beers' a history of english romanticism in the eighteenth century

8/11/2019 Beers' a History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, A History of English Romanticism in theEighteenth Century, by Henry A. Beers

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Title' A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century

Author' Henry A. Beers

Release (ate' )arch *+, *- eBook /0-++12

&anguage' English

3334TART 56 THE PR57ECT G8TE9BERG EB55: A H;4T5R# 56

E9G&;4H R5)A9T;C;4) ;9 THE E;GHTEE9TH CE9T8R#333E%teas unsterblich im Gesang soll leben )uss im &eben untergehen.= ?4chiller

PREFACE

Historians of 6rench an! German literature are accustome! to set off a$erio!, or a !i"ision of their subject, an! entitle it =Romanticism= or =theRomantic 4chool.= >riters of English literary history, hile recogni@ing

the im$ortance of Englan!s share in this great mo"ement in Euro$eanletters, ha"e not generally accor!e! it a $lace by itself in the arrangementof their subject%matter, but ha"e treate! it cursi"ely, as a ten!ency $resentin the ork of in!i"i!ual authors an! ha"e maintaine! a sim$lechronological !i"ision of eras into the =Georgian,=, the =ictorian,= etc.The reason of this is $erha$s to be foun! in the fact that, althoughRomanticism began earlier in Englan! than on the Continent an! lent Duiteas much as it borroe! in the international e


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all%$er"a!ing romantic fashion in Englan!.

There is, therefore, nothing in English corres$on!ing to Heines fascinatingsketch =(ie Romantische 4chule,= or to Tho$hile Gautiers almost eDuallyfascinating an! far more sym$athetic =Histoire !u Romantisme.= ;f e can

imagine a com$osite $ersonality of Byron an! (e Fuincey, $utting onrecor! his half affectionate an! half satirical reminiscences of thecontem$orary literary mo"ement, e might ha"e something nearlyeDui"alent. 6or Byron, like Heine, as a re$entant romanticist, ith=ra!ical notions un!er his ca$,= an! a critical theory at o!!s ith his

$ractice hile (e Fuincey as an early !isci$le of >or!sorth an!Coleri!ge,?as Gautier as of ictor Hugo,?an! at the same time a cle"eran! slightly mischie"ous sketcher of $ersonal traits.

The $resent "olume consists, in substance, of a series of lectures gi"en in

electi"e courses in #ale College. ;n re"ising it for $ublication ; ha"e stri"ento ri! it of the air of the lecture room, but a fe re$etitions an! !i!acticismsof manner may ha"e ina!"ertently been left in. 4ome of the metho!s an!results of these stu!ies ha"e alrea!y been gi"en to the $ublic in =TheBeginnings of the English Romantic )o"ement,= by my $resent associatean! former scholar, Professor >illiam &yon Phel$s. Professor Phel$s little

book originally a !octorate thesis follos, in the main, the selection an!arrangement of to$ics in my lectures.En revanche; ha"e ha! the a!"antageof a"ailing myself of his in!e$en!ent researches on $oints hich ; ha"e

touche! but slightly an! $articularly of his "ery full treatment of the4$enserian imitations.

; ha! at first inten!e! to entitle the book =Cha$ters toar! a History ofEnglish Romanticism, etc.= for, though fairly com$lete in treatment, itmakes no claim to being e


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CONTENTS

Chapter

;. The 4ubject (efine!

;;. The Augustans;;;. The 4$enserians

;. The &an!sca$e Poets

. The )iltonic Grou$

;. The 4chool of >arton

;;. The Gothic Re"i"al

;;;. Percy an! the Balla!s

;I. 5ssianI. Thomas Chatterton

I;. The German Tributary

A HISTORY OF ENGLISH ROMANTICISM

CHAPTER I.

The 4ubject (efine!

To attem$t at the outset a rigi! !efinition of the or! romantcsmoul! beto antici$ate the substance of this "olume. To furnish an anser to theDuestion?>hat is, or as, romanticismJ or, at least, >hat is, or asEnglish romanticismJ?is one of my main $ur$oses herein, an! the rea!erill be in"ite! to e


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Romanticism, then, in the sense in hich ; shall commonly em$loy theor!, means the re$ro!uction in mo!ern art or literature of the life an!thought of the )i!!le Ages. 4ome other elements ill ha"e to be a!!e! tothis !efinition, an! some mo!ifications of it ill suggest themsel"es from

time to time. ;t is $ro"isional, tentati"e, classic, but ill ser"e our turn tille are rea!y to substitute a better. ;t is the !efinition hich Heine gi"es inhis brilliant little book on the Romantic 4chool in Germany.*2 =All the

$oetry of the )i!!le Ages,= he a!!s, =has a certain !efinite character,through hich it !iffers from the $oetry of the Greeks an! Romans. ;nreference to this !ifference, the former is calle! Romantic, the latterClassic. These names, hoe"er, are mislea!ing, an! ha"e hitherto cause!the most "e


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assume!, for eestmorelan! she$her!, an! Goethe telling the story of to rustic lo"erson the German bor!er at the time of the 9a$oleonic ars.

5n the other han!, it is asserte! that the ork of me!iae"al $oets an! artistsis marke! by an e


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literature com$ose! in this "ernacular instea! of in the ancient classical&atin. An! as the fa"orite kin! of riting in Pro"enMal, 5l! 6rench, an!4$anish as the tale of chi"alrous a!"enture that as calle!&ar e%cellence,a roman, romans, orN romanceN. The a!jecti"e romantc is much later,

im$lying, as it !oes, a certain !egree of critical attention to the s$ecies offiction hich it !escribes in or!er to a generali@ing of its $eculiarities. ;tfirst came into general use in the latter half of the se"enteenth century an!the early years of the eighteenth an! naturally, as marke! from birth iththat sha!e of !isa$$ro"al hich has been notice! in $o$ular usage.

The feature that struck the critics most in the romances of the )i!!le Ages,an! in that "ery !ifferent "ariety of romance hich as culti"ate! !uringthe se"enteenth century?the $roli


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strangeness in the $ro$ortion.= =The !esire of beauty,= continues Pater,=being a fi


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8lysses, the "isit to the lan! of the lotus%eaters, the encounter ith the&aestrygonians, the e


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e


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humor, reason an! un!erstan!ing, $assion an! sentiment. &et us, forinstance, !e"elo$ briefly this $ro$osition that the i!eal of classic art iscom$leteness0*2 an! the i!eal of romantic art in!efiniteness, orsuggesti"eness.

A.>. 4chlegel0K2 ha! alrea!y ma!e use of to of the arts of !esign, toillustrate the !istinction beteen classic an! romantic, just as (r. He!geuses $lastic art an! music. ; refer to 4chlegels famous saying that thegenius of the antiDue !rama as statuesDue, an! that of the romantic !rama

$icturesDue. A Greek tem$le, statue, or $oem has no im$erfection an!offers no further $romise, in!icates nothing beyon! hat it e


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one so that nothing a$$roaching to romantic shall be foun! in any Greek orRoman author, nor any classic $age in the literature of mo!ern Euro$e. . .The literary line of !emarcation is not i!entical ith the chronologicalone.= An! just as Pater says that the 5!yssey is more romantic than the

;lia!, so (r. He!ge says that =the story of Cu$i! an! Psyche,0-2 in theGol!en Ass of A$uleius, is as much a romance as any com$osition of these"enteenth or eighteenth century.= )e!ie"alism he regar!s as merely anacci!ent of romance' 4cott, as most romantic in his themes, but Byron, inhis moo!.

4o, too, )r. 4i!ney Col"in02 !enies that =a $re!ilection for classicsubjects . . . can make a riter that hich e un!erstan! by the or!classical as !istinguishe! from that hich e un!erstan! by the or!romantic. The !istinction lies !ee$er, an! is a !istinction much less of

subject than of treatment. . . ;n classical riting e"ery i!ea is calle! u$ tothe min! as nake!ly as $ossible, an! at the same time as !istinctly it ise


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ith $assages, treating similar themes, from &an!ors =Gebir= an!=;maginary Con"ersations.= The contrast might be e"en more clearlyestablishe! by a stu!y of such a $iece as :eats =5!e on a Grecian 8rn,=here the romantic form is a$$lie! to classical content or by a com$arison

of Tennysons =8lysses= an! =The &otus Eaters,= in hich Homericsubjects are treate! res$ecti"ely in the classic an! the romantic manner.

Alfre! !e )usset, himself in early life a $rominent figure among the6rench romanticists, rote some ca$ital satire u$on the baffling an!contra!ictory !efinitions of the or! romantsmethat ere current in thethir! an! fourth !eca!es of this century.0Q2 To orthy $ro"incials ritefrom the little ton of &a 6ert%sous%7ouarre to the e!itor of the =Re"ue !es(eu< )on!es,= a$$ealing to him to tell them hat romanticism means. 6orto years (u$uis an! his frien! Cotonet ha! su$$ose! that the term a$$lie!

only to the theater, an! signifie! the !isregar! of the unities. =4haks$ere,for e


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it as borne in u$on them that Aristo$hanes?not to s$eak of otherancients?ha! mi


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Then ). (ucou!ray, a magistrate of the !e$artment, gi"es his theory ofromanticism, hich he consi!ers to be an effect of the religious an!

$olitical reaction un!er the restore! Bourbon monarchy of &ouis I;;;,an! Charles I. =The mania for balla!s, arri"ing from Germany, met the

legitimist $oetry one fine !ay at &a!"ocats booksho$ an! the to of them,$icka< in han!, ent at nightfall to a churchyar!, to !ig u$ the )i!!leAges.= The taste for me!ie"alism, ). (ucou!ray a!!s, has sur"i"e! there"olution of 0QK, an! romanticism has e"en entere! into the ser"ice ofliberty an! $rogress, here it is a manifest anachronism, =em$loying thestyle of Ronsar! to celebrate railroa!s, an! imitating (ante hen it chantsthe $raises of >ashington an! &afayette.= (u$uis as tem$te! to embrace). (ucou!rays e


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*2 >as ar aber !is romantische 4chule in (eutschlan!J 4ie ar nichtsan!ers als !ie >ie!erereckung !er Poesie !es )ittelalters, ie sie sich in!essen &ie!ern, Bil!% un! Bauerken, in :unst un! &eben, manifestierthatte.?!e romantcsche Schule 23otta e"ton4, $. 0-Q.

K2 =The Romantic 4chool= 6leishmans translation, $. 0K.+2 8n classiDue est tout artiste V lecole !e Dui nous $ou"ons nous mettresans crain!re Due ses leMons on ses e


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0K2 =orlesungen Yber !ramatische :unst un! &itteratur.=

0+2 6ar to the est the long, long "ale ith!ran, >here tilight lo"es to linger for a hile. ?6eatte+s 7#nstrel.7

0-2 The mo!ernness of this =latest born of the myths= resi!es $artly in itss$iritual, almost Christian conce$tion of lo"e, $artly in its allegoricaltheme, the souls attainment of immortality through lo"e. The Catholic i!eaof $enance is suggeste!, too, in Psyches =an!ering labors long.= Thisa$ologue has been a fa"orite ith $latoni@ing $oets, like 4$enser an!)ilton. 4ee =The 6aSrie Fueene,= book iii. canto "i. stan@a 0., an!=Comus,= lines 0*%00

02 =4elections from >alter 4a"age &an!or,= Preface, $. "ii.

012 4ee also >alter Bagehots essay on =Pure, 5rnate, an! GrotesDue Art,==&iterary 4tu!ies, >orks= Hartfor!, 0QQ, ol ;. $. *.

0Q2 &ettres !e (u$uis et Cotonet 0QK, =5eu"res Com$lOtes=Char$entier e!ition, 0QQ0, Tome ;I. $. 0+.

02 Preface to ictor Hugos =Cromell,= !ate! 5ctober, 0Q*1. The $layas $rinte!, but not acte!, in 0Q*Q.

*2 ;n mo!ern times romanticism, ty$ifying a $ermanent ten!ency of thehuman min!, has been $lace! in o$$osition to hat is calle! realism. . .

But2 there is, as it a$$ears to us, but one fun!amental note hich allromanticism . . . has in common, an! that is a !ee$ !isgust ith the orl!as it is an! a !esire to !e$ict in literature something that is claime! to benobler an! better.?Essays on :erman (terature, by ;. ;. 6oyesen, $$.K-Q an! K-.

CHAPTER II.

The Augustans

The Romantic )o"ement in Englan! as a $art of the general Euro$eanreaction against the s$irit of the eighteenth century. This began somehatearlier in Englan! than in Germany, an! "ery much earlier than in 6rance,here literacy conser"atism ent strangely han! in han! ith $oliticalra!icalism. ;n Englan! the reaction as at first gra!ual, timi!, an!unconscious. ;t !i! not reach im$ortance until the se"enth !eca!e of thecentury, an! culminate! only in the early years of the nineteenth century.The me!ie"al re"i"al as only an inci!ent?though a lea!ing inci!ent?ofthis mo"ement but it is the si!e of it ith hich the $resent ork illmainly !eal. Thus ; shall ha"e a great !eal to say about 4cott "ery little

about Byron, intensely romantic as he as in many meanings of the or!.This ill not $reclu!e me from glancing occasionally at other elements


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besi!es me!ie"alism hich enter into the conce$t of the term =romantic.=

Re"erting then to our tentati"e !efinition?Heines !efinition?ofromanticism, as the re$ro!uction in mo!ern art an! literature of the life ofthe )i!!le Ages, it shoul! be e


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nor $icturesDue to the men ho li"e! it, but only to the man ho turns to itfor relief form the $rosaic, or at least familiar, con!itions of the mo!ernorl!. The offs$ring of the mo!ern imagination, acting u$on me!ie"almaterial, may be a $erfectly legitimate, though not an original, form of art.

;t may e"en ha"e a no"el charm of its on, unlike either $arent, but likeEu$horion, chil! of 6aust by Helen of Troy, a blen! of Hellas an! the)i!!le Age. 4cotts "erse tales are better $oetry than the English metricalromances of the thirteenth an! fourteenth centuries. Tennyson has gi"en amore $erfect sha$e to the Arthurian legen!s than 4ir Thomas )alory, theircom$iler, or >alter )a$ an! Chrestien !e Troyes, their $ossible in"entors.But, of course, to stu!y the )i!!le Ages, as it really as, one must go notto Tennyson an! 4cott, but to the =Chanson !e Rolan!,= an! the =(i"ineCome!y,= an! the =Romaunt of the Rose,= an! the chronicles ofillehar!ouin, 7oin"ille, an! 6roissart.

An! the farther such stu!y is carrie!, the more e"i!ent it becomes that=me!iae"al= an! =romantic= are not synonymous. The )i!!le Ages asnot, at all $oints, romantic' it is the mo!ern romanticist ho makes, orfin!s, it so. He sees its strange, "i"i! $eculiarities un!er the glamour of!istance. Chaucers tem$er, for instance, as by no means romantic. This=goo! sense= hich (ry!en mentions as his $rominent trait that =lotone= hich &oell $raises in him, an! hich kee$s him close to thecommon groun! of e


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i!ealist, ith his intense s$irituality an! his $assion for symbolism, hasbeen sometimes calle! classic, by "irtue of the $oerful construction of hisgreat $oem, an! his scholastic rigi!ity of metho!.

The relation beteen mo!ern romantici@ing literature an! the real literature

of the )i!!le Ages, is something like that beteen the literature of therenaissance an! the ancient literatures of Greece an! Rome. But there isthis !ifference, that, hile the renaissance riters fell short of their $attern,the mo!ern schools of romance ha"e outgone their masters?not $erha$s inthe intellectual?but certainly in the artistic "alue of their $ro!uct.)e!iae"al literature, on!erful an! stimulating as a hole an! beautifulhere an! there in !etails of e


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Ages ere not yet so "ery remote. The nations an! languages of Euro$econtinue! in nearly the same limits hich ha! boun!e! them to centuries

before. The $rogress in the sciences an! mechanic arts, the !isco"ery an!coloni@ing of America, the in"ention of $rinting an! gun$o!er, an! the

Protestant reformation ha! in!ee! !ran !ee$ lines beteen mo!ern an!me!iae"al life. Christianity, hoe"er, forme! a connecting link, though, inProtestant countries, the continuity beteen the earlier an! later forms ofthe religion ha! been interru$te!. 5ne has but to com$are the list of the

$ilgrims hom Chaucer met at the Tabar!, ith the com$any that Ca$tain4entry or Peregrine Pickle oul! be likely to encounter at a suburban inn,to see ho the face of English society ha! change! beteen 0+ an!01. >hat has become of the knight, the $rioress, the sumner, the monk,

$ar!oner, sDuire, alchemist, friar an! here can they or their eDui"alentsbe foun! in all Englan!J

The limitations of my subject ill oblige me to treat the English romanticmo"ement as a cha$ter in literary history, e"en at the risk of seeming toa!o$t a narro metho!. #et it oul! be un$hiloso$hical to consi!er it as amerely aesthetic affair, an! to lose sight altogether of its !ee$er s$rings inthe religious an! ethical currents of the time. 6or it as, in $art, a return ofarmth an! color into English letters an! that as only a sym$tom of thereturn of armth an! color?that is, of emotion an! imagination?intoEnglish life an! thought' into the Church, into $olitics, into $hiloso$hy.

Romanticism, hich sought to e"oke from the $ast a beauty that it foun!anting in the $resent, as but one $hase of that re"olt against the col!nessan! s$iritual !ea!ness of the first half of the eighteenth century hich ha!other si!es in the i!ealism of Berkeley, in the )etho!ist an! E"angelicalre"i"al le! by >esley an! >hitefiel!, an! in the sentimentalism hichmanifeste! itself in the ritings of Richar!son an! 4terne. Corres$on!ingto these on the Continent ere German $ietism, the transcen!ental

$hiloso$hy of :ant an! his continuators, an! the emotional e


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Richar!son an! 4terne, ere anything but romantic. =A more mo!ernsentimentalist oul! $robably e


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the time of Fueen Anne an! the first to Georges as our Augustan orclassical age. ;n hat sense as it classicalJ An! as it any more classicalthan the time of )ilton, for eartonQ2 that, at

the first re"i"al of letters in the si


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about the Thames in (enhams =Coo$ers Hill= 0+* antici$ates the best$erformance of Augustan "erse'

=5 coul! ; flo like thee, an! make thy stream )y great e


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imme!iate $ractical Duestions of life all the more interesting. >e kno nothat e are, nor hither e are going, nor hence e come but e can,

by the hel$ of common sense, !isco"er a sufficient share of moral ma


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feeling, that is not easily intelligible. The mysticism of >or!sorth, theincoherence of 4helley, the !arkness of Broning?to take only mo!erninstances?$rocee!, hoe"er, not from inferior art, but from the greater!ifficulty of fin!ing e


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East in his imagination than any of his successors. His ="ulture on ;mausbre!, hose snoy ri!ge the ro"ing Tartar boun!s= his =$lain of 4ericanahere Chinese !ri"e their cany agons light= his =utmost ;n!ian isleTa$robane,= are touches of the $icturesDue hich antici$ate a more mo!ern

moo! than A!!isons.=The !ifference,= says )atthe Arnol!, =beteen genuine $oetry an! the

$oetry of (ry!en, Po$e, an! all their school is briefly this' their $oetry isconcei"e! an! com$ose! in their its, genuine $oetry is concei"e! an!com$ose! in the soul.= The re$resentati"e min!s of the eighteenth centuryere such as oltaire, the master of $ersiflage, !estroying su$erstition ithhissourere h"eu% Gibbon, =the lor! of irony,= =sa$$ing a solemn cree!ith solemn sneer= an! Hume, ith his thorough%going $hiloso$hicske$ticism, his !ry Toryism, an! cool contem$t for =@eal= of any kin!. The

characteristic $ro!ucts of the era ere satire, burlesDue, an! tra"esty'=Hu!ibras,= =Absalom an! Achito$hel,= =The >ay of the >orl!,==Gulli"ers Tra"els= an! =The Ra$e of the &ock.= There is a holeliterature of mockery' $aro!ies like Priors =Balla! on the Taking of

9amur= an! =The Country )ouse an! the City )ouse= Buckinghams=Rehearsal= an! 4ifts =)e!itation on a Broomstick= mock%heroics, likethe =(uncia!= an! =)ac6lecknoe= an! Garths =(is$ensary,= an! 7ohnPhilli$s =4$len!i! 4hilling= an! A!!isons =)achinae Gesticulantes=Priors =Alma,= a burlesDue of $hiloso$hy Gays =Tri"ia= an! =The

4he$her!s >eek,= an! =The Beggars 5$era=%a =9egate $astoral= =TonEclogues= by 4ift an! &a!y )ontague an! others. &iterature as a$olishe! mirror in hich the gay orl! sa its on grinning face. ;t threback a most brilliant $icture of the surface of society, shoe! manners butnot the elementary $assions of human nature. As a hole, it lea"es anim$ression of har!ness, shalloness, an! le"ity. The $olite cynicism ofCongre"e, the ferocious cynicism of 4ift, the malice of Po$e, the

$leasantry of A!!ison, the early orl!liness of Prior an! Gay are sel!omrelie"e! by any touch of the i!eal. The $rose of the time as e


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;t !esire! to $ut itself un!er !isci$line, to follo the rules, to !isco"er aformula of correctness in all the arts, to set u$ a tribunal of taste an!establish canons of com$osition, to maintain stan!ar!s, co$y mo!els an!

$atterns, com$ly ith con"entions, an! chastise lalessness. ;n a or!, its

s$irit as aca!emic. Horace as its fa"orite master?not Horace of the5!es, but Horace of the 4atires an! E$istles, an! es$ecially Horace asinter$rete! by Boileau.012 The =Ars Poetica= ha! been englishe! by theEarl of Roscommon, an! imitate! by Boileau in his =&Art PoetiDue,=hich became the $arent of a numerous $rogeny in Englan! among othersas =Essay on 4atire= an! an =Essay on Poetry,= by the Earl of )ulgra"e0Q2 an =Essay on Translate! erse= by the Earl of Roscommon, ho, saysA!!ison, =makes e"en rules a noble $oetry=02 an! Po$es ell%knon=Essay on Criticism.=

The !octrine of Po$es essay is, in brief, follo 9ature, an! in or!er thatyou may follo nature, obser"e the rules, hich are only =9aturemetho!i@e!,= an! also imitate the ancients.

=&earn hence for ancient rules a just esteem To co$y nature is to co$y them.=

Thus ergil hen he starte! to com$ose the Aenei! may ha"e seeme!abo"e the critics la, but hen he came to stu!y Homer, he foun! that

9ature an! Homer ere the same. Accor!ingly,

=he checks the bol! !esign, An! rules as strict his labor! ork confine.=

9ot to stimulate, but to check, to confine, to regulate, is the unfailing$rece$t of this hole critical school. &iterature, in the state in hich theyfoun! it, a$$eare! to them to nee! the curb more than the s$ur.

A!!isons scholarshi$ as almost e


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the greatest lyric $oet of mo!ern times 2 incen@io 6ilicaja. . . The truth isthat A!!ison kne little an! care! less about the literature of mo!ern ;taly.His fa"orite mo!els ere &atin. His fa"orite critics ere 6rench. Half theTuscan $oetry that he ha! rea! seeme! to him monstrous an! the other half

ta!ry.=**2There as no aca!emy in Englan!, but there as a critical tra!ition thatas almost as influential. 6rench critical ga"e the la' Boileau, (acier,&eBossu, Ra$in, Bouhours English critics $romulgate! it' (ennis,&angbaine, Rymer, Gil!on, an! others no little rea!. Three riters of highauthority in three successi"e generations?(ry!en, A!!ison, an! 7ohnson

?consoli!ate! a bo!y of literary o$inion hich may be !escribe!, in themain, as classical, an! as consenting, though ith minor "ariations. Thus itas agree! on all han!s that it as a riters !uty to be =correct.= ;t as

ell in!ee! to be =bol!,= but bol! ith !iscretion. (ry!en thought4haks$ere a great $oet than 7onson, but an inferior artist. He as to bea!mire!, but not a$$ro"e!. Homer, again, it as generally conce!e!, asnot so correct as ergil, though he ha! more =fire.= Chesterfiel! $referre!ergil to Homer, an! both of them to Tasso. But of all e$ics the one he rea!ith most $leasure as the =Henria!e.= As for =Para!ise &ost,= he coul!not rea! it through. >illiam >alsh, =the muses ju!ge an! frien!,= a!"ise!the youthful Po$e that =there as one ay still left o$en for him, by hichhe might e


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of riting,= a romantic fo$$ery that 7ohnson !es$ise!.*+2

Critical o$inion as $ronounce! in fa"or of se$arating trage!y an!come!y, an! A!!ison rote one sentence hich con!emns half the $lays of4haks$ere an! 6letcher' =The tragi%come!y, hich is the $ro!uct of the

English theater, is one the most monstrous in"entions that e"er entere! intoa $oets thought.=*-2 (ry!en ma!e some e


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=To err is human, to forgi"e !i"ine.= =An! so obliging, that he neer oblige!.= =Charms strike the eye, but merit ins the soul,= etc., etc.

This ty$e of "erse, hich Po$e brought to $erfection, an! to hich he ga"e

all the energy an! "ariety of hich it as ca$able, so $re"aile! in our$oetry for a century or more that one almost loses sight of the fact that anyother form as em$loye!. The sonnet, for instance, !isa$$eare! entirely,until re"i"e! by Gray, 4tillingfleet, E!ar!s, an! Thomas >arton, aboutthe mi!!le of the eighteenth century.*Q2 >hen the $oets ishe! to be!aring an! irregular, they ere a$t to gi"e "ent in that s$ecies of $seu!o%Pin!aric o!e hich Coley ha! intro!uce!?a literary !isease hich, (r.7ohnson com$laine!, infecte! the British muse ith the notion that =he hocoul! !o nothing else coul! rite like Pin!ar.=

4ir Charles Eastlake in his =History of the Gothic Re"i"al= testifies to thisformal s$irit from the $oint of "ie of another art than literature. =The agein hich Batty &angley li"e! as an age in hich it as customary to referall matters of taste to rule an! metho!. There as one stan!ar! ofe


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height as allotte! to the shaft, another to the entablature. . . 4ometimes thelearne! !iscusse! ho far a$art the columns of a $ortico might be.=*2

This kin! of mensuration remin!s one of the !is$utes beteen 6renchcritics as to hether the unity of time meant thirty hours, or tenty%four, or

tel"e, or the actual time that it took to act the $lay or of the geometricmetho! of the =4atur!ay $a$ers= in the S&ectator. A!!ison tries =Para!ise&ost= by Aristotles rules for the com$osition of an e$ic. ;s it the narrati"eof a single great actionJ (oes it begin n me"as res, as is $ro$er, or ab ovo

(e"ae, as Horace has sai! that an e$ic ought notJ (oes it bring in theintro!uctory matter by ay of e$iso!e, after the a$$ro"e! reci$e of Homeran! ergilJ Has it allegorical characters, contrary to the $ractice of theancientsJ (oes the $oet intru!e $ersonally into his $oem, thus mi


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$oetry, an! the most !irect utterance of $ersonal feeling. >hate"er else the$oets of Po$es time coul! !o, they coul! not sing. They are the !es$air ofthe anthologists.K2 Here an! there among the brilliant reasoners,raconteurs, an! satirists in "erse, occurs a cle"er e$igrammatist like Prior,

or a balla! riter like Henry Carey, hose =4ally in 5ur Alley= shos thesinging, an! not talking, "oice, but har!ly the lyric cry. Gays =Blackeye!4usan= has genuine Duality, though its rococograces are more than halfartificial. 4eet >illiam is "ery much such an o$era sailor%man asBumkinet or Grubbinol is a she$her!, an! his ooing is beribbone! ithconceits like these'

=;f to fair ;n!ias coast e sail, Thy eyes are seen in !iamon!s bright, Thy breath is Africs s$icy gale,

Thy skin is i"ory so hite. Thus e"ery beauteous $ros$ect that ; "ie, >akes in my soul some charm of lo"ely 4ue.=

;t as the same ith the $oetry of outar! nature as ith the $oetry ofhuman $assion.K02 ;n A!!isons =&etter from ;taly,= in Po$es =Pastorals,=an! =>in!sor 6orest,= the imagery, hen not actually false, is "ague an!con"entional, an! the language aboun!s in classical insi$i!ities, e$ithetsthat !escribe nothing, an! generalities at secon! han! from ol!er $oets,ho may once, $erha$s, ha"e ritten ith their =eyes u$on the object.=

Blushing 6lora $aints the enamele! groun! cheerful murmurs fluctuate onthe gale Eri!anus through floery mea!os strays gay gil!e!K*2 scenesan! shining $ros$ects rise hile e"eryhere are balmy @e$hyrs, syl"ansha!es, in!ing "ales, "ocal shores, sil"er floo!s, crystal s$rings, feathere!Duires, an! Phoebus an! Philomel an! Ceres gifts assist the $ur$le year. ;tas after this fashion that Po$e ren!ere! the famous moonlight $assage inhis translation of the ;lia!'

=Then shine the "ales, the rocks in $ros$ect rise, A floo! of glory bursts from all the skies,= etc.

=4trange to think of an enthusiast,= says >or!sorth, =reciting these "ersesun!er the co$e of a moonlight sky, ithout ha"ing his ra$tures in the least!isturbe! by a sus$icion of their absur!ity.= The $oetic !iction againsthich >or!sorth $roteste! as an outar! sign of the classical

$reference for the general o"er the concrete. The "ocabulary as &atini@e!because, in English, the mot &ro&reis commonly a 4a


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=6rom bar! to bar! the frigi! caution cre$t, Till (eclamation roare! hilst Passion sle$t #et still !i! irtue !eign the stage to trea!, Philoso$hy remaine! though 9ature fle!,. . .

E


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an! a gentleman by in"enting some circumlocution, such as the cralingscourge that smites the leafy $lain.. . . ;n the generation that succee!e!Po$e really cle"er riters s$oke of a geli! cistern, hen they meant a col!

bath, an! the lou! hunter%cre hen they meant a $ack of foinchelseas o!e =To the

9ightingale= in her =9octurnal Re"erie= in Parnells =9ight Piece on(eath,= an! in the ork of se"eral 4cotch $oets, like Allan Ramsay an!Hamilton of Bangour, hose balla!, =The Braces of #arro,= is certainly astrange $oem to come out of the heart of the eighteenth century. But theseare e!!ies an! back currents in the stream of literary ten!ency. >e arealays in !anger of forgetting that the literature of an age !oes not e


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-2 Ruskin, too in!icates the common element in romanticism an!naturalism?a !esire to esca$e from the Augustan formalism. ; con!ensethe $assage slightly' =To $o!er the hair, to $atch the cheek, to hoo$ the

bo!y, to buckle the foot, ere all $art an! $arcel of the same system hich

re!uce! streets to brick alls an! $ictures to bron stains. Reaction fromthis state as ine"itable, an! accor!ingly men steal out to the fiel!s an!mountains an!, fin!ing among these color an! liberty an! "ariety an!

$oer, rejoice in all the il!est shattering of the mountain si!e, as ano$$osition to Goer 4treet. ;t is not, hoe"er, only to ehat e miss in them is e


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002 =History of English Thought in the Eighteen Century,= ol. ;;. cha$.hat is the result of this generali@ationJ Heroes can be trans$orte! from

e$och to e$och, from country to country, ithout causing sur$rise. TheirAchilles is no more a Greek than is Porus an ;n!ian An!romache feels an!talks like a se"enteenth%century $rincess' Phae!ra e


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>hich boun!s Ra"ennas immemorial oo!, Roote! here once the A!rian a"e floe! oer, To here the last Caesarian fortress stoo!, E"ergreen forest hich Boccaccios lore

An! (ry!ens lay ma!e haunte! groun! to me, Ho ha"e ; lo"e! the tilight hour an! thee ?!on Cuan

**2 ; must entirely agree ith )onsieur Boileau, that one "erse of ergil isorth all the NclinDuant Nor tinsel of Tasso.?S&ectator, 9o. -.

*K2 S&ectator, 9o. +0.

*+2 4ee his =&ife of Collins.=

*-2 S&ectator, 9o. +.

*2 =The erse=' Preface to =Para!ise &ost.=

*12 (e!icatory e$istle to =The Ri"al &a!ies.=

*Q2 )r. Gosse says that a sonnet by Po$es frien! >alsh is the only one=ritten in English beteen )iltons in 0-Q, an! >artons about 01-,=>ar!s =English Poets,= ol. ;;;, $. 1. The statement oul! ha"e been more

$recise if he ha! sai! $ublishe! instea! of $rtten.

*2 =History of the Gothic Re"i"al,= $$. +%- e!ition of 0Q1*.

K2 Palgra"e says that the $oetry of $assion as !eforme!, after 0, by=le"ity an! an artificial time= an! that it lay =almost !ormant for thehun!re! years beteen the !ays of >ither an! 4uckling an! the !ays ofBurns an! Co$er,= =Gol!en Treasury= 4e"er an! 6rancis e!ition, 0Q.

$$. K1%Q.

K02 E


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CHAPTER III.

The 4$enserians

(issatisfaction ith a $re"alent moo! or fashion in literature is a$t toe


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thirteenth, fourteenth, an! fifteenth centuries. 9or as there any knole!geor care about the master$ieces of me!ie"al literature in other languagesthan English about such re$resentati"e orks as the =9ibelungenlie!,= the=Chanson !e Rolan!,= the =Roman !e la Rose,= the =Par@i"al= of >olfram

"on Eschenbach, the =Tristan= of Gottfrie! of 4trasburg, the =ArmeHeinrich= of Harmann "on Aue, the chronicles of illehar!ouin, 7oin"ille,an! 6roissart, the =)orte Artus,= the =(ies ;rae,= the lyrics of thetrouba!our Bernart !e enta!our, an! of the minnesinger >alter "on !erogelei!e, the 4$anish Romancero, the $oems of the El!er E!!a, theromances of =Amis et Amile= an! =Aucassin et 9icolete,= the ritings ofillon, the =(e ;mitatione Christi= ascribe! to Thomas V :em$is. (anteas a great name an! fame, but he as "irtually unrea!.

There is nothing strange about this many of these things ere still in

manuscri$t an! in unknon tongues, 5l! 9orse, 5l! 6rench, )i!!le HighGerman, )i!!le English, )e!iae"al &atin. ;t oul! be ha@ar!ous to assertthat the general rea!er, or e"en the e!ucate! rea!er, of to%!ay has muchmore acDuaintance ith them at first han! than his ancestor of theeighteenth century or much more acDuaintance than he has ithAeschuylus, Thucy!i!es, an! &ucretius, at first han!. But it may beconfi!ently asserte! that he knos much more aboutthem that he thinksthem orth knoing about an! that through mo!ern, $o$ular "ersions ofthem?through $oems, historical romances, literary histories, essays an!

hat not?he has in his min!s eye a $icture of the )i!!le Age, $erha$s as!efinite an! fascinating as the $icture of classical antiDuity. That he has sois oing to the romantic mo"ement. 6or the significant circumstance aboutthe attitu!e of the last century toar! the hole me!ie"al $erio! as, notits ignorance, but its incuriosity. ;t !i! not ant to hear anything about it.*2 9o an! then, hints Po$e, an antiDuarian $e!ant, a uni"ersity !on,might affect an a!miration for some obsolete author'

=Chaucers orst ribal!ry is learne! by rote, An! beastly 4kelton hea!s of houses Duote'

5ne likes no language but the 6aery Fueen A 4cot ill fight for Christs :irk o the Green.=K2

But, furthermore, the great bo!y of Eli@abethan an! 4tuart literature asalrea!y obsolescent. (ramatists of the rank of )arloe an! >ebster, $oetslike George Herbert an! Robert Herrick?fa"orites ith our ongeneration?$rose authors like 4ir Thomas Brone?from homColeri!ge an! Emerson !re ins$iration?ha! fallen into =the $ortion ofee!s an! outorn faces.= E"en riters of such recent, almostcontem$orary, re$ute as (onne, hom Care ha! style!

=?a king ho rule!, as he thought fit, The uni"ersal monarch of it='


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5r as Coley, hom (ry!en calle! the !arling of his youth, an! ho asesteeme! in his on lifetime a better $oet than )ilton e"en (onne an!Coley ha! no longer a folloing. Po$e ="ersifie!= some of (onnesrugge! satires, an! 7ohnson Duote! $assages from him as eit, ingenuity,an! learning in "erse e"en elegancy itself, though that comes nearest, areone thing. True nati"e $oetry is another in hich there is a certain air an!

s$irit hich $erha$s the most learne! an! ju!icious in other arts !o not$erfectly a$$rehen!, much less is it attainable by any stu!y or in!ustry.9ay, though all the las of heroic $oem, all the las of trage!y eree


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#et (ry!en ma!e many $etulant, an! 7ohnson many fatuous mistakes about4haks$ere hile such minor criticasters as Thomas Rymer002 an! )rs.Charlotte &eno


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$atroni@ing attitu!e toar! 4haks$ere. Perha$s Po$e "oices the generalsentiment of his school, as fairly as anyone, in the last or!s of his $reface.02 =; ill conclu!e by saying of 4haks$ere that, ith all his faults an!ith all the irregularity of his "rama, one may look u$on his orks, in

com$arison of those that are more finishe! an! regular, as u$on an ancient,majestic $iece of Gothic architecture com$are! ith a neat, mo!ernbuil!ing. The latter is more elegant an! glaring, but the former is morestrong an! solemn. . . ;t has much the greater "ariety, an! much the noblera$artments, though e are often con!ucte! to them by !ark, o!! an!uncouth $assages. 9or !oes the hole fail to strike us ith greaterre"erence, though many of the $arts are chil!ish, ill%$lace! an! uneDual toits gran!eur.= This "ie of 4haks$ere continue! to be the rule untilColeri!ge an! 4chlegel taught the ne century that this chil! of fancy as,in reality, a $rofoun! an! subtle artist, but that the $rinci$les of his art?asis alays the case ith creati"e genius orking freely an! instincti"ely?ere learne! by $ractice, in the concrete, instea! of being consciouslythron out by the orkman himself into an abstract theora so that theyha"e to be !isco"ere! by a re"erent stu!y of his ork an! lie !ee$er thanthe rules of 6rench criticism. 4chlegel, hose lectures on !ramatic art eretranslate! into English in 0Q0-, s$eaks ith in!ignation of the currentEnglish misun!erstan!ing of 4haks$ere. =That foreigners, an! 6renchmenin $articular, ho freDuently s$eak in the strangest language aboutantiDuity an! the )i!!le Age, as if cannibalism ha! been first $ut an en! in

Euro$e by &ouis I;., shoul! entertain this o$inion of 4haks$ere might be$ar!onable. But that Englishmen shoul! a!o$t such a calumniation . . . is tome incom$rehensible.=012

The beginnings of the romantic mo"ement in Englan! ere uncertain.There as a "ague !issent from current literary estimates, a "ague!iscontent ith reigning literary mo!es, es$ecially ith the merelyintellectual $oetry then in "ogue, hich !i! not fee! the soul. But thereas, at first, no conscious, concerte! effort toar! something of creati"eacti"ity. The ne grou$ of $oets, $artly contem$oraries of Po$e, $artlysuccessors to him?Thomson, 4henstone, (yer, Akensi!e, Gray, Collins,an! the >arton brothers?foun! their $oint of !e$arture in the lo"ing stu!yan! re"i"al of ol! authors. 6rom hat has been sai! of the sur"i"al of4haks$eres influence it might be e


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ell as his frien! an! !isci$le )allet, com$ose! a number of !ramas. Butthese ere little better than failures e"en at the time an! hile =The4easons= has outli"e! all changes of taste, an! =The Castle of ;n!olence=has ne"er ante! a!mirers, trage!ies like =Agamemnon= an! =4o$honisba=

ha"e been long forgotten. An imitation of 4haks$ere to any effecti"e$ur$ose must ob"iously ha"e take the sha$e of a $lay an! neither Gray norCollins nor Akensi!e, nor any of the grou$, as ca$able of a $lay.;ns$iration of a kin!, these early romanticists !i! !ra from 4haks$ere.erbal reminiscences of him aboun! in Gray. Collins as a !iligent stu!entof his orks. His =(irge in Cymbeline= is an e


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generation surfeite! ith Po$es rhetorical !e"ices?antithesis, clima


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essay =5n )yself= is familiar' =; remember hen ; began to rea!, an! totake some $leasure in it, there as ont to lie in my mothers $arlour ;kno not by hat acci!ent, for she herself ne"er rea! any book but of!e"otion?but there as ont to lie 4$ensers orks. This ; ha$$ene! to

fall u$on, an! as infinitely !elighte! ith the stories of the knights an!giants an! monsters an! bra"e houses hich ; foun! e"eryhere therethought my un!erstan!ing ha! little to !o ith all this, an!, by !egrees,ith the tinkling of the rime an! !ance of the numbers so that ; think ; ha!rea! him all o"er before ; as tel"e years ol!, an! as thus ma!e a $oetas irreme!iably as a chil! is ma!e an eunuch.= ;t is a common$lace that4$enser has ma!e more $oets than any other one riter. E"en Po$e, hoseem$ire he came back from 6airylan! to o"erthro, assure! 4$ence that heha! rea! the =6aZrie Fueene= ith !elight hen he as a boy, an! re%rea!it ith eDual $leasure in his last years. ;n!ee!, it is too rea!ily assume! thatriters are insensible to the beauties of an o$$osite school. Po$e as Duiteinca$able of a$$reciating it. He took a great liking to Allan Ramsays=Gentle 4he$her!= he a!mire! =The 4easons,= an! !i! Thomson the honorto insert a fe lines of his on in =4ummer.= Among his youthful $aro!iesof ol! English $oets is one $iece entitle! =The Alley,= a not o"er cle"er

burlesDue of the famous !escri$tion of the Boer of Bliss.0Q2

As for (ry!en, his re"erence for 4$enser is Dualifie! by the same sort ofcritical !isa$$robation hich e notice! in his eulogies of 4haks$ere. He

says that the =6aZrie Fueene= has no uniformity' the language is not soobsolete as is commonly su$$ose!, an! is intelligible after some $racticebut the choice of stan@a is unfortunate, though in s$ite of it, 4$ensers "erseis more melo!ious than any other English $oets eallers.02Ambrose Phili$s?9amby Pamby Phili$s?hom Thackeray calls =a!reary i!yllic cockney,= a$$eale! to =The 4he$her!s Calen!ar= as hismo!el, in the intro!uction to his insi$i! =Pastorals,= 01. 4teele, in 9o.-+ of the S&ectator 9o"ember 0, 010*, $rinte! some mil!lycommen!atory remarks about 4$enser. Altogether it is clear that 4$ensersgreatness as acce$te!, rather u$on trust, throughout the classical $erio!,

but that this belief as cou$le! ith a general in!ifference to his ritings.A!!isons lines in his =E$istle to 4ache"erel an Account of the GreatestEnglish Poets,= 0+, $robably re$resent accurately enough the o$inion ofthe majority of rea!ers'

=5l! 4$enser ne


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But no the mystic tale, that $lease! of yore, Can charm an un!erstan!ing age no more. The long%s$un allegories fulsome gro, >hile the !ull moral lies too $lain belo,

>e "ie ell $lease! at !istance all the sights 5f arms an! $alfreys, battles, fiel!s an! fights, An! !amsels in !istress an! courteous knights, But hen e look too near, the sha!es !ecay An! all the $leasing lan!sca$e fa!es aay.=

A!!ison acknole!ge! to 4$ence that, hen he rote this $assage, he ha!ne"er rea! 4$enser As late as 01-+ Thomas >arton s$eaks of him as =thisa!mire! but neglecte! $oet,=*2 an! )r. :itchin asserts that =beteen0- an! 01- there are but fe notices of him, an! a "ery fe e!itions of

his orks.=*02 There as a re$rint of 4$ensers orks?being the thir!folio of the =6aZrie Fueene=?in 01, but no critical e!ition till 010-.)eanhile the title of a book issue! in 0Q1 shos that 4$enser !i! notesca$e that $rocess of =im$ro"ement= hich e ha"e seen a$$lie! to4haks$ere' =4$enser Re!i"i"us containing the 6irst Book of the 6aZryFueene. His Essential (esign Preser"e!, but his 5bsolete &anguage an!)anner of erse totally lai! asi!e. (eli"ere! in Heroic 9umbers by aPerson of Fuality.= The $reface $raises 4$enser, but !eclares that =his styleseems no less unintelligible at this !ay than the obsoletest of our English or

4a


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baleful, behest, bootless, carol, cra"en, !reary, forlorn, foray, guer!on,$light, elkin, yore. ;f or!s like these, an! like many hich >artonannotates in his =5bser"ations,= really nee!e! e


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antiDuate! s$eech of an ol! author is in itself a challenge to the $aro!ist'testeour mo!ern balla! imitations. There is something lu!icrous about the"ery look of antiDue s$elling, an! in the soun! of or!s like eftsoonesan!&er"y hile the sign De Ol"e 6oo@e Store, in 5l! English te


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!omestic boating $arty on the Thames, one of the oarsmen being a familyser"ant an! barber%surgeon, ho use! to !ress the cha$lains hair'

=Als oul! the bloo! of ancient bea!sman s$ill, >hose hairy scal$s he hange! in a ro

Aroun! his ca"e, sa! sight to Christian eyes, ; tro.=Thom$sons ee fin! noambitious ornaments or e$igrammatical turns in his ritings, but a

beautiful sim$licity hich $leases far abo"e the glitter of $ointe! it.= The

=Hymn to )ay= is in the se"en%line! stan@a of Phineas 6letchers =Pur$le;slan!= a $oem, says Thom$son, =scarce hear! of in this age, yet the bestin the allegorical ay neilliam >ilkie, a 4cotch minister an! $rofessor, of eccentric habits an!unti!y a$$earance, $ublishe!, in 01-, =A (ream' in the )anner of4$enser,= hich may be mentione! here not for its on sake, but for thee"i!ence that it affor!s of a groing im$atience of classical restraints. The

$iece as a $en!ant to >ilkies e$ic, the =E$igonia!.= >alking by theTee!, the $oet falls aslee$ an! has a "ision of Homer, ho re$roaches

him ith the bareness of style in his =E$igonia!.= The !reamer $uts theblame u$on the critics,

=>ho tie the muses to such rigi! las That all their songs are fri"olous an! $oor.=

4haks$ere, in!ee!,

=Broke all the cobeb limits fi


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5ne of the earlier 4$enserians as Gilbert >est, the translator of Pin!ar,ho $ublishe!, in 01K, =5n the Abuse of Tra"elling' A Canto in ;mitationof 4$enser.=*12 Another imitation, =E!ucation,= a$$eare! in 01-0. >estas a "ery tame $oet, an! the only Duality of 4$ensers hich he succee!e!

in catching as his $roliickham, a alk ma!e by Pitt.= &ike many contem$orary $oets, >estintereste! himself in lan!sca$e gar!ening, an! some of his shorter $ieces

belong to that literature of inscri$tions to hich &yttelton, Akensi!e,

4henstone, )ason, an! others contribute! so $rofusely. ;t may be sai! forhis 4$enserian imitations that their archaisms are unusually correct*2?ifthat be any $raise?a feature hich $erha$s recommen!e! them to Gray,hose scholarshi$ in this, as in all $oints, as nicely accurate. Theobligation to be $ro$erly =obsolete= in "ocabulary as one that reste!hea"ily on the consciences of most of these 4$enserian imitators. =The4Duire of (ames,= for instance, by the ealthy 7e, )oses )en!e@, fairly

bristles ith sel!%seen costly or!s, like benty, frannon, etc., hich itoul! ha"e $u@@le! 4$enser himself to eilliam4henstones =4choolmistress,= $ublishe! in an unfinishe! sha$e in 01K1


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an!, as finally com$lete!, in 01+*. This is an affectionate half%humorous!escri$tion of the little !ame%school of 4henstones?an! of e"erybo!ys?nati"e "illage, an! has the true i!yllic touch. Gol!smith e"i!ently ha! it inmemory hen he !re the $icture of the school in his =(eserte!

illage.=K2 The a$$lication to so humble a theme of 4$ensers stately"erse an! gra"e, ancient or!s gi"es a "ery Duaint effect. The humor of=The 4choolmistress= is genuine, not !e$en!ent on the more burlesDue, asin Po$es an! Cambri!ges e


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says an effect hich is rought by subtle sensations aakene! by thesoun! an! in!efinite associations e"oke! by the or!s. The secret of thisart the $oet himself cannot communicate. But $oetry of this kin! cannot betranslate! into $rose?as Po$es can?any more than music can be

translate! into s$eech, ithout losing its essential character. &ike 4$enser,Thomson as an e


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A rea!er oul! be guilty of no "ery ba! guess ho shoul! assign thisstan@a?hich 4cott greatly a!mire!?to one of he 4$enserian $assagesthat $relu!e the =&a!y of the &ake.=

But it is nee!less to eest,= 7ohnson says of >ests imitations of 4$enser, =4uchcom$ositions are not to be reckone! among the great achie"ements ofintellect, because their effect is local an! tem$orary' they a$$eal not toreason or $assion, but to memory, an! $resu$$ose an acci!ental or artificial

state of min!. An imitation of 4$enser is nothing to a rea!er, hoe"eracute, by hom 4$enser has ne"er been $eruse!.=

The critic is $artly right. The nice $oints of a $aro!y are lost u$on a rea!erunacDuainte! ith the thing $aro!ie!. An! as for serious imitations, themore cle"erly a co$yist follos his co$y, the less "alue his ork ill ha"e.The eighteenth%century 4$enserians, like >est, Cambri!ge, an! &loy!, hostuck most closely to their $attern, obli"ion has co"ere!. Their real ser"iceas !one in re"i"ing a taste for a better kin! of $oetry than the kin! in"ogue, an! $articularly in restoring to English "erse a stan@a form, hich

became so noble an instrument in the han!s of later $oets, ho use! it ithas much free!om an! "igor as if they ha! ne"er seen the =6aZrie Fueene.=5ne is sel!om remin!e! of 4$enser hile rea!ing =Chil!e Harol!=K2 or=A!onais= or =The E"e of 4aint Agnes= but in rea!ing >est or Cambri!ge,or e"en in rea!ing 4henstone an! Thomson, one is remin!e! of him ate"ery turn. #et if it as necessary to imitate anyone, it might be ansere!to (r. 7ohnson that it as better to imitate 4$enser than Po$e. ;n theimitation of 4$enser lay, at least, a future, a !e"elo$ment hile theimitation of Po$e as con!ucting stea!ily toar! (arins =Botanic

Gar!en.=;t remains to notice one more !ocument in the history of this 4$enserian


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re"i"al, Thomas >artons =5bser"ations on the 6aZrie Fueen,= 01-+.>arton rote ith a genuine !elight in his subject. His tastes ere franklyromantic. But the a$ologetic air hich antiDuarian scholars assume!, hen"enturing to recommen! their fa"orite stu!ies to the attention of a

classically min!e! $ublic, is not absent from >artons commentary. Herites as if he felt the $ressure of an unsym$athetic atmos$here all abouthim. =>e ho li"e in the !ays of riting by rule are a$t to try e"erycom$osition by those las hich e ha"e been taught to think the solecriterion of e


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majestic imagery to conceit an! e$igram. Poets began no to be moreattenti"e to or!s than to things an! objects. The nicer beauties of ha$$ye


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2 =&ife of (ry!en.=

12 =E$istle to Augustus.=

Q2 The tra!ition as to Chaucer, 4$enser, an! )ilton is almost eDuallycontinuous. A course of hat &oell calls =$enitential rea!ing,= inRestoration criticism, ill con"ince anyone that these four names alrea!ystoo! out !istinctly, as those of the four greatest English $oets. 4eees$ecially >instanley, =&i"es of the English Poets,= 0Q1 &angbaine, =AnAccount of the English (ramatic Poets,= 00 (ennis, =Essay on theGenius an! >ritings of 4haks$ere,= 010* Gil!on, =The Com$lete Art ofPoetry,= 010Q. The fact mentione! by )acaulay, that 4ir >m. Tem$les=Essay on Ancient an! )o!ern &earning= names none of the four, isithout im$ortance. Tem$le refers by name to only three English =its,=4i!ney, Bacon, an! 4el!en. This "ery su$erficial $erformance of Tem$les

as a contribution to the futile contro"ersy o"er the relati"e merits of theancients an! mo!erns, hich is no only of interest as ha"ing gi"enoccasion to Bentley to !is$lay his great scholarshi$ in his =(issertation onthe E$istles of Phalaris,= 0Q, an! to 4ift to sho his $oers of ironyin =The Battle of the Books= 01+.

2 Preface to the =Plays of 4haks$ere,= 01-.

02 Prologue, s$oken by Garrick at the o$ening of (rury &ane Theater,01+1.

002 =The Trage!ies of the &ast Age Consi!ere! an! Eritings of 4haks$ere,= 010*.

0-2 =The Art of Poetry,= $$. K an! . 3f. Po$e, =E$istle to Augustus='

=4haks$ere hom you an! e"ery $lay%house bill

4tyle the !i"ine, the matchless, hat you ill 6or gain, not glory, inge! his ro"ing flight, An! gre immortal in his on !es$ite.=

02 Po$es =4haks$ere,= 01*-.

012 6or a fuller !iscussion of this subject, consult =A History of 5$inionon the >ritings of 4haks$ere,= in the su$$lemental "olume of :nightsPictorial E!ition. E!itions of 4haks$ere issue! ithin a century folloingthe Restoration ere the thir! 6olio, 0+ the fourth 6olio, 0Q- Roesthe first critical e!ition, ith a &ife, etc. 01 secon! e!ition, 010+

Po$es, 01*- secon! e!ition, 01*Q Theobal!s, 01KK Hanmers 01++>arburton%Po$es, 01+1 an! 7ohnsons 01-. )eanhile, though


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4haks$eres $lays continue! to be acte!, it as mostly in !octore! "ersions.Tate change! =&ear= to a come!y. (a"enant an! (ry!en ma!e o"er =TheTem$est= into =The Enchante! ;slan!,= turning blank "erse into rhyme an!intro!ucing ne characters, hile 4ha!ell altere! it into an o$era. (ry!en

rerote =Troilus an! Cressi!a= (a"enant, =)acbeth.= (a"enant $atche!together a thing hich he calle! =The &a against &o"ers,= from =)easurefor )easure= an! =)uch A!o about 9othing.= (ennis remo!ele! the=)erry >i"es of >in!sor= as =The Comical Gallant= Tate, =Richar! ;;.= as=The 4icilian 8sur$er= an! 5tay, =Romeo an! 7uliet,= as =Caius )arius.=&or! &ans!one con"erte! =The )erchant of enice= into =The 7e ofenice,= herein 4hylock as $laye! as a comic character !on to thetime of )acklin an! :ean. (urfey tinkere! =Cymbeline.= Cibbermetamor$hose! =:ing 7ohn= into =Pa$al Tyranny,= an! his "ersion asacte! till )acrea!ys time. Cibbers stage "ersion of =Richar! ;;;.= is $laye!still. Cumberlan! =engrafte!= ne features u$on =Timon of Athens= forGarricks theater, about 011-. ;n his life of )rs. 4i!!ons, Cam$bell saysthat =Coriolanus= =as ne"er acte! genuinely from the year 0 till theyear 0Q*= Phillimores =&ife of &yttelton,= ol. ;. $. K0-. He mentions are"ision by Tate, another by (ennis =The ;n"a!er of his Country=, an! athir! brought out by the el!er 4heri!an in 01+, at Co"ent Gar!en, an! $uttogether from 4haks$eres trage!y an! an in!e$en!ent $lay of the samename by Thomson. =Then in 01Q came the :emble e!ition in hich . . .much of Thomsons absur!ity is still $reser"e!.=

0Q2 =6aZrie Fueene,= ;;.


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A$$en!i


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former as also an Etonian, an! as afterar!s at 5orks,= 0Q,$. artons =Essay on Po$e,= ol. ;;. $. K-. =;t has beenfashionable of late to imitate 4$enser but the likeness of most of theseco$ies hath consiste! rather in using a fe of his ancient e


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(r. Beatties charming )instrel. To these must be a!!e! that ehy this shoul! betrue, at all e"ents of the romantic mo"ement that began in the eighteenthcentury, is ob"ious enough. Ruskin an! &eslie 4te$hen ha"e alrea!y beenDuote!, as itnesses to the fact that naturalism an! romanticism ha! a

common root' the !esire, namely, to esca$e into the fresh air an! into freercon!itions, from a literature hich !ealt, in a strictly regulate! ay, iththe in!oor life of a highly artificial society. The $astoral ha! cease! tofurnish any relief. Professing to chant the $raises of innocence an!sim$licity, it ha! become itself utterly unreal an! con"entional, in the han!sof cockneys like Phili$s an! Po$e. >hen the romantic s$irit took

$ossession of the $oetry of nature, it manifeste! itself in a $assion foril!ness, gran!eur, solitu!e. 5f this there as as yet com$arati"ely littlee"en in the "erse of Thomson, 4henstone, Akensi!e, an! (yer.

4till the ork of these $ioneers in the =return to nature= re$resents thetransition, an! must be taken into account in any com$lete history of theromantic mo"ement. The first to, as e ha"e seen, ere among theearliest 4$enserians' (yer as a lan!sca$e $ainter, as ell as a $oet an!4henstone as one of the best of lan!sca$e gar!eners. But it is the

beginnings that are im$ortant. ;t ill be nee!less to $ursue the history ofnature $oetry into its later !e"elo$ments nee!less to re"ie the ritings ofCo$er an! Crabbe, for e


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Before taking u$ the riters abo"e name!, one by one, it ill be ell tonotice the general change in the forms of "erse, hich as an outar! signof the re"olution in $oetic feeling. The imitation of 4$enser as only oneinstance of a rea!iness to lay asi!e the heroic cou$let in fa"or of other

kin!s hich it ha! !is$lace!, an! in the interests of greater "ariety. =(uringthe tenty%fi"e years,= says )r. Goss, =from the $ublication of Thomsons4$ring >inter2 in 01*, to that of Grays Elegy in 01-0, the nine or tenlea!ing $oems or collections of "erse hich a$$eare! ere all of a nety$e somber, as a rule, certainly stately, romantic in tone to the einter= in 01*, as 7ohn Phili$s. ;n the brief $refatory noteto =Para!ise &ost,= the $oet of =&Allegro= an! =;l Penseroso,= forgetting or

!is!aining the graces of his youthful muse, ha! s$oken of rhyme as =thein"ention of a barbarous age,= as =a thing tri"ial an! of no true musical!elight.= )iltons e


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;n 01*- 7ames Thomson, a young 4cotchman, came to &on!on to $ush hisliterary fortunes. His countryman, (a"i! )alloch,?or )allet, as he calle!himself in Englan!,?at that time $ri"ate tutor in the family of the (uke of)ontrose, $rocure! Thomson intro!uctions into title! society, an! hel$e!

him to bring out =>inter,= the first installment of =The 4easons,= hichas $ublishe! in 01*. Thomsons frien! an! biogra$her 01* the Re".Patrick )ur!och, says that the $oem as =no sooner rea! than uni"ersallya!mire! those only e


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Thomsons sim$le !escri$ti"e or $ictorial metho!. Com$are! ith>or!sorths mysticism, ith 4helleys $assionate $antheism, ith Byronsromantic gloom in $resence of the mountains an! the sea, ith :eats

joyous re%creation of mythology, ith Thoreaus ;n!ian%like a$$roach to the

innermost arcana?ith a !o@en other moo!s familiar to the mo!ern min!?it seems to us unimaginati"e. Thomson has been likene!, as a colorist, toRubens an! $ossibly the glo, the brea!th, an! the "ital energy of his best

$assages, as of Rubens great can"ases, lea"e our finer $erce$tionsuntouche!, an! e ask for something more esoteric, more intense. 4tillthere are $ermanent an! soli! Dualities in Thomsons lan!sca$e art, hichcan gi"e !elight e"en no to an uns$oile! taste. To a rea!er of his ongeneration, =The 4easons= must ha"e come as the re"elation of a freshorl! of beauty. 4uch $assages as those hich !escribe the first s$ringshoers, the thun!erstorm in summer, the trout%fishing, the shee$%ashing,an! the terrors of the inter night, ere not only strange to the $ublic ofthat !ay, but ere ne in English $oetry.

That the $oet as something of a naturalist, ho rote lo"ingly an! ithhis =eye u$on the object,= is e"i!ent from a hun!re! touches, like=auriculas ith shining meal=

=The yello all%floer staine! ith iron bron=

or,

=The bittern knos his time, ith bill engulfe!, To shake the soun!ing marsh.=2

Thomsons scenery as genuine. His images of e


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An! "illages embosome! soft in trees, An! s$iry ton, by surging columns marke! 5f househol! smoke, your eye e


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sometimes, in!ee!, by )iltons =mountain nym$h, seet &iberty,= but Duiteas freDuently by 4henstones nym$h, =coy Elegance,= ho ke$t remin!ingthem of ergil.

Thomsons blank "erse, although, as Coleri!ge says, inferior to Co$ers, is

often richly musical an! ith an energy unborroe! of )ilton?asCo$ers is too a$t to be, at least in his translation of Homer.02 )r.4aintsbury002 !etects a mannerism in the "erse of =The 4easons,= hichhe illustrates by citing three lines ith hich the $oet =ca$s the clima< ofthree se"eral !escri$ti"e $assages, all ithin the com$ass of half a !o@en

$ages,= "i@.'

=An! Egy$t joys beneath the s$rea!ing a"e.= =An! )ecca sa!!ens at the long !elay.= =An! Thule bellos through her utmost isles.=

;t oul! be easy to a!! many other instances of this ty$e of climactericline, e.g. =4ummer,= Q-,

=An! 5cean trembles for his green !omain.=

6or the blank "erse of =The 4easons= is a blank "erse hich has been$asse! through the strainer of the heroic cou$let. Though Thomson, in theflo an! continuity of his measure, offers, as has been sai!, the greatestcontrast to Po$es system of "ersification yet here"er he seeks to bener"ous, his mo!ulation remin!s one more of Po$es antithetical trick than

of 4haks$eres or )iltons freer structure. 6or instance =4$ring,= 00-'=6ills e"ery sense an! $ants in e"ery "ein.=

or *b".00+'

=6lames through the ner"es an! boils along the "eins.=

To relie"e the monotony of a !escri$ti"e $oem, the author intro!uce!morali@ing !igressions' a!"ice to the husban!man an! the she$her! afterthe manner of the =Georgics= com$liments to his $atrons, like &yttelton,Bubb (o!ington, an! the Countess of Hertfor! an! sentimental narrati"ee$iso!es, such as the stories of (amon an! )usi!ora,0*2 an! Cela!on an!Amelia in =4ummer,= an! of &a"inia an! Palemon0K2 in =Autumn= hilee"er an! anon his eye eor!sorth assertsthat these sentimental $assages =are the $arts of the ork hich ere

$robably most efficient in first recommen!ing the author to generalnotice.=0+2 They strike us no as insi$i! enough. But many comingattitu!es cast their sha!os before across the $age of =The 4easons.=Thomsons !enunciation of the sla"e tra!e, an! of cruelty to animals,

es$ecially the caging of bir!s an! the coursing of hares his $reference ofcountry to ton his rha$so!ies on !omestic lo"e an! the innocence of the


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Gol!en Age his contrast beteen the misery of the $oor an! the heartlesslu


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=5r here the 9orthern 5cean, in "ast hirls, Boils roun! the nake!, melancholy isles 5f farthest Thule, an! the Atlantic surge Pours in among the stormy Hebri!es.=*02

Com$are also the !escri$tion of the thun!erstorm in the mountains=4ummer,= 00-%Q, closing ith the lines'

=6ar seen the heights of heathy Che"iot bla@e, An! Thule bellos through her utmost isles.=

The >estern ;slan!s a$$ear to ha"e ha! a $eculiar fascination forThomson. The $assages abo"e Duote!, an! the stan@a from =The Castle of;n!olence,= cite! on $age +, ga"e Collins the cle for his =5!e on the4u$erstitions of the 4cottish Highlan!s,= hich containe!, says &oell, the

hole romantic school in the germ. Thomason ha! $erha$s foun! theembryon atom in )iltons =stormy Hebri!es,= in =&yci!as,= hose echo is$rolonge! in >or!sorths =4olitary Rea$er=?

=Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebri!es.=

E"en Po$e?he ha! a soul?as not unsensiti"e to this, as itness his

=&ou! as the ol"es, on 5rcas stormy stee$, Hol to the roarings of the 9orthern !ee$.=**2

The melancholy hich ictor Hugo $ronounces a !istinguishing ba!ge ofromantic art, an! hich e shall see gaining more an! more u$on English$oetry as the century a!"ance!, is also !iscernible in =The 4easons= in a$assage like the folloing'

=5 bear me then to "ast emboering sha!es, To tilight gro"es an! "isionary "ales, To ee$ing grottos an! $ro$hetic glooms >here angel%forms athart the solemn !usk Tremen!ous see$, or seem to see$ along

An! "oices more than human, through the "oi!, (ee$%soun!ing, sei@e the enthusiastic ear=*K2

or this, hich recalls =;l Penseroso='

=9o all ami! the rigors of the year, ;n the il! !e$th of inter, hile ithout The ceaseless in!s blo ice, be my retreat Beteen the groaning forest an! the shore, Beat by the boun!less multitu!e of a"es, A rural, sheltere!, solitary scene >here ru!!y fire an! beaming ta$ers join


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To cheer the gloom. There stu!ious let me sit An! hol! high con"erse ith the mighty !ea!.=*+2

The re"i"al again, of the $reternatural an! of $o$ular su$erstitions asliterary material, after a rationali@ing an! ske$tical age, is signali@e! by

such a $assage as this' =5nar! they $ass, oer many a $anting height, An! "alley sunk an! unfreDuente!, here At fall of e"e the fairy $eo$le throng, ;n "arious game an! re"elry to $ass The summer night, as "illage stories tell. But far aroun! they an!er from the gra"e 5f him hom his ungentle fortune urge! Against his on sa! breast to life the han!

5f im$ious "iolence. The lonely toer ;s also shunne!, hose mournful chambers hol!, 4o night%struck fancy !reams, the yelling ghost.=

;t may not be uninstructi"e to note the occurrence of the or! romantcatse"eral $oints in the $oem'

=glimmering sha!es an! sym$athetic glooms, >here the !im umbrage oerthe falling stream Romantic hangs.=*-2

This is from a $assage in hich romantic lo"e once more comes back into

$oetry, after its long ecli$se an! in hich the lo"er is !e$icte! asan!ering abroa! at =$ensi"e !usk,= or by moonlight, through gro"es an!along brooksi!es.*2 The or! is a$$lie! likeise to clou!s, =rolle! intoromantic sha$es, the !ream of aking fancy= an! to the scenery of4cotlan!?=Cale!onia in romantic "ie.= ;n a subtler ay, the feeling ofsuch lines as these is romantic'

=Breathe your still song into the rea$ers heart, As home he goes beneath the joyous moon=

or these, of the com$arati"e lightness of the summer night' =A faint, erroneous ray, Glance! from the im$erfect surfaces of things, 6lings half an image on the straining eye.=

;n a letter to 4toneheer 7une *, 01, Gray comments thus u$on a$assage from 5ssian'

=Ghosts ri!e on the tem$est to%night' 4eet is their "oice beteen thegusts of in!' Ther songs are of other $orl"s.

=(i! you ne"er obser"e $hle roc@ng $n"s are &&ng lou" that $ause,as the gust is re%collecting itself, an! rising u$on the ear in a shrill an!


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$lainti"e note, like the soul of an Aeolian har$J ; !o assure you, there isnothing in the orl! so like the "oice of a s$irit. Thomson ha! an earsometimes he as not !eaf to this, an! has !escribe! it gloriously, butgi"en it another, !ifferent turn, an! of more horror. ; cannot re$eat the

lines' it is in his >inter.= The lines that Gray ha! in min! ere $robablythese 00%+'

=Then, too, they say, through all the bur!ene! air, &ong groans are hear!, shrill soun!s an! !istant sighs That, uttere! by the !emon of the night, >arn the !e"ote! retch of oe an! !eath.=

Thomson a$$ears to ha"e been a seet%tem$ere!, in!olent man, constant infrien!shi$ an! much lo"e! by his frien!s. He ha! a little house an! groun!sin :e &ane here he use! to com$ose $oetry on autumn nights an! lo"e!

to listen to the nightingales in Richmon! Gar!en an! here, sang Collins,in his o!e on the $oets !eath 01+Q,

=Remembrance oft shall haunt the shore, >hen Thames in summer reaths is !rest, An! oft sus$en! the !ashing oar To bi! his gentle s$irit rest.=

Collins ha! been attracte! to Richmon! by Thomsons resi!ence there, an!forsook the neighborhoo! after his frien!s !eath.

7ose$h >arton, in his =Essay on Po$e= 01-, testifie! that =The 4easons=ha! been ="ery instrumental in !iffusing a taste for the beauties of naturean! lan!sca$e.= 5ne e"i!ence of this !iffuse! taste as the rise of the neor natural school of lan!sca$e gar!ening. This as a $urely English art, an!Gray, riting in 01K,*12 says =;t is not forty years since the art as bornamong us an! it is sure that there as nothing in Euro$e like it=' he a!!sthat =our skill in gar!ening an! laying out groun!s= is =the only taste ecan call our on, the only $roof of our original talent in matter of

$leasure.= =9either ;taly nor 6rance ha"e e"er ha! the least notion of it, nor

yet !o at all com$rehen! it, hen they see it.=*Q2 Grays =not forty years=carries us back ith sufficient $recision to the !ate of =The 4easons=01*%K, an! it is not $erha$s gi"ing un!ue cre!it to Thomson, toacknole!ge him as, in a great measure, the father of the national school oflan!sca$e gar!ening. That this has alays been recogni@e! u$on theContinent as an art of English in"ention, is e"i!ence! by the names

Englsche :arten,0ar"n Anglas, still gi"en in Germany an! 6rance to$leasure groun!s lai! out in the natural taste.*2 4cho$enhauer gi"es the$hiloso$hy of the o$$osing styles as follos' =The great !istinction

beteen the English an! the ol! 6rench gar!en rests, in the last analysis,u$on this, "i@., that the former are lai! out in the objecti"e, the latter in the


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subjecti"e sense, that is to say, in the former the ill of 9ature, as itmanifests ob0e@tvrt itself in tree, mountain, an! ater, is brought to the

$urest $ossible eilliam Tem$le, the i!eal

$leasure groun! is "ery much like that hich &e 9otre reali@e! sobrilliantly at ersailles.K2 A!!ison, in fact, in the S&ectator9o. +0+ an!Po$e himself in the :uar"an 9o. 01K ri!icule! the e


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=?fell tube >hose iron entrails hi!e the sul$hurous blast 4atanic engine=

>hen he names an ice%house, it is un!er a form of conun!rum'

=?the structure ru!e here >inter $oun!s, ;n conic $it his congelations hoar, That 4ummer may his te$i! be"erage cool >ith the chill lualk= $ublishe! in01K. But $erha$s the "ery orst instance of it is in (r. Armstrongs

=Economy of &o"e,= here the lu!icrous contrast beteen the im$ro$rietyof the subject an! the solemn $om$ of the !iction amounts almost tobouffe.

;n emulation of =The 4easons= )ason intro!uce! a sentimental lo"e story?Alcan!er an! 9erina?into his thir! book. He informs his rea!ers book;;. K+%1Q that, in the reaction against straight alleys, many gar!eners ha!gone to an e


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$lan u$on hich 4henstone orke! is e


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see ante$. 0*0, an! ho ga"e :ent a home at his country house. :ent issai! to ha"e acknole!ge! that he caught his taste in gar!ening from the!escri$ti"e $assages in 4$enser, hose $oems he illustrate!. >al$ole an!)ason also unite in contrasting ith the artificial gar!ening of )iltons

time the $icture of E!en in =Para!ise &ost'= =?here not nice art in curious knots, But nature boon $oure! forth on hill an! !ale 6loers orthy of Para!ise hile all aroun! 8mbrageous grots, an! ca"es of cool recess, An! murmuring aters, !on the slo$e !is$erse!, 5r hel! by fringZ! banks in crystal lakes. Com$ose a rural seat of "arious hue.=

But it is orth noting that in =&Allegro= =retire! leisure,= takes his

$leasure in =trmgar!ens,= hile in Collins, =Ease an! health retire To bree@y lan or forest !ee$.=

>al$ole says that :ents =ruling $rinci$le as that nature abhors a straightline.= :ent =lea$e! the fence an! sa that all nature as a gar!en. He feltthe !elicious contrast of hill an! "alley, changing im$erce$tibly into eachother. . . an! remarke! ho loose gro"es crone! an easy eminence ithha$$y ornament. . . The great $rinci$les on hich he orke! ere

$ers$ecti"e an! light an! sha!e. . . But of all the beauties he a!!e! to theface of this beautiful country, none sur$asse! his management of ater.A!ieu to canals, circular basins, an! casca!es tumbling !on marbleste$s. . . The gentle stream as taught to ser$entine seemingly at its

$leasure.=K12 The treatment of the gar!en as a $art of the lan!sca$e ingeneral as commonly accom$lishe! by the remo"al of alls, he!ges, an!other inclosures, an! the substitution of the ha%ha or sunken fence. ;t is o!!that >al$ole, though he s$eaks of Ca$ability Bron, makes no mention ofthe &easoes, hose $ro$rietor, >illiam 4henstone, the author of =The4chool%mistress,= is one of the most interesting of amateur gar!eners.=Englan!,= says Hugh )iller, =has $ro!uce! many greater $oets than4henstone, but she ne"er $ro!uce! a greater lan!sca$e gar!ener.=

At 5


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ree! the beauties of sim$licity an! the "anity of ambition, an! minglingith these strains com$laints of (elias cruelty an! of the shortness of hison $urse, hich ham$ere! him seriously in his gar!ening !esigns. )r.4aintsbury has !escribe! 4henstone as a master of =the artificial%natural

style of $oetry.=K2 His $astoral insi$i!ities about $i$es an! crooks an!ki!s, (amon an! (elia, 4tre$hon an! Chloe, ehether to $lant a alk in un!ulating cur"es an! to

$lace a bench at e"ery turn here there is an object to catch the "ie tomake ater run here it ill be seen to lea"e inter"als here the eye ill

be $lease!, an! to thicken the $lantation here there is something to behi!!en, !eman!s any great $oers of min!, ; ill not enDuire.= The !octorre$orts that &yttelton as jealous of the fame hich the &easoes soonacDuire!, an! that hen "isitors to Hagley aske! to see 4henstones $lace,their host oul! a!roitly con!uct them to incon"enient $oints of "ie?intro!ucing them, e.g., at the rong en! of a alk, so as to !etect a!ece$tion in $ers$ecti"e, =injuries of hich 4henstone oul! hea"ilycom$lain.=+2 Gra"es, hoe"er, !enies that any ri"alry as in Duestion

beteen the great !omain of Hagley an! the $oets little estate. =The truthof the case,= he rites, =as that the &yttelton family ent so freDuentlyith their com$any to the &easoes, that they ere unilling to break inu$on )r. 4henstones retirement on e"ery occasion, an! therefore oftenent to the $rinci$al $oints of "ie, ithout aiting for anyone to con!uct

them regularly through the hole alks. 5f this )r. 4henstone oul!sometimes $ee"ishly com$lain.=

4henstone !escribes in his =Thoughts on Gar!ening,= se"eral artifices thathe $ut in $ractice for increasing the a$$arent !istance of objects, or forlengthening the $ers$ecti"e of an a"enue by i!ening it in the foregroun!an! $lanting it there ith !ark%foliage! trees, like yes an! firs, =then ithtrees more an! more fa!y, till they en! in the almon!%illo or sil"erosier.= To ha"e &or! &yttelton bring in a $arty at the small, or illo en!of such a alk, an! thereby s$oil the hole trick, must in!ee! ha"e been

$ro"oking. 7ohnson asserts that 4henstones house as ruinous an! that=nothing raise! his in!ignation more than to ask if there ere any fishes inhis ater.= =;n time,= continues the !octor, =his e


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ho as so much intereste! that he offere! to contribute to hun!re!$oun!s toar! im$ro"ements, an offer that 4henstone, hoe"er, !ecline!.Pitt ha! himself some skill in lan!sca$e gar!ening, hich he e


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shrubberies an! e"ery s$ot that comman!e! a $ros$ect ith come objecthich as as an e


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4choolmistress= a master$iece in its kin!, ma!e a rather slighting mentionof its author.+-2 =; ha"e rea! an Q"o "olume of 4henstones letters $oorman He as alays ishing for money, for fame an! other !istinctionsan! his hole $hiloso$hy consiste! in li"ing, against his ill, in retirement

an! in a $lace hich his taste ha! a!orne!, but hich he only enjoye!hen $eo$le of note came to see an! commen! it.= Gray unDuestionably$rofite! by a rea!ing of 4henstones =Elegies,= hich ante!ate his on=Elegy >ritten in a Country Churchyar!= 01-0. He a!o$te! 4henstonesstan@a, hich 4henstone ha! borroe! from the lo"e elegies of a noforgotten $oet, 7ames Hammon!, eDuerry to Prince 6re!erick an! a frien!of Cobham, &yttelton, an! Chesterfiel!. =>hy Hammon! or other riters,=says 7ohnson, =ha"e thought the Duatrain of ten syllables elegiac, it is!ifficult to tell. The character of the elegy is gentleness an! tenuity, but thisstan@a has been $ronounce! by (ry!en. . .to be the most magnificent of allthe measures hich our language affor!s.=+2

9eritten at an ;nnat Henley'

=>hoeer has tra"ell! lifes !ull roun!, >hereer his stages may ha"e been, )ay sigh to think he still has foun! The armest elcome at an inn.=

As to 4henstones blank "erse?of hich there is not much?the !octorsays' =His blank "erses, those that can rea! them may $robably fin! to belike the blank "erses of his neighbors.= 4henstone encourage! Percy to

$ublish his =ReliDues.= The $lans for the groun!s at Abbotsfor! eresomehat influence! by (i!sleys !escri$tion of the &easoes, hich4cott stu!ie! ith great interest.

;n 01++ )ark Akensi!e, a north country man an! e!ucate! $artly in4cotlan!, $ublishe! his =Pleasures of ;magination,= afterar!s reritten as=The Pleasures of the ;magination= an! s$oile! in the $rocess. The title an!

something of the course of thought in the $oem ere taken from A!!isonsseries of $a$ers on the subject S&ectator, 9os. +00%+*0. Akensi!e as a


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man of learning an! a $hysician of !istinction. His $oem, $rinte! hen heas only tenty%three, enjoye! a $o$ularity no rather har! to account for.Gray com$laine! of its obscurity an! sai! it as issue! nine years tooearly, but a!mitte! that no an! then it rose =e"en to the best, $articularly

in !escri$tion.= Akensi!e as harsh, formal, an! !ogmatic, as a man.4mollett caricature! him in =Peregrine Pickle.= 7ohnson hate! his >hig$rinci$les an! re$resents him, hen settle! at 9ortham$ton, as =ha"ing!eafene! the $lace ith clamors for liberty.=+12 He furthermore !islike!the class of $oetry to hich Akensi!es ork belonge!, an! he tol! Bosellthat he coul!nt rea! it. 4till he s$eaks of him ith a certain cautiousres$ect, hich seems rather a concession to contem$orary o$inion than ana$$reciation of the critics on. He e"en acknole!ges that Akensi!e has=fe artifices of !isgust than most of his brethren of the blank song.=&oell says that the "ery title of Akensi!es $oem $ointe! =aay from thele"el highay of common$lace to mountain $aths an! less !ogmatic

$ros$ects. The $oem as stiff an! unilling, but in its loins lay the see! ofnobler births. >ithout it, the &ines >ritten at Tintern Abbey might ne"erha"e been.=

5ne cannot rea! =The Pleasures of ;magination= ithout becoming sensiblethat the riter as $ossesse! of $oetic feeling, an! feeling of a kin! that egenerally agree to call romantic. His !octrine at least, if not his $ractice,as in harmony ith the fresh im$ulse hich as coming into English

$oetry. Thus he celebrates hea"en%born genius an! the ins$iration of nature,an! !ecries =the critic%"erse= an! the effort to scale Parnassus =by !ullobe!ience.= He in"okes the $eculiar muse of the ne school'

=;n!ulgent 5ancy, from the fruitful banks 5f A"on, hence thy rosy fingers cull 6resh floers an! !es to s$rinkle on the turf >here 4haks$ere lies.=

But Akensi!e is too abstract. ;n $lace of images, he $resents the rea!er ith!issertations. A $oem hich takes imagination as its subject rather than its

metho! ill ine"itably remain, not $oetry but a lecture on $oetry?a theoryof beauty, not an e


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sublime an! the on!erful, as, eDually ith beauty, the chief sources ofimaginati"e $leasure, an! the hole $oem is a $lea for hat e are noaccustome! to call the i!eal. ;n the first book there is a $assage hich isfine in s$irit an!?though in a less !egree?in e


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it as much im$ro"ise! in later e!itions, an! reritten throughout incou$lets.

(yer as a lan!sca$e $ainter ho ha! been e!ucate! at >estminsterschool, stu!ie! un!er Richar!son at &on!on, an! s$ent some time

an!ering about the mountains of >ales in the $ractice of his art. =GrongarHill= is, in fact, a $ictorial $oem, a sketch of the lan!sca$e seen from theto$ of his fa"orite summit in 4outh >ales. ;t is a slight $iece of ork,careless an! e"en slo"enly in ehen (yer rote blank "erse he sli$$e! into the Thomsonian !iction,=cumbent shee$= an! =$ur$le gro"es $omaceous.= But in =Grongar Hill=?although he !oes call the sun Phoebus?the shorter measure seems to bringshorter or!s, an! he has lines of >or!sorthian sim$licity?

=The oo!y "alleys arm an! lo, The in!y summit, il! an! high.=

or the closing $assage, hich >or!sorth allu!es to in his sonnet on (yer?=&ong as the thrush shall $i$e on Grongar Hill='

=Grass an! floers Fuiet trea!s 5n the mea!s an! mountain hea!s. . . An! often, by the murmuring rill, Hears the thrush hile all is still,

>ithin the gro"es of Grongar Hill.=>or!sorth as attracte! by (yers lo"e of =mountain turf= an! =s$aciousairy !ons= an! =nake! 4no!ons i!e, aerial aste.= The =$oer ofhills= as on him. &ike >or!sorth, too, he morali@e! his song. ;n=Grongar Hill,= the ruine! toer suggests the transience of human life' theri"ers running !on to the sea are likene! to mans career from birth to!eath an! Cam$bells cou$let,

=Tis !istance len!s enchantment to the "ie An! robes the mountain in its a@ure hue,=+Q2

is thought to oe something to (yers

=As yon summits soft an! fair, Cla! in colors of the air >hich to those ho journey near Barren, bron an! rough a$$ear, 4till e trea! the same coarse ay, The $resents still a clou!y !ay.=

(yer ent to Rome to $ursue his art stu!ies an!, on his return in 01+,

$ublishe! his =Ruins of Rome= in blank "erse. He as not "ery successfulas a $ainter, an! finally took or!ers, marrie!, an! settle! !on as a country


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$arson. ;n 01-1 he $ublishe! his most ambitious ork, =The 6leece,= a$oem in blank "erse an! in four books, !escri$ti"e of English ool%groing. =The subject of The 6leece, sir,= $ronounce! 7ohnson, =cannot

be ma!e $oetical. Ho can a man rite $oetically of serges an! !ruggetsJ=

(i!actic $oetry, in truth, lea!s too often to lu!icrous !escents. 4uch$rece$ts as =beare the rot,= =enclose, enclose, ye sains,= an!

=%the utility of salt Teach thy slo sains=

ith $rescri$tions for the scab, an! a!"ice as to !i"ers kin!s of oolcombs, are fatal. A $oem of this class has to be ma"e$oetical, by !raggingin e$iso!es an! !igressions hich !o not inhere in the subject itself but areartificially associate! ith it. 5f such a nature is the lo"ing mention?Duote! in >or!sorths sonnet?of the $oets nati"e Carmarthenshire

=%that soft tract 5f Cambria, !ee$ embaye!, (imetian lan!, By green hillsfence!, by 5ceans murmur lulle!.=

&oell a!mire! the line about the 4iberian e


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*2 =Eighteenth Century &iterature,= $. *1.

K2 =Autumn,= lines +-%+1.

beers' a history of english romanticism in the eighteenth century

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