t the fruit were scarce worth peeling
W ere it not for stealing ste al ing , .

PA G AN I N I .

(L e i g h H u n t
’
8 L o n do n J o u rn a l , Apri l 1 6,

So played o f late t o e very passing thought

W ith finest change (might I but half as well
S o wr ite !) the pale magician o f the bow ,

W h o brought from Italy the tales made tru e , ,

O f G recian lyres and o n his sphery hand ,

 PA G A N IN I .

L oading the a i r with dumb expectancy,

’
S uspended ere it fell a nation s breath
, ,
.

He smote and clinging to the serious chords

—

W ith godlike ravi shment drew forth a breath , ,

S o deep so strong so fervi d thick with lov e

, , ,

Blissful yet laden as with twenty prayers

, ,

That Juno yearned with no diviner soul

To t h e first burthen of the lips o f Jove .

The exceeding myst e ry of the loveliness

S addened delight ; and wit h his mournful l o ok ,

D reary and gaunt hanging his pallid face

,

Twixt his dark flowing lock s he almost seem e d

’
, ,

To feeble or to m elancholy eyes ,

O n e that had parted with his soul for pride ,

And in the sable secret lived forlorn .

But tru e and earnest all t o o happily ,

That skill dwelt i n him serious with its jo y ;

,

F o r noble now he smote the exulting strings ,

And bade them march before his stately w i l l

An d now he loved them like a cheek and laid ,

Ende a rment o n the m and took pity sweet

,

And now h e was all mirth o r all for sense ,

And reason carving o u t his thoughts like pros e

,

After his poetry ; o r else he laid

His o w n soul prostrate at the feet of love ,

And with a full and trem blin g fervour deep ,

I n k neeling and close creeping urgency-

Implored some mistress with hot tears which past ,

And after patience had brought right o f peace ,

He dre w as if from thoughts finer than hope

, ,

C omfort around him in ear soothing strai n s —

And elegant composure or he turned

To heaven instead o f earth and raised a prayer ,

S o earnest vehement yet so lowly sad

, ,

Mighty with want and all poor human tears ,

That never saint wrestling with earthly love

,

And in mid age unable to get free

-

Tore down from heaven such pity O r behold , .

I n his despair (for such from what he spoke,

’
O f grief before it , o r of love t w ould seem ) , ,
 H U NT S PO EM S
’
L EIG H .

Jump would h e into some strange wai l uncouth

O f witches dance ghastly wit h whinings thi n
’

And palsied nods— mi r th wick ed sad and weak , , ,

And then with show of sk ill mechanical ,

Marvellous as witchcraft he would ove r throw

,

That vision with a shower of notes like hail ,

O r sudden m i xtures o f a l l di fficult things

N ever yet heard flashing the sharp tones n o w ,

In downward leaps lik e swords now rising fine

I nto some utmost tip of minute sound ,

From whence he stepped into a higher and higher

O n viewless points till laugh took leave o f him :
,

O r he would fly as if from all the world

To be alone and happy and you should hear
,

His instrument become a tree far o ff ,

A nest o f birds and su n b e a n i s sparkling both , ,

A cottage bower : o r he would condescend ,

In playful wisdom which k nows no contempt ,

To bring to laughing memory plain as sight , ,

A farmyard with its inmates o x and lamb , ,

The whistle and the whip with f ee ding hen s ,

I n household fi dg e t muttering evermore ,

And rising as in scorn crowned Chanticleer

, , ,

O rdaining silence with his sovereign crow .

Then from o n e chord o f his amazing shell

Wo u l d he fetch out the voice of choirs and weight
i

O f the built organ o r some twofold strain

Moving before him in sweet going yok e —
,

Ride like an Eastern conqueror round whose stat e ,

S om e light Morisco leaps with his guitar ;

’ ’
And ever and anon o er these he d t hrow
Jets o f small notes lik e pearl or like the pelt ,
’
O f l overs sweetmeats on Italian lutes
From wi ndows on a feast day or the leaps -

O f pebbled water sprin k led in the sun

, ,

O n e chord e ffecting all and when the ear

-

Felt there was nothing present but himself

And silence and the wonder dre w deep sig hs
, ,

Then would his bow lie down again in tears ,

And S peak to some o n e in a prayer o f love ,

Endless and never from his heart to g o

,

Or he w o uld talk as o f some secret bliss,

 CA PTA IN S W O R D A ND C A PTA IN PEN .
37

And at t h e close of all the wonderment

(W hich himself share d) near and more near would co m e
Into the inmost ear and whisper there ,

Breathings so soft so low so full o f life

, , ,

Touched beyond sense and only to be borne ,

By pauses which made each less bearable ,

That o u t o f pure n e cessity for relief

From that heaped j oy and bliss that laughed for pain , ,

T h e thunder of the uprolling house came down ,

And bowed the breathing sorcerer into smiles .

CAPTAI N S W O R D A N D CAPTAI N P EN .

(1 8 3 5)
TH E B A TTL E F IEL D A T N IG H T -

’
TIs
a wild night out of doors ;
The wind is mad upon the moors ,

And comes into the rocking town ,

S tabbing all things up and down , ,

And then there is a weeping ra i n

Huddling gainst the window pane
’
-

A n d good men bl ess themselves in bed ;

The mother brings her infant s head ’

C loser with a j oy lik e tears

, ,

And thinks o f angels i n her prayers

Then sleeps with his small han d i n hers
, .

Two loving women lingering yet ,

Er e the fire is out are met , ,

Tal k ing sweetly time beguiled,

-

O n e of her bridegroom o n e her child , ,

The bridegroom he They have received .

Happy letters more believed

,

For public news and feel the bliss

,

The heavenlier on a night li k e this .

They think him housed they think him ble st , ,

C urtained in the core of rest ,

D anger distant all good near

,

W h y hath their G ood night a t e ar ? -

33 L EIG H H U NT S P OEM S
’
.

Behold h i m ! By a ditch h e lies

C lutch ing the wet ea rth his eyes ,

Beginning to be mad In vain .

His tongue still thirsts to lick the rain ,

That mocked but n o w h i s homew a rd tears ;

And ever and anon he rears
His legs and knee s w ith all their strength ,
And then as strongly thrusts at length .

Raised o r stretched he cannot bear

, ,

The wound that girds him weltering there ,

A n d W ater ! he cries with moonward star e

”
.

His n ails are in earth his eyes in air , ,

And W ater ! h e crieth — h e may not forbear

”
.

Brave and good was he yet now he dreams ,

The moon looks cruel ; and he blasphemes .

W ater ! water all over the field

To nothing but D eath will that wound —voice yield .

O n e as he crieth is sitting h alf bent ;

, ,

W hat holds he so close — his body is rent .

Another is mouthless with eyes on cheek ; ,

Unto the raven he may not speak .

O n e would fain k ill him and o n e half round

The place where he writhes hath u p beaten the ground ,
-

L ike a mad horse hath he beaten the ground ,

And t h e feathers and music that litter it round ,

The gore an d the mud and the golden sound

, , .

C om e hither ye cities ! ye ball rooms take breath !

,
-

S ee what a floor hath the D ance o f D eath !

A shriek — G reat G o d ! what superhuma n

Peal was that ? N o t man n o r woman , ,

N o r twenty madmen crushed could wreak, ,

Their soul i n such a ponderous shriek .

D umbly for an instant stares

, ,
’
Th e field ; and creep men s dying hairs .

0 friend o f m a n O noble creature !

Patient and brave an d mild by nature ,
,

Mild by nature and mute as mild

, ,

W h y brings he to these passes wild ,

 L EIG H H U NT S P O EMS
’

40 .

And truly t w as a gallant thing to se e that crowning sho w

’
,

Valour and love and a ki ng above and t h e royal b e asts

, ,

below .

Ramped and roared the lions with horrid lau ghing j aws ,

They h i t they glared gave blows lik e beams a wind went

, , ,

with their paws ;

W ith wallowing might and stifled roar they rolled o n o n e
another ,

Till a l l the pit with sand and man e was in a th underous

smother ;
The bloody foam above the bars cam e whisking through t h e
air
“ ’
S aid Francis then ,
Faith gentlemen we r e better here
, ,
”
than there .

’ ’
D e L orge s love o e r h e a r d the King a beauteous lively dam e ,

W ith smiling lips and sharp bright eyes which al ways ,

s e emed the same

S h e thought the C ount my l e v e r is brave a s brave can b e ;
,

He surely would do wondrous things t o show his lov e o f

me ;
King ladies lovers all look o n ; the occ as ion is divine ;
, , ,

I l l drop my glove to prov e his love ; great glory will b e

’
,

n am e .

She dropped her glove to prove his love then looked at h i m , ,

and smiled ;
He bo w ed and in a moment leaped among the lions w ild
,

The leap was quic k return was quick he has regained his , ,

place ,
’
Then threw the glove , but not with love right in the lady s ,

face .

”
By Heaven said Francis rightly done ! an d he ros e
.
,

from where he sat

”
N 0 love quoth he,
“
but vanity sets love a task like that
, ,
.
 S ONG S o r T H E F LOWER S .
4!

S ON G S O F TH E F L O VV ER S .

( Th e Ne w M o n t h ly Itl a g a z i n e , Ma y I8 3 6 .
)
R O S ES .

W E are bl ushing Roses ,

Bending with our fulness ,

’
Midst o u r close ca pped sister buds
-

W arming the green coolness .

’
VV h a t so e e r o f
beauty
Y earns andyet reposes ,

Blush and bosom and sweet breath

, , ,

Took a shape in roses .

Hol d one o f us lightly

S e e from what a slender
S talk we bower i n heavy blooms ,

And roundness rich an d tender .

K now y o u not o u r only

Rival fl o w e r — the human !
L oveliest weight o n lightest foot ,
J o y abundant woman ?
-

L IL IES .

W e are L ilies fair ,

The flower o f virg in light ;

N ature held us forth and said , ,
”
L o ! my thou ghts o f white .

Ever since then , angels

Hold us in their hands ;
Y o u may see the m where they tak e
In pictures their sweet stands .

’
L ikethe garden s angels
Also d o w e seem ,

And not the less for b eing crowned

W ith a golden dream .
 L EIG H H U NT S PO EMS
’
.

C ould you see around us

The enamoured air ,

Y o u would see it pale wi th bliss

To hold a thing so fair .

V IO L ETS .

W e are violets blue ,

For o u r sweetness found

C areless in the mossy shade s
L ook ing on the ground .

L ove s dropped eyelids and a kiss

’

S uch o u r breath and blueness is .

Io the mild shap e

,
’
Hidden by Jove s fears ,

Found us first i the sward when sh e ’

For hunger stooped in tears .

W heresoe er her lip she sets

’

Jove said be breaths called Violets

, .

S WEET B RIA R o
.

W ild rose
-
briar Eglantin e ,
,
S weet -

All these pretty names are mine ,

And scent in every leaf i s mine ,

And a leaf for all is mine ,

’
An d the scent oh that s divine ! —
,

Happy s w eet and pungent fi n e

- -

Pure as dew and pick ed as win e , .

As the rose in gardens dressed

Is the lady self possessed -

I m the lass in simple vest

’

The country lass whose blood s the best '

W ere the beams that thread the briar

In the morn with golden fi r e
’
S c ented too they d sm e ll like m e ,
,

All Elysian pungency .

P O PPIES .

W e are slumberous poppi e s ,

L ords of L e t h e downs -

,
 TH E FI S H , TH E MA N, A ND T H E S PIRIT .
43

S ome awake and som e asleep , ,

S leepi n g in o u r crowns .

W hat perchance our dreams may know,

L e t o u r serious beauty show .

C entral depth o f p u rpl e ,

L eaves more bri ght than rose ,
W h o shall tell what brightest thought
O u t o f darkest grows ?
W h o , through what funereal pain
S ouls to love and peace attain ?

Visions aye are on us ,

Unto eyes of power ,

Pluto s always setting sun

’

,
’
And Proserpine s bower
There l ike bees the pale souls com e
, ,

For o u r drink with drowsy hum .

Taste ye mortal s also ;

, ,

Milky hearted we ; -

Taste but with a reverent care

,

Ac t ive patient be -

TO O much gladness brings to gloom

Thos e who o n t h e gods pr e sum e .

TH E FI S H ,
T H E M A N , A N D TH E S PI RIT .

(T he Ne w JlIo n t h lg M a g a z i n e ,
J u ne

T O FIS H .

Y OU strange as t o n i sh e d l o o ki n g angle face d

,
~
,
—
,

D reary —mouthed gaping wretches o f t h e se a ,

, ,

G ulping salt water everlastingly ,

-

C ol d blooded though with red your blood b e graced

-

, ,

And mute though dweller in t h e roaring waste

,

And you all shapes b e side that fi s hy b e

, ,

S om e round some flat some long all devilry ,

, , ,

L egless unloving infamously chast e

, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
44 .

O scaly slippery wet swift staring wights

, , , , ,

W hat is t ye do ? what life lead ? eh d u ll goggles ?

’

H o w do ye vary your vile days and nights ?

H o w pass your S undays ? Are ye still but j oggles
In ceaseless wash S till nought but gapes and bites ,

A n d drinks and stares , diversified with boggles

,

A FIS H A NS W ER S .

Amazing monster ! that for augh t I know , ,

W ith the first sight of t hee didst mak e o u r rac e

Fo r ever stare 0 flat and shocking face ,

G rimly divided from the breast below !

Thou that on dry land horribly dost go
W ith a split body and most ridiculous pace ,

Prong after prong disgracer O f all grace , ,

L ong useless fi n n e d haired upright unwet slow

— —
, , , ,

O breather Of unbreathable sword sharp air ,

-

How canst exist ? Ho w bear thyself tho u dry ,

A n d dreary sloth W hat particle canst share .

O f the only blessed life the watery ? ,

I sometimes see of ye an actual p a i r

G o by lin k ed fi n by fin most odiously

F i sh t u r n s i n to a Ma n ,
a nd t h e n i n to a Spi r i t, a n d a g a i n spe a k} .

Indulge thy smiling scorn , if smiling still ,

0 man and loathe , but with a sort of love
Fo r di ff erence must its use by di ff erence prove,
And in sweet clang the spheres with music fill
, , .

O n e o f the spirits am I that at his will ,

L ive in whate er has life — fi sh eagle dove

’

, ,

N o hate no pride beneath nought nor above

, , ,

A visitor o f the rounds of G od s sweet skill

'

Man s life i swarm glad sad twixt lo v es and grav e s ,

’
, , ,
’

Boundless in hope honoured with pangs austere , ,

Heaven gazing and his a n gel wings he crave

- —

The fish is swift small needing vague yet clear ,

—
, ,

A cold sweet silver life wrapped in round wave s

, , , ,

Quic k ened with touches of transporting fear .

 O U R C O TTA G E .
45

O U R COTTA G E .

(Th e N e w M on t h l y flf a a z i n e , S e pt e m b er
g

S OM E few o f us children and grown possess

, ,

A cottage far removed,

Tis in a glade .
’
,

W here the sun harbours and one side o f it

L istens t o bees another to a brook
,
.

L overs that have j ust parted for the night

, ,

D ream o f such spots whe n they have said their prayers

,

Or some tired parent holding by the hand ,

A child and wal k ing t o w r ds the setting sun

,
’
.

No news comes here n o scandal n o routin e

’
O f morning visit ; not a postman s k nock
That double thrust o f the long staff of care .

W e are as distant from the world in spirit ,

’
I f not in place as though in C rusoe s isle
, ,

And please ourselves with being ignorant

Even o f the country som e five miles beyond .

O u r wood s o u r world with some fe w hills and dale s,

’

And many an alley green with poppies e dged ,

And flowery bra kes where sails the long blue fly

, ,

W hom we pronounce a fa i ry and twould go ’

’
Hard with us to be c e It a i n he s not o n e ,

S uch willing children are we of the possible .

Hence all our wal k s have na m es ; some of the Fa iries ,

And some o f N ymphs (where the brook m a k es a b a t h

I n a green chamber and the turf s half violets ) ,
’

And some of G rim O l d Men that live a lon e ,

A n d may not be seen safely Pan h a s one .

D own in a beech dell a n d Apollo another

-

W here sunset i n the trees mak es strawy fires .

Yo u might suppose the place picked out o f books .

The nightingales i n the cold b looms are there

, ,

F u llest o f heart hushing our ope n ed windo w s

,

The cuckoo ripest in the warmed thicks .

Autu m n the princely season purple robed

, ,
—

And lib eral handed b rings no gloom to us

-

, ,

But rich in its o w n self gives us rich hope

, ,

O f winter time and when the winter comes

—
,
46 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
.

W e burn Ol d wood and read O l d books that wall

,

O u r biggest room and tak e our heartiest wal k s

,

O n the good hard glad ground ; or when it rains

, ,

And the rich dell s are mire make much and long ,

Of a small bin we have of good old wine

And talk o f perhaps entertain some friend
, , ,

W hom o l d or young we gift with the same grac e

, ,

O f ancient epithet for love is time

W ith us youth o l d as love and age as you n g ; ,

And stars affections hopes roll all alike

, , ,

Immortal rounds in heaven when not o n earth

,
“

Therefore the very youngest o f us all

D o we call Old O l d Vincent or Old Jule , ,

Or Old J a c i n t h a and they count us young ,

And at a very playfellow time of life ,

As in good truth we are witness the nuts

W e seek to pelt w ith in thy trampled leaves
, , ,

N ovember ; and the merry C hristmas ring ,

H o t faced and loud with too much fire and foo d

-

The rare excess loving and generous gods

,
.

” “ ”
O l d Mary and o l d Percy and old Henry
, , ,

Al so there are w ith more beyond their teens

,

But these are reverend youngsters m arried now , ,

And ride no longer to o u r cottage nest

’
O n that unbridled horse their father s kne e ,
.

C HRI S TMA S .

( The N e w l ll o n thl
g M a a z i n e , D ece m b er
g 1 8 36

comes He comes he comes,

C H R IS T M A S ,

Ushered with a rain of plums

Hollies in the wi ndows greet him
S chools come driving post t o meet him ;
G ifts precede him bells proclai m him , ,

Every mouth delights to nam e him

W e t and cold and wind and dark
, , , ,

Make him but the warmer mark

And yet he comes not one embodied , -

Universal s t h e blithe godhead

’

,
 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
.

No w a saint and now a sinner , ,

But above all he s a dinner ;

, ,
’

’
He s a dinner where you see ,

Everybody s family ;
’

Beef and puddi n g and mince pies

, ,
-

And little b oys with laughing eyes ,

W hom their seniors ask arch questio n s ,

Feigning fears of indigestions
(As if they forsooth the o l d ones
, ,

Hadn t privately ten fold ones )

’

, ,
’
He s a dinner and a fire ,
’
Heaped beyond young hearts desire
Heaped with log and bak ed with coals, ,

Till it roasts your very souls ,

And your cheek t h e fire outstares ,

And y o u all push back your chairs,
And the mirth becomes too great ,

And you all sit up too late ,

N odding all with too much head ,

An d so go o ff to too much bed .

0 pleth ora o f beef and bliss !

Monk ish feaster sly o f kiss ! ,

S outhern soul in b o dy D u t c h ,

G lorious time o f great TO O Much -

To o much heat and t o o much noise , ,

To o m uch babblement o f boys ;

To o much eating t o o much dri n k ing , ,

To o much e v r y t h i n g but thin k i n g ;

’

S olely be nt to laugh and stu ff ,

And trample upon base Enough ;

O h right is thy instinctive prais e
,

O f the wealth o f N ature s ways

’
.

Right thy most un t h r i ft y g l e e

'

And pious thy mince piety -

F o r behold great N ature s self

’

Builds her no abstemious shelf ,

But provides (her love is such

For a ll ) her o w n great good To o Much ,
-

Too much grass and too much tree , ,

To o m u ch air and land a n d sea , , ,

Too much seed o f fruit and flower ,

And fi sh , an unim a gined do wer !

 B O D RYDD A N .
49

(In whose single roe shall be

L ife enough to stock the sea
Endless ichthyophagy
’
Ev ry instant through the day
W orlds o f life are thrown away
W orlds of life and worlds of pleasur e ,
,

N o t fo r lavishment Of tre a sure ,

’
But because she s so immensely
Rich and loves us so intensely
, ,

S h e would have us once for all , ,

W ak e a t her benignant call ,

And a l l grow wise and al l lay d own ,

S trife and j ealousy and frown

, , ,

And lik e the sons of o n e g reat m other

, ,

S hare , and be blest , with one another .

B O D RY D D A N .

(Th e Mo n thl y Rep o s i t o ry , O cto b er

0 L AN D o f D ruid and of Bard ,

W orthy o f bearded Time s regard ’

Quick blooded light voiced lyric W ale s

-

,
-

, ,

Proud w ith mountains rich with vales , ,

And of such valour that in thee

W a s born a third Of chivalry .

(And is to come again they say , ,

Blowing its trumpets into day ,

W ith sudden earthquake from the ground

And in the mi dst great Arthur crowned ) ,
,

I used to think of thee and thine

As o n e o f an old faded line
L iving in his hills apart ,

W hose pride I knew but n o t his h ear t ,

But n o w that I have seen thy face ,

Thy fields an d ever youthful race

,
’
A nd women s lips of rosiest word
o rich they open ) and have h e a rd
(S ,

The harp still leaping i n thy halls ,

Quenchless as the waterfalls ,
 L EI G H H U NT S P OEM S
’
.

I kn ow thee full o f pulse as strong

’
As the sea s more ancient song ,

And o f a sympathy as wide

And all this truth and more beside , ,

I should have known , had I but seen ,

0 Flint thy little shore and been

,

Wh ere Tr uth and D ream walk hand ,

-
in -
han d ,
B o dr y dda n s living Fairy land
’
-
.

A HY MN TO BI S H O P VA L ENTI N E .

(The M o n th ly R ep osi t or y , F eb ru ary

TH E day , the only day returns ,

The tru e r e dde l e t t er day returns ,

W hen summer time in winter burns ;

W hen a February dawn
Is opened by two sleeves in lawn
Fairer than Aurora s fingers ’

And a burst o f all bird singers ,

And a shower o f bi l l e t do u se -

Tinging cheeks with rosy hues ,

And over all a face div ine ,

Face good natured face most fi n e ,

-

Face most anti saturnine -

Even thine yea e ven thine , , ,

S ai nt o f sweethearts Valentine ! ,

S ee , he s dawning ! S e e he comes
’
,

W ith t h e j ewels o n his thumbs

G lancing as a ruby ray
(For he s sun and all to day )
’
-

S e e h is lily sleeves ! and now

S e e the mitre on his brow
S e e his truly pastoral crook ,

And beneath his arm his book

e A r t e A m a n di )
(S om e sweet tome D
’
And his hair , twixt saint and da n dy ,

L ovelocks touchin g either cheek ,

A n d black though with a silver streak ,

,

A S though for age both young and Old ,

’
A n d h i s look , twixt m e ek a n d bold ,
52 L EIG H H U NT S P O EMS .

All decre e th ee consecration !

Beatification
C anonization
All cry out with heart prostration ,
,
-

S weet s thy text elucidation

’
-

S weet oh sweet s thy visitation

’
, ,

And Paradise thy confirmation .

R O N D EAU
(The M o n t hly Chro n i c l e Novem b er ,

J ENN Y kissed me when we met ,

Jumpi n g from the chair she sat in ;

Time you thief w h o love to get
, ,

S weets into your list put that in ,

’
S a y I m weary say I m sad
’
, ,

S a y that health and wealth hav e m iss e d

’
S a y I m growing old b u t add , ,

Je nny kissed m e .

TO TH E QU EEN .

(T he M o r n i n g Chro n i cl e , Ma y 2 8,

TH Elark dwells lowly Madam — o n the ground

,

And yet his song within the heaven is found

The basest heel may wound him ere he ris e ,

But soar he must for love exalts his eyes

, .

Though poor his heart must loftily be S pent

, ,

And he sings free crowned w ith t h e fi r m a m e n t

, .

A po e t t hus (if love and later fame

May warran t h i m to wear that sa c r e dn a m e )
Hoped in some pause of birthday pomp and power
, ,
’
His carol might have reached the S overeign s b ower;
Voice Of a heart twice touched once in its need ,

O nce by a kind word exquisite indeed

.
,
 TO TH E Q U EEN .
53

B ut Care ,
ungrateful to a host that l ong
Had bor ne h i m kindly came and marred his song , ,

Marred it an d stopped and in his envi ou s soul

, ,

D reamt it had ceased outright and perished whole ,

D ull god to know not after all he k new , ,

W hat the best gods Patience an d L ove can do , ,

.

The song was lamed was lated yet the bird , ,

’
High by the lady s bower has still been heard ,

Than k ing that bal m in need and that delightful word ,

.

Blest be the Queen ? Blest when the sun goes down

W hen rises blest May love line soft her crown
,
. .

’
May music s self not more harmonious be ,

Than the mild manhood by her side and she .

May she be young for ever ride dance sing —

, , ,
’
Twixt cares o f state carelessly carolling ,

An d set all fashions healthy blithe and wise , , ,

From whence good mothers and glad offspring ris e .

May everybody love her May sh e b e .

A s brave as will yet soft as charity ;

,

And o n her coins be never laurel seen ,

But only those fair peaceful lock s seren e ,

Beneath whose waving grace first mingle now

The ripe G uel ph cheek a n d good straight C oburg brow ,

Pleasure and reason May s h e every da y , ,

S e e som e n ew good winning its gentle way

By means of mil d and unforbidden men
And w hen the sword hath bowed beneath the pen ,
May her own line a patriarch scene unfold ,

As far surpassing what these days behol d

E e n i n the thunderous gods iron and steam
’
, ,
’
As they t h e sceptic s doubt or wild man s dream ! ,
’

And to this end Oh ! to this C hristian end

—
,

And t h e sure coming of its next great friend .

,

May her o w n soul this instant while I sing

, , ,
’
Be smiling as beneath some angel s wing
, ,

O e r the dear life in life the small swee t n e w ,

’

, , ,

U n se l fi s h self the filial self o f two

, ,

Bliss o f her future eyes her pillowed gaze , ,

’
O n whom a mother s heart thinks close and prays , .

Y our
beadsman Madam thus in S pite o f sorrow
, , , ,

Bids at your window , like the lark , good morro w .

 L EIG H H U NT S P O EMS
’
.

T O TH E I N FAN T PRI N C ES S R O Y AL .

(Th e Ilf or n i n g Ch r o n i c l e Nove m b er 2 5 , ,

W EL C O M E bud besi de the rose

, ,

O n whose stem our safety grows ;

W elcome little S axon G uelph
,

W elcome for thine own small self ;

'

W elcome for thy father mother , ,

Proud the on e and Safe the other ;

W elcome to three kingdoms nay ,

S uch is thy potential day ,

W elcome little mighty birth

, ,

To our human star the earth .

S ome
have w ished thee boy an d so m e
G ladly wait till boy shall come ,

C ounting it a genial S ign

W hen a lady leads the line
_
.

W hat imports it girl o r boy ? ,

England s o l d historic j oy
’

W ell might be content to see

Queens alone come after thee
Twenty visions O f thy mother
Following sceptred each the other , ,

L inking with their roses white

A ges o f unborn del i ght .

W hat imports it who shall lead ,

S o that the good line succeed ?

S O that love and peace feel sure
O f old hate s di sc o m fi t u r e ?
’

Thee appearing b y the rose

S afety comes and peril goes ; ,
’
Thee a ppearing earth s new spring ,
’
Fears no winter s grisly king ;
Hope an ew leaps u p and dances ,

I n the hearts o f human chances ;

France the b rave but too quick blooded
, ,
-

W isely has her threat r e studied -

England now as safe as she ,

From the strifes that need not be ,

And the realms that hushed and still ,

Earth with fragrant thought may fill ,

 H U NT S PO EMS
’
L EIG H .

C ON F R ON TI N G F O ES .

(A L eg e n d of F l o re n c e , act i ii scene 2 . .

A G O L AN TI A N D R O N D IN ELL I .

AGO . The m ore you S peak the greater is the ins u l t

,

To o n e that as k s n o t your advice nor needs it

N o r am I to be trick ed into submission
’
To a pedantic and o e r w e e n i n g insolence ,
Because it treats o n e like a child with gross ,

S elf reconciling needs and s u gary fulsomeness

-

G o back to the world y o u speak o f you yoursel f , ,

True infant and learn better from its o w n school .

Y o u tire me .

R O N S tay my last words must be heard

.
, .

I n nothing then will there be any difference

Fro m what the world now see ?
AGO . In nothing fool , .

W h y should t h ere be ? Am I a painter s posture figur e ? ’

A glove to be m a de to fit — a public humour ?

To hear you is preposterous n o t to trample you
A favour, which I k now not w h y I S how .

’
RON . I ll tell y o u .

’
Tis because you with cowa rdly t y ranny
, ,

Presume o n the blest sha e that stands between us

A y with an impudence 0 your o w n i mmeasurable,
, ,
’
S k ulk at an an gel s skirts .

AGO . I l augh at you .

And let me tell you at parting that the way ,

To se r ve a lady best and have her f a ults ,

L i g h t l i e st admonished b y her lawful helper ,

Is n o t t o thrust a lawless vanity

’
Twixt him and his vexed love .

R ON . Utter that word

N 0 secon d time Blasphem e not its religion
. .

An d mark m e once for all I kn ow you proud

,
.
,

Rich sanguine during passion sullen after it , ,

Purchasing shows o f mutual respect

W ith bows as l o w as their recoil is lofty
And thinking that the world and you being each ,

N 0 better than each other may thu s ever , ,

In smooth accommodation of absurdity ,

 MA G I C INF L U ENC E O F M U S IC .
57

Move prosperous to your graves But also I know y o u .

Misgiving amidst all o f it more violent

’
Than bold more superstitious e en than formal
,

More propped up by the public breath than vital ,

In very self conceit N o w mark me

-
.

AGO . A beggar
Mad with detection barking li k e his cur ,

R O N Mark me impostor
. L e t that saint be wors e
,

By o n e hair s breadth of sickness and you tak e

’
-

N o step to show that you wou ld have prevented it ,

An d e very soul in Fl orence from the b eggar ,

Up to the princely sacredness now coming ,

S hall be loud o n you and loathe you Boys shall f o l l o w you

, .
,

Plucking your shuddering skirts women forego ,

’
For woman s sake their bashfulness and speak , ,

W ords at you as y o u pass ; old friends not k now you

,

Enemies m eet you friend like ; and when for shame ,

-

, ,

Y o u shut yourself indoors and take yourself t o b e d , ,

And die of this world by day and of t h e next by night , ,

The nurse that makes a penny o f your pillow ,

And would desire you gone but your g roans pay her , ,

S hall turn from the last agony in your throat ,

An d count her wages .

A G O [ dr a w i n g h i s s w or d] D eath in thine o wn throat

. .

R O N Tempt m e not
. .

A GO . C owa rd
R O N [ dr a w i n g h i s sw or d] A l l you saints bear witness
. .

[ C r i e s of A g o la n ti S ignor A g o l a n t i

En t e r S ervants i n di s o r de r .

FIR S T S ER V My lady sir .

,
.

A GO . N
Vh a t of her ?
S ER V . S ir , she is dead .

MAG I C I N FL U ENC E O F MU S I C .

(A L eg e n d of F lo r e n c e act i v scene 1 , . .

O L IM PIA . I have noted oft

That eyes that have kept dr y their cups o f tears
, ,

The moment they were touched by music s fingers ’

Trembled , brimful .
58 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

THR EE VI S I O N S .

ON TH E B IR T H A ND C H R IS T EN IN G O F TH E P R IN C E or WA L ES .

( Th e M or n i n g Chr o n i c l e , F eb ru ary 8 ,

0 LO VE o f than k s for gentle deeds ,

O sympathy with lowly needs ,

0 claims of care and b alms of song , ,

I feared ye meant to do me wrong ,

And let me fade with stifled heart ,

Er e time and I had leave to part

But wak ing lately i n the morn ,

Just as a golden day was born

_ ,

L o the dull clou ds by sickness w rought ,

, ,

Began to break o n heights o f thought ,

And fresh from out the Muse s sk y ’

Three visions O f a Queen had I

Three in auspicious link benign
O n e dear one gorgeous one divin e
, ,

The fi r st — (and let no spirit dare

That v ision with my soul to share ,

But such as now that angels spread

’
Their wings above a mother s bed )
T h e first disclosed her where she lay
In pillowed ease that bless ed day , ,

W hich just had made her pale with joy

O f the wished for princely boy
-

, ,

C ome to complete and stamp with m a n ,

The line which gentler grace began .

S e e how they smooth her brows to rest

, ,

Faint meek yet proud and wholly b l est

, , ,

And how she may not speak the while ,

But only sigh and only smile , ,

A n d press his pressing hand who vies

In bliss with her bel ov ed eyes .

Vanished that still and sacred room ,

And round me lik e a pomp in bloom, ,

W a s a proud chapel heavenly bright ,

W ith lucid glooms o f painted light

Hushing the thought with holy story ,
And flags that hu n g asleep in glory ,
60 L E I G H H U NT S PO EMS
’
.

To o generous happy to endur e

-

The thought o f all the woful poor

W h o that same night laid down thei r h e a ds
In mock eries o f starving beds ,

In cold i n wet disease despair

, , , ,

I n m adness that W ill say no prayer ;

W ith wailing infants some ; and som e ,

By whom t h e little clay lies dumb ;

And som e whom feeble love s excess
,
’

Through terror tempts to murdero u sness

, .

And at that thought the big drops ros e

’
I n pity for her peopl e s woes
And this glad mother and great quee n
W eeping for the poor was seen ,

And vowing in her princely will

That they should thrive and bless her still .

And of these three fair sights of min e ,

Tha t was the vision most divin e .

OL D K EN S I N G T ON PA L A C E .

( Th e P a lf r ey ,

’
TIS June , and a b r ight sun burn eth all ,
S i r W illiam hath galloped from Hendon Hall
To Kensington , where i n a thick o l d wood
(N o w its fai r G ardens ) a man sion stood ,
Half li k e fortress and half li k e farm
, ,

A house which had ceased to be threatened with

’
Th e gates frowned still for the dignity s sake
, ,

W ith porter portcullis and bit o f a lak e

, ,

But ivy c a ressed their w arm o l d ease ,

And the young rook s chuck led across the trees ,

And burning below went the golden bees .

The spot w a s the same wher e o n a May morn

,

Th e Ros e that t 0 ppe t h the world was born .

 AL B U MS .
61

RI D I N G B IL L ION .

( Tl ee P a lf rey ,

TH IS riding double was no crim e

I n the first great Edward s time ’

N o brave man thought himself dis g ra ced

By two fair arms about his waist
N o r did the lady blush v e r n i il i o n ,
’
D ancing on the lover s pillion .

W h y ? Because all modes and actions

Bowed not the n to Vulgar Fract i ons
N o r were tested all resources
By the power to purchase horses .

“W
EAL TH A N D W O MAN H O O D .

H A VEyou seen an heire ss

I n her j ewels mounted ,

Till her wealth and she seemed on e,

And she might be counted ?

Have you seen a bosom
W ith o n e rose betwixt it ?
And did you mark the grateful blush ,
W hile the bridegroom fixed it ?

A L BUM S .

(1 8 4 4
A N Album 1 This ! W h y tis for aught I se e ,
’
,

S h e e r wit , and verse ,

and downright poetry ;
A priceless book incipient a treasure
O f g rowing pearl a hoard for pride and pleasure
A golden beg g ing box which pretty Miss
-

G oes round with like a gipsy as she is

, ,
’
From bard t o bard to stock her father s shelf,
‘

Perhaps for cunning dowry to herself .

 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
.

Albums are records kept by gentle dame s , ,

To sho w us that their friends can writ e their na mes

That Miss can draw o r brother John can write ,

S weet li n es o r that they k now a Mr W hite

”
. .
,

The lady comes with lowly g r a c e upon her , ,

’ ”
Twill be so kind and do her book such honour ,

W e b o w smile deprecate protest read o e r

, , , ,
’

The names to see what has been done before ,

W ish t o say something wonderful but can t ,

’

And wr ite with modest glory W illiam G rant

, ,
.

Johnson succeeds and Thomson Jones and C larke , , ,

And Co x with an orig inal remark

“ ’
O u t o f the S peak er then c o m e John s sweet l i nes —
,
’ ’
Fanny s sweet airs an d Jenny s s w eet designs ,

Then Hobbs C obbs D obbs L ord S trut and L ady Brisk ,

, , , , ,

And wi th a flourish underneath him Fisk

, , .

A las !
why sit I here committing j okes ,

O n social pleasures and good humoured folks -

That see far better with their trusting eyes ,

Than all the b l i n ki n g s o f the would b e w ise ? -

Albums are after all pleasant inventions

, , ,
’
Make friends m ore friendly, grac e one s good intention s,
Brighten dull names give great ones kinder l ooks , ,

N a y n o w an d then produce right curious books

, ,

And make the sc o fl e r (as it now does me )

'

Blush to look round o n deathless company .

G EN ERA L S ON G O F T H E FL OW ER S .

(1 8 44 )

W E are the sweet Flowers ,

Born o f sunny showers ,

’
Think whene er y o u see us what o u r beauty saith
, ,

Utterance mute and bright

O f some unk nown deli ght ,

W e fi ll the air with pleasure by o u r simple bre ath ,

All who see us love us ,

W e b e fi t all places
Unto sor r ow w e give smiles and unto graces gra c e s , ,
 L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S
’
.

And 0 11 ! o u r sweet soul taker,

That thief the honey make1 —

W
,

hat a house hath he by the thymy glen ! ,

In his t al k ing rooms

How the feasting fumes ,

Till his gold cups overflo w to the m ouths o f m e n !

The butterflies come aping
Those fine thieves o f ours ,

And flutter roun d o u r rifled tops lik e tickled flowers ,

flowers .

W h o shall say that flowers

'

’
D ress not heaven s own bowers !
’

W h o its love without them can fancy o r sweet floor ?

, ,
—

W h o shall even dare

To say we sprang not there ,

And came not down that L ove might bring o n e piece o f

heaven the more ?
O h pray believe that angels
From those blue dominions
’
Brought us in their whit e laps down twixt their golden ,

pi n i on s .

A H EAV EN U P ON EARTH .

(1 8 44 )
F O R there are t w o heavens , sweet ,

Both mad e o f love — o n e , inconceivable

Ev n by the other so divin e it is ;

’
,

The other far on t hi s side o f the stars

, ,

By men called h o m e when some blest pair are met

,

As we are n e w : sometimes in happy tal k ,

S ometimes in silence (also a sort of tal k ,

W here friends are matched ) each at its gentle ta sk

O f boo k o r household n eed or meditation
, , ,

By summer moon or curtained fire in frost

-

And by degrees there come — not always come ,

Y e t mostly — other smaller inmates there , ,

C herubic faced yet growing lik e those two

-

, ,

Their pride and playmates not without m e e k fear, ,

 TH E L OVER OF M U S IC TO H IS PIA NO FO R TE . 65

S ince G o d sometimes to H i s o w n cherubi m

’
Tak es those sweet cheeks of earth An d so . twixt
An d love and tears and whatsoever pain
, ,

Man fi t l y shares with man these two grow old ,

A n d if indeed blest thoroughly they die ,

I n the sam e spot and nigh the same good hour

, ,

And setting suns look heavenly o n their grave .

TH E L OV ER O F MU S I C TO H IS PIAN O FO RT E .

(1 8 4 4 )
OH fri end whom glad or grav e w e seek
, ,

Heaven holding shrine

-

I o pe thee to uch thee hear thee spe ak

, , ,

A n d pe a ce is mine .

N o fairy casket full o f bliss ,

O u t values thee
-

L ove only wakened with a kiss ,

,

More sweet may be .

To
thee when o u r full hearts o e r flo w ’

In griefs o r j oys ,

Unspea k able emotions o w e

A fitting voice
Mirth flies to thee a n d L ove s unrest
,
’

And Memory dear ;

And S orrow wi th his tightened breast
, ,

C omes fo r a tear .

Oh since few j oys of human mould

Thus wait us still ,

Thrice blessed be thine thou gentl e ,

O f peace at will .

N o change n o sullennes s n o cheat ,

, ,

In thee we find ;
Thy saddest voice is ever sweet
Thine answer k ind , .
 ’
L EIG H H U NT S P O EM S .

R EFL ECTI ON S OF A D EA D B OD Y .

(1 8 44 )

W H A T change 1 s t h i s l W hat j oy ! W hat depth

. of rest l
W hat suddenness of withdra wal from all pai n
I nto all bliss ! I nto a balm so perfect
I do n ot even smile ! I tried but 11 0 W ,

W ith that breath s end to speak to the dear face

'

That watches m e — and lo all in an instant ,

I nstead o f toil and a weak weltering tear

, , ,

I am all peace all happiness all power

, , ,

L aid on some th 1 one 1 11 space — G reat G o d ! I am dead .

( p
A a u s e . D ear G od ! thy love is perfect ; thy t 1 uth

k nown .

(A n ot h e r
) And h e and they
,
— How simple and strange
H o w beautiful
But I may whisper it not even to thought ; —

L est strong imagination hearing it , ,

S peak and the world be shattered

,
.

(S o u l a
g a i n
p a u s e s O balm .! O bliss ! O saturating smil e

Unsmiling ! O doubt en ded ! certainty

Begun ! 0 will faultless yet all indulged
, , ,

Encouraged to be wilful — to delay

Even its W ings for heaven and thus to rest
’
Here here ev n here
, ,
’
twixt heaven and earth awhile
,
-

A bed in the morn of endless happiness .

I feel warm drops falling upon my face

They reach me through the rapture of this cold .

My wife my love — tis for the best thou canst not’

Know h o w I know thee weeping and how fond ,

A k iss meets thine in these u n o w n i n g lips .

Ah truly was my love what thou didst hope it

, ,

And more ; and so was thine I re a d it all —

And o u r small feuds were but impatiences

At seeing the dear truth ill understood .

Poor sweet ! thou b l a m e st n e w thyself and h e a pe st ,

M e mory o n memory o f imagined w rong ,

As I should have don e too — as all who love ;

And yet I cannot pity thee — se well
I know t h e e n d, and h o w thou lt smil e hereafter ’
.
 L EIG H H U NT S POEM S
’
68 .

’
That Wa s m y eldest boy s that kiss And that —
.

The baby with its little u n w e e n i n g mouth

And those— an d those D ear hearts they have all com e ,
’
An d think me dead — me who so know I m living , ,

The v i t a l e st creature in this fl e sh l y room .

’
I part ; and with m y spirit s eyes , full opened ,

W ill look upo n them .

[ Spi r i t pa r t s f r o m the bo dy ,
an d br ea t h es u
po n t h e i r ey es .

Patient b e thos e tears ,

Fresh heart de ws standing o n these dear clay moulds

—
,
-

O f souls made o f myself— made o f u s both

I n the half heavenly time I quit ye but
-

To meet again , and will revi sit soon

In many a dre a m , and many a gentl e sigh .

[S p i r i t l o o ks a t t h e bo dy .

And was that m e th a t hollow cheeked pale thing

- -

S hattered with passions worn with cares ; n e w placid ,

W ith my divine departure ? And must lov e

Thin k o f thee painfully ? o f stifling boards
’
G ainst the free face and of the irreverent worm ?
,

To dust with thee poor corpse ! to dust and gr a ss ,

,

C UPI D S W A L L O FVED .

(1 8 44 )

T O TH ER day as I was twining

Roses for a crown to dine in
, ,

W hat o f all th i ngs m i dst the heap

, ,
’

S houl d I light o n fast asleep , ,

But the little de spa r a t e elf ,

The tiny traitor L ove himself ,

By the wings I pinched him up

L ike a b e e and in a cup
,

O f my win e I pl u n ged and sank him ,

’
And what d ye think I did — I drank
 AN A NG EL IN TH E H O U S E .

’
Faith I thought him dead N o t h e !
, .

There he lives with tenfold glee ;

A nd now this moment with his wings
I feel h im tickling m y heart strings -

CA TU L L U S S R ETURN H O M E TO S IR M IO
’
.

0 all the scattered spots that l i e

B ES T o f
’
In sea o r lake — apple o f landscape s eye
How gladly do I dr o p within thy n est ,

W ith what a sigh o f full contented rest ,

’
S carce able to believe my j ourn ey o e r ,

And that these eyes behold thee safe once more .

’
O h where s the luxury like the smile at heart ,

W hen t h e mind breathing lays its l e a d apar t

, ,

W hen we come home again tired o u t and spread , ,

’
T h e loosened limbs o er all the wished for bed —

This this alone is wor t h an ag e o f toil

, .

Hail lovely S irmi e ! Hail patern al soil

, ,
’
Joy my bright waters j oy your master s com e !
, , ,

L augh , e very dimple on the ch eek o f home !

AN AN G EL IN TH E H OU S E .

H O W sweet it were , if without feeble fright,

Or dying o f the dreadful beauteous sight ,
An angel cam e to us and we could be ar ,

T o see him issue from t he silent air

At evening in o u r room and bend o n ours ,

His divine eyes and bring us from his bo wers

,

N ews o f dear friends and children who have never

,

Been dead indeed— as we shall know for ever .

Alas we think not what we daily see

About o u r hearths — angels that a r e to b e ,
 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’

70 .

Or may b e i f they wi l l and we prepar e ,

Their souls and ours to meet in happy a i r ;

A child a friend a wife whose soft heart sing s
, ,

In unison with ours , breeding its future wing s .

AB O U B EN A D H EM .

A B O U B EN A D H EM (may his tribe increase !)

Awok e one night from a deep drea m of peace ,
And saw within the m o onlight in his room
, ,

Making it rich and like a lil y in blo o m

, ,

An angel writing in a book o f gold

Exceeding peace had mad e B e n Adhem bold ,
And to the presence in th e room he said ,

W hat writest thou — The vision raised its head ‘

And with a look made o f all sweet accord ,

“
Answered The names o f those who love the L ord
, .

“ ”
“
An d is min e o n e ? said Abou N a y not so , ”
.
,

Replied the a n gel A bou spok e more low

.
,

But cheerly still and said I pray thee then , ,

W rite m e as o n e that loves his fel low men -

The a ngel wrote a n d vanished The n ext night

, .

It came a gain with a great wakening light

.
,

And showed the names whom love o f G o d h a d bles s ed ,

And 10 Ben Adhem s nam e led all the rest
.
’
.

JAFFAR .

(The N e w M o n t hly M a g a z i n e , F eb ruary

JAFFAR t h e Barmecid e the good Vizier ‘

, ,
’
The poor man s hope the friend without a peer , ,

Jaffar was dead slain by a doom unj ust ;

,

A n d guilty H aroun sullen with m i st i u st

,
 L EIG H H U NT S P OEMS
’
.

TH E BITT ER G O UR D .

( Th e Ne w M o n th ly M a g a z i n e Apri l ,

L O K MA Nthe W ise therefore the G oo d (for wis e

,

Is but sage good seeing with final eyes )

, ,

W a s slave once to a lord j ealous though kind , ,

W h o piqued sometimes at the man s master mind

,
’
,

G ave him o n e day to see how he would treat

, ,

S o strange a grace a bitter gourd t o eat

,
.

W ith simples t reverence and n o surpris e , ,

’
The sage received what stretched the donor s e ye s ;
And piece b y piece as tho u gh it had been food
, ,

To feast and gloat o n every morsel chewed ,

An d so stood eating wit h his patient be ard, ,

T i ll all the nauseous favour disappe ared .

Vexed and confounded and disposed to find

, ,

S o m e ground o f scorn o n which to e ase his mind , ,

’
L okman exclaimed his master I n G od s name ,

W here could the veriest slave get soul so tame ?

Have all my favours been bestowed amiss ?
O r could not brains like thin e have saved the e this ?

C almly
stood L okman still as duty stands , .

Have I received he answered , at thine han ds ,

’
Favours so sweet they went to min e hea rt s roo t ,

And could I not accept o n e bitter fruit ?

0 L okman said his lord (and as he spoke ,

Fo r very love his words in softness broke ) ,

Tak e but this favour yet b e slave no mor e —

Be as thou a r t my friend and counsellor

, ,

0 11 be n o r let me quit thee self abhorred ,

-

Tis I that am t h e slave and thou the lord

’
, .
 TO MAY . 73

TH E L AN G UA G E O F F L OW ER S .

W H AT delight in som e sweet S po t

,

C ombin ing love with garden plot ,

’
At once t o cultivate one s flowers
’
A nd one s e pisto lary powers
’
G rowing one s o w n choice words and fancies
In orange tubs and beds o f pansies ,
’
O ne s sighs and passionate declaratio n s
I n od orous rhetoric o f carnations
S e e ing how far on e s stocks will reach ;
’

Tak ing d u e care one s flowers o f S pe e ch ’

To gu ard from blight as well as bathos ,

A n d watering every day on e s pathos !

’

, ,

TO M A Y .

M A Y , thou month rosy be auty , of

Month , when pleasure is a duty ;

Month o f maids that milk the k in e ,
Bosom ric h and breath d ivine ;
,

Month o f bees and month o f flower s,

,

Month o f blossom laden bowers -

Month o f little hands and daisies ,

L overs l ove and poe ts praises ;
’ ’
,

O thou m erry month complete ,

May thy very name is sweet

,

May was m a i d in olden times ,

A n d is still in S cottish rhymes

'
May s the blooming h a wthorn bough
’ ’
May s the month that s laughing n e w .

I n o sooner write the word ,

Than it seems a s though it h e ard ,

And looks up and laughs at m e , ,

L ike a sweet fac e rosily

L ike an actu al colour bright ,
" ’
Flushing from the paper s whit e ;
L i k e a bride that knows her po w er ,

S tarted in a summer bower ,

 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
'

74 .

If the rains that do us w rong

C o m e t o keep t h e winter long ,

And deny us thy sweet look s ,

I can love thee sweet in books , , ,

L ove thee in the poets pages ’

,

W here they keep thee green for ages ;

L ove and read thee as a lover ,

Reads h i s lady s letters over ’

,

Breathing blessings On the a rt ,

W hich commingles those that part .

There is May in books for ever ;

May will part from S penser never ;
May s in Milton May s in Prior
’
,
’

May s in Chaucer Thomson D yer ;

’
, ,
’
May s in all the Italian books ;
S h e has o l d and modern noo k s ,

W here she sleeps with nymphs and e lve s

In happy places they call shelves ,

And will rise and dress your rooms

,

W ith a drapery thick with blooms .

C ome ,ye ra i ns then if ye will , ,

May s at home and with me still

’
,

But com e rather thou good weather, , ,

And find us in the fields together .

TO JUN E .

(1 8 57)
’
M AY S a word tis sweet to hear,
’

L aughter of the budding year ;

S weet it is to start an d say ,

O n May morning -
This is May ,

But there also breathes a tune

“
Hear i t i n the sound o f Jun e
— .

’ ’
June s a month and June s a name, ,

N ever yet hath had its fame .

’
S ummer s in the sou nd o f Jun e ,
S um m er a n d a dee pened tun e
,
 L EIG H H U NT S PO EM S
’
.

I could be content to se e
Jun e and n o variety ;
L oitering here and living th e re ,
,

W ith a book and frugal fare ,

W ith a finer gipsy time ,

And a cuck oo in the clime ,

W ork at morn and mirth at noon

, ,

And sleep beneath the sacred moo n .

D IR G E FO R A N I N FAN T .

(1 8 58 )

HE is dead and gone — a flower

Born and withered in an hour ;
C oldly lies the death frost now -

O n his little rounded bro w

And the scene o f darkness lie s
Ever o n his shrouded eyes .

He will never feel again

Touch o f human jo y o r pain ;
N ever will h is once bright e yes
-

O pen with a glad surprise ;

N o r the death frost leave h i s brow
-

All is over with h i m n o w .

Vacant n o w his cradle bed -

As a nest from whence hath fled

S ome dear little b ird whose wi ng s ,

Rest from timid fl u t t e r i n g s .

Thrown aside the childish rattle ;

Hushed for aye the infa nt prattl e
L ittle broken words that co uld
By non e else be understood
S ave the childish o n e who w eeps
O e r the g rave where n o w h e sl e eps
’
.

C losed his eyes and cold his brow

,

All is over with him now .

 TH E R OYA L L INE .
77

TH E R OY A L L IN E .

W illiam I . The sturdy C onqueror politic severe , ,

W ill iam II . L ight minded Rufus dying like the deer

-

Henry I . Bea u Cl erc who everything but virtue knew ;

—
,

S tephen . S tephen who graced the lawless sword he

,

drew ;
Henry II . Fine Henry hapless 1 11 his sons and priest
, ,

Richard I . Richard the glorious t r i fl e r i n the East ;

,

John . J o h n the mean wretc h tyrant and S lave a

, , ,

liar
Henry III . Imbecile Henry worthy o f his sir e ; ,

Edward I . L ong shanks well named a great encroacher

-

, ,

he ;
Edward 1 1 : Ed w ard the minion dying dreadfully ;
Edward I II . The S plendid veteran weak in his decline ,

Richard II . Another minion sure untimely S ign ,

Hen r y IV . Usurping L ancaste r whom wrongs advance ,

Henry V . Harry t h e Fifth the tennis b o y o f France ; ,

-

Henry VI . The beadsman praying while his Margaret ,

fought
Edward IV . Edward t o o sensual for a kindly thought
,

Edward V . The l ittle h e ad that never w e r e a crown ;

,

Richard III . C i oo k b a c k to n a t u 1 e givi n g frown for frown

, ,

Henry VII . C lose hearted Hen ry the $11 1 e w d carking sir e ,

Henry VIII . The British Bluebeard fat and full o f 1 r e ; , ,

Edward VI . The sickly boy endowing and endowed ; ,

Mar y . Ill Mary lighting many a livi n g shroud

,

Elizabeth . The lion queen with her stiff muslin man e

-

Ja m es I . Th e shambling pedant and h i s minion train ; ,

C harles I . W eak C harles the vi ctim of the dawn of ,

right
C romwell . C romwell misuser of his homespun right
,

C harles II . Th e sw a r t h y scapegrace all for ease and wit ;

‘ ,

Ja m es II . The bigot o u t o f season forced t o quit ,

W illiam I II . Th e D utchman , called to see o u r vess el

through
Anne . Anna made great by conquering Marl
borough ;
78 L EIG H H U NT s POEMS ’
.

G eorge I . G eorge ,
vulgar soul a woman hated name ,
-

G eorge II . Another fe n de r of his fee than fam e

,

G eorge III . A third too weak instead o f strong t o

, , ,

swer ve
G eorge IV . An d fourth whom C anning and S i r W ill
,

preserve .

TO C HAR L ES D I C K EN S .

A S when a friend (himself in m usic s list )

’

S tands by some rare , ful l handed organist , -

An d gloryi ng as he sees the maste r roll

The surging sweets through all their depths o f soul ,

C annot encouraged by his smile forbear

, ,

W ith his o w n hand to join them here and there

And so if little yet add something more
, ,
’
To the sound s volume and the golden roar ;
S o I dear friend C harles D ickens though thy hand
, , ,

N eeds but itself to charm from land to land

, ,
’
Make bold to j oin in summoning men s ears
To this thy new found music o f our spheres
-

In hopes that by thy Household W ords an d thee

Th e world may h a ste t o days o f harmony .
 H A D t h e Au t h o ratte m pte d t o al te r t h e g e n e ral spiri t c f h i s writ i n g s ,

h e w o u l d have b e li e d t h e l o ve o f t ru th th at i s i n h i m a n d e ve n ,

s h o wn h i m se lf u n g rate fu l t o
pu b lic w a r ran t N o t t h at h e h a s
.

a b at e d a je t o f those c h e e rfu l a n d wh ol e s o m e o i n i on s i n t h e
.
p
di ffu si o n o f whi c h h e h a s n o w b e e n o c c u pi e d fo r n e arly t h irt y

y e a rs o f a li fe passe d i n c o m b i n e d s t ru g g le a n d s t u dio u s n e ss .

Fo r i f there i s a n y t h i n g wh ic h c o n sole s h i m fo r t h e se sh o rt
,

c o m i n g s e i t h e r i n life o r wri t i n g s wh i c h m o st m e n o f a n
y de c e n t
powe rs o f re fl e c t i o n a r e b o u n d t o dis c ove r i n t h e m se lve s as
t h e y g row o l d a n d o f whi c h
, h e h a s ac q u ired a n ab u n dan t

pe rc e pt io n i t i s t h e c o n sc i o u sn e ss n o t m e re ly o f h avi n g b e e n
, ,

c on sisten t i n opi n i o n (wh i c h m i g h t h a ve b e e n b i g o try ) o r ,

o f h avi n g live d t o se e h i s poli t ic al o pin i o n s triu m ph (wh ic h

wa s g oo d l u c k ) o r eve n o f havi n g o u t li ve d m is c o n s t ru c t i o n
,

a n d e n m i t y (t h ou g h t h e g o o dwill o f g en e rou s e n e m ie s i s i n e x

pr e ssi b l y de ar t o h i m ) b u t o f h av i n g do n e h i s b est t o re c om m e n d
,

t h at b e l ie f i n g o od t h at c h e e rfu l n ess i n e n de a vou r t h at di sc e rn m e n t

, ,

o f u n i ve rsal du t y t ha t b ro t h e r ly c o n si de rat io n fo r m i sta k e a n d

,

c irc u m st an c e a n d t h at repo se o n t h e h appy de st in y o f t h e wh ole

,

h u m an rac e wh i c h appeare d t o h i m n o t on l y t h e h ea l t h ie st a n d
,

m ost an i m at i n g pri n c i ple s o f ac t ion b u t t h e o n l y t ru ly reli g iou s

,

h o m ag e t o H i m wh o m a de u s a l l L e t adve rsi t y b e al lowe d t h e

.

c o m fort o f th e se re fl e c t io n s ; a n d m a y a l l wh o allo w t h e m e x pe
,

r ic u c e t h e write r s c h e erfu l n ess w i t h n o n e o f t h e t rou b le s t h at h a ve

'

re n de re d it a lm ost h i s on ly po sse ssio n P r ef a c e t o L EIG H H U NT S

.
-
’

M en . Wom en , an dB oo ks.
 L E IG H H U NT S ES S A Y S
’
.

A . DA Y B Y TH E F I R E .

(The R efl e c t o r ,

I AM on e of those that del ight in a fireside and can enj oy it ,

w ithout eve n the hel p o f a cat o r a tea k ettle

‘
To cats -
.
,

i ndeed I hav e an aversion as animals that onl y a ff ect a

, ,

sociality without caring a jo t for anything but their own

l uxury ; and my tea kettle I frankly confess has long been
-

, ,

displ ace d o r rather dismissed by a bronze coloured and

, ,
-

graceful urn ; though between ourselves I am not sure that

, ,

I have gained anything by the exchange C owper it is .

,
“ ”
true tal k s o f the bub b ling a n d l oud hissing u r n which
, ,
“ ”
throws up a steamy column B u t ther e was something so .

primitive and una ffected so warm hearted and unpresuming,

-

i n the t ea kettle its song was so much more cheerful an d

-

continued and it k ept the water so h o t and comfortabl e as

,

long as you wanted it that I sometimes feel as if I had

,

sent o ff a good plain faithful o l d friend who had but o n e

, , ,

wish to serve me fo r a superficial smooth faced upstart o f a

, ,
-

fellow w h o afte r a l i t t 1e promising and vapouring grows

, ,
\
,

cold and contemptuous and thinks himself bound to do ,

nothing but stand o n a rug and have his p e rson admired by

t h e circle To this a dmiration in fact I have been obliged
.
, ,

t o resort i n order t o make myself think well o f my b a rgain

, ,

if possible a n d accordingly I say t o myself every n o w and

then duri n g t h e t e a , A pr e tty look with i t tha t urn ;
.
,

G
 82 LE I G H HU NT ’
S E SS AY S .

’
or It s wond e rful what a taste t h e G reeks had or Th e
e y e might hav e a great many enj oyments if people would ,
”
but look after forms and S hapes In the meanwhile the .
,

urn leav e s o ff its bubbling and hissing but then there IS ,

such a n air w ith it ! My tea is made o f cold water ; but

then t h e G re e ks were such a nation !
If there i s any o n e thing that c a n reconcile m e to t h e
loss o f my kettl e more tha n another it is that my fire is ,

left quite to itself ; it has full room to breathe and to blaze ,

and I can pok e it as I please W hat recollections does that .

ide a excite Pok e it as I please Thin k benevolent ,

reader thi n k o f the pride and pleas ure of having in your

,

hand that awful but at the sam e time artless weapon a

, , ,

poker o f putting it into the proper bar gently levering u p ,

the coals and seeing the instant and bustling flame above
,

To what can I compare that moment ? That sudden e m

e l enthusiasm ? That fiery expressio n o f v i vi fi c a t i o n ?
py r a

That ardent acknowledgment as it were o f the care a n d , ,

kindliness o f the operator ? L e t me consider a moment ; it

is very o dd : I was always reckon e d a l ively hand at a simile
but l an g uage and combination absolutely fail me here I f .

it is like anything it must b e something beyond everything

,

in b e auty and life O h I h a ve it now ! Thin k reader if

, , ,

o u a r e o n e o f thos e wh o can muster up s u fii c i e n t s r i h t l i

y p g
ness to e n gage in a gam e o f forfeits— o u Twelfth N ight for ,

instance ; think o f a blooming girl who i s condemned to ,

“
open her mouth and shut her eyes and see what heaven ”
,

in t h e S hape o f a mischievous young fello w will send her , .

Her mouth is Opened accordingly the fi r e o f her eyes is ,

dead her face assumes a doleful air up wal k s the aforesaid

,

heaven o r mischievous young fello w (young O uranos ,

Hesiod would have called him ) and instead o f a piece o f ,

paper a thimble o r a cinder claps into her mouth a peg o f

, , ,

ora n ge o r a long slic e o f citron then her eyes above

,

instantly light up again the smiles wreathe about t h e , ,

sparklings burst fo r th and all is w a rmth brilliancy and

, , ,

delight I am aware that the S im i le is n o t perfect but if it

.
,

would do for an epic poem as I think it might after Virgil s ,

’

’
whipping tops and Homer s jackasses and black puddings
-

, ,

t h e reader perhaps will n o t quarrel with it

, , .

But to describe my feelin g s in an orderly manner I must ,

r e uest m y re a der to
’
o W; h m e throu h a day s en j o men t
q g g y
84 L EI G H H U NT S
’
E SS AY S .

i mpossi bl e t o resist the sudde nardour inspired by that

’
sight Th e use o f t h e poker , o n
. first seeing on e s fire is a s ,

natural as shaking hands with a friend At that movement .

a hundred l ittle sparkles fly up from t h e coal dust that fall s -

within wh il e from the masses themselves a roaring flam e

,

mounts aloft with a deep and fi t fu l sound as o f a shak e n

,

ca rpet Epithets again i I must recur t o poetry at onc e

.

Then sh i ne t h e b ars t h e cak es i n s m ok e aspire

,

A s u dden g lory b u rsts fro m a l l t h e fi r e ,

T h e consc i o u s W i g ht re j o i c ing i n the heat ,

R u b s t h e b l ithe knees a n d toasts t h alternate feet ’

.

The utility as well as beauty o f the fire during breakfa s t

n eed n o t be pointed o u t t o the most u n ph l o gi st i c observer .

A person would rather be shivering at any time o f the day

than at that o f his fi r st rising The transition would be t o o .

unnatur al he is not prepared for it as B a r n a r di n e says ,

when he obj ects to being hung If y o u e a t plain bread and .

-

butter with your tea it is fit that your moderation should

,

be rewa rded with a good blaze and if you indulge in h o t

rolls or toast you will hardly keep them to their warmth
without it pa r ticularly i f y o u read and then — i f y o u take
,

in a newspaper — what a delightful change from t h e wet r a w , ,

dabbing fold o f paper when y o u fi rst touch it to t h e dry ,

c rac k ling crisp s u pe r fi c i e s which with a skilful sput o f t h e

, ,

fi n g e r nails at its upper end stands at onc e in your h a nd

-

and looks a s if it said C ome read me ,

N o r is it the look o f
,
.

the newspaper only which the fire must render complete : it i s

the interest o f the ladies wh o may happen to form par t o f your
family— o f your wife l n particular if you hav e o n e — to a void
, ,

the niggling and pinchi n g a spect o f cold ; it takes away t h e

h a rmony o f her features and the grace of her behaviour ;
,

w h ile o n the other hand there is scarcely any more in ter

, ,

e sting sight i n t h e world than that o f a neat delicate good , ,

humoured female presiding at your breakfast table with

,
-

hands t ape ring o u t o f her long sleeves eyes with a touch o f ,

S i r Peter L ely i n them a n d a fa c e set in a little oval fram e

,

o f m uslin tied under t h e chin and retaining a cer t ain tinge ,

o f the pillow without i t s cloudin e ss This is indeed t h e .

finishing grace o f a fir eside though it is impo ssible to hav e

,

it at all times a n d pe rhaps n o t alwa y s politic— e sp ec ial ly fo r

,

t h e studious .
 A D A Y B Y THE FIRE . 85

D UR ING T H E AF TERNOO N .

From br e akfast to dinner the quantity and quality o f e u ,

’
o m e n t depends very much o n the nature o f one s concerns
jy
and occupatio n o f any kind if we pursue it properly , will ,

hinder us from paying a critical attention to the fires id e .

It i s su fficient if o u r employments do n o t take us away from

it o r at least from the genial warmth o f a room which it
,

a dorn s— unless indeed we are enabled to have recou r s e to

, ,

exercise and in that ca se I am n o t so unj ust as to deny that

walking o r riding has its merits and that the genial glo w ,

they di ffuse throughout the frame has something in it ex

t r e m e l y ple a surable and encouraging N a y I must not .
,

scrupl e t o confess that wi thout some preparatio n o f this

,

kind the enj oym ent o f the fireside humanly spea k ing is n o t
, , ,

a bsolutely perfect ; as I have latterly been convi nced by a

variety o f incontestable arguments i n the S hape of head

a ches rheumatisms mote painted eyes and other logical
, ,
-

,
’
appeals t o one s feelings which are in great u s e with ,

physicians S upposing therefore the morning to b e passed

.
, ,

and the due portion o f exercise to have been taken the ,

fireside fixes rather an early hour for dinner particularly ,

i n the winter time for he has not only been early at break
,

fast but there are two luxurious interval s to enj oy betwee n

,

dinner and the time o f candles : o n e that supposes a party

round the fire with their wine and fruit the other the hour ,

o f twilight o f which it has been reasonably doubted whether

,

it i s not the most luxurious point o f time which a fi r e si de

can present But opinions will naturally be divided on this
.

a s o n all other subj ects and every degree o f pleasure depend s

,

upon so many contingencies and such a vari ety o f assoc iations

induced by habit and opinion that I should be as unwilli n g ,

as I am unable to decide on the matter This however is .

, ,

certain that no true fi r e si de r can disli k e an hour so com

,

posing to his thoughts and so cherishing to his whole ,

faculties : and it is equally certain that he will be little

inclined to protract the dinner beyond what he can help ,

for if ever a fireside becomes unpleasant it is during t h e ,

gross and pernicious prolongation of eating and drinking to

which this latter age h as given itself up and which thre atens ,

t o mak e the rising generation regard a meal o f repletion a s

t h e ultimatum o f enj oyment The inconvenienc e t o which .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
86 .

I allude is owing to the way in which w e sit at dinner fo r

the persons who have their backs to the fire are liabl e to be
s corched while at the same time they render the persons
,

o pposite to them liable to be frozen so that the fi r e bec o mes

uncomfortable to the former and tantalizing to the latter , .

And thus three evils are produced o f a most absurd and ,

scandalous nature : i n t h e first place the firesid e loses a ,

degree o f its character and awakens feelings the very revers e

o f what it should secondly the position o f the back towar ds ,
'

it is a n e glect and a fl r o n t which it becomes it to resent ;

,

and finally its beauties its proffered k indness and its

, , , ,

s prightly social e ffect are at once cut o ff from the company

by the interposition of those inv idious and idle surfaces
called screens This abuse is the more ridiculous inas
.
,

m uch as the remedy is so easy ; for we have nothing t o ,

do but to use semicircular dining tables with the b as e -

unoccupied towards the fireplace and the whole annoyanc e ,

v anishes at once ; the m aster o r mistress m ight preside in

the middle as was the custom with the Romans and thus
, ,

propriety would be observed while everybody had t h e ,

sight and benefit o f the fire : n o t to m e ntion that by this ,

fashion the table might be brought nearer to it that the

,

s ervants would have better access t o the dishes an d that

screens if at all necessary might be turned to better purpos e
, ,

a s a general enclosure instead o f a separation But I h a sten .

from dinner according to notice ; and cannot but observe

,

that if y o u have a sm all set o f visitors who enter into your

,

feelings o n this head there is n o movement so pleasant a s

,

a general o n e from the tabl e to t h e fireside each person ,

tak ing his glass with h i m and a small S lim legged tabl e , ,
-

being introduced into the circle for t h e purpose of holding

t h e wine and perhaps a poet or two a glee book o r a lute
, ,
-

, .

I f this practice should become general among those who

know how to enj oy luxuries in such temperance as not to
destroy conversation it would soon gain for us another
,

s ocial advantage by putting an end to the barbarous custom

,

o f sending away the ladies after dinn er a gross violation —

o f those chivalrous graces of life for which modern times ,

a r e so highly indebted to the persons whom they are pleased

t o term G othic And here I might digress with no great

.
,

i mpropriety to S how the snug notions that were entertained

,

by the knights and damsels o f o l d in all par t iculars relating

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

that they di d ; and that when we act naturally and think

earnestly we are reflecting their common habits to the life
,
.

Thus we have seen Horac e tal ki ng o f his blazing hearth

and snug accommodations l ike the j olliest o f o u r acquaint
anecs an d thu s we may safely imagi ne that Mi l ton was i n
some such attitude a s I have described when he sk etched ,

that enchan t in g little picture which beats all the cabinet

portraits that have been produced
O r i f the a i r w i ll not perm i t ,
S o m e st i l l re m oved place w i ll fi t ,
Where g lowing em b ers thro u g h the roo m
T ea ch l i g ht to co u nterfe i t a g loo m ,
F a r fro m a l l resort o f m i rth ,
S ave t h e cri ck et on the heart h,
O r t h e b ell m an s drowsy ch arm
’

T o b less t h e doors fro m n i g htl y harm .

But to attend to o u r fireside The evening is beginning t o

.

gather in The window which presents a large face o f

.
,

watery grey intersected by strong lines is perceptibly

, ,

becoming darker and as that becomes dark er the fi r e

,

a ssumes a more glowing presence The contemplatist .

keeps his easy posture absorbed in his fancies and every

, ,

thing around him is still and serene The stillness would .

even ferment in his ear and whisper as it were o f what t h e

,

air contained ; but a minute coil just s u fli c i e n t to hinder

,

that busier silence clicks in the baking co a l ; while every

,

now and then the light ashes shed themselves below o r a ,

stronger but still a gentle flame flutters up with a gleam

over the chim ney At length the darker obj ects in the
.

room become mingled : the gleam o f the fire st r i k es with a

restless light the edges o f the furniture and reflects itself ,

i n t h e bl ack ening w indow ; while his feet tak e a gentl e

move o n t h e fender and the n settle again a n d his face
, ,

comes o u t o f the general darkness earnest even in indolence

, ,

and pale even in the very ruddiness o f what it looks upon .

This is the only time perhaps at which S heer idleness is

, ,

salutary and refreshing How observed with the sm a llest

.

e ff ort is every trick and aspect o f the fire ! A coal falling

i n — a flutteri n g fume— a miniature moc k ery o f a flash o f
l ightning— nothing escapes the eye and the imagination .

S om e times a little flame appears at the corner o f the grate

lik e a quive ri n g sp a ngle sometimes it swells o u t at t o p
 A DA Y B Y TH E FIR E . 89

i nto a restless and brief lambency anon it i s s e en only by

a light be neath t h e grate o r it curls round the bars l i ke a,

tongue o r darts o u t with a spiral thinness and a sulphureous

,

and continued pu ffing as from a reed The glowing coals .

meanti me exhibit the shifting form o f hills and valleys and , ,

gulfs ;of fiery Al ps whose heat is uninhabitable even by spirit ;

,

o r o f black precipices from which sweet fairies seem about to

,

spr ing away o n sable wings : then heat and fire are fo r
gotten and walled towns appear and figures o f unk n own
, ,

animals an d far distant countries scarcely to be reached by

,

human j ourney : then coaches and camels and barking dogs ,

a s large as either and forms that combine every shape and

,

suggest every fan cy : till at last the ragged coals tumbling

together reduce the vision to chaos and the huge profile o f ,

a gaunt and grinning face seems to mak e a j est o f all that

has passed D uring these creations o f the eye the thought

.
,

roves about into a hundred abstra ctions som e o f them

suggested by the fire some of them suggested by th at sug ,

gestion som e o f them arising from the general sensation of

,

comfort and composure contrasted with whatever the worl d ,

affords o f evil o r dignified by high wro u ght meditations o n -

whatever gives hope to benevolence and inspiration to

wisdom The philosopher at such moments plans his Utopian
.

s chemes and dream s of happy certainties which he cannot

prove ; the lover happier and more certain fancies his

, ,

mistress with him uno b served and c o n fi di n g his arm round ,

her waist her head upon his shoulder and earth an d heave n
, ,

contained in that sweet possession the Poet thoughtful as ,

the o n e and ar dent as the other springs o ff at once abov e

, ,

the world treads every turn o f the harmonious S pheres ,

,

darts u p with gleaming wings through the sunshine o f a

thousand systems and stops n o t till he has found a perfect
,

Paradise whose fields are o f young roses and whose air is

,

music whose waters are the liquid diamond whose light is

, ,

as radiance through cryst a l whose dwellings are laurel ,

bowers whos e language is poetry whose inhabita nts a r e

, ,

congenial souls ; and to e nter the very verg e o f whos e

atmosphere strikes beauty o n the face and felicity o n t h e
heart Alas ! that flights so lofty should ever be conn ec ted
.

with earth by threads as slender as they are long and that ,

the least twitch o f the m ost commonplace hand should b e

a ble to snatch down the viewless wanderer to existing c o m
9
0 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

forts ! Th e entrance o f a single candle dissipates at once

the twilight and the sunshine and the ambitious dreamer i s,

summoned to his tea

No w st ir the fi r e a n d clo s e the sh u tters fast

, ,

L e t fal l the c u rtain wheel t h e sof a ro u nd

, ,

A n d whi le t h e b u b b l ing a n d lo u d h i ss i n g u r n
T hrows u p a steam y col u m n and t h e c u ps ,

That cheer b u t n o t i ne b ri ate wa i t on e a ch , ,

S o l e t u s wel com e peacefu l even i ng i n .

N ever was snug hour more feelingly commenced C owpe r .

was not a g r e a t poet ; his range was neither wide no r

lofty but such as it was he had it completely to himself
he is the poet o f quiet life and familiar observation .

The fire we see is now stirred and becomes very di fferen t

, , ,

from t h e o n e we have j ust left ; it puts o n its liveliest

aspect in order to welcome those to whom the tea table is a -

point o f meeting and it is the business o f the fi r e si de r to

cherish the aspect for the remainder o f t h e eveni n g How .

light and easy the coals look ! How ardent is t h e r o o m i

ness within the bars ! How airily do the volumes o f
s moke course each other up the chimney like so m any ,

fantastic an d indefinite S pirits while the e y e in va i n ,

e ndeavours to accompany any o n e of them The flame s .

are not so fierce as in the morning but still they a r e active ,

and powerful ; and if they do n o t roar up t h e chimney ,

they mak e a constant and playful noise that is extremely to

.

t h e purpose Here they come o u t at top with a leafy

.

s wirl there they dart up spirally and at once there they

form a lambent assemblage that shifts about o n its o w n
ground and is continually losing and regaining its vanish
,

i n g members I confess I tak e particular delight in seeing

.

a good blaze at top and my impatience to produce it w il l

,

sometimes lead me into great rashn ess i n the article o f

poki ng — that is to say I use the poker at the top instead of
,

t h e midd l e o f the fire a n d go probing it about in search o f

,
”
a flame A lady o f my acquaintance near and clear
.
“
, ,

as they say in Parliament will tell me of this fault twenty

,

times in a day a n d every time so good h u m o u r e dl y that it is

,
-

mere want o f generosity in m e n o t to amend it but some

how o r other I do not The consequence is that after a
.
,

m om e ntary e bullition o f blaze the fire becomes dark and ,

92 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

cold and cooling t o t h e warm , I confess a s Mo n taign e

, ,

would have said t hat I pre fer coffe e particularly i n my

, ,

po litica l capa c ity

C o ff ee , that m ak es the pol i t i c i an w i se
T o see thro u g h a l l th in g s wi th h i s hal f -
shu t ey es .

There Is something In it I think more lively an d at the , ,

same time more substantial Besides I never se e it but it .

,

reminds me o f the Turks and their Arabian tales an , ,

association infinitely preferabl e to any C hinese ideas ;

and li k e the king who put his head into the tub I
, ,

am transported t o distant lands the mo m ent I dip into t h e

coffee cup at o n e m o m e n t r a n g i n g th e valleys with S indbad
-

at another encountering the fairies o n the wing by moon

,

light ; a t a third exploring t h e haunts o f t h e cu r sed

,

M a u g r a b y , o r rapt into the silence o f that delicious soli

tude from which Prince Agi b w a s carried by the fatal
horse Then if I wish to poetize upon it at home , there is
.
,

Belinda with her sylphs drinking it i n such state a s ,

n othing but poetry can supply

F o r 10 ! the b oard wi t h c u ps and spoons are crowned,

T h e b erri es crac k le, a n d t h e m i l l t u rns ro u nd ;
O n sh i n i n g altars o f J apan they ra i se
T h e s i lver lam p ; the fi ery s piri ts b laze
Fro m s i lver spo u ts the g rate f u l l iq u ors g l i de
And C h ina s earth rece i ves the s m ok ing t i de
’
.

A t once they g rat i fy the scent a n d taste,

A nd fre qu ent c u ps prolong the ri ch repast
S trai g ht hover ro u nd t h e fa i r her a i ry b and
S o m e, as she s i pped t h e f u m ing l iq u or , fanned
S o m e o er her l a p the i r caref u l pl u m es d i splay ed ,
’

Tre m b l i ng , and consc i o u s o f the ri ch b rocade .

It must be acknowledged h owever that t h e general , ,

a ssociation o f ide a s is at present i n favour of tea which o n ,

that account h a s the advantage o f suggesting n o confinement

to particul a r ra n ks o r modes o f life L e t there be but a fi r e .

side and anybody of any denomination may b e fancied e n

, , ,

j oying the luxury o f a cup o f t e a — from t h e duchess In t h e

e vening drawing r o o m w h o makes it t h e instrument o f
,

displaying her white hand to the washerwoman at her early

,

tub who having had nothing to signify S inc e five sits

, , ,

down to it with h e r S hining arm s and corrugate d finge r s a t

, ,

si x .If th e r e is any o n e station o f life in which it i s e njoyed

 A DAY B Y TH E F IRE .
93

to most a dvantage it is that o f m ediocrity— that

,
in which
a ll comfor t is reckon e d t o b e bes t appreciated , be cause ,
while there i s t a st e to en j oy , th e re is n e cessity t o e arn t h e
e n j oy m e nt .

U NTIL B ED TIME .

There a re so man y m o d es o f spe nding t h e remain de r o f t h e

e v e ning betw ee n teatim e and be dtim e (fo r I prote st against
all suppers that a r e n o t light enough t o b e take n o n t h e
knee ) that a general desc riptio n would avail m e nothing
, ,

and I ca nnot b e e xpe ct e d t o ente r into such a variety o f

particul ars S u ffice it t o say that where the fi r e is duly
.
,

a ppreciat e d and t h e cir cl e g oo d humoured non e o f them -

can be unple a sant whether the party b e large o r small

, ,

young o r o l d tal k ativ e o r contemplative If there i s music a

, .
,

goo d fi r e will be particularly grateful to the performers who ,

a r e often seated at t h e further e n d o f the room : for it i s

r eally shameful that a lady w h o is charming us all with her

voice o r firing us at t h e harp o r piano with the lightning

, , ,

o f her fingers should at t h e very moment be trembli n g

, , ,

w ith cold A s t o cards which wer e invented for the solac e

.
,

o f a m a d princ e and which a r e only tolerable in my opinion

, , ,

w hen w e can b e a s mad as he was — that is to say a t a ,

r ound game — I cannot by any means patronize them , a s a

c onscientious fi r e si de r n ot to mention all the other

obj ections the card tabl e is as awkward in a fire side point
,
-

o f V i e w as t h e dinner table and it i s n o t to be compar ed

-

with it for sociality If it be necessary to pay so ill a com

.

p li m e n t t o t h e company as to have r e course t o som e amuse

ment o f this kind th e re is chess o r draughts which may be

, ,

pl ayed upon a tabl e t by the fire but nothing is lik e discourse ,

freely utte ring t h e fancy a s it comes and varied perhaps with ,

a littl e music o r with the perus al o f some favourit e pas

,

sages which excite t h e comments o f the cir cle It is then .

,

if tastes happen t o be a ccordant and the social voice i s ,

”
frank a s well as refined that the sweet music o f speech i s ,

heard in its best harmony differing only fo r apter sweet ,

ness and mingling but for happier pa rticipation whil e t h e

, ,

m utual sense smilingly blends in with e very rising m e as ure ,

A nd fem ale stop s m oothens t h e ch arm o er a l l ’

.

This is the finished e ve ni n g : thi s the quicken e r at onc e

94 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S ’
.

and the calmer of tired thought : this t h e spot where o u r

better spirits await to exalt and enliven us whe n the daily
'

and vulgar ones have discharged their duty .

Bright fires and j oyous faces : and it i no easy thing fo r s

philosophy to say good night ; but health must b e enj oyed ,

-

o r nothing will be enj oyed ; and the charm should be bro k en

at a reasonable hour Far be it however from a rational

.
, ,

fi r e si de r not to make exceptions to t h e rul e when friend s ,

have b een long a sunder o r when some domestic celebratio n

,

has called them together o r even when hour s peculiarly con

,

genial render it d i fficult to part At all events the depart ur e

.
,

must be a voluntary matter and here I cannot help exclaim

ing against the g ro ss and villanous trick which som e peopl e
have whe n they wish t o get rid o f their company o f letting
their fires go down and the snuffs o f their c andles run t o
,

seed : it is paltry and palpable and argues bad policy a s ,

well as breeding for such o f their friends as have a di fferen t

,

feeling o f things may chance to b e disgusted wit h them

altogether , while the careless o r unpolite may choose t o
revenge themselve s o n the appeal and fac e it o u t gravely ,

till the morn ing If a common visitor be inconsider at e

.

enough o n an ordinary occasion to sit beyond all reasonabl e

hours it must be reckoned as a fatality— as a n ignorance o f
,

men and things against which y o u cannot possibly provid e

,

as a sort of visitation which must b e borne with patienc e ,

,

and which is not lik ely to occur often if you know whom ,

o u invite and thos e who are invited know y o u But with

y ,
.

an occasional excess o f the firesid e what social virtue will

quarrel ? A single fri end perhaps loiters behind the rest ;
, ,

o u are alone in the house y o u have just got upon a subj ect
y ,

delightful to you b oth the fire is o f a candent brightness t h e ,

wind howls o u t o f doors ; the rain beats ; t h e cold is pi e r c

ing 1 S i t down ! This is a time when the most melancholy
tempe rament may defy the clouds and storms and even ,

e xtract from them a pleasure that will tak e no substanc e

by daylight The ghost o f his happiness sits by him and
.

puts in the lik eness o f former hours ; and if such a man can
be mad e comfortable by the moment what enj oyment may ,

it not furn ish to an unclouded spirit ? If the excess belong

not to vice , temperance does not forbid it when it only grows
o u t of occasion .

E ve n when left alone , there 1 8 somet i mes a ch ar m i n

96 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

An on the
whol e is vani shed and t h e dreamer t u rning ,

hi s e y e down a side almost loo k s for a laughing sprit e

,

g a z ing at him from a tiny chair and mimicking his fac e ,

and attitude Idle fancies these and incomprehensibl e t o

.
,

m inds clogged with every day earthliness but n o t useless

-

e ither as an exercise o f the invention o r even as adding ,

consciousness t o the range and destiny o f the soul They .

will occupy us t oo and steal us away from ourselves when

, ,

other recollections fail us o r gro w pain ful , when frien ds

a r e found selfish o r be tter friends c a n but commiserate
, ,

o r whe n the world has nothing i n it t o compare with what

we have missed o u t o f it They may even lead us to .

higher and more solemn meditation till we work up o u r ,

way beyond the clinging and heavy atmosphere o f this

earthly soj ourn and look abroad upon the light that
,

kn ows neither blemish n o r bound while o u r ears are ,

saluted, at that egress by t h e harmo n y of t h e skies And

, .

o u r eyes b ehold t h e lost and congenial spirits t hat we have

loved haste ning to welcome us with their spark ling eyes ,

a n d their curls that are rip e with sunshine .

B ut e arth recalls us again ; the last flam e i s o u t t h e ,

fading embers tin k le with a gaping dreariness and t h e ,

chil l reminds us where we should be Another gaze o n t h e .

hearth that has so cheered us and the last lingering action ,

i s to wind up the watch fo r the next day .

Upon h o w many anxieties shall the finger o f that brief

chronicler stri k e and upon h o w many comforts t o o ! To
,

morrow o u r fire shall b e trimmed anew ; and so gentl e ,

r eader good night ; may t h e weariness I hav e ca used y o u

,
-

m ake sleep the pleasanter .

TH E OL D L ADY .

( The Ro u n d Ta ble ,

SHE generally dress e s in plain silks, that m a k e a rustling a s

sh e mov e s about t h e silenc e o f her room and sh e wea r s a
n ic e cap with a lace bord e r that comes under the chin
, In .

a placket at her side is an o l d enamelle d watch unless it is ,

locked up i n a drawe r o f h e r toilet , fo r fear o f acci dents .

 TH E O L D L A DY .
97

Her waist is rather tight and trim than otherwise as sh e ,

had a fine one when young ; and she is not sorry if y o u se e

a pair o f her stockin gs o n a table that you may be aware ,

o f the neatness o f her leg and foot C ontented with thes e .

and other evident indications o f a good shape and letting ,

her young friends u nderstand that she c a n a ff ord to obscure

it a little sh e wears pockets and uses them well t oo In
, ,
.

the o n e is her handkerchief and any heavier matter that i s ,

n o t li k ely to come out with it such as the change of a six ,

pence ; in the other is a miscellaneous as sortment consisting ,

o f a pock et boo k a bunch of keys a needle case a spectacle

-

, ,
-

case crumbs o f biscuit a nutmeg and grater a smelling

, , ,

bottle and according t o the season an orange o r appl e ,

, , ,

which after many days she draws out warm and glossy t o , ,

give to some little child that has w ell behaved itself She .

generally occupies two rooms in the neatest conditio n ,

possible In the chamber is a bed with a white coverlet

.
,

built up high and round to look well and with curtains o f

, ,

a p a storal pattern consisting alternately o f large plants and

, ,

shepherds and shepherdess es O n t h e mantelpiec e a r e .

more shepherds and shepherdesses with dot eyed sh e e p at ,

-

their feet all in coloured ware t h e man perhaps , i n a pink

, ,

j acket and knots o f ri bbons at his knees and shoes holding ,

his crook lightly i n o n e h a nd and with t h e other at his

“

breast turning his toes o u t and looking tenderly at the

,

shepherd e ss the woman holding a crook also and modestly ,

returning his look with a gipsy hat j erked up behind a very

,
-

slender waist with petticoat and hips to counteract and t h e

, ,

petticoa t pull e d up through the pocket holes in order to -

sho w the trimness o f her an k les But these patterns o f .

,

course , are various The toilet is ancient carved at t h e

.
,

e dges and ti e d about with a snow white drapery o f muslin

,
-

Beside it a r e various boxes mostly j apan ; and t h e set o f ,

drawers are exquisite things for a little girl to rummage if ,

e ver little girl be so bold — containing ribbons and laces o f

various kinds linen smelling o f lavender o f the flowers o f ,

which there is always dust in t h e corners a heap o f pocket

books for a series of years ; and pieces o f dress long gon e
by such as head fronts stomachers , and flowered s ati n
,
-

shoes with e normous heel s Th e stock o f letters a r e unde r

, .

e special lock and k e S o much for the bedroom In t he

y . .

s itting roo m is rath e r a spare assortmen t o f s hi n i n g o l d

-

H
 L EIG H H U NT S
’
ES S AYS .

mahogany furniture o r carved armchairs equally o l d with “

, ,

chintz draperies down t o t h e ground ; a folding o r other

screen with C hinese figur es their round little eyed meek
, , ,
-

faces pe rking sideways ; a stu ffed bird perhaps in a glass ,

case (a living one is t o o much for her ) ; a portrait o f her

h usband over the m antelpiece in a coat with frog buttons ,
-

a n d a delicate frilled hand lightly inserted in the waistcoat

and Opposite him o n t h e wall is a piece o f embroidered

literature framed and glazed containi n g some moral distich
, ,

o r maxim worked in angular capital letters with two trees

, ,

o r parrots below in their proper colours ; the whole con

,

cluding with an A B C and numerals and the nam e of the

“
fair industrious expressing it to be her work Jan 1 4
, , .
,

T h e rest o f the furniture consists o f a looking glass —

with carved e dges perhaps a settee a hassock for the feet a

, , ,

mat for the little dog and a small set o f shelves i n which , ,

pre the S pec t a t o r and G u a rdi a n the Tu r ki sh S py a B i bl e , ,

n d P r a y e r B oo le Yo u n g s N i g h t Th o u g h t s with a piece o f
’

q
-

, ,

lace i n it to flatten M r s Ro w e s D e vo a t Ex e rc i ses of t he

, .
’

H ea r t M r s G l a sse s C o o ker y
’

, . and perhaps S i r Ch a r l es ,

G r a n di s on and C l a r i ssa
,
J o h n B u n el e is in the closet among .

the pick les and preserves The clock is o n the landing place .
-

between the two room doors where it ticks audibly but ,

a u i et l y and the landing place as well as the stairs is car -

, ,

a e t e d to a nicety Th e house is most in character a n d

.
,

properly coeval if it is in a retired suburb and strongly

, ,

built with wainscot rather than paper inside a n d loc k ers

, ,

in t h e windows Before the windows should be some

.

quivering poplars Here t h e O l d L ady receives a fe w

.

quiet visitors to tea and perhaps an early game at cards ,

o r y o u may see her going o u t on the same k ind o f visit her

sel f with a light umbrella running up into a stic k and

,

crooked ivory handle and her little do g equally famous for , ,

his love to her and captious antipathy to strangers Her .

grandchildren dislike him o n holidays and t h e boldest ,

s ometimes ventures to giv e him a sly k ick under the table .

W hen she returns at night she appears if the weather , ,

happens to be doubtful in a calash : and her servant in , ,

pattens follows half behind and half at her side with a

, ,

lantern .

Her opinion s a r e not many nor n e w S h e thinks t h e .

c lergyman a nic e man The D uke o f W e l lington i n her .

,
 L EIG H HU NT S ES S AYS ’
.

Of this art is that it does n o t insist u pon pl e asant m a terials

,

to work o n For instance we can never g o through S t

.
, .

’
G i l es s but the s e nse o f the extravagant inequalities in
,

human condition presses more forcibly upon us ; but som e

pleasant images are at hand even there t o refres h it They .

do not di splace the others so as to inj ure the sens e o f public ,

d uty which they excite ; they only serve to keep o u r spirits

fresh for their task and hinder them from running int o ,
’
desperation o r hopelessness In S t G i l e s s C hurch li e . .

C hapman the e arliest and best translator o f Homer ; a n d

,

Andrew Marvell t h e wit and patriot whos e poverty , ,

C harles II could n o t bribe . W e a r e as sure t o think o f .

these two men and o f all t h e goo d and pleasur e th e y have

,

done t o the world a s o f the less h appy obj ects about us, .

The steeple o f the church itself too is a h a ndsom e o n e ; and , ,

there is a flock o f pigeo n s i n that n eighbo urhood which w e ,

have stoo d with great ple a sure t o see ca reerin g about it Of a

fin e afternoon when a west ern wind had swept ba ck t h e
,

smoke towards the C ity a n d showed t h e white o f the ston e ,

steepl e piercing up into a blue sk y S o much fo r S t G i l e s s . .

’

whose very name is a nuisa nce with some It is dangerous .

to S peak disrespe ctfully o f o l d districts W h o wo uld suppos e .

that t h e Borough w as t h e most cl a ssical ground in t h e

m etropolis ? And y e t it is undoubte dly so Th e G lob e .

Theatre w a s there o f which S hakespe ar e hi mself wa s a ,

proprietor and for which h e wrote his plays G lob e L a n e

, .
,

i n which it stood is still ext ant w e believe und e r that name

, , , .

It is probabl e that he lived near it : it is certai n that h e

must have been much there It i s also certain that o n t h e .

Borough side o f the river then and still called the Ban k ,

side in t h e sam e lodging having the same wardrobe and

, , , ,

som e say with other par ticipations more remark able lived
, ,

Beaumont and Fletc her In t h e Borough also at S t .

,
.

’
S aviour s lie Fletcher and Massinger in o n e grav e ; in t h e
,

s ame church u nder a monument and e ffigy lies C haucer s

’

, ,

contemporary G ower ; and from an inn in the Borough

, ,

the existence o f whi ch is still bo a sted and the site pointed ,

Out by a picture and inscription C ha u cer sets o u t his ,

pilgr im s and himself o n their famous road to C anterbu ry .

To retur n over the water who would e xpect a n yt hing ,

poetical from Ea st S m i t h fi e l d ? Y e t th e re w a s born t h e

m o st po e tical e ve n o f poe t s— S p ens e r Pope wa s born .
 PL EA S A NT RECOL L ECTIONS . 101

within t h e sound o f Bow bells in a street n o less anti -

poetical than L ombard S treet S O was G r ay i n C ornhill .

, .

S O was Milton i n Bread S treet C heapside ,

Th e presenc e ,
.

o f t h e sam e great p oe t and patriot has given happy memories

to many parts o f t h e metropolis He lived in S t Bride s . .

’

C hurchyard Fleet S treet ; in Aldersgat e S treet in Jewi n

, ,

S treet , i n Barbican in Bartholomew C lose ; i n Holborn , ,

lookin g back t o L incoln s Inn Fi elds ; in Holborn near Red ’

- -

L ion S quar e ; in S cotland Y ard ; in a house looking to S t .

’
James s Park now be longing to an eminent writer on
,

legislation [ Jeremy Bentham ] and lately occupied by a ,

celebrated critic and metaphysician [ W illiam Hazlitt ] ; and

h e died i n the Artille r y W alk B u n h i l l Fields an d was , ,
’
buried in S t G i l e s s C ripplegate.
, .

“
Ben Jonson w h o was born i n Hartshorne L ane near
, ,
”
C haring C ross was at o n e tim e ,master o f a theatre i n
Barbican H e appe a rs also t o hav e visited a tavern called
.

the S u n and Moon in Aldersgate S treet and is known to , ,

have frequented with Beaumont and others the famous o n e

, ,

called th e Mermaid which was i n C ornhill , .

T h e other celebrate d resort o f the great wits o f that tim e

was t h e D evil Tavern in Fleet S tree t clos e to Temple Bar , , .

Ben Jonson lived also i n Bartholomew C lose where Milto n ,

afterwards lived It is in the passa ge from the cloisters o f

.

’ ’
C hrist s Hospital into S t B a rtholomew s Aubrey gives it . .

’
a s a comm on opinion that at the time when J o n s o n s father ,

i n law m ad e him help him in his business of bricklayer h e

-

,
’
worked with his o w n hands upon the L in coln s Inn garden
wall which looks upo n C hancery L ane and which seems o l d
, ,

e nough t o hav e som e o f his illust ri ou s brick and mort a r still - -

re maining .

Under the cloisters in C hrist s Hospital (w hich stand in ’

the heart o f the C ity unknown to most persons lik e a hous e ,

kept invisible for young and learned eyes ) lie buried a

multitud e o f persons o f all ranks ; for it w a s o nce a
“
monastery o f G rey Fri ars C amden the n o u r i c o o f anti .
,
”
quities received part o f his educatio n in this s chool an d
,

here al so n o t t o mention a variety Of others known in t h e

,

li terary world w ere bred two o f t h e m o st powerful an d

,

deep spirited writers o f the pres ent da y whos e visits t o t h e

-

cloisters we well remember

'
.

In a palac e o n t h e site o f Hatton G arden died John of ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

G aunt Brook House at the corner of the street o f that nam e

.
,

in Holborn was the residence o f the celebrated S i r Fulk e

,
“
G reville L ord Brook the friend o f S i r Philip S ydney
,
In , .

the same street died by a voluntary death o f poison that , , ,

e xtraordinary person Thomas C hatterton ,

Th e sleepless so u l that peri shed i n h i s pri de

, .

W O RD S W O RT H .

He was buried in the work house i n S hoe L an e ; a circum

stance a t which o n e can hardly help feeling a movement o f
indignation Y e t what could beadles and parish o fficers
.

know about such a being ? N o more than Horace W alpole .

’
In G ray s Inn lived and in G ray s In n garden meditated
’
, ,

L ord Bacon In S outhampton Row, Holborn C owper was

.
,

a fellow clerk to an attorney with the future L ord C hancellor

-

Thurlo w At the Fleet S treet corner o f C hancery L ane

.
,

C owley we believe w a s born

,
In S alisbury C ourt Fleet , .
,

S treet was the house o f Thomas S ackville first Earl o f

, ,

D orset the precursor o f S penser and o n e of the authors of

, ,

the first regular English tragedy O n the demolition o f .

this house part o f the ground was occupied by the cele

,

b r a t e d theatre built after the Restoration at which Better ,

ton performed and o f which S i r W illiam D avenant was ,

manager L astly here was the house and printing o ffi c e o f

.
,
-

Richardson In Bolt C ourt not far distant lived D r

.
, , .

Johnson who resided also for some time in the Temple A

,
.

list o f his numerous other residences is to be foun d in

Boswell C ongrev e died in S urrey S treet in the S trand at
.
,

his o w n house At the corner o f Beaufort Buildings was.

L illy s the perfumer at whose house the T a t l er w a s

’
,

pu b lished In Maiden L ane C ovent G arden Voltaire

.
, ,

lodged while in L ondon at the sign o f the W hite Peruke ,

.

Tavis tock S treet was then we believe the Bond S treet o f , ,

the fashionable world ; as B o w S treet was before The .

change o f Bow S treet from fashion to the police w ith t h e ,

theatre still in attendance reminds o n e o f the spirit o f t h e ,

” ’
Beggar s Opera Button s C o ffee house the reso r t o f t h e
.
’
-

wits o f Queen An ne s time was in Russell S treet— w e ’

,

b elieve near where the Hummums n ow stan d

,
W e think .

we recollect reading also that in th e sam e street at o n e o f , , ,

the corn ers o f B o w S treet was the tavern where D ryden ,

h eld re gal possession o f the armch a ir The whole o f C ovent .

 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 04 .

TO A N Y O N E W H O M B A D W EATH ER
D EPR ES S ES .

(The I ndi c a t o r , Nove m b er 1 0,

IF you a r e melancholy fo r the first time you will find upon ,

a little inquiry that others have been melancholy many

times and yet a r e cheerful now I f y o u h a ve been m elan
,
.

c h o l y many times recollect th a t y o u have got over all thos e

,

times ; and try if you cannot find new means o f gettin g

o ver the m better .

D O not imagin e that mind alon e is concerned in your

bad spirits The body h a s a great deal to do with t he se
.

matters Th e mind m a y undoubtedly a ffec t the body but

.

the body als o affects the mind There is a mutual reaction .

between them ; and by lessening it o n ei t her side , you

diminish the pain on both .

If you are melancholy and know n o t why be ass u red it , ,

must arise e ntirely from som e physical weak ness ; and do

your best to strengthen yoursel f The blood o f a melan .

c h o l y man is thick and slo w Th e blood o f a lively man is .

clear an d quick Endeavour therefore to put your bloo d

.
, ,

in motion Exercise is the best way t o do it but you may

.

a l so help yourself in moderation with wine o r other

, , ,

e xcitements O nly y o u must tak e care so to proportion t h e

.

u se o f any artificial stimulus that it may not render t h e

blood languid by over exciting it at first ; and that y o u may

-

b e abl e to keep up by t h e natural stimulus only t h e help

, ,

y o u have given yourself by the art i ficial .

Regard the bad weather as somebody has advised us to

handle the nettle I n proportion as you are delicat e with
.

it , it will m a k e you feel ; but

G rasp it l i ke a ettle man of m ,

And i t so ft as s i lk re m ains .

Do not the less however o n that account take all re a son

, , ,

able precaution and arms a gainst it — your boots &c against , .

,

wet feet and your great coat o r umbrella against the rain
,
-

It is timidity and flight which are to b e deprecated not ,

proper armour for t h e battle The first will lay y o u open t o .

defea t o n the least attack A proper u se of t h e latter will .

 T O A NY O NE W H OM B AD WEA TH ER D EPRES S ES . 1 05

only keep y o u strong fo r it Plato had such a high Opinion .

o f exercis e th a t h e said it was a cure even for a wounded

conscience .

D iminish your mere wants as much as possible w h ether ,

’
you are rich o r poor ; for the rich man s wants i ncreasing ,

by indulgence are apt to outweigh even the abundanc e

,

o f his means ; and the poor man s diminution o f them

’

renders his means the gr eater D O not w ant money for .

,
’
instance for m oney s sake There is excitement i n the
, .

pursuit ; but it is d a shed with more troubles than most ‘

others and gets less happiness at last O n the other hand

,
.
,

increase all your natural and healthy enj oyments C ulti .

vate your afternoon fireside the society of your friends t h e , ,

company o f agreeable children music theatres amusing , , ,

boo k s an urbane and generous gallantry He who think s

, .

any innocent pastime foolish has either yet to grow wiser , ,

or i s
pa s t it In the o n e case his notion Of being childish i s
.
,

itself a childish notion In the other his importance is of.

,

so feebl e and ho l low a cast that it dare not move for fear o f ,

tumbling to pieces .

A friend o f ours who knows as well as any man how to

,

unit e industry with enj oyment has set a n excellent ex ,

ample to those who can afford the leisure by taking two ,

S abbaths every week inst ea d o f o n e ; not Methodistical

S abbaths but days o f rest which pay true homage to the
,

S upreme Being by enjoying His cr e ation He will be .

gratified at reading this paragraph o n his second S unday

morning [W ednesday] .

O n e o f the best pieces o f a dv 1 c e fo r an ailing spirit is t o

go to n o sudden extremes to adopt no g 1 eat and extrem e —

changes in diet o r other habits They may make a man .

look very great and philosophic to his o w n mind but they ,

are not fit for a nature to which custom has been truly said
t o be a second nature .

Baco n says that w e should discontinue what we think

hurtful by little and little And he quotes with admiratio n .

“
the advic e o f C elsus that a man do vary and interchang e
,

contraries but with an inclination to t h e more benign

,
”“ “ ”
extreme . U se fasting he says and full eating b u t
, , ,

r a t h er full eating ; watching and sleep b u t rath er sleep ; ,

sitting and exercise but rather exercise ; a ri d the lik e

, .

S o shall nature b e cherished and yet taught masteries , .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

ON TH E H O U S EH O L D G O D S O F TH E
AN C I EN T S .

(The In di c a t o r , Nove m b er IO ,

TH E ancients had three kinds o f household gods — t h e

D aimon (D aemon ) o r G enius the Penates and the L ares , , .

The first was supposed to be a S pirit allotted to every man

from his birth some say with a companion and that one of
, ,

them was a suggester o f good thoughts and the other of ,

evil It seems however that the G enius was a pe r so n i fi c a

.
, ,

tion o f the conscience o r rather o f t h e prevailing impulses

,

of the mind o r the other self o f a man ; and it was in t his

,

sens e most likely that S ocra t es condescended to speak o f

his well known D ae mon G enius o r Familiar S pirit , who a s
-

, , ,

he was a good man always ad vised him to a good e n d

, .

O f the b elief in an Evil G enius a celebrated example i s ,

’
furnished in Plutarch s account of Brutus s vision of which ’
,

S h a k spe a r e has given so fine a version ( Julius C ae sar

“
,

act iv so
. . Beliefs of this kind seem traceable from o n e
superstition to another and i n some instances a r e no doubt
,

immediately so But fear and ignorance and e ven t h e

.
,

humility o f knowledge are at hand to furnish them wher e

, ,

precedent is wanting There is no doubt however tha t.

, ,

the Romans who copied and in gen eral vulgarized t h e

,

G reek mythology took their G enius from the G reek

,

D aimon ; and as the G reek word has survived and take n

,

shape in the common word D aemon w hich by scornful ,

reference to the heathen religion came at last to signify a

D evil so the L atin word G enius not having been used
, ,

by the translators o f the G ree k Testament has survived ,

with a better meaning and is employed t o express o u r ,

most genial and intellectual faculties S uch and such a .

man is said to indulge his genius— h e has a genius fo r this

and that art— h e has a noble gen i us an airy geni us a n , ,

original and peculiar ge n ius And as the Romans from .

,

attributing a genius to e very man at his birth came t o ,

attribute o n e to places and to soils an d other more com ,

prehensive peculiarities so w e ha v e adopted the same u se,

o f the term into our poetical phraseology W e speak also .

o f the genius or idiomatic pec u liarity o f a language

,
On e ,
.

o f the most curious and edifyi n g uses o f the word G eniu s

 8 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
13 .

nances were clothed in skins and had little dogs a t thei r

, ,

feet S ome writers make them the o ffspring o f t h e goddess

.

Mania who presided over the spirits o f t h e dead ; an d

,

suppos e that originally they were the sam e as those spirits

which is a very probable as well as agre e abl e superstition ,

the o l d nations Of Italy having been accustomed to bury

their de a d in their houses Upon this supposition t h e .
,

good o r b e nevolent spirits were called Familiar L ares an d ,

the evil o r malignant ones L arvae and L emures Thus .

Milton in his awful “ Hymn o n the N ativity

,

In consecrated earth ,

A nd on t h e holy hearth ,

T h e L ars a n d L e m u res m oan w ith m i dn i g ht pla i nt .

In u rns a n d altars ro u nd ,

A drear and d y ing so u nd

A fi r i g h t s t h e F l am ens at the i r servi ce q u a i nt
And t h e ch i l l m arb le seem s to s w eat ,

Wh i le each pec u l i ar P ower f oreg oes h i s wonted seat .

It is imposs ibl e not to be struck with the resemblanc e

b etween thes e lesser ho u sehold gods and some o f the Offices
o f o u r o l d English elves and fairies D a c i e r in a note .
,

upon Horace (Book I C d informs us that i n some

.
, .

parts o f L anguedoc in his time t h e fireplace was still

, ,

called t h e L a r a n d that the nam e was also given to

h ouses .

S O C IA L G EN EAL O G Y .

(T he In di c a t or , N ovem b er 1 7,

IT is a curious and pleasant thing t o consider that a l i nk

of personal acquaintance can be traced up from the authors
Of o u r o w n times to those o f S h a k spe a r e and to S h a k spe a r e ,

himself O vid in recording with fondness his intimacy

.
,

w ith Propertius and Horace regrets that he had only seen ,

Virgil (Trist Book IV v

.
,
But stil l h e thin k s t h e
. .

sight o f him worth remembering And Pope when a child .

, ,

prevailed o n som e friends to take him to a co ffee house -

which D ryden frequented merely to look at him ; which h e

,

did to his great satisfaction N o w such o f us as hav e

,
.
,

shaken hands with a living poet might be able perh a ps to , , ,

 S O CIA L G ENEA L O G Y . 19 9

reckon up a series o f connecting sh akes to the very hand

that wrote Of Hamlet and o f Falstaff and o f D esdemona , ,
.

W ith some living poets it i s certa in There is Thomas ,

.

Moore fo r instance who knew S heridan S heridan knew

, , .

Johnson who wa s the friend o f S avage w h o knew S te ele

, , ,

w h o knew Pope Pope was intimate with C ongreve and

.
,

C ongreve with D ryden D ryden i s said to have visited .

Milton Milton is said to have known D avenant ; a nd to

.

have been saved by him from t h e r e venge o f the restored

C ourt in return fo r havin g saved D avenant from the
,

revenge o f the C ommonwealth But if the link between .

D ryden and Milton and Milton and D avenant is somewhat, ,

apocryphal o r rather dependent o n tradition (fo r Richard

,

s o n the painter tells us the latter from Pope who had it ,

from Betterton t h e actor o n e o f D avenant s company ) it ,

’

m a y be carried at onc e from D ry den to D avenant with ,

whom h e was unquestionably intimate D avenant then .

, ,

kne w Hobbes who knew Bacon who knew Ben Jonson ,

, ,

w h o was intimate with Beaumont and Fl etcher C hapman , ,

D onne D rayton C amden

, S elden C larendon
, S ydney , , , ,

Raleigh and perhaps all the great m en o f Elizabeth s and

,
’

’
James s time t h e grea test o f them all undoubte dly Thu s
, .

”
have w e a link o f beamy hands from o u r o wn tim es up
t o S hak espeare .

N o t to omit S penser it m a y b e mentioned that D avenant

,

resided some tim e in t h e family o f S i r Fulke G reville L ord

Brooke t h e friend o f S i r Philip S yd ney
, S pe nser s .
’

intimacy with S ydney is mentioned by hi mself in a letter , ,

still extant t o G abriel Harv ey

, .

W e will n o w giv e the autho ri ti e s fo r o u r intellectual

pedigree S heridan is mentioned in Boswell as being a d
.

m i t t e d to the celebrated club o f which Johnson G oldsmith , , ,

and others were members He had then if we remember .

, ,

j ust written his S chool fo r S candal which made him t h e ,

more welcome O f J o h n so n s friendship with S avage (we

.
’

cannot help beginning the sentence with his favourite lead

i n g preposition ) the well known L ife is an intere sting and
,
-

honourable record It is said that in the commencement

.

o f their friendship they hav e som e times wandered together

about L ondon for want o f a lodging ; more likely for ,

’
S avage s want o f it and Joh n so n s f e ar o f o ffe n di n g him by
,
’

offering a shar e o f his o wn .

 L EIG H HU NT S ES S AYS ’
.

S avage s intimacy with S teele is recorded in a pleasan t

’

anecdote which he told Joh nson S i r Richard once desired

,
.

“ ”
him ,
with an air o f the utmost importance says his ,

biographer to come very early to his house t h e next

,

morning Mr S avag e came as he had promised found t h e

. .
,

ch a riot at the door and S i r Richard waiting for him and

, ,

ready to go o u t W hat was intended and whither they

.
,

were to go S avage could not conj ecture and w a s n o t will

, ,

ing to inquire ; but immediately seated himself with S i r

Richard The coachman was ordered to drive and they
.
,

hurried with the utmost expedition t o Hyde Park C orner ,

where they stopped at a petty tavern and ret i red to a ,

p ri vate room S i r Richard then informed him that he

.

intended to publish a pamphlet and that he had desired ,

him to come thither that he might write for him They .

soon sat down to the work S i r Richard dic t ated and .

,

S avage wrote till the dinner that had been ordered was put
,

upon the table S avage was surprised at the meanness o f

.

the entertainment and after some hesitation ventured to

,
‘

ask for wine which S i r Richard n o t without reluctance

, , ,

ordered to be brought They then fini shed their dinner .

,

and proceeded in their pamphlet which they concluded i n ,

the afternoon .

“
Mr S avage then imagined that his task was over and
.
,

e xpected that S i r Richard would call for the rec k oning and ,

return home ; but his expectations deceived him for S i r ,

Richard told him that he was without mo n e y and t h at the ,

pamphlet must be sold before the dinner could b e paid for ;

and S a v a g e w a s therefore obli ged to go and Offer their n e w
'

production to sale for two guineas which with som e ,

di fficulty he Obtained S i r Richard th e n returned home

.
,

having retired that day only to avoid his creditors and ,

”
composed the pamphlet only to discharge his reckoning .

S teele s acquaintance with Pope who wrote some papers

’

fo r his G u a r di a n appears in the letters and other work s

,

o f the wits o f that time Johnson supposes that it was his

.

friendly interference which attempted to bring Pope and

’
Addison together after a j ealous separation Pope s friend .

s hip with C ongreve appears also in his letters He also .

dedicated the Ili a d to him over the heads o f peers and

”
,

atrons C o n greve whose conversation most lik ely partook

p .
,

o f t h e e leganc e and wit o f his writings , a n d whos e manners

 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AYS
’
1 12 .

as notorious as t heir fame Fuller says Many were .

the wit combates betwixt [ S h a k spe a r e ] and Ben Jonson

-

which two I behold like a S panish great galleon and a n

English man o f—war -

Master Jonson (like the former ) was

.

built far higher in learni ng : solid but slow i n his perform ,

a n c es S h a k spe a r e with the Eng l ish man o f war lesser in

.
,
- -

bul k but lighter i n sailing could turn with all tides tack
, , ,

about and take advantage o f all wi nds by the quickness of

, ,
”
his wit and invention This is a happy simile with t h e
.
,

exception o f what is insinuated about Jonson s greater ’

solidity But let Jonson show fo r himself the aff ection

.

with which he regarded o n e who did not irritate o r trample

down rivalry but rose above it like the quiet and all
,

gladdeni ng sun and turned emulation to worship

,

S o u l o f the a g e !
Th applau se ! del i g ht ! t h e w onder o f o u r stag e !
’

M y S h a k spe a r e ri se 1 I wi ll n o t lodg e thee b y

,

C hau cer or S penser or b i d B eau m ont l i e ,

A l i ttle f u rther to m ak e thee a room ,

Tho u art a m onu m ent wi tho u t a to m b

A nd art al ive sti ll wh i le t h y b ook doth l ive , ,

A n d we have wi ts to read and pra i se to g i ve , .

a at a

H e wa s not of a n a ge , b u t fo r all ti m e .

AN G L I NG .

( The In di c a t o r , Nove m b er 1 7,

TH E book o f Isa a c W alton u pon angling is a delightful

performan c e in some respects It smells o f the country air .
,

and of the flowers in cottag e windows Its pictures of rural .

scenery its sim plicity its snatches o f Old songs are a l l good
, , ,

and refreshing ; an d his prodigious relish o f a dressed

fish would not be grudged him if h e had k illed it a littl e ,

m ore decently He really seems t o have a respect for a

.

piece o f salmon ; to approach it like the grace with his hat , ,

o ff
. B u t what are we to think o f a man who in the midst , ,

o f his tortures o f o ther anim a ls is a l ways valuin g himself ,

o n his harmlessness and who actually follo ws u p o n e O f his

m ost c o mplacen t pas sa ges o f th i s kin d with a n inj unctio n t o
 AN G L ING . r13

impale a certain worm twi c e upon t h e hook be cause it i s ,

lively and might get o ff

,
Al l that can b e said o f such an
extraordinary inconsisten c y is that having been bred up i n ,

an opinion o f the innocence o f his amusement and poss e ssing ,

a he a lthy power o f exercising voluntary thoughts (a s far as

he had any ) he must have dozed over the Opposite side o f t h e
,

qu e stion so as to become almost perhaps quite insensibl e

, , ,

to it And angling does indeed s e e m the next thing to

.

dreaming It dispenses with loc omotion , rec onciles contra

.

dictions and renders the very countenance null and void

, .

A friend o f ours who is an admirer o f W alton w a s struck

, , ,
’
j ust as w e were with t h e likeness of the Old angler s fac e
,

to a fish It is hard angular and Of no expression It

.
, ,
.

“
seems to have been subdued to what it worked in ; t o
have become native to the watery element O n e m ight .

have said to W alton O h flesh how art thou fi sh i fi e d l, ,

He looks like a pike dressed i n broadcloth instead o f ,

butter .

D eath is common t o all ; and a trout speedily killed by a ,

man may suffer n o worse fate than from t h e j aws o f a pike

, .

It is the mode the linger i ng cat like cruelty o f t h e angler s

’
-

S port that renders it unworthy

, .

W e should like to know what thes e grav e divi nes who ,

were anglers wo u l d have said to the heavenly maxim o f

,

D O as you would be don e by L e t us imagine ourselves .

,

for instance a sort o f human fish Air is but a rarer fluid ;

, .

and at present i n this N ovember weather a supernatural

, ,

be ing who should look down upo n us from a higher atmo

sphere would have some reason to regard us a s a kind o f
pedestrian carp N o w fancy a G enius fishing fo r us Fancy
.
, .

him baiting a great hook with pick led sa lmon and twitch ,

ing up o l d Isaac W alton from t h e banks of the river L e e ,

with t h e hook through his c a r How h e would go u p .

,

c arin
g and screaming and thin king t h e devi l had g o t
{ im !
,

:
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 14 .

L UD I CR OUS EXAG G ERATI O N .

( Th e In di c a t o r , Novem b er 2 4,

M EN of wit sometimes like to pamper a favourite joke into

exaggeration — into a certain corpulence o f facetious ness .

Their relish o f the thing mak es them wish it as large as

possible and the social enj oyment o f it is doubled by its b e
coming more visible t o the eyes of others It is for this reason .

that j ests in company are sometimes built up by o n e hand

after another three piled hyperboles till t h e overdon e
— —

Babel topples and tumbles down amidst a merry confusion

o f tongues .

Falstaff was a great master Of this art He loved a jok e .

as large as himself witness his famous account o f the men

in buck ram Thus he tells the L ord C hief Justice that he
.

“
had lost h is voice with singing o f a n th e m s and he calls
“
Bardolph s red nose a perpetual triumph a n everla sting
’

,
“
b o n fi r e light
-

and says it has saved him a thousand

“
mark s in links and torches walki ng with it in the night
betwixt tavern and tavern S e e h o w h e goes heightenin g.

“
the account Of his recruits at every step — Y o u woul d
think that I had a hundred and fifty tattered prodigals ,
lately come from swine keeping from eating draff and husks -

, .

A mad fellow met me o n the way and told me I had u n l oaded ,

all the gibbets and pressed the dead bodies N O eye hath
,
.

’
seen such scare crows I ll n o t march through C ovent r y
-

with them that s flat N a y and the villains march wid e

,
’
.
,

betwixt the legs as if they had gyves o n ; fo r indeed I had

, , ,
’
most of them o u t o f prison There s but a shirt and a half .

in all my company ; and the half shirt is two napkins -

tack ed together and thrown over the shoulders li k e a

,

herald s coat without sleeves

’

There is a very humorous piece Of exaggeration i n

B u tler s Remains a collection b y t h e b y well worthy o f
’
, ,
- -

,
”
Hudibras and indeed o f more interest to the general
, , ,

reader Butler is defrauded o f his fame with r e aders o f

.

taste w h o happen to b e no politician s when Hudibras is ,

printed without this appendage The piec e W e allud e t o is .

a short description o f Holland

A co u n try that draws fi fty foot o f water ,

In whi c h m e n l i ve a s i n t h e hold o f Natu re ;

1 16 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S ’
.

An d to the stak e a s t r u g g l i n g c o u n t r y b ou nd ,

Where b ark ing waves st i l l b ai t t h e f orc ed g rou nd

B u i ld in g the i r watery B a b el fa r m ore h i g h
T o reac h t h e se a than those to scale t h e s k y
, .

Ye t st i ll h i s cla i m t h e i n j u red ocean lay e d ,

A n d o ft at leap frog o er the ir stee ples played

-
’

A s i f on pu rpo s e i t on land h a d co m e
T o show the m what s the ir M are L i b eru m
’
.

A dai ly del u g e over them does b o i l ;

Th e eart h a n d water play at le v el c o y l -
.

T h e fi s h o ft t i m es t h e b u rg her d i spossessed
-

,
A n d sat n o t as a m eat b u t as a g u est :
, ,

A n d o ft t h e Tri tons a n d t h e S e a n y m phs s a w

,
-

W hole shoals o f D tch served u p f o r c a b i l l a u

u .

O r as they over t h e n e w level rang ed

, ,

F o r pi ck led her ring pi ck led H eeren chan g ed ,

.

Nat u re i t seem ed asham ed o f h e r m i stak e

, , ,

W o u ld t r o w the i r land away at d u c k a n d drak e

'

- -
.

There fore N ecess i ty that fi rst m ade k i n g s

, , ,

S o m eth in g l i k e g overnm ent am on g them b ri ng s

F o r as w i th P i g m y s w h o b est k i lls t h e crane
, ,

A m on g t h e hu ng ry h e that treas u res g ra in ,

A m ong t h e b l i nd t h e o n e eye d b l ink ard re i g ns -

,
S o ru les a m ong t h e drown ed he that dra ins .

N o t w h o fi rst sees t h e ri s ing s u n co m m ands ;

B u t w h o co u ld fi rst d i s cern t h e ri s ing lands .

W h o b est co u ld k no w to pu m p an earth so leak ,

H i m they t he i r lord a n d co u ntry s father speak

’
.

T o m ak e a b ank was a g reat plot o f state

Invent a shovel and b e a m ag i strate
, .

W e can never read these o r some other ludicrous vers e s

o f Marvell even when by ourselves without laughter ; but
, ,

we must curtail o u r self—indulgence fo r the present .

FATAL MI S TAK E O F N ERV O U S D I S O R D ER S

FO R I N S AN IT Y .

( Th e In di c a t o r , Nove m b er 2 4,

T H ERE is this great d ifference betwee n what is generally

u nderstood by the word insanity and the n ervous o r melan ,

c h o l y disorders the excess o f which is so often confounded

,

wit h it Insanity is a consequence o f malformation o f t h e

“

brain and is by no mean s o f necessity attended with melan

,

c h o l , o r e v e n ill health
y Th e patient , in t h e very mi dst o f
.
 FA TA L MI S TAK E OF NERVO U S DIS OR DER S . 117

it i s o ft e n strong healthy and e ven cheerful O n t h e other

, , ,
.

h and nervous disorders o r even m elancholy in its most

, ,

aggravated state is not h ing but the excess of a state Of

,

stom a ch and blood extremely common The mind n o , .

,

doubt will a c t u pon that state and exasperate it ; but ther e

,

is great reaction between mind and body ; and as it is a

co m mon thing for a man in an ordinary fever o r fit of t h e ,

bile t o be melancholy an d even to do o r feel inclined to do

, ,

an extravagant thin g so it is as common for him to get ,

well and be quite cheerful again Thus it is among witless

,
.
,

people that the true insanity will be found It is the more .

intelligent that are subj ect to the other disorders ; and a .

proper use of their intelligence wil l show them what t h e

disorders are .

But weak treatment may frighten the intelligent A .

kind person for instance in a fit of melancholy may confess , ,

that he feels an inclination to do some desperate o r even

cruel thing This is often treate d at once as insanity
.
,

instead o f an excess Of the kind just mentioned ; and t h e

person seeing he is thought m a d begins to think himself so
, , ,

and at last acts as if he were This is a lamentable evil ;

'

but it does not stop here The children o r other relatives

.
.

o f the person may become victims to the mistak e They .

“
think there is adness as the phra se is in the family ;
m , ,

and so whenever they feel ill o r meet with a misfortune

, , ,

the thought will prey upon their minds and this may lead ,

to catastrophes with which they have really n o more to do

than any other sick o r unfortunate people How m any .

pe rs ons have committed an extravagance in a brain fever

or undergone hallucinatio n s o f mind i n consequence o f
getting an ague o r taking opium o r fifty other causes ! And
, ,

yet the moment the least wandering o f mind is observed i n

them others become frightened ; their fright is manifested
,

beyond all n ecessity ; and the patients and their family

must su ffer for it They seem to think that n o disorder ca n
.

properly be held a true C hri sti a n sick ness and fi t for chari ,

table interpretation but where the patient has gon e ,

regularly to bed and had curt ai ns and caudle cups a n d

, ,
-

nurses about him like a well behaved respectable sick

,
-

gentleman But this state o f things implies muscular

.

wea kness o r weak ness o f that sort which renders the

,

bodily action feeble N o w in nervous disorders the mus .

,
 LE IG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

cular action may be as strong as ever ; and people may

re a sonably b e allowed a world of illness sitting in their ,

chairs o r even wal k ing o r r u n n i n

,
or
.

These mistaken pronouncers upon diseas e ought to b e

told that when they are thus unwarrantably frightene d ,

they are partaking o f the very essence o f W hat they mis

apprehend ; for it is fe a r in all its various degrees and,

m odifications which is at the bottom o f nervousness and

,

m elancholy ; not fear in its ordinary sense as oppo sed to ,

cowardice (for a man who would shudder at a h a t or a ,

vagu e idea may be bold a s a lion against an enemy ) b u t

, ,

imaginative fear — fear either o f something kno w n or o f

, ,

the patient knows not what a vague sense of terror an —

,

impulse an apprehension o f ill — dwel ling upon some pain

,

ful and worrying thought N o w this suffering is inevitably

.
,

connected with a weak state o f the body in s o m e resp e c ts ,

pa r ticularly of the stomach Hundreds will be found to .

have felt it if patients inquire ; but the mind is sometimes

,

afraid o f acknowledging its apprehensions even to itself ;

and thus fear broo ds over and hatches fear .

Insanity itself properly means nothing but unhealthi n ess ,

or unsoundness D erangement explains itself and may

.
,

surely mean very harmless things Mel ancholy is com .

pounded o f two words which signify dark bile Hypo , .

chondria is the name o f o n e o f the regions o f the sto mach

a very instructive etymolog And lunacy refers to effects
y .
,

real o r imaginary o f particular states o f the moon which

, , ,

if anything after all are nothing more than what every

,

delicate constitution feels in its degree from part icular states

o f the weather ; for weather like the tides is apt to b e in , ,

such and such a condition when the moon presents such and
s uch a face .

It has been said

G reat w i ts to m adness nearly are all i ed .

It is curious that he w h o wro te the saying (D ryden ) was a

very sound wit to the end of his life ; while his wife who ,

w a s o f a weak understanding became insane An excellent , .

wr iter (W ordsworth ) has written an idle couplet about the

insanity o f poets
W e poets i n yo u th b eg i n i n g ladness
our
B u t thereof com e i n t h e e n d despondency a n d m adn ess .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
120 .

nothi n g about it ; and t h e pe opl e showe d at onc e their

ignorance and their admiration o f the king by saying that
, ,

the devil h a d caused it o u t o f j ealousy It was probably .

pro duced by anxiety fo r the state o f his country ; bu t t h e

same thing which wounded him might have helped to keep
him up for he had plenty of business t o attend to a n d
, ,

fought with his o w n hand in fi ft y six pitched battles N o w -

.
,

exactly twenty years after in the forty fi ft h year of his age,

—

(if o u r former recollection is right

) this disorder to tally l eft ,

him and his great heart was where it ought to be in a

, ,

heaven o f health and calmness .

M I S TS A ND F OG S .

( Th e In di c a t o r , Novem b er 3 1 ,

Fe e s an d mists being nothing but vapours which t h e

,

cold air will not su ffer to evaporate must have body enough ,

to present a gorgeous aspect next the sun To the eye o f an .

e ag le o r whatever other eyes there may be to lo o k down

,

u pon them they must appear like m a sses o f cloudy gold

, .

I n fact they are but clouds unrisen The C ity of L ondon at

, .
,

the time we are writing this article, i s literally a city i n t h e

clouds Its inhabi tants walk through the same airy heaps
.

which at other ti m es float far over their he a ds i n the sk y ,

o r m inister with glorious faces to the setting sun .

we do not say that any o n e c a n hold a fire in his h and

“

by thin k ing o n a fin e sunset ; o r that sheer imagination o f

any sort can mak e it a very a g reeable thing to feel as if
one s body were wrapped round with cold wet paper much
’

less t o flounder through gutters o r run a gainst posts But , .

the mind can often help itself with agreeable images against
disagreeabl e ones ; o r pitch itself round to t h e best sides
and aspects o f t h em The solid and fiery ball o f the sun
.
,

stuck , as it were in the thick fogg atmosphere the moon

, ,

j ust winning her way through it into beams nay t h e ,

very candles and gaslights in the shop windows o f a misty -

evening — all have in our eyes their agree a ble vari eties o f
, ,

contrast to the surrounding haze W e have even halted .

,

o f a dreary a utumnal eveni n g at that open part o f t h e ,

 MIS TS A ND FOG S . 12 1

’
S trand by S t C lement s and seen the church which is a
.
, ,

poo r structure o f itself take an aspe ct of ghastly grandeur

,

from the dark atmosphere ; loo k ing li k e a tall white mass

mounting up intermina b ly into the night overhead .

The poets who are th e common friends that keep up t h e

,

intercourse between nature an d humanity have in number ,

l ess passages done j ustice t o these melanchol y visitors a n d ,

shown us what gr and personages the y are To mention .

onl y a fe w of the most st r i ki n

“
Iliad (Book I v . rises o u t o f the sea to console
.

Achilles she issues forth in a mist like the gigantic

,
”
G enius in the Arabian N igh t s The reader is t o suppose.

that the mist after ascending comes gliding over the water
, , ,

and condensing itself into a human shape lands the white ,

footed goddess o n the sh ore .

W hen Achilles after his long and vindictive absence from

,

the G reek armies reappears in consequence of the death o f

,

his friend Patroclus and stands before the app a lled Trojan
,

armies who are thrown into confusio n at the very sight

, ,

Min erva to render his aspect th e more a stonishing and

,

awful puts a bout his head a hal o o f golden m ist streaming

, ,

upwar ds with fire (Book XVIII V He shouts aloud . .

under this preternatural diadem ; Mine r va throws in to his

shout her o w n immortal voice wit h a strange unnatural
cry at which t h e horses o f the Trojan warriors run round
with their chariots and twelve o f th eir noblest ca ptains
,

perish in the crush .

A mist was the u sual clothing o f th e gods when the y de

scended to e a rth especially o f Apollo whose brightness
, ,

h a d double need of mitigation Homer t o heighten the .

,

dignity o f Ulysses has finely given him the same covering

, ,

when he passes through the C ourt of A ntinous and suddenl y ,

appears before the throne This has been t urned to happy.

account by Virgil and t o a n e w and nobl e one by Milton

, .

Virgil makes E neas issu e suddenly from a m ist at the ,

m oment when his friends think him lost and the beauti ful ,

Queen of C arth a ge is wishing his presence Milton — but .

we w il l give o n e or two o f his m inor uses o f m ists by way ,

o f m ak i n g a climax o f the o n e alluded to I f S atan for .

,

instance goes lurk ing about Paradise it is li k e a b lack

,
“
,

mist low creeping If the angels o n guard glide about

.

it upon thei r gentler errand it is lik e fairer v a po u 1 s

, ,
12 2 L EI G H H U NT S ’
ES S AY S .

O n t h e g rou nd
G l i d ing m eteorou s , as eveni ng m i st -

Ri sen fro m a river o er t h e m ari sh g l ides,

’

A nd g athers g rou nd fast at t h e lab o u rer s ’

heel
H om eward retu rni ng .

N o w , b e hold on e of
his greatest imaginations The fallen .

demigods are assembled in Pandemonium waiting t h e ,

“ “
return o f their great adventurer from his search o f
”
worlds .

A t last— as fro m a clo u d h i s f u lg ent head ,

A n d shape star b ri g h t appeared or b ri g hter ; clad

-
,

W i t h what perm i ss ive g lory s ince h i s f al l

Wa s left h i m or fa l s e g l itter A l l am azed
, .

At that so su dden b l a ze t h e S ty g ian throng .

B ent th e i r as pect ; a n d who m they w i shed b eheld

The i r m i g ht y ch i e f ret u rned .

There is a piece o f imagination i n Apollonius R h o di u s ,

worthy of Milton o r Homer The Argonauts i n broad .

,

daylight are suddenly benighted at sea with a black fog

, .

They pray to Apollo and he descends from heaven a n d

, , ,

lighting o n a rock holds up his illustrious b o w which shoots

, ,

a guiding star for them to an island .

S penser in a m ost rom antic chapter o f t h e

,
Faery
Queene (Book seems to have tak en the idea of a b e
n ighting from Apollonius as well as to have had an eye t o
,

some pa ssages o f the O dyssey but like all great poets , ,

what he borrows only brings worthy companionship to som e

fine invention o f his o w n .

O vid has turned a mist to his usual account an amatory ,

on e . It is where Jupiter t o conceal his amour with Io, ,

throws a cloud over the valley of Tempe There is a picture .

o f Jupiter and I0 by C orreggio i n which that great artist

, ,

h a s finely availed himself o f the circumstance ; the head of

the father o f gods and men coming placidly o u t o f the cl oud ,

u pon the young lips of Io like t h e very benignity o f

,

creation .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

I t happened curiously enough that they could not hav e

, ,

selected for their panegyric a natio n apparently more con

t e m pt u o u s o f others ; o r at least more self sa t i sfi e d and n u -

imagin ative The C hinese are cunning and ingenious and

.
,

have a great talent at bowing o u t ambassadors who come to

visit them But it is somewhat inconsistent with what
.

appears to be their general c h a r a c t e r t h a t they should pa y

strangers even this e q uivocal compliment ; for under a ,

prodigious mask of politeness they are not slow to evince ,

their contempt o f other nations whenever any comparison

is insinuated with the subj ects o f the Brother o f the S u n
and Moon The k nowledge they respect i n us most is that
.

o f gun m aking and of the East Indi a n passage

-

, W hen o u r .

countrymen showed them a m a p o f the earth they inquired ,

for Chin a ; and o n finding that it only made a little piece

,

in a corner coul d not contain their derision They thought

,
.

that it was the main territory in the middle— the apple o f

’
the world s eye .

G reece had a lofty notion o f the Persians and the G reat

King till Xerxes cam e over to te a ch it better and betrayed
, ,

the softness o f their sk ulls .

It was the same with the Arabians at the time whe n ,

they had the chief accomplishments o f the world to them

selves : as we see by their delightful tales Everything .

shines with them in the distance like a sunset W hat an , .

amiable people are their Pers i ans W hat a wonderful plac e

is the island of S erendib ! Y o u would think nothi n g could
’
be finer than the C aliph s city of Bagdad till you hear o f ,

G rand C airo ; an d how has that epithet and t h at name

towered in the imagination o f all those who have not had
the misfortune to see the modern city ! S indbad was
respected like Ulysses because he had seen so m any
, ,

adventures and nations .

It was one o f the work ings of the great Al fred s m ind to ’

k n o w a b o u t far distant countries There is a translation

'

by him o f a book o f geography ; and h e even employed

peopl e to trave l — a great stretch o f intellectual m u n i fi
cence fo r those times About the same period IIaroun a l
.
,

Raschid (whom o u r manhood is startled to find almost a .

less real person t han we thought him for his very reality ) ,

wrote a letter to the Emperor o f the W est C harlemagn e , ,

Here is A ra bian and Italian romanc e shaking hands in

p erson 1
 FA R C O U NTR IES . 12 5

Th e C rusade s pierced into a n e w world o f remoteness .

W e do not kn ow whether thos e were much benefited who

took part in them but for the imaginative persons remain
ing at home the idea o f goin g to Palestine must hav e bee n
,

lik e travelling into a supernatural world .

How li k e a return from the moon must have been t h e

reappe arance o f such travellers as S i r Joh n Mandeville ,

Marco P 0 10 and W illiam de R u b r u q u i s with their n ews o f

, ,

Prester Jo hn the G reat Mogul and the G reat C ham o f

, ,

Tartary ! The l ong lost voyager must have been l i ke a

-

person consecrated in all the quarters o f heaven His .

staff and his beard must have look ed like relics o f his
former self . Thomson a S cotchman speaking o f t h e , ,

western isles o f his o w n country has that delicious line full , ,

o f a dreary yet lull ing ple a sure

A s when a sheph erd of the H e b r i d i sles ,

P l a c edf a r a m i d t h e m el a n c h o ly m a i n .

I n childhoo d the total ignorance o f the world espe cially

, ,

when we are brought up in some confined spot renders ,

e verything be yond t h e bounds o f o u r dwelling a distanc e

“
and a romance Mr L amb in his . Recollections Of
.
,
’
C hrist s Hospital says that he remembers when some
,
“
half dozen o f his schoolfellows set o ff
-
without m a p , ,

card o r compass o n a serious expedition to find o u t P hi l i p

, ,
’

Q u a r ll s Is l a n d W e once encountered a s e t o f boys

.
”

as romantic It was at n o greater distance than at t h e

.

foot of a hill near Hampstead and yet the spot was so

perfectly C isalpine to them that t wo of them came up to ,
“
u s with loo k s of b h i n g eagerness and a sked whether
u s , ,

o n the other side o f that hill there were n o t robbers ; to ,

which the minor adventurer o f the two added ; A nd som e

”
say serpents They had all g o t bows and arro ws and were
.
,

evidently hovering about the plac e betwixt daring and ,

apprehension as o n the borders o f some wild region W e

, .

smiled to think which it was that husbanded thei r suburb

wonders to more advantage they o r we ; fo r while they ,

peopled the place with ro b bers an d serpents , we w ere

peopling it w ith sylvans and fairies .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

A TAL E FOR A C HI M N EY C O R N ER .

( T he In di c a t o r , D ece m b er 1 5,

A M A N who does not contribute his quota o f gri m stories

n owadays seems hardly to be free o f the republic o f letters .

’
He is bound t o wear a death s head as part o f his i nsignia -

If he does not frighten everybody he is nobody If h e does , .

not shock the ladies what can be expected o f him ? ,

W e confess we think very cheaply o f these stories in

general A story merely horrible o r even awful wh ich
.
, ,

contains no sentiment elevating to the human heart and its

hopes is a mere appeal to the least j udicious least healthy
, , ,

and least masculine of o u r passions fear They whose —

.

attention can be gravely arrested by it are i n a fit state to

receive any absurdity with their wits o ff ; and this is t h e
cause why less talents are required to enforce it than in
-

any other species o f composition W ith this opinion o f .

s uch things we may be all o wed to say that we would

,

undertak e to write a dozen horrible stories in a day all o f ,

w hi ch should make the common worshippers of power w h o ,

were not in the very healthiest condition turn pale W e , .

would tell o f haunting Old women and knocking ghosts , ,

an d solitary lean hands and Empusas o n o n e leg and , ,

ladies growing longer and longer and horrid eyes meeting ,

us through key holes and plaintive heads and shrieking

-

, ,

statues and shocking anomalies o f shape and thi n gs w hich

, ,

when seen d r ive people mad : an d indigestion knows what

besides But who would measure talents with a leg o f veal
.
,

o r a G erman sausage ?

A child has a re a sonable respect for a raw head and - -

bloody bones because all images whatsoever o f pai n and

-

terror are n e w and fearful to his inexperienced age .

“ ’
Holbein s D ance o f D eath in which every grinning ,

sk eleton leads along a man o f rank from the Pope to the ,

gentleman is a good m em en t o m o r i ; but there the skeletons

,

have an air o f the ludicrous and satirical If we were .

threatened with them in a grav e way as spectres w e , ,

should have a right to ask h o w they coul d walk about

wi thout muscles Thus many o f the tales written by such
.
,

a uthors as the late Mr L ewis who wanted sentiment to .

,

c omplet e his talents a r e

q uite puerile W hen,
his s pectral .
 8 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
12 .

passage end in such earthlin e ss seems at t h e m oment t o ,

turn commonplace itself into a sort o f spectral doubt .

N o w let us put o u r knees a little nearer the fire and tell ,

a homelier story about life i n death The groundwork o f -

“
it is i n S a n dy s s C ommentary upon O vid and quoted
’

,
”

from S a b i n u s .

A ge n tleman o f Bava ria o f a noble family was so , ,

a fflicted at the death o f his wif e that unable to bear , ,

the co m pany o f any other person he gave himself entirely ,

up to a solitary way o f living This was the m 0 1 e remark .

ab le 1 D him as he had been a man o f j ovial habits fond o f

, ,

his wine and visitors and impatient o f having his numerous

,

indulgences contradicted But in the same temper pe i .

,

haps might be found the cause o f his sorrow ; for though

, ,

he would be impatient with his wife as w ith others yet he , ,

loved her as o n e o f the gentlest wills he had ; and t h e

sweet and u naffected fac e which she a lways turned round
upon his anger might have be en a thing more easy fo r him
to trespass upon while living than t o forget when dead
, , ,

a n d gon e His very anger towards her compared with

.
,

that towards others was a relief to him and rather a wish

, ,

to refresh himself in the balmy feeling o f her patienc e tha n

to make her unhappy herself o r to punish her as som e , ,

would have done for that virtuous contrast to his o w n

,

Vi ce .

But whether h e bethought himself after her death , that ,

this was a very selfis h mode o f loving ; o r whether as som e ,

thought h e had wearied o u t her life with habi t s so contrary

,

to her o w n o r whether as others reported he had put it , ,

t o a fatal risk by some lordly pi e ce o f self will i n conso -

u e n c e o f which she had caught a fever o n the cold river

q
during a night o f festivity ; he surprised even those who
t h o ught that he loved her by the extreme bitterness o f his
grief The very mention o f festivity though he was
.
,

patient fo r t h e first day o r t w o afterwards threw him into ,

a passion o f rage but by degre e s even his rage followed

, , ,

hi s other old habits He w a s gentle but e ver silent H e

.
, .

a t e and drank but su fficient to keep him alive and used to ,

s pend the greater part o f t h e day i n the spo t wher e his

wife was buried .

H e was going th e re o n e e vening in a very melancholy ,

m anner, with his e yes turned towards the earth , and had
 A TA L E F OR A C HIM NEY C O R NER .

j ust entered the rails o f the burial ground when he was -

accosted by the mild voice o f somebody coming to meet

”
him . It is a blessed evening sir said the voice The , , .

gentleman look ed up N obody b u t himself was allowed to .

be in the place at that hour and yet he saw with astonish ,

ment a young choriste r approac hing him He was going to .

e xpress som e wonder when he said the modest though , ,

a ssured l ook o f t h e b o y and t h e extreme beauty o f his ,

counten a nce , which glowed i n the setting sun before h i m ,

mad e a n irresistible addition to t h e singular sweetness o f

h i s voice and he asked him with an involuntary calmness
, ,

and a gesture o f respect n ot what he did there but what ,

“
he wished O nly t o wish y o u all good things answered
.
,
“
the stranger w h o had n o w come up ; and to give you
,
”
this letter The gentleman too k the letter and saw u pon
.
,

i t with a be ating yet scarcely bewildered heart the hand

, ,

writing o f his wife He raised his eyes again to speak to .

t h e boy but h e was gon e

, H e cast them far and near .

r ound t h e place but there w e r e no traces o f a pa ssenger

"

.
,

H e then Opened t h e letter ; and by t h e divin e lig h t o f t h e

se tti n g sun read thes e words ,

“
TO R H U S B AND WH O S O RR O WS FO R H IS WIFE
M Y D EA , .

O tto my husband t h e soul y o u regret so is returned

, , .

Y o u will kno w t h e truth o f this an d be prepare d with ,

calmness to se e it by the divineness o f the messenger who ,

has passed y o u Y o u will find m e sitting in the public

.

walk praying for y o u — praying that y o u may never mor e

,

give way t o those gusts o f passion and those curs es a gainst ,

o thers which divided us

, .

This, w ith a warm hand fro m t h e living B ER TH A , .

O tto (for such it seems

the gentleman s name ) went ’
, ,
wa s
i nstantly calmly quickly , yet with a sor t o f benumbed
, ,

be ing t o the public wal k He felt but with only a half

, .
,

consciousness as if he glided without a body But all h i s

, .

S pirit was awake eager intensely conscious It seemed t o

, ,
.

him as if there had been but t wo things in t h e world ,

L ife and D eath ; and that D eath w a s dead All els e .

a ppeared t o have bee n a dream He had awaked from .

a wak ing state an d found himself all e y e an d S pirit ,

, ,

a n d locomotion H e said to himself once , as h e went ,

.

K
1 30 L EIG H H U NT S
’
ES S AYS .

This i s n o t a dream 1 will a sk my gre at ancestor s .

”
t o morrow t o my new bridal feast , for they a r e alive
— .

O tto had been calm at first , but something o f o l d and

triumphant feelings seemed again t o com e over him W a s .

h e agai n too proud an d confide nt ? D i d his e art hl y

humours prevail again , when h e t hought the m least upo n
him ? W e S hal l see .

Th e Bavarian arriv e d at t h e public wal k It was full o f .

p eo pl e with their wive s a n d children , e nj oying t h e beauty

o f t h e e vening S omething like common fear cam e o ve r
.

him as h e went i n and o u t among t h e m r l o o k i n g at t h e

,

be nches o n e ach side It happened that ther e was only o n e

.

person a lady S itting upon them S h e had her ve i l down ,

, , .

and his being underwent a fierce but short convulsion as h e

went near her S omething had a little baffled t h e calmer
.

inspiration o f t h e angel that had accosted him fo r fear pre ,

vail ed at the instant and O tto passed o n H e returned

, .

before h e had reached t h e e n d of t h e walk and approached ,

t h e lady again S h e wa s s till sitting in t h e sam e quiet

.

posture , only h e thought sh e looked at him Aga in h e .

p a ssed her O n his second return a grave and swee t

.

courage cam e upon him and in an under but firm ton e o f , ,

inquiry h e said Bertha ?

,
“
I thought you had forgott e n ”

”
me said that well known and mellow voice which he had
,
-

s eemed a s far from e ver hearing agai n as earth is fro m

heaven He took her hand which grasped hi s in turn , and
.
,

they walked hom e in silence together the arm which wa s ,

wound within his giving warmth for warmth

, .

Th e neighbours seemed to hav e a miraculous want o f

wonder at the lady s reappearance S omethin g was said
’
.

about a mock funeral and her having withdrawn from h i s ,

company for a while but visitors came as before and h i s ,

wife returned to her household affair s It was only r e .

marked that she always looked pal e and pensiv e But S h e .

was more kind to a l l even than before and her p e nsiveness

, ,

s eemed rather t h e result o f som e great i nternal though t

than o f unhappiness .

For a ye ar o r t w o t h e Bavarian retained t h e bett e r tempe r

,

w hich he acquired His fortune s flo u rished beyon d hi s

.

e arlies t ambition Th e most amiable as well as noble

.
, ,

persons of the district were frequent V isitors a n d people said ,

’
that to be at O tto s house m ust b e t h e n e x t thing to being i n
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
1 32 .

if it might b e so to m oulder away It was called t h e Room

, .

o f t h e L ady s Figur e
’
The house after t h e gentleman s
.
,
’

death , was long uninhabited and at length burned by t h e ,

peasants in an insurrection As for himself he died about .

,

n in e months after a gentl e and child l ik e penite nt

,
He -

had n e ver stirred from the house S ince and nobody would
venture to go near him but a man who had t h e reput a tio n
o f being a reprobate It was from this man that t h e
.

particulars o f the story came first He would distribut e .

’
t h e gentleman s a i m s in great abundance t o any strange
poor who would accept them fo r m ost o f t h e neighbours ,

held them i n horror He tried all he could to get t h e

.

parents among them to let some o f their little childre n o r a ,

singl e o n e o f them go t o se e h i s employer Th e y said

,
.

he even asked i t o n e day with tears in h i s eyes But th e y .

shuddered to think o f it ; and the m atter was n o t m e nd e d

when th i s profane person in a fit o f impatience said o n e , ,

day that h e would have a child o f his o w n o n purpos e .

His employer howe v e r died i n a day o r two They did

, ,
.

’
not believe a word he told them o f all t h e Bavarian s
gentleness looking upon the latter as a sort o f ogre and
, ,

u pon his agent as little b etter thou gh a good n atured ,

-

looking earnest kind o f person It was said many years

, .
,
’
after that this man had been a friend o f t h e Bavarian s
,

whe n you n g and had be e n desert e d by h i m An d t h e

, .

you n g b e lie ve d it , whate ve r t h e o l d might .

THI EV ES , A N C I EN T A ND M OD ER N .

(Th e In di c a to r ,
D ece m b er 22 ,
1819, to J anuary 5,

H AV ING met in the Harleian Miscellany with an accoun t

o f a pet thief o f ours the famous D u Val who flourish e d i n
, ,

the tim e o f C harles II and wishing to introduce him .

,

worthily to the readers it has brought to mind such a ,

n umber o f the light fi n g e r e d gentry his predecessors that w e

-

, ,

almost feel hustled by t h e thoughts o f them O u r subj ect, .

we may truly fe a I wil l run away with us W e feel bes e t

, .
,

like poor Tasso In hi s dungeo n and a r e n o t sur e that o u r ,

aper w ill n ot s udde n ly b e co n v e y e d away fro m unde r o u r

p
 TH IEVES , A NC IENT A ND M ODER N . 133

pen Al r e ady w e miss som e e xcellent remark s which we

.

should have mad e in this pl a ce I f the reader should meet .

with any o f that ki nd hereafter, upon the like subj ec t in ,

’
another man s writings , twenty to o n e they are stolen from
us and ought to have enriched this o u r plundered exor
,
’
di u m H e that steals an author s purse may emphatical ly
.
,

be said to ste al trash but he that fi l c h e s from him his good

things Al as we thought o u r subj ect would be running
away with us W e must keep firm W e must put som e
. .

thi n g heavier i n o u r remarks as the little thin G recian ,

philosopher used to put lead in his pockets lest t h e wind ,

should steal him .

The more r u ffi a n l y crowd o f thieves shoul d g o first as ,

pioneers but they can hardly be loo k ed upon as progenitors

o f o u r gentle D u Val and besides with all their ferocity , ,

some Of them assume a grandeur from standing in t h e ,

remot e shadows o f antiquity There was t h e famous so n , .

for instance o f Vulcan and Medusa whom Virgil calls t h e

, ,

dire aspect of half hum an C acus S e m i h o m i n i s C aci facies

-

”
dira .He was t h e raw head and bloody bones o f ancient - - - -

fable H e lived i n a cave by Mount Aventine breathing

.
,

o u t fiery smoke and haunting King Evander s highway

,
’

“ ’ ”
like the Apollyon o f Pilg r im s Progress .

He stole some o f the cows o f Hercules and dragged them ,

back wards into h i s cave t o prevent discovery but the oxen

happening to l o w the cows answered them ; and the ,

demigod detecting the miscreant in his cave strangled him

, ,

after a hard encounter This i s o n e of the earliest sharping

.

tricks upon record .

Autolycus the son o f Mercury (after whom S h a k spe a r e

,

christe ned his merry rogue in the W inter s

“
was a ’

thief suitable to the greater airiness o f his origin He is .

said to have performed tricks which must awa k e the envy

even o f horse dealers for in pretending to return a capital
-

horse which he had stolen he palm e d upon the owners ,

a sorry j ade o f an ass which was gravely received by those

,

flats o f antiquity Another time he went still further ; for

.
,

having conveyed away a handsome bride he sent in exchang e ,

an o l d lady elaborately hideous yet the husband did not find

o u t the trick till he had o t o ff
g .

S isyph u s has the credit o f being the greatest knave o f

antiquity His famous punishment in hell , o f bein g
.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 34 .

compelled t o roll a ston e up a hill to a ll e ternity, a n d s e e i n g

it always g o down again is attributed by some to a charac ,

t e r i st i c trait which h e coul d n o t help playing o fi upo n

‘

Pluto It was supposed by t h e ancients that a man s

.
’

ghost would wander i n a m elancholy manner upon t h e

banks o f t h e S tyx as long as hi s corps e remained without
burial S isyphus o n his death bed purposely charged his
.
,
-

wife to leave him unburied ; a n d then begged Pluto s per ’

m ission to go back t o earth o n h i s parol e merely to punish , ,

her for so scandalous a n eglect L ik e t h e l a wyer however, .

,

who cont r ived t o let his hat fall insid e t h e door o f heaven ,
’
and g o t S t Pete r s permission to step i n fo r it S isyphu s
.
,

would n o t return ; and so when Pluto had him agai n h e , ,

paid him fo r t h e trick with setting h i m upon this e ve r

l a sting jo b .

The exploits o f Mercury himself t h e g o d o f cunning may , ,

b e eas ily imagined t o surpass everyt hing achieved by

profaner h a nds Homer i n t h e hymn to his honour h a s
.
, ,

given a delightful account o f his prematurity in swindling .

He had n o t bee n born m any hours befor e he stol e Vulcan s ’

’ ’
tools Mars s sword and Jupiter s sceptre H e beat C upid
, , .

in a wrestling bout o n t h e sam e day ; and Venus caressing

him fo r his conquest he returned t h e e mbrace by fil c h i n g ,

away her girdl e H e would also hav e stolen Jupiter s

.
’

thunderbolts but was afr aid o f burning h i s fingers O n

,
.

t h e e vening o f his birthday h e drove o ff the cattl e o f ,

A din e t u s which Apollo w a s tending

,
The good humoured .
-

god o f wit endeavoured t o frighten him into restoring them ;

but could not help laughing when i n t h e midst o f his ,

threatenings he found himself without his quiver

,
.

The history o f thieves is t o b e foun d either in that o f

romance o r in the details o f the history o f cities W h o .

among us does not know by heart the story of the never t o -

“ ”
b e forgotten
-

Forty Thieves with their treasure in t h e ,

green wood their anxious observer the i r m agical opening

, ,

o f the door their captain their concea lment in the j ars and
, , ,

the scal ding o i l that as it were extinguished them groan

, , , ,

ing o n e by o n e ? Have we not all ridden backwards and

,

forwards with them to the wood a hundred times watched -

them with fear and trembling from t h e tree i — sewn up

, ,
l
,

blindfolded t h e four quarters o f the dead body — and said

, ,
”
O pen S esame , to every door at school ? May we rid e
,
1 36 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

scal e o r i n Opposition to a larger inj ustic e — t o a whol e

,
“ ”
political system He shook the su pe r flu x t o t h e poor ,
.

“ ”
and S howed the heavens more j ust However what w e .
,

have to say o f him we must keep till t h e trees a r e i n leaf

again and the greenwood shade delightful
, .

W e dismiss in o n e rabble like heap t h e rea l Jonath a n

,
-

W ilds A b e r sh a w s and other heroes o f the N e wgate

, ,

C alendar w h o have no redemption in their rasca lity

,
And .

after them for gentlemen valets may go t h e Barringtons

,
-

, ,

Maj or S emples and other sneaking rogues w h o held on a

, ,

tremulous career o f iniquity betwixt pilfering and repent ,

ing Y e t Jack S heppard must not b e forgotten with his

.
,

inge n ious and daring breaks o u t o f prison n o r Turpin who ,

is said to have ridden his horse wit h such swiftness from

Y ork to L ondon that h e was enabled to set up an a l i bi
, .

W e have omitted to notic e the celebrated Buccaneers o f

America ; but these are fellows with regard to whom we a r e
willing to take D ogberry s advice , an d steal o u t o f thei r ’

company .

All hail thou most attractive o f scapegraces thou

,

most accomplished o f gentlemen o f the road thou worthy ,

“ ”
to be called o n e o f the minions o f t h e moon Monsieur -

C laude D u Val — whom we hav e com e such a long and

d a ngerous j ourney to see
C laude D u Val accordi ng t o a pleasant acco un t of him
, ,
“ ”
in the Harleian Miscellany was born at D omfront in ,

N orman dy in the year 1 6 4 3 Of Pierr e du Val miller and

, , , ,

Marguerite de la Roche t h e fair daughter o f a tailor , .

Being a sprightly boy h e did n o t remain in the country , ,

but became servant to a person o f quality at Paris ; an d

with this gentleman he came over to England at t h e tim e
o f the Restoration It is difficult t o say which cam e over
.

to pick the most pock ets and he a rts —C harles I I o r C laud e .

“ ” ”
D u Val Be this as it may his courses o f life
. for , ,
“
says the contemporary historian I da r e not call them ,

v i ces soo n reduced him to the necessity o f going upon t h e

road ; and here he quickly became so famous that In a pro ,

clamation for the taking several notorious highwaymen h e ,

”
had t h e honour to b e named first H e took says his .
,

biog rapher t h e generous way o f padding

, that is to say ,

h e behaved with exemplary politeness to a l l coach es espe

'

c ia l l
y those in which there were ladi e s ; making a point o f
 TH IEVES , A NCIENT A ND M O D ER N . 1 37

frighte ning them a s amiably as possible and insisting upon

returning any favourit e trinkets o r keepsakes for whic h
“
they chose to appeal to h i m with their m o st sweet voices .

It was in this charac ter that h e performed an exploit

which is the eternal feather in the cap of highway gentility .

W e wil l relate it in the words of o u r informer Riding out .

“
w ith some o f h is confederates he overtakes a coach which , ,

they had set overnight having intell igence o f a booty o f ,

0 0 i n it n the coach was a knight his lady and only

£ 4 I .
, ,

o n e serving maid who perceiving five horsemen mak ing up

-

to them presently imagined that they were beset and they

,

were confirmed in th i s apprehension by seeing them whisper

to on e another and ride backwards and forwards Th e
,
.

lady to show she was not afraid tak es a fl a g e o l e t o u t of her

, ,

poc k et and plays : D u Val takes the h int plays also and
, , ,

excellently well upon a fla g e o l e t o f his o w n ; and in this

,
’
posture he rides u p to t h e coach side S i r says he to the -

.
, ,
‘
person in the coach your lady plays excellently and I , ,

doubt not but that she dances as well ; will you please to
walk out of the coach and let me have the honour to dance ,
’
Sir
’
one currant with her u pon the heath ? said the ,

person in the coach I dare not deny anything to one o f ,

‘

your quality and good mind ; you seem a gentleman and ,

your request is very reasonable : which said the lacquey opens ,

the boot o u t comes the knight D u V al l eaps lightly o ff his

, ,

horse and hands the lady o u t o f the coach

,
They danced .
,

and here it was that D u Val performed marvels t h e best

master in L ondon except those that are French n o t being, ,

able to S how such footing as h e did i n his great riding

French boots The dancing being over h e waits o n the
.
,

lady to her coach A S the knight was going in says D u.

,

No
’
Val to him S i r you have forgot to pay the music , .
,

1 have not replied the knight and putting his hand under
, ,

the seat o f the coach pulls out a hundred pounds in a b a g , ,

and delivers it to him ; which D u Val took with a very

good grace and courteously answered S i r , y o u are liberal
, , ,

and shall have n o caus e to repent your being so this

liberality o f yours sh al l excuse y o u the other £ 3 0 0 } and ,

giving him the word that if he met w ith any more o f t h e ,

c r e w he might pass undisturbed h e civilly takes his leave

'

, ,

0 f him .

Th i s story , I confess j usti fi es t h e great k indness t h e ,

1 3s L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

ladies had for D u Val ; for in this , as i n a n e pitom e , a r e

contained all things that set a man O ff advantageously a nd ,

mak e him appear as the phrase is m u c h a g e n t l e m a n , First , .

,

here was valour that he and but four more durst a ssault a
,

knight a lady a waiting gentlewoman a lacquey a groom

, , , ,

that rid by to open the gates and the coachman they be i ng , ,

S i x to five odds at football ; and besides D u Val had much

, , ,

the worst cause and reason to believe that whoever should

’
arrive would rang e themselves o n the enemy s party The n .

he showed h i s i n vention and sagacity that he could su r l e , ,

c h a m p an d without studying make that advantage o f t h e

, ,
’
lady s playing o n the fl a g e o l e t H e evinced his skill in i n .
’

st r u m e n t a l music by playing o n his fi a g e o l e t in vocal by

his singing fo r (as I should hav e tol d y o u before ) there ,

being no violins D u Val sung t h e currant hims e lf H e , .

manifested his agility o f body by lightly dismount i ng o ff his

horse and with ease and freedom g e tting up again when h e
,

took his le a ve his excellent deportment b y his i n c o m pa r ,

able da n cing and his graceful manner o f tak ing the hundred
,

pounds ; his generosity in taking no more ; his wi t and

e loquence and readiness at repartees in the whole discours e
, ,

with the knight and lady the greatest part o f which I hav e ,
”
been forced to omit .

The noise o f the proclamatio n made D u Val retur n t o

Paris but h e came b ac k in a short time for want o f money .

His reign however did n o t last long after his restoration

, ,
.

He mad e an u nlucky attack , n o t u pon some ill bred -

passengers but upon several bottles o f wi ne a n d w a s tak en

, , ,

in consequence at the Hole i n the W all in C handos S treet

,
- - -

,
.

His life was interceded for in vain He was arraigned and .

committed to N e wg a t e and e xecuted at Tyburn in t h e ,

twenty seventh year o f hi s age — sho wers o f tears from fair

-

eyes bedewing his fate both whil e alive in priso n and , ,

while dead at the fatal tree .

A s it may be tho u ght proper that we should end thi s

lawless article with a good moral we will give it t wo o r ,

three sentences from S h a k spe a r e worth a whole volum e o f

sermons against thieving The boy who belongs to Fal .
,

staff s Companions and who begins t o see t hrough t h e

’
,

S ha l lowness o f their cunning and way o f life says that ,

Bardolph stole a lute case , carr ied it twelve miles and sold -

it fo r three halfpence -
.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 40 .

To escape into S lumber from an argument o r t o t ak e it a s ,

an affair of course only between you and your biliary duct , ,

o r to assent with involuntary nods to a l l that you have j ust

been disputing is not so well ; much less to S i t nodding and

,

tottering beside a lady , or to b e in danger o f dropping your -

head into the fruit pl ate o r your host s face o r o f wak ing -
’
,
”
up saying Just so to the bark o f a dog o r
, Y e s, , ,
”
m adam to t h e black at your elbow
, .

C areworn people however m ight refresh themselve s , ,

Oftener with day sleep than they do if their bodily state is

-

such as to dispose them to it It is a mistake to suppos e .

that all care is wakeful People sometimes sle e p as well as .

wake by reason of their sorrow The difference seems to .

depend upon the nature o f their temperament though i n , ,

the m o s t excessive cases sleep is perhaps N ature s never ,

’

failing relief as swooning is upon the rack A person with

, .

j aundice i n his blood shall lie down and g o t o sleep at n oon

day when another o f a different complexi on shall find his
,
’
eyes as unclosable as a statue s though he has had no sleep ,

for nights together W ithout meaning to lessen the dignity .

o f suffering which has quite enough to do with its waking

,

hours it is this that may often account for the profoun d

,

sleeps enj oyed the n i ght before hazardous battles e x e c u ,

tions and other demands upon an over excited spirit

,
-

The most complete and healthy sleep that can be taken i n

the day is in summer time o u t in a field There is perhaps —
, .

no solitary sensation so exquisite as that o f slumbering o n

the g rass or hay shaded from the h o t sun by a tree with
, ,

the co n sciousness o f a fresh but light air running through

the wide atmosphere and the sky stretching far overhead ,

u pon all sides Earth and heaven and a placid humanity

.
, ,

seem to have the creation to themselves There is nothing .

between the S lumberer and the naked and glad in nocenc e o f

N ature .

N ext to this but at a long interval the most relishing

, ,

snatch o f S lumber out o f bed is t h e one which a tired person

takes before he re t ires for t h e night while lingering in his ,

sitting room The consciousness o f b eing very sleepy and o f

-

.
,

having the power to go to bed immediately gives great zest ,

to the unwillingness to move S ometimes he sits nodding .

i n his chair ; b u t t h e sudden and leaden j erks o f the head ,

t o whi c h a stat e o f gr e at slee piness r e nders him liable , a r e
 A FEW TH O U G H TS O N S L EEP . 1 41

ge n e rally t o o painful for so luxurious a moment ; and h e

gets into a mor e legitimate posture sitting sideways with ,

h i s head on t h e chair b a ck o r throwing his legs u p at onc e

-

o n another chair and half reclining

,
It is curious ho w ever .
, ,

to find how long a n inconvenient posture will b e borne for

t h e sake o f this foretaste o f repose Th e worst o f it is , that.

o n going to bed t h e charm sometimes v a nishes — perhaps

from the colder t e mperature o f t h e chambe r fo r a firesid e ,

i s a great opiat e .

S pe a king of t h e painful positions into which a sleepy

lounger will get him se lf it is amusing to think o f t h e mor e
,

fant a stic attitude s that so often tak e plac e in bed If we .

could add anything t o the numberless thin g s that have been

said about sleep by the poets it would be upo n this point ,
.

S leep nev e r sho w s himself a greater leveller A man in his .

waking moments may look as proud and self possessed as h e -

pleases He may walk proudly he may sit proudly he may

.
, ,

e a t his dinner proudly h e may shave himself with an air o f

,

infinite superiority ; in a word h e may sho w himself grand ,

and absurd upon the most trifling occasions But sleep .

plays the petrifying magician H e arrests the proudest lord .

as well as the humblest clown in the most ridiculous postures ;

so that if y o u could draw a grandee from his bed without
waking him no limb twistin g fool i n a pantomim e should
,
-

create wilder laughter The toy with the string between i t s

.

legs is hardly a posture master more ext ravagant Imagine

-

a despot lifted up to the gaz e o f his valets with his eyes ,

s hut h i s mouth open his left hand under his right ear his
, , ,

o th e r twisted and han g ing helplessly befor e him l ike an

’
i diot s ; o n e k n e e lifte d up an d the other leg stretched o u t
, ,

o r both knees huddled u p together W hat a scarecrow t o .

l odg e majestic power in

But S leep is kindly e ve n i n his trick s ; and t h e poets
,

hav e treated him with proper reverence According to t h e .

a ncient mythologists he had even one o f the G r a ces to wife

, .

H e had a thousan d sons o f whom the chief were Morpheus

, ,

or t h e S hape r Ic e l o s o r the L ikely,

Phant a sus , t h e
Fancy ; and Phobetor the Terror , His dwe l ling some .

writers place i n a d ull and darkling part o f t h e e arth ;

others with gre at compliment in heaven an d others with
, , ,

another kind o f propriety by the sea—shore Ther e is a , .

good descriptio n o f it in O vid ; but i n th e s e abstracted

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
142 .

tasks o f poetry the moderns outvie t h e anci e n t s ; a n d

,

there is nobody who has built his bower for him so finely as
S penser .

W e dare n o t trust ourselves with man y quotations upon

S leep from the poets ; they a r e so numerous a s well a s
be autiful W e must content ourselves with mentioning
.

that o u r t w o most favourite passages are o n e i n t h e

Philoctetes o f S ophocles admirable fo r its contrast t o a ,

scen e o f terrible agony which it closes : and t h e other t h e

,

following address in Beaumont and Fletcher s tragedy o f ’

”
Valentinian the hero o f which i s also a sufferer under
,

bodily torment H e is in a chair slumbering ; and thes e

.
,

most e xquisite lines a r e gently sung with music

C are charm in g S leep, tho u easer of a l l woes,
-

B rother to D eath , sweetl y thy sel f d i spose

O n th i s affli cted pr i nce Fall l i k e a clo u d.

In g entle showers g ive noth i ng that i s lo u d

O r pa infu l to h i s sl u m b ers : easy , s w eet ,
A nd as a pu rl ing stream , thou son o f Ni g ht ,
P ass b y h i s trou b led senses : s i ng h i s pa i n ,
L i k e hollo w m u rm u r ing W i nd , or s i lver rai n
Into thi s pr ince , g entl y , o h g ently sl i de ,
And k i ss h i m i nto S l u m b ers, l i k e a b ri de,

H o w e arnestand prayer lik e a r e thes e p a uses H o w lightly

-

sprinkled and yet how deeply settling like rain t h e fancy

, , ,

H o w quiet affectionate and perfect the conclusion

, ,

S leep is mos t graceful in an in fant ; soundest in o n e w h o ,

has been tired in t h e Open air ; completest to t h e seama n ,

after a hard voyage ; most welcome t o the mind haunted ,

with one ide a most touching to look at i n the parent that ,

has wept ; li ghtest in t h e playful child ; proudest i n t h e

, ,

bride adored .

TH E FAI R R E V EN G E .

(The In di c a t or , J anu ary 12 ,

TH E e e l ment s o f this story a r e to b e found in t h e o l d

”
poem called Albion s England ’
.

A g a n i ppu s king o f Argos dying without heirs male b e

, , ,

u e a t h e d hi s t h ron e to hi s o n l y daughter the beautiful and

q ,
1 44 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

to it but the popularity o f D a ph l e s supplied her cause wit h

all the ardour which a lax stat e o f subj ection o n the part o f
the more powerful n obles might have denied it W hen her .

troops charged o r made any other voluntary movement

, ,

they put all their hearts i n to their blows ; and when they
were compell e d to await t h e e nemy they stood as in flexibl e ,

a s walls o f iron It was like hammering upon metal

.

s tatuary ; o r staking their fated horses upon S pears riveted

in stone D o r a c l e s was taken prisoner The Queen r e

. .
,

issuing from her tent crowned with laurels came riding down
, ,

the eminence an d remained at the foot with her generals

, ,

while the prisoners wer e taken by Her pale fac e kept a s .

royal a countenance of composed pity as she could manage ,

wh i le the commoner rebels passed along aching with their ,

w ounded arms fastened behind and shaking back their ,

bloody and blinding locks for want o f a hand to part them .

But the blood mounte d to her cheeks when t h e proud and

handsome D or a c l e s whom she n o w sa w fo r the first time ,
,

blushed deeply as he cast a glanc e at h i s female conqueror ,

a n d then stepped haughtily along handling his gilded chain s ,

“
as if they were an indi ff erent ornament I have conquered .

“
him thought she
,
it is a heavy blow to so proud a head ;
a n d a s he looks not unamiable it might b e politic as well a s ,
'

courteous and kind in m e t o turn his submission into a more

”
willing o n e . Alas pity was helping admiration to a kinder
s e t o f o ffices than t h e genero u s hearted Queen suspected -

Th e captive went t o his prison , a c on queror , aft e r all ; fo r

D a ph l e s loved him .

The second night aft e r h a vi n g e x hibite d in h e r manners

,

a stra n g e mixture o f j oy and seriousness and sig nified t o ,

her counsellors her intention o f setting the prisoner fre e , :

s h e releas ed him with her o w n h ands Many a step did sh e .

hesitate as S h e wen t down t h e stairs an d w hen sh e cam e

to the door she S hed a f u ll but soft and as it seemed t o
, , ,

her a wilful and refreshing flood o f tears h u mbling herself

, ,

for her approaching task W hen sh e had entered she

.
,

blushed deeply and then turn n as pale stood for a minut e

, ,
“
silent and without motion S h e then said Thy Queen .
, ,

D o r a c l e s has come to show the e h o w kindly sh e can treat a

,

great and gallant subj ect who did not know her ; and with
,

these words and almost before she was aware the prisoner
, ,

w a s r e leased and prepari n g to go H e appeared surpris e d, .

 TH E F AI R R EVENG E 1 45

but n o t o ff guard n o r in any temper t o b e ov e r grateful

h is ,
-

”
N ame said he ,
0 Queen the conditions o n which I
, ,
”
depart and they will be faithfully kept
,
D a ph l e s m oved .

her l ips but they spoke not S h e waved her head and hand
,
.

with a deadly smile as if freeing him from all conditio n s ;

,

and h e was turning to go when sh e fell senseless o n t h e ,

floor The haughty warrior raised her with more impatienc e

.

than goodwill He could gu e ss at lov e i n a woman ; but

.

he had but a mean opinion both o f it and her sex ; and t h e

deadly struggle in the heart Of D a ph l e s did n o t help him t o
distinguish the romantic passio n which had induced her t o
put a l l her past and virgin notions o f love into his person ,

from the commonest liking that might flatter his soldierly

vanit
This Queen o n awaking from her swoon foun d hersel f
, ,

compelled in very j ustice t o the intensity o f a true p a ssion

, ,
“
to explain h o w pity had brought it upon her I might .

”
ask it said she D o r a c l e s in return ; and here she re
, , ,
“
sumed something o f her queen like dignity but I feel -

that my modesty will be sufficiently saved by the name of

your wife ; and a substantial throne with a return that
.
,

S hall nothing perplex o r interfere with thee I do now ,

a ccordingly offer thee n o t as t h e condition o f thy freedom , ,

’
but as a diversion o f men s e yes and thoughts from what
”
they will think ill in m e if they find m e rej ected And, .

in getting o u t that hard w ord her voice faltered a little , ,

a n d her eyes filled with tears .

D o r a c l e s with the best grac e his lately defeated spiri t

,

could assume spoke in willing terms o f accepting her o ffer

, .

They left the prison and his full p a rdon having been pro
claimed the courtiers with feas ts and en te rtainm ents vied
, , ,

who should seem best to approve their mistress s choice for ’

so they were quick to understand it The late captive who .

,

was really as graceful and accomplished as a proud spirit

would let him be received and returned all their attention
,

i n princely sort ; and D a ph l e s was beginning to hope that

he might turn a glad eye upo n her some day when news ,

was brought her that he had gon e from C ourt nobody knew ,

whither The next intelligence w a s t o o certain He had

. .

passed the frontiers and w a s leaguing with her enemies for

,

another struggle .

Fr om that day , gladness , though n o t kindness wen t o u t ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
1 46 .

of the f a ce o f D a ph l e s S h e wrote h i m a letter without a

.
,

word o f reproach in it enough to bring back t h e remotest

,

heart that had the least S park o f sympathy ; but he only

answered it in a spirit which S howed that he regard e d t h e
deepest love but as a wanton trifle That letter touch e d .

her kind wits S h e had had a paper drawn up leaving h i m

.
,

h e r thron e in cas e S h e S hould die but some o f her ministers ,

av a iling themselves o f her enfeebled spirit had summoned ,

a meeting o f t h e nobles at which she was to presid e in t h e

,

dress sh e wore o n t h e day o f victory t h e S ight o f which ,

it was thought with t h e arguments which th e y meant t o

,

u se would prevail u pon t h e assembly t o u rg e her to a revo

,

cation o f the bequest Her women dressed her w hile sh e

.
,

was almost u nconscious o f what they wer e doing fo r sh e ,

had now begu n to fade quickly body as well as mind , .

They put o n her the white g a i ments e dged with S ilve r

waves i n remembran c e o f the stream o f Inachus t h e
, ,

founder o f the Argiv e monarchy t h e spear was brough t .

o u t to be stuck by t h e sid e o f t h e throne instead of t h e

, ,

sceptre and their hands prepared to put t h e sam e laur e l

o n her head which bound its healthy whit e temples whe n

she sat o n horseback a n d saw t h e prisoner go by But at

,
.

S ight o f its twisted an d wither e d green sh e took it in her ,

hand ; and looking about her in her chair with an air o f

,

momentary r e collection , bega n picking it and letting t h e ,

leaves fall upon t h e floor S h e went o n thus leaf after leaf

.
, ,

looking vacantly do w nwards ; an d when sh e had stripped

the circle half round S h e leaned her cheek agai nst t h e sid e
,

o f her sick chair

-

an d shutting her eyes quietly so died , .

The envoys from A rgos went t o the C ourt o f C alydon ,

where D o r a c l e s then was ; and bringing him the diadem ,

upon a black cushion informed h i m at onc e o f t h e death o f

,

the Queen and her nomination o f him to the throne H e

,
.

s howed littl e more than a ceremonious gravity at the former

n ews but could ill contain his j oy at the latter and set o ff ,

instantl y to take possession Among the other nobles w h o

.

feasted him was o n e w h o having been the particular c o m

,

panion o f t h e lat e king had become like a secon d father t o

,

his unhappy daughter Th e n e w prince observing t h e

.
,

melancholy which he scarcely affected t o repress and seei n g ,

him look up occasionally at a picture which had a veil ov e r

i t , a sked h i m what the pictur e was that seemed to disturb
 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AYS
’
1 48 .

red hurry to his cheeks an d help t o pull them into a gaunt ,

melancholy But this is not a repaying sorro w t o dwell

.

upon He w a s o n e day after being in vain expected at

.
,

council found lying madly o n the floor o f t h e room dead

, , .

He had torn the portrait from the wall His dagger w a s .

in his heart ; and his cheek lay upon that blooming and
smiling face which had it bee n living wo u ld n e ver have
, , ,

looked s o at bei n g reve n ged .

S PIRIT O F TH E AN C I EN T M Y TH O L O G Y .

( The In di c a t o r J anu ary 1 9

, ,

TH E greatest pleasure arising to a modern imagination from

the ancient mythology is in a mingled sense o f the o l d
popular belief and o f the philosophical refinements upon it .

W e tak e Apollo and Mercury and Venus as shapes that

, ,

existed in popular credulity a s the greater fai ries o f t h e ,

ancient world : and we regard them at t h e sam e time as , ,

e r so n i fi c a t i o n s o f all that is beautif ul and genial i n t h e

p
forms and tendencies o f creation But the result coming .
,

as it does too through avenues o f beautiful poetry both

, , ,

a ncient and modern is so entirely cheerful that we a r e apt , ,

to think it must h ave wanted gravity to more beli evi n g

e yes . W e fancy that the o l d world saw nothing in religion
but lively and gracefu l shapes as re mot e from t h e more ,

o bscur e and awful hintings o f t h e world unknown a s ,

physics appear to b e from t h e metaphysical ; as t h e e y e o f

a beautiful woman is from t h e inward speculations o f a
Brahmin o r a lil y at n oonday from t h e wid e Obscurity o f
n ight time -
.

Th i s supposition appears t o b e carried a gr e at d e al too

Every forest to t h e mind s e y e o f a G reek was
’
far .
, ,

haunted with superior intelligences Every stream had i t s .

presiding nymph who was thank ed fo r t h e draught o f

,

water Every hous e had its protecting gods which had

.
,
’
blessed t h e inmate s ancestors and which would bless him ,

also if h e cultivated t h e social a ffections : for t h e sam e

,

word which expressed piety towards the gods expressed lov e

towards relations and fri e nds If in all th i s there w a s .

n othin g but t h e worship o f a more gr aceful humanity there ,

 S PIRI T O F TH E A NCIENT MYTH OL O G Y . 14 9
m a y be worships much worse a s well as much better And .

the divinest spirit that ever appeared o n earth has told us

that t h e extension o f human sympathy embraces all that is
required o f us e ither to do o r to foresee
,
.

Imagin e t h e feel ings with which an ancient believer must

hav e gon e by t h e oracular oaks o f D odona ; o r t h e calm
groves o f the Eumenides o r the fountain where Proser
pin e vanished underground with Pluto o r the G reat
Temple o f the Myste ries at Eleusis ; o r the laurelled moun
tai n Parnassus o n the side o f which was the Temple of
,

D elphi where Apollo was supposed to be present in person

,
.

Imagine Plutarch a devout and yet a liberal believer when

, ,

h e went to study theolog y a n d philosophy at D elphi : with

what feelings must he not have passed alon g the woody
paths o f the hill approaching nearer every instant to the
,

divi nity and not sure that a glance of light through t h e

,

trees w a s n o t the lustre o f the god himself going by This

i s mer e po e try to us and very fine it is ; but to him it was
,

po e try , and religion and beauty an d gravity and hushing

, , ,

awe and a path as from o n e world to another

, .

In all this there is a deeper sense o f another world than

i n t h e habit o f contenting oneself with a few vagu e terms
and embodying nothing but Mammon It w a s a str on g .

sense o f this which made a livi n g poet w h o is accounte d ,

very orthodox in h i s rel igious opinions give v ent in that , ,

fine sonnet t o his impatience at seeing the beautiful planet

,

we live u pon , with all its starry wonders about it S O little ,

thought o f compared wit h what is ridiculously called t he

,

wo r l d. He seems to have drea ded the symptom , as a n

'

e vidence o f m a t e n a l i s m :

Th e world i s too m u ch w i th u s L ate and soon ,

.

G ett ing a n d s pend ing we l a y waste o u r powers :

L i ttle we s e e i n Nat u re that i s o u rs
We have g iven o u r hearts away , a sord i d b oon !
Thi s S e a that b ares h e r b oso m to t h e m oon
Th e W i nds that wi l l b e howl ing at a l l ho u rs ,
A n d a r e u pg athered now l i k e sleeping fl owers
F o r th i s , f o r every th ing , we are o u t o f t u ne ;
It m oves u s not G reat G o d ! I d rather b e
’
— .

A Pag an s u c kled i n a creed o u tworn ,

S o m i g ht I, stand i ng on th i s pleasant l e a ,
H ave g l i m pses that wo u ld m ak e m e less forlorn
H ave s i g ht o f P rote u s co m i n g fro m t h e s e a ,
O r hear o l d Tri ton b low h i s wreathed horn .
 L EIG H H U NT S
’
ES S A YS .

G ETTI N G UP ON C OL D M O RN I NG S .

(The In di c a t o r J an u ary 1 9,
,

AN Italian author iulio C o r da r a a J e su i t — h a s written

—G
,

a poem upon insects which he begins by insisting that those

,

troublesome and abominable little animals were created for

o u r annoyance and that they were certainly not inhabitants
,

o f Paradise W e o f the N orth may dispute this piece o f

.

theology ; but o n the other hand it is as clear as the sno w

, ,

o n the house tops that Adam was not under the n ecessity
-

o f S having and that when Ev e walked o u t o f her delicious

bower she did not step upo n ice three inches thick
, .

S ome people say it is a very easy thing to get up of a cold

morning Y o u have only they tell y o u to take the reso
.
, ,

l u t i o n and the thing is done

,
This may be very true j ust .

a s a boy at school h a s only to take a flogging and the thing ,

is over But we have not at all made up o u r minds u pon

.

it ; and we find it a very pleasant exercise to discuss t h e

m atter candidly before w e get up This at least is not .

i dling tho u gh it may be lying It affords an excellent

, .

answer to those who ask h o w lying in bed c a n be indulged

i n by a reasoning bei n g — a rational creature How ? W h y .
,
’
with the argument calmly at work in o n e s head an d the ,
’
clothes over one s shoulder O h it is a fi n e way o f S pending .
,

a sensible impartial half hour

,
-
.

If these people would be more charitable they would ,

g e t o n with their argument better But they are apt .

t o reason so ill and t o assert so dogmatically that o n e

, ,

could wish to have them stand round one s bed o f a bitter ’

morning and lie before their faces They ought to hear

, .

both sides of the bed the inside and o u t If they cannot ,

.

e ntertain themselves with their o w n thought for half an

hour o r so it is not the fault o f those who can

, .

C andid inquirers into one s decumbency will at least

’

concede their du e merits to such representations as the

following I n the first place (says the inj ured but calm
.

appealer ) I have been warm all night and find my system

, ,

i n a state perfectly suitabl e to a warm bloo ded anim al To -

.

get o u t o f this state into the cold besides the inharmonious ,

and uncritical abruptne ss o f the transition is S O unnatural ,

t o such a creature t hat the poets refining upon the tortures ,

1 52 L EIG H HU NT ’ S ES S AYS .

than in reviving the flowing beard L ook at C ardinal .

B e m b o s pictur e — a t Michael Angel o s a t Ti t i a n s a t

’ ’ ’
— w

’ ’
S h a k spe a r e S — a t Fletcher s — a t S penser s— a t C haucer s
’ ’

’ ’
at Alfred s — a t Plato s I could name a great man for .

e very tick of my watch L ook at the Turks a grave and .

,

otiose people Think o f Haroun a l Raschid and Bed ridden

.
,
-

Hassan Think o f VVo r t l e y Montagu the wor thy son

.
,

o f his mother a man above the prej udice o f his time

, .

L ook at the Persian gentlemen whom o n e is ashamed o f ,

m ee ting about t h e suburbs their dress and appearance a r e ,

so much finer than o u r o w n L astly think of the razor .

,

itself h o w totally opposed t o e very sensation o f bed — how

—

cold how edgy how hard ! h o w utterly di fferent from any

, ,

thing like t h e warm and circling amplitude w h ich ,

S weetly reco m m ends i tsel f

U n to ou r g entle sense s !

A dd to this benumbed fingers w hich may help you to o u t

, ,

yourself, a quivering body a frozen towel and an ewer full , ,

o f ice ; and he that says there is nothing to oppose in all

this only shows at any rate that h e h a s n o merit in

, , ,

opposing it .

“
Thomson t h e poet who exclaims in hi s S easons ,

F alsel y l u xuri ous ! Wi ll not m a n awak e I

used to l i e in bed till noon because he said he had no motive ,

i n getting up H e could imagine the good o f rising ; but

.

then he could also imagine the good o f lying still ; and his
exclamatio n it must be allowed was made upon summer
, ,

time not winter W e must proportion the argument to

,
.

the individual character A money getter may be drawn .

—

o u t o f his bed by three and fou rpence ; but this will n o t - -

su ffi ce for a student A proud man may say W hat shal l

“
.
,
”
I think o f myself if I don t get up ? but the more humble ’

o n e will be content to waive this prodigi ous notion o f him

s elf ou t
,
o f respect to his kindly bed The mechan ical .

man shall get up without any ado at a l l ; and so shall t h e

barometer An ingenious lier in bed will fin d hard matter
.

o f discussion even o n the score o f health an d longevity .

He wil l a sk us fo r o u r proofs and precedents o f the i l l effects

o f lying later in cold weather ; and sophisticate much o n

t h e advantages o f an even te m perature o f body ; o f the

 G ETTI NG U P ON COL D MOR NING S . 1 53

natural propensity (pretty universal ) to have one s way ; ’

and o f the animals that roll themselves up and sleep all the ,

winter As to longevity he will ask whether the longest

.
,

life is o f necessity the best ; and whether Holborn is t h e

handsomest street in L ondon .

W e o nly kno w o f o n e confoundi n g not to say confounded , ,

“
argument fit to overturn the huge luxury t h e enormous
, ,
”
b l iss o f the V ice in question
, A lier in be d may be allowed
.

t o profess a disinterested indifference for his health o r lon

g e vi t
y but while he is S ho w ing the r e asonableness of
’
consulting his own o r o n e person s comfort he must admit
, ,

the proportionate claim of more than o n e ; and the best way

to deal with him is this especially for a lady ; for we ear
,

n e st l
y recommend the use o f that sex o n such occasions if ,

not somewhat o ve r persuasive sinc e extremes have a n

-

awk ward knack o f meeting First then admit all the .

,

i n geniousness o f w hat he says telling him th at the bar has ,

been deprived o f an excellent lawyer Then look at him in the .

most good natured mann er in the world with a mi xt ure o f

-

assent and appeal in your countenan ce and tell him that ,

you are waiting breakfast fo r him ; that you n ever like to

breakfast without him ; that you really want it too ; that
the servants want theirs ; that you shall not know h o w to
get the house into order unless he rises ; and that y o u a r e
,

sure he would do things twenty times worse even than

getting o u t of his warm bed to put them all into good ,

humour and a state o f comfort Then after having said .

,

this throw i n the comparatively indifferent matter t o h i m

, , ,

about his health ; but tell him that it is n o indi fferent

matter to you ; that the sight o f his illness mak es more
people suffer than on e ; but that if nevertheless he really , ,

does feel so very sleepy and so very much refreshed by

Y e t stay ; we hardly know whether the frailty o f a
Y e s yes say that too especially if you say it with sincerity
, ,

fo r if the weakness o f human nature o n the o n e hand and ,

the vi a i n e r t i es o n t h e other should lead him to take a dva n

,

tage o f it once o r twice good humour and sincerity form a n

,
-

irresistible junction at last and are still better and warmer

things than pillows and blankets .

O ther little helps of appeal may b e thrown in as occ a sio n ,

requires Y o u may tell a lover fo r instance that lying i n

.
, ,

bed m akes people corpulent ; a father that y o u wish him t o ,

1 54 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

complete the fi n e manly example h e sets his children a lady ,

that sh e will injure her bloom o r her S hape which M o r W ,

. .

admires so much ; and a student o r artist that he is always ,

’
so glad to have don e a good day s work in his best manner .

Rea der And pray Mr Indicator h o w do y o u behave

.
, .
,

yourself in this respect ?

In di c a t o r Oh , madam , perfectly , o f course
. lik e all
advisers .

R e a de r N a y I allo w that your mode o f argument does

.
,

n o t look quite so suspicious as the o l d way o f sermonizing

and severity bu t I have my doubts especially from that laugh

, ,

o f yours If I should look in to morrow morning

.
-

In di c a t or Ah madam the look in o f a face lik e yours

.
, ,

does anything with me It shal l fetch m e up at nine , if you

.

please si ze , I m eant to say .

TH E OL D G EN T L E M A N .

(The In di c a to r , F eb ru ary 2 ,

O U R Ol d G entleman , in order t o be e xclusively himself ,

must b e either a widower o r a bachelor S uppos e t h e .

former W e do not mention his precis e age which would

.
,

be invidious ;n o r whether h e wears his o w n hair o r a wig ,

which would be wanting in universality If a wig it is a .

,

compromis e betwee n the more modern scratch and t h e

departed glory o f t h e toupee If his o wn hair it is white .
, ,

in S pite o f his favourite grandson w h o used to get o n t h e ,

chair behind him and pull the silver hairs o u t ten years
, ,

ago If he is bald at top the hair dresser hovering and

.
,
-

breathing about him like a second youth takes care to giv e ,

the bald place as much powder as the covered in order that

he may convey t o the sensorium within a pleasing indi s
t i n c t n e ss o f ide a respecting t h e exact limits o f skin and
hair H e is very clea n and neat ; and in warm weather i s
.

proud o f opening his waistcoat half way down and letting -

so much o f his frill be seen in order to S how his hardiness

,

as well as taste His watch and S hirt buttons a r e o f

.
-

t h e best ; and h e does not car e if he has t wo rings o n a

1 56 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

’
broken since his wife s death all but o n e which is religio u sly , ,

kept for his use He passes his morning in walking o r

.

riding look ing in at auctions looking after his Indi a bonds

, , ,

o r some such mon ey securities furthering some subscriptio n ,

set on foot by his excellent friend S i r Joh n o r c h e a pe n i n g a ,

new o l d print for his portfolio He also hears o f the news .

papers not caring t o see them till after dinn e r at t h e

coffee house H e may also cheapen a fish o r so ; t h e fi sh
-
.

monger soliciting his doubting e y e as he p a sses with a pro ,

found b o w o f recognition He eats a pear before dinner . .

His dinner at the co ffee house is served up to him at t h e -

accustomed hour in t h e o l d accustomed way and by the

, ,

accustomed waiter If W illiam did not bring it the fish

.
,

would be sure to b e stale and the flesh new He eats no , .

tart ; o r ; if he ventures o n a little t a kes cheese with it , .

Y o u might as soon attempt to persuade him o u t o f his

senses as that cheese is n o t good fo r digestion He ta k es
, .

port and if he has drunk more than usua l an d in a more ,

private place may be induced by som e respectful inquiries

, ,

respectin g the o l d style o f music to si n g a so n g composed ,

by Mr O swald o r Mr L ampe such as

. .
,

C hl oe, b y that b o r r o w d k i ss ; ’

0r
C o m e, g entle g o d o f soft repose
’
or his wife s favourit e ballad , beginning
A t U pton on the H i ll
There l i ved a happy pai r . .

Of cours e n o such e xploit can take place in the coffe e room

,
-

but he will canvass the theory o f that m atter there w ith

ou o r d iscuss the weather o r the markets o r the theatres
y ,
”
, , ,

o r the merits o f my L ord N orth or my L ord Rock ing ,

ham for he rarely says simply lord ; it is generally my

lord trippingly and ge nteelly o ff h i s tongue If alon e after
,
.

di n ner hi s great delight is t h e n ewspaper ; which b e pre

,

pares t o read by wiping his specta cles carefully adj usting ,

them o n his eyes and drawi ng the candl e close to him so

, ,

as to stand sid eway s bet w ixt his ocular aim and t h e small
’
typ e H e then holds the paper at arm s le n gth and ,
.
,

dropping his e yelids half down and h i s mouth half ope n ,

t ak e s cognizanc e o f t h e day s i n formation If he lea ves o ff ’

.
,
 TH E O L D G ENTL EM A N . 1 57

it i s only when t h e door 1 s opened by a new comer o r whe n ,

he suspects somebody IS over anxious to get the paper o u t

o f his hand O n these occasions , h e gives an important
.

”
hem ! o r so , and resumes .

I n the even i ng o u r Ol d G entleman 1s fond o f going to t h e

,

thea tre o r o f having a game o f cards If he enj oys t h e

,
.

latter at h i s o wn house o r lodgings h e likes to play with ,

s ome friends whom h e has known fo r m a ny years ; but

an elderly stranger may be introduced if quiet and scient i fic , ,

and t h e privilege is extended to younger men o f l etters ,

who if ill players are good losers N o t that he is a miser

, , .

but to win money at cards is like proving his victory by

getting the baggage and to win o f a younger man is a sub ,

st i t u t e for his not being able t o beat him at rackets He .

breaks up early whether at home o r abroad ,

.

At t h e theatre h e likes a front row in the pit H e come s

, .

e arly if he can do so without gettin g into a sq ueeze and

, ,

sits patiently w aiting fo r t h e drawing up o f the curtai n ,

w ith his hands placidly lying o n e over the other o n the top , ,

o f his stick He generously admires some o f the best per

.

formers but thinks them far inferior to G arrick W oodward

, , ,

and Clive D uring splendid scen e s h e is anxious that t h e

.

li ttle boy should see .

H e h a s been induce d to look i n at Vauxh al l again but ,

l ikes it still less than he did years bac k , and cannot bear it
in comparison with Ranelagh He thinks everything looks .

”
poor flaring and jaded
,
Ah ! says he with a sort o f
,
.
,

triumphant sigh Ranelagh was a nobl e pl ac e ! S uch

,

taste such elegance such beauty ! There w a s t h e D uchess

, ,

of A . the finest woman in England sir and M r s L a , .

m ighty fine creature ; and L ady S usan W hat s her name

’
- -

that had that unfortunate affair with S i r C harles S i r , they .

”
came swimming by y o u like the swans .

The Ol d G entleman is very part icular i n havi n g his slippers

ready for him at the fire when he comes home He is also .

e xtremely c h o i c e i n his snuff and delights t o get a fresh

'

boxful in Tavistock S treet on h i s way to the theatre His , .

box 1 8 a curiosity f1 o m I ndia H e calls favourit e young .

ladies by their C hristian names however slightly acquainted ,

with them and h a s a privilege also o f saluting all brides

, ,

m others and indeed every species o f la dy o n t h e least

, ,

holiday occasion If t h e husband , for i ns tance , has met with

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S ,
’
1 58

a piec e of luck he instantly moves forward an d gravely

, ,
“
k isses the wife o n the cheek The wife then says My .
,

niece sir from the country ; an d h e k isses t h e niece

, , .

The ni ece seeing h er cousin biting her li ps at t h e j oke says

, , ,

My cousin Harriet sir and he kisses the cousin H e , .

never recollects such weather except during t h e G reat ,

Frost o r when h e rod e down with Jack S kr i m sh i r e to N e w

,

market H e gro w s young again in hi s littl e grandchildren

.
,

e special ly t h e o n e which he thin k s most li k e himself , which

is the handsomest Y e t he likes best perhaps t h e o n e most

.
, ,

resembling his wife and will sit with h i m o n his lap holding , ,

his hand in silence for a quarter of an hour together H e , .

plays most tricks with the former and makes him sneeze , .

He asks littl e boys in general who was t h e father o f Z ebed e e s ’

children If his grandsons are at school he often goes t o

.
,

s e e them and mak es them blush by telling the master o r

,

the upper scholars that they are fine boys and o f a pre ,

c o c i o u s genius He is much struck when an o l d acquaintanc e

.

dies but ad ds that he lived too fast and that poor Bob w a s
, ,

a sad dog in his youth a very sad do g sir , mightily s e t ,

”
upon a short li fe and a merry o n e .

W h e n he ge ts very o l d ind e ed h e will sit fo r whol e ,

evenings and say little o r nothing ; but informs y o u that

,

there is Mrs Jones (t h e houseke e p e r )

. S he l l t a lk
’
.
”

HAT S N EW AN D A N C I EN T
, .

(The In di c a t o r , M arch 8 ,

W E know not what will b e tho u ght o f o u r tas te in s o i m

portant a matter but we must confess we are not fond o f a ,

new hat There is a certain insolence about it it seems to

.

val u e itself upon its finished appearance and to presum e ,

upon our liking before we are acquainted with it In t h e .

first place it comes home more lik e a marmot o r some othe r

, ,

living creature than a manufacture It is boxed up a nd ,

.
,

wrapped in silver paper and brought delicately It is a s , .

sleek as a lap do g The n we are t o t a ke it out a s nicely , a n d

-
.
1 60 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AY S
’
.

ing grace o ve r the ear when beheld sideways ! Think o f i t

also t h e nex t day H o w a ltered how dej ected ! ,

H o w chang e d fro m h i m ,
T hat l i fe o f m ea s u re , a n d that so u l of rim I

Think of the paper like chang e o f its consistenc e ; o f i t s

-

limp sadness — its confused and flattened nap ; and of t hat

pol i shed and perfect circle which neither brush nor hot iron
,

s hall restore

W e have here spoken o f the beauties o f a new h at but ,

abstractedly considered they a r e very problematical

, .

Fashion makes beauty for a time O u r ancestors found .

a grace in the cocked hats now confined to beadles C helsea ,

pensi oners and coachmen They would have laughed at

,
.

o u r chimney tops wit h a border ; though upo n the whol e

-

, ,

we do think them the more graceful o f the two Th e .

best modern covering for the head was th e imitation o f t h e

broad S panish hat i n u se about thirty years back when ,

Mr S tothard made his designs for the N o v el i s t s M a g a z i n e

.
’
.

But in proportion as soc iety has been put into a bustle o u r ,

hats seem t o have narrowed their dime n sions : the flaps were
clipped o ff more and more ti l l they became a rim and now
the rim has contracted to a mere nothing ; so that what ,

with o u r close heads and our tight succinct mode o f dre ss

, , ,

we l ook as if we were intended for nothing but to dar t

back wards and forwards on matters of business with a s ,

l ittle h i ndrance to each other as possible .

This may give us a g reater dist a ste to the hat than i t

deserves but good looking o r not we know o f no situation
,
-

in which a new one can be said to be useful W e have seen .

how the case is during bad we ather but if the weather is

i n the finest condition possi b le with neither rai n nor dust , ,

there may b e a hot sunshine ; and then the hat is too narro w
to shade us : no great evil it is true ! but we must have o u r
,

pique o u t against t h e knave an d tur n him t o t h e only ,

.

account i n our power w e must write upon him For every

-

other purpose we hold him as naught The only place a n e w .

hat can be carried into with safety is a church fo r there is ,

plenty o f room there There also takes place its only unio n
.

o f the ornamental with the useful if so it is to be called ; ,

we allude to the preparatory ej aculation whispered into it by

the gente e l w orshipper before he turns round and makes
,
 H AT S , NEW A ND A NC IENT . 161

a bow to Mr and Mrs Jones and t h e Misses Thompson

. . .

There is a formula for this occasion ; and doubtless it is ofte n

used to say nothing o f extempor e effu sions : but there are
,

wick ed i maginations who suspect that inste ad o f devouter

,

w hi s perings the communer with his lining s ometimes e ja c u

,
“ ’
lates no more than S wallo w S t James s S tre e t ; ,
.

“
Agarde and S pain H a t t e r s N o 5I O xford S treet L on don ;
, , .
, ,

after which he draws up his head with infinite gravity and

preparation and mak es the gentle recognition aforesaid
,
.

But whenever there is a crowd th e new hat is worse

, ,

than useless It is a pity that the general retrenchment

.

people s finances did away with t h e flat opera hat which

’
of ,

was a very sensible thing Th e round o n e is only in the .

way The matting over th e floor o f t h e O pera house does

.
~

not hinder it from getting dusty not to mention its chance ,

o f a kick from the inconsiderate But from the pit o f the .

other theatres you may bring it away covered with sawdu st ,

o r rubbed u p all the wrong way o f the n a p o r monstrous ly ,

squeezed into a shapeless lump The least thing to be .

e xpected in a pressure is a great poke in its side like a ,

s unken cheek .

Boating is a mo r tal enemy t o new hats A shower has .

you fast i n a common boat ; o r a sail line o r an i n e x -

pe r i e n c e d o a r may knock the hat o ff ; and then fancy it

,

tilting over the water with t h e tide soak ed all the while ,

beyond redemption , and e scaping from the tips o f your

outstretc h ed fingers whil e y o u ought a l l to be pulling t h e
,

contrar y way home .

But o f all wrong boxes for a n e w hat avoid a mail coach ,

-

If you keep it o n you will begin nodding perhaps at mid

,

night and then it goes j amming against the sid e o f the

,

coach to the equ a l misery o f its nap and your o w n

, If y o u .

take it o ff where is its refuge ? W ill the clergyman tak e

,

the least heed o f it who is snoring comfortably in one corn er

,

i n his nightcap ! O r will the farmer j olting about i n e x o r

‘
,
’
ably ! O r the regular traveller who in his fur cap and ,

infin ite knowledg e o f h ighway conveniences has already ,

beheld it with contempt ! O r the o l d market woman whom -

it is in vain to request t o be te nder O r the young damsel ,

w h o wonders how y o u can think o f sleeping in such a thing ?
I n the morning y o u suddenly miss your hat and ask after ,

it wi th trepidation Th e traveller smiles They a l l move

. .

M
1 62 LEI G H H U NT’ S ES S AYS .

their legs , b ut know nothi n g o f it till t h e market woman ,

-

“
e xclaims D eary me ! well — L ord only think ! A hat i s
, ,

it sir ? W h y I do believe — but I m sure I never thought

, ,
’

’
0 such a th i ng mor e than t h e child unborn — that it must
’
be a hat then which I took fo r a pan I v e been a —buyi n g
a n d so I ve had my warm foot in it L ord bless us ever since
’
, ,
’ ”
five o clock this blessed morning !
It is but fair to add that we happen to hav e an e ducated
antipathy to t h e hat At o u r school no hats were worn an d
.
,

the cap was too small t o b e a substitute Its only use is t o .

astonish the o l d ladies in the street who wonder how so ,

small a thing can b e kept o n an d to this end it used to be

rubbed into the back o r side o f the head where it hung like ,
’
a worsted wonder It is after t h e fashion o f Katharin e s
.

cap in the play It seemed as if .

M o u lded
on a porring er
Wh y t i s a cock le or a walnu t shell
,
’
,
-

A k nac k a t o y a tri ck a b ab y s c a p
, , ,
’
,

A c u stard c o fi i n a b a u b le , .

But we m a y n ot add
I l ove thee well i n that thou l i k st i t not ’
.
,

Ill befall us if w e ever dislike anyt hing about thee o l d

, ,

n urse o f o u r childhood I How independent o f the weather

’
used we to feel in o u r friar s dress o u r thick shoes yellow , ,

worsted stockings and coarse long coat o r gown ! O u r cap

,

was oftener in o u r hand than o n o u r head let t h e weather ,

b e what it would W e felt a pride as well as pleasure

.
, ,

when everybody was hurrying through t h e streets in ,

r eceiving the full summer showers with uncovered poll ,

s leeking o u r glad hair like the feathers o f a bird .

It must b e said for hats in general that they a r e a very

ancient part o f dress perhaps t h e most ancient fo r a negro
, ,

who has nothing else upon h im sometimes finds it necessary ,

to guard o ff t h e sun with a hat o f leaves o r straw Th e .

C hinese w h o carry their records farther back tha n any other

,

people a r e a hatted race both narrow brimmed and broad

, ,
-
.

W e are apt to think o f t h e G reek s as a bare headed people , -

and they liked to be so ; but they had hats for j ourneyi ng

i n , such as may be seen o n the statues o f Mercury who ,

Wa s the god o f travellers They we r e large and fla ppe d, .

1 64 L EI G H H U NT S Essa r s ’
.

as we before observed to b e adles and coach m e n &c Th e

, ,
.

m odern clerical beaver a greeably to the deliberatio n with

,

which o u r establishments depart from o l d custom , is a

cocked hat with the hind flap let d own and only a slight
-

pinch remaining in front That is what is worn also by the

.

j udges t h e lawyers being o f clerical extraction S t i ll

,
.
,

however the true cocked hat lingers here and there

,
-

with a solitary o l d gentleman ; and wherever it appears in

such company begets a certain retrospectiv e reverence
,
.

There was a something in its connection wi th the high bred -

drawing room times o f the seventeenth century— i n t h e

-

gallant though quaint ardour o f its look and i n its being ,

lifted up in salutations with that deliber ate loftiness t h e ,

arm archi n g up in front and slowly raising it by the front

,

a ngle w ith finger and thumb — that cou l d n o t e a sily die .

W e remember when o u r steward at school remark abl e fo r ,

his inflexible air o f precision and dignity left o ff his cocked ,

hat fo r a round o n e there was undoubtedly though w e

, , ,

da r ed only half confess it to o u r minds a sort o f dimin i shed ,

m aj esty about him His infinite self possession began t o

.
-

l ook remotely finite His crown imperial was a littl e

.
-

blighted It was like divesting a column o f its capital

. .

But the nativ e stateliness wa s there , informing the new

hat H e
.

H a d not y e t lost
A l l h i s ori g i nal b eaver ; nor a ppe a r d
’

L ess than a rch steward r u i n d and the excess

’
-

O f g lory ob sc u re d .

The lat e Emperor Paul had c onceived such a sens e o f t h e

dignity o f the cock ed hat a ggravated by its having given
-

way t o t h e round o n e o f the French republicans that h e ,

ordere dall persons in his dominions never to dar e be seen in

public with round hats u pon pai n o f being knouted and sent
,

to S iberia .

Hats being t h e easiest part o f t h e European dress to be

,

taken o ff a r e doffed among us o u t o f reverence The

, .

O rientals o n the same ac count put o ff their slippe r s

, , ,

instead o f turbans which is the r e ason why the Jews still

keep their heads covered during worship T he S panish .

grandees have the privilege o f wearing their hats i n t h e

royal presence probably i n commemoration of t h e free
,

S irit i n
p which the C ortes us e d t o crown the S overeign ;
 S EA MEN ON S H OR E . 1 65

telling hi m (w e suppos e i n their corporat e capacity ) that

'

they were better men than h e but chos e h i m o f their o w n ,

free will for thei r master Th e gra ndees only claim to b e

-

a s go o d men unless their families a r e o lder There is a

, .

well known story o f a picture i n which t h e Virgi n Mary is

-

r epresente d w ith a l abel coming o u t o f her mouth sa y ing to ,

a S panis h gentleman who has politely taken o ff his hat ,

“ ”
C ousin be covered ,
But t h e most interest i ng anecdot e
.

connected with a hat , belongs to t h e family o f the D e

C ourcys , L ord K i n g sa l e O n e o f their ances t ors at an o l d .
,

period o f o u r history having overthrown a huge and ,

insolent champion who had challenged the whol e C ourt , ,

w a s desired by t h e king to ask him som e special favour .

He requested that his descendants should hav e the privileg e

o f keeping their heads covered in t h e royal presence ; an d

they do so t o this day Th e n e w lord w e beli e ve al ways .

, ,

comes t o C ourt o n purpos e t o vindicat e his right W e hav e .

heard that , o n the last occ a s ion probably afte r a long i n ,

t e r v a l some o f the courtiers thought i t might a s well hav e

,

been dispensed with ; which was a foolish as well as a jealou s

thi n g : fo r these e xception s o nly prove the royal ru l e .

Th e S panish gra nd ees originally took their privilege instead ,

o f receiving it ; but when t h e spirit o f it had gone their ,

covered heads were only so many intens e recognitions o f t h e

’
king s dignity w hich it w a s thought such a mighty thing
,
’
to resemble A Quaker s h a t i s a m ore for m id a bl e thin g
.

’
th a n a gra nd e e s .

S EAM EN O N S H O R E .

Th In di c a t o r , March
( e 1 5,
TH E sol e business o f a se aman o n shore w h o h a s t o go t o ,

sea again is t o take as much pleasur e as he can Th e

’

.
,

moment h e sets his foot o n dry ground he turns his back ,

o n all salt beef and other salt wate r restrictions

-
His long -
.

absence and t h e impossibility o f getting land pleasures at

,

se a
,
put him upon a sort o f desperate appetite He lands .
,

l i k e a conqueror taking possession He has been debarred .

so long that he is resolve d to hav e th a t m atter o u t wit h

,

t h e inhabitants They must render a n account to h i m o f

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
1 66 .

their treasures their women their victualling stores thei r

, ,
-

entertainments their everything ; and i n return h e will

,

behave li k e a gentleman and scatter h i s gold , .

The first object of the seaman o n landing is to sp e nd his

money ; but his first sensation is the strange firmness o f t h e
earth w h ich h e goes treading in a sort o f heavy light way ,
,

half waggoner an d half dancing master his shoulders rolling -

and his feet touching and going ; t h e same way in short in , ,

which he k eeps himself prepared fo r a l l t h e rolling chan ces

o f the vessel when on dec k There is al ways to us thi s
,
.
, ,

appearance o f lightness of foot and heavy strength o f upper

work s in a s a ilor And h e feels it himself He lets h i s
, . .

jack et fly open and his shoulders slouch and his hair gro w
, ,

long to be gathered into a heavy pigtail ; but whe n full

dressed he prides himself o n a certain gentility o f t o e o n
,

a white stock ing and a natty shoe i ssuing lightly o u t o f t h e ,

flowing blue trouser His arms a r e n e utral hanging and .

,

swinging in a curve aloof ; his hands half open look as if , ,

they had been handling ropes and h a d n o obj ect in life b u t ,

to han dle them again He is proud o f appearing in a n e w .

hat and slops with a belcher handkerchief flowing loosely

,

round his neck and the corner of another out o f his pock et
,
.

Thus equipped with pinchbeck buckles in his shoes (which

,

he bought for gold ) he puts som e tobacco in his mouth not, ,

as if he were going to use it directly but as if he stuffed it ,

in a pouch o n o n e side as a pelican does fish to employ it , ,

hereafter ; and so with Bet Monson at his side , and pe rhaps

,

a cane o r whange e twisted under h i s other arm sallie s ,

forth to take possession o f all L ubberland He buys every .

thing that h e comes ath w art — nuts gi n gerbread apples , , ,

shoe strings beer brandy gin buckles k nives a watch

-

, , , , , ,

( two if he
,
has money enough ) gowns and handkerchiefs
“
,

for Bet and his mother and sisters dozens o f superfin e

, ,
’ ”
best men s cotton stockings dozens o f superfin e bes t ,
”
women s cotton ditto best good check for shirts (though h e
’
,

has too much already ) infinit e needles and thread (to se w ,

his trousers with some day ) a footman s laced hat bear s ,

’
,
’

grease to make his hair grow (by way of j ok e ) several stick s , ,

all sorts of Jew articles a flut e (which he can t play and ,

’

never intends ) a leg o f mutton which he carries some

, ,

where to roast and for a piec e o f which the landlord o f t h e

,

S hip makes him pa y twice what h e g a v e for t h e whole — i n

1 68 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

fashion and is forgiven fo r his l e arni n g Their m a ntel

, .

piece is filled by him with shells an d s hark s teeth ; and ’

w hen h e goes to sea again there is no e n d o f tears , and ,

G o d bless yous
-

and home made gingerbread

- -

His o ffi cer o n shore does much o f all this only ge n e rally , ,

S peaking in a h igher taste ,

The moment h e lands h e buys .
,

quantities of j ewellery and other valuables for all t h e ,

females o f his acquaintance ; and is taken in for every

article He sends in a cart load o f fresh meat to the S hip
.
-

though he is going to town next day ; and calling in at a ,

’
chandler s for some candles is persuade d to buy a dozen o f ,

green wax with which he lights u p t h e ship at evening ;

,

regretting that the fine moonlight hinders th e e ffect o f t h e

colour A man with a bundle ben e ath his arm accosts him
.
,
.
,

in an undertone ; and with a look in which respect for his ,

knowledge is mixed with an avowed zeal fo r his o w n interest ,

ask s if his honour will just step under the gangway here ,

a n d inspect some real India shawls The gallant lieutenant .

“ ’
s a ys to himself This fello w knows what s what by his
, ,
”
face ; and so he proves it by being taken in o n the spot .

W hen he brings the shawls home h e says to his sister with , ,

“
an air o f triumph There Poll there s something for y o u ; , , ,
’

’
o nly cost me twelv e and is worth twenty if it s worth a , ,
” “
dollar S h e turns pale
. Twenty what my dear G eorge ? .
,

W h y you haven t given twelve dollars for it I hope ?

,
’
,
” “
N o t I b y the L ord
“ ’

,
That s lucky ; because y o u se e .
,

my dear G eorge that a l l together is not worth more tha n ,

”
fourteen o r fifteen shillings Fourteen o r fifteen what ! .

W h y it s real India en t it ? W h y the fellow told m e so ;

,
’
,
’

(
’
o r I m sure I d as s e e n — here he tries to hide his blushe s
’

with a bluster ) I d as soon have given him t w elve douses ’

“
on the chaps as twelve guineas Twelve G U INEA S .

exclaims the sister ; and then drawling forth VVh y — m y , ,

”
-

D EA R — G eorge is proceeding to show him what t h e ,

articles would hav e cost at Co n de l l s when he interrupts h e r ’

by requesting her to go and choos e fo r herself a tea tabl e -

serv ice He then mak es his escape to some messmates at a

.

c offee house and drowns his recollection o f the shawls in t h e

-

best wine and a discussion o n the comparative merits o f t h e

,

English and W est Indian beauties and tables At t h e .

theatre afterwards where h e has never been before , h e takes ,

a lady a t t h e back o f o n e o f t h e boxes for a woman o f

 S EA MEN O N S H O R E . 1 69

quality an d whe n after return in g his long respectful gaz e

, ,

w ith a smile , she turns asid e and puts her handkerchief t o

h e r m o n t h h e thinks it is in derision , till his friend
,

undeceive s him He is introduced t o t h e lady and ever

.
,

afterwards at first sight o f a woman o f quality (wi thou t

,

any dispar a gement e ith e r to those charming pe rsonages ) ,

e xpect s her to give him a smile

-
He thinks the other ladies .

m uch better cre atures than they a r e taken for ; a n d fo r ,

th e ir parts they tell him that if all men were lik e himself,
, ,

they would trust the sex again — which for aught we know , ,

is the truth H e has i n deed what he thinks a very liberal

.
, ,

opinion o f ladies in general j udging them all in a manner , , ,

’
with the e y e o f a seaman s experience Y e t h e will believ e .
,

nevertheless in the true love o f any given damsel whom

,
-

he seeks in the way o f marriage let him roam as much o r , ,

re main a s long at a distance as h e pleases It i s not tha t , .

h e wants feeling b u t that he has read o f it tim e o u t o f

, ,

m ind in songs ; and he look s u pon constancy as a sort o f

,

e xploit answering to those which he performs at sea

, He .

is nic e in his watches and linen He m ak es you presents .

Of corne l ians antique seals cocoa nuts set in silver and other
, ,
-

valuables W hen he shak es hands with you it is li k e being

'

.
,

ca ught in a W in dlass H e would not swagger about t h e .

streets in his uniform fo r the world He is generally .

modest in com pany though liabl e to be irritated b y what ,

he think s ungentlemanly behaviour He is also liable to b e .

rendered irritable by sickness — partly because he h a s been

u sed to command others and to be served with all possibl e ,

deference an d alacrity and partly because the idea o f su ffer ,

ing pain without any honour o r profit t o get by it is u n

, ,

professional and h e is not a ccustomed t o it He treats

, .

talents unlik e his o wn with great respect He Often per .

~

c e i v e s his o w n so little felt that it teaches him this feeling

fo r that o f others Besides h e admires the quantity o f

.
,

information which people can get without travelling lik e

himself especially whe n h e s e es h o w interesting h i s o w n
,

be comes to them as well as to everybody else W he n h e .

tells a story particularly if full o f wonders h e takes c a r e

, ,

to maintain his character fo r t ruth and simplicity by

qualifying it with all possibl e reservation s concessions a n d , ,

anticipations o f “
Obj ection such as i n case at such tim e , , ,

a s, so to speak as it were , at least , at any r ate

, He .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 76 .

seldo m uses sea te rms but when j ocosely provoked by som e

-

thing contrary to his habits o f life as fo r instance if h e , ,

is always meeting you o n horseback he asks if you never ,

mean t o walk the deck again o r if he finds you studyi n g

day after day , h e says you are always overhauling your log
book He makes more new acquaintances and forgets h i s
.
,

Old ones less than any other man i n the busy world for
,

h e is so compelled to make his home e very where remembers ,

his native o n e as such a place o f enj oym ent has all his ,

friendly recollections so fixed upo n his mind at sea and h a s ,

so much to tell and to hear when he returns that change and ,

separatio n lose with him th e most heartless part o f thei r

nature He also sees such a va riety o f customs and
.

manners that h e becomes charitable in his Opinions alto

,

gether and charity while it diffuses the affections cannot

, ,

let the Old ones go Half the secret of human intercours e

.

is to mak e allowance fo r each other .

W hen the o fficer is superannuated or retires he becomes , ,

if intelligent and inquiring o n e of the most agreeable o l d

,

men in the world equally welcome to the silent for his card
,

playing and to the conversational fo r his recollections H e

,
-
.

is fond o f astronomy and books o f voyages , and is i mmortal

with all who know him for having been round the world o r ,

seen the Transit o f Venus o r had o n e of his fingers carried

,

o ff by a N e w Z ealan d hatchet o r a p1 e s e n t of feathers from ,

a n O t a h e i t e a n beauty If not elevated by his acquirements

.

above some of his humbler tastes he delights in a corner ,

cupboard h olding his cocoa nuts and punchbowl h a s h i s -

summer house castellated and planted with wooden cannon

-

and sets up the figure o f his o l d ship the B r i t a n n i a o r t h e ,

L o ve l y N a n c y for a statu e in the garden where it stares

, ,

eternally with red chee k s and round black eyes as if i n ,

astonishment at its situation .

O N TH E R EAL ITI ES OF I M AG I NATI O N .

(T he In di c a t o r , March 22 ,

T H ER E is not a more un t hinking way o f talking than to say

such and such pains and pleasures are only imaginary and ,

t herefor e to b e g o t rid o f o r underva lued a c c ordin g ly .

 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
1 72 .

to increas e and improv e them is a more attractive study .

If inst e ad o f saying that t h e causes which moved i n us this

,

o r that pai n o r plea sur e w e r e imaginary , people wer e t o

say that t h e causes themselves were removable th e y would ,

be nearer t h e truth W h e n a stone trips us up w e do n o t

.
,

fall t o disputing its e xistence ; we pu t it o u t o f t h e way .

In lik e m a n ner whe n w e s u ff er from what is called an i m a

,

g i n a r y pain o u r business i s n o t t o canvass t h e reality o f it

, .

W hether there i s any caus e o r n o t i n that o r any other

perception o r whether anything consists n o t i n w hat is
,

called effect it is s u fii e i e n t fo r us t hat t h e e ffect is real

, .

O u r sol e business is t o remove thos e second causes which

always accompany t h e original idea As in deliriums for .
,

i nstance it would be idle to go about persuading the patient

,

that h e did not behold the figure s h e says h e does H e .

might reasonably ask us i f h e could h o w w e kno w any

, ,

thing about the matter : o r h o w w e can b e sure that i n ,

the infinite wonde rs o f t h e univers e c e rtai n realities may ,

n o t becom e apparent to certain eyes w hether diseased o r ,

n ot . O u r business would b e t o put him into that st a t e o f

health i n which human bein gs a r e not diverted from their
,

o ffices and comforts by a liability to such imaginations .

The best reply to his question would be that such a m orbidity ,

is clearly no more a fit stat e fo r a human being than a

disarranged o r in complete stat e o f works is fo r a watch ;
and that seeing t h e general tendency o f natur e to this com
,

l e t e n e s s o r stat e o f comfort w e naturally conclud e that t h e

p ,

imaginations in qu e stion wh e ther substantial o r n o t a r e a t

, ,

l east n o t o f t h e sam e lasting o r pre v a iling description .

W e do n o t profess metaphysics W e a r e indeed so littl e

.

c onv e rsant with the masters o f that profound art that w e ,

a r e never sure whether w e a r e using e ven its proper te rms .

All that w e may kno w o n t h e subj ect comes t o us from

some reflection and som e e xperience ; and this all may b e
so littl e as to make a metaphysician smil e which if he b e ,

a tru e o n e h e will do good natur e dly Th e pretender will

,
—
.

tak e occasion from o u r very confession t o say that w e kno w

nothing O u r faculty such a s it is i s rather instinctiv e
.
, ,

than reasoning rather physical than metaphysical rather

w ise becau se it loves m uch tha n beca us e it knows much ;
,

r a ther calculated by a certai n retention o f boyhood and by ,

its wanderings in t h e gre en place s o f thought to light u po n ,

 ON TH E REA L ITIES o r IMA G INA TION . 1 73

a i
p ec e ofthe Old golden world than to tire ourselves and , ,

conclude it unattainable by t o o wid e and scientific a search

,
.

W e prete nd t o see farther than none but t h e worldly and

the mal ignant And yet those who se e farther may not all
.

s e e S O well .W e do not blin d o u r e yes with look ing upon

t h e su n in the heavens W e believe it to be there but w e
.
,

find i t s light upon earth also ; an d we woul d lead humanity,

if we could o u t Of misery and coldness into t h e shi n e o f it
,
.

Pain might still b e there ; must be so as long a s w e a r e ,

m o rtal
F o r o ft we st i l l must weep s i nce we are hu m an ,

but it should b e pain fo r the sake o f o thers which is nobl e ; ,

not unnecessary pain inflicted by o r u pon them which it i s ,

absurd not to remove The very pains o f mankind struggl e

.

towards pleasures ; and such pains as a r e proper for them

h ave this inevitable accompaniment o f true humanity— that
they cannot but r e alize a certain gentleness o f e n joyment .

Thus the tru e bearer o f pain would come round to us and

he would n o t g ru dge us a share Of his burden though i n ,

taking from his troubl e it might diminish his pride Prid e .

is but a bad ple a sure at the expense o f others Th e great .

Ob j ect o f humanity is to enrich e verybody If it is a task .

destined not to succeed it is a goo d o n e from its very

,

n ature : and fulfils at least a glad destiny o f its o w n To .

look upon it austerely i s in r e a l i t y t h e reverse o f austerity

'

It is only such an impatience o f the want o f pleasure a s leads

us to grudge it in others and this impatience itself if t h e ,

sufferer k new how to use it is but another impulse i n t h e

, ,

general yearning towards an e qual wealth o f enj oyment

, .

But we shall be getting into other discussions Th e .

groundwork o f all happiness is health Take care Of this .

ground and the doleful imaginations that come to warn us

against its abuse will avoid it Tak e care Of this ground
, .
,

and let as many glad imaginations throng to it as possible .

Read the magical works o f the poets and they will come , .

I f you doubt their existenc e ask yourself whether y o u feel

,

pleas ure at the idea o f them ; whether y o u a r e moved into

delicious smiles o r tears as delicious I f y o u are the result
, .
,

i s the same t o you , whether they e x ist o r n o t It i s n o t .

m ere words to sa y that h e who goes through a rich man s

,
’

p ark , and se e s things in i t which never bless t h e mental

1 74 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

e yesight o f the possessor is richer than he He i s riche r

,
. .

More results o f pleasure come home to him Th e ground is .

actually more fertile to him ; the place haunted with finer

shapes He has more servants to come at his call and
.
,

administer to hi m with full hands Knowledge sympathy .

, ,

imagination are all divining rods with which he discovers

,
—
,

tre asure L e t the painter go through the grounds and h e

.
,

w i n see not only the general colours o f green and brown ,

but a l l their combination and contrasts and all the modes ,

i n which they might again be combined and contrasted .

H e will also put figur es in the landscape if ther e are non e

there ; flo c ks and herds o r a solitary spectator o r Venu s
, ,

lying with her white body among the violets and primroses .

“
L e t a musician go through and he will hear ,
differences
”
discreet in the notes o f the birds an d the lapsing o f t h e
waterfall He will fancy a serenade o f wind instrument s
.

’
i n the open air at the lady s window with a voice ri sing ,

through it o r the horn o f the hunter , o r t h e musical cry o f

the hounds
M a t c h d i n m o u th l i k e b ells
’
, ,

Each u nder each

or asolitary voice i n a bower singing for a n e xpected ,

lover o r the chapel organ wak ing up like the fountain of ,

the winds L e t a poet go through the grounds and he w ill

.
,

heighten and increase a l l these sounds and images He wil l .

bring t h e c o l o u r s from heaven and put an unearthly mea n ing

_ ,

into t h e voice He will have stories o f the sylvan i n h a b i

.

tants ; will shift the popu lation through infinite varieties ;

wi ll put a sentiment upon every sight and sound will be
h u man romantic supernatural will make all N ature send
, ,

tri b ute into that spot .

W e may say o f the love o f Nature what S h a k spe a r e says ,

o f another love that it ,

A dds a prec i ou s see ing to the ey e .

And w e may say also upon the like pr i nciple that i t add s
, ,

a precious hearing to the ear This and imagination which .

, ,

ever fol lows upon it, a r e the two purifiers o f our sense ,

which rescue us from t h e deafening babble o f common cares ,

and enabl e us to hear all the a ff ectio n ate voices o f earth and
heaven The starry orbs lapsing a b out in their smooth
.
,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 76 .

wept when she saw Ferdinand work so hard and b e gged ,

him to let her help telling him

I a m y o u r wi fe , i f y o u w i l l m arry m e ;
If n o t , I l l di e yo u r m a i d T o b e y o u r fello w
’
.

Y o u m a y d eny m e b u t I l l b e y o u r servant,
’

Whether y o u w i l l or no .

S uch are the d i scoveries which the poets make for u s ,

worlds to which that Of C olumbus was but a handful o f

,

brute matter It began to be richer fo r us the other day

.
,

when Humbold t came back and told us o f its luxuriant and

gigantic vegetation o f the m yriads o f shooting lights whi ch
revel at evening in the southern sky ; a n d o f that grand
constellation at wh ich D ante seems to have made so remark
able a guess C A NT O 1 v The natural . .

warmth o f t h e Mexican and Peruvian genius set free from ,

despotism will soon do all the rest for it awaken t h e

, ,

sleeping riches o f its eyesight , and call forth the glad music
o f its affections .

Imagination e nriches e verything A gre a t library con .

tains n o t only book s but ,

Th e assem b led so u ls o f a l l that m e n held wi s e .

’
Th e m oo n is Homer s a n d S h a k spe a r e s moon , as well as t h e ’

o n e we look at Th e su n comes o u t o f hi s chamber i n t h e

.

“ ”
e ast with a sparkling e y e
,
rej oicing like a bride g room
, .

The commonest thing becomes lik e Aaro n s r o d that budded ’

, .

Pope called up the spirits O f t h e C abala to wait upon a l o o k

o f hair and j ustly gav e it the honou r s o f a constellation ; for
,

he has hung it sparkling fo r ever in the eyes o f posterity A

, , .

commo n meadow is a sorry thing t o a ditcher o r a coxcomb

but b y the help o f its dews from imagination an d t h e lov e
,

o f N ature the grass brightens for us the air soothes us w e

, , ,

feel as we did in the daisied hours o f childhood Its verdures , .

i t s sheep its hedge r o w elms — all these an d all els e which

,
-

sight and sound and association can give it a r e made t o

, , ,

furnish a treasure o f pleasant thoughts Even brick and .

m ortar a r e v i v i fi e d as o f o l d at t h e harp o f O rpheus

, ,
A .

metropolis becomes no longer a mer e collection o f houses o r

o f trad e s It puts o n all t h e grandeur o f its history and
.

its literature ; its towers and rivers ; its art and j ewellery , ,

a n d foreign wealth its multitude o f human beings, all in tent

 H O G L E S A ND F A IR F AX S TA S S O
’ ’
. 1 77

upon excit e me n t wise o r yet t o learn ; the huge and sullen

, ,

dignity o f i t s canopy o f smoke by day ; t h e wid e gl eam

upwards o f its lighted lustre at night time and t h e nois e -

o f its many cha r iots h e ard at the sam e ho u r, w he n t h e

,

win d s e ts gently towards som e quiet suburb .

H OOL E S A N D
’ ’
FAIRFAX S TA S S O .

(Th e In di c a tor , March 2 9 ,

HOOL E is a singular example o f t h e popularity which a

m a n may o b ta in by taking up a great author to transl at e
with whom he has nothing in common and merely su b se r v ,

ing to the worst taste o f t h e times S ome re a ders put faith .

in the imposture from the mere name o f the origi nal som e ,
’
from a deferenc e to the translator s knowledg e o f Italian ,

s om e from t h e recomm e ndation o f any living author w h o

has talent in anythi n g some from a r e al wish to b e ac ,

u a i n t e d with a great poet som e from national self love

q
-

, ,

som e from indolence o f various kinds many from the habit ,

o f acquiescing in an y thing aft e r their o w n fas hion an d many ,

more because t h e rest have don e so befor e the m Th e se m e an .

,

while who r e al ly loved and understood p oe try, Italian o r

,

English could only sit still and wonder at a l l this preferri ng

, , ,

at the risk o f being thought foolish o r pedantic t h e o l d obsolete ,

” ’
translators o f S h a k spe a r e s time when o u r language sa ith , ,
”
Mr Hoole was in i t s rudiments
.
,
It was lucky however, .
,

for this gentleman that h e had t h e period h e wrote i n

,

a lm ost all to himself There w a s n o t a singl e real po et

.

survivi n g except C owper G ray Armstro n g A k e n si de

, , , , ,

C ollins C hurchill— e verybody w a s gon e who w as lik ely to

,

dete ct him publicly ; and the age in every respect , was then ,

in t h e fulness o f i t s poeti c al e mptiness .

Tha t D r Johnson should spe ak a good word fo r Mr

. .

Hoole much less write a dedication fo r him is n o t surpris

, ,

ing ; though what a poet must h e be who goe s to another

t o wri te a dedication for h i m ! Johnso n w a s i n t h e habit
o f writin g dedication s f o r those w h o wer e consc iou s o f n o t
being good turners o f a pros e paragraph and w h o wi s h e d
'

to approach t h e grea t with a proper o n e ; and Mr Hool e , .

N
 7s L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
1 .

it seems was amon g these modest persons tho u gh h e did

, ,

not scru ple to approach Tas so and Ariosto with his poetry .

The dedication which i s to t h e lat e Queen [ C harlotte] and

, ,

which expr e sses a wish that Tasso had lived in a happier

time and experienced from t h e descendants o f t h e Hous e
,
“
o f Este a more liberal a n d pot e nt patronage , is e legan t
,

and to t h e purpos e Th e good word is a mer e word , and .

very equivocal besides Johnson , w h o is now pretty gen e .

rally understood not to hav e b e e n so good a critic i n poetry

as h e was strong i n gen e ral understanding and j us tly ,

e minent in som e respects might hav e been ve r y capable o f ,

’
applauding a translation upon Mr H o o l e s principles ; but .

it is more than t o be suspecte d that h e would have desir e d

a higher order o f workmanship o u t o f t h e manufactory .

Hool e was a pitch t o o l o w fo r h i s admiration though i t ,

appeared h e had privat e qualitie s su ffi cient to s e cure h i s

good wishes ; and even t h e se ther e is good r e aso n t o ,

conclude could not hav e pre vented a feeling o f conte mpt

,

f o r a translator o f great poet s w h o could com e to him fo r a

d edi cation W hen Boswell i n o n e o f his maudli n fits o f
.
,

adulation a ffected to consider something with G oldsmith s

,
’

n am e to it as supplied by t h e D octor t h e latter c ould n o t ,

restrain his scorn and said that G oldsmith would n o more

come to him fo r a paragraph than h e would to b e fe d w ith
a pap S poon And it is curious to observ e after all how
‘

.
, ,

and i n wha t plac e Johnso n has s a id his good word fo r o u r

translator It is at t h e e n d o f t h e L ife o f W aller and
.
”
,

amounts to this coy prophecy— that Fairfax s work after ’

Mr H o o l e s translation will n o t soon b e reprinted

.
’
, .

Mr Hoole indeed with superfluous ingenuity h a s con

.
, , ,

t r i v e d to let us kno w by other means than hi s translation , ,

h o w totally unfit h e was for t h e t a sk He cam e t o it wit h .

an ignorance o f all r e al poetry that o f hi s o wn country n o t ,

e xcepted S o littl e did Mr Hool e kno w what h e w a s

. .

a bout either 1 n poetry o r t h e v e r si fi c a t i o n o f it that whil e

, ,

i n the cours e o f his translatio n h e was elaborately doing o r

undoing something n e w and then In order to min gle a littl e ,

o f D ryden with Pope h e fo r g e t o r was n o t awar e that

, . , ,

D ryden hi mself professed t o have learnt part o f his ve r si fi

cation from Fairfax .

Edward Fairfax led a life which a brother poet might

e n vy H e wa s o f a d i stinguish e d famil y , t h e sam e a s that
.
1 80 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

C hapman (who is perhaps t h e only other vari ous tra n sla t o r ,

n evertheless ) ; n or an everlas ting taste o f chips instead o f

succulence as in the Ariosto o f Harrington
,
.

W e repeat however that t h e reader must not expe ct a

, ,

perfect version i n Fa i rfax much less at t h e outset Tass o , .

himself i n o u r opinion does n o t well warm you into his

, ,

work till a fter sev e ral bo oks ; but set o u t r e solutely with
him o r his translator o r with both get past som e cold look
,
—

ing pl a ces and scratch through a few o f Fairfax s rough

,
’

nesses and obscurities and y o u come upon a noble territory

, ,

full o f the romantic and the sweet o f stately and o f lovely ,

shapes Of woods waters and sunny pleasures — with drearier

, , ,

seclus i on s a part , and fields o f sonorous battle .

D EATH S O F L ITT L E C HI L D R EN .

(Th e In di c a t or , A pri l 5 ,

A G R EC IAN philosopher being as k ed why h e wept for t h e

,

death o f his son since the sorro w was i n vain replied

, , ,
”
I weep o n that very account And his answer becam e .

h i s wisdom It is only fo r sophists to pretend that we

.
,

whose eyes contain the fountains o f tears need never giv e ,

way to the m It would be unwis e not to do S O o n som e

.

occasions S orrow unlocks them in her balmy moods Th e

. .

first bursts may be bitter and overwhelming ; but t h e soil

on which they pour would b e t h e wors e without them .

They refresh the fever o f the soul the dry misery which —
,

parches the countenance into furrows and renders us liable ,

”
to our most terrible flesh quak es -
.

There are sorrows it is true so great that to give t h em

, , ,

some o f the ordinary vents is to run a hazard of being over

thrown These we must rather strengthen ourselves to
.

resist ; o r b o w quietly a n d drily down i n order to let them

pass over us as the traveller does the wind o f the desert
, .

But w here we feel that tears would rel ieve us it is fals e

-

philosophy to deny ourselves at least that first refreshment ;

a n d it is always false consolation to tell people that becaus e

they cannot help a thing they are not to mind it The tru e , .

way is , to l e t them grapple with the unavoidable sorrow

and try to wi n it i n to gentleness by a re a sonabl e y i e l di n o '.
 D EATH S OF L ITTL E C H IL D R EN . 181

There are griefs so gentle in their very nature that it would ,

be wors e than false heroism to refus e them a tear O f this .

kind a r e the deaths o f infants Particular circumstances .

may render it more o r less advisable to i ndulge in grief for

t h e loss o f a littl e child ; but in g e n e r a l parents should be
, ,

n o mor e advised to repress their first tears o n such a n

occasion than to repress their smiles towards a child sur
,

v i vi n g o r to indulge in any other sympathy

,
It is an .

appeal t o the same gentle tenderness ; and such appeals are

n ever made in vain The end o f them is an acquittal from
.

the harsher bonds o f a ffl i c t i o n — from the tyi n g down of

t h e spirit to one mel ancholy idea .

I t is the nature o f tears o f this kind however strongly ,

they may gush forth to run into quiet waters at last W e

,
.

cannot e asily for the whole course o f o u r lives thi n k with

, ,

pain o f any good and kind person whom we have lost It .

is the divine nat u re o f their qualities to conquer pain an d

death itself to turn the memory o f them into pleasure to
s u rvive with a pl acid aspect i n o u r i maginations W e are .

writing at this moment j ust opposite a spot which contains

, ,

the grave o f o n e inexpressibly dear to us W e see from o u r .

windo w the trees about it and t h e church spire The ,

-

g reen fields lie around The clouds are travelling over

.

head alternately taki ng away the sunshine and resto r ing it

, .

The vernal winds piping o f th e flowery summer time are

,
-

nevertheless calling t o mind the far distant and danger

o u s ocean which th e heart that lies in that grave had
,

many reasons to think o f And yet the sight o f this .

spot does not give us pain S o far from it it is the .

,

existence o f that grave which doubles every charm of t h e

spot ; which links the pleasure s o f o u r childhood and man
hood together ; which puts a b u sh i n g tenderness in the
winds and a patient j oy upon the landscape ; which seems
,

to unite heaven and earth mortality and immortality the

, ,

gra ss of t h e tomb and the grass o f the green field and gives ,

a more maternal aspect to the whole kindness o f N ature .

It does not hinder gaiety itself Happiness was what its .

t enant through all her troubles would have diffused

, To ,
.

diffuse happiness and to enj oy it is not only carrying o n

, ,

her wishes but real izing her hopes ; and gaiety freed from
, ,

its o n l y po l l u t i o n s malignity and want of sympathy , is but

,

a child pl aying about the knees o f its mother .

1 82 LEIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

Th ere membered innocenc e and endearments o f a chil d

stand us instead o f virtues that have died older C hildren .

have not exercised the volu n tary o ffices o f friendship ; they

have not chosen to be kind and good to us ; nor stood by us ,

fro m conscious will in the hour o f adversity But they

, .

hav e shared their pleasures and pains with us as well as

they could : the interchange o f good o fli c e s between us has ,

o f necessity been less mingled with the troubles o f t h e

,

world ; the sorrow arising from their death is the only o n e

which we can associate with their memories These a r e .

happy thoughts that ca n not die O u r loss may always .

render them pensive ; but they will not always be painful .

It is a part o f the benignity o f N ature that pain does not ,

survive lik e pleasure at any time ; much less where t h e

,

cause o f it is an innocent o n e The smile will remain .

reflected by memory ; a the moon reflects the light upon us

s

when the sun has gone into heaven .

W hen writers like ourselves quarrel wi th earthly pain

( we mea n writers o f the same intentions without implying , ,

o f course anything about abilities o r otherwise ) they are

, ,

misunderstood if they are supposed to quarrel with pains o f

every sort This would be idle and effeminate They do
. .

not pretend indeed that humanity might not wish if it

, , ,

could to b e entirely fr ee from pain ; fo r it endeavours at al l

,

tim es to turn pain i nto pleasure o r at least to set o ff t h e ,

o n e with the other ; to make t h e former a zest and t h e ,

latter a refreshment The most unaffected dignity o f suffer

.

ing does this ; and if wise acknowledges it The greatest

, ,
.
’

benevolence towards others the most unselfish relish of their

,

pleasures even at its o w n expense does but look to increasi n g

, ,

the general stock o f happiness though content if i t could to, , ,

have its identity swallowed u p in that splendid contempla

tion W e are far from meaning that this is to be called
.

selfishness W e are far indeed from thin k ing so or o f so

.
, , ,

confounding words But neither is it to be called pain

.
,

when most unselfish ; if disinterestedness be truly under

stood The pain that is in it softens into pleasure as t h e
.
,

dark er hue o f the rainbow melts into the brighter Y e t .

e ven if a harsher line is to be drawn between the pain and

pleasure o f t h e most unselfish m ind (and ill health for -

instan ce may draw it ) we should not quarrel with it if

, , ,

it contribut e d to the general mass o f comfort, and were o f a

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
1 84 .

confidence o f their hearts and creativeness o f th e ir fancy

, .

“
And so ignorant must they b e o f the knowledge o f good
”
and evil losing their discern m ent of that self created
,
-

trouble by e nj oying the garden before them , and n o t bein g

a shamed o f what is kindly and innocent .

P OETI CAL AN O MAL I ES O F S HAPE .

(Th e In di c a t or , A pril 5 ,

IT is not o n e o f the lea st instances o f t h e forc e o f habit t o

see h o w poetry and mythology can reconcile us to shapes o r ,

rather combinations o f shape unlike anything in Nature , .

The dog headed deities o f the Egyptians were doubtless n o t

-

so monstrous in their eyes as in ours The C entaurs o f t h e .

G reeks as O vid has shown us could be imagined possessing

, ,

beauty enough fo r a human love story and o u r imagin e» ~

t i ons find nothing at all monstrous in the idea o f a n angel ,

though it part a kes o f the nature o f the bird The angel it .

,

is true is the least departure from humanity Its wi n gs

, .

a r e n o t an alteration o f th e human S hape but an additio n ,

to it Y e t leavin g a more awful wonder o u t o f t h e ques

.
,

tion w e should be star tled to find pinions growing o u t o f

,

the shoulder blades o f a child ; and we S hould wait with

-

anxiety to se e of what nature the pinions were till w e ,

becam e 1 e c o n c il e d to them I f they turned o u t to b e .

ribbed and webbed l i ke those o f the imaginary dra gon

, ,

conceive the horror ! If o n the other hand they becam e, ,

feathers and tapered o ff li k e thos e o f a gigantic bird com

, , ,

prising also gra ce and splendour as well as the power o f ,

fl ight we can e a s ily fancy ourselves reconciled to them

, . .

And yet again o n t h e other hand t h e flying women

, ,

described in the “
Adventures o f Peter W il k ins do n o t ,
”

s hock us though their wings part a k e o f t h e ribbed and webbed

,

n ature and not at all o f t h e feathered

,
W e admire Peter s .
’

gentl e and beautiful bride notwithstanding the phenomenon ,

of t he
g r a u n de e its light whalebone lik e intersections and
, ,

its power o f d r opping about her l ike drapery It e ve n .

becomes a matter o f pleasant curiosity W e find it not at .

 DA IS IES . 1 85

a ll way W e can readily a ppreh end th e delight he

in t he .

felt at possessing a creature so kind and sensitive ; and can

sympathize with h i m in the happiness o f that bridal evening ,

e qually removed from prudery and grossness which h e ,

describes with a mixtur e o f sentiment and voluptuousn e ss

beyond all t h e bridals we ever read .

Polyp h emus in Homer is a shocki n g monster not beca use ,

he has only o n e eye but because he murders and e ats o u r

,
’
fellow creatures But in Theocritus where h e is G alatea s
-

.
,

lover and sits hopelessly lamentin g his passion w e o n l y

, ,

pity him His deformity even increases o u r pity W e

. .

blink t h e question o f beauty and become o n e eyed fo r h i s ,

-

S ak e N ature seems to do Hi m an inj ustic e in gifting h i m

.

with sympathies so human and at the same time preventing ,

them from being answered ; and we feel impatient with t h e

all beautiful G alatea if we think she ever showed him scorn
-

a s well as unwillingness W e insist upon her avoiding him

.
~

with the greatest possible respect .

These fictions o f the poets therefore besides the mere , ,

e xcitement which they give the imagination assist remotely ,

to brea k t h e averseness and uncharitableness o f human

prid e .

D AI S I ES .

(Th e In di c a t o r A pri l 1 9
, ,

S P R ING is n o w complete The winds have done their work . .

The shaken air well tempered and equalized has subsided

,
-

the genial rains however thickly they may come do n o t

, ,

saturate the ground beyond the power o f the sun to dry it

up again There are clear crystal mornings ; noons o f blue
.

sky and whit e cloud ; nights in which the growing moon ,

seems to lie looking at the stars like a young shepherdess ,

at her flock A few days ago she lay gazing in this manner
.

at t h e solit a ry evening star like D iana o n the slope o f a , ,

valley looki n g u p at Endymion His young eye seemed t o

, .

sparkle out upon the world ; whil e she bending inwards , ,

her hands behin d her head watched him with an enamoured ,

dumbness .

But this is the quiet o f S prin g Its v oices and swift .

1 86 LEIG H H UNT S ES S AYS ’
.

movements hav e come back also Th e swall ow shoots by us , .

li k e an embodied ardour o f t h e season The glowi ng b e e .

has his will o f the honeye d flowers grappling with the m ,

as they tremble W e have not yet heard the nightingal e

.

o r t h e cuckoo ; but we can hear them with o u r imagination ,

and enjoy them through the content o f those who have .

Then the young green This is t h e most apt and perfect .

mark o f the season — the tru e issuing forth o f t h e S pring .

The trees and bushes are putting forth their crisp fans ;
the lil a c is loaded with bud ; t h e meadows a r e thick with
the bright young grass running into sweeps o f white and ,

gold with t h e daisies and buttercups Th e or chard s .

announc e their riches in a showe r o f silver blossoms Th e .

earth in fertile woods is S pread with yello w and blue carpet s

o f primroses violets and hyacinths over which the birch
, , ,

trees lik e stooping nymphs hang with their thickening

, ,

hai r L ilies o f the valley stocks columbines lady smock s

.
, , ,
-

and the intensely red peone which seems t o anticipate t h e ,

full glo w o f summer ti m e all com e o u t to wait upon the

-

season lik e fa i ries from their subterraneous palaces

, .

W h o is to wonder that t h e idea o f love mingles itself with

that o f this che e rful and kind time o f t h e year setti n g asid e ,

even common associations ? It is not only its yo u th and ,

“
beauty and budding life and t h e pa ssio n o f t h e groves ,
, ,

that e xclaim with the poet

L e t those love now wh o never loved b efore ,

A nd those w h o alway s loved now love t h e m ore , .

All o u r kindly i mpul se s a r e apt t o have more sentiment

in them than t h e world suspect ; a n d it is by fetching o u t
this sentiment an d makin g it t h e ruling association that
, ,

we exalt the impulse into gen e rosity and refinement instead ,

o f degrading it as is too much t h e e a se

,
into what is selfish ,

and coarse and pollutes all o u r syst e ms O n e o f t h e

, .

greatest inspirers o f lov e is gratitude — not merely o n i t s

common grounds but gratitud e for pleas ures whether con
, ,

sc i o u sl y or unconsciously conferred Thus we are thankful .

,

fo r the delight give n us by a kind and sincere face ; and if

we fall in love with it , o n e great reason is that we long t o ,

return what w e have received The same feeling has a .

considerable influence in the love that has been felt for m e n

o f talents whose persons o r address hav e n o t been much
 L EIC II H U NT S ESS AY S
’
188 .

to pu t t o g e t h e r than criticism and comfort o r a n o l d palat e

'
,

and a young relish But knowledge is t h e widening and

.

the brightening road that must conduct us back to t h e j oys

from which it led us ; and which it i s destined perhaps t o
secure and extend W e mus t not quar rel with its aspe
.

r i t i e s when we can help

, .

W e do not know the G reek name o f t h e dai sy nor do t h e ,

dictionaries inform us ; and w e are n o t at present i n the

way o f consulting books that might W e always like to .

see what the G reeks say to these things becaus e they had a ,

sentiment in their enj oyments The L atins called it Bellis .

o r Bellus as much as t o say N ice O n e

, W ith the French , .

and Italians it has the same n a m e a s a Pearl — Marguerite '

, ,

Margarita o r ge n erally by way o f endearment M a r g h e r e

, , ,

tina Th e same word w a s the nam e o f a woman and

.
,

occasioned infinite intermixtures o f compliment about pearls ,

daisies and fair mistresses C haucer i n his beautiful poem

,
.
,
“ ”
of The Flower and t h e L e a f which is evidently imitated ,

from some French poetess says ,

And at the laste there b eg an anon

A lady fo r to S ing ri g ht wo m anl y
A b a r g a r e t i n pra i s ing t h e dai s i e ,

F o r , as m etho u g ht , a m ong h e r notes sweet ,

S h e sa i d , D i do u s e t est l a M arg arete
”
.

The Margaret is so sweet O u r Margaret however i n .

, ,

this allegorical poem is undervalued in comparison with,

the laurel ; yet C haucer perhaps was partly induced to

translate it on account of its mak ing the fig u re that it does ;
for he has informed us more than once in a very particular ,

manner that it was his favourit e flo w er He says that h e

,
.

“
finds it ever new and that h e shall love it till his heart
,

di e s ; and afterwards with a natural pictur e o f his resting

,

o n the grass :

A down f u ll so ft él y I g a n to s ink ,

A n d lean i ng on m y e l b ow and m y s i de
, ,

Th e long é da y I shope m e f o r to ab i de
F o r nothing el l i s a n d I s h al l not l i e
, ,

B u t fo r to loo k u pon t h e dai s i e ,

That Wel l b y reason m e n i t cal l é m a y

T h e da i s i e or else t h e e y e o f da y
,
.

This etymology , which we hav e no doubt is t he real is

‘

on c,
 DA IS IES . 18 9

re pe ated by Ben Jonson who takes occas i on t o spell t h e ,

”
word “
days e yes ; adding with h i s usual tendency t o
—
,

overdo a matte r o f learning

D ay s eyes
-

, and the l i ppes o f cows

videlicet cowsli ps : wh ich i s a disenta n glement
,
of c om

ounds in t h e styl e o f o u r pleasant parodists :

p ,

Pudd in g s o f the pl u m ,
A n d fi n g ers o f t h e l ady .

Mr W ordsworth calls t h e daisy an unassumi n g common

.

”
place o f N ature which it is ; and h e praises i t very b e
,

c o m i n g l y fo r discharging its duties so cheerfull y in that ,

universal ch a racter But we cannot agree with him i n

.

”
“
thinking that it h a s a ho m ely face N o t that we should
.

care if it really had fo r homeliness does n o t m ake ugliness ;

,

but we appeal to e verybody w hether it is proper to say this

”
of
“
l a bell e Marguerite In the first place i t s shape i s
.
,

very pretty and slender but n o t t o o much so Then it has

, .

a boss o f gold set round and irradiated with silver points

, .

Its yellow and fair white a r e i n so high a taste o f contras t

that S penser h a s chosen the sam e c olours for a picture o f
L ed a reposing :
Oh wondro u s sk i ll and sweet w i t o f t h e m a n !
Th at h e r i n daffod i ll i es sleeping m ade ,

F ro m scorch in g b e a t h e r dai nty l i m b s to shade .

It is for the sam e reason that t h e daisy being chiefly ,

white makes such a beautiful S how i n co m pan y with t h e

,

buttercup But this is not all ; for look at the back and
.
,

you find its fair petals blushing with a most delightful red .

And h o w compactly and delicately is the neck set in green

”
Belle e t douce Marguerite aimable s oeur du r o i Kingcup l ,

we would tilt for the e with a hundred pens against t h e ,

stoutest poe t that did not find perfection in thy cheek .

But here somebody may remind us o f the spring showers ,

and what drawback s they a r e upon going into the fields .

N o t at all so when t h e spri ng is really confirmed and t h e

, ,

showers but April like and at intervals L e t us turn o u r

-

imaginations to the bright side o f spring and we shall forget ,

t h e sho wers Y o u s e e th e y hav e bee n forgotten j ust this

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
190 .

moment Besides we are not likely to stray too far into

.
,

t h e fields ; and if we should are there not hats bonnets , , ,

barns cottages elm trees and good wills ? W e may mak e

, ,
-

these things zests , if we please instead o f drawbacks ,

.

MA Y DA Y -
.

( Th e In di c a t o r , A pri l 2 6 ,

MO NDAY next is May morning a word which used to - —

awak en in the minds of our ancestors all the ideas of youth ,

and verdure and blossomin g and love and hil arity in

, , ,

short the union o f the two best things in the world the
, ,

love o f N ature and the love o f each other It was the day .

o n which the arrival o f t h e year at maturity was kept like ,

that o f a blooming heiress They caught her e y e as sh e w a s .

coming and sent up hundreds o f songs of j oy

,
.

No w t h e b ri g ht m orn ing star day s harb ing er ’

-

, ,

C o m es danc ing fro m t h e east and leads wi th h e r ,

Th e fl owery M a y w h o fro m h e r g reen l a p throws

,

Th e y ello w cowsl i p and t h e pale pr i m rose , .

H ai l b o u nteo u s M a y that dost i nspire

, ,

M i rth a n d yo u th a n d w arm des ire

, ,

W oods a n d g roves are o f t h y dressing

H i l l a n d dale doth b oast t h y b l ess i ng .

Thu s we sal u te thee w i th o u r early song ,

A n d welco m e thee and w i sh thee long ,

.

’
Thes e songs were stopped by Milton s o w n fri ends t h e
Puritans whom in his o l d age he again di fl e r e d with most
’

, ,

l ik ely o n these very points among others But till then , .

they appear to have been as o l d all over Europe as t h e , ,

e xi stenc e o f society The D ruids are said to have had

.

festivals i n honour of May O u r Teutonic ancestors had .

undoubtedly ; and in the countries which had constituted

the W estern Roman Empire Flora still saw thanks paid ,

f o r h e r flowers thou g h her worship had gone away

, .

The homag e which w a s paid to t h e Month o f L ove and

Flowers may be divided into two sorts t h e general and t h e ,
“

individual Th e first consisted in going with others t o

.

gather May and in j oining in sports and games afterwards

,
“ ”
On t h e first o f t h e month t h e juvenil e part o f both s e xes , ,
‘
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
192 .

other a knight How far they o w e any o f th e ir b e auty t o

.

”
his original the Th e se i de o f Boccaccio we c a n not say ;
“
, ,

for we never had the happiness o f meeting with that very

rare work Th e Italians have so neglected it that they
.
,

hav e not only never given it a r ifa c i m en t o o r remodelling ,

a s in t h e instanc e o f B o i a r do s poem
’
but a r e almost a s ,

much unacquainted with it w e believe a s foreig n countries , , .

C haucer thought it worth h is while to b e both acquainted

with it and to make others so ; and we may venture to say
,
’
that w e know o f no Italian after Boc c accio s a g e who was
so likely to understand him to t h e cor e as his English

admirer A ri osto not e xcepted S till , from what w e have

,
.

’ “ ”
seen o f B o ccaccio s poetry , we can imagin e t h e Th e se i de
to have been too lax and long If C haucer s P a l a m o n and .
’

Arcite be all that h e thought proper to distil from it i t ,

must have been greatly so ; for it was a large epic But a t .

all events the essence is an exquisit e o n e The tre e must .

have been a fine o l d enormity from which such a honey ,

could be drawn .

Al l this worship o f May is over n o w There is no issuing .

forth in glad companies t o gather boughs ; n o adorning o f

, ,
“
houses with the flowery spoil no songs n o dances n o , ,

village sports and coronations no courtly poet r ies no sens e , ,

and acknowledgment o f t h e quiet presence o f N ature, in

grov e o r glade .

This tim e t w o hundred years a g o o u r a ncestors were all ,

anticipating their May holidays Bigotry cam e in and .

,

frowned them away ; then D ebauchery and identified all ,

pleasur e with t h e town ; then Avarice and w e hav e ever ,

since been mistaking the means fo r t h e end .

Fortunately it doe s n o t follow that w e shall continue t o

do so C ommerce wh i le it t hi nks it is only exchanging
.
,

commodities is helping to di ffuse kno w ledge All other

,
.

gai ns— all selfish and extravagant systems o f acquisition

tend to overdo themselves and to toppl e down by their o w n
,

undiffused magnitude Th e worl d as it l earns other things

.
, ,

may learn not to confound t h e means with the end o r at , ,

least (t o speak more ph i losophically ) a r e ally poor mean s ,

with a really richer Th e veriest cricket player o n a green

.
-

has as su fficient a quantity o f excitement as a f u ndholder

o r a partis an ; and health and spirits and manl iness t o
, ,

boot K n owledg e m a y g o o n ; must do so , fr om necessity ;

.
 OF S TI C K S . 1 93
and should do so, for the ends we speak o f but knowledge ,

so far from being incompatibl e with simplicity o f pleasures ,

i s the quick est to perceive its wealth C haucer would lie .

for hours look ing at t h e daisies S cipio and L aelius co u l d

,
.

amuse themselves with making ducks and drak es o n t h e

water Epaminondas t h e greatest o f all t h e active spirits
.
,

o f G reece was a fl u t e player and dancer

,
-

Al fred the G reat .

could act the whole part o f a m i nstrel Epicurus taught .

the riches o f temperance and i ntellectual pleasure in a

garden Th e other philosophers o f his country walked
.

between heaven and earth in the colloquial bowers of

“
Academus and the wisest heart o f S olomon who found ,

e verythin g vain because he was a king has left u s panegyrics ,

”
o n the S pring and the voice o f t h e turtle becaus e he was ,

a poet a lover, and a wise man

, .

O F S TI C K S .

(The In di c a t o r , Ma y 2 4,

A M O NG other comparative in j u ries which we a r e a c cus ~

t om e d to do to the characters o f things animate and

inanimate in order to gratify o u r human vanity— such as
,

calling a rascal a do g (which is a great compliment ) and ,

saying that a tyrant makes a beast o f himsel f (which it

would be a very good thing and a l ift in the worl d if he , ,

could ) is a habit in which some persons indulge themselves

, , ,
“
o f calling insipid things and persons
”
stick s S uch and .

such a o n e is said to write a stick ; and such another is

himself called a stick — a poor stick a mere stick, a stick o f a ,

fellow .

W e protest against this injustice done to those ge nteel ,

j aunty useful and once flourishing sons o f a good o l d stock
, , .

Take for instance a common cherry stick which is o n e o f

, ,
-

the favourite sort In the first pl a c e it is a very pleasant

.
,

substance to look at , the grain running round it in glossy

and shadowy rings Then it is o f primeval antiquity
.
,

handed down from scion to scion through the mos t

flourishing of genealogical trees In the third place it is .
,
o f Eastern origin ; o f a stock which it is possible may ,

0
194 LEIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

hav e furnished Haroun a l Raschid with a dje r e e d o r ,

Mohammed with a camel stick o r Xenophon in his fam ou s -

retreat with fences o r Xerxes with tent pins o r Alexander

,
-

with a javelin o r S ardanapalus with tarts o r S olomon with

, ,
’
a simil e for his mistress s lips o r Jacob with a crook o r , ,

Methuselah with shado w or Z oroaster with mathematical ,

instruments o r t h e builders o f Babel with sca ffolding

, .

L a stly how do y o u know but that y o u m a y have eaten

,

cherries o ff this very stick ? fo r it was onc e alive with sap ,

and rustling with foliage and powdered with blossoms and , ,

r e d and laughing with fr u it W here t h e leathern tassel .

n ow han gs may hav e dangled a bunch o f berries ; and

,

i n stead o f the brass ferrul e poking in t h e mud t h e tip wa s ,

gro win g into the air with its youngest green .

Th e use o f sticks in general i s o f t h e very great e st

antiquity It is impossible to conceive a stat e o f society i n
.

w hich boughs S hould not be plucked from trees fo r som e

purpose o f utility o r amusement S avages u se clubs , .

hunters require lances and shepherds their crook s Then , .

came the sceptre , w hich is origi nally nothin g but a staff o r ,

a lance o r a crook distingui shed from others

, , Th e G reek .

word for sceptre signifies also a walking stick A mac e -

.
,

however plumped up and d i sguised with gilding and a heavy

crown , is only t h e sam e thing in t h e hands o f an inferior
r uler ; and so a r e all other sticks used in o ffice from t h e ,

b aton o f t h e G rand C onstabl e o f France down to t h e t i pst a fl

'

o f a constable in Bow S treet As t h e S hepherd s dog is t h e .

’

o rigin o f the gentlest whelp that lies o n a hearth cushion

-

and o f the most pompous bark er that j umps about a pair o f

greys so t h e merest stick used by a modern Arca di an whe n
, ,

h e i s drivin g his flock to L e a de n h a l l Market with a piec e

o f candle i n his hat and N o 554 o n his arm is the first .
,

great parent and original o f all authoritative staves from ,

t h e beadle s cane wherewith h e t e r r ifi e s charity boys who

’
-

e a t bull s eyes in church time up to t h e silver mace o f t h e

’
- -

verger the wands o f parishes and governors ; t h e tasseled

s taff wherewith the band maj or so loftil y picks o u t his
-

m e a sured way before t h e musicians and which h e holds up ,

whe n they a r e to cease ; t h e whit e st a ff o f t h e L ord

Tr e asurer ; t h e C ourt o ffi c e r e mphatically called t h e L ord
-

G old S tick the bishop s crozier (Pedum Epis copale ) whereby

’
,

h e is supposed to pull back t h e feet o f his straying flock ;

 5 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
19 .

carried and whi ch being actual sticks must hav e inflicted

, , ,

horrible dull bruises and malignant stripes They wer e .

pretty things i t must be confessed to car ry before the chief

, ,

magi strate j ust as if t h e King o r t h e L ord C hancellor were

to b e preceded by a cat o —nine tails -
’
-

S ticks are not at all in such request with modern times

a s they were Formerly we suspect most o f t h e poore r
.
,

ranks in England used to carry them both on account of the ,

prevalence o f manly sport s and for security in travelling ,

fo r be fore the invention o f posts and mail coaches a trip to -

Marlow o r S t Albans was a thing to mak e a man writ e

.

his will As they cam e to be ornamented fa s hion adopted

.
,
’
them The C avaliers o f C harles L s tim e were a stick ed
.

r ace as well as t h e apostolic divines and Puritans wh o ,

a ppe ar t o hav e carried staves becaus e they r e ad o f the m

among the patriarchs C harles I when at his trial , held

. .
,

o u t his stick to forbid t h e Attorney G eneral s proceeding

’
-

There is a n interesting little story connected with a stick ,

which is related o f An drew Marvell s father (worthy o f ’

such a so n ) and which as it is littl e known we will repeat ;

, , ,

though it respects the man more than t h e machine H e .

had been vi site d by a young lady who in S pite o f a stormy , ,

e venin g persisted in returning across t h e Humber , becaus e

,

her family would b e alarmed at her absence Th e o l d .

gentleman high hearted and cheerful after vainly trying to

,
-

dissuad e her from perils which he understood better tha n

she resolved in his gallantry to bear her company H e
, .

a c cordingly w a lked with her down to the shore and getting , ,

into the boat threw his stick to a friend with a request in

, , ,

a li vely ton e o f voice that he would preserve it for a keep

,
“ ”
sake H e then cried o u t merrily H o h o y fo r heaven l
.
,

a n d put o ff w ith his visito r They were drown ed . .

A s commerce increased e xotic stic k s grew in request from ,

t h e Indies Henc e t h e Bambo o ; the W hanghee the

.

J a m b e e , whi ch makes such a genteel figur e under Mr .

L illy s auspices in the Ta t l er ; and o u r li ght modern cane ,

’

which t h e S unday stroller buys at S ixpence apiece with a ,

twi st o f it at the end for a handle The physicians till within .

,

the last fe w score o f years retained among other fopperies , ,

w hi ch they converted into gravities t h e wig and gold ,

headed cane Th e latter had been an indispensabl e sign

.

r oya l o f f a shion , and w a s turn e d to infinit e purposes o f

 O F S T IC K S . 197

accomplished gesticulation On e o f the most courtly .

“
personages in the Rape o f the L ock is
S i r P l u m e , of am b er snu ff b o x j u stly va in
-
,

A nd t h e ni ce condu ct o f a clo u ded cane .

S ir Richard S teele as we h a ve before noticed is reproached

, ,

b y a busybody o f those times for a habit of j erki n g his

stick against the pavement as he walked W hen sword s .

were abolished b y Act o f Parliament the tavern boys took

-

,
-

to pink ing each other as inj uriously as they could well ,

manage with their wal k ing stic k s Macklin the player was
,
-

’
tried for his life for poking a man s eye o u t i n this way .

Perhaps this helped to bring the stick into disrepute fo r ,

the use o f it seems to have declined more and more till it is ,

n o w confined to old men and a fe w among t h e younger ,

It .

is unsuitable to o u r money getting mode o f rushing h ither -

’
and thither Instead o f pinking a man s ribs o r so o r
.
,

thrusting o u t his eye from an excess o f the j ovial we break ,

his heart with a bankr u ptcy .

C anes became so common before the decline o f the use o f

sticks that whenever a man is beaten with a stick let it b e
, ,

o f what sort it may it is still common to say t h at he has

.

“
had a caning ”
W hich reminds us o f an anecdote mor e
.

agreeable than surprising ; though the patient doubtless

thought t h e reverse A gentleman who was remarkable for
.
,

the amenity o f h i s manners accompanied by something ,

w hich a bully might certai nly thin k he might presume upon ,

found himself compelled to address a person who did not

“ ”
know h o w to translate his style in the followi n g words , ,

which were all delivered in the sweetest tone i n t h e world ,

with an air o f a lmost hushing gentil ity S i r — I am ,

extremely sorry— to be obliged to say — that y o u appear to ,

have a very erron eous notion o f the manners that becom e

your situation in life and I am compelled with great r e
-

l u c t a n c e to add
, (
— here he becam e still softer and mor e
,

delicate ) ,
that if y o u do n o t think fit upon reflection t o , ,

alter this very extraordinary conduct towards a gentleman ,

I shall be under the necessity o f caning y o u Th e .

other treated the thing as a j e k e ; and to the delight o f t h e ,

'

bystand ers received a very grave d rubbi n g

, .

There are two eminent threats con nected with caning in

the history o f D r Johnson O n e was from himself when
. .
,
 L EIG H H U N T S ES S AY S
’
198 .

he was told that Foote in tended to mimic him o n the sta ge .

“ ”
He replied that if the do g ventured to play h i s trick s
,
,

with him h e woul d st e p o u t o f the stage box ch a stise him

,
-

before the audience and then throw himself upon their ,

candour and common sympathy Foote desisted as h e had .

,

good reason to do The D octor would have read him a .

stout lesson and then made a S peech to the audience as

,

forcibl e ; so that the theatrical annals have to regret that

’
the subj ect an d Foote s shoulders w ere not a ff orded him to
e xpatiate upon It would have been a fine involuntary
.

piec e o f acting— t h e part of S cipio by D r Johnson Th e . .

other threat was against the D octor himself from M a c ph e r

so n t h e compounder o f O ssian
,
It was for denying t h e .

authenticity o f that work ; a provocation th e more annoy

ing inasmuch as he did n o t seem duly sensible o f its merits
, .

’
Johnson replied to Macpherson s letter by o n e o f c o n
t e m pt u o u s brevity and pith ; and contented himself with
carrying about a large stick with which h e intended to repel
Macpherson in case o f an assault Had they met it would .
,
”
have been li ke t wo clou ds over t h e C aspian ; for both
“

were large built men -

.

W e recollect another h acular J o h n so n i a n anecdot e .

W hen h e was travelling in S cotland he lost a huge stick of ,

his in the little treeless island o f Mull Boswell told him .

h e would recover it but the D octor shook h i s head No .

,
” “
no said he ; let an y body in Mull get possession o f it
, ,

and it will n ever b e restored C onsider, S i r t h e value o f .

,
”
such a piece o f timber here .

The most venerabl e stick s n o w surviving are the smooth

amber colo u red canes in th e possession o f o l d ladies They
-

h a ve sometimes a gold head but oftener a crook of ivory , .

But they have latterly been much displaced by light

umbrellas t h e handles o f which a r e imitations o f them ;
,

and these are gradually retreating before the young parasol ,

e specially about town .

That sticks however are n o t to b e despised by t h e

, ,
.

leisurely any o n e who has k nown what it is to want words

,
"
,

o r to slice o ff the head o f a thistle will allo w The utility , .

o f the stick seems divisible into three heads First to give .

,

a general consciousness of power ; second which may b e ,

called a part of t h e first to hel p t h e demea n our and third , ,

which m a y be cal led a part o f the se c ond , to assist a m a n

2 00 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A Y S ’
.

At the s a m e time t o give it its due zest in life a stick

, ,

has its inconveniences If you hav e yellow gloves o n and

.
,

drop it in the mud a too hasty recovery i s awkward To

, .

have it stick between the stones o f a pavement is not

ple a sant ; espe cially i f it snap t h e ferrul e o ff ; o r more
especially if an o l d gentleman o r lady is coming behind you ,

and after making them start back with winking eyes it

, ,

threatens to trip them up To lose the ferrule o n a country .

road renders the end liable to the growth o f a sordid brush

,

which not having a knife with you o r a shop in which to

, ,

b o r r r o w o n e goes pounding the wet up against your legs

, .

In a crowded street y o u may have t h e stick driven into a

,

large pan e of glass upon which an unthin k ing tradesman ,

utterly indiff erent to a chain o f events issues forth and , ,

demands twelve shillings and S ixpence But perhaps w e .

hav e been anticipated o n these points by that u seful regu

lator o f the philosophy o f every—day matters who wrote a ,
“
treatise entitled The Miseries o f Human L ife ”
W e shal l .

only add that the stick is never more in the way than when
,

o u meet two ladies your friends whose arms you are

y , ,

equally bound and b e a t i fi e d to t a ke N o w i s the time if .

,

the fortunate sc e pt r o so ph e r wishes t o be thought well o f in

a fair boso m He throws away the stick The lady smiles
. .

and deprecates and thinks h o w generously he could protect

,

her without a stick .

It was thus that S i r W alter Raleigh when h e w as a n ,

a spirant at Eliz abeth s C ourt at G reen w ich attending her

’

o n e day on a wal k in company wi th other fine S pirits o f

,

that age and coming upon a pl a shy strip o f ground which

,
’
put her Maj esty s princely foot to a nonplus no sooner ,

saw her dilemma than he took o ff a gallant velvet cloak

which he had about him and throwing it across the mud ,

and dirt made such a passa ge for her to go over as her

,

royal womanhood never forgot .

O F TH E S I G HT O F S H OP S — FIR S T PA PER .

(Th e In di c a t o r , M a y 3 1 ,

W E prefer the country a million times over for walking in

generally especially if we have th e friends in it that enjoy
,
 O F TH E S IG IIT OF S H O P S . 2 01

it as well ; but there are seasons when the very streets may
vie with it If y o u hav e been solitary for instance for a
.
, ,

long time it is pleasant to get among your fellow creatures

,
-

again even to be j ostled and elbowed If you live in town

,
.
,

and the weather is showery you may get o u t in the intervals ,

o f rain and fi n d a quickly dried pavement and a set o f

,

brilliant S hops very pleasant N a y w e have known days .

, ,

even in spring when a street may outdo t h e finest asp e cts

,

o f the country ; but then it is only when the ladies ar e

abroad and there happens to be a run o f agreeable faces

,

that day For whether it is fancy o r n o t o r whether

.
,

certain days do not rather bring o u t cert ain people it is ,

a common re mark that o n e morn ing you shall meet a

succession of good looks and another encounter none but ,

the reverse W e do not merely speak o f handsome faces ;

.

but o f those which are charming o r otherw ise whatever b e , ,

the cause W e suppose the money takers are all abroad o n e

.
-

day and the heart takers t h e other

,
-

It is to be observed that we are not speakin g o f utility ,

in this article except indeed o f the great utility o f agree

,

ableness A candid leather cutter therefore will pardon

.
-

, ,

us if we do not fi n d anything very attractive in his premises .

S o will his friend the shoemak er who is bound to l ike us ,

rural pedestrians A stationer too o n obv ious a ccounts .

, ,

will excuse us fo r thinking his concern a very dull and bald

headed business W e cannot bear the horribly neat mono
.

tony o f his shelves with their loads o f virgin paper their , ,

’
slates and slate pencils that set one s teeth o n edge their
—
,

pocket books and above all the detestable ruled account

-

, , ,

book s which at once remind one o f the necessity of writing

, ,

and o f the impossibility o f writing anything ple a sant o n

such pages The only agreeable thing in a stationer s shop
.
’

when it has it is the orn amental work the card racks

, ,
-

hand screens &c which rem i nd us of the fair morning

-

,
.
,

fingers that paste and gild such thin gs and surprise their ,

aunts with presents o f flowery boxes B u t w e grieve to .

add that the prin t s which the stationers furni sh fo r such

,

elegancies are n o t in the very highest taste They are apt .

to deviat e too scrupulously from the originals Their well .

known heads becom e too anonymous Their young ladies .

have casts in the eyes a little too much on on e side even fo r ,

the sidelo n g di vinities of Mr Harlowe . .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 02 .

W e can see nothi n g in a hatter s shop but t h e hats a n d ’

the reader is acquainted with o u r pique a gainst them Th e .

beaver is a curious animal but not entertain i ng enough o f , ,

itself to mak e a windo w full o f thos e very requisit e

,

nuisances an agreeabl e S pectacl e It is tru e a hatter lik e .

,

some other tradesmen may b e pleasanter himself by reaso n ,

o f the adversity o f his situation W e cannot say mor e fo r .

t h e crewel shop next door— a name j ustly provocativ e o f a

—

pun It is customary however t o hav e S i g n paintings o f

.
, ,

Adam and Ev e at thes e places which is some relief t o t h e ,

monotony o f t h e windows ; only they remind us but t o o

well o f these cruel necessities to which they brought us .

The baker s next e nsuing is a ve r y dul l sh Op much inferior

’

,
’
to the gin gerbread baker s whos e parliament we used t o
-

munch at school wiping away the crumbs as they fell upo n

,
“ ’
our Mysteries o f U do l ph o The tailor s makes o n e a s .

melancholy to look at it as t h e sedentary persons wi thin .

T h e hosier s is worse particularly if it has a G olden L e g

’

over it fo r that precious limb is certainly not symbolical of

,

t h e weaver s The windo ws half board and half dusty

’
.
,

gl a ss which abound in t h e city can scarcely be turned

, ,

to a purpos e o f amusement e ven by t h e most attic o f dry ,

salters W e o w n we have half a longing to break them

.
,

and let in t h e light o f nature upon their recesses whether ,

they belong to thos e more piquant gentlemen o r to bankers , ,

o r any other high and wholesale personages A light i n .

’
o n e o f thes e windows at n ine o clock is to us o n e o f t h e , ,

very di smallest reflections o n humanity W e wish we could .

say something fo r a tallow chandler s becaus e everybody -

’

abuses it ; but w e cannot It must bear its fate lik e t h e .

man A good deal might b e said i n behalf o f candle light ;

.

but in passing from shop to shop t h e variety is so g reat

, ,

that t h e imagination has n o t tim e to dwe ll o n any o n e i n

particular The ideas they suggest must b e obvious a n d on
.
,
’ ’
t h e surfac e A grocer s a n d t e a dealer s is a good thing
.
-

It fills t h e mind instantly with a variety o f pleasant tastes ,

as the ladies in I taly o n certain holidays p e l t the gentlemen

, ,
’
with sweetmeats An undertaker s is as great a baulk to
.

’ ’
on e s spirits as a loos e stone to one s foot It gives o n e a ‘

deadly j erk But it is refreshing upon t h e whole to see t h e

.

in h abitant looking carelessly o u t o f doors o r hammering ,

whil e hummin g a tune ; for why should h e die a death a t

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
2 04 .

S poilers o f o u r gloves from a sordid thief ? A tavern

and coffee house is a pleasant sight from its sociality not
-

to mention the illustrious club memories o f the times o f

S h a k spe a r e and the Ta t i er s The ru ral transparencies .
,

however which they have in t h eir windows with all o u r

, ,

liking of the subject would perhaps be better in any others ; ,

for tavern sociality is a town thing and should be content ,

with town ideas A landscape in the window makes us long .

to change it at once fo r a rural inn ; to have a rosy faced -

damsel attending us instead o f a sharp and serious waiter ,

and to catch in the intervals o f chat the sound of a rookery

, ,

instead of cookery W e confess that the commonest public .

house i n town is n o t such an eyesore to u s as it is with

some It may not be very genteel but neither is everything
.
,

that is rich There may be a little too much drinking and

“

roaring going o n in the middle o f the week ; but what in ,

the meantime are pride and avarice and all the unsocial
, ,

vices about ? Before we obj ect to public houses and abov e

,
-

, ,

a l l to their S aturday evening recreations we must alter t h e

, ,

systems that make them a necessary comfort to the poor and

laborious Till then in spite o f the vulgar part o f the
.
,

polite we shall have an esteem for t h e D evil and the Bag

,

N ails ; and lik e to hear as we go along o n S atu rday

’
0 ,

night the applauding knock s o n the table that follow the

,
”
song o f L ovely N a n o r
“ “
Brave C aptain D eath o r , ,

Tobacco is an Indian W eed o r W h y S oldiers why ? ,

”
, ,
”

”
or S ays Plato why should man be vain ? o r that j udicious
,

and unanswerable ditty commencing

N o w what can m a n m ore des ire
N o r s itt in g b y a sea coal fi r e ; -

A nd on h i s k nees , &c .

W e will even refuse t o hear anything again st a gin shop till -

the various syste m s o f the moralists and economists are dis

cussed and the virtuous leave o ff seduction and o l d port In
,
.

’ ’
the meantime we give up to anybody s dislik e the butcher s
,

and fi sh m o n g e r s with their blood dropping sheep and

’

,
-

their crimped c o d And yet see how things go by comparison .

,
.

W e remember in o u r boyhood when a lady from the W est

, ,

Indies of a very delicate and high bred nature could find

,
-

nothing about o u r streets that more excited her admiration

than the butchers shops S h e had no notion , from what ’
.
 or TH E S IG H T o r S H OPS .

she had seen in her own country that so ugly a business ,

could be carried on with so much neatness and become ,

actually p a ssable An open potato shop is a dull bleak

.
-

look i ng pl a ce except in the height of summer A cheese

, .

’
monger s is then at its height o f ann oyance unless y o u see a ,
’
pavior or bricklayer coming o u t with his three penn orth o n -

his bread — a better sight than the glutton s waddl i ng away ’

from t h e fi sh m o n g e r s A poulterer s is a dead bodied ’

.
’
-

business with its birds and their lax necks W e dislik e to

, .

see a bir d anywhere but in the open air alive and quick , ,
.

Of all creatures restraint and death become its winged

,

vivac ity the least For the same reas o n we hat e aviaries
. .

D o g shops are tolerable

-

A cook shop does not mingle t h e .

-

agreeable with the useful W e hate its panes with ham “

.

and beef scratched upon them in white letters An ivory .

’
turner s is pleasant with its red and white chessmen and ,

little big headed Indians o n elephants S o is a toy shop

-

.
-

with its endless deligh t s fo r children A co a ch maker s is .

-
’

n o t disagreeable if you can see the paintin g and panels An .

umbrella shop only reminds o n e of a rainy day unl ess it is

-

a shop for sticks also which as we have already S hown , are, ,

meritorious articles The curiosity S h e p is sometimes very

.
-

amusing with its mandarins stuffed birds odd o l d carved

, , ,

fa ces and a variety o f thin gs a s indescribable as bits o f dreams

, .

The g reengrocer carries his recommendation i n his epithet .

The hai r dressers a r e also interesting as far as their hair goes

-

, ,

but not as their heads ; always bearing in mind that we

mean the heads in their windows O n e o f the shops we like .

least is an angli ng repository with its rod for a S ign and a , ,

fish dancing in the agonies o f death at the end o f it W e .

really cannot see what equanimity there is in j erking a

lac erated carp o u t o f t h e water by the j aws merely because ,

i t has n o t t h e power o f mak ing a noise ; for we presume

that t h e most phil osophic o f an glers would hardly delight i n
’
c atching shrieking fish An optician s is not very amusing .
,

u nless it has th o se reflecting gl a sses in which you s e e your

fac e run o ff o n e ac h side into attenuated width o r upwards ,

and downwards in the same manner in dreary longitude .

’
A saddler s is good becaus e it reminds o n e o f horses A
, .

’
C hristian sword m a ker s o r gun maker s is edifyi ng A
’
- -

glass shop is a beautiful spect a cle It reminds o n e o f the

-

s plendours of a fairy pal a ce W e l ik e a bl a cksmith s fo r t h e .

’
2 06 L EIG H H UNT S ES S A Y S
’
.

sturdy looks and thumpings o f the men t h e swarthy colou r , ,

the fiery sparkles , and the thunder breat h i n g throat o f t h e -

furnace O f other houses o f t r a fli c not common in t h e

.
,

streets there is something striking to us in the large well

,

conditioned horses o f the brewers and t h e rich smok e ,

rolling from o u t their c hi mneys W e also greatly admire a ,

wharf with its boats barrels and packages and the fresh
, , , ,

air from the water ; n ot to mention the smell o f pitch It .

carries us at once a hundred miles over the water For .

similar reasons the c r a b b e de st o l d lan e has its merits in o u r

,
’ ’
e yes if there is a sail maker s in it o r a boat builder s and
,
-

,
-

water at the end How used o l d Roberts o f L ambeth to

.

gratify t h e aspiring modesty o f o u r school coats when h e -

welcomed us down to his wherries and captains on a holiday ,

“ ”
and said Blue against Black at any time meaning the ,

W estminster boys And the colleges will ratify his praise ,

taking into consideration t h e di fferenc e of the numbers that

go there from either cloisters But o f a ll shops in t h e street
.
,

a print seller s pleas es us most W e would rath e r pay a

-
’
.

S hilling to Mr C o l n a g hi o f C ockspur S treet o r Mr Molt e n o

.
,
.

o f Pall Mall to look at his windows o n o n e o f their be st

,

furnished days than w e would for many an exhibition W e

, .

can see fi n e engravings there — translations from Raphael

and Titian , which are newer than hundreds o f originals .

W e do not despise a pastry —cook s though w e would rather ’

n o t eat tarts and puffs before the half averted fac e o f t h e -

prettiest o f accountants ; especially with a b eggar watching

and praying all the whil e at the door W e need n o t e x pa .

’
t i a t e o n the beauties o f a fl o r i st s where y o u see unwithering ,

leaves and roses made immortal W e think they would do

,
.

their trade more good if they hung their windows with a

gre ater number o f flowers tick eting some o f them with
,

their names and pri ces , and announci ng crowns and wr eath s
for hanging up in rooms as well as wearing on t h e head A .

dress warehous e is sometimes really worth stopping at fo r ,

’
its flowered draperies and richly coloured S hawls But one s .

pleasure is apt to be disturbed (y e powers o f gallantry ! bear

witness to the unwi lling pen that writes it ) by the fair face s
that com e forth and t h e half polite half execrating e xpre s
,
-

,
-

sion o f t h e tradesman that bows them o u t ; fo r here take s

place the chief enj oyment o f t h e mystery yclept shop
p ing ,
and here while some ,
ladies give the sm allest troubl e
2 08 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

but n o t so complete a thing as the sword Its memories a r e .

not so ancient ; fo r A lexander o r S t G eorge did not fight .

wi th a musket N either is it so tru e a thing ; it is not

.

“ ”
like life
. T h e trigger is too much like that o f a cross
bow ; and the pe a which it shoots howe ver hard produces , ,

even i n t h e imagi native faculties o f boyhood a humiliating

flash o f the mock heroic It is di fli c u l t to fancy a dragon
.

killed with a pea ; but the shap e and appurtenances o f t h e

sword being genuine t h e whole sentiment o f massacr e is as
,

much i n i t s wooden blade as if it were steel of D am a scus .

The drum is still more real though not so heroic I n t h e , .

corner opposite are battledores and shuttlecocks which ,

have their maturer beauties ; balls which hav e the addi ,

t i o n a l zest o f the danger o f breaking people s windows ;

’

ropes good fo r swinging and skipping especially the long

, ,

ones whi ch others turn for you whil e y o u run in a masterly ,

manner up and down , o r sk ip in o n e S pot with an easy and

e ndless e xac titud e o f toe looking alternately at their con
,

scious faces blood allies with which the possessor of a crisp

-

finger and thu m b knuckl e causes the smitten marbles to

-

vanish o u t o f t h e ring ; kit e s which must appear to more ,

vital birds a very ghastly kind o f fowl with their grim lo n g ,

white fac es n o bodies and endless tails ; cricket bats manly

, ,
-

t o han dle ; trap bats a genteel inferiority ; swimming corks

-

,
-

despicable ; horses o n wheels an imposition o n the infant ,

publ ic ; rocking horses too much like Pegasus ardent yet

-

, , ,

n ever getting o n ; D utch toys so li k e life that they ought , ,

’
t o be better ; Jacob s ladders flapping down o n e over ,

another their tintinnabulary shutters ; disse cted m aps from ,

which t h e infant statesman may learn how to dovetail

provinces and kingdo m s ; paper posture mak ers w h o hitc h -

up their knees agai n st their shoulder blades and dangl e ,

their legs lik e an o pe r a da n c e r ; liliputian plates dishes

r
, ,

and other household utensils in which a grand dinner is ,

served up o u t o f half an appl e ; boxes o f paints to colour ,

engravin gs w ith always beyon d the outline ditto o f bricks

, ,

a very sensible and lasting t o y which we except from a o ,

grudge w e have against t h e gravity o f infant g e o m e t r i e s ;

’
whips very useful for cutting pe e ple s eyes unaware s
,

hoops , o n e o f t h e most anci ent as well as excellent o f toys

sheets o f pictures from A apple pie up to farming military
,
.
, ,

and zoological exhibitio n s , always tak ing care that t h e fly Is

 OF TH E S IG H T o r S H OPS . 2 99

as large as t h e elephant and the letter X exclusively ,

appropriated to Xerxes ; musical deal b oxes rather com -

plaining than sweet and more lik e a peal o f bod k ins than
,

bells ; penny trumpets awful at Bartlemy tide Jew s ,

-
’

harps that thrill and breathe between the lips like a metal
,

tongue ; carts carriages hobby horses upon which t h e

, ,
-

in fant equestrian prances about proudly o n his o w n feet in

short— n o t to go through the whole representative body o f
e xistence — dolls which are so dear to the maternal instincts
'

o f little girls W e protest however against that abuse of

.
, ,

them which makes them full dressed young ladies in b ody -

while they remain infant in face especially when they a r e

o f frail wax It is cultivating finery instead of a fl e c t i o n
’

. .

W e like good honest plump limbs of cotton and sawdust ,

dressed in baby linen o r even our ancient young friends ,

-

w ith their staring dotted eyes r e d varnished faces trian g ular , ,

noses and Rosinante wooden limbs — not it must be con

, ,

fessed excessively shapely o r feminin e but the reverse o f

, ,

fragil e beauty and prepared against all disasters

, .

’
The next step is to the pastry cook s where the plain bun -

is still the pleasantest thing in our eyes from its respect ,

ability i n those o f childhood The pastry less patronized .

,

by j udicious mothers is only so much elegant indigestion

,

yet it is not easy to forget the pleasure o f nibbling away t h e

crust all round a raspberry o r currant tart in order t o ,

enjoy the three or four delicious semicircular bites at t h e

fruity plenitude remaining There is a custard with a wal l .

o f paste round it which provokes a siege o f this kind ; and

,

the cheese cake has its amenities o f approach The acid

-

flavour is a relief to the m a wkishness o f the b i fli n or pressed

baked apple and an addition to the glib and quivering
,

lightness o f t h e j elly Twelfth ca ke which when cut , .

-

, ,

loo k s lik e the side of a rich pit o f earth covered with snow ,
is pleasant from warmer associations C onfectionery does .

not seem in the same request as o f Old Its paint has hurt .

its reputation Y e t the schoolboy has still much to say fo r

.

its humbler suavities such a s el e campane hardbak e bul l s

, , ,
’

eyes c o m fi t s t h e rocky crystals o f sugar candy the smooth

, ,
-

twi st o f barley sugar which looks lik e a petrified stream o f

—
,

tea and the melting powderiness o f peppermint There

, .

used to be a m ystery called m i m pi n s which as D r Johnso n , , .

would say , mad e a pretty sweetmeat Kisses are very .

P
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
'

’
2 10 .

amiable and allegorical Eight o r ten o f them j udiciously .

,

wrapped up in pieces o f letter paper have saved many a -

loving heart the troubl e o f a less eloquent billet doux -

C andied citron we look upon to be the very acme and

atticism Of confectionery grace Preserves are too much o f .

a good thing with the exception o f the jams that retain

,

their fruit sk ins J a m sa t i s The y qualify the cloying

-

. . .

Y e t marmalade must not be passed over in these times ,

when it has been rais e d to the dignity o f t h e peerage .

There is a D uke of Marmalade in Hayti and a C ount o f ,

L emonade — so called we presume from places in which , ,

those eminent relishes are manufactured W e have not .

yet heard of a L ord Viscount Jam After all we must .

,

o w n that ther e i s but o n e thing fo r which we care much at

a pastry cook s except o u r o l d acquaintanc e t h e bun

-
’
, ,

especially as we can take up that and go o n It is an ice . .

Fancy a very hot day the blinds do wn the loungers , ,

unusually languid the pavement burning one s feet the sun ,

’
, ,

with a strong outline in the street bak ing one whole side o f ,

it like a brick kiln so that everybody is crowding o n t h e

-

other except a man going to intercept a creditor bound for

,

the C ontinent Then thi nk o f a heaped u p ice brought

.
—
,

upon a salver with a spoon W hat statesman o f any .

,

warmth o f imagination would not pardon the N eapolitans ,

in summer for an insurrection o n account o f the want o f

ice ? Think o f the first sidelong dip o f the S poon in it ,

bringing away a well sliced lump ; the n o f the s w eet wintry -

’
refreshment that goes lengthening down one s throat ; and
,

lastly of the sense o f power and satisfaction resulting from

,

having had the ice .

N o t h eaven its el f can do away th at S l i ce

B u t W hat h a s b een , has b een and I have h a d my i ce .

W e have unaccountably omitted t w o excellent shops t h e —

’
fruiterer s and the sculptor s There i s great beauty as
’
.
,

well as other agreeableness in a well disposed fruiterer s ,

-
’

window Here a r e the round piled u p oranges deepening

.
-

almost into red and heavy with j uice ; the apple wi th i t s

, ,

brown red chee k as if it had slept in t h e sun ; the pear

-

, ,

swelling downwards and provocative o f a huge bite in t h e ,

side ; thronging grapes like so man y tight littl e bags o f ,

w i n e t h e pe a c h , whos e h a n dso me l e a t h e r n coat strips o ff s o

‘

i
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 12 .

to the ple a san t attendance i n that shop S hont in H o l .

born seems to d e al chiefly i n modern things ; but he has a .

room upstairs f u ll o f casts from the antique large and

, ,

s mall ,
that amounts to an exhibition O f all t h e shop .

”
pleasures that a r e not inelegan t an hour o r two passed ,

in a place o f this kind is surely o n e of t h e most polite .

Here a r e the gods a n d heroes of o l d, and the more b e n e fi c e n t

philosophers ancient and modern Y o u are loo k ed upon a s
, .
,

o u wal k among them by the paternal majesty o f Jupiter

y , ,

the force and decision o f Minerva the still more arresting ,

gentleness o f Venus the budding compactness of Hebe t h e

, ,

breathing inspiration o f Apollo Here t h e celestial Venus .

,

nak ed in heart and body ties up her locks her drapery , ,

han g ing upon her lower li mbs Here t h e Belvidere Apollo .

,

bre athing forth his triumphant disdain follows with an ,

e arnest eye the shaft that has k illed the serpent Here t h e .

G rac es li nked in an affectionat e group meet y o u in the

, ,

nak ed sincerity o f their innocence and generosity their ,

hands open as day a n d two advancing for o n e receding

, .

Here Hercules like the building o f a man looks down from

, ,

his propping club as if half disdaining e ven that re pose .

There Mercury with his light limbs seems j ust to touch t h e

, ,

ground ready to giv e a start with his foot and be o ff again

, ,

Bacchus wi th his riper cheek and his lazier hanging locks

, ,

appears to b e eyeing o n e o f his n ymphs Th e Vatican .

Apollo near h i m leans upon the stump o f a tree the hand ,

which hangs upo n it holding a bit o f his lyre the other arm ,

thrown up over his head as if he felt the air upon his body , ,

and heard it singing through the strings In a corner o n .

,

another side is t h e C ouching Venus o f John o f Bologna

, ,

shrinking just before she steps into the bath The D ancing .

Faun is not far o ff with his mere animal spirits ; and t h e

,

Piping Faun sedater because h e possesses an a r t more

, ,

accom plished Among t h e other divinities we look up with

.
,
’
veneration t o o l d Homer s head resemblin g an e a rthly ,

Jupite r Plato beholds us with a bland dignity— a beauty

.

unimpairable by years H o w d i ff erent from t h e brut e .

impulse of Mars the bloate d self will o f N ero o r the dull and
,
-

l iteral e ffeminacy o f some o f t h e other Emperors ! W e hav e

before observed that there is a so r t o f presence in sculpture
, ,

mor e tha n i n any other representations of art It is curious .

to se e how instin ctive ly p e opl e will fal l into this sentiment

 A RAINY DAY . 2 1 3

w hen they come into a place with bus ts and statues in it ,

however common They hush as if the i m ages could hear

.
,

them W hen we were i n o u r boyhood some o f o u r most de

.
,

lig h tful holidays w er e spent in the gall ery o f the late Mr .

W est in N ewman S treet It runs a good way back from

, .

the street crossing a small garden and opening into loftier

, ,

rooms o n the other S ide of it W e remember how the world .

used to seem sh ut o u t from us t h e moment the street—door

was closed an d we began stepping dow n those long carpeted
,

aisles o f pictures with statues in the angles where they

,

turned W e had Observed e very body wal k dow n them i n

.

this way lik e the mild possessor o f the mansion ; and we

,

went so li k ewise W e have walked down with him at night

.

to his painting room as he went in his white flannel gown

-

with a lamp i n his hand which shot a lustrous twilight ,

upon the pictured walls in passing ; and e verything loo k ed

s o quiet and graceful that we S hould have thought it sacri
,

lege to hea r a sound beyond the light tread o f his footste ps .

But it was the statues that impr e ssed us still more than the ,

pictures It seemed as if Venus and Apollo waited o u r

.

turning at the corners ; and there they were — always th e

same placid and intuitive more human and bodily than the
, ,

paintings yet too divine to be over real It is to that

,
-
.

house with the gallery in question and the little green plot
, ,

o f grou nd surrounded with an arcade and busts that we ,

o w e the greatest part o f o u r love for w hat is Italian an d

belo n gs to the fine arts And if this is a piece of private

.

history with which the readers have little to do they will ,

exc u se it fo r t h e sake o f t h e greatest o f all e xcuses — which

is love .

A RAI NY DA Y .

( The In di c a t o r J u ne , 2 1,

TH E day that we speak of is a complete o n e o f its ki n d ,

beginning with a dark wet morning and ending in a , ,

drenching night W hen you come downstairs from your

.

chamber you find the breakfast room look ing dark th e

,
-

rain spout pouring away and unless you l ive in a street o f

-

, ,

traffic n o sound out of doors but a clack o f pattens and a n

,

occasional cl ang of m ilk pails -

.
2 14 L EI G H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

The preparation for a rainy day in town is certainly n o t

the pleasantest thing in t h e world especially for those w h o ,

h av e neither health nor imagination to make their o w n

sunshine The comparative silenc e i n the streets which i s
.
,

mad e dull by o u r knowing the cause o f it t h e window

panes drenched and ev e r streaming like so many helpless
,
-

cheeks ; the darkened rooms ; and in t h e summer se a son , ,

’

the having left o fi fires ; all fall like a chill shade upon t h e
spirits But we know not how much pleasantry can b e
.

made out of unpleasantness till we bestir ourselves Th e .

e xercise of our bodies will make us bear t h e w e ather better ,

eve n mentally and the exercise o f our m inds will enable us

,

to bear it with patient bodies indoors if we cannot go o u t , .

Above all some people seem to think that they cannot have
,

a fire made in a chill day because it is summer time— a ,

-

notion which under the guise o f bei n g seasonable is quit e

, ,

the reverse and o n e against which we protest A fire is a

, .

thing to warm us when we are cold not to go o u t becaus e ,

the name of th e month begins with J Besides t h e sound o f .

,

it helps to dissipate that o f the rain It is j ustly called a .

companion It looks glad in o u r faces it talks to us ; it is

.

v i v i fi e d at o u r touch ; it v i v i fi e s in return ; it puts life and

warmth and comfort in the room A good fellow is boun d .

to see that he leaves this substitute for his company when

he goes out especially to a l ady whose solitary work tabl e
—
,
-

i n a chill room o n such a day is a very melancholy refuge .

W e exhort her if she can afford it to tak e a book and a

, ,

foo tstool a n d plant herself before a good fire W e k now of

'

, .

few baul k s more co m plete than coming down of a chill morn

’
ing to break fast turning one s chair as usual to the fireside
, , , ,
’
planting one s feet o n the fender and one s eyes on a book
’
,

and suddenly discovering that there is no fi r e in the grate .

A grate that ought to have a fire in it and gapes in one s

, ,
’

face w ith none is like a cold grinning empty rascal

, , , .

There is something we think not disagreeabl e in issuing , ,

forth duri n g a good honest summer rain with a coat well , , ,

buttoned up and an umbrella over o u r heads The first .

flash open of the umbrella seems a defiance to the shower ,

and the sound of it afterwards over o u r dry heads c o r r o b o

rates the triumph If we are in t h is humour it does not
.
,

matter how drenching the day is W e despise the expensive .

e fi e m i n a e y o f a coach , have a n agr eea b le malice of self con

-
2 16 L EI G H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
.

an elm is fine there with a seat under it ; an d horses drink ,

o u t o f the trough stretching their yearning neck s with ,

loosened collars and the traveller calls for his glass o f ale ,

having been without o n e for more than ten minutes ; and

his horse stands wincing at t h e flies giving sharp shivers o f ,

his skin an d movi n g to and fro his ine ff ectual docked tail ;
,

and now Miss Betty W i lson the host s daughter comes ,

’
,

stream i ng forth in a flowered gown and ear rings carrying -

with four o f her beautiful fingers the foaming glass for ,

which after the traveller has drank it she receives with a n

, ,

indi fferent eye looking another way the lawful twopence ;

, ,

that is to say unless the traveller nodding h i s ruddy face

, , ,

pays some gallant compli ment to her before he drin k s such ,

as I d rather kiss you my dear than the tumbler ; o r

,
’

, , ,
“ ’ ’ ”
I ll wait for you m y love if you ll marry m e ; upon , ,

which , if the man is good looking and the lady i n good -

humour sh e smil es and bites her lips and says “ Ah men

, , , ,

can talk fast enough upon which the old stage coachman -

who is buck ling something near her before he sets o ff says , ,

”
in a hoarse voice S o can women too for that matter an d
, , ,

John Boots grins through his ragged red locks and dotes ,

on the repartee all the day after N e w grasshoppers .

”
“
fry as D ryden says N o w cattle stand in water and
,
.
,

duck s are envied N o w boots and shoes and trees by t h e

.
,

road side are thick with dust ; and dogs rolling in it afte r
-

, , ,

issuing o u t o f the water into which they have been thrown ,

to fetch sticks com e sca ttering horror among the legs o f

,

the s pectators N o w a fellow w h o fi nds he has three m i les

.

farther to go i n a pair o f tight shoes is i n a pr e t t y situation .

N o w rooms with the sun u pon them become intolerable ;

and t h e apothecary s apprentice , with a bitterness beyond ’

aloes thin k s o f the pond h e used to bathe in at school

, .

N o w men with powdered heads (especially if thick) envy

those that are un powdered and stop to wipe them u p hill ,
-

with countenances that seem to expostulate with destiny .

N o w boys assemble round the village pump with a ladle to

it and delight to mak e a forbidden splas h and get wet
, ,

through the shoes N o w also they m ake suckers o f leather.

,

and bathe all day long in rivers and ponds and follow the ,

fish into their cool corners and say millions o f M Y eyes

“
,

N o w the bee as he hums along seems to

”
at t i t t l e bats-
-

.
, ,

be talking heavily o f the heat N o w doors and brick walls .

-
 A NOW . 2 17

are burning to the hand ; and a walled lane w ith dust and ,

broken bottles in it near a brick fi e l d is a thi n g not to be

,
-

thought o f N o w a g reen lane o n the contrary thick set

.
, ,

w ith hedgerow elms , and having the noise o f a brook

rumbling in pebble stone is o n e o f the pleasantest things
-

in the world .

N o w in town gossips talk more than ever to o n e another

, ,

in rooms in doorways and o u t o f window , always begin

,

ning the conversation by saying that the heat is overpower

ing N o w blinds are let down and doors thrown open and
.
, ,

flannel waistcoats left o ff and cold meat preferred to h o t , ,

and wonder expressed why tea continues so refreshing ; and

people delight to sliver lettuces into bowls and apprentices ,

water doorways with tin canisters that lay several atoms ,

o f dust . N o w the water cart j umbling along the middle of -

the street , and j olting the showers o u t o f its box o f water ,

really does something N o w boys deli ght to have a water .

pipe let o u t and see it bubbling away in a tall and frothy

,

volume N o w fruiterers shops and dairies look pleasant

.
’

and ices are the o n l y things to those who can get them .

N o w ladies loiter in baths ; and people make pre sents of

flowers ; and wine is put into ice ; and the after dinner -

lounger recreates his head with applications of perfumed

water o u t o f long necked bottles N ow the lounger who
-

.
,

cannot resist riding his new horse feels his boots burn him , .

N o w jockeys wal k ing in great coats to los e flesh curse

,
-

inwardly N o w five fat people in a stage coach hate the

.
-

s i xth fat o n e who is coming in and thin k he h a s no right ,

to be so large N o w clerks in o ffices do nothing but drink

.

soda water and spruce beer and read the newspaper N o w

- —
, .

the o l d clothes man drops his solitary cry more deeply into
—

the are as o n the hot forsaken side o f the street ; and

bakers look vicious ; and cooks are aggravated ; and the
steam o f a tavern kitchen catches hold o f o n e like the
breath o f Tart arus N o w delicate skins are beset wi th
.

gnats ; and boys make their sleeping companion start up ,

with playing a burning glass o n his hand ; and blacksmiths —

are super carbonated ; and cob blers in their stalls almost

-

feel a wish to be transplanted and b utter is too easy to

spread ; and the dragoons wonder whether the Romans
li k ed their helmets ; and o l d ladies with their lappets ,

u npinned
, wal
k along in a st a t e o f dilapidation ; and the
2 18 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

servant maids are afraid they look vulgarly hot ; an d t h e

-

author who has a plate o f strawberries brought him finds

, ,

that he has com e to the end o f his writing .

S HAKI N G HAN D S .

( The In di c a t o r , J u ly 1 2 ,

A M O NG the first things which we remember noticing i n t h e

manners of people were two errors in the custom of shak ing
,

hands S ome we observed grasped everybody s hand

’
.
, ,

al i k e — with an equal fervour o f grip Y o u would have .

thought that Jen k ins was the best friend they had in the
world ; but on succeeding to the squeeze though a slight ,

acquaintance you found i t equally flattering to yourself

,

and o n the ap p earance o f somebody else (whose name it ,

turned o u t the operator had forgotten ) the crush was n o

, ,

less complimentary ; the face was as earnest and beaming ,

the glad to see you as syllabical and sincere an d t h e ,

shak e as close as l ong and as rej oicing as if t h e semi

, , ,

unk nown was a friend come home from the D eserts .

O n the other hand there would be a gentleman now and ,

then as coy of his hand as if he were a prude or had a whitlow ,

[ Hazlitt ] It
“
was
. i n vain that your pretensions did n o t go

beyond the civil salute o f the ordinary shake ; o r that ,

being introduced t o him in a friendly manner and expected ,

to shak e hands with the rest of the company y o u could not ,

i n decency omit his His fi ngers half coming o u t and half

.
,

retreating seemed to think that y o u were going to do them

,

a mischief ; and when you got hol d o f them t h e whol e ,

shak e was o n your side : the other hand did but proudly o r
pensively acquiesce — there was n o k nowi ng which y o u had
’
to sustain it as you might a lady s in handi ng her to a s e at :
,

and it was an equal perplexity to k now h o w t o shak e o r let

it go The one seemed a violenc e d on e to t h e patient t h e
.

other, an awkward responsibility brought upon yourself .

Y o u did not know all the evening whether you were not
, ,
’
an obj ect of dislike to the person till o n the party s break ,

ing up , y o u saw him behave like an equally ill used gen -

t l e m a n to a l l who practised the same unthink ing civility .

Both these errors we think m ight as well be avoided ;

, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 20 .

p 1 o sent W hat an exquisite dry old vital young looking

.
, , ,
-

e v e i l a st i n
g twig it is ! It has been pluck ed nine months ,

and look s as hale and as crisp as if it would l a st ninety

years It shall l a st at any rate as long as its owner and
.
,

longer if care and love can preserve it How beautifully

, .

it is turned ! It was a happy pu ll from the tree Its

'

shape is the very line o f beauty ; it has berries upon it as ,

if resolved to show us in what fine condition the trees are ;

while the leaves issue from it and swerve upwards with ,

their elegant points as though they had come from adorn

,
’
ing the poet s head Be thou among the best o f one s keep
.
’

sak es thou gentle stem i n de l i c ii s n o s t r i s ; and may t h e

,
—

very maid servant who wonders to see thy withered beauty

-

in its frame miss her lover fo r the next five weeks for not
, ,

having the instinct to know that thou must have something

to do with love !
Perhaps Petrarch has felt the old ancestral boughs o f this
branch stretching over his head and whispering to him o f ,

the name of L aura o f his love and o f their future glory ;

, ,

for all these ideas used to be entwined in o n e Perhaps it .

is of the very stock o f that bough which he describes a s

supplying his mistress with a lean i ng stock when she sat in
her favourite bower .

The laurel seems more appropriated to Petrarch than to

any other poet He delighted to sit under its leaves ; he
.

loved it both for itself and f0 1 the resemblance of its name

,

to that of his mistress ; he wr ote of it continually ; and he

was called from out o f its shade to be crowned with it in
the C apitol It is a remark ab le instance o f the fondness
.

w ith which he cherished the united ideas o f L aura and the

laurel that he confesses it to have been o n e o f the greatest
,

delights he experienced i n receiving the crown upon his

head .

It was o u t o f Vaucluse th at he was called Vaucluse .

,

V a l c h i u sa the shut Valley (from which the French , in the

,

modern enthusiasm for intellect gave the name to the ,

department in which it lies ) is a remarkable spot in the old ,

poetical region of Provence consisting of a little deep glen,

o f green meadows surrounded with roc k s and containing ,

the fountain o f the river S orgue Petrarch when a b o y of .

,

eight or nine years o f age , had been struck with i t s beauty ,

and exclaimed that it w a s the place of all others he should

 ON R ECEIVING A S PR IG O F L AUR EL . 2 21

like t o live in better than the most S plendid cities H e

,
.

resided there afterwards for several years and composed i n ,

it the greater part o f his poems Indeed , he says in his .

,

o w n account of himself that he either wr ot e o r conceived in

,

that valley almost every work he produced H e lived in a .

little cottage wi th a small homestead o n the banks o f t h e ,

river Here h e thought to forget his passion fo r L aura

. ,

and here he found it stronger than ever W e d o n o t well see .

how it could have been otherwise ; for L aura lived n o great

way o ff at C habri eres , an d he appears t o have seen her
,

often in the very place He paced along t h e river ; he sat

.

under the trees ; he climbed t h e mountains : but L ove , h e

says was ever by his side
,
.

W e a r e supposing that all o u r readers a r e acquaint e d

with Petrarch Many o f them doubtless, kn ow him i n
.
,

t im a t el y S hould any o f them want an introduction to

.

him how should we speak of him in the gross ? W e should

,

say that he was o n e o f the finest gentlemen and g reatest

scholars that ever lived ; that he was a writer who flourished
in Italy i n the fourteenth century , at t h e tim e whe n
C haucer was young duri ng the reigns o f o u r Edwards ;
,

that h e w a s t h e greatest light o f his age ; that although so ,

fine a writer himself and the author o f a multitude o f

,

works — o r rather because h e was both— h e took the

greatest pains to revive t h e knowledge o f the ancient
learning , recommendin g it everywhere and copying o u t ,

large manuscripts with his o w n hand ; that t w o great citie s ,

Par is and Rome contended which should have t h e honour

,

o f crowning him ; that he was crowned publicly in t h e ,

metropolis o f the world with laurel and with m yrtle ; ,

that he was the friend o f Boccaccio the fa ther o f Italian ,

prose ; and lastly, that his g reatest renown nevertheless a s ,

well as the predominant feelings o f his existence arose from ,

the long lov e he bore fo r a lady o f Avignon the far famed ,

-

L aura whom he fell in love with on the 6 t h o f April I 3 2 7

, , ,

o n a G ood Fr iday ; whom he rendered illustrious in a multi

tude o f sonnets which h a v e l e ft a sweet soun d and senti

,
'

ment in the ear o f all after lovers ; and who died still -

passionately beloved in the year I 3 4 8 o n the same day an d

, ,

hour on which he first beheld her W h o she was o r why .

,

their connection was n ot closer remains a mystery But , .

that sh e wa s a real person , and th a t in spit e o f all her

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
222 .

modesty she could not show an insensible counten anc e t o

his passion is cle a r fro m his long haunted imagin a tion
,
-

from his o w n repeated accounts from all that he wrote , ,

uttered and thought O n e love and o n e poet su fficed to

, .
, ,

give t h e whol e civilized world a sense of delicacy i n desire o f ,

the abundant riches to be found in o n e single idea and o f ,

’
the going o u t o f a man s self to dwell in the soul and
happiness o f another w hich has served to refine the passion
,

for all modern times , and perhaps will d o so as long as lov e

renews t h e world .

C OA C H ES A N D TH EIR H O R S ES .

(Th e In di c a t o r , A u g ust 2 3 and 3 0 ,

W E retain from ch i ldhood a considerable n otion o f a ride

in a coach N o r do we hesitate to confess that by coach
.
,

we especially mean a hire d o n e from t h e equivocal ra n k of ,

the post chaise down to that despised old castaway t h e

-

hack ney .

The carriage as it is indifferently called is a more decided

, ,

thing than t h e chaise ; it may be swifter even than t h e

mail leaves t h e stage at a st i ll greater distance in every
,

respect and (forgetting what it may com e to itself ) darts by

,

the poor o l d lumbering hack ney with imme a surable cont e mpt .

It rolls with a prouder ease tha n any other vehicl e It i s .

full of cushions and comfort : elegantly coloured inside and

o u t ; rich yet neat light and rapid yet substantial Th e
, ,
.

horses seem proud to dra w it The fat and fair wigged .

-

coachman lends his sounding lash his arm only in action , ,

and that little his body wel l set with its o w n weight The
,
-
.

footman in the pride o f his nonchalance holding by t h e

, ,

straps behind and glancing down side ways betwi xt his

,

cocked hat and neck cloth stands swinging from east to west
-

upon his springy toes The horses rus h along amidst .

their glancing harness S potted dogs leap about them .

,

barking with a princely su pe r fl u i t y o f noise The hammer .

cloth trembles through all its fringe The paint flashes i n .

the sun W e contemptuous o f everything less conv e nient

.
, ,

b o w b a ckwards a n d forwards with a certain indifferent air

2 24 LEI G H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

that period The most gallant figure which mere moder n

.

driving ever cut was in the person o f a late D u k e of Hamilton ,

o f whom we have read or heard somewhere that he used t o ,

dash round the streets o f Rome with his horses panti n g a n d ,

his hounds barking about his phaeton to the equal fright ,

and admiration o f the masters o f t h e world who were ,

accustomed to witness nothing higher than a lumberi n g ol d

coach o r a car dinal o n a mule .

A post chaise invol v es the idea o f travelling which in t h e

-

company o f those we love i s home in motion T he smooth , .

running along the road the fresh air the variety of scene , , ,

the leafy roads the burst i ng prospects the clatter through

, ,

a to w n the gazing gape o f a village the hearty appetite

, , ,

the leisure (your chaise waiting only upon your o w n move

ments ) even the little contradictions to home comforts and
,
-

the expedients upon which they set us all put the animal ,

S pirits at work and throw a novelty over t h e road o f life

, .

If anything could grind us young again it would be t h e ,

wheels o f a post chaise The only monotonous sight is t h e

-

perpetual u p and down movement o f the postillion who w e

- -

, ,

wish exceedingly could tak e a chair His occasional retreat, .

to the b a r which occupies t h e plac e o f a box , and his

,

affecting to sit upon it only reminds us o f its e xquisit e ,

want of accommodation But some have given the bar .

,

lately a surreptitious squeeze in the middle and flattened

, ,

it a little into something obliquely resembling an i n c o n

v e n i e n t se at .

The pleasure to be had in a mail coach is n o t so much at -

one s command as that in a post c h aise There is generall y

’
-

too little room in it and too much hurry o u t o f it Th e ,

.

company must not loung e over their break fast even if they ,

are all agreed It is an understood thing that they a r e

.

bound to be u ncomfortably punctual They must get in at .

se ven o clock , though they a r e all going upon b usiness they

’

do not like o r care about o r will have to wait till nin e ,

before they can do anything S ome persons know how to .

manage this haste and break fast and dine i n the crack ing ,

o f a whip They stick with their fork they j oint they

.
, ,

sl iver they bolt L egs and wings vanish before them l i k e

,
.
,

a dragon s before a k night errant But if one is n o t a

’
-
.

clergyman o r a regular j olly fello w one has no chance this

, ,

wa y . To b e di fii de n t o r polite , is fatal It is a meri t .

 C OA CH ES A ND TH EI R H O R S ES . 22 5

e agerly acknowledged and as q uickly set asid e At last ,

.

you begin u pon a leg and are called o ff ,

.

The greatest p e culiarity attending a mail co a ch arises -

from its travelling at night The gradual decline o f tal k .

,

the incipient snore t h e rustli ng and alteration o f legs and ,

nightcaps t h e cessation o f other noises o n the road t h e

, ,

sound o f t h e wind o r rain o f the moist circuit of the wheels , ,

and o f the time beating tread o f the horses — all dispose -

the traveller who cannot sleep to a double sens e o f the

, ,

little that is left him to observe The coach stops the door .
,

opens ; a rush of cold air announces at once the demands

and m erits o f the guard who is tak ing his leave and is , ,

anxious to r e member us Th e door is cl apped to again t h e .

sound o f everything outside becomes dim ; and voices are

heard kn ocking up the peopl e o f the inn and a nswered by ,

issuing yawns and excuses W ooden sh o es clog heavily .

’
about The horses mouths are hear d swilling up the water
.

o u t o f tubs Al l is still again an d som e o n e in the coach

.

takes a long breath The driver mounts and we resume .

,

o u r way It happens that we can sleep anywhere except i n

.

'

a mail coach ; so that we hate to se e a prudent warm o l d

-

fellow who has been eating o u r fowls and intercepting o u r

,

to a st put o n his nightcap i n order to settle himself till

,

morning W e rejoice in the digs that his neighbour s elbo w

.
’

gives him an d hail the lo n g legged traveller that S its

,
-

opposite A passenger of our wakeful descriptio n must try

.

t o content himself with listening to the sounds above

mentioned o r thinking o f his friends ; o r turning verses
, ,
“
i
as S Richard Blackmore did
r t o t h e rumblin g o f h is ,
’
coach s wheels .

The stage coach i s a very great and unpretending aecom

-

m o da t i o n It i s a cheap substitute notwithstanding all

.
,

its e i g h t e e n pe n n y and two and S ixpenny temptations for - -

keeping a carriage or a horse ; and we really think in spit e ,

o f its gossiping i s no mean help to vill age liberality ,

for its
passengers are so mixed so often varied so little yet so , ,

much together so compelled to acco m modate so w il ling to

, ,

pass a short time pleasantly and so liable to t h e criticism ,

o f st r a n
g e i s that it is hard if they do n o t get a habit o f
,

speak ing o r even thin k ing more kindly o f o n e another

, , .

than if they mingled less often o r under other circum ,

stances Th e o l d and infirm a r e treated with reverence ;

.

Q
22 6 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

t he ailing sympathized with ; t h e healthy congratul a t e d

t h e rich n o t distinguished ; t h e poor well met ; t h e y ou n g ,

with their faces conscious o f Pride patronized and allowed to ,

be extra Eve n t h e fiery nay the fat learn to bear with

.
, , ,

each other ; and if some high thoughted pe rsons will talk -

now and then o f their great acquaintances o r their prefer ,

e n c e o f a carriage there i s an instinct which tells the rest ,

that they would n o t make such appeals to their good opinion ,

if they valued it so little as might b e supposed Th e m a il .

o r stage coachman upon t h e whole is no inhuman mass o f

-

, ,

great c oat g r u fi n e ss civility and o l d boots The latter is

’

, , , .

t h e politer from the smaller range o f acquaintance and his

, ,

necessity for preserving them His face is red and his .

,

voice rough by the same process o f drink and catarrh, .

He has a silver watch with a steel chain and plenty o f loos e ,

silver i n his pocket mixed with halfpence He serves t h e .

houses he goes by for a clock He takes a glass at every .

ale house for thirst when it is dry a n d for warmth when

-

it is wet He likes to show the j udicious reach o f his whip

.
,

by twigging a dog o r a goose o n the road o r children that ,

get in t h e w a y His tenderness to descending o l d ladies is

.

particul ar H e touches his hat to Mr S mith He gives

. . .

the young woman a ride ; and lends her h i s box coat in -

the rain His liberality in imparting his knowledge to any

.

o n e that has the good fortune to ride 0 11 the box with him ,

is a happy mixt ure o f deference conscious possession an d , ,

familiarity His information chiefly lies in the occupan cy

.

o f houses o n the road prize fi g h t e r s Bow S treet runners ,

-

, ,

and accidents He concludes that you know D ick S ams o r.

,

O l d Joey ; and proceeds to relate some o f the stories that

relish his pe t and tobacco in the evening If any o f th e .

four i n hand gentry g o by he shakes h i s hea d and thinks

- -

, ,

they might find something better to do His conte m pt for .

them is founded o n modesty He tells you that h i s o ff han d .

-

horse is as pretty a goer as ever was but that Kitty ,

’ ’
Y e ah now there Kitty— can t you b e still l — Kitty s a ,
” ’
devil sir for all y o u wouldn t think it
, ,
— He knows the .

boys o n the road admire him and gives t h e horses an i n ,

different lash with his whip as they go by If y o u wi s h t o .

know what rain and dust can do you should look at his o l d ,

hat There is an indescribably placid a n d paternal look i n

.

the position of his corduroy k nees and o l d top boots on t h e -

 ‘

22 8 LEI GH H U NT S ES S A YS .
’

p a lat e fo r t h e hay which th e y pull so feebly ? o r fo r t h e

r arer grain which induce s them to perform their only
,

voluntary gestur e o f any vivacity and to ss up t h e b a gs that ,

a r e fastened o n their mouths to get at i t s sh a llow feast ? ,

If the old hors e were gifted with memory— and wh o shall

sa y h e is not in o n e thing as well as another — i t might b e
,

at once the most melancholy and pleasant e st feeling h e has :

for the commonest hack has very likely been a hunter o r
racer ; h as had his days of lustre and enjoyment ; has darted
along t h e course and scoured the pasture ; has carried his
,

m as ter proudly o r his lady gently ; has pranced

,
has ,

galloped has neighed aloud h a s dared h as forded h a s

, , , ,

s purned at mastery h a s graced it and made it proud

,
has ,

rej oiced the eye h a s been crowded to as an actor , has been

,

all instinct with life and quickness has had its v e ry fea r ,

admired as courage and be e n sat upon by valour as i t s

,

c hosen seat .

Al a s ! his only riders n o w a r e t h e r a i n a n d a sordid

harness ! Th e least utt e ranc e o f t h e wretchedest voic e
m akes him stop and becom e a fixtur e
,
His lov e s were i n .

e xistence at the tim e t h e o l d S ign fifty miles h e nc e w a s , ,

fi rst painted His n ostrils drink nothi ng but what th e y

.

cannot help — t h e water o u t o f a n o l d tub N o t all t h e .

hounds i n t h e world could mak e his e ars attain any

e minenc e . H is man e is scratchy and lax ; his s h ap e a n
anatomy ; his nam e a mockery S h a k s pe a r e w h o (in .
,

Venus and Adonis wr ote t h e triumph al v e rs e s fo r h i m

“
a n d his loves h as (i n
,
He n r y writte n th e ir living
e pi t a ph

Th e poor jades
L o b down the i r heads droppin g t h e h i des and h i ps
,

T h e g u m do w n ropin g from the i r pale dead ey es

-

A n d i n the i r pale d u l l m o u t h s the g i m m al b i t

,

L i es f o u l wi th chewed g ras s s t i ll a n d m ot i onless , .

To return t o the coach Imagine a fi n e coach and pair .

,

which are standing at t h e door o f a house , in all the pride of

their sleek strength and beauty converte d into what they ,

may both rea l ly beco m e a hack ney and its o l d sh a m b l e r s

,
.

S u ch is o n e o f t h e meditations o f t h e philosophic eighteen

penny rider A hackney—coach has ofte n t h e ar m s o f
.

n obility o n it As w e a r e going t o get into it w e catch a

.
,
’
gl im pse o f t h e faded lus tre o f a n e a rl s o r marquis s coron e t , ’
 C OA CH ES A ND TH EIR H O R S ES . 22 9

an d think many light o r pro u d hearts have a sc e nded

how
thos e n e w rickety steps I n this coac h pe rhaps an elderly .
, ,

lady once rode t o her wed ding a blooming and blushing girl ,
.

Her mother and sister were o n e a ch sid e o f her ; t h e bride

groom opposit e i n a blossom coloured coat They talk o f -

e v erything in t h e world o f which they a r e n o t thinking ,

.

T h e sister was n e ver prouder o f her The m other w it h .

difficulty represses her o wn pride and tears The brid e .

,

think ing h e is looking at h er casts do w n her e yes pensiv e , ,

i n her j oy T h e bride g room is at once the proudest and

.
,

the humblest an d t h e happiest man in the world Fo r o u r

,
.

parts w e sit in a corner and a r e i n love with t h e S iste r

, , .

W e dream sh e is going to speak t o us i n answer t o som e

indifferent question when a hoarse voice comes i n at t h e
,

front window and says W hereabouts sir 2

, , ,

An d grief has conse crated the e thou reverend dilapida ,

tion as well as j oy ! Thou hast carried unwill ing a s well as

,

willing hearts ; hearts that have thought the slowest o f thy

paces t o o fast faces that have sat back in a corn er o f the e ,
to hide their tears from t h e ve r y thought o f be ing see n .

In the e the destitut e hav e been taken t o the poo r hous e

,
-

and t h e wo u n ded and sick to t h e hospital ; and many a n

arm has been round many an insensi ble waist Into thee .
,

t h e friend o r the lover has hurried in a passion o f tears t o , ,

l ament his loss In thee h e has h a stened to console t h e

.
,

dying or the wretched I n thee the father o r mother o r .

, ,

the older kinswoman more patient in her years has take n , ,

the littl e child to the grave lik e a human j ewel that mus t ,

be part ed with .

B u t jo y appears in the e again like t h e look i n o f t h e ,

-

sunshine If the lover has gon e in the e unwil lingly h e

.
,

has also gone willingly H o w many friends hast thou not .

carried to merry meetings ! H o w many young parties t o

-

t h e play ! How many children whos e faces thou hast ,

turn ed in an instant from the extremity o f lachrymos e

weariness t o that o f staring delight ! Thou hast contained
as many different passions in thee as a human heart ; and
for the sake o f t h e human heart o l d body thou art , ,

venerabl e Th ou shalt be as respectable a s a reduced o l d

.

gentleman whose very slovenliness is pathetic Thou sh a l t

, .

be made gay as he is over a younger and richer table, and

,

thou shal t be still more touching for the gaiety .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

TH OU G HTS A ND G U ES S ES O N H UMAN
N ATUR E
“

(The In di c a to r , S epte m b er I3 ,

O N F U S IO N O F M O D ES O F B EING
C .

P EO P LE undertak e t o settle what ideas they shall hav e

under such and such circumstances o f be i ng when it is ,

n othing but their present s t ate o f being that e n a bles hem

t o hav e those ideas .

V R
D I E S ITY O F O UR S ENS ATI NS O .

Ther e is reason t o suppos e that o u r perception s a n d

s ensations are much more different than we imagine eve n ,

u pon t h e most ordinary things such as visi ble obj ects i n ,

general an d the sense o f e x i stenc e W e have enough i n

,
.

commo n fo r common intercourse ; but the details a r e

dissimilar as we may perceive i n the variety o f palates
, .

All people are agreed upo n sweet and sour ; but o n e m a n

p refers sour to sweet , and anothe r this and that variety of

s ou r and sweet .

V A R IETY R O O F O U R P E CEP TI NS .

W e may gather from w ha t we read o f diseased imagin a

,

tions h o w much our perceptions depend upon t h e m o difi c a

,

tion o f o u r bein g W e see h o w personal and i nexperienced

.

w e a r e whe n we determine that such and such ideas must

take place under other circumstances and such and suc h ,

truths be al ways indisputable Pleasure must always b e .

pleasure and pain be pain because they are o n ly names fo r

, ,

certai n results But the results themselves will be pl e a s u r

.

able o r painful according to what they act u pon A man .

i n health b e comes sic k ly ; he has a fever is ligh t headed ,

-

is hypochondriaca l H i s ideas a r e deranged o r r earrang e

.
,

themselves ; and a se t o f new percepti o ns and colourin gs ,

o f his existenc e tak e place as in a k aleidoscope when w e

, ,

s ha k e it . Th e conclusion is that every alteration o f o u r

,

physical particles o r o f whatever els e w e are compounded

,

w ith produces a d ifferent set o f perceptions and sensations

, .

W hat we call health o f body and mind is t h e fittest stat e of

o u r com position u pon e arth ; but the state o f perceptio n
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
2 32 .

acquainted with it that we may all have the chance o f

,

bettering the condition o f o u r species W h o would say to .

himself I would be happy though all my fellow creatures

, ,
-

”
wer e mis erable ? Knowledge must heal what it wounds ,

and extend the happiness which it has taken away It .

’
must do by o u r comfort as a friend may do by one s books
e n rich it with its comments O n e man grows u p and gets .
,

unhealthy without knowledge another with it Th e form er , .

suffers and does not know why He is unhappy and h e

, .
,

sees unhappiness but h e can do nothing either f o r himself

or others The latter suffers and discovers why H e
.
, .

su ff ers even more becaus e h e knows more ; but he learns

,

also how to diminis h suffering in others He l e arns too t o .

, ,

apply his knowledge t o his own case : and he sees that ,

’
a s h e h imself su ff ers from the world s want o f knowledge ,

so t h e progress o f knowledge would tak e away both t h e

’
world s sufferings and his o wn The efforts to this end .

worry him perhaps and mak e hi m sick ly upon which

, , , ,

thinking i s pi o n o u n c e d to be inj urious to health And it .

may b e so under thes e circumstances W hat then if

“

.
, , ,

it betters the health o f the many ? But thinking may also

teach h i m how t o be healthier A gam e o f cricket o n a .

green may do fo r h i m what no want o f thought would hav e

done ; and 0 11 the other h and , if he S ho w s a want o f
,

thought upon these points then the inferenc e is easy ,

he i s n o t so think ing a man as you took h im for Addison .

should have got o n horseback instead o f wal k ing up and ,

down a room i n h i s house with a bottle o f wine at each ,

e n d o f it
k
S h a spe a r e divided his time between town and
.

country and i n t h e latter part o f his life built and

, , , ,

planted and petted his daughter S usanna S olomon i n his

,
.

’
o l d age played the A nacreon and with Milton s leave , ,
“
his wisest heart was not so much o u t in this matter a s
when his royal impatienc e induced him t o say that e very
thing w a s van i ty .

L OO D — O L D A G E— O UR D ES TINY
CH I D H . .

There appears t o b e som ething in the composition o f

humanity li k e what w e have observed in that o f music .

’
The musician s first thought is apt to be his fi nest : h e
must carry it o n and mak e a s e cond part to his air ; and
,

h e becomes inferior N ature , in lik e manner (if we may

.
 T H O U G H TS A N D G U ES SES ON H U MA N N A T UR E . 2 33

spe a k it without profaneness ) a ppears to succeed best ,

in making childhood and youth Th e symphony is a .

l ittle perturbed ; but in what a sprightly manner the a i r

sets o ff ! What purity ! W hat gra ce ! W hat touching
si m plicity ! Then comes sin o r the notion o f it and , ,
“
breaks the fair music W ell did a w iser than t h e
.

“ ”
wisest heart bid us try and continue children But .

there are f o olish as well as wise children and it is a special ,

mark o f the former whether little o r grown to affect

, ,

manhood an d to confound it with cunning and violence

, .

D o men die in order that life and its fre shness may be a s
,

often and as multitudinously renewed a s possible ? O r do

children grow Old that o u r consciousness may attai n t o
,

som e better mode o f being through a rough path ?

ENDEA V O UR .

Either this world (to u se the style o f Marcus An toni nus )

is meant to be what it is o r it is n o t If it is not then o u r
,
.
,

endeavours to render if otherwise are r i ght : if it is then ,

we must b e a s we are an d seek excitement through t h e

,

same means and our endeavours are still right In either

,
.

case endeavour is good and useful ; but in o n e o f them

, ,

t h e want o f it must be a mistake .

G OO D IN T H IN G S E I V L .

A l m i g hty 1
G od
T here i s som e so u l o f g oodness i n thing s ev i l ,
Wo u ld m e n ob serving l y di sti l i t o u t 1
So, with equal wisdom and good nature , does S h a k spe a r e -

mak e o n e o f his characters exclaim S u ff ering gives .

stre n gth to sympathy Hate o f the particular may hav e

.

a foundation in love fo r the general The lowest and mos t .

wilful vic e may plunge deeper o u t o f a regret o f virtue , .

Even in envy may be discerned something o f an instinct o f

j ustice something o f a w ish to see universal fair play and
,
-

,
“
things o n a level But there is still a residuum o f evil o f
.
,

which we should all w ish to get rid W ell then let .

”
, ,

u s try .

A R T IF IC E O F EX AG G ER A T ED C O M P L A INT .

D isappointment lik e s t o m ake o u t bad to be wors e

t h an it is in order to relieve the gnawing o f i t s actual
,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
2 34 .

wound It would confuse the limi t s o f its pain ; and by

.
,

extending it t o o far try to make itself uncertain how far it

,

reached .

C U S TO M ,
IT S S E F L R EC O NC ILEM ENTS
-
A ND C O NT R A D ICTIO NS .

C ustomis seen more in what we bear th a n what w e

enj oy An d yet a pain long borne so fits itself to o u r
.

shoulders that we do not mis s even that without di s

quietude T h e n ovelty o f the sensation s t artles us
. .

Montaign e like o u r modern beaux was uneasy when h e

, ,

did not feel himself wel l braced up and tightened in his

clothing Prisoners have been kno w n to wish to go ba ck t o
.

their pri sons ; invalids have missed the accompaniment o f

an old gunshot wound ; and the world is apt to be very
angry with reformers and i nnovators not because it is ,

in the right but because it is accustomed to be in t h e

,

wrong This is a good thing and shows the indestructibl e

.
,

tendency o f nature to forego its troubles But then r e .

formers and innovators must arise upon that very ground , .

To q uarrel with them u pon a principle of avo w ed spleen is ,

candid and has a self knowledge in it B u t to resent

,
-
.

them as impertinent o r effeminate is at bottom to quarrel ,

with the principle o f one s o wn patience a n d to s e t t h e

’

fear o f moving above t h e courag e o f it .

O N CO MM EN D AT O RY V ER S ES .

(T/i e In di c a t o r S eptem b er 2 7
, ,

W E must infor m the reader o f a very particular sort of di s

tress to which we ag reeabl e writers are subj ect W e mean
, .

the not knowing what to do with let t ers o f approbation .

D uring the first era o f o u r periodical flourishing we used ,

t o sink them entirely comforting ourselves in pri vat e with ,

o u r magnanimity and contrasting it with the greedy a d

,

mission which some o f o u r brethren gave to all panegy rical

comers W e had not yet learnt that cor r espondents have
.

delicate feelings to be consulted as well a s e di t o r su W hen

this very benignant light wa s let in u pon us w e had to con ,

si der the nature s Of o u r several c orrespondents , and to t r y

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
2 36 .

TO R IEND T H E IND ICAT O R

MY F .

Yo u r easy essay s ind i cate a fl ow ,

D ear fri end o f b ra i n wh i ch we m a y elsewhere seek

, ,

A n d to the i r pa g es I and hu ndreds owe , ,

That Wednesday i s t h e s w eetest o f t h e wee k .

S u c h ob serva t i on w it a n d sense a r e shown , , ,

l Ve th ink t h e day s o f B i c k erstaff r e t u r n d

’

A n d t h at a port i on o f that o i l y o u o w n ,

In h i s u ndy i ng m i dn i g ht lam p whi ch b u ru d

’
.

I wo ld n o t l i g htly b ru i se o l d Pr i s c i a n s head
’
u ,

O r wrong t h e r u les o f g ram m ar u nderstood ;

B u t w i th t h e leave o f Pri sc i an b e i t sa i d
, ,

T h e In di c a t i ve i s yo u r P o t e n t i a l M o o d .

W i t poet prose m a n party m a n translator

, ,
-

,
-

H y o u r b est t i tle y e t i s IN D IC A T O R .

alt 1!

The receipt o f these verses has set us upon thinking o f

the good natured countenance which men o f genius in all
-

, ,

ages have for the most part shown to contemporary writers ;

,

and thence by a n atural transition o f the generous friend

, ,

ship they have manifested for each other Authors li k e other .

,

men may praise a well as blame for various reasons ; for

,
s

interest for egotism for fear : and for t h e same reasons

, ,

t h ey may be silent But generosity is natural to t h e

.

humanity and the strength o f genius W here it is obscured .

,

it is usually from something that has rendered it misan

t h r o pi c a l W here it is glaringly deficient t h e genius i s
.
,

deficient in proportion An d the defaulte r feels as much .

,

though he does not know it H e feels that t h e least .

,
’
additio n to another s fame threate ns to block up t h e view o f
his o w n .

At t h e same time praise by no means implies a sens e o f

,

superi ority It may imply that we think it worth havi n g ;

.

but this may arise from a consciousness o f our sincerity ,

and from a certain instinct we have that to relish anything

e xceedingly gives us a certain ability t o ju dge as well as a ,

right to express our admiration o f it .

O n all these accounts we were startled to hear the other ,

day that S h a k spe a r e had never praised a contemporary

author W e had mechanica lly given him credit fo r t h e
.

manifestation o f every generosity u nder the sun and found

t h e surprise affect us not as authors (which would hav e
been a vanity not even warranted by our hav ing t h e title in
common with him ) b u t as men \Vh a t baulked us in , .
 ON COMMEND A TO R Y VER S ES . 2 37

S h a k spe a r e seemed to baulk

,
faith in hum a n ity But ou r .

we recovered as speedily S h a kspe a r e had none o f the .

ordinary inducements which make men niggardly o f their

commendation H e had n o reason either to be j ealous
.

o r afraid. H e was t h e revers e o f unpopular His o wn .

claims were universally allowed H e was neither o n e who .

n eed be silent about a friend lest he should be h urt by his ,

enemy ; nor o n e who nursed a style o r theory by hi m self ,

and so was obliged to take upon him a monopoly o f admira

tio n in self defence nor o n e w h o should gaze himself blind
-

to every thing else in the complacency o f his o w n S hallowness

, .

If it should b e argued that he who saw through human

natur e was n o t li k ely to praise it we answer that he who , ,

saw through it as S h a k spe a r e did w a s the lik eliest m an in ,

the world to b e k ind to it Even S wift refreshed the dry

.

bitterness o f his misanthropy in his love for Tom D ick , ,

and Harry ; and what S w ift did from impatience at n o t

finding men be tter S h a k spe a r e would do o u t o f patience
,

in finding them so good W e instanced t h e sonnet i n

.

“ ”
t h e collection called The Passionate Pilgri m be ginning ,

If m u s i c and sweet poetry agree ,

i n which S penser is praised so highly It was replied that .

,

minute inquirers considered that collection as apocryphal .

This set us upon looking again at the biographers who hav e

criticized it ; and we see no reason for the present to doubt , ,

its authenticity Fo r som e parts o f it we would ans wer

.

“
upon internal evidence especially fo r instance the L over s
, , ,
’

”
C omplaint . There a r e t wo lines in this poem which would
alon e an nounc e him They have the very trick o f hi s e y e
. .

0 father what a hell o f wi tchcraft l i es

,

In t h e s m all o r b o f o n e part i c u lar te a r .

But inquirers w ould hav e to do much more than disprov e

the authenticity o f thes e poem s before they m a de o u t
S h a k spe a r e to b e a grudging author They would have to .

undo all the modesty and kindliness o f his other writings

,
.

They would have to u ndo his universal chara cter for

“
gentleness at a tim e when gentl e mean t all that was
,

no b l e as well as m ild They would have to find bitterness

.

in t h e sweet wisdom that runs throughout his dram atic

w orks , and se lfishness in the singular and exquisit e
2 38 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

generosity o f sentiment that hallows his more personal

productions They would hav e to deform and t o untune
.

all that roun d harmonious mind which a great contem ,

po r a r y described as t h e very
“
sphere o f humanity ; to
deprive him o f the epithet given h i m in the school o f
“
M lton unvu lgar
i , to render the universal ity o f wisdom
liabl e to the same drawbacks as mere universality of science
’ ’
t o take the child s heart o u t o f the tru e man s body ; to
u n S h a ks e a r e S h a ks e a r e If S h a k s e a r e had never men
p p p
-

t i o n e d a contemporary in his life nor given so many ,

evidences in his sonnets o f a cordial and admiring sense o f

those about him we would sooner believ e that sheer
,

modesty had restrained his tongue than the least approach ,

to a petty feeling W e can believe it possible that h e may

.

have thought his panegyrics n o t wanted ; but unless b e

degraded himself wilfully in order to be no better than any
,

o f h i s fellow creatures we cann ot believe it possible that h e

-

would have thought h i s panegyrics wanted and yet with ,

held them .

It is remarkable that o n e o f the most regular co n tributo rs

o f commendatory verses i n the time o f S h a k s e a r e w a s a
p
m a n whose bluntness o f criticism and feverish surliness o f
m an n ers have rendered t h e most suspected o f a j ealou s
g rudgingn ess Ben Jonson
—
W e mean not t o detract an
.

a tom from t h e good heartedness which we sincerely believe

—

t his eminent perso n to have possessed at bottom w hen w e ,

sa y that as an e xcess o f modest confidenc e in his o w n ,

generous instincts might possibly have accounted for t h e

S aringness o f panegyric in o u r great dramatist so a noble
p ,

d i strust o f himself and a fear lest j ealousy should get the

,

better o f his instincts might possibly account for this

,

panegyrical overplus in his illustrious friend If so it S hows .

,
’
how useful such a distrust is to one s ordinary S hare o f
h umanity an d how much safer it will be for us o n these as
, ,

well as all other occasions to venture upon lik ening o u r ,

selves to Ben Jonson rather than S h a ks pe a r e It is to b e .

recollected at the same time that Ben Jonson i n his age , ,

was the more promi nent person o f the two as a critical ,

bestower o f applause ; that he occupied what may be called

the to w n chair o f wit and scholarship ; and was i n t h e
-

habit o f sanctioning the pretensions o f new authors by a sort

“ ” “
o f li t erary adoption calling them his , sons , and sealing
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 40 .

universally acknowledged except by the critics W e n e e d , .

not refer to the works of Pope G a y S teele Prior &c If , , , , .

(
wi ft abused D ryde n who is said to have told him h e would
n ever be a poet
) h e also abused in a most unwarrantabl e
,

an d outrageous manner S i r Richard S teele fo r whose Ta t l e r ,

he had written His abuse was not a thing o f literary

.

j ealousy but o f som e personal o r party strife The u nion

, .

o f a l l thre e was a quintessence of consciousness reserved ,

for the present times But S wif t s very fondness vented

.
’

’
itself l i k e Bonaparte s in slaps o f the cheek He w a s
, , .

morbid and li k ed to create himself cause for pity o r regret

, .

“ ”
The D ean was a strange man According to Mrs . .

’
Pilkington s account he used to give her a pretty h a rd
,

thump now and then of course t o see h o w amiably S h e to o k

,

it Upon the same prin ciple h e tells us in t h e verses o n

.
,

h i s death that
F ri end P ope wi ll g ri eve a m onth and G a y ,

A week and Arb u thnot a da y

, .

This was to vex them and make them prove his words ,

false by compl a ining o f their inj ustice He himself onc e .

kept a letter unopened for som e days because he was afraid ,

’
it would contain news o f a friend s death .

L iterary loves and j ealousies wer e much t h e sam e in t h e

ancient and middle ages a s t h e present ; but we hear a great
deal more o f t h e loves than the revers e ; because genius
survives and ignoranc e does not Th e ancient philosophers .

had a delicate way o f honouring their favourites by i n sc ri b ,

ing treatises with their names It is thought a strang e .

thi n g in Xenopho n that h e never once mentio n s Plato .

The greater part o f the miscellaneous poetry o f t h e G reeks

is lost o r w e should doubtless se e numerous e vidences o f
the intercourse o f their authors Th e G reek poets o f S icily .
,

Theocritus an d Moschus are very affectionate in recording,

the m erits of their contemporaries V a r i u s and G allus t w o .

,

eminent Roman poets scarcely survive but in the pan egyrics

,

o f Horace Virgil and O vid

,
all of whom were fond of paying
,

their tributes o f admiration D ante does the same t o his .

contem poraries an d predecessors Petrarch and Boccaccio .

publicly honoured as they privately loved e ach other

, , .

Tasso t h e greatest poet o f h i s tim e was also t h e greates t

, ,

panegyr ist ; and so as might be ex p ected was Ariosto H e

, , .
 U P ON IND EX ES . 2 41

has introduced a host o f his friends by nam e male and ,

female at the end o f his great work comi n g down to t h e

, ,

shores o f poetry to welcom e him hom e after hi s voyage

,
.

'
There is a pleasant imitation o f it by G a y applied t o Pope s ,

concl usion o f Homer Montaign e w h o had the most exalted .

,

n otions o f friendship which he tho u ght should hav e every ,

thing i n common took a s much zeal in the literar y reputa

,

tion o f his friends as in everythin g else that concerned them .

Th e wits o f the tim e o f Henry IV o f L ouis XIV a n d o f .

, .
,

L ouis XV Malherbe Racan C orneille Moli ere Racine

.
,
—
, , , , ,
’
C haulieu L a Fare D A l e m b e r t Voltaire & c not exceptin g
, , , ,
.
,

Boileau where he k new a writer — all do honour in thi s

, ,

respect to the sociality o f their n ation It is the same w e .

,

believ e with t h e G erman writers ; and if the S panish

,

winced a little u nder t h e domination o f L ope de Vega, they

were chivalrous in givin g him perhaps more than his due .

C amo ens had the admiration o f literary friends a s poor a s

’

h im self, if h e had nothing else : but th i s wa s something .

UP ON I ND EX ES .

(The In di ca to r O ctob er 4 , ,

I ND EX MAK IN G has b e en held to be the d ri est a s well a s

-

lowest species o f writing W e shall not dis pute the humble .

n ess o f it ; but t h e task need n o t b e so very dry C alling .

t o mind Indexes in general w e found them presenting us a ,

variety o f pl ea s ant memories and contrasts W e thought .

o f those t o the S ec t a t or w hich w e us e d to look at so ofte n

p ,

a t school for the sak e o f choosing a paper to abridge

,
We .

“
thought o f t h e Index to Th e Pantheon o r Fabulous ,
”
Histo r ies o f t h e Heathen G ods which we used to look at ,

oftener W e remember how w e imagined we should fee l

.

some day , if e ver o u r nam e should appear in t h e li s t

of H s
; as thus Ho m e Howard , Hum e H u n i a de s [ H u nt ]
’
.
, , , ,

The poet s would have been better ; but then t h e nam e s ,

though more fittin g were n o t so flattering ; as for in stance

, , ,

Hali fa x Hammond Harte Hughes [ Hunt] W e did n o t

, , , , .

li ke to com e after Hughes .

W e have ju st b e e n look ing at the Indexes to the Ta t l er

a
 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
2 42 .

and Sp ec t a t o r and never were more forcibly struck with

,
’
the feeling we formerly expressed about a man s being
better pleased with other writers than himself O u r Index .

seems the p oorest and most se co n d hand thing in t h e worl d -

after theirs ; but let any o n e read theirs and then cal l an ,

Index a dry thing if he can As there is a soul o f good

“
.
~

”
n ess in things evil so t h ere is a soul o f humour i n things
,

dry and in things dry by profession L awyers know this

,
“
.
,

as well as In dex mak ers o r they would die o f sheer thirst

-

and aridity But as grapes ready to burst with wine

.
, ,

issue o u t o f the most stony places li k e j olly fellows bri n g ,

’
ing burgundy o u t o f a cellar ; so an In de x lik e the T a t ter s
o fte n gives us a taste o f t h e quintessenc e o f its humour .

F o r instance
Bickerstaff Mr account o f his ancestors 1 4 1 H o w his
,
.
, .

r a ce was improved 1 4 2 N o t i n partnership with L illie

,
. ,

2 50 C atc hed writing nonsense 4 7

.
, .

“
D ead men who are to be so accounted 2 4 7
, , .

S ometim es h e has a stroke of pathos as touching in its ,

brevity as th e account it refers to ; as

L ove letters between Mr Bickerstaff and Maria 1 8 4
-

.
,

1 86 Foun d in a grave 2 8 9
.
,
.

S ometimes h e is simpl y m oral and graceful ; a s

Tenderness and hu m anity inspired by the Muses 2 58 ,
.

N o true greatness o f mind without it ibid ,

.

At another, he says perhaps more than h e inte nded ;

L aura ,
her perfections and e xcellent chara cter 1 9 , .

”
D espised by her husband ibid
.
,
.

The Index t o C ot t on s Montaigne , probably written by

“ ’

the tran slator hi mself, i s often pithy and amusin g Thus , .

1 11 volum e ii

Anger is pleas ed with and fi a t t e r s itself , 6 1 8 ,

.

B e asts inclin e d t o avarice 2 2 5 ,

.

C hildren abandoned to the care and government o f

their fathers 6 1 3 , .

D ru n kenn e ss to a high and dead degree 1 6

, ,
.

J o y profou nd has more severity than gaiety in it

, ,
.

Monsters a r e not so to G o d 6 1 2 , .

Voluptuousness o f the Cy n i c k s 4 1 8 ,
.

S ometimes we meet with graver quaintness es and curious

“
relations, as i n the Index to S a n dy s s O vid ’
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 44 .

drunken sa ilors at Panama wh o dressed themselves up in ,

all sort s o f r idiculous apparel : o n ly they a r e far mor e wil d,

winged and fantastic, .

W e were about to say that bei n g writers w e are o f , ,

n ecessity dreamers ; fo r thi n k i n g disposes the bodily

faculties t o b e more than usually a ffected by the causes
that ge n erally produce dreaming But extrem es appear .

t o meet o n this as o n other occasions at l east as far as t h e ,

meditative power is concerned ; for there is an excellent

reasoner n o w living [ Hazlitt] w h o telling another that h e
, , ,
“ ”
was not fond o f the wilder parts o f the Arabian N ights ,

w a s answered with great felicity , Then y o u never dream ,

wh ich it turned o u t was actually the case Here t h e

, , .

link is totally lost that connects a tendency t o indigestion

with thinking on the o n e hand and dreaming o n the other , .

I f we are to beli ev e Herodotus the Atlantes an Africa n , ,

people , never dreamt ; which Montaigne is willing to

attribute to their never having eaten any thing that died
o f itself It is to be presumed that he look ed upon their
.

temperance as a matter o f course The same philosopher .

,

who was a deep thin k er and o f a delicate constitution , ,

informs us that he himself dreamt but sparingly ; but

then when h e di d his dreams were fan t a stic though
, , ,

cheerful This is t h e very triumph o f the an imal spirits

.
,

to unite the strangeness o f sick dreams with the cheerful

ness o f healthy ones To these exceptions against t h e
.

usual theories w e may add that dreams when they occur

, , ,

are by no means modified o f necessity by what the m ind

h a s been occupied with in t h e course o f the day o r even o f ,
’
months ; for during o u r two years confinement in prison ,

w e have a strong recollection that we did not dream more

than t w ice o f o u r chief subj ects o f reflection the prison ,

itself not excepted The two dreams we e both about the

.
r

latter and both the same W e fancied that we had slipped

,

o u t o f j ail and gone to the theatre where we were much

, ,

horrified by seeing the faces o f the whole audience u n e x

c t e dl
p e y turned upon us .

It is certain enough however that dreams in general , ,

proceed from indigestion and it appears nearly as much so ,

that they are more o r less strange according to the wak ing
fancy o f the dreamer .

It i s probabl e that a trivial degree o f indigestion will

 OF DREA MS .
2 45

give ris e t o very fantastic dreams i n a fanciful mind while ,

o n the other hand a good orthodox repletion is n e cessary

,

towa rds a fanciful creatio n in a dull o n e It shall m ake an .

epicure of any vivacity act as many part s in his sleep as a

, ,
“ ”
tragedian for that night only
,
The inspirations o f veal .

in particular are accounted extremely D elphic Italian

pickles partake o f the spirit o f D ante ; an d a butter boat -

’
shall contain as many ghosts as C haron s .

There is a passage i n L ucian which would have made a

good subj ect for those who painted the temptations o f th e
saints It is a description o f the C ity o f D reams very
.
,

lively and crowded W e quote after N a t a l i s C omes not

.
,

having the True History by us The city we are told .

, ,

stands in an immense plain surrounded by a thick forest of ,

tall poppy trees and enormous mandragoras The plain is

,
.

also full of all sort s o f somniculous plants ; and the trees a r e

haunted with multitudes o f owls and bats but n o other ,

bird The city is washed by the river L ethe called by

.
,

others the N ight bringer whose course is inaudible and like

-

the flowing o f o i l There are two gates t o the city : o n e o f

.

horn in which almost everything that can happen in sleep

,

is represented as in a transparency ; the other of ivory i n

, ,

which the dreams are but dimly shadowed The principal .

temple is that of N ight and there are others dedicated to ,

Truth and Falsehood who have oracles The populatio n , .

consists o f D reams who are o f an infinite variety o f shape

, .

S ome are small and S lender ; others distorted humped and , ,

monstrous ; others very proper and tall with blooming , ,

good tempered faces O thers again have terrible c o u n t e

—
.

nances are w inged and seem eternally threatening the city

, ,

w ith som e calamity ; w hile others walk about in the pomp

and garn iture of k ings I f any mortal comes into the pl a ce
.
,

there is a multitude o f domestic D reams who meet h i m with ,

o ffers of service ; and who are followed by some o f the

others that bring h i m good o r bad news gen er a lly false
, .
,

for the inhabitants of that city are for the most part a lying
and crafty generation , S peaki ng o n e thing and thin k ing ,

another This is having a new advantage over us O nly

. .

think o f the mental reservation o f a D ream !

If L ucian had divided his city into ranks and denomina
tions he might possibly h a ve classed them under the general
,

heads o f D reams L ofty D reams L udicrous D ream s , ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 46 .

Pathetic D reams Horrible D reams Bodily Painful o r

, ,

Pleasant D reams o f C ommo n L ife D reams o f N e w Aspect s

, ,

o f Humanity D reams Mixed Fantastic and utte rly C o n

, , ,

fused He speak s o f winged ones ; which is judicious fo r

.
,

they are very common N othing is more common o r .

,

u sually mor e pleasant than to dream o f flying ,

It is o n e .

of the be st specimens o f the race ; for besides being ,

agreeable it is made up of the dreams o f ordinary life and

, ,

those o f surprising combination Thus the dreamer some .

times thin k s he is flying in u n k nown regions sometimes ,

sk imming only a few inches ab ove th e ground and wondering ,

he never did it before He will even dream that he is .

dreaming about it ; and yet is so fully convinced o f its

feasibility and so astonished at his never havi n g hit upon
,

so delightful a truism that he is resolved to practise it t h e

,
“ “ ”
moment he wak es O n e has only says he
. j ust to giv e , ,
’ ’
a little spring with one s foot— s e — and o h i t s the easiest —

and most obvious thing in the world I ll always sk im .

’

hereafter W e once dreamt that a woman set up som e

.

Flying Rooms as a person does a tavern W e went to t r y

, .

them and nothing could be more satisfactory an d common

place o n all sides The landlady welcomed us with a curtsey
.
,

hoped for friends and favours & c and then sho w ed us into ,
.
,

a spacious room n o t round as might be expected but long

, , , ,
”
and after the usual dining fashion Perhaps sir said she .
, , ,

you would like to try the room upon which we made no

more ado but sprung up and made two o r three genteel
,

circuits now tak ing t h e height o f it like a house lark and

,
—
,

then cutting the angles like a swallow “ Very pretty .

“
flying indeed s a id we and very moderat e
, , .

A house for the purpose o f tak ing flights in when t h e ,

open air was to be had for nothing is fantastic enough ; ,

but what shall we say to those c o n fo u n di n g s o f all time ,

place and substance which are constantly happening to

, ,

persons o f any creativeness o f diaphragm ? Thus you shall

m eet a friend in a gateway who besides being your friend ,

shall be your enemy an d besides being Jones o r Tomkins ,

shall b e a bull and besides ask ing y o u in shall oppose your ,

entrance N evertheless you are n o t at all surprised ; o r if

.
,

surprised a r e only so at something not at all surprising

, .

To be Tom k ins and a bull at c n c e is t h e most ordinary of ,

commonplaces but that , being a bull , he should have h o rns ,

 48 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 .

portioned to his wak ing has describ ed a fearful dream o f

,

mental and bod i ly torture It is entitled Th e Pains o f

“
.

”
S leep .

If horrible and fan t a stic dreams are t h e most perplexing ,

there a r e pathetic ones pe rhaps still more saddeni n g A .

friend dreaming o f the loss o f his friend o r a lover o f tha t ,

o f his mistress or a k insman o f that o f a dear relation is

, ,

ste eped in t h e bitterness o f death To wake and find it .

n o t true — what a delicious sensation is that ! O n the other

h a nd t o dream o f a friend o r a b eloved relative restored to us
,
—to live over again t h e hours o f ch i ldhoo d at the knee of a

beloved mother to b e 0 11 the eve o f marrying an affectionat e

,

mistress with a thousand other j oys snatched b ack o u t o f t h e

,

g r a v e a n d t o o painful t o dwell upon what a dreary rush o f

'

—
,

sensation comes like a sha de w upon us when w e wake ! -

H o w tru e and divested o f all that is called conceit i n

,
’
poetry is that termination o f M i lton s sonne t o n dreaming
,

o f his deceased wife

B u t oh , as to em b race m e she i ncl ined ,

I wak ed ; sh e fl ed ; and da y b r o u g h t k my n i g ht .

W e won der that so good and cordial a critic as VVa r t o n

Should think this a m er e conceit o n his blindness An .

allusio n to his blindn ess may o r may n o t be involved 1 11 it ;

b ut t h e sense o f returning S hadow o n t h e min d 1 s quite t 1 u e
t o natur e o n such occasions and must hav e been experienced
,

by every o n e w h o has lost a person dear to him There is a .

beautiful sonnet by C amoens o n a similar occasion ; a small

canzone by S a n a z z a r o which ends with saying that although
, ,
’
he wak ed and missed his lady s hand in his he still tried to ,

cheat hi m self by k eeping his e y es shut ; and three divin e

dreams o f L a ura by Petrarch .

But w e must be cautious h o w we even think o f the poets

o n this most po etical subj ect o r w e shall w rite three articles ,

inst e ad o f one As it is w e have not left ourse lves room

.
,

f o r som e very agre e able dreams which we meant t o hav e ,

tak e n between thes e o u r gallant and imaginative sheets .

They must be interrupted as they a r e t o o apt t o be lik e

, ,
’ “ ”
the y o u n g l a dy s in Th e Adventures o f a L a p dog who -

, ,
“
blushing divinely had j ust utte red the words
,
My lord , ,

I am wholly yours when she was awaked by the j umping

,

u o f that o fli c i o u s little puppy

p .
 A H U MA N A NI MA L ,
A ND TH E O TH ER EX TR EME . 2 49

A HUMAN A N I MA L A N D TH E OTH ER ,

EXTR EM E .

he In di c a t o r Nove m b er 8
(T , ,

W E met t h e other day with the description o f an animal o f

quali t y in a Biographical D ictionary that was published i n
,

the year 1 7 6 7 and which is o n e o f the most amusing and

,

S pir ited publications o f the kin d that we remember to hav e

seen The w riter does n o t give his authority for this
.

articular memoir [ o f the Hon W illiam Hastings ] so t hat

p .
,

i t was probably f u i n i sh e d from his o w n knowledge ; but

that th e account is a true o n e is evident Indeed with , .

,

the exception o f o n e o r two eccentricities o f prudence which

r ather lean to the side o f an excess of instinct it is but an ,

individual description referring to a numerous class o f t h e

same nature that once flouri shed with horn and b o u n d in
this country and specimens o f which are no doubt to be
,

found here and there still especiall y to wards the north

, .

The title we put at the head is not quite correct and ex

e lusiv e eno u gh as a definition since properly speaking we , ,

lords o f the creation are all human animals b u t the mere

animal o r living and breathing faculty is united i n us
, ,

m ore o r less with intellect an d se n timent ; and o f these

refinements o f the perception few bipe ds that have arrived
,

at the dignity o f a coat and boots have partak en so little as

the noble squire before us .

It is very clear that this worthy personage was nothi n g

more than a kind of b eaver o r b adger in human shape .

W e im a gine him haunting the neighbourhood in which h e

lived like a pet c r eature who had acquir ed a certain
Eg y ptian godship among t l ie natives ; now hunti n g for his
,

fish now for his flesh n o w fa w n i ii g after his uncouth

, ,

fashion upon a pretty girl and now m a i ling and contesting

,

a point with his cats W e imagine him t h e animal pr in

.

c i pl e personified ; a symbol o n horseback ; a j olly dog sit

ting u pright at dinner like a hieroglyphic on a pedestal
, .

Bu ffon has a subtle answer to those who argue for t h e

rationality of bees He says that the extreme order o f
.
,

their proceedi n gs and the undeviating apparent fore

,

thought with which they even anticipate and provide for a

certain geometrical necessity in a part o f the structure of
2 50 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

their hives a r e only additional proo fs o f the forc e o f instinct

, .

They have a n instinct for the order and an instinct fo r t h e ,

anticipation and they prove that it is not reaso n by n ever ,

stri ki n g o u t anything new o r di fl e r e n t The same thing is .

observable in our human animal W hat would be reason .

o r choice in another man is j ustly t o b e set down in him t o ,

poverty o f ideas If Ta sso had be en asked t h e reason o f his

.

always wearing black , he would probably have surprised t h e

inquirer by a series o f quaint an d deep observation s o n
colour and dignity and melancholy and t h e darkness o f
, , ,

his fate ; but if Petrarch o r Boccaccio had discusse d t h e

matter with him h e might have changed it t o purple A , .

l a d y in the same m an n er wears black because it suits her

, , ,

complexion o r is elegant at a l l time s o r because it is at

, ,

o nce piquant and superior But in spring she may choos e .

to put o n the colours o f the season a n d i n summer to ,

be gaudier with the butterfly O u r squire had an instinct .

to wards the colour o f green because he saw it about him , .

He took it from what he lived in li k e a cham eleon and , ,

n ever cha n ged it because he could live in no other S phe r e

, .

W e see that his green suit was never wort h five pounds !

a n d nothing w e dare say could have induced him to let it

, ,

mount u p to that sum He w oul d have it grow upon him .

,

if h e could like a green mon k ey Thus again with his

, .
, ,

bowling green It was not penuriousness that hindered h i m

—
.

from altering it ; but he had no more ide a of changing t h e

place than the place itself As chan ge o f habit is frightful .

to some men from vivacity o f affection o r imagination and

, ,

the strange n ess which they anticipate i n the n ovelty so h e ,

was never te m pted out o f a custom b ecause he had no ide a ,

o f anything else He would no more think o f altering t h e

.

place he burrowed in than a tortoise o r a wild rabbit H e .

was f er ce n a t a r re a regular beast of prey though h e—

mingled so m ething o f the generosity o f the lion with the

lurk ing o f the fox an d the mischievous sporting o f t h e cat .

He would let other anim a ls feed with him only warni n g ,

them o ff occasionally with that switch o f his instead o f a ,

claw He had the same liberality o f instinct towards the

.

young o f other creatures as we see in the h e n and the goat .

He would take care o f their eggs i f h e h a d a mind ; o r ,

f urnish them w ith mil k His very body was ba dger like .
-
.

It w a s very l o w very strong and very activ e ; and h e

‘
, ,
 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 52 .

the question i n every o t her respect it was as poor and paltry

,

as can be There was not a single idea in it beyond o n e o f

.

his hounds It was e ntirely gross and superficial without

.
,

sentiment without choice without a thousand sensations of

, ,

pleasure and the retur n o f it without the leas t perception ,

o f a beauty beyond t h e mere absence o f age The most .

”
idiotical scold in the village under forty was to h i m , ,

a desirable obj ect The most lovable woman in the world

.
,

above it was lost u pon him S uch lovers do not even

,
.

e nj oy the charms they suppose They do not see a twentieth .

part of its very external graces They criticize beauty i n .

the langu a ge of a horse j ock ey and the j o c key o r the horse -

himself knows j ust as much about it as they

, .

In short to be candid o n all sides with the very e a rthly

,

memory o f the Hon W illiam Hastings we l ook u pon a .

,

person o f his description to be a very good specimen o f t h e

animal part o f human nature and chie fl y on this account , ,

that the animal preserves its health There indeed it h a s .

something to say for itself nor must we conceal our

persu a s ion that u pon this ground alone Mr Hastings must .

have had sensations in the course o f his life which many an

intellectual person might envy I f his perceptions were o f .

a va gue sort they m ust hav e been exquisitely cl ear and

,

unalloyed He must have had all the pleas ure from the
.

sunshine an d the fresh air that a healthy b ody without

a mind in i t can have ; and w e may guess from t h e days ,

of childhood what those feelings may resemble i n

, ,

their pleasantness as well as vagueness At the age of .

a h u n dr e d he was able to read and write without S pectacles

n ot better perhaps than he d id at fiftee n but as well At

, , , .

a hundred he was truly an o l d boy and no more thought

, ,

o f putting o n spectacles than an e a gle W h y should he ? .

H is blood had run clear for a century with exercise and

“
natural living He had not bak ed it black and heavy
.

thick over a fire and dimmed t h e windows o f his percep

,

tion with the smoke .

B u t h e wanted a soul to turn h i s perceptio n s to their

proper account ? He did so L e t us then who see more .
,

than h e did contrive to see fair play between body and

,
-

mind I t is by observing the separate extremes of per

.

fe c t i o n to which body and mind may arrive in those who do

, ,

not know h o w to unite both that we may learn h o w to pr o ,

 A H U MA N A NIMA L ,
A ND TH E O T H ER EX TR EM E . 2 53

duce a human being more enviabl e either than the healthiest

o f fox h unters o r
-
the m ost unearthly o f saints It i s .

remark able that the sam e ancient family which , among

the variety an d fineness o f its productions put forth this ,

specimen o f bo dily humanity e di fi e d the worl d n o t long ,

after with as complete a specimen o f the other hal f of

human n ature Mr W illiam Hastings s soul seems to have
. .
’

come t o o late for his body and to h a ve remained afterwards

,

upon earth in the shape o f his fair kinswoman the L ady ,

Elizabeth Hastings daughter o f Theophilus seventh Earl

, ,

o f Huntingdon An account o f h e r follows that of her

.

animal kinsman an d is a most extraordinary contrast

,
.

This is the lady who is celebrated by S i r Richard S teele i n

the T a t l er under the name o f Aspasia a title which m ust
,
—

have startled her a little But w ith the elegance o f the

.

panegyric sh e would have found it hard not to be pleased ,

notwithstanding her modesty These ancients would b e .

as much astonished to see i n the sam e a g e so illustrious

a pattern to all who love things praiseworthy as the divine
Aspasia Methink s I n o w see her walki n g in her garden
.

lik e o u r first parent with unaffected charms before beauty

, ,

had spectators and bearing celestial conscious virtue in

, ,

her aspect Her countenance is the lively picture of her

.

mind which is the seat o f honour truth compassion know

, , ,

ledge, and in nocence

There dwel l s t h e scorn o f v i ce a n d pi ty too , .

In the m idst o f the most ample fortune and veneration o f ,

a l l that beheld and k new her without the least a ffectation , ,

she consults retirement the co ntemplation of her o w n

,

bei n g and that S upreme Power which b estowed it W ith

, .

o u t the learn ing o f schools o r kn owledge o f a long cours e

,

o f arguments she goes o n in a steady course o f u h

,

interrupted piety and virtue and adds to the severity and ,

priv a cy o f the last age all the freedom and eas e of this .

The language and mien o f a C ourt she is possessed o f in t h e

highest degree but the simplicity and humble thoughts o f
a cottag e are her more welcome entertai nments Aspasia
-

s a female philosopher who does n o t only live up t o t h e

,

resignation of the most retired lives o f the ancient sages ,

but also to the schemes an d plans which they thought beau
”
tiful , though inimitabl e .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 54 .

Th is char a cter was written when L ady Elizabeth w as

twenty eight S h e passed the rest of her life agreeably t o
-

it relieving families giving annui t ies contributing to t h e

, , ,

mai ntenance o f schools and u n iversity scholars an d all t h e ,

whil e behaving with extraord inary generosity to her kin

dred an d k eeping up a noble establishment
,
.

It seems pretty clear from all accounts that this n obl e

hearted woman notwithstanding her beauty and sweet
,

temper was as imperfect a specimen o f the comfortable in

,

body as her kinsman was in mind W e are far from .

meaning to prefer his state o f existence W e confess .

,

indeed that there are many we hav e read o f whom w e

, ,

would prefer being t o t h e most saintly o f solitary spi 1 its

,

but the mere reflection of the good which L ady Elizabeth

’
did to others would n o t allow us a moment s hesitation if ,

compelled t o choos e between inhabiting her infirm tenement

and the je l l y vacuity o f the Hon W illiam He was a l l . .

bo dily comfort she was all mental grace .

W hat then is o u r conclusion ? This : that t h e proper

, ,

point of humanity lies bet w een thes e t w o natures though ,

not at equal distances the greatest possible sum o f happi —

ness for manki nd demandi n g that great part o f o u r

pleasure should be founded i n that o f others Those .
,

however w h o hold rigid theories o f morality and y e t

, ,

practise them not (which is much oftener the c a se w ith

such theories than the re verse ) must t a ke care how they ,

flatte r themselves they at all resemble L ady Elizabet h

H a stings Their extrem e di ff erence with her k insman is a
.

mere cant to w hich all the privileged selfishness and

,

sensuality in the world give t h e lie a l l the pomps and —

v anities all the hatreds all the malignities all the eating s
, , ,

and dri n kings such a s W i ll iam Hastings himself would

,

have been a shamed o f In fact their real instincts a r e .

,

generally as sel fi sh as his though in other shapes and , ,

much less ag reeabl e fo r every body W hen cant lives as .

lo n g a life as his o r as good a o n e a s hers it will b e worth

, ,

atte nding to Till then the best thing to advise is neithe r

.
, ,

t o be canting nor merely animal nor over spiritual

,
but ,
-

to endeavour to enj oy w ith the greatest possible di st r i b u

,

tion o f happiness , all t h e fac u lties we receiv e from n at u re .

2 56 L EI G H H UNT S ES S AY S ’
.

it were o f something in nothin g— a rapid turning o f t h e

,
’
hearer s mind to some new phase o f thought and sparkling
imagery The man o f shallo w gravity besides an uneasy
.
,

half consciousness that he has nothing o f the sort about him ,

-

i s t o o dull o f perception to see the delicat e links between

o n e thought and another ; and h e takes that for a mer e

chaos o f laughing jargon in which finer apprehensions per ,

c e i v e as much delightful association as men o f musical tast e

do in the most trick som e harmonies and a ccompaniments o f

Mozart o r Beethoven Between such gravity an d such .

mirth there is as much d i fference as between the driest and

dreariest psalmody and tha t exquisit e laughing trio ,
”
E voi ridet e which is sung in C osi fan tutte A .

Quaker s coat and a garden are n o t m ore dissimilar n o r a

’

death bel fand the birds after a sunny shower

-
'
.

It is o n such occasions indeed that we enjoy t h e pe r fe c , ,

tion o f what is agreeable in humanity— t h e harmony o f

mind and body— intellect and animal spirits Accordingly .
,

the greate st geniuses appear to have been pr o fi c i e n t s in this

kind o f nonsense and to have delighted i n d w elling upo n
,

it and attributing it t o their favourites Virgil is n o .

j o k er but Homer is ; and there is t h e same differenc e

,

between their heroes E neas and Achilles t h e latter o f , ,

whom is also a player o n t h e h a rp Venus th e most .

,

delightful o f the goddesses is Ph i l o m m e i de s the laughter , ,

loving an epithet b y the by which might g iv e a good

, ,
-

hint to a number o f very respectable ladies who love their ,

”
lords but who are too apt to let ladies less respectabl e run
,

away with them Horace represents Pleasantry as fl u t t e r

.

ing about Venus in company with C upid

Q u e m J o cu s c i r c u m vo l a t, et C u pi do

and thes e are followed by Y outh the enjoyer o f animal ,

spirits and by Mercury the god o f Persuasion There is

, ,
.

the same difference between Tasso and Ariosto a s between

Virgil and Homer ; that is t o say the latter proves his ,

gr e ate r genius b y a completer and more variou s hold o n t h e

feelings and has n ot only a fresher S pirit of N ature about
,

him but a truer because a happier ; f o r the want o f this

, ,

e njoym ent is at once a defect and a deterioration It 1 3 .

mor e o r less a disease o f the blood a falling o ff from t h e ,

pure and uncontradicted blithesomeness o f childhood ; a

 O N T H E TA L K I N G NONS ENS E
”

or . 2 57

hamperi n g o f the mind with t h e altered nerves dus t

gathered in the watch and perplexing o u r passing hours , .

It may be thought a begging o f the question to mention

Anacreon since he made an absol u te business o f mirt h and
,

e njoyment a n d sat down systematically to laugh as well as

,

to drink But o n that very a ccount perhaps his case i s

.
, ,

s til l more i n point and Plato o n e o f the gravest but not , ,

t h e shallowest o f philosophers gave him the title o f t h e

, ,

W ise The disciple o f S ocrates appears also to have bee n

.

a great enjoyer o f Aristophanes ; and the divine S ocrate s

himself was a wit and a j ok er .

But the divine S h a ks pe a r e — the man to whom we go fo r

e very thing an d are s u re to find it grave
,
melancholy o r , , ,

m erry what said he to this exquisite kind of nonsense ?

—

Perhaps next t o his passion fo r detecting nature and over ,

informing it w ith poetry h e too k delight in pursuing a ,

j oke ; and the lowest scenes o f his in this way say more t o
m e n whose faculties are fresh about them and who prefer ,

e njoyment t o criticism than the most doting o f o ommen ,

tato 1 s can find o u t They are instances o f his animal .

S pirits of his sociality o f his passion for giving and r e c e i v

, ,

ing pleasure o f his enj oyment o f something wi ser than

,

wisdom .

The greatest favourites o f S h a k spe a r e are made t o

resemble himself i n this p a rticular Hamlet Mercutio .
, ,

Touchstone J a q u e s Richard the Third and Falsta ff

, , ,

inimitable Falstaff are all men of w i t and humour modi

, ,

fi e d according to their different temperaments o r circum

stances some from health and spirits others from sociality , ,

others from a contrast with their very melancholy Indeed .

,

m elancholy itself with the profoundest intellects wil l rarely

, ,

be found to be anything else than a sickly temperament ,

induced o r otherwise preying in its turn upon the di s a p

,

pointed expectation o f pleasure ; u pon t h e contradiction o f

hopes which this world is not made t o realize though let
, , ,

us never forget it is made as they themselves prove to

, , ,
’
suggest S ome o f S h a k spe a r e s characters as Mercutio and
.
,

Benedick are almost entirely made up o f wit and animal

,

spirits ; and d elightful fellows they are and ready, fro m ,

their very state to perform the most serious and m anly

,

o ffices Most of his women t o o have an abundance o f

.
, ,

n atural vi va city D esdemona herself is so pleasant o f inter

.

S
2 58 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

cours e in e ve ry way that upon the principle of t h e respect

, ,

able mistakes above m entioned the Moor when he grows , ,

j ealous is tempted to thin k it a proof o f her want o f

,

honesty But we must mak e S h a k spe a r e S peak fo r himself

.
,

o r we shall not know h o w to be silent o n this subj ect W hat .

a descri ption is that which he gives o f a man o f mirth — o f

a mirth too which h e has expressly stated to be within t h e
, ,
“ ’ ’
limit o f what is becomi g ! It is in L ov e s L abour s
n

L ost
A m err i er man ,

Wi th in the l i m i t o f b ecom ing m irth ,

I never spent an ho u r s tal k withal ’
.

H i s e y e b eg ets occas i on f o r h i s w i t
F o r every o b j ect that t h e one doth catch ,

T h e other t u rns to a m i rth m ovi ng j est -

Wh i ch h i s fair tong u e conce i t s e xpos i tor ,

’
,
D el ivers i n s u ch a pt and g rac i o u s words ,

T hat ag ed ears play tru ant at h i s tales ,

A nd y o u n g er hearing s are q u i te ravi sh ed

S o sweet and vol u b le i s h i s d i sco u rse .

W e hav e been led into these reflections partly to intro ,

duce the conclusion o f this article partly from being very

fond o f a j oke ourselves and so making o u r self love a s
,
-

proud as possible ; and partly from having spent some most

agreeable hours the other evening with a compan y t h e ,

members of which had all the right to b e grave an d dis

agreeable that rank and talent are supposed to confer an d ,

yet from the very best sense o r forgetfulness o f both were

, ,

as lively a n d entertaining to each other as boys N o t o n e .

o f them perhaps but had his cares — o n e o r two o f n o

, , ,

ordinary description ; but what then ? These are t h e

m oments if we can tak e advantage of them when sorrow s
, ,

are shared even unconsciously ; moments when melancholy

, ,

intermits her fever and hope tak es a leap into e nj oyment

,

when the pilgrim of life if he cannot lay aside his b urden

, ,

forgets it in meeti n g his fello w s about a fountain and , .

soothes his weariness and his re solution with t h e sparkling

s ight and the noise o f the freshness
,
.

To come to o u r anticlimax for such we a r e afraid it must

,

b e called after all this grave sentiment and m entio n o f

authorities Th e followin g dialogu e is t h e substanc e o f a
.

j ok e never m e ant for its present plac e that was start ed t h e

, ,

o th e r day u po n a l a t e publication Th e nam e o f t h e boo k .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

TII E S A C R ED C O RN ER O F PI S A .

'

( The In ber a l No , . I,

I KN O W n o t w h ether my first sensation at t h e sight o f t h e

L eaning Tower was admiration o f its extreme beauty o r ,

as tonishment at its posture Its beauty has never b een .

su fficiently praised Its overhan ging seems to menace the

.

houses be neath it with destruction The inclination is .

fourteen feet o u t o f the perpendicular W e are amazed .

that people should build houses underneath it till we ,

recollect that it has probably stood thus ever sinc e it w a s

bui lt — that is to say for n e a r l y si x hundred a n d fifty years ;
,

a n d that habit reconciles us to anything S omething o f a .

curve backwards is given to it The structure was begun .

by a G erman artist W illi am o f In spr u c k and finish e d by

, ,

Italians S everal other towers in Pisa including t h e

.
,

O bservatory have a manifest inclin atio n owi n g to the sam e

, ,

cause the sinking o f t h e soil , which is light sandy , and

—
,

full o f spri ngs .

Upon reflection sinc e the app e arance o f the first edition o f

,

this book I cannot help thin k ing after all that the inclina
, , ,

tion o f this famous tower so much o u t o f the perpen dicular ,

must have taken place long after it was completed ; that it

w a s left standing as it does after long and anxious watching ,

for the consequences and that anything which architecture

may hav e done by way o f counteraction could only have ,
’
e nsued u pon experience o f the tower s safety .

W ith regard t o the compan y i n which it stands let t h e ,

reader imagine a broad grass wal k standing in the solitary -

part o f a count r y town L e t hi m suppose at o n e e nd o f this

.

walk the L eaning Towe r with a r o w o f small but elegant ,

house s ri ght u nder the inclination and look ing down the ,

grass plot t h e Baptistery a rotunda standing b y itself at

-

, ,

t h e opposite end ; the public hospital an extremely neat and ,

quiet building o ccupying the principal length o f the road

,

which borders the grass plot o n o n e side ; o n the other side ,

-

a n d o n the gras s itself the cath e dr a l , stretching between t h e

,

L eaning Tower and t h e Baptistery ; and l a s tly at the back ,

o f the cathedral and visible between t h e op e nings at its two

,

( )
e nds , t h e C ampo S anto Holy Field o r burial ground walled -

,
 TH E S A C RED CO R NER O F P IS A . 2 61

in wi th n i a l bl e cloisters full o f t h e oldest paintings in Italy .

A ll these buil dings are detached they all stand in a free ,

open situation ; they all look as if they wer e built but a

year a g o ; they are all o f marble ; t h e whole place is k ep t
extremely clean — the very grass in a state o f greenne ss not
common to turf in the south ;and there are trees looking upo n
it over a wall next the Baptis t ery L e t the rea der add to .

this scen e a few boys playing about all ready to answer your ,

questions in pure Tuscan women occasionally passing with

veil s o r bare heads o r now and then a couple o f friars ; and
,

though finer indi vidual sights may b e found in the world it ,

will be difficult to come upon an assemblag e o f o bj e ct s mor e

rich in their combination .

The Baptistery is a large rotunda richly carved and , ,

a
ppr 0 p1 i a t e d solely to t h e purpose after which it was
christened It is in a mixed style and was built in t h e
.
,

t w elfth century Forsyth who i s deep in arches and

.
,

polygons obj ects to the crowd o f unnecessary columns ; t o

,
“
the hideous tunnel which conceal s the fine swell o f t h e
cupola and to the appropriation o f so large an edifice
”
to a christening The tunnel may deserve his wrath
.

but his architectural learning sometimes behav e s as ill as t h e

tunnel It obscures his better taste A christening in t h e
. .
,

e yes o f a good C atholic is at le a st as important an object as

,

a rotunda a n d there i s a rel i gious sentiment in the profusion

with which ornament is h e aped upon edifices of this nature .

It forms a bea uty o f itself and gives even mediocrity a sort

“

o f abundance o f intention that loo k s li k e the wealth o f genius .

The materials take leave of their materiality and crowd ,

“
together into a worship o f their o w n It is no longer l e t .

”
everything only that has br ea th praise the L ord ; but
“

let everything else prais e Him and tak e a meaning and life ,

accordingly L e t column obscure column a s in a multitude

.
,

o f men ; let arch strain upon arch as if to as cend to heaven ; ,

let there be infinite details conglomerations mysteries li g hts

, , , ,

darknesses and let t h e birth o f a n e w soul b e celebrated in

the midst o f all .

The cathedral is in the G reek style o f the Middl e Ages a ,

style which this writer think s should rather be called t h e

“
L ombard as it appeared in Italy first under the L ombard
,
” “
princes . He says that it includes whatever was g rand o r
,

beautiful in the works o f the Middle Ages ; and that this “

,
 62 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 .

was p e rhaps t h e noblest o f t h e m all H e proce e d s t o find .

fault with certai n incongruities amongst which are som e ,

remains o f Pagan sculpture left standing in a Ch ristian

church ; but he e nthusiastically admire s t h e pillars o f
O riental granite that support t h e roof The outside o f t h e .

buildin g co n sists o f mere heaps o f marble mounti n g by ,

huge sto ps t o the roof ; but their simplicity as well as size

gives them a n e w sor t o f grandeur ; and Mr Forsyth has .

o verlooked the extraordinary sculpture o f the bronz e doors ,

worthy o f the sam e hand that made those others at Florence ,

which Michael Angelo said were fit to be the gates o f

Paradis e It is divided into compartments the subj ects o f
.
,

which are taken from S cripture The relief is the most .

gra ceful and masterly co n ce ivable the perspective astonish

ing as if in a drawing a n d equal j ustice is don e to t h e
,

sharp monstrosities o f the devil with hi s bat wings and t o -

the gentle gra ces o f t h e S aviour .

The crowning glory o f Pisa is t h e C ampo S anto I .

e ntered for the first time at twilight when t h e indistin ct ,

shapes colours and antiquity o f the o l d painti n gs wonder

, ,

fully harmon i zed with t h e nature o f the pl a ce I chose t o .

go towards e vening when I saw it again and though t h e

,

s unset cam e upon me t o o fast to allow me to s e e all t h e

pictures as minutely as I c o u l d h a v e wished I sa w enough
'

to warrant my giving an opinion o f them ; and I again had

the pleasur e o f standing in t h e spot at t wilight I t is a n .

oblong enclosure about the size o f S tratford Plac e and

, ,

surrounded with cloisters wider and lighter than those o f

W estminster At least such was my impression Th e
.
, .

middle is grassed earth the surfac e o f which for som e

, ,

depth is said to have been brought from Palestin e at t h e

,

time o f the C rusades and to possess the virtue o f de c o m po s

,

ing bodies in the course o f a few hours The tradition is .

,

that Ubaldo L anfranchi Ar chbishop o f Pisa who com

, ,

m a n de d the forces contributed by his countrymen brought ,

t h e earth away with him in his ships ; but though such a

proceeding would not have been impossible the story is now , ,

I believe regarded as a m ere legend Th e decomposition o f

,
.

the bodies might hav e been effected by other means Person s .

are buried both in this enclosure and in the cloisters but ,

o nly persons o f ran k o r celebrity Most of the inscriptions .

,

for i n stance (o f which th er e are some h u ndreds , a l l o n m arble ,

 64 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
2 .

homag e an d gratitude G iotto b e thou o n e to m e her e .

,

after o f a ki ndred brevity solidity and stateliness with

, , , ,

that o f t h y friend D ante and far happier ! Tender an d ,

n oble O r g a g n a b e thou blessed for e ver beyond t h e happi

,

n ess o f thin e o wn heaven

G EN OA TH E S UP ERB .

(The L i be r a l No
, . 2 ,

“
G EN O A is truly G enoa the S up e rb Its fin e st a spe c t i s .

from the sea and from the sea I fi r st beheld it Imagin e

, .

a glorious amphitheatre o f white house s with mounta i ns o n ,

e ach side and at the back The b a se 1 s composed o f the city .

with its churches and shipping the othe1 houses are country ,

seats look ing o u t one above the other up the hill To t h e

, , , .

left are the Alps with their snowy tops : to the right and ,

for the back a r e the Apennines This is G enoa It i s

, . .

situate at the very angl e o f t h e pointed gulf which i s called ,

after its name and which pres ents o n either side , as y o u

,

sa il up it whit e villages country seats and olive groves

, , , .

In England we have delicate names for some o f o u r street s

and alleys There is L o ve L ane Maiden L ane G arde n
.
, ,

C ourt G reen Arbour C ourt &c but in Italy they beat u s

, , .
,

hollo w Pisa has n o t only L ove S treet and L ily S treet but
.
,

Beautiful L adies L ane and t h e L an e o f the B eautiful ’

Towers In G e noa after p a ssing through G oldsmith S treet

.
, ,

and another that leads up from it you come o u t by t h e ,

post o ffi c e upon t h e Piazza dell e Fontan e Amorose — t h e

-

Place o f the Amorous Fountain s There is a magnifice n t .

mansion i n it containing baths ; and another adorned o n

, ,

the outsid e with paintings o f festive women But here a l l .

t h e houses begin to be magnificent mansions and y o u agai n ,

”
recogniz e G enov a la S uperba From the Piazza dell e .

Fontane Amoros e you turn into t h e S trada N uova which ,

l e ads round through another s umptuous street into t h e

S tr ada Balbi fit says Mada m e de S t a é l for a congr e ss o f
, , ,

kings The three streets are l ite rally a succession o f palac es

.

o n each side o f the way ; and these palaces are of costly

archite cture and are adorned inside with the work s o f t h e
,

Italian maste rs Marble is lavi s hed everywhere It is like

. .
 G EN O A TH E S U PER B . 2 65

street raised by Aladdin t o astonish his fath er i n law t h e

a ,
- -

S ultan Y e t there is o n e lamen t abl e deficiency

. Eve n .

these streets are narro w I do n o t think the S trada N uova .

is wider than Bond S treet w i t h ou t t h e pavements A .

lane ! you cry Y e s a lane o f W hitehalls encrusted with

”
.
, ,

the r ichest architecture Imagin e h o w much the buil dings .

lose by this confinement and the n won der h o w it could ,

hav e taken place The alleged reason is that i n a hot .

,

country shad e is wanted , and therefore bea u ty is sacrificed

to utility But the reason is a bad o n e : for porticos might
.

have been used as at Bo logna and the street made so wid e

, ,

as to render the disadvantage t o t h e architecture a compara

tive nothing The circumsta nc e probably originated in
.

some reasons connecte d with the ground o r the value o f it , ,

and the pressure o f the population within the then city

walls S ome other magnificent streets bu i lt subsequently
.
, ,

are wider though still a good deal too narrow The G enoe s e
, .

have found o u t before ourselves the folly o f calling a street

, ,

N e w S treet ; but they have not very wisely corrected it by

n aming o n e o f their l ast N e wes t S treet— S trada N uovissima .
,

Upon this principle they must c a ll the next street they

“
,

build N ewer than all street o r Extremely n e w street , o r

,
- - —
,
— -

N e w o f t h e very newest description stre e t

- — - - - -

TH E G L O R Y O F C OL O UR IN ITA L Y .

( T h e L ibe r a l , No . 2 ,

YOU learn fo r the first time i n this Italian climat e what ,

colours really are N o wonder it produces painters A n . .

English artis t o f any en t hus i asm might shed t e ars o f

vexation to think o f t h e dull medium through w hich blu e
,

and red come to him i n hi s o w n atmosphere , compared with

this O n e day we saw a boat p a ss us which instantly
.
,

reminded us o f Titian and accounte d fo r h i m : and yet it ,

contained nothing b u t an o l d boatman in a red cap and ,

s ome women with him in other colours o n e o f the m i n a ,

bright yellow petticoat But a red cap in Italy goes by .

you n o t li k e a mere cap much less anything vulgar o r

, ,

but c her like , but like w hat it is an intense specimen o f tho

-

,
2 66 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

colour o f red It is like a scarlet bud in the blu e atm o

.

sphere Th e o l d boatman with hi s brown hue his whit e

.
, ,

shirt an d his red cap made a compl e te picture ; and so did

, ,

the women and the yellow petticoat I have se e n pieces o f .

’
orange coloured silk hangi n g o u t against a wall at a dyer s
-

which gave the e y e a pleasure truly sensual S om e o f thes e .

bo atme n are very fine men I was rowed to shor e o n e day .

by a man the very image of Kembl e He h a d nothing but .

his shirt o n and it was really gran d to see the mixe d power
,

an d gracefulness with which a ll his limbs c a me into play as

h e pulled the c a r s occasionally turning his heroic profile to
,

g ive a glance behind him at other boats .

TH E G IU L I TR E .

(The L iber a l No , . 2 ,

TH E G i u l i Tr e (three J u li u s e s , so called from a head o f o n e

o f the Pop e s of that name ) are thre e pieces of money ,
answering to about fi ft e e n pe n c e o f o u r coin , for which t h e
Italian poet , C asti , s a ys he was pestered from day to day by
an inexorable creditor The po e t accordingly had his .

revenge o n him and i n carcerated t h e man in i m mortal

,

amber by devoting t o the subj ect no less than t wo hundred

,

s onnets which he publishe d under the above title Th e

,
.

Abate C asti is kno w n to t h e En glish public by means o f ,

Mr S t ewart Rose s pleas a nt abridg m ent as t h e author of

.
’
,
”
the Ani m ali Parlanti .

The work before us as t h e Florentin e editor ob serves i s

, ,

in every resp e ct unexception a ble He i nforms us that .

,
’
it is not liable to a charg e brought ag a inst t h e Abate s
other work s of b e ing t o o c a reless i n poi n t of styl e and u n
, ,

idio m atic Th e G i u l i Tr e ac c ord i ng t o hi m sp eak the tru e

.
, ,

Italian lang u age ; s o that t h e r e co m mendatio n t hey bring

w ith them to foreig n ers is complete .

T h e fertility o f fancy and learned allusion with which ,

the author has writte n his t w o hundred sonn ets o n a man

coming to h i m every day and a sk ing him for Tr e G i u l i is ,

i n ferior only to what B u tler or Marvel l might have m ad e

 H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 68 L EIG H .

golden and adamantin e N o ! which has rendere d the G i u l i

,

Tr e precious .

I n sonnet forty four h e says that he was never yet boun d

-

t o t h e co n j ugal yok e — a yoke which is as pleasant to thos e

w h o have it n o t as it is disagre e abl e to those who have ;
,

but that if h e were marri ed his children would certainly ,

resemble t h e proprietor o f the Gi u l i Tr e and that h e ,

should see C reditor kins o r littl e C reditors all about h i m

-

, ,

In sonnet seventy t w o he says that if a m a n has a littl e

-

tumour o r scratch o n his leg o r arm and is always impa ,

t i e n t l y touching it the little wound will become a great o n e

, .

S o he adds it is with his debt o f the G i u l i Tr e

, ,
The debt .
,

he allows is in itself no very great thing but the intolerabl e

, ,

importunity o f his C reditor makes it a very considerabl e

one .

I n sonn et seventy nine h e wishes that some logician w h o

-

unde r stands the art o f persuading pe ople would be chari ,

table enough to suggest to him som e syllogis m o r othe r

form o f argument which may enable him to prove to h i s
,

C reditor the impossibil ity o f paying money when a m a n

h as not got it .

In sonnet eighty nine h e says that philosoph e rs maintai n

-

if t wo bodies stand apart from each other and are distinct , ,

it is impossibl e they can bo th stand in the same plac e .

O therwise o n e body also might be in several places at once .

He therefore wonders h o w it is that his C reditor i s t o b e

found here and there and everywhere .

In sonnet ninety six h e tells us that h i s C r e ditor is fond

-

o f acc os ting him o n physical subj e cts and w ishes to kno w ,

the nature o f lightning o f the winds colours & c and , , , .

,

w hether the system o f Tycho Brahe is bette r than that o f

Pythagoras The poet answers that it is impossible to get
.
-

at the secrets o f N ature and that all that h e knows upo n

earth is that a man is perpetually asking h i m for T r e G i u l i ,
,

and he has n o t got them .

I n sonnet a hundred and o n e the poet alludes t o t h e

account o f words freezing at the Pole ; and says that if h e ,

were there with his Creditor and a thaw were to tak e ,

place nothing would be heard around them but a voic e

,

calling for the G i u l i Tr e .

Ho supposes in another that there was no S uch C reditor

 TH E G IU L I TRE . 2 69

as h i s in t h e time o f D avid because in the imprecations ,

t hat a r e accumul a ted in the hundred and eighteenth psalm ,

there is no mention o f such a person .

His C reditor he te lls us at another tim e disputed with

, , ,
’
him o n e day for argument s sake o n the immortality o f the
, ,

s oul ; and that the great d i fficulty h e started was how ,

a nyt hing that had a beginning coul d be without an end .

Upon which t h e poet ask s him whether he did n o t begin ,

o n e day asking him for t h e G i u l i T r e and whether he has ,

left o ff ever since .

H e says further o n that as L anguedoc is still so called

,

from the use o f the a ffir mative particle 0 c in that q uarter,

a s writers in other parts o f France used to be called writers

o f o u t and as Italy is denominated the lovely land o f a t so

, ,

h i s o w n language from his constant habit o f using the

,

negative particle t o the C reditor o f t h e G i u l i Tr e ought to ,

be called the language o f n o .

He informs us elsewhere that his C red ito r has lately

, ,

taken t o learn ing French and conj ectures that finding he

h a s hitherto a sked fo r t h e G i u l i Tr e t o no purpose in his
o w n language he wis h e s t o try t h e e fficacy o f t h e French
,

way o f dunning .

The first time the seam an hears the horrible crashing o f

the tempest and sees the fierce and cruel rising o f the sea
, ,

he turn s pale sings the poet and loses bo th his courage and
, ,

his voice but if he lives long enough t o grow grey in his

e mployment he sits gaily at the ste m
,
and sings to t h e ,

accompa niment o f the winds S o it is with the sonneteer . .

’
His C reditor s perpetual song o f the G i u l i Tr e frightened
him at first ; but now that his ears have grown used to it ,

he turns it into a musical acc ompaniment like the bill ows ,

a n d goes singing t o the sound .

A friend takes him at another time to s e e the antiquities

, ,

i n the C apitol but he is put to flight by the sight o f a

,

statu e r e sembling h i s C reditor .

H e marks o u t to a friend in another sonnet the fatal , ,

plac e where h i s C reditor lent him the G i u l i Tr e showing ,

how he drew o u t and opened his purse and how he counted ,

o u t to h i m the G iuli with a coy and shrinking hand He .

further shows h o w it was not a pace d i stant from this spot

,

that the C reditor b egan to a sk him for the G iuli : and

finishes with proposing to purify the place with lustral
water and exorcise its evil genius
, .
2 70 L E I G H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

He laments at o n e moment that h appy a g e o f the world ,

in which there was a community o f goods ; and says that

the avidity of individuals and the invention o f m ou r n and
t u u m have brought a n immense number o f evils amo n g
man k ind his part o f which h e suffers by reaso n o f t h e
,

G i u li Tr e .

And at another Apollo making his appearance rebuk es

, ,

the poet for wasting his time advising him to sing of things ,

that are worthy of immortality Upon which th e poet .

stops short in a song h e was chanting upon his usual

subj ect a n d bids good night for e ve r to his Cr edi tor a n d
,
-

t h e G i u l i Tr e .

Not a word of payment !

M Y B OO K S .

(Th e l i t era r y Ex a m i n er ,

S ITTIN G , last winter among my books and walled round

, ,

with all the comfort and protection which they and m y

fireside could afford me to wit, a table o f high pil ed books -

at my back my wr iting desk o n o n e side o f me , som e

,
-

shelves o n the other and the feeling o f the warm fire at my

,

feet I began to consider how I loved the authors o f thos e

book s how I loved them too not only for the im a ginativ e
—
, ,

pleasures they afforded me but for their mak ing m e love ,

the very boo k s themselves and delight t o b e in contact ,

with them I looked sideways at my S penser m y Theocritus

.
, ,

and my Arabian N ights then above them at my Italian

poets ; then behind m e at my D ryden and Pope my ,

romances and my Boccaccio then o n my left side at my

,

C haucer who l ay o n a writing desk and thought how

,
-

n atural it w a s in C L to give a k iss to an o l d folio as I

. .
,
’
onc e saw him do to C hapman s Homer C ooke s edition o f ’
.

“
the B r itish Poets an d N o v e l i st s came o u t when I w a s at
s chool . S hall I ever forget his C olli ns and his G ray , books
”
at onc e so superbly ornamented and so inconceivably
ch e ap ? S ixpence could procure much before ; but never
could it procure so much as then o r was at once so much ,

r espected , and so little cared for His artist Kirk was t h e .

b e s artist except S tothard that e ver designed for periodical

, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 72 .

m ak e it clear that h e must have occa sionally j oked with

,
’
t h e blacksmith and stoo d go dfather fo r his neighbour
, s

children .

Ther e will b e something compulsory in reading t h e

Ramblers a s there is in going to church G ray was a
, .

book man ; he w ished to b e always lying o n sofas reading ,

”
eternal n e w n ovels o f C r e b i l l o n and Marivau x .

How ple a sant it is to reflect that all those lovers o f books ,

have themselves becom e boo k s W hat better metam e r

phosis could Pythagoras have desired ? How O vid and
Horace exulted i n anticipating theirs A nd h o w the world
have j ust i fied the i r exultation They had a right t o triumph
over brass a n d marble It is t h e only visible change which
.

changes no fa rther ; which generates and yet is n o t de ~

stroyed C onsider : mines themselves a r e exhausted cities

.

perish kingdoms a r e swept away a n d man weeps with ,

indignation to think that his own body is not immortal .

Y e t this little body o f thought that li e s before m e in t h e ,

shape o f a book has existed thousands o f years, nor sinc e

,

the inventio n o f the press can anything short o f an universal

convulsion o f nature abolish it To a shap e li k e this so .
,

s mall yet s o comprehensive so slig ht yet so lasting so i n si g

, ,

n i fi c a n t yet so venerable turns the mighty a ctivity o f Homer

, ,

a n d so turni ng is enabled t o live and warm us for ever

,
To .

a S ha pe like this turns the placid sage o f Academus : to a

shape l i ke this the grandeur o f Milton t h e exubera n c e o f ,

S penser t h e pungent elegance o f Pope and the vol atility o f

, ,

Prior In o n e small room like the compressed spirits o f

.
,

Milton , can be gathered together

Th e assem b led so u ls o f a l l that m e n held wi se .

May I h e pe to becom e t h e meanest o f these existences ?

This is a question which e very author who is a lover o f
book s asks himself some time in his life and which must
be pardoned becaus e it cannot be helped I know not
,
. .

But I should li k e to remain vi sible in this shape Th e littl e .

o f myself that pleases myself I could wish to be accounted ,

worth pleasing others I should li k e t o survive so were it

.
,

o nly fo r the sake o f thos e who lov e me in private , knowi n g

’
as I do what a treasure is t h e possession o f a friend s mind
when h e is no more A t a l l events nothing while I liv e
'

.
,

a n d think can deprive me of my value for such treas ures I .

 S PR ING . 2 73

ca n hel p the appreciation them whil e I last and lov e of ,

them till I die ; and perhaps if fortun e turns her fa c e onc e ,

m ore in kindness u pon me befor e I go I may chance som e , ,

quie t da y to lay my o v e r h e a t i n g temples o n a boo k , and so

,

have t h e death I most e nvy .

S PRI N G .

(Wi sh ing Ca p Papers i n The Ex a m i ne r ,

-
,

T H IS morning as we sat at breakfast there came by t h e

, ,

windo w from a child s voice a cry o f W a l l flo w e r s There

,
’

, .
”

had j ust been a shower sunshine h a d followed it and t h e

rain the sun the boy s voice and the flowers came all so
, ,
’

, ,

prettily together upon the su b j ect we were thin k ing o f that ,

in tak ing o n e o f his roots we could not help fancying w e ,

had received a present from N ature herself with a penny —

for t h e bearer There were thirty lumps o f buds o n this

.

penny root their beauty was yet to come but the promis e
w a s there — t h e new life — t h e S pring — an d t h e rain drops -

wer e o n them as if t h e sweet goddess had dipped her hand

,

i n som e fountain and sprinkl ed them fo r u s by way of

,
“
message as who should say April and I are co m ing , .

W hat a beautiful word is S p ri n g 1 At least o n e fancies

so knowing the meaning o f it and being used to identify it
, ,

with s o many pleasant things An Italian might find it .

harsh and obj ect to t h e S p and the terminating consonant

but if he were a proper Ita lian a m a n o f fancy the worthy , ,

countryma n o f Petrarch and Ariosto we would convince ,

him that t h e word was an excellent good word crammed as ,

full o f beauty as a bu d— and that S had the whistling o f

the brooks in it p and r the f o rce and roughness o f what
,

soev e r is animated and picturesque i n g the singing o f t h e ,

birds and the whol e word the suddenness and salience o f

,

all that is lively sprouting and new S pring S pringtime ,

, ,
—
,

a S pring green a S pring o f wate r— t o S pring S pringal a

-

,
—
,
‘

word fo r a young man i n o l d (that is ever new ) English ,

poetry which with many other words has gone o u t becaus e

, ,

the youthful ness o f o u r h e arts has gon e o u t — to come bac k

wit h better tim es, a n d t h e n i n e h u n dr e dth n umber o f t h e -

work b e fore u s;
2 74 L EIG H H ENT S '
ES S AYS .

If o u r It a l ian being very unlik e an Italian ill natur e d

, ,
-

and not open to pleasant conviction should still obj ect t o ,

o u r word we would gro w uncourteous in turn and swear it

, ,

w a s a better word than his P r i m a —v e r a which is what h e —

calls S pri n g— Prima vera that is t o say t h e fi r s t Ve r a , o r

-

, ,

Ver o f the L atins t h e Ve e r (B ap Io n ic e ) o r Ea r o f t h e

,

G reek s Th e word is t o o long and lazy as well as obscure

.
, ,

compared with o u r brisk little pote nt obvious and leaping , , , ,

S p r i n g — full Of al l fount a ins , buds , birds sweetbriars , and ,

sunbeams .

L eaping l i k e wa n ton k i ds i n pleasant S pr i ng

, ,

says t h e poet speaking Of the wood born p e ople that

,
-

flocked about fair S erena H o w much better the word .

s r i n g suits here with the word l ea p i n g than if it h a d bee n

p ,

p ri m a e er a !
-
H o w much m o re sudden and start ing li k e ,

t h e b o u n di n g s o f the kids ! P r i m a v e r a is a be autiful word ; —'

.

let us n o t gai nsay it ; but it is more suitable t o t h e maturity

than to the very sp ri n g i n g Of sp r i n g as i t s first syllabl e ,

would prete nd S o long and comparatively languid a word

.

ought to belong to that side Of the season which is next t o

summer Ve r the L atin word is better o r rather G reek
.
, ,
—

word for a s we have shown before it comes from t h e

, ,

G reek lik e almost every good thing in L atin

—
.

Th e lightest thoughts have their roots in gravity and the ,

most fugitiv e colo u rs Of the world are set o ff by the mighty

background Of eternity O n e o f the greatest pleasures Of .

so light and airy a thing as t h e vern a l se a son arises fro m

t h e consci o us n ess that the world is young again .

O N S EEI N G A PI G EON MAK E L OV E .

(Wi shi ng C a p Papers i n Th e Ex a m i n e r

-

, ,

T H E following verses were suggested b y a sight Of a pigeon

making love The scene took place in a large sitting room
.
-

where a beau might have followed a lady up and down wit h

as b u st l i n g a solicitation : he could not hav e done it with
more . Th e birds had been brought ther e fo r sa l e ; b u t
t hey kn e w n o mor e of t h i s th a n two love r s wh om dest in y
 76 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 .

Th e description give n in the verses is tru e t o t h e letter .

The reader must not think it is a poetical exaggeration If .

he has ever witnessed an exhibition o f the kind h e h a s n o ,

conception o f the high hu m an hand with which thes e

pigeons carry it The poets indeed tim e o u t o f mind have
.
, , ,

tak e n amatory illustrations from them but t h e literal

c ourtship surpasses them all O n e sight o f a pigeon paying
.

his addresses would be su fficient t o unsettl e in o u r minds

all those proud conclusions which w e draw respecting t h e
d i fferenc e between reason and instinct If this is mere .

instinct as distinguished from reason if a bird follows ,

another bird up and dow n by a simple mechanical impulse ,

givi n g himself all t h e airs a n d graces imaginable exciting as ,

m any in his mistress an d uttering e ve r y mome n t articulate

,

sounds which we are n o more bound to suppose deficient i n

meaning than a pigeo n would b e warranted in supposing t h e
sam e o f o u r o wn speech then re ason itself may b e n o more
,

than a mechanical impulse It has n othing bett e r t o show

.

fo r it O u r m echanism may possess a greater variety o f

.

movements and b e more adapted t o a vari e ty o f circum

,

stances b u t i f there is n o t va ri ety here a n d a n a daptatio n ,

to circumstances w e know n o t where there is I f it b e

, .

an swered that pige ons would never mak e love in any other
,

manner und e r any circumstances w e do n o t k n o w that

, , .

Have peopl e Observe d them su fficiently to kn ow that they

always mak e l ov e equ al ly well ? If they have varied a t any
ti m e they m a y va r y again O u r o wn modes Of courtship
, .

are undoubtedly ve ry numerous a n d som e Of the m a r e a s ,

different from others a s the c urtship Of the pige o n itself o

from that o f t h e h o g B u t though w e are o bse rvers Of

.

ourselves hav e w e y e t Observed other animals su ffi ciently t o

,

pronounc e upo n t h e limits o f their capacity ? W e a r e apt ’

to suppose that all sheep and oxe n resemble o n e another i n

the face Th e slightest Obse r vation convinces us that thei r
.

countenances are as va ri ous as those Of men H o w a r e w e .

t o kno w that the shades and modi fi cations o f their ch a racter

and conduct are not a s various ? A well drilled natio n -

would hardly look more various in t h e eyes o f a b e e than a ,

s izva r m Of bees does i n o u r o w n Th e mi nuter di fference s

.

i n o u r conduct would escap e the m f o r want Of the habi t Of

O bserving us and because thei r o w n
,
a r e Of anothe r s ort .

H o w a r e we t o sa y tha t we do n o t j udge th e m a s ill ?

 O N S EEING A PIG EO N M AK E L OVE . 2 77

W e have read Of some beavers that when they were put ,

into a situation very di ff erent from their ordinary o n e a n d ,

incited t o build a house they set about their work i n a ,

.

s tyl e as ingeniously adapted as possible to their n e w circum

s tances . T h e individuals O f the sam e rac e o f a n imals a r e

n ot all e qually clever any more than ourselves ,
Th e .

m ore they come under o u r inspection (as in the ca se Of dogs ) ,

the mor e varieties w e discern in their characters and under

s t a ndings The most philosophical thing hitherto said o n
.

this subj ect appe a rs to b e that o f Pope .

How do we know he ask ed o n e day that w e hav e a right

, ,

t o kill creatures that we are so little above as dogs for our ,

”
curiosi t y o r e ve n fo r some use to us ?
,
S PENo E I used
”
t o carry i t t o o far I thought they had reason as well as we .

PO P E S o they hav e t o be sure All o u r disputes about that

, .

a r e only disputes about words Man has reaso n e nough .

only to know what is necessary for him t o know and dog s ,

”
have j ust that too S PENC E B u t then they have soul s
.

too,
as im perishable in their n ature a s ours ? PO PE
”
And what harm would that b e to us ?
All this passage is admirable and helps t o make us lov e , ,

a s w e ought to do a man who has contributed so much t o

,

t h e entertainmen t o f the world .

There is a well authenticated story Of a dog who havi n g

-

, ,

be en ill treated by a larger o n e went and bro u ght a still

-

l arger dog t o avenge his cause and see j ustice done him , .

W he n does a human necessity reason better than this ?

The greate st distinction between men an d other animals
a ppears to consist in this that the former make a point o f ,

cultivating their reason and yet it is impossible to say that

n othing Of the kin d has ever been done by the latte r Bird s .

a n d be asts i n general do not take the trouble Of going o u t

o f their ordinary course ; but is the ambition Of the commo n

r u n Of human be ings any greater ? Have not peasants and
mechanics and even those who flourish and grow learned
,

under establishments an equal te ndency to deprecat e t h e

,

necessity of innovation ? A farmer would go o n with h i s

Old plough a weaver with his Ol d loom and a placeman w ith
, ,

his O l d Opinions to all eternity if it were not for t h e rest

, ,

lessness Of individuals and these are forced to battle thei r

way against a thousand prej udices even to do the greate st ,

good . An estab lished critic has not always a right t o

trium ph over the learned pig .
 78 L EIG H HU NT S ES S AY S
’
2 .

W it h respect to other animals going to heave n o u r pride ,

smiles in a sovereign manner at this S peculation W e have .

no Obj ection somehow to a mean ori g in but we insist th at

, ,

nothing less dignified than ourselves can be immortal W e .

are sorry we cannot settle the question W e confess (if t h e .

reader will allow u s to suppose that we shall go to heaven ,

which does not require much modesty considering all thos e ,

w h o appear to be certain o f doing so ) w e would fain have a s

much company as possible ; and He was Of no di ff erent
Opinion who told us that a time should com e when t h e
,

s ucking child S hould play with the asp W e se e t h at t h e .

’
po et had no more Obj ection to his dog s company i n a state
o f bliss than t h e
, poor Indian Of whom he [ Pope ] S peak s
,
”

in his Essay W e think w e could name other celebrated

.

authors who would as lief take their dogs into the next
,

world as a king o r a bishop and yet they hav e no obj ection

,

to either W e m a y conceive much less pleasant additions

.

to o u r society than a flock Of doves which indeed have a , , ,

certain fitness for an Elysian state W e would confine o u r .

argument to o n e simple question which the candid re ader ,

”
will allow us t o ask him D oes not To m ki n s go to heaven ?
It is difficult to thin k that man y beasts and b ir ds are not a s
fi t to go to heaven at once as many human beings peopl e —

w h o talk Of their seats there with as much confidence as if

they had booked their names for them at a box O ffi c e TO -

o u r humble taste t h e goodness and kindness in t h e c o u n t e

,

nanc e Of a faithful dog are things that appear almost as fit

fo r heaven as serenity in a human bein g The prophets Of .

Old in their visions saw nothi n g to hinder them from j oining

, ,

t h e faces o f other animals with those Of men The spiri t .

that moved the animal was everything .

It was the Opinion Of a late writer that t h e immortality ,

o f the soul depended o n the cultivation Of the inte llect He .

could not conceive how the se t s and fools that ab ound o n

t his earth could have any pretensions to eternity o r with

w hat feelings they were to enter upon their new condition .

There appears to be too much O f the pride o f intellect in this

Opinion and too little allowance for circumstances and yet
, ,

if the dispensation that is to take us to heaven is Of the

e xclusive k in d that some would make it this is surel y t h e ,

m ore nobl e dogma .

To conclude with the ple a s ant a n imals with whom w e

 80 L E I G H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 .

“
good fo r e vil returned him by a greater th a n hi m self fo r
the eye o f imagination sees farther than the glasses of
as t ronomy I should say that the poets had praised their
.

scorner too much , illustrious as he is , if it were not delight

ful to see that there is at least o n e faculty i n the world
which knows how to do j ustice t o all the rest O f all the .

universal privileges o f poetry this is o n e o f the most ,

peculiar and mark s her for what she is The m a t h e m a t i

, .

e ia n the schoolman the wit the statesman a n d the soldier

, , , , ,

may a l l be blin d to t h e merits o f poetry and o f o n e another ; ,

but the poet by the privilege which he possesses o f recog

,

n i z i n g every species o f truth is aware o f the m erits o f ,

mathematics o f learning o f wit o f politics and o f general

, , , ,

ship He is great in his o wn art , and he is great i n his

.

appreciation o f that o f others And this is most remarkable .

in proportion as he is a po e t i c a l poet f a high lover o f fiction -

.

“
Milton brought the visible and the invisi ble together o n
the t o p o f Fiesole to pay homage t o G alileo ; and the Tuscan
,

deserved it for he had an insight into the world of imagi

,

n ation . I cannot but fancy the sha de o f N ewton blushing

to reflect that among the many things which he professed
,

t o kn o w n o t poetry was omitted o f which he knew n othi n g

, , .

G reat as he was he indeed saw nothing in the face o f N ature

,

but its lines and colours not the lines and colours o f passion
and sentiment included but only squares and their distances , ,

and the anatomy o f the rainbow He thought the earth a .

glorious planet he knew it better than any o n e el se in its ,

connection with other planets and yet half the beauty o f

them all that which sympathy bestows and imagination
“

colours was to him a bl ank He took S pac e t o be t h e sen

, .

(
s o r i u m o f t h e D eity so n oble a fancy could be struck o u t

o f the involuntary encounter between his intense sense o f a

mystery and the imagination he despised and yet this very —

fancy was but an esca pe from the horror of a vacuum an d ,

a substitution o f the mere consciousness of existen ce fo r t h e

thoughts and images with which a poet would have aecom
a n i e d it He imagined the form o f the house and t h e
p .
,

presence o f the builder ; but the life and the variety t h e ,

painti n gs the imagery and the music — the loves and t h e

, ,

j oy s t h e whole riches of the place the whole riches in t h e

, ,

distance the creations h eaped upon creation a n d t h e

, ,

p artic u l ar as well a s a ggregate consciousness o f all this in

 FI CTION A ND MA TTER OF FA CT . 2 8:

the great mind o f w hose presence h e w a s con scious — to all

this his want o f im a gination rendered h i m insensible Th e .

F a i i y Queen was t o him a trifle ; the dreams of S h a k spe a r e

”

i ngenious nonse n se B u t C ourts were some t hi n g and s o

.
,

were t h e fashions there W hen t h e name o f the D eity w a s .

m entioned he to ok o ff h i s hat
,

To lov e matter o f fact is to have a lively sens e o f t h e

visible and immediate t o love fiction is t o h ave as lively a ,

sense o f the possible and the remote N o w these two senses .

,

if they exist at all are o f necessity as real the o n e as t h e

, ,

other The only pr oof o f either i s in o u r pe rception To

. .

a blind man the most v isible colours no more exist than

,

the hues o f a fairy tale t o a man destitute o f fancy To a .

m a n o f fancy who sheds tears over a ta le the chair in which

, ,

he sits has n o truer existence in i t s way than the story that

m oves him His being touched is his proof in both
.

instances .

But says the mechanical understanding m odern dis

, ,

c o v e r i e s have acquainted u s with the cause o f lightni n g a n d

thunder the nature o f optical delusions and fifty other

, ,

apparent wonders ; and therefore there is n o more to be

feigned about them .

W hen an understandi n g o f this description is told th a t

thunder is caused by a collision o f clouds and that light ,

ning i s a well k nown result o f electricity t here may be a n

-

e n d if he p l eases
,
o f his poetry with h i m
, He may if .
,

he thinks fit o r if he cannot help it no longer see any

, ,

thing i n the lightning but the escape o f a subtl e fluid o r ,

hear anything m ore n oble in the thunder than the crack of

a bladder o f water Much good may h i s ignoranc e do him
. .

But it is not so with understandings of a loftier o r a more

popular kind The wonder o f children and the lofty S pe c u
.
,

l a t i o n s o f t h e wise meet alike o n a point higher than h e

, ,

can attain t o and look over the threshold o f the world

, .

Mechanical knowl edge is a great and a glorious t o ol i n the

hands o f man and will change the globe But it will still
, .

leave untouched the invisibl e sphere above and about u S

still leave us all the great a d all the gentle objec t s o f n

poetry the heavens and the human heart the regions o f

—
,

genii and fairies the fanciful o r passionate images t h at come

,

to u s from the seas and from the flowers and all that w e , ,

behold .
2 82 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

It is in fact remarkable th a t the growth o f sci ence a n d

, , , ,

the reappearance o f a more po e tical kind o f poetry hav e ,

accompanied o n e another W hatever may b e t h e differenc e

.

o f opi nion as to t h e e xtent to whi ch o u r modern poets hav e

carried their success th eir inclinations cannot b e doubted

, .

How is it that poetical impulse has t a k e n this t u rn i n a .

generation pronounced to b e so mechanical ? W henc e has

arisen among us this exceedi n g fondness for t h e fictions o f
the Ea st fo r solitary an d fanciful reveries fo r the wil d tast e
, ,

o f the G ermans th emselves more scientific and wild tha n

(
e ver ) and even for a n e w and more primitive use o f the o l d
,

Pagan mythology s o long and so mechanically abused by

,

the Chlo e s and Venuses o f the French ? Politics may b e

thought a very unlikely caus e for poetry and it is so with ,

mere politicians ; yet poli t ics pushed fa r t h e r t h a n common

, ,

have been the cause o f the n e w and greater impetus given

to the sympathies o f imagination A little philosophy says .
,

Bacon tak es men away from religion ; a greater brings them

,

round to it This is the case with the reasoning faculty

.

and poetry W e reason to a certain point an d are content

.
,

with the d i scoveries o f second causes W e reason farther , .

and find ourselves i n t h e sam e airy depths as o f o l d Th e .

im a gination recogniz e s its ancient field and begins ranging ,

about at will doubly bent upon liberty be caus e o f t h e

, ,

trammels with which it h a s been threatened .

Tak e the following Apologue — D u ring a wonderful .

e riod o f the world t h e kings o f t h e earth leagued the m

p ,

se lves to gether to destroy all opposition ; to root o u t if they ,

could t h e very thoughts o f mankind Inquisition wa s mad e

, .

fo r blood Th e e ars o f t h e grovelli ng lay i n wait fo r e very

.

murmur O n a sudden during this great hour o f danger

.
, ,

there arose in a hundred parts o f t h e world a cry to which ,

the cry o f t h e Blatan t Beast was a whisper It proce e ded .

from the wonderful multiplication o f an extraordinary

creature which h a d al ready turned the cheek s o f the tyrants
,

pallid It groaned and it grew loud : it spok e wi th a

.

hundred tongues it grew fervidly o n the ear like the n oise ,

o f millions o f wheels And the sound o f millions o f wheels

.

w a s in it together with other marvellous and awful noises

, .

There Wa s t h e sharpening o f swords the braying o f ,

trumpets the neighing o f war horses , the laughter of solem n

,
-

voices the rushin g by o f lights the movement o f impatient

, ,
2 84 L EIG H HU NT S ES SAYS i
.

Paris G resset t h e author o f it m arried and lived i n

, , , ,

retirement He died in 1 7 7 7 beloved by everybody but

.
,

the critics C ritics were not the good natured people i n

.
-

those times which they have lately become ; and they worried
him as a matter o f course becaus e he was o r i g i n a l He was
,

intimate with Jean Jacques Rousseau The self tormenti n g .

-

and somewhat affecte d philosopher cam e to see him i n

his retreat ; and being interrogated respecting his mis
“
fortunes said to him Y o u have mad e a parrot S peak ;
, ,
”
but you will find it a harder tas k w i th a bear .

G resset wrote other p oe ms and a comedy which a r e ,

admired but t h e Parrot is the feather in his cap It w a s .

an addition to t h e sto ck Of original ity and h a s greater ,

right perhaps than the L utrin to challe n ge a comparison

“ ”
with the R a pe o f the L ock This is spo k en with deference .

to better French scholars ; but there is at least more Of

’
Pope s delicacy a n d inventio n in t h e Ver Vert than in t h e -

L utrin ; and it does not depend S O much as the latter upon

a mimicry o f t h e cl ass ic s It i s l ess mad e up o f wha t
.

preceded it .

I must m e ntion that a subj ect o f this n atur e is o f

n ecessi t y mor e piquant i n a C atholic country than a
Protest ant But the loss Of poor Ver Vert s purity Of
-
.
-
’

s peech comes hom e to all C hristendom ; and it is hard

if the tender imaginations o f the fair sex do not sympathize

everywhere both with parrot a n d w ith nu n s W hen the .

poem appeared in France it touched the fibres o f t h e whol e ,

polite world male and female A Ministe r Of S tate mad e

,
.

the author a present o f a coffee service in porcelain o n -

which was pa i nted in t h e most delicat e colours the whol e

, ,
“
history of the immortal bird I f I had t h e leisure and .

the m eans Of Mr Roge r s nothing S hould hinder me from

.
,

trying t o outdo (in o n e respect ) the delicacy Of his publica

tions in versifying a subj ect so worthy Of vellum and
,
’
m orocco The paper should b e a s soft a s t h e novices lips
.
,

the regi ster as rose coloured ; every canto should have —

vignettes from the hand o f S tothard and t h e binding

S hould be green and gold the colours o f the hero , .

Alas and must all this end in a prose abstract and an ,

a nti climax
-
W eep all ye little loves and G races y e ,

V eneres C u pi di n e s q u e l
Et q u ant u m e st h o m i n u m ve n u s t i o r u m .
 VER VERT— TH E PARR O T OF TH E N U NS
- . 2 35

But first e nable us for o u r goodwi ll to relat e t h e story

, , ,

albeit we cannot do it j ustice .

At N evers i n t h e C onvent Of the Visitation lived not

, , ,

long ago a famous parrot His talents and good temper

,
.
,

nay the virtues he possessed beside s h i s more earthly

, ,

graces would hav e rendered his whole life as happy a s

,

a portion o f it if happiness ha d been mad e for hearts

,

like h i s .

Ver Vert (for such was his name ) w a s brought early from
-

his native country ; and while yet in his tender yea rs and ,

ignorant o f everything w a s S hut up i n this convent for h i s

,

good He was a handsome creature brilliant spruce and

.
, , ,

full o f spirits with all the candour and amiableness natural

,

to his time o f life in nocent withal as could b e in short a , .

bird worthy o f such a blessed cage H i s very prattl e .

showed him born fo r a convent .

W hen we say that nuns u ndertak e to look after a thing ,

we say all N 0 need t o enter into the delicacy Of their

.

attentions N obody could rival the affection which w a s

.

borne o u r hero by every mother i n t h e convent except t h e ,

co n fessor and even with r e spect to him a sincere M S h a s , .

left it o n record that in more than o n e heart the bird had

,

t h e advantag e Of t h e holy father He pa rtook at any .

,

rate o f a l l the pretty sops and syrups with which the clear
,

father i n G o d (thanks to t h e k i ndness o f the sweet nuns )

c ons oled his re verend stom a ch N uns have leisure : they .

have also loving hearts Ver Vert w a s a legitimate Object .

-

o f att a chment and h e b ecame the soul o f the place

, Al l .

the house loved him e xce pt a few Old nuns whom time and ,

the tooth a ch e re n dered j eal o us surveyors o f t h e young ones .

N o t having ar rived at years o f di scretion t oo much j udg ,

ment wa s not e xpected o f him He s a id and did what h e .

p l e ased and everything

,
was found charming He lightened .

the labours Of t h e good sisters by his engaging ways

pull i ng their veils and pecking their stom a chers N 0 party
, .

could b e pleas ant if he w a s n o t there to s hine and to sidl e

about ; to fl u tter and t o whistle and play the nighting al e , .

S port h e did that is certain ; and yet h e h a d all t h e

,

modesty all t h e prudent dari n g and submission in t h e

,

midst o f his pretensions which becam e a novice even i n , ,

sporting Twenty tongues were incessantly as king him

.

q uestions and h e answered with propriety t o every o n e

, It .
2 86 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AY S .

was t hu s of Old that Caesar dict a ted t O four perso n s a t

, ,

once in four different styles .

O u r favourite had the whole range Of the house He .

preferred dining in the refectory where h e a t e as h e ,

pleased I n the intervals o f t h e table being Of an inde

.
,

fatigable stomach he amused his palat e with pocket loads

,
-

o f sweetmeats which the nuns always carried about fo r him .

D el icate attentions ingenious and preventing care s were , ,

born they say among the nuns o f t h e Visitation Th e

, , .

happy Ver Vert h a d re as on t o think so He had a b e tter

-
.

pl a ce o f it than a parrot at C ourt He lay , lapped up as it .

,

were in the very glove o f contentment

,
.

At bedtime h e repai red to whateve r cell h e chose and ,

happy too happy wa s the blessed S ister whose retreat a t

,

t h e return o f nightfall it plea sed him to honour with hi s

presence He seldom lodged with t h e Old ones
. Th e .

novices with their simpl e be ds were more t o hi s taste ;

, ,

which y o u must Obs erve had a l ways a pecul iar turn for ,

propriety He had t h e ple a sure o f witnessing t h e toilet o f

.

t he fresh little nun for between ourselves (and I say it in

a whisper ) nuns hav e toilets Plain veils requir e to b e pu t .

o n properly as well a s lac e and diamo n ds

,
Furthermore .
,

they have their fashion s and modes There i s an art a .

,

gusto in these things inseparabl e from their natures , .

S ackcloth its e lf may sit well Huckaba ck may hav e an air . .

But let that r est I say all in confidenc e ; so now t o

.

return to o u r h e r e .

In this blissf u l state Of indolenc e Ver Vert pa ssed h i s -

time without a care — without a moment o f en n u i — lord ,

undisputed Of all hearts For him sister Agatha fo r g e t

,
.

her sparrows ; for him , o r becaus e o f him four canary ,

birds died o u t o f rage and spit e— for him a couple o f ,

tom cats once in favour took to their cushi ons and never
-

, , ,

after wards held up their heads .

W h o could have foreboded in t h e course Of a life so ,

charming that the morals o f o u r h e r e were tak en care o f

, ,

only to b e ruined ! that a day should arise a day full o f ,

guilt and astonishment when Ver Vert the idol o f so many ,

-

hearts should b e nothing but an Obj ect of pity and horror !

,

L e t us husband o u r tears as long as possibl e for com e ,

they must : sad frui t of t h e over t e nder car e o f o u r dea r -

l ittl e S isters !
 88 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
'

2 .

loved ; polished perfumed cockered up t h e v e ry pink o f

, , ,

perfection happy in short if he had never travelled , , .

But n o w comes t h e time o f miserable memory the critical ,

minute in which his glory is to be eclipsed O guilt ! O .

shame O cruel recoll e ction ! Fatal j ourney why must we ,

see thy calamities beforehand ? Alas ! a great name is a

pe rilous thing Y our retired lot is by much the safest
. .

L e t this example my friends S ho w you that too many , ,

talents and to o flattering a success Ofte n bring in their

, ,
’
trai n the rui n o f one s virtue .

The renown o f thy brilliant achievements Ver Vert ,

-

spread itself abroad o n every side even as far as N antes , .

There as everybody kno w s is another meek fold O f t h e

, ,

reverend Mothers o f the Visitation — ladies who as else ,

where in this country Of ours are by n o means t h e last to ,

kno w everything TO hear of o u r parrot was to desir e t o

.

see him ; and desire , at all times and in everybody is a ,

devouring flame .

Behol d then at one blow twenty heads turned for a

, , ,

parrot The ladies Of N antes wrote to N evers to beg that

.
,

th i s bewitching bird might be allowed to come down to t h e

L oi r e a n d pay them a visit
,
The letter i s sent O ff ; but .

when ah when will com e t h e answer

, , In somethi n g less
than a fortnight .

At lengt h the epistle arrive s a t N e vers Tremendous .

e vent !
“
W hat ! lose Ver Vert ! O heavens ! W hat are -

we to do in thes e desolat e holes and corners without t h e

darling bird
The fatal moment arrives ; everythi n g is ready ; courage
must be summoned to bid adieu H o w many kisses did not .

Ver Ve r t receive o n goin g o u t ! They retain him : they

-

bathe him w ith tears : his attractions redoub le at every

step N evertheless he is a t length outside the walls he i s
.
,

g one .

The sam e vagabond of a boat which contained the sacred

bird contained also a coupl e o f giggling damsels three
, ,

dragoons a wet nurse a monk an d t w o gar cons ; pretty

,
-

, ,

society for a young thing j ust o u t o f a monastery !

Ver Vert thought himself in another world It was n o
-
.

longer te xts and orisons with which h e w a s treated but ,

w ords which h e never heard before and thos e words ,

n o n e o f the mo st C hristian The dragoons , a r ac e n o t . .

 VER VER T— TH E PARR O T O F TH E N U NS
-
. 2 89

e minent for devotion spok e n o language but that o f t h e

,

ale house
-
All their hymns to beguile t h e road wer e in
.

honour O f Bacchus ; all their movable fe as ts consiste d only

in those Of the ordinary The garcons and the three n e w .

G races k ept up a concert in t h e t a ste Of the allies

. The .

boatmen cursed and swore , a n d mad e horrible rhymes ;

t ak ing care by a mascul ine articulation that n ot a syllable
, ,

S hould los e its vigour Ver Vert melancholy and fright

.
-

e ned sat dumb in a corner

,
He knew not what to say o r .

t hink .

In t h e c o u r se Of t h e voyage t h e company resolved t o

_
,
“ ”
fetch o u t o u r hero The t a sk fell o n Brother L ubi n the
.

m on k who put some questions to t h e handsome forlorn

,
.

The benign bird answered i n his best manner He sighed .

with a formality the most finished an d said in a pedantic ,

“ “ ” ”
tone ,
Hail S ister ! At this
,
Hail you may j udge ,

whether the hearers shouted with lau ghter Eve ry tongu e .

fell o n poor Father Parrot .

O u r novic e bethought withi n h i m that he must hav e ,

spoken amiss He began to consider, that if he would be

.

well with the fair po r tion o f the com pany he must adopt ,

the style o f their friends Being naturally O f a daring soul .

,

and having been hitherto well fumed with i ncense his ,

modesty wa s not proof against S O much contempt Ver .

Ver t los t his patience ; and in losing his patience alas ! ,

poor fello w he lost his innocence He even began inwardly

, .
, ,

to mu t ter ungr a cious curses against the good S isters h i s ,

instructors for n o t having taught him the true refinements

,

Of the French la n guage its nerve and its delicacy H e , .

accordingly set himself to learn them with all his might n o t

speak ing much it is true but not the less inwardly studying
, ,

for all that I n two days (such is the progress o f e vil in

.

young minds ) he forgot all that had been taught him and ,

in less th an three was as O ff han d a s w earer as any i n t h e -

boat It h as been said that nobody becomes abandoned at

.
,

once Ver Vert scorned the saying He had a contempt

.
-

for any more novitiates He became a blackguard i n t h e .

t win k ling Of an eye In short o n o n e o f the boatmen ex

.
,
”
claiming G O t o the devil
, Ver Vert echoed the wretch ! ,
-

The company applauded and h e swore again N a y he swore , .

,

o ther oaths A new v a nity se ized him ; and degrading h is

.

U
29
0 t EIe H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

g e n e rou s organ he now felt no other ambition but that O f

,

pleasing the wicked .

Meanwhile the boat was approachin g the town of N antes

, .
,

where the n e w sisters Of the Visitation expected it with i m

patience The days and nights had never been so long
. .

D uring all their torments however they had the imag e o f , ,

the comin g angel before them t h e polished soul the bird —

,

Of noble breeding the tender sincere and edifying voice

, , ,

behaviour sentiments— distinguished merit Oh grief what

,
—

i s it all to come to ?
Th e boat arrives ; the passengers disembark A lay sister .
-

o f the turning box w a s waiting in the dock where s h e had

-

been over and over again at stated tim es ever since t h e ,

letters were despatched Her looks darting over the water .

, ,

seemed t o hasten t h e vessel that conveyed o u r hero Th e .

r a scal guess e d her business at first sight Her prudish .

e yes letting a look o u t at the corner her great coif whit e

, , ,

gloves dying voice and little pendant cross wer e n o t to b e

, , ,

mistaken Ver Vert ruffled his feathers with disgust

.
-

There is reason to believe that he gave her internally to t h e

devil He was now all for t h e army and could not bear t h e
.
,

thought o f new ceremonies and litanies However my .

,

gentleman w a s obliged to submit The lay sister carried .

-

him O ff i n spite Of his vociferatio n s They say h e bit her in .

,

going ; some say in the neck others o n the arm I believ e ,

.

it is n o t well known where he h i t her ; but the circumstance

is o f no consequence O ff he went The devotee was se e n . .

withi n the convent and t h e visitor s arrival was announced,

’
.

At t h e first sound Of t h e news the h e l l was set r inging ,

.

’
Th ey shriek they clap their hands they fly
,
“
Tis he ,
.
,
”
Th e great
’
S is te r ! Tis h e ! He is in t h e great parlour !
pa rlour is filled in a twi n kling Even the Old nuns marching .
,

i n order forget the weight o f their years

,
The whole hous e .

was grown young again It is said to have been o n this .

o ccasion that Mot h er Angelica ran for the first tim e .

At length t h e blessed S pect a cle bursts upon t h e good

S isters .They cannot satiat e their eyes with admiri n g and
in truth the rascal was n o t the less handsome for being les s
,

virtuous His m ilitary look and pe t i t m a i t r e airs gave him

.
-

e ven a new charm All mouths burst out in his praise all
.

at once He howeve r does not deign to utter o n e piou s

.
, ,

Word , but stands rolling his eyes G rief t h e first Ther e . .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
2 92 .

But what w a s the despair when he return e d hom e and , ,

would fain have given his Old instructors a li k e serenade !

N ine venerable sisters their e yes in tears their senses con , ,

fused with horror their veils two deep condemned him i n

, ,

full conclav e The younger ones , who might have spoken

.

for h i m wer e n o t al lowed to b e present O n e o r t wo were

, .

for sending him back t o the vess el ; but t h e majority r e

solved upon keepi n g and chastisi n g him H e was sentenced .

’
t o two months abstinence , thre e o f imprisonment , and four
o f silence .

C overed with sham e and instructed by misfortune o u r ,

h e r e at last found himself contrite He forgot the dragoons .

and the monk and once mor e in unison with t he holy sisters
,

both in m atter and manner becam e more devout tha n a ,

canon W hen they were sure of h is conversion t h e diva n

.
,

reassembled and agreed t o shorten the term Of h i s pe nit e nc e

, .

Judge if the day o f his deliverance was a day Of j oy ! All

his future moments consecrated to gratitude were t o b e
, ,

S pun by th e hands Of love and security 0 faithless plea .

s ure O vain expectation Of mortal deli ght All t h e

dormitories were dressed with flo wers Exqu i sit e coffe e .
,

s ongs l ively exercise an amiable tumult o f pleasure a

, , ,

plenary indulgence Of liberty all breathed o f love and ,

delight ; nothing announced the coming adve rsity But O .

,

indiscreet liberality O fatal o v e r fl o w i n g n e ss o f the heart s

o f nuns Passing too quickly from abstinence t O abundance ,

from the hard bosom Of misfortune to whol e seas o f sweet

ness saturated with sugar and set o n fi r e with liqueurs ,
,

Ver Vert fell o n e day o n a box Of sweetmeats , and lay o n

-

h i s deathbed His roses were all changed to cypre ss In

. .

vain t h e sis t e rs endeavoured to recall his fle e ting spirit .

The sweet ex c ess had hastened his destiny an d the fortunate ,

victim Of love expired in the bosom o f pleasur e

. .
 C RITICIS M ON FEMA L E B EAU TY . 293

A N EV EN I N G W ITH P OP E .

R EP O RT ED B Y A Y O U N G G EN T L EM A N W H O D IN ED W IT H 11 m .

(T he New M o n thly M a g a z i n e ,
J u ne

J uly 4, 1 72 7
.

Y ES T ER D A Y w asa day Of delight I dined with Mr Pope . . .

The only persons present wer e t h e venerable lady his

mother Mrs Martha Blou nt and Mr W a l sc o t t a great
, .
, .
,

Tory but as great a lover o f D ryden which Mr Pope wa s

, .

pleased to inform m e was the reason he had invited me t o

me et him Mr Pope was i n black with a tie wig I coul d
. .
,
-
.
’

not help regarding him a s he sa t leaning in his armchair

,

before dinner in the light Of a portrait for posterity W he n

, .

he came into the room , after kindly m a king m e welcome ,

he took some flowers o u t o f a little bask et that he had

brought wit h him and presented them not to Mrs Martha
, , .
,

who seemed to look as if she expected it but to Mrs Pope , .

which I thought very pretty an d like a gentleman not i n ,

the ordinary way But the other had no reaso n t o be dis

.

ple a sed ; fo r turn in g t o her w ith the remainder he said ,

-

I was thinking o f a compliment to pay you ; so I have

done it .He fl a t t e r s with as m uch delicacy as S i r Richard
S teele ; and t h e ladies li k e it as much from him W hat .

fi n e shaped fellows have I see n , w h o c ould n o t c all u p half

-

such looks int o th e ir e yes

C RITI C I S M O N F EMA L E B EAUT Y .

(The Ne w M o n t hl y M a az
g i n e , J u ly an d A u g u st
C R ITIC IS M ,
for the most part is so partial splenetic an d , , ,

pedantic and has such little right to speak O f W hat it under

,
“ ”
tak es to censure that t h e words criticism o n beauty
,

soun d alm o st as ill as if a man were t o announce something

unpleasant upon something pleasant .

And certainly as criticism according to its general ,

practice consists in an endeavour to se t the art above its

,

betters and to render genius amenable to want Of genius

,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
294 .

( particularly in those m atters which by constituti n g t he ,

very essence o f it are the least felt by the men o f lin e and
,

rule ) so critics are bound by their trade to Obj ect to the

,

very pleasantest things D elight not being their business .

, ,

puts them o u t The first reviewer was Momus who found

.
,

fa u l t w i t h the G oddess Of Beauty

'

W e have sometimes fancied a review set up by this anti

divinity in heaven It would appear by late discoveries in
.
,

the history of the globe that as o n e species o f production , ,

has become extinct so new ones may have come into being
, .

N ow imagine the gods occasionally putting forth some new

,

work which is criticized in the Ol y m pi a n Revi e w C hloris

, .
,

t h e G oddess of Flowers , for instance mak e s a swe e tbriar , .

C R ITICIS M O N S WEETE IAR R

-
.

The S weetbriar a new bush by C hloris G oddess o f

, , ,

Flowers Rain a nd S u n 4 1 0 4
.
,
.

This is another hasty production Of a lady, whom w e

are anxious to meet with a more satisfied face Really we .
,

must say that she tires us The other day we had t h e

,
.

pi n k. It is n o t more t ha n a year ago that she flamed upon

u s with the h ea r t s ea s e
(pretty names these ) ; then w e wer e
all to be sunk into a bed o f luxury and red leaves by t h e
r o se and now e c c e i t er u m Rosi n a comes a n e w edition Of
, ,

the sam e e ffeminat e production altered but not amended , , ,

and made careless confused and full Of harsh points Thes e

, , .

the fair author we suppose takes for a dashing variety !

, ,

W h y does she not consult her friends ? W h y must w e b e

forced t o think that S h e mistak es her tal ents and that sh e ,

had b etter confine herself to th e production o f daisies and

dandelions ? Even the r o se which has been so much cried ,

u
p in certain quarters was not original It
,
was clearly .

suggested by that useful production o f an orthodox friend

Of ours the c a bba g e ; which has occasioned it to be pretty
-

generally called the c a bba g e r o se The s w e e t br i a r there -

.
,
~

fore is imitation upon imitation cr a m be (literally ) hi s c oc t a

, ,

[ cabbage twice cooked ] a thing not to be endured

, T O say .

t he truth which We wish to do with great tenderness con

, ,

s i de r i n g the author s sex this s w e e t br i a r hu e h is but a r

’
, ifa c i -

n z e n t o of the r o s e ba sh -

The only difference is tha t every

.
,

thi n g is done on a pettier scale the flowers hastily turned ,

2 96 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AY S ’
.

that t h e beauty w e a r e about t o paint should not inspir e us

with a g u st o equal to your own

C om e , then the colou rs and the g ro u nd prepare
, .

This inkstand is o u r palette W e handl e o u r pen as if th e re .

were the ri chest bit o f colour in the world at the end o f it :

The reds and whites look as if we could eat them L ook at .

that pe arly tip at t h e end o f the ear The very shade o f it .

has a glo w W hat a light o n t h e forehead

. W hat a
moisture o n the lip W hat a soul twenty fathom deep in , ,

t h e eyes ! L ook at us madam if you please The eye right, ,

.

o n ours The forehead a little more inclined G ood W hat

. . .

an expression ! Raphael i t is clear to m e that you have —

-

n o t the feeling we have : fo r you could p a in t such a portrait ,

and we cannot W e cannot paint after t h e life Titian ,

. .

how could y o u contrive it ? Apelles may we tro u ble you t o ,

explain yourself 2 It i s luc k y fo r the poets that thei r

mistresses a r e n o t obliged t o sit to them They would never .

write a line Even a prose —writer is ba ffled H o w Raphael

. .

managed in the Palazzo Chigi h o w S a c c h i n i contrived when —

,
“ ”
he wrote his Rinaldo and Armida with Armida by h i s ,

side is beyond o u r comprehension W e can call t o m ind

—
.
,

but we cannot copy Fair presence avaunt ! W e conjure .

,

o u o u t o f our study as o n e o f o u r brother writers in an

y
-

, ,

ago n y o f article might hand a way his brid e , t h e printer

,

having sent to him fo r copy .

R T ES S ENTIAL TO B EA U TY
A H EA .

Be auty itsel f i s a very poor thi ng unless b e a u t i fi e d by

s e ntiment Th e reader may take the con fession a s he pleases
.
,

either a s a n insta nc e o f abundance o f sentiment o n o u r part ,

o r a s an e v idence o f want o f proper ardour and impartiality ; ‘

but we cannot (and that is t h e plain truth ) thin k the most

beautiful creature be autiful o r b e a t a l l affected by h e r o r , ,

long to sit n ext her o r go to a theatre with h e r o r listen to

, ,

a concert with her o r walk in a field o r a f orest w ith h e r

, ,

o r call her by her C hristia n name o r ask her if she likes ,

poetry o r tie (w ith any sati sfaction ) h e r gown fo r her o r

, ,

b e asked whether we admire her shoe o r ta k e her arm e ve n ,

into a dining room o r kis s her at C hrist m as o r o n A pril

-

, ,

fool day o r o n May day o r o n any other day o r dre a m o f

, , ,
 C RITIC IS M O N F EMA L E B EAU TY . 2 97

her o r wake thinking o f h e r o r feel a wa nt in t h e room

, ,

when she has gone o r a pleasure the more when sh e a p ,

‘

pears unless she h a s a heart a s well as a face and is a

—
,

prope r good te m pered natural sincere honest girl who h a s

-

, , , ,

a love fo r other people an d other thi n gs apart from self ,

reference and the wish to be admired Her face would pall .

upon us in the course o f a wee k o r even becom e disagreea b le ,

.

W e should prefer a n e namelled teacu p ; fo r we should

e xpect nothing from it .

’
n a m vm m xn s s H AND .

W e remember the impression m ade o n u s by a fem al e

plaster cast hand sold in the shops as a model It is beau
-

, .

t if u ll y t urned though w e th ought it somewhat t o o plump

,

and well fed The fingers however are delicately tapered

-

.
, ,

the outline flowi n g and graceful W e fancied it to hav e .

belonged to some j ovial beauty a little too fat and festive , ,

but laughing withal and as full o f good nature The po s ,

-
.

se sso r told us it was the hand o f M adame B r i n v i l l i e r s t h e ,

famous poisoner The word was no sooner S poken than w e

.
,

shrank from it a s if it had been a toad It was n o w literally .

hideous t h e fat seemed sweltering and full o f poison Th e .

beauty added to the deformity Y o u resented the grace .

y o u shrank from the look o f smoothness as from a snak e , .

This woman went to the scaffold with as much indifference

as she distributed her poisons The character o f her m ind .

was insensibility The stro n gest o f excitements was to her

.

what a cup o f tea is to other people And such is the cha .

re eter more o r less o f all mere beauty N ature if o n e may

, ,
.
,

so speak does n o t seem t o intend it t o be beautiful I t

, .

looks as if it were created in order to show what a nothi n g

the formal part o f beauty is without t h e spirit o f it ,
.

H AI R .

Hair should be abu n dant soft flexibl e growing in lo n g , , ,

locks o f a colour suitable t o t h e skin thick in the m ass

, , ,

delicate and distinct i n the particular The mode o f wearing .

it should differ Those w h o have it growing l o w i n the nap e

.

o f the neck should pr e fer wearing it in loc k s han gi n g down

, ,

rather than turne d u p with a comb The gathering it .

,

however , i n that manner is delicate and fe m inine and suits ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
298 .

m any I n general the mode o f wearing the hair is to b e

.
,

regulated accordi n g to the shape o f t h e head Ringlets .

hanging about the forehead suit almost everybody O n t h e .

other hand the fashion o f parting the hair smoothly , and

,

drawi n g it tight back o n either side is becoming to few ,

.

It has a loo k o f vanity instead o f simplicity The face , .

must do everything for it which is asking too much e spe ,

c ia ll
y as hair in its freer state is the ornament intended
, ,

for it by nature Hair is to the human aspect what foliag e

.
,

is to the landscape This analogy is so stri k i n g that it has

.
,

been compared to flowers and even to fr u it The G reek ,

.

and o ther poets talk o f hyacinthine locks o f clustering locks ,

(an image tak en from grapes ) o f locks like tendrils Th e , .

favourite epithet for a G reek beauty was wel l h a ired ; and —

the same epithet was applied to woods Apuleius say s that .

Venus hersel f , if she were bald would not be Venus ,

.

O vid and Anacreon t h e two greatest masters o f t h e ,

ancient world in painting external beauty seemed to hav e ,

preferred auburn to golden notwithstandi n g the popular ,

cry i n the other s favour The L atin poet in his fourteenth

’
.
,

love elegy speak i ng o f tresses which h e says Apollo would

,

have envied and which he prefers to those o f Venus as

,

Apelles painted h e r tells us that they wer e neither black

,

nor golden but m ixed as it were o f both And h e com

, , ,
.

pares them to cedar o n the declivities o f Ida with the bark ,

stripped Th is implies a dash o f tawny W e have seen

. .

pine trees in a southern e veni n g su n tak e a lustrous bur

-

n i sh e d aspect between dark and golden a good deal lik e ,

what we conceive to be the colour he alludes to Anacreon .

describe s hair o f a similar beauty His touch a s usual, i s .

,

brief and exquisite :

T a u év é’ v do fle v, u e h a l y a s, ,

T a 6 6 s, dtcpo r , i yh t cbo a s
’ ' '
'
.

D p ee ening inwardly a du n ,

Sp k ar l ing g olden next the su n , .

W hich Ben Jons on has rendered in a lin e

G old u pon a g ro u nd o f b lack .

P e r h a ps , t h e
true auburn is something more lustrous through
o u t and more metallic than this
,
The cedar with the bark .

stripped looks m ore like it At all events , t hat i t i s n o t .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
3 00 .

They were thought equally beautiful and indicativ e o f

wisdom and if the portraits o f the gr e at m e n o f that da y
are t o be trusted wisdom and high foreheads were cert ai n l y
,

ofte n found together O f lat e years physiognomists hav e

.
,

declared for the wisdom o f strai t and compact foreh e ads ,

rather than high ones W e must o w n w e hav e seen very

.

silly persons wi th both It must be allowed at the sam e

.
,

time that a very retreating forehead is apt to be no aecom

,

pa n i m e n t o f wit W ith regard to high ones they are often

.
,

confounded with foreheads merely bald and baldness ,

whether natural o r otherwise is never handsome ; though ,

in men it sometimes takes a chara cter o f simplicity and

firmness According t o t h e G reeks w h o are reckoned to
.
,

h ave been the greatest j udges o f beauty t h e high forehea d ,

never bor e the palm A certain conciseness carried it

. .

”
Frons debet ess e plana candida tenuis brevis pura says, , , , ,
”
J unius in his D e P i c t u r a V e t e r u m
,
A forehead should .

be smooth and even white delicate short and o f an open and

, , , ,
”
cheerful character Ariosto has expressed it in two words ,
.

perhaps i n o ne D i t e r s o a vorio e r a l a front e li e t a

Terse ivory w a s h e r forehead g lad .

A large bare forehead giv e s a woma n a ma culi n e and d e fy s

ing look Th e word effrontery comes from it The hair

. .

should be brought o ve r such a fore h e a d , a s vines a r e trailed

‘

ove r a wall .

EYES .

The finest ey e s a r e thos e that unit e sense and sweetne s s .

They should be abl e to sa y much and all charmingly Th e .

look o f sense is proportioned to the depth from which the

‘

thought seems to issue ; t h e look o f sweetness t o an habitual

readiness o f sym pathy an unaff ected willingness to pleas e
,

and be pleased W e need not be j ealous o f eyes lik e thos e

.

o f G ertr u de o f W yoming

Afi e c t i o n a t e and g lad ,

That seem to love whate er they loo k u pon

’
.

They have always a good stock in reserv e for their favourit e s

especial ly if lik e thos e mentioned by t h e poet they are con
, ,

versant with books and nature G ive u s an eye that draws .

e qu a lly from head abov e and heart be neath that is equally

 C R ITICI S M O N FEMA L E B EAU TY .
30 1

full ofideas and feelings o f intuition and sensation l f,

.

e i t h e 1 must predominate let it be the heart ,

Mere beauty .

is nothing at any t i m e but a doll and should be packed up ,

and sent to Brobdingnag The colour o f the eye is a very

.

secondary matter Black eyes a r e thought the brightest

.
,

blue the most feminine grey the keenest It depends ,

.

e ntirely o n t h e spirit within .

L arge eyes were admired in G reece where they still pre ,

vail They are the finest o f all when they have the internal
.
,

look ; which is not common The stag o r antelope eye of .

the O rientals is beautiful and lamping but is a ccused o f ,

looking skittish and in d i fferent Homer calls Juno o x eyed .

-

a n d the epithet suits well with the eyes o f that goddess ,

becaus e she may be supposed w ith all her beauty to want , ,

a cert ain humanity Her large eyes l ook at you with a

.

royal indifference S h a k spe a r e has kissed them and ma de

.
,

them human S peaking o f violets he describes them as

.
,

being
S weeter than t h e l i ds o f J u no s eyes
’
.

This is shutting up their pride and sub j ecting them to t h e ,

lips o f love .

I n attending to t h e hair and eyes we have forgotten t h e ,

e yebrows and the shape o f the head They shall be de

,
.

s pa t c h e d befor e we come to the lips ; as the table is cleared

before the dessert .

EYEB R O WS .

S h a k spe a r e se e ms t o j es t upon this eminence whe n , he

speaks of a lover
S i g h ing l i k e a f u rnace w i th a woe fu l b al l ad
,

Made to h i s m i stress ey e b ro w
’
.

Marot m e ntions a po e m o n an eyebrow which was the talk ,

o f the C ourt o f Francis the First The G reeks admired .

eyebrows that almost met It depends upon the character .

o f the rest o f t h e face Meeting eyebrows may give a sens e

.

and animation to look s that might otherwise be t o o feminine .

They have certainly not a foolish look Boccaccio i n his .

,
”
Am e to where he gives several pictures of beautiful w omen
, ,

S peak s m o r e than once o f di sj oined eyeb r ows An arched eye .

brow was a lways In q uest ; but i t Is a g I e e d o n all hands that

a fe m al e eyebro w ought t o b e delicate and nicely penci l led .
,
3 92 LEIG H H U NTS ES S A YS ’
.

TH E C H EEK .

The cheek is the se a t o f great beauty and sentim e nt S i r .

“
Philip S idney in his Arcadia has touched it with no less
, ,

delicacy and more sentiment than Anacreon

, Her cheek s
blushing and withal when sh e was spoken to a little smil
, , ,

ing were like roses when their leaves a r e with a littl e b reath
,
”
stirred There is an exquisite delic a cy rarely noticed in
.
, ,

the transitio n from the cheek to the neck j ust under the ,

ear A k e n si de h a s observed it where he writes

.

L e t t h y ey es
Effu se the m i ldness of the ir az u re dawn
A n d m a y t h e fannin g b reezes waf t as i de
T h y rad i ant lock s d i sclos ing a s i t b ends , ,

W ith airy so ftness fro m the m arb le nec k ,

Th e chee k fa i r b loom i ng .

TH E EAR .

Sir Philip S idn e y by a pretty conceit drawi n g a portrait

, ,

of his heroine , and coming to the ear tel l s us that , ,

Th e t i p no j ewel needs to wear ;

Th e t i p i s jewel to t h e ear .

W e confess that when we see a handsome ear without an

ornament we are glad it is not there but if it has an orna
ment and o n e in good taste we k now not how to wish it
, ,

away There is an elegance i n the dangling o f a gem

.

suitable to the complexion W e believe the ear is better .

’
without it A k e n si de s picture for instanc e would be spoiled
.
, ,

by a ring Furthermore it is i n the way o f a kiss

.
,
.

TH E N O S E.

Th e po e t sgenerally contented with describing it as

‘

ar e

s traight and in good proportion

,
A nos e a little aquilin e .

is not unhandsome in a woman Marie Antoinette was not .

the worse for an aquiline nose at least in her triumphant

days when s h e swam through an antechamber like a vision
,
.

and swept away t he understanding o f Mr Burk e . .

TH E MO U TH .

A m outh should be of good natur al dimens i on s as well a s ,

plump in the lips If there must be an excess either way

.
,

it had better be the liberal o n e A petty, pursed u p mouth .

-
 L EIG H H U N E S ES S AYS ’
'

3 04 .

re al be a uty exists S hould there be no great intellect , ther e

.

will be an intel l ectual instinct a grace an address a natu , , ,

rally wise amiableness S hould intellect unite with these .

,

there is n othing upon earth so po werf u l , e xcept t h e spirit

whom i t shall call m a st e r .

C ON V ER S ATI ON O F S W I FT .

(The Ne w M o n t hly M a g a z i n e, S epte m b er

I WA S i n very good time but found the whol e party ass e m ,

bled with the exception o f Mrs Pope It was t h e sam e a s . .

before wit h the addition o f the D o ctor He is shorter and

, .

stouter than I had fancied him with a face in whi ch there ,

is nothing remark able at first sight but the blueness o f t h e, ,

eyes Th e boatman however had not prepared m e fo r t h e

.
, ,

extreme easiness and good breeding o f his manners I had -

made a shallo w conclusion I expected something pe r pe .

t u a l l y fluctuating between broad mirth and a repelling self

assumption N othing could be more unlike what I found
. .

His mirth afterwards was at times broad enough and t h e

, , ,

a rdour and freedom o f his spirit very evident ; but he has

an exquisit e mode throughout o f maintaining the respec t

, ,

o f h i s hearers W hether h e is so al w ays I cannot sa y

.
, .

B ut I guess that he can mak e himself equally beloved where

h e pleases an d feared where he does n o t
,
.

D R S WIFT O h Mr Honeycomb you a r e t o o modest

. .
,
.
, ,

and I must pull do w n your pride Y o u have heard o f littl e .

W ill Harrison poor lad w h o wrote the Medicine for t h e

,
“
,

L adies
”
in the T a t l er
,
W ell he promised to b e one o f.
,

your great wits and w a s very much o f a gentleman and so

,

he took to wearing thin waistcoats and died o f a birthday ,

suit N e w thin waistcoats and soft sounds are both of em

.
,
’

bad habits and encourage a young m a n t o keep lat e hours ,

,
’
and get his death 0 cold .

I ask ed whether he could not admit a little higher argu

m ent in t h e musician than the table S h a k spe a r e says o f .

a flute , th a t it discoursed excellent music ; as if it had

almost bee n a rational creature .

D R S WIFT A r a t i o n a l fi ddl e st i c k ! It is n o t S h a k spe a r e

. .
 C ONVER S A TIO N o r S WIFT .
3 95

that says it b u t Haml et who was o u t o f his wits Y e s I

, , .
,

h ave heard a flute d i scourse L e t m e see I have heard a .

—

whole roomful o f em discourse (and then he played o ff a n ’

admirable piece o f mimicry which ought to have been wit ,

n e sse d to do i t j ustice )
,
L e t me see let me see The flut e .
-
.

made the following excellent remarks — To o t l e t o o t l e t o o t l e , , ,

t o otl e ,t o o t l e t o o t l e t e e — and then again which I thought

, , ,

a new observation — Too t l e t o o t l e t o o t l e with my r e edl e , , , ,

t o o tl e r ee
,
Upon which the violin observed in a very
.
,

sprightly manner N i dcll e n i cl dl e n i ddl e m ddl e n i ddl e

’

, , , , , ,

mi ddl e n e e with my n ee with my long n ee

, ,
which the bass ,

viol in his gru ff but sensible way acknowledged to b e as

, ,

witty a t h ing as he had e ver he a rd This was followed by a .

general discourse i n which the violin took the lead all t h e

, ,

rest questioning and reasoning with one another as hard as ,

they could drive to the admiration o f t h e be holders who , ,

were never tired o f listening They must have carried away .

a world o f thoughts Fo r my pa r t my deafness came upon

.
,

me I neve r so much lamented it There was a long story

. .

told by a hautboy which w a s considered so admirable tha t , ,

t h e whol e band fell into a transport o f scratching and

’
tootling I observed the flute s mouth water probably a t
“
,

some remark s o n green pe a s which had j ust come in season , .

It might have been guessed by the gravity o f the hearers , ,

that the conversation chi efly ran upo n t h e new ki n g and

queen ; but I believ e it w a s upon periwigs ; fo r turning to
that puppy Rawlinson and ask ing what he concluded from ,

all that he had the fac e to te ll m e that it gave hi m a

,
“ ”
heavenly satisfaction .

W e laughed heartily at this sally against music .

a» a s 9
k»
s

M a s PO P E Pray , Mr
. . . D ean , why do they call thos e
kind f mistakes bu l l s ?
o

D R S WIFT W h y , madam , I cannot tell

. but I can tel l
.

y o u t h e prettiest bull that ever was made An Irishman .

laid a wage r with another , a brick layer , that he could

not carry him to the top of a building in his hod The , .

fello w took him up and at the risk o f both their necks , , ,

landed him safely “

W ell cried the other you have done .
,
”
,
’
it there s n o denying that ; but at t h e fourth storey I had
”
hopes .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

3 96 .

A M A N I NTR O D U C ED TO H IS A N CES T O R S .

(Th e Ne w Mo n t h ly M z g a z i ne , O ctob er 1 8 2

HAPPENING t o read t h e other e vening som e observation s

respecting t h e geometrical ratio o f descent by which i t ,

appears that a man h a s a t t h e t w e n t i e th r em o v e o n e m i l l i o n

, ,

f or t y e i g h t t h ou s a n dfi v e h u n dr ed a n d sev en ty si x a n c est or s i n
— -

f
t h e l i n e a l deg r e e— g r a n d a t h e r s a n d g r a n dm o t h er s — I dropped

into a reverie during which I thought I stood by myself at

,

o n e end o f an immense public place the other being occupied ,

with a huge motley assembly whose faces were all turned ,

towards me I had l o st my ordinary se n s e o f individuality,

.

and fancied that my nam e w a s Manson .

At this multit u dinous gaze I felt t h e sort o f confusio n ,

w hich is n atural to a modest man and which almost mak e s ,

us believe that we have been guilty Of some crim e with

o u t k nowing it But what was my astonishment whe n
.
,

a M a ster o f the C eremonies issued fort h and saluting ,

me by t h e title o f h i s great grandson introduced m e t o

, .
—
,

the assembly in t h e manner and form following

May it pleas e your Maj esties and his Holiness t h e Pop e
My L ord C ardinals , may it please yo ur most re ver e nd a n d
illustrious Eminences
May it pleas e your graces my L ord D u kes ,

My L ords and L adies and L ady Abbesses

, ,

S i r C harles give m e leav e ; S i r Thomas also S i r Joh n S i r

, , ,

N icholas S i r W illiam , S i r O wen S i r Hugh the

, , , .

Right W orshipful the several C ourts Of Aldermen

Mesdames the Married L adies
Mesdames the N uns and other Maid e n L adies — Messieurs
Manson W o m a n so n Jones, Hervey S mith Merryweather
, , , , ,

Hip k ins Jack son Johnson Jephson D amant D elavigne

, , , , , ,

D e la B l e t e r i e Macpherson S cott O B r y a n O S h a u g h n e ssy

’ ’
, , , , ,

O H a ll o r a n C lutterbuck Brown W hite Black L i n dy g r e e n

’
, , , , , ,

S outhey Pip Trip C hedorlaomer (who the devil thought I ,

, , , ,

is he i ) Morandi Moroni Ventura Mazarin D Or sa y

, , , , ,
’

Puckering Pickering Haddon S omerset Kent Franklin

, _
, , , , ,

Hunter L e Fevre L e Roi (more French

, , D u Val (a
’
highwayman by a l l that s gentlemanly ,
Howard , C aven
(l i sh , R u ss e ll Argentin e , G ustafson , Olafson , Bras de fe u - -

, ,
3 98 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S '
.

n otl a to de added a ludicrous voic e half gruff a n d

a u tr e c a lf , ,

half polite belo n ging to a fantastic loo k ing person whom I

,
-

found to b e a dancing master I di d not care for the gipsy ; -

but t o o w e my left leg to a dancing master w a s n o t quite so -

’
pleasant especially a s like Mr Brum m el s it happens to
, , .
,

be my favourite leg Besides I cannot dance However .

,
.
,
’
t h e truth must o u t My l e ft leg i s more o f a man s than my
.

right and yet it certainly originated with Mons Fa u x p

, .

He came over from Fra n ce in the train o f the D uke of

Buckingham The rest o f me went in the same manner
. .

A C atholic priest was rej oiced at the sight o f my head o f

hair tho u gh by no means remarkable but fo r quantity but
,

it seems he never expected to see it again since he received

the tonsure A little coquette o f quality laid claim to my
.

n ose and a more romantic you n g lady to my chin

,
I could .

not say my soul was my o w n I was claimed n ot only by .

t h e Mansons but by a little timid boy a bold patriot

,
a , ,

mope r a merry andrew a coxcomb a hermit a voluptuary

,
-

, , , ,

a water drin k er a G reek o f the name of Pythias a fre e

-

, ,

thin k er a religionist a book w orm a simpleto n a beggar a

, , , , ,

philosopher a triumphant cosmopolite a trembli n g father

, , ,

a hack author a n old soldier dying with harness o n his back

-

,
.

W ell said I looking at this agreeabl e mixtur e o f claim

,
”
,
”
ants , at a n y rate my vices are n o t my o w n .

And h o w many vi rtues ? cried they i n stern voice .

” “
G entlemen said I if y o u h a d waited y o u would have
, , fi
,

seen that I could give up o n e as well as t h e other ; that is

to say as far as either can be given up by a nature that
,

partakes o f ye all I se e very plainly that all w hich a de .

,

sc e n da n t no be tte r than myself has t o do is neither to boast ,

o f his virt ues n o r pretend e xemption from his vices n o r b e

, ,

overcome with his misfortunes ; but solely to regard t h e

great mixture o f all as gathered together in his person an d ,

to try what he can do with it for the honour o f those who

”
preceded him and the good o f those that come after
,
.

At this I thought the whole enormous assembly put o n a

very earnest but affectionate fac e which was a fine sight .

A nobl e humility was in the looks o f the best Tears n o t .

,

without dignity stood in the eyes o f the worst ,

.

” “
It is late fo r m e added I I can d o little But I will , .

tell this V i sion to t h e you n ger and stouter ; they perha ps

”
may do more .
 A NOVEL PAR TY .
309

and tell it answered t h e multitude But the noise

Go ,
.

was so loud that I awoke and found my littl e child crowing ,

in my ea r .

A N OV EL PART Y .

(Wi sh i n g Ca p Pa ers i n The Ex a m i n e r

p
-

, ,

W H EN people speak o f the creations o f poets and novelists ,

they are accustomed t o think that they are only using a

form o f spe e ch W e fancy that nothing ca n be created
.

which is not visible ; that a being must be as palpable as

D ick o r Thomas before we can tak e him for g ra nted and
,

that nobody really exists who will n o t di e like the rest o f ,

u s and be forgotten
, .

But the immortal people in Pope and Fielding t h e death ,

less gene r ations i n C haucer in S h a k spe a r e i n G oldsmith , , ,

in S terne and L e S age and C ervantes a cquaintances a n d

, ,
-

friends who remain for ever the same whom we meet at a ,

thousand turns and know a s well as we do o u r o w n kindred

, ,

though we never set gross corporeal eye s o n them — what is

the amount of the actual e ffective existence o f millions o f
J a c k so n s and To m k i n se s compared with theirs ? Are we a s
i ntimate I wish to know with o u r aunt as we are with
, ,

Miss W estern ? C ould we n o t speak to t h e character o f

Tom Jones in any court in C hristendom ? Are not scores
o f clergymen continually pas sing away in this transitory

worl d gone and forgotten while Parson Adams remains a s

, ,

stout and hearty a s ever !

'

I was sitting by my fireside ; and being in the humour ,

to have more company than I could procure I put o n my ,

“fishing cap and found myself in a n e w little world that

-

hovers about England like the Flying Island o f G ul l iver , .

The place immediately above me resembled a common draw

ing roo m at the W est En d of the town and a pretty large
-

e vening party were already assembled

-

w aiting fo r mor e ,

a rrivals A stranger would have taken them fo r m a sque

.

r a de r s S ome o f the gentlemen wore toupees others only

.
,

powder others their o wn plain head o f hair S ome had

, .

swords by their sid e s others none Here were beaux i n , .

the modern coat and wais tcoat o r habiliments little diffe ,

rent There stood coats stuck o u t with buckr am and legs

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
3 10 .

with stock i ngs above the knees The app e aranc e o f t h e .

ladies presented an equal variety S ome w e r e hoops others .

,

plain petticoats The heads of many were built u p with

.

prodig ious edifices o f hair and ribbon ; others had their

curls flowing down their necks ; some were in common
shoes others in a kind o f slippered stilts I n short not to
, .
,

keep the reader any longer upon t r i fl e s the company con ,

sisted o f the immortal though familiar creatures I speak of ,

the h eroes and heroines o f the wonderful persons who hav e

lived among us called N ovelists , .

Judge o f my delight when I found myself among a set o f

o l d acquaintances whom I had never expected to see in this
,

manner C onceive how I felt when I discovered that t h e

.
,

gentleman and lady I was sitting next to were S i r C harles

an d my L ady G randison ! I n the centre were Mr and .

Mrs Roderick Random

. .

The next arrival (conceive h o w my heart expanded at

the sight ) consisted o f the Rev D r Primrose Vicar o f . .
,

W ak efield with his family and the Miss Fl a m b OI O u g h s ;

, ,

the latter red and staring with delight The D octor apolo .

i z e d for n o t being sooner but Mrs Primrose said she was

g .

sure the gentlefol k s would excuse him knowing that peopl e ,

accustomed to good society were never in a flurry o n such

o ccasions Her husband would have made some remark on
.

this but seeing that she was prepared to appeal t o her son ,
”
the S quire who flattered and made her his butt and that
, ,

S i r W illiam Thornhill and both the young married ladies

would be in pain he fo r e b o r e The Vicar made haste to pay
, .

his respects to S i r C harles and L ady G randison who treated ,

him with great distinction S i r C harles ta k ing him by t h e ,

“
hand and calling him his good and wor t hy fI i e n d
,
I .

observed that Mr Moses P l i m r o se had acquired something

.

o f a collected and cautious look as if determined never to ,

be cheated again He happened to seat himself next to .

Peregrine Pickle w h o informed him to his equal surprise

, ,

and delight that C aptain Booth had written a refutation o f

,

Materialism He added that the C aptain di d not choos e

.
,

at present to be openly tal k ed of as the author though he ,

did not mind being complimented upon it in an obscure and

ingenious way I noticed after this that a game o f cross
.
, ,

purposes was going on between Booth a n d Moses which ,

often forced a blush f r om the C aptain s lad ) a W hen Mr ’

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

the la dies all round The poor lad manifested his admira
.

tion by various grimaces that forced the Miss Fl a m b o r o u g h s

,

to stu ff their handkerchiefs i n their mouths O u r other .

attendants were S trap To m Pipes Partridge and two o r , , ,

thre e mor e some o f them i n livery and others n o t as

, , ,

becam e their respective ranks Th e refreshments wer e .

under the care o f Mrs S lipsl op ; but underwent as they .

,

came up a j ealous revision from Mrs L i sm a h a g o and Mrs

, . .

Hum phrey Clinker who luckily for her, differed consider

, ,

a bly with o n e anoth e r o r n on e would hav e be e n worth

,
e ating .

W e forgot t o m e ntion that Mrs Honour t h e famous .

,

waiti n g maid o f S ophia W este rn , was n o t present N othing

-

“
coul d induce her t o figur e a s a servant where that i n ,
”
fe c t e d upstar t as sh e called h e r , Mrs Humphrey C linker
,
.
,

fi dg e t e d about as a gentlewoma n .

The conversation soon becam e v e ry e nter t a ining par ,

t i c u l a r l y in t h e hands o f t h e G r a n di so n s and H a r l o w e s ,

who tho u gh we could perceive they were not so admired by

,

the rest o f the co m pany as by o n e another interested us i n ,

spite o f ourselves by the longest and yet most curious

gossip in the world S i r C harles did not talk so much as
.

the others ; indeed h e seemed to be a little baffled and

thrust o ff the pinnacl e o f his superiority in this very mixed
society but he was thought a prodigious fine gentleman by
the gravest o f us and was really a good natured o n e
,
-

Roderick Random s conversation had the vice o f coarseness

’
,

t o t h e great deligh t o f S quire W estern who said he had ,

more spirit than Tom himself To m d id not care fo r a .

littl e freedom but t h e sort o f conversation to which

,

Roderick and his friends were inclined disgusted him a n d ,

before women astonished him ,

He did not therefore .
, ,

very well fall in with this society tho u gh his wit and views ,

o f things were upon t h e whole pretty much o n a par with

, ,

theirs I n person and manners he beat them hollow

. .

S omebody asked a fter L ovelace and C larissa : for t h e

reader need n o t be told that i t is only in a fictitious sens e
that these per sonages are said to have died They cannot .

die being immortal It seems that L ovel a c e and C larissa

, .

live i n a neighbouring quarter cal led Romanc e ; a very ,

grave place where fe w o f the company visited W e were

,
.

s urprised t o hear that they lived in the same hous e ; that

 PA NTOMI MES .
313

L ovel a c e had found o u t he had a l ik ing for virtu e i n h e r

’
o w n shape as well as C larissa s and that C lariss a thought ,

she might as well forget herself so far a s to encourage t h e

man n o t to mak e a rascal and a madman o f himself .

W hen the ladies had put on their cloaks and were waiting ,

fo r their carriages we could n o t b u t remark how well S ophia

,

W estern (we like t o call her by her good o l d name ) looked

i n any dress and position S h e was all ease and good nature .
-

and had a charm i ng shap e L ady G randiso n was a regular .

beauty ; but did n o t becom e a cloak S h e was best in ful l .

dress Pamela w a s a little soft looking thing who seemed

.
-

”
as if butter would n o t melt i n her mouth But sh e had .

s omething in the corner o f her eye which told you that y o u ,

had better take care how you behaved yourself S h e would .

look all round her at every man in the room and hardly o n e ,

o f th e m b e t h e wiser Pamela w a s n o t so splendidly dressed as

.

her friend L ady G randison but her clothes were as costly .

’
Th e Miss Howe s L ady G s and others o f that cl a ss were
,
.
, ,

loud bright eyed raw boned people wh o tossed o n their

,
-

,
-

cloaks without assistance o r commanded your hel p with a ,

sarcas m C amilla C ecilia and Evelina were all very h a nd

.
, ,

s om e and agreeable W e prefer from what we recollect o f

.
,

them C amilla and Evelina but they say C ecilia is the most
,

inte resting Th e daughters o f the Vicar o f W akefield were

.

fine girls especially S ophia ; fo r whom being o f her lover

, ,

S i r W illia m s age , w e felt a particular te nderness

’
.

PA NT O MIM ES .

(The Co mp a n i o n J anuary 9 , ,

HE that says he does not like a pantomime either says ,

what he does not think o r is not so wise as h e fancies him ,

self He should grow young again and get wiser “ Th e

.
, .

chil d a s the poet says is father t o the man ; and i n this

, ,

instanc e h e has a very degenerate offspring Y e s : John .

Tomkins aged thirty fi ve and not liking pantomimes is a

,
-

, ,

very unpromising li t tle boy C onsider To m k ins you have .

, ,

still a serious regard for pudding and are a mbitious o f ,

being thought clever W ell , there is t h e C lown who w il l

.
,
31 4 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

y mpathiz e with you in dumpli ngs and n o t t o sc e into t h e

'

s
cleverness o f Harlequin s quips and metamorphoses is t o
’ ’

want a perception which other little boys have by nat ure .

N o t to lik e pantom i mes is not to like animal spirits : it is

not to lik e motion n o t to like lov e not to like a j est upo n
’
dulness and formality ; not to smok e one s u ncle ; n o t to
like to see a thu m p in the face not to laugh ; not to fancy ;
not to li k e a holiday ; not t o know the pleasure o f sitting
’
up at C hristmas ; not to sympathize with one s children ;
not to remember tha t we have been children ourselves n o r
that we shall gro w o l d and be as go u ty as Pantaloon if w e
, ,

are not as wis e and as active as they .

Among the Italians from W hom w e borrow e d thes e

,

popular entertainments they consisted o f a run of j ok es

,

upo n the provincial peculi a rities o f their countrymen Har .

l e q u i n with his giddy vivacity was t h e representative o f

, ,

the inhabitant o f one S tate ; Pantaloon of the imbecil e ,

carefulness o f another the C lown of the sensual macaroni , ,

eating N eapolitan with his instinct for eschewing danger ;

,
’
and C olumbine Harlequin s mistress was the type not
, , ,

indeed o f the outward woman but of t h e inner girl o f all ,

the lasses in Italy— t h e tender fluttering hear t — the littl e

dove (c o l o m bi n a ) ready to take flight with the first lover
, ,

and to pay o ff o l d scores w ith the gout and the j ealousy,

that had hitherto kept her in durance .

The reader has only to transfer the characters to those o f

his own countrymen to have a lively sense o f the e ffect
,

which these national pictures must have had in Italy .

Imagi n e Harlequin a gallant adventurer from some par

t i c u l a r part o f the land full of life and fancy stic k ing at
, ,

no obst a cles, leaping gates and windows hitting o ff a satir e ,

at every turn and converting the very scrapes he gets in to

,

matters of jest and triumph The o l d gentleman that .

pursues h i m is a miser from some manufacturing town ,

whose ward he has run away with The C lown is a L ondon .

cockney with a prodigious eye to his o wn comfort and

,
’
m u ffi n s— a L ord Mayor s fool who loved everything that
,

was good and C olumbine is t h e boarding 5011 0 0 1 gi rl rip e -

for run n ing away with an d making a danc e o f it all t h e

,

way from C helsea to G retna G reen .

Pantomi m e is the satirist o r caricaturist o f the times .

W e sit among t h e shining faces on all sides o f us and fancy ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
3 15
,
.

Ah —
here com es Har lequin with his lass fi fty miles a d ,

v a n c e d in an hour and caring nothing for his pursuers

, ,

though they have t a k en t h e steam coach N ow the lovers -

.

dine indeed ; and having had n o motion t o signify j oin i n ,

a dance Here C olum b ine shines as sh e ought to do Th e

. .

little slender but plump rogue I H o w she w inds it hither

,

and thither with her trim wais t and her waxe n arms n o w ,

w ith a hand against her side trippi n g it with n o immodest ,

insolence in a hornpipe ; n o w undulating i t in a w altz ; o r

”
caracoling it as S i r Thomas Urquhart would say , i n t h e
,

saltato ry style o f the o pe 1 a but al ways C olumbin e , always

—

the little dove wh o i s to b e protecte d somethi n g less than

t h e opera dancer , a n d greater ; more unconscious yet n o t
-

so ; and ready t o stre tch her gauze wings fo r a fli ght , t h e

moment Riches would t e ar her from L ove .

Pantomim e is certainly a representation o f the vital

principle o f all things Everything in it keeps moving ;
.

there is no more cessation than there is in nature ; and

though we may endeavour to fix o u r attention upon o n e
m over or set o f movers at a time w e are conscious that a l l ,

are going o n The Clown though we do not see him i s

.
, ,

j ogging somewhere ; Pantaloon is still careering it ; and

w hen Harlequin and C olumbine come in do we fancy they ,

have been re sting behind the scenes ? The notion ! L ook

at them they are evidently in full career they hav e been ,
as w ell as are dancing and t h e music which never ce a se s
, ,

whether th e y a r e vi si ble o r n o t , tells us a s much .

B AD W EATH ER .

(The Co mp a n i o n , J an u ary 16,

A FTER longing these two months for some real winte r

”
weather the public have had a good sharp specimen a littl e
, ,

t o o real W e mean to tak e o u r revenge by writing an

.

articl e upon it after a good breakfast with o u r feet at a ,

good fire and i n a room quiet enough to let us hear the fi r e

,

a s well as feel it O utsi de the casement (for we are writing

.

this i n a cottage ) the e a st wind i s heard cutting away li k e ,

a k n ife s n o w is o n the ground : t h e i e i s frost and sleet a t

.
 B AD WEATH ER .
31 7

o nc e : and t h e melancholy crow o f poor Chanticleer at a

dista n ce seems complaini n g that n obody will cherish him
, .

O n e imagines that his toes must be cold and that he is ,

drawing comparisons between t h e present feeling o f his

sides a n d the warmth they enj oy next his plump wife o n a
,

pe r c h .

But in t h e country there is always something t o en j oy .

Ther e is the silence if n othing else you feel that the air
,

is healthy : and you can see to w rite Think o f a street i n .

L ondon at once narrow foggy and noisy ; t h e snow thaw

, , ,

ing n ot because the frost has not returned but becaus e

, ,

the union of mud and s moke prevails a gainst it : an d then

the unnatural col d sound o f the clank o f milk pails (if you -

a r e up early enough ) o r if y o u are not the chill damp

, , , ,

strawy ric k ety hackney coaches goi n g by with fellows

,
-

inside o f t hem with cold feet and the coachman a mere ,

bundle o f rags bl ue nose and j olting (He ll quarrel wit h

, , .
’

every fare and the p a sse n ger kn ows it and will resist S o
, .

they will stand with their feet in t h e mud haggling T h e , .

o l d gentleman saw an extra charge o f a shilling i n his face ) .

To complete the mise r y the pedestrians kick as they go , ,

those detestabl e flakes o f united snow and mud : at least

they ought to do so to complet e o u r pic t ure and at night
,

time people coming home hardly kno w whether o r not they

have chin s .

But is there n o comfort then i n a L ondon street in such , ,

weather ? Infinite if people wil l but have it and families

, ,

are goo d tempered W e trust we shall be read by hundreds

-

o f such this morning O f som e we are certai n : an d do

.

hereby agreeably to o u r ubiquitous privileges take several

, ,

breakfasts at once H o w pleasant is this rug How bright

.

and generous the fire ! How charming the fair maker o f

the tea ! A n d how happy that they have n o t t o make it
themselves the drinkers o f it ! Even the hackney coach
,
-

man means to get double as much as usual to day either -

by cheating o r being pathetic : and the o l d gentleman is

resolved to m ak e amends for the necessity o f his m orning
drive by another pint o f wine at dinn er and crumpets with
,

his tea It is n ot by gru mbling against the elements that

.

evil is to be done away but by keeping one s sel f in good ,

’

’
heart with on e s fellow creatures and remembering t hat -

they are all capable o f partak ing o u r pl easure s The c o n .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
318 .

t e m pl a t i o n of
pain acting upon a splenetic temperament
, ,

produces a stirri n g reformer here and th ere who does good ,

rather o u t o f spite against wro n g than sympathy with

pleasure and becomes a sort o f disagreeable angel Far be
,
.

it from us in the present state of society to wish that n o

, ,

such existed But they will pardon us for labouring in t h e

.

vocation to which a livelier nature calls us and drawing a ,

distinction between the dissatisfaction that ends in good

and the mere commonpl a c e grumbling that in a thousand ,

instances to on e ends i n nothing but plaguing everybody

as well as the grumbler I n almost all c a ses those who a r e
.
,

in a state o f pain themselves are in the fairest way for ,

giving it : where as pleasure is in its nature social Th e

,
.

very abuses of it (terrible as they sometimes are ) cannot do

a s mu ch h a rm as the violation o f the common sense o f good

humour ; simply because it is its nature to go with and n o t ,

counter to humanity The only point to tak e car e o f is

, .
,

that as many innocent sources o f pleasure are kept open as

possible and affection and imagination brought i n to S ho w
,

us what they are and h o w surely all may p a rtake o f them

, .

W e a r e n o t li k ely to forget that a human being is o f impor

tance when we can discern t h e merits o f s o small a thing
!

a s a leaf o r a honey bee o r the beauty o f a flak e o f snow ,

,
-

o r o f the fanciful scenery made by the glowing coals i n t h e

fireplace Professors o f sciences m a y do this W riters t h e
. .

most enthusiastic in a good cause may sometimes lose sight

o f their duties by reason o f the very absorption in their

e nthusiasm Imagination itself cannot a l ways be abroad

.

a n d at hom e at the same time but the many a r e n o t likely ,

to think t o o deeply of anything ; and t h e more pleasures

that a r e t aught them by dint o f an agreeabl e exercise o f
their reflection the more they will learn t o reflect o n all
,

aroun d them and to endeavour that their reflections may

,

have a right to be agreeable Any increase o f the sum o f .

o u r e nj oyments almost invariably produces a wis h to com

m u n i c a t e them An over indulged human being is ruined

.
-

by being ta u ght to think o f nobody but himself but a

human being at once gratified and made to think o f others ,

l earns to add to his very pleasures i n t h e a c t o f dim i n i shin g

them .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

320 .

day ) seems t o crow in a very different style lord o f t h e ,

ascendant and as willing to be w ith his wives abroad as at

,

ho m e W e think we see him as in C haucer s ho m e ste ad

.
,
’

H e loo k eth , as i t were a g ri m l e o fi n

A n d o n h i s toes he r u nnet h u p and down
H i m de i g n e t h not t o s e t h i s feet to g ro u nd
H e c l u c k e t h when h e h a s a corn y fo u n d,
A nd to h i m ru nneth then h i s w ives a l l .

W ill the reader h ave t h e rest o f t h e picture as C haucer ,

gave it ? It is as bright and strong as t h e day itself an d ,

’
as suite d to it as a falcon to a k night s fist Hear h o w t h e .

o l d poet throws forth his strenuous music — a s fi n e con ,

s i de r e d as mer e music and v e r s i fi c a t i o n , a s t h e d e scriptio n

is pl easa nt and nobl e

H i s co m b was redder tha n the fi n e c o r al l
Em b attle d, as i t were a castle wal l ,
H i s b i l l was b la c k , a n d as t h e j et i t shone
L i k e az u re were h i s leg g es a n d h i s tone
H i s n a i l es , wh i ter than t h e l i l y fl ower,
A nd l i k e t h e b u rned g old was h i s colo ur .

Hardly o n e paus e like the other throughout and y e t all ,

flowing and swee t Th e pause o n t h e third syllable in t h e

.

l ast line but o n e and that o n the sixth in t h e last together

, ,

with t h e deep variety o f vowels make a beautiful c o n c l u d,

ing couplet ; and indeed t h e whole is a study for v e r si fi c a

tion so little were those o l d poets unaware o f their t a s k ,
,
-

a s som e are apt to suppose them and s o littl e have others ,

dreamt that they surpassed them in their o w n pret e nsions .

Th e accent it is to be observed i n those concluding lines

, , ,

such as coral and colour is to be thrown o n the last syllabl e

,
’
as it i s i n Ita lian — col or col ore and C haucer s o l d Anglo
,

G allica n word is a much nobler o n e than o u r moder n

c ol o u r W e have inj ured m a ny suc h words by throwing
.

back the accent .

W e should beg pardon fo r this digression if it had n o t ,

bee n part o f o u r understood agreement with t h e reader t o

be a s desultory as we please and as befits companions O u r
,
.

very e n j oyment o f the day we a r e describing would n o t let

us do otherwise It is also an o l d fancy o f ours to a ssociat e
.

t h e ideas o f C haucer with that o f any early and v igorous

manifestatio n o f light a n d pleasure H e is n o t only t h e .
 WA L KS H OME B Y NIG HT .
32 1

morning star o f o u r poetry as D enh am called him but

, , ,

the morning itself and a good b i t o f the noon ; an d we

,

could as soon help quoting him at the beginning o f the

y ear as we could hel p wishing to hear the cry o f primroses ,

and thinki n g of the s weet faces that buy the m .

W AL K S HOM E B Y N I G HT .

(Th e Co mp a n i o n F eb ru ary 6 , ,

TH E readers o f these o u r lucubrations need not b e informed

that we ke ep no carriage The consequ ence is that being .
,

visitors o f the theatre and having some inconsiderat e friends

,

w h o gro w pleasanter and pleasanter till one in the m orn

i n g we a r e great walkers home by night ; and this has
,

made us great acquaintances o f watchmen moonlight m a d , ,

light and other accompaniments o f that interesting hour

,
.

L uck ily we are fond o f a walk by night It does n o t .

always do us good ; but that is not the fa ult o f the hour ,

but our o w n who ought to be stouter and therefore w e

,

e xtract what g oo d w e can out o f o u r necessity with b e ,

coming tem per .

W e confess there are points liable to cavil in a walk

home by night in February O l d umbrellas hav e their
.

weak sides and the quantity o f mud an d rai n m a y surmount

the picturesque Mistak ing a soft piece of mud for hard ,
.

and s o fil l ing your shoe with it especially at setting o u t , ,

”
must be acknowledged to b e aggravating But then y o u .

o ught to have boots .

S upposing that we are in a reasonable stat e o f health and

comfort a walk hom e at night h a s its merits if y o u choose
, ,

t o meet with them The worst part of it is the settin g o u t ;

.

the closing o f the door upon the k ind faces that part with
you But their words an d looks o n the other hand may
.
, ,

set you well o ff W e have k nown a word last us all t h e

.

way home and a look mak e a dream o f it To a lover for

, .
,

instance no walk can be bad He sees but o n e fa ce in t h e

, .

ra in and d a rk ness ; the same that he saw by the light in t h e

warm room This ever accompanies him look in g in his e yes ;
.
,

and if the most pitiable and spoilt face in the world shoul d
come between them startling him wit h t h e saddest mocke ry
,

Y
 ’
32 2 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS .

of love , h e would treat it kindly for her sake But this is .

a begging o f the question A lover does not walk H e is

. .

s ensi b le neither to the pleasures nor pains o f walking He .

treads o n air and in the thick o f all that seems inclement

has an avenue o f light and velvet S pread fo r him like a ,

s overeign prince .

The advantage o f a late ho u r is that everything is silent ,

and the people fast in their be ds This gives the whole .

world a tranquil appearance Inanimat e obj ects a r e no .

calmer than passions and cares n ow seem to be all laid ,

asleep . The human being is motionless as the house o r

the tree ; sorrow is suspended and you endeavour to
think that love only is awak e .

The great maj ority are certainly fast as a church by

the time we speak o f ; and for the rest we are among ,

the workers wh o have been sleepless for their advantage ;

s o w e take o u t o u r licence to forget them for the tim e
being . The only thing that shall remind us o f them is
’
t h e red lamp shining afar over the apothecary s door ;
,

which while it does so reminds us also that there is help

, ,

for them to be had .

By this time the hackney coaches have all left the stands
-

— a good symptom o f their hav ing got their day s money ’

.

C rickets are heard here and there amidst the embers o f

, ,

s om e kitchen . A dog follows us W i l l nothing mak e him .

go along ? W e dodge him in vain ; we run we stand

and hish at him accompanying the prohibition with
,

dehortatory gestures , and an imaginary picking up o f a

st o ne. W e turn ag ain and there h e is vexing o u r sk ir ts
, .

He even forces us into an angry doubt whether h e will not

s tarve if we do not let him go home with us
, N o w if w e .

could but lame him without being cruel ; o r if we were

only an overseer , o r a beadle o r a dealer in dog S kin o r a ,
-

political economist to think dogs unnecessary Oh come

, .
,

h e h a s turned a corner he has gone we th i nk we see h i m

,

trotting o ff at a distance thin and muddy an d o u r heart

, ,

misgives us . But it was n o t o u r fault ; w e were n o t

hi shing at t h e tim e His departure was lucky for h e
.
,
“ ”
had g o t o u r e njoymen t s into a dilemma ; o u r articl e
would n o t hav e known what t o do with him These a r e t h e .

perplexities t o which your sympathizers a r e liabl e W e .

r es u m e o u r way , independent and al one A fellow—pedes .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
32 4 .

was i n the midst o f a discussion in which numbers we re

concerned we were suddenly startled as if in solution o f it
, , ,

by a brief and tremendous outcry o f —O NE This paragra ph .

ought to have been at the b ottom o f the page and the word ,

printed abruptly round the corner .

But the oddest o f all was the S li di n g W atchman Think .

o f walking up a street in the depth o f a frosty winter with ,

long ice in the gutters and sleet overhead and then figure
, ,

to yourself a sort o f bal e o f a man in white come sliding

towards y o u wi th a lante rn i n o n e hand and an umbrell a ,

o ver his head It w a s the oddest mixture o f luxury and

.

hardship o f j uve n ility and o l d a g e ! But this look ed agree

,

able Animal spirits carry everythi n g before them ; and

.

o u r invi ncible friend seemed a watchman for Rabel ais Tim e .

was run at and butted by him like a goat The slide seemed .

t o bear him half through t h e night at once he slipped from

o u t o f his box and his commonplaces at o n e rush o f a merry

thought and seemed to say Everythi n g s in imagination

, ,
’

”
here goe s t h e whole weight o f my o fli c e .

But we approach o u r hom e H o w still the trees I H o w.

deliciously a sleep the country ! The watchmen and patrols ,

which the careful citizens have planted in abundance withi n

“
a mile o f their doors salute us with their
, G ood mornings ;
n o t so welcome a s we pretend for we o u ght not to be o u t
so late and it is o n e o f t h e assumptions o f these fatherly
o l d fellows t o remin d u s o f it A few strides o n a level ;
.

and t h e r e is t h e light i n the window the eye o f t h e warm ,

soul o f the house — on e s home ’

How particular and yet .
,

h o w u niversa l is that word and how surely doe s it deposit

,

e very o n e fo r himself in his o w n nest !

S EC R ET O F S O M E EXI S TI N G FA S HI ON S .

( Th e Co m pa n i o n , F eb ru ary 2 0,

FA S H IO NS set by youn g o r handsome people are fugitive and ,

such a r e fo r the most part those t hat bring custom t o t h e

, ,

milliner If we keep watch o n an older o n e , w e sh a ll

.

generally trac e it unless o f general convenience t o som e

, ,

perti n acity o n the part o f t h e aged Even fas hions , other .

 S ECRET OF S OM E EX IS TING F A S H IONS .

wise convenient as the trousers that h a ve so long taken

,

place o f small clothes Often perhaps o w e th eir co n tinuanc e

-

, , ,

to some general defect which they help to screen T h e o l d , .

are glad to retain them and so be confounded with t h e ,

young ; and amo n g the latter there are more l imbs pe rh a ps , ,

to which loose clothing is acceptable than tight More legs .

and knees we sus pect rej oice in those cloaks than would b e
, ,

proud to acknowledge themselves in a shoe and sto cking .

The pertinacity o f certain mal e fashions during the last

twenty years we think we can trace to a particular source .

If it be obj ected that the French parto ok o f them and that ,

our modes have generally come from that country we ,

suspect that t h e Old C ourt in France had more to do with

them than N apoleon s which was confessedly masculin e and
’
,

military The o l d French i n this country an d the old

.
,

noblesse in the other wore bibs and trousers whe n t h e , ,

Emperor went in a plain stock an d delighted to S how his

good leg Mr Hazlitt informs us in his L ife o f N apoleon
. .
, ,
”

that during the consulate all the courtie r s were watching

the head of the S tate to know whether mankind were to
wear their o w n hair o r powder ; and that Buonapart e
luck ily settled the matter by deciding in favour o f n atur e
and cleanliness But here the revolutionary authority
.

stopped L uckily this w as a fashion that suited all ages

.
, ,

and o n that account it has survived But the bibs an d t h e .

,

t r ousers and the h uge nec k cloths whence com e they ?

, ,

How is i t at least that they have been so long retained ?

, ,

O bserve that polished o l d gentleman who bows so well , ,

and is conversing with the most agreeable o f physicians .

He made a great impression in his youth and was naturally ,

l o t h t o give it u p O n a sudden he finds his throat n o t so j uve

.

nile as he could wish it Up goes his stock and enlarges H e .

, .

rests both h is chee k s upon it the chi n settling comfortably ,

u pon a bend in the middle as becomes its delicacy B y , .

and b y he thin k s the chee k s themselves do n o t present as

-

good an aspect as with so young a heart might in reas on h e -

e xpected ; and forth issue the points o f his shirt collar and -

give them a n investment at once cherishing and spirited .

Thirdly he suspects his waist to have played him a t ri ck o f

,

good living and surpassed the bounds o f youth and e legance

,

before he was well aware of it Therefore to keep i t seem .

,

i n g l y if n o t a ctually , within limits , forth he sends a f r ill

,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
32 6 .

i n the first instance and a padded set o f lapels aft e rwards

, .

He happens to look on the h a nd that does all this and ,

d iscerns with a sigh that it is not quite t h e same hand

to look at which the women have been transported to kiss
though for that matter they will k iss it still and b e trans
, , ,

ported t oo The wristband looks forth and says S hall I

.
, ,

help to cover it ? and it is allowed to do so being a gentle ,

manly finish, and i mpossible to the mechanical B u t finally .

the legs they were amongst the handsomest in the world

and how did they not dance ! W hat co n quests did they n o t
ac hieve i n t h e tim e o f hoop petticoats and toupees ! A n d -

long afterwards were not Apollo and Hercules found in

,

them together to the delight o f the dowagers l And shall

,
‘

the gods be treated with disrespect when the heaviness ,

of change comes upon them ? N O Round comes t h e .

k indly trouse ri a n veil , a n d t h e legs retreat , lik e other

c onquerors .

D AN CI N G IN G EN E R A L .

(Th e Co mp a n i o n , M arch 5,

D ANCING is either the representation o f love making o r it is -

that o f pure animal spirits giving way to their propensity

to motion It is the latter most probably that str i kes out
.

the first idea o f it as an art ; t h e former that complete s

, ,

and gives it a sentiment The rudest savages dance round .

a visitor politer ones treat him with a dance of the sexes

,
.

But French op e ra dancing is n eit her the o n e n o r t h e

-

other It pretends both only to show how littl e it has t o

.

do with either There is love in the plot there is mirth in

.
,

the stage dir ections but y o u find it nowhere else Think

,
.

o f a man making love with no love in his countenance of

a girl as merry as a grig but destitut e o f the least ex ,

pression o f it except in her t Oe !

,

A French ballet is l ik e a rehearsal wi th the emotion left

o u t : there is scenery there are dresses and decorations
, ,

some story is suppose d to be going on but the actors ar e ,

really apart from all this ; wrapped up in themselves and

anxious for nothing but t o asto n ish with their respective
legs an d fetch down applaus e from the galleries with a
,

j u m p .
 8 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
32 .

her i n a m ora t o equally pompous and splay footed t o stand

,
-

cooling herself in t h e background and astonish the i n e x pe ,

r i e n c e d with the shortness o f her drapery and the corpul enc e

o f her legs .

These legs are a sight unquestionabl y If any t w o ,

.

b alustrades o f a bridge were wanting here is the remedy .

There is a fair dancer n o w at the opera who from a , ,

principle well known t o the metaphysical seems to b e ,

ostentatious o f two phenomena o f this k ind in the exact ,

proportion that she ou ght to conceal them S h e appears to .

conside r them as priz e calves and makes as great a show o f ,

her favourites as an Essex grazier The simile is not hand .

some but we forget the bearer is a woman when we look at

,

such legs N o t that very true women may not have legs a
.

littl e superfluous Madame Pasta has them ; Mrs Jordan s

. .
’

l e g s w e r e handsome rather as a man s than a s a woman s ;

’ ’

a n d yet whoever doubted that she was a very charming

female ? It is not the leg b u t the spirit with which it is
,

worn and upon this principle a woman with thick ankles

may step about o u r imaginations like a fairy and another ,

with thin ones trample them as if they were lead If a .

woman has g race at her heart her movements will be grac e ,

f u l and her step soft let her legs be what size they may
, .

If she has n o t the downwardness o f her spirit wil l put a

,

vulgar weight in her feet ; let them naturally be as light as

’
a zephyr s she shall shak e the room as she walks like an
, ,

ale wife But huge legs in a female are not particularly

-
.

valuable fo r their own sakes as o u r fair friend at t h e opera ,

seems t o think D ancing tends t o make them so but this

.
,

i s n o t what we go to see dancing f o r Here howe ver lie s .

, ,

t h e secret : body is everything in opera dancing and mind -

nothing To S how a limb they think is to S how a limb

.
,
—
.

S o it is , a n d n o t h i n g e l se But this is a stretch o f t h e

.

intellectual t o which they cannot arrive Th e audienc e .

instinctively know better A n d though they stay the after

.

piece to admire more tha n they pretend are at once amazed ,

and disa ppoi n ted : amazed at the beauties lavished upo n

them and disappointed to fi n d that the e ffect is not more
,

beautiful This is perhaps as it should be every thing c o n

.
, , ,

s i de r e d but then it is not dancing There might b e a grea t .

deal less dis pla y a n d a little more sense ; and then peopl e
might think o f those they loved , and have their imagination s
 D A NC ING IN G ENERA L .
32 9

n ot unseasonably touched ; fo r grac e is t h e link betwe en

body and soul and a sprinkle o f that attic salt o n the public
,

mind is n o t without its use At present whatsoever thei r .

,

i nclination t o t h e cont ra ry the spectato rs before the scen e, ,

is half over feel only that there is a glare and an imper

,

t i n e n c e ; that a few half nak ed looking people are wal k ing

- -

about and twirling and look ing stupid and that if this is
, ,

voluptuousness it is a very indifferent thing The young

, .

m ay be amused with the novelty and the i maginative may ,

try hard to be kind to it ; but if there are other pers ons

present who have n o greater ideas o f what i s elegant an d
,

att r ac tive than t h e scenes they meet with in French Opera

danci n g they are in a fair a way as can be o f be ing t h e
,
s

commonest and weak est people in the world a n d realizing ,

as littl e true pleasure as the woode n faces they look at .

N o w and then there Is a single figure worth seeing some

times t hough rarely a whole ballet D e s Hayes used t o
, , .

come bounding o n the stage like a deer An giolini w as .

interesting in Flora and even V e st r i s (as lon g as y o u did

,

n o t see his face

) had an e ffect beyond t ha t o f his twirli n g ,

when he touched her round the waist a s Z ephyr and took

her with him up in the air But there was poetry i n t h e .

story The air blew from the fields o f O vi d and o u r child

.

hood The be st opera dancer we ever saw wa s a female o f

.
-

the name o f D e Martini ; she united the activity o f the

French school with the grac e and fervour o f the Italian and ,

did not make her bounds and her t w i r l i n g s for n othin g .

S h e would come for instance , from the other end o f t h e

,

stage in a series o f giddy movements and finish them with

, ,
’
pitchin g herself into her lover s arms Here was love an d .

animal spirits t o o each warranting and throwing a grace o n

,

the other S urely a set o f Italian o r S panish dancers woul d

.

mak e a revol u tion in this matter in the course o f a season ,

t o o and put a n end to a school which must b e as little pr o fi t

,

able i n the comparison as it is unmeaning and delightless .

H o w di fferent a French opera dance and o n e o f their

dance s o n a green o f a S unda y eveni n g W e have had the .

pleasur e o f seeing t h e latter and nothing could be merrier , ,

o r more to the purpose but there is all the difference in the

world between Fre nch nature and French art Th e o n e is .

human nature
D ance and Proven cal song and s u nb u rnt m i rth
, ,
 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
3 30 .

the other is Paris and affectatio n the pedantry o f pleasure ,

.

French opera dancing is like French painting a pe t r i fa c

-

tion of art an attempt to set rules above the relish o f t h e

,

thing ; and it ends in the same way by being a kind o f ,

inanim ate sculpture Their dances o n the green are as

.

good as t h e dancing o f birds S panish dancing is mor e .

passionate W e thought when we first saw a bolero w e

.
,

had never seen dancing before Those fe rvid alternations .

of courtship and that wild careering o f o n e person round

,

the other dancing in e very limb and seeming to sweep t h e

, ,

very ground as they went with the tips of their fingers t h e ,

music fermenting all the while and the castanets crack ing ,

li k e joints it look ed lik e a couple o f aboriginal beings newly

,

made o u t of the whole ardour o f the S outh and not knowing ,

how to vent the tormenting pleasure o f their existence D e .

Martini made us feel that all this might b e controlled i nt o a

sentiment and Italian dancing we should guess would be a s ,

fine i n its way as Itali a n painting and music if pr o pe r l y c u l t i

va t e d The G ermans used to be violent dancers as becam e
.
,

their heavy laden tables O f late years they hav e taken t o

-
.

the most languid and voluptuous of all dances as if they had ,

no al ternative but to go to an extreme W e must n o t omi t .

to do j ustice to the French dance the minuet which is t h e , ,

perfection o f artificial grace the dance o f the courtier and

,

fine lady brimful o f mutual compliment arising o u t o f a n ,

infinit e self satisfaction A h o w o f courtesy is made as if

-

.
,

it were to nothing u nder a prince o r princess A tip o f t h e .

fi n ger is presented as if it were a j ewel H o w proud t h e .

deference How dignified the resumption W hat lofti

ness in the hat ! W hat greater ascendency in t h e very sink
o f the petticoat ! W hat idolatry and self idolatry o f a p —

proach W hat intensity o f separation the parties retreat ,

ing with hi gh worship from o n e another a s if to leave sp a c e ,

enough for their triumph to swell in It seems as if non e

sho ul d dance a minuet after L ouis XIV and his Montes .
,

pans . It is the excess o f pretension becoming some

thing real o n that a ccount and belongs to an age o f ,

false triumph and flattered assumptions The M i n u e t de l a .

C o u r is the best minuet and seems to have been inspired

,
’
by its name Mozart s minuet in D o n Juan is beautiful
.

and notorious but it is not so pregnant with assumptions a s

,

t h e other , like a hoo p petticoat It do es not ris e and fall , .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
332 .

despair o f e qualling their fair friends they had n o obj e ct ,

but t o get through the danc e undetect e d The be st thing .

they can do for their partner is to hand her an ice o r a

lemonade the very going fo r which appears to be a s great a
,

refreshment fo r the m as the tak ing it is to the other .

W hen the dance is resumed all their gravity returns They

, .

look very cut and dry and succinct j og along with an air
,

o f indifference and leave the viva city o f the young lady to

,

shift for itself The most self sa t i s fi e d male dancer we ever

.
-

saw was o n e wh o being contented with his o w n legs coul d

, ,

never tak e his eyes o ff them , but seemed eternally con

g ratulating them and himself that they were fit to be seen .

T he next thing to this is to be always thin k ing o f the figur e ,

which indeed is t h e mai n consideration both o f gentlem e n

, ,

and ladies W hen there is anything beyond the ladies hav e

.
,

it o u t and o u t The best priva t e dancer we kno w amo n g

, .

t h e male sex is the o n e who mak es it his business to attend

to his partner to set o ff with her as if she were a part o f ,

his pl e asure a n d to move among the others as if there were ,

such things in the world as companionship and a sense o f ,

it And this he does with equal spirit and modesty O u r

. .

readers may k now of more instances and may help to fur ,

nish them but the revers e is assuredly the c a s e in general .

Perhaps it was not so in the livelier times o f o u r ancestors ,

when taxation had not forced us to think so much o f

number one and the general knowledge that is prepar ,

ing a still better era had n o t unsettl e d t h e minds o f a l l

,

classes o f people as t o their individual pretensions Perhap s .

also dress mak es a di fference Men may have be e n more .

co n fident in cloaks and doublets than in t h e flaps and hors e ,

collars of the present day To get up a dance o n a sudden

.
,

nowadays o n a green lawn would look ridiculous o n t h e

, ,
’
men s part At least they feel as if it would and this would
.
,

help to make it so O n the other hand a set o f gallant

.
,

apprentices in their caps and doublets o r o f wits and ,

cavaliers i n their mantles and plumage had all the world ,

before them for action o r fo r grace and a painter could put ,

them o n canvas with no detriment to the scenery W e a r e .

far from desiring to bring back these distinctions It is very .

possible for an apprentice nowadays to know twice a s much

as a cavalier and we would have no distinctio n at all
,

be twe en spirit and spirit But a dress disadvantageous t o

.
 O N TH E G RA CES A ND A NX IETIES O F PIG D R IVING
-
.
3 33

everybody is good for n othing but to increase other dis

advantages A b ove all a little more spirit in o u r mode of
.
,

dancing and a little more o f th e dancing itself without the

, ,

formality o f regular balls would do us good and give our , ,

e nergies a fi l l i p o n the sid e o f cheerfulness Families and .

intimate friends would find themselves benefited in health

and spirits perhaps t o an extent o f which they have no
,

conception by setting apart an evenin g o r so in the week

,

fo r a dance among themselves If we have not m uch o f .

“ ”
t he poetry o f motion among us w e may have plenty o f ,

the motio n its elf which is the healthy part o f it and the
,

n ext best pe rfor m er to such a o n e as we have described is ,

he who gives himself up to the pleasure and sociality o f

the moment whether a good dancer o r not
, .

O N TH E G RA C ES A ND AN XI ETI ES O F
P IG D RIV IN G
-

(The Co m pa n i o n March 2 6 , ,

F R O M the per usal o f this articl e we beg leave to warn o ff

vulgar readers o f all denominations whether of the great ,

v ulgar or the small W arn did we say ? W e drive them

.
,

o ff for Horace tells us that they a s well as pigs are to be , ,

so treated Odi p r of a n u m vu lg u s says he e t a r c eo But do

.
, ,
.

thou lend t h in e ear gentle shade o f G oldsmi th , who didst

,

mak e thy bear leader denounce every thing as is l o w

-

an d thou S teel e who didst humanize upon public houses and

,
-

puppet shows ; and Fielding thou whom the great Richard

-

so n
,
less in that matter (and som e others ) than thyself did ,

a ccuse o f vulgarity be caus e thou didst discern n atural

,

gentility in a footman and yet was n o t t o be taken in by

,

the air s o f Pamela and my L ady G .

The title is a littl e startling but style and sen timent ,

as a lady said can do anything ,

R emember then gentl e .
, ,

reader that talents are not to b e despised in the humblest

,

w al k s o f life we will add nor i n the muddiest The other , .

da y we happened t o b e among a set o f spectato rs who could

n o t help stopping to admir e t h e patience and address with
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’

334 .

which a pig driver huddled and cherished onward h is drov e

-

o f un a ccommodating el eve s down a street i n the suburbs He , .

was a born genius fo r a manoeuvre Had he ori ginated in a .

higher sphere h e would have been a general or a stage ,

manager C onflicting interests were his forte ; pig headed

.
-

wills and proceedings hopeless To see the h a n d with which

, .

h e did it ! How hovering yet firm ; how encouraging yet , ,

compelling ; how indicative o f the space o n each side of him ,

and yet of the line before him how general how particular , ,

N o barber s could quiver about a head with

’
how perfect
more lightness o f apprehension n o cook s pat up and pro ’

portion the sid e o f a pasty with a more final e y e Th e .

whales quoth o l d C hapman speaking o f N eptun e ,

, ,

Th e whales exu lted under hi m and knew thei r m i g hty , k i ng .

Th e pigs did not exult but th e y kn ew their king U n

, .

“
w illing was their subj ection but more in sorrow than in ,
”
anger They were too far go n e for rage Their case was
. .

hopeless They did not se e why they should proceed but

.
,

they felt themselves bound to do so forced conglomerate d , ,

crowded onwards irresistibly impelled by fate and Jen k ins

, .

O ften would they hav e bolted under any other master .

They squeaked and g runted as in ordinary ; t hey sidled ,

they shuffled they half stopped ; they turned an e y e to all

,

the little outlets o f escape but in vain There they stuck .

(for their very progress was a sort o f sticki ng

) charmed into ,

the centre o f his sphere o f actio n laying their heads together , ,

but to no purpose ; looking a l l as if they were shrugging

their shoulders and eschewing the tip end o f the whip o f
,
-

o ffi ce Much eye had they to their left leg ; shrewd back

.

ward glances ; n o t a little anticipative squeak and sudde n

rush o f avoidance It was a superfluous clutter and they
.
,

felt it ; but a pig finds it more di ffi cult than any other

animal to accommodat e himself t o circumstances Being .

o u t o f his pale h e is i n the highest state o f wonderment

,

a n d inaptitude He is sluggish obstinate opinionate n o t

.
, , ,

very social ; has n o desire o f seeing forei gn parts Think .

o f him in a m u l titude forced to travel and wondering what

, ,

the devil it is t hat drives h i m Judge by this o f the talent s

o f his driver .

W e beheld a man once an inferior genius inducting a , ,

3 36 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

A N EARTH UP ON H EAV EN .

(Th e Co mp a n i o n A pri l 2
, ,

S O M EB O DY should write an article o n Persons o ne could “

”
wish to have dined with There is Rabelais and Horace .
, ,

and t h e Mermaid ro ysterers and C harles C otton and Andre w , ,

Marvell and S i r Richard S teele c u m m u l t i s a l i i s and for

, ,

the colloquial if n o t the festive part S wift and Pop e and

, , , ,

D r Johnson and Burke , an d Horne Tooke

.
, W hat a pity .

o n e cannot dine with them all round People a r e accused

o f having earthly notions o f heaven As it is di fficult t o .

have any other, w e may be pardoned for think ing that we

could spend a very pretty thousand ye ars i n dini ng and
getting a cquainted with a l l the good fellows o n rec ord and
having g o t used t o them w e think we could go very well ,

on ,
and b e content to wait some other thousands for a higher
beatitude O h to wear o u t o n e o f the celestial lives o f a
.
,
’
triple century s duration a nd exquisitely to gro w o l d i n , ,

r e ciprocating dinners and teas with the immortals of o l d

book s W i l l Fielding leave his card in the next world ?
“

W ill Berkeley (an angel in a wig and lawn sleeves come t o

a sk h o w Utopi a gets o n ? W ill S h a k spe a r e (for the greater
t h e man the more t h e good natur e might be expected )
,
-

know by intuition that o n e o f his readers (knock ed up with

bliss ) is dying t o see him at t h e Angel and Turk s Head ’

a n d com e lounging with his hands in his doublet p o cket s -

a c cordingly
It is a pity that non e o f t h e great geniuses t o whose l o t ,

it has fallen t o describe a future state h a s given u s his o wn ,

n otions o f heaven Their a ccounts are all modified by t h e

.

n ational theology whereas the Apostle himself has told us ,

that we can have n o conceptio n o f t h e blessings intende d

fo r us Ey e hath not seen n o r ear heard
. Ae We , ,
r
.

could wish t o t a ke gently to it to be lo o sed not entirely at

o nce N othin g shall persuad e us that w e shall not all b e
.
,

dining , and drink ing tea a n d complaining o f the weather ,

e an for its n o t being perfectly blissful ) thr ee hundred

( we m ,

years henc e i n som e snug interlunar spot o r perhaps in t h e

, ,

moon itself seeing that it is o u r next visible neighbour a n d

, ,

shrewdly suspected o f being hill and dal e .

It appears to us that for a certai n t e rm o f centuries,

,
 AN EAR TH U P ON H EAVEN .
337

Heaven m u st consist o f something of th is kind In a word , .

we cannot but persua de ourselves that to realize every ,

thing that we have j ustly desired o n earth will be he a ven ,

—w e mean for that pe riod : and that afterwards if w e

, ,

behave ourselves i n a proper pre angelical manner we shal l -

go t o another heaven still better where we shall realize all

, ,

that w e d e sired in our first Of this latter we can as yet.

have no conception ; but o f the former, w e think some o f

the items may be a s follo w
Im pr i m i s (not because frien dship comes before love i n
—

point of degree but because it precedes it in point o f time

, , ,

as at school we have a male companion before we are o l d

e nough to have a female ) Im pr i m i s then a friend
— He , ,
.

wil l have the same tastes and inclinations as ourselves with ,

j ust enough di fference to furnish argument without sharp

ness ; and h e w ill be gen e ro u s j ust entertaining and n o , , ,

shirker of his nectar In short he will be the be st friend

.
,

we have had upon earth W e shall talk together o f .

afternoons ; and when the Ea r t h begins to rise (a great

”

big moo n , loo king as happy as we know i t s inhabitants wi l l

b e ) other friends will j oin us not so emphatically our friend
, ,

a s he ,
but excellent fellows all and we shall read the
poets and hav e some sphere music (if we please ) o r rene w
,
-

o n e o f our o l d earthly evenings , picke d o u t o f a dozen

C hristmases .

It em a mistress ; beautiful o f cours e — a n angelic al e x

, ,

pression a Peri o r Houri o r whatever shape o f perfectio n

, ,

o u ch o ose to imagine her and yet retaining the likeness o f

y ,

the woman y o u loved best o n earth ; in fa ct she herself , ,

but completed all her good qualities made perfect and all ,

her defects taken away (with the exception o f o n e o r two

charming little angelica l peccadilloes which she can only ,
‘

get r i d o f in a post future state ) good tempered laughing

- -

, ,

serious fond of everything about h e r without detriment t o

,

her special fondness for yoursel f, a great roamer i n Elysian

fields and forests but not alone (they g o in pairs there a s
, ,

the j ays and turtle doves do with us ) but above all things
-

, ,

true ; o h so true that y o u t a k e her word as y o u would a

, ,

diamond nothing being more transparent o r solid o r

, , ,

precious Bet w een writing some di vine poem and meeting

.
,

o u r frie nds o f an e vening we shoul d walk with her o r fly

,

(f o r w e should hav e wings o f cours e ) like a couple o f human

,

z
 L EI G H H U NT S ES S A YS
’

338 .

bees o r doves e xtracting deligh t from every flower and wi t h

, ,

delight filling every shade .

It e m book s
,
S h a k spe a r e and S penser should writ e u s
.

n ew o n e s ! Think o f that W e would have another D ec a

.

m eron : and W alter S cott (fo r h e will b e there t o o we —

mean to beg Hume to introduce us ) shall writ e us forty

more novels all as good as the S cotc h ones ; a n d Radical
,

as well a s Tory shall love him It is true w e speak pr o .

,

fe ssi o n a l l y , when w e mention books .

We th ink adm i tted to that e qu al s k y

, ,

Th e Ar ab i an N i g hts m u st b ear u s co m pan y .

W he n G ainsborough died he expired in a painter s e n t h u

,
’

si a s m
,
saying W e are all going to heaven and Vandyk e
, ,
”
is o f t h e company He had a proper foretast e Virgil
. .

had t h e sam e light when h e represented t h e old heroe s

,

enj oying in Elysium their favourit e e arthly pursuits o nl y

o n e cannot help thinking with the natural m odesty o f ,

reformers that t h e taste in this o u r interlunar heave n wil l

,

be benefited from time to time by the kn owle dge o f new

comers W e can not well fancy a celestial ancient Brito n
.

delighting himself with painting his skin o r a Chinese angel ,

hobbling a mi le up t h e Mil k y W a y in order to sho w herse l f

t o advantage .

F o r break fast w e m u st h a v e a t e a beyond anythin g /

C hinese S laves will certainly not make t h e sugar ; b u t

.

there will b e co ws fo r t h e mil k On e s l a n dscapes c an n o t .

’

do without cows .

S P EC IM EN S O F BRITI S H P O ETES S ES .

(Th e Co mp a n i o n , Ma y to J u ly ,

A B O UT a hundred years a g o a col lection o f the poetry o f o u r

,
“
h
fair countrywomen wa s made under t e title o f Poems b y
Eminent L adies and t w enty years ago a second appeared , ,

under t h e title at t h e head o f this paper These w e believ e .

, ,

a r e the only two publications o f the kind ever kno w n i n

England a circumstance h a r dly t o t h e credit o f the public ,

when it is considered what stuff it has put up with in c o l

”
lections o f British Po e ts , and h o w far supe rior such ve r s e
“
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

340 .

a horn instead o f playing on a lute ; fo r the revere nd

,

d am e was a hunting parson in petticoats S h e is t h e .

a uthor o f three tracts well known to antiqu a ri es o n

, ,

Hawki n g Hunting and A r mory (heraldry ) ; a n d her

, ,

verses as might be expected are mo re curious than be

, ,

witching . N ext to her comes poor Anne Bullen som e ,

verses attribu t ed to whom are very touchi ng esp ecially ,

t h e s e cond and l a st stanzas and the burden,

Oh death ! rock e m e on sl e pe ,

B ri ng m e o n q u i et reste ;
L e t passe m y ve r y e g u i ltless g osto
O u t o f m y caref u l b rest .

T ol l o n t h e pass ing b ell ,

Ring o u t t h e dolef u l k nel l ,

L e t t h e so u nd m y deth tell ,

F o r I m u st dy e ;
There i s no re m edy ;
F o r now I dy e .

F arewell m y pleas u res past,

We l l c u m , resent pay ne
my p
I f eel m y tor ents so i merese
m
That l y f e cannot r e m a y n e .

C ease n o w t h e pass ing b ell -

R ong i s m y dolefu l knell ,

F o r t h e so u nd m y dethe doth tell ,

D eth doth dra w n y e ;

S o u nd m y e n d dolef u lly ,

F o r now I dye .

But o u r attention is drawn o ff by t h e stately bluntn e s s

o f Qu e e n Elizabeth who writes in the sam e high style that
,

sh e acted and seems ready to knock us o n the head if we do

,

n o t admire which luckily we do The conclusion o f her

, , .

verses o n Mary Queen of S cots (whom Mr D yce has well .

designated a s that lovely unfortunate but surely n o t , ,

uiltless wo m an a r e very characteristic

g

No f ore i g n b a n i sh d W i g ht
’

S ha l l anchor i n thi s port ;

O u r real m i t b roo k s no strang er s force
’

L e t the m elsewhere resort .

O u r ru sty sword w i th rest

S hal l fi rst hi s edg e e m ploy ,
A n d p o l l t h e i r t ap s that s eek
S u ch chan g e and g ape fo r jo y
, .
 S PECIMENS OE B RITIS H POETES S ES .
34 1

A politician thoughtlessly gaping for j oy and having his ,

head shaved o ff li ke a turnip b y the sword o f t h e Maiden

Queen presents an example considerably to b e esch e wed
,
.

Hear however the same woman in love

, ,

I g ri eve ,and dare not S how m y d i scontent

I love a n d yet a m f o r c d to see m to h ate
’
,

I do y e t dare not sa y I ever m eant

, ,

I see m stark m u te y e t i nwardl y d o prate ,

I a m and not ; I freeze and y e t a m b u r n d

’

, , ,

S i nce fro m m y sel f m y other sel f I t u ru d

’
.

My
care i s l i k e m y shadow i n t h e s u n ,

F ollows m e fl y in g fli es when I pu rs u e i t ; ,

S tands and l i es b y m e ; does what I have done

Th i s too fa m i l i ar care does m ak e m e r u e i t ;
N o m eans I fi n d to ri d h i m from m y b reast ,

T i ll b y t h e e n d o f th i ng s i t b e s u ppr e st .

S o m e g entler pass i ons sl i de i nto m y m i nd ,

F o r I a m so ft a n d m ade o f m elt i ng sno w ;

O r b e m ore cru el L ove and so b e k ind ; , ,

L e t m e or fl oat or s i nk b e h i g h or l o w ,

O r l e t m e l i ve w i th so m e m ore sweet content ,

O r di e and so forg et what love e er m eant

’
, .

S i g ned F i n i s E l i z a Re g i n a u pon M e a n
. . 5 d e part u re , .

A sh m o l . M u s M S S 6 96 9
. . .
(78 1 ) p . 1 42 .

“
Moun is probably Blount L ord Mountj oy o f , ,

whose family was the late Earl o f Blessin gton Elizabeth .

pinched his cheek when he first knelt to her at court ,

and made him blush .

L ady El izabeth C arew who is understood t o b e the ,

authoress of The Tragedy o f Marian the fair Queen o f ,

’
Jewry written b y that learned virtuous and trul y nobl e
, ,
, ,

lady E C 1 6 1 3 w a s truly noble i ndeed if she wrote the

, .
, ,

following stanzas in one of the choruses o f that work

We say o u r hearts are g reat a n d cannot y i eld ,

B e c a u s e they cannot y i e l d i t p r o ves t he m poo r ;

G reat hearts are t a s k d b eyond the i r power b u t s ol d ;
’

Th e weak est l i on wi l l the lo u dest roar .

Tr u t h s sc ho o l f o r certai n doth th i s sa m e allow

’

H i g h he a r t e dn e ss do t h
-
s o m e t i m es t e a c h t o bo w .

A nob le heart doth teach a virt u o u s scorn

To to owe a d u ty over lon g ;
sc o r n
To sc o r n to b e f o r b ene fi ts forb orne
To sco r n to l i e ; to sc o rn to do a wrong
 LEI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

To sc o r n to b ear an inj u ry i n m ind ;

To s co r n a free b orn heart slave l i k e to b ind
- -
.

Mary W roth a S idn e y niece o f S i r Philip has t h e

’

L ady , , ,

following be auti ful passages in a song with a pretty burde n

to it
L ove i n chaos d i d appear
W hen noth ing was y e t h e se e m d clea r ,
’
,

N o r when l i g ht co u ld b e descri ed ,

T0 h i s c r o wn a l i g h t w a s t i ed .

Who ca n bl a m e m e ?

C o u ld I m y past t i m e b e g i n
I wo u ld n o t co m m i t su ch s i n
To l ive a n ho u r and n o t to love ,
S ince L ove m ak es u s perfect prove .

Who c a n bl a m e m e

If t h e r e ad er wishes to know what sort o f a thing t h e

shadow o f an angel is he cannot learn it better than from
,

t h e verses o f an anonymous Authoress to her Husband ,

publ i shed in the year 1 6 52 S h e bids him not to wear .

mourning for her not even a black ring

,

B th i s b ri g ht di am ond l e t i t b e
ut

W orn i n re m e m b rance o f m e ,

A n d wh e n i t S pa r kl e s i n y ou r e y e ,
Th i n k t i s m g sh a do w p a s se t h by
’

F o r w h y I M ore b ri g ht y o u shall m e see

‘

Than that , or a n y g e m can b e .

S om e of the verses o f Katharine Philips who was praised by ,

“
the poets o f her tim e under the title o f the matchless
”
O rinda and who called her husband a plain country
'

, ,
“
gentleman Anteri or h ave an easy though antithetical
, ,

style li k e the lighter o nes o f C owley o r the verses: of

, ,

S h e fli e l d and his French contemporaries O n e might sup .

pose the following to have been written in order to assist the

addresses o f some young courtier

TO LAD Y ELIZ A B ET H B OY LE , S IN G IN G A S ONG O F \VH IC H O RIN D A

WAS OR T H E A UTH .

S u b d u i n g fai r I what w i ll y o u wi n ,
To u se a needless da rt Z
‘

Wh y then so m any to tak e i n

O n e u nde fen ded heart
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

344 .

A n d m ak e y o u r ey es wi th M i rth to overfl ow ;
W i th spring ing b lood y o u r chee k s soon fa t shall g ro w
Yo u r l e g shal l n i m b le b e , y o u r b o dy l i g ht ,
A n d a ll y o u r sp i r i t s l ike t o bi r ds i n fl i g h t .

M irth shall di g est y o u r m eat , a n d m ak e y o u stron g ,

B u t M elanchol y S he w i ll m ak e y o u lean
Y o u r chee k s sh al l hollow g row, y ou r j aw s b e seen .

S he ll m ak e y o u start at every vo i ce y o u hear,

’

An d vi s i on s strang e shall to y o u r e y es appear .

Her vo i ce i s l o w a n d g ives a hol lo w sou nd ;

,

She hates t h e l i h t a n d i s i n darkness fo u nd ;

,

Or s i ts w i t h bl i n i n l a mp s or t ap e r s s m a l l ,
Wh i c h va r i o us sha o we m a ke a g a i n s t t he wa l l .

O n t heother hand Melancholy says o f Mirth that , sh e is

o nly happy j ust at her birth and that she
L ik e weeds doth g row ,

O r s u ch plants as cau se a ness reason s f o e ’

, m d .

H e r face wi th l a u g hter c r u mp le s o n a h e a p,
Whi ch m ak es g reat wrin kles , a n d plo u g hs f u rrows deep
H e r ey es do water, a n d h e r ch i n t u rns r e d,
H e r m o u th doth g ape , teeth b a re, l i k e one that s dead
’
-

S h e f u lso m e i s , a n d g l u ts t h e sen ses a l l ,

O ffers hersel f and co m es b efore a call .

’
D ryden s you n g favourite A n n Killigr e w who comes , ,

n ext in the list is very clever and promised to d o hon our

, ,

to her m a ster S h e w a s accused o f being helped by him in

.

her wri t ing a n d repels the charge with spiri t and sweet
,

ness The lines Advanced her height and Every laurel

.
,
” ’
to her laurel how d will remind the reader o f her great
,

friend .

Th e env i o u s a g e onl y to m e alone , ,

Will not allow what I do wri te m y o w n

B u t l e t the m rag e a n d g ai nst a m a i d conspire
,
’
,

S o d eathles s n u m b ers fro m m y t u ne f u l l y re

D o ever fl ow so P h oebu s I b y t h ee ,

D ivi nely i nspi red a n d possessed m a y b e , .

I w ill in g l y accept Ca s sa n dr a s fate

’

T o spea k t h e tr u th altho u g h b e l i e v d too late

’
.

Ann e Marchioness o f W harton who follows w a s

, , ,

daughte r o f S i r Henry L e e o f D itchley ancestor o f t h e , ,

present D illon family S h e w a s a c o u si n o f L ord Rochester

.
,

an d wrote an elegy o n his death in which sh e r epresents ,

h i m as an angel we have the pleasure o f possessing a

.

copy o f W aller s Poems, o n the blank le a f o f which is

’
 S PEC IMENS o r B RITIS H POETES S ES .
34 5

writt en “ Ann e W har ton given her by th e A u t h o r e

,
Her ,
.

husband was at that time n o t possessed o f his title .

”
A Mrs Taylor who appears to have been an acquaint
.
,

ance of Aphra Behn has a song with the following beautiful

,

termination It is upon a rak e whose pe rson she admired

.
,

and whom o n account o f h i s indiscriminat e want o f feeling

, ,

sh e is handsomely resolved n o t to love

My weari ed heart l i k e Noah s dove ,

’
,

In va i n m a y seek f o r rest
F i nd i n g n o hope to fi x m y love ,

R et u rns i nto m y b rea st .

N ext comes Aphra hersel f a n d we must sa y a ffects and , ,

makes u s admire her beyond what we looked for Her ,

.

verses are natural and cordial w r itte n in a masculine style , ,

and yet womanly withal If she had given us nothing but .

such poetry as this she woul d hav e been as much ad m ired

, ,

and known among us all to thi s day as she consented t o b e, ,

amo n g the rakes of her time Her comedies indeed a r e .

, ,

alarming an d j ustly incurred the censure o f Pope though

,

it is pro bable that a thoughtless good humour made her pe n -

run over rather than r e al licentiousness and that a lthough

, ,

free e n ough in her life sh e was not so extravagant and

,

e rring as perso n s with less mind .

Aphra Behn is said to have been i n l ove with C reech It .

S hould be borne in mind by those who give an estimate of

her character that she passed her childhood among the

plan te rs of S urinam n o very good school for restraining or
refining a lively temperament Her relations are said t o .

have b een careful o f her but they died there and sh e , ,

r e turned to Englan d her o w n mistress .

W e come now to o n e o f the numerous loves w e possess

among o u r grandmothers of o l d or rather n ot numerous , ,

but select and s uch as keep fresh with us for ever li k e t h e ,

miniature o f his ancestress whom the S ultan took fo r a ,

living be auty This is Anne C ountess o f W inchelsea (now

.
,

written VVi n c h i l se a ) daughter o f S i r W illiam Kingsmill o f

, ,

S i dm o n t o n in the county o f S outham pton

,
It is remark .

able says Mr W ordsworth as quoted by Mr D yce that

,
”
.
“
,
.
,

excepting a pass a ge o r two in the W indsor Forest o f Pope ‘ ’

,

and some delightful pictures in the poems of L a dy W i n

chelse a the poetry o f the period intervening between t h e
,
346 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

’
publication o f the Paradise L ost and th e S easons does ‘
,
”
not contain a single new im a ge o f external nature Thi s .

is a mistake for Allan Ramsay preceded Thomson ; but

,

some o f L ady W i n c h e l se a s delightful pictures are indeed’

very fresh and natural .

Mr D yce has n o t om itted t h e celebrated poem o f the

.

”
S pleen which attracted considerable attention i n its day
, .

It stil l d eserv e s a place o n every toilet male and female ,

.

Patron thou art to every g ross ab u se .

T h e s u llen hu sb and s f e i g n d exc u se ,

’ ’

When t h e i l l hu m o u r w it h h i s w i fe h e s pends ,
-

A nd b ears recru i ted wi t and spi ri ts to h i s fri ends .

Th e son o f B acchu s pleads t h y po w r ,

’

A s to t h e g lass he st i ll repairs
Pretends b u t to re m ove t h y cares ,
S n a t c h f r o m t hy s h a de o ne g a y a n d s m i l i n g ho wr ,
A n d dr o wn t hy ki n g do m i n a p u rp l e sh o we r .

That is a fine couplet D ryden , whom it is ve r y like,

.

would not have wished it better .

L ady W inchelsea is mentioned by G a y as o n e o f the con

r a t u l a t o r s of Pope when his H omer was finished
g ,

And Wi nchelsea sti ll , m ed i tat ing son g .

Th e verses o f poor Miss Vanhomrigh , who was in love

w ith S wift , are n o t very good but they serve to show t h e
truth o f her passion , which was that o f an inexperienced
girl o f eighteen for a wit o f forty four S wift h a d conver -
.

sation enough to m ake a dozen sprightly young gentlemen ;

and besides his wit and his admiration o f her she loved him
, ,

fo r what she tho u ght his love o f truth In her favour also .
, ,

he appears t o have laid aside his br u sgu e me and fits o f ill

’
‘

temper till h e found th e matter too serious for his c o n ve

,

n ien c e .

S wift ,who was already engaged and with a woman too ,

whom he loved should have told her so S h e discovered it

,
.
,

and died in a fit o f indignation and despair The volume .

,

a little farther contains some verses o f the oth e r lady (Miss

,
“ ”
Johnson ) O n Jealousy probably occasioned by t h e riva l ,

who was j ealous o f her Poor S tella 1 S h e died also after

.
,

a longer a closer and more awful experience o f S wift s

, ,
’

e xtraordinary conduct ; which to this day remains a , ,

m ystery .
348 L EI G H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

O xford , —fo r a l l thy fo ps and sm art s,

L e t t h is p r o di g i ou s y o u t h atone
Whi le others fri sk a n d dress at hearts ,
H e m ak es t h y b etter par t h i s own .

The concluding stanza i s bette r and indeed co n t a in s a ,

noble image O thers sh e says, advance in their knowledg e

.
,

by slow degrees
B ut vast m ind com pletel y fo r m d
h is ,
’
,

W a s thoro u g hly fi n i sh d w hen b e u n ’

S o a l l a t o n c e t h e wo r l d wa s wa r m
’
l
c

On t he g r e a t bi r t h da y of t he s u n
-
.

M r s Manly is suppo sed to have been the S appho

. of the
To t l er wrote political papers in the Ex a m i n er o f that
. She
day and courageously shared in its responsibilities to the
,

law .

A Mrs Brereton daughter o f a W elsh gentleman w a s

.
, ,
’
author it seems o f a well known e pigram o n Beau N a sh s
, ,
-

”
picture at full length between the busts o f N ewton and
,

Pope It forms the conclusion o f a poem o f six stanz a s

.
,

the whole o f which are very properly given by Mr D yce .

,

but from which it has usually been separated and with ,

som e differenc e in the reading The stanza is as follows .

Th e pi ctu re , pl a c d the b u sts b etween ,

’

A dds to t h e thou g h t m u ch streng th ;

Wi sdo m a n d Wi t a r e l i t t le see n ,
B u t F o l ly s a t f u ll l e n g t h
’
.

Mrs Pilkingt on well known for d e partures not i n t h e

.
, ,

best taste , from the ordinary modes o f her sex tells us ,

that
L y ing i s an occ u pat i on
U sed b y a l l w h o m ean to ri se .

Poor soul ! W e fear sh e pr a ctised a good deal o f it to

little purpos e S h e had a fool ish husba n d and was beset
.
,

by very untoward circumstances to which she fell a worse ,

prey than she would h ave us th ink But the weak est o f .

women are so unequally treated by the existing modes o f

society that we hat e to think anything u nhandsome o f
,

them .

N o t s o o f my L a dy Mary W ortley Montagu who was at ,

o nce so c l ever , so h o l d, so we ll o ff, and s o full o f sens e o f

 S PECIMENS o r B R ITIS H P OETES S ES .
3 49

e very sort but the sense o f delicacy that sh e provokes us t o ,

speak as plainly as herself But w e hav e said e nough o f .

her ladyship in another plac e .

Th e verses o f Mrs S heridan mother o f t h e famou s .

,
"
S heridan and author o f S idney B i du l ph
,
are not so goo d ,

as her novels M i ss Jones has a compliment to Pope

.
,

which Pope himself may h a v e admired for its o w n sake

A las 1 l ive u nk n own u nenvi ed too
Id
’
,

Ti s m ore than Pope wi t h a l l h i s w i t do

’
, , can .

Miss Jones sa ys a note in Boswell quoted by Mr

, , .

“
D yce ,
lived at O xford and was often o f o u r parties S h e , .

was a very ingenious poetess and published a volume o f ,

poems ; and o n the whole was a most sensible a greeable , , ,

and amiable woman S h e was sister to the Rev River . .

Jones C hanter o f C hrist C hurch C athedral at O xford and

, , ,

Johnson used to call her the Cha n t r ess I hav e heard him .

“ ”
often address her in this p a ssage from Il Penseroso Thee , ,
”
chantress o ft the woods among I w o o &c
, , ,
.

Th i s puts in a pleasant light both Johnson and t h e

poetess : but in the earlier collection o f ladies verses ’
,

alluded to at the commencement o f this paper there a r e ,

poem s attributed t o her o f astounding coarseness .

“ ” “
Franc e s Brooke author o f Rosina o f L ady Juli a , ,
”
Mandeville & c was a better poetess in her prose than her
, .
,
“ ”
verse Her O de t o Health given by Mr D yce is n o t
.
, .
,

much W e should have preferred a song o u t o f Rosina

. .
”

But we will venture t o a ffi rm that she must have writte n

’
a c a pital love letter These c l e r gy m e n s daughters (h e r
-

father w a s a Rev Mr Moore ) contrive somehow to have a

. .

d ouble zest in those matters Mrs Brook e had once a . .

pu b lic dispute with G a rrick in whi ch she had the rare and ,

delightful candour t o confess herself in the wrong .

“ ”
I n t h e well known Prayer fo r I ndifference by Mrs
-

, .

G revill e is a stanz a which has t h e point o f a n epigra m

, ,

with all t h e softness o f a gentle truth

N o r peace , nor ease the heart can know , ,

That l i k e the need l e tru e

, ,
T u rns at t h e to u ch o f j oy or woe ,

B u t t u rn ing tre m b les too , .

Th e re is a good deal about Mrs . G revill e in t h e “

M e m oirs
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
3 50 .

of Madame D A r b l a y ’
S h e was married t o a man of for
.

tune and o f much intellectual pretension but not happily

, , .

Two poems by L ady Henrietta O N e i l daughter o f Vis ’

count D u ngarve n and wife of O N e il o f S lane s C astle

,
’

,
’
,

are tak en o u t o f her friend Mrs C harlotte S mith s novel o f .

’

D esmond — a work by the way from which S i r W alter

”
, , ,

S cott borrowed the foundation o f his character of W averley ,

and t h e name besides I n a novel by t h e sam e lady w e .

,

forget which is the first sk etch o f the sea sid e incident i n

,
-

“
the Antiquary where the hero saves the life o f Mis s
,

W ardour L ady Henrietta s verses do her credit but

.
’

,
”
imply a good deal o f suffering O n e To t h e Poppy .
, ,

begins wit h t h e following melodious piece o f melancholy

N o t f o r the pro m i se o f the lab o u red fi eld,
No t f o r t h e g ood t h e y ellow harvests y i eld ,
I b end
at C ere s shri ne ’

F o r d u ll to h u m i d ey es appear
Th e g olden g lori es o f t h e y ear
A las ! a m elancholy worsh ip s m ine ’

I ha i l t h e G oddess f o r her scarlet fl ower & c , .

In other words the flourishing lady o f quality took

,

opium ; which we suspect was the case with her poorer

, ,

friend W e believe the world would be astonished if it

.
,

k new the names o f all the people o f genius and of a l l t h e ,

rich people as well as poor who have had recourse to t h e

, ,

sam e consolatory drug Thousands tak e it of whose

.
,

practice the world has no suspicion and yet many o f

those persons able to endure perhaps on that very account ,
, , ,

what requires all the patience of those who abstain from it ,

have quarrelled with such writers as the fair n ovelist for ,

trying to amend the evils whi ch tempted them to its use .

”
G eorgian a D uchess o f D evonshire w h o was
,
made , ,

according to G ibbon for something better than a D uchess

, ,

is j ustly celebrated for her poem o n the Passage o f Moun t

”
S t G othard which awak ened the enthusias m of C oleridge
.
, .

There are fine lines in it an d a vital li b erality o f sentiment , .

The writer seems to breathe o u t her fervent words li k e a

young Muse , her lips glowing with health and the morning
dew .

Y e t l e t not these ru de paths b e coldl y traced ,

L e t not these w i lds w i th l i stless ste ps b e trod

H er e f r a g r a n e e sc o r n s n o t t o p e rf u m e t he w a s t e ,
H ere c h ari ty up l i ft s the m ind to
G o d.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
3 52 .

Miss C arter translated Epicte t us and was m u c h a n d , ,

we believe deservedly admired for the soundness o f h er ,

acquirements W e were startled at reading somewhere t h e

.

other day that in her youth she had not only the wisdom
, ,

o f a Pallas but the loo k o f a Hebe Heal t hy no doubt sh e .

,

was and possessed o f a fine constitution S h e was probably

, .

al so handsome but Hebe and a hook nose are in o u r minds

impossible associations .

C harlotte S mith has been mentioned before S ome o f .

her novels will last and her sonnets with them each perhaps , ,

aided by the other There is nothing great in her ; but sh e .

is natural and touching and has h i t in the music o f her , ,

sorrows upon some o f those chords which have been

,

awak ened equally though not so well i n all human , ,

bosoms
O NN ET W R IT T EN A T T H E C LO S E O F S P R IN G
S .

T h e g arlands fade that S pring so l atel y wove ,

Each s i m ple fl o w er w hi ch s h e h a d n u r s d i n de w
'
“

, ,

Anem ones t h at S pang led every g rove ,

T h e pri m ro s e w a n a n d hare b ell m i ld l y b l u e , ,

No m ore shall vi olets l ing er i n t h e dell ,

O r pu rple orch i s v ari eg ate t h e pla i n ,

T i l l S pri n g ag a i n shall call f orth every b ell ,

A nd dr e s s wi t h h u m i d h a n ds h e r wr e a t hs a g a i n .

A h poor h u m an ity ! s o frai l , so fai r

, ,

Are t h e fond v i s i ons o f t h y earl y da y ,

T i ll tyrant pass i on , a n d corros ive care ,
B i d a l l t h y fa i ry co l o u rs fade away !
Another Ma y n e w b u ds a n d fl o wers shall b ri n g
A h ! why h a s h a pp i n ess n o s eco n d Sp ri n g ?

Mrs S mith s love of botany a s Mr D yce observes h a s

.
’

, .
,
“

led her in several o f her pieces to paint a variety o f flowers

, ,
”
with a minuteness and delicacy rarely equalled This is .

very true N 0 young lady fond of books and flowers would

.
, ,
’
be without C harlotte S mith s poems if once acquainted ,

with them The following couplet from the piece entitled

.
,
“ ”
S aint Monica shows her tendency to this agre e abl e
,

miniature painting -

F ro m t h e m app d l i chen , to t h e pl u m e d weed ;

’

Fro m t h r e a dy m osses to t h e ve i n e d fl o wer .

Mrs S mith su ffered bitterly from the failure o f her

.

’
husband s m e rc a ntil e specul a tions , and t h e consequent
 S PECIMENS O F B R ITIS H P OETES S ES .
3 53

troubles they both incurred from the law ; which , according

to her representations were aggravate d i n a scandalous
,

manner by guardians and executo rs L awyers cut a remark .

able figure i n her nove l s ; and her complaints upon thes e

her domestic grievances overflow in a singular though n o t ,

unpardonable o r unmoving manner i n her pref a ces To ,

.

o n e o f t h e late r editions o f her poems publis hed whe n sh e ,

was alive is prefixed a portrait o f her under which , with a

, ,

pretty feminine pathos which a generous re ader would b e

,

loth to call vanity she has quoted t h e following lin es from

,

S h a k s pe a r e :

O h , G ri ef has chan g ed m e s i nce y o u saw m e last ;

A n d heavy hou rs, w i th T i m e s de form i ng hand ,
’

H ave wri tten strang e defeat u res o n m y f ace .

Mi ss S eward is affected and supe rfluous ; bu t n ow an d

then she writes a good lin e for example
And s u ltry s i lence b rooded o er t h e h i lls ’
.

And sh e can paint a n atural picture W e can t estify t o .

the stra n ge unheard o f luxury which S h e desc ribes o f

-

, ,
’
risin g to her books be fore day o n a winter s morning .

Miss S eward ought to have m arried and had a person ,

superior t o herself for her husband S h e would have lost .

her affectation doubled her good things ; and we doubt n o t , ,

have made an entertaining companion for all hours grav e ,

o r gay . The daughter o f the E ditor of

“
Beaumont and
Fletcher was not a mean person though l ost among t h e ,

egotisms o f her native town and the praises o f injudicious

, ,

friends Meanwhile it is something too much to hear her

.
,

talk o f translating an O de o f Horace while her hair i s

“

dress ing
The Psych e o f Mrs Tighe has a languid be au ty probably
“
.
,

rese m bling that o f her person Th i s lady who was t h e .

,

daughter o f the Rev W illiam B l a c h fo r d died i n her thirty

.
,

seventh year o f consumption The face prefixed t o t h e

, .

volume containing her poem is very handsome The gr e ater .

part o f the poe m itself is little worth except as a strain o f ,

elegance ; but n o w and then we meet with a fancy n o t u n

worthy a pupil o f S penser C upid as h e lies sleeping h a s
'
.
, ,

a little su fi u si n
g light stealing from bet ween his eyelids
,

A A
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

Th e fri endl y c u rtai n o f i nd u l g ent sleep

D i sclo s e d n o t y e t h i s ey es res i stless sway ,
’

B u t from thei r s i lk y ve i l there seem ed to peep

S o m e b ri l l iant g lan c es w i th a soften e d r a y ,
Wh i ch o e r h i s feat u res exq u i si tel y play ,
’

A n d a l l h i s pol i shed l i m b s s u ff u se w i th l i g ht .

T hu s thro s o m e nar row space t h e az u re da y ,

’

S u dden i ts cheerf u l ray s d i ff u s ing b ri g ht ,

W i de darts its l u c i d b eam s to g i ld t h e b ro w o f ni g ht .

“ ’
Thi s is the prettiest peep 0 day boy which has appeared
in Ireland .

Mrs Hunter wife o f t h e celebrated John Hunter t h e

.
,

surgeon and S ister o f the late S i r Ev e r h a r d Home publish ed

, ,

a volume o f p oems in which were a number of songs that

,

were set to m u si c , some of them by Haydn who w a s intimat e ,

with her Among the latter is o n e e x tracted by Mr D yce

. .
,

beginning
Th e season co m es when fi rst we m e t

’
It is o n e o f the composer s most affecting melodies and not ,

too much loaded with science It is to be found in an elegant .

selection o f airs trios & c in two volumes worthy the atten

, ,
.
, ,

tion an d not beyond the sk ill of the amateur published by

, ,
”
Mr S ainsbury and entitled the Vocal Anthology
.
,
Mrs . .

Hunter was author o f the well known D eath S ong o f a -

C herokee Indian
Th e su n sets i n ni g ht and t h e stars S h u n the da y, .

A simpl e and cordial energy m ade up o f feeling and good ,

s ense is the characteristic o f the better part of her writings

,
.

Hester L ynch Piozzi the friend and hostess o f Johnson

, ,

was t h e daughter o f John S a l u sb u r y Esq o f B o dv e l in

'

,
.
,
’
C arnarvonshire Her first husband was Johnson s friend
.
,

Thrale an eminent brewer ; her second S ignor Piozzi a

, , ,

teacher o f music The superiority o f The Thr ee W arnings

.

to her other poetical pieces excited a suspicion as Mr D yce ,

.

observes that Johnson assisted her in its composition ; but

,

there was no foundation for the suspicion The style is a .

g reat deal t o o natural and lively for Johnson If anyth i n g .

were t o be suspected of the poem it would be that M r s ,

.

Thral e had found the original in some French author t h e ,

lax metre and v e r si fi c a t i o n resemblin g thos e o f the se cond

o rder o f French tales i n verse .
3 56 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

S idney for her lover S h e had both intellect a n d pass i on

.
.

e noug h to match a spirit heroical The so n g beginning .

C om e here fond y o u th thou b e

’

, , wh o e er ,

has all the devoted energy o f the o l d poets .

0 L ady Anne Barnard thou that didst write the ballad ,

”
of Auld Robin G ray which must have suffused more e yes
,

w ith tears o f the first water than any other ballad that ever
was written we h a il and pay thee homage knowing the e
, , ,

now for the first time by thy real name ! But why wast
thou desirous o f bein g only a woman o f quality when thou ,

o u g h t st to have been (as N ature intended thee ) nothing

’

but the finest gentlewoman o f thy time ? And what b a d

example was it that j oining with the sophistications o f thy
,

ran k did make thee so anxious to k eep thy secret from t h e

,

world and ashamed to be spoken o f as an authoress ? S hall

,

habit and education be so strong with those w h o ought to

form instead o f being formed by them ? S hall they render
such understandings as thine insensible to t h e humiliation
o f the fancied di gnity o f concealment and the poor pride o f ,

being ashamed to give pl e asure ?

L ady Anne gives an interesting account o f t h e birth and
fortunes o f her ballad i n a letter dated July 1 8 2 3 part o f, ,

which I take th e liberty o f inserting here

’
Robin G ray , so called from its being th e nam e o f t h e
o l d herd at B a l c a r r a s was born [ she says] soon after t h e
,

close o f t h e year 1 7 7 1 My sister Margaret had marr ied

.
,

a n d accompanied her husband to L ondon ; I w a s melan

c h ol y,
and e ndeavoured to amus e myself by attempting a
few poetical t r i fl e s There was an ancient S cotch melody
.
,

o f which I was passionately fond who lived

before your day used to sing it to us at B a l c a r r a s S h e did
, .

n o t object to its having improper words though I did I ,

.

longed to sing o l d S ophy s air t o different words and give ’

,

t o its plaintive tones som e l ittle history o f virtuous distress

in humble life such as might suit it W hile attempting to
,
.

e ffect this in my closet I called to m y little sister now L ady

, ,

Hardwicke who was t h e only person near m e

,
I have bee n
writing a ballad my dear I am oppressing my heroin e
,

w ith man y misfortunes I hav e already sent her Jamie t o .

se a — a n d br o ke n her father s arm — and made her mother

 S PECIMENS OF B R ITIS H PO ETES S ES .
3 57

fall sick— and given her Auld Robin G ray fo r her lover ;
but I wis h to load her with a fifth sorrow w ithin t h e four
’
lines poor thing
,
Hel p me t o o n e S teal the cow sister .
,

Anne said the littl e Elizabeth; The c o w was immediate ly

,
’

l if t e d by m e and t h e song completed

,
At o u r fir eside and .
,
’
amongst our neighbours Auld Robin G ray was always ,
‘

called for I was please d in secret with the approbation it

.

met with ; but such was m y dr e a d o f being suspe cted o f

writing a n y th i n g perceiving the shyness it created i n those
,

who could write n o th i n g that I careful ly kept my o wn ,

se c r e t
.

Meanwhile little as this matter seems to hav e b e e n

,

worthy o f a dispute it afterwards becam e a party questio n ,

bet w een the sixteenth and eighteenth centuri e s Robin .

G ray was either a very ancient ballad com posed perhaps by ,

D avid Rizzio and a great curiosity o r a very modern matter

, , ,

and n o curiosity at all I was persecuted t o avow whether .

I had written it o r n ot — where I had got it O l d S ophy .

ke pt my counsel and I kept my o w n in spite o f the grati

, ,

fi c a t i o n o f seeing a reward o f t w enty guine a s offered in t h e

newspapers to t h e person who shoul d asc ertain the point
past a doubt and the still more flattering ci rcumstance o f a
,
.

visit from Mr J e r n i n g h a m secretary to the Anti q uarian

.
,

S ociety , w h o end e avoured to entrap the truth from m e in a

manner I took amiss Had he ask ed me the question o b l i g .

i n g l y I should have tol d him the fact distinctly and con

,

fi de n t i a l l y Th e annoyance however o f this important

.
, ,

ambassador from the antiquaries was amply repaid t o m e ,

by the noble exhibition o f the Ballad o f Auld Robin G ray s ’

’
C ourtship as performed by dancing dogs u nder my window
,
-

It proved its popularity from the highest to the lowest and ,

”
gave me pleasure while I hugged myself i n my obscurity .

My f ather wor m y m other c o u dn a S pi n

’ ’
c ou dn a k—
I to i l d da y and n i g ht b u t the i r b read I c o u dn a w i n
’
,

A u ld Ro b m a i n t a i n d them b ai th a n d wi tears i n h i s e e ’

, ,
’

S a id ,
“
J enny O h ! fo r the i r sak es w i l l you m arry m e ?
, ,

a! it

hadna b een hi s wi fe a week b u t onl y fo u r

I ,

When m o u r n fu a s I sa t o n t h e stane a t m y door

’
,

I s a w m y J am i e s g hai st I c o u dn a t h i nk i t h e
’ ’
—
,

T i ll h e sa i d I m co m e ham e m y love to m arry thee l

’ ”
, . .

i t it at it is
3 58 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

I g a n g l i ke g h a ’ i s t , a n d I c a r e n a m u c h t o spi n
a
I da r e n a t hi n k 0 J a m i e , f o r t h a t w a d be a s i n .

B u t I w i ll do m y be s t a g u de wif e a g e t o be ,
F o r A u ld Ro bi n Gr a y , 0 h ! h e i s s a e h i n d t o m e .

S uch is the origin o f the most pathetic ballad that e ve r

was written ; and such are the marriages which it is not
accounted a sin to consecr te The old m a n in this S cene of
a .

moral perplexity is good and generous in every t hing but his

dotage the parents not only tak e themselves for kind ones ,

but are so with the exception o f their will to sacrifice their

,

child and ignorance and example excuse all three Finally ,

the poor slaves who su ffer from such abuses and t h e cleverer
_ , ,

but in som e respects not better taught ones who thin k ,

them to be tolerated o u t o f som e fear o f ill o r envy o f

alteration agree to go o n calling this world a vale o f
,
”
tears they themselves taking care all the while to keep a
,

proper quantity o f the supply To run indignant pen s

into such heaps o f absurdity is surely to prepar e fo r their
break ing up .

Miss Hannah More a lady not o u t of harmony with thes e

,

discords which man k ind have been so long tak ing for their
melancholy music is t h e o n e that comes next It is t h e
, .

first time we ever read any o f her verses and she h a s fairly
surprised us, not only with some capital good sense but ,

w ith liberal and feeli ng sentiments ! How could a heart ,

capable o f uttering such things get encrusted with C a l ,

v i n i sm ! and that t o o n o t o u t o f fear and bad health but

, , ,

in full possession as it should seem both o f cheerfulness

, ,

and sensibility ! O h strange e ffects o f example an d bringing

,

up ! when humanity itself can be made to believe in the

“
divineness o f what is inhuman S weet S ensibility cries
o u r fair advocate o f eternal punishment

S weet S ens i b i l ity ! tho u k een del i g h t

U nprom pted m oral su dden sense o f ri g ht
P ercept i on exq u i s i te fai r v i r t u e s seed
’

Th o u q u i ck prec u rsor o f t h e l i b eral deed !

T ho u ha sty consc i ence reason s b l u sh ing m orn !
’

Inst inct ive k in dness ere r e fl e c t i o n s b orn

’

Prom pt sense o f e q u i ty ! to thee b elong s

Th e swi ft re dr ess o f u nexam i ned wrong s
Ea g er to serve t h e cau se perhaps u ntri ed
, ,

B u t al way s a pt to choose t h e s u ff ering s i de !

T o th ose w h o k now thee not no words c a n paint , ,

A n d those w h o know thee k now a l l words are faint

, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

3 60 .

ballad o n the W in d at tributed to Mr W ords w ort h s sister ;

,
.
’

and so m e pieces by Miss L ando n and Mrs Hemans two .

,
'

popular writers who would hav e brought their pearls t o

,

g reater perfection if they had concentrated their faculties a

little an d been content not to manufacture so many But
, .

as these ladies bring us among their living contemporaries ,

and criticism becomes a matter of great delicacy we must ,

resist t h e temptation o f being carried further .

T EA D RI N KI N G -
.

(L e ig h H L o n do n J o u r n a l , J u ly 9,
’
un t s

TH E very word t ea so pet t y so infantine so winking eyed

, , ,
-

so expressive somehow o r other o f something inexpress

, ,

i b l y minute and satisfied with a little (t ee l resembles

the idea o n e has (perhaps a very mistak en o n e ) o f that
extraordinary people o f whom Europeans k n ow little o r ,

nothing except that they sell us this preparation b o w back

, ,

a gai n o u r ambassadors have a language consisting only o f a ,

few hundred words gave us Chi n a ware and the strange ,

-

pictures o n o u r t e a cups mad e a certain progress in civiliza

-

,
~

tion long before we did mysteriously stopped at it and ,

would g o n o further an d if numbers and the customs o f , ,

“ ”
venerable ancestors are to carry the day are at onc e t h e ,

most populous and t h e most respectable nati o n o n the fac e

o f t h e earth As a population they certainly are a most
.

e normous an d wonderful body ; bu t a s individuals their , ,

ceremonies , their trifling edicts their j ealousy o f foreigners , ,

and their tea cup representations o f themselves (which are

-

t h e only ones popularly known ) impress us irresistibly with ,

a fancy that they are a people all toddling little eyed little , ,

footed little bearded little minded quaint overweening

,
-

,
-

, , ,

pig tailed bald headed cone capped o r pagoda batted having

-

,
-

,
- -

childish houses and temples with bells at every corner and

story and shuffling about in blue landscapes over nine inch
, ,
-

”
bridges with little mysteries o f bell hung whips in their
,
-

hands — a boat o r a house o r a tre e made o f a pattern

, , , ,

being ove r their heads o r underneath them (as the case may
happen ) and a bird as larg e as t h e bo a t always having a
, ,
 TEA D R INK ING
-
.
36 x

circ ular space to fly in S uch are the C h In e se o f t h e

w hite .

t e a cups and the g rocers w i ndows, and partly o f the i r o w n

’
-

novels too in which everything seems as little as their

,

e y es little odes , little wine parties and a series o f little

,
-

satisfactions .

At all events it becomes us to be grateful fo r their tea

,
.

\Vh a t a curious thing it was that all of a sudden the ,

remotest nation o f the East otherwise unknown and foreig n , ,

to all o u r habits should convey t o us a d omestic custom

,

which changed the face o f o u r morning refreshments and

that instead of ale and meat o r wine all the polite part o f
, , ,

England S hould be drink ing a C hinese infusion and setting ,

up earthenware in their houses painted with preposterous ,

scenery !
Y e a pleasant and rich is thy S ight little tea cup (large
, ,
—
,

though at break fa st ) round smooth and coloured co m

, , , ,

posed o f delicate earth — like the earth producing flowers , ,

and birds and men and contai ning within thee thy
L illiputian ocean which we after sending o u r fancy sailing
, ,
”
over it past islands of foam called
,
sixpences and ,

mysterious bubbles from belo w will giant li k e engulf , ,

-

But hold — there s a fly in ’

.

N o w why could not this inconsiderate monster o f the air

,

be content with the whol e space o f the heavens round about

him but h e must needs plunge into this scalding pool ?
,
”
Hadst thou my three kingdoms to range in said James ,

the First to a fly and yet must needs get into my eye

,

It was a good natured speech and a natural It shows that

-

,
.

t h e monarch did his bes t to get the fly o u t again at least

we hope so and therefore we follo w the royal exampl e i n
extricating the little winged wretch who has struggled hard ,

with his unavailing p i n i ons , and become drenched and lax

with the soaki n g He is on the dry clean cloth Is h e
.
, .

dead ? N o : the tea was not so hot as we supposed it

see he gives a heave o f himself forward ; then endeavours
,

to drag a leg up then another then stops and si n k s do w n

, , , ,

saturated and overborne with wateriness S e e ! after drag .

ging himself along the dry cloth he is fairly on his legs ; ,

he smo oths himself like a cat first one side the n the other
, , , ,

only with his legs ’

instead o f his tongue , then rubs the legs
3

t o g e t h e I partly to disengage them of their burthen and

, ,

partly as if he congratulated himself o n his e scape and ,

3 62 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

n o w,finally opening his wings (beautiful privilege ! fo r all

,
’
wings except the bat s seem beautiful and a privilege and
, , , ,

fit for e nvy ), h e is o ff ag ai n into t h e a ir , as if nothing h a d

happe ned .

W I N D OW S .

(L e i g h H u n t s L o n do n J o u rn a l A u g u st 2 0
’
, ,

TH E other day a butterfly came into o u r room and began

beating himself against the upper panes o f a win dow half
open think ing t o get back It is a nice point relievi ng
,
.
—

your b u t t e r fl y h e is a creature so de l icate If you handle

—
.

him without cere m ony y o u bring away o n your fingers ,

something which y o u take to be down but which i s plumes ,

o f feathers .

There w a s he beating flutt e ring fl o u n de r i n g — wondering

, , ,

that he could not get through so clear a matter (for so glass

appears to be to insects as well as to men ) and tearin g his ,

si l k en little soul o u t with ineffectual energy W hat plumag e .

he must have left upon t h e pane W hat feathers and

colours strewed about as if some fi n e lady had gone mad
, ,

against a ball room door for not b eing let in

-

Hereupon we contrived t o get him downwards and —

forth out into the air sprang h e — fi r st against the lime

trees and then over them into the blue ether
, .

Bees appear to tak e it more pa tiently o u t o f a greater ,

knowledge ; and sl ip about with a strange air o f hopeless

“ ”
ness They seem to give it up
. These things a s Mr .
, .

“
Pepys said o f the humanities at C ourt it is pretty to o h ,
”
serve G lass itself i s a phenomenon that might alone serve
.

a reflecting ob server with m editation for a whol e morning

—s o substantial and yet so air li k e so close an d compact to -

keep away the cold yet so transparent and facile to let i n ,

light the gentlest of all things so palpably so m e th i n g and

,
—
,

yet to the eye and the perceptions a k ind o f n o t h i n g ! It

seems absolutely to deceive insects in this respect which is ,

remarkable considering how closely they handle it and what

, ,

microscopic eyes we suppose them to have W e should .

do u b t (a s we used to do ) whether we did not mistake their

‘

ideas o n the subj ect if we had not so often seen their ,

r e ea ted da sh i n g s o f themselves against t h e panes , thei r

p fl
36 4 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

ones and to the air For a fe w p e nce they might have

, .

beautiful colours and odours and a pleasing task emulo us , ,

o f the showers o f April b e n e fi c e n t as May ; for they w h o,

cultivate flowers in their windows a r e led instinctively t o

cultivate them for others as well as themselves nay in o n e ,

respect they do it more so for you may observe that

wherever there is this fenestral horticulture (as Evelyn
would have called your windo w—gardening ) t h e flowers a r e ,

turned with their faces towards the street .

TH E C A T B Y T H E FIR E .

( L e i g h H u n t s L o n do n J o u rn a l Nove m b er 2 6
’
, .

A B LAZ ING fi r e a warm rug candles lit and curtains drawn

, , ,

the k ettle o n for tea and finally t h e cat before y o u attra ct

, , ,

ing your attention — i t is a scen e which everybody li k es ,

unless he h a s a morbid aversion to cats : which i s n o t

common .

The cat purrs a s if it applauded o u r consideration — and

,

gently moves its tail W hat an o dd expression o f the powe r

.

to be irritab le and the will t o be pleased there is i n its fac e ,

as it loo k s u p at u s !
N o w she proceeds to clean herself all over having a j ust ,

sens e o f the demands o f her elegant person — b eginning

j udiciously with her paws and fetchi ng amazing tongues at ,

her hind hips Anon she scratches her neck with a foot o f
-
.
,

rapid delight leaning her head towards it and shutting her

, ,

eyes hal f to accommodate the action of the skin and half to

, ,

enj oy the luxury S h e then rewards her paws with a few

.

more touches loo k at the action o f her head and neck

-

how pleasing it is the e a rs pointed forward and the neck

, ,

gently arching to and fro Finally she gives a sneeze and .

, ,

another twist o f mouth and whisk ers and then curling her , ,

tail towards her front claws settles herself on her hind ,

quarters i n an attitude o f bland meditation

,
.

S h e is a sprightly cat hardly past her youth so happen , ,

ing to move the fringe o f the rug a little with o u r foot S h e ,

darts o u t a pa w and begins pluck ing it and in q uiring into

,

the m atter as if it were a challenge to play o r something

, ,

lively enough t o be eaten W hat a graceful action o f that

.
 TH E C A T B Y TH E F IR E .
36 5

foot o f hers between delicacy and petulanc e —combini n g

,

something o f a thrust o u t a beat and a scratch There , , .

seems even something o f a l ittl e bit o f fear in it as if j u st ,

e nough t o provoke her courage and give her the excitement ,

o f a sens e o f hazard W e remember bei n g much amused w ith

.

seeing a ki tten manifestly mak ing a series o f e xperiments

upon the patience o f its mother— trying how far the latter
would put up wi th positive bites and thumps Th e kitte n .

ran at her every moment gave her a knock o r a bit e o f t h e ,

tail and then ran back again to recommence the assault ,

.

The mother sate look ing at her as if betwixt tolerance and ,

a dmiration to see how far the spirit o f the family was i n

,

h e r i t e d o r improved by her sprigh t ly o ffspring At le n g th .

,

however the little Pick le presumed too far and the

, ,

mother lifting up her paw and meeti n g her at the very

, ,

nick o f the moment gave her one o f the most u n so ph i st i

,

c a t e d boxes o f the ear we ever beheld It sent her rolling .

half over the room and mad e her come to a most ludicrous
,

pause with th e oddest little look o f premature an d wincing

,

m editation .

’
That lapping o f t h e milk o u t o f t he saucer is what one s
human thirst cannot sympathiz e with It seems as if ther e .

could b e no satisfa ction in such a series of atoms o f drink .

Y e t the saucer is soon emptied and there is a refreshment

’
to one s ears in that sound o f plashing with which the action
is accompanied and which seems indicative o f a li k e comfort
,
’
to pussy s mouth Her tongue is thin and can make a S poon
.
,

o f itself This how e ver is common to other quadru peds

.
, ,

with the cat and does not therefore more part icularly
, , ,

belong to o u r feline consideration N o t so the electricity o f .

its coat which gives o u t sparks under the hand its passion
,

for t h e herb valerian (did the reader ever see o n e roll in it ?

it is a mad sight ) and other singular delica cies o f nature ,

among which perhaps is to be reckoned its ta ste for fish a

, , ,

creatur e with whos e element it h a s so littl e to do that it

is supposed even to abhor it ; though lately w e read some
where o f a swimming cat that used t o fish for itself An d , .

this reminds us o f an exquisit e anecdote o f dear dogmatic , ,

d iseased thoughtful surly charitabl e Joh n son w h o would

, , , ,

go o u t o f doors himself and buy oysters fo r his cat becaus e

, ,
’
his black serv ant was too proud to do it ! But Johnson s
true practical delica cy in t h e matter is beautiful B e a ssur e d .
3 66 LEIG H HU NT S ES S AYS
’
.

that h e thought nothing o f condescension in it o r o f ,

being eccentric He was singular i n som e things becaus e

.
,

h e could n o t help it But he hated eccentricity N o : in

. .

his best moments he felt himself simpl y to be a man and a ,

good man too though a frail — one that i n vi rt u e as well as

,

humility and in a k nowledge o f his ignorance as well as his

,

wisdom was desirous o f being a C hristian philosopher ; and

,

accordingly he w ent o u t and bought food for his hungry

,

cat because his poor negro was too proud t o do it and there
, ,

w as nobody else in the way whom he had a right to ask .

W hat must anybody that saw him have thought as h e ,

turned up Bolt C ourt ! But doubtless h e went as secretly as

possible that is to say if he considered th e thing at all
—
, .

His friend G arrick could n o t hav e done as much He was

“ ”
too grand and o n the great stage o f life G oldsmith
, .

could but he would hardly have thought o f it Beauclerc .

m ight but he would have thought it necessary to excuse it

with a j est o r a wager o r some such thi n g S i r Joshu a
, .

Reynolds with his fashionable fi n e lady p a inting hand

, ,
- -

would certainly have shrunk from it Burke woul d hav e .

r easoned himself into its propriety but he would have ,

reasoned himself o u t again G ibbon ! Imagine its being .

u t into the head o f G ibbon ! He and his b wig would

p a
g
-

have sta r ted with all the horror o f a gentleman usher an d -

’ ’
he would have rung the bell for the cook s deputy s under - -

a ssistant e rrand boy

- -

A N OW .

V OL D DA Y
D ES C R IP T I E O F A C ;

(L e i g h H u n t s L on do n J ou r n a l D ecem b er 3
’
, ,

A F RIEND tells u s that having written a N ow descript i ve

, ,

o f a h o t day w e o u ght to write another , descriptive o f a

,

cold o n e and accordingly w e do so .

But first the reader may choose to b e told o f the origi n

,

o f t h e use o f thi s word N o w , in cas e he is not already a o

q u a i n t e d with it It was
. suggested to us by t h e stri k ing

convenienc e it affords to descriptiv e writers such as ,

Thomso n and others , who a r e fo n d o f beginning th e ir

36 8 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

smoking o u t Of the fl a nnel in which they com e fro m t h e

’
baker s ; and people who come with single knocks at
the door are pitied and the voices of boys are loud i n
the street slid ing o r throwing snowballs ; and the dust
,
’
man s bell sounds cold ; and we wonder how anybody can
go about selling fish especially with that hoars e voice and
,

schoolboys hate their slates and blow their fingers and , ,

’
dete st infinitely the no fi r e at school ; and the parish be a dle s
- -

nose is redder than ever .

N o w sounds in general a r e dull and smok e o u t o f ,

chimneys looks warm and rich and birds are pitied hopping ,

about for crumbs and the trees loo k wiry and cheerless
, ,

albeit they are still beautiful to imaginative eyes especially ,

the evergreens and the birch with b oughs like dishevelled

,

hair .

N o w skaters are o n the al e rt ; t h e cutlers shop wi ndows ’

-

abound with their swif t shoes ; an d as y o u approach t h e

scen e o f a ction (pond o r canal ) y o u hear the du l l grinding
noise of the skates to and fro Beginners a ffect to laugh .

at their tumbles , but a r e terribly a n gry and long to thump ,

the b y standers O n thawin g days idlers persist to the last

-
.
,

i n skating o r sliding amidst the slush and bendi n g ice ,

making the Humane S ociety man ferocious He feels as if .

he could give them the deat h s from which it is his busines s

to save them .

N o w riders look S harp and horses seem brittl e i n the legs

, ,

and o l d gentlemen feel so ; an d co a chmen cabmen and , ,

others stand swinging their arms across at their sides to

,
’
warm themselves ; and blac k smiths shops look pleasant ,
’
and potato shops dete stabl e ; the fi sh m o n g e r s still more so .

W e wonder h o w he can live in that plash o f wet and cold

fish without even a window .

N ow the m u f fin bell soun deth sweetly in the streets

-

reminding us not o f the m a n b u t hi s mu ffins and o f

, , ,

twi light and e veni n g a n d curtains an d the fi resid e

, , ,
.
 TH E AR CH ITECT OF S T . PAU L S
’
.
36 9

TH E AR C HIT EC T OF S T . PAU L ’
S .

J o u r n a l , S u pplem ent N O
’

(L e ig h H unt s L o n do n . 1,

W REN S principal enj oyment during t h e later part Of h i s

’

“
lif e consisted in his being carri ed once a year to see h i s
“ ”
great work ; the beginning and completion o f which ,

Observes W alpole “
was an event which one could h o t
, ,

wonder left such an impression o f content o n the mind o f

,

the good old man that it seemed to recal l a memory almost

,
”
deadened to every other use The epitaph upon him by .

his son which Mr M y l n e the ar chit e ct Of Blackfriars

,
.
,

Bridge caused to be rescued from the vaults underneath t h e

,

church where it was ludicrously inapplicable and placed i n

, ,

gold letters over the choir has a real sublimity in it though , ,

defaced by one o f those plays upon words which w ere t h e ,

taste of the times in the archit ec t s youth and which h i s ’

family perh a ps had learnt t o ad m i re .

Su bt u s c o n di t u r
H u ju s eccles i ae e t u rb i s e o n di tor
C h Wren .
,

Q u i vi x i t a n n o s u ltra n o n a g i n t a ,

No n s i b i sed b ono pu b l i co .

L ector S i m o n u m e n t u m r e q u i r i s
, ,

C i r c u m s pi c e .

W e ca nnot preserve the pun in English unless perhaps , , ,

“
by some such rendering as Here found a grav e t h e ,
“
founder o f this church ; o r Undern e ath is fo u nded t h e
”
tomb &c Th e rest is admirable
, .

Wh o l i ved to t h e a g e o f u pwards o f n inety y ear s ,

N o t f o r h i m self b u t f o r t h e pu b l i c g ood
, .

R eader i f tho u see k est h i s m onu m ent

, ,

L oo k aro u nd .

Th e eader do es look around and the whol e interior o f

r ,

the cathedral seems like a magn i ficent vault over his singl e
body The e ff ect is v e grand especially if t h e o rg a n i s
.
,

playing .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
3 70 .

P O RTRAIT S IN S TATI ON ERS HA L L

’
.

(L e ig h H u n t s L o n do n J o u r n a l , S u pple m ent No
’
. 2 ,

IN t h e interior Of t h e modern building a r e to b e s e en ,

looking almost as if they were alive and as if we knew the m ,

personally the immortal faces o f S teele and Richardson

, ,

Prior in his cap and D r Hoadley a liberal bishop Ther e

, .
, .

is also Mrs Richardson the wife Of the novelist looking a s

.
, ,

prim and p a rticular as if sh e had been j ust chuck ed under

the chin ; and Robert N elson , Es q supposed author o f t h e .
,

W hole D uty Of Man and prototype o f S i r C harles G ran ,

dison as regular and passionless in his fa ce as if he had been

,

mad e only t o wear h i s wig The same is not t o b e said Of .

the face o f S teele with his black e yes and social aspect
,

and still less o f Richardson who instead o f being t h e , ,

smooth sa t i sfi e d—look ing personage he is r e pr e se n t e d i n som e

,

e n g ravings o f him
(whi ch mak es his heartrending romance
appear u naccountable and cruel ) has a face as u n easy a s ,

c a n well be conceived — fl u sh e d and shattered with emotion .

W e recognize the sensitiv e enduring man such as he reall y , ,

’
was— a heap Of bad nerves It is worth anybody s wh ile t o .

’
go to S tationers Hall o n purpos e to s e e thes e portraits , .

They are n o t Of t h e first order as portraits but evident ,

li k enesses Hoadley looks at once j ovial and decided lik e

.
,

a good natured controversialist

-
Prior is n o t so ple a sant a s .

in his prints his nos e is a littl e aquiline instead Of t u rn e d ,

u
p ; and his features though de l icate not S O libera l ,
B ut ,
.

if he has n o t the best look Of his poetry he has t h e worst , .

He seems as if h e had been sitting up all night his eyelids

droop : a n d his whol e face is u sed with rakery .

H ERAL D S C O L L EG E
’
.

(L e ig h H u nt ’
s L o n do n J o u rn a l , S u pplem ent No . 2 ,

’
B EH IND L ittle K n i g h t r i de r s S treet to the e a st o f D octors ,
’
C ommon s is the Heralds C ollege
,
A gorgeous id e a Of .

colours falls o n t h e mind in passing it a s from a cathedral ,

window
An d S h i elde d scutcheons b l u sh w i th b lood O f queens and k in g s .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
3 72 .

e legant o f t h e cavaliers o f C harles t h e First and ,

a uthor
t h e e xquisite ballad beginning

When L ove w ith u ncon fi ned w ing s

H overs wi th i n m y g ates ,

And m y d ivine A lthea b ring s

T o wh i sper at m y g rates .

When I l i e tang le d i n h e r hair ,

A nd fettered i n h e r e y e ,

T h e b irds that wanton i n t h e a i r

Know no s u ch l i b erty .

S tone walls do not a pri son m ak e ,

N o r i ron b ars a c a g e ,

M i nds i nnocent a n d q u i et tak e

That f o r an herm itag e .

This accomplished man who is said by W ood t o hav e ,

“
be en i n his youth the most amiable and beautiful perso n
”
that eye ever beheld a n d who was lame n ted by C harle s
,

C otton as an epitome o f manly virtue died at a poor l o dg ,

ing in G u n pc w de r Alley n ear S ho e L an e an Obj ect o f

, ,

charity Aubrey says he w a s proud He was accounted a

. .

sort o f minor S i r Philip S idney W e speak t h e mor e o f .

him n o t only o n accou n t Of h i s poetry (which fo r t h e mos t

, ,

par t displays much fancy injured by want Of selectness )

, , ,

but be caus e his connection with the neighbourhoo d probably

”
suggested t o Richardson t h e name Of his hero i n C larissa .

S AMU EL RI C HAR D S ON .

(L ei g h Hunt ’
s L o n do n J o u r n a l supple m ent No
, . 2 ,

’
R ICH A R D S ON S manners were strict and formal with regard
t o his family probably because he had formed his notion s
,

o f l ife from Old boo k s and also because h e did not well k no w
,

h o w to be gi n to do otherwise (fo r he was n aturally bashful ) ,

a n d so the habit continued through life His daughters .

“
a ddressed him i n their letters by t h e titl e o f Honoured
” “
S i r and are al ways designating the m selves as ever dutiful
,
.

S ede n tary living e ternal writing and perhaps that i n du l g

, ,

e n ce in the tabl e which however moderate a ffects a

, , ,

s e d e nt a ry m a n tw e nty times as much as an active o n e con ,

S pir e d to hu r t h i s tempe r (for w e may se e by h i s picture

 S A M UEL RICH ARD S ON .
3 73

that h e gr e w fat and his philosophy was in no r e spect as

,

profound as h e thoug h t it ) but he was a most kind hearted -

generous man ; k ept his pocket full o f plums fo r children ,

li ke another Mr Burchell gave a great deal o f money

.

away i n charity very handsomely t o o and was so fond o f

,

inviting friends to stay with him that when they were ill , ,

he and h i s family must needs have them t o b e nursed .

S everal actually died at his house at Fulham as at a n ,

hospital for sick fr iends .

It i s a fact n o t generally known (none o f his biographers

seem to have known o f it ) that Richardson w a s the s o n o f a
j oiner and received what education he had (wh ich was very
,

little and did n o t go beyo nd English ) at C hrist s Hospital

,
’
.

It may be wondered h o w he could come no better taught

from a school which had sent forth so m any good scholars ;
but i n his time and indeed till very lately that foundation
, ,

was divided into several schools none o f w hich partook o f ,

the l e ssons o f the others ; and Richardson agreeabl y to his ,

’
father s intention o f bringing him up to trade was most ,

probably confined to the writing school where a l l that was —

,

ta ught w as writing and arithmetic It was most likely here .

that h e intimated his future career first by writing a let t e r , ,

at eleven year s o f age t o a censorious woman o f fifty w h o

, ,

pretended a zeal for religion ; and aft e rwards at thirteen , ,

by composi ng love lette rs to their sweethearts fo r thre e

-

young women in the neighbourhood who made him their ,

confidant To these an d others he also used to read book s

.
,

their mothers being o f the party and they encouraged him

to make remarks ; which is exactl y the sort o f life he led
wit h Mrs C h a po n e Miss Fielding and others w hen in t h e
.
, , ,
“ ”
height o f his celebrity O n e of the young women h e
.
,
’
informs us highly gratified with her lover s fervour and
,

vows o f everlasting love h a s said when I hav e a sked her , ,

direction I cannot tell y o u what to write but (her heart

, ,

o n her lips ) you cann ot write t o o kindly ; all her fear was
”
o nly that sh e should incur a slight for her kind ness This .

passage wi th its pretty breathless pa renthesis is in the style

, ,

o f h i s books If the writers among his fe m al e coterie i n

.

after life owed their inspiration to him he only r eturned to

-

them what they had done for himself W omen seem t o .

have been always about him both i n town and country ; ,

which mad e Mrs B a r b a u l d sa y very agreeably, that h e

.
,
 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
3 74 .

lived in a kind o f fl o w e r garden o f ladies This has be e n -

grudged him and thought e fi e m i n a t e but we must make

'

allowance fo r early circumstances and recoll e ct what t h e ,

garden produced for us Richardson did not pretend to b e .

able to do without femal e society Perhaps however they .

, ,

did not quiet his sensibil ity so much as they charmed it .

W e think in his C orrespondence a tendency is o b s e r v

, ,

able to indulge i n fancies not always so paternal as they ,

agree to call them though doubtless all was said in honour ,

an d the ladies never found reason to diminish their rever

ence A great deal has bee n said of h i s vanity and the
.

weakness of it Vain he undoubtedly was an d vanity is n o

.
,

stre n gt h ; b u t it is worth bearing i n mind that a man i s

often saved from vanity not because h e is stronger than ,

another but because he is less amiable and did not begin

, , ,

as Richardson did with being a favourit e so early Few , .

men are surrounded as he was from his very childhood , , ,

with females ; and few people think so well o f their species

o r with s o much reason I n all probability too he was .
, ,

handsom e when young which is another excuse for him , .

His vanity is more easily excused than his genius accounted

for considering the way in which h e lived The tone of
, .

L ovelace s manners and language which has created so

’

much surprise in an author who was a C ity printer an d ,

passed his lif e among a few friends between Fleet S treet

and a suburb was caught probably n o t merely from C ibber
, , ,

but from the famous pr o fi i g a t e D u k e o f W h arton with ,

whom h e becam e acquainted in the cours e o f his business .

But t h e unwearied vivacity with which h e has suppor t ed it

i s wonderful .

W AY FAR ER S IN C HAN C ER Y L AN E .

(L e i g h IYz m t L l , S u pple m ent No 3 ,

’
s o n do n J our na .

“
C H ANC ER Y L the most ancient o f any t o the west
A NE, ,

having been built in the time o f Henry the Third when it ,

was called N e w L ane which was afterwards altered to ,

’
C hancellor s L ane is the greatest legal thoroughfare in ,

England It leads from the Temple passes by S erjeants ’

.
,

Inn C lifford s Inn L incoln s Inn an d the Rolls and c o n

,
’

,
’
, ,

ducts to G ray s Inn O f the world o f vic e and virtue o f

’
.
,
3 76 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
' ‘

nor will it condescend to play everything for you a s t h e ,

“
other does It is a lion which has n o skill i n dandli n g
.
,
”
the kid It is Jupiter unabl e to put o ff his deity when
.
,

he visits y o u The pianofor t e is n o t incapable o f t h e grandest

.

music and it performs the light and neat to admiration and

, ,

does n o t omit even the tender Y o u may accompany with it .

,

almost equally well the social graces of Mozart and t h e

, ,

pathos o f W inter and Paesiello and as t o a certain miniatur e

brilliance o f taste and execution it has given rise to a music ,

o f its own i n the hands o f C herubini and others

,
All thos e .

delicate ivory keys which repose in s uch evenness and q uiet ,

’
wait only the touch o f the master s fingers to be come a
dancin g and sin g in g multitude and o u t o f apparent con ,

fusion mak e accordant lovel iness How pleasant to t h e .

uninitiated to see him lay his hand upon them as if in mer e ,

indifference or at random and as he dimples the instrument ,

with touches wide and numerous a s rain drops on a summer -

sea play upon the ear the most regular harmonies and give
, ,

u s in a twinkling elaborations which it would take us years

t o pick o u t W e forget that h e has gone through the sam e

.

labour and think only o f the beautiful a n d mysterious result

, .

He must have a taste to be sure which no labour can gift ,

him With and o f this we h a ve a due sense By the way w e

,
.
,

know n o t whether the Italians use the word i n the sam e

sense at present but in a n o l d dictionary in o u r possession
, ,
”
the keys o f musical instrume nts are called t a z t i —t a s t es
,

a very expressive designation Y o u do tast e the pianofort e

.

the moment you touch it Anybody can taste it which as w e .

, ,

said be fore is not the case with other instruments the ton e
, ,

in them not being ready made tho u gh a master of course -

, , ,

may apply the word to any

S o sai d h i s hand s pri g htly as fi r e h e fi ing s
‘

, , , ,

And w i th a qu avering coy ness tastes t h e string s .

Pianofort es will probably be much improved by the n e w

generation Experiments are daily m ak i n g with them some
.
,

tim es o f much promise and the extension o f science o n all

,

han ds bids fair to improve wh atever is connected with

m echanism W e a r e very well content however with t h e
.
, ,

instrument as it is a r e grateful for it as a concert in

, ,

miniature and admire it as a piece o f furniture in all its

,

shapes ; only we do n o t like to see it made a table o f and ,

laden with movables ; nor when it is upright does it seem

‘
 TH E PIANOF O R TE .
3 77

quit e finished without a bust o n it perhaps because it makes ,

so g ood a pedestal and seems to call for o n e .

P i a n of o r t e (soft and strong ) is not a good nam e fo r an i n

strument which is no softer n o r stronger than some others .

The organ unites the two qualities most but organ

( py
d a vo v i n s t r u m e n t u m
,
as if t h e i n s t r u m en t b
—
y excellence )
is the proper word for it not to be parted with an d o f a , ,

sound fit fo r its nobleness The word pianofort e cam e up .

w hen the harpsichord and S pin et its predecessors wer e , ,

made softer H a r p si c ho r d (a r pi c h o r da — commonly called

.

in Italian c l a i r c e m ba l o o r k eyed cymbal

, , a box o r
hollow Fr c l a v ec i o ) i s a sounding but hardly a good word
.
,

meani n g a harp with chords— which may be said o f any

harp S pi n e t an older term ( spi n e l l o thorns ) signifies t h e
.
, , ,

quills which used to occupy the place o f the modern clothed

hammers and which produced the harsh sound i n the o l d
,

instruments the quill striking t h e e dge o f the stri n gs li k e

,

the nicking o f a guitar stri n g by the nail The spinet was .

preceded by the v i rg i n a l s the oldest instrum ent we b e , ,

lieve o f the kind — s o called perhaps from its being chiefly

, , ,

played upo n by young women o r because it was used i n ,

sin g ing hymns to the Virgin S penser has mentioned it in .

an English Tr i m t er Ia m bz c one o f those fantastic attempts

'

to introduce the u ncongenialities o f L atin v e r si fi c a t i o n

which the taste o f the great poet soon led him to abandon .

The li ne however in which the virginals are mention e d

, , ,

presents a picture n ot u nworthy o f him His apos t rophe .

,

at the outset to his u n h a ppi e verse contains a n i n v o l u n

,

tary satire
U n h app i e v e r se ! t h e w i t n e s se of m y u n h a ppi e state ,

M ak e thy sel f fl u t tering win g s o f t h y fast fl y ing

Tho u g ht a n d fly u nto m y L ove wheresoever s h e b e
, ,

W hether l y ing restless i n heavy b edde or else ,

P la y i n g a lo n e c a r e l ess o n h e r h e a ve n l z e v i r g i n a ls .

Queen Elizabeth is o n record as having played o n the

virginals It h a s been supposed by som e that t h e i n s t r u
.

ment took its n ame from her ; but it is probably older .

The musical instrument in o n e o f S h a k s pe a r e s sonnets is o f ’

the same keyed family W hat a complete feeling o f t h e .

a n da n t e or goi n g movement
, (as the Italians call it ) is there ,

in the beautiful line which we have marked ! And what a

plea sant m ixture o f tenderness and archness thro u ghout !
 L EIG H HU NT S ES S AYS ’
.

How oft wh en thou m y m u s i c m u s i c pl a y st

, ,
’

U pon that b l essed wood whose m ot i on so u nds ,

IVi t h t h y sweet fi ng ers when tho u g entl y sw a y st

’ ’
,

Th e wi ry concord that m i ne e a r con fou nds ,

D o I envy those j ack s that n i m b le leap , ,

T o k i ss t h e tender inward o f t h y hands ,

Whi l st m y poor l i ps that sho u ld that harvest reap

, ,

At t h e words b oldness b y thee b l u sh ing stand !

,

T o b e so t i c k led t h ey wo u ld chan g e the i r state

A nd s i tu at i on w ith those danc ing ch i ps
,

O ’ er whi c h t h y fi n g e r s w a l k w i t h g e n t l e g a i t .

S ince sau c y j ac k s so happy are i n th i s ,

G ive the m t h y fi n g ers , m e t h y l i ps to k i s s .

Thus have two o u t o f o u r great poets S p e ns e r a n d

we ,

S h a k s pe a r e showi n g us the del ight they take i n the sam e

,

species o f instrument which we have mention e d a s bringing

themselves near t o o u r pianoforte .

S t i ll vi rg inall ing
U pon h i s pal m ,

s ays th e j ealou s hu sband i n The W inter s Tal e C haucer ’

.
”
,

S penser S h a k spe a r e and Milton all mention the organ

, , , .

C haucer speaks of several instruments but we cannot trac e ,

to him any keyed ones It is rather surprising that the .

poets considering the lov e o f music natural to them an d

, ,

their frequent m ention o f the a r t hav e spoken of so few ,

musical instruments— a t least , as i f conversant with them

in their houses Milton was an organ player and G a y a
.
-

flute player (how like the di ff erence o f their genius

-

Thomson possessed an o l i a n harp o f which he seems to ,

have bee n very fond He has addressed an o de to it (from

.

which t h e verses have been set to music ) beginning

M eth ink s I hear the fu ll celest i al cho ir
“
and has again mentioned the instrument in his Castl e o f
”
Indolence a most fit place for it
, .

All t h e t r uest lovers o f any o n e art admire t h e other

arts Farinelli had several harpsichords to which he gave
.

the names o f painters according to their respective quali

,

ties — calling o n e his Raphael another his C orreggio & c , , .

And the exquisite little painting by Annibal C arracci in , ,

the British G allery o f S il enus teaching Apollo to play

,

the Pan pipe (together with a companion picture han ging

-

o n e o f the compartments o f
n ear it
) is said
,
to have formed
38 0 L EIG H H U NT S
’
ES S AYS .

and o f t h e existence of some vices he h a s no n otion .

G lutt ony for instance with him is n o t only inconceivable ;

, , ,

but looks very li k e a virtue He sees in it only so ma ny .

”
more beefs and a generous scorn of the bill As to wine
, .
,

o r almost any other liquor it is o u t o f your power to astonish ,

“ ”
h i m with t h e quantity you call for His Y e s sir is as .
, ,

swift indi ff erent and official at the fifth bottle as at t h e

, ,
‘

first Reform and other p u blic events he look s upon purely

.

as things in the newspaper and the newspaper as a thing ,

taken i n at taverns for gentlemen to read His own , .

“
reading is confined to Accidents and Offences and the ,

advertisements for butlers which latter he peruses with a n ,

“
admiring fear not choosing to give up a cert ainty
,
”
W hen .

young he was al ways in a hurry and exasperated his mistress ,

by running a gainst the other waiters and breaking t h e ,

”
neguses A s he gets older h e learns to unite swiftnes s
.
,

with caution ; declines wasting his breath in immediate

answers to calls and knows with a slight turn of his fac e ,

and elevation o f his voice into w hat precise corner o f the ,

“
room to pitch h i s C oming s 1 r He would drop o n e o f ,
“ ”
two syl l ables o f his Y e s sir if he could but b usiness , ,

and civility will not allow it ; and therefore he does what h e

can by runnin g them together in the swift su fficiency o f h i s
”
Ye z z i r .

His morning dress is a waistcoat o r j acket his coat is fo r

afte r n oo ns If the estab lishment is flourishing he li k es to
.
,

get into black as he grows elderly ; by which time also h e is

gen erally a little corpulent and wears hair—po w de r dressing , ,

somewhat laxly about the waist for conve n ience o f move ,

m ent N o t however that he draws much upon that part

.
, ,

o f his body except as a poise to what he carr i es

,
fo r y o u
may observe that a waiter in wal k ing uses only h i s lower , ,

limbs from his knees do w n w a 1 ds The movement o f all t h e

,
.

rest o f him 1 s negative and modified solely by what he be ars

,

i n his hands At this period he has a little money i n t h e

.

funds and his n ieces look u p to him He still carries

,
.
,

however a napk in under his arm a s well as a corkscrew i n

, ,

his pocket ; nor for all his long hab it can he help feeling a
, ,

satisfaction at the noise he m ak es in d rawin g a cork H e .

thin k s that no man can do it better and that Mr S mith .

,

who u nderstands wi n e is thinking so too th o ugh h e does

, ,

n o t take his eyes o ff the plate In his right waistcoa t .

 B R IC K S A ND B RIC K L AYER S .
38 1

po cket i s a snu ff b o x with which h e supplies gentlemen

-

late at night a fter the sh ops are shut up and when they
, ,

are in desperate want o f another fil l i p to their sensations ,

a fter t h e devil and toasted cheese If particularly requir ed .

he will laugh at a j ok e especially at that time o f night , ,

j ustly thinking that gentlemen towards o n e in th e morni n g

f w i l l be facetious
‘
H e is o f opinion it is in
. human
natur e to be a little fresh at that period and to want to b e ,

put into a coach .

To see him dine somehow har dly seems natural An d

, , .

he appears to do it as if h e had no right Y o u catch him .

”
at his dinner in a corner— huddled apart Thomas dining 1
i nstead o f hel ping dinner .

O nce a year (for he has few holidays ) a couple o f pedes

t r i a n smeet him on a S unday in the fields and cannot conceive ,

for the life o f them who it is ; till the startlin g r e c o l l e c

’
tio n occurs G oo d G o d ! It s t h e waiter at the G r o g h a m

BRI C K S AN D BRI C K L AY ER S .

(L h H L o n don J ou rn a l , A u g u st
’
e i g unt s 8, 183

IT is a ve ry h o t and dusty day ; you are passing thro ugh

a street in w hich ther e is n o shade— a new street only ,

half built and half paved The time noon the month .
,
—
,

August— the whole place glaring w ith the sun and coloured ,

with yellow brick chal k and lime O ccasionally y o u

, ,
.

stumbl e u po n t h e bottom o f an o l d saucepan , o r kick a

baked shoe .

I n this very h o t pa ssage through life y o u a r e lo n ging fo r

soda water , o r for the sound o f a pump , when suddenly you
-

H ear a trowel t i c k ag a inst a b ri ck .

O bserve casual reader what such o f us as a r e

n ow, 0 ,

habituated to it found in o u r h alf built street Y o u take a -

brick perhaps for an ordinary bit of burnt clay fit only to ,

build N o 9G olf S treet L ittle Meadows ; an d to become a

.
,

brickbat and be kick ed to pieces in an o l d alley O thou

,
.

o f little book stall ! W h y the very manufacture is illustrious,

w ith antiquity — with the morning beams that touched t h e

hous e tops o f S h i n a a r ; there is a clatter o f brick making
- -
382 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS ’
.

in the fields o f Accad and the work l oo k s almost a s ancie n t

t o th i s day w ith its straw built tents and its e arthy land
,
-

s cape. N o t desolate therefore o r unrefreshed were we in

, , ,

o u r new an d h o t street for the first brick lik e a talisman , ,

transported us into o l d Babylon with its tower and i t s ,

gardens and there w e drove o u r chariot o n t h e walls and ,

conversed with Herodotus and got o u t o f t h e way o f S emi

,

ramis and read the arrow headed let t ers o n the bric k s
,
-

The said brick thence took us into Paradise and so through ,

all the regions o f Mesopotamia and t h e Arabia n N ights ,

with our friends B o c h a r t and B e dr e ddi n Hassan an d

returning home what do we descry ? Th e street itself
,

alone N o ! B e n Jonson the most illustrious o f bricklayers

, ,

handling his trowel o n the walls of C hancery L an e and t h e ,

obstinate remnants o f Roman brick and mortar lurking sti ll

’
abo u t L ondon , and S p e nser s celebratio n o f
Those b ri ck y towers
T h e wh i ch on Th e m m e s b rode ag ed b ac k e doe r i de,
Where now t h e stu d i o u s lawy ers have the ir b o wr e s ;

to wit the Temple ; an d th e n w e think o f o u r lamente d

,

H a zlitt who first taught us n ot to think whit e cottag e s

,

better than red especiall y among trees noting t o us t h e

, ,

fin er harmony o f the contrast — t o which w e can bear instant

and curious testimony ; for p a ssing the other day through
the gate that leads from S t J ames s Park into t h e o l d .
’

court betwixt S utherland and Marlborough Houses w e

, ,

marvelled at what seemed to o u r near sighted eyes a shower -

o f red colours i n a tree to the r ight o f us at t h e corner ; ,

which colours upo n inspection proved to be nothing better

, ,

than those o f the very red bricks that bordered the windows
o f the building behi nd the trees W e smiled at t h e mistak e ; .

but it was with pleasure ; for it reminded us that even

defects o f vi sio n may have their compensations ; and it
loo k ed lik e a symbol o f the pleasures with which fancy a n d
commonplace may conspir e to enrich a n observer will i ng t o
be pleased .
3 84 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

loveliness Th e beautiful attracts the b e autiful C olours

. .

find homes o f colour To red go the red rays and to purpl e

.
,

the purple The rainbo w reads its beauteous lecture in the

.

clouds showing the s w eet d ivision o f the hu es ; and t h e

,
“ ”
mechanical philosopher as he calls himself smiles with , ,

an air o f superiority and think s he knows all about it , ,

because the division is made .

T h e little child like the real phil osopher kn ows more

, , ,
“ ”
fo r his heart l eaps up and h e acknowledges a glad ,

m ystery .

C olour s a r e t h e smiles o f N atur e W hen they are ex .

t r e m e l y smiling and break forth into other beauty besides

, ,
“
they are her laughs ; as in the flowers The laughing .

”
flowers says the poet and it is t h e business o f t h e poet t o
,

feel truths beyond the proof o f t h e mechanician N ature .

,

at all e vents humanly speaking is manifestly very fond o f

, ,

colour f o r sh e h a s m a de n o t h i n g w i t h ou t i t Her skies a r e

,
.

blue ; her fields green ; her waters vary with her skies ;
her animals minerals vegetables a r e all coloured S h e
, , , .

pai nts a great many o f them i n apparently superfluous

hues as if to show the dullest e y e how she loves colour
,
.

The prid e o f the peacock o r som e stately exhibition o f a ,

quality very like pride is a singul a r matter o f fact , ,

e vidently conn e cted with it Y outhful beauty in t h e .

human being is partly made up o f it O n e o f the thre e .

great arts with which Providence has adorned and human

i z e d t h e min d — painting — is founded upon the lov e and
imitation o f it And t h e magnifice nc e o f e mpire can find
.

n othing more precious either to possess o r be proud o f

, ,

w ea rin g than ,

F i ery opals sapph i res am ethy sts , , ,

J a c i n t h s hard topaz g rass g reen e m eralds

, ,
-
,

B eau teo u s ru b i es s park l ing d i am onds , ,

A n d seld seen costl y stones o f so g reat pri ce

-

A s o n e o f t h e m i nd i fferentl y rated , ,

M a y serve i n peri l o f calam i ty

To ransom g reat k i ng s fro m c apt i vi ty .
 A VIS IT To TH E ZO OL O G ICA L G AR D ENS .
38 5

A VI S IT TO TH E Z OO L O G I C AL G AR D EN S .

(The Ne w M o n t h ly M a g a z i ne , A u g u st
TH IS sudden e xhibition o f life i n shape s to which we a r e ,

u naccustomed reminds us o f the wonderful and ever renew

,
-

ing vitality o f all things Those animals look as fresh and .

,

strong and beautiful as if they wer e born i n a new begin

, ,

n ing o f the world Th e leaves and flowers in the nursery

.

g ardens exhibit the same untiring renewal o f life The .

s unbeam in the t hick o f S t G il e s s comes a s straight and

’
, .
,

young as ever from the godl i ke o r b that looks at us from a

distanc e o f millions o f miles o u t o f t h e depths o f mill ions o f ,

a ge s
.

T H E T IG ER .

This bounding creatur e in its cage is not a comm on sight ;

so i t comes freshly and wonderfully upon us W hat brilliancy .

i n its eyes W hat impetuous vigour in its leap ! W hat

fearlessness o f knocks and blo ws ! An d how pleasant to
think it is o n the other side o f its bars W hat a sen sation
would ensue if that pretty coated creature which eats a
,
-

cak e so good naturedly were suddenly o u t of its cage and

-

, ,
“ ”
the cry were heard — A tiger loose ! A panther
A lion W hat a rush and screaming o f all the ladies to
the gates — and o f gentlemen too How the human voices ,

a n d those o f the parrakeets would go shrieking to heave n ,

t ogether ! Fancy the bear suddenly j umping o ff his pol e

upon the cake shop A tiger let loose at daytime would n o t
-

be so bad as at night Perhaps he would be most frightened

.

himself There was an account o f o n e that got loo se in

.

Piccadilly and slunk down into a cellar where h e was

, ,

quietly tak en but at night just before feeding it might not , ,

be so pleasant N ewspapers tell us o f a lion which g o t o u t

.

o f one o f the travelling caravans in the country and after ,

lurk ing about the hedges tore a labourer that he met i n , ,

full daylight N ervous people in imaginative states o f t h e

.

biliary vessels — timid gentlemen tak ing easy rides— o l d

ladies too comfortable in their homes and armchairs — must
sometimes feel misgivings while making their circuit o f the
’
Regen t s Park after reading news o f this description
, .

Fancy yourself coming hom e from t h e play o r opera ,

C C
3 86 L EIG H H U NT S ’
ES S AYS .

“ “
humming Deh
vieni non tardar o r Meet m e by, , ,
”
moonlight alone ; and as you are turning a corner in ,

“l i m po l e S treet meeting a tiger !

,

W hat should you sa y ? Y o u would find yourself pourin g

forth a p retty set of R a b e l a e sq u e exclamations
Eh 0 11 O L ord — Hollo Help — Help Mur
der — Ti gers U —u — u — u — u u — M y G o d I— P o li c e m a n I
- —

En t e r Policeman .

P o l i c em a n G ood G o d — A gentl e man with a tiger

.

[ Ex i t Policem a n .

T H E B EA R .

It is curious t o find oneself (literally ) hand a n d glove

with a bear giving him buns and watching his face lik e a , ,

schoolboy s to se e h o w he lik es them A reflection rises

’
,
.

“
if i t were n o t fo r those bars perhaps he would be eating ,

me .
”
Y e t how mild they and his food render him We .

scrutinize his countenance and manners at leisure and a r e ,

amused with his apparently indolent yet active lumpish

n ess his heavy kind o f intelligence his almost hand li k e u se
, ,
-

o f his long awkward look ing toes and the fur which h e
,
—
,

wears clumsily about him l i k e a watchman s great coat Th e ’

~
.

white bear in these G ardens has a horrible mixed look o f

innocence and cruelty From that smooth unimpressibl e .
,

aspect there is n o appeal H e has no ill wil l t o you o n ly .

-

he is fond o f your flesh and would eat y o u up as meekl y a s ,

you would sup mil k o r swallow a custard Imagine his , .

arms around y o u and your fate depending upon what y o u

,

could say to him Y o u feel that yo u might a s well talk t o

.

a devouring statue or to the sign o f t h e Bear i n Piccadilly

, ,

o r to a guillotine o r to the cloa k of N e s s u s o r to your o w n

, ,

great coat (to ask it to b e not so heavy ) o r to the smooth

-

faced wi fe o f an ogre hungry and deaf and o n e that did n o t

, ,

u ndersta n d your language .

TH E L YNX .

Another curious sensation arises from being so tranquil

y our self and slow in your movements while you are clos e
, ,

to creatures so full o f emotion and action And y o u k now .

n o t whether to be mor e pleased o r disappointed at seeing

s om e o f them look so harmless and others so small On , .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

TH E G I RAFFE .

Enter the thre e ladyli k e an d most curious giraffes probably ,

called forth by the noise ; which they took however with , ,

gre at calmness O n inspection the i r faces express insipidity

.
,

and indi ff erence more than anything els e but they are
interesting from their novelty and from a singular look o f ,

cleanliness delicacy an d refinement mixed with a certain

, , ,

g a u c h e r i e arising from their long poking n ecks and t h e

, , ,

disparity o f length between th eir fore an d hind legs They .

look like you n g ladies o f animals n aturally not ungraceful , ,

but with bad habits Their necks ar e n o t o n a line with

.

their for e legs perpendicular and held up nor yet arched

,
’
lik e horses neck s but make a feeble loo k ing obtus e angle -

,
”
completely answering to the word poking The legs .

come up so close to the necks that in front they appear to ,

have n o bodies ; the back slopes like a h i ll producing t h e ,

singular disparity between the legs ; and the whole animal ,

being slender light colo u red and v e ry gentle gives you an

,
-

, ,

idea o f delicacy amounting to the fragile The legs look as .

if a stick would break them in two l i k e glass Add to this ,

.
,

a slow and uncouth lifting o f the legs as they walk as if , ,

stepping over gutters ; an d the e ff ect i s j ust as has been

described — t h e strangest mixture in t h e world o f elegance
an d uncouthness .

T H E D R O M EDA R Y .

The dromedary looked very uncomfortabl e His coat w a s .

half gone as if from di sease ; and he appeared to sit

,

down o n the earth fo r the purpos e o f screeni n g as much

o f his barrenness as he could and o f getting warmth But ,
.

there was that invincible look o f patience i n t h e face ,

which is so affecting and which creates so much respect in

,

whatever face it be found .

TH E M O NK EY .

But the monkeys — what a curious interest t h ey create

h al f amusing half painful the reflection forced upon one s
’
,
”
v anity is inevitable they are very li k e m en The .

w a y in which they receive a nut in their h a n ds compos e ,

t hemselves with a sort o f bustling n o n c h a l a n c e t o cra ck

 A VI S IT To TH E Z O O L O G IC A L G AR D ENS .
389

it and then look about for more with that little withered ,
, ,

win k ing half human face is startling The hand in par

,
-

,
.

t i c u l a r m o r t i fi e s o n e it looks so very unbrute l ike and yet

,
-

at the same time is so small , so skin n y so like somethin g ,

elvish and u nnatur al N o wonder it has been thought i n .

som e countries that monkeys could speak but avoided it fo r ,

fear o f being set t o work In their roomy cages her e they .

look l ike a set o f half human pigmy schoolboys withered -

into caricatures o f a certain class o f labourers but having ,

neither work n or want — nothing t o do but t o leap o u t , o r

sit still , o r play with o r plagu e o n e another .

TH E P ARR O T .

Fit neighbours fo r t h e m onkeys a r e the parrakeets

themselves i n som e r e spects a kind o f monkey bird — with
, ,
-

claws which they use like hands a faculty o f imitation i n ,

voice and somethi n g i n t h e voice so like speech an d

,
'

articulation that o n e almost fancies t h e guttural murmuring

about to break o u t into words and s a y s o m e thi n g But what .

colours l— what blazes o f red an d gold o f green blue and all , , ,

sorts o f t h e purest splendours ! I n nothing does N ature

seem to tak e more delight than in colours ; and perhaps (to
guess reverently not profanely) these gorgeous hues a r e
,

inten ded for the pleasure o f som e unknown clas s o f spiri

tual eyes upon which n o kind o f beauty is lost as it i s
, ,

t o o often upon man s It is impossible to picture to o n e

’

self the countless beauties o i N ature the myriads o f paintings , ,

animal vegetable and mineral with which earth a i r an d

, , , , ,

seas a r e thronged and fancy them a l l made fo r no eyes b ut

,

man s N eit her is it easy to suppose that other animals

’
.

have e yes and yet look upon these riches o f the eyesight
,

with no feeling of admiration analogous t o o u r o wn Th e .

’
peacock s expansion o f his plumage and t h e apparent prid e ,

he takes in it force us to believe other wise in his particular

,

case and yet with our tendency to put the worst o r le a st

,

handsome construction o n what o u r i nferior fellow creatures -

do we attri b ute to pride j ealousy and othe r degrading

, , ,

passions what may really be attributable to something

,

be tter ; n o r may it b e pr i de in the peacock which induces ,

him to display h is beauty but some handsomer j oy in t h e ,

beauty itself .
390 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
.

TH E EAG LE .

And the poor eagles and v u l t u I es ! The very instinct of

th is epithet shows what a n unnatural state they must have
been brought to Think of e a g l es being commiserated and
.
,
“ ”
called poor ! It IS monstrous to see a n y creature in a cage ,

fa r more any winged creature and most o f all such as are ,

a ccus t o med to soar t h 1 0 u g h the vault o f heaven and have ,

the world under their eye L ook at t h e eyes of these birds

.

here these eagles and vultures ! How strangely clouded

,

n o w seems that gran d and stormy depression o f the eyelid

,

drawn with that sidelong air o f tightness fi e r c e n e ss and , ,

threat as if by the brush o f som e mighty painter That is

,
.

an eye fo r the clouds and the su b j ect earth not for a miserable -

hencoop And see , poor flagging wretches how they stand

.

o n their perches each at a little distance from o n e another in

, ,

poor stationary exhibition eagles a l l of a r o w l — quiet i m

, .
,

paired s c r u bbg ; almost motionless ! Are these t h e sovereign

,

creatures described by t h e B a ffons and M u di e s by the ,

W ilsons o f ornithology and poetry by S penser by Homer ? , ,

Is this the e agle o f Pindar h eavi n g his moist back In sleep

,

upo n the sceptre o f Jove unde 1 the influence o f t h e musi c

,

o f the gods l Is th i s the bird o f the English poet

"

S oaring thro u og h h i s w i de e m pire o i th e a i r,

To we a t he r hi s bro a d va n s 9
.

L AD Y MARY W ORT L EY M ON TA G U .

(Th e We st m i n ste r R e vi e w Apri l ,

To hav e a new edition o f L ady

Mary with new particulars ,

and a new portrait is li k e seeing

o f h e r l ife , new letters , ,

her come back again in p r op r i ci p e r so n a together with the ,

circles in which S h e flourished W e perceive a rustling o f

.

hoop petticoats about us a fluttering of fans an obeisanc e

, ,

o f peru k es W e behold h e r in the bloom o f her ascend

.

e n cy,
t h e most prominent obj ect in a party o f wits and
beauties talking perhaps with P 1 1 0 r o r with C ongreve and
, ,

putt i ng him to all his resources o f repartee The conversa

tion would b e thought a little bold for thes e times Miss .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

3 92 .

few sips . Her o w n statement (and a very tremendou s

stat e ment it was for all its levity ) was this : that at som e
,
“

ill chosen time when she least expected what romances call
-

a dec l a ra t i o n he mad e such passionate love to her as i n

, ,

spite o f her utmost endeavours to be an gry and look grave ,

provoked a n immediate fit of lau ghter ; from which moment

h e beca m e her implacable enemy .

A pause comes upon the spirit and the tongue at hearing

such an explanation as this a pause in w hich n o o n e o f any
imagination can help having a deep sense of the blackness o f
the m o r t i fi c a t i o n with which the poor misshaped applauded ,

poe t must have felt his lustre smitten and his future r e c o l ,

lections degraded To say that he had any right to mak e

.

love t o her is o n e thing ; yet to believ e that her manners ,

and cast o f character as well as the n ature o f the times

,

and o f the circles in which she moved had given no license , ,

no encouragement no pardoni n g hope to the presumption

, ,

is impossible ; and to trample in this way upon t h e whole

miserable body o f his vanity and humility upon all which ,

the consciousness o f acceptability and glory a m ong his fellow

creatures had given to sustain h imself and all which in so ,

poor an d fragile and dwarfed and degrading a shape

, , , ,

required so much to be so sustained ; assuredly it was i n

excusable i t was inhuman At a l l events it would hav e
—
.
,

bee n inexcusable had anything i m poor human nature bee n ‘

inexcusable and had a thousand things n o t encouraged t h e

flattered beauty to resent a hope so presumpt u ous from o n e
unlik e herself But if she was astonished as she professed
.
,

to be at his thus trespassing beyond barriers which she had

,

continually su ffered to be appro a ched sh e might have be e n ,

more humane in her astonishm ent A little pity might a t .

,

least have divided the moment with contempt It was n o t

,
.

necessary to be quite so cruel with o n e so insignificant S h e .

had address : could she not have had recourse to a little o f

it u nder circumstances w hich would hav e don e it such
,

special honour ? S h e had every advantage o n her side :

could n o t even this induce her to put a little more heart and
consideration into her repulse ? O h L ady Mary ! A D uke s ,
’

daughter wert thou and a beauty and a wit , and a very

, ,

triumphant and flattered personage an d covered with glory ,

as with lute string and diamonds ; and yet false measur e

-

didst thou take of thy superiority and di dst not see how ,
 B O O K S TA L L S .
3 93

small t hou becamest in t h e comparison when thou didst

thus with laughing cheeks trampl e under foot t h e poor
, ,

littl e i m m or ta l

B OO K S TA L L S .

(The M o n t hly R p o si t or y S eptem b er

e ,

G REA T and liberal is t h e magic o f the bookstalls ; truly

deserved is the title o f cheap shops Y our s ec ond hand .
-

bookseller is second to none in the worth o f the treasure

which he dispenses ; far superior to most ; and infinitely
superior i n t h e modest profits he is content with So .

much so that o n e real ly feels ashamed sometimes to pay

,

him such nothings for his goods I n some instances (for it

.

is n o t the case with every o n e ) h e condescends even to

“
expect to be beaten down i n the price he charges petty ,

as it is ; and accordingly h e is good enough to ask more

than he will take as though he did nothing but refine upon
,

the pleasures o f the p u rchaser N o t content with valuing

.

knowledge and delight at a comparative nothing he takes ,

ingenious steps to make even that nothing less ; a n d under

the guis e of a petty struggle to the contrary (as if to give
y o u an agreeable sense o f your e n ergies ) seems di ssatisfied
unless he can send y o u away thrice blessed — blessed with
the book blessed with the cheapness o f it and blessed with
, ,

the advantage you have had over him i n m a k i n g t h e cheap

ness cheaper Truly w e fear that o u t o f a false shame we
.
,

have too ofte n defrauded o u r second hand friend o f the -

generous self —denia l he is thus prepared to exercise i n o u r

favour and by giving him the price set down in h i s cata
logue left him wit h im pressions to o u r disadvanta ge
, .

And yet who can see tre a sures o f wisdom and beauty
going for a price which seems utterly unworthy o f them ,

and stand haggling wi th any comfo r t for a S ixpence o r

, ,

threepenc e more o r less ; doubting whether the merits o f

S h a k spea r e o r S penser can be a r the weight o f another
fourpenny piece o r whether the volume that Alexander
-

the G reat put into a precious cask et has a right to b e esti

,

m ated at the value of a box o f wafers ?

To be serious they w h o can a fford to give a second hand
— —

boo k seller what he as k s in his catalogue may in general do ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AYS
’

394 .

it with good reason as well as a safe conscienc e H e i s o n e

,
.

o f an anxious and industrious cl a ss o f men compelled t o

begin the world with laying o u t ready money and living

very closely : and if h e prospers the commodities and
.
,

people he is conversant with encourage the good impres

sions with which he set o u t and generally end in procuri n g ,

h i m a re putation fo r liberality as well as acuteness .

MARRIA G ES FR O M TH E S TA G E .

(T he M o n t h l y R ep o s i t o r y ,
S eptem b er

IN reading account s o f actors and actr e sses we n atural ly ,

incline more to the comic o r familiar individuals among

them than to the tragic and more to the women than t h e
men W e l i ke to hear the name o f Betterton but C ibber
.
,

someho w i s the more welcome W e care little for Q uin

,
.

the tragedian but Quin the good fellow the boon c o m ,

panion the deliverer o f Thomson from the spu n ging house

,
-

,
’
is dear to us Even G a r r i c k s n ame is inj ured by t h e foot
.

ing h e obtained in high life W e are n o t sure whether h e .

was not t o o prosperous to be happy too much compelled to

b o w and deteriorate himself into the airs o f a common
, ,

gentleman O n t h e other hand though Foote was a man

.
,

o f birth we have n o misgivings about Foote (except o n t h e

,

moral scor e ) H e always seems taking o ff somebody o r

'

.
,

cracking j ok es Bannister D odd Parsons a r e hearty

.
, , ,

ames and as to wo m en — Mrs S iddons it is true queen s

n .
, ,

it apart ; but someho w w e a r e incl ined to let her an d

”
, , ,

l eave her O n the other b a n d w h o ever tires o f the name s

. ,

o f O ldfield and Bracegirdle and W o fli n g t o n ? All t h e

, ,

flutters o f the fans o f t w o centuries and all the solid merits ,

o f bodices and petticoats come down to us in their n ames

,

chequering C ovent G arden li k e chintz and bringing along ,

with them the periwigged and scented glories o f the C o n

greves and S teeles W h o would n o t willingly hear more o f
.

Mistress Knipp whom the snug and didactic Pepys

,

detained with him a whole night o n purpose to teach her

“ ” ’
his so n g o f Beauty retire ? Mrs Jordan s laugh beat
,
.

e ven the pe t i t r i s f o l a t r e (the little giddy laugh ) o f Mada m e

 L EIG H H U NT S ESS A YS
’

3 95 .

ha d been s ent for to S have him told us that the ducal fe e t , ,

which he had chanced to see in slippers were as dark ,

skinned as the fa ce W e must b e excused for relating this

.

circumstance in consideration o f o u r zeal fo r the better part

,

o f poor N elly s fame

’
.

There was a singular retrospective fitness i n t h e marriage

o f the D uke of S t Al b ans with Harriet Mellon
. Even t h e .

aristocracy must have beheld it with something o f a satur

nine amusement The public unequivocally enj oyed it
. .

Moralists were perplexed ; especia l ly those o f the two

e xtremes— the outrageously virtuous w h o gladly thought ,

the worst o f it and the most liberal speculators upon t h e

,

ordinations of Providenc e ; who (though comin g to a con

e lusion for the best
) are struck with wonder t o se e o n e
system o f morals proclaimed from t h e high places and ,

another acted u pon and associated with flourishing pe r pe

,

t u it i es. C harles the S econd who was t h e most undisguised ,

libertin e that e ver sat o n the British throne has left ,

hundred s o f illegitimate descendants (thous ands rather) t h e ,

chiefs o f whose families are still flourishing in the h ighest

ran k and carrying forward t h e united dignities o f a zeal
,

for C hurch and S tate and a n unlawful origin , The spec .

t a cle it must be owned is puzzling But seen with an eye

, ,
.

o f charity (the only final reconciler ) there i s a preferment ,

”
i n it better than what it is supposed to include but which
, ,

it will be eas ier to investigate some hundreds o f years hence ,

when loyalt y and piety shall have ceased to b e embarrassed

w ith stumbling blocks which they at onc e bow down to and
-

are bound to be shocked at .

In speaking as we do however o f t h e D uke s marriage, ,

’
,

we do not at a l l assume that Harriet Mellon and N ell

G wynn had led the same kind o f life This we are aware .
, ,

is the general assumption o r somethin g lik e it ; but t h e ,

D uchess was introduced at the late C ourt where in spite o f , ,

certain retrospective appearances to t h e contrary t h e ,

demands o n conventional propriety were understood to b e

in no lax keeping in t h e hands o f the present Queen
dowager : an d Mr C outts was very o l d when he died
.

u pwards o f ninety w e believe ,

and had not been married ,

many years It has been hinted that the D uchess when

.
,

you n g was fond o f money an d that when she was an

, ,

actress at seaports she did not scruple t o bustle about

,
 MARR IA G ES F R O M T H E S TA G E .
3 97

amo n g the o fficers in behalf o f the tickets for her b e n e fi t

,

nights But she had been left with a mother to support ;

.

and even i f she had gone somewhat far fo r that purpose no ,

respecter o f the filial virtues would be quick to condem n

her The consideration o f a mother to support is itself a
.

delicacy which may reasonably set aside fifty others Per

,
.

haps this was o n e o f t h e very things that the o l d banker

liked her for H e may have been so disgusted with the
.

doubtful virtues an d real shabbiness o f m any rich people ,

that the sight o f o n e hearty nature might have been a price

less refreshment t o him ; and when he found it combined
with a fac e t o m atch and a pleasant conversation he might
, , ,

for aught we know have realized for the first tim e a dream
,

o f his youth The will o f the D uchess seems to show that

.

he was i n o n e striking respect worthy o f her regard and ,

she o f his ; for she has left the bul k o f his property to his
favourite relation and in so doing most likely acted up to a
, ,

principle which he had justly reckoned upon It is true .

,

she has thus given riches t o o n e that does n o t seem to have

needed them and who will probably be not a whit the
,

happier for the superabundance but such considerations

are not to be expected o f people who live in what is called
the world The D uke at the same time has n o t been
.
, ,

forgotten , nor poorly treated : t h e remai n s o f the D uchess

have been gathered in to the family vault and she has left
the reputation o f a woman not contemptuous of her origi n ,

n ay,
desirous to encourage her former profession an d ,

charitabl e to the poor W e thus infer that her conduct .

was held reas onabl e an d honourable by all parties .

The D uchess o f S t Alban s had a more refined look i n .

her younger day s at least in her favourite characters than

, ,

w a s observable in her countenance latterly There w a s .

n ever any genius in her acting nor much sustainment o f ,

character in any respect S h e seemed never to have taken .

t o t he boards with thorough goodwill Y e t there was .

archness and ag reeableness— a good deal that looked as if it

could b e pleasant o ff t h e stage S h e had black hair fine .
,

e yes a good humoured mouth and an expression upon the

,
-

whole o f sensual but n o t unamiable intelligence This she .

retained in after life together with the fine eyes and the
-

look o f good humour ; but the unlimited power o f self

-

indulgence had not helped to refine it Th 1 s however, .

3 98 LEIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
'

a deterioration which many a high born D u chess has shared -

with her W e used to see her buying flowers at the

.

nursery grounds and riding o u t in her chaise and four o r}

-

, ,

barouche often with the D uk e S hortly before her death

,
.
,

we repeatedly met her by herself but always in the chais e ,

and four with postillions in t h e ducal livery S h e seemed

,
.

to say but more innocently than the personage in the play

, ,

I am D uchess o f M a l fy still ”
W e used to think that .

w ith this fondness for air and exercise and her natural ,

good humour she would attain to long life but there was
-

more air than exercise and more luxury than either ; and ,

poor D uchess Harriet was too rich and had too many good ,

things to continue to enjoy any

,
Had sh e remained .

Harriet Mellon and disposed o f b e n e fi t tickets as o f o l d

,
-

she would probably have been alive and merry still H o w .

ever she had a fine wondering time o f i t a romance o f real

,
—

’
life and no harm s done not even to the peerage ,

O N D EC EA S ED S TAT ES M EN W H O HAVE
W RITT EN V ER S ES .

(The M o n t hly R ep o si t o r y ,
O ctob er and Novem b er 18

’
are too often unjustly treated in men s minds as
S TAT ES M EN ,

practisers of mere cunning and expedience and lovers o f ,

power Much self love is doubtless among them and much

.
-

love o f power W here is it not ? But higher aspirations

.

are oftener mingled with the very cunning and expedience

than the narrow minded suppose Indeed the very position
-
.
,

which statesmen occupy and the largeness o f the interest s ,

i n which they deal tend to create such aspirations where

,

they do not very consciously exist ; fo r a man cannot b e

habitually interested even o n his o wn account with t h e , ,

concerns of nations and the welfare of his fellow creatures -

without having his n ature expanded S tatesmen learn t o .

”
feel as England and as France o r at least as t h e, ,

influential portion o f the country and not as mere heads o f ,

a party , however the partisanship may otherwise influence

the m or be identified with their form of policy B y and b y
, .
- -

we hope they may feel not as En gland or a s France ,

499 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

A face that sho u ld content m e wondro u s well ,

S ho u ld not b e fa i r b u t lov el y to b ehold ;

,

W ith g lads om e chere a l l g ri e f fo r to e x pe l l

,

W ith so b er look s so wo u ld I that i t shou ld

S peak wi thou t words s u ch words as none can tell
,

T h e tre s s also sho u ld b e o f cri sped g old .

W i th w i t a n d these m i g ht chance I m i g h t b e t i ed
, , ,

A nd k n i t ag ai n t h e knot that sho u ld n o t sl i de .

Ou r next poetical statesman is Queen Eliza b eth s Earl o f ’

E ssex ; and o f a truly poetical nature was he He w as more .

o f a lover of poets it is true than a poet

,
but he himself ,

w a s a poem and a roma n ce The man who could even think

.

that he could wish to h old in his heart the sorrows of all

”
h i s friends (for such is a beauti f u l pass ag e in o n e o f his
l etters ) must have had a noble capability i n his nature that ,

mak es u s bleed for his bleeding and wis h that he had par ,

taken less o f t h e stormier passions He died o n the sca ffold .

f o r madly attempting to dictate to his S overeign by force o f

arms ; an d Elizabeth as fierc e as he and fuller o f resent
, ,

m ent is thought by some to have broken her h e a I t for t h e

,

sentence Here follow some most curious verses which show

.
,

the simplicity and love o f gentleness in o n e o f the corners

’
o f the man s mind They were the close o f a despatch h e
.

sent to Elizabeth when h e was L ord L ieutenant o f Ireland !

Imagine such a winding up of a state paper now
H appy i s he co u ld fi ni sh fO It h ate his f
In so m e u nhau nted de s ert ost o sc re m b u ,

F ro m a l l soc i ety fro m love

, hate and ,

O f worldl y f ol k ; then sho ld slee secu r e u he p ,

Then wak e ag ai n a n d y i eld

, ever ra se G od p i ,

C ontent w i th h i ps a n d haws ra le b erry and b mb -

In conte m plat i on pass i ng o u t h i s day s ,

A n d chang e o f hol y tho u g hts to m ak e h i m m erry

W h o when h e d i es h i s tom b m a y b e a b u sh
,

Where harm less ro b i n dwells w i th g entle thru h s .

e of Elizabeth
S ackvill e , L ord D orset (in the tim ) ”
who ,

wrote the fine Induction to the Mirror o f Magistrates as ,

”
well as the tragedy of G orboduc has been gathered into ,

collections o f British poetry S o ought S i r W alter Raleigh

.
,

whose poems have bee n lately repub lished Raleigh was a .

genuine poet spoilt by what has spoilt so many men other

,

w ise great — his rival Essex included — t h e ascendency o f his

w ill . His wil l thrust itself before his understanding — the
 O N S TA TES M EN WH O H AVE W R ITTEN VER S ES .
40 1

imperious part o f his energy before the rational o r the

loving ; and hence the failure even in his worldly views o f
, ,

o n e of the most accomplished o f men The best production

.

o f this lawless and wilful genius is t h e fine sonnet o n t h e

“
Fairy Queen o f his friend S penser which not content ,

with admiring as its greatness deserved he violently places ,

at the head of all poems ancient an d modern sweeping

, ,

Petrarch into oblivion and mak ing Homer himself tremble

, .

It is one o f the noblest sonnets in the language .

But we now come to the great wit and partisan Andre w ,

Marvell whose honesty baffled the arts of the S tuarts and

, ,

whose pamphlets an d verses had no mean hand i n helping

to put an end to their dynasty Marvell unites wit with
.

earnestness and depth o f sentiment beyond any m i sc e l

i

l a n e o u s writer i n the language His firm partisanship did

.

not hinder him being o f the party o f all mankind and doing ,

j ustice to what w as good in the most opposite characters In .

a panegyric o n C romwell he has tak en high gentlemanly “

occasion to record the dignity o f the end of C harl es

First
t hence t h e ro y al actor b orne
Th e tra g i c sc a ff old m i g ht adorn ,

Whi l e ro u nd t h e arm ed b ands

D i d clap the i r b lood y h ands .

H E noth in g co m m on di d or m ean , ,

U pon that m e m orab le scene ,

B u t wi t h h i s h ee n e r e y e
Th e a x e s e dg e di d t r y ;
’

.No r l l e d t h e g o ds w i t h v u lg a r sp i t e
ca

To v i n di c a t e h i s he lp l e s s r i g h t ,
B u t bo we d h i s c o m e ly h e a d
D o wn , a s up o n a be d .

The emphatic cadence of this couplet ,

B owed h i s co m ely head

D o wn , as u pon a b e d .

is in the best ta ste o f his friend Milton .

S i r W illiam Temple wrote verses with a spirit beyond th e

fas hion of his time Even miserly Pulteney was a verse
.

man ; to say nothing o f fli g h t y Hanbury W illiams and

crawling D odington .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
402 .

B O OK B IN D I N G A N D H EL IOD ORU S .

M o n t h l y R ep o si t o r , D ece m b er
’

( T he y

G L O RY b e to t h e m e mory o f Mathias C o r vi n u s Ki n g o f ,

Hungary and Bohemia s o n o f the great H u n i a de s an d

, ,

binder o f books in vellum and gold H e placed fifty thou .

sand volumes says W arton ,

i n a tower which h e had ,

erected in the metropoli s o f Buda and in this library h e

e stabli s hed thirty amanuenses skilled in painting il l u m i , ,

nating and writing who under the conduct of Felix Ra g u

, ,

sinus a D almatian consummately learned i n the G reek

, , ,

C haldaic and Arabic languages and an elegant designer an d

, ,

painter o f ornaments o n vellum attended incessantly to t h e ,

”
business o f transcription and decoration .

Methinks w e see this tower doubtless in a garden —

t h e w indo w s overlooking it together with t h e vineyards ,

which produced t h e Tok ay that h i s Maj esty d r ank whil e

reading .

W hat a fello w ! Think o f being ki n g o f the realms o f

Tok ay and having a library o f fifty thousand volumes in
,

vellum and gold with thirty people constantly beneath y o u

, ,

copying painting and illuminating and every da y sending

, , ,

you u p a fresh o n e t o loo k at 1

D r D i b di n should have existed in those days and been
.
,
’
his Maj esty s chaplain o r his confessor The doctor would
, .

have continually ab solved the king from the sin o f thin k i n g

o f his next box of books d urin g sermon tim e , o r looki n g at -

the pictures in his missal instead of reading it ; and t h e

ki ng would have been always bestowing b e n e fi c e s o n t h e
doctor til l the latter began to think he needed absolution
,

himsel f .

N o t being a king o f Hu n gary nor rich n o r having a , ,

confessor to absolve us from sins of expenditure how luc ky ,

is it that we can tak e delight in books whose outsides a r e

o f the homeliest description How wi llin g are we to waive
the grandeu r o f outlay ! how contented to pay fo r som e
precious volume a shilling instead o f two pounds ten Bind
we would if we could : there is no doubt o f that W e
, .

should hav e liked to challenge the Majesty o f Hungary to a

b out at bookbindin g and seen which w o uld have ordere d
,
 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
404 .

“
oth e rwis e called the Adventures o f Th e a g e n e s and C hari
”
clea is a romance written in t h e decline o f the Roman Em
,

pire by an A siatic G reek o f that name who boasted t o be ,

des cended from the sun (H e l i o do r u s is sun given ) and who -

afterwards became C hristian bishop of Tricca in Thessaly It .

is sai d (but the story is ap o cryphal ) that a syn o d thinking t h e ,

danger of a love romance aggravated by this elevation t o

the mitre requ ired o f the author that he should give up
,

e ither his book o r h i s bishopric ; and that h e chos e to

do the latter— a story so good that it is a pity o n e must

doubt it .

The impression produc e d upon o u r o w n mind after read

ing the version before us was a feeling be twixt confusion ,

and delight as if we had bee n witnessi n g the adventures of

,

a sort of G recian harlequin and columbine perpetually ,

running in and o u t of t he stage accompanied by an o l d ,

gentleman and pursued by thieves and murderers Th e

,
.

incidents are most gratuitous but often beautifully de ,

scribed and so are the persons and the work h as be en such

,

a general favourite that the s ubsequent G reek romancers

,

copied i t the o l d French school o f romance arose o u t o f it it

has been used by S penser Tasso and G uarini ; imitated by , ,
“
S ydney i n his Arcadia painted from by Raphael ; and
succeeding romancers with S i r W alter S cott for t h e climax
, ,

have adopt ed from it t h e stri k ing and picturesqu e nature

o f their exordiums .

W e must not forget to notice t h e pleasant surpris e e x

pressed by W arton at the supposed difference o f fort un e
between its author w h o lost a bishopri c b y writing it and -

Amyot the Frenchman who was rewarded with an abbey

, ,

fo r translatin g it Amyot himself afterwards b e came a

.

b ishop W e may ad d a s a ple a sant coincidence that it

.
, ,

was o n e o f A m y o t s pupils and benefactors Henry t h e

’
-

S econd — wh o gave a bishopric to t h e lively Itali a n nove l ist ,

Ban dello Boo k s were books in those days , not batches by

.
,

the bak er s dozen turned o u t every morning ; and t h e gayest

’

o f writers were held in serious estimatio n accordingly .

 o n TH E RARE VICE C A LLE D L YING .
40 5

ON TH E RAR E VI C E CA L L ED L Y I NG .

(The M o n th ly R ep o si t or y , M arch

L YING is the commonest and most conventional o f a l l t h e

vices It pervades more o r less every class o f the com
.
, ,

munity and is fancied t o be so necessary to the ca rrying o n

,

o f huma n affairs that the practice is tacitly agreed upon ;

,

na
y in other terms openly avowed
, ,
In the monarch it is .
,

ki n g c r af t I n the statesman exp e di en c y

. In the church , .

man m e n t a l r e s e rva ti o n
,
In the lawyer t h e i n t e res t of h i s
.
,

c l i en t In the merchant manufacturer an d shopkeeper

.
, , ,

s ec r e t s of t r a de It was t h e o pi n i o n o f King James that

.
_ ,

w ithout the art o f lyi n g a king was not worthy to reign .

”
This was h i s boasted kingcraft which brought hi s son to ,

the block ; fo r if poor C harles was a martyr it was cer ,

t a i n l y n o t to the spirit of truth L ord Bacon was o f Opinio n .

that lying li k e alloy in metals w as a debas ement but good

, , ,

for the working It work ed him great as he was into a

.
, ,

l ittle and ruined man Pleasant S i r Henry W . Vo t t o n (him

“
self an amb a ssador ) defined an ambassador to be an
”
honest man sent to l i e abroad fo r the good o f his country .

“
Paley openly defends the mental reservation o f t h e
churchman o i the subscriber to be Thirty nine Articles
— -

& c ; an d h i s is the great text book o f the universities

. If—
.

you go into a shop for any article y o u k now very well that ,

you cannot be secure o f having it genuine ; nor do y o u

expect the shopkeeper t o tell you the truth The grocer .

noto riously sells Jamaica coffee for Mocha the tobacconist ,

his o wn snuff for L atakia and M a c u b a u the linen draper ,

-

cotton fo r thread and British goods fo r India

, .

Y e t we are o f opinion that all classes and descriptions o f

,

men are modified as they are by circumstances ; and inste ad

o f lamenting that there is so much vice during the i r a d

vancement towards a wiser condition we rej oice that there ,

is so much virtue — so much indelible and hopeful good .

N a y we can see a certain large and gallant healthiness o f

,

social constitution in m a n in the very circumstance of vice s ,

’

taking so gay or i n difi e r e n t an air during what it supposes

'

to be a necessity o r a condition of human nature ; and the

,

gayer it is in some respects the better ; n o t only because

, ,

o f its havi ng the less uneasy o r mea n co nscience but

 '

4o s LEIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

because it is the less given to cant and hypocrisy and is ,

ashamed o f putting o n a grave face of exaction upon others .

The very worst of all vices (cruelty excepted ) — that pride

which seems to make the rich and prosperous hold their
fellow creatures in such slight regard— is often traceabl e
-

only to a perverted sense o f that identical importance in

their eyes which is grounded in a social feeling and which , ,

under a w iser education would mak e t h em proud o f sym ,

at hiz in w ith the humblest Those courtiers — thos e

p g .

W higs and Tories — those lawyers — those tradesmen w e

have been tal k ing o f how shocked would not many —
,

perhaps most o f them be and what a right would they not ,

have to resent i t i f you treated them a s liars beyond t h e

—

pale of their conventional duplicity ? Take the grocer o r t h e

linen draper from behind his counter apply to him in any
- —

concern but that o f his shop and most li k ely he is as -

great a truth teller as the rest There is nothing y o u may

-

n o t take h i s word for And then see what affections all

.

t hese people have ; what lovers they are of their families ;

“
what anxious provid e rs for their children ; what good
”
fellows as friends and helpers ; an d what a fool and cox
comb you are to consider yourself if you dared to set ,

yourself up and pretend that y o u were a bit better than

,

any o n e of them even though circumstances might enabl e

,

you to be free from som e of their errors perhaps with —

greater o f your o w n Falsehood itself is sometimes al most

.

pure virtue a t least it contemplates anything but t h e

—

ordinary and unj ust results o f falsehood ; as in the cas e o f

a j ury who deliberately tell a lie when
,
in order to s a ve a ,

man from transportation o r a poor child from the j ail , ,

they bring a verdict o f N o t G uilty o n the principal c h arg e ,

knowing him to b e other wise Here t h e law is violated for .

the sak e o f j ustice and a l i e told fo r the sake o f the

,

beautifu l trut h that we o u ght to b e humane to o n e

another .

C OW L EY A N D
TH O M S ON .

(Th e M o n t h ly Ch r o n i c le O cto b er ,

W E always hope to liv e in the thick o f all that w e des i r e ,

some day ; and meantime , we do live there as well a s

,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

40 8 .

“
suffering S prat says o f him that he was t h e most am iable
.
,

o f mankind and yet it is reported that in his latter days

h e could n ot endure t h e sight of a woman I that h e would
leave the room if o n e came into it I
Here is a case for the respectful consideration o f th e
philosopher— the m e dic a l we suspe ct , .

The supposed reason is that h e had been disappointed in

,

love perhaps ill treate d But 1 n so gentle a mind as his

, ,

disappointment could hardly have t a ken the shape Of resent

ment and in civility towards the whole sex The probability .

is that it was some morbid weakness He should have o u t

,
.

walked and diverted it instead o f getting fat and looki ng at

,

trees o u t o f a window ; he should have gone more to town

and the play o r written more plays Of his o wn instead o f
, ,

relieving hi s morbidity w ith a bottle t o o much in company

with his friend the D ean .

W e sus pect however from the portraits Of C owley that

, , ,

his blood was not very healthy by nature There is a young .

as well as an Old portrait o f him by good artists evident , ,

likenesses ; and b oth o f them have a puffy unwholesome ,

look so that his flesh seems to have been an uncongenial

habitation for so sweet a soul The sweeter it for preserv .
,

ing its dulcitudes as it did .

This morbid temperament is perhaps the only di fferenc e , ,

in their nature between t wo men in whom we shall proceed ,

to notice what appea rs t o us a remarkabl e simil a rity in every

other respect almost amounti n g to a sort o f identity It is
, .

like a metempsychosis without a form o f change ;o r only with

e uch as would naturally result from a di ff erence o f times .

C owley and Thomson were alike i n th eir persons their di s ,

positions and their fortunes They were both fat m e n not

,
.
,

handsome ve r y amiable and sociable no enemies to a

bottle tak ing interest both in politics and retirement
passionately fond o f external N ature o f fi elds woods , , ,

gardens & c ; bachelors — i n love and disappointed ; fa u lty

,
.
,

i n style yet true poets in t h e m s el ves if n o t always t h e best

, ,

i n their writings — that is to say seeing everything in its ,

poetical light ; childli k e in their ways ; and finally they , ,

w ere both made easy in their circumstances by the p a rty

whom they served both went to live at a little distance from
L ondon and o n the banks o f the Thames ; and both died o f
,

a cold and fever originatin g in a careless exposure to th e

,
 C OWL EY A ND TH OMS ON .
40 9

weather , not without more than a suspicion o f previous

“ ” ’
ith the D ean o n C owley s part and great
jo l l ifi c a t i o n w ,

probability of a lik e vivacity o n that o f T homson who had ,

been Visiting his friends in L ondon Thomson could push .

’
t h e bottl e lik e a regular bo n v i v a n t and C owley s death is
attributed t o hi s having forgotten his proper bed and slept ,

in a field all n ight in company w ith his reverend and j ovial

,

friend S prat J ohnson says that at C hertsey t h e villagers

.
, ,
”
tal k ed o f the drun k en D ean .

But in o n e respect it may be alleged C owley an d Thomson

, ,

were different and very different for o n e w a s a Tory , and

,

the other a W hig .

True nominally and by the accident Of e ducation ; that

—
,

is to say C owley was brought up on the Tory side and

, ,

Thomson on the W hig and loving their fathers and mothers

a n d friends and each seeing his cause in its best possible
,

light they naturally adhered to it and tried to m ake others

, ,

thin k as well o f it as they did themselves But the truth is .

,

that neither o f them w a s W Vh i g o r Tory i n the ordin ary ,

sense o f the word C owley was no fonder o f power in the

.

understood Tory sense than Thomson w a s o f liberty in the

,

restricted unprospective sense of the par tisans o f King

,

W illiam C owley w a s for the be a u i dea l of Toryism that is

.
,

fo r order and restraint as being the only safeguard s o f ,

liberty ; and Thomson was for a liberty and freedom o f

service the eventual realization o f which would have satis
,

fi e d the most romantic o f Radicals S e e his poems through .

”
ou t,
especially the o n e entitled L iberty
“
C owley never .

v u l g a r i z e d about C romwell as it was the fashion for his

,

party to do He thought him a bad man it is true but also

.
, ,

a great man ; he said n obler things about him than any

Royalist of h i s day except Andrew Marvell if the latter is
, ,

to be called a Royalist .

C owley and Thomson both fancied their o w n n atural

lan g uage n o t great enough for their subj ects and C owley ,

in the wit which he found i n fashion and Thomson in , ,

the L atin classics which were the favourites of the more

sequestered w orld o f his yout h thought he had found a ,

style w hich while it endeared him to those whom he most

,

regarded among the living w ould by the help of their , ,

sanction secure him w ith the ages to com e

, .

’
Thomson s letters h a ve a little o f the higher and mor e
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
4 10 .

elaborate tone of his poetry but only j ust enough to S h ow

,

how customary the tone w as to him in his most serious

moments and therefore an i nteresti n g evidence o f the sort
,

Of complexional nature there was in his very art — so m e t h i n g

”
analogous to his big honest unwieldy body ; “ more fat to
, , ,
“ ”
use his o w n words than bard b e s ee med but with a heart
, ,

insid e i t for e verything good and graceful .

P OP E S ’
S URR O U N D I NG S .

(Th e M o n t hly Ch ro n i c le , Novem b er

T H O S E who have b een conversant in early life with Pop e

and the other wits Of Queen Anne together with t h e ,

B e l l e n de n s He rveys L ady S uffolks and other feminities

, , , ,

are n ever tired o f hearing o f them afterwards let their ,

subsequent studies be as lofty as they may i n t h e compa

rison W e can no more acquire a dislike to them than we
.
,

can give up a regard for the goods and chattels to which w e

have been accustomed in o u r houses o r for the costum e ,

with which we associate the ideas o f o u r uncles and aunts

and grandfathers They are authors who com e within o u r
.

o wn era of manners and customs — within t h e period o f

coats and waistcoats and snuff taking and the same k inds
,
-

o f eating and drin k ing ; they have lived under the sam e

dynasty o f the G eorges speak the sam e unobsolete language

, ,

and inhabit the same houses ; i n short are a t h o m e with us , .

S h a k spe a r e with all his marvellous power o f coming among

,

us and making us laugh and weep so as n on e o f them can ,

,

still comes (so to speak ) in a doublet an d beard ; h e is an

,

“ ”
a n c es t o r Master S h a k spe a r e — o n e who says yea an d
”
“
nay and never heard o f Pall Mall o r the O pera Th e
,
.

“
others are yes and n o men — swearers o f last Tues
”

day s oaths o r payers o f its compliments— cousins and

’
,
“
aunts and every day acquaintances Pope is Mr Pope
,
-

. .
,

an d comes to
”
“
tea with us N obody alas ! ever drank
.
,

t e a with S h a k s pe a r e ! The sympathies o f a slip slop break -

fast are not his ; nor o f co ffee nor Brussels carpets n o r , ,

girandoles and o r m o l n ; neither did he ever take snu ff, o r a

sedan , o r a coach to t h e theatre nor behold poor man ! ,
412 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

is ) , or if y ou wa n t a charming woman to be in lov e wi th an d

h ve W 1 t h for ever who can so paint her in a line ?
,

Pre t ty a n d w i tty
, wi ld and y e t too g entle
, , , .

All that the Popes and Priors could have conspired with a ll
the S uffolks and Montagues to say o f delightful womanhoo d ,

could n o t have outvalued the comprehensiveness o f that

l ine S till as o n e is accustomed to think eve n o f t h e
.
,

most e xquisit e women in connection w ith som e costum e

o r other be it n o more than a slipper to her foot modern
, ,
’
d r ess insists upo n clothing them t o o n e s i m agination in ,

preference to dress ancient W e cannot love them so .

e ntirely in the dresses o f Arcadia o r in the ru ffs and top ,

knots o f the time o f Elizabeth as in the tuckers and tresses ,

t o which we have been ac customed As they approach o u r .

o w n times they part ake o f the warmness o f o u r homes

, .

“
Anne Page might hav e been handsomer but w e cannot ,

take to her so hear tily as t o N ancy D awson o r t o Mary ,

L e pe l l Imogen there seems no matchin g o r dispensin g

.

with ; and yet L ady W inchelse a when Miss Kingsmill o r ,

Mrs Brooke when she was Fanny Moo re the clergyman s

.
,
’

daughter dancing under the cherry—trees O f the parsonage

,
“
garden and as remarkable fo r her gentleness and suavity
,

Of manners as for her literary talents — w e cannot but feel

“
that the Miss and the Fanny carries us away with it ,

in spite o f all the realities mixe d u p with those desuetudes

o f older times .

A s men after all their day dreams w hether o f poetry o r -

o f bu s i n ess (for it is little suspected how much fancy mingles

even with that ) are glad t o be called to dinner o r tea and
, ,

see the clear familiar faces about them so though t h e , ,

author we admire mos t be S h a kspe a r e and the t w o books ,

w e can least d ispense with 0 11 o u r shelves are S pe n ser and

”
the Arabia n N ights we n ever quit these to look at o u r ,

Pope and o u r Parnell and Thomson without a sort o f

, ,

household pleasure in o u r eyes and a grasp Of the volume ,

as tho u gh som e Mary L e pe l l o r Margaret Bellenden o r , ,

some Mary o r Marianne o f o u r o w n had come into the room ,

herself and held o u t to us her cordial hand

,
.

”
Here is a volume Of Pope s L etters complet e in itself ’

, ,

a duodecimo lettered as j ust mention e d bound in calf

, ,

( plain at the sides ,

but gilt and flowered at the b a ck
) and ,
 PH Y S ICIANS A ND L OVE L ETTER S
-
.
413

possessi n g a po rt rait with cap open shirt collar and grea t ,

-

black eyes W e are bibliomani a cs enough to like t o give

.

these details, and hope that t h e reader does not despise

them .

PHY S I C IA NS A N D L O VE L ETT ER S -

(The M o n th ly Chr o n i c l e ,
D ece m b er

W E never cast o u r eyes towards Harrow —o u t h e —Hill (l e t -

us k eep these picturesque denominations o f places as long a s

we can ) without thin k in g o f an amiable man and most
’
pleasant wit and physician o f Queen Anne s time who lies ,

buried there — G arth the author of the D ispensary

,
He .

was the W hig physician o f the men o f letters o f that day ,

as Arbuthnot was t h e Tory ; and never were two be tter

men sent to console the ailments o f two witty parties o r ,

show them what a nothing party is compared with t h e ,

humanity remaining under the quarrels o f b oth .

W e are n o t going to repe at what has been said o f G arth

s o Often before us O u r chief obj ect as far as regards him
.
,

self is to lay before the reader some p a ssages o f a D edica

,

tio n which appears to have escaped notice and which beau ,

t i fu l l y enlarges upon that profession a l generosity which

Obtained him the love o f all parties and the immortal pa ne ,

gy r i c s o f D ryden and Pope It is by S i r Richard S teele

.
,

and is writte n t o S i r S amuel G art h M D a s none but a ,

. .
,

congenial S pirit could write in love with t h e sam e virtues , ,

a n d accustomed to the consolation derived from them

A s soo n a s I tho u g h t o f m ak ing the L over a present to one

O f m y fr i ends I resolved w i tho u t f u rther d i stract ing m y cho i ce to
, , ,

send i t t o t he B est n a tu re d JPIa n

-

Y o u are so u n i versall y known f o r

.

thi s C haracter that an epi stle so d irected wo u ld fi n d i ts w a y to y o u

,

wi tho u t y o u rnam e a n d I be l i eve n o bo dy bu t y o u y ou r se lf wo u ld de l i ve r

s u c h a s upe r scr ip ti o n t o any o t he r p e rso n .

T hi s propensi ty i s the nearest ak i n to

love ; and g ood natu re i s the -

worth i est affect i on o f the m i nd as love i s the nob lest pass i on o f i t

, .

W hi le t h e latter i s wholly occ u pi ed i n endeavo u ring to m ak e happy

o n e s ing le O b j ect t h e other d i ff u ses i ts b enevolence to a l l t h e worl d
, .

Th e pi t i fu l a r t i fi c e s w h i ch e m py r i c s are g u i lty o f to dra i n cas h o u t

o f valet u d inari ans are the ab horrence O f y o u r g enerou s m i nd ; a n d i t

i s as co m m on w i th G arth to s u ppl y i nd i g ent pat i ents w i t h m oney fo r

f ood as to rece ive i t fro m weal thy ones f o r ph y s i o
, .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

4 14 .

T h i s tenderness i nterru pts t h e Sati s fact i ons o f conversati on to ,

w h i ch y o u are s o happi ly tu r ne d ; b u t we f org ive y o u that o u r m irth

i s O ften i ns ipi d to y o u wh i l e y o u s i t a bse n t t o wh a t p a sses a m o n g s t u s
,

f r o m y ou r c a r e of su c h a s l a n g u i sh i n si c kn ess W e are sens i b le th at .

the ir d i stresses i nstead o f b eing re m ove d b y co m pany retu rn m ore

, ,

strong l y to y ou r i m ag inat i on b y co m pari son o f the ir cond it i on to

,

the j oll it i es o f health .

B u t I f org et I a m wr it ing a ded i cat i on .

This picture of a man S itting silent o n a ccount o f h i s ,

sympathies with the absent , in the midst o f such conversa

tion as he was famous for excelling in is very interestin g , ,

and comes home to us as if we were in his company W h o .

will wonder that Pope should write Of G arth as h e did ?

F arewell , A r b u t h n o t raillery ’
s
On ev ery learned sot
A n d G a r t h , t he bes t g o o d Chr i st i a n he ,
A l t ho u g h h e kn o ws i t n o t .

Thi s e xquisite compliment to G arth has been Ofte n

noticed as at once confirming the scepticism attributed to
,

hi m and V indicating the C hristian spirit with which it was

,

accompanied But it has n o t been remarked that Pop e

.
,

with a furt her deli cacy highly creditabl e to all parties h a s

, ,

here c elebrated in o n e and the same stanza his Tory an d

, ,

his W hig medical friend The delicacy is carried to its .

utmost towards Arbuthnot also when we consider that that ,

-

learned wit had the reputation o f being as orthodox a

C hristian in bel ief as i n practice The modesty o f h i s .

charity is thus taxed to its height and t heref ore as highly ,

complimented by the excessive praise bestowed o n t h e

,

C hristian S pirit o f the rival wit W hig and physician , , .

The intercourse in all ages betwee n men o f letters a nd

, ,

l ettered physicians is o n e o f the m ost pleasing subj ects of

contemplation in the history o f authorship The necessity .

( sometimes of every description ) on o n e side the balm ,

afforded o n the other the perfect mutual understanding t h e

, ,

wit the elegance the genius the masculi ne gentleness t h e

, , , ,

honour mutually done and received and not seldom t h e ,

consciousness that friendships S O begun will be recognized

and loved by posterity all combine to give it a very —

peculiar character o f tender and elevated human ity and t o ,

make us the spectators look on with an interest partak ing

, ,

of t h e grat itude If i t had n o t been for Arbuthnot,

. .
416 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

Percy (wh o inser t e d the ballad with more feeling than pr o

pr i e t y i n his Reliques o f Ancien t English Poetry ) says ”

“
o f G rainger that he was, o n e o f the most friendly generous ,
,
”
and benevolent men he ever kne w G oldsmith eve n in his .
,

o w n poverty was known to have given guineas to the poor

, ,

by w a y o f prescriptions ; and when he died his s taircas e ,

in the Temple was beset by a crowd o f mourners o u t o f

Fleet S treet such as D ives in his prosperity would sooner
,

have laughed at than L azarus would o r Mary Magdalen

, , .

S mollett had his full portion of generosity in money matters ,

though he does not appear to have possessed so much o f the

customary delicacy ; other w ise he never would have given
“ ”
ostentatious S unday dinners to poor authors upon whose ,

h e ads he took the opportunity o f cracking sarcastic jok es !

But he was a diseased subj ect and pro bably had a blood as ,

bad a s his heart was good Armstrong and A k e n si de both .

had the usual reputation fo r benevolence and wrote o f it as ,

if they deserved it A k e n si de also excited the enth usia stic

.

generosity o f a friend ; which an ungenerous man is n o t

likely to do though undoubtedly it is possible he might
, ,

considering t h e warmth o f the heart in which it is excited .

The debt of scholarship an d friendship to the profession was

handsomely acknowledged in his instance by the affection of
D yson who when A k e n si de was commencing practice
, , ,

assisted him with three hundred a year That wa s t h e .

most magnificent f e e e ver given

W e k now not indeed who is calculated to excite a liberal
, ,

e nthus ia m i f a liberal physician is not

s
,
There i s n o t a fi n e .

corner in the mind and heart to which he does n o t appeal ;

and in relieving the frame he is t oo Often t h e only means ,

o f making virtue itself comfortable The physician is w ell .

e ducated well bred , has been accustomed to t h e i n fi r m i t i e s

,
-

o f his fellow creatures -

therefore understands how much
,

there is in them to be excused as well as relieved ; h i s

manners a r e rendered soft b y the gentleness required in
sick rooms ; he learns a S h a k spe a r e a n value for a smil e and
—

a j est by k nowing h o w g rateful to su ffering is the smallest

,

drop o f balm ; a n d the whol e circle o f h i s feelings and his

knowledge (generally o f his success too but that is n o t ,

nece ssary ) gives him a sort of divin e superiority t o t h e mer

c e n a r y disgracers o f his profession There are pretenders .

and quack s, and foolish favourites i n this a s in all pro fos

 PH Y S I CIA NS A ND L O VE L ETTER S
-
.
41 7

sions and the world may occasionally be startled by dis

,

covering that there is such a phenome non as a physician at

once sk ilful and mean em i nent and selfish But the ordi ,
.

nary j ests on the profession are n ever echoed with greate r

good will than by those w h o do not deserve them ; and t o
complete the merit o f the real physician— o f the man whos e
heart and behaviour do good as well as his prescriptions ,

h e possesses that humility in his knowled ge which candidly

owns the limit o f it and which is at once the proudest most , ,

m odest and most engaging proof o f his attainments because

, ,

it shows that what he does kno w h e knows truly and that ,

he holds brotherhood with the leas t instructed o f his fellow

creatures .

It is a pity that some o n e who loves the literature o f the ,

age o f Queen Anne and the sprightly fathers o f English ,

e ssay w ri ting does not m ake a selection from the numerous

-

S maller periodical works which were set up by S teele and ,

w hich i n some instances were carried o n but to a fe w

“ ”
numbers such as this o f the L over above mentioned
—
,
“
the S pinster and the Theatre “
,
” ”
W e believe a small .

volume of the kind would conta in as good a S pecimen o f the

v o l a t i l e e x t r a c t of S t e e l e
(if the reader will allow us what
see m s a pun
) as o f his finest s e c o n d bes t papers o u t o f t h e -

Ta t l e r .

But there is another volume which has long been suggested

”
to us by the L over and which would surpass in interest ,

whatever might be thus collected o u t o f the whole literatur e

“
o f that day ; and that is a C ollection o f G enuin e L ove
El o 1s a s should be there by all means
’
L ette rs . Those o f .

L ady Temple to S i r W illiam when S h e was Miss O sborne , ,

should not be absent S teele himself woul d furnish some .

charming ones o f the lighter sort (with heart enough t o o i n

them fo r half a dozen grave people ; more we fear , than ,
”
dear Prue had to give him i n return ) .

W e will here give o u t o f the L over itself and a s a

“
,
’
s ample both of that periodical of S t e ele s and o f t he mor e ,

tragical matter o f what this volume o f love letters might -

consist o f two most exquisite specimens which passed

, ,
’
between a wife and her husband o n the eve Of the latter s
death o n the scaffold He was on e of the victims t o sincerity .

o f Opinion during the C ivil W ars ; and t h e more s incer e ,

doubt less and public spirited in proportion to his domesti c

-

,
-

E E
41 8 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

tend e rness Two more truly loving hearts w e never met

.

with in book ; nor such as to mak e us more impatiently

desire that they had continued to live and bless o n e another .

But there is a triumph in calamity itsel f when so beautifully ,

borne Posterity takes s uch sufferers to its heart and

.
,

crowns them with its tears .

“
I never read says S te ele anything which to me had
, , , ,

S O much nature and love as an expression o r two i n the ,

following letter The epistle was written by a gentlewoman

.

to her husband who was condemned to su ff er death Th e

, .

unfortunate catastrophe happened at Exeter in the time o f

t he late rebellion A gentlema n whose name was Pen .
,

ruddock to whom the letter was written was barbarously

, ,

sentenced to die without the least appearance o f j ustice , .

’
He asserted the illegality of his enemies proceedings with ,

a S pirit worthy his innocence ; and the night before his

d eath his lady w rote to him the letter which I s o much
”
admire and is as follows
,

M Y D EA R H EA R T “

M y sa d part ing was so fa r from m ak ing m e forg et y o u that ,

I scarce tho u g ht u pon m y sel f s i nce ; b u t w holl y u pon y o u T hose .

dear em b races wh i ch I y e t feel a n d shall never lose b e ing t h e , ,

fa i thf u l test i m on i es o f an i nd u l g ent hu s b and have c h arm ed m y sou l ,

to su ch a reverence o f y o u r rem e m b rance that were i t poss i b le I , , ,

wo u ld wi th m y own b lood cem ent y ou r dead l i m b s to l ive ag ain

, , ,

a n d (w it h reverence) th i nk i t no s i n to r o b H eaven a l ittle long er O f

a m arty r Oh I m y dear y o u m u st now pardon m y pass i on thi s
.
, ,

b e in g m y l ast (o h fatal word I) that ever y o u wi ll rece i ve fro m m e

,

a n d k now t hat u nt i l the last m i nu te that I can i m a g ine y o u shall

,

l ive I shal l sacri fi ce t h e prayers O f a Chri sti an and t h e g roans o f an

,
’

affl i cted wi fe And when y o u are n o t (wh i ch su re b y sy m pathy I

.

shal l k now) I shall w i sh m y own d i s sol u t i on w ith y o u

, that so we ,

m a y g o hand i n hand to H eaven Ti s too late to tell y o u wh at I

’
.

h ave o r r ather have n o t done f o r y o u ; h o w b e ing t u rned o u t o f

, ,

d oors b ecau se I cam e to b e g m erc y ; t h e L ord l a y not y o u r b lood to

thei r charg e I wo u ld fai n d i s co u rse long er with y o u b u t dare n o t
.
,

pass i on b eg i ns to drown m y reason and wi ll r o b m e o f m y de v o i rs ; ,

whi ch i s a l l I have left to serve y o u A d i e u therefore t e n tho u sa nd .

, ,

t i m es m y dearest dear ; a n d s i n c e I m u st never s e e y o u m ore tak e

, ,

t h i s pray er— M a y y o u r f ai th b e so stren g th ened that y o u r constancy

m a y cont i nu e ; a n d then I k now H eaven w i ll rece ive y o u ; wh ither
g ri e f a n d love w ill i n a short t i m e (I ho pe ) translate ,

M y dear ,

Y o u r sa d b u t constant w i fe even to love y o u r ashes when dea d

, , ,

A RU N D EL P EN RU D D O C K .

Ma the 3 r d 1 6 55 eleven O cloc k at n i g ht Yo u r ch i ldren b e g

’
y , ,
.

o u r b les s ing a n d pre s ent the ir d u t i es to y o u

y ,
.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A Y S
’
42 0 .

but t h e case was di fferent in the reigns o f t h e G eorges

before him who dull individuals as they were kept mis
, , ,

tresses li k e their sprightlier predecessors Even W illiam III . .

had a mistress O u r remote ancestors wer e n o t t h e less

.

c annibals becaus e w e shudder at the idea o f dini ng upon

Jones N 0 longer than a hundred years back and in the

.
,

m outh o f no less a moralist than Pope we find the follow ,

i n g puzzling bit o f information respecting S i r John

S uc k ling
S u ckl i ng was an i m m oral man a s well a s deb auched , .

N o w, where is the distinction in o u r present moral ,

sys t e m between immorality and debauchery ? A ll i m

,

morality is not debauchery but all debauche ry w e hold to ,

b e immoral W hat could Pope mean ?

.

W h y he meant that S i r John cheated at cards N e ither

, .

his drin king n o r his gallantry were to be understood as

a ff ecting his moral character It was the use o f cards with .

m arks upon them that was t o depriv e debauchery o f its

”
good name ! “
The story o f the French cards continues ,

P e pe in explanation o f his above remark

, was told m e by ,

the late D uke o f Buckingham ; and h e h a d it from Old

”
L ady D orset herself .
'

But the most curiou s par t o f the busin ess remain s what
’
it wa s to w i t Pope s o w n d i scrimination o f immorality
—
,

from debauchery And as the Rev Mr S pence [in h i s

. . .

Anecdotes ] expresses n o amazement at the passage it will ,

be hardly unfair to conclude that h e sa w nothing i n it to

surprise him W e believe we have already observed some
.

where that S wift who was a dignitary o f the C hurch was

, ,

intimate with t h e reputed mistresses o f t w o kings — t h e

C ounte ss o f S uffolk G eorg e the S econd s favourite ; and t h e
’

C ountess o f O rkney King W illiam s

’
Th e latter he pr o
, .

“
n o u n ce d to be the wisest woman he ever knew as t h e ,

former was declared by all her friends to b e o n e of the most

amiable But we may see h o w little gallantry was thought
.

i l l o f in the epistolary correspondences of those times Pope s

’
, ,

included and in the encouraging banter for instance whic h

, , ,

h e gives o n the subj ect t o his friend G a y whos e whol e ,

life appears to been passed in good humoured sensualism -

.

S e e also how Pope and S wift and others trumped up L ord , ,

Boli n gbroke fo r a philosopher —a man who besides be ing ,

 S O CIA L M O RA L ITY .
42 1

profound in nothing but what may be called t h e elegant

extracts o f commonplace was o n e o f the most debauched of
,

men o f the world .

[ Referring later o n in t his essay t o Ben Jonson L eigh ,

Hunt argues that ] Justice h as hardly been done to t h e

grandeur which is often t o be found in his graver writing
, ,

both as to thought and style sometimes we thin k amount , , ,

ing even to the sub lime W e would instance that answe r

.

o f C ethegus to C atiline when the l atter says

,

Wh o w o u ld n o t fall with a l l ,
the b world a ou t h i m
C ET H E G U S — N o t I, t h a t wou l d s t a n d o n i t , whe n
'

zt f a l le .

Also t h e p as sage where it is said o f C atiline advanci n g ,

with his army ,

Th e da y g rew b lac k w i th h i m ,

A n d F a t e desc e n de d ne a re r t o t he e a rt h ;

and the other in which he is described as coming on ,

No t wi th the face
Of a ny ma n, bu t of a pu bl i c ra in .

’
Th e vindictive quietness o f C icero s direction to t h e lictors
to put S t a t i l i u s and G a b i n i u s to death is very like a sublima ,

tion above the highest ordinary excitability o f human resent

ment Marlowe might have written i t
.

Tak e the m
To y o u r COM h a n ds , an d l et the m f e e l de a t h fro m y ou .

An d the rising o f the ghost o f S ylla by way , of prologue for

this play , uttering a s he rises ,

D o s t t ho u n ot fe e l m e , RO M E

appears to us decidedly sublime making thus the evil —

spirit o f o n e man equal t o the great city and to all t h e ,

horrors that are about t o d arken it N o r is the opening o f .

the spe ech o f Envy as prologue to the Poetaster far from

,
”
,

somethi ng o f a like elevatio n The accu mulated pas sion i n .

,

her shape thinks hersel f warranted to insult the light and

, ,

her insult is very grand

Li
g ht I sal u te thee b u t wi th wo u nded nerves
, , ,

W i shing t h y g olden splendo u r pi tchy dark ness .

 L EIG H H U NT S ESS AY S
’
42 2 .

Milton has been here and in n umerous other places imitat , ,

i n g his learned and lofty tongued predecessor —

.

As to the long dispute d question whether h e was arro

-

,
”
gant o r n o t and swaggerer (which indeed a s C harle s
“
, ,

L amb has intimated , might b e shown after a certain ,

sublimated fashion i n t h e very characters in which h e ,

chiefly excelled S i r Epicure Mammon Bobadil & c an d i t

—
, ,
.
, ,

may be added Cat i line and S ejanus t o o ) how anybody who

, , ,

e ver read his plays could have doubted o r affected to doubt

, ,

it is a puzzle that c a n only be accounted for upon what

, ,

accounts for any critical phenomenon — party o r personal

feeling .

S elf prais e was a fashion in ancient poetry but has never

-

been u nderstood as more a l lowable t o modern imitation

than the practice o f self murder which wa s also an ancient -

fashion Ben says o f his muse i n his prologu e t o

.
—

“
C ynthia s Revels ’

Th e g arland that she wears the ir h ands m u st twine ,

W h o c a n b oth cens u re, u nderstand , de fi ne

What m eri t i s : then cast those pi erc ing ray s
R o u nd as a crown i nstead o f hono u red b ays , ,

A b o u t h i s poesy ; w h i ch h e kn o ws a fi c r ds , ,

Wo rds a bo ve a c t i o n m a t t er a bo ve wor ds , .

“
An d C ynthia s Revels is upon t h e whole a v e ry poor pro
’
, ,

duction with scarcely a beauti ful passage in it except the

, ,
”
famous lyric Queen and Huntress Y e t in the epilogue t o
,
.

“
this play (as i f conscious that his wil l must serve fo r t h e
deed ) t h e actor w h o delivers it is instructed t o t a lk
,

thus
T o crave y o u r favo u r w i th a b e g g i ng knee
W ere to d i stru st t h e wri ter s fac u lty ’
.

T o pro m i se b etter when t h e next w e b ri ng

P roro g u es d i sg race co m m ends not any th ing , .

S t i ffl y to stand on t h i s a n d pro u dl y approve ,

Th e play m i g ht tax t h e m ak er o f sel f l ove

,
-
.

I l l onl y s pea k what I have heard h i m s a y

’
,

B y G o d ! t i 8 g o o d, a nd if y o u l i he t y
’ ’
ou may .

Th e critics naturally enough thought this n ot over

, ,

modest ; so in the prologue to his next play the Poetaster ,

(which was written to ridicule pretension in his adversaries ) ,

he makes a prologue in armour tread Envy under foot ,

a n d requests t h e audience , that if he should once m o r e

42 4 LE I G H H U NT S
’
ES S AY S .

of a joviality o f goodwill ) his lines to the memory o f

S h a k spe a r e do as much honour to the final goodness o f
his heart a s to the grace and dignity o f his style and
imagination .

But even his friends as well a s e nemies thought him

immodest and arrogant and publicly lamented it S e e ,
.

what Randolph and C arew as well as O wen Feltham , ,

say o f him in their responses to his fam ous o de b e ,

ginning,
Com e leave the loathed st ag e ,

And t h e m ore loathso m e a g e !

an invective which he wrote because o n e o f his plays had

been damned .

In s hort Ben is an anomaly in the list o f gre at poets ;

,

and we can only account fo r h i m as fo r a greate r (D ante ‘

, ,

w h o h as contrived to make his muse more grandly di s

agreeable ) by supposing that his nature included the c o n
,

t r a di c t i o n s of some ill matc hed progenitors and that whil e

—
, ,

he had a grace for one parent o r ance stor he had a slut a n d ,

fury for another .

If as ked to give an opinion o f Ben Jonson s power i n ’

general w e should say that he was a poet o f a high order

, ,

a s far as learnin g fancy a n d an absolute rage o f ambition

, ,

could conspire t o make him o n e but that he never touched

at the hi ghest except by violent efforts and durin g t h e
, ,

greates t felicity o f his sense o f succ ess T h e material so .

predominated in h i m over t h e spir itual t h e sensual over —

t h e sentimental that he was mor e social than loving

—
,

an d far more wilful and fanciful than imaginative D e .

siri ng the stro n gest immediat e e ffect rather than t h e best

effe ct he subserve d by wholesal e in his com edies to t h e
,

gr ossness and commonplace o f the very multitude whom h e

hectored ; and in love with whatsoever he knew o r uttered ,

h e set learning above feeli ng i n writi n g his tragedies and ,

never knew when to leave o ff whether in tragedy o r ,

comedy His style is more clear and correct than i m

.

passioned , and only rises above a certain level at remark

abl e intervals when he is heated by a sens e o f luxury o r
,

domination He betrays what was wea k i n himself and

.
,

e ven a secret m isgiving by incessant atta cks upon t h e

,

w e akness and envy of others ; a n d in his highest moods , ,

 ANA CR EON .
42 5

inst e ad o f t h e h e althy serene and good natured might of

, ,
-

S h a k s pe a r e has somethin g of a puffed and uneasy pomp a

, ,

bigness instead o f greatness analogous t o his gross habit o f ,

body : n o r when you think o f him at any time can you

, ,

well separate the idea from that of the assuming scholar

and the fl u st e r e d man o f taverns But the wonder after .

all is that having such a superfoetation of art i n him he had

’
, ,

still so much n ature ; and that the divine bully of the o l d

English Parnassu s coul d be when e ver he chos e it o n e o f , ,

t h e m o st e legant o f men .

AN AC R EON .

(The S e e r Part I , .

To b e u n a fl e c t e dl y charmed with the loveliness o f a ch e e k ,

'

and t h e beauty o f a flower are the first steps t o a know ,

ledg e o f Anacreon Those are the grammar of his G reek ,

.

and pretty nearly the dictionary too .

It may b e concluded o f him that his existenc e (so to ,

speak ) w a s passe d in a garden ; fo r he lived to be o l d ;

which in a man o f his sensibility and indolence implies a life
pretty free from care It is said that he died at the age o f
.

eighty fi v e and was then choked with a grape ston e All

-

,
-

the obj ectionable passages might b e taken o u t of Anacreon ,

and he would still be Anacreon and the most virt uous

might read him as safely as they read o f flowers and butter
flies .

Imagine a good humour e d o l d man with silver locks but

-

, ,

a healthy an d cheerful face sitting in the delightful cli mate ,

o f S myr na under his vine or his olive with his lute by his
, ,

side a cup o f his native wine before him and a pretty

, ,

peas ant gi rl standing near him who has perhaps brought him ,

a basket o f figs o r a bottle o f milk cork ed with vine leaves

,
-

and t o whom he is givin g a rose o r pretending to make love ,

.

There is generally in A n a c r e o n s earnest a touch o f

,
’

something which is not in e a r n e st r — which plays with

the subj ect as a good humoured old man plays with
,
-

children There is a perpetual smile o n his face b etween

.

enthusi a sm and levity He loves wine beauty flowers .

, , ,

pictures sculptures dances birds broo k s kind an d ope n

, , , , ,

n atures e very t h ing t h at can b e indolently enjoyed

, .
42 6 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
.

W hen Anacreon describes a beauty o r a banquet o r ,

wishes to convey his sense to you o f a flower or a grass ,

hopper o r a head o f hair there it is ; as true and as free

“

, ,

from everything foreign to it as the thing itself .

L ook at a myr tle tree or a hyaci n th inhale its fragranc e

—
, ,

admire its leaves o r blossom then shut your eyes and think , ,

h o w exquisitely the myrtle tree is what it is and h o w -

beautifully unlike everything else h o w pure in simple yet —

cultivated grac e S uch is o n e o f t h e odes o f Anacreon

. .

G EO R G E COL MAN TH E EL D ER .

(Th e Edi n bu rg h R e vi e w, J u l y

TH E only productions o f C olman that have attained any

stability and are likely to keep it are the comedies o f t h e
, ,
“
Jealous W i fe and the “ ”
C landestine Marriage
”
Th e .

former was written before the decease o f L ord Bath to ,

whom it was dedicated ; but hi s lordship knew nothing o f

its existence till success gave the author courage to disclos e
,

his secret C olman was still practising at the bar and h e

.
,

continued to do so at least ostensibly till his supposed call

, ,

from it by G eneral Pulteney but a compliment to G arrick ,

i n a pamphlet had b rought him acqu a inted with the

,

sovereign o f the stage ; and after he had anonymously

picked his way upon i t with the help o f C arrick s con ,
’

“ “
fi de n c e in the farce o f Polly Honeycomb
,
the Jealous ,

W ife was produced at D ru ry L ane i n the month o f

”

February 1 7 6 1 It is said to have met with greater success

.

“ ”
than any n e w play sinc e t h e S uspicious Husband It is .

at the head o f what may be called co m edies o f negativ e

excellence i n style an d u n su pe r fl u o u s truth in t h e action
, .

There is no incorrectness o f language no false o r forced ,

wit n o violation o f propriety o f any sort ; and the plot

,

flows as naturally onward as possibl e carrying along wi th it ,

a variety o f a m u si n g i f not origi nal characters and enlivened ,

occasionally with s m art points o f situation It has been .

obj ected that the husband is too tame and the wife t o o ,

much o f a termagant ; not delicate enough for t h e l o v i n g ~

passion of jealousy But j ealousy is by no means al w ays a

.

lovin g passion It is doubtless often found in co n nect io n

.
42 3 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

the g e ntlemanly cloth o f the C hurch o f England ) onc e gav e

him a severe beating ; fo r which C olman very properly
exhibited against him articles o f the peac e Men s physical .
’
,

moral and intellectual faculties all hang together i n more

,

subtle connection than is commonly supposed ; and as

Terence in person was very slender and probably but ,

half a Menander in that respect as well as i n comedy ,

so C olman appears every way to have been a sort o f

, ,

Terence cut down .

O f these two plays the Jealous W ife

“ ”
and t h e Clan
,
”
destine Marria ge if we prefer th e latter it is because t h e
, ,

author seems t o have plu c ked up a little o n t h e side o f

animal spirits And he did s o — o r rather G arrick did for
.

him ; fo r it was their j oin t production The dialogue i s .

fuller and the comedy stronger Mrs In c h b a l d it is tru e ,

, . .
,
”
thinks it bette r to read than to see because o f the length ,

o f the speeches But it never appeared to us that t h e

.

audience made this obj ectio n They always listened to the .

alternat e vu lgarisms and soft poignances o f the hi gh and

low life with as much zest as if they were visiting parties
,

at the house in which they met ; and L ord Og l e b y was

e ver delicious They de voured him lik e the best sweetmeat
.

o f t h e dulcitudes of the old school An d a delicious per .

so n a g e he is ; superior to the very fopperies that master

him — a heart that in the depth o f its m o r t i fi c a t i o n when

, ,

the overweening o l d man has taken his admiration of beauty

for admiration returned and found his mistake staring him ,

in the face in its worst because loveli est shape rises above ,

and redeems all by becoming t h e friend and father o f t h e

,

poor girl that had humbled him There is a lurking pathos .

under the comedy of all this even in the fantastic shap e o f ,

L ord Og l e b y that goes stro n gly to the feelings of half the

,

audience fo r age partly cheated by N ature herself who i s

, ,

not always so o l d as she seems unwillingly takes leave o f ,

sympathies that are themselves loth to depart and the eyes

o f habit and self love
-

growing weak er l ik e the natural

-

ones discern but indistinctly the wrin k les that have becom e
,

venerabl e to oth e rs , and that have rendered lovingness

unlovely .

L i k e other intelligent managers G eorge C olman t h e ,

Elder had fits o f confidence and fright about particular

pieces — only to be accounted fo r by some personal humour,
 G EO R G E C O L MAN TH E Y O U NG ER .
42 9

or the perplexity occasioned by contradict ory experiences .

But he evi n ced a z eal i n favour o f the old drama worthy o f

his classical aspirations ; delivered S h a kspe a r e from Tate ;
showed himself alive to t h e homely novelty and daring
whi msical itie s o f O K e e fe ; and he introduced to the stage
’

t h e very various merits o f Edwin Henderson and Miss , ,

Farren Al a s ! that so pleasant a light should suddenly

.

and frightfully be obscured H e was seized with an illness

in 1 7 8 5 which apparently by unskilful tre atment and
, , ,

after many fluctuations o f better and worse was finally ,

converted into alienation o f mind and he died in seclusion ,

at Paddington in 1 7 94 at the age o f sixty two He was an

,
—
.

estimable man a good L atin scholar and a pleasing drama

, ,

t i st and when we consider h o w rare even such a combina

tion is among all the myriad s o f human beings that p a ss
away and think how well he bore his disappointments and
, ,

what a busy life he led an d what an awful calamity shrouded

,

his little gentle shape at last and k ept him from the fellow
,

creatures he h a d enlivened we almost feel a s if we h a d not

,

don e him j ustice and shall be glad if anybody can sho w

,

him to have been more admirable .

G EO R G E C O L MAN T H E Y O UN G ER .

(The Edi n bu r g h R e vi e w, J u ly
WE cannot feel an equal liki n g for his son G e orge C olman ,
the Y ounger as he delighted to call himself
, He was .

prou d o f his father and we dare say loved him as well as

, , ,

he could ; but such w a s his total want o f seriousness that ,

during his very accounts o f t h e calamity we have j ust

noticed he cannot help indulgi ng In his usual j ests This is
, .

not what Y orick would have done ; nor Hamlet with all his ,

insight into the m elancholy o f mirth hav e loved , .

G eorge C olman the Y ounger was born in t h e year

1 76 2 educated (a little ) at W estminster O xford and , ,

Ab erd een (for he contrived to neutralize his father s ’

endeavours at all three places ) wrote his first piece i n

1 7 8 4 ; succeeded to his father s m anagement when h
t e latter
’

fell ill and to the property o f the Haymark et at h i s de a t h

, .

was fortunate enough t o secure the attachment o f an am iable

 LEIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
'
’
4 3s .

woman and agr eeable actress (Mrs G ibbs ) whom h e after .

,

wards married wrote upwards o f twenty pieces chiefly for ,

the Haymarket in the midst o f eq ual di fli c u l t i e s and j o vi a l

,

ties was the author o f som e Peter Pindaric tales eq ually -

merry and indecorous and died in the year 1 8 3 6 Examiner ,

o f Plays and denouncer o f t h e most harmless liberties which

,

h e h imself had practised .

W e do not li k e to find fault with him ; for though t h e

“ ”
pretensions he made to poetry and the serious dram a
were ridiculous his conduct in the o fli c e above mentioned mer
,

c e n a r y and provoking and his character altogether defectiv e

,

as to high and estimable qualities except gratitude to thos e ,

who well treated him (which indeed is something ) ther e ,

must have been a good deal o f stuff of some sort in a w riter

who could carry on a theatre as he did for several years ,
.

al most upon the strength o f his own productions Thos e .

who remember the Haymarket Theatre in hi s day when ,

the performances were confined to the summer time and -

what a j oyous l ittle plac e it was — h o w merrily oppressive ,

and how everybody went there to complain of the heat and ,

to forget it in the laughter must remem b er the endless —

“ ” ”
repetitions of the Mountaineers and the Heir at L a w , ,

and the Battle of Hexham and the W ags of W indsor

“ “
,
”
,

and Blue D evils and L ove L aughs a t L ock smiths and

,
”
,

many others W h o can ever forget the sweet song and good
.

natured litt le dumpiness o f Mrs Bland ? o r the straw hats .

and black stuff mittens o f Mrs G ibbs with her dimpled .

,

pastoral face ? o r the dry humour covering a rich o i l o f , ,

Elliston ? o r the trampling brazen fronte d onsets and ,

-

harsh merry grinding voice o f Fawcett in C aleb Q u o t e m ?

, ,

W h o did not carry away half the farces by hear t and ,

hazard the suffocation o f their families with it next morn

ing over the breakfast table ? And all this (let him have
—

his due ) was owing to G eorge C olman the Y ounger ,

and his u n questioned powers o f drollery and entertain

ment He w as not so interesting a man a s his father
.
,

for he had not a particle o f gravity ; and there can be no

depth o f sympathy where there is no serious feeling .

As to his discharge o f the duties o f Examiner o f Plays ,

’
the secret o f C olman s face making about pretended i m -

pieties is to be found in that want of all seriousness o f

,

feeling and belief which turned his dramatic sentiment into

,

cant , and his blank verse into commonplace He thought .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

4 32 .

the tone in which we still mention their names B u rke with .

,

a l l his very wonderful powers will have contrived in a great , ,

“
measure to neutralize himself with posterity by giving up
, ,

to party what was meant for mankind W h o even now is .

”
, ,

i n the habit o f reading a tenth part o f his works o r any ,

part except for purposes which must inevitably become

,

obsolete ? Johnson is no longer considered the great

moralist ; nor is h i s criticism valued when it gets abov e ,

the region o f the artificial poets In wit there w a s G eorge .

,

S elwyn and Horac e W alpole and Hanbury W illiams — the

, ,

last the wit poet whos e poetry is n i ne parts prose Also

-

, .
,

for wit essayists t h e authors o f the W orld and t h e

-
“ ”
,

C onnoisseur W hat had they to show equal to th e wits

.
”

o f Queen Anne or half so good ? In the pros e drama

—
,

there were C umberland C olman Murphy G oldsmith an d , , , ,

S heridan — a l l more o r less clever ; none illustrious In .

poetry there was nothing but bits o f what was greatly good
, .

In a word where are the authors that promise t o becom e

,

everlastingly cherished not in corners o f libraries but in , ,

poc k et editio n s worn l ike companions next t h e pulses o f

,

m en s hearts and going about with them everywhere , like

’
,

the humanities which keep all alive and were the cause why ,

themselves are immortal ? If there are any immortals t hey ,

must b e look e d fo r amon g the historians and i n n o other ,

class .

P EP Y S S AMU EL .

( The Edi n bu r g h R e vi e w O ctob er ,

IT is a good thing for the world and a relief from thos e ,

conventional hypocrisies o f which most people are ashamed ,

even when they wo u ld b e far more a shamed to break thr ough

them that n o w and then there comes up some a u t o b i o
,

graphica l gentleman who makes the u n i verse his confidant ,

and carries the n i l h u m a n i a l i en a m down t o a confessio n
about his love o f preferment or a veal pie , o r his delight in ,
-

s etting up his coach W e do n o t mean such only as hav e

.

”
w ritten
“
L ives but men o f autobiographi cal propensities
, ,

in whatever shape indul ged Montaigne was such a man .

Boswell w a s another ; and we have a remarkable o n e in

t h e D iarist befor e u s , who if he does not giv e us a whol e
 S A M U EL PEPY S .
433

life puts into the memorandums o f som e t e n or a doz e n

,

years mor e about himself than whole lives have communi

cated .

L et such a man tell us what he will — supposing h e

is not a d olt o r out of his wits w e cannot help having
,
—
,

n o t only a portion of regard but something of a respect for ,

him seeing his total freedom from the most inj urious and
,

alienating o f vices insincerity ; and accordingly though

, ,
—

we laugh at Pepys with h i s cock ney revels and h i s beati ,

~

tudes o f lace and velvet a n d his delight at having his head

,

patted by L ord C larendon and his hones t uproariousness , ,

and his not k nowi ng what to think between his transport ,

with the C ourt beauties and the harm he is afraid they will
,

do the S tate — w e feel that h e ends in being a thoroughly

honest man and even a very clever o n e and that we could
, ,

have grown serious in his behal f had h i s comfort o r good ,

name been put in j eopardy .

’
Till w ithin these few years indeed o u r o l d friend s name , , ,

a s far as it was remembered was altogether o f a serious

,

and respectful description There survived— i n corners o f

.

t h e G en t l e m a n s M a g a z i n e ; o f naval antiquarian minds

’

an d other such literary an d official quarters — a staid and

somewhat solemn notion o f a certain S amuel Pepys Esq a ,
.
,

patronizi n g gentleman and Admiralty patriot who con ,

descended to amuse his leisure with collectin g curious books

and old English ballads and w a s the founder o f the Pepysian
,

library at C ambridge Percy r e corded him in his Reliques

.

C ole and N ichols honoured him ; G ranger eulogized him ;

biographers o f admirals trumpeted h i m Jeremy C ollier ,

in the S upplement t o his D ictionary pronounced him a ,

philosopher o f t h e severes t morality and though t h e

severest morality wa s a bold saying a gr eat deal o f t h e ,

merit attributed to him by thes e writers was tru e .

But in the classical shelves of Maudlin not far from the

, ,

story o f Midas s barber and his ree ds there lay ready t o

’

, ,

burst its cerements — a D iary The ghosts o f the cham be r

maids o f those days archly held their fingers upon their lips
as t hey watched it Th e great spirit o f C larendon felt a
.

twinge o f the conscience to think o f it The ancestors o f .

L ord B r a y b r o k e and Mr U pc o t t were preparing the existenc e

.

o f those gentlemen on purpos e to edit it And edited it

, .

“ ”
was and the staid and solemn the respectable but jovial ,

F F
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

4 34 .

P e pys welcomed with shouts o f good fellowship , t o t h e

, ,
-

laughing acquaintance o f t h e world .

Every curious passag e in that extraordinary publication

cam e o n the reader with doubl e e ffect from an intimation ,

given by the Editor that it had bee n found “ absolutely

”
n ec essary to mak e numerous curtailments He hung o u t .

n o lights as Madame D a c i e r cal l s them There were n o

, .

stars o r other typographical symbols indicating the pa s

, ,

sages omitte d The reader therefore concluded that rich

.
,

i n suggestion as t h e publication was it had riches fi n e l e ss ,

concealed Every C ourt anecdote was thought to contai n

.

still more than it told ; and every female acquaintanc e o f

the poor author unless he expressly said the contrary w a s
, ,

s upposed t o be no better tha n s h e should b e W e seemed o n .

t h e borders o f hearing every instant that all t h e maids o f , ,

honour had sent for t h e doctor o n o n e and the same evening ;

o r that the C ourt had had a ball in their n ightgowns or

that the beds there had been half burnt (for L ady C astl e
mai n e once threatened to fire W hite hall) ; o r lastly that , ,

Mr Pepys himself had been taken to the roundhouse in t h e

.

’
dress o f a tirewom a n with his wife s maid by his sid e as a ,

boy from sea The suppressed passages were naturally talk ed

.

a bout in bookselling and editorial quarte rs , and n o w and then

a story transpired Th e following conclusion o f o n e o f

.

them has been much a dm i red as indicating t h e seriou s ,

r eflections which Pepys mixed up with his levities and t h e ,

strong sense h e ente rtained o f t h e m erits o f an absent wife .

W e cannot say what was t h e precise occa sion but it was ,

e vidently o n e in which h e had carried h i s merry meeti n gs to -

an unusual extent — probably to t h e disarrangement o f all

the lady s household economy ; for h e concludes an account
’

of some pastim e in which he had p a rtaken by a devout ex ,

pression of penitence in which h e begs p ardon o f G o d a n d,

”
Mrs Pepys . .

W elcome therefore anything new however small it may

, , ,

b e from t h e pen o f S amuel Pepys — the most c o n fi di n g o f

,

di aris ts t h e most harmless o f turncoats t h e most wonder

, ,

i n g o f q u i dn u n c s the fondest and most penitential o f faithless

,

husbands the most admiring yet grieving o f the beholders o f

, , ,

the ladies o f C harles II the S a ncho Panza of the most i nsipid .

,

o f Qu i xotes , James I I who did besto w on him (in nav al .

,
“ ”
matters) t h e gov e rn m e n t o f a c e rt a in islan d which , to sa y ,
436 LE I G H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

conscience with retributive pinches His o wn nam e pro .

,

n o u n c e d as it was in those days is n o t t h e least amusing o f ,

these coincidences .It was singularly appropriate Th e .

modern pronunciation we believe i s P e pps — with a varia

, ,

tion o f Peppis His contemporaries called him P e ep s I

.

It may be as well by way o f k e eping befo re us an entire

,

impression of the man while closing o u r accounts with him

, ,

to devote a few sen te nces to the briefest possible summary

o f the events o f his life He was born i n 1 6 3 2 of a highly
.
,

respectable family the eldest branch o f which has becom e

,

ennobled in the person o f the admirabl e lawyer who lately ,

obtained the e st e e m o f all parties in his discharge o f the

'

o fii c e o f L ord C hancellor His father however being the

.
, ,

youngest son o f the youngest brother o f a numerous race ,

was bred a ta i lor (the supposed origin o f o u r hero s b e a t i fi c ’

n otion o f a suit o f clothes ) yet S amuel received a good

education first at S t Paul s S chool and then at C ambridge
, .
’

, .

At twenty —three he married a girl o f fifteen He appea r s -

t o have been a t r o o pe r (probably a C ity vol unteer ) under the

C ommonwealth ; gradually quitted that side in concert with
his cousin and prote ctor S i r Edward Montagu afterwards
, ,

Earl o f S andwich ; found himself aboard the English fleet

with him o n e fine morning going t o Holland to fetch hom e , ,

the royal family ; nearly kn ock ed out his own right eye in help
ing t o fire a salute put o n his n e w silk suit July the l o t h and , ,

his black camlet cloak with silver buttons July the I 3 t h ,

obtained a place i n the Admiralty from which he rose ,

higher and higher ti ll h e did alm o st the whol e real business

,

in that quarter during t h e reigns o f C harles and James ;

was sent to Tangier when that possession was destroyed , to
advise with the commander o f the squadron and estimat e ,

the compensations t o the householders was a rreste d o n a

preposterous charge o f treason , o n the change in the govern
m ent retired childless and a widower to the house o f a
, ,

r o t ég é at C lapham full o f those luxuries o f boo k s and 0 6 7 17

)
p ,

which he had always patronized and died there o f the con

sequences o f luxurious and sedentary living though at a ,

good age o n the 2 6 t h o f May 1 70 3

,
H e was for many .

years in Parliament (we wish h e was there now takin g ,

n otes o f his own party ) was fond of dining playgoing fine , ,

clothes fair ladies practical jokes o l d ballads book s o f

, , , ,

s ci e nc e , e xecutions and coaches composed music and

, ,
 SAM U E L r un s .
4 37

played o n the fi a g e o l e t was a Fellow nay President o f t h e , ,

Royal S ociety (one reason perhaps in conj unction with his

, ,

original Puritanism why he could never take heartily to

,

t h e author o f Hudibras an d last n ot least was Master , ,

o f the W orshipful C ompany of Cl o t h w o r k e r s ; to whom h e

“ ”
presented a richly chased silver loving —cup which his nobl e ,

Editor informs us is still constantly used at all their public

festivals doubtless with no mean j ustice to the memory o f
the d raughts he took out of it If we picture to ourselves
.

”
Pepys practising his song o f Beauty retire the first thing , ,

in the morning then breakfasting and going to h i s duties ,

working hard at them fretting at corruptions yet once and

, ,

a w ay h elping to patch u p o n e himself then taking a turn

in the Park to see and be seen in his n e w camlet lovi n g
,

the very impudence o f L ady C astlemaine yet sha k ing his ,

head about her talking with some gossip o f the last doings
at C ourt cheapening an o l d book on a stall o r giving h is ,

money away then dining and going to the theatre o r to

, ,
”
the house o f some j ovial friend and play m g high j m k s ,

till supper ; then supping considerab ly and again C

going to , ,

work perhaps till o n e o r two i n the morning and finally

, , ,

saying his prayers and thinking his wife positively hal f as

,

pretty a s Miss Mercer o r my lady herself — i f we tak e we

, , ,

say a dioramic V iew o f him after t hi s fashion by way o f

, ,

specimen of h i s wak ing hours we shall have a tolerably ,

accurate sample of th e stu ff his life was m ade of during its

best period and till infirmity and h i s public consequence
,

rendered him more thoughtful and dignified The true entire .

man (to m a k e a grand simile for our o l d acquaintance ) is

li k e the neighbouring planet to be estimated neither when ,

he waxes nor wanes b u t when he is in mid career o r the full

,

development o f his faculties and shows his whole honest ,

face to the world .

In the new volumes Pepys considered as a humorist and

, ,

an original is altogether in his decline He is older mor e

, .
,

learned perhaps more respectable — certainly duller ; and t h e

,

Tan gi er D iary will no more do t o be compared with the o l d

one than a rainy day in autumn with a merry summer
, .

However as there is really some curious matter and as

, ,

traits o f him still b reak o u t the book is not unworthy o f

,

notice A letter i n the first volume clears up a question

.

respecting a posthumous work o f Milton ; and the Journal

43 8 LE I G H H U NT S ES S AY S ’
.

a t Tangier contains some highly characteristic accounts o f

an adventurer who afterwards obtained an infamous re puta
,

tion in the ser vice o f James t h e S econd A n ew head o f .

Pepys as if to suit the grav e r reputation o f his advancing

,

life suppli es a frontispiec e from t h e portrait belonging t o

,

the Royal S ociety It is seemingly a likeness ; but n o t a t .

all the festive looking good fellow in t h e morning gown- -

,
”
who invited us lik e a host to fall to upon o u r good far e , ,

i n the quartos Y ears an d the Royal S ociety hav e taught

.

him reserve and dignity He does not wear so rakish a .

wig nor is his face half snoozing and half chuck ling with - -

’
the recollections of last night s snap dragon and bl i n dm a n s -
’

“
bufi H i s eye looks as if it kne w what belonged to a man o f
.

his condition his whole countenanc e is a challenge t o

scrutiny It seems to say I am n o t at all the man I was
.
, ,

and y o u are not to expect it I shall commit mysel f no .

’
further I have not merely two cloaks now about m e
.
‘
,
’
and everything that is handsome ; I have thoughts and
‘

dignities — and am a personage not to be looked at in a

S pirit o f lightness My companions are n o longer Tripp and
.

Knipp but Fellows o f t h e Royal S ociety and the great

, ,

D r W allis
. .

There are some curious passages among the correspond

e nce here gi ven and the Editor h a s not been idle in i n c r e a s
,

ing their relish from other sources A letter to the D uk e .

o f Y ork as L ord High A dmiral has an extr a ct appended

, ,

to it from t he Harleian manuscripts in which Pepys writes ,

thus to a parliamentary c om mission

L e t m e a dd that i n m y endeavou r after a f u ll perform ance o f m y
,

d u ty I have ne ither m ade d i st inct i on o f day s b etween those o f rest

,

a n d others nor o f hours b etween da y and n i g h t be i n g le ss a c q u a i n t e d

, t ,

du r i n g t h e who le w a r wi t h t he c lo si n g m y da y s wor k bef o r e m i dn i g h t

’
, ,

t h a n a f t er i t A n d that y o u r lord sh i ps m a y not conce i ve th i s to

.

ari se from a n y va in ass u m pti on o f what m a y b e g rou nded m ore u pon

t h e i nab i l i ty o f ot h ers to d i sprove than m y o w n capac i ty to j u st i fy , ,

s u ch have ever b een m y apprehens i ons b oth o f t h e d u ty a n d i m por

tance o f m y j u st attendance o n h i s M aj esty s servi ce tha t am ong ’
,

t h e m any tho u sa nds u nder whose ob servat i on m y e m ploy m ent m u st

have placed m e I c h a l l e n g e a n y m a n t o a ssi g n o n e da y f r o m m y fi r st
,

a dm i ss i o n t o t h i s s e r vi c e i n J u l y 1 6 6 0 , t o t h e de t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e
wa r , A u g u s t 1 6 6 7 (be i n g a c o m pl e t e a ppr e n t i c e sh ip ) , of wh i c h I a m
n o t , a t t h i s d a y , a ble up o n o a t h t o g i ve a n a cc o u n t of m y p a r t i c u l a r

m a n n e r of e mp l o y i n g t h e sa m e
-
.

Here he alludes to the famous Journal . S uppose that

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
4 40 .

MAD AM E DE S EVI G N E .

(Th e Edi n bu r g h R e vi ew O ctob er ,

MADAM E D E S EV IG N E in her combined

a n d inseparabl e
,

character as writer and woman enj oys the singular and ,

delightful reputation of having united beyond all others o f ,

her class the rare with the familiar and the lively with t h e
, ,

correct The moment her name is mentioned we thin k o f

.
,

the m other w h o loved her daughter of the most charming

o f letter writers -
o f the ornament o f an age of licence who ,

i ncurred none o f its ill repute o f the female who has b e -

come one o f the classics o f her language without e ff o r t and ,

without intention .

The sight o f a nam e so attractive in the title page o f t h e ,

-

volumes before us has mad e us renew an intercourse never

, ,

entirely broken with her o w n W e have lived over again

, .

with her and her friends from her first letter to her last ,

i ncluding the new matter in the latest Paris edition W e .

have seen her writing in her cabinet dancing at C ourt , ,

being the life o f the company in her parlour nursing her ,

o l d uncle the Abb é bantering Mademoiselle du Plessis ;

lecturing and then j es t ing with her son ; devou ri ng the
romances o f C a l pr e n e de and responding to the wit o f Pascal ,

and L a Fontai n e ; wal k i ng in her o w n green alleys by

m oonlig ht enchanting cardinals politician s
,
philosophers , , ,
“
beauties poets devotees haymakers ; ready to die with
, , ,

laughter fifty times a day and idolizing her daught er for

ever .

Marie de Rabutin C hantal Baroness de C hantal and -

B ourbilly afterwards Marchioness de S evign e was born in

, , ,

all probability in Burgundy in the old ancestral c ha t e a u o f

, ,

B o u vb ill y between S emur and Epoisses o n the st h of

, ,

February 1 6 2 7 Her father C e l se B énigne de Rabutin

.
, ,

Baron as above mentioned was o f the elder branch of his ,

name and cousin to the famous C ount Bussy Rab u tin her
,
-

mother Marie de C oul anges daughter o f a S ecretary o f

, ,

S tate was also o f a family whose n ame afterwards became

,

celebrate d for wit a n d her paternal grandmother Jeann e ,

Fran coise Fr e m y o t afterw ards known by the title o f the

,

Blessed Mother o f C hantal was a s a i n t The nuns of the ,

.

O rder of the Visitation which was founded by the help ,

 M A D A M E D E S EV IG NE .
44 1

of St Francis de S ales b ea t i fi e d her with the subsequent

.
, ,

approbation o f Benedict XIV and she was canonized by .

C lement XIV (G a n g a n e l l i ) in 1 7 6 7
. There was a relation .

ship between the families o f Rabutin and D e S ales names ,

which it would be sti l l stranger than it i s to see in c o n ju n c

tion had not the good S t Francis been the liveliest and
,
.

m ost tolerant o f his class W e notice these matters b e .

,

cause i t is interesting to discover li nks between people o f

celebrity and because it would be but a sorry philosophy
,

which should deny the probable effects produced in t h e

minds and disposition s o f a distinguished rac e by inter
m i xtures o f blood and associations o f ideas Madame de .

S evign e s father for instance gave a rough foretaste o f her

’
, ,

wit and sincerity by a raillery amounting to the br u s g u e

, ,

sometimes to the insolent He wrote the following con .

gratulatory epistle to a Minister o f finance whom th e King ,

( L ouis XIII ) had transformed . into a marsh al z— “

M y
”
L ord — Birth bl a ck beard ; intimacy — C H A NTA L Mean . .

ing that his new fortune had been owing to his quality to
, ,

his position near the royal person and to h i s having a b lack ,

beard lik e his master Both the C hantals and t h e Fr e m y o t s

.
,

a race remarkable for their integrity had been among the ,

warmest adherents o f Henry IV ; and indeed the whol e .

, ,

united stock may be said t o have been distinguished equally

for worth S pirit and ability till it took a twist o f intrigue
, , ,

and worldliness in the sol itary instance o f the scapegrace

Bussy W e may discern in the wit and integrity o f
.
,

Madame de S e vign e— i n her natural piety i n her cordial

’

partisanship and at the same time in that tact for uni

,

v e r sa l i t y which distinguished her in spite o f i t — a portion

o f what was best in all her k indred n o t excepting a spice ,

o f the satire o f her supercilious cousin but without his ,

malignity S h e was truly the flower of the family tree ;

.

an d laughed at the t o p of it with a brilliancy as well as a

softness compared with which Bussy was but a thorn
, .

Y oung ladies at that time were taught little more than

to read write dance and embroider with greater o r less
, , , ,

attention to books o f religion If the training was con .

v e n t u a l religion was pre dominant unless it was rivalled by

, ,

c o m fi t and flower ma k ing great pastimes of the good nuns , .

To these fortu n ate accidents of birth an d breedi n g w ere

j oined health animal S pirits, a natural flow o f wit and a
, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
44 2 .

face and shape which if not perfectly handsome we re , ,

a llo w ed by everybody to produce a most agreeable impres

sion S h e w as somewhat tall for a woman had a good

.

shape a pleasing voice a fi n e complexi on brilliant eyes and

, , , ,

a profusion o f light hair ; but her eyes though brilliant , ,

were small and together with the eyelashes were of diffe

, , ,

rent tints ; her lips though well coloured were too flat ; ,
-

an d the end o f her nose too square The j awbone .

,

according to Bussy had the same fault He says that she , .

had more shape than grace yet danced well ; and S h e had a ,

taste for singing He ma k es the coxcombical obj ection to

.

“
her at that tim e o f life that she was t o o playful for a ,

w oman of quality as if the liveliest genius and the staidest

conventionalities could be reasonably expected to go together
or as if she could have written her unique l etters had sh e
, ,

resembled everybody else L e t us call to mind the playful .

~

ness o f those letters which have charmed all the world ; ,

let us add the most cordial manners a face full o f expres ,

sion in which the blood cam e and went and a general

, ,

sensibility which if too quick perhaps to S hed tears was no

, , ,

less ready to di e with laughter at every sally of pleasantry

— and we shall see before us the not beautiful but still
engag ing and ever lively creature in whose countenance if
-

, ,

it contained nothing else the power to write t h e se letters ,

must have been visible ; for tho u gh people do n o t always

see m what they a r e it is seld om they do not look what they ,

can do .

The good uncle the A b b e de C oulanges doubtless thought

, ,

he had made a happy match of it and j oined li k e with l ik e , ,

when at the age o f eighteen his charming niece married a

, ,

man of as j oyous a character as herself and o n e o f the first ,

houses in Brittany The Marquis de S evign e was related .

to the D u g u e sc l i n s and the R o h a n s and also to C ardinal de ,

Retz But j oyousness unfortunately was the sum total o f

.
, ,
-

his character He had none o f the reflection o f his bride

. .

He was a mere laugher and j ester fo nd of expense and ,

gallantry and though he became the father o f two children

, ,

seems to have given his wife but little o f his attention H e .

fell i n a duel about som e female seven years after his ,

m arri a ge .

The you n g widow devoted herself to her children an d ,

would never a gain hear o f marriage S h e had already .

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
4 44 .

Burgundy ; and at others in her house in town where t h e ,

H 6 tel C a r n a v a l e t (n o w a school ) has become celebrated as

h er latest and best known residence In all these abodes .
,

not excepting the town house sh e made a point o f having ,

the enj oyment o f a garden delighting t o b e as much i n t h e

,

open air as po s sible haunting her green alleys and her

,

orangeri e s with a book l n her hand o r a song upon her l ips

(for she sang as she went about like a child ) and walking , ,

o u t l ate by moonlight in all seasons to the hazard o f colds ,

and rheumat i sms from which she ultimately su ffered

,

severely S h e w a s a m ost kind m istres s to her tenants

. .

S h e planted trees made labyrinths built chapels (inscribing

, ,
“
them t o watched the peasants dancing sometimes ,

played at chess (she did n o t like cards ) and at almost all ,

other times when n o t talking with her friends she w as

, ,

reading or hearing others read o r writing letters S ome , .

times her household get up a little surprise o r masquerade

”
at others her cousin C oulanges brings his song book and
,
—
,

they are the h a ppiest people in the world ; that is t o say ,

provided her daughter is with h e r O therwise the tears .

,

rush into her eyes at the thought o f her absence and she is ,
”
al ways making dragons o r cook ing viz having t h e -
.
,

blue devils and fretting But when they all are comfort
.
,
“
able what they are most addicted t o is
,
dying with
laughter They die with laughter if seeing a grimace ; if
.

told a bon m e t ; if witnessing a 1 u st i c dance ; if listening to

“
Monsieur de P o m e n a r s who has always some criminal
,

affair o n his hands ; if getting drenched with rain ; if

having a sore finger pinched instead o f relieved Her e .

lounges the young marquis o n the sofa with his book there
sits the o l d Abb é in his armchair fed wit h something nice ,

the ladies chat and embroider and banter Mademoiselle du

, ,

Plessis i n comes Monsieur de P o m e n a r s with the news o f ,

s om e forgery that is charged against him or li velier offence , ,

“
but al w ays so perilous to his neck th a t he and they die
with lau ghter Enter with his frien d Madame de la
.
,

Fayette the celebrated D uke de la Rochefoucauld gouty

, ,
“
but st i ll graceful and he and the lady die with laughter
,

enter the l earned C o r b i n e l li and he dies enter Madame de ,

C oulanges the sprightly mixture o f airiness and witty

,

malice and she dies of course and the happy mortality i s

,

completed by her husb a nd the singi n g co u sin aforesaid ,

 MA D A ME D E S EVIG NE .
44 5

“ little roun d fat oily man who was always i n with “ ”

a ,

some duk e o r card i nal admiring his fine house and feasting ,

at his tabl e These were among the most promi n ent friends
.

o r associate s o f Madam e de S év i g n é but ther e wer e als o

great lords and ladies and neighbours in abundance some , ,

times coming in when th e y were not w a n ted , but always

welcomed with true French politeness except when they ,
“
had been heard to say anything against the daughter ;
and then Madame told them roundly to their faces that sh e
was not at home There was S e g r a i s and S aint Pavin
.
, ,

and C orneil le and Bossuet ; and Treville who tal k ed like a

, ,

boo k and t h e gre at Turenne and the D uke de Vivonne ,

“
( brother o f Montespan
) who called her darling mamma ,

and Madame S carron till she was Maintenon and Ma dame ,

d e Fi e sq u e w h o did n o t know h o w to be afflicted and

,

D H a c q u e v i l l e whose good offices it was impossible t o tire

’

and fat B a r i l l o n who said good things though he w as a bad

,

ambassador and the Abb é T etu thin and lively and Ben ,

se r a de who w a s the life o f the co m pany wherever he went

,

and Brancas w h o l i k ed to choose h i s o w n rivals ; and

,

C ardinal de Retz in retirement feedi n g his trout and talk , ,

ing metaphysics S h e had known the C ardinal for thirty

.

y ears ; and ,
during his last illness used to get C orneille , ,

Boileau and M o i l i er e to come and read to him their new

,

pieces Perhaps there is no man o f whom she S peaks with

.

such undeviating respect and regard as this once tur bulent

statesman u n l ess it be Rochefoucauld w h o to j udge fro m
, , ,

most o f her a ccounts o f him was a pattern o f all that was ,

”
the reverse o f his Maxims .

W ith her son the marquis who was a m a n o f wi t and ,

”
pleasure about town till h e settled into sobriety with a wife
,

w h o is said to have made him devout Madame de S evign e ,

lived in a state o f confidence and unreserve to an excess ,

that would not be deemed very delicate in these days and ,

o f which indeed she herself sometimes expresses her disli k e

, , .

There is a well known collec tion o f letters professing to

-

have passed between him and N inon de l En c l o s which is ’

spurious ; but we gather some remarkable particulars o f

their intimac y from the letters o f the mother to her
daughter and among others N i n o n s sayings o f him that
, ,
’
,
”
he had a soul of pap , and the “ heart o f a cucumber fried
”
in snow .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

44 6 .

The little marquis s friends (for he was small in his p e rson )

’

did not thi nk him a man o f very impassioned tempera

ment H e was however very pleasant and kind , and an
. , ,

a t t entiv e S 0 11 Rochefoucauld said o f him that his gr e atest

.
,

ambition would hav e been to die fo r a love which he did n o t

fe e l .

But sons dukes cardinals friends t h e whol e universe

, , , , ,

come to nothing i n these famous l etters compared with th e ,

daughter to whom they o w e their existence O n e letter was .

n o sooner received than another was an xiously desired an d

the daughter echoed the anxiety Hours were counted .
,

postboys watched for obstacles imagined all the torments, ,

experienced and not seldom manifested o f the most j ealous

, ,

and exacting passion and at the same time all the delights
,

and ecstasies vented o f o n e the most c o n fi di n g .

The firs t letter i n t h e collection written when Madam e ,

de S evign e was a young and happy mother gives a delight ,

ful foretaste o f what its readers hav e to expect S h e was .

then in her twentieth year with a baby in her arms and , ,

nothing but brightness in her eyes .

Y o u a r e a pretty f ellow , are y o u not [ sh e wri tes, March 1 5, 1 6 4 7,

to t h e C o u nt de B u s s y R ab u t in] to h a ve wr i tten m e noth ing f o r
-

these two m onths H av e y o u f org otten w h o I a m , a n d t h e rank I

.

hold i n the fa m i ly ’
Fa i th , l i ttle cadet , I wi l l m ak e y o u re m e m b er
i t If y o u pu t m e o u t o f sorts , I wi ll red u ce y o u to t h e rank s Y o u
. .

k new I was ab o u t to b e con fi ned , a n d y e t too k n o m ore tro u b l e to

a sk after m y health than i f I h a d re m a i ned a s pinster V ery well .

b e i nform ed , to y o u r con fu s i on, th at I have g o t a b o y , w h o shall s u c k

hatred o f y o u i nto h i s ve i ns wi th h i s m other s m i l k , a n d that I m ean
’

to have a g reat m any m ore pu rel y to s u pply y o u wi th enem ie s

, .

Y o u have not t h e w i t to do as m u ch y o u wi th y o u r f em i n i ne pr o ,

du c t i o n s .

A fter a l l , m y dear cou s i n , m y reg ard f o r y o u i s not to b e concealed .

Nat u re wi ll pro c lai m i t i n spi te o f art I tho u g ht to scold y o u f o r

.

y o u r laz i ne s s thro u g h t h e whole o f th i s letter ; b u t I do m y hear t

t o o g r eat a v i olence a n d m u st concl u de w i th tell ing y o u that

M de S evi g ne a n d m y sel f love y o u very m u ch, a n d o ften tal k o f

.

t h e pleasu re we S ho u ld have i n y o u r com pany .

Bussy w rites very pleasantly in return but it will b e so

impos si ble to mak e half the extracts we desire from Madame
’
de S evi gn e s own letters that we must not be tempted to ,

look again into those o f others The n ext that we s h all .

give is the famous o n e on the D uke de L a u z u n s intended ’

marriage with the Princess He n rietta o f Bourbon o n e o f

44 8 LE I G H H U NT S
’
ES S AY S .

N ever was French vivacity more gay more spirited mor e , ,

triumphant than in this letter There is a regular siege

, .

’
laid to the reader s astonishment and the titles of the bride
come like the pomp o f victory Or to use a humbler image .
, ,

the reader is thrown into the state o f the child who is told ,

to Open his mouth and shut his eyes and wait f o r what G o d ,

will send him The holder of the secret hovers in front o f

.

the expectant touching his lips and giving him nothing ;

,

and all i s a merry flutter o f laughter , guessing and final ,

transport .

To say the truth except when she chose t o be in the ,

humour for it, great part o f Madame de S evign e s enjoy ’

ment wherever she w a s looked a s little to the m o r a l e of the

, ,

thin g as need be It arose from her powers o f discernment

.

an d description N o matter what kind o f scene she beheld

.
,

whether exalted o r humble brilliant o r gloomy crowded o r , ,

solitary her sensibility turned all to account S h e sa w well

, .

fo r herself ; and she knew that what she saw she should
enjoy over again in telling it to her daughter , .

“ ”
’
In Boswell s L ife of Johnson is a referenc e by the
great and gloomy moralist to a passage in Madame de
S evign e in which sh e speaks o f existence having been
,

imposed upon her without her consent but the momentary

e ffusion o f spleen is contradicted by t h e whole correspond

e nce S h e occasionally vents her dissatisfaction at a rainy

.

day o r t h e perplexity produced in her m i n d by a sermon

‘

,
'

and when her tears begin flowing for a p a in i n her daughter s

little finger it is certainly no e asy matter to st 0 p them ;
,

but there was a luxury at t h e hear t o f this woe Her .

ordinary notions o f l ife were no more lik e J o h n so n s tha n ,

rose colour is like black o r h e alth like disease

-
She r e , .

pe a t e dl y pr o claims and almost a l ways shows her delight i n

, ,

e xistence .

The two English writers who have shown t h e greate s t

admiration o f Madame de S evign e are Horace W alpole and ,

S i r James Mack intosh The enthusiasm o f W alpole w h o

.
,

was himself a distinguished letter writer and wit is mixed -

u
p with a good deal o f self love He bows to his own imag e -
.

in the mirror beside her .

S i r James Mack intosh w h o becam e intimate with t h e ,

letters o f Madam e de S evign e during his voyage t o India,

says o f her
 M A D A ME DE S EVIG NE .
44 9

She h a s so fi lled m y heart wi th affect i onate i ntere st i n her as a

l ivi n g fri end that I can scarcel y b ring m y sel f to think o f her as a
,

writer or as havi ng a sty le ; b u t s h e h a s b eco m e a celeb rated

, ,

perhaps an i m m ortal wr i ter wi tho u t expect ing i t : s h e i s t h e onl y

,

class i cal writer wh o never conce i ved t h e poss i b i l i ty o f ac q u iring

fam e .

The great charm o f Madame de S evi gn e is t r u t h Truth .

,

w i t and animal spirits compose the s ec re t o f her delightful

,

ness ; but truth above all for it is that which shows all t h e ,

rest to b e true If she had not more n atural vir tues than
.

most other good people she had more natural m a n n e r s ; and ,

the universal i ty o f her taste and the vivacity o f her spirits , ,

giving her the wid e st range o f enj oyment she expressed ,

herself naturally o n all subj ects and did n o t disdain t h e ,

simplest a n d most familiar phrase ology when the truth r e ,

quired it Familiarities o f style taken by themselves hav e

.
, ,

bee n common more o r less to all wits from t h e days o f ,

Ari stophanes t o those o f Byron ; and in general so hav e , ,

animal spirits W hat distinguishes Madame d e S evign e i s

.
,

first that sh e was a woman so writing which till her tim e

, ,

had been a thing unknown and has not been since wit ,

n e sse d in any such charming degree ; and second and abov e ,

“
all that she wri tes the truth the whole truth and nothing
, , ,

but the truth never giving us falsehood o f any ki nd not , ,

e ven a single false metaphor or only half true simile o r ,

—

desc r iption ; n o r writi n g for any purpose o n earth but to

sa y what she felt and plea se those who could feel with her
, .

All her lightest and most fanciful images all her most ,

daring expressions have the strictest propriety the mos t

, ,

genui n e feeling a home in the heart o f truth ; as when

, ,

for example she says amidst continual feasting that she is

, , ,

famished for want o f hunger that there were no inter

lineations in the conversation o f a lady who spoke from ,

the heart that she went to vespers o n e evening o u t o f pure

“
o pposition which taught her to comprehend the sacred
,

o bstinacy o f martyrdom that she did not keep a ph i lo

’
sopher s shop ; that it is di fficult for people in trouble t o
“
bear thunderclaps o f blis s in others S h e loved nature .

an d truth without misgiving and nature and truth loved

her i n return and have crowned her with glory and hon o ur
, .
4 50 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

A JAR H ON EY FR O NT M O UN T H Y B L A
OF .

(A i ns wor t h s J fa g a z i n c J anu ary to D ecem b er

’
,

R EL IS H
A . F ET C H ING .

IN o n e o f the volumes o f that celebrated French publicati o n ,

”
the Almanach des G ourmands which sounds t h e depth s ,

o f the merit o f soups and decides o n the distractin g claim s

,

o f the most a ffi n i t i v e relishes there is a frontispiece present

,
“ ”
o f
ing to the respectful eyes the reader a Jury o f Taste rs .

They form a board o f elderly gentlemen with t h e most

thoughtful faces and are i n the act o f chewing e a ch h i s
,

mouthf u l an d profoundly ruminatin g o n its pretension s

,

Having seen but this si n gle volum e o f t h e work and that ,

only fo r a short time (which we mention with becoming

regret ) we are n o t qu a lified to report its verdict but o n e
,

o f them made an impression o n us n o t t o b e forgotten It .

ran as follo ws — “
W ith this sauc e a m a n might e a t h i s
father .

TH E E L E VE N C O M MAND M ENTS .

A certain bishop w h o lived som e hundred years ago and ,

who was very unli k e what is reported o f h e r Majesty s n e w ’

almoner also very u n l ike t h e C hristian bishops o f o l d ,

before titles were invented fo r them very unlike Fenelo n

too who nevertheless h a d plenty o f titles very unlike S t
,
.

Francis de S ales wh o was for tal k i n g nothing but roses

,

very unlike S t Vincent de Paul who founded the S ister

.
,

hood o f C harity very un l ike Rundle who had a heart ; ,

and Berkeley w h o h a d every virtue u n der heaven

,
and
that other exquisite bishop (we blush to hav e forgotten his
n ame ) who was grieved to find that he had a hundred
,
’
pounds at his banker s when the season had been so bad for
the poor ; this highly u nresembling bishop who n e v e r t h e , ,

less was like too many o f his brethren— that is to say in

, ,

times past (fo r there is no bishop n o w at least in any ,

quart e r o f England w h o is not rem a rk able for meekness

, ,

and does not mak e a point o f turning his right cheek to be

smitten t h e moment you have smitten his l eft ) this
,

unepiscopal and yet not impossible bishop we say was

, , ,

o nce accosted during a severe C hristmas by a Parson

, ,

Ada m s kind o f inferior clergyman , and told a long story o f

4 53 LE I G H H U NT S ES S AY S ’
.

A G ENT E L WARR IO R .

Marcellus [ was] t h e Roman general [ at t h e taking o f

S yracuse ] His eyes are said to have filled with tears at t h e
.

thought o f a l l that was going to happen to the conquered

city He was t h e first successf u l Opposer o f Hannibal
. .

W h e n reproached for carry i ng O ff paintings and other works

o f art from S icily , h e said h e did it to refine the minds Of

his count r ymen His tears render every anecdot e Of him

.

pre cious to posterity .

G EL L IA S .

This individual w e have kept to the last though he was ,

littl e more than a private person and is n o t at all famous ,

.

But w e have a S pecial regard f o r him ; far more indeed , ,

than for most Of those that have been mentioned ; and w e

think that such Of o u r readers as are not already acquainted
with him wi l l hav e o n e too ; for he was o f that tip t o p
,
-

“
class Of human beings called good fellows and a very ,

princ e o f the race W hat renders him a still better fellow

.

than he might otherwise have been and doubles his heroical ,

qualities in discerning eyes is that he was but an i ns i gn i

, ,

fi c a n t little bo dy t o l o o k at and not very well shaped ; a ,

’
manniki n in short that S i r G odfrey Kneller s nephew
, , ,

the slave trader who rated the painter and his friend Pope
-

,
“ ’ ”
at l e ss than ten guineas worth the pa i r would pr o , .

bably not have valued at more than two pounds five .

Th e name Of this great unknown was G e l l i a s and y o u ,

must search into b y corners even O f S icilian history to find

-

, ,

anything about him but he was j ust the man for our Jar ;
sweet a s the honey that S amson found in the j aws O f t h e
lion .

G e l l i a s was the richest man in the rich city o f A g r i g e n t u m .

The A g r i g e n t i n e s according to a saying o f their country

,

man Empedocles were famous for b ui lding as if they were

,
“

to live fo r ever and feasting as if they were to die next day

,
.

But th e y were as good natured and hospitable as they were

-

fe stive ; and G e l li a s in accordance with the superiority Of

,

his circumstances was the most good natured and hospitabl e

,
—

Of them all His magnificence resembled that o f a Barme

.

cide S laves were stationed at the gates o f his noble mansion

.

t o invite strangers to enter H i s cell a r had thre e hundred

.
 A J A R O F H O NEY F R O M M O U NT H YB L A .
4 53

reservoirs cut in the solid roc k each containing seven ,

hundred gallons o f w ine at their service O n e day fi v e .

h undred horsemen halted at his door who had b e en e ver ,

ta k en by a storm He lodged and entertained them a ll ;

.

and by w a y o f dry clothes made e ach man a present o f a

,
.
,

n e w tunic and robe .

H is wit appears to have been as ready as it was pungent .

He was sent amb a ssa dor o n some occasion to the people o f

C e n t a u r i pa a place at the foot of Mount f Et n a
, W hen h e .

rose in the assembly to address them his poor little figure ,

made so ridiculous a contrast with his mission that they ,

burst into fits o f laughter G e l l i a s waited his time and

.
,
“
then requested them not to be astonished ; fo r said b e , ,
“
it is the custom with A g r i g e n t u m to suit the amb a ssador
to his locality to send noble loo k ing persons to great cities ,
— -

”
and insignificant ones to the insignificant .

The combined magnanimity and address o f this sarcasm

are n o t to be surpassed Ambassadors are privileged p eo ple ;
.

but they have not always be e n S pared by irrita ted multi

tudes ; yet our hero did n ot hesitate to turn the ridicule Of
the C e n t a u r i pa n s on themselves He showed up t h e
“
.

smallness o f their pretensions both as a community and as ,

Observers He did not blink the fact o f his o w n bodily i n

.

si g n i fi c a n c e—
t o o sore a point with little people in general ,

notwithstanding that many o f the greatest spirits o f t h e

world have resided i n frames as petty He made it t h e .

very g round for exposing the still smaller pretensions o f t h e

souls and understandings O f his deriders O r supposing .
,

that he said it with a good humoured smile w ith an air - —

o f rebuke to their better sense still the address w as a s

—

great and the magnanimity as candid He not only took

, .

”
the bull by the horns but turned it with his migh ty littl e
,

hands into a weapon o f triumph S uch a man insignificant .

,

as his ge n eral exterior may have been must after all have , , ,

had something fine in som e p a rt Of i t something great in —

some part O f its expression ; probably fine eyes , and a smil e

full O f b enignity .

G e l l i a s proved that his soul w a s Of the noblest order not ,

only by a princely life but by t h e heroical nature o f his

,

death A g r i g e n t u m lay o n the coast Opposite C arthage It

. .

had been a flourishing place partly by reason o f its com ,

merce with that city but w a s at last insulted by it and

 H U NT S ES S A Y S
’
4 54 L EIG H .

subdued Most o f the inhabitants fled Among thos e w h o

. .

remained w as G e l l i a s He fancied that his great we a lth .

,

and hi s renown for hospitality would procure him decen t ,

treatment Finding however t hat the least to be expected

.
, ,

Of the enemy was captiv ity , he set fi r e to a temple int o

which he h a d conveyed his we al th and perished with it in ,
“
the flames ; thus says S tolberg at once preventing t h e
, ,

profanation Of the place the enriching Of the fe e and t h e , ,

dis g rac e o f slavery .

There ought to be a book devoted to the history o f thos e

whose reputations have n o t received their due It would .

mak e a curious volume It would be Old in the materi al s .

,

novel in the interest and o f equal delight a n d use It is ,

.

a startling reflection that wh ile men such as this G e l l i a s ,

must be dug up from the byways o f history its high road ,

-

is three parts full o f people w h o would never have bee n

-

heard o f but for accidents Of time and place Ta ke for .

,

instance the maj ority o f t h e Roman emperors o f thos e Of

, ,

G ermany o f the t u rbulent o l d French noblesse and indeed

, ,

o f three fourths perhaps n i ne tenths o f hi storical n a m e s a l l

-

,
-

over the world .

TH EO C R IT U S .

Theocritus [t h e great master o f pastoral poetry] aros e

during a period o f refinement ; and being a man o f a uni
versa l genius with a particular regard for the country per
, ,

fe c t e d this homelier kind o f pastoral and at t h e same tim e ,

anticipated all the others His single scenes a r e t h e germ o f .

the pastoral drama He is as clownish as G a y as do m esti c .

,

a s Allan Ramsay as elegant as Virgil and Tasso and

, ,

(with the allowanc e for the difference between ancient and

modern imagination ) as poetical as Fletcher ; and in pas sion

h e beats them all I n no other pastoral poetry is there .

”
anything to equal his Polyphemus .

Th e world has long been sensibl e o f this superiority But , .

in o n e respect e ven the world has not yet don e j ustice to

,

Theocritus The world indeed tak es a long time o r mu st

.
, , ,

have a twofold blow given it as manifest and sustained as

’
S h a k spea r e s t o e ntertain t w o ideas at once respecting any
,

body It has been said o f wit that it indisposes people t o

.
,

admit a serious claim o n the part Of its possessor and

astoral oetry subject s a m a n to t h e lik e inj ustice by
p p ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
4 56 .

ph e m u s, could have forese en t h e verses o n t h e Mous e

” ’
“
and t h e D aisy turned up with plough t h e Tam O ,

O W illi e b r e w d a pe e k O maut
” ’ ”
Sha n t er Y e bank s ’
, ,

and brae s O bonnie D oon & c (n o t to m e ntion a hun

’

, .

dred others which hav e less t o d o with o u r subj ec t ) tear s

, ,

o f admiration would hav e rushed into his ey e s .

TH E G E NTL E S H EP H E D R .

W e think t h e G entl e S heph e rd“

in so m e respe cts ,
” “
,

the best pastoral that ever was w r itten not because i t ,

has anything i n a poetical point Of v iew to c ompare with

'

, ,

Fletcher and Milton but because there is upon the whole

, , ,

m ore faith an d m ore love in it and because the k ind Of ,

idealized truth which it undertakes to represent is de

livered i n a more correspondi n g and satisfactory for m than
i n any other entire pastoral drama .

Allan Ramsay s poem is not only a probable and pl easing

’

story containing charming pictures much knowledge o f life

, , ,

and a good d eal o f quiet humou r but i n some respects it ,

may be called classical if by classical is m eant ease precision

, , ,
”
and u n su pe r fl u o u sn e ss o f style The G e ntle S hepherd i s .

not a forest n o r a mountain side nor Arcady ; but it is a

,
-

,
“
field full Of daisies with a brook in it and a cott g e at
,
a ,
”
th e sunny end ; an d this we tak e to b e no mean thing ,

e ither in the real o r the ideal world .

LO VER S OF A R CAD Y .

How many other great an d good m e n have ther e n o t

been with whom the humblest lover o f Arcady may i n
, ,

this respect claim fellowship

,
m e n n evertheless fond o f —
, ,

town also and Of the most active and b u sy l i fe when it w a s

, ,

their duty to enter it Th e most universal geniu s must o f

.

necessity includ e the green districts o f t h e world in his

circle otherwise he would n ot run it a third part round
, .

S h a k spea r e himself prosperous man a ger as h e was retir e d

,
"
,

t o his n ative place befor e h e was o l d D o we thi n k that .

,

with a l l his sociality his chief companions ther e w e re such

,

a s a country town afforded ? D epend u pon it th e y were ,

the trees and th e fields and his dau ghter S usanna B e , .

assured that no gentlema n Of the place w a s seen so Ofte n

acin the banks o f the Avo n , sitti n g o n t h e stiles i n
p g
 A J A R O F H O NEY F R OM M O U NT H Y B L A .

the mea dows looking ,

w ith t h e thrush at the sunse t , or

finding
ook s i n t h e ru nn ing b roo ks
B ,

S erm ons i n stones a n d g ood i n every th ing , .

C ervantes t h e S h a k spe a r e o f S pain (fo r if his p oe try

,

a nswered but t o o n e small portio n o f S h a k spe a r e his pros e ,

made up t h e rest ) proclaims his truly pastoral heart n o t

, ,
”
withstanding his satire n o t only in his G alatea but i n a , ,
”
hundred passages o f D o n Quixote particularly the episod e s
“
,
.

He delighted equally in knowledge o f the world and t h e

m ost ideal poetic life It is easy to see by the stories o f
.
,
“ ” “ ”
Marcella and L eandra that this great writer wanted ,

little to have become a Quixot e himself i n the Arcadian ,

line N othing but the extremest good sense supplied h i m

a proper balance in this respect for his extreme romance .

Boccaccio was another Of these great childlike minds ,

whose knowledge Of the world is ignoran t ly confounded with

“ ” “ ”
a devotion to it S e e in his Admetus and Th e se i d and
.
, , ,
“ ”
G enealogia D e o r u m &c and i n t h e “ D ecameron itself h o w
, .
,

h e revels in g roves and gardens ; and h o w when he begins ,

making a l ist o f trees he cannot leave O fi D oubtless h e

‘

.
, ,

had been o f a more sensual temperament than C ervantes ;

but h i s faith remained unshaken in the highest things .

H i s veins m ight have contained an excess Of the gen ial but

so did his hear t W hen the pries t threatened h i m in a d
.

v a n c e d life with the displeasure Of Heaven he was shocked ,

and alarmed and obliged to go to Petrarch fo r comfort

, .

C haucer was a courtier and a companion o f princes ; nay, ,

a reformer also and a stirrer o u t in the world He under

, .

stood that world t oo thoroughly i n the ordinary se n se o f

, , ,

such understanding ; yet a s he was a true great poet i n ,

everything so in n o t hing more was he so than in lovi n g

,
-

the country and t h e trees and fields It is as hard to get

, .

h i m Out Of a grove as his friend Boccaccio ; and he tells u s

that in May he would often go o u t into t h e meadows to
, ,
“ ” “ ”
abide there solely in order to look u po n the daisy
,
.

M ilton seems to hav e made a point o f never living in a

house that had not a garden to it .

“
TH E O NS AU T H O R OF T H E S EA S .

’
Thomson s whole poetry may be said t o be pastoral and ,

e verybody kn ows what a good fellow he was ; how beloved

4 58 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

by his friends ; how social and yet how sequest e red ; an d

,

h o w he preferred a house but a floor high at Rich mond

(for that which is now sho w n a s his was then a ground ,

fl o o r only ) to o n e O f more imposing dimensions amidst

,

sm ok e a n d st i r o f th i s
Th e di m spot ,

Whi ch m e n cal l L o n do n .

T H E B EE .

The bee like t h e nightingale and the dove and other

, ,

beautiful creatures is an inhabitant Of ZEt n a The fire s

, .

o f the mountai n help to produce some of hi s sweetest

thyme The energetic little warmth lovin g honey mak ing
.
,
-

,
-

armed threatening murmur ing bitter sweet and useful

, , ,
-

creature seems like o n e Of the particles Of the mountain ,

,

gifted with wings .

M O U NT JETNA .

Everybody knows that Aflt n a is the greatest volcano i n

Europe some twenty miles in ascent from Catania and
, ,

with a circumference for its base o f between eighty and

ninety All the climates o f the world are there except
.
,

those o f the African desert At the foot are the palms and
.

a loes Of t h e tropics with the corn wine an d o i l o f Italy

, , , .

The latter continue for fourteen o r fifteen m iles Of a scent .

Th en come the chestnuts o f S pain then t h e beeches o f ,

England th e n t h e firs o f N orway — the whol e forest bel t

,
-

be ing fi v e o r six miles i n as cent interspersed wi th park lik e ,

-

s cenery and t h e most magnificent pastures S ingin g birds -

.
, ,

and flocks and herds a r e there with abundanc e o f gam e , .

Th e remainder, a thousand feet high is a n aked peak , ,

covere d fo r t h e gr e ater part o f t h e year with snow but ,

Often hot to the feet in the midst Of it toilsome t o ascend , ,

and terminating i n t h e great crater miles in circumferenc e , ,

fuming and blind with smok e — t h e largest o f s e vera l

others Th e whol e mountain with an e normous ch a sm i n
.
,

its side fo u r o r five miles broad stands in t h e midst o f six ,

”
and thirty subj ect mountains each a Vesuvius generated
-

, ,

by its awful parent Horro r and loveliness prevail through

.

o u t i t alternately o r together
,
Y o u look from mountain
,
.

to moun ta in over tremendous depths to the most beautiful

, ,

woody scenery Th e lowest region is a paradise betraying

.
,

black g rounds Of lava and beds o f ashes which remind y o u ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
46 0 .

WA X AN D H O NEY .

Did any o n e ever sufficiently admire t h e en t i r e el eg a n c e Of

the habits and pursuits Of bees ? their extraction o f nothing
b u t the quintessence Of t h e flowers their preferenc e o f thos e
that have the finest and leas t adulterated odour their
avoi dance o f everything squalid (so unlik e flies ) their eager
ejection o r exclusion of it from the hive as in the instanc e ,

o f carcases o f i n truders which if they cannot drag away

, , ,

they cover up and entomb their love Of clean quiet an d , ,

delicate neighbourhoods thymy places with brooks ; their

,

singularly clean management Of so liquid and adhesive a

thing as honey from which they issue forth to their work
,

a s if they had had nothing t o do with it ; their combination

‘

with honey mak ing Of the e legant manu facture o f wax Of

—
,

which they make their apartments and which is used b y ,

man k ind fo r none but patrician o r other choice purposes ;

their orderly policy ; their delight in sunshine ; their atten
tion to o n e another ; their apparent indifference to every
thing purely regarding themselves apart from the commo n ,

good 1

G EO R G E S EL VVY N A N D H IS C ON T EMP O RARI ES .

(The Edi n bu r g h Re vi e w, J u l y
T H ERE is a charm in t h e bare title o f this book It is an .

open s es a m e to a world o f pleas ant things As at the ri n g .

’
ing o f the manager s bell the curtai n rises and discovers a
,

brilliant t a bl e a u o f wits beauties statesmen and men Of

, , ,

pleasure about town attired in the quaint costum e o f o u r

,

grea t grandfathers and great grandmothers o r better still

-
-

,
’
we feel as if we had Obtained the revers e o f Bentham s wish
— to l ive a part o f his life at the end o f t h e n ex t hu ndred

years b y being permitted to li ve a part o f ours about t h e

—

be ginning Of t h e l a s t with an advantage he never s t i pu

,

lated for o f spending it with the pleasantest peopl e i n t h e

,

world .

L e t us suppos e that only twenty four hours wer e granted -

us ; how much might be done o r seen within the time !

W e tak e the privilege o f long intimacy to drop i n upo n
S el wyn in C hesterfield S treet about hal f p a st ten o r eleve n
,
-
 G EO R G E S EL WYN A ND H IS CONTEM PO RARIES .

in the morning ; we find him in his dressing gown playing —

,

with his dog Raton At twelve we walk down arm i n arm .

- —

to W hite s where S elwyn s arrival is hailed with a j oyous

’

,
’

laugh and Topham Beauclerk hastens to initiate us into

,

the n e w est bit Of scandal The day is warm and a stroll

'

.
,

to Betty s fruit s h op (S t James s S treet ) is proposed L ord

’
-
.
’
.

March is already there settlin g his famous bet with young ,

Mr Pigot that o l d Mr Pigot would die before S i r W illiam

.
, .

C odrington Just as this grav e affair is settled a cry is

.

“ ”
raised of the G unnings are coming and o u t we all ,

tumble to gaze and criticize At B r o o k e s s our next house .

’

Of call S i r C harles Hanbury W illiams is e as ily persuaded

,

to entertain the par ty b y reading his verses n ot yet printe d , ,

(
o n the marriage of Mr Hussey an Irish gentleman
) with .

the D uchess o f Manc h ester (the best ma t ch in the king

dom ) and is made happy by o u r compliments ; but l o o k s
,

rather blank o n Rigby s hinting that the author wil l b e ’

obliged t o fight half the Irishmen in town which consider , ,

ing the turn Of the verses seemed probable enough To ,

.

chan g e at once the subj ect and the scen e we ac c ompany ,

him and Rigby to the House Of C ommons where we find ,

“ ”
the G reat C ommoner maki ng a furious attack o n the
Attorney G eneral (Murray ) who (as W alpole phrases it )
-

suffered fo r an hour After hearing an an i mate d reply .

from Fo x (the first L ord Holland ) we rouse S el wyn who , ,

is dozing behin d the Tre a sury Bench and wishing to look , ,

in upo n the L ords mak e him introduce us W e find L ord ,

.

C hesterfield spe a king the C hancellor (Hardwicke ) expected ,

to speak next the D u k e Of C umberlan d j ust com e in and

, ,

the D uke of N e w castle shu ffl ing about in a ludicrous stat e

o f perturbation betokening a crisis but S elwyn grows i m
,

patient and we hurry O ff t o S trawberry Hi l l to j oin th e

, ,
“ ”
rest o f the celebrated pa r t i e q u a r r ée o r out o f town ,

party who are long ago assembled The p et i t sou p er appea rs

, .

o n the instant and as the champagne circulates there cir

, ,

c u l a t e s along with it a refine d fastidious fashionabl e , , ,

anecdotic gossiping kind o f plea santry as exhilarating a s

, ,

its spark le and as volatile as its froth W e return t o o lat e

, .

to see G arrick but time enough fo r the house warmi n g f et e

,
-

at C hesterfield House where the D uke o f Hamil ton loses a ,

thousand pounds at faro becaus e he chooses t o ogle Eliza ,

beth G unning instead o f attending to his cards .

4 62 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

G e orge Augustus S elwyn entered t h e world with e ve ry

advantage Of birth and connection ; to which that o f fo rtun e
was added in good time His father C olonel John S el wyn .
, ,

o f Matson i n G loucestershire wher e t h e family ranked a s ,

o n e o f t h e best i n t h e county had been aide de camp to t h e ,

- -

D uk e o f Marlborough commanded a reg iment sat many , ,

years in Parliament and filled various situations about t h e

,

C ourt . His mother a daughter Of G eneral Farrington, ,

w a s a woman of the bedchamber to Queen C aroline and ,

enj oyed a high reputation for social humour As his father .

was a plain straightforward commonplace sort Of m a n it

, , ,

is fair to presume that h e inherited his peculi a r talent from

her ; thus adding another to the many instances o f gifted
men formed by mothers o r endowed by them with the best ,

and brightest o f their qualities .

S elwyn was born o n the 1 1 th August 1 7 1 9 He was edu .

c a t e d at Eton and o n leaving it entered at Hertford C olleg e

, ,

O xford . After a short stay at the university he started ,

o n the grand tour and o n his return though a secon d s o n

, ,

wi th an elder brother li ving m ade L ondon and Paris h is ,

headquarters becam e a member o f t h e clubs and asso

, ,

c i a t e d with the wits and men O f fashion Before h e had .

completed his twenty fi r st year he was appointed C lerk o f -

the Irons and S urveyor o f the Meltings at t h e Mint

O fii c e s usually performed by deputy At all events occa .
,

s i o n a l attendance at the weekly dinn e r formerly provided

for this department o f the public servic e was the only duty ,

they imposed o n S elwyn the very man to act o n C olonel

Hanger s principle who when a friend in power suggested
’
, ,

that a particular O fli c e not being a sinecure would hardly , ,

“
suit him repl ied ,
G e t me the place and leav e me alon e
, ,
”
for mak ing it a sinecure Th e salary must hav e bee n .

small for in a letter from Pari s (S ep t ember 1 74 2 ) h e says

,

that his entire incom e including the allowance made him ,

by his father was only ;6 2 2 0 a year ; and he appears t o

,

have been constantly in distress for money .

I n 1 7 4 4 S elwyn returned to Hertford C ollege and r e ,

s um e d the life of a colleg e student ; unaccountably

e nough fo r he was then a formed man of the world and
, ,

twenty fi v e Prob ably he h a d thoughts Of pursuing a pro

-
.

fe ssi o n o r to please his father pretended that he had

, , ,
.

His father died in 1 751 without tying up t h e property,

464 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS ’
.

were men who had o n e and a ll distinguished themselve s in

following the paths Of literature while more than o n e o f ,

them had rendered himself eminent in t h e senate Thus .

,

t h e characte r which each mai ntain e d for wit w a s supported

b y the adventitious aid o f a reputatio n for lite rary o r orato
r i c a l talents while the fame o f G eorge S elwyn stands exclu
,

s i v e l y o n his character fo r social pleasantry and conversa

”
t i o n a l wit N o t qui te
. It stood also o n his three seats i n.

Parliament and his family connections These at the very

,
.
,

outset procured him that vantage ground , to which S heridan

,

and Hook were obliged to win their way at the risk Of

fretting a thousand vanities .

Th e best stories regarding his t a s te for executio n s a r e

related by W alpole and well known Innumerable a r e t h e , .

j ok es levelled at h i m fo r this peculiarity The best is t h e .

’
“
first L ord Holland s , who was dying The next time Mr . .

S elwyn calls show him up If I am alive I shall b e

, .
,

delighted to see him and if I am dead he will be glad to ,

”
see me .

According to W alpol e it was S elwyn s habit to tur n up ,

’

the whites o f his eyes a n d assume an expression o f demure ,

n ess when giving utteranc e to a droll thought and W raxall

'

says that t h e e ffect o f h i s witticisms was greatly enhanced

by his l i stless drowsy manner N o r is this all W hat
, . .

makes a man like S el wyn the delight o f hi s contemporaries ,

is that lightness richness and elasticity o f mind which

, , ,

invests the commonest incidents with amusing o r inspiriti ng

ass o ciations— lights intuitively o n the most attractive topics ,

g rasps them o n e moment lets them go the ne x t ; and in a , ,

word never suffers co m panionship t o becom e tiresome o r

, ,

conversation to grow dull .

I MAG I N ATI ON A ND FA N CY .

S PENS E R .

’
S P ENS ER gr eat characteristic is poetic luxury If you go
S .

to him for a story y o u wi ll be disappointed if fo r a style

, ,

classical o r concise , t h e point against him is conceded ; i f

 IMA G INA TI ON A ND F A NCY .
46 5

fo r pathos y o u must weep fo r pe rsonages half real a n d t o o

,
-

beautiful ; if fo r mi r th , you must l augh o u t o f good

breeding and because it pleaseth the g reat sequestered
, ,

man to b e facet io n s But if you love poetry well enoug h

-
.

t o enj oy it for i ts own sake let n o e v il reports o f his ,

“ ”
allegory deter y o u from his acquaintance fo r great ,

w ill be your loss His allegory itself is but o n e part .

allegory and nine parts beauty an d enj oyment ; some

,

times a n excess o f flesh and blood His forced rh y mes and .

'
,

his sentences written to fill up which in a less poet would ,

b e intolerable are accompanied with such endle ss grace and

,

dreami n g pleasure fit to ,

M ak e heaven drowsy wi th the harm ony ,

t hat altho u gh it is to be n o more expect e d of anybody t o read

him through at once than to wander days and nights in a ,

forest thinking o f nothi n g els e yet any true lover Of

, ,

poetry when he comes to know him would as soo n quarrel

, ,

with repose o n the summer grass Y o u may get u p and go .

away but will return next day at noon to listen to his

,
“ ”
waterfalls and t o see with half shut eye his visions Of
, ,
-

knights a n d nymphs hi s gods and goddesses whom he , ,

brought down again to earth in immortal beauty .

S penser in some respects is more southern than t h e

, ,

south itself D ante but fo r the covered heat which occa

.
,

si o n a l l y con centrates the utmost sweetness as well a s

venom would be quite northern compared with him He
, .

is more luxurious than Ariosto o r Tasso more haunted ,

with the presence Of beauty His wholesale poeti c al belief

'

.
,

m ixin g up all creeds and mythologies but with less violenc e , ,

resembles that o f D ante and Boccaccio ; and it gives t h e

compo und the better warrant in the more a greeabl e
impression Then h is v e r si fi c a t i o n is almost perpetual
.

honey .

S penser is the farthest removed from t h e ordin a ry cares

and haunts Of t h e worl d o f all the po ets that ever wrote ,

except perhaps O vid ; and this which is the rea son why ,

m ere men o f business and the world d o n o t like him c o n ,

s t i t u t e s his most bewitching charm with the poetical He .

i s n o t so great a poet as S h a k spe a r e o r D ante he h a s less

imagination though more fancy than Milton H e d oe s
, , .

H H
 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’

46 6 .

n o t see things so purely in their e l ements as D ant e ; n either

can h e combine their elements like S h ak spe a r e n o r bring ,

such frequent intensities o f words o r o f wholesal e imagi ,

native sympathy to bear upon his subj ect as any o n e o f

,

them ; though h e h as given nobl e di ffuser instances o f t h e

latter in his Una and his Mammon , and hi s a ccounts o f
,

Jealousy and D espair .

“
But when y o u r
a e over informed with thought and -

passion in S h a k spe a r e when Milton s mighty grandeurs

,
’

oppress you o r a r e found mixed with painful absurdities

, ,

o r when the world is vexatious and tiresome and y o u hav e ,

had enough o f your o w n vanities o r struggles in it o r ,

“ ” “ ”
when house an d land th e mselves a r e gon e a n d spent ,

and your riches must lie in t h e regions o f t h e unknown ,

“ ”
then S penser is most excellent His remoteness from .

e veryday l ife is t h e reas on perhaps why S omers and C hat

ham adm i red him ; and his possessio n o f every kind o f
imaginary wealth completes hi s charm with his broth e r
poets Take him i n short fo r what he is whether greater
.
,

o r less than his fellows the poetical faculty is so abundantly

,

and beautifully predominant in hi m above every other ,

though he had passion and thought, and plenty o f ethics

, ,

and was as learned a man as B e n Jonson perhaps as ,

Milton himself that he has always been felt by his country

,
“
men to be what C harles L amb called him t h e Poet s ,
’

”
Poet He has had more idolatry and imitation from hi s
'

brethren than all the rest put together The o l d undramatic .

poets D rayton Browne D rummond G iles and Phineas

, , , ,

Fletcher wer e as full o f hi m as the dramatic were o f S hak

,

spe are Milton studied and used him calling him t h e sag e
.
,
“
a n d serious S penser ; and adding that h e dared be known ,
”
t o th i nk hi m a better teacher tha n S cotus o r Aquinas .

C owley said that he became a poet by reading hi m D ryden .

c laimed h i m fo r a master Pope said he read h i m with as

.

much pleasure when h e was o l d as young C ollins and ,

.

G ray loved him ; Thomson S henstone and a host o f inferior , ,

writers expressly imitated h i m Burn s Byron S helley and

, , , ,

Keats m ade use o f h i s stanza ; C oleridg e e ulogized him ;

a n d he is as dear t o t h e best living poets as h e was to their
predecessors S penser has stood all t h e chan ges i n critical
.

o pinion ; a l l t h e lo ical and formal conclus ions o f t h e und e r

s t a nding a s O ppose gto im agination and l a stin g sym pa thy .

46 8 L EI G H H U NT S ESS AYS ’
.

and he is a man who has been all over the world and ,

bought experience with h ard blows The poet does not .

spare his o wn per on He describes himself as a fat heavy

s .
,

man with an elvish (wildish ? ) countenance shy and

, , ,
“ ”
always staring o n the ground Perhaps he paid fo r h i s .

genius and knowledge with the consequences o f habits t o o

sedentary and a vein in his otherwise cheerful wisdom of
, , ,

hypochondriacal wonder .

This self k nowledge Is a part of C haucer s greatness and ’

these modest proofs o f i t distinguish him from every other

poet in the lan guage S h a k spe a r e may have had as much
.
,

or more It is diffi cult to suppose otherwis e And y e t

. .

there is n o knowing what qualities less desirabl e might , ,

have hindered even his mighty insight into his fellow

creatures from choosing t o look so closely into himself His .

sonnets are n o t without intimations o f personal and oth e r

defects but they contain no such candid talking as C haucer .

The father o f English poetry was essential ly a modes t

man He sits quietly in a corner looking down fo r t h e
.
,

most part and m editati n g at other times eyeing everyt hing

,

that p a sses and sympathizing with everything ; chuckl ing

,

heartily a t a j est feeling his eyes fill with tears at sorrow

, ,

reverencing virtue a n d n o t out o f charity with vice W he n

, .

h e ventures to tell a story himself it is as much unde r ,

corr ection o f the host a s the humblest man in t h e c o m

pany and i t is n o soon e r obj e cted to than h e drops it fo r ,

o n e o f a different description .

[ S peaking o f him elsewher e L eigh Hunt says C hauc er

,

( with S penser S h a k s e a r e and Mil ton

,p ) i s o n e o f the Four
,

G reat English Poe ts ; and it Is with doubl e j ustice that he 18

called t h e Father o f English Poetry for a s D ant e did with , ,

Italian he helped to form i t s very language N a y it bur st

,
.
,

into luxuriance in h i s b a n ds li k e a sudden month o f May , .

“ ”
I nstead o f giving y o u the ide a o f an o l d poet in t h e ,

s ens e which the word v u lgarly acquires there is no o n e , ,

upon acquai n tance who seems so young consistently with

, ,

maturity o f mind His poetry rises in the land like a clear

.

m or n ing in which y o u s e e e verything with a rar e and

,

crystal distinctness from t h e mountai n to t h e minutest

,

fl o w e r — towns solitudes ,
hu m an beings — o pen doors show
, ,

ing y o u the interior o f cottages and o f palaces fancies i n —

t h e clou ds , fa iry rings i n t h e gra ss ; and in t h e midst o f a ll

-
 I MA G I NA TI O N A ND FA NC Y .
469

sits the mild poet alo n e h i s eyes o n the ground yet wit h
, , ,

his heart full o f everything round him b eating perhaps , , ,

with the bosoms o f a whole city whose multitudes are shar ,

ing his thoughts wi th the dai sy His nature is the greatest .

poet s nature omitting nothing in its sympathy (in which

’
,

respe ct he is ne a rer to S h a k spe a r e than either o f their two

il lustrious brethren ) and he combines an epic power o f
grand , comprehensive and primitive imagery with that o f
, ,

being contented with the smallest matter o f fact near him ,

and o f luxuriating in pure vague animal S pirits like a , , ,

dozer in a field His gaiety is equal t o hi s gravity and his

.
,

sincerity to both Y o u could as little think o f doubting hi s

.

word as the point o f the pen that wrote it It cuts as clear .

a n d sharp into o u as the pen o n the paper His belief i n

y .

’
the good and b eautiful is childlike as S h a k spe a r e s is that
’
S penser s and Milton s a r e
’
o f everlasting and manly youth .

m ore scholarly and formal C haucer excels in pathos i n .

,

humour i n satire character and description His graphic

, , , .

faculty a n d healthy sense o f the material strongly ally him

t o the painter ; and perhaps a better idea could not be given
o f his universality than by saying that he was at once t h e ,

Italian and the Flemish painter o f his time and exhibited ,

the pure expression o f Raphael the devotional intensity of ,

D omenichino the colour and corporeal fire o f Titian t h e

, ,

manners o f Hogarth , and the homely domesticities o f O s t a de

an d Te n i e r s l
MAR LO WE .

If e ver there was a born poet Marlo we w as o n e H e , .

p e rceived things in their spiritual as well as material

relations and impressed them with a corresponding felicity
, .

Rather he struck them as with something sweet and glow

,

ing that rushes by ; perfumes from a censer— glances o f

love and beauty And he could accumulate images into a s
.

deliberate and lofty a grandeur .

He was t h e head o f a set o f you n g men from the

university the P e e l e s G reens and others all more o r less
, , , ,

possessed o f a true poetical vein who bringing scholarship , ,

to the theatre were intoxicated with the new graces they

,

threw on the o l d bombast carried to their height the vices ,

as w ell as w i t of the town and were destined to see with , ,

indignation and astonishment their work taken o u t o f thei r ,

470 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

hands an d done better by the uneducated interloper from

, ,

S tratford upon Avon — -

Besides the weighty and dignified though monotonous , ,

ton e o f his v e r si fi c a t i o n in many pl a ces (wha t Ben Jonson ,

’
very exactly as well as finely calls Marlowe s mighty ,

li n e there are p a ssages i n it o f forc e and feeling o f which ’

I doubt whether any o f his contemporaries w e re capabl e in

so sustained a degree though G reen and Peel e had felicitous,

single lines and occasionally a refined sweetness

, .

Marlowe like S penser is to be looked upon as a poet who

, ,

had n o native precursors He g o t nothi n g from them ; he .

prepared the way for the v e r si fi c a t i o n the dignity and t h e , ,

pathos o f his successo r s , who have nothing finer o f the k ind

to show than the death o f Edward t h e S econd — n o t S hak
’
s pear e him self and his imagination like S penser s , ,

haunted those purely poetic regions o f ancient fabling and

modern rapture o f b eautiful forms and passionate expres
,

sions which they were the first to render the commo n

,

property o f inspiration and whence their la n guage dr e w ,

”
empyreal air Marlowe and S penser are the first o f o u r
.

poets who perceived the beauty o f words ; not as apart from

their significance n o r upon occasion only as C haucer did
, ,

(more marvellous in that than themselves or than the ,

originals from whom he d rew ) but as a habit o f the poetic ,

mood and as receiving and reflecting b e auty through the

,

feeling o f the ideas .

S IIA K S PEA RE .

S h a k spe a r e
is here in hi s purely poe tical creations apart ,

a s much as it is possible for such a thinker and humanist

(
’

t o be ) from thought and h umani ty There is nothing .

wanting eit h er to the imagination o r fancy o f S h a k spe a r e .

The o n e is lofty rich affecting palpabl e subtle t h e other

, , , ,

full o f grac e playfulness an d variety He is equal t o the

, ,
.

greatest poets in gra n deur o f imag ination to a l l in diversity

o f it ; to all in fa n cy to all i n everything else except in a ,

cert a in primeval intensity such as D an te s and C haucer s ,

’ ’

an d in narrative poetry which (to j udge from Venus and ,

”
Adonis and the Rape o f L ucrece he certainly does n o t
,

appe ar t o have had a call to write He over informed it .

-

with reflection It has been supposed that when Milto n

.

S oke of S h a k spe a r e as
p
 L EIG H H UNT S ES S AYS
’
4 72 .

pe rsonal as well as literary peculiarity ; and as the events h e

speaks o f a r e sometimes more interesting i n their nature
than even a superabundance o f his comments can m a ke them ,

readers may be pardoned in sometimes wishing that he had

let them spe ak a little more briefly for themselves Most .

’ ’
people would prefer A r i o st o s and C haucer s narrative poetry
” ”
t o his the G riselda for instance and the story o f Isabel
,
“
,
”
-
to the Rape o f L ucrece The intense passion is enough
. .

The misery is enough W e d o not want even the divinest

.

tal k about what N ature herself tends to petrify into silence .

C u m ; i n g e n t e s s t u p en t O u r divine poet had n o t quit e

.

outlived the times when it was thought proper for a writer

to say everything that came into his head He was a .

student o f C haucer he beheld the living fame o f S penser

‘

and his fellow dramatists did not help to restrain him Th e

-

players told Ben Jonson that S h a k spe a r e never blotted a

line and Ben says h e was thought invidious for observing
that he wished he had blotted a thousand He sometimes .
,

he says required stopping

, (A l i q u a n do s z gfl a m i n a n du s
.
f

em t
)
. W a s this meant to apply to his conversation as w ell

a s writing ? D i d he manifest a li k e exuberance i n com

pany ? Perhaps he would have done so but for modesty ,

and self knowledge To keep his eloquence altogether withi n

-
.

bounds was hardly possibl e ; and who could have wished

it had bee n ? W ould that he had had a Boswell a hundred
times as v oluminous as D r Johnson s to take all down ! .
’

l ssa y s would have seemed lik e a drop out o f h is

’
Ba con s
ocean He would have swallowed dozens o f H o b b e se s by
.

anticipation lik e larks fo r his supper

,
.

I f S h a k spe a r e instead o f proving himsel f t h e greatest

, ,

poet in the world had writte n nothing but the fanciful

,

scenes in this volum e he would still have obtained a high

,

and singular reputation that of Poet o f the Fairies For -

.

he may be said to have invented the Fairies that is to say ,

he was the first that turned them to poetical account— that

bore them from clownish n eighbourhoods to the richest soils
o f fancy and imagination .

MI T N L O .

Milton wa s a very great poet second only (if second ) t o ,

the very greatest , such as D ante and S h a k spe a r e ; and li k e ,

all great poets equal t o them in particular instances H e

, .
 IM A G INA TIO N A ND F A NCY .
4 73
’
had no pretensions t o S h a k spe a r e s universality ; his wit is
dreary ; and (in general ) he had not the faith in things that
Homer and D ante h a d apart from the intervention o f ,

words He could not let them speak for themselves with

.

o u t helping them with his learning I n all he did after a .

,

certain period o f youth (not t o speak it irreverently ) some ,

thing o f the schoolmaster is visible ; and a gloomy religious

creed removes him still farther from th e universal gratitude
and delight o f mankind He is understood however to .
, ,

ha v e given this up before he died He had then run t h e .

circle o f his knowledge and probably come round t o the

,

wiser more cheerful and more poetical beliefs o f his child

, ,

hood .

“
In this respect Allegro and Penseroso are the
,

happiest o f his pr o du c t i o n s z a n d in none is the poetical '

habit o f mind more abundantly visible They ought to pre .

cede the L ycid a s (not unhurt with theology ) in the

”

modern editions of his works as they did in the collection ,

“ ”
o f minor poems mad e by himself Paradise L ost is a .

study for imagination and elaborate musical structure .

Tak e almost any passage and a lecture might be read from,

it o n contrasts and pauses an d other parts of metrical har ,

mony ; while almost every word has its higher poetical

meaning and intensity but all is a ccompanied with a certai n
oppressiveness of am b itious and conscious power I n the .

” ”
Allegro and Penseroso he is in better spirits with all ,

about him his eyes had n ot grown dim n o r his soul bee n ,

forced inwards by disappointment into a proud self esteem -

which he narrowly escaped erecting into self worship H e -

love s N ature , n o t fo r the power he can get o u t o f it bu t fo r ,

the pleasure it a ffords him h e is at peace with town as well

a s country with cou rt s and cathedral windows
,
goes to t h e -

play and laughs ; to the village green and dances ; and h i s —

study is placed not in the O l d Jewry, but in an airy tower

, ,

from whence he good naturedly hopes that his candle — I

-

”
beg pardon his lamp (for he was a scholar from the first
“
, ,
“ ”
though not a Puritan ) may b e seen by others His—
.

mirth , it is true is not excessively me rry It is as W a i t o n

, .
,

says t h e dignity o f mirth

, but it is happy and that is ,

all that is to be desired The mode is not to be dictated by

.

the mode o f others ; nor would it be so interesting if it

w ere The more a man is himself the better, provided h e
.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
474 .

add a variation to the stock o f comfo r t and n o t o f sullenn e ss , .

Milton was born in a time o f great changes h e was bred

to be one o f the changers ; and in t h e order o f events an d ,

the work ing o f good out o f ill we are bound to b e grateful ,

to what was o f a m ixed natur e in himself without a r r o g a t ,

ing for him that exemption from the mixtur e which belong s
to n o man But u pon t h e same principle o n which N ature
.

herself loves j oy better than g rief health than disease an d , ,

a general amount o f welfare than the reverse so Milton s ,

’

great poem never h a s been and never can b e popular com , ,

pared with his minor ones ; n o r does it i n the very highest ,

sense o f popularity deserve to be It does n o t work o u t

,
.

t h e very piety it proposes ; and t h e piety which it does

propose w ants the highest piety o f an intelligibl e C harity
and reliance Hence a secret preference for his minor
.

poems among many o f the truest and s e l e c t e st admirers o f

”
Paradise L ost perhaps with all who do n o t admire
,
—

power in any shape above truth i n the best hence V a r t o n s V ’

fond edition o f them delightful fo r its luxurious heap o f

,

notes and parallel pas sages

C OLER ID G E .

C oleridg e lived in t h e most extraordinary and agitated

period o f modern history ; and to a certain extent he w a s
so mixed up with its controversies that he was at o n e tim e ,

taken for nothing but an apostate r e publican and at another ,

fo r a dreaming theosophist The truth is that both h i s .

,

politics and theosophy wer e at t h e mercy o f a discursive

genius intellectually bold but educationally timid which
, , ,

anxious o r rather willing to bring conviction and S pecula

, ,

tion together mooting all points as it went an d throwi ng

, ,

the subtlest glancing li ghts o n many e nded i n satisfying

-

n obody and concluding nothing C harles L amb said o f

, .

“
him that h e h a d the art o f making t h e u nintelligibl e
,

appear i n telligible He was the finest dreamer t h e m ost

.
,

eloquent talk er and the most original thin k er o f his day

,
.

H i s poetry is another m atter It is so beautiful and .

,

w a s so quietly content wi th its beauty mak ing no call o n ,

the critics and receiving hardly any notice that peopl e a r e

, ,

but now beginning to awak e to a full sen se o f i ts merits .

O f pure poetry strictl y so called that is to say consisting

, , ,

o f nothing but its essential self without conventional a n d ,

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
4 75 .

only ; but se e h o w the brook h a s carried him o n with i t

through the silence o f the n ight .

’
I must add that I do not thin k C oleridge s e arlier poem s
,

at all e qual to the rest Many indeed I do n o t c a re t o .

, ,

read a second time ; but there are some ten o r a doze n o f ,

which I never tire a n d which will o n e day make a small

,

and precious volume to put in the pockets of all enthusiasts

in poetry and endure with the language Five o f thes e
, .

” ” ”
are The Anc ient Mariner C hristabel , K u b l a Khan
, ,
“ ”
G enevieve and Y outh and Age
, S ome, that mor e .

personally relat e to t h e poet will b e added fo r t h e love o f ,

him n o t omitting the Visit o f t h e G ods from S chiller

, , ,

and the famous passage o n t h e Heathen Mythology also ,

from S chiller A short life , a portrait and som e othe r

.
,

e n gravings perhaps will complet e the book after t h e good

, ,
’ ’
o l d fashion o f C ooke s an d Bell s editions o f the Poets ; and
’
then lik e t h e contents o f the J e w o f Malta s caske t, ther e
,

w ill b e
Infi n i te ri ches i n a l i ttle room .

SH E LLEY .

Among t h e many r ea sons which his friends had to deplore

the premature death o f this splendid poet and noble hearted -

man the greatest was his not being able to repeat t o a more
, ,

attentive public his o w n protest not only ag ainst some o f

, ,

his earlier e ffusions (which he did in the newspapers) b u t ,

a gains t all which he had written in a wa i ling and angry ,

instead o f an invariably calm loving a n d therefore t h e , ,

rou ghly helping spirit .

Had he lived h e would hav e don e awa y a l l mistak e o n

,

thes e po ints and m ade every body know him for what h e
,

was — a man idolized by h i s friends— studious , temperate o f ,

the gentlest life and conversation , and willi n g to have died

to do t h e world a servic e For m y part I never can men .
,

tion his name without a tra n sport o f love and gratitud e I .

'

rejoice t o have partak en o f his cares and to be both su fl e r ,

ing and benefiting from him at this moment and whenever

I thi nk o f a future state and o f the great and good S pi r it,

that must pervade it o n e o f the first faces I humbly hop e

,

to see there is that o f the kind and impassioned man whos e

, ,

intercours e conferred o n me t h e titl e o f t h e Friend o f

S h e lley .
 IMA G INA TI ON A ND F A NCY .
4 77

Th e fin e st poetry o f S helley is m ixed up with moral and

politica l speculation O f the poetry o f reflection and tragic
.

pathos h e has abundance but even such fanciful produc

,

tions as t h e S ensitive Plant and the W itch o f Atl a s ”

are full o f metaphysics and would require a commentary o f

,

e xplanation The short pieces and passages however a r e

.
, ,

so b eautiful that they may well stand as the I e pr e se n t a t i v e s “

o f the whole power o f his mind in the region o f pure poetry .

In sweetness (and n o t even there i n p a ssages ) the O de to

the S kyl ark is in ferior only to C oleridge — i n rapturous
passion to no man It is like the bird it sings— enthusiastic
.
,

enchanting profuse continuous and alone small but filling

, , , ,

the heavens O n e o f the triumphs o f poetry is t o a ssoc iate

.

its remem b rance with the beauties o f N ature There a r e .

probably no lovers o f Homer and S h a k spe a r e w h o when ,

loo k in g at the moon do n o t often call to mind the des c r i p

,

tions in the eighth book o f the Iliad and the fifth act of
the “ Merchant o f Venice The n ightingale (in England )
.

may b e said t o have belonged excl u sively t o Milton till a

dying young poet o f o u r o w n day partook of the honour by
the production o f his exq uisite o de : and n otwithstanding
’ “ ’ ”
S h a k spe a r e s lark singing at heave n s gate the longer ,

e ffusion o f S hell ey will b e identified with thoughts o f t h e

b i r d hereafter , in t h e minds o f all who are susceptible o f i t s
beauty .

In general if C oleridge is the sweetest o f o u r poets S helley

, ,

is at once the most ethereal and m ost gorgeous ; the o n e

who has clothed his thoughts in draperies o f the most evan ~

e s c e n t and most magnificent words and i m agery Not .

Milton himself i s more learned in G recisms o r nicer in ,

etymological propriety ; and nobody throughout has a s t y l e , ,

so O rphic and primeval His poetry is as full o f moun .

tains seas and skies o f light and dark ness and the seasons
, , , , , ,

and all the elements o f o u r being as if N ature hersel f had ,

written it with the creation a n d its hopes newly cast around

,

her ; n ot it must b e confes se d without too indiscriminate

, ,

a mixture o f great and small and a wan t o f su fficient ,

“
sh ade a certain chaotic brilliancy
—
dark with excess o f ,
”
light . S helley (in t h e verses to a L ady with a G uitar )
might well call himself Ar iel All t h e mor e enj oying part .

”
o f “
his poetry is Ariel t h e delicate yet powerful S pirit
— “
,
”

j ealous o f restraint y e t able t o serve l iving in t h e e l e ments

,
4 73 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
.

and the flowe r s ; treading t h e ooz e o f t h e salt deep and ,

running o n the sharp wind o f the north ; f e e ling fo r

“
creatures unlike himself ; flaming a m a zement o n them
t oo and s i nging e x q u i si t e s t son gs
, Alas ! and h e suffered .

fo r years as Ar iel did in the e l e v e n pine ; b u t n o w h e is

,

o u t o f it and serving t h e purposes o f B e n e fi c e n c e with a

,

c almness befitting his kn owledg e and his lov e .

K EATS .

Keats w a s born a po e t o f the most po e tic a l kind All hi s .

f eelings came to him through a poetical medi um o r were ,

s peedily coloured by it It might b e said o f him that h e

.

n ever beheld a n o a k tre e without seeing t h e D ryad

-
His .

fame m a y n o w forgive t h e critics who dis liked his politics ,

a n d did not understand his poetry Repe a ted e dition s o f .

him in England France , and America attest its triumphant

, ,

survival o f all obloquy and there can b e n o doubt that h e

has taken a permanent station amo n g the British Poets o f a ,

very high if not thoroughly mature , descriptio n

, .

’
Keats s early poetry indeed partook plentifully o f t h e , ,

e xuberance o f youth ; and e ven in most o f his later h i s ,

sensibility sharp ened by mortal illness tended to a morbid

, ,
“
excess H i s region is a wilderness o f swe ets — fl o w e r s
.

o f all hue and weeds o f glorio u s feature — wher e a s h e

, ,

s ays , the luxur i ant soil brings

Th e pi py hem lo c k to strang e overg rowth .

“
B ut ther e also is t h e rain scented e glantine a n d bushes -

O f M a y fl o w e r s with bees and myrtl e and bay

- — and e ndless
, , ,

paths into forests haunted w ith t h e loveliest as well a s

gentlest beings ; and t h e gods live in t h e d istance amid ,

notes o f majestic thun der I do n o t say that n o surfeit .

is ever there ; but I do that there is n o end o f the ,

nectared sweets In what other Engl ish poet (however

.
”

s uperior to him in other respects ) are you so c e r t a i n of

n ever opening a page without lighting upon t h e loveliest

imagery and the most eloquent expressions ? N am e o n e .

C ompare any succession o f their pages at random and se e

’
,

if the y o u n g po e t is n o t sure to present his stock o f beauty ;

crude it may b e in many instances ; too indiscriminate in
,

ge n eral ; never, pe rh a ps, th o rou g hly perfe ct i n cultiv a ti o n

 480 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

testimony t o anoth e r and t o sa y h o w tru e ind e ed may b e

,

t h e unio n of sorro w ful an d s w eet recollections .

Keats kn ew the youthful faults o f his poetry as well as

any man a s the reader may see by the preface to Endy
,
”
m ion and its touching though manly acknowledgment o f
,

t hem to critical candour I have this moment read i t

.

again after a lapse o f years and have been astonished t o

, ,

think h o w anybody could answer such an appeal to the

mercy of strength with the cruelty o f weakness A l l t h e .

good fo r which Mr G i fford pretended to be zealous h e might

.

have e ffected with pai n to n o o n e and glory to himself ; ,

an d therefore all the evil h e mixed with it was o f his o wn

mak ing But the secret at the bottom o f such unprovoked
.

censure is exasperated inferiority Y oung poets upon t h e .

,

whole— a t least very young poets had better n o t publish —

at all They a r e pretty sure t o have faults ; and j ealousy

.

a n d envy are a s sure to fi n d them o u t and wreak upo n them ,

their o w n disappointm ents The critic is o ften an u n su c

.

c e s s fu l author almost always an inferior o n e to a man o f

!
,

genius and possesses his sensibility neither to beauty nor to

,

pain I f h e does i f by any chance he is a man of genius

.
-

himself (and such things have been ) sure and certain will ,

be his regret some da y for having given pain s which h e

, ,

might have turned into noble pl easure s ; and nothing will

consol e him but that very charity towards himself the grace ,

o f which can only be secured to us by o u r ha v ing deni e d it

to no o n e .

L e t t h e student o f poetry observe , that in all t h e luxury

”
of t he Ev e o f S aint Agnes th e re is nothing o f t h e con ve m
t i o n a l craft of artificial write rs ; n o heaping up o f wor ds o r
’
similes fo r their o w n sake s o r t h e rhyme s sak e n o gaudy
commonplaces n o borrowed ai rs o f e arnestness ; no tricks
o f inversion ; n o substitution o f r e ading o r o f i ngenious

thoughts for feeling o r spontaneity no irrelevancy o r u n fi t

n ess o f any sort All flows o u t o f sincerity and pa ssion
. .

The writer i s as much in lov e with the heroin e as his hero

is his description o f t h e pain ted window however gorgeous , ,

has not an untru e o r superfluou s word ; and the onl y speck

Of a fault in t h e whol e poem arises from an excess o f emotion .

[ L e i g h H u nt i t w i ll b e seen w a s the ori g i nal au thor of thi s

, ,

phrase wh i ch h a s so O ften i n error b een fathered on L ord B eacon s

, , ,

fi eld .
— ED ] .
 L IS TON .
48 1

TAB L E TALK .

(The A t l a s , M arch I4 ,

T A B L E TA L K to be perfect should be S incere w ithout bigotry

-

, , ,

d i fferi ng without d i scord somet i mes grave always agreeable

, , ,

touching o n deep points dwelling most o n s e asonable ones, ,

and letting everybody speak and be heard D uring the win e .

after dinn er if the door o f the room b e opened there some

, ,

times comes bursting u p the drawing room stairs a noise lik e -

that o f a tap room Everybody is shouting in order t o make

-

himself audible argument is tempted to confound itself

with loudness and there is n o t o n e conversation going
forward but si x o r a score This is better than formality
, , .

and want o f S pirits but it is no more the right thing than ,

a scramble is a dance o r the t a p room chorus a quartette of

,
-

Rossini Th e perfection o f conversational intercourse is

.

whe n the bree di ng o f high lif e is ani m at e d by t h e fervour

o f geni u s .

L I S T ON .

(Th e A t l a s , M arch 2 8,
’
L IS T O N Sfac e was his fortune He was an actor though .
,

truly comic and original yet o f no great variety ; and often

,

got credit give n h i m for more humour than he intended by ,

reason o f that irresistible compound of plainness and preten

sion o f chubbiness and challenge o f born baggy desponding
, , , ,

heaviness and the most ineffable airs and graces which

, ,

seemed at once to S port with and be superior to the permis

sion which it gave itself to be laughed at W hen L isto n .

e xpressed a peremptory opinion it was the most incredibl e ,

thin g in the world i t was so refuted by some accompanyi ng

, _

glance gesture or posture o f incompetency W hen h e

, ,
.

smiled his face simmered a ll over with a fondness of self

,

complacency amounting to dotage N ever had there been .

the owning o f such a soft impeachment .

L iston was aware o f his plainness and allowed himself to ,

turn it to account ; but not I suspect without a supposed , ,

understanding between him and the audience as to t h e

I I
 ’
4 82 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS .

superiority o f his i ntellectual pretensions ; for lik e man y ,

comedians h e was a grave man undern e ath his mirt h

, ,

thought himself qualified to be a tragedian and did in fact , , ,

n o w and then a c t in tragedy fo r his benefit with a lamen ,

table sort o f respectability that disappointed the laughers .

“ ”
I hav e seen him act in th i s way in O ctavian , in t h e
”
Mountaineers .

W I L D FL OW ER S FURZ E
-

,
A ND W IMB L ED ON .

(The A tl a s, A pri l 2 5,

T H O S E flowers o n the table are all w ild fl o w e r s brought o u t -

o f ditches and w o o dsi de s and the common ; daises and

, , ,

buttercups ground ivy hyacinths v iolets f u r z e they a r e

,
—
, , ,

nothing better W ill all t h e wi t o f m a n mak e anything

.

l i ke them
Here is the hyacinth as fresh as wh e n it was first cre ated , .

’
Here is B u r n s s
We e , m odest cr i m son t ipped fl ower
,
-

as new as i f the great peasant had j ust turned it up with his

plough .

Poetry see m s as if it would last as long as flowers ; and it

has no need o f renewal .

Unless y o u would hav e every thing there lilies and roses ,

can y o u conceive any covering fitter for t h e hills o f the sun

itself than this magnificent furze as it now appears here in ,

England robing o u r heaths and commons all over t h e

,

coun t ry ? W imbledon Park is a golden undulation a fore

ground and from some points o f V ie w a middle distance fit to
, , ,

make the richest pai nter despair a veritabl e Field of C loth o f

G old Morning (Aurora the golden goddess ) when the daw n
.
, ,

is o f a fineness to match must look beauty for b e auty o n it , .

S unset is divin e Th e gold goes stretchi ng away in the dis

.

tanc e towards the dark trees li k e the rich evening o f a poetic ,

life N o wonder L inn aeus when he came to England and first

.
,

beheld this gl orious S hrub in bloom fell down o n his knees , ,

and t han k ed G o d that he had lived to see it N o wonder .

s tatesmen and pol i ticia n s g o forth to lodg e about t h e plac e

4 84 L EI G H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

This second reflection comes to nothing e xcept a s a ,

lesson o f modesty N o t so the fine lines o f t h e poet , which

.

a r e an endless pleasur e How grand they a r e .

P r o n a q u e c u m spe c t e n t an i m al i a c aat e r a t e r r a m ,
O s h o m i n i s u b l i m e ded i t , c oe l u m q u e t u er i
J u s si t , e t erectos ad s i dera tollere v u l t u s .

Even D ryden
’
s translation fal l s short , e xcept in on e epithet
suggested by his creed
T hu s wh i le the m u te creat i on downward b end
,

T he ir s i g ht a n d to thei r ear thl y m other tend

, ,

M a n loo k s aloft a n d wi th erected ey es

,

B eholds h i s own hered i tary sk i es .

This is goo d ; and the l a st lin e is noble , bo th in structure

and id e a .

MA L I C E OF F O RTUNE .

T he A t l a s, Ma y 16,

TH E gr eatest trick o f this sort ever played by Fortun e w a s

the end o f Bruce the traveller who after all his peril s by , ,

flo o d and by field from wars from wild b e asts from deser ts

, , , ,

from savage nations broke his neck down his o w n staircas e

,

at home ! It was owing to a slip o f t h e foot whil e seein g ,

som e visitors o u t whom h e had been ente r tai ni ng .

This was t h e very anti climax o f adventure -

TH E M ON TH L Y N UR S E .

(H ea ds of t he P eop l e , F i rst S eri es , p . 1 0 5,

TH E Monthly N urse — tak ing the class in the lump — is a

middle aged motherly sort o f a gossiping hushing fl a t t e r
-

, , ,

ing dictatorial knowing ignorant n o t very delicate c o m

, , , , ,

fo r t a bl e uneasy slip slop k ind o f a blinking individual

, ,
—
,

between asleep and awak e whose business it i s under Pro ,

-

v i de n c e and the doctor— to see that a child be not ushered

with too little o ffi ciousness into the world nor brought up ,
 TH E MONTH L Y N UR S E .
48 5

with t o o much good sense during the first month o f its

e xistence All grown people with her (excepting her o w n
.

family ) consist o f wives who are brought t o bed and hus ,

bands who are bound to be extremely sensible o f t h e

supremacy o f that event an d all t h e rising generation a r e
infants i n laced caps n o t five weeks o l d with incessant
, ,

thir st scre a ming faces t h u m pa b l e b a cks and red littl e

, , ,

m i n n i ki n hands tipped with hints o f nails S h e is the only .

mak er o f caudle in the world S h e takes snuff ostenta .

t i o u sl y drams advisedly tea incessantly advice indignantly

, , , ,

a nap when S h e can get it cold whenever there is a crick i n ,

the door and the remainder o f whatsoe ver her m istress

,

leaves to eat o r drink — provided it is what somebody els e

would li k e t o have But she drin k s rather than eats S h e
. .

“ ’
has not t e rel i sh for a bit 0 dinner that the servant
h
maid has ; though nobody but the washerwoman b e ats her
“ ’ “
at a dish 0 tea o r at that which keeps cold o u t o f t h e
,
”
stomach and puts weakness into it If she is thin she is
, .
,

genera lly straight as a stick being o f a condition o f body ,

that not even drams will tumefy If she is fat she i s o n e .

,

o f the fubsiest o f the cosy ; though rheumatic withal and ,

requiring a complexional good nature t o settle the irritabili -

ties o f her position and turn the balance in favour o f com

,

fort o r hope S h e is the victim of watching the arbitress

.

o f her superiors ; the servant yet rival o f doctors ; t h e , ,

opposer o f innovations ; the regretter o f all household reli

gions as to pap boats cradles and swathes the inhabitant
-

, ,

o f a hundred bed rooms ; the Juno L ucina o f the ancients

-

o r goddess o f child birth in the li k eness o f a c o ok maid

-

,
-

Her gr e atest plea sure i n life is when lady and baby are both ,

gone to sleep the fi r e bright the kettle boiling and her

, , ,

corns quiescent S h e then first takes a pinch o f snuff by

.
,

way o f pungent anticipation o f bliss o r as a sor t o f conee n ,

t r a t e d essence o f satisfa ction ; then a gl a ss o f spirits the n —

puts t h e wat e r i n t h e t e a pot— then take s another gl a ss o f-

(
S pirits t h e last having been a small o n e and the coming
”
,

tea affording a counteraction ) — then smoothes down her

apron adj usts herself in her arm chair pours o u t t h e first
,
-

cup o f tea and sits for a minute o r t wo staring at the fire

, ,

with the solid complacency o f an o w l — perhaps not without

something o f hi s snore between wheeze and snuff b o x ,
-

“ ”
Hol ding t h e baby is a science , which she re ck o n s t o
486 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S ’
.

belong to herself S h e makes it the greatest favour t o v isitor

o r servant t o let them venture upon a trial o f it and a ffable
intimations are gi ven to the oldest mothers o f families who ,

come to se e h e r mistress h o w they will do well to receiv e a

,

l ittle instruction o n that head , and n o t venture to su b st i

tute their fi n e spun theories fo r her solid practice fo r your
-

Monthly N urse (next t o a positive grandson ) is the greatest

teacher o f your grandmother how to suck eggs in the world ,

and y o u may have been forty years in the habit o f stick i n g

a pin an d find your competency come to nothing before the
,

explanatory pity o f her information .

”
Respecting the doctor her thoughts cannot b e so bold ,

o r even so patronizing S h e is confessedl y second to him

.
,

whi le he is present and when he has left the room a S pell ,

remains upon h e r from his superior knowledge Y e t sh e .

has her hearty li k es o r dislikes o f him t o o and o n t h e sam e ,

“
-
h
grounds o f self reference If s e likes h i m there never
.
,

w a s such a beautiful doctor

”
except perhaps S i r W illiam
, ,

o r D octor Butterworth
(both dead ) and always excepting ,

t h e o n e that recommended herself He is a fi n e man .

s o patient— so without pride a n d yet so firm like ; —

,

n obody comes n ear him fo r a di fficult cas e — for a fever cas e

”
—for the ma n agement o f a violent lady If sh e dislikes .

“ “ “
him he is queer
,
o dd stubborn — has the new
ways very proper S h e has no doubt but not what she has
-

, ,

been used t o o r seen pra ctised by the d o ctors about court

, .

And whether s h e likes him o r not she h as always a saving ,

grace fo r herself o f superiority to all other nurses in poin t

, ,

o f experi ence a nd good luck S h e has al ways seen a ca se o f

.

more di fficulty than the one in h and and knows what w aS ,

”
done fo r it ; and D octor G r i pps , w h o is “
always called in
t o such cases and who 1 3 a V ery pl ea sa nt though r o h so r t
other right hand a nd the
,

o f gentleman calls her h i s

“
, ,

j e w e l that rhymes to g r u el .

Armed with these potential notions in general and the ,

stro ngest possible sens e o f he r vice —r oyalty Over m aster an d

m istress fo r the time being sh e t akes p ossession o f t h e new
,

room and t h e new faces a n d the motto o f her reign the

,
—

D i eu e t M o n D r a ft o f h e r escutc h eon — is D uri ng t h e

m onth . This phrase S h e h a s always at hand l i ke a sc e ptre, ,

wherewith to assert her privil eges and pu t down obj ection , .

D uring t h e mon t h t h e l ady is n o t t o read a b ook

, .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

48 8 .

T H E C ON D U C T O R .

(H ea ds of t he P e op l e , F ir st S eri es, p . 1 93 ,

TH E C onductor is a careless dressing subordinate pr e do m i -

, ,

nant miscellaneous newly inven ted personage o f the stable

, ,
—
,

breed order whose oc cupation consists in eternally dan ci n g

,

thro u gh the air o n a squalid bit o f wood twelve inches by ,

nine ; letting people in and o u t of the great Oblong box

called an omnibus ; and occasio n ally holding up his hand ,

and vociferatin g the name o f some remote locality H e .

has o f late been gifted with a badge which classifies t h e ,

“ ”
otherwise promiscuous appearance o f his set out ; and
in some dist r icts they have put him into livery which , ,

t h ough it raises him In the scale o f neatness and perhaps , , ,

o f civility wonderfully lowers his aspect i n that of i n de e n

, p
dence and co n spires to turn the badge o f o ffi ce into an
,

aggravated mark o f servitude N either is it so picturesqu e .

as t h e careless freedom of his S lops However this is not .

,

t h e cas e with the tribe in general the character o f whose

habiliments varies and descends thro u gh all the grades o f
decency and slovenliness from those o f the man behind t h e ,

counter in a booking o fli c e down to the s h ocking bad hatted

- - -

vagabond who has been ej ected from nine stable yards an d -

who fights drin k s and frightens o l d ladies o n every public

, , ,

house pavement that will endure him And o u r friend s .

’

manners a r e generally decent o r otherwise accordingly , , .

I n some rare instances he takes to being excessively proper

,
”
and well bred manifests a re spectful zeal for the ladi es
-

in general and a S pecial and consolatory patienc e to wards

,

the rheumatism o f a scending and descending o l d gentleman ;

“
calls t h e littl e girl a pretty dear ; i n the diffusive benig
”
n it
y o f his self respect has been known t o say S i r to t h e
-

, ,

driver (usually his inferior in rank ) and was once observed ,

“
during an a ffection o f the chest o r slight pulmonary
“
,

attack (for so undoubtedly he would have called it ) to ,

turn his face aside with touching consideration and cough ,

elegantly into his pock et hand k erchief -

O u r C onductor in the aggregate is a good average specimen ,

o f h i s tribe ; civil o r impudent as the case may happen

; ,

civil i n general because it is his interest and he is n o t a

, ,

bad sort of chap in the m ain is playful with his fellows at

 TH E C O ND U CTO R .
489

alehouse doors that is knocks their hats o ff into t h e mud

,
—
, ,

and picks u p his o w n with n o more oaths than become him

has not had a bl a ck eye since l a st Bartlemy tide has a
,
-

regard for the good woman that gets his hot supper ready
’
every night and only wishes S h e wouldn t tal k such n o n
,

sense about Fan S ummers ; S pends half his tim e in getting

health with air and exercise and hal f in undoing it with ,

beer and gin ; longs for a fine morning and a wet e ve ning ,

becaus e t h e former tempts people o u t and the latter nabs ,

e m in has n o sabbaths n o holydays (think o f this when

,

y o u want an excuse for h i m ) ; ingeniously throws t h e

responsibility o f unlawfulness upon his passengers for ,
“ ”
choosi n g o f their o w n fre e wil l to admit two more
, ,
“
ladies beyond the number (t w o market girls o f h i s a c
”
-

q u aintanc e ) thinks every other C onductor in t h e wrong

for trying to get before him o r lure away his fares but ,

himself not at all so ; wont keep your promised seat a

’
minute if a last fare presents itself ; an d can t procure a
candle any how if you have dropped a shilling in t h e straw ;
yet will detain you all half a n hour to battle with som e - -

sneaking fellow that rates the fare at half what it is ; an d

if he h a s dropped a S ixpence himself has a light fo r t h c o m ,
“ ”
ing immediately : gives a ride to som e favourite crony ,
”
o r young woman o r young gentleman t e little b o y o f
, , . .
, ,

the neighbourhood who chats with him and proclaims his

, ,

merits to th e family gets into the omnibus o n bad nights ,

if ther e is room ; pretends sometimes that y o u call him

when y o u do not and wil l stop the vehicle and come run
, ,

n i n g to you in order to aggregate the chance o f your getting

,

in and conducts it as slowly a s possibl e if h e has few pas

se n e r s and as fast as Bill Vickers will tempt him to race
g , ,

if otherwise the driver and he being generally o f o n e accord

i n these matters G entleme n as well as conductors it
.
,
“
should be observed a r e sometimes very aggravating
,
”
,

conductors witnessing a great deal o f bad example and

selfishness o n the par t o f those whom they conduct : as ,

i m pr i m e s , i n
'

S wearing gentlemen(for we observ e it is always ac counted

a very bad thing if conductors swear )
, .

D rin k ing gentlemen (very frequent in omnibuses o f a

night time )
-

“
G entlemen who drop sovereigns they never h a d, in
the stra w .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’
49
0 .

G entlemen who never dreamt that the fare was a S hil

”
ling and will stand lying about it , and haggling for half
, ,

a n hour
-

I n solent and ill tempered gentlemen who Si t with their

-

feet thru st o u t b efore t h e door to t h e st u mbling o f those ,

that enter it .

Impatient and a sto n i shed gentlemen w h o are no sooner ,

seated than they complain o f the shameful delay o f omni

bus es and threaten t o get o u t (themselves having kept it
,

waiting a hundred times ) .

“
G entlemen who have had a ride from the place o f
,

setting o u t to the first place o f stopping and then avail ,

themselves o f the first minute past the time to get o u t ; and ,

so have their ride for nothing .

Fat gentlemen who take up three rooms and g rudge

, ,

their S ixpe nce from Mile En d to Paddington .

Thin gentlemen who authoritatively call the omnibus in

full career and then decline entering it because o f three fat
,

ones .

G entlemen w h o hate passion and vulgarity t o such a

,

degree i n C onductors that they storm and rav e at the least

,

S how o f i mpertinence in a man who is tired t o death and ,

lavish upon him the highly amelio r ating information that

”
he is a damned blackguard .

G entlemen who are indignant if other gentlemen — nay

, ,

gentlewomen are su ffered to come into the omnibus when

—

it is full though the night be ever so frightful ; j ustice and

,

the regulations being superior to all consideration o f cold

catching fevers fatigues childhoods womanhoods and every
, , , , ,

other h o o d but their o w n delightf ul manhood which , ,

perhaps was a ccommo dated with the very piece o f illegality

,

to which they obj ect in the c a se o f others W e have .

seen it .

G entlemen (and gentlewomen analagous to those gentle

men ) who having com e all the way from B l o w bl a dde r L an e
,
“ ”
for S ixpence wonder what the man means by tak ing
,

them ten doors beyond their o w n and not setting them ,

down at the identical spot right opposite the knocker and , ,

e legantly shaving the curbstone .

W e know few obj ects more respectable considering what ,

temptations he must surmount in the way o f little S i xpences

and long scores than a good civil reasonably hon e st , int e l
, , ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
492 .

irresistibil ities o f Iterations si g n i fi c a n c i e s o f Jarg on s wail

, ,

ings o f Pretended W oe s roarings Of L augh t ers and hubbubs

, ,

o f Animal S pirits ; all so general yet particular so demand ,

ing distinct recognition and yet so ba ffling the attempt

,

with thei r numbers and their confusion that a thousand ,

masquerades in o n e would have seemed to threate n les s

tor ment to t h e pen o f a reporter .

TH E C AU S E OF LA U G H TE R .

We a r e so constituted that t h e mind is willingly put

into any state o f movement not a ctually painf ul ; perhaps
because we are then mad e potentially alive to o u r exi stence ,

and feel ourselves a match for the challenge Hobbes .

refers all laughter to a sens e o f triumph and “ glory

and upon the principle here expressed his opinion seems to ,

b e j ustifiabl e though I cannot think it entirely so o n t h e

“ ”
scornful ground implied by him Th e passion o f laughter .
,
“
he says is nothing else but sudden glory arising from a
,

sudden conception o f som e e m i n en c y i n o u r s el ves by c o m

parison with the infi rmity o f others o r with o u r o w n ,

formerly : for men laugh at the f o l l i es o f themselves past ,

when they come suddenly to remembrance except they ,

”
bring with them any present dishonour His l imitation o f .

th e cause o f laughter looks lik e a saturnin e self su ffi c i e n c y -

There are numerous occa sions und oubtedly when w e laugh

, ,

o u t o f a conte mptuous sens e o f superiority or at least when ,

w e think w e do so But o n occasions o f pure mirth a n d

.

fancy we only feel superior to the pleasant defiance which

,

is g iven to o u r wit and co m prehension ; w e tri umph n o t ,

’
insolently but co n genially not t o any one s disadvan t age ,

b u t simply to o u r o wn jo y and reassurance _

Th e r e ason .

indeed is partly physical as well as mental In propo rt ion .

t o the vivac ity o f the su r prise a che e k is given t o t h e bre ath

, ,

different in degree but not in n a ture from that which is

, ,

occasioned by dashing against some pleasant frien d round a

corner The breath recedes onl y to r e issu e with doubl e
.
,
-

force and the happy convul sio n which it undergoes in t h e

process is L aughter D o I triumph over my friend in t h e
.

laughter ? S urely not I only triumph over the strange

.

a n d sudden j ar which seemed to put us for the moment i n

,

the condition o f antagonists .

 WIT A ND H U M O U R .
493

D EF INITI N O OF WIT .

N o w this apparent antagonism is the caus e p er the se , o f

laughter occasio n ed by W i t O u r surprise is the consequenc e .

o f a sudden and a greeabl e perception o f t h e incongruous ;

sudden becaus e even when we laugh at the recollection o f
,

it w e undergo i n im agination a return o f the suddenness

, , , ,

o r the liveliness o f the first impression (which is the reas on

”
why w e say o f a g o od thin g that it is always new ) and '

agreeable because the j ar against us is not so violent as to

,

hinder us from recurring to that habitual idea o f fitness o r ,

adj ustment by which the S hock o f the surpris e is m ad e

,

e asy . It is in th ese reconcilements o f j ars thes e cre ations ,

and r e adj ustments o f disparities that the delightful faculty

—
,

o f the wit and humorist is made manifest He at onc e .

rouses o u r minds to action ; suggests an d saves us t h e ,

troubl e o f a di fficulty ; and turns t h e help into a compli

ment by implying o u r participation in the process It does
,
.

n ot follow that everything witty o r humorous excite s

laughter It may be accompanied with a sense o f too many
.

o ther things to do so with t oo much thought with t o o ,

great a perfection even o r with pathos and sorrow All , .

e xtremes meet ; excess of laughter runs into tears and ,

mirth becomes heavin ess Mirth itself is too often but .

“ ”
melancholy in disgui se The j ests o f t h e fool i n L ear
.

a r e the sighs o f knowledge But as far a s W i t and Humour

.

a ff ect us o n their o w n accounts o r unmodified by graver ,

considerations laughter is their usual result and happy

,

r atification W i t may b e defined to be the Arbitrary

.

J u x t a po si t i o n o f D i ssimilar Ideas for som e lively purpos e ,

o f Assimilation o r C ontrast generally o f both It is fancy

, .

i n its most wilful , and strictly spe a kin g its leas t poetical
, ,

state ; that is t o say W i t does n o t contemplate its ideas fo r

, .

their o w n sakes in any light apart from their ordi n ary

prosaical o n e , but solely fo r t h e purpose o f pro ducing an
e ffect by their combination Poetry may take u p t h e .

combination and improve it but it then divests it o f ,

its arbitr ary character and converts it into something ,

better W i t i s the clash and reconcilement o f i n c o n

.

g r u i t i e s ; t h e meeting o f extremes round a corner ; t h e

flas hing o f an artificial light from o n e obj ect to another,
disclosing some unexpected resemblance o r connection .
494 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

It is the detection o f likeness i n unlikeness o f sympathy i n ,

antipathy o r of the e xt reme points of antipathies themselves

, ,

made friends by the v e ry merriment o f their introd uctio n .

The mode o r form is comparatively o f no consequence

, , ,

provided it giv e no troubl e to t h e apprehension ;and you may

bring a s many ideas together as can ple a santly assemble .

But a single o n e is nothing Two ideas are as necessary .

to W i t as couples are to marriages and the union is ha ppy

,

i n proportion t o the agreeableness o f t h e offspring .

U M O UR
D EF INITI N O F H O .

Humour considered as the obj ect treated of by t h e humorous

,

w r iter an d not as t h e power o f treating it derives its nam e

, ,

from the prevailing quality o f moisture in the bodily tempera

ment and is a tendency o f the mind to run in particular
directions o f thought o r feeling more amusing than acc ount
able at least in the opinion of society It is therefore either .
, ,

i n reality o r appearance a thing inconsistent It deals i n

, .

incongr u ities o f character and circumstance as W i t does i n ,

those o f arbitrary ideas The more t h e incongruities t h e

.

better provided they are all in nature ; but t w o at any

, ,

rate are as necessary to Humour a s the two ideas are t o

, ,

W i t ; and the more stri k ingly they differ yet harmonize t h e ,

more amusi n g the result S uch is the melting together o f

.

the propensities to love and war in the person o f exquisite

Uncle Toby ; o f the gullible and the manly in Parson
Adams o f the professional and the individual o r the acci ,

dental and t h e permanent in the C anterbury Pilgrims o f

,

the obj ectionable and the agreeable the fat and t h e sharp ,

witted in Falstaff ; o f honesty an d knavery i n G i l Blas ;

,

o f pretensio n and non performance in the Bullies o f t h e

-

dram a tic poets ; o f folly and wisdom in D o n Quixote ; o f

shrewdness and doltishness in S ancho Panza ; and it may ,

be added in the discordant yet harmonious c o operation o f

,
—

D o n Quixote and his atte n dant considered a s a pair ; for ,

those t w o chara cters by presenting themselves to the mind

’

i n combin ation i n sensi b ly conspire to give us o n e compound

,

idea o f the whole abstract human being divided indeed by

its extrem e contradictions o f body and soul but at the sam e ,

tim e mad e o n e and indivisibl e by co m munity o f error an d

the necessities of companionship S ancho is t h e flesh look .
,

ing after its homely needs his master, who is also his dupe,
 4 96 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS ’
.

tion . S h a k spe a r e
is the inventor o f the phrase setting ,
“

the table i n a roar ; of the memory o f Y orick ; o f the

stom a ch o f Falstaff stu ffed as full o f wit as o f sack He
, .

“
wakes the n ight owl with a catch -

draws three souls

o u t o f o n e weaver
; passes the equinoctial o f Q u e u b u s
(some glorious torrid z one lying beyond thre e o clock in t h e
’
,

morning ) and remin ds the unco righteous for ever that ”

,

virtue false o r true is n o t incompatible with the recreations

, ,
”
of cakes and ale S h a k spe a r e is said to have died o f
.

g e t t i n g o u t o f a sick bed to entertain his friends D rayton

-

and Ben Jonson visitors from L ondon ,

H e m ight hav e .

di ed a later and a graver death but h e could not well hav e ,

h a d o n e more genial an d therefore more poetical , Far was .

it from dishonouring the e ulogizer o f good men s feast s ’

the re corder o f t h e noble friends Antonio and Bassanio

the great thorough goin g humanist , who did e qual j us tic e
-

to the gravest and the gaye st moments o f life .

It is a remarkabl e proof o f the genial ity o f S h a k spe a r e s ’

j esting that even its abundance o f ideas does not S poil it ;

,

for in comedy as well as tragedy he is the most reflective

, ,

o f write rs I k now but o f o n e that comes near him i n this

.

respect ; and very near him (I dare t o a ffi rm ) he does come ,

though h e has none o f his poetry properly so called It is , .

S terne ; in w hose Tristram S handy there is not a word

without meaning — often o f the profoundest a s wel l as kind
liest sort The profes sed fools o f S h a k spe a r e a r e among t h e
.
.

wisest o f men They talk ZEso p and S olomon in every j est

. .

Y e t they amuse as much as they instruct us The braggart .

Parolles whos e name sign ifies wor ds as though h e spoke

, ,

n othi ng e lse scarcely utters a sentenc e that is not rich with

,

ideas ; yet his weakness and self committals hang over them -

all like a sneaking infection and hin der our laughter fro m ,

becoming respectful Th e scene in which h e is taken blind

.

fold among his o l d acquaintances and so led to vilify their ,

characters under t h e impression that h e is gratifying their

,

enemies is almost as good as the screen scene in the S chool

,
-

”
fo r S candal .

B EN J O N S O N .

Ben Jonson s famous humour is as pampered j ovial and

’
, ,

dictatorial as h e w a s in his o w n person He always gives .

o n e t h e idea of a m a n sitti ng at t h e he a d o f a table and a

 WIT A N D H U M O UR .
497

coteri e IIe carves up a subj ect as he would a dish ; talks

.

all the while to S how o ff both the dish an d himself and wo e

”
betide difference o f opinion , o r his favourite aversion ,

e nvy ; He was not an envious man himself provided you ,

allowed him his clai m s H e praised his contemporaries a l l

.

r ound chiefly in return fo r prais es H e had too much

, .

h ea r ty blood i n his veins to withhold eulog y where it w a s

n o t denied him but he was somewhat t o o willing to cancel
'

it o n o fl e n c e H e complains that he had given heaps o f

.

praises undese rved tells D ray ton that it had been doubted
w hether he was a friend to anybody .

’
It has been obj ected t o Ben Jonson s humours and with ,

truth that they are too exclusive o f other qualities ; that

,

the characters are t o o much absorbed in the peculiarity s o ,

a s t o be come
pe r s o n i fi c a t i o n s of an abstraction They have .

also I think an amount o f turbulence which hurts their

, ,

e ntire reality ; gives them an air o f conscious falsehood and

pretension , as if they were rather acting the thing tha n

.

being it But this as before intimated aros e fro m t h e

.
, ,

chara cter o f t h e author and his o w n wi l ful and fl u s t e r e d

,

temperament I f they a r e n o t thoroughly what they might

.

b e o r such a s S h a kspe a r e would h a v e made them they a r e

, ,

a dmira bl e J o n so n i a n presentations , and o verflowing with

wit, fancy, and sc holarship .

B U T L ER .

Butler is t h e wittie st o f English poets and at t h e sa m e ,

time he is o n e o f t h e most learned and what is more o n e , , ,

”
o f t h e wisest H is Hudibras though naturally the m ost
.
,

popular o f his works from its siz e subj ect and witty excess , , ,

was an a ccident o f birth and party compared with his Mis

c e l l a n eo u s Poems ; yet both abound in thoughts as great

and deep as t h e surfa ce is sparkling and his genius alt o

gether having t h e additional recommendation o f ver e
,
s
,

might have given him a fame greater than Rabelais , ha d

his animal spir its been e qual to the rest o f his qualifications
fo r a universalist .

Butler has little humour His t wo heroes Hudibra s and .

,

Ra lph a r e n o t so m uch humorists as pedants

, They are .

as little like t heir prototypes D o n Quixote and S ancho as , .

t w o dreary puppets a r e u n like excesses o f humanity They '

K K
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

498 .

are not even consiste nt with their other prototype s t h e ,

Puritans o r with themselves fo r they a r e dull fel lows

, ,

u naccountably gifted with t h e author s wit

’
In this respe ct , .

a n d a s a narrative t h e poem is a failure ,

N obody e v e r . .

thinks o f the story except to wonder at its in e fficiency o r

,

o f Hudibras himself except a s descri bed at his outs et

,
He .

is nothing but a ludicrous figure But co n sidere d a s a . .

banter issuing from t h e author s o w n lips o n t h e wrong ’

,

s id e o f Purita n ism a n d in deed o n all t h e p e d a n tic and

,

hyp o critical abuses o f huma n r e ason t h e whol e production ,

is a marvellous compound o f wit , learning a n d fe licitou s ,

e x e cution The wit is pur e and incessant ; t h e learn in g a s

.

quaint an d o u t o f—the way as t h e subj ect ; t h e v e ry rhym e s

- -

a r e e choing scourges mad e o f t h e per e mpto ry an d t h e i n

,

congruous This i s o n e o f t h e reaso n s why t h e rhymes have

.

be en so much admi red Th e y a r e laughable n o t merely i n

.
,

t hemselves but from t h e mas t e rly will and vi olenc e with

,

which they a r e made to corr e s pond t o t h e absu r diti e s th e y

lash The m o st e xtraordin a ry l icense is a ssum e d a s a
.

m atter o f course ; t h e a ccentuation j erked o u t o f i t s pl a c e

su fli c
’

with a l l the indiff erenc e and e fl r o n t e r y o f a reaso n a

i n g unto itself Th e poem is peculia r in th i s respe ct t h e

.
,

l aughing delight o f t h e re a der well found e d , and t h e passa ges

sure to b e accom pa n i e d wit h a full m e a s u r e o f wit a n d
knowledge .

D RYDEN .

If D ryd e n h a d be e n c a s t in a so m e wh a t fin e r m o ul d a n d ,

a dded sentiment t o h i s other qualifications h e w o uld hav e ,

been almost a s great a po e t i n t h e world o f n ature a s h e

was in that o f a r t and t h e to w n H e h a d force e xpression .
, ,

scholarship genial ity a dmirabl e good sens e musica l e n t h u

, , ,

s i a sm . The rhymed h e roic couplet i n his hands continu e s

still to b e t h e fi n est in t h e lan guage But his pe rception s .

were more acute than subtl e ; more sensual by far than , ,

s piritual . The delicacy o f them had no proportio n to t h e

s trength H e prized the flower but had little sense o f t h e
.
,

fra granc e ; was gross as well as generous i n his intellectual

di et ; and if it had n o t been genuin e a n d hearty woul d ,

hav e S hown an almost impudent deli ght i n doi n g j ustice t o

t h e l e ast refined o f Nature s impressio n s
’
H i s Ve nus w a s .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

go o .

D ryden ,and n o t possesse d o f his numbers o r his impulsive

ness had mor e delicacy and fa n cy has left mor e passage s
, ,

that have become proverbial and was less confined to t h e ,

region o f ma tter o f fa ct D ryden never soared ab ov e .

earth however nobly he walked it The l ittl e fragil e

, .

creatur e had wings and h e could expand them at will a n d ,

ascend if t o n o great i maginative height yet to charming

, ,

fairy circles j ust above those o f the world abo ut him dis ,

closing enchanting visions at the top o f drawing rooms and -

enabling us to see the spiri t s that wait o n coffee cups and -

hoop petticoats -

S WIFT .

For the qualities o f sheer wit and humour S wif t had n o ,

superior ancient o r m odern He had n o t the poetry o f

, .

Aristophanes o r the animal S pirits o f Rabelais : h e was

,

n o t so incessa n tly witty as Butler ; nor did h e possess t h e

delicacy o f Addison o r the good n ature o f S teele o r Fieldi n g

,
-

o r the pathos and depth o f S terne ; but his wit was perfect ,

as such ; a sheer meeting o f the extremes o f differe nc e

and lik eness ; and h i s knowledge o f character was u n
bounded He knew the humour o f great and small from
.
,

the ki n g down to t h e cook maid Unfortunately he was -

.
,

n ot a healthy man his entrance into the C hurch put him

into a false position ; mysterious circumstances i n his
personal his t ory conspired wit h worldly disappointment t o
aggravate it and that hypochondri a cal insight into things ,

which might have taught hi m a doubt o f his conclusions

and the wisdom o f patience ended in makin g him t h e ,

vi ctim o f a diseased blood and angry passions Probably .

there was som ethi n g morbid e ven in his excessiv e coarse

ness Most o f his conte mporaries were coars e but not so
.
,

outrageously as he .

W hen S wi f t however was at h i s best who was so

, , ,

lively so entertaining so original ? He has b een said to

, ,

be indebted t o this and that classic and this and that ,

Frenchman ; to L ucian t o Rabelais and to Cyran o de , ,

Bergerac ; but though he was acquainte d with all these

writers their thoughts had been evide n tly tho u ght by him
,

self their quaint fancies o f thi n gs had pa ssed through h i s

o w n mind ; and they ended in results quite masterly and ,

his o w n A great fanciful wit like his wanted no helps t o

.
 WIT A ND H U M O UR .
so :

th e discovery of Brobdingnag and L aputa The Big and .

L ittle En di a n s were close to him every day at C our t and at ,

ch urch .

S wift took his principal measur e from Butler and h e ,

e mulated his rhymes ; yet his man ner is his o w n Ther e .

is a mixture o f care and precision in it announcing at once ,

power an d fastidiousness like Mr D ean going with h i s , .

verger before him i n flowing gown and fi v e times washed

,
-

face with his nails pared to the quick His long irregular
, .

prose verses with rhymes at the end are an invention o f

, ,

his o w n ; and a similar mixture is discernible even i n those ,

n o t excepting a feeling o f musical proportion S wift had .

more music in him than h e loved to let fi ddl e r s suppose

and throughout all his writings there may be observed a
j ealous sense o f power , modi fyi n g the most familiar o f hi s
impulses .

’ ’
After all however S wift s v e rse compared with Pope s
, , ,
’
o r with Butler s is but a kind o f s m a rt prose
,
It wants .

their pregnancy o f expression His greate st works are .

’ ”
G ulliver s Travels and the Tal e o f a Tub .

G OL D S M ITH .

G oldsmith is so delightful a writer that t h e general i m ,

pression 0 11 his readers is that o f his having been a perfect

sort o f man at least for amiableness and bon i w m i e and
, ,

the consequence is that when they come to be thoroughly

,

acquainted with his life and works especially the cri tica l ,

portion , they are startled to find him p a rtaking o f t h e

frailties o f his spe cies and the j ealousies o f his profession .

S o much good however and honesty and simpl icity a n d

, , ,

such an abundanc e o f personal kindness still r e main , ,

a n d it seems li k ely that so much o f what was weak in him

originate d in a painful sense o f his want o f personal

address and attr a ctiveness that all harsh conclusion s ,

appear a s ungracious as they a r e uncomfortable ; we feel

even wanting in gratitude to o n e who has so much i n
structed an d ente r tained us ; and hasten for the sak e o f ,

what is weak as well as strong i n ourselves to give all t h e ,

“
o d praise and honour to t h e
l author o f the Vicar o f
W a k e fi e l r and the D eserted Village
” “
W e are obliged t o .

con fess that t h e Vicar artless and delightf u l as he is i s

‘

, ,
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
50 2 .

an inferior broth er o f Parson Adams ; and that th ere a r e

great improbabilities in the story But the family manners .
,

and the Fl a m b o r o u g h s and Moses a r e all delicious ; and

, ,

the styl e o f writing perfect A gain we are forced to admit .

, ,

that the Traveller and the D eserted Village are not o f

“

th e highest o r subtlest order o f poetry ; yet they a r e

charming o f their kind and as perfect in style a s his prose
,
.

They are cab inets of exquisit e workmanship which will ,

outl a st hundreds o f oracu l ar shrines o f o a k ill put together .

’
G oldsmith s most thoroughly original productions are his
“
comedies and minor poems particularly S h e S toops t o ,

C onquer [and his two masterpieces o f wit and humour

,

The Haunch o f Venison and His

comic writing is o f the class which is perhaps as much
preferred to that o f a staider sort by pe ople in general ,

as it is by the w riter o f these pages — comedy running

into fa rce ; that is to say truth richly coloured and ,

overflowing with animal spirits It is that o f the princ e .

o f comic writers Moli ere (always bearin g in mind that

,

Moli ere beats every o n e o f them in expression and is a ,

great verse writer to boot ) -

The English have n o .

dramatists to co m pare i n this respect with t h e Irish .

Farquhar G oldsmith and S heridan surpass them a l l ; a n d

, ,

O K e e fe as a farce writer stands alon e

’
-
.
, ,

TH E IN S I D E O F A N O M N I BU S .

(M e n Wo m e n
, ,
an dB o o ks,

B Y the invention o f the omnibus all the world keeps its ,

coach ! And with what cheapness ! And to how much

social advantage ! N o plague with servants ; no expense
’ ’
fo r liveries no coach m akers and hors e doctors bills ; no
- -

keeping one s fellow creatures waiting fo r us in the cold

’
-

ni ght time and rain whil e the dance is goi n g down t h e

-

room o r another hour i s spent in bidding good bye and

,
-

lingering over the comfortable fire W e have n o occasion .

to think of it at a l l till we want it ; and then it either comes

to one s door o r you go forth and in a fe w minutes see it
’

, ,

up the street the man f—war among coaches — t h e

ba l l i n g — o -

whal e s back in t h e metropolitan flood while t h e driver i s

’ -
50 4 L EIG H H U NT S
’
ES S AYS .

wh o , for her part (tho u gh she knows it and could squeeze ,

al l their bonnets together fo r r a ge ) looks as firm and n u ,

co ncern ed as a statue .

E nter a dandy t o o handsom e to be quizzed ; a n d then a

,

man with a bu ndle w h o is agreeably surprised w ith t h e

,

ge ntlemanly toleration o f t h e dandy , and unaware o f the

secret disgust o f the Methodist .

Item an o l d gentleman ; then a very fat man ; then

, , ,

t w o fat elderly women o n e o f whom is very angry at th e

,

incommodious presence o f her counterparts while the other , ,

full o f good humour is comforted by it Th e youngster h a s

-

, .

i n the m eantim e gone t o sit o n the coach top in order to -

, .

mak e room an d we set o ff to t h e place o f o u r destination .

W hat an intense intimacy w e get with the face n eck ,

cloth waistcoat and watch chain o f the man who sits oppo
, ,
-

site us l W h o is he ? W hat is his name ? Is his care a

great care — a n a ffliction ? Is his look o f cheerfulness real ?
At l engt h h e lo ok s at ourselves asking himself no doubt , , ,

similar questions and as it is less pl e asant t o be scrutinized

,

than to scrutinize we now set him the e xample o f t urning

,

the eyes a nother way H o w unpleasant it m u st be to the

.

very fat m a n to be so gazed at ! Think if he sat as clos e ,

to us in a private room i n a ch air ! H o w he would get up

, ,

and walk away ! But here sit he must and have his por , ,

t r ait taken by o u r mem ories W e sigh for his plethora with.

,

a breath almost as piteous as his wheezing And he has a .

sensible face withal and has perhaps acquired a painf ul

, , ,

amount o f i ntellectual as well as physical knowledge from ,

the melancholy that has succeeded to his j oviality Fat .

“ ”
men always appear to be good fellows , unless there is
some man ifest proof to the contrary ; so we wish for his ,

sake that every b ody in this w orld could do j ust as he pleased

, ,

and die of a very dropsy o f delight .

Exeunt o u r fat friend and the more ill humoured of the

,
-

t w o fat women and enter in their places two young , ,

m others — o n e with a good hum oured child a female ; t h e

-

other with a great handso m e red check ed w ilful boy all

, ,
-

fl o u n c e and hat a n d feathers and red l egs w h o is eating a , ,

bun .

Enter an affable man ; w h o having protested it is very ,

cold and lamented a stopp a ge and vented the origina l

, ,

remark t hat y o u gain nothing by an omnibus i n point o f

 TH E INS IDE OF AN O MNIB US .
50 5

time subsides into an elegant silence but he is fastened

,
'

u po n by the man with the bu n dle who encouraged by his , ,

apparent good nature tells him in an undert one som e

’

, , ,

anecdotes relative to his own experience o f omnibuses which

the affable gentleman endures with a variety o f assent i ng
e xclamations intended quit e as much to stop as t o e n c o u
,
“ ”
rage n o t o n e o f which succeeds ; such as Ah !
,
Oh
” “ ” ”
Indeed ! Precisely I daresay ; I see ; Really ?
”
Very likely ; j erk ing the top o f h i s stick occasional ly
against his m outh as he speaks and n obody pityin g ,

him .

Meantim e the good humoured fat woman having ex -

pressed a wish to have a window closed which the i ll

humoured o n e had taken upon her to ope n and the t wo ,

young ladies i n the corner giving their a s sent but none o f ,

the three being able to pull it up the elderly gentleman i n , ,

an ardour of ga l lant ry anxious to show hi s pleasing combina

,
“ ”
tion o f strength and tenderness exclaims Permit me ; , ,

and j umping u p cannot do it at all The windo w cruelly

,
.

stic k s fast It o nly brings up all the blood i nto his fac e
.

with the mingled shame and incompetence o f the endeavour .

He is a conscientious kind o f incapable however is the , ,

e lderly gentleman s o he calls in the conductor who does ,

”
it i n an instant He knows the tric k says the elderly
.
,
“ ”
gentleman It s only a little bit new, says the conductor,
.
’

who hates to be called in .

Exeunt elderly and the maid servant , and e nter an n u -

reflecting young gentleman who has bought an orange and

must eat it im m ediately He accord i ngly begins by peeling .

it , an d is first made aware o f the delicacy o f his position by

the gigglem e nt o f the two young ladies and his doubt where ,
“ ”
he shall throw the peel He is in fo r it however and
.
, ,

must proceed ; so being unable to divide the orange into its

segments he ventures upon a great liquid bite which r e
, ,

sounds through the omnibus and covers th e w hole of t h e ,

lower part o f his face with pip and drip The young lady .

with the ringlets is right before him The two other young .

ladies stu ff their hand k erchiefs into their mouths and h e ,

into his o w n mouth the whole o f the rest o f the fruit ,

sloshy and too big with desperation in his heart and t h e
, ,

tears in his eyes N ever will he eat an orange again in

.

an omnibus H e doubts w hether he shall even venture

.
50 6 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

upon o n e at all in t h e presence o f his friends t h e Mis s ,

W ilkinsons .

Ente r at various times a n irascible gentleman , who is

, ,

constantly threateni n g to go o u t a long legged dragoon -

at whos e advent t h e young ladies are smit with sudden

gravity a n d appare nt obj ection ; a young sailor with a fac e ,

inn ocent o f everything but a pride in his slops who says ,

his mother does n o t li k e his going to sea ; a gentleman with

a boo k which we long to ask him to let us look at ; a m a n
,

with a do g which embitters t h e feet a n d ank les o f a sharp

,

visaged o l d lady and complete s h e r horror by getting o n t h e

,

e mp t y seat next her and looking o u t o f t h e window ,

divers
’
bankers clerks and tradesmen w h o think o f nothin g but ,

the b i lls in their pockets ; two estranged friends i g n o r i n g ,

e ach other ; a pompous fellow who suddenly looks modest ,

and bewitched having detected a baronet in t h e corner ; a

,

botanist with his t i n herbarium a young married couple ,

assuming a right t o b e fond i n public ; another from t h e

count r y who exalt all the rest o f the passengers i n self
,

0 pinion by betraying t h e amazing fact that they have never ,

before seen Piccadilly ; a footman intensely clean i n his ,

habiliments and very respectful for his hat subdues him

, , ,

as well as the strange feeling o f sitting inside ; four boys

going to school very pudding faced a n d not know ing how
,
-

t o behave (one p ul ls a string and top halfway o u t o f h i s

p o cket and all reply to questions i n monosyllables ) a
,

person with a constant smile o n his face having j ust cheated ,

another in a bargain close to him a ver y melancholy person ,

going to see a daughter on her deathbed and not hearing ,

a single one of t h e cheater s happy remarks a Fre n ch lady ’

looking at once amiable and worldly hard as it were in —

, ,

the midst o f her softness o r soft in the midst o f her hard ,

ness which you w i l l pr o b a b l y an actress or a teacher ;

- fl

two imm ense wh is k ered Italians uttering their delicious

-

language with a precision which shows that they are singers ;

a man in a smoc k froc k w h o by his sitting o n -
the edge o f, ,

the seat and perpetually watchi ng his time to go o u t seems

, ,

to make a constant apology for his presence in short every ,

description o f age rank temper occupation appearance , , , , ,

life character and behav iour from the thorough gentleman

, , ,

w h o quietly gives himself a lift o u t o f the rain secure in his ,

ea sy unaffected manner and his accommodating good breed -

go s L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’
.

OV ERRU N B Y A FL O C K O F S H EEP .

C a r fi n g t o n B l u n de l l
’
s D i sasters , in fil m ,
Wo m e n , a n (l B o o ks,

T U R NING a corner Ca r fi n g t o n Blundel l had the pleasure o f

,

seeing a hackney coach slowly moving in t h e distance and

-

the man holding forth his whip to the pedestrians evidently ,

dis engaged The back of it t o be sure was towards him ,

.
, ,

and the street long and narrow and very muddy But n o , .

’
matter An obj ect s an obj ect ; a littl e more mu d could not
.

signify ; o u r light footed su ff erer began running

-

N o w runners unfo r tunately are not always prepared for

, ,

corners ; especially when their anxiety has an obj ect righ t

before it and the haste is i n proportion Mr Blundell
, . .
,

al most before he was aware o f it , found himself in the middle

o f a flock o f sheep There was a hack ney coach also in t h e
.
-

way ; the dog was yelping an d leaping hither and thither ,

and the drover in a very loud state o f mind hooting

, , ,

whistling swearing and tossing up his arms

, , .

Mr Blundell it is cer t ain , could not have g o t into a

.
,

position less co n genial to hi s self possession or more c a l c u —

,

lated to commit his graces in the eyes o f the unpropitiated .

An d the sheep instead o f sympathizing with him as i n

, ,

their o w n distress they might (poetically ) be supposed to do ,

positively seemed in the league to distress his stock ings an d ,

n o t at a l l to consider even his higher garment They ran .

against him they bolted at him they leaped at him o r if

they see m ed t o avoid him it was only to brush him with ,

muddier sides and to let l n upon his weakened forces t h e

,

frightful earnestness o f t h e dog and the inconsiderate if , ,

n o t somewhat suspicious circumambiences o f the coachman s

’
,

whip .

Mr Blundell suddenly di sa ppe a i ed

. .

He fell down and the sheep began j umping over him !

,

The spectators I am sorry to say were in an ecstasy

, , .

Y o u know observant reader the way in w hich sheep

,

carry themselves on abrupt a n d saltatory occasions ; h o w

they follow o n e another with a sort of spurious and i n
voluntary energy ; what a pretended air o f determination
they have ; how they really have it as far as example ,

induces and fear propels them with what a heavy k ind o f

,

lightness they take the leap ; h o w brittl e in the legs lumpish ,

 OVERRU N B Y A F L O CK O F S H EEP .
509

in the body an d insigni fi cant in t h e fac e ; how they se e m t o

,

quiver with apprehension while they are h o l d in act ; and

,

with what a pr o vo k ing an d m a ssy springiness they brush by

you if you happen to be in t h e way as though they
, ,

wouldn t avoid the terrors o f your presence if possible— o r

’
,

rather as if they would avoid it with all their heart s but

, ,

insulted y o u o u t o f a desperation o f inability B a a s i n .

t e r m i x their pensive objections with the hurry and a sound ,

o f feet as o f water Then ever and anon come the fi e r c e r

.
, ,

leaps the conglomerating circuits t h e dorsal visi t ations t h e

, , ,

yelps and tongue l o l l i n g s o f the dog lean an d earnest

-

minister o f compulsion ; and loud and dominant over all , ,

ex u lt the no less yelping orders o f the drover — i n de fi n i t e it ,

i s true b u t expressive — rustical cogencies o f 0 0 and o n t h e

, ,

intelligible jargon of the C orydon o r Th y r si s o f C halk D itch ,

who cometh final and humane with a bit o f can dle i n his
, ,

hat a spike at the end o f his stick , and a hoarseness full o f

,

pastoral catarrh and j uniper .

Thrice (as the poets say ) did C a r fi n g t o n Blundell Esquire , ,

raise his unhappy head o u t o f the m élé e hatless and mudded ,

thrice did the spectators shout and thrice did he sink back
from the shout and t h e sheep in cal amitous a cquiescence , .

L i e still you fool ! said the hackney co a chman

, and -

,
’
they ll j ump easy .

J U M P EAS Y Heavens ! how strange a r e the vicissitudes

o f human affairs To thin k o f Mr Blundell only but
. .

yesterday o r this evening rather nay n o t an hour ago

,
—
,

his day fine his hopes immense his whole life lapped up as
, , ,

it were , i n cotton and lavender his success elegant his , ,

evening about to be spent in a room full o f admirers ; and

N o w his very prosperity is to consist i n l y ing still in t h e
,

mud and letting sheep j ump over him

,
”
Then to be called a fool L i e still y o u f o o l ,

Mr Blundell could n o t stand it any longer (a s t h e

.

Irishman sai d) so he rose up j ust in time t o secure a k ick

from the last sh e ep and emerged amidst a roar o f c o n
,

gratulation .
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

51 0 .

TH E L A S T VI CTI M OF A H O AX .

Ca r fi n g t o n B l u n de l l ’
s D i sasters , i n M e n Wo m e n , ,
a n d B o o ks ,

TH E man ran at the boy first making a gesture to o u r hero

, ,
’ ”
as mu ch as to say I ll be with you again presently The
, .

crowd hustled the man back ; the undertaker had seized the
opportunity o f repeating that he hoped his honour would
consider his trouble the gl ass man and the upholsterer -

were o n each side o f him ; and suddenly the heavy shout

recommenced for a new victim had turned the corner a
,
-

stranger to what was taking place — a man with some sort

’
o f milliner s or fl o r i s t s box The crowd doted o n his face
'
. .

First he turned the corner with the usual look o f indifferent

,

hurry ; then he began to have an inquiring expression but ,

without the least intimation that the catastrophe applied to

himself ; then the stare became wider and a littl e doubtful ; ,

and then he stopped short as if to reconn oitre — a t which ,

the laugh was prodigious But t h e new comer was wise ; .

-

fo r he ask ed what was t h e matter o f the first person h e ,

cam e up with and learning h o w the case stood had energy ,

e nough to compound with o n e mor e hearty laugh in prefer ,

e nce to a series o f m o r t i fi c a t i o n s H e fairly t u rned back .

,

pur sued by a r o a r and o h 1 h o w h e loved t h e corner as h e ,

went round it ! Every hair at t h e back o f his h e ad h a d

seemed t o tingl e with consciousness and annoyanc e H e .

felt as if he saw with his should e r blad e s a s if h e w a s face -

t o fa c e a t t h e back o f his hat .

B EDS AND B ED R OO M S .

(M e n Wo m e n , ,
a nd B o o ks ,

W E hav e written elsewhere [ in the In di ca t o r ] o f “ sleep ,

“ “ ”
an d of dreams and o f getti n g u p o n col d mornings
, ,

and divers other matters conn e cted with bed ; but unle ss ,

w e had written volumes o n that o n e subj ect it would b e ,

hard indeed if w e could n o t find fresh matter t o speak o f ,

connected with t h e bed itself and t h e room which it ,

i nhabits W e i n voluntarily u se a verb with a hu m an sense

.
 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AY S
’

51 2 .

com e to be d so soon (which you rather wonder at ) you a r e ,

at liberty to make what conclusions you please as to t h e

superior nature o f your condition An d there is this c o n .

sideration besides that y o u being in bed and others up a l l , , ,

cares and attentions naturally fall to t h e portions o f thos e

individuals ; so that y o u a r e at once the master of your o w n
r epose and o f their activity A bachelor however may .
, ,

e njoy a good deal o f this He may have ki ndr ed in t h e .

house o r servants , o r the man and woman that keep t h e

,

lodging ; and from his reflections o n all o r e ither o f thes e

persons , he may derive no little satisfaction It is a lordly .

thing t o consider that others a r e sitting up and nobly doing, ,

some duty o r other with sleepy eyes while ourselves a r e , ,

e xq u isitely shutting ours ; they being also ready to answer

’
one s bell bring us o u r white win e whey o r lamp o r what
, , ,

n o t o r e ven t o go o u t i n spite o f t h e rain fo r some fruit

, ,

should we fancy it o r fo r a doctor i n cas e w e should be i ll , ,

o r to answer som e question fo r t h e mer e pl e asur e o f answ e r

i n g it .

W ho s th e re ? ’

Me sir ; Mrs Jones , . .

Oh I beg your pardon , M r s Jon e s ; I merely r ang t o

, .

”
k n o w if you were up .

D ear m e yes sir and like ly to b e this hour

, , ,
.

(A si de a n d ka ppy )
’
Poor soul
’
It s Mr J o n e s s club night sir .
-

, .

Poor woman ! C apital pillow this

’
And it s a full hour s walk from t h e Jolly G ard e n e rs ’
.

( )
“ ”
Poor Jones ! Very easy mattres s A l ou d Ble ss
’ ’
m e that s a bad business ; and it rains doe sn t it , Mrs
, ,
.

”
Jones ?
A v il e rain sir with an east wind , , .

( Poor Jones
“
D elicious curtains these !) C ouldn t t h e ’

servant sit up and let Mr Jones in ? ,

.

’
L ord sir we r e both o f us sitting up ; for I m frighted
’
, ,

o u t of my wits sitting alone ; and Mr Jones wouldn t b e

’

, .

’
pleased if I didn t see him i n myself .

(
“
Poor woman )
I G ood night M r s Jones ; pray don t -

, .
’

s tand any longer at that cold door .

”
D o y o u want anything si r ? ,

N othing I than k y o u I a m very comfortabl e W hat

, . .

’ ”
o clock is i t ?
 B ED S A ND B ED R OOMS .
51 3

J u st going o n e sir , .

Poor creature — Poor S usan Poor Jones ! PV/t e w —

goes the wind pa t t e r go the windows ; r u m bl e goes a coach

to sleep go I .

This is pretty — but a wife instead of the woman o f the ,

’
house — a wife up and going a b out lik e one s guardian angel
,
-

we also loving her well and having entreated her n ot to sit ,

up only she is forced to do so for this half hour either we

,
—

know nothing of bliss itself or t h e variety merely a s a ,

—
.

variety — the having a whole bed for half an hour merely as ,

a c h a n g e from that other superhuman elysian state — t h e

seeing even a little pain borne so beautifully by the partner
”
o f o ne s existence
’
whom o f course we love the better for
, , ,

it and cannot but rej oice in seeing gifted with such an

,

opportunity o f showing herself to advantage — all this if we ,

mistak e not (owing to o u r present b a chelor hall u cination ) ,

m ust be a sublimation of satisfaction unknown to soj ourners

at large who are but too often accused with j ustice o f
, , ,

having more room than they know what to do with .

A bed to be perfectly comfortable S hould be warm clean

, , , ,

well m ade and o f a reasonable softness People differ as to

,
.

the amount o f t h e softness The general opinion seems to .

b e in favour o f feather beds To ourselves (if the fact m u s t -

.

b e publicly torn out o f us by a candour trying to the sense

o f o u r nothingness ) a feather bed is a S lough o f D espond,
-

W hen we are in the depths o f it we long to be 0 11 the ,

heights W hen we get o n the heights down they go with

.
,

us and turn into depths The feathers hamper us ;obstruct

, .
,

irritate suffocate W e lose the sense o f repose and inde

,
.

e n de n c e and feel ourselves in the hands o f a soft lubberly

p ,

gi a n t .

W armth cleanliness and eas e being secured it is of minor

, , ,

i mportance what sort of a bed we lie i n whether it has ,

curtains o r a canopy or even legs W e can lie o n the floor

, , .

for that matter provided the palliasse be o f decent thick

,

ness The floor itself the n becomes a part of the great field
.

o f rest in which we expatiate T h ere is n othing to bound .

o u r right o f incumbency we can gather the clothes about

us and roll on the floor if we please
, .

C ommend us (for a climate like ours ) to a bedchamber o f

the middle order such as it was set o u t about a hundred
,

years back and may still be seen in the houses o f som e o l d

,

L L
 51 4 LE I G H H U NT S ES S A Y S
’
.

fam i lies : the room o f moderate size ; the four —post bedstead
neatly and plentifully but n o t richly draperied the chairs , ,

draperied also down to the ground ; a drapery over t h e

,

toilet ; the carpet a goo d o l d Turkey o r Brussels not

, ,

covering the floor an d easily to b e taken u p an d shaken ;

,

th e wardrobe a n d drawers o f o l d shini n g o a k walnut o r , ,

mahogany ; a few cabinet pictures as exquisite as y o u ,

please ; the windows with seats and looking u pon some ,

green place ; two o r three small shelves of books ; an d t h e

drawers when they are opened redolent o f lavender and
, ,

clean linen W e should be heartily ashamed o f ourselves

.

if we could not sleep happily i n any bed (down a n d m u d

always excepted ) provided only it had e nough clothes to
,

keep us warm and were as clean and decent as honest

,

poverty coul d make it W e talk o f fine chambers and .

,

luxurious contrasts o f sitters —u p but our secret passion i s

for a homely room in a cottage with perfect quiet a book , ,

o r two and a sprig o f rosemary in the window ; not t h e

,

book o r t wo for the purpose o f reading in bed (having —

once received a startling lesson that way and n o t choosi n g ,

to burn down the v illage ) but in order that we may s e e —

them i n the window the first thing i n the morning together ,

with the trees o f which they discourse Add t o this a watch .

,

dog a t a distance and a m e a n i n g wind n o matter how

, ,
”
“
m elancholy provided it does not blow a tempest (fo r
,

though N ature does nothing but for good the par ticular ,

s u fi e r i n g sometimes presses upon the im a gination

) and
'

we ,

drop to sleep i n a transport o f comfort C ompare such a .

bed as t h is with o n e we have seen during a storm o f fi ft y

six hours duratio n at sea the occupant (the mate o f t h e
’
,

vessel ) with his hands wet black blistered and smarting , , ,

with th e cold and the very bed (a hole in a corn er ) as wet

,

as his hands ! And the common sailors had w orse ! And

yet the worst o f all shut o u t from wet and cold as they ,

were but not having work li k e t h e seamen t o occupy the

,

mind were the cribs o f a parcel of children tossi n g about

,

in all this tempest an d the bed o f their parents o n t h e

,

cabi n floor W ith these recollections (as the whole vessel

.

got safe ) we sometimes think w e could find it in o u r hearts

,

to relish e ven a feather bed -

.

A very larg e bedroom in an o l d country hous e is not —

ple a sant , where t h e c a ndle shows y o u the darkness at t h e

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S AYS
’

51 6 .

to half the account they might do t h e innu m e rable beautie s

which Heaven has lavished upon the world both in art and ,

nature Better hang a wild rose over t h e toilet than

.

nothing The eye that looks in the glass will see there
.

something besides itself ; and it will acquire so mething o f a

religious right to respect i tself in thinking b
by how many ,

obj ects in the creation the bloom o f b e a u t y 1 s shared

'

Th e most sordidly ridiculous anecdote we remember o f a

bedchambe r is o n e in t h e life o f Elwes the rich miser who
, , , ,

aski n g a visitor o n e morning how he had rested and being ,

told that he could n o t escape from the rain which cam e

through the roof o f the apartment till he h a d found o u t ,

o n e particular corner in which to stow the truckle b e d said -

,
“
laughingly and without any sense o f shame Ah Iwhat
, ,
’

y o u found it o u t did you ? Ah that s a nic e corner isn t ’

, ,

it ? This however is surpassed in dramatic e ffect by t h e

, , ,

story o f two ministers o f state i n t h e last century who , ,

were seen o n e day by a sudden visitor, furiously discussi n g

,

some great question o u t o f two separate beds in o n e room ,

by daytime their arms and bodies thrust forward towards

,

e ach other o u t of the clothes and t h e gesticul ation going o n ,

accordingly If o u r memory does not deceive us o n e of

.
,

them was L ord C hatham He had t h e gout and his colleagu e

.
,

coming in to see him and the weather being very cold and
, ,

no fi r e in the room the noble earl had persuaded his visitor

,

t o get into th e other bed The most ghastly bedcham ber .

story in real life (next to some actually mortal o n e s ) i s

, ,

that o f a lady who dreamt that her servant maid was coming -

into the room to murder her S h e 1 o se in the bed w ith .

the horro r o f the dream in her face ; and sitting up thu s

appalled encou n tered in the openi n g door th e sight of t h e
, , ,

no less horrified face o f the maid servant comin g i n with a —

,

light t o do W h a t her m istress appreh e n ded .

TH E W OR L D OF B O O KS .

(Me n Wo m e n , , a nd B o o ks,

IT would puzzle a wise man though not a fool to prove t o , ,

himsel f that I wa s not in so m e s piritual m easure , in a n y

,
 TH E YVO RL D O F B O O K S .

place where I chose to pitch my imagination I notice thi s .

metaphysical subtlety the better to impress a conviction ,

which I have that I know S cotland very well and have

—
,

been there many times .

W hether we go to another country 0 11 these occasions in ,

the manner o f a thing spiritual our souls being pitched o u t ,

of ourselves like rockets o r meteors or whether the cou ntry

comes to us and our large souls are inhabited by it for the
,

time being upon the principle of the greater includ ing th e

,

less , the mind o f man being a far more capacious thing

—

than any set o f square miles I shall leave the curiou s to ,

—

determine ; but if I am not intimate with the very best

parts o f S cotland and have not seen them a thousand times
, ,

the n do I kno w nothing o f Burns or Allan Ramsay o r , ,

W alter S cott o r S mollett o r O ssian or James the First o r

, , ,

Fifth o r snoods or cockern onies or g l o a m i n o r birks and

, , ,
’
,

burnies o r pl aids bonnets o r phillabegs o r Joh n Knox o r

, , , , ,

Q u een Mary o r the Oa n o n g a t e o r the Oa l t o n Hill o r Hume

, , ,

an d Robertson or T w eedside o r a haggis o r cakes o r , , ,

heather o r reels and strathspeys o r G lengarry o r all the

, , ,

clans o r Auld Robin G ray or a mist o r ra ppee o r second

, , , ,

sight or the kirk o r the cutty —stool o r gol f and h u rling o r

, , , ,

the Border o r Bruce an d W a llace o r bagpipes o r bon ni e

, , ,

lassies .

’
“
A l over s pl a id an d a bed o f heath says t h e right ,

poetical Allan C unningha m “

are favourite topics with the ,

northern muse W hen the heather is i n bloom , it is worthy

.

o f becomi n g the couch o f beauty A sea of brown blossom , .

undulating as far as the eye can reach , and swarming with

w ild bees is a fin e sight
, S i r I have seen it a million .
,

t imes th ough I n ever set eyes o n it

,
.

W h o that has ever read it is n o t put into visual posses ,

‘

“
sion o f the following scene i n the G entle S hepherd ?
A fi o wr i e h o w m b etween twa verdant b raes ,

Where l a sse s u se d to wash a n d spread the ir claes

‘

A trott ing b u rn i e w i m pl ing thro u g h the g ro u nd

, ,

It s channe l peb b les sh in in g s m ooth and ro u nd ;

H ere v i ew twa b are foot b eau t i es clean a n d clear , .

Or this L
Th e Open fi e l d — A cottag e i n a g len
A n au l d w i fe spi nn ing at t h e su nny e n ’
.
51 8 LEIG H H U NT S
’
ES S AYS .

Or this other a perfect domesti c p i cture

,

Wh i le Peg g y laces u p h e r b osom fa i r ,

IVi a b l u e snood J enny b inds u p her ha i r ;

’

G l a n d b y a m orn ing i ng le tak es a b ee k ,

T h e ri s in g su n sh i nes m otty thro u g h the ree k

A pi pe h i s m o u th t h e lasses please h i s e c n
, ,

A n d now a n d then a jo k e m au n i ntervene .

The globe we i nhabit is divisible into t w o worlds ; o n e

hardly less tangible and far more known than the other, ,

the common geographical world and the world o f books ; ,

and the l atter may be as geographically set forth A man .

o f letters conversant with poetry and romance might

, ,

draw out a very curious map in which this world O f boo k s ,

should be delineated and fi lled up to the delight o f all ,

genuine readers as truly as that in G uthrie o r Pin k erto n

,
.

To gi ve a specimen an d begi n with S cotland S cotland , ,

—

would n o t be the mere territory it is with a scale o f so ,

many m iles to a degree a n d such and such a population , .

W h o (except a patriot o r cosmopolite ) cares for the miles

o r the men o r k nows that they exist
, in any degree of ,

consciousness with which he cares for the never dying p e pu —

lation o f b o o k s l H O W many generations o f men have

'
.

passed away and will pass in Ayrshire o r D umfries and

, , ,

not all the myriads be as interesting to us as a single Burns ?

W hat have we known o f them o r shall ever know , w hether ,

lairds lords o r ladies , in co m parison with th e inspired

, ,

ploughman ? But we know o f the bards and t h e l a sse s a n dt h e ,

places which he has recorded i n song ; we know the scene o f

’ ’
Tam o S h a n t e r s exploit ;we know the pastoral landscapes
above quoted and the scenes immortalized in W alter S cott
,

an d the Old bal l ads ; a n d, therefore , the book m a p o f S cot —

lan d would present us with the most prominent o f these .

W e should have the border with its banditti towns and , , ,

woods T w eedside Melrose and Roslin Edina otherwise

, , , ,

called Edinburgh and Auld Reekie or the town of Hume , ,

Robertson and others ; W oodhouselee an d other classica l

, ,

an d haunted places ; the bower built by the fair hands o f

’
Bessie Bell and Mary G ray t h e farmhouses of B u r n s s
friends ; the scen es o f his l oves and sorrows ; the land o f
“ ”
of
“
O l d Mortality the G entle S hepherd
,
and of
”
O ssi a n The Highlands and the great bl u e billowy
.
,

domains of heather, would be distinctly marked o u t , i n their

 H U NT S ES S A YS
’
52 0 L EIG H .

have made us wel l acquainted w ith it better a great deal , ,

than millions Of its inhabitants are acquainted fel lows who

th ink it in the middle of the world and know nothing o f ,

themselves W ith o n e C hina they a r e totally unacquainted

.
,

t o wit the great C hina o f th e poet and o l d travellers

, ,

C athay seat o f C a t h i a n C a n
,
the cou n try o f which ,

A r i o st o s “ ’ ”
Angelica was princess royal ; yes she was a -

,
“
C hinese the fairest of her sex An gelica
, I t shows that , .

the ladies in that country must have greatly degenerated ,

for it is impossible t o conceive that Ariosto and O rlando , ,

and Rinaldo and King S acripant who w a s a C ircassian

, , ,

could have been i n love with her for having e y es and feet
like a pig .

Book England on the map would shine as the Albion o f

-

, ,
”
l
the o d G iants ; as the L ogres o f the Knights o f the
“

Round Table ; as the scene of Amadis of G aul with its ,

i s la n d of W indsor ; as the abode of fairies o f the D ruids , ,

o f the divin e C ountess of C ove ntry o f G u

y Earl o f W a r , ,
”
wick o f Alfred (whose reality was a romance ) o f the
,
“
,

Fair Rosamond of the Arcades and C omus o f C haucer and

, ,

S penser o f the poets o f the G lobe and the Merm ai d the

, ,

wits o f Twickenham and Hampton C ourt Fleet S treet .

’
would be Johnson s Fleet S treet ; the Tower would belo n g
to Julius Ca esar ; and Blac k friars to S uck ling Vandyke , and ,

the D unciad .

I have seen various places in Europe which h ave ,

been rendered interesting by great men and their works ;

and I never found myself the worse for seeing the m ,

but the better I seem to have made friends with them

.

in their o w n houses : t o hav e w a lked an d tal k ed and , ,

su ffered and enj oyed with them ; and if their books have
,

made the places better the books themselves were there ,

which made them so and w hich grew o u t o f them The , .

’
poet s hand was o n the place , blessing it I can n o m ore .

separate this idea from the spot than I can take away ,

from it any other beauty Even in L on don I find t h e .

,

principl e hold good in me though I have lived there many ,

years and , o f course associated it with every commonpl ace

, ,

the most unpoetical The greater still includes the less .

and I can no more pass thro u gh W estminster without ,

thin ki n g o f Milton ; or the Borough without thinking o f ,

C haucer and S h a k spe a r e ; o r G ray s Inn , without calling

’
 G IB B ON .

Bacon to mind ; o r Bloo m sbury S quare without S teele and ,

A k e n si de than I can prefer brick and mortar to W i t an d

—

poetry o r not see a beauty upon it beyond architecture i n

, ,

the splendour o f the recollection I once h a d duties to .

perform w hich kept m e o u t l ate a t night and severely

, ,

taxed my health and spirits My path lay through a neigh

.

b o u r h o o d in which D ryden lived and though nothing could

be more common place and I used to be tired t o the heart
,

and soul of me I never hesitated to go a little o u t o f the

,

way purely that I might pass throug h G erard S treet , and

,

so give myself the shadow o f a pleasant thought .

BA G PIP ES .

( T abl e Ta l k ,

AN air pl ayed o n the bagpipes with that detestable mono

, ,

tonous drone o f theirs for the bass is like a tune tied ,

p ost .

TH E CO U N T EN A N C E AFT ER D EA TH .

(Ta bl e Ta l k,

A C O R PS E seems as if it suddenly knew every thi n g , and

was profoundly at peace in consequence .

G I BB O N .

(Ta ble Ta lk,

’
P ER H AP S G ibbon s life was altogether a little t o o sel fi sh ,

and lapped u p in cotton He lumbered from his bed to his

.

b e a r d an d back a gain w ith his books in the intervals o r

, , ,

rather divided his time between the three in a sort o f ,

swinishness o f scholarship Martyrdom and he were at

.

a pretty distance ! He was an admirable L atin scholar, a

 L EIG H H U NT S ES S A YS
’
52 2 .

punctilious historian an interesting writer in s pit e o f

,

a bad style ; an d his faults of every kind appear to , ,

have bee n o w ing to temperament and disease and to his ,

having been an indulged infant and heir to an e asy ,

fortune L e t us b e than k ful we got so much out o f h i m and

'

.
,
’
that so diseased a body got so much out o f l i fe A writer s .

i n fi r m i t i e s are sometimes a reader s gain I f G ibbon had ’

.

n ot disliked so much to go o u t of doors we might not ,

have had the “ D ecline and Fall .

W OR L D S O F D I FF ER ENT P EO P L E .

( Ta bl e T al k,
’
TH E world ! The man of fa shion means S t James s by .

it ; the m ere man o f trad e means the Exchange and a good

prudent mistrust But men o f sense an d imagination
.
,

whether in the world of fashion o r trade who use the eyes ,

and faculties which G o d has given them mean His beautiful ,

planet gorgeous with sunset lovely with green fields mag

, , ,

n ifi cen t with mountains a great rolling energy full of

—
,

health love and hope and fortitude and endeavour C o m

, , , , .

’
pare this world with the others The man of fashion s is .

’
n o better than a billiard ball the mon ey getter s than a
— -

musty pl u m .

RU S S IAN H O R N BA N D .

(Ta bl e Ta l k

TH E Russian horn music (says an authority whos e

name I have forgotten ) was invented by Prince G allitzin ,

i n 1 76 2 .This instrument consists o f forty persons w h o s e ,

l ife i s sp en t i n bl o w i n g o n e n o t e
”
This to be sure is sounding
.
, ,
“
the very bass note o f humility
~
A man converted into
.

a crotchet ! A n A flat in the sixtieth year o f his age A

fellow—creature o f Alfred an d Epaminondas wh o has passed ,

his life in acting a semitone ! i n waiting for h i s turn to

exist and then seizing the desperate instant and being
, ,

a puff !
52 4 E
L IG H H U NT S ES S AYS
‘
.

C H EERFU L N ES S IN EN G L I S H L IT ERATUR E .

( Ta bl e Ta l k ,

C AS T your eyes down any l ist of English w riters such for , ,

’
instance as that at the en d of Mr C raik s History o f O u r
, .

”
L iterature and almost the only names that stri k e you as
,

belonging to personally cheerful men are Beaumont an d

Fletcher S uc k ling Fielding Farquhar S teele O K e e fe
, , , , ,
’
,

Andrew Marvell and S terne That S h a k spe a r e was cheer

, .

ful I have no doubt for he was almost everything ; but

, ,

still it is n ot his predominant characteristic ; which is

“
thought S heridan could set the table i n a r e a r
. but it
wa s a fi u st e r e d o n e at somebody s expense His wit ’
.
,

wanted good nature Prior had a smart air like h i s cap

-

.
,
.

But he was a rake who became cynical He wrote a poem .

i n th e character o f S olomon o n the vanity o f all things ,

.

Few w ri ters make you laugh more than Peter Pind ar ;

but there was a spice o f t h e blackguard in him Y o u .

could not be sure o f his truth o r h i s goodwill .

There should be a j oyou s set o f elegant extracts a

L i t e r a l m a H i l a r i s o r G a u cl e n s in a score o f volumes , that
-

we could have at hand like a cellaret of good wine against , ,

April o r N ovember weather Fielding shoul d be the port . ,

and Farquhar t h e champagne and S tern e t h e malmsey ,

a nd whenever the possessor c a st an eye o n his stock he

.

shoul d know that he had a choice draught fo r himself after a

disappoi ntment o r fo r a frien d after dinner som e cordial
,
—

extract of Parson Adams o r Plum e o r Uncle Toby , , ,

generous as h eart could desire and as wholesom e for it as ,

la u g hter for t h e lungs .

L EO NTIU S .

B Y C H AR L ES K ENT .

(B e n t l ey s
’
M i sc e l l a n y , J u n e
H AIL ! G reybeard stri pli n g— you n g through sev e nty years ,
L ord o f o u r l au ghter , master o f our tears ;
”
On e of
those old familiar faces all
W ith pleasure from the radiant past recall
 L EONTIU S .
52 5

Fri e nd and co m panio n of t h e po e t throng

That save thee only to that past belong
, o ,
.

C hief o f a school so long contemned and scorned ,

’
E en though by Adonais life adorned
’
.

Bard of the realms of C ockaigne dubbed in j est ,

W ith what a grace when tak en to thy breast ,

The brand o f ridicule became the meed ,

The badg e and symbol o f thy rhythmic creed !

An e a t e n pipe t h e sc e ptre o f thy sway
, ,

Put to thy lips lent music to thy lay

,
’
From D ante s verse aga in in thin e I see ,

Revived the tender loves Of Rimini .

Again the pale Magici an o f the Bow

Bids rapture from our tremblin g heart strings fl o w -

Flo w to t h e echo o f the thrilling chords ,

S truck from t h e living lyr e of thy words .

Again with dancing curls and laughing eye

, ,

The sweet b o y elf o f years and years gone by

-

Perched o n thy shoulder claps his tiny hands , ,

Or clasps thy forehead with their loving bands .

S e a sons hav e burgeoned blossomed teemed wit h fruits , , ,

Acorns reared high t heir boles , struck deep their roots ,

Babes turned to matrons youth to hoary age , ,

’ ’
S ince thy first reader s soul hung o e r thy page
Y e t still thy blooms cling freshly to their stalks ,
S till the bit wrangles a s thy palfrey walks ,
’ ’
S till stirs the love tal e neath thy lover s touch
-

Till leaves are l e ft for looks that tell t o o much ,

Tell the dear secret hearts but once disclose

’
Theirs than Pandora s box more fraught with woe s
, , .

It was with thee the vernal dawn of life , ,

W hen wayside themes with blooming fancies rif e

’
S kirt the dull high road ev n as hedgerows hung -

W ith May s sweet blossoms — May thy voic e hath sun g

’
, ,

S ung as the fabled N ighting a le the Rose ,

W hen t h e bi rd warbles and the fl o w e r e t glows .

O ft then thy brimming smiles and j ocund tears ,

Held quaint communion with long dead compeers

The bright eyed Elia with his tortuous quips
—
,

W here wit s bee wisdom sweet from bitter sips

’
-

And studious S outhey lapped in antiq ue lore , ,

W h o bre athed new life b e neath t h e ribs o f yore ;

52 6 L EONTIU S .

And ardent S helley with his seraph look

The heaven his picture and t h e earth his nook
And C oleridge dreaming dreams when y o ung— w hen o l d
D reams o f Arcadi a and the Age o f G old ,

Visions that fir st gree n S u sq u e h a n n a h yields ,

Visions at last but o f Elysian Fields .

These and their kindred forms m a y n ever more

Pass and repass thy genial glance before 1

N ever again u pon thi ne ear shall fall

O n e well k nown voice then loved beyond them all
-

, ,

The voice th a t through the rustling leaves at morn ,

C himed mid the Tuscan garden o ft was borne

’
,

W hen from his casement sill C hild e Harold there

-

L e on ti u s called thee from thy student lair ;

And when with pencilled book and scrib b led leaf ,

Each to the other breathed his j oy and grief ;

Rang the new minted couplet from the page
-

Making sweet music i n the hermitage .

Y e t n one in thee 0 Veteran mark the mien

,

O f o n e superfluous lagging o n the scene ,

D ear to the youngest of th i s later throng
Ali k e thy silver locks thy golden song , .

Quenched though the lambent friends hips o f thy youth ,

O n humbler altars burns the fire o f Truth ,

By hearths where o ft thy unseen footsteps roam ,

Familiar as the lares of o u r home .

W elcome as buds in April dew at dawn , ,

From rind o f years from night o f sorrows drawn

, ,

The vernal fancies spark ling a ffluent green

, , , ,

Here in thine Opening leaves o f verse yet seen

’ ’
Here in t h y drama s grace thy lyric s hue , ,

The b uds thy fancies and o u r tears t h e dew

, .

’ ’
Apollo s Feast though years ago t h o u s t sung
, ,
’
S til l at the board thou s i t t s t in hea r t yet young
Joy smooth thy wr inkles with his dimpling sm il e ,

Peace brim thy frugal cup with he a lth the while ,

Time count with rhythmic pulse thy latest hours ,

And hid e his sno w beneath a crow n of flowers
52 8 B IB L IO G RAP H Y .

T h e Pa fl re y : a L o ve S to ry o f Ol d T im e s 8 vo pp 80 .
, .

O n e H u n dre d Ro m a n c e s o f R e a l L i fe Ro y a l 8 v o pp 1 3 2 .
, .

In tro du c ti o n t o T h o rn to n H u n t s N o ve l o f T h e F o ste r B ro th er
‘

mo
W
12

The Po e tic a l ei ks of L e ig h H un t . En l a rg e d ed iti o n , 1 2 11 1 0 ,

pp . x ii , 2 88
Im a g i n a ti o n and Fa n c y le c ti o s fro m
: Se n t h e Po e s t . 8 vo , pp 3 4 5 .

Wi t an d H um ou r: S e l e c te d fro m t h e En g l i sh P o e ts . 8 v0 , pp .

xi,
3 57
S to ri e s r f o m th e I a t l ia n P o e ts . 2 vo l s . 8 vo
M e n , W om e n , vo l s 8 vo
and B o ok s . 2 .

A J a r o f H o n e y fro m M o u n t Ib la 8 vo pp x x iii 2 0 0 .
, .
,

T h e T o wn : i t s M e m o ra b l e C h a ra te rs a nd Eve n t s 2 vo l s S W) c . .

A B o o k fo r 8 C o rn e r o r s e le c ti o n s i n Pro s e a n d V e rse 8 vo
.
, .

Re a di n g s fo r Ra i l w a y s 1 2 m o pp iii 1 3 6 .
,
.
,

A u t o b io g r a ph y o f L e i g h H u n t 3 vo l s 8 vo . .

T a ble T a lk-
T o w h i c h a r e a dde d Im a g i n a ry C o n ve rsa ti o n s o f P O pe
.

a n d S w i ft 8 vo pp 2 51 .
, .

T h e Rel ig i o n o f t h e H e a rt : a Ma n u a l o f F a ith a n d D u ty 8 v0 .
,

pp x x i v 2 59
.
,

T h e O l d C o u rt S u b u rb o r M e m o ria l s o f K e n s i n g to
,
Re g a l Criti c a l n
, , ,

a n d A n e c do ta l 2 vo l s 8 v o . . .

S to ri e s i n V e rs e : n e w fi rs t c o l l e c te d 8 v pp 3 55 . o, .

In t1 o du e t o r y Pre fa c e t o Fi n e st S c e n e s fro m B e a u m o n t a n d F l e tc h e r .

8 vo , pp v x x i -

r s o f Le i g h nt Rvi ed b y h i m lf
. .

T h e P o e ic a l W o k t Hu . e s se . 2 vo ls .

8 vo B tn US. os o ,
. .

A S a u n ter th ro u g h t h e W e st En d 8 vo pp i x 2 51 .
,
.
,

T h e C o rr e spo n de nc e o f L e i g h H u nt 2 vo l s 8 vo . .

fl, In g i vi n g t h i s C a ta l o g u e
”
of the W o rk s
t g ra te fu l of L e ig h H u n ,

m e n ti o n sh o u l d b e m a de o f t h e e x h a u sti ve L i st o f h i s W riti n g s w ith ,

No te s an ritic a l Opi n i o n s
d C , priva te l y pri n te d i n 1 8 6 8 b y hi s o l d frie n d ,

Mr . Al e x a n de r Ire la n d .

PRI T E N D BY B N NE N ON AL L A TY , HA S A ND CO .

L O ND N N E D N U RG H O A D I B

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