S E L E CT I O N S F RO M

W I L L IA M H A Z LIT T
IH

E D ITED

WI RO D U C T I O N A N D N O T E S

PR O F E S SO R O I V E R S IT Y
I

"
F o od, wa rm t/z , s lee
p , an d a b oo /E: t/z es e a re a ll
”
I at p resm t ask . H A Z LI T I’ ‘

G I N N A N D C O M PA N Y
B O ST O N 0
N EW YO R K C H I C A GO LO N D O N
C O PYR I G HT ,
1 9 13 , B Y WI LL D AVID H O WE

I
A L L R G H T S R E S E R VE D

Gi l) : g tbcnau m B u ss

I
G N N A N D C O M PA N Y 0
PR O
P R I ET O R S BO S T O N U S A
. . .
 To
R P H. . .

Be st o f ll b t
c o a o ra o rs
 P R E FA C E

T his v o lum e gives as far as space permits essays o f H az litt

, ,

which distinguish him as a critic of painting of the drama of , ,

b o o ks and of life I f the l o v e r of Haz litt fails to find here some

,
.

favorite e ss ay let him tak e consolation from the fact that the
,

present editor has again and again been compelled to omit some
essay without which at first he thought the volume would be al
toge ther incom plete T hough re strict e d the selection will it is
.
, ,

hoped in troduce the ne w reader to one of the most inte resting

,

men and o ne of the most s timulating critics one who could write ,

truthfully I have endeavored to feel what is good and to give

,

a reason for the faith that was i n me when necessary and when ,

”
in my power .

Each o f the essays complete i n itself has been carefully

, ,

printed fro m the text which was approved by H azlitt himself .

Even the spelling and punctuation of the original have been

scrupulously followed T his will explain certain inconsistencies
.

in punctuation and in the spelling especially o f proper names ,

.

Doubtless Hazlitt sentimentalist as he was would have

, ,

smil e d at any editor who shoul d attempt to id e ntify his quota

tion s and to explain his references However in the study of .
,

an essayist it is interesting to know something of the wealth

of his reading and it is n e cessary to explain the allusions which
, ,

though clear to the reader O f his day are obscure to u s of anoth e r

,

century .

I desir e to express my indebtedn e ss to M r A R Wall e r o f . . .

,

Cambridge England to M r J R oge rs R ee s of S alisbury Eng

, , . .
, ,

land to P rofessor G L Kittredge O f Harvard Univ e rsity and

,
. .
, ,
Vi S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

to P rofessor C T Winch e ster of Wesleyan University all of

. .
, ,

whom have gi ven most h e lpful suggestions P rofe ssor Winchester

.

has kindly read the en tire proof F or their court e sy at all times
.

I thank the autho rities of the Boston P ublic L ibrary the H arvard
,

University L ibrary the Bodl e ian the Bri tish Museum and the
, ,

Williams L ibrary in L ondon wh e re I was permitted to read the

,

Crabb R obinson manuscript .

W . D . H .
 CO NT ENTS
P AG E
I N T R O D U C TI O N
1 . B I O G R AP H I C A L S K ET C H ix

11 As CR I T I C O F T H E D R A M A
.

1 1 1 As C R I T IC O F P A I N T I N G
. I dvu

I V As C R I T I C O F B O O K S A N D
. M EN xfi x

V As PER S O N A L E S S AY I ST
. . hv

V I H A Z LI T T S S T YL E
.
’
lvn

V I I T H E M A N H A Z L I TT
. 1x

V III S E L E C T E D B I B L I O GR A P H Y
. lxvi

A W OR KS . lx vi

B . ED IT IO N S lxv u

C . B I O GR A P H Y lxv n

D . C O N T E M P O R A R Y C R I T I CI S M IN M A GA Z I N E S . lxv u i

E . M I S C EL L A N E O U S C R I T ICI S M . lxvu I

S E L E C TI O N S

ON THE P E R I O D IC A L E SS AY I STS

C H AR A CT E R OF MR . B UR K E 29

ON P O ET RY IN GEN E R AL 35
O N E L I Z A B ET H A N L IT E R AT UR E
ON T HE P L E A S UR E O F P A I N T I N G 82

ON READ I NG OLD B OO KS 94
ON A L AN D S C A PE OF N I C OL AS PO USS I N 1 07

ON T H E FE A R O F D E AT H . 1 1 5
vii
viii S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT
AG E
P

ON L I V I N G T o O N E s S EL F
’ -
127

O N T H E P A S T A N D F UT UR E

O N F A M I L I A R S T YLE

O N G O I N G A J O UR N E Y

M Y F I R ST A C Q U A I N T A N C E W I T H Po E T s
M E R RY E N G L A N D
O F PER S O N S O N E W O U L D W I S H T O H A V E S EEN

O N T H E FE EL I N G O F I M M O RT A L I T Y I N Y O UT H

O N RE A D I N G N E W B O O KS

O N D I S A G R E E A B L E PE O PL E

O N A S UN D I A L
-

O N C A N T A N D H Y P O C R I SY

A F A R E WE LL T O E SS A Y W R I T I N G
-

T H E S I CK C H A M B E R

N O T ES 31 7

I N D EX 39 3
 I N T R O D UC T I O N

I . B I O G R AP H I C A L S K E T C H

I t is di ffi cult to think of any ten years which have been richer
in promis e for English lit e rature than the p e riod betwe e n 1 7 7 0
an d 1 7 8 0 Within that decad e w e r e bo rn Wordsworth in 1 7 7 0
.
,

S cott i n 1 7 7 1 Coleridge in 1 7 7 2 Je f fr e y in 1 7 7 3 S outh e y in

, , ,

1 7 7 4 L amb in 1 7 7
, 5 and Hazlitt,
in 1 7 78 O f this group . two ,

w e re to b e po e ts who would give new direction to literary work ;

one was to be the gr e at pros e romance write r of our lite ratur e ,

i f not of the world ; one was to be critic and editor Of a great

magaz ine ; one was to please by his ori e ntal po e try ; o ne was
t o b e the most belov e d O f men the most whimsical of e ssayists
, ,

the best letter writer ; the last was to be one of the most pl e as
-

ing and stimulating cri tics of the theat e r O f painting O f books

, , ,

and of m en .

William H azlitt was born on the t e nth of A pril 1 7 7 8 at , ,

Maidstone in Kent H is ancestors on the pat e rnal sid e w e r e

.

of sturdy Diss e nter stock who had probably gone over to I re

land from H olland aft e r th e tim e of William O f O range .

His father William H azlitt was a man of strong character

, , ,

who had received with honor the degree O f M A from Glasgow . .

U niversity A t the University he had allied hims e lf with a group

.

of men of liberal political and religiou s V iews and had su b se

quently left the P r e sbyterian Church and had becom e a Uni
tarian minister During his fi rst Charge he marri e d Grac e L oftus
.
,

the daught e r of a nonconformist ironmonger T h e y wer e mar .

ried at P eterborough i n 1 7 7 6 and mov e d to M arshfi eld A t .

M arshfi eld John was born who was to b ecome well known as
,

ix
X S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

“
a miniature portrait paint e r T hen a call came from Maidstone
.
,

K e nt in 1 7 7 0 T he ten y e ars at Maidstone were cast in pl e as

,
.

ant plac e s for h e re the family found a li ttle group of free

,

thinkers who lik e d th e m and whom they lik e d and here the
, ,

elder William H azlitt could display his S pl e ndid ability in in tel

l e ctual intercourse with the oth e r minist e rs of the town and ,

o ccasionally with l e ad e rs such as Dr P riestl ey and Benj amin .

F ranklin Here too were born Margar e t in 1 7 7 1 an d William

'

.
, ,

in 1 7 7 8 O f seven children only th e se three lived to maturi ty

.

T he m e mb e rs of this sturdy D issenter family were not to

sp e nd their liv e s in the quiet of a Kentish V illage T he y e ar .

1 7 8 0 took th e m to Bandon County Cork Ireland T he father

, ,
.

inte rest e d himself in the caus e of the A merican soldiers at Kin

sal e P rison who w e r e r e ported to be subj ected to the most cru e l
,

abus e s H is e fforts to secur e relief wer e successful but brought

.
,

u pon him the suspicion an d hatre d of the citiz e ns H e saw that .

his opportunity for us e fuln e ss in that community was at an end ,

and he b e gan to consid e r where he should go H is devotion to .

the caus e of liberty naturally strong had b e en nourished by

, ,

what he had h e ard and se e n and possibly also by reports from ,

his uncl e who was a colonel in the A m e rican R evolutionary

,

A rmy We are not surpris e d th e n that th e n e xt move for the

.
, ,

H az litts should be to A merica .

O u r sc e ne shifts to t he N e w World O n the third of A pril .

,

1
7 8 3 the family se t sail for N e w Y ork
,
T h e y land e d on the .

tw e lfth O f May Fortunately the story O f thes e y e ars is r e cord e d

.
,

in the delightful diary of Margar e t always call e d P e ggy We

1
,
.

have not a mor e pleasing sk e tch of the A merica o f that period .

We catch glimps e s of the wand e rings o f the family first in N e w

Y ork for two days th e n to P hilad elphia wh e re the elder H azlitt
, ,

pre ached for t he C hurch e s and gav e many l e ctur e s ; th e n to

W eymou th about fifte e n mil e s from Boston ; and fi nally to
1S e l e c ti o ns f r om t he di ary we re prin te d fo r th e fi rst t i m e in F ou r G n rat i o n s
e e

of a Li te rary Fam ily ( i 89 7 ) .

 I N T R O D UC TI O N Xi

Dorchester now a suburb of Boston P e ggy has drawn many a

,
.

picture of the count ry has told us abou t the conditions O f trav e l, ,

and has shown u s a v e ry af fe ctionat e family in new and int e r e st

ing surroundings T he country about Weymou th esp e cially
.

pl e ased her T he house stood in a most romantic S pot sur

.
,

rounded o n three sides by very steep hills that S lop e d down j ust
in sight of the wind ows and w e r e cover e d with locust trees ,
.

T hese trees grow to a gr e at h e ight and th e ir yellow blossoms , ,

somewhat like the laburn um perfumed the air in spring O n the ,

.

green b e fore the door stood a solitary pear tree beyon d the -
,

shade of which in the hot days William was not allow e d to go

’
until four o clock wh en the sun was in some sort shaded by
,

the neighbouring hills How O ften have we stood at the

.

window looking at my fath e r as he wen t u p the H ingham R oad

with William in his nankeen dress m arching by his sid e lik e one
” 1
that could n ever be tire d .

A fter a little more than a year and a half at Weymouth the

family moved to Dorch e ste r F or a time the eld e r Hazlitt was .

con tent to preach in Boston an d its vicinity bu t soon despair ,

2
ing o f having a regular charg e d e cided to re turn to England ,
.

H e sailed from Boston in O ctober 1 7 8 6 leaving the family in , ,

A m e rica for t he win t e r During th e season J o h n worked at his .

painting doing a miniature o f his bro ther and William studied

, ,

L atin T he first bit O f writing which we have from the pe n of

.

the future essayist was composed at this tim e .

1 2 th o f N o v .

M y d e ar P ap a — I s h al l n e v e r f o r g e t t h at we c am e t o am e ri c a I f
, .

we h ad n o t c am e t o am e ri c a w e s h o u l d n o t h av e b e e n aw ay fr o m o n e
,

an d o t h e r t h o ugh n o w i t c an n o t b e h e l e d I th i n k f o r m y p ar t t h at i t
, p .

w o u l d h av e b e e n a g r e at d e al b e tte r i f t h e w h i te p e o p l e h ad n o t f o u n d
i t o u t L e t t h e [ o t h e r s] h av e i t f o r t h e m se l v e s f o r i t was m ad e f o r
.
,

1 F ou r G e n e rat i o ns t I 3 7 ,
”
e c .
, ,
.

2 O h mo s t u n fo rt u n at r s o l v ! fo r b t a f e w mo n th s f t r h h d s il d
, e e e u a e e a a e

o ld M r G ay di d and D G o rd o n c am e ov r t L o nd o n t p u bl is h h is w o rk
. e ,
r . e o o ,

an d at i t h r of t h s pl ac s ( H in gh m o r S al m ) my fath r w ou ld h av b n
e e e e e a e e e ee

ch os n e F ou r G n r at i o ns e t I
”
e e ,
”
c .
, ,
x ii S E L E C TI O N S FROM H AZLITT

th e m I h av e go t a l i tt l e o f my g r am m ar : s o m e t i m e s I ge t t h r e e p ag e s
.

an d s o m e t i m e s b u t o n e I do no t sif e r any at all M am m a P e ggy and

. .

J ac ky are all w e l l an d I am t o
, I st i l l r e m ai n y o u r m o st A ffe c t i o n ate
.

So n , Wi l l i am H az l i tt .

T h e R e v M r H az l i tt L o n d o n
. .
,
.

T o t h e c a r e o f M r D av i d L e w is
. .

T O th e regr e t of Margar e t the family l e ft A m e rica T hey .

sail e d on the fourth of July 1 8 8 7 r e ach e d P ortsmouth on the , ,

tw e lfth of A ugust and w e nt at on c e t o L ondon

,
.

T h e soj ourn i n A merica seems t o have made scan t impres

sion upon the memo ry O f H azlitt e xcept the tast e O f barberries ,

which he fon dly recalled in late r years I have it in my mouth .

still aft e r an in t e rval O f mor e than thirty years for I have met ,

”
no other tast e in all that time at all lik e it .

1
A ft e r the autumn S pent at Walworth th e fath e r was called ,

t o the little church at Wem n e ar S hr e wsbu ry F or more than ,

.

a quarter of a c e ntu ry the family lived at We m and the younger ,

William sp e nt there most O f his years between the age of ten

and twenty two I t would b e strange if this period of residence
-
.

had not l e ft many an impr e ssion u pon the sensitive t e m pera

men t O f William Hazlitt or had n o t O fte n called forth a happy
,

r e miniscenc e O f yout hful scenes and incidents H is essays glow .

with the e nthusiasm of youth as he r e calls a scene in the

house at We m the colors th at rested on the S alopian hills or
, ,

some book or picture which he discover e d in his many rambl e s

about the count ry I f I s ee a row of cabbage plants or of
.
‘

peas or bean s com ing u p I immediately think of those which ,

I u sed so carefully to water of an ev e ning at Wem wh e n my

.

’
day s task was don e and of the pain with which I saw t h e m
,

” ’
droop and hang down th e ir l e av e s in the morning s sun How .

he looked back u pon the e xp e ri e n ces O f thos e years was well

1 W h e n I was q u i te a b o y m y fat h e r u s e d to tak e m e t o th e M o n t p e l i e r T e a

gard e n s at W alw o r th ” ( W hy D is tan t O b j e c t s Pl e as e ” Wo rks V I
"
See , , ,

als o F ou r G e n e rat i o ns ” e tc I 5 7
,
.
, ,
.
 I N T R O D U C TI O N x i ii
’
expressed when h e said long afterwards I never see a child s ,

”
kite but it s ee ms to pull at my h e art .

A letter from William at the age of elev e n to his broth e r

J o h n written in M arch ( 1 7 8 8 ) after the family had mov e d to
,

Wem allows u s to se e some of the life o f the boy

,
Y ou want .

to know what I do I am a busybody an d do many silly things

. .

I drew eyes and noses till about a fortnigh t ago I have drawn .

’ ’
a little boy sinc e a man s fac e and a little boy s fron t fac e taken
, ,

’ “
from a bust N e x t Monday I shall begin to read O vid s Meta
.

” ”
morphos e s and Eu tro piu s I S hall like to know all the L atin .

an d Gre e k I can I want to learn how to measur e the stars I shall

. .

”
not I suppose, paint the worse for knowing everything else
,
.

Besides the influence of the country and o f books p e rhaps ,

’
the most lasting impr e ssion came from H az litt s father In .

politics an d r e ligion the e ld e r William H azlitt had decided views .

H e had an aptitude for metaphysics and an abiding faith in

God B e tween the fath e r an d son was formed a bon d O f aff ec :
.

tion an d sympathy T he father look e d with j oyful pride upon

.

’
his son s youthful prowess an d liked to think of him as a m inis
ter expounding the principl e s of r e ligion an d the rights o f man .

A s th e y e ars passed this f i lial lov e in the work of the essayist

blossomed in passag e s of f ervent e loqu e n c e But we have .

known some such in happier days who had b e en brought u p

an d lived from youth to age in the on e con stant b e lief of God
and O f his Christ an d who thought all oth e r things but dross
,

” 1
com pared with the glory hereafter to be rev e al e d .

A n occasional l e tt e r from M argar e t or from William himself ,

or a remark in his e ssays giv e s u s glimps e s O f th e se qui e t y e ars ,

at Wem I n 1 7 9 0 h e w e nt o n a V isit to the T racys a Unitarian

.
,

family in L iverpool F ortunat e ly we hav e l e tt e rs t e lling of this

.

visit A few sentences fro m these letters show a learn ed young

2
.

1 “
r I n fl u nc
O n C ou t e e,
”
wri tt e n in J an u ary 8 8 W o rks I I I 54
,
1 1 , , ,
2 .

2 F ou r G n rati o ns
"
e e ,
”
e tc
. I 6 8 f f S als o T h N w S c h oo l of R fo rm ”
, ,
. ee e e e ,

Wo rks V I I 93 , ,
1 .
X iV S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

man O f twelve I spent a very agreeable day yesterday as I

.
,

read 1 6 0 pag e s o f P ri e stley and heard two good s e rmons .

I do not conv e rse in F rench but I and Miss T racy have a book ,
~

something like a vocabulary where we ge t the m e aning of words , .

Miss T racy n e v e r does accompts but I tak e an hour or two every

”
other day A t L iverpool h e saw his fi rst play and w ent for his
.
,

first s e rvic e to the Established Church which he did not lik e ,

.

T he scan t record O f th e s e e arly y e ars shows a boy of p e rfectly

natural tastes eage r and e nthusiastic e sp e cially sensitive to line
, ,

and color and attracte d by ev e rything in the natur e of meta

,

physical speculation What is right ? What is law What is th e

.

basis O f gov e rnm e nt ? T h e se qu e stions k e pt coming back to him

to be answere d and led him to this conclusion How in e ffectual
.

are all pl e asures except those which aris e from a knowl e dge o f hav

ing done as far as o ne knows that which was right to make their
” 1
poss e ssors happy O ne practical outcome o f his early thin k
.

ing was his l e tter in 1 7 9 1 published in the 5 127 6 205 11 21 73 C/zrom cle
'

»
, ,

a l e arn e d a rticle cond e mning the outrage against D r P riestley .

,

whose house had be e n burn e d by a mob in Birmingham .

S O Hazlitt grew to be fifteen T he desire to have his son .

a nonconformist m in ister prompted the fath e r to try the Hackney

”
T heological Seminary My fath e r wrote the essayist would
.
, ,

far soon e r I had preach e d a good s e rmon than painted a R em

” 2
brandt . H is lette rs o f that y e ar give the scope O f his lectures
Sophocles Q uintilian Gre e k grammar mathematics logic a
, , , , ,

bit o f H e brew divinity and philosophy Ev e n this range did .

not quite satisfy him for he was resolv e d t o hav e a particular

,

syst e m o f politics so that he would be able to j udge O f the

truth or fals e hood of any principl e which I h e ar or read and o f ,

” 3
the j ustice or the contra ry O f any political transaction A nd .

"
as an e xperim e nt he tri e d his hand at an e ssay O n the P olitical
4
S tat e of Man The best parts of the y e ar were the fortnightly
.

1 M mo irs p ” 2 P u bl is h d in L m b d
e a an Ha z l i t t ” pp —
3 47
e , . 2 0. ,
.
3 .

3 I bid p 39 4 I bid p
.
,
. . .
,
.
42 .
 I NT R O D UCT I O N xv

visits to the studio of his brother J o h n who was working with ,

success under the tuition O f J oshua R eynolds Howev e r not .

,

’
much at Hackn e y was to H az litt s liking and 1 7 9 4 foun d him ,

again at home with nothing to do .

T he next eight years of his life at Wem though meagerly ,

recorde d in an occasional remark in his essays m eant m uch for ,

H azlitt T he long dej ection held him

. t he repeated dis

appo in tments which have served t o ov e rcast and throw into deep
” 1
obscurity some of the best y e ars o f my life H e had b e e n .

the companion of his brother the painter ; he had tried to draw , ,

’
he had looked at everything with a paint e r s eye and had dreamed
of himself as painte r but he could do nothin g ,
I could no t .

write a line I could not draw a stroke I was bru tish I n

. . .

words in looks i n d e eds I was n o bette r than a Cha ngeling

, ,
.

I was at that time dumb inarticulate helpless like a worm , ,

2
by the waysid e crushed bleeding lifeless
, SO w a nderlu st
, ,

took possession o f him H e walked over the coun try across .

,

the hills O f S hropshire into L langollen saw the pictures at ,

the Burleigh Gall e ry visited the Cathe d ral at P eterborough

, ,

tramped to Wisb e ac h to see the town where my mother was

bo rn the fa rmhouse t he gate where She used to stand when a
, ,

” 3
girl of ten and look at the settin g sun .

How e ver , the years O f awakening were no t far distant I n .

1 7 6 H azlitt foun d a co py o f the a m e: z ro m de which

'

9 S I f C / .

’ ” 4
contained a part of Burke s L etter to a N oble L ord Then .

the world began an ew for him F or t he first time he realized the .

pow e r o f the written word and took fresh courage H e had .

va in ly tried to write a single e ssay nay a single page a sen , , ,

”
tence . T o be able to convey the slightest conception of my
mean ing to others in words was the height O f an almost hop e l e ss
”
ambition With enthusiasm he began again his reading and
.
,

1 L amb and H az li tt p 4 5 ( l ett r f r om H ckn ey O cto b r

,
”
. e a ,
e 2 3,
3 M y Firs t Acq u ain tan c e wi th P o et s p 7 6 ,
”
. 1 .

3 M e mo irs ” pp 36—3 7
, . .
4 N o te s
P 3 6 ,
2
Xvi S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

made discoveries which gave him pleasure for a lifetime

’ ’ ” “ ’
S haksper e s plays ; Milton s P aradise L ost ; Boccaccio s
“ ” ”’ “ ” “
D e cam e ron ; R ousseau s Confessions and N e w Elois e ;
’ “ ” ” “
Burk e s F rench R e volution ; L etters O f Junius ; th e
dramatists of the R estoration especially Congreve and F ar ,

q u h ar ; the novels O f F ielding R ichardson S mollett and S terne ;

, , ,

t he T atl e r ; A rabian N ights ; Don Q uixot e ; the philo

” “ ” ”

S ophical w ritings of H artley Berkeley H um e and R o c h ef o u , , ,

cauld D uring those plastic years these books stand first in the
.

influ e nces upon his life A s long as he lived he looked back

.

upon them only with j oy and r e called with gusto the circum
stances u nder which he had fi rst r e ad th em Books and usually .

the books o f th e se proud days were to Hazlitt ever one O f his

”
pure j oys for he boasted in lat e r y e ars that he had not read
,

a book through since he became thirty .

T hough he lov e d books and though he got o n so ill with his

frien ds he always gave books a plac e b e low r e al men and
,

wom en F irst of all was the influence of his fath e r ; n e xt per

.
,

haps the life long fri e ndship O f his broth e r John Early in these
,
.

y e ars he m e t Godwin Holcroft R ickman t he B u rney s and

, , , ,

Crabb R obinson Th e n a gr e at light flashed across his pathway

. .

A s if from a dream the youn g man O f twenty aros e with a new

1
str e ngth H e m e t Coleridge heard him pr e ach walked and
.
, ,

talked with him and was invited by him to visit him at N ether
,

S towey and meet Wordsworth .

F or H azlitt there were probably no two men in all th e world

more worth knowing What this m e ant to Haz litt he has
.

describ e d with the charm of a poet in o ne of the fi nest e ssays

i n the language By leaps and bounds his enthusiasm ros e after
.

Col e ridge left Wem A fter three weeks at Shr e wsbu ry and at
.

We m H azlitt started for a walking tour in Wales celebrat e d

,
2
,

’
his birthday over a fowl a bottle of sherry and R ouss e au s
“
, ,

3
N ew th e n se t out for N e ther S tow e y to visit the
1 M y Firs t Acq u ain tanc e wi th P o ets pp 76 ff 2 N o te s p 366 3 I bi d p 36 7
,
”
. 1 .
,
. . .
,
. .
x vi i i S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

and the poems g en erally of Wordsw orth Col e ridge L amb an d , , ,

S outhey with whom he was through life aft e rwards so closely

,

conn e cted whom h e so ill treated and who b e cam e so important

,
-
,

to m e H azlitt was also like mys e lf a great admirer O f Godwin

.
, ,

and Holcroft and also abou t this time became acquainted

,

” 1
W ith them .

What was Hazlitt to do ? H e had b ee n sp e nding much of his

time with his brother John in L ondon trying to l e arn to pain t ,
.

T he y e ar at H ackn e y had S hown the folly of his attempting to

pr e ach ; the years at Wem had nourish e d his love for m e ta
physics bu t m e taphysics O ffe red no prospect of a liv elihood
,
.

T he meeting with the poets an d his study O f th e ir work had , ,

stirred in him a love of writin g bu t the words failed to come ,

.

T here was still one thing left He had always looked upon .

faces and u pon nature with the eyes of the painter he had ,

always liked to draw and he had passe d countless hours in his ,

’
brother s studio H e loved pictur e s with an enthusiasm born o f
.

a real lov e o f the art H ere certainly was your real painter ! .
, ,

T h e n e xt mov e was to P aris and the L ouvre with all its ,

treasures the M e cca th e n as no w of the aspiring paint e r In

, , ,
.

O ctob e r 1 8 0 2 he wrot e S ix l e tte rs to his family whi ch describe d

,
2
,

his plans o f C opying the mast e rpi e ces f o rfriends in England ,

and which abound e d with e nthu siastic admiration o f certain

mast e rs O f t he picture s O f R ubens he wrot e : I intend to
.

copy two out of the fi ve I am to do for R ailton I prom .

’
ised Northcote to copy T itian s portrait of H ippo lito de M e dici .

I shall have gon e on at the rate O f a portrait in a fort

night I g e nerally go to the M us e um about half pas t ni ne
1 An o th r p ss ag f r om th di ry of th s am d t t lls of the H zli tt fam il y
e a e e a e e a e e a .

I n p ssing t h r ou g h W m in S h r o psh ir I w a v ry w o rth y o ld Pr sb yt ri n

a e e sa e e e a

M inis t r —n o w o rs t h n an Ari n I pr s um t h f th r of th H litt W ill i m

e e a a ,
e e, e a e e az s. a ,

who h ad b c om m y f ri nd w n t th r b t J h n th m ini t u r p in t r w
e e e ,
as o e e, u o ,
e a e a e ,
as .

I lik d th goo d o ld m n nd h is wi f w h o h d all th s o l idi ty ( I d o n t m n

e e a a e, a e o ea

s to lidi ty ) nd s o b r arn s tn ss of th mo r r sp c tabl e n n n T h r wa ls o

a e e e e e e e e o co s . e e s a

a m id n sis te r ( P e ggy)
a e Al to g th r n amu sin g and ag r eab l g r ou p in my
. e e a e e

m e mo ry .
” 2 P ub lis h d in M e mo irs ” etc I 8 5— e
, .
, ,
1 02 .
 I N T R O D U C TI O N x ix

”
H e work e d
’
or te n O clock and continue there till three or four
,
.

in P aris for four m o nths and retu rned in Jan uary with at least
eleven copi e s made for the people who had order e d them .

T hough now and th e n a fe ar e scap e d him that h e could not

b e a R embrandt or a T itian both of whom he idoliz e d y e t he , ,

pers e ve red and se t abou t dilige ntly to turn his work to som e
practical account F or almost thr ee years he wandered in the
.

n orth of England as an itineran t painter doing portraits of ,

1 2 3
Wordsworth Col e ridge H artl e y Coleridge and an O ld woman
, , ,

n e ar M anch e ste r in 1 8 0 2 or 1 8 0 3 A t G ate ac re n e ar L iver .

,

4
pool he painted the h e ad o f D r S h e pherd fri e nd of his fath e r
,
.
,

and father of S ally S heph e rd for who m he s e e m e d to hav e had ,

5
a passing a f fe ction ; next the portrait O f his father the doing of ,

which gav e to both father and son much pleasur e ; finally a por
” 6
trait O f C harles L amb in the costum e of a V enetian s e nator .

’
T his last is the only sp e cim e n o f H az litt s painting which is still
pres e rv e d .

H e r e the car e e r of the paint e r came abru ptly t o a close .

A fterwards he worked Occasionally on a portrait or u pon his

’
favorit e subj e ct Jacob s L add e r but he no longer relied u pon
, ,

painting as a profe ssion Doubtless the consciousness o f in .

f e rio rity to his favorit e paint e rs combin e d with a lack of pati e nce ,

nec e ssary to acquire the t e chniqu e o f the art convinced him that ,

succ e ss did not lie that way .

T he portrait O f L amb in 1 8 0 4 probably introduced Hazlitt to

this d e lightful man T hey met perhaps in the early months of
.
, ,

1 S ee Sou th e y s l e tte r t o Rick m an D e c e m b e r 1 4 1 803

’
, , .

2 S e e C o l e ridg e s l e tt e r t o S ir G e o rg e B e aumo n t O c t o b e r I 1 8 0
3 als o Wo rds
’
, ,

w o rth s l e tte r t o S ir G e o rg e B e aumo n t J u n e 3 I 805 t h ankin g h i m fo r th e pre s

’
, , ,

e n t o f C o l e ridg e s pic t u r e
’
We t h ink as f ar as m e re l ik e n e ss g o e s H az litt s is
.
, ,
’

th e b e tte r b u t t h e e xpr e ssi o n in H az litt s is q u i t e d o l o r ou s an d fu n e r e al t h at in

’
,

th is is mu c h mo r e pl e asin g thou g h ac t u al l y f all ing f ar b e l o w w h at o ne w ou ld wis h

,

t o s e e in fu s e d in t o a pic t u r e of C o l e rid g e
” 3 O t e P l e as u r e of P ain t ing p 8 6
n h .
”
,
. .

4 D o u ad
y ,
i
V e e d W ill i am H az l i tt
”
p 3 56 ,
. .

5 F ou r G e n e rat i o n s ” etc I 83
,
.
, ,
.

6 M ary L am b ’s l
e tte r t o M rs C o l e ridg e O c t o b e r 1 3 1 8 04
. T h is p ain t ing is
, ,
.

at pr e s e n t in th e N at i o n al P o rt rai t G all e ry L o nd o n , .
XX S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

1 2
that y e ar I n her l e tter to M rs Coleridge Mary L amb wrote
. .

“
I have lat e ly been talking O f you with Mrs Hazlitt [ wife of .

J o h n H azlitt] William Hazlitt is painting my brother s picture

.
’
,

which has brought u s acquaint e d with the whole family I like .

William H azlitt and his sist e r [ P eggy] v e ry much ind e e d and I ,

”
think Mrs H azlitt a pretty good humoured woman
. The -
.

’ ’
m ee ting at Godwin s has be e n made memorabl e by H az litt s
3
d e scription T hey wer e talking S O Hazlitt tells us of man
.
, , ,

man as he is and as he is to b e O ne thing was said by Cole .

ridge anoth e r by Godwin something by Holcroft th en L amb

, , ,

”
stamm e r e d ou t slowly Give m e man as he is 7202 to b e F rom
,
‘
.

th at mom e nt H azlitt b e cam e his fri e nd T he friendship laste d .

,

4 ’
with o n e or two interrupti ons to the e nd of H az litt s life T h e , .

’
spirit o f the W e dnesday e v en ings at L amb s apartments in Mitre
5
Court has been e xpr e ssed by no one so well as by H azlitt I n .

that p e riod O f more than twen ty fi ve years there w e re many -

harsh words and bitter feelings but the o ne who remained true ,

t o H azlitt was th e man most worth knowing in L ondon .

O f thes e y e ars O f H az litt s li f e only an incid e n t or two may

’

be gl e an e d from the l e tters of his friends Hazlitt accompani e d .

L amb to Dru ry L an e o n the memorabl e t e nth o f Dec e mber ,

’
1 8 0 6 wh e n L amb s farce
,
Mr was produc e d with path e tic ,
.

r e sults Charles and Ma ry H azlitt and Crabb R obinson w e re

.
, ,

6
in the pit T he y e ar 1 8 0 7 is S ignificant for an incident which
.

7
brought the two fri e nds togeth e r in a practical j oke conceived ,

1L u c s Li f of C h rl s L mb p 4 8 ( d i t i o n of
a ,
e a e a ,
”
. 2 e

2 M ry L m b s l t t r t
a M s C o l ridg O c t o b r 3 8 4 T h is p ain t in g is at
a
’
e e o r . e e, e 1 1 0 .
,

pr s n t in th N t i o n al P o rt r i t G all ry L o nd o n
e e e a 3 P
96 a e ,
. . 1 .

4 Lu c s Li f of C h rl s L mb pp 4 8—5 ; W C H az li tt L amb an d
a ,
e a e a ,
”
. 2 2 2 . .
,

H z li t t p
a ,
im ”
a ss .

5 C r bb R o bins o n af fo rds u s m n y
a gli m ps I n th at h umbl ap artm e n t a a e . e

I sp n t m n y h pp y h ou rs nd w a gr t r n um b r of xc ll n t p rs o ns t h an I
e a a a sa ea e e e e e e

h ad v r s n c o ll c t d t o g t h r in n r oom
e e ee e e e e o e .
”

O n P rs o ns O n w ou ld W is h t h av S n p ; O n t h C o n v rs t i o n of
6 ”
e e o e ee ,
. 212 e e a

A u th o rs W k V l I 4 S
,
”
ls o L u c s Li f of C h arl s L mb 15
o r s, ,
2 . ee a a ,
e e a ,
”
11 3 5 i

H litt acc ou n t in h is ss y n G r t nd Li tt l T h ings W o rks V I 3

’ “ ”
az s e a o ea a e , , ,
2 2.

j oke is d scrib e d in W C H az li tt L amb and H az li tt p 6

7 Th ”
e e . . . 1 .
, ,
 I NT R O D U C TI O N xxi

probably by L amb and J oseph H um e of the V ictualing O fli c e ,

S omerset House after the man ner of the hoax practiced by

,

Dean S wift on the almanac maker P artridg e T he r e port was ,

.

“
circulated that W H a portrait painter in S outhampton . .
, ,

Buildings Holborn put an end to his existence by cutting his

, ,

”
throat in a shocking manner A ll the details were vividly pre .

sented T o this report Hazlitt o f fered a P etition and R e mon

.

strance protesting an d sett ing forth proofs that he was still

,

alive I n a wond e rful l e tt e r of four pages folio to H ume L amb

.
,

acc e pted this stat e ment as either a forgery o r a communication

from the d e ad T he incident closed with a short note from
.

H ume to H azlitt warning him again st L amb ,

.

I t would b e strange inde e d if the names of women did not , ,

’
slip into the pages of H az litt s biography A s a young man he .

was ve ry shy especially in the presenc e of young women who

, ,

always made game of his awkward manner H owever while .

,

he was a traveling painter in the no rth h e had a passing a f fe ction

for a M iss R ailton of L iverpool for a Miss Walton and for a , ,

certain S ally S heph e rd daughter of Dr S h e pherd who was an ,

.
,

intimate friend of the e ld e r H azlitt A pparently withou t much .

reason D e Q uincey has in sisted that Dorothy Wordsworth had

repelled his attentions F ate had something e lse in store for .

H azlitt in the p e rson O f S arah S toddart daught e r o f L ieut e nant ,

J o hn S toddart a retired and disappointed n aval O ffi cer A s early

, .

as 1 7 9 9 H azlitt and J ohn S toddart the brother had becom e , ,

acquaint e d but there was never any affection betw e en them

,
.

M ary L amb and S arah S toddart had be e n friends for r e asons

1
which we can scarcely und e rstand F ortunat e ly the l e tt e rs of .

’
Mary have b e e n kept but no o ne of S arah s i s forthcoming I t
,
.

is di f ficult for us to conc e iv e what attractio n H azlitt found in

S arah S he was not rom an tic or imaginative She had little
. .

physical charm and was s e lfish and determ ined S he had been
,
.

pursued by variou s suitors who are now m e r e names to u s ,

1 M rs G ilc h ris t M ary L amb c h aps v i—i

.
, ,
”
.
Xxi i S E LE C T I O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

Mr T urn e r Mr White Mr Dowling and William O f partri d ge

.
,
.
, .
,

m e mory ”
H er turning d o wn of e ach s ee m e d to cause her little
.

con c e rn How e ver the f ate f u l aff air b e tw ee n H azlitt and S arah
.
, fl

b e gan to be s e rious and aft e r considerabl e un e asiness on he r , ,

part r e garding the marriage s e ttlem e nt culminated in a d e ci ,

sion to marry J ust wh e n H azlitt and S ara h first c am e toge ther

.

is still a m att e r for conj ecture } but no e vid en c e brought forward

thus far convinc e s us that th ey kn e w each oth e r before 1 8 0 6 .

T h e re was consid e rable f e ar on th e part of friends that th e n ew

marriag e would not b e an unqualifi e d succ e ss We hav e no le t .

ters from S arah S toddart but nothing in her life shows that she ,

was much conc e rn e d with anythin g bu t the marriage settlement .

O f Hazlitt th e r e remains one letter writt e n soon aft e r the hoax ,

”
'

“
men tioned above What h as b e com e of you .
? h e writes .

A re you marri e d h e aring that I was dead ( for so it has b ee n ,

reported) ? F or inde e d I n e v e r lov e you as Well as when , ,

I think of sitting down with you to dinner on a boil e d scrag e nd

”
O f mutton and hot potato e s T he l e tt e r e nds with sugg e stions .

about the marriage s e ttl e m e nt I n F e bruary 1 8 0 8 he wen t to .

-
, ,

Salisbury to se e h er and to make plans for the approaching

nuptials M ary L amb was to be bridesmaid and wrot e lett e rs
.
,

which are full O f int e r e st chatting about w e dding pr e sents and ,

w e dding gown s F or som e r e ason Charl e s L amb was not at

.

first in clud e d in the wedding party but wh e n on the first of ,

’
May 1 8 0 8 th e marriage took plac e at S t A ndr e w s C hurch
, ,
.
,

Holborn John S toddart and wife and Charl e s and Mary L amb
, ,

were the only gu e sts T he account of the w e dding is re corded .

’
in a l e tt e r by Charl e s L amb to Southey : I was at H az litt s
1 M r W C I I a lit t
. .M e mo irs I 7 ) t h inks th at th W illi am H az li tt m n
. z
”
1 1 e e
, ,

t i ne d b y M ary L am b in h
o l tt r of S p t mb r 8 3 wa ou r W illi am H az li tt
er e e e e e ,
1 0 ,
s ,

an d t h at h was wri t ing t h i m at t h e t i m

s e M r J R og e rs R s ( N to d e . . . ee o es an

Q i
u er e s ,April 1 I 9 S) h o lds a si m il ar o pini o n Pr of ss o r D ady V i d
1 ,
O . e ou e e

W il li am H az li tt p 36 ) t h inks it was n t W illi am H az li tt b t s om e rli e r W il

,
”
. 0 o u ea

li m T h r ad ing of all th e ev id nc e t b h ad l ads m e t o agre e wi th Pr of ss o r

a . e e e o e e e

D o ua dy H o w any o n e c an r e ad all t h e l e tte rs of M ary L am b and th ink o th e rwis

. e

I c ann o t c o nc e i v ! e
 I N T R O D U C TI O N xxiii

marriage and had like to have been turn e d out several tim e s
” 1
during the cer e mony A nything awful mak e s m e laugh. Im .

mediately after the marriage H azlitt and his wife withdr e w to

’ 2
S arah s cottage at Winterslow a little V illage about six miles ,

from S alisbu ry .

L ife began in earnest for the n ew family at Wint e rslow By .

a process of elimination H azlitt had d e cid e d u pon writing as

his profe ssion A lready he had published but nothin g with
.
,

profit H e had long been occupi e d with The Essay on H uman

.

A ction ( 1 8 0 a m etaphysical essay the O bj e ct of which as he , ,

3
afterwards said was to remove a stum bling block i n the meta
,
-

physical doctrine o f the inn ate and necessary s e lfishn e ss of the

”
human m ind T he F re e T houghts on P ublic A f fairs he had
.

” “
published at his own expense in 1 8 0 6 I n A R e ply to Malthu s .

( 1 80
7 ) he had set forth hi s V i e ws d e nying t he propositi on of ,

Malthus regarding population T hen he turn e d to that worthy .

“
and popular book by A braham T uck e r L ight O f N atur e ,

” 4
P ursued and condensed its seven volum e s into one
F inally in th e sam e y e ar h e prepared T he Eloqu e nce of the
,

” 5
.

British S e nate in which h e incorporat e d s e l e ctions from the

best P arliament speech e s with explanatory comm e nt I t will .

be readily s e e n that little financial r e ward could b e expected

’
from such a list and yet from H az litt s poin t O f vi e w the work
,

was w ell worth the doing H e had the opportunity to set down .

more cl e arly his philosophical speculations ; h e had studi e d with

special profit the work by T ucker and had read with int e re st ,

and e n thusiasm the b e st English orations By the publication .

O f the s e l e ctions h e r e c e iv e d favorabl e notices from the pr e ss ,

which he could turn to his accoun t when occasion s e rved .

1 W ri tte n A u g u s t 9 1 8 1 5 ,
.

2 Mr
J R o ge rs Re e s ( N t a nd Q e ri s J u ly 2 3 1 9 08 ) h as cl e are d u p th e
. . o es u e , ,

q u e s t i o n of S arah H az litt s pr o p e rty at W in te rsl o w an d h as s h o wn t h at th e re is

’
,

n o b asis fo r th e st at em e n t of M r \V C H az li tt t h at h e r ann u al inc om e f r om he r

. . .

c o tt age was £ 1 2 0
”
.
3 L e tt e r t o W il li am G i ffo rd ” W o rks I 403
“
, , , .

4 “
F ou r G e n e rat i o ns ” e tc 1 9 6 .
5 Ibid
. 1 97 '
, , , ) ;
XXIV S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

N e xt he occupied hims e lf with an English grammar which h e ,

“
publish e d in 1 8 1 0 and t h e n proceede d with the M e moirs O f
,

”
Holcroft which how e ver did not appear till 1 8 1 6 H is exten
, , , .

sive r e ading in English and F ren ch philosophy led him to con

sider writing a history of philosophy With his r e ading and .

writing H azlitt had not e ntir e ly give n u p painting A t tim e s he .

’
work e d industriou sly especially on his favorit e subj e ct J acob s
, ,

L adder } by which h e wished to symbolize the asc e nt of the

“
human spirit toward light toward the spiritual h e aven O f ,

”
grand id e as S O th e months passed at Wint e rslow
. .

T he abs e nc e of th e H az litts from L ondon was felt by the

L ambs Mary L amb wrote to S arah H az litt D e c e mb e r 1 0 1 8 0 8
.
, ,

Y ou cannot think how very much we miss you and H [az litt] .

of a W e dn e sday e v e n in g A ll the glory of the night I may say .

, ,

i s at an e nd H azlitt was most brillian t most ornamental

.
,

as a Wednesday man but he was a more us e ful o ne on com ,

mon days wh e n he dropped in aft e r a quarr e l or a fit of the

”
gloom s A ft e r r e p e at e d urging th e L ambs cons e nt e d to go
.

down to Winte rslow T h e trip was plann e d th e n postponed on

.
,

’
accoun t of Mary s illness T he l e tters d e scribing the d e tails are .

full of humorou s e xp e ctancy T h e party was to consist of four .

,

Charl e s and Mary L amb M artin Burn ey and Edward P hillips , ,

.

Mary was to tak e b e d cov e rings Burn e y was to sl e ep i n the ,

kitchen and all w e re to h e lp pay the expenses O f entertainm e nt

,
.

T h e V isit was finally accomplished in the fall of 1 8 0 9 We have .

’ 2
glimpses of it from one of L amb s lett e rs I hav e bu t this .

m o m en t receiv e d your l e tt e r dat e d the 9 th instant having j ust ,

com e off a j ourn ey from Wiltshir e wh e re I hav e b e e n with Mary

o n a V isit to H azlitt T h e j ourn e y has b ee n of infinit e servic e to
.

he r We hav e had nothing but sunshiny days and daily walks

.

from eigh t to tw e nty miles a day : hav e s ee n Wilton S alisbury , ,

1 L am b a d H azl i tt pp 9 9— fo r H a litt l tt r t h is wi fe( w h o h

S ee n ,
”
. 1 02 ,
z
’
s e e o ad

g o n t L o nd o n fo r s h o rt isi t wi th th L mbs) wri t t n b ou t April 8 9

e o a V e a , e a ,
1 0 .

2 C h rl s L am b s l tt r t
a e C o l rid g
’
e O c to b r 3
e 8 9
o e e, e 0, 1 0 .
 x x vi S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

him H is circle O f acquaintances and friends was gradII ally

'

widen ing and he saw more and more that to L ondon he must
,

com e if he wished to profit by his writing T hough he had .

publish e d nothing which e arn e d for him a popular re pu tation ,

his pow e r of e xpression was developing and his original talk

and indep e nd e nt thinking were bringing to him a grou p o f the
b e st lit e rary folk A s C harl e s L amb intimated in his letter on the
.

’
occasion o f the birth o f th e ne w William H az litt s temp e r was ,

not of the best H e was naturally much d e pre ssed and soured
.

by the e vents O f the political world L ife had begu n for him .
,

he tells us with the F rench R e volution and N apol e on was his

, ,

”
idol th e champion in the flesh O f the rights of t he oppress e d
, .

T o se e his romantic hero enmesh e d in th e ne t by a grou p O f

'

unthinking hypocritical aristocrats gall e d him unsp e akably T o

,
.

se e som e of the b e st men in England — Col e ridg e Wordsworth , , ,

S outhey and L andor — m e n who had boasted of th e ir revo lu

, ,

t io nary all e giance on th e ir kne e s as h e thought with f e eble

, , ,

recantations tri e d his patience to the u tte rmost an d made him

,

” ’
exclaim in despair By H e av e n I think I ll endure it n o mor e
, , .

,Mor e over his years of marri e d lif e had not been happy
,
.

H azlitt was certainly not an ideal husband H e was irre gular .

in his habits slov e nly in dr e ss irritabl e and buoyant by turns

, , ,

angry that the world did not s ee m to s e rv e him w e ll T hat his .

marriag e had not turn e d ou t happily was not all his fault S arah .

H azlitt was u tt e rly incompetent in all matters requiring domestic

e conomy She was untidy selfish and eage r for a kind O f taw
.
, ,

1
dry S how She had a fair amount of und e rstanding bu t pos
.
,

s e ss e d littl e s en tim e nt and sur e ly no sympathy with H azlitt

,

and his work J ust why th ey e v e r got SO far as marriage is as

.

1 O ne b itof d e scrip t i o n of S ar ah I I az litt s v isi t t o a l ad y at B ay swate r m ak e s

- ’

u s w o nd e r w h y W illi am did no t l ik e Andr e a de l S ar t o c o n tin u e h is p ain t in g of

, ,

p o r trai t s wi th h is wi fe as mo d e l !
I t wa a w t d y and h h d b n t a w lki ng m t h
s e a s e a ee Sh w
o dr ss d in a wh i te
a - a c e as e e

mu slin gown a bl ack ve lve t p nc r and L gh o rn h at wi th a wh i te f at h r

,
S e e a e e e .

L u c as Li fe of L amb pp 3 1 7—3 1 8 , ,
”
. .
 I N T R O D UC TI O N xxvii

difficul t for u s to conceiv e as it is easy to understand W hy they

1
could not be happy together Much sooner than he e xpect e d
.

'

he gr e w tired of sitting down with S arah to dinn e r on a boil e d

scrag end of mu tton and ho t potatoes i f so bountiful a re
past had ever be e n prepared by the improvident S arah I n .

despair he d e cid e d to move to L ondon .

I n L ondon the H az litts took the hous e at 1 9 Y ork S treet ,

which had be e n occu pied by M ilton from 1 6 5 2 to 1 6 5 8 and ,

wh e r e h e had begun P aradise L ost and had wri tt e n sev e ral

of his sonnets and much of hi s pros e T he house was owned .

by J e r e my Bentham who lived in an adj oining mansion and

, ,

2
whom H azlitt has vividly described walking in his garden .

’
H az litt s first work aft e r he came to town was th e course o f
public lectur e s on the history o f English philosophy which he ,

3
delivered at the R ussell I nstitution T h e most int e resting con
.

temporary record o f thes e lectures is the diary of Crabb R obinson ,

’
und e r the date J anuary 1 4 1 8 1 2 Heard H az litt s first lectu re
,

on the history of English philosophy He seems to hav e no con .

c e pt io n of the diffe r e nce b e tween a lecture and a book His .

’
lectures can t possibly be popular hardly tolerable H e r e ad a
,
.

sensible and exc e ll e nt introduction on philosop hy and on Hobbes ,

but he deliver e d himself in a lo w monotonous voice with his eye s ,

fixed inten tly on his book not once darin g to look on his audi e nc e
,

h e r e ad too so rapidly that no o ne could possibly follow him

, , ,

at the same time the matter h e r e ad was o f a kind to r e quire

”
reflection T he diary of this date abounds i n comments by
.

R obinson and others upon H azlitt and his lectur e s 4

H azlitt was .

1 The humo r of th e m is alli anc e is s om e t i m e s br ou g h t o u t b y incid e n t s re l ate d

b y h is c o n te m p o rari e s ; fo r e xam pl e th e c h ris te nin g p arty t o w h ic h H ay d o n was
,

in v i te d an d w h ic h did n o t tak e pl ac e B R H ay d o n and h is Fri e nds ” p

. .
,
.

2 S e e H az lit t s e ss ay o n B e n th am in
’
Th e S piri t of t h e A ge \Y o rks I V 1 8 9
”
.
, , ,

3 Pl an of t h e l e c t u re s wi ll b e fou nd in M e mo irs I 1 9 2 ff ”
.
, ,

4 I t is di fli c u lt t o s u ppr e ss o n e ’s irri t at i o n t h at t h is di ary s hou ld h av e b e e n s o

‘

b adly e di te d b y S ad l e r N o t o nly are mo s t i m p o rt an t p ass age s om i tte d f r om th e

.

d ail y e n t ri e s b u t w h at h as b e e n prin te d h as re p e at e dly b e e n al te re d wi thou t

,

app ar e n t r e as o n .
xxviii S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

much d e pr e ssed over his lectu r e s and thr e atened to give up the ,

whole seri e s F riends offe r e d bits of advic e and all s ee med in

.
,

t e rest ed and sympath e tic O n the next T uesday night ( January.

” “
)
“
2 1 h e improved vastly I hope h e will now get on . .

’
H e read half his first lecture at B Montague s last night H e . .

was to r e ad the whol e but abruptly brok e off an d could no t be

,

p e rsuad e d to read the remainder L amb and other friends were .

”
th e r e A t the lecture R obinson writ e s he was inte rru pt e d by
.
, ,

”
applause s e v e ral times T he lectur e s followed on consecutive
.

T u e sday nights with two exc e ption s March 1 0 and 2 4 O f th e

, , .

former dat e R obinson tells u s : W H wrote to say he is ob liged . .

to postpon e his l e ctures and I f e ar his d e bts oppr e ss him so ,

that he cannot proc e ed I wish I could afford him assistance .

,

for I know no state of suffe ring more dreadful t h an that of

”
indige nt ge nius T he last of the series was giv e n on A p ril 2 7
. .

O f t he last l e ctur e R obinson writes V e ry well delivered and ,

”
full of shr e wd observation .

F rom the R obin son diary it app e ars that H azlitt continued his
1
work as portrait painter O n the 3 o th of J une 1 8 1 2 R obinson
.
, ,

called .W H azlitt was O p e rating on T hom as ( th e broth e r of

.

“
C rabb R obinson ) O n December 2 4 I therefore ven tured to ask
.
,

’
about my broth e r s picture which he promis e s m e and I beli e ve
”
I shall ge t it But this work was apparently of little c o nse
.

q u enc e though it may have yielded a spare penny

,
H is r e al .

work was as report e r to the gall e ry of the House of C ommons ,

follow e d by e m ploym e n t on the M orni ng Ch ro nicle under the e di

to rship of James P erry H ow this n e w e ngag e ment cam e abou t
.

’
app e ars from certain entri e s in R obinson s diary S e pt e mber ,

“
30 1 8 1 2 :
,
Met Dr S toddart an d with Miss L amb with whom
.

I Chatted about Hazli tt H at the same time that he went to . .

,

P e rry and r e ceiv e d from him a conditional promis e of b e ing

e mployed by him as a r e port e r sent Dr S to Walt e r [ of the ,
. .

Ti mes] and Walter has promis e d to do something for H but by .

,

1 See M rc h
a 1 0, 1 8 1 1 ,
e tc .
 I NT R O D U C TI O N xxix

this inj udiciou s conduct H has exposed himself to the lik e lihood .

of offe nding eith e r W or P However the prospect of his fi nd . .

”
ing the means of subsistence is by this greatly improved On .

D ecemb e r 2 4 he wrote : Called lat e on C L a mb The par ty . .

ther e Hazlitt I was gratifi e d by finding in his high spirits H e

. .

finds his engage m e n t with P erry as P arliamentary R eporter very

e asy and th e 4 guineas a week keeps his head above water
,
He .

” ’
seems quite happy I n this way H az litt s career as a writer
.

for newspapers an d magazines began and lasted to the end of

his life F rom parliam e ntary reporter he passed to the position
.

as dramatic critic writ e r on art and misc e llaneou s essayist

, ,
.

In 1 8 1 3 he was call e d u pon by F rancis Jeffrey to review book s

for the E di nonrg/z R eview an d in turn he con tributed to the ,

’
E x a m i ner C/za nzp io n and th e Ti mes T he account of H az litt s
, ,
.

conn e ction with thes e publications we have res e rved for more
detailed discussion in a separate s e ction .

’
H az litt s financ e s were n e ver prosperous bu t h e was earning ,

a fair income perhaps nev e r more than five or six hundr e d

,

pounds a y e ar H owever his tastes were simple and his habits

.
,

not extravagant S oon after he m ov e d to L on d on he began to

.

dri nk heavily bu t soon realizin g that h e could not bear u p und e r

,

the habit he abstained completely from ferment e d liquors

, ,

substituting strong t e a which he drank o f te n and in gr e at ,

‘

l
quantities as long as he liv e d .

R obinson writ e s o f the handsom e room in which he found

H azlitt O n A pril 2 9 1 8 1 3
. spent the ev e ning which I hav e
, ,

’
not done for a long tim e b e for e at C L amb s A t whist as . .

u sual Chat with Hazlitt who fin ds himself made comfortabl e

.

by a situation which furnish e s him with the n e c e ssaries of life ,

k e eps his best faculties not em ployed bu t awake and I do ,

not think it is much to be f e ared that his faculti e s will th e re

for e d e clin e H e has a most powerful int e llect and n e e ds only
.

1 “
Li t r ry R m ai ns
e a e ,
”
p xl v i P atmo r
. . e,
“
Fri nds
e an d Acq u ain tanc s e ,
”
I ,

3 3 08
-
0 2 .
XXX S E LE C T I O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

encouragement to manif e st this to the world by a work which

”
could not be overlook e d S o Haz litt was occupi e d with criticism
.

and essay writing H is articl e s became the subj ect of discussion

.

among his fri e nds and found stanch support e rs as well as

aggressive e nemies His spl e ndid discriminating criticism of art
.

dre w h e arty admiration from F lax m an ; his blind d e votion to

Bu o napartism was not approved but disregarded H is attacks .

on Wordsworth and Coleridg e caus e d many heat e d discussions

and alienat e d many friends A t any rate he was being talked .
,

about N ot only did his writing provoke discussion ; he was

.

sought after as a talker R obinson writes Dec e mber 9 1 8 1 6 :.

,

’
I went to A lsager s T her e I met the L ambs Haz litt & c
.
, ,

H azlitt was sober argum e ntative acut e and interest ing I did
, , ,
.

”
not converse with him but enjoyed his conversation with others .

Miss M itford has left an amusing incident } showing som e thing

’
of H az litt s t e mper as well as the regard in which he was b e gin
ning to be h e ld A fter H azlitt had left the M orni ng Cnroniele
’
.

P e rry rem e mber e d him as an old acquaintance and ask e d him

to dinn e r and a large party to me e t him to h e ar him talk and
, ,

S how him o ff as the lion of the day T he lion came smil e d .

,

and bowed handed M iss B e ntl e y to the dining room ask e d

,
-
,

Miss P erry to take win e said once Ye s and tw ic e N o and ,

n e v e r uttered anoth e r word the whol e e v e ning The most pro .

voking part of this scen e was that he was gracious and polite
past all e xpression a perfect pattern of mu te eleganc e a silent
, ,

L ord Ch e s te rfi e ld and his unlucky host had the misfor tun e to

,

”
b e v e ry thoroughly e nrag e d withou t anything to complain of .

T he M r A lsag e r m entioned above was the commercial e ditor

.

of th e Ti mes and also a m e mb e r of the Committ ee of the

,

S urr e y I nstitution T hrough him i t was proposed that H azlitt

.

should giv e a cours e of l e ctur e s on the Engl ish P o e ts T he .

lectur e s wer e deliv e red in the e arly part of 1 8 1 8 and met with
unqualifi e d success Ev e n Crabb R obinson who had brok e n
.
,

1 A G L E stran e
. .
g
’
Li fe of M ary R u ss e ll M i tfo rd I I 4 7
,
“
,
”
, .
 I N T R O D U CT I O N xxxi

with H azlitt o n account of his attacks u pon Wordsworth was ,

’
d e light e d with the lectur e s T alf o u rd s account of them is most
.

1
enthusiastic H e was not eloquent in the t ru e sense of the
.

term for his thoughts were too w e igh ty to b e mov e d along by

,

’
the shallow str e am of fe e ling which an evening s excitement can

rouse H e wrote all his lectur e s and read t h e m as they w e r e

.

writt e n but his d e ep voic e an d earnest man ner suit e d his mat
”
ter w e ll H e s e e m e d to dig into his subj ect
. and not in vain .

The first lectures had been so successful that H azlitt und e r

took a s e cond course on the English Comic Writers and then a ,

third on the Dramatic L iterature of the A ge of El izabeth T he .

thr e e seri es appear e d i n three volum e s respectiv e ly in the years ,

1 8 18 1 81
, 9 1 820 Immediately after the publication of the
, .

first G ifford of the Qu a rterly R eview pounced u pon the author

,
.

H e wa rn e d his r e ad e rs against this in coherent umble O f grand

” ’
words B /a eéwooo j oin e d in the chase and though the E di n
.
,

[ mrg/z R eview and the S eoi snza n had occasionally discrimin ating
’
revi e ws of som e of H az litt s writing t h e y follow e d the lead of ,

’
the Qna rz er/ y and B /a eé wooo and applied to H azlitt a list of
‘
,

epithets which has probably n ot b e e n e qual e d in the an nals

” “ ”
of abuse H e was call e d an . inc e ndiary a R adical a , ,

” ” ”
Bu o n apartist a cockney S cribbler a slang wh ange r a
, ,
-
,

” ”
sland e r e r of the human race and pimpl e d H azlitt ,
T hat .

H azlitt could tak e care of hims e lf the world soon l e a rn e d I n .

a l e tt e r probably of 1 8 1 8 K e ats expr e ss e d what m any p e opl e

, ,

felt Hazlitt has damned the bigot e d and the blu e stockinged -

how durst the m an ? H e is your only good damn e r and if ever ,

”
I am damned I should lik e him to dam n m e N aturally of a .

shy disposition H azlitt did not wish to pick a quarr e l but he

, ,

was stung to the quick by the epith e ts which came from e v e ry

dir e ction G ifford had been unfair insol e nt and arrogant and
.
, , ,

H azlitt began to brood ov e r this inj ustic e and the kind of man
’
Who had attack e d him T o add inj u ry to insult Gifford s attacks
.
,

1 See Li te ra y Re mai n s pp xlv ii ff

“
r ,
”
. .
x x x ii S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

had practically stopped SO H azlitt thought the sale of the , ,

“ ” 1 ’
C haract e rs of S hake spe ar s P lays H e w e nt straight to his .

subj e ct and m ad e a sk e tch as cl e ar as a portrait of this man who ,

b e cam e for the moment the incarnation of all that was mean ,

dishonest and V il e T hough most of the invectiv e of this time

,
.

” “
is not pleasant r e ading we must admit the L e tter to Gifford ,

( 1 8 1 9 ) to the category of best satiric l e tt e rs equal in virul e nce ,

” ’ “
and concis e e xpr e ssion to Johnson s L e tter to Ch e ste rfi e ld
’ “ ”
and Burk e s L etter to a N oble L ord .

While we are occupied wi th th e se bitter quarrels between

Hazlitt and his critics we S hould not forget that there was a ,

Mrs H azlitt H azlitt had not forgotten her although he had

. .
,

not liv e d with her sinc e 1 8 1 9 He had le d a nomadic existence .

in L ondon trying first this lodging plac e and then that in di f fe r

,

ent parts of the city S arah H azlitt had probably r e turned to .

the hous e at Wint e rslow but cam e occasionally on V isits to ,

L ondon O nly one thing they had in common — an affection

.

for th e ir son William T he boy was the link that bound th e m .

for a long tim e aft e r t h e y ceas e d to live toge ther R ealizing th e ir .

2
utt e r incompatibility th e y d e cided to secure a formal divo rc e , .

Under the circumstances this was a l e gal impossibility in Eng

’
land but the divorc e might be easily obtain e d afte r forty days
,

1 Ha z li tt wr o te : M y b oo k s o ld w e l l — t h e fi rs t e d i t i o n h ad g o n e o ff in six
w e e ks t ill t h at r e v i e w c ame o t I h ad j u s t pre p are d a s e c o nd e di t i o n b u t t h e n
u .
,

t h e Q a rt e rly t o l d th e p u bl ic t h at I was a foo l and a d u nc e

u an d mo r e t h at I was ,

an e v il— disp o s e d p e rs o n an d th e p u blic s u pp o sin g Gi ffo rd t o kn o w b e s t c o n fe ss e d

, ,

it h ad b e e n a gr e at as s t o b e pl e as e d w h e n i t ou g h t n o t t o b e an d t h e s al e c om ,

p le te ly s t o pp e d M e mo irs I”
, ,

T h at th e e ff e c t of G i ffo rd s ab u s e was pr o b abl y n o t s o b ad as H az li tt d e scrib e d

’

h as b e e n s h o wn b y A \V P o ll ard S e e b i o gr ap h ic al n o t e t o h is e di t i o n of
. . . The “

C h ar ac t e rs ”
pp 7—8,
. .

2 T h at h is o wn p e rs o n al e xp e ri e nc e is s h ad o w e d in t h e ad v ic e t o h is s o n we
,

m ay r e ad il y s u r m is e I f y ou e v e r m arry I w ou ld wis h y ou t o m arry t h e w om an

.
,

you l ik e D o no t b e g u id e d b y t h e r e c omm e nd at i o n of you r f ri e nds N o th ing

. .

will at o n e fo r o r ove rc om e an o rigin al dis tas te I t will o nl y incr e as e f rom in t i macy .

,

an d i f y ou are t o li v e s e p ar at e i t is b e t te r n o t t o c om e t o g e t h e r T h e re is n o u s e
,
.

i n draggin g a c h ain th r ou g h l i fe u nl e ss it binds o ne t o t h e o b j e c t we l ov e

( H az l i tt Ad v ic e t o a S c hoo lb oy W o rks X I I
“ ”
, , , ,
 xxxiv S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

he r
d e c e it and of his own v e h e m e nt disappointm e n t T his was
,
.

wh e n he liv e d in S outham pton Buildings H olborn U pon one ,

.

occasion I know that he told the story of his attachmen t to fi ve

diffe r e nt p e rsons in t he sam e day and at each tim e e nt e r e d into ,

’
minut e d e tails o f his lov e story I am a curs e d fool said he to .
,

’
'

me . I saw J going into Wills Coffe e House y e st e rday

morning : he spoke to me I followed him into the hous e and .
,

whilst he lunched I told him t he whol e story T hen I wand e red .

’ ’
into the R e gent s P ark where I met on e of M 5 sons
,
I .

walked with him som e tim e and on his using so m e civil ex ,

pr e ssion by Jove Sir I told him the whol e sto ry ( H e re he

, , ,
.

m e ntion e d one oth e r instance which I forget ) W e ll S ir ( he .

‘
, ,

w ent on ) I th e n w e nt and called on Haydon bu t he was out , .

T h e re was only his man Salmon th e r e but by Jov e I could , , , , ,

not help mys e lf I t all came ou t — the whole cursed story

. .

A ft e rwards I w e nt to look at som e lodgings at P imlico T he .

landlady at o ne plac e afte r some explanations as to r e nt & c

, ,
.
,

’
said to me v e ry kindly I am afraid you are not well Sir ,
?
,

’ ’ ’
No ma am said I I am not w e ll and on e nquiring further
, , , , ,

the d e vil tak e m e if I did not let ou t the whole story from begin
’
ning to e nd A t l e ast H azlitt saw no humor in the affair
. I .

am in some sense proud that I can f e el this dr e adful passion

”
it gives one a kind of rank in the kingdom of love S o h e wrote .

”
down and sold for ,5 1 0 0 his L iber A m o ris T he book consists .

of thr ee parts : first conv e rsations supposed to have be e n held b e

,

tw ee n the anonymou s author and the girl ; s e cond e xtracts actually ,

address e d to an unnamed friend ( P atmor e ) in which are unfolded ,

th e passion fury and d e lusion of the writ e r who d e clar e d the

, , ,

persist ency of his d e votion third thre e l e tters to anoth e r friend ,

e conclusion of t he affair — the

( Sh e ridan Knowl e s
) giving t h ,

tr e ach e ry wan tonness and hypocrisy of the girl who Would have
, ,

nothing to say to him pr e fe rring the address e s of another lodger

,
.

A s might be e xp e ct e d such a book as the L iber A m o ris pre

,

tended to be has met with a reception of mingled acquiescence

 I N T R O D U C TI O N xxxv
1 “
and disgust De Q uinc ey call e d i t an e xplosion of frenzy
. .

H e thr e w out his clamorous anguish to the clouds and to the

winds and to the ai r caring not who might list e n who might , ,

sym pathize or who might sn e er — the sole necessity for him

,

” 2
was to empty his overburd e n e d spirit O f various comm e nts .

we q uote only two the first by M rs Jam e son O f all the his
,
. .

tories I have r e ad O f the ab e rration s of human passion nothing ,

’
e v e r struck m e with a sort of amaz e d and painful pity as H az litt s
’
L ib e r A m o ris T he man was in love with a servant girl who
.
,

in the eyes of others poss e ss e d no particular charms of mind or

person yet did the mighty lov e of this strong masculin e and
, , ,

gift e d being lift her into a sort of godd e ss ship and make his -

idolatry in its intense earnestness and reality assume som e thing

of the sublimity of an act of faith an d in its e xpr e ssion tak e a ,

flight equal to anything that po e try or fiction hav e l e ft u s I t .

was all so terribly real he su e d with such a vehem e nce he , ,

suffe r e d with such resistance t h at the pow e rful inte ll e ct reel e d ,

tempest tost and might have found e r e d but for the gift of
-
,

”
expr e ssion .

A t the other extreme i s A ustin Dobson who we b e lieve has , , ,

put the case more aptly an d mor e n e arly as it stands t o day .

’
T he whole s e ntim e ntal structure of the L iber A m o ris now
sink s b e low the stage and j oins the r e alm of things unspeakabl e
’
vile kitchen stuff fit only for the midden ,
.

We m ay readily imagin e the gl ee wi t h which the Qu a rterly

’
and B iaekw ooo read this book and recognized at once th e ir .

victim T h e y put forth th e ir best e f forts but nothing that they

.
,

could conc e ive could inj ur e the man who had already allowed to
b e print e d a pi e c e of such humiliating self debasement P erhaps -
.

som e consolation m ay be gained from the fact that during thi s

“
p e riod Haz litt wrote some o f his best essays and his name ,

1 Y o rks V o l V di t d b y M ass o n
\ , .
,
e e .

2 S als o A m
ee i n W/ig R i w J an u ary er c a z ev e , ,
1 84 7 Temple B a r, 1 p
88 1 , .
330 ;
d my S p t m b e r 7 889 ; an d I n t r o d u c t i o n G alli nn e s e di t i o n
’
A ca e ,
e e ,
1 to L e e .
x xxvi S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and charact e r w e r e but mom e ntarily dimm e d by what ind ee d , ,

” 1
was but a mom e ntary delusion .

M e antime one oth e r a f fair seem e d for a tim e to cast a shadow

ov e r Hazlitt I n 1 8 2 0 the L o ndo n M aga z i ne was e stablish e d
.
,

with John Scott as i ts e ditor a v ery agr ee abl e man and brilliant ,

writ e r T he magazine included e ssays by H azlitt L e igh H unt

.
, ,

and L amb S oon aft e r i t had start e d i t mad e a furious onslaught

.
,

u pon B iaeéw oo zi wheth e r from a d e sir e to court notori e ty or to

,

av e ng e some O f the wrongs don e to Hazlitt and oth e rs of th e ir

contributors L ockhart the son in law of S cott e ditor of B /a eé
.
,
- -
,

’
w eoe f e lt aggri e v e d especially sinc e his nam e had been m e n
, ,

tio ne d in th e offending articles and demand e d an apology from ,

Scott who was suppos e d to b e the author of the attacks T he

,
.

a f fair w e nt from bad to wors e A du e l was fought and S cott .

2
was mortally wounded T he circumstances w e re most distr e ss .

ing En e mies of Hazlitt ( e specially th e poet Campb e ll ) tri e d to

.

make the world b eli e v e that h e had b ee n the provoking caus e of

the du e l but n o o n e to day can find t h e slight e st evidenc e to
,
-

3
incriminate H az litt .

Within two y e ars aft e r his divorc e in 1 8 2 2 and his infatua , ,

tion with Sarah Walker he marri e d again appar e ntly as u nf o r , ,

t u nately as befor e H is s e cond wife was a Mrs Bridgewate r . .

— it had b ee n S arah S hepherd Sarah S toddart S arah Walk e r , , ,

this tim e i t was Isabella t he form e r wife of a Colon e l Bridg e

water who had l e ft he r three hundre d pounds a year

,
A cynic .

’
might point a moral from the fact that the only e v e nts of H az lit t s
lif e which w e re u tt e rly fr e e from the intrusion of passion w e r e
his venture s into O n S e ptemb e r 1 1 8 2 4 they , ,

1 R m rk b y h is s o n
e a .

2 Th d u l t oo k pl c t C h lk F rm F bru ry 6 8 S c o tt di d n th
e e a e a a a ,
e a 1 ,
1 21 . e o e

2 7 th l v ing
,
ea wi f nd tw c h ildr n
a e a o e .

3 Th s t t m n t s of S c o tt w r prin t d in th L d ll g i F br u ry
e a e e e e e e on on z
’
a
'

az n e , e a ,

1 821 T h w ho l
. q u s t i o n h b n disc u ss d b y M r Andr w L ng in h is
e e e as ee e . e a

Li f of L o ck h rt I 5 f f
e a ,
”
,
2 0 .

4 M r P u l E l m r M oo r s
a ss ay o n H az li tt in Sh lb u rn E ss ay s V o l I I
e e
’
e e e
”
. .
.
,
 I NT R O D U C TI O N xxxvii

started to the Continent going through P aris wh e r e th e y visited , ,

th e gall e ries and saw some plays at the theat e rs ; th e nc e to

L yon T urin F lorenc e R ome V e nice through Switz e rland

, , , , , ,

down the R hin e through H olland and thence home in O ctob e r

, , ,

1 82
5 M rs H azlitt th e s e cond inform e d he r husband that she
. .
, ,

1
did not care to go home with him S he returned to S cotland to .

live while Hazlitt and his son who had j oined th e m somewhere
, ,

on the Continen t came back to L ondon Sk e tches of the travels

,
.

app e ar e d in the M orni ng Cnro niele an d were subsequently

publish e d in 1 8 2 6 wi t h the titl e N ot e s of a Journey through
,

” 2
F rance and I taly T hese not e s m ak e v e ry in ter e sting reading
. .

T h e y d e scrib e sc e n e s in his coach rid e s visits to pictur e galler ,

ie s e specially in P aris and F lorence T h e y contain vivid de

,
.

sc riptio ns of faces of people whom he sees on the way ; t h e y

express O pinions o n m any subj e cts and rev e al a ke e n observer ,

of the mann e rs and customs of the peopl e H e writes e nthu si .

ast ic all of the gr e at pictures most eloqu e ntly of natural sc e nery

y ,

8
in I taly and S wi tz e rland H e is disappointed with R ome . .

”
T his is not the R ome I expected to see H e writes a splendid .

’ “
description of the illumination O f S t P eter s and adds : A ft e r .

’
all S t P et e r s do e s not se e m to m e the chi e f boast or most im
.

posing display o f the C atholic r e ligion O ld Melrose A bbey .

,

battered to piec e s and in ruins as it is i mpr e ss e s m e much m o r e ,

’
than the coll e ctive pride and pom p O f M ichael A ngelo s gr e at
” 1
work .H e likes the palaces of V enice I never saw palac e s .
‘

”
anywher e but at V e nice But afte r all he is glad to be back .
, ,

“
in England H owev e r d e lightful or striking the obj ects m ay
.

be abroad they do not take the sam e hold of yo u nor c an

, ,

”
you identify yours e lf wi th them as at home .

Und e r the lead of a cru e l fate H azlitt had set to work on a

life O f N apoleon With blind obstinacy H azlitt had idoliz e d him
.

1 \V e kn o w l mo s t n o th in g of th is w om an n t e v n h m id n n m
a ,
o e er a e a e .

H az li tt m t h in a s tag c o ac h S h di d in S c o tl nd in 86 9
e er e . e e a 1 .

2 \Y o rks I X 8 ff 3 Ibid Ch ap xix 4 I bid c h p xxiii a

3 , ,
. . . . . . .
Xx x v i i i S E LE CT I O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

and regarded him as the v e ritabl e savior of the p e opl e H e .

had watch ed with gre at rej oicing his ris e from O bscurity into
world wid e notori e ty ; he had S e e n his idol subj e ct e d to most
-

compl e t e humiliation I n casting about for a subj e ct of a work

.

which he wish e d to l e av e as a monum e nt h e could conc e ive of

nothing bett e r than the d e fense O f this pictur e sque h e ro A t .

V e v e y on his tour in 1 8 2 5 h e had confid e d his purpos e to

, ,

1 “
M e dwin : I will write a L ife of N apol e on though it is y e t too ,

early ; som e have a film befor e their e yes ; some want ma gnify
in g glass e s ; none see him as he is in tru e proportion ”
F or .

thre e years Haz litt worked untiringly giving what tim e h e could ,

spar e from his mor e profitabl e misc e llaneou s e ssays T he task .

oft e n oppr e sse d him In the pr e fac e which at first was not
.
,

“
print e d as a pr e face H azlitt wrot e : T her e w e re two oth e r
,

fe e lings that influ enc e d m e o n th e subj e ct — a lov e of glory ,

when it did not inte rfere with other things an d the wish to see ,

p e rsonal m e rit prevail over external rank and circumstanc e I .

f e lt pride ( not e nvy) to think ther e was one r e putation in mod

ern tim e s e qual to the ancients and at seeing o n e m an gr e at e r
,

”
than the throne he sat u pon T he first two volum e s w e re
.

publish e d in 1 8 2 8 and the last t wo in 1 8 3 0 T h e work attracted .

little attention partly b e cau s e it app e ar e d subsequ e nt to a life

,

by Walt e r S cott a name to conj ure with but not of ,

suffi cien t magic to s e ll a t e diou s and su p e rficial life of an u n

’
popular hero H az litt s work met the sam e fat e partly becaus e
.
,

the subj e ct was hat e ful to th e public and large ly b e cause Hazlitt ,

was writing b e for e time had clear e d away the rancor of party
“ ”
strif e T he L ife had no sal e and combin ed with the failur e
.
, ,

of the publish e rs m e ant a total loss of profits for all the labor
,

e xpend e d during thr e e busy y e ars H is loss was ou t of all pro

.

portion to the m e rit of the work for though it had no rank as ,

history i t possess e d a styl e which is O ften brilliant in its vivid

,

and picturesque d e scription of charact e rs and incidents .

1 Th f ri e nd of B y r o n in h is C o n ve rs at i o n wi th L o rd B y r o n 8 4
e
“
,
”
1 2 .
 I N T R O D U C TI O N xxxix
’
T he remaining years of H az litt s life w e r e without im portant
” “
incident S ince 1 8 1 8 he had gone often to T he H utt a
.
,

s e cluded tavern near Winterslow and sp e nt many a day alone , ,

dreaming over the happy m e mories of the past and writin g som e
of his most delightful essays H e liked to walk across the coun .

try about S alisbu ry over to S tonehenge and through the lanes

, ,

of Wiltshir e Glimps e s of days sp e nt there in summ er and i n

.

winter app e ar i n th e essays which come to b e mor e personal ,

and autobiographical I n L ondon he lived first in one plac e

.
,

th e n in another — in Down S tr ee t in H alf Moon S treet in Bou , ,

ve rie S treet an d finally a ,

t N O 6 F rith S treet S oho P ov e r ty .
,
.

pr e ssed u pon him an d k e pt him bu sily writing to t he end H e .

had few fri e nds but he mu st work and with his u sual clear mind
, ,

” “ “
he wrote the last essays T he F ree A dmission an d T h e Sick ,

”
C hamb e r before the final sum mons T hrough the summer of
,
.

1 8 3 0 h e first knew t h e struggl e with d e ath H e longe d for his .

moth e r and begged that S he might be brough t to him but she

, ,

was e ighty four y e ars old an d in D e vonshire and could not

-
,

come T he fight was not to b e long O n the eighteenth of S e p

. .

t e mb e r 1 8 3 0 he di e d in th e pr e s e nce of his son and his dearest

, ,

“ ’
fri e nd C harl e s L amb H is last words seem strang e Well I ve
,
.
, ,
”
had a happy life .

L amb the best fri end any man could e v e r have summ e d it
, ,

1 “
all u p in his l e tte r to South e y : F rom th e o th e r g e ntl e man
[ Hazlitt] I neith er exp e ct nor d e sire ( as he is w e ll assur e d )
any such conce ssions What hath sou r e d him and mad e him .
,

suspect his fri e nds o f infid e lity towards him wh e n th e r e was ,

no such matt e r I know not I stood well with him for fifte e n
,
.

years ( the proud e st of my life) and h av e e v e r spok e n my full

mind o f him to som e to whom his pan egyric must naturally b e
l e ast tasteful I n e v e r in thought sw e rved from him ; I n e v e r
.

betrayed him ; I never slackened in my admiration of him ; I

was the sam e to him ( n e ither b e tt e r nor wors e) though he could ,

1 Firs t prin t e d in L n d n Al O c tob e r 82 3

‘

n o o a az z e, 1
g ,
.
xl S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

not see it as in the days wh e n he thought fit to trust me A t

, .

this instant he may b e pr e paring for me some complim e nt abov e

my des e rts as he has sprinkled m any such a mong his admirable
,

books for which I r e st his d e btor ; or for anything I know or

,

can guess to the contrary he may be about to read a lecture on ,

my weaknesses H e is w e lcome to th e m ( as h e was to my hu m

.

ble h e arth ) if th e y can divert a S pleen or ventilat e a fit of sullen

n e ss I wish he would not qu arrel with the world at the rat e he
.

do e s but th e r e conciliation must be e f fe cted by hims e lf and I ,

despair of living to se e that day But prot e sting against much .

that he has writ te n and some things which he chooses to do ;

j udging him by his conversations which I enj oyed so long and ,

r e lish e d so d e eply or by his books in thos e plac e s wh e re no

, ,

clouding passion inte rvenes I should b e lie my own con sci e nce ,

if I said less than that I think W H to be in his natural and . .

healthy stat e one o f the wis e st and fin e st spirits br e athin g So .

far from bein g ashamed of that intimacy which was betwixt us ,

it is my boast that I was abl e for so many y e ars to have pre

serv e d it e ntir e ; and I think I shall go to my grav e with o ut -

”
findin g or expecting to find such ano th e r com panion
, ,
.

With the tru e d e votion of a sinc e r e fri e nd L amb e nj oy e d

’
H az litt s writing to th e e nd of his life O nly a few months b e .

fore he di e d he said I can r e ad no pros e now though Hazlitt

, ,

’
som e tim e s to be sure but th e n Hazlitt 3 worth all mod e rn prose
, ,

” 1
writers put toge th e r .

Before we turn altogeth e r from the lif e o f H az litt we must

2 ’ ’
quote a passage from T alf o u rd s d e scription of H az litt s pe r
“
sonal app e aranc e : In p e rson M r H azlitt was of the middle ,
.

siz e with a handsom e and e age r counte nan c e worn by sickn e ss

, ,

and thought and dark hair which had curl e d stiffly O v e r the
, ,

R p o rt of a br k fas t t C r bb R o bins o n s J u n
1 e ea a a
’
,
e 1 9, 1 8 34 , b y N P W ill is
. . .

See L u cas Li f of Ch rl s L m b p 6 4 5
,
e a e a ,
”
. .

2 Li t r ry Re m ins p xl v i S
“
e a ls o P tmo r a ,
”
. . ee a a e,
“
Fri nds e an d Acq u ain t
anc e s, I I 3 ff
”
,
02 .
Xl i i S E L E C TI O N S FR OM H A Z LI TT

’
charming ; to notice the crowde d house or inven t it if ne c e s ,

sary ; and to conclude by observing t h at the whol e w e nt off

’
with éclat L eigh H unt saw th e O pportunity for a new de
.

partm e nt and wh e n the E x a m i ner appeared in troduc e d as o ne

, ,

of its most popular f e atures a succ e ssion of appreciative com

ments on plays actors and theaters T he E x a m iner was a , ,
.

weekly j ournal ind e penden t in politics and strongly radical but

, ,

in such troublous tim e s soon ca me to gri e f by its publication

of libelous arti cles F or the attacks on the prince regent its .

editors John and L eigh Hunt wer e im p rison e d in F e b ru ary

, , ,

1 8 13 T hough the confin e m e n t did not interf e re with the pub

.

1
lic atio n of the paper it prev e nted H un t from seeing plays ,
.

H azlitt had the good fortune to be in L ondon in the posi tion

as parliamentary r e porter on the M orni ng Caro nieie the l e ad ,

ing Whig pap e r which was own e d an d edited by J am e s P e rry

,
.

Both P erry and H azlitt saw the O pportunity for the new lin e o f
criticism and to Hazlitt was d e l e gat e d the new work
,
.

H e wrot e his first criticism for th e issue of O ctob e r 1 8 1 8 1 3 , ,

and contribut e d to that paper som e of his b e st articl e s such as ,

thos e on Mrs S iddons Kean and other famous actors T he

.
, ,
.

inevitable conflict however which has O ften happened betw e en , ,

the man of busin e ss and the m an of g e nius was not long post ,

’
poned and ended by bringing to a close H az litt s connection
,

with P e rry s paper on May 2 7 1 8 1 4 Miss M ary R ussell Mit

’
,
.

2
‘

ford knew both men and wrote in h e r letter : I was at T avi

stock House and very w e ll rem e mber the doleful V isage with
which Mr P e rry used to con t e mplat e the long column o f eri ti
.

’
c ism and how h e u sed to execrate
, the damn e d fellow s damned

1 T h is was a spl e ndid a fo r t h E ngl is h s tag e T h e K e m b le s — C h arl e s

er e .
,

J o h n and M rs S idd o ns — w re at th ir ze n i t h S e tt M u nd e n B annis t r M at h e w

,
. e e . u
, ,
e , ,

E llis t o n Lis t o n B oo t h Y ou ng an d M as te r B t ty w e re c o nspic uou s in p l ay s o f

, , , ,
e

th e E li zab e t h an p e ri o d of t h e R e s t o r at i o n an d of t h e ig h t
,
n th c e n tu ry ,
e ee .

F o r a sk e t c h of t h e at ric al c o ndi t i o ns of th e t i m e s I n t r o d u c t i o n t o T h e ,
ee
“

D r am at ic E ss ay s of L e ig h H u n t di t d b y Arc h e r and L o w e ,
”
e e .

2 “
Li f e of M ary Ru ss e ll M i tfo rd e di t d b y L E s t rang e S ee als o ,
”
e
’
,

H az litt s e ss ay
’
O n P at r o n ag e an d P u ffi ng W o rks V I 2 9 2
, ,
”
, , .
 IN T R O D U C T I O N Xl i i i
’
stu ff for filling u p so much O f the pap e r in the v e ry h e ight of
the adv e rtis e m e n t s e ason I shall never forg e t his long face
. .

I t was the only tim e of the day that I e v e r saw i t long or sour .

H e had not the slight e st suspicion t h at he had a m an of g e nius

in his pay no t the most re mot e p e rc e ption of the merit O f writ
,

ing nor the slightest companionship with the author H e hir e d

,
.

him as you hire your footman and turn e d him O ff ( with as littl e ,

or l e ss ceremony than you would u se in discharging the afor e

said worthy personage ) for a v e ry m asterly c ritiqu e on S ir
T homas L awr e nc e , whom M r P erry as one whom h e visited .
,

”
and was being painted by chose to h av e praised ,
.

’
F rom the C/zroniele H azlitt turn e d to H unt s pap e r the ,

E x a mi n er H is first criticism in that paper appear e d in July

.
,

1 8 1 4 H e wrot e a few articles in t h e following summ e r and

.

became the r e gular critic from M arch 1 8 1

5 to J un e 8 , ,

1 8 1
7 D u ring the autumn of 1 8 1 4 H azlitt was regularly em
.

ployed by the C/i a mpio n a we e kly e dit e d by John S cott T his

,
.

engage m e nt lasted from A ugust 1 4 1 8 1 4 t o January 8 1 8 1 5 , , ,

.

Fr o m the summer of 1 8 1 7 to the spring of 1 8 1 8 he wrote for

’
the Ti mes articl e s on S hakspere s plays an d other well known -

1
plays H is high r e gard for the Ti m es was afte rwards expr e ss e d
.

in his advice for any one who has an ambition to write and
to write his best in t he p e riodical pr e ss to get if he can a , , ,

position in the Ti m es n e wsp ap e r the editor of which is a man ,

of business and not a m an of l e tte rs He may write there as .

long and as good articl e s as he can withou t being turned out

” 2
o f it .

During th e se y e ars Haz litt wrote misc e llaneou s essays for the
periodicals to which he was con tributing and he pr e par e d for ,

publication two books which con sisted larg e ly of his dramatic

,

’
criticisms C haracters o f S hake spe ar s P lays
, ( 1 8 1 7
) and
”
V iew O f the English S tage T he latter volum e was
1 M mo irs I I 3
e Li t rary R m ains p l
,
”
,
10 e e ,
”
. .

2 Pr fac e t V i w of th E nglis h S t g Wo rks V I I I

“ ”
e o e e a e, , ,
1 74 .
x1iv S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

simply a coll e ction of articl e s which had appear e d in the Ch ro ni

eie C/i a mp io n E x a m i n er and the Ti mes
,
When the L ondon
, , .

M agaz i ne was establish e d in January 1 8 2 0 und e r the editorship , ,

of John S cott } H azlitt und e rtook to writ e an article e ach month 2

3
on the acted drama in L ondon T he second edition of the .

“ ”
V iew of the English S tage included a large part of these
e ssays though many p e rson age s w e re omitted and what re
, ,

main e d was som e tim e s changed .

F or his work as theatrical critic H azlitt could not b e said to

have had sp e cial training H e had not grown up in the gre e n .

”
room Wh e n h e was twelv e years of age he had seen at
.

1 ” “
L iverpool L ove in M any Masks and a farc e N 0 Song N o
‘

, ,

”
Supp e r performed by K e mble S u ett D ignu m M iss R o m anz ini
, , , , ,

and others I n 1 7 9 6 he had s e en John Kemble as C oriolanus

.
,

h e had come to kn ow the actor L iston bu t he had never been

'

a regular playgoer D uring the wi nte r of 1 8 0 2 —1 8 0 3 whil e he

5
.
,

worked in th e L ouvre P aris we have no record of his att e nd , ,

an c e at any theater He may have s e e n plays at S hrewsbury .

during the years which he spent at hom e in We m bu t of this ,

w e know nothing A fter his me e ting with L amb the two .

togeth e r w e nt occasionally to th e theater as we learn from ,

’
M ary L amb s l e tt e rs O n the fourth or sixth of July 1 8 0 6 she .
, ,

wrot e to S arah S toddart : T h ey [ C harl e s and Hazlitt] cam e “

’
hom e from S adler s W e lls so dismal and dr e ary dull on F riday
e vening that I gav e th e m both a good scolding quite a setting ,

to rights and I think it has don e som e good for Charles has
, ,

”
b ee n very che e rful e v e r S ince O n the tenth of the following .

1 b ov p xxxv i
S ee a e, . .

2 H z li t t wr o tat n ar t icl s ; n o n app r d in N ov m b r n d th r t icl fo r

e e e e ea e e e a e a e
,

O c t ob r w n t by H z li t t
e T h c o n t n t of
as o c h of t h s p p rs w gi v n in
a . e e ea e e a e as e

th e D c m b r iss u
e e e 3 8 e . 1 21 .

4 S b v p xiii ; M mo irs p 7 S al
ee a o e, . T h N ew S c h oo l of R
“
e ,
”
. 1 . ee so
“
e e

fo r m Y o rks V I I 7 9
,
” -
, ,
1 .

5 B fo r h b c m a cri t ic of th s t g h
e e e e d m i t t d h h ad n t b n t th e
a e e a e e a e e o ee a

th t r mo r t h n h l f a d oz n t i m s in h is li f S
ea e
“
e a a L tt r B ll Wo rks
a - -
e e
”
e . ee e e -
e ,
”
,

X I I 33 ,
2 .
 I N T R O D U CT I O N XIV

1 ’
D e cember th ey sat together in the pit to see L amb s farce ,
’
Mr cond e mn e d to oblivion Knowing L amb s fondn e ss
. .

for the theater we m ay assum e that they went for an occasional,

ev e ning to see som e favorit e actor A ft e r his marriag e and .

removal to the country he made only a rare visit to L ondon till

he and his wife retu rned in 1 8 1 1 or 1 8 1 2 .

’ 2
H az litt s criticisms O f th e th e at e r are a fair guide to the
theaters plays and play e rs of his time H e wrote of D ru ry
, ,
.

’
L ane C oven t Gard e n Haymark e t L yc e um T he King s Th e a
, , , ,

ter an d the minor th e at e rs the S urrey A d e lphi the C oburg The , , , ,

A quatic T h e Eas t L ondon H e discu ss e d winter and summer

,
.

plays pantomimes operas and oratorios H e r e vie w e d not only

, , ,
.

” ” ”
his favorit e plays H amlet Macbeth Cym beline R ich
, , , ,

” ” “ ”
ard I I I R omeo and J uliet
,
Ev e ry man in his Humour , ,

” ” ’
School for S candal B e ggar s O pera N e w Way to pay , ,

” ’
O ld Debts bu t all o f Shakspere s dramas and a large n umb e r
,

of R estoration and e ight ee nth c e ntury plays He lov e d the -

.

K e m b le s h e discovered Kean for the L ondo n pu blic praised

, ,

3
Macready Booth Bannister M iss S tephen s and M rs S iddon s
, , , ,
.
,

and in all his criticism he was fair and above all discriminating , , .

Q ualifications for a capable critic of the stage H azlitt certainly

had H e lik e d the stage
. We lik e the stage becau s e we like .

”
to talk abou t ourselves H e lik e d it b e cause it was the text .

an d school O f hu manity ”
We do no t much lik e any p e rson .
“

”
or p e rsons who do no t lik e plays F urthermore he read wid e ly .
,

1 Se eG r t d Li tt l T h ings W o rks V I 3
“
On ea an e ,
”
, ,
2 2 .

2 H litt ss y s w h ic h m y b c o n sid r d in g n r al dr m t ic cri t icis m

az
’
s e a ,
a e e e e e as a a ,
are

a fo l l o ws O n M o d rn C om d y M r K n I go O n M ids umm r N ig h t s
“ ” “ ’ ” “ ‘ ’
s : e e , . ea s a e
,

Dr m ea O n th , B gg r s O p r
’ “
O n Ac t o rs a d Ac t in g in \V k V l I ;
e e a
’
e a,
’
n
”
o r s, o .

“
C h r c t rs of S h k p a
a a e Pl y s in V l V ; D r m t ic \V it C o n t m p o r ry
a es e rs
’
a ,
”
o . a a r e rs e a

wi th S h ksp r in V l V I ; O n P t ro n g n d P fli ng \V h th Ac t o rs ou g h t
a e e,
”
o .
“
a a e a u ,
” “
e er

to s it i n B o x s O n th D is ad v an t g s of I n t ll c t u l Su p ri o ri t y
e ,
” “
e On G r t a e e e a e ,
” “
ea

an d Li tt l T h ings ; A V i w of th E nglis h S tag M isc ll n ou s D ramat ic

” “ ” “
e e e e, e a e

E ss ay s T h E ngl is h C om ic W ri t rs ( C h ps ii iii i iii in V o l V I I I )

,
” “
e e
”
a .
, ,
V, v . .

3 I o bs rv d th t of ll th w om n I h d v r s n o r kn o wn n yth in g of
“
e e a a e e a e e ee a ,

M rs S idd o ns st u ck m a th g rand s t
.
C o n v e rs at i o ns of J am s N o rt h c o te
r e s e e
”
e ,
”

\No rks V I , ,
Xl v i S E LE C T I O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

and wisely in the drama of the Elizabethan e ra the R e storation , ,

and the eightee nth century A gain he had a high conc e ption .
,

of his du ty as critic both to the player and to the public .

T hough I do not r e p e n t of what I hav e said in praise of cer

tain actors ye t I wish I could retract wh at I h av e b ee n o blige d
,

to say in reprobation of actors I n e ver understood that .

th e applauded actor thought hims e lf p e rsonally ob liged to the

newspap e r critic ; the latt e r was m e r e ly suppos e d to do his

” 1
du ty . H e p raised Ke an because h e saw in him a g e nius .

T his favorabl e n otice produc e d a great impr e ssion and gav e

ri se to th e report absolutely without foundation t h at t h e critic
, ,
.

had rec e iv e d £ 1 5 0 0 fro m the managemen t of Dru ry L an e to

” 2 ’
puff K e an F in ally the e nthusiasm and e loqu ence of H az litt s
.
,

style took hold of p e ople an d mad e his favorabl e reviews much

sought aft e r both by the player and the playgoer .

Th at his theatrical n ot e s mak e good reading now after almost

a hundred years may n ot b e a complim en t u pon th e ir value as
dramatic criticism In d e e d th e ir bookishn e ss has always b ee n
.
,

note d H e lik e d above e v e rything the play which he could r e ad

. .

T ru e h e r e veled in the m e mories of the goo d past days at the

:

theat e r ; he was th rill e d by the e loquence of K e mbl e and K e an ,

” “
and h e lik e d th e crowd of happy fac e s in the pit and the ,

atmosph e re of the playhouse H e watch e d clos e ly th e e ntrances .

and e xits of t h e actors th e ir ey e s fac e s hands ; list e n e d for the

, , ,

cad e nc e s O f t he spoken sent e nc e s an d mark e d the d if fe r e nces in ,

an actor on su cc e ssive eveni ngs H e rarely analyz e d the play as ,

a play he was no t conc e rn e d with the techniqu e O f the verse ;

he was inte rest e d i n th e seri e s of fine spe e ch e s and the groups
of div e rsifi e d charact e rs H e did not give a w e ll round e d com
.
-

m en t of the play but a e ulogy of K e mble as S ir Gil e s O v e r

,

’
r e ach M iss O N e ill as L ady T e azl e Mrs S iddons as L ady
, ,
.

Macb e th Macre ady as O th e llo K e an as I ago or S hylock or

, ,

1 r m t ic E ss y s W o rks V I I I
D a a a ,
”
, ,
I 77 .

2 B irr ll eLi f of H z li tt p 9
“
e a
”
. 10 .
, ,
 I N T R O D UC TI O N l ii

R ichar d I I I He
thought S hakspere too great f or the stage !
.

N ot only are the mor e r e fin e d poetical b e auti e s the minut e r ,

strok e s of character lost to the audi e nce but the most striking , ,

and impr e ssive passages those which having once read we can ,

never forget fail comparativ e ly of their effect e xcept in o ne or

,

”
two instanc e s H e enj oy e d th e O ld plays the great actors much
.
, ,

as he liked old books or some st ri king incident of his you th .

II I . A S CR IT I C O F PA I N T I N G
1
In his relation to the art of pai nting H azlitt stood alone
among his con temporaries F rom his bir th he had been associ .

ated with painters he had studi e d in the L ouvre ; he had talked

art with F laxm an Northcot e and H aydon ; he had r e ad the , ,

works of R ichardson and S ir Joshua R e ynolds ; finally he had ,

b e e n a painter H ow w e ll qualified he was by nature and train

.

ing to writ e of the art of painting can best b e seen in his page s
of c riticism N 0 one of his con tem pora ries was his equal eith e r
.
,

in natural aptitude or knowl e dge of what the paint e r was trying

to do H azlitt n e v e r thought out in his criticism s of painting
.
,

any mor e t h an he did in his c riticism s of the drama the princi ,

ples that und e rli e the art C e rtain principles he insisted upon .
,

it is tru e but th e y w e re not form ally fashioned into a system

,
.

Th e y w e r e some of his f ee lings abou t art A rt must b e true .

”
to n ature T his was first of all important T he l e sson to b e
.
, ,
.

learn e d from the Elgin marbl e s was that the chief e xc e ll e nc e

2 “

of the fi gures depends on the ir having b e en Copied from nature ,

1 T he wri t ings of H az li tt w h ic h d l wi th p in t in g sp ci ll y th fo ll o wing ea a e e a are e

I n T bl T lk O n th Pl s u r of P in t ing O n C rt ain I nc o nsis t nci s

“
a e a ,
” “
e ea e a ,
” “
e e e

in S ir J o s h u a R y n o ld s D isc ou rs s O n L andsc p of N icho l s P ou ssin

e
’
e ,
” “
a a e a ,
”

“
O n th Pic tu r sq u an d I d al
e e V o l V I ; C o n v rs t i o ns of J m s
e e ,
”
.
“
e a a e

N o rt h c o t W o rks V o l V I in Pl in S p k r
e,
”
,
O n S i tt in g fo r O n s Pic t u r
.
“
a ea e ,
”
e
’
e,
”

“
On .
P o rt rai t of an E ngl is h L d y \Y o rks V o l V I I ; o n t h \Y o rks of
a a ,
”
,
. e
“

H o g art h \Y o rks V o l V I I I ;
,
”
T h Princip l Pic t u r G l l ri s in E ngl and
,
.
“
e a e a e e ,
”

W o rks V o l I X No t s f a J ou rn y t h r ou g h Fr nc n d I t l y Wo rks V l I X
, . e o e a e a a ,
”
,
o .

M isc ll an ou s E ss y s o n th Fin Arts Wo rks V o l I X

e e a e e ,
”
,
. .

2 “
O n t h e E l g in M ar b l e s W o rk s I X 3 6 ,
”
, ,
2 .
X lV iii S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

’7
and not from imagination P ictures must hav e a m eani ng th e y
.
,

must expr e ss something H e liked to talk about th e poetry of .

” “”
P assion the l e arning of T itian
,
I t is significant that he .

included Hogarth among the comic writers of the e ighteenth

”
c e ntury .

I n his criticism of painting as of th e drama h e tried to b e

'

honest and fair H e did not h e sitate to d e fend a rising young

.

artist and thus gave encouragement to such men as Wilson

, ,

H aydon and T urn e r O f the latt e r he wrot e b e fo r e R uskin was

,
.
,

“
born , I n landscap e T urner has shown a knowl e dge of the
e ffects of air and of pow e rfu l reli e f in obj e cts which was never
”
surpassed He turn ed his cont e mporaries to Hogarth H e
. .

was as ready to point ou t a fault in Claude or P oussin whom ,

he idolized as he was to e xtol a virtue in H aydon or Wilson

, .

Th e pl e asur e of it all was t h e thing I t was to him inex pres .

sibl e j oy to b e abl e to see the mast e rs in P aris and in F lorence ,

and to go again and agai n to the coll e ction at Burl e igh House
an d to tak e L amb to O xford and to Bl e nheim T his w e nt along .

with his d e light in creating for hims e lf of which he wrote appre ,

”
c iativ e ly in his spl e ndid e ssays O n t he P l e asure of P ainting ,
.

M y taste in picture s is I b e li e v e v e ry di f fe rent from that of

, ,

rich and princ e ly coll e ctors I should like to have a few .

pictur e s hung round th e room that sp e ak to m e with well— known

looks t h at touch some strin g of memory — not a number of
,

”
varnish e d smooth glitt e ring ge w gaws
,
T his joy of associa
,
-
.

'

tion with pictur e s h e was able constantly to communicate to

oth e rs A t a time when little attention was paid to art criticism
.
,

H azlitt claim e d for i t the dignity of a branch of lit e ratur e and

exp e nd e d on it the w e alth O f his ever fe rvid and impassioned -

” 1
imagination .

I n estimating Hazlitt as a critic of painting w e S hould re

m e mb e r the change s which hav e occurr e d in the vocabulary of
G o ss e s pr fac e
1 ’
e to h is e di t i o n of “
C o n v e rs at i o ns of J m e s N o r h c o t
a t e,
”

p xxv ii
. .
1 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

might v e ry w e ll serve as a m anual for clear and e f fective com

position H e pr e f e rr e d S te ele to A ddison T homson to Cowper
.
, ,

’
G ay to P rior H e saw P o p e s excellence without r e quiring him
.

to conform to the standards fixed for po e try at any one tim e .

’ ” ’ ” ’
H e lik e d Blair s Grav e Butl e r s H udibras Warton s son
, , .

’
nets S uckling s po e ms He was passionat e ly fond of Congr e v e
,
.
,

’ ’
O ssian Burk e s pros e Scott s nov e ls and th e novels of the pre
, , ,

ceding c e ntury H is cri ticism was largely personal T h e re are

. .

p e ople who cannot tast e oliv e s and I cannot much relish Ben
Jonson though I hav e tak e n som e pains to do it and w e nt to
,
'

the task with every sort of good W

”
ill H e was influ e nc e d v e ry
.

large ly by his privat e associations and by his sympathy for the

character of th e writ e r N e v e rth e less in the criticism of his con
.
,

“ ”
temporaries in T he S pirit of the A ge he was uncom monly
fair and f e w of his j udgments n e e d to b e r e vis e d a hundre d
,

years afterwards H e did not appr e ciat e S he ll e y an d K e ats

.
,

but wrote most int e lligently and appr e ciativ e ly of the po e try
of Wordsworth and Col e ridge the nov e ls of S cott an d the , ,

pros e of Burk e though he had harsh things to say of th e m as

,

”
m e n Wordsworth was t he most original po e t now living
“
.
;
“
Col e ridge was th e only man I e v e r kn e w who answ e r e d to the
” “
idea of a man of ge nius ; S cott was t he great e st wis e st , ,

” “
m e anest of mankind ; Gifford was a low bred s e lf -
,

”
taught s e rvil e p e dant a doork ee p e r and a lacqu ey to l e arning
, ,
.

A ppare ntly H azlitt was trying to follow the lead of o ne whom

“
h e gr e atly admir e d Montaign e m ay b e said to hav e been
t he first who had t he courag e to say as an author what h e f e lt
”
as a man A llowing for pr ej udic e s howev e r we should h av e
.
, ,

di f ficulty to find another critic who has shown such br e adth of

in t e rest as to includ e with such j ust appreciation so many
write rs so wid e ly s e parat e d in tim e and in achi e v e m e nt .

T h e cont e m porari e s o f H azlitt att e m pt e d to S il e nc e him as

a critic by pointing to his lack of r e ading and the r e petit ions
which r e curr e d so frequently in his work T o th e s e men H azlitt .
 I NT R O D U C TI O N li

“
r e pli e d : I hav e b e en fou nd fault with for r e p e ating mys e lf ,

and for a narrow rang e of ideas T o a want of g e n e ral reading I .

plead guilty and am sorry for i t bu t p e rhaps if I had read more ,

” 1
I might have thought l e ss S uch a characte ristic remark !
.

Hazlitt did not wish to have a m e r e literary reputation ; he

despised those who had t h e ir id e as from books alone N e ver .

t he le ss besides an extensive reading of English literatur e

,

who of his day had r e ad mor e wid e ly in the literatur e of his

’
own language he kn e w som e of S chiller s plays R ousseau
?
, ,

’ ” “
Montaigne L e Sage s Gil Blas R abelais D an t e Boccaccio
, , , , ,
”
and D o n Q uixote . Most of thes e he knew intimately
a m e ager list one has to admit but not unworthy I t is well for , .

us who live in the day wh e n th e r e are to o many books and

too f e w careful readers to rem e mber what we h av e j ust quot e d ,
”
I f I had r e ad more I should hav e thought l e ss,
.

I n hi s thinking an d his writing H azlitt had never hit upon

historical or philosophical criticism H e was an emoti onal critic
2
. .

_
By hiS criticism of M ilton s sonn e ts he expressed his aim
'

” 3
picking ou t the b e autiful passages t h at I lik e T ast e is .

”
ability to appreciate ge nius F in e tast e consists in sympathy ;
H e who finds out what th e r e is in a picture rath e r th an h e who
”
finds what ther e is n ot S O that t he ultimate and only con
e lusive proof of taste is not indi f fe rence but e nthusiasm
’

”
th e se are the keynot e s of his e ssay O n T aste Critics were .

to b e the tasters for the public A g e nuine criticism should

.
,

as I tak e it r e flect the colors the light and shade the soul an d
, , ,

” “
body of a work I n the criticisms written on the model o f
.

the F rench school about a c e ntury ago we are left quite in

t h e dark as to the f e e lings of pleasur e o r pain to b e d e riv e d

from the ge nius of the p e rformanc e or the m anne r in which i t

app e als to the imagination ; we know to a nic e ty how i t squares
1
“
M emo irs I I 2 5 9
,
”
, .

2 F o r h is id eas o n cri t icis m s e e e ss ay s O n T as t W o rks X I 4 5 ff and

“
e,
”
0 .
, , ,
“
O n C ri t icis m ,
W o rks V I 2 4 als o O n P e ri o d ic al E ss ay is t s pp 9 ff
”
, ,
1
“
,
”
. .

3 O n M i l t o n s So nn e t s W o rks V I 1 74
’
,
”
, ,
.
lii S E LE C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

with the thr e ad bare rules of composition not in the least how
-

” 1 “
it affects the principl e s of taste Why trouble P op e or .

any other author for what th ey have not and do not profess
”
to give ? A ll sound and true A ccording to Haz litt his friend .
,

“
Joseph F awc e tt was an id e al critic H e had a masterly per
c e pt io n O f all styl e s and of ev e ry kind and every degre e of

e xc e llenc e He did not care a rush whether a writer was

.

’
old or n ew in prose or in verse
,
What he wan t e d he said , ,

‘ “
was som e thing to make him He gave a cordial
”
w e lcom e to all sorts provid e d th e y w e r e th e best in their kind
,
.

T h e se extracts S h o w with su f fici e nt clearness that Haz litt aimed

at n o analytical method in his criticism H e do e s no t b e long .

to the mod e rn school of m e taphysical critics who suppose the

qu e stion Why ? to be repeated at the end of ev e ry d e cision ;
and th e answ e r gives birth to interminabl e argum e nts and dis
”
c u ssio n N or is there in H azlitt insistence upon the historical
.

estimate s H e is content with good work w e ll done

. If a .

man l e aves b e hind him any work which is a mod e l of its kind ,

we have no right to ask wh e th e r h e could do anythin g els e or

” 2
how he did it or how long h e was about i t
,
.

Hazlitt contribu ted little to the group of critical principles

which from tim e to tim e in the last hundred y e ars h av e b e e n
e nunciated with gr e at e r or l e ss cl e arn e ss O f po e try he wrote .
,

M any people su ppos e that po e try is something to b e found

only in books contain e d in lin e s of ten syllabl e s with like e nd
, ,

ings bu t wherev e r th e r e is a s e nse of beau ty o r pow e r or har

, , ,

,
w
mony as in the motion of a av e of the se a in the growth of ,

a flow e r that spr e ads its sw e e t l e aves through th e air and d e di ,

cates its b e auty to the sun ther e is po e try ,

P o e t ry is not .

a br an ch of au thorshi p ; i t is the stuff of which our life is

” 3
m ade . T his was a long st e p b eyond the critics O f the preced
ing century such as Johnson or ev e n A ddison who would not
, , ,

1 ri t icis m Wo rks V I 7
() n C ,
”
, ,
2 1 .

O n G ni u s n d C ommo n S ns W o rk s V I p
” '
3
2 “
e a e e, , , 3 1 . See .
35 .
 I N T R O D U CT I O N liii

listen to a d efinition of poetry which did not he dge i t within

fix ed rules and requirem e nts T he first expression of mod e rn
.

critical principles was the publication of the P re faces by Words

worth in which he discussed the r e lation O f I magin ation and
,

F ancy T his discussion which had come from L essing R ichter

.
, , ,

and A W S chl eg e l did not interest H az li tt R ichter distin

. .
,
.

gu ishe d I magination as the faculty of genius which constructs

organic whol e s from F ancy which form s arbitrary aggr e gates
,
.

T he union O f opposites becam e th e fundamental fo rm ula of

romantic art H enc e th e re was no inconsistency in the combina
.

tion of tragedy and comedy of humor and pathos i n a single

, ,

play With this conception Haz litt was in p e rfect accord

. .

”
P oet ry is the stuff of which our life is mad e Cole ridge how .
,

ever w e nt farther H e r e co gniz e d the n ee d o f order and rules

,
.

”
P oetry must embody in order to reveal itself and unlike
, ,

the e ighteenth c e ntury revis e rs of S haksper e who wish e d t o

-

leave ou t or smooth ov e r the irr e gulariti e s of the Eliz ab e than

dramatists Coleridge looked for the r e ason of the so called
,
-

irregulariti e s and he wish e d not to mak e S haksp e r e over but

,

to find and to understand the evid e nc e s of organic structure .

Coleridge passed the torch on to Carlyl e who not only s e arched ,

for the central and vivifying purpose W i th prop e r historical per

spe c tiv e but h e wish e d to emphasiz e t he dynamic of the
, quality [

work and make i t exercis e its influen ce on the thought and liv e s
of m en I n his e ssay on Go ethe h e wrot e
. T o d e termine ! ,
“

with any infallibility wh e th e r what we call a fault is i n v e ry deed

’
a fault we must have s e ttl e d two points first what the po e t s
, ,

aim r e ally was and how far this aim accord e d not with u s and
, ,

our individual crotchets bu t with human natur e and the na ture

, ,

of things at large ; with the principles of poetic b e auty as : ,

th e y stand writt e n not in our text books but in the hearts and
,
-

imaginations Of all m e n ”
.

S uch as it was — and a v e ry good kind i f not the best ,

the criticism of H azlitt perfo rm e d a great service H e inte rest e d .

liv S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

people in fields hitherto almost untrodden he taught his readers

that t h ey had within themselves pow e rs of appreciation of which
t h ey had not dreamed ; he gave new encouragement to the

author who saw for the first time the possibility of a large and
sympathetic reading public and finally he sharpened the critical
faculties of his readers an d introduc e d a ne w enthusiasm into
reading and talkin g abou t books H is j udgments have form ed .

a r e markably large amount of th e present estimate of much of

English literatur e Ind e ed it is di ffi cult to name an English

.
,

critic who has succeeded in this particular to an equal d egree .

O f him H arriet Martineau wrote I n H azlitt we lost the P rince ,

of Critics O f his time and after he was gone ther e were m any
,

who would never look at a picture or see a trag e dy or ponder , ,

a point of morals or tak e a su rvey of any public character with

,

’ ” 1
ou t a melancholy sense of loss in H az litt s absence and silence .

T h e r e could b e no more fitting conclusion to our discussion o f

2
H azlitt as a critic th an the words of T hackeray H azlitt was .

one o f the keenest an d brightest cri tics that ever liv e d With .

partialiti e s and pre j udices innumerable he had a wit so keen , ,

a sensibility so exquisite an a ppreciation of humor or pathos or,

even of the greatest ac t so lively quick and cultivat e d that it , , ,

was always good to know what were the impressions mad e by

books or m en or pictures on such a mind ; and that as there ,

w e r e not probably a doze n men i n England with pow e rs so

vari e d all the r e st of the world might be rej oiced to listen to
,

”
the opinions of this accomplished critic .

V . AS P ER S O N A L E S SA Y I S T
T o m any read e rs Hazlitt is most int e resting as writer of a

miscellan e ous essays and more e sp e cially as the p e rsonal and

autobiographical essayist T he mention of a half dozen of his .

1 rr
M art in u H is to ry of E ngl nd d u rin g th T h irty Y rs P c
H a ie t ea ,
“
a e ea
’
ea e,
”

B oo k I V c h p xi v
,
a . .

2 A r v i w of th
e S piri t of th A g i th JlI i g C/ i l 84 5
e e
“
e e
”
n e -
o rn n zron e e , 1 .
 I N T R O D U C TI O N lv

titles calls up some of our happiest memories of books My

” ” “
F irst A cquain tance with P o e ts O n Goin g a J ou rn ey ,
t

”
“
A F arew e ll to Essay Writing T he F e eling o f I mmortality
-
,

” ”
in Y outh O n the P leasure of P ainting
,
O n R eading O ld ,

” “ ”
Books or O f P ersons O ne would Wish to have S e en
,
It .

is doubtl e ss of such as the s e that S t e venson was thinking when

“
he said We are all mighty fine fellows but we cannot writ e
, ,

” 1
lik e H azlitt .

A gain th e re are those sugge st e d by a philosophical or ethical

“ ” “
theme ,
O n T hought and A ction Why Distan t O bj e cts ,

” “ ”
P leas e , O n the Knowl e dge of C haract e r O n the F ear of ,

Death ”
O n the P ast and F utur e
”
—
O n L iving to O ne s S e lf
” ’
, , ,

” ” “
O n Effe minacy of Charact e r O n Conduct of L ife T he , ,

” ” “
S pirit of O bligation O n A ntiquity O n Gr e at and L ittle
, ,

” ” ”
T hings O n P e rsonal Id e ntity
,
S e lf L ove and Benevol e nc e ,
-
,

” ”
M ain C hance O n a S un Dial , O n the F e eling of I m m o r -
,

tality then an occasional paper on the foibles or p e culia r i ties of

“ ” “
p e ople ,
Ignoranc e of the L earn e d O n P eopl e with O ne ,

” ” “
Idea , O n th e P leasur e s of H ating O n V ulgarity and ,

” ”
A f fectation O n t he Disadvantag e s of I ntellectual S up e riority
, ,

” ” “
O n C onsistency of O pinion O n Disagr e e able P eopl e , ,

” ”
L ondoners and Country P e ople O n Editors and O n the , ,

”
Shyness of S cholars ; a f e w t h at are entertaining for V iews
”
O n T ast e
” “ “
on writing and criticism O n Criticism On , , ,

” ” “
F amiliar S tyl e O n the A ristocracy of L e tt e rs
, T he Pie ,

” ” “
t u re sq u e and the Ideal O n th e J udging of P ictures On
, ,

”
A pplication to S tudy ; a grou p perhaps t he most d e lightful , ,

which abound in intimate p e rsonal r e minisc e nc e s My F irst ,

“

” ” “
A cquaintanc e w ith P o e ts O n t h e Conv e rsation of A uthors , ,

”
O f P e rsons O ne would Wish to have S e e n
“
O n the P l e asur e ,

1A f w of S t v n s o n s t i t l s s u gg s t cl o s r b o nd of s y m p thy b t w n th e
e e e
’
e e a e a e ee

t w s n t i m n t lis t s t h n w u s u ll y s u sp c t ; fo r x m pl O n \V lking T ou rs “ ”
o e e a a e a e e a e, a ,

“
T lks nd T lk rs
a a C r bb d A g
a e n d Y ou th
,
” “
A n Ap o l o g y fo r I d l rs
a e e a ,
” “
e ,
”

Tru t h of I n t rc ou rs e O n t h E n j oym n t of U npl s n t Pl c s

e,
” “
e e ea a a e .
”
lvi S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

” ” “ ’
of P ainting T he Fr ee A dmission
,
S itting for O ne s P ic ,

” “ ” ” ” “
tur e ,
The S ick Chamber T he L e tter Bell T he F ight
, , .

T hese last e ssays are H azlitt at his b e st T h e y form his criticism .

of lif e and of life at its full e st — no t morbid cy nical or p e ssi , ,

mistic Unlik e S wift he lik e d man , and took a pleasure in ridi

.
,

culing the ev e ryday foibl e s of m e n H e was most fond of quoting .

the splendid line from S hakspere O u r life is of mingled yarn , ,

”
good and ill tog e th e r What he liked w e re the things of good
.

report I f he was bitt e r toward the world th e s e e ssays do not

.
,

show his bitterness if h e hat e d m en it was b e caus e O f supposed ,

inj ustic e d e c e ption hypocrisy o r oppression H is e ssays e xpress

, , ,
.

vividly th e philosophy of the ev e ryday life hinting no w and then ,

at the myst e ry which stands j ust at our e lbows d e t e cting the ,

p e ccadillos that b e set mankind analyzing with cl e v e r obs e rvation ,

the motiv e s of t h e commonplac e and adorning the appar e ntly ,

trivial with po e tic imagin ation .

A s a critic O f men we think O f H azlitt along with Swift an d

,

T hack e ray H e was not so great as either in the depth of insight

.

or th e vigor of expr e ssion but like t h e m h e was never insipid , , ,

and as d ee ply hated sham and snobb e ry T he summary of P ro .

f esso r Winchest e r is SO admirabl e t h at we quot e a long passage :

We see in his essays an int e ll e ct disciplin e d and broad en e d by
long thought enrich e d by the best r e ading and by e arly and in
,

t im ate acquaintanc e with two or thr e e of the abl e st men of that

g e n e ration ; a V ivid imagination and a quick ey e for b e au ty ; a

t e mp e r flashing into ange r at O pposition o r soften e d to m e lancholy
by failur e y e t constant to the id e als of you th ; a v e in of p e rver
,

s it which al w ays lik e d t h e back sid e of a truth and th e under

y
sid e of a quarr e l and a gift O f phras e ranging from caustic
,

e pigram to lofty e loqu e nc e A nd i n his e gotism th e re is no .

Byronic posing nor any braggart q uality ; it is frank na i ve , ,

” 1
almost unconscious .

1 C T . . W inc h e s te r ,
“
A G r ou p of E n g lis h E ss y is ts p a ,
”
. 67 .
 lv i i i S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

”
Now th e re wer e purple patches again his style b e came chaste ,

and reserved beautiful an d picturesque always inter e sting He

, , .

wrote of what he liked and in the way he liked and so with ,

enthusiasm but never with insipidi ty P e rhaps he was illogical

,
.

and prej udiced but he was n e ver willfully untruthful or dishonest

, .

He always tre ated his reader fairly an d nev e r deign e d to resort

to trick s or S ophistry H e abhorre d the S h am in diction
. I .

hate anything that occu pies m or e space than i t is worthy I hate .

to see a load of bandboxes go along the street and I hate to se e ,

”
a parc e l of big words without anything in them N 0 one was .

a greater stickl e r for pure sp e e ch I do not say I would not .

u se any phrase t h at had b e e n brought into fashion b e fore the

middl e or e nd of the l ast century bu t I should b e shy of using ,

any that had not b een em ployed by any approv e d author during
” 1
the whole of that p e riod Unlik e C arlyl e he coin e d no German
.

English hybrids ; unlike De Q uincey he refused to b e t e mpted ,

by slang an d no o ne would d e ny to his diction e ith e r cl e arness

,

or sim plicity on the one h and or b e auty and picturesquen e ss on,

th e oth e r Wher e is the writ e r of English who can b e tter show

.

how the pure English word can b e weld e d into an e f fectiv e tool
H azlitt was fond of the apt phrase and onc e it was conc e ived ,

he us e d it again and again but n o t with th e p e dantic effe ct which

,

oft e n characterized A rnold at his best B e caus e it pleased him .

H azlitt was cont e nt H e adorned his style with striking figure s

.
,

bu t seldom us e d a more formal figur e than th e simile m e taphor ,

or contrast The maj e stic apostroph e of D e Q uinc e y or the

.
,

elaborate personification of Carlyl e would ill have b e com e the ,

informal p e rsonal styl e o f H azlitt His was the master h and in

,
.

the skill of com pressing into a single phrase the characte r of a

’
man or a work of literature Mrs Mon tagu e s conversation is
. .

as fine cu t as he r f e atur e s and I lik e to sit in the room with that

,

sort of coronet fac e What she says l e av e s a flavour like gree n

.

’ ’
. tea H unt s is like champagn e and N o rthc o te s l ike anchovy
.

1 o n F am il i ar S ty l e
u
P 59 ,
”
1
 I N T R O D UC TI O N Iix

’ ’
sandwiches Haydon s is lik e a game of trapball L amb s like
, ,

snapdragon and my own is not very much unlike a gam e of

,

”
n in e pins H is page s sparkle with a thousand thin gs that we
.

should lik e to have thought of H e admir e d L a R ochefoucauld .

'

and wrote a number of excellent maxims T o syst e matic think .

ing he was not well suit e d T he phrase and sentence rath e r

. .

than the paragraph w e re his norm .

H e had a wealth of illustration in the form of allusion to

scores of favorite books or plays to oft r e membered incidents ,
-

of his early life or timely anecdotes which he recalled T hey

,
.

’ ’
wer e not whimsical like L amb s or colloquial like H unt s or , ,

’
suggestive of mys te ry like D e Q uincey s but he never allow e d ,

an allusion to draw the r e ader fr o m the th e m e in hand H is .

habit of r e peat e d quotation has caus e d irritation to m an y a

reader who f e lt it a sacrilege to diss ociate a line of S hakspere
,

from its lofty context but he sought j ustification in the m anner

,

in which h e made the quotation convey his o wn id e a .

O ne characteristic marks his style more than another ; it was

his use of the parall e l construction H e liked to oin his subj ects .

i n pairs ; for example cant and hypocrisy past and futur e wit
, , ,

and humor thought and action geniu s and common sense

, , ,

’
patronage and pu ffi ng writing and speaking an d so on a o i a
, ,

fi niznm SO his favorite m ann e r O f elucidating his theme was

‘
.

by contrast ; for exampl e Wilkie and Hogarth S haksp e re and

, ,

Jonson C haucer an d S penser V oltaire and Swift T homson

, , ,

and Cowper A ddison and S teele Gray and Collins D ryden and
, , ,

P op e I n this h e had great influen ce on Macaulay the master

.
,

of contrast H e also has had a subtle influenc e u pon mod e rn

.

criticism which has oft e n used this m e ans of d e fining the

,

r e lative importance of English writ e rs T hus the s tyle of Hazlitt .

m atur e d into a medium which has no t be e n surpass e d for

clearn e ss sinc e the d ays O f Swift an d for eloqu e nc e has b ee n ,

rar e ly equaled sinc e the days of S ir T homas Browne and

J e r e my T aylor .
IX S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

’
T he model of H az litt
style was Burk e the herald of nine
s ,

t ee nth centu ry prose

-
T h e f e rvor of Burk e was transfer r
. ed in
Hazlitt into personal e nthusiasm ; the clear in tell e ctual prose ,

of the best e ighte e nth century writers d e v e lop e d in H azlitt a

-

’
style S imple pointe d and epigrammatic S in ce Swift Burke s
, ,
.
,

’
was the b e st prose s tyl e H az litt s the best e ssay sty le T he
, .

possibiliti e s O f pros e Burk e nev e r for e saw — the wit of Sydn ey

Smith th e e l e gance of D e Q uinc e y th e whimsicality of L amb
, , ,

th e spiritual V igor of Carlyl e t h e spl e ndid architectural sym , , ,

m et ry of M acaulay .

I n th e first half of th e n in e t ee n th c e ntury Macaulay was

directly ind e bted to Hazlitt Betw e en th e s e two m en th e re is a
.

kinship which the casual r e ader m ay not at first distingu ish In .

b o t h we obs e rv e th e prominenc e of th e parallel construction

the same t e ndency toward epigramm atic expression the sam e ,

und e rlying d e t e rm in ation to write with unmistakabl e cl e arn e ss .

’
I n t he s e con d half of t he c e n tury N e wman s writing bor e ample
testimony to the romantic mood of which it was so evid e nt
H azlitt was a conte mporary e xpon e nt H ow e v e r if to any one .
,

the m an tl e of th e proph e t was h an d e d down it was to S tev e nson ,

.

In spirit th ey w e r e alik e in e nthusiasm in the j oy of w riting

, ,

and the j oy of living an d S t e v e nson was e ver ready to ac

,

knowl e dge his allegiance to the maste r sentimen talist A mong .

rec e nt critics H azlitt has found a goodly band of admirers

T hackeray L esli e S t e ph e n S tevenson Walt e r Bag e hot P ro f e s
, , , ,

sor S aintsbury M r Birr e ll and P rof e ssor Winchester

,
.
,
.

V II T II E M A N
. H A Z L I TT
’
H az litt writings w e r e a distinct re fl e ction of his O pinions
s ,

pr ej udic e s and m e mori e s H e liked to think and write about

,
.

abstract propositions which as he once said w e r e the last , ,

”
thing h e would giv e u p A s a boy at H ackney he tri e d to
.

define his conception of ethics and politics He wrote of time .

,
 I N T R O D U C TI O N lxi

bi rth immortali ty but he could not give them that element of

, ,

mystery which made the work of D e Q uinc e y of such rh e torical

’
elegan ce H e did not poss e ss Carlyl e s pow e r O f giving to them
.

th e spiritual import which h e derived from a great e r insight in

to the forc e s of history and life T o H azlitt ev e rything b ec am e .

personal and reminiscent He brought everything down to that .

tim e was mysterious becau s e the past had so many delightful

memories ; d e ath was not to b e feared because he knew nothing
of what we were before we w e r e born th e r e for e what should he ,

’
fear of the future Every phase of ethics and politics in H az litt s
.

mind was personified by som e one whom h e admired or hat e d .

T o his contemporaries Haz litt was a man of bad t e mp e r .

1
Even L amb in his note of congratulation on the birth of the
,

young William Hazlitt hoped that the new child would have a ,

better temper th an his father H e had pleasure in hat ing and .

,

wi th gusto wrote an essay on the subj e ct H e hated all kin ds .

2
of cant an d hypocrisy not becaus e h e was driven by a moral ,

conviction like Carlyle bu t rather because he was le d by f ee lings

,

which g av e him pl e asur e H is attitude toward a writer or poli .

t ic ian was not modified by th e fact t h at t h e m an was living and

much admir e d A bov e e v e ryth ing he loved freedom and truth

.
,

and stood u p for them Men tal courage is the only courage I
.

pre tend to I n littl e els e I hav e the spirit of martyrdom ,

but I would rather giv e u p anything rather than an abstract

” “
proposition I f any one wishes to see m e quite calm th ey
.
,

may cheat m e in a bargain or tr e ad u pon my toes but a truth ,

r e pelled or a S ophism repeated totally disconc e rts m e and I lose ,

all pati e nce I am not in the ordinary acceptanc e of the te rm

.
, ,

a good natur e d man ; that is many thin gs annoy me b e sid e s

-
,

what in terferes wi th my own e as e and interest I hat e a lie ; a .

piece of inj ustice wounds me to the quick though nothing but ,

1 See b ov p xxv
a e, . .

2 “
O n C n t an d H y p o cris y
a ,
” “
O n De t ph an d S u pe rfi c iality ,
” “
I g n o r nc
a e

of th e L arn e d t
e ,
”
e c .
Ix i i SE LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

the r e port of it re ach e s m e T h e r e fore I h av e m ad e m any e ne .

1
mies and few fri e nds A nd i t must be admitted th at he never
conc e al e d anything The virulent Gi f ford or the sneering B la nt .

’
w ooa r e viewer were possessed of all th e facts and nothing has ,

be e n r e veal e d sinc e th at tim e to mak e him the l e ss e ste e m e d .

I n the drama in paint i ng I n literature he d e fend e d rising men

, , , ,

or thos e for whom he had a sincere regard and it is surprising ,

t h at most of his j udgmen ts are to day part and parc e l of our -

acce pt e d criticism Born of diss e nting par e nts he car ried on.
,

the torch of liberalism in thinking He allied himself with no .

church occupi e d hims e lf littl e with r eligious questions hated

, ,

2
the Whigs because th e y had not the courage of their convi e
3
tions and the T ories b e caus e th ey w e r e the foes of popular
,

8 4
lib e rty H e hated all royalty and had littl e faith in the peopl e
.
, .

” 5
T h e public have neith e r sham e nor gratitude By t e mp e r a .

ment he was shy and awkward an d fe lt gre at e mbarrassment ,

6
in the presenc e of women H e always felt that p e opl e were .
-

starin g at him or saying disagreeable things about him T o one .

’
of N o rthc o te s r e marks he s ays : What you hav e stated is the
b e st excuse I could mak e for my own faults or blund e rs When .

’
one is found fault wi th for nothing or for doing one s best one , ,

is apt to giv e th e world th e ir r e venge A ll the former part o f .

my lif e I was tr e at e d as a cipher and since I have got into ,

notice I h av e been se t u pon as a wild beast Wh e n this is the

'

case and you c an e xp e ct as little j ustice as candor you natu

, ,

rally in s e lf defense tak e r e fuge in a sort of misanthropy and

-

cynical contempt for mankind O ne is disposed to humour th e m .

1 “
p nd S p fi iality W o rks V I I 34 7
O n D e th a u er c ,
”
, ,
.

2 P o l i t ic al E ss ay s Wo rks 1 1 1 pr f c pp 3 f
“
,
”
, ,
e a e, . 1 .

3 O n Gr t n d Li t t l e T h in g s
“
ea aWo rks V I 7 6 ,
”
, ,
2 .

4 O n Li v in g t O n s S l f
“
H z li tt w h o b o ldl y s ay s all h f ls avo ws
o e
’ -
e .
” “
a ,
e ee ,

t h at n t o n ly h d o s n t pi ty sick p o pl b t h h at s t h m L amb s l tt e r ” ’
o e e o S e e u e e e . ee e

to B B rto n April 8 4
. a , ,
1 2 .

5 C h r c t ris t ics I I No L XXX V p 36 9

a a e ,
”
,
.
,
. .

6 L m b s l e tte r t o W o rdsw o r th J u n
a
’
6 1 8 6 ; r e f e r e nc s in C r abb R ob in e 0 e
, ,

s o n s D i ary
’
.
 I N TR O D U CT I O N lxiii

an d to f u rn ish them with some ground for their idle and malev
” 1
ol e n t censure s .

’
T h e r e is nothing v e ry admirable in H az litt s r e lation to his
friends 111 humor may be made the excus e of many of his
.

acts bu t it is difficult for u s to excus e his harsh treatment of

,

Coleridge Wordsworth and e v e n L amb who fortun ately under

, , ,

s tood him better and thanks to the nobility O f his charact e r and
,

his capacity for friendship appr e ciate d the st e rling worth of the ,

2
m an an d nev e r forsook him H azlitt af te r a congenial acquaint .
,

anc e had b e e n made imagined an offe ns e Or looked u pon his

,

friend as the expon e nt of some narrow prej udice and th e n dr e w ,

ap ar t . With something of brutal frankness he once wrote : I

hav e quarrel e d with almost all my old fri e nds Most of the .

friends I h av e se e n have turned out the bitt e rest enemi e s or ,

cold u ncomfortable acquaintances O ld com panions are like

,
.

meats serv e d up too ofte n that lose their r e lish and whol e som e ,

” 3
n e ss
. With almost all the m e n worth knowing in L ondon
during the y e ars 1 8 0 5 —1 8 1 0 H azlitt had be e n on t e rms of in
tim ac y bu t no one exc e pt Charles L amb remained to him in
,

his later years .

Y et d e spite all this pr e j udice and passionat e ill humor the ,

man had his fine side What he lik e d he lik e d with j oyful e nthu
.

siasm T he most delightful passages in his books are those in

.

which he records the first time that he read a book or saw a pic
ture or a gre at actor H e thrilled with j oy in r e calling his first
.

’ ” ”
reading of R ouss e au s N ew H e loise of P aul an d V irginia ,

” ’
at an inn in Bridge water or in T e wksbury T om Jones Burk e s , ,

” ” ” “
L etter to a N obl e L ord Gil Blas Don Q uixot e and a, , ,

doz e n mor e of his favorites H e nev e r forgot his first nights at .

the th e at e r when h e was enraptured by Kean Kemble or M rs

, , ,
.

S iddons T hese re d l e tt e r d ays mad e him happy O n the day

.
-
.

1 o n ve rs at i o ns ” W o rks V I 2 70
N o rth c o te ’s C , , ,
.

2 “
S piri t of O blig at i o ns ” Wo rks V I I 7 8 ff
, , ,
.

3 “
O n Li v in g to O n e s S e l f
’ ”
-
p 1 34,
. .
lxiv S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

which brought news of the b at tl e of A ust e rlitz he wrote I , ,

walk e d ou t in the afternoon and as I re turned saw the evening ,

’
star se t over a poor man s cottage with O th e r thoughts and f e el
” 1
ings than I shall ev e r have again O n another day I remem .

b e r b e ing once drawn by a show e r of r a in for Sh e lter into a

’
picture d e al e r s sh o p in O xford S tre e t wh e re ther e stood on the ,

’
floor a Co py o f Gainsborough s S h e pherd Bo y with a thund e r
storm coming on What a truth and b e auty was there ! H e .

stands with his hands clasp e d looking u p with a mixture of ,

timidity and r e signa tion eying a magpie chatt e ring over his head , ,

while the wind is rustling i n the bran ch e s I t was lik e a vision .

breathed on the canvas I hav e be e n fond O f Gainsborough ev e r .

” 2
S ince T he d e scri ption of his first me e ting wi t h Col e ridg e and
.

Wordsworth P rofessor Winch e st e r has called the most delight

,

”
ful essay of person al reminiscence in the English lan guage .

3
L ik e L amb he loved th e past L ik e him too he loved old books .
, ,

and old sc e nes F or mys e lf I should lik e to browse on folios

.

an d hav e to do chi e fly with authors that I have scarcely strength

to lift that are as solid as they are heavy and if dull are full of
, ,

H e liked to write for t he sak e of writing he liked ,

painting he liked good talk ; among the actors po e ts and

, , ,

painters he lik e d the b e st H is enj oyment of walking has found .

well nigh perfect expression in one of his most d e lightful essays

-
.

T h e s e are his pl e asures and wh e r e could th e r e b e b e tte r ? ,

“ ”
T h e re are only thr e e pleasur e s in lif e h e writ e s pure and , ,

lasting and all deriv e d from inanimate things — books pictures , ,

” 5 “
and the face of natur e F ood warmth sl ee p and a book ; .
, , ,

th e se are all I at presen t ask the ultima T hule of my wander

”
ing desir e s .

1 Pl as u r of P in t ing p 9
O n th e e e a ,
”
. 2 .

2 C o n v rs t i o ns of N o r t h c o t
e Wo rks V o l V I
a e,
”
,
. .

3 O f h is b s t ss y s b rs t h t i t l
ne o O n t h P s t nd F u t u r e
e e a \Y o rks ea e e
“
e a a ,
”
,

VI ,
2 1 als o th N w S c h oo l of R fo r m
se e Wo rks V I I 79 ff
e e e ,
”
, ,
1 .

4 M mo irs I I 9 7 S ls o O n R ding O ld B oo ks n d O n R din g

“
e ,
”
,
2 . ee a
“
ea a
“
ea

N w B oo ks
e 5 Pic t u r G l l ri s in E ngl and W o rks V o l I X
.
” “
e a e e ,
”
,
. .
 l xv i S E L E CT I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

VIII . S E L EC T ED B I B L I O G RA P H Y

A . WO RK S
E s say o n t h e P ri n c i p l e s o f H u m a n A c t i o n w i th R e m ark s o n th e
S y s t e m o f H ar t l e y an d H e l v e t i u s 1 8 0 5 . .

F r e e T h o ugh t s o n P ub l i c A ff ai r s 1 8 06 . .

A b ri d gm e n t of A b r ah am T u c k e r s L i gh t o f N at u r e 1 8 0 7 ” ’
. .

E l o q u e n c e o f th e B ri t i s h S e nat e ( P a rl i am e n t ar y S p e e c h e s an d N o t e s ) .

1 807 .

R e p l y t o M al th u s 1 8 07 . .

A N e w an d I m p r ov e d G r am m a r o f t h e E n g l i s h T o n gu e e t c 1 8 1 0 , . .

M e m o i r o f T h o m as H o l c r o ft w ri tt e n by h i m se lf e t c c o n t i n u e d by
, , .
,

H az l i t t 1 8 1 6 . .

T h e R o u n d T ab l e ( fr o m t h e E xa m i n ) 1 8 1 7 er . .

C h ar ac t e rs o f S h ak e s p e a s P l ay s 1 8 1 7 1 8 1 8
’
r .
,
.

A R e v i e w o f th e E n g l is h S tag e ; o r a S e ri e s o f D r am at i c C ri t i c i s m s , .

Le c tu r e s o n th e E n g l i s h P o e ts 1 8 1 8 I 8 1 9 .
, .

/ L e c t u r e s o n th e E n g l is h C o m i c W ri t e r s 1 8 1 9 . .

L e tt e r t o W i l l i am G i ff o r d 1 8 1 9 . .

P o l i t i c al E ss ays w i t h S k e t c h e s o f P ub l i c C h ar ac t e r s 1 8 1 9 1 8 2 2
, .
, .

L e c t u r e s o n th e D r am at i c L i t e r at u r e o f t h e R e i g n o f Q u e e n E li z ab e t h .

1 8 20 .

T ab l e T al k ; o r , O ri g i n al E s s ay s on M en an d M an n e rs . 1 8 2 1 —1 8 2 2 ,
1 8 24 .

L i b e r A m o ris ; o r T h e N e w P ygm al i o n 1 8 2 3
,
. .

S k e t c h e s o f t h e P ri n c i p a l P i c t u r e G a l l e ri e s i n E n g l a n d w i t h a C rit i ,

c is m o n M arri ag e 51 la M o d e ( i n p a rt fr o m L n d n 1 8 24 o o .

C h ar ac t e ri s t i c s i n th e M an n e r o f R o c h e f o u c au l d s M ax i m s 1 8 2 3
’
,
.
,

1 8 37 .

T he S p i ri t o f t h e A ge ; o r C o n t e m p o r ar y P o r t r ai ts 1 8 2 5
,
. .

T h e P l ai n S p ak e r ; o r O p i n i o n s o n B o ok s M e n an d T h i n g s 1 8 2 6
e , , ,
. .

N o t e s o f a J o u rn e y t h r o u gh F r an c e an d It al y ( fr o m [ M n i ng C/ n or z ro

i ele ) . 1 826 .

B o sw e l l R e d i v i v u s 1 8 2 7 . .

T h e L i fe o f N a p o l e o n B u o n a p ar t e V o l s I , . an d II . 1 8 28 . V o l s III .

an d IV 1 8 30 . .

C o n v e rs at i o n s o f J a m e s N o r t h c o t e , Esq , R A . . 1 8 30 .
 I N T R O D U C TI O N l x vi i

P O S T H UM O US P UB L I C AT I O N S

Cri t i c is m s o n A r t e tc 1 8 4 3 1 8 44 ,
.
,
.

L i t e r a r y R e m ai n s e t c 1 8 3 6 , . .

Wi n te rsl o w E ssay s and C h ar ac t e rs w r i tt e n t h e r e

: , . 1 8 50 .

S k e t c h e s an d E ssay s n o w fi rs t c o l l e c t e d 1 8 39 ,
. . R e p u b l is h e d as
“
M e n a nd M a n n e r s 18 2
5 .
”
.

B . ED I T I O N S

Th e n l y c o m p l e te and p e rfe c t l y s at i sfa c t o r y e d i t i o n is by W al l e r and

o

G l o v e r i n 1 2 v o l u m e s and 1 v o l u m e c o n t ai n i n g i n d e x 1 9 0 2 —1 9 06 . .

S e v e r al v o l u m e s h av e b e e n p ub l i s h e d i n t h e B o h n L i b r ar y t h e \V o rl d ,

C l ass i c s ( 5 an d r e c e n t l y i n t h e Ev e ry m a n L i b r ary ( 4 v o l s ) an d .

t h e T e m pl e C l ass i c s .

S m al l v o l u m e s o f se l e c t i o n s h av e b e e n e d i t e d by E C arr ( C am e l o t .

C l as s i c s ) R B Johnson .
J P B ri s c o e
. H Pau l . . .

( C asse l l L i b r a r y ) C W h ib le y Qui l ler C o u c h .

-

C o n v e r s at i o n s o f J am e s N o r t h c o t e e d i t e d w i t h i n t r o d u c t o r y e ss ay o n ,

H az l i tt as art c ri t i c by E d m u n d G o s s e I 8 9 4 . .

D r am at i c E ss ay s w i t h i n t r o d u c t io n an d no t e s ( e d i t e d by \V A rc h e r
,
.

an d R W L o w e
. . .

C . B I O G RA P H Y
L i te r ar y R e m ai n s o f t h e L at e W i l l i a m H az l i tt w i t h a N o t i c e o f h is ,

L if e by h is S o n an d T h o ugh ts o n h i s G e n i u s and W ri t i n g s by E L
, . .

B u lw e r Esq M P an d M r S e rj e a n t T alf o u rd 2 v o l s I 8 3 6
, .
, . .
, . . . .

M e m o i rs o f W i l l i am H az l i tt W i l l i am C ar e w H az l i tt 2 v o l s 1 86 7 . . . .

L is t o f t h e W r i t i n g s o f W i l l i am H az l i tt an d L e i gh H u n t c h ro n o lo g ,

i c ally a rr an g e d an d w i t h n o t e s by A l e x a n d e r I r e l an d 1 8 6 8 , . .

W i l l i am H az l i tt E ss ay i s t an d C ri t i c W i t h M e m o i r by A l e x an d e r
, .

I r e l and 1 8 89 T h i s v o l u m e c o n t ai n s se l e c t i o n s
. . .

A p ri v at e l y p ri n t e d e d i t i o n o f L i b e r A m o ris c o n tai n i n g M rs H az lit t s ,

”
.
’

J o u rn al o f M y T ri p t o S c o t l an d e d i t e d by Ric h a r d L e G allie nn e 1 8 9 3 , . .

F o u r G e n e r ati o n s o f a L i t e r ar y F am i l y t h e H az litt s in E n g l an d , ,

I r e l an d and A m e ri c a t h e i r F ri e n d s and t h e i r F o r t u n e s 1 7 2 5—1 8 9 6

, , . .

W i l l i am C ar e w H az l i tt 2 v o l s 1 8 9 7 . . .

L amb an d H az l i tt L e tt e r s and R e c o r d s W i l l i am C ar e w H az l i tt
, . .

1 8 99 .

W i l l i am H az l i tt Au gu s t i n e B i rr e l l E n g l i s h
.
, Men o f L e tt e r s Se ri e s .

1 9 02 .
l x vi i i S E L E C TI O N S FR OM HAZ LI TT

W i l l i am H az l i tt L Essay iste J u l e s D o u ady P ar s 1 90 7

V i e de ,
’
. . i , .

L i ste c h r o n o l og i q u e de s ( Eu v re s de W i l l i am H az l i tt J u l e s D o u ady . .

P ar i s 1 9 06 , .

T h e M an u s c r i p t o f t h e D i ary o f H e n ry C r ab b R ob i n s o n i n th e D r .

W i l l i am s L i b r ar y L o n d o n , .

D . T H E M O RE I M P O RT A N T C O N T E M P O RA R Y C R I T I C SM I
I N M A G A ZI N E S

A ugu s t 1 8 1 7 p 4 7 2 ; N ov e mb e r 1 8 2 0 p 4 38
Edi n b u rg/z Rev i ew , , , .
, , . .

M n t/ 1y Rev i ew V o l X C I I p 53 ; V o l X C I I I p 59 ; i b i d p 2 50 ;
o 2 , .
,
. .
, . .
, .

V o l C I p 5 5 ; V o l C VII p I
.
, V o l C X p 1 1 3 ; V o l C X X III p 2 7 5
. .
,
. .
, . .
, . .

E l ew a F e b r u ar y 1 8 1 8 p 55 6 ; M arc h 1 8 1 8 p 6 7 9 ; A p ri l 1 8 1 8
’
ae oo , , , .
, , .
, ,

p 7 1 ; J u n e 1 8 1 8 p 30 3 ; A ugu st 1 8 1 8 p 5 5 3 ; J u l y 1 8 2 2 ; A ugu s t
.
, , .
, , .
, ,

1 8 2 2 p 1 5 7 ; J u l y 1 8 2 4 ; M a rc h 1 8 2 5
, .
, , .

Q a rt ly R i w V o l X V I I p 1 5 4 ; V o l X VI I I p 4 58 ; V o l X X I I
u er ev e ,
.
, . .
, . .
,

p 1 5 8 ; V o l X X V I p 1 03 ; V o l X X I X p 4 2 4
. .
, . .
, . .

L n d n M aga i n
o F e b r u ar y 1 8 2 0 p 1 8 5 ; A pril 1 8 2 1 p 4 3 1 M ay
o z e, , , .
, ,
.
,

1 8 2 1 p 54 5 ; J u n e 1 8 2 3 p 6 89 ; J u n e 1 8 2 5 p 1 8 2
, .
, , .
, , . .

E . M I S C E LL A N E O U S C RI TI C I S M .

D AN A, R H . . Poe ms
P r o s e W ri t i n g s P h i l ad e l p h i a 1 8 8 3 an d .
, .

D E Q U I N C EY T H O M A S W o r k s V an d V I ( e d i t e d by M ass o n )
, .
, .

D i c t i o n ar y o f N at i o n al B i og r ap hy ( a r t i c l e by L e sl i e S t e p h e n ) .

E LT O N O L I V ER A S u r v e y o f E n g l i s h L i t e r at u r e ( 1 7 8 0
,
. 191 2 .

E n c y c lo p aadia B ri t an n i c a V o l X I I I ,
. .

G I L C H R I ST M RS A N N A M ar y L amb 1 88 3 ,
. . . .

G I L F I LL AN G EO RG E G al l e ry o f L i t e r ar y P o r t r ai t s ( Ev e r ym an
, .

E d i ti o n ) .

H AY D O N B R C o rr e s p o n d e n c e an d T ab l e T al k 2 v o l s I 8 7 O
, . . . . .

H ERF O R D C H T h e A ge o f W o r d sw o r t h I 8 99
, . . . .

H UN T L EI G H A u t ob i og r ap hy 3 v o l s 1 8 50
, . . . .

H U N T L E I G H T h e D r am at i c E s s ay s o f ( e d i t e d by A rc h e r an d L o w e )
, . .

K EAT S J O H N L e tte rs ( e d i t e d by H B u x t o n F o r m an ) L o n d o n 1 8 9 5
, . .
, . .

L A N G A N D RE W L if e o f J o h n G i b s o n L o c k h ar t 2 v o l s 1 8 9 7
,
. . . .

L U C A S E V T h e L i f e o f C h a rl e s L amb
,
. Fift h e d i t i o n 1 9 1 0
. . . .

M A RT I N EA U H A RR I ET H is t o r y o f E n g l an d d u ri n g t h e T h i r t y Y e a r s
’
, .

P e ac e .

M I T F O R D M A RY R U SS E L L L if e and L e tte rs ( e d i te d b y A G
,
. . .

L E strange ) 3 v o l s
’
1 8 70 . . .
 I N TR O D U C T I O N lxix

M O O RE, P A U L E L M ER T h e S h e l b u rn e E ssay s S e c o n d se ri e s 1 9 0 5
. . . .

P AT M O RE P G M y F ri e n d s an d A c q u ai n tan c e s
, . . .

P RO CT ER B RYA N WA L L E R ( B arr y C o rn w al l ) A n A u t ob i og r ap h ic al
, .

F r agm e n t and B i og r ap h i c a l N o t e s ( e d i te d by C ov e n t r y P at m o r e ) .

B o st o n 1 8 7 7
,
.

S A I N T S B U RY G EO R G E E E ssay s o n E n g l is h L i t e r at u r e ( 1 7 8 0
, .

1 89 1 .

E H i s t o r y o f C ri t i c i s m 3 v o l s 1 9 00—1 9 04
S A I N T S B U RY, G EO R G E . . . .

S T E P H EN L ES L I E H o u r s i n a L i b r ar y V o l II
, . 1 8 7 4 —1 8 7 9 . . . .

S T EV EN SO N R O B ERT L O U I S
, L e tt e r s ( e d i te d b y S i d n e y C o l v i n )
. .

191 1 .

S T O D D A RD , R . H . P e r s o n al R e c o l l e c t i o n s of L amb , H az l i tt , an d

O t h e rs .

W H I PPL E E P E s s ay s and R e v i e w s 2 v o l s 1 8 5 6
, . . . . .

W I LL I A M S O RL O L ife an d L e tt e r s o f J o h n Ri c k m an 1 9 1 2
, . . .

W I N C H E ST E R C T A G r o u p o f E n g l i s h E s say i s t s N e w
, . . . Y o r k,
1910 .

W O R D S W O RT H . L e tt e r s ( e d i te d by W i l l i am K n i gh t ) . 1 9 07 .
 S EL EC T IO N S F RO M H A Z L IT T

H A M L ET

T his is that Hamlet th e Dane whom r e ad of in our youth

,
we ,

and whom we may b e said almost to rem e mber i n our after

years ; he who m ad e that famous soliloquy on life who gave ,

“
the advice to the players who thought
,
this goodly frame the ,

’
earth a st e ril promon to ry and this brave o e r hanging fi rm a
, ,
-

ment the air this maj e stical roof fr e tt e d with gold e n fi re a

, , ,

’ “ 3
foul and p e stilent congregation of vapours ; whom man
”
d e lighted no t nor woman n e ith e r ;
,
h e who talk e d with the
’
grave diggers and moralised on Y orick s skull ; the school fe llow
-
,
-

of R o s en cran s and Guild e nste rn at Wi tt e nberg ; the fri e nd of IC

H oratio ; the lover of O phelia ; he that was m ad and s e n t to

’
England ; the slow av e ng e r of his fath e r s d e ath ; who liv e d at
th e court of H o rwe n dillu s five hundred years before we were

born but all whose thou ghts we s ee m to know as w e ll as we

,

do our own because we have r e ad th e min S hak e sp e ar

,
. I l

Haml e t is a name ; his sp e e ch e s and sayings but the idle

’
coinage o f the poet s brain What then are they not re al ?
.
,

Th e y are as real as our own thoughts T heir r e ality is in t he

.

’
reader s mind I t is we who are H amlet T his play has a pro
. .

p h e t ic truth which is above that of history

,
Whoever has b e
.

com e thoughtful and m e lan cho ly through his own mishaps or

thos e of oth e rs ; whoever has born e abou t with him the cloud e d
“ ’ ’
brow of refl e ction and thought himself too much i th sun ;
,

whoev e r has s ee n the gold e n lamp of day dim m e d by e nvious

m ists rising in his own br e ast and could find in the world before
,
 2 S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

him only a dull blank with nothing l e ft remarkabl e in it ; who

e ver has known the pangs of d e spis e d love the insolence of ,

”
o ffi c e or the spurns which pati e nt merit of the unworthy tak e s ;
,

he who has f e lt his mind sink within him an d sadn e ss cling to ,

his heart like a malady who has had his hopes blighted and his
,

youth stagge r e d by the apparition s of strange things ; who can

not b e well at e ase while he sees e vil hovering n e ar him lik e a
,

spectre whose powers of action hav e b ee n e aten up by thought ,

he to whom th e univers e s ee ms infinit e and hims e lf nothing ; ,

whose bitte rn e ss of soul mak e s him carel e ss of cons e qu e nc e s ,

and who goes to a play as his b e st resourc e to shove off to a ,

s e cond remov e the e vils of life by a mock r e pr e sen tation of

—
,

them this is the tru e H aml e t .

We have be e n so u s e d to this trage dy th at we hardly k no w

how to criticise it any more than we should know how to de
scrib e our own face s But we must m ak e such observations as
.

’
we can I t is th e one of Shake spe ar s plays t h at we thi nk o f
.

t he oft e nest b e cau s e it abounds most in striking reflections on

,

human lif e and b e cau s e the distr e ss e s of H aml e t are transfe rred
, ,

’
0 by the turn of his mind to the gen e ral accoun t of humanity
,
.

Whatev e r happ e ns to him we apply to ours e lv e s b e caus e he ,

appli e s it so hims e lf as a m e ans of ge n e ral r e asoning H e is a .

great moralis e r ; and what mak e s him worth atte nding to is ,

t h at h e moralis e s on his own f ee lings and e xperience He is .

not a common plac e p e dan t I f L E A R sh e ws the gr e at e st d e pth

-
.

of passion H A M L ET is the most r e markable for the ing e nuity

, ,

originality and unstudi e d dev e lopm ent of characte r S hakespear

, .

had more magnanimity than any oth e r po e t and he has shewn ,

mor e O f it in this play than in any other T h e r e i s no attempt .

to forc e an int e r e st : e v e rything is l e ft for time and circumstanc e s

to unfold T he att e n tion is e xcit e d without e f fort the I ncidents
.
,

succ ee d e ach oth e r as matt e rs of cours e the characters t hi n k ,

and sp e ak and act j ust as th e y might do if left entire ly t o them ,

s elv e s T here is no se t purpos e no straining at a point T he

.
,
.
 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

which is in truth only an excuse for his own want of resolution ,

def e rs his r e v e ng e to s o m e mor e fatal O pportunity when he ,

shall b e e ngag e d i n so me act that has no r e lish of salvation in it

“ ”
.

H k n e e l s an d p r ays
e ,

A n d n o w I 11 d o t and s o h e g o e s t o h e av e n
’ ’
, ,

A n d s o am I re v e n g d : i /z a i w o u ld b e sea n n a
’ ’ ’
.

H e k ill d m y f at h e r an d f o r t h at
’
, ,

I h i s s o l e s o n s e n d h i m t o h e av e n
, , .

W h y t h i s i s r e w ar d n o t r e v e n g e , .

IO Up s w o r d and k n o w t h o u a m o r e h o rri d t i m e ,

W h e n h e i s d r u n k asl e e p o r i n a r ag e
,
”
, .

He is the prince of philosophical speculators and b e caus e he ,

cannot h av e his r e v e nge perf e ct according to the most r e fin e d ,

id e a his wish can form h e miss e s i t altogether S O he scruples

,
.

to trust the suggestions of t he Ghost contriv e s the scene of the ,

’
play to hav e sur e r proof of his uncl e s guilt and th e n r e sts sat ,

isfi e d with this confirm ation of his suspicions and the success ,

of his e xp e rim e nt inst e ad of acting u pon it Ye t he is sensibl e

,
.

of his own w e akn e ss taxes himself with it and tri e s to r e ason

, ,

20 himself out of i t .

H ow all o c c asi o n s do i nf o r m ag ai n s t m e ,

A n d s p u r m y d u l l r e v e n g e ! W h at i s a m an ,

I f h i s c h i e f go o d and m ar k e t o f h is t i m e
B e b u t t o s l e e p an d f e e d ? A b e as t ; n o m o r e .

S u r e h e t h at m ad e u s w i t h s u c h l ar g e d i s c o u r se ,

L Oo k in g b e f o r e an d aft e r g av e u s n o t ,

T h at c a p ab i l i t y an d go d l i k e r e as o n -

T o r u st i n u s u n u s d n o w w h e t h e r i t b e
’

B e s t i al ob l i v i o n o r s o m e c r av e n s c r u p l e
,

O f th i n k i n g t o o p r e c i s e l y o n th e v e n t
’
3O ,

A t h o ugh t w h i c h qu art e r d h at h b u t o n e p ar t w i s d o m
’
, ,

A n d e v e r t h r e e p a r t s c o wa r d — I d o n o t k n o w
W hy y e t I l iv e to s ay t h i s t h in g s t o do ;,
’

S i t h I h av e c au s e an d w i l l and st r e n g t h an d m e an s
, , ,

35 T o d o i t E x am p l e s g r o s s as e art h e x c i te m e :
.

Wi t n e s s t h i s ar my o f s u c h m as s an d c h ar g e ,

L e d by a d e l i c at e an d t e n d e r p ri n c e ,

W h o s e s p i ri t w i t h d i v i n e amb i t i o n p u ff d ’
,
 H AM LET 5

M ak e s m o u t h s at t h e i n v i s i b l e e v e n t ,

E x p o s i n g w h at i s m o r t al an d u n s u r e
T o all t h at f o r t u n e d e at h and d an g e r d ar e
, , ,

Ev e n f o r an e gg— sh e l l T i s n o t t o b e g r e at
.
’
,

N e v e r to st i r w i t h o u t g r e at a r gu m e n t ;
B u t g r e at l y t o fi nd q u arr e l i n a st r a w ,

W h e n h o n o u r s at th e stak e H o w stan d I t h e n
’
.
,

T h at h av e a f at h e r k ill d a m oth e r s tain d

’
,
’
,

E x c i t e m e n t s o f m y r e as o n an d m y b l o o d ,

A n d le t all s l e e p w h i l e t o m y s h am e I se e
,

T h e i m m i n e n t d e at h o f t w e n t y t h o u s an d m e n ,

T h at f o r a f an tasy and t r i c k o f fam e ,

G o t o t h e i r g r av e s l i k e b e ds fi gh t f o r a p l o t
,

W h e r e o n t h e n u m b e r s c an n o t t ry th e c au s e ,

W h i c h is n o t t o m b e n o ugh and c o n t i n e n t
T o h i d e t h e s l ai n 0 fr o m t h i s t i m e f o r t h
, ,

M y t h o ugh ts b e b l o o d y o r b e n o t h i n g w o r t h .
”

S till he does nothing ; and this very speculation On his own in

fi rm ity only affords him another occasion for indulging it I t is .

not for any wan t of attachm en t to his father or abhorr e nce of 2

his murd e r that H amlet is thus dilatory but it is more to his ,

taste to indulge his imagination in reflecting u pon the enormity

of the crim e and re fining on his schemes of v e nge ance than to ,

pu t them into immediate practic e H is ruling passion is to think

.
,

not to act : and any vague pre tence th at fl atters this prop e nsity 2

instantly diverts hi m from his previous purposes .

T he moral perfection of this charact e r has b e en called in qu e s

tion we think by those who did not understan d it I t is more
, ,
.

interesting than according to rules amiable though not faultl e ss ,

.

T he ethical delin e ations of that nobl e and liberal casuist ( as

“
3
S hak e sp e ar has been well called ) do not e xhibi t the drab coloure d -

quakerism of morality H is plays are not Co pi e d eith e r from the

.

Whole Duty of Man or from The A cademy of Com plim e nts !

We confess we are a little shocked at the want of r e fin e ment
,

in those who are shocked at the want of refin e ment in H aml e t .

3
T he want of punctiliou s exactn e ss in his b e haviour e ith e r par
“ ”
takes of the lice nce of the tim e or e ls e b e longs to the v e ry
,
 6 S E LE CT I O N S F R OM H A ZLI TT

excess of in t e llectual re fin e ment in the character which m ak e s ,

the common rules of life as well as his own purpos e s sit loose
, ,

upon him He m ay b e s aid to b e am e nabl e only to the tribunal

.

of his own thoughts and is too much taken up with the airy
,

world of contemplation to lay as much stress as he ought on

th e practical consequences of things His habitual principles .

of action are u nhi nge d and out of j oint with the t im e H is con .

duct to O phelia is quite n atural in his circumstances I t is that .

o f assumed s e v e rity only I t is the e f fect of disappoint e d hope

.
,

IO of bitter regrets O f a f fection susp e nd e d not obliterat e d by the

, , ,

distractions of the scen e aroun d him ! A midst the natural and

pr e ternatural horrors of his situ ation he might b e excu s e d in ,

’
d e licacy from carrying on a regular courtship Wh e n his father s .

”
S pirit was in arms it was not a t im e for the son to make love in
,
.

[ 5 H e could neith e r marry O phelia nor wound her mind by ex ,

plaining the cause of his ali e nation which he durst hardly trust ,

himself to think of I t would have tak e n him years to have come

.

to a dire ct e xplanation on the point I n the harassed stat e of his .

mi nd h e could not have done otherwise than he did His con

,
.

’O
duct do e s not contradict what he says wh e n he s e es her fun e ral ,

I l o v e d O p h e l i a : f o r t y t h o u san d b r o t h e rs
C o u l d n o t w i t h all t h e i r q u a n t i ty o f l ov e
M ak e u p my su m ”
.

’
N othing can b e mor e a f fe cting or beautiful t h an the Q u ee n s
25 apostroph e to O phelia on throwing the flowers i nto the grave .

S w e e ts t o w e e t f ar e w e l l
th e s ,
.

I h o p d t h o u s h o u l d st h av e b e e n my H am l e t s w if e
’ ’ ’
:

I t h o u gh t t hy b ri d e b e d t o h av e de c k d s w e e t m ai d
-
’
, ,

A nd n o t h av e st re w d t h y g r av e
’ ”
.

Shakesp e ar was thoroughly a mast e r of the mixed motiv e s of

human charact e r and he her e shews u s th e Q u e en who was so
, ,

criminal i n som e resp e cts not without s e nsibility and a ffe ction
,

in oth e r r e lations of life — O ph e lia is a charact e r almost too

.

e xquisit e ly touching to b e dwel t u pon O h ros e of M ay O h

‘

.
,
 H A M LET 7

flower too soon fad e d ! H e r lov e her madn e ss her d e ath are , , ,

d e scrib e d with the truest touches of te ndern e ss and pathos I t .

is a character which nobody but S hakesp e ar could have drawn

in the way that he has don e and to the conc e ption o f which ,

there i s not e v e n the smallest approach exc e pt in some of the ,

1
old romantic ballads H er brother L aertes is a charact e r we .
, ,

do not lik e so well : he is too hot and chol e ric and somewhat ,

rhodomontade P oloniu s is a p e rf e ct character in its kin d ; nor

.

is there any foundation for the obj e ctions which h av e been

m ad e to the consistency of this part I t is said that he acts . IO

very foolishly and talks v e ry sensibly T here is no inconsistency .

in that A gain t h at he talks wisely at o ne tim e and foolishly at

.
,

another ; that his advic e to L a e rtes is very sensibl e and his ,

’
advice to the King and Q u e en on the subj e ct of H amlet s
m adn e ss v e ry ridiculous But he giv e s the one as a fath e r .
,
1
5
and is sincere in it ; h e gives the oth e r as a m e r e courti e r a ,

busy body and is accordingly o ffi c io u s garrulous and imp e r

-
, , ,

t in e nt I n short S hakespear has been accused of inconsist e ncy

.
,

in this and other charact e rs only because he has kept u p t he ,

distinction which there is in natur e b e twe e n the understand ,

ings and the moral habits of m e n between the a b surdity O f ,

their ideas and the absurdity of their motives P oloniu s is not a .

fool bu t he makes himself so H is folly whether in his action s

,
.
,

or speech e s com e s und e r the h e ad of impropriety of intention

,
.

’
We do not like to se e our author s plays acted and l e ast of ,

all H A M LET T here is no pl ay that suffe rs so much in being

,
.

transferred to the stage H amlet himself s e ems hardly capable .

of b e ing acted M r K e mbl e un avoidably fails i n this character

. .

from a want of ease and vari e ty T he character of H amlet i s .

1I n th e acc ou n t of h d th f ri nd h p o in t d t an ins t nc of
er ea ,
a e as e ou a e the

p o et s xac t o bs rv t i o n of n t u r
’
e e a a e

Th r is will ow growing “
brook
e e a
’
o er a ,

Th t sh ows it h o ry l v s i th gl ssy st r m
a s a ea e
’ ’
a ea .
”

T h insid of t h l v s of t h will o w n xt t h w t r is of
e e e ea e w h i t is h c o l ou r
e ,
e e a e ,
a ,
an d

th r fl c t i o n w ou ld t h r fo r b
e e e ho ry e e e e
“
a .
”
 8 S E LE C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

m ad e u p of undulating lin e s ; i t has the yielding flexibility of

’ ’ ”
a wave 0 th sea M r K e mble plays it lik e a man in armour
. .
,

with a d e t e rmin e d i nveteracy of purpose in one und e viating ,

straight lin e which is as r e mote from the natural grace and

,

r e fin e d susceptibility of the charact e r as th e sharp angl e s ,

and abrupt starts which M r K e an introduces into the part

. .

’
Mr K oan s Haml e t is as much too splen e tic and rash as M r
. .

’
K e m b le s is too deliberate and formal His mann e r is too strong .

and point e d .H e throws a s e v e ri ty approaching to V i rul e nce

, ,

[ O into t h e common observation s and answers T h e r e is nothing of .

this in H aml e t H e is as it w e r e wrapp e d up in his refl e ctions

.
, , ,

'
and only i lz inés a lo a a T her e should th e refore b e no att e mpt to
.

impress what he says upon oth e rs by a studi e d e xagg e ration of

emphasis or manner ; no la lai ng a t his hear e rs T here should .

1 5 be as much of the g e ntleman and scholar as possibl e infused

into the part and as little of the actor A p e nsive air of sadness
,
.

should sit reluctantly upon his brow bu t no appearance of fix e d,

and sull e n gloom H e is full of w e akness and melancholy bu t

.
,

th e re is no harshness in his natur e H e is the m o st amiable of

.

20 misanthrop e s .
 The p r o pe r st u d y o f m an k i n d i s m an .
”

I now come t o speak of that sort of writing which has b e e n

so succ e ssfully cultivat e d in this count ry by our p e riodical
Essayists and which con sists in applying the talents and re
,

sou rc e s o f the mi nd to all t h at m ixed mass of human affairs ,

which though not includ e d u nd e r the h e ad of any regu lar art

, ,

sci e nce or profe ssion falls und e r th e cogniz ance of the w rit e r
, ,

”
and comes home to the bu siness and bosoms O f men Qu ie .

q nizi aga n t no m i nes nosi ri f a rrago liéelli i s the gen e ral motto of
,

this departm e nt of literature I t does not tr e at of minerals or

.

fossils of the virtu e s of plants or the influ e nce o f planet s ; it

, ,

does no t meddle with form s of belief or systems of philosophy

, ,

nor launch into the world of spiri tual e xistences ; but it makes
familiar with the world of m e n an d women records their actions , ,

assigr i s their motives exhibits their whims characterises their

, ,

pu rsuits in all their singular and e ndless V ariety ridicules their ,

absurditi e s exposes their inconsist e ncies

,
holds the m irror u p
,

to nature and sh e ws the very age and body of the tim e its
,

”
form and pr e ssur e ; tak e s m inutes of our dr e ss air look s , , ,

words ; thoughts and action s ; shews u s what we are and what

, ,

we are not ; plays th e whole game of human life ov e r befor e )»

I

us and by making us enlightened sp e ctators of its many coloured

,
-

scenes enables u s ( if possibl e) to becom e tol e rably reasonabl e

,

agents in the one in which we hav e to perform a part T he .

act and practic part of life i s thus mad e the mistr e ss of our
”
th e orique I t is th e best and m o s t natural course of study I t
. .
J
[

i s i n morals and mann e rs what th e e x p e rimental i s in natural

philosophy as O pposed to th e dogmatical m e thod I t does not
, .

9
 IO S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

deal in sweeping clauses Of proscription and anath e m a but in ,

nice distinction and liberal constructions I t makes u p its general .

accounts from d e tails its f e w th e ori e s from many facts I t does

,
.

not t ry to prov e all black or all white as i t wishes bu t lays o n ,

th e int e rmediate colou rs ( and most O f th e m not unpl e asing

,

ones ) as i t finds th e m blended with th e we b of our lif e which

, ,

”
is of a mingl e d yarn good and ill tog e ther ,
I t inquires what .

human life is and has been to sh e w what it ought to b e I t ,

.

follows it into courts and camps into town and country into , ,

IO rustic sports or l e arned disputations into th e various shades of ,

pr ej udice or ignoranc e O f refin e ment or barbarism into its pri

, ,

vate haunts or public page ants in to its w e akn e ss e s and littl e ,

nesses its professions and its practices — b e for e it pretends to

,

distinguish right from wrong or o ne thing from another H ow ,

.
,

‘
5 ind e ed should it do so oth e rwise ?
,

Q u i d s i t p u lc h ru m q u i d t u rp e q u i d u t i l e q u i d n o n
“
, , , ,

P le n iu s e t m e l i u s C h ry s i pp o e t C ran t o re d i c i t ”
.

T he writers I sp e ak of are if not moral philosoph e rs moral his

, ,

’
to rians and that s better : or i f th e y are both th e y found th e one
, ,

’0 charact e r upon the other ; their pr e mis e s pr e c e d e their conclu

sions ; an d we pu t faith in t h e ir t e stimony for we know th at it is true ,
.

Montaign e was the first p e rson who in his Ess ays le d the way
to this kind of writing among the moderns Th e gr e at m e ri t of .

Montaigne then was that h e m ay b e said to have b e en the first

,

who had the courag e to say as an author what he f e lt as a man .

A nd as courage is g e n e rally the e f fe ct of conscious strength he ,

was probably led to do so by the richn e ss truth and force of , ,

his own O bservations on books and m e n H e was in the tru e st .

,

sense a m an of original mind that is he had th e power of

, , ,

looking at things for hims e lf or as th e y r e ally wer e inst e ad O f

, ,

blindly trusting to and fondly re p e ating wh at oth e rs told him

,

that th e y wer e H e got rid of the go —

. cart of prej udic e and
affe ctation with the learn e d lumb e r that follows at their heels
, ,

becaus e he could do withou t th e m In taking up his pe n he did .

 12 SE LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

H e does not conv e rse with u s like a pedagogue with his pupil ,

whom he wishes to m ak e as great a blockh e ad as hims e lf bu t ,

like a philosopher and friend who has pass e d through life wi th

thought and obs e rvation and is willing to enable oth e rs to p ass ,

through i t with pleasure and profit A writ e r of this stamp I .

,

confess app e ars to m e as much superior to a common book

,

worm as a library of real books is superior to a m e re book

,

case paint e d an d lettered on the outside with the nam e s of

,

ce lebrated works A s he was the first to attempt this n ew way .

[O of writing so the s am e strong natural impuls e which prompted

,

the undertaking c arri ed him to t he e nd of his career T he same

, .

force and honesty of mind which urged him to throw O ff the

shackles of custom and prej udice would enable him to complete ,

his triumph over them He has left little for his successors to .

achieve in the way of j ust and original speculation on human

life N early all th e thinking of the two l ast c e nturies of that
.

kind which the F rench de nomin ate mora le ooservai riee is to b e ,

’
found in M on taigne s Essays : t h e r e is the ge rm at l e ast and , ,

generally mu ch mor e H e sowed the s ee d and clear e d away the .

’
O rubbish e ven where others have reaped the fruit or cultivat e d
, ,

and d e corat e d the soil to a gr eate r d egr ee of nicety and perf e c

tion Th e r e is no one to whom the old L atin adage is m o r e
.

applicabl e than to Montaigne P erea ni isi i q a i a nignos nostra ,

‘

r
l
”
a ix era ni
'
T here h as b ee n no ne w impulse giv en to though t
‘

’
5 since his tim e A mo ng the specimens of cri ticisms on authors
.

which he has l e ft us are thos e on V irgil O vid and Boccaccio , , , ,

in the accoun t of books which he thinks worth reading or ( which ,

is the s am e thing) which he finds he c an r ead in his old age and ,

which may b e reckon e d among the few cri ticisms which are
1
O worth r e ading at any age .

1 in st nc of h is g n ral p o w r of r s o n ing I s h ll gi v h is c h p t r
As an a e e e e ea ,
a e a e

en t i tl d O n M e P fit i e i/ L
an s in w h ic h h ha n rl y an ticip t d
’
ro s an o
’
ze r s os s , e s ea a e

M d ill an c l brat d p rad o x of pri vat v ic s b ing p u blic b n fits

ev e s
’
e e e a e e e e e

D m d e th Ath ni n c o nd m n d
a es , e f ll ow ci ti z n wh o fu rnish d t fun r ls
e a , e e a e -
e , e ou e a ,

fo r d m nding t gr t pric fo r h is goo ds

e a oo d if h g t
ea a s t t i t m u s t b by t h
e : an e o an e a e, e e
 ON TH E P E R I O D I CA L E S S A Y I S T S I 3
’
Montai gn e s Essays wer e translated into English by Charles
Cotton who was one o f the wits and poets of the age of Charles
,

I I and L o rd Halifax one of the noble critics of that day de

.
, ,

“
c lare d it to be the book in the world he was the b e s t pleased
”
with T his mode o f familiar Essay writing fr e e from the tram
.
-
,

mels of the schools and the airs of professed authorship was , ,

successfully imitated about the s am e time by C owl ey and S ir , ,

William T emple in th e ir miscellaneou s Essays which are very , ,

agreeabl e and learned talking upon pap e r L ord Shaftesbu ry .

,

’ ’
on the contrary who aim e d at the s am e easy aegage mode of , ,
IO

communicating his thoughts to the world has quite spoiled his ,

m atte r which is som e times valuabl e by his mann e r in which

, , ,

h e carri e s a certain fl au nting flowery figurativ e flirting styl e , , ,

of amicable cond e scension to the reader to an excess more tan ,

t alising t han the most starched and ridiculous formality of the

age of J ames I T here is nothing so torm e nting as the a f fecta

.

tion of eas e and freedom from affectation .

T he ic e being thus thaw e d and the barrier that k e pt authors ,

at a distance from common s e nse and feeling brok e n through ,

the transition was not di f ficult from Montaigne and his imitators

to our P eriodical Essayists T hes e last applied the same u nre .

strained e xpres sion of their thoughts to th e mor e imm e diate and

'

d th f g t m n y p pl b t I t h ink it s n t nc ill grou nd d fo r sm uch n o

ea o a re a a eO e : u a e e e e , a as

profi t b m d b t t t h xp ns of som oth r p rso n n d t h t v ry ki d of g in

c an e a e, u a e e e e e e e , a a e e n a

is by th t ru l li bl t b co nd m n d T h t r d sm n th ri v s b y th d b uch ry f
a e a e o e e e . e a e a e e e a e o

youth d th f rm r b y th d rn ss of co rn ; th rc h i t c t b y t h ru in of b u ildings
, an e a e e ea e e a e e ,

t h offi c rs of j u s t ic b y q u rr ls
e e d l w su i ts ; e y v n th h o n ou r d func tio n of
a e an a -
na , e e e an

div in s is owing t ou r m o rt li ty d v ic s N physici n t k s p l su r in t h h l th

e o a an e . o a a e ea e e ea

e v n of h is b st f ri nds s id t h nci n t G r k c o m di n n o r so ldi r in th p c of h is

e e e , a e a e ee e a , e e ea e

country ; d so of th r st And wh t is y t wo rs l t v ry
an e e b t x m in h is own
.
, a e e, e e e o ne u e a e

h rt d h will fi d th t h is pri v t wish s spring d grow u p t t h xp ns of som

ea , an e n , a a e e an a e e e e e

o th r p rson U p n wh ic h c o nsid r t i o n t h is th ough t c m in to m y h d th t n t r

e e . o e a a e ea , a a u e

do s t h r by d v i t from h g n r l po licy ; fo r th n tu r lis t s h o ld th t th birt h

e no e e e a e er e e a e a a , a e ,

nou rishm nt d incr s of y e , t h ing is t h d c y

an ea e d c o rru p t i o n of n th r
an o ne e e a an a o e :

“
N a m q n o deu n q ne s m s m u ta tn m fi n ifin s e x i t ,
’

Co n i i m eo [ we m ars es t i lli ns , q u ad/ ni t a n te . i . e .

Fo r wh t from it own c on fin s
a s e n
’
c a g d
h do th p ss a ,

Is s tr igh t th d t h of wh t b fo r
a e ea a e e it was .
”

Vo l I .
, C h p xxi
a . .
I 4 S E LE C T I O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

passing sc e nes of lif e to t e mporary and local matters ; and in

,

ord e r to discharge the invidious o ffi ce of Censor M o rnm more

freely an d with less responsibility assum e d som e fictitious and
, ,

humorous disguis e which however in a great d e gree corr e

, , ,

sp o n de d to th e ir own peculiar habits and character By thus con .

c e alin
g their own name an d person und e r the title of the T atler ,

S pectator ,
t h e y w e r e enabled to inform us more fully of

what was passing in th e world whil e the dramatic con trast and
,

ironical point of V iew to which the whol e is subj ected added a ,

gr e ate r livelin e ss and p igaa ney to t he d e scriptions T he philo so .

ph e r and wit her e comm e nc e s newsmonger makes himself ,

“ ’ ’ ”
mast e r of the perfect spy 0 th time and from his various ,

walks and turns through lif e brings hom e little curious sp e ci

,

mens of the humours opinions and manners of his contempo

, ,

raries as th e botanist brings hom e different plants and w e eds

, ,

or the mineralogist diffe r e nt shells and fossils to illustrat e their ,

sev e ral theories and be useful to mankind

,
.

Th e first of t h e s e pap e rs that was attempted in this country

was se t u p by S teel e in the beginning of the last century ; and
of all our p e riodical Essayists the T atler ( for that was the nam e
,

he assumed) has always appear e d to m e the most amusing and

agre eable Montaigne whom I hav e propos e d to consider as
‘

.
,

th e fath e r of this kind of p e rsonal authorship among the moderns ,

in which the re ad e r is admitte d b e hind th e curtain and sits down ,

with the writ e r i n his gown and slippers was a m o s t magnani ,

mous and undisguis e d e gotist ; but I saac Bickerstaff Esq was ,

.

the m o r e disinterested gossip of the two T he F r e nch author i s .

conten ted to describe the p e culiarities of his own mi nd and con

stitu tio n ,
which he does with a CO pio u s and unsparing hand .

T he English j ournalist good naturedly l e ts you into t he secr e t

-

both O f his own a f fairs and those of oth e rs A young lady on .

,

th e oth e r sid e T empl e Bar cannot b e s e en at he r glass for half

,

a day toge ther but M r Bickerstaff takes due notic e of i t ; and

,
.

he has the first intelligenc e of the symptoms o f the belle passion

 ON THE P E R I O D I CA L E S S A Y I S T S I S

appearing in any young ge ntl e man at the West e nd of the town -

.

T he d e partur e s and ar rivals of widows with handsom e j ointures ,

eith e r to bury th e ir g ri e f in the country or to procur e a second ,

husband in town are punctu ally recorded in his page s He is

,
.

well acquainted with the cel e brat e d b e auti e s o f t he preceding age

at the court o f Charl e s I I ; and the old ge ntl e man ( as he fe igns
.

“
himself) ofte n grows romantic in recounting the disastrou s
strokes which his youth suffe r e d from the glanc e s of th e ir bright
e y e s and th e ir unaccountabl e caprices
,
I n particular he dw e lls .
,

with a s e cr e t satisfaction on the recollection o f one of his mis IC

tresses who l e ft him for a rich e r rival and whose constant re

, ,

proach to he r husban d on occasion of any quarrel between th e m

, ,

was I that migh t have marri e d the famous M r Bickerstaf f to

,
.
,

”
b e tr e ated in this m anner ! T he club at the T rum p e t consists
of a set of p e rsons almost as well worth knowing as himself T he . I t

cavalcad e of the j u stice of the peac e the knight of the shire the , ,

count ry squire and the young ge ntl e man his nephew who cam e
, , ,

to wait on him at his chamb e rs in such form an d ceremony , ,

seem not to have s e ttled the order of their precedenc e to this

1
hour ; and I should hop e that the u pholsterer and his com panion s ,

who u s e d to su n th e mselves in the Gre e n P ark and who brok e ,

th e ir rest and fortunes to m aintain the balance O f power in Eu

rop e stand as fair a chance for immortality as som e modern
,

politicians M r Bick e rsta f f hims elf is a gentleman and a scholar

. .
,

a humorist and a man of the world ; with a gr e at d e al of nic e

,

easy na i vezé about him I f he walks out and is caught in a

‘
.

shower of rain he mak e s amends for this unlucky accid e nt by a

,

criticism on the show e r in V irgil and conclud e s with a burl e sque

,

copy O f v e rses on a city show e r H e e nte rtain s us wh e n he

-
.
,

dates from his own apartments with a quotation from P lutarch

, , 3C
or a moral r e fl e ction ; from the Gr e cian coffee hous e with pol -

’
iti e s and from Wills or th e T e mple with the po e ts and players , ,

the b e aux an d men of wit and pleasure about town I n r e ading .

1 No . 12
5 .
 16 S E LE C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

the p age s of th e T atler we seem as if sudd e nly carried back

,

to the age of Q u ee n A nn e of tou p ee s and full bottomed p e ri

,
-

wigs T he whole appearance of our dress and mann e rs under

.

go e s a delightful metamo rphosis T he b e aux and the b e lles

.

are of a quite differen t S p e cies from what they are at pr e s ent ;

w e distinguish t he d app e rs th e smarts and the pr e tty f e llows
, , ,

’
as th ey pass by M r L illy s shop windows in the S trand ; we
.
-

are introduce d to B e tterton and Mrs O ldfield b ehind the sc e n e s .

are m ad e familiar with th e p e rsons and perf ormance s of Will

[O Estcourt or T om Du rfey ; we listen to a dispute at a tav e rn on
th e merits of t he Duke of M arlborough or M arshal T ur e nne ;

or are present at the first r e h e arsal of a play by V anbrugh or ,

the reading of a new po e m by M r P ope T he p rivilege of thus . .

V irtually transporting ourselves to p as t times is e v e n greater

1 5 t h an that of visiting distant places in reality L ondon a hun dred .
,

y e ars ago would b e mu ch b e tter worth s e e ing than P a ri s at

,

the pr e s e nt moment .

I t will be said t h at all this is to be found in the same or a

, ,

gr e at e r d e gree [in the S p e ctator F or mys e lf I do not think

,
. -
,

so ; or at l e ast there is in the last work a much gr e at e r propor

,

tion of common— place matter I hav e on t his accoun t always

.
, ,

prefe rr e d the T atler to the S p e ctator Whether it is owing to .

my having b e e n e arli e r or better acquaint e d with the o n e than

the oth e r my pl e asur e in r e ading th e s e two admirable works is
,

not in proportion to th e ir com parative reputation Th e T atl e r .

contains only half the numb e r of volumes and I will v e ntu r e to , ,

“
say n e arly an e qual quantity of sterling wit and s e ns e
,
T he .

first sprightly runnings are th e re : it has mor e of the original

spirit mor e of the fr e shn e ss and stamp of natur e T he indica
,
.

30 tions of character and strok e s O f humour are mor e tru e and f re

quent th e r e fl e ction s that suggest themselv e s aris e more from
the occasion and are l e ss spun out into regular diss e rtation s
, .

T h e y are more lik e the r e marks which occu r in sen sibl e con
v e rsation and l e ss lik e a l e ctur e S omething i s l e ft to the
,
.
 ON TH E P E R I O D I CA L E S S A Y I S T S I 7

understanding of the r ead e r S t ee le seems to h av e gone into

.

his closet chiefly to set down what he O bs e rv e d ou t of doors .

A ddison seems to hav e sp e nt most of his time in his study and ,

to have spun out and wi re dra wn the hints which h e borrow e d

-
,

from S teele or took from nature to the utmost I am far from

, ,
.

’
W ishin g to depreciate A ddison s talen ts but I am anxiou s to do ,

j ustice to S teele who was I think upon the whole a l e ss arti

, , , ,

fi c ial and more o riginal writer T he humorous d e scriptions of

.

S teel e resemble loose sketch e s or fragments of a comedy thos e

,

of A ddison are rath e r comm e nts or ingeniou s paraphrases on the IO

genuine text T he charact e rs of the club not only in the T atl e r

.
,

but in the Sp e ctator were drawn by S teele T hat of S ir R oge r

,
.

de Cov e rl ey i s among the number A ddison has how e ver .

, ,

gain e d him self immortal honour by his mann e r of filling u p this

last charact e r Who is th e r e th at can forg e t or b e in s e n sibl e to
.
, ,

the inimitabl e nam e l e ss grac e s and varied tr ai ts of n atur e and

of old English charact e r in it to his unpr e t e nding virtu e s and
amiabl e w e aknesses — to his modesty generosity hospitality , , ,

and e ccentric whims — to the r e sp e ct of his n e ighbours and ,

t he affe ction of his dom e stics to his wayward hopel e ss secr e t , ,

20

passion for his fair enemy the W i dow in which th e r e is more

, ,

of re a l romanc e and tru e d e licacy than in a thousand tales of

,

knight errant ry — ( we perceive the hectic flush of his ch e e k

-
,

t h e falt e ring of his tongue in sp e aking of h er b e witching airs

“ ”
and the whiteness of her hand ) to the havoc he m akes
among the g am e in his neighbourhood — to his spe e ch from
the bench to she w the S pectator what is thought o f him in the
,

c o u nt ry to his unwillingness to b e put u p as a sign post and -

,

’
his having his own lik eness turn e d into the S arac e n s head
to his gentl e reproof of the baggage of a gipsy that t e lls him 3O
“
he has a widow in his line O f life to his doubts as to the
exist e nc e of witchcraft and prot e ction of r e p u te d witch e s
,
to
his account O f the family pictur e s an d his choice of a chaplain
,

to his f alling asleep at church and his re proof of John Williams

, ,
 1 8 S E LE C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

as soon as he recover e d from his nap for talking in sermon ,

tim e T he characters of Will Wimble and Will Hon e ycomb

. . .

are not a whit b e hi n d their friend S ir R oger in d e licacy and

, ,

f e lici ty T he delightful simplicity and good humoured O ffi c io u s

.
-

5 ness in the o ne are se t O ff by th e graceful affectation and courtly

pr e tension in the other How long since I first b e cam e ac
.

qu ainte d with these two charact e rs in the S p e ctator ! What

old— fashion e d fri e nds th e y s ee m and y e t I am not tired of them
,

lik e so m any other fri e nds nor t h e y of m e ! How airy th e s e

,

’
[O abstractions of the poet s pe n s tr eam over the dawn of our
acquaintance with human lif e ! how t h e y glan ce th e ir fairest
colours on the prosp e ct b e fore us ! how pure th ey remain in it
to the last lik e the rainbow in the evening cloud which th e
,
-
,

rud e h an d of tim e and e xperienc e can n e ith e r soil nor dissipate !

What a pity that we cannot find t he r e ality and ye t if we did , ,

t he dr e am would b e ov e r I onc e thought I knew a Will Wimbl e

. .
,

and a Will H on e ycomb but t h ey turn e d out but indiff e r e ntly ;

.
,

the originals in the S p e ctator still r e ad word for word the same , ,

that th e y always did We h av e only to turn to the pag e and find

.
,

’
O them wher e we l e ft them M any of the most exquisite pi e ce s
’
in the T atler it is to b e observ e d are A ddison s as the Court of
, , ,

Honour and the Perso nific atio n of Musical Instruments with

, ,

almost all thos e pap e rs that form regular s e ts or s e ri e s I do .

not know wh e th e r the picture of the family of an old college

5
2 acquaintance in the T atl e r wh e r e the childr e n run to le t Mr
, ,
.

Bickersta f f i n at the door and wh e r e the o ne that los e s the rac e

,

that way turn s back to t e ll the father that he is com e ; with the
,

n ic e gradation O f incredulity in t he little boy who is got into ,

G u y of Warwick and th e S e v e n C hampions and who sh ak e s his

, ,

’ ’
30 head at the im probability of [ Esop s F abl e s is S t e e l e s or A d ,

’
dison s though I b e liev e i t b e longs to the form e r T he account
,
.

of the two sisters one of whom h eld up her h e ad high e r than

,

ordinary from having on a pair of flow e r e d garte rs and that of

, ,

th e marri e d lady who complained to the T atl e r of t h e n e gl e ct of

 20 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

casuistry and eccl e siastical history with which the little du o de c

,

imo volum e s of t he T atl e r w e re ov e rwhelm e d and surround e d ,

in the only library to which I had acce ss when a boy had tri e d ,

their tranquillising e ffe cts u pon m e in vain I had no t long ago .

in my hands by favour of a friend an original copy of the

, ,

quarto edition of the T atl e r with a list O f the subscribers I t is

,
.
.

curious to see som e nam e s th e re which we should hardly think

of ( that of S ir I saac N ewton is among th e m ) and also to obs e rve ,

th e d e gr e e of int e rest excite d by those of the di f f e r e nt persons ,

’
[O which is not d e term ined according to the rul e s of the H erald s
Coll e ge O ne literary name lasts as long as a whol e race of
.

heroes and th e ir d e sc e ndants ! T he Gu ardian which followed ,

th e S p e ctator was as m ay b e suppos e d inferior to it

, , , .

T h e dramatic and conversational tur n which forms the

distinguishing f e atur e and gr e at e st charm O f the S pectator and
T atl e r is quit e lost in th e R ambl e r by Dr J ohnson T h e r e is
,
. .

no r e fl e cte d light thrown on human life from an assum e d ch ar

'

’
act e r nor any dir e ct o ne from a display of the author s own
,
.

The T atl e r and Spectator are as i t were made up of not e s and

, ,

20 memorandums of the e v e nts and inciden ts of the day with ,

finished studi e s after nature and charact e rs fre sh from the life
, ,

which the writ e r moralises upon and tu rn s to account as th ey

,

come b e for e him : th e R ambler i s a collection of moral Essays ,

or scholastic theses writt e n on set subj e cts and of which the

, ,

’
5 individu al characters and incidents are m e r e ly artificial illustra
tions brought in to giv e a pr e tended relief to the dryness of
,

didactic discussion T he R ambl e r is a splendid and imposing

.

common plac e book of ge n e ral topics and rhetorical declama

- -
,

tion on the conduct and business of human life I n this s ense .

,

3O th e re is hardly a r e fl e ction t h at had b ee n sugge st e d on such su b

j ec ts which is not to b e found in this c e l e brate d work and t h e r e ,

is p e rhaps , h ardly a r e fl e ction to b e f o u nd in i t which had not

,

b ee n alr e ady sugg e st e d and d e v e lop e d by som e oth e r author or ,

in the c o mm o n c ourse of c onversation T he mass of in tell ectual.

 ON THE P E R I O D I CA L E S S A Y I S T S 21

w e alth here heaped together is i mm e ns e but it is r ath e r the ,

r e sult of gradual accu mulation the produc e of the ge n e ral in ,

t e llec t labouring in t he min e of knowledg e and r e fl e ction t h an

, ,

dug ou t of the quarry and dragged into the light by the indus
,

try and sagacity of a singl e mind I am not h e re sa y ing that .

D r Johnson was a m an without origin ality com par e d with t he

.
,

’
ordinary ru n of m e n s mi nds bu t he was not a man of o riginal,

thought or ge niu s in the s e nse in which Montaigne or L ord

,

Bacon was H e opened no new vein of precious o re ; nor did

.

he light upon any s ingl e p e bbl e s of uncommon siz e and u n 1 c

“
rivalled lustre We seldom m e e t with anythin g to give u s
.

pause ; he does not se t us thinking for the first tim e His

9,
.

reflections present th e mselves like reminiscenc e s do n ot disturb

t he ordinary march of our thoughts arres t our attention by the
statelin ess of th e ir app e arance and th e costlin e ss of th e ir garb I
, ,
!

bu t pass on and mingle with the throng of our impressions .

A fter closing the volum e s of the R ambler there is nothing ,

that we remember as a new truth gain e d to the mind nothing ,

indelibly stamp e d u pon the m e mory ; n or is there any passag e

that we wish to turn to as embodyin g any known principl e or
O bservation with such force and beau ty that j ustic e can only b e
,

’
done to the idea in the author s o wn words Such for instanc e .
, ,

are m any of the passages to b e found in Burk e which shin e by ,

th e ir own light belong to no class have n e ith e r e qual nor coun

, ,

t e rpart and of which we say that no o n e bu t the author could

,

have writt e n them ! T here is neither the same boldness of de

si gn nor mast e ry of e x e cution in John son I n the o ne the
,
.
,

spark of genius seems to have m et with its congenial matt e r :

th e shaft is sped ; the forked lightning dr e ss e s u p th e fac e of

nature in ghastly smil e s and the loud thun d e r rolls far away
,

’
from the ruin that is mad e D r Johnson s styl e on the con . .
,

t rary resembles rather t he rumbling of mimic thunder at o ne

,

of o u r theatres ; and the light h e throws u pon a subj e ct is lik e

the dazzlin g effe ct of phosphorus or an zgnzlrfi l l /1 11 s of words ,
.
 22 S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

T her e is wid e d iffe re nc e how e ver b e tw ee n p e rfe ct originality

a , ,

an d p e rfe ct common plac e : n e ither id e as nor expressions are

-

trite or vulgar because th ey are not quite ne w T h ey are valu .

able and O ught to b e r e p e at e d if t h ey have not b e com e quite

, ,

’
common ; and Johnson s style both of reasoning and image ry
holds th e middl e rank betw e e n startling nov e l ty and vapid
common place Johnson has as m u ch originality of thinking
-
.

as A ddison ; b u t th e n he wants his famili arity of illustration ,

knowledge of characte r and d e lightful humour — What most

,
.

[O distinguish e s Dr Johnson from other writers is the p o mp and

.

uniformity of his style A ll his p e riods are cast in the s am e

.

mould are of the same siz e an d shap e and cons e qu e ntly hav e
, ,

littl e fi tne ss to the vari e ty O f things h e prof e sses to tr e at of .

H is subj ects are familiar but the author is always upon stilts
,
.

1S H e has neith e r ease nor simplicity and his e f forts at playfulness

, ,

in part remind o ne of the lin e s in Milton :

,

The l p h an t
e e

T o m ak e t h e m s p o r t wre ath d h is ’
p r ob o s c i s l i t h e .
”

His L etters from Correspondents in particular are mor e pom , ,

’0 pou s and unwieldy t h an what h e writes in his own p e rson T his .

want of relaxation and V ariety of m ann e r has I think aft e r the , ,

first e f fe cts of novelty and s u rpris e w er e ov e r b e e n pre j udicial ,

to the matte r I t tak e s from th e g e n e ral pow e r not only to

.

pl e as e but to instruct T he monotony of styl e produc e s an

,
.

appar e nt monotony of id e as What i s r e ally striking and valu

.

abl e is lost in the vain ostentation and circumlocution 0f the

,

e xpr e ssion for when we find the same pains and pomp of die
tion bestow e d upon the most trifling as u pon the most important
parts O f a s e nte nce or discours e we grow tire d of distinguishing
,

3O b e twe e n pretension and r e ality and are dispos e d to confound

,

t h e tins e l and bombast of t he phras e ology with want of w e ight

in the thoughts T hu s from the imposing and oracular nature

.
,

of the styl e p e opl e are t e mpt e d at first to imagine that our

,
 ON THE P E R I O D I CA L E S S A Y IS T S 2 3
’
author s S peculation s are all wisdom and profundity : till having
found out th e ir mist ak e in s o m e instanc e s th e y su ppos e that ,

th e r e is nothin g but common plac e in th e m conceal e d und e r -

,

verbiage and p e dantry ; and in both th ey are wrong T he fault .

’
of Dr Johnson s s tyl e is that he reduc e s all thi ngs to the sam e
.
,

artificial and unmean ing lev e l I t destroys all shades of d iffer .

ence the association betw e en words and things I t is a p e rp etu al

,
.

paradox and innova tion H e condescen ds to th e familiar till we .

are ashamed of our interest in it : he expands th e littl e till it

“ ”
looks big I f h e w e r e to w rit e a fabl e of little fishes as
.
,
IO

“
Goldsmith said of him he would make them speak lik e gr e at ,

”
whal e s We can no mor e distinguish the most famili ar obj e cts
.

in his d e scription O f th e m than we can a well— known face under ,

a huge painted m ask T he structure of his s e ntences which was

.
,

his own inv e ntion and which has b e en g e n e rally imitat e d since
,

his time is a speci e s of rhym ing in prose where o ne clause

, ,

answers to anoth e r in m easure and quantity lik e th e taggi ng of ,

syllabl e s at the e nd of a verse ; the close of the p e riod follows

as m e chanically as the oscillation of a p e ndulum the sens e is ,

balanc e d with the sound ; e ach sentenc e r e volv in g round its ,

20

c e ntr e of gravi ty is contained with itself like a cou pl e t and

, ,

e ach paragraph form s its e lf into a stanza Dr John son is also . .

a compl e te balance m ast e r in the topics of morality

-
H e n ever .

encourages hop e b u t he count e racts it by f e ar ; he never e licits

,

a tru th bu t he suggests som e O bj e ction in an sw e r to it H e

,
.

seiz e s and alt e rnat e ly quits the clue of reason l e st it should in ,

volve him in th e laby rinths of e ndl e ss error he wants confid e nce

in hims e lf and his f e llows H e dares not trust himself w ith t he .

imm e diate impr e ssions of things for fear o f compromising his ,

dignity ; or follow th e m into th e ir consequence s for f e ar of , 3O

committing his prej udices H is timidity is the r e sult n ot O f .
,

ignoranc e but of morbid apprehen sion

,
H e runs t he great .

”
circle and is still at hom e
, N O advanc e is m ad e by his w ri t .

ings in any sen tim ent or mod e of r e asoning O u t of the pal e

,
.
 24 S E LE C T I O N S F R O M H A ZLI TT

of established authority and r e c e ived dogmas all is sc e p tic al , ,

loos e and d e sultory : he s ee ms in imagination to strengthen the

,

dominion of prej udic e as he weakens and dissipat e s t h at of rea

,

son ; and round the rock of faith and pow e r o n the e dge of ,

which he slumbers blindfold and uneasy the waves and billows of ,

unc e rtain and dange rous opinion roar and h e av e for e venn o re .

H is R ass e las is the most melancholy and debilitating moral

sp e culation that e ver was put forth Doubtful of the faculties .

of his mind as of his organs of vision Johnson trust e d only to

, ,

[O his f ee lings and his fears H e cultivat e d a belief in witches as

.

an out guard to the evidenc e s O f r e ligion ; and abus e d Milton

-

and patronised L aud e r in spit e of his av e rsion to his country

,

m e n as a step to s e cure the existing establishment in ch u rch

,

and state T his was neither right feeling nor sound logic
. .

T h e most triumphant record of the tal e nts and charact e r of

’
Johnson is to be found in Boswell s L ife of him T he man was .

superior to the author When he thr e w aside his pen which he

.
,

regarded as an in cumbrance he b e cam e not only l e arn e d and ,

thoughtful bu t acute witty humorou s natural honest ; hearty

, , , , ,

“
’
O and determined the ki ng of good fellows and wale of old
,

”
m en . T here are as many smart r e part ee s profound r e m arks , ,

’ “
and k e e n invectiv e s to b e found in Bosw e ll s inv e ntory of all
”
he said as are recorded of any c e l e br ate d man
,
T he life and .

dramatic play of h is conv e rsation forms a contrast to his written

works H is natural pow e rs and undisguised O pinions were called
.

out in convivial intercourse I n public he practised with the foils .

,

on : in privat e he unsheathed the sword of controversy and it

, ,

“ ” ’
was the Ebro s t e mper T he eage rn e ss of opposition roused
.

him from his n atural sluggishness and acquired timidity ; h e re

turn e d blow for blow ; and wh e th e r the trial w e r e O f argum ent
or wit non e O f his rivals could boast m u ch of the e ncounter
,
.

Burke s ee ms to hav e b ee n the only p e rson who had a ch anc e

’
with h im : and i t is th e unpardonabl e sin of Bosw e ll s work that ,

h e h as purpos e ly omitted th e ir combats of str e ngth and skill .

 ON THE P E RI O D I C A L E S S A Y I S T S 2 5

Goldsmith ask e d; Does he wind into a subj ect like a serpent ,

as Bu rk e does A nd when exhaust e d with sickn e ss he hims e lf ,

”
said,
I f that fellow Bu rk e:were h e re now he would kill me ,
.

’
I t is to be O bs e rved t h at Johnson s colloquial style was as blunt
, ,

direct and downright as his style of studied composition was 5

, ,

involv e d and circuitous A s wh e n T opham B e aucl e rc and L ang

.

ton knock e d him u p at his ch amb e rs at three in the morning , ,

and he cam e to the door with the poker in his h and bu t s e eing ,

’
them e xclaimed What is it you my lads ? then I ll hav e a
, , , ,

frisk with you ! A nd he aft e rwards reproaches L angton who I C ,

was a literary milksop for leaving them to go to an engagement

,

“ ’ ’ ”
with som e a n iaea a girls-
What words to come from the
.

mouth of the great moralist and l e xicographer ! H is good de e ds

w e r e as many as his good sayings H is domestic habits his ten .
,

d e rness to servan ts and readiness to oblige his friends ; the I

,
!

quantity of strong tea th at he dra nk to keep down sad thoughts

his m any labours reluctantly b e gun and irresolu tely laid aside ; ,

his honest acknowl e dgmen t of his own and indulgence to the ,

w eak ne ss e s of others ; his throwing himself back in the post

ch ais e with Boswell and saying ,
Now I think I am a good
,

humoured fellow though nobody thought him so an d yet he

”
, ,

was ; his quitting the society of Garrick and his ac tr e ss e s and ,

his r e ason for i t ; his dining with Wilkes and his kindness to ,

Goldsmith ; hi s sitting with the young ladies on his kn e e at t he

M itre to give them good advice in which situation i f not ex
, , ,

plaine d he might b e taken for F alsta f f ; and last and noblest

‘

, ,

his c arryi ng the unfortunate victim of diseas e and dissipation on

his b ack u p through F leet S treet ( an act which r e alises the ,

parable of the good Samaritan ) — all th e se and innumerabl e ,

others e ndear him to the reader and must be rem e mb e r e d to 30

, ,

his lasting honour He had faults bu t th e y lie buri e d with him

.
,
.

H e had his pr e j udices and his intoleran t fe e lings ; but he su f

f e re d e nough in the conflict of his own mind with them F or i f .

n o man can be h appy i n the free exercis e of his r e ason no wise ,

 26 SE LE CT I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

man c an b e happy without it His w e r e not time s e rving heart

.
-
,

l e ss hypocritical pr e j udice s bu t d e e p inwoven not to be rooted

, , ,

ou t but with life and hop e which he found from old habi t nec
,

essary to his own p eac e of mind and thought so to the p e ac e ,

of mankind I do not hate b u t love him for them T h ey were

.
, .

betwe e n himself and his conscien ce ; and should b e left to

“
that high e r tribunal where th e y in tr e mblin g h o p e repose
, ,

”
the bosom of his F at h e r and his God I n a wor d he has l e ft .
,

behind him few wiser or b ette r m en .

IO T he herd of his imitators shew e d what he was by their dis

proportionat e e f fects T he P e riodical Essayists that succ e eded
.
,

the R ambler are and deserve to be little read at pres e nt T he

, , .

A dventurer by H awksworth is compl e t e ly trite and vapid aping

, , ,

’
all the faults of Johnson s styl e without anything to aton e for
,

them T he sent e nces are oft e n absolut e ly unmeaning ; and one

.

half of each might regularly b e l e ft blank T he World and .

,

Connoisseur which followed are a little b e tter ; and in the last

, ,

of these th e re is one good id e a t h at of a man in indiffe r e n t

,

’
health who j udg e s of e v e ry one s title to resp e ct from their
,

20 poss e ssion of this bl e ssing and bows to a s tu rdy beggar with

,

sound limbs and a florid complexion while he turns his back ,

upon a lord who is a val e tudinarian .

’
Goldsmith s Citiz e n of the World like all his works bears the , ,

’ “
stam p of the au thor s mind I t does not go about to cozen
.

”
re putation without the s tamp of merit H e is more obs e rving .
,

more original more natural and picturesque than J ohn son H is

,
.

work is written on the mod e l of the P e rsian L etters ; and con

trives to giv e an abstracted and somewhat perpl e xing vi e w of
things by opposing f or e ign prepossessions to our own and thus
, ,

3O stripping obj ects of their customary disguise s Wh e th e r tru th is .

e licit e d in this collision of contrary absurditi e s I do not know ; ,

but I confess the process is too ambiguous and full O f intricacy

to b e very amu sing to my plain und e rstanding F or light sum .

m e r reading i t is lik e walking in a garden full of traps and

,
28 S E LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

nov e ls O f the M an of the World I cannot think so favourably

.

as some oth e rs ; nor shall I h e r e dwell on the picturesque and

’
romantic beauties of Julia de R o u b igne the early favourite of
,

the au th o r of R osamond Gray ; but of the Man of F e e ling I

would speak with grateful re c o lle c tio ns r nor is it possible to

forge t the sensitiv e irresolute interesting H arl e y ; and that
, ,

lone figure of Miss Walton in it th at floats in the horizon dim

, ,

’
and ethereal the day dr e am of he r lover s youthful fancy
,
-

better far better than all the realities of life !

,
 C H A RA C T E R O F M R . BURK E

I t is not without reluctanc e that we speak of the vic e s and

’
infi rm itie s of such a mind as Burke s : but the poison of high
example has by far the wid e st range of d e struction : and for ,

the sak e of public honour and individual integrity we think it ,

right to say that how e ve r it m ay be d e fended upon other grounds

, ,

th e political career of that emin e nt individual has no title to th e

praise of consist e ncy M r Burke the oppon en t of the A meri

. .
,

can war and M r Burke the O ppon e nt O f the F rench R e volution

,
.
, ,

are not the sam e p e rson , bu t opposite p e rson s — not O ppo site
persons only bu t deadly enemies I n the latter p e riod h e ab an
,
.
,
IC

do ne d not only all his pract ical conclusions but all th e principl e s ,

on which they w e re found e d H e proscribed all his form e r

. .

sentim e nts denounc e d all his former fri e nds r e j e ct e d and r e vil e d
, ,

all the m axims to which h e had formerly appealed as inc o nte st

abl e I n the A m e rican war he constantly spok e of the rights
.
,
1 :

of the people as inher en t and inalienabl e : aft e r the F r e nch

,

R evolutio n he b e gan by treating t h e m with the chican ery of a

,

sophist and e nd e d by raving at th e m with the fu ry of a maniac

,
.

In the former case h e held out the duty of resistance to

,

O ppre ssion as the palladiu m and only ultimat e r e sourc e of

,

natural lib e rty ; in the latt e r he scou t e d prej udge d vilifi e d and
, , ,

nicknam e d all r e sistan ce in the abstract as a foul and u nnatu

, ,

ral union of r e b e llion and sacril e ge I n the one c as e to an sw e r .

,

th e purposes of faction he made it out that t he p e ople are

, ,

always in the right ; in the other to answ e r diffe re nt ends he , ,

mad e it out that they are always in the wr o ng lunatics in the

hands of th e ir royal k e ep e rs pati e nts in the sick wards of an
,
-

29
 3O S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

hospital or felon s in the c o n d e m ne d cells of a prison In the

,
.

o ne he consid e r e d t h at th e r e was a constan t t e n d e n cy on the

,

p ar t of the prerogativ e to e ncroach on the rights of the peopl e ,

which ought always to b e the obj e ct of the most watchful j e al

ous
y and of r e sistanc e wh e n n e c e ssary : in the other h e pre
, , ,

t e nd e d to regard it as the sole occupation and ruling passion of

those in power to watch ov e r the liberti e s and happiness of
,

th e ir subj ects T he burthen of all his sp ee ch e s on the A m e rican

.

war was conciliation concession timely reform as the only

, , , ,

IO practicable or desirabl e alt e rnative of reb ellion : the obj ect of

all his writings on the F rench R evolution was to deprecate and ,

explod e all concession and all r e form as e ncouraging r e bellion , ,

and as an irretri e vable step to r e volution and anarchy I n th e .

one he insulted kings personally as among the lowest and

, ,

worst O f mankind ; in the other h e held them u p to the imagi

,

n ation O f his r e aders as sacr e d abstractions I n the one c as e

,
.
,

he was a partisan O f the p e ople to court popularity ; in the ,

other to gain the favour of the Court he became the apologist

, ,

of all courtly abus e s I n the o ne cas e h e took part with thos e

.
,

20 who w e re actually r e b e ls against his Sovereign : in the other he ,

denounced as r e b e ls and traitors all those of his own count ry

,

m en who did not yield sympathetic allegiance to a for e ign

Sovereign whom we had always been in the habit of treatin g
,

as an arbitrary tyrant .

N obody will accus e the principl e s of his present M aj esty or ,

th e g e n e ral m e asures of his reign O f inconsist e ncy I f t h ey

,
.

h ad no oth e r m e rit they have at l e ast that of having b e en all

, , ,

along actuat e d by one uniform and constant spirit : y e t Mr .

Burke at o ne tim e veh e m e ntly O ppos e d and afterwards most ,

3O int e mp e rat e ly extoll e d them : and it was for his r e canting his
opposition not for his p e rs e v e ring in it that he rec e ived his
, ,

pension He does not hims e lf mention his flaming sp e e ch e s in

.

th e A m e rican war as among the public services which had

,

e ntitled him to this remuneration .

 32 S E LE CT I O N S FR O M HA Z LI TT

H e was fitt e d by nature and habit for the studi e s and labours
of the clos e t ; and was generally mischievous wh e n h e c am e
ou t ; b e cause the v e ry subtlety of his reasoning which l e ft to , ,

itself would h av e counteract e d its own activity or found i ts

, ,

5 l e v e l in the common s e ns e of mankind b e c am e a dangerous ,

eng i ne I n the hands of power which is always eager to mak e

,

u se of the most plau sible pretexts to cover the most fatal d e signs .

T hat which if applied as a gen e ral O bs e rvation to h u m an affairs

, ,

is a valuable truth sugg e sted to the mi nd may wh e n forc e d , ,

IO into the int e rested d e f en c e of a particular m e asure or syst e m ,

becom e the grossest and basest S ophistry F ac ts or consequences .

n e ver stood in the way of this speculativ e politician He fitt e d .

them to his pr e conceived theories inste ad of con forming his

,

th e ori e s to th e m T hey were the playthings of his s tyl e the

.
,

sport of his fancy T hey wer e the straws of which his imagina
.

tion made a blaze and were consum e d lik e straws in t he blaz e

, , ,

th e y had s e rved to kindle T he fine things he said about

.

’ ’
L iberty and Humanity in his speech on th e B e gu m s a f fairs
, ,

told equally well whether Warr e n H astings was a tyrant or

,

20 not nor did h e care one j ot who c au s e d the famine he described ,

so that he d e scrib e d it in a way that no o ne e ls e could O n the .

same principle h e r e pr e sented the F rench pri e sts and nobles

,

under the old r e gim e as e xc e llent moral peopl e v e ry charitable ,

and v e ry religious in t h e t e eth of notorious facts — to answ e r

, ,

to the handsom e things he had to say in favour of pri e sthood

and nobility in ge n e ral ; and with similar vi e ws he f alsifie s the
, ,

r e cords of our English R evolution and p u ts an int e rpr e tation

,

on the word a b ri ieai io n of which a schoolboy would b e ashamed

,
.

H e construct e d his whole theo ry of gov e rnment in short not , ,

3O on rational bu t on pictur e squ e and fanciful principles ; as i f the

,

’
king s crown w e r e a pain t e d ge wgaw to b e look e d at on gala
,

d ays ; titles an e mpty sound to pl e ase th e e ar ; and the whole

order of society a theatrical proc e ssion His lamentations ov e r
.

the age of chival ry and his pr o j e ct e d crusad e to restor e it are

, ,
 C H ARA C T E R O F M R . B UR KE 33
’
about as wis e as if any one from readin g the Beggar s O p e ra
, ,

should take to picking of pockets : or from admiring the land ,

scapes of S alvator R osa should wish to convert the abod e s of

,

civilised life into the haunts of wild beasts and banditti O n .

this principl e of fals e r e finem e nt there is n o abu se nor system

, , 5
Of abus e s that do e s not admit of an easy and triumphant
,

defe nce ; for th e re is som e thing which a m e rely sp e culativ e

inquirer m ay always find out good as well as bad in e ve ry
, ,

possible sys te m the best or the worst ; and if we can onc e get
,

rid o f the restraints of c o mm o n sens e and hon e sty we m ay ,

easily prov e by plau sibl e words that lib e rty and slavery p eac e
, , ,

and war plenty and famine are matters of perfect indifference

, ,
.

T his is the school of politics o f which M r Burk e was at the

,
.
.

head ; and it is perhaps to his example in this respect that we , ,

owe the pr e vailing ton e of m any of those newspap e r paragraphs ,

which M r Coleridge thinks so invaluable an accession to our

.

political philosophy .

’
B urk e s literary talents w e r e aft er all his chief excell e nc e
, ,
.

His styl e has all the familiarity of conversation and all the ,

res e arch o f the most e laborate composition H e says what he .

wants to say by any means nearer or more r e mot e within his

, , ,

reach H e mak e s u se of the most common or scientific te rms

.
,

of the longe st or shortest s e nten c e s of the plain e st and most

,

downright or O f the most figurativ e modes of S p e ech He

, .

giv e s for the most part loose reins to his imagination and ,
O
I

follows it as far as th e language will carry him A S long as the .

one or the oth e r has any resources in stor e to m ak e the read e r

fe e l and see the thing as he has conceived it in its nicest shad e s ,

of di f fe rence in its utmost degr e e of force and splendour he

, ,

never disdains and n e v e r fails to e mploy them Ye t in the

, .
,

e xtremes o f his mixed styl e ther e i s not m u ch a f fe ctation and

, ,

bu t littl e e ither of p e dantry or of coars e n e ss H e e v e rywher e .

giv e s the image he wishes to giv e in its tru e and appropriat e

,

colouring : and it is th e v e ry crowd and vari e ty o f th e s e image s

 34 S E L EC TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

that has giv e n to his language its p e culiar ton e of animation

and even of passion I t is his impatien ce to transfe r his con
.

c e pt io n s e ntire living in all th e ir rapidity str e ngth and glancing

, , , ,

va ri e ty to th e minds of oth e rs that constantly push e s him to

’

, ,

the v e rge of e xtravagance and yet su pports him th e r e in

,

dignifi e d s e curity
N e v e r s o s u r e o u r r ap tu r e t o c r e at e
,

A s w h e n h e t r e ad s th e b ri n k o f all w e h ate .
”

H is the most poetical of our prose write rs and at the sam e

e ,

[ O tim e his prose nev e r d e g e nerat e s into the m e r e e ffeminacy of

poetry for h e al ways aims at ov e rpow e ring rath e r th an at pl e as
ing ; and cons e qu e ntly sacrifices b e auty and d e licacy to force
and vividness H e has invariably a task to p e rform a positiv e
.
,

purpos e to ex e cut e an e ffe ct to produc e His only O bj e ct

, .

is there fore to strik e hard and in th e right pl ac e ; if he miss e s

,

his mark he r e p e ats his blow ; and do e s not car e how ungrace
,

ful the action or how clumsy t he instrum e nt provid e d it i ngs

, ,

down his antagonist .

 36 S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H AZ LITT

the most part of the cumbrous and unwi e ldy masses of things
, ,

the e mpty c as e s in which the a f fairs of the world are packed

under the heads of intrigu e or war in differen t states and from , ,

c entu ry to c e ntu ry : but th e re is no thought or feeling that can

have entered into the mi nd of man which he would b e eager to
communicate to oth e rs or whic h t h e y would listen to with ,

d e light that is not a fi t subj e ct for poet ry I t is not a branch

,
.

”
of authorshi p : it is the stuff of which our life is made T he .

‘ ”
r e st is m ere oblivion a d e ad l e tte r : for all that is worth
,

remembering in life is the p o et ry of it F ear i s po e try hope is

, .
,

poetry love is poetry hatred is poetry conte mpt j ealousy re

, , , , ,
~

mors e admiration won de r pity d e spair or madness are all

, , , , , ,

p o et ry P oetry is that fine particle within us that e xpands

.
, ,

’
rare fi es refin e s raises o ur whole b e ing : without it
, ,
man s life
” ’
is poor as beast s Man is a poetical anim al : and thos e of u s
.

who do not study the princi pl e s of po e t ry ac t u pon th e m all ,

our lives like Moli e r e s B o u rgeois Gentilno mme who had always
,
’
,

sp o k e n prose without knowing it T he child is a po e t in fact .

,

wh e n he first plays at hide and seek or repeats the story o f - -

0 Jack the Giant killer ; the sh e pherd boy is a po e t wh e n he first

- -
,

crowns his mistress with a garland of flowers ; the countryman ,

wh e n he stops to look at the rainbow the city apprentice when -

,

’
h e gaz e s after th e L ord Mayor s show th e miser when h e h u gs
-
,

his gold ; the courti e r who builds his hopes upon a smil e ; the
,

savage W ho paints his idol with blood the slave who worshi ps
, ,

a tyrant or th e tyrant who fanci e s hims e lf a god — th e vain

, , ,

the ambitious the proud th e chol e ric man th e h e ro and the

, , ,

coward the b e ggar and th e king the rich and the poo r the
, , ,

young and the old all liv e in a world o f their own m aking ; and
,
'

o
g th e po e t does no mor e than d e scrib e what all the oth e rs think

and act I f his art is folly and madn e ss it is folly and madness
.
,

“ ”
at second hand T h e r e is warrant for i t
. P o e ts alone have .

not such s e ething brains such sh api ng fantasies that appre

“
, ,

”
h e nd more th an cooler reason can .
 ON P O E T RY I N G E N E RAL 37

The l u n at i c th e l ov e r and t h e p o e t
, ,

A re o f i m ag i nat i o n all c o m p ac t .

O ne s e s m o r e d e v i l s t h an v ast h e l l c an h o l d ;
e

T h e m adm a n W h i l e t h e l ov e r all as fr an t i c
.
, ,

S e e s H e l e n s b e a u ty i n a b r o w o f Egy p t
’
.

T h e p o e t s e y e i n a fi ne fr e n zy r o l l i n g
’
, ,

D o t h g l an c e fr o m h e a n t o e a r t h fr o m e ar t h t o
’ ’
v ,
h e av n ;

A n d as i m ag i n at i o n b o d i e s f o r t h
T he f o r m s o f t h i n g s u n k n o w n th e p o e t s p e n
’
,

T u rn s t h e m t o sh ap e an d g i v e s t o ai r y n o t h i n g
, IO

A l o c al h ab i tat i o n and a n am e .

S u c h t ric k s h at h s t r o n g i m ag i n at i o n
”
.

I f p o etry is a dream the business of life is mu ch the same

,
.

I f i t is a fiction made u p of what we wish things to b e and

, ,

fancy that they are because we wish th e m so there is no other 1 5

, ,

nor better reality A riosto has d e scribed the loves O f A ngelica

.

and Medoro : but was not Medoro who carved the name of ,

his mistress on the barks of tr e e s as much e nam o ur e d of he r ,

charm s as he ? H om e r has c e l e brated the anger of A chill e s :

but was not the h e r o as m ad as the poet ? P lato banished the 2 0
poets from his Commonw e alth lest th e ir d e scri p t i o ns of the ,

natural man should spoil his mathematical m an who was to b e ,

without passion s and a f fections who was n e ither to laugh nor ,

weep to feel sorrow nor anger to be cast down nor elated by

, ,

any thing T his was a chimera howev e r which nev e r e xisted

.
, ,

’
but in the brain of the inventor ; and H omer s] poetical world
’
has outlived P lato s philosophical R epublic .

t T O e try then is an imitation of nat ure but the imagination

-"

afia the passions are a part of

’

n ature We shape things .

according to our wish e s and fancies withou t poetry ; but poetry 3O ,

i s the m o s t e m phatical lan guage that can be found for those

“ ”
cr e ations of the mind which ecstasy i s v e ry cunning in N ei .

ther a mere d e scription of natural obj ects nor a m e re d e lin e ation ,

of natural feelings howev e r distinct or forcible constitut e s the

, ,

ultimate end and aim of poetry withou t the heighte nings of the 3 5 ,

imagination T he light of po e try is not only a dir e ct but also a

.
 38 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M HA Z LI TT

refl e cted light that while it shews us the obj e ct throws a sp ark
, , ,

ling radiance o n all around it : the flame of the passions com ,

m u nic ated to the imagi nation reveals to u s as with a flash of

, ,

lightning the inmost rece sses of thought and penetrates our

, ,

whole being P oetry repr e sents forms chi e fly as t h ey suggest

.

oth e r forms ; feelings as they suggest forms or other fe e lings

, .

P o e try pu ts a spirit of life and motion into the univ e rse I t .

d e scribes the flowing not the fixed I t does not define the limits
, .

of s e n s e or analyse the distin ctions of the u nderstanding bu t

, ,

IO signifies the excess of the imagination beyond the actual or

ordina ry impression of any obj ect or f e eling T he pOe tic al .

impression of any obj ect is that un e asy exquisite sen se O f ,

b e auty or power th at cannot b e contained within itself ; th at is

impati e n t of all limit ; that ( as flam e b en ds to flam e) strives to
[ 5 link its e lf to some other image of kindr e d beau ty or grandeur ;
to enshrin e itself as it wer e in the high e st forms of fancy and
, , ,

to relieve th e aching sense of pleasur e by e xpr e ssing it in the

boldest manner and by the most striking examples of the sam e
,

quality in other in stances P oetry according to L ord Bacon

.
, ,

“
20 for this reason has something divine in it because it raises
, ,

the mind and hurries it into sublimity by conforming the shows ,

of things to the desires of the soul inste ad of subj e cting the ,

”
soul to external things as reason and history do
,
I t is strictly .

the language of the imagination ; and the imagination is t h at

faculty which r e pr e s e nts O bj ects no t as th ey are in th e mselves
, ,

but as th ey are mould e d by other thoughts and f ee lings in to an ,

infin ite vari e ty of shap e s and combinations of power T his lan .

gu age is no t the l e ss true to n ature becau s e it is false in point

,

of fact ; but so much the more true and natural if it conveys ,

3O the impr e ssion which th e obj ect und e r the influence of passion
m ak e s on th e mind L e t an obj ect for instance be presented
.
, ,

to the sens e s in a stat e of agitation or f e ar and the imagin a

tion will distort or m agnify th e obj ect and conv e rt it into the ,

likeness of what e v e r is most pro p e r to encourage the fear .

 4O S E LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

of passion and the most striki n

,
g forms of natur e T ragic po e try .
,

which is the most impassion e d sp e ci e s of it strive s to carry on ,

the f e e ling to the u tmost point of sublimity or pathos by all the ,

force of comparison or contrast ; los e s the s e ns e of present suffe r

5 ing in the imaginary e xaggeration of it ; e xhausts th e t e rror or
pity by an unlimit e d indulgenc e of it ; grapples with im po ssib il
iti e s in its desperate impatience of restraint ; throws u s b ack u pon
the past fo rward i nto the futur e ; brings ev e ry moment of our
,

being or obj e ct o f nature in startling review before us ; and in

10 the rapid whirl of ev e nts lifts us from t he d e pths of woe to the
,

highest cont e mplations on human life When L e ar says of Edgar .

,

N othing but his unkind daught e rs could hav e brought him to

”
this what a bewild e r e d amaz e m e nt what a wrench of the
, ,

imagination that cannot be brought to conc e iv e of any oth e r

,

1 5 caus e of mis e ry than t h at which has bow e d it down and absorbs ,

all other sorrow in its own ! His sorrow like a flood suppli e s , ,

the sourc e s of all oth e r sorrow . A gain when he e xclaims in the

,

“
mad sc e n e T he little dogs and all T ray Blanche and Swe e t
, , , ,

”
h e art see th e y bark at m e !
, ,
it is passion l e nding occasion to
2
0 imagination to m ak e e v e ry cr e atur e in league again st him con ,

j uring u p ingratitud e and insult in their l e ast looked for and -

most galling S hap e s searching e v e ry thr e ad and fibr e of his h e art

, ,

and finding out the last r e maining image of r e sp e ct or a ttach

m e nt in the bottom O f his br e ast only to tortur e and kill it ! I n
,

a
5 like mann e r the So I am O f Cord e lia gush e s from he r heart
, ,

like a torr e nt of tears relieving it of a weight of lov e and of su p

,

pos e d ingratitud e which had p re ss e d u p o n it for years What a

,
.

fine r e turn of the passion upon its e lf is that in O th ello — with

what a mingl e d ago ny of r e gr e t and d e spair he clings to the last
30 traces of depart e d happin ess when he e xclaims ,

O h n o w fo r eve r
,

F are w e l t h e t r an q u i l m i n d F are we l c o n t e n t ;
.

F are w e l t h e p l u m e d t r o o p s an d t h e b i g war ,

T h at m ak e amb i t i o n v i r t u e ! O h f are we l !
F are we l t h e n e i gh i n g s te e d an d t h e s h ri l l t r u m p
, ,
 ON P O E T RY I N G E N E R A L 41

T he s p i ri t st i r ri n g d ru m th e ar p i e rc i n g fif e
-
,
’ -
,

T h e r oy a l b an n e r an d all q u al i t y
, ,

P ri d e p o m p an d c i rc u m stan c e o f g l o ri o u s w ar
, , :

A n d 0 y o u m o r tal e n g i n e s w h o s e r u d e t h r o at s
,

T h i m m o r tal J ov e s d r e ad c l am o u rs c o u n t e rf e i t
’ ’
,

F are we l ! O t h e l l o s o c c u p at i o n s g o n e !
’ ’ ”

How his passion lashes its e lf u p and sw e lls and rag e s like a tid e
in its sounding cours e when in answer to the doubts expr e ss e d
,

of his returning love he says , ,

N e v e r I ag o L i k e t o th e P o n t i c se a
, .
, IO

W h o s e i c y c u rr e n t and c o m p u l s i v e c o u r se
N e e r f e e l s r e t i ri n g e b b b u t k e e p s du e o n
’
,

T o th e P r o p o n t i c an d t h e H e l l e s p o n t :

Ev e n s o m y b l o o d y t h o u gh t s w i t h v i o l e n t pa c e , ,

S h a l l n e e r l o o k b a c k n e e r e b b t o h u m b l e l ov e
’ ’
, , 1 5
T i l l t h at a c ap ab l e an d w i d e r e v e n g e
S w al l o w t h e m u p ”
.

T he climax of his e xpostulation afte rwards with D e sdemona

is at that lin e ,

B u t t h e r e w h e r e I h av e garn e r d u p m y h e a r t ’
,

T o b e d i s c ar d e d t h e n c e

O ne mod e in which the dramatic e xhibition of passion e xcites

our symp at hy without raising our disgust is th at in proportion ,

as it sha rpen s the e dge of calamity and disappointm e nt it ,

str e ngth e n s the desire of good I t enhances our consciousn e s s .

of the bl e ssing by making u s s e nsibl e of the magni tude O f the

,

loss T he storm of passion lays bare an d sh e ws us the rich

.

depths of the human soul : the whol e o f our e xistence the sum ,

total of our passions an d pursuits of that which we desire and ,

t h at which we dr e ad is brought before us by contrast ; th e ac

,

tion and re action are equal the k e e nn e ss o f imm e diat e suffe r

-

ing only gives us a mor e inten se aspiration aft e r and a mor e ,

intimate participation with the antagonist world of good ; mak e s

u s drink d ee p e r of the cup o f human lif e ; tugs at th e h e art

strings ; loosens the pressure about them ; and calls the S prings 35
of thought and feeling in to play with t e nfold force .
 42 SE L E CT I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

Impassion e d po e try is an e manation of the moral and inte lle c

tual part of our nature as well as o f the s e nsitiv e ,
of the de
sire to know th e will to ac t and th e power to f ee l ; and ought
, ,

to app e al to th e se diffe r e nt parts of our constitution in order to ,

b e perfect T he dom e stic or prose trag e dy which is thought to

.
,

b e the most natural is in this s e ns e th e l e ast so becaus e it

, ,

appeals almost e xclusiv e ly to one of these faculti e s our s e nsi ,

b ility T h e trag e di e s of Moor e and L illo for this r e ason how

.
, ,

e v e r affe cting at th e tim e oppr e ss and lie like a d e ad weight on

,

IO t h e mind a load of mis e ry which it is unabl e to throw O ff

,
the

trage dy of S hakspe are which is true poet ry stirs our inmost

, ,

aff e ctions abstracts e vil from itself by combining i t with all the
,

forms of imagination and wi th the d eepest workings of the

,

heart ; and rouses the whole man wi thi n us .

1 5 T he pl e asur e how e ver d e riv e d from tragic poetry is not

, ,

any thing peculiar to it as po e t ry as a fictiti ous and fanciful ,

thing I t is not an anomaly O f the imagination I t has its source

. .

and groun d work in the common lov e of strong e xci te m e nt A s

-
.

Mr Bu rk e obs e rves p eo pl e flock to se e a trag e dy ; but if t h e r e

.
,

2
0 wer e a p u blic e x e cution in th e n e xt str e e t the theatr e would ,

soon b e e m pty I t is not then the di f fer e nc e b e twe e n fiction and

.

r e ality that solves the di ffi culty C hildren are satisfi e d with the .

stori e s O f ghosts and w i t ch e s in plain prose nor do the hawk e rs

of full tru e and particular accounts of murd e rs and executions
, ,

about the str ee ts find it n e c e ssary to have them turn e d in to

p e nny ballads b e fore th e y c an dispos e of t h e s e int e resting and
,

authen tic documents T he grav e politician drives a thriving trad e

.

of abus e and calumnies pour e d out against those whom he makes

hi s e n e mi e s for no oth e r e nd than that he m ay liv e by th e m .

T h e popular pr e ach e r m ak e s l e ss fr e qu en t mention of heaven

t h an of hell O aths and nicknam e s are only a mor e vulgar sort
.

of po e try or rhetoric We are as fo nd of indulging our V iolent

.

passions as of r e ading a d e scription of thos e of oth e rs We are .

as pron e to mak e a torm e nt of our f e ars as to luxu riat e in our ,

 44 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

th e
passion of cont e mpt in the o ne cas e of te rror in the o th e r , ,

an d of indign a tion i n the last is p e rf e ctly satisfi e d We s ee the

,
.

thing ours e lv e s and sh e w it to oth e rs as w e f ee l it to e xist and

, ,

as in spite of ours e lv e s we are comp e ll e d to think of it T he

, ,
.

imagin ation by thus e mbodying an d turning them to shape giv e s

, ,

an O bvious reli e f to th e indistin ct and importunat e cravings of

the will —We do not wish the thing to b e so ; but w e wish i t
.

to app ear such as i t is F or knowl e dge is con scious pow e r ; and

.

the mi n d is n o long e r in this case th e dupe though it may be

, , ,

IO the victim of V ice or folly .

P oetry is in all its shapes th e language of the imagination and

the passion s O f f ancy and w ill
,
N othing th e r e for e can be more
.
, ,

absurd than th e outcry which has b ee n sometimes rais e d by f ri gi d

and p e dantic critics for r e ducing the language of po e try to the
,

s tan d ard of common sense and r e ason : for the e nd and use of
“
po e t ry both at th e first and now was and is to hold the mirror
, ,

”
u p to nature s e en through the m e di u m of passion and imagina
,

tion not div e st e d of that m e dium by m eans of lit e ral truth or

,

abstract r e ason T he painte r of history might as well be re

.

’0 quired to r e present the fac e of a person who has j ust trod

upon a s e rp e nt with th e still life expression O f a com m on por
-
,

trait as the po e t to describe the most striking and V ivid impr e s

,

sion s which things can b e suppos e d to make upon the mind in ,

the language of common conv e rsation L e t who will strip natur e .

of the colours and the shap e s of fancy the po e t is not bound ,

to do so the impressions of c o mm o n sense and strong imagina

tion that is of passion and indiffer e nc e cannot b e the sam e
, , , ,

and th e y must hav e a s e parat e language to do j ustic e to eith e r .

O bj e cts must strik e di f fe r e ntly upon th e mind ind e p e nd e ntly of ,

3O what th e y are in th e ms e lv e s as long as we hav e a diffe r e nt

,

inte rest in th e m as we se e th e m in a di f fe r e nt point of V i e w

, ,

n e arer or at a gr e at e r distanc e ( morally or physically speaking)

fro m nov e lty from o ld acquaintanc e from our ignoranc e of
, ,

th e m from our fe ar O f th e ir cons e qu e nc e s from contrast from

, , ,
 ON P O E T RY I N G E N E RA L 45

unexpected likeness We can no mor e tak e away the faculty

.

of the imagination than we can see all obj ects withou t light or
,

shade Som e things mus t dazzl e u s by their pr e t e rnatural light ;

.

oth e rs must hold us in suspense an d t e mpt our curiosity to ,

explore their obscurity T hose who would dispel th e s e various

.

illusions to giv e u s their drab coloured creation in their st e ad

,
-
,

are not very wis e L et the naturalist if he wi ll c atch the glow

.
, ,

worm carry i t hom e with hi m in a box and fi nd it n e xt morning

, ,

nothing but a little grey worm ; let the po e t or the lov e r of

poetry V isi t it at e vening wh e n b e n e ath the sc e nt e d hawthorn
, IC

and th e crescent moon i t h as built i tself a palace of emerald

light T his is also o ne part of nature one app e aranc e which

.
,

the glow worm pres e nts and that not the l e ast i nt e r e sting ; so
-
,

poet ry is o n e part of the history of the hum an mind though it ,

is neither scienc e nor philosophy I t cannot be conceal e d how .

, I I

ever that the progr e ss O f knowl e dge and refinem e nt has a t e nd

,

e ncy to circum scribe t he limits of t he imagination and to clip ,

the wings of poetry T he provinc e of th e imagination is pri nci

.

pally visionary the unknown and und e fined : the und e rstanding
,

restor e s things to th e ir natural boundari e s and strips t h e m of , 2C

th e ir fanciful pretensions Henc e the history of r e li gi ous and

.

poetical enthusiasm is m u ch the sam e ; and both hav e r e c e ived

a sensibl e shock from the progr e ss of expe rimental phi
I t is the undefined an d uncommon that giv e s birth and scop e t9
the ima gination : we can only fancy what we do not know As .

in looking into the mazes O f a tangled wood we fill them with

what shapes we please with rav e nous b e asts with cav e rns vast
, , ,

and dr e ar e nchantm e nts so in our ignorance of the world abou t

,

us we make gods or devils of the firs t O bj e c t we see and set

, ,

no bounds to the w il ful sugge stions of our hopes an d f e ars .

A n d v i s i o n s as p o e t i c e y e s av o w
, ,

H a n g o n e a c h l e af an d c l i n g t o e v e r y b o ugh
”
.

’
T here can nev e r b e another Jacob s Dr e am S ince that time the
.
,

heavens have gon e farther o ff , and grown astronomical Th e y .

 46 S E L E C TI O N S FR OM H AZ LITT

have b e come averse to the imagination nor will they return to ,

’
u s on the squares of the distanc e s or on Doctor C halm ers s
,

Di scours e s R e mbran dt s pictur e brings the matter nearer to

.
’

us . I t is no t only the progre ss of mechanical knowledge but ,

the n e c e ssary advances of civilization that are u nfavourabl e to

the spiri t of poetry We not only stand in l e ss awe of the pre
.

ternatu ral world but we can calculat e m o r e sure ly and look

, ,

with mor e indiffe r e nce u pon the r e gular routine of this T he

, .

heroes O f the fabulous ages rid the world of monst e rs and giants .

A t pr e s e n t we are less e xposed to the vicissitud e s O f good or

”
evil to the inc u rsions of wild b e asts or bandit fierce or to
, ,

th e unmitigated fu ry of the e lements T h e t im e has be e n th at

.

our fe ll of hair would at a dismal tr e atis e rouse and stir as life

”
w e r e in it But the police S poils all ; and we now hardly so
.

much as dr e am of a midnight murd e r M acbeth is only tolerated.

in this country for the sake of the music ; and in the United
S tat e s of A merica where the philosophical principl e s of gov
,

e rnm e nt are carri e d still farther in theory and practice we find ,

’
that the B e ggar s O p e r a is hoot e d from the stag e S ociety by .
,

20 d e gr ee s is constructed into a m achin e that carri e s u s safely and

,

insipidly from one end of life to the other in a very comfortable ,

prose style .

O b s c u ri ty h e r c u r ta i n r o u n d t h e m d r e w ,

A n d s i r e n S l o th a d u l l q u i e t u s s u n g .
”

2 5 Th e r e marks which hav e b ee n h er e m ad e would in some m eas , ,

u re l e ad to a solution of t he qu e stion of t he comparativ e m e rits

,

of painting and poetry I do not m e an to give any pr e fe re nce

.
,

but i t should s ee m that the argum e nt which has b ee n som e times

set up that painting must a f fect the imagination more strongly
, ,

30 b e cause it repr e sen ts the image mor e distinctly is not well ,

found e d We may ass u m e without much tem e rity that poetry

.
,

is m o re po e tical than painting Wh e n artists or conn oisseurs

.

talk on stilts about the poetry of painting th e y sh e w that ,

t h e y know little about poetry an d h av e littl e love for the art

,
.
 48 S E LE CT I O N S F R O M H AZLITT

suffering By their beauty th ey are dei fied Bu t th ey are not

. .
.

obj e cts Of r e ligious faith to us and their form s are a r e proach

,

to common humanity T hey seem to have no sympathy with

.

us and not to want our admiration

,
.

P oetry in its matt e r and form is natural imagery or f ee ling ,

combin e d with passion and fancy In its mode of conveyance

.
,

i t combines the ordinary u se of languag e with musical expres

sion T h e re is a qu e stion of long standing in what the ess e nce
.
,

of poet ry consists or what it i s that d e t e rmin e s why one set of

,

IO id e as should be expressed in pro se anoth e r in verse Milton,

.

has told us his idea of poet ry in a S ingle line

T h o ugh t s t h at v o l u n tary m ov e
H ar m o n i o u s n u mb e r s
”
.

As there are certain s o u nds t h at excite c e rtain movements ,

and the song and d an c e go toge ther so there are no d o u b t , , ,

certain thoughts th at l e ad to certain ton e s of voice or modula ,

tions of sound and change the words of M e rcury into the songs
,

”
of A pollo T h e re is a st ri king instance of this adaptation of the
.

’
mov e m e nt of sound and rhythm to the subj ect i n S penser s de ,

2
0 scription of the Satyrs accompanying Una to the cave of Sylvanus .

S o fr o m t h e g r o u n d sh e f e arl e ss d o t h ari s e
“

A n d w al k e t h f o r t h w i t h o u t s u sp e c t o f c ri m e .

T h e y all as g l ad as b i r d s o f j o y o u s p ri m e
, ,

T h e n c e l e ad h e r f o r t h ab o u t h e r d an c i n g r o u n d
, ,

S h o u t i n g an d s i n g i n g all a s h e p h e r d s r hym e ;
’
2
5
A n d w i t h g r e e n b r an c h e s st r e w i n g all th e g r ou n d ,

D o w o r sh i p h e r as q u e e n w i t h o l i v e g arl an d c ro wn d
’
.

A n d all th e way t h e i r m e rr y p i p e s t h e y s o u n d ,

T h at all th e w o o d s and d o u b l e d e c h o e s ri n g ;
A n d w i t h th e i r h o rn e d f e e t d o w e ar t h e g r o u n d ,

L e ap i n g l i k e w an t o n k i d s i n p l e asan t sp ri ng ;
S o t o w ar d s o l d S y l v a n u s t h e y h e r b ri n g ,

\V h o w i t h t h e n o i s e a w ak e d c o m e t h o u t
,
.
”

F ae zj Qu een b i c v i
/ , . . . .

On
the contrary th e re is nothing eith e r musical or natural in
,

35 the ordinary construction of languag e I t is a thing altoge ther .

 ON PO ETRY IN G E N E RA L 49

a rbitrary and conventional N either i n the sounds themselves

.
,

which are the volunta ry sign s of c e rtain ideas nor in their gram ,

m atic al arrangem e nts in common speech is th e r e any principl e ,

of natural imitation o r corr e spond e nc e to the individual ideas

, ,

or to the tone of fe e ling with which they are conveyed to

oth e rs T he j e rks the breaks the inequalities and harsh
.
, , ,

nesses o f prose are fatal to the flow of a po e tical imagina

,

tion as a j olting road or a stumbling horse disturbs the reverie

,

of an absent man But poetry makes these O dds all e v e n I t

. .

is the music of language answering to the m usic o f the mind

, ,
IO

“ ”
untying as it wer e the secret soul of harmony Wher e v e r .

any obj e ct takes su ch a hold of the mi n d as to m ak e us .

d well upon it and brood over it melting th e heart in tender

, ,

ness or kindling i t to a s e ntiment of e nthusiasm — wher e v e r

,

a mo vement of imagination or passion is impressed on the

mind by which i t s ee ks to pro l o ng and r e p e at the emotion
, ,

to brin g all other obj ects into accord with it and to give ,

the sam e movem e nt of harmony sustain e d and continuous , ,

or gradually varied ac c o rdir ig to the occasion to th e sounds ,

that express it — this is po e try T he musical in sound is the

.

sustained and continuou s ; the m usical in thought is the sus

taine d and continuous also T her e is a near con n e ction b e tw ee n
.

music and deep roo ted passion M ad people sing A s oft e n as

-
. .

articulation pass e s naturally into intonation th e r e poetry b e ,

gins Wher e o ne idea gives a ton e and colour to oth e rs wh e re

.
,

o n e feeling melts others in to it th e r e can be no r e ason why the

,

same principl e should not b e e xtend e d to the sounds by which

the voice u tte rs these emotions of the soul and bl e nds syllabl e s ,

and lin e s into e ach oth e r I t is to supply the inh e r e nt d e f e ct o f

.

harmony in the customary mechanism o f language to m ak e the , 30

s ound an e cho to the s e nse wh e n the s e ns e b e comes a sort of
,

echo to its e lf to mingle the tid e of verse the golden cadences ,

”
of p o et ry with the t id e o f fe eling flowing and m urmuring as
, ,

it flows — in short , to take the language of the imagination fro m

 off the ground and enabl e it to spread its wings where i t may
,

indulge its own impuls e s

“
Sa i l i n g w i th su p r e m e d o m i n i o n
T h r o ugh t h e azu r e d e e p o f air ”

withou t being st o pp e d or fr e tted or diverted with the abrupt

, ,

nesses and p e tty obstacles an d discordant flats and sharps of

,

prose that po e try was invented I t i s to common language

,
.
,

wh at springs are to a carriage or wings to feet I n ordinary ,

.

sp e ech we arrive at a c ertain harmony by the modulations of

the voice : in poetry the sam e thing is done system atically by a
regular collocation of syllables I t has b e e n w e ll observed that
.
,

every o ne who declaims warmly or grows intent u pon a subj e ct , ,

ris e s into a sort of blank v e rs e or m e asured prose T he mer .

chant as describ e d in C hauc e r went on his way sounding al

, ,

ways th e incre as e of his winning ”

Ev e ry pros e— writer has more
.

o r less of rhythmical adaptation e xc e p t poets who wh e n d e prived

, , ,

of the regular mechanism of vers e seem to have no principl e of ,

modulation l e ft in their writings .

A n excuse might be m ad e for rhyme in th e sam e manner It

‘ m
'

’
0 is but fair that the ear should linger on the sounds that delight
it or avail itself of the same brilliant coincid e nc e and un e xp e ct e d
,

r e curr e nce O f syllabl e s that hav e be e n display e d in the inv e ntion

,

and collocation O f imag e s I t is allowed th at rhym e assists the

.

m e mory ; and a m an o f wit and shrewdness has been heard to

say that the only four good lines of po e try are the well known
,
-

on e s which t e ll the numb e r of d ays in the months of the y e ar .

“
T h i r ty d ays h at h Se p t e mb e r ,
”
&c .

But if the j ingl e of names assists the memory may it not also ,

quick e n the fancy ? and there are oth e r things worth having at
’ ’
30 our fi nger s ends besid e s the cont ents of the almanac
,
P ope s .

v e rsifi c atio n is t ir e s o m e from its e xc e ssiv e sweetness and uni

,

’
formity S haks peare s blank v e rse is the perfection of dramatic
.

dialogue .
 52 S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

Gr e ek tragedies what shall we say to R obinson C rusoe in his ?

,

T ake the S p ee ch of the G r e e k h e r o on leaving his c av e beautiful ,

as it i s and compare i t with the reflections of the English ad

,

venturer in his solitary place of confinement T he thoughts of .

5 h o m e and of all from which he is for e v e r cu t off sw e ll and

, ,

pr e ss against his b o s o m as the h e aving ocean rolls its ceaseless ,

tid e against the rocky shor e and t he very b e atings of his heart ,

become audible in the eternal silenc e that surrounds him T hu s .

he says ,

“
A s I w al k e d ab o u t e i t h e r i n m y h u n t i n g o r f o r v i e w i n g th e c o u n t ry
, , ,

t h e an gu is h o f m y s o u l at my c o n d i t i o n w o u l d b r e ak o u t u p o n m e o n a
s u dd e n an d m y v e r y h e art w o u ld die w i t h i n m e t o t h i n k o f th e w o o d s
'

, ,

t h e m o u n t ai n s t h e d e s e r t s I w as i n ; an d h o w I was a p ri s o n e r l o c k e d
, ,

u p w i t h t h e e t e rn al b a rs an d b o l t s o f t h e o c e an i n an u n i n h ab i t e d w i l ,

d e rn e ss w i t h o u t r e d e m pt i o n I n th e m i d st o f t h e g r e at e st c o m p o s u r e s
,
.

o f my m in d t h i s w o u l d b r e ak o u t u p o n m e l i k e a s t o r m and m ak e m e
, ,

w ri n g my h an d s and w e e p l i k e a c h il d S o m e t i m e s i t w o u l d tak e m e i n
, .

t h e m i dd l e o f my w o r k an d I w o u l d i m m e d i at e l y s it d o w n an d s i gh and
, ,

l o o k u p o n th e g r o u n d f o r an h o u r o r two t og e t h e r an d t h i s w as st i l l ,

’O w o r se t o m e f o r if I c o u l d b u rs t i n t o t e ar s o r v e n t my s e lf i n w o r d s i t
, ,

w o u l d go o ff and th e g ri e f h av i n g e x h au s te d i tse lf w o u l d ab ate P 50

, .
”
. .

T he story of his adv e n tures would not make a poem like the
O dyss ey it is tru e ; b u t the r e lator had the t ru e ge nius of a
,

’
poet I t has b e en m ad e a question whether R ichardson s ro
.

m anee s are po e try ; and the answer perhaps is t h at th e y are ,

not po e try b e cause t h ey are not ro m anc e T he int e r e st is

,
.

work e d u p to an inconc e ivabl e h e ight ; b u t it is by an infinit e

numb e r of littl e things by ince ssant labour and calls u pon the ,

att e ntion by a rep e tition of blows that hav e no r e b o u nd in th e m

,
.

30 T he sympathy excit e d is not a voluntary contribution bu t a tax ,

.

N othing is un forc e d and S pontan e ous T h e r e is a want of e las .

t ic ity and motion Th e story do e s not giv e an e ch o to th e s e at

.

”
wh e re love is thron e d T he h e art does not answ e r of its e lf lik e
.

a chord in music T he fancy does not run on b e for e the writ e r

.

35 with breathless expectation b u t is dragged along with an infinit e ,

nu mber of pins and w heels like those wi th w hich the L illi putians ,
 ON P O E T RY I N G E N E RA L 53

dr agge d Gulliver pinione d to the royal palac e — S ir Charl e s

Grandison is a coxcomb What sort of a figure would he c u t .

translat e d into an epic poem by the sid e of A chilles ? C larissa ,

the divine Clarissa is too in teresting by half S he is interesting

,
.

in her ru f fles in he r gloves her samplers her au nts and uncles

, , ,

— she is interesting in all that is u ninteresting S uch things .

,
’

however intensely th e y m ay be brought h o m e to us are not ,

conductors to the imagination T here is infinite truth and f e eling .

in R ichardson ; but it i s extracted from a eap at m on a a m of ‘

circumstances : it d oes not evaporate of itself H is po e tical . IO

geniu s is like A ri e l c o nfi ne d in a pine tree and r e quires an artifi -

,

c ial process to let i t out S hakespeare says .

O u r po e sy is as a gu m ,
W h i c h i s s u e s w h e n c e t i s n o u r is h e d o u r g e n t l e
’
, fl am e
P r ov o k e s i tse lf an d l i k e th e c u r r e nt fl i e s
,
1 5
E ac h b o u n d i t c h af e s 1 .
”

I sh all conclude this general account with s o m e remarks on

four of the principal works o f p o e try in the world at di f ferent ,

p e riods of history H omer the Bible Dante an d let m e add , , ,

O ssian In Homer the principl e of action or life i s predominant ;

.
, 20

in the Bible the principle of faith and the id e a of P rovid e nce ;

,

Dante is a p e rsonification of blind will ; and in O ssian we see

’
the d e cay of life and the lag e nd of the world H om e r s poetry
,
-
.

is the heroic : it is full O f life and action ; it is bright as the

day strong as a river I n the vigour of his intellect he grappl e s
,
.
, 2
5
with all the obj ects of nature and ente rs into all the r e lations of ,

1 B u rke s wri t ings a e no t p o e t ry n o twi th s tand in g t h e v i v idn e ss of the fancy

’
r , ,

b e cau s th e s u bj e c t m at te r is abs t r u s e and dry n o t n atu ral b t art i fici al T h e

e , ,
u .

di ff e re nc e b etw e e n p o t ry and e l o q u e nc e is t h at t h e o ne is th e l o q u nc e of th e
e ,
e e

i mag in at i o n and th e o t h e r of th e u nd e rs tanding E l o q u e nc e t ri e s t o p e rs u ad e

,
.

t h e will an d c o n v inc e t h e r e as o n
,
p o e t ry pr o d u c e s its e ff e c t b y ins tan tan ou s
: e

sym p ath y N o th ing is a s u b j c t fo r p oe t ry t h at ad m i t s of a disp u te P o t s a e

. e . e r

in g e n e ral b ad pr o s e wri te rs b e c au s th e ir i mage s t h ou g h fi n in t h m s l v s a e

-
,
e ,
e e e e ,
r

n t t o th e p u rp o s e and d o n o t c arry o n t h e arg um n t

o ,
T h e Fr e n c h p o e t ry w an t s e .

t h fo r m s of t h e i m ag in at i o n
e I t is d id ac t ic mo r e t h an dr am at ic An d s om e of
. .

ou r o wn p o e t ry w h ic h has b n mo s t ad m ir e d is o nl y p o t ry in th r h ym e and
ee ,
e e ,

in th e s t u di e d e of p o e t ic dic t i o n
us .
 54 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

social lif e .saw many countri e s and the manners o f many

He ,

m e n ; an d h e has brou ght them all tog e th e r in his po e m He .

describes his h e roes going to battle with a prodigality of life ,

arising fr o m an exuberanc e of animal spirits : we see th e m b e

for e u s th e ir numb e r and their ord er of battle poured ou t u pon
, , ,

th e plain all plumed lik e ostriches lik e e agles n e wly bath e d , ,

wanton as goats wild as young bulls y o u thf u l as M ay and

, , ,

”
gorge ous as th e su n at midsummer cover e d with glitt e ring ,

a rmour with dust and blood ; whil e the gods qua f f th e ir n e ctar
,

[O in gold e n cups o r mingl e in the fray ; and the O ld m e n assem

,

bled on the walls of T roy rise u p with rev e rence as H e l e n

pass e s by th e m T he multitud e of things in H om e r is wond e r
.

ful ; their spl e ndour th e ir truth th e ir forc e and variety H is

, , ,
.

poetry is lik e his religion th e poetry of number an d form : h e

, ,

d e scrib e s the bodies as well as t he souls of men .

T he po e try of the Bible is that of imagination and of faith :

it is abstract and dis e mbodi e d : i t is not the poetry of form bu t ,

of power ; not of multitude but of immensity I t do e s not di ,

.

vide into many but aggrandizes into on e I ts ideas of n at ur e are

,
.

’0
like its id e as O f God I t i s not th e poetry of social life bu t of
.
,

solitude : e ach man s e e ms alone in the world with the ori ginal ,

form s of nature the rocks the e arth and the sky I t is not the
, , ,
.

poetry of action or heroic enterprise but O f faith in a supre me ,

P rovid e nc e and r e signation to the power that governs th e uni

,

v e rs e A s th e id e a of God was r e mov e d farther from humanity

.
,

and a scatt e r e d polyth e ism it b e cam e more profound and in

,

te nse as it b e c am e mor e univ e rsal for the Infinite is pr e sent to

, ,

“
everything : I f we fly into the u tt e rmost parts of the earth ,

i t is th e re also ; if we tur n to the east or the west we cannot ,

3O e scap e from it
”
M an i s thu s aggrandis e d in th e image of his
.

Mak e r T he history of the patriarchs i s of this kind ; th e y are

.

founders of a chos e n rac e of peopl e the inheritors of the earth ; ,

th ey e xist i n t he ge n e rations which are to com e aft e r th e m .

T h e ir p o e try lik e th e ir r e l igious cr e e d is vast unfor m ed

, , , ,
 56 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

w e ight u pon the mind ; a b e numbing stupor a bre athl e ss awe , ,

from the int e nsity o f the impr e ssion ; a t e rribl e O bscurity like ,

that which oppresses u s I n dreams an id e ntity of int e r e st which ,

moulds every obj ect to its own purpos e s and clothes all things
,

with the passions and imaginations of the human soul that ,

make am e nds f o r all other d e ficiencies T he immediat e obj e cts

.

he pre s e nts to th e mind are no t much in th e m s e lv e s t h e y want

, ,

grandeur b e auty and ord e r ; bu t th ey b e com e everything by

, ,

th e force of t h e charact e r h e impr e ss e s upon t h e m H is mi nd .

IO lends its own power to the O bj ects which it cont e mplate s instead ,

o f borrowing it from them H e t ak e s advanta g

. e ev en of the
nak e dness and dre ary vacuity of his subj ect H is imagination .

peoples the shades of deat h and broods over the silent air He
,
.

is th e s e v e r e st of all writ e rs the most hard and imp e n e trabl e

'

, ,

1 5 the most O pposit e to the flow e ry and glittering ; who r eli e s most
on his own pow e r and the s e nse of it in oth e rs and who l e av e s
, ,

’
most roo m to the imagination of his r e aders Dant e s only e n .

deavo u r is to int e re st and he int e r e sts by e xciting our symp athy

with th e e motion by which he is hims e lf poss e ss e d He does .

20 not place b e fore u s the obj ects by which that emotion has b e en
cr e ate d ; b u t he seiz e s on the attention by shewing us t he e f fe ct
,

th ey produce on his feelings ; and his po e try accordingly giv e s

th e s am e thrilling and ov e rwh e lming s e nsation which is c au gh t by
,

gazing on the face of a p e rson who has s ee n some O bj ect of horror .

Th e improbability of t he ev e nts the abruptn e ss an d monotony

,

in the Infe rno are e xcessiv e : but the int e r e st n e ver flags from
, ,

’ ’
the continu e d e arn e stn e ss O f th e author s mind Dante s gre at
.

pow e r is in combining int e rnal f e e lings with ext e rnal obj ects .

T hus th e gat e of h e ll on which that with e ring inscription is

,

3O writt e n s ee m s to b e endow e d with spe e ch and consciou sness

, ,

and to utt e r its dr e ad warning not withou t a s e ns e O f mortal

,

wo e s T his author habi tually unit e s the absolute ly local and in

.

dividual with the great e st wildn e ss and mysticism I n the midst .

of the O bscure and shadowy regions of the low e r world a tomb ,

 ON P O E T RY I N G E N E RA L 57

suddenly rises u p with the inscription I am the tomb o f P op e ,

A nastasius the Sixth : and half the p e rsonages whom he has

crowd e d into the I nfe rno are his own acquaintance A ll this .
,

p e rhaps t e nds to height en the e ffe ct by the bold int e rmixture of

,

realities and by an a ppeal as it wer e to the individual knowl

, , ,

edge and e xperi e nce of the r e ader H e affords f e w subj e cts for .

picture T h e re is indeed o ne gigantic one that of Count Ugo

.
, , ,

lino of which M ichael A ngelo m ad e a bas relief and which S ir

,
-
,

Joshua R e ynolds ought not to hav e painted

'

A nother writer whom I shall mention last and whom I can ,

IO

not p e rs u ad e mys e lf to think a m e re modern in the groundwork ,

is O ssian H e is a f e e ling and a nam e that can never be de

.

stroy e d in the minds of his readers A s Hom e r is the first vig .

our and lu stihed O ssi an is the decay and old age of po e try H e
, .

liv e s only in the recoll e ction and r e gret o f the past T h e r e is .

o ne impr e ssion which h e conveys more e ntir e ly than all other

poets n am ely the sense of privation the loss of all things of

, , , ,

friends of good n am e of country — he is ev e n without God in

, ,

th e world H e conv e rses only with the S piri t s of th e depart ed

.

with the motionless and silent clouds T he cold moonlight sh e ds

.
. 20

its faint lustre on his h e ad ; t he fox peeps out o f the ruin e d

tower ; the thistle wav e s its beard to the wand e ring gal e ; and
the strings of his harp s ee m as th e hand of age as the tale of , ,

other times passes over them to sigh and rustl e lik e th e dry re e ds
, ,

’
in the wint e r s wind ! The f ee ling of ch e e rl e ss desolation of the ,

loss O f the pith and sap of exist e nc e o f the annihilation of the ,

substance and the clinging to the shadow of all things as in a

,

mock embrac e is her e p e rfe ct In this way the lamentation of

-
,
.
,

S e lma for the loss of Salgar is the fi ne s t of all I f it were in .

d ee d possible to shew that this writer was nothing i t would only ,

b e anoth e r instanc e o f mutability another blank mad e another

'

, ,

void l e ft in the h e art another confirmation of that f ee ling which

,

mak e s him so O ften complain R oll on y e dark brown y e ars , , ,

) ,

y e bring no j oy o n you r wing to O ssian I

 ON E L I Z A B ET H A N L IT E R A T U R E

T he ageof Elizabeth was dis ti nguish e d beyond perhaps any , , ,

other in ou r history by a n umb e r of great m e n famous in dif

, ,

f e rent ways and whose nam e s h av e com e down to u s with u n

,

bl e mish e d honours ; s tate sm en warriors divines scholars poets , , , , ,

5 and philosoph e rs ; R al e igh D rak e Cok e Hooker and higher , , , ,

and more sounding still and still more frequent in our mouths
, ,

S hakespear S p e ns e r S idney Bacon Jonson Beaumont and

, , , , ,

F l e tch e r m e n whom fame has e t e rnis e d in h e r long and lasting

,

scroll and who by their words and acts were ben e factors of
, , ,

0 th e ir coun try and ornam e nts of h u m an nature T heir attain

,
.

ments of different ki nds bor e the same general stamp and it was ,

st e rling : what t h ey did had the mark of their age and country
,

upon it P e rhaps the g en ius o f Gr e at Britain ( if I m ay so sp e ak

.

without o f fe nc e or flatt e ry) n e v e r shone out fuller or brighter or

, ,

5 look e d more like itself than at this period O u r writers an d gr e at

,
.

men h ad som e thing in th e m that savour e d of the soil from which

t h e y gr e w : th e y w e r e not F r e nch th e y w e r e not Dutch o r G e r , ,

m an o r G r e e k or L atin th e y were truly English T hey did not

, ,
.

l o o k out of themselves to see what th e y should b e they sought

0 for truth and natur e and found it in thems e lv e s Th e r e was no
,
.

tinsel and b u t littl e art ; th e y wer e not the spoilt childre n of aff e c
,

t at io n and r e fin e ment but a bold vigorous ind e p e ndent race of

, , ,

thinkers with prodigious strength and e nergy with none but

, ,

natural grace and heartfe lt unobtrusive d e licacy Th ey were not

,
.

5 at all sophisticat e d T he mind o f th e ir c o u ntry was gr e at in them

.
,

and i t pr e vail e d With th e ir l e arning and unexampled acquire

.

ment th e y did not forget that t h ey w e r e men : with all their e n

,

de avo u rs aft e r exc e llence t h e y did not lay aside the strong original
,

58
 60 S E LE C T I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

accomplishm e nt to the pr e s e nt or modern tim e s We ordinarily .

sp e ak and think of those who had the misfo rtun e to wri t e or

live befor e u s as labouring under v e ry singular privations and
,

disadvantages in not having the benefit of those improvements

which we hav e mad e as buri e d in the grossest ignoranc e or
, ,

“ ”
the slaves of poring p e dantry ; and we m ak e a cheap and
infallible estimate of th e ir progress in civilization u pon a gradu
ated scale of p e rf ectibility calculat e d from the meridian of our
,

own times I f we have pr e tty w e ll got rid of the narrow bigotry

.

IO that would limit all s e ns e or virtue to our own c o u nt ry and ,

hav e frate rniz e d like true cosmopolit e s with our neighbours

, ,

and contemporaries we have made our self love amends by let

,
-

ting th e ge neration we live in engross n e arly all our admiration

and by pronouncing a swe e ping sen t e nce of barbarism and igno
15 r an ce on our anc e stry backwards from the commencemen t ( as ,

near as can be ) of t he nin e t e e nth or th e latter end of the eight ,

e e n th centu ry F rom thence we dat e a ne w era the dawn of

.
,

our own intell e ct and that of the world lik e t he sacred infl u ,

”
e nc e of light glimmering on the confin e s of C haos and O ld
’
O night ; n ew mann e rs rise and all the cumbrous pomp of eld e r
,

”
days vanishes an d is lost in worse th an Gothic darkness
,
.

P avilion e d in the glittering pride of our sup e rficial accom plish

m e nts and u pstart pr e t e nsion s we fancy that everything beyond ,

that magic circle is prej udic e and e rror ; and all before the pres ,

ent e nlightened period bu t a dull and us e l e ss blank in the great

,

map of time We are so dazzl e d with the gloss and novelty of

.

’
m o d e r n discov e ri e s that we cannot tak e into our mind s eye the
,

vast expanse th e l e ngthened persp e ctive of human int e llect and

, ,

a cloud hangs ov e r and conceals its lofti e st monuments if they ,

are r e mov e d to a littl e distance from u s — the cloud o f our own

'

vanity and short sight e dn e ss T he modern sciolist si u ltij zes all

-
.

und e rstanding but his own and t h at which he conceives like his
,

own We think in this age of reason and c Onsu m m atio n o f

.
,

philosophy b e cause we knew nothing tw e nty or thirty years ago

, ,
 ON E LIZ A B E T H A N LI T E R AT U R E 6 1

an d began to think then for the first time in our lives th at the ,

r e st of mankind were in the same predicamen t an d never knew ,

anything till we did ; that the world had grown old in sloth and
ignorance had d reamt ou t its long minority of five thousand
,

years in a dozing state and th at it first began to wake out of 5

,

sl e ep to rouse itself and look about it startled by the light of

,
'

, ,

our unexpected discoveries and the noise we mad e about th e m , .

S trange error of our in fatuated self love ! Becaus e the clothes -

we remember to have s e en worn when we were children are ,

now ou t of fashion and our grandmothers wer e then old women I O

, ,

we conceive with magnanimous continui ty of reasoning t h at it ,

must have b e en much worse three hundred years b e fore and ,

that gr ac e youth and beauty are things of modern date — as

, ,

if n ature h ad ever been old or the sun had first sh o ne on our ,

f olly and presum ption Because i n a word the last generation

.
, , ,

when to ttering o ff the stage were not so active so sprightly , , ,

and so promising as we were we begin to imagine that p e ople , ,

formerly must have crawled ab o u t in a feeble torpid state like , ,

flies in winter in a sort of dim twilight of the understanding ;

,

”
nor can we think what thoughts t h ey could conceive i n the 2 0 ,

abs e nc e of all those topics that so agreeably enliv e n and diver

sif y our conversation and literature mistaking the imperfection of ,

our knowledge for the d efect of th eir organs as if it was nec es ,

sary for us to have a register and certificate of their thoughts ,

or as i f b e c au s e th e y did not see with ou r eyes h e ar with our

, ,

ears and und e rstand with our und e rstandings t h ey could hear
, , ,

see and understand nothing A falser in fer e nc e could not b e

,
.

drawn nor on e more contrary to the maxims and cautions of a

,

” “
wis e humanity T hink says S hakesp e ar the prompt e r of
.
, ,

”
goo d an d t rue feelings there 3 liv e rs ou t of Britain
,
“
S o there 3O ’
.

h av e been thinkers an d great and sound ones before our time

, ,
.

T hey had the s am e capacities that we hav e sometim e s greater ,

motives for their e xertion and for the most part the sam e sub , , ,
'

j ec t matter to work u pon What we learn from natur e we may

-
.
.

,
62 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

hope to do as w e ll as th ey ; what we lea rn from th e m w e m ay ,

in ge n e ral e xp ec t to do wors e — What is I think as lik e ly as any

.
, ,

thi ng to cure us of this overweening admiration of the pr e s e nt ,

and unmingle d contempt for past tim e s is the looking at the ,

’
’ ’
finest old pictur e s ; at R aphael s heads at T itian s faces at , ,

’
Claud e s landscapes We hav e th e re the evid e nce of the senses
.
,

without the alt e rations of O pinion or disgu is e of language We .

'

there see the blood circulat e through the v e ins ( long b e fore it
’
was known that it did so ) the sam e re d and whit e by n ature s
,

”
own sw ee t and cunning hand laid on the same t h o ugh ts p ass ,

ing through the mind an d s e ate d on the lips the s am e blue sky , ,

and glittering s u nny val e s wh e re P an knit with t he Grace s

, ,

”
and the H ours in danc e l e ads on t he e ternal spring
,
A nd we .

begin to fe e l t h at nature and the mind of man are not a thing

,

“
of yest e rday as we had b e en led to suppos e ; and that th e re
,

are more things in h e av e n an d e arth than are dr e amt of in our

”
phil o s o phy
. O r grant that we improve in some r e spects in a , ,

uniformly progr e ssive ratio and build Bab e l high on the foun
, ,
-
,
’
dation of other m e n s knowl edg e as in matt e rs of sci e nce and ,

and speculativ e inquiry wh e re by going often O v e r th e s am e ge n

,

eral ground c e rtain general conclusio ns hav e be e n arrived at

, ,

and i n the number of p e rsons r e asoning on a giv e n subj ect truth ,

has at last b ee n hit upon and long e stablish e d error e xplod e d ; -

e t this do e s not apply to cas e s of individual power an d knowl

y
e dg e to a million o f things besid e i n which w e are still to s e e k
, ,

as much as ever and in which we can o nly hop e to find by go

, ,

ing to the foun tain h e ad of thought and e xp e ri e nc e We are

-
.

quite wrong in supposing ( as we are apt to do ) that we can ,

pl e ad an exclusive title to wit and wisdom to tast e and g e nius , ,

as the n e t produce and cl e ar r e v e rsion of t he age we live in ,

and that all we hav e to do to b e gr e at is to d e spise those who ,

have gone before u s as nothin g .

O r even i f we admi t a saving clause in this sw e e ping

proscription and do not make the rule absolut e the v e ry
, ,
 64 SE LE C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

or learning We hop e the best put a good face on the matter

.
, ,

but are sadly afraid the thing cannot answer Dr Johnson said . .

of these writ e rs generally that they w e re sought after because

,

th e y wer e scarc e and would not have been scarce had they been
, ,

”
much esteem e d H is decision is neith e r true history nor sound
.

criticism : T hey wer e est ee med and th ey d ese rved to be so

, .

O ne caus e t h at might b e point e d out here as having contrib ,

u t e d to th e long con tinued n e glect of our earlier writers lies in

-
,

t h e very na t ure of our academic institution s which unavoidably ,

IO n e utraliz e s a taste for the productions of native genius estranges ,

t h e mind from the history of our own literature and m ak e s it in ,

each successiv e age like a book sealed T he Greek and R oman .

classics are a sort of privilege d text books the standing order -

,

of the day in a univ e rsity e ducation and leave little leisure for
, ,

a comp e t e nt acquaintance with or due admiration of a whole

, ,

host of abl e writers of our own who are suffered to moulder in

,

obscurity on the sh e lv e s of our libraries with a decen t r e s e rva ,

’
tion of one or two to p n am e s that are cri e d up for form s sake
-
, ,

and to sav e the national character T hus we ke e p a f e w of these

.

20 always ready in capitals and strike off th e rest to prevent the

, ,

t e ndency to a sup e rfluou s population in the republic of letters ;

in other words to prevent the write rs from becoming m o r e
,

num e rous t h an the read e rs T he anci e nts are become effete in

.

this resp e ct they no longer increase and multiply ; or if th ey

,

have imitators among u s no one is expected to read and still

, ,

less to admire them I t is not possible that the learned prO

.

f esso rs and the r e ading public S hould clash in this way or ,

necessary for them to u se any precaution s against each othe r .

But i t i s not the s am e with the living languages where there ,

3O is danger of b e i ng ov e rwh e lm e d by the crowd of comp e titors ;

and p e dantry has combined with ign orance to canc e l their u n

s at isfi e d claims .

We aff ect to wond e r at Shakesp e ar and on e or two m o r e of

that p e riod as solitary instanc e s u pon r e cord ; wh e re as it is our
,
 ON E LIZ A B E T H A N LIT E RAT U R E 65

o wn d earth of information that makes the wast e for th e r e is ;

no tim e mor e populous of intell e ct or mor e prolific of intell e ctual ,

wealth than the o ne we are speaking of Shakespear did not

, .

look upon him self in this light as a sort of monst e r of poetical ,

“
ge nius or on his contemporaries as less t h an the small e st
,

”
dwarfs , when he speaks wi th true not fals e mod e sty of , ,

himself an d th e m and of his wayward thoughts desiring this

, ,

’ ” ’
man s art and that man s scop e
,
We fancy that th e r e w e r e .

no such men that could either add to o r tak e any thing away
,

from him bu t such th e re w e r e He indeed overlooks an d

, . IO

commands the admiration of posterity but he does i t from the ,

’
za blela na O f t he age in which he lived H e towere d above his
‘
.

“
fellows i n shape and g e stur e proudly eminent ; but he was
,

one o f a rac e of gian ts the tallest the strong e st the most , , ,

grac e ful an d b e autiful o f th e m ; but it was a common and a

,

n oble brood He was not som e thing sacred and aloof from the
.

vulgar h e rd of men but shook hands with n atur e and t he cir

,

c u m stanc es of the tim e and is distinguished from his immediat e

,

contemporaries not i n kind bu t in d e gr e e and great e r vari e ty

, ,

of e xcell e nce H e did no t form a class or species by himself

.
,
20

but belonged to a class or sp e ci e s Hi s age was nece ssary to .

him ; nor could he hav e b e e n wr e nched fr o m his plac e i n the

edifice o f which he was so conspicuous a part withou t equal ,

inj u ry to hims e lf and i t M r Wordsworth says of Milton that

. .
,

“ ”
his soul was like a s tar and dw e lt apart T his canno t b e
,
.

said with any propriety of S hak e sp e ar who certainly mov e d in ,

“
a const e llation o f bright luminari e s and drew aft e r him a ,

” ’
third part of the h e av e ns I f we a llow for argument s sake
.
,

’
( or for truth s which is bett e r) that he was in hims e lf e qu al to
, ,

all his com petitors put together ; yet there was m o r e dramatic 3O
excellence in th at age than in the whole of th e p e riod that has
elapsed since I f his contemporaries with their unit e d str e ngth
.
, ,

would hardly make o ne S hak e sp e ar c e rtain it i s that all his suc ,

c esso rs would not m ak e half a o ne With the exce ption of a .

 66 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

S ingl e writ e r O tway ,

of a si ngl e play of his ( V e nic e P re
, and

s e rv e d ) th e re is nobody in trage dy an d dramatic po e try ( I do

,

not her e speak of com e dy) to b e compar e d to the great m e n of

the age of S hakespear and immediately after T hey are a mighty
,
.

phalanx of kindred S pirits closing him r o u nd moving in the sam e ,

orbit and imp e ll e d by the same caus e s in th e ir whirling and

,

eccentric car e er T h ey had t he sam e faults and th e same exc e l

.

lences ; the s am e s tr eng th and d e p t h and richn e ss the same ,

truth of character passion imagination thought and languag e

, , , ,

IO thrown h e aped massed togeth e r without careful polishing or

, ,

e xact m e t h o d but poured out in unconcern e d profusi o n from

,

th e lap of n atur e and g e ni u s in boundl e ss an d unrivall e d m ag

nifi c e nc e T h e sw ee tn e ss of D ec kar th e thought of M arston

.
, ,

t he gravity of C hapman the grace of F l e tch e r an , d his young

’
eyed wit Jonson s l e arn e d sock the flowing v e in of M iddleton
, , ,

’ ’
Heywood s e as e the pathos o f W e bst e r and M arlow s d ee p
, ,

d e sign s add a double lustr e to the swe e tness thought gravity

, , , ,

grac e wi t artl e ss natur e Copiousness eas e pathos and sublim e

, , , , , ,

’
conceptions of Shak e spe ar s M use T hey are ind ee d th e scal e .

2
0 by which we c an b e st asc e n d to the tru e knowl e dge and love of
him O u r admiration of th e m do e s not lessen our r e lish for him
.

.
but on the contrary increases and confirms it — F or such an
, ,
.

e xtraordinary combination and d e v e lopm e nt of fancy and g e nius

many caus e s may b e ass i g ne d and we may s e e k for the chi e f of

th e m in r e ligion in politics in th e circumstan c e s of the tim e the
, , ,

r e c e nt di f fusion O f l e tt e rs in local situation and i n the charact e r

, ,

of the m e n who adorn e d that p e riod and avail e d th e ms e lv e s so ,

nobly of the advantag e s plac e d W ithin th e ir reach .

I shall her e att e m pt to giv e a g e neral sk e tch of th e s e cau s e s ,

3O and O f th e manner in which th e y op e rat e d to mould and stamp

th e po e try of t he country at t he p e riod O f which I hav e to tr e at

ind e p e nd e nt l y of incidental and fortuitous cau s e s for which ,

ther e is no accounting but which aft e r all have often the

, , ,

gre at e st S h ar e in d e termining th e most i m portant results .

 68 S E LE CT I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

’
gav e a m i na to the people by giving th e m common subj ects of
,

thought and f ee ling I t cemented th e ir union of character and

.

s e n tim e nt : it cr e at e d e ndl e ss diversity and collision of opinion .

T hey found obj e cts to employ their faculties and a motive in ,

th e magnitude of the cons e quenc e s attached to th e m to e x e rt ,

t he utmost e ag e rness in the pursuit o f truth and the most daring ,

in tr e pidity in maintaining it R e ligious controversy sharpens the

.

und e rstanding by the subtlety and remoten e ss of the topics it dis

cusses and brac e s the will by their infinit e import an ce We per
,
.

c e ive in the histo ry O f this period a n ervous masculine intellect .

N o levity no feeblen e ss no indiffe r e nce ; or if th e re w e r e it is

, , ,

a r e laxation from the intense activity w hich gives a tone to its

gen e ral characte r But t h e r e is a gravity approaching to piety ;
.

a seriousn ess of impr e ssion a conscientious severity of argu

,

m e nt an habitual f e rvour and e nthusiasm in t h e ir mode o f

,
!

handling almost e v e ry subj ect T he debates of the schoolm e n

.

w e re sharp and subtl e e nough ; bu t th e y wanted interest and

grand e ur and were besid e s confined to a f e w : t h ey did not
,

affe ct the ge n e ral m ass of the community But the Bibl e was .

”
“
thrown O p en to all ranks and conditions to run and read ,

with its wond e rful tabl e of cont e nts from G e n e sis to the R eve
latio ns Ev e ry village in England would pres e nt the sc e n e so
.

’ ’
w e ll described i n Bu rns s Cotter s S aturday N ight I cannot .

think that all this vari e ty and w e ight of knowl e dge could b e
thrown in all at once upon the mind of a p e ople and not m ak e ,

som e impr e ssion upon it the traces of which might be discern e d

,

in the mann e rs and literatur e of the age F or to leave more .

disputabl e points and t ak e only the historical parts of the O ld

,

T estament or th e moral s e ntiments of th e N e w t h e r e is nothing

, ,

30 like them i n t he power O f e xciting awe and admiration or of ,

riv e ting sympathy We see what Milton has m ad e of the account

.

of the C re ation from the mann e r i n which he has tr e ated i t im

, ,

bued and i mpre gnat e d wi th the spi ri t of the time of which we

speak O r wh at is t h e r e e qu al ( in that roman tic interest an d
.
 O N E L IZA B E T H A N LIT E RAT U R E 69

patriarchal simplicity which goes to the heart of a country and ,

rouses it as i t were from its lair in wastes and wild e rn e ss e s )

, ,

to the sto ry o f Joseph and his Brethren of R acha e l and L aban , ,

’
of J acob s Dream of R uth an d Boaz the descriptions in the
, ,

book of Job the d e liveranc e of the Jews out O f Egyp t or the

, ,

accoun t of their captivity an d return from Babylon ? T h e re is

in all these parts of the S crip t ur e an d nu mberless more of the ,

s am e kind to pass over the O rphic hymn s o f David the pro

, ,

phetic denunciations of Isaiah or the gorg e ous visions of Ezeki e l , ,

an originali ty a vastness of conception a depth and tende rn ess

, ,
IC

of feeling and a touching sim plici ty in the mode o f n arration

, ,

which he who d oes not feel need be m ade of n o penetrable ,

”
stuff
. T here is something in the character of Christ too
( leaving religious faith quite out of the question ) of mor e
swee tn e ss and maj e s ty and more lik e ly to work a change i n
,

the m ind of man by the contem plation of its idea alon e than
, ,

any to b e foun d in history whether actual or f e i gn ed T his

, .

character i s that of a sublim e humanity such as was never s ee n ,

on earth befor e nor since T his shone manifestly both in his

, .

words and actions We see i t i n his washing the disciples f e et

.
’

the night befor e his d e ath that unsp e akable instance of humil
,

ity and love above all art all meanness and all pride and in the
, , , ,

“
leave he took of th e m on that occasion My p eac e I give ,

unto you that peace which the world c anno t give give I unto
, ,

y ou ; and in his last commandmen t that they should love ,

”
one another Who can r ead the accoun t o f his behaviou r on
.

“
the cross when turn ing to his moth e r he said
,
Woman b e , ,

” ”
hold thy son and to the disci pl e John
,
Behold thy moth e r , ,

“ ”
and from that hour that discipl e took he r to his own home
without having his heart smote within him ! We see it in his
treatm e nt of the woman taken in adult e ry and in his excus e for ,

the woman who poure d pr e cious ointment on his g arm ent as an

offering of devo tion and lov e which is here all in all H is religion
,
.

was the religion of the heart We see it i n his discours e with .

 70 S E L E C T I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

t he discipl e s as they walk e d toge th e r towards Emm au s wh e n ,

th e ir h e arts burn e d within th e m ; in his s e rmon from the

Moun t in his parabl e of the good S amaritan and in that of
, ,

th e P rodigal S on — in ev e ry act and word of his life a grace a , ,

mildn e ss a dignity an d love a pati e nc e and wisdom worthy of

, ,

the Son o f God H is whol e life and b e ing w e r e imb u e d st ee p e d

.
,

in t his word eli a riiy it was the spring the w e ll h e ad from which
, ,
-

every thought and f ee ling gush e d into act ; and it was this th at
bre ath e d a mild glory from his fac e in t h at last agony upon the
”
IO cross wh e n the me e k S aviour bow e d his h e ad and di e d pr ay
,
“
,

ing for his e n e mi e s H e was the first tru e t e ach e r of morality ;

.

for h e alon e conc e ived the id e a of a pur e hu m an i ty H e re .

d ee m e d man from the worship of that idol s e lf and instruct e d , ,

him by pr e c e pt and e xampl e to lov e his n e ighbour as hims e lf ,

I
S to forgiv e our e n e mi e s to do good to thos e t h at curs e us and
,

d e spit e fully u se us H e taught the l o v e of good for the sak e

.

of good without r e gard to personal or si nis te r V i e ws an d mad e

, ,

t h e a f fe ction s of t h e h e art th e sol e seat of morality inst e ad of ,

t he prid e of th e und e rstandin g or the ster nn e ss O f the will .

”
7
0 I n an sw e ring th e qu e stion Who is our n e ighbour ,
? as one
who stan ds in n e e d of our assistanc e and whose woun ds we ,

can bi nd u p h e has don e more to humaniz e the thoughts and

,

tam e the u n r u ly passions than all who h av e tri e d to reform and

,

b e n e fit mankind T he v e ry id e a of abstract b e nevolence of the

.
,

d e sir e to do good b e caus e anoth e r wants our s e rvic e s and of ,

r egarding th e human rac e as o ne family th e offspring of o ne ,

common par e nt is hardly to b e found in any oth e r cod e or

,

“
syst e m I t was to th e J e ws a stumbling block and to the
.
,

”
Gr e e k s foolishn e ss T he Gr e e ks and R o m an s n e v e r thought
.

3O of consid e ring oth e rs bu t as th ey w e r e Gr e e ks or R omans as

, ,

th ey w e r e boun d to th e m by c e rtain positiv e ti e s or on the , ,

oth e r hand as s e parat e d from th e m by fi e rc e r antipathi e s

, .

T h e ir virtu e s w e re th e virtu e s o f po litical m achin e s th e ir vices ,

w e r e the vice s of d e m o ns r e ady to inflict or to endur e pain

,
 72 S E L E CTI O N S F R O M H AZ LITT

in the m e an s of e xciting terror and pity in the d e lin e ation of ,

the passions of gri e f remorse love symp at hy the sens e of

, , , ,

S h am e in the fond desir e s the longings aft e r immortality in

, , ,

1
the h e aven of hop e and the abyss of d e spair it lays O p en to u s .

5 T he lit e rature of this age th e n I would say was strongly in

, , ,

fl u en c e d ( among other caus e s ) first by the spirit of Christianity , ,

and s e condly by th e spirit o f P rote stantism .

T he effects O f the R e formation o n politics and philosophy

m ay b e s e en in the writings and history of the n e xt and o f the
following ages Th e y are still at work and will continu e to b e
.
,

so T he e ffe cts on the poetry of the t im e w e r e chi e fly confined

.

to th e moulding of the charact e r and giving a powerful impuls e ,

to the inte ll e ct O f the c o u nt ry T he immediate u se or application

.

that was mad e of r e ligion to subj e cts o f imagination and fiction

was not ( from an obvious ground of separation ) so dir e ct or
fr e qu e nt as that which was made o f the classical and romantic
,

literatur e .

F or much about the sam e time the rich and fascinating stor e s ,

of the Gre e k and R oman mythology and thos e of the romantic ,

20 po e try of S pain an d I taly w e re e age rly e xplored by the curious

, ,

and thrown open in translations to t h e admiring gaz e of th e

v ulgar T his last circumstance could h ardly h ave afforded so

.
l

much advantag e to the poets of that day who w e r e themselv e s , ,

in fact the translators as i t shews the general curiosity and in

, ,

cr e asing int e r e st in such subj ects as a pre vailing fe atur e of the

tim e s T h e re w e r e translation s of T asso by F airfax an d of
.
,

A riosto by Harrington of H omer and H e siod by C hapman

, ,

and of V irgil long b e fo r e and O vid soon after ; th e re was S ir

,

’
T homas N orth s translation O f P lutarch of which Shak e s pear ,

3O has m ad e such admirabl e u se in his Coriolanus and J ulius

’
C ae sar ; and Be n Jonson s trage di e s o f Catilin e and S ej anus
may th e ms e lv e s b e consid e re d as almost lit e ral translations
1 Ins om R om n C t h o lic c ou n t ri s pic t u r s i p r t s u ppli d th pl of th
e a a e ,
e n a e e ac e e

t r nsl at i o n of t h B ibl
a n d t h is d um b
e e: a t r o s in t h sil nc of t h wri tt n
ar a l
e e e e e e o rac e s .
 O N E LIZA B E T H A N LIT E RAT U R E 73
’
into verse o f T acitus S allust and C icero s O ration s in his
, ,

consulship Boccaccio the divine Boccaccio P etrarch Dant e

.
, , , ,

the satirist A retine M achiavel Castiglion e and others were f a

, , ,

miliar to our writers and they make occasional mention of some

,

f e w F rench authors as R onsard and Du Bartas

,
for the F r e nch 5
literature had not at this stage arrived at its A ugustan period ,

and it was the imitation o f their literature a century afterwards ,

wh e n it had arrived at its greatest height ( i tself copied from the

Greek and L atin) that enfeeble d and im poverished our own
,
.

But of the time that w e are considering i t might be said with I C , ,

out much extravagance th at every breath that blew th at every

, ,

wave that rolled to ou r shores brought with i t some accession ,

to ou r knowledge which was engrafte d on the national genius

,
.

I n fact all the dispo se ab le materials th at had been accumulating

,

for a long period of time ei ther in our own or in foreign coun I

,
!

tries were now brought together an d require d nothing more

, ,

than to be wrought u p polished or arranged in striking forms

, , ,

for ornament and u se T o thi s every inducement prom pted

.
,

the novelty o f the acquisition of knowledge in m any cases the ,

emulation of foreign wits and of immortal works the want and 2 C ,

the expectation of such work s among ourselves the O pportunity ,

and encour agement a f for d e d f o r th e ir production by leisure and

affl uence ; and above all the insatiable d esire of the min d to
, ,

beget its own image and to con struct o u t of i tsel f and for the
, ,

d e light and admiration of the world and posterity that excel ,

lence o f which the id ea exists h itherto only in its own breast ,

and the impression of which it would make as universal as th e

eye of heaven the ben efit as co mm o n as the air we breathe

, .

T he first i m pulse of ge nius is to create wh at never existed b e

fore : the contemp lation o f that which is so created 13 su flflc ie nt
to sati sfy the deman ds of taste ; and i t is the habitual study and
imitation of the original models that takes away the pow e r and ,

even wish to do the like T aste lim ps after genius and from
.
,

copying the artificial models we lose sight o f the livin g princi ple
 74 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

Of nature I t is th e e ffort we m ak e and the impulse we acquire

.
, ,

in O v e rcoming th e first O bstacl e s that proj e cts u s forward ; i t ,

is the n e c e ssity for exertion that mak e s us conscious of our

strength ; but this nec e ssity and this impuls e onc e r e moved the ,

ti de O f fancy and enthusiasm which is at first a running St re am ,

soon s e ttles and crusts into the standing pool of dulness eriti ,

c ism an d vin u
‘
.
,

What also gave an unusual impei u s to t he mind of man at

this p e riod was the discovery O f the N e w World and the r e adi ng ,

IO of voyag e s and travels Green islands and golden sands s ee m e d

.

to aris e as by enchantment out of the bosom of the watery

, ,

wast e and invite the cupidity or wing the imagination of the

,

dreaming speculator F airyland was realized in new and u n

.

known worlds F ortunat e fi e lds and grov e s and flowery val e s

.
,

” “
thric e h appy isl e s we r e f o u n d floating like thos e H esp e rian
, ,

”
gard e ns fam e d of O ld beyond A tlantic seas as dropped from
, ,

the zenith T he people the soil the clim e everything gave u n

.
, , ,

limit e d scop e to the curiosi ty of the traveller and r e ad e r O ther .

mann e rs might b e said to e nlarg e the b o u nds O f knowledge and ,

20 n e w mines of w e alth w e r e tumbled at our fe et I t is from a .

voyag e to the S traits of Mag e llan that S hak e sp e ar has tak e n

’
the hint of P rospero s Enchan te d I sland and of the savage ,

l
Caliban with his god S e te b o s Spenser seem s to hav e had the .

same fe e ling in his mind in the production O f his F a e ry Q u een ,

25 and vindicates his poetic fiction on this very ground of analogy .

Ri gh t w e l l I w o t e m o s t m i gh ty s ov e r e i g n
. ,

T h at all t h i s f am o u s an t i q u e h i s t o r y
O f s o m e t h e ab u n d an c e o f an i d l e b r ai n
W il l j u d g e d b e and p ai n t e d f o r g e r y
, ,

3O R at h e r t h an m att e r o f j u s t m e m o r y :

S i n c e n o n e t h at b r e ath e t h l i v i n g ai r d o t h k n o w ,

W h e r e i s t h at h ap p y l an d o f fae r y
W h i c h I s o m u c h d o v au n t b u t n o w h e r e s h o w.
,

B u t v o u c h a n t i q u i t i e s w h i c h n ob o d y c an k n o w
,
.

1 S ee a V o y ag e to th e S t rai t s of M ag e ll an ,
1 59 4 .
 76 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

vulgar ( to say no mor e ) in the time of our authors T he ap .

palling and wild chimeras of su perstition and ignorance those ,

”
bodil e ss cr e ations ecstacy is v e ry cunning in w e re inwoven wi th ,

e xisting mann e rs an d O pinions and all t h e ir effe cts on the pas

,

sions and terror or pity might be gathered from com mon and
actual observation might be discern e d in the workings of the
fac e the e xpr e ssions of the tongue the writhings of a troubled
, ,

conscience Y our face my T hane is as a book where m e n

.
, ,

’
may r e ad strange matters Midnight and secret m u rd e rs too
.
,

IO from the imp e rfect stat e of the police were more common ; and ,

the ferocious and brutal mann e rs that would stamp the bro w
of the h ard e ne d ru ffi an or hired assassin mor e incorrigible ,

and undisguised The portraits of T y rrel and F orrest were no

.
,

doubt d o ne from the life We find that the ravages of the

,
.

15 pl agu e the d e structiv e rage of fi re the poison e d chalic e lean

, , ,

’
famine the serpent s mortal sting and the fury of wild beasts
, , ,

were the common topics of their po e try as they wer e common ,

occurre nc e s in more remote periods of history T hey were the .

strong ingredi e nts thrown into the cauldron of tragedy to make ,

“ ” ’
it thick and slab M an s life was ( as it appears to me) more
.

full of traps and pitfalls ; of hair— breadth accidents by flood and

field ; mor e way laid by sudden and startling e vils ; it trod on
-

the brink of hope an d fear ; stumbled u pon fate unawares ;

whil e the imagination close b e hind it caught at and c lu ng to

, ,

t he shape of dang e r or snatch e d a wild and fe arful j oy from

,

”
its escap e T he accid e nts O f nature were l e ss provid e d against ;
.

the e xcess e s of the passions and of lawless power were l e ss

regulate d and produc e d more strange an d desperate catastro
,

p h es. T he tal e s of Boccaccio are founded on the great pestilence

of F lorence F letch e r the poet di e d of the plague and Marlow

, ,

was stabb e d in a tavern qu arrel T he str ict authority of p are nts .

,

the inequality of ranks or t he h e r e ditary f e uds between di fferent

,

families m ad e mor e u nh appy lov e s o r matches

, .

T h e c o u r se o f t r u e l o v e ne v e r d i d r u n e v e n .
”
 ON E LIZA B E T H A N LI T E R AT U R E 77

A gain ,
heroic and martial spiri t which breath e s i n our
the

e ld e r writers was ye t in considerable activity in the r e ign of

,

Elizab e th The age of chivalry was not then quit e g o ne nor

.
,

”
th e glory Of Europe e x ti ng u ish e d for e v e r Jousts and tourna .

m e nts w e re still common with the nobility in England and in

for e ign countries : S ir P hilip Sidn e y was particularly distin
gu ished for his proficiency in these e xercis e s ( and indeed f e ll a
martyr to his ambition as a soldi e r) — and the ge ntl e S urrey
was still more famous on the same accoun t j ust before him
, , .

I t is tru e the general u se o f firearms gradually su p e rs e ded the

, IO

necessity of skill in the sword or bravery in the p e rson : and,

as a symptom of th e rapid degen e racy in this respect we find ,

Sir John S uckling soon after boasting of himself as o ne

W h o p ri e d b l ac k e y e s and a l u c ky hit
z ,

A t b o w l s ab ov e all t h e t r o p h i e s o f w i t
, .
”
1 5

I t was comparativ e ly an age of p e ac e ,

L i k e st r e n gth r e p o s i n g on his o wn ri gh t arm ;

bu t the sound of civil combat might still b e h e ard in the distance ,

the spear glittered to the e ye of m e mory or the clashing of ar ,

m o ur struck on th e imagination of the arden t and the young .

20

T hey were borderers on the savage st ate on th e ti m e s of war ,

and bigotry though in the lap of arts of luxury and knowledge

, , , .

Th ey stood on the shore and saw the billows rolling aft e r the
“ ”
storm : they heard the tumult and were still T he mann e rs
,
.

and out —o f door amu s e m e nts wer e mor e tinctur e d with a spiri t
-

of adventure and romance T he war with wild b e asts & c was

.
,
.
,

mor e strenuously k e pt u p in country sports I do not thi nk .

we could get from sed e ntary poets who had never mingl e d in ,

the vicissitud e s the dangers or e xcitements of the chase such

, , ,

d e scription s of hunting and oth e r athletic games as are to b e , 3O

’ ’ ’
found i n Shake spe ar s Midsummer N ight s Dream or F l e tcher s ,

N oble Kinsmen .
 78 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

Wi th r e sp e ct to the good cheer and hospitable living of thos e

times I cannot agree with an ingen ious and agreeabl e writ e r of
,

the pr e s e nt day that it was general or frequent

,
T he v e ry str e ss .

laid upon c e rtain holidays and festivals sh e ws that t h e y did not ,

5 k e e p u p the s am e S aturnalian lic e nce and op e n house all the

y e ar round T h e y r e s e rv e d th e ms e lv e s for gr e at occasions and
.
,

made th e b e st am e nds th e y could for a y e ar of abstinence and ,

toil by a we e k of m e rrim e n t and convivial indulg e nce P e rson s .

in middl e life at this day who can afford a good dinn e r ev e ry

,

10 day do not look forward to i t as any particular subj e ct of eq

,

t atio n t h e poor p e asant who can only contriv e to tr e at hims e lf

,

to a j oint of m e at on a S u nd ay consid e rs it as an e v e nt in the

,

w ee k S o in the O ld C ambridge com e dy of the R e t u rne from

.
,

P arnassus we fi nd this indignan t d e scription of the progr e ss of

,

I S luxury in thos e days put in to the mouth of one o f the sp e akers

, .

W hy i s t n o t s t r an g e t o s e e a r agg e d c l e r k e
’
,

S o m e s t am m e ll w e av e r o r s o m e b u t c h e r s s o n n e
’
, ,

T h at s c b b d a l at e w i t h i n a s l e e v e l e s s go wne
ru
’
,

W h e n t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t l i k e a m o rri c e d an c e
, ,

20 H at h p u t a b e l l o r t w o ab o u t h i s l e gg e s ,

C r e at e d h i m a sw e e t c l e an e g e n t l e m a n
H o w t h e n h e g i n s t o f o l l o w f as h i o n s
’
.

H e w h o s e t h i n s i r e d w e l t i n a sm o ky e r o o fe ,

M u s t tak e t ob ac c o and m u s t w e ar a l o c k e
, ,

H i t h i r st y dad d i n k e s i n a w o o d e n b o wl e
s r ,

B t h i s sw e e t s e lf is s e r v e d i n si l v e r p l at e
u .

H is h u n g r y s i r e w il l s c r a p e y o u t w e n t y l e gg e s
F o r o n e go o d C h r i s t m as m e al o n n e w y e ar s day ’
,

B t h is m aw e m u s t b e c a p o n c ram m d e a c h day
’ ”
u .

A ct I I I . S cene 2

“
3O T his do e s not lo o k as if in thos e d ays i t snowed o f meat
and drink as a m att e r of course throughout the year ! —T he
”
, ,

distinctions of dre ss th e badg e s of diffe r e nt prof e ssions the v e ry

, ,

signs of the shops which we hav e se t aside for written insc rip
,

tions ove r the doors w e r e as Mr L am b obs e rv e s a sort of

, ,
.
,

35 visibl e language to the imagination and hints for thought L ike , .

 8O S E L E CTI O N S F R O M H AZ LITT

no instanc e depart e d from it O u r situation has given us a c er .

tain cast of thought and character and our liberty has e nabl e d ,

u s to mak e the most o f it We are of a sti f f clay not mould e d

-
.
, ,

into e v e ry fashion with stubborn j oints not easily bent We are

,
.

slow to think and therefor e impression s do not work u pon u s

,

till t h e y act in mass e s We are not forward to expr e ss our f e e l

.

ings and th e r e fore they do n ot com e from u s till th e y forc e

,

their way in the most impetuous e loqu e nc e O u r language is .

,

as it were to b e gin anew an d we m ak e u se of the most singu

, ,

IO lar an d bold e st combination s to e xplain ourselv e s O u r wit .

”
comes from u s lik e birdlim e brains and all
,
We pay too littl e ,
.

attention to form and method l e av e our wo rks i n an unfinish e d ,

’
stat e b u t still the mat e rials we work i n are solid and of natu r e s
,

mint ; we do not deal in count e rfe its We both und e r and ov e r .

do but we ke e p an ey e to the prominent f e ature s the main

, ,

chance We are mor e for weight than S how ; care only about
.

what interests ourselves inst e ad of trying to impose u p o n ,

others by plausibl e appearances and are obstinat e and intrac ,

table in not conforming to common rul e s by which many arrive ,

20 at th e ir e n ds with half the r e al waste of thought and troubl e .

We neglect all bu t the principal obj e ct gath e r our forc e to ,

m ak e a great blow bring it down and relaps e into sluggishn e ss

, ,

and indiffe rence again M a i eria m s up era éai op u s cannot b e

.
,

s aid of us We may be accused of grossness but not of fl im si

.
,

ne ss ; of extravagance b u t not of a f f e ctation ; O f want of art an d

,

refinemen t bu t not of a want of truth and nature O u r lit e ra

,
.

ture in a word i s Gothic an d grotesqu e unequal and irregular ;

, ,

n o t cast in a pr e vious mould nor of one uni form texture bu t , ,

of great w e ight in the whole an d of incomparable value in the ,

3O best parts I t aims at an e xcess of b e auty or power hits or

.
,

misses and i s e ith e r v e ry good ind ee d or absolut e ly good for

, ,

n othing T his charact e r applies in particular to our lit e rature

.

in the age of Elizab e th which i s its b e st p e riod b e for e the in

, ,

t ro du c tio n O f a rag e for Fr e n ch rul e s an d F rench models ; for

 O N E LI ZA B E T H A N LIT E RAT U R E 8 1

W hatev e r may be th e valu e of our ow n original styl e of compo

sitio n th e r e can be n e ith e r o f fen c e nor presumption in saying
, ,

th at i t is at l e ast b e tter than our s e cond hand imitation s of

-

oth e rs O u r understanding ( such as i t is an d must remain to

.
,

b e good for any thing) is not a thoroughfar e for common plac e s ,

’
smooth as the palm of one s hand but full of knotty points and
,

j utting excre sc e nces rough un even overgrown with brambl e s ;

, , ,

and I lik e this asp ec t of the mind ( as som e o ne s aid of the coun
try) wh e re n atur e keeps a good d e al of the soil in her own
,

hands P e rhap s the g enius of our poetry has mor e of P an than

.

”
of A pollo ; b u t P an is a God A pollo i s no more !
,
 O N T H E PL E A S U R E O F P A I N T I N G

“
T h e re is a pl e asure in pain ting which n on e but paint e rs
’
know . I n writing you hav e to cont e n d with th e world ; in
,

painting you hav e only to carry on a fri e ndly strife with N atur e
,
.

Y ou sit down t o yo u r task and are h appy F rom the mom e nt,
.

that you tak e u p the p e ncil and look N ature in the face you , ,

are at p e ac e with your own h e art N O angry passio n s rise to .

disturb the sil e n t progr e ss o f the work to shak e the hand or , ,

dim th e brow : no irritabl e humours are se t afloat : you hav e no

absurd O pinions to combat no point to strain n o adversary to , ,

[ O crush no fool to annoy

,
you are actuat e d by f e ar or favour to
”
n o m an T h e r e is no j uggling h e r e no sophist ry no intrigu e
.
, , ,

no tampering with the e vid e nc e n o attempt to mak e black whit e , ,

or whit e black : bu t you r e sign yours e lf into the hands of a

gr e at e r pow e r that of N atur e with th e simplicity of a child and
, , ,

“
15 th e d e votion of an e nthusiast study with j oy h e r manner ,

”
and with rapture tast e h er styl e T h e mi n d is calm and full at .
,

t he sam e tim e T he hand and ey e are e qually e mploy e d

. In .

tracing t he common e st obj e ct a plan t or the s tu mp of a tr e e , ,

you l e arn som e thing ev e ry mom e nt Y ou p e rc e iv e un ex p e ct e d .

’O diff e r e nc e s and discover lik e n e ss e s wh e r e you looked for no su ch

,

thing Y ou t ry to set down what you see

. find out your error ,

an d corr e ct it Y ou ne e d not play tricks or purpose ly mistake :

.
,

with all y o u r pains you are still far short of the mark P atience
,
.

grows ou t of th e e ndl e ss pursuit and tu r ns it into a luxury A ,

.

25 str e ak in a flow e r a wrinkl e in a l e af a tinge in a cloud a stain

, , ,

in an old wall or ruin gr ey are s e iz e d with avidity as the spolia

,

op i m a of this sort of m e ntal warfare and furnish out labour for ,

another half day T he hours p ass away u ntold withou t chagrin

-
.
, ,

82
 84 S E L E CTI O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

th ewords convey n o distin ct meaning to the mind are mere idle ,

sounds e xc e pt that our vanity claims an i nt e r e st and prop e rty in

,

them I h av e mor e satisfaction in my own thoughts than in

.

dictating th e m to others : words are nece ssary to explain the

impr e ssion o f certain things u pon m e to the r e ad e r but they ,

rath e r w e ak e n and draw a v e il over than str e ngthen it to myself .

H owever I might say with the po e t M y mind to me a king ,

” “
dom i s y e t I have little ambition to se t a throne or chair of
,

”
state in the understandings o f other men T he ideas we cherish .

IO most e xist best in a kind of shadowy abstraction

, ,

P u re i n t h e la s t re c e s s e s of th e mind ;

an d d e rive n e i th e r force nor int e rest from b e ing e xp o s e d to pub

lic vi e w Th ey are old familiar acquaintance and any ch an ge
.
,

in th e m arising from the adv e ntitious ornam e nts of style or

,

dress is littl e to th e ir advantage A fter I h av e once written on

,
.

a subj e ct i t goes out of my mind : my feelings about i t have

,

be e n melted down into words and i lz em I forge t I hav e as it ,

.
,

w e r e discharge d my memory of its old habitual r e ckonin g an d

, ,

rubbed out the scor e of r e al sentim e nt F or the future it exists .

,
’

only for the sak e of oth e rs But I cannot say from my own ex
.
,

p e rie nc e t h at the sam e proc e ss tak e s place in tran sf e rring our

,

id e as to can vas ; th e y gain m o re than th e y los e in the m e c hani

cal tran sformation O ne is never tire d of painting because you
.
,

h av e to se t down not what you knew alr e ady but what you ,

hav e j ust discovere d I n the form e r case you translate f e elings

.
,

into words in the latt e r nam e s into things T here i s a contin ual
,
.

cr e ation out O f nothing going on With e v e ry stroke o f the .

brush a new fi e ld of inquiry is laid op e n ; ne w di ffi culties aris e

, ,

and new trium phs are prepar e d ov e r them By com paring the .

30 imitation with th e original you see what yo u have done and

, ,

how much you hav e still to do T he t e st of the senses is sev e re r

.

than that of fancy an d an o v e r match ev e n f o r the d e lusions of

,
-

our s e lf lov e O ne part of a picture sham e s anoth e r and you

-
.
,
 ON THE P LE A S U R E OF P AI NTI N G 85

determine to paint u p to yours elf i f you c anno t come up to na

,

tur e Every obj ect becomes lustrous from the light thrown back
.

u pon it by the mirror o f art : and by the aid o f the p e ncil we may
b e said to touch and handle the obj ects of sight T he air drawn .
-

visions that hover on the verge O f existence have a bodily pres

ence given th e m on the canvas : the form of b eau ty is changed
into substance the dream and the glory of the univ e rse is made
palpable to feeling as to sight — A nd s ee ! a rainbow starts
”
.

from the canvas wi th all its humid train of glory as i f it were

, ,

drawn from its cloudy arch in h e av e n T he S pangled landscap e .

” “
glitters with dro ps of dew after the shower T he fl e e c y fools .

S how their coats in the gl e am s o f the setting su n T he shepherds .

pipe their farewell notes i n the fresh evening air A nd is this .

bright vision m ade from a dead dull blank like a bubble refl ec t ,

ing the mighty fabric of the universe ? Who would think this
’
miracl e o f R u b ens s pencil possible to b e performed ? Who ,

having seen it woul d no t spend his life to do the like ? S ee how

,

the rich fallows the b ar e stubbl e fi eld the scanty harvest home
,
-
,
-
,

’
drag in R embrandt s landscapes ! H ow often have I looked at
“
th e m and natur e and tried to do the same till the v e ry light
, ,

”
thickened and th e re was an earthiness in the feeling of the
,

air ! T h e re is no end of the refinements of art and nature in

t his r e sp e ct O ne may look at the misty glimmering horizon
.

till the ey e dazzl e s and the imagination is lost in hop e s to ,

transfer the whole interminabl e expanse at o ne blow u pon the N

canvas Wilson said he u s e d to try to pain t the effe ct of the

.
,

motes dan cing in the setting sun A t another tim e a friend .

,

coming in to his paintin g room when he was sitting on the ground

-

i n a melan choly posture observ e d that his picture looked lik e a

,

landscap e aft e r a show e r he started u p with the gr e at e st delight ,

and said T h at is the e f fe ct I intend e d to produc e bu t thought

, ,

”
I had failed Wilson was neglected and by d e gr e es n egl e ct e d
.
, ,

his art to apply himself to brandy H is hand b e cam e un st e ady.

,

so that it was only by r e p e at e d att e m pts that h e could reach

 86 S E L E C TI O N S FRO M H A Z LI TT

th e pl ac e or pro duce the e f f e ct he aim e d at ; and wh e n he had

,

don e a littl e to a pict ur e he would say to any acquaintance who

,

“
chanc e d to drop in I h av e paint e d enough for o ne day : com e
, ,

’
le t u s go somewh e re I t was not so Claud e l e ft his pictures
'
7
.
,

o r his studi e s on th e banks of th e T ib e r to go in search O f other ,

e nj oyments or c e as e d to gaz e u p o n th e glittering sunny val e s

,

and distant hills ; and while his e y e drank in t he cl e ar sparkling

hu e s and lov e ly forms of natur e his hand stamp e d t h e m on ,

the lucid canvas to last th e r e for ev e r O ne o f the most de

[O lightful parts of my life was o ne fi n e summ e r wh e n I u s e d to ,

walk out of an e v e ning to catch t he last light of the sun gem ,

mi ng the gr ee n slop e s or russ e t lawns and gilding tower or ,

tr e e while the blu e sky gradually turning to purpl e and gold

, ,

or skirt e d with dusky gre y h u ng i ts broad marble pavement ,

ov e r all as w e se e it i n the great mast e r of I talian landscap e

,
.

But to c o m e to mor e particular e xplanation of the subj ect .

T he fi rSt h e ad I e v e r tri e d to paint was an O ld woman with

t h e upp e r part of the f ac e shad e d by h er bonn e t and I c e rtainly ,

labour e d it with gr e at p e rs e v e rance I t took m e numb e rl e ss sit.

’
O tings to do it I hav e it by m e still and so m e tim e s look at it
.
,

with surprise to think how m u ch pains w e r e thrown aw ay to

,

littl e purpose y e t no t altog e th e r in vain if i t taught m e to see

,

good in e v e ry thing and to know that th e r e is nothing vulgar in

,

nature s ee n with the ey e of sci e nce or of tru e art R efin e m e nt .

’
5 cre ate s b e auty e v e rywh e r e : i t is th e grossn e ss O f the sp e ctator
that discov e rs nothing but grossn e ss in the O bj e ct Be this as .

i t m ay I spare d no pains to do my b e st I f art was long I

,
.
,

thought that li fe was so too at that m o m e n t I got in the gen .

e ral e ff e ct t h e first day ; and pl e ased and surprised e no ug h I

3O was at my succ e ss T he r e st was a work of tim e — O f w e eks

.

and months ( if n e e d w e r e ) of patient toil and careful finishing .

I had s ee n an o ld h e ad by R e mbrandt at Burl e igh Hous e and if -

I c o uld produc e a h e ad at all lik e R e mbrandt in a y e ar in my ,

life tim e i t would b e glory and f e lici ty and w e alth and fam e
,
 88 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

1
have gone on wi t h it to the present hour I u s e d to se t it on .

’
the gr o u nd wh e n my day s work was done and saw revealed to ,

m e with swimming eyes the birth of new hopes and O f a new ,

world of obj ects T he painter thus learns to look at natur e with

.

differe nt e yes H e before saw her as in a glass darkly b u t

.
,

”
now face to face H e understands the texture and meaning
.

”
of the V isible univ e rse and sees into the life of things not , ,

by the help of mechanical instruments but of the improved ,

exercise of his faculties and an intimate sympathy with n ature ,

.

IO T he meanest thing is not lost u pon him f or he looks at i t with ,

an eye to itself not merely to his own vanity or interest or the

, ,

O pinion of the world Even where th e r e is neither beauty nor

.

use — if that ever were — still t h e r e is truth and a su f ficient ,

source o f gratification in the indulgence of curiosity and activity

of mind T he humblest painter is a t ru e scholar ; and the b e st
.

of scholars — the scholar of nature F or myself and for the .

,

real comfort and satisfaction of the thing I had r ath e r have been ,

Jan S teen ,or G e r ard Dow than the greatest casuist or philologer ,

th at ever lived T he painter does not V iew things in clouds or

.

”
mis t the common gloss of theologians but applies the same
, ,

standard of truth and disinterested S pirit of inquiry that influence ,

his daily practice to other subj e cts H e p e rceives form he dis .

,

t ingu ishes character H e reads men and books with an intuitive

.

ey e H e is a cr
. itic as well as a connoisseur T he conclusions .

he draws are clear and convincing because they are taken from ,

the things themselves H e is not a fanatic a dup e or a slave : .

, ,

for the habit of seeing for himself also disposes him to j udge
for hims e lf T he most sen sible m en I know ( taken as a class)
.

are paint e rs ; that is they are the most liv e ly observers of what
,

passes in the world about them and the closest obs e rvers of ,

what passes in their own minds F rom their profession th ey in .

1 is t pre s e n t c ov r d wi th a th ick sl ou gh f o il and varnis h ( th e p rish

It a e e o e

abl v h icl f t h E nglis h sc h oo l ) lik an n v l o p of go ld b at rs skin s o a ’

e e e o e e e e e -
e e s
, ,

t b h rd l y v isi b l
o e a e .
 ON THE P LE A S U R E OF PA I N T I N G 89

general mix more with the world th an authors ; and i f t h e y

have not the s am e fund o f acquired knowledge are oblige d to ,

rely more on individ u al sagacity I might mention the names .

of O pie F u seli N o rthc o te as persons distinguish e d for st rik ing

, , ,

1
descri ption and acquaintanc e with the subtle traits of charact e r .
5
P ainters in ordinary society or in obscure situations where their ,

value is not known and they are treat e d with neglect and indif,

ference have sometimes a forward self su ffi c ie nc y o f manner :

,
-

but this is not so much their fault as that of others P erhaps .

their want of r e gu lar education may also be in fault in such 10

cas e s R ichardson who is v e ry tenacious of the respect in which

.
,

the profession ought to b e held tells a sto ry O f M ichael A ngelo , ,

“
th at after a quarrel between him and P ope J uliu s I I u pon .

accoun t of a slight the artist conceived the pontiff had pu t Upon

himM ichael A ngelo was introduc e d by a bishop who thinking
, , ,
1 5
to serve the ar tist by it mad e it an ar gu men t that the P ope ,

should b e reconciled to him because m en o f his profession were ,

commonly ignorant and O f no consequenc e otherwise : his holi ,

ness enraged at the bishop struck him with hi s sta f f and told
, , ,

him i t was he that was the blockhead an d affronted the man

, ,
20

himself would not offen d ; the pre late was driv e n ou t of the
’
chamber and Michael A ngelo had the P ope s benediction ac
,

com pani e d with pres e nts T his bishop had fallen into the vul .

”
gar error and was r e b u k e d accordingly
, .

Besides the ex e rcise o f the mind painting exercises the body ,

. 2 5
I t is a mechanical as well as a liberal art T o do an ything to .
,

dig a hole i n the ground to plant a cabbage to hi t a mark , , ,

to move a shuttle to work a patt e rn — in a word to attempt

, , ,

’
to produce a y e ffect a d to s ee e has something in i t that
n n u e a , ,

1 M en in b u sin ss w ho a e answ rabl wi th th ir fo r tu n s fo r t he c n

e ,
r e e e e o se

q n
ue c esof th ir o pin i o ns and
e t h r fo r acc u s t om d t
,
are sc rt in pr tty acc u
e e e e o a e a e

t ly t h
ra e gr ou nds o n wh ic h th y a t b fo r th y c omm i t t h m s lv s o n th
e e c ,
e e e e e e e

ev n t
e ,
of t n m n f m a k b ly q u ick nd s ou nd j u dg m n t s Art is t s in l ik
are e e o re r a a e . e

m nn r mu s t kn o w t o l rably w ll w h at t h y e b ou t b fo r t h y an brin g th
a e e e e ar a ,
e e e c e

r e s u l t of th ir o bs e rvat i o ns t o th e te s t of o c u l ar d mo n st rati on
e e .
 9 O S E L E C TI O N S F R OM H A Z LI TT

gratifie s the lov e of pow e r and carri e s o ff the r e stl e ss activity

,

of th e mind of man I ndol e nce is a delightful but distre ssin g

.

stat e : we must b e doing something to b e happy A ction is no

’

less n e c e ssary than thought to the instinctiv e tend e nci e s of th e

1
5 human fram e ; and painting combin e s th e m b o t h inc e ssantly .

T h e h and furnish e s a practical t e st of t he corr e ctn e ss o f the

e e ; and t h e e e t h u s admonish e d impos e s fresh tasks of skill
y y ,

and industry u pon the hand Every stroke t e lls as the v e rify .
,
!

ing of a new truth ; and e very ne w obs e rvation th e instan t it is ,

IO mad e pass e s into an ac t and emanation of the will Every st e p

,
.

is n e ar e r what we wish and y e t th e r e i s always mor e to do I n

,
.

S pite of the facility the fluttering grace th e e vanesc e nt hu e s

, , ,

that play r o u n d th e p e ncil of R u b e n s and V andyk e how e v e r I ,

m ay admir e I do not e nvy th e m this pow e r so much as I do

,

1 5 th e slow pati e nt laborious e x e cuti on of C orr e ggio L e onardo

, , ,

da V inci and A ndr e a de l S arto where e v e ry to uch app e ars

, ,

conscious of its charge emulous of truth and wh e r e the painful

, ,

artist has so distinctly wrought ,

T h at y o u m i gh t al m o s t sa
y h i s p i c t u r e t h o ugh t !

one cas e the colours s e em e d br e ath e d on the canvas

I n th e ,

as if by magic th e work an d the wond e r of a mom e nt : in the

,

other th ey s ee m inlaid in the body of the work and as if it

, ,

took the artist years of unr emitting labour and O f d e lightful ,

2
n e v e r ending progr e ss to p e rf e ction Who would wish ev e r to
-
.

c o m e to the clos e of such works — not to dw e ll on them to , ,

r e turn to th e m to be w e dd e d to them to the last ? R ubens

, ,

with his florid rapid styl e complained t h at wh e n he had j ust

, ,

learn e d his art he should b e force d to die L e onardo in th e

,
.
,

slow advanc e s O f his had liv e d long enough ! ,

1 T hef amou s S c h ill e r u s e d t o say t h at h e fou nd th e gre at h appin e ss of l i fe

, ,

af t e r all t o c o nsis t in t h e disc h arg e of s om e m e c h an ic al d u t y

,
.

2 T h e ric h im
p fl ng of Ti t i an an d G i o rgi o n e c om bin e s s om e th ing of t he
as

ad van t ag e s of b o t h t h e s e s t y l e s t h e f e l ici t y of t h e o n e wi t h t h e c ar e fu ln e ss of t he
,

o th e r and is p e rh aps to b e pre f e rr e d t o e i th e r

,
.
 92 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

and I set to work to finish it d e termin e d to spar e no t im e nor

,

pains M y fath e r was willing to sit as long as I pl e as e d ; for

.

’
the r e is a natural d e sir e in the mind o f man to sit for on e s
’
picture to b e the O bj ect o f continu e d attention to h av e on e s
, ,

lik e ness multiplied ; and besid e s his satisfaction in the pictur e ,

h e had som e pride in the artist though h e would rath e r I should

,

h av e written a sermon than painted lik e R e mbrandt or lik e

R apha e l T hose wint e r days with the gl e ams of sunshine com
.
,

ing through the chap e l windows and ch e er e d by the note s of

-
,

I O the robin r e dbr e ast in our gard e n

-
( that ev e r in the h au n ch of
wint e r sings — as my afte rnoon s work drew to a clos e ’
,

were among the happi e st of my life When I gave the effect I .

int end e d to any part O f the picture for which I had pre p are d
my colours when I imitated the roughness of the skin by a
,

I S lucky stroke of the pencil wh e n I hit the cl e ar p e arly ton e of

,

a v e in wh e n I ga ve the ruddy compl e xion of h e alth the blood

, ,

circulating und e r the broad shadows o f o ne sid e of the fac e I ,

thought my fortun e made ; or rather it was already more than

made in my fancying that I might o ne day b e abl e to say with
,

”
Correggio I also a m a pa i nter !
,
I t was an idle thought a ,

’
boy s conceit ; bu t it did no t m ak e m e less h appy at the time .

I us e d r e gularly to set my work in the chair to look at it through

th e long evenings ; and m any a time did I r e tu r n to tak e leav e

o f it before I could go to b e d at night I rem e mber s e nding i t .

with a throbbing h e art to the Exhibition and s e eing i t hung u p ,

th e r e by the sid e of o ne of the Honourable M r Ske ffi ngto n .

( now Si r G e org e) T here was nothing in common b e tw e e n

.

th e m b u t t h at t h e y were the portraits of two v e ry good n atured

,
-

m en I think but am not sure that I finish e d this portrait ( or

.
, ,

30 anoth e r aft e rwards) on the same day that the news of t he battle
of A ust e rlitz came ; I walked Ou t in the afternoon and as I , ,

’
r e turn e d saw t he e v e ning star se t over a poor man s cottage
,

wi th oth e r thoughts and fe e lings than I shall e v e r hav e again .

O h for the r e volution of th e gr e at P latonic y e ar t h at those tim e s ,

 ON THE P LE A S U R E O F PA I N T I N G 93

might come o v e r again I could sleep ou t the thre e hu ndr e d and

sixty fi ve thousand in t e rvening y e ars very con tentedly
-
T he
picture is left : the table the chair the window wh e re I learned
, ,

to construe L ivy the chapel where my fath e r pre ached r e m ai n

,

wher e t h e y w e re ; bu t he hims e lf is gone to rest full of years

, , 5
of faith of hop e an d charity !
, ,
 O N REA D I N G O LD B O O K S

I hate to read n e w books T h e re are twen ty or thirty volumes

.

that I have r ead ov e r and ov e r again and th e s e are the only ,

on e s that I have any d e sir e e v e r to read at all I t was a long .

time b e fore I could bring myself to sit down to the T ales of M y

’
L andlord b u t now th at author s works hav e m ad e a considerable
,

addition to my scanty library I am told that some of L ady .

’
Morgan s are good and hav e been recommend e d to look into
,

A nastasius ; but I have not yet v ent ur e d upon t h at task A .

l ady the oth e r day could not r e frain from expr e ssing her sur
, ,

[ O prise to a fri e nd who said he h ad b e en reading Delphine

,

she asked — I f i t had not b e e n publish e d som e tim e back ?

,

Wom e n j udge of books as they do of fashions or complexions ,

“ ”
which are admired only i n their new e st gloss T hat is not .

my way I am not o ne of thos e who trouble the circulating

.

1
5 libraries much or p e st e r th e books e ll e rs for mail coach copi e s
,
-

O f standard p e riodical publications I cannot say that I am .

greatly addicted to black letter but I profess myself well vers e d

-

in th e marbl e bindings of A ndr e w M illar in the middl e of the ,

’
last c e ntu ry nor do e s my tast e r e volt at Th u rlo e s S tate P ap e rs ,

’
0 in R ussia leath e r ; or an ampl e impr e ssion of S ir William
’
T e mpl e s Essays with a portrait after Sir Godfre y Knell e r in
,

front I do not think altogether the wors e of a book for having

.

surviv e d the author a ge neration or two I have mor e confid enc e .

in the d e ad than the living Conte mporary writ e rs may g e n e r

.

’ ’
ally b e divid e d into two class e s on e s fri e nds or on e s fo e s O f .

the first we are co m p e ll e d to think too well and of the last we ,

a re dispos e d to think too ill to rec e iv e much genuin e pleasure

,

from the perusal or to j udg e fairly of the merits o f either O ne

, .

94
 96 S E LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

conscious being T hey bind together the different scattered

.

divisions of our personal iden tity T h ey are land marks an d .

-

guides in our j ourney through life T h ey are pegs and loops o n

.

which we can hang up or from which we c an take down at

, ,

5 pleasure the wardrobe of a moral imagination the r e lics of our

, ,

b e st a f fections the tokens and records o f our happi e st hours

, .

Th ey are for thoughts and for remembranc e ! T h ey are like

F ortunatus s Wishing C ap — they give u s th e best rich e s
’
-

those of F ancy ; and transport u s not ov e r half the globe b u t

, ,

’
IO
( which is better ) over half our liv e s at a word s notice ! ,

M y fath e r S h an dy solaced hims el f with Bru sc am b ille Give .

m e for this purpose a volume of P eregrine P ickl e or T om Jones .

O p en either of them any wh e re — at the Memoirs of L ady V ane ,

o r the adventures at th e m asquerade with L ady Bellaston or ,

I S the disputes between T hwackum and Square or the escap e of ,

Molly S eag ri m or the incid e nt of S ophia and h e r muff or the

, ,

edifying prolixity of her aun t s l e cture — and there I find the

’

same delightful b u sy bustling scene as ever an d feel mys e lf

, , ,

the s am e as when I was first introduced into the midst of it .

20 N ay ,
sometim e s the sight O f an odd volume of these good old
English authors on a stall or the nam e lettered on the back
,

among others on the shelves of a library answers th e purpose , ,

reviv e s the whole train of id e as and sets th e pu ppets dallying

,
” “
.

Tw enty years are struck o ff the list and I am a child again A ,

.

s age philosoph e r who was not a very wise man said that he
, , ,

should like very w e ll to b e young again if he could take his ,

exp e rien ce along with him T his ing e nious person did not s ee m
.

to b e awar e by th e gravity of his r e mark that the gr e at advan

, ,

tage of b e ing young is to b e wi thou t this weight of exp e rience ,

3O which h e would fain place u p o n the shoulders o f y o u th and ,

which n e v e r c o m e s too late With years O h ! what a p rivilege .

’
to b e able to le t this hump like Christian s burthen drop from
, ,

’ ’
o ff on e s back ,
and transport on e s s e lf by the h e l p of a little
-
,

”
m u s ty duodecimo to the time when ignorance was bliss and
, ,
 ON R EA D I N G O L D B O O K S 97
’
wh e n we first got a p ee p at the rar e e show of the worl d through -
,

the glass of fiction gazi ng at m an kind as we do at wild b eas t s ,

i n a menagerie through the bars of their cage s — o r at curiosi

, ,

ti e s in a museum that we must not touch ! F or mys e lf not

, ,

only are the old ideas of the contents of the work brought b ack 5
to my mind i n all their vividn e ss but the old associations of ,

the fac e s and persons of those I then knew as t h ey w e re in ,

their li fe time — the plac e where I sat to r e ad the volume

-
,

th e day when I got it the feeling of the air the fields the sky
, , ,

— return an d all my early impressions with them

,
'

T his is . IO

better to m e — thos e plac e s those times those persons and , , ,

thos e fe e lings that com e across m e as I retrace the story and

devour the page are to m e better far than the we t S h ee ts O f the
,

last new nov e l from the Ballantyne pre ss to say nothing of the ,

M in erva press i n L e ade nhall street I t is like v isiting the scenes

-
. 1 5
’ “
o f early youth I think of the time wh e n I was in my fath e r s
.

”
house and my path ran down with butter and honey
,
wh en ,

I was a littl e thoughtless child and ha d n o other wish o r car e

, ,

bu t to con my daily task and be happy l — T om Jones I re , ,

m e mb e r was the first work that broke the spell I t c am e down

,
. 20

’
in n umb e rs onc e a fortnight in C ooke s pock e t e dition e mb e l
,
-
,

lishe d with cuts I had hitherto r e ad only in school books and

.
-
,

a tire som e e cclesiastical history ( with the exception of Mrs .

’
R adcli ffe s R oman ce o f the F orest) : but this had a di f fe r en t
” “
relish with it sw ee t in th e mouth though not bitte r in
, ,

”
t he b e lly. I t smacked of the world I liv e d in and in which I ,

”
was to live and shewed m e groups gay cr e ature s not of ,

” ” “
the element but of the earth ; not livin g in the clouds but
, ,

trav e lling the same road t h at I d id s o m e that had passed on

b e fore m e and others that might soon ov e rtake me M y heart
, .
3O
had palpitated at the thoughts o f a boarding school ball or -
,

gala day at M idsummer or Christmas : but the world I had

-

’
found out in Cooke s e dition of the British N ovelists was to
me a d ance through life a perpetual gala day T he six p e nn y
,
-
.
-
 98 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

numb e rs of this work regularly contriv e d to l e av e off j ust in the

middl e of a s e nt e nc e and in the nick of a story wh e r e T o m
, ,

Jon e s discov e rs S quar e behind the blanket ; or wh e r e P arson

A da m s in th e in e xtricabl e con fusion of e vents very undesign
, ,

e dl
y g e ts to b ed to Mrs S lip slop L e t m e caution the r e ad e r
-
. .

against this impression o f Jos e ph A ndrews ; for th e re is a pic

t u r e of F anny in it which h e should not set his h e art on lest he ,

should n e v e r m e e t with any thing lik e it ; or if he should it ,

would p e rhaps b e b e tte r for him that h e had not I t was j ust
, ,
.

lik e — l With what e age rn e ss I u s e d to look for ward

to the n e xt numb e r and op e n the prin ts ! A h ! n e v e r again
,

shall I f ee l the e n thusiastic d e light with which I gaz e d at the

figur e s and anticipat e d the story and adv e ntur e s of Major Bath
,

and Commodore T ru nnion of T rim and my Uncl e T oby of

, ,

Don Q uixote and S ancho and Dappl e of Gil Blas and Dam e ,

L ore nza S e phora o f L au r a and the fair L ucr e tia whos e lips
, ,

op en and shu t lik e buds of roses T o what nam e l e ss id e as did

.

th ey giv e rise — with what airy d e lights I fill e d u p the outlin e s

, ,

as I hung in sil e nc e ov e r the page L e t m e still r e cal them ,

20 that t h e y may br e ath e fresh life into m e an d that I m ay live ,

that birthday of thought and romantic pl e asure over again !

T alk of the idea l ! T his is the only tru e id e al — the h e av e nly
tints O f F an cy r e fl e ct e d in the bubbl e s that float u pon th e
spring tid e of human life
-
.

O h ! M e m o r y ! s h i e l d m e fr o m t h e w o rl d s p o o r s t rif e
’
,

A n d g i v e t h o s e s c e n e s t h i n e e v e rl as t i n g l if e !
T he paradox with which I se t out is I hope l e ss startling , ,

than i t was ; th e r e ader will by this tim e have b ee n le t into my

, ,

s e cr e t Much abou t the sam e tim e or I b e li e v e rath e r e arli e r

.
, ,

’
3O I took a particular satisfaction i n r e ading Chubb s T racts and I ,

ofte n think I wi l l ge t th e m again to wad e through T h e re is a .

h igh gust o o f p o le m ical divinity in th e m ; and you fancy that

o u h e ar a club o f S h o e m ak e rs at S alisbury d e bating a disputa
y ,

’
b le t e xt fr o m o n e of S t P aul s Epist le s i n a workmanlik e styl e
.
,
 1 00 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

’ ”
scattered like stray gifts o er the earth but sown thick o n the
-
,

page rich and rare I wish I had never read the Em iliu s or
,
.
,

r e ad it with l e ss im pli cit faith I h ad no occasion to pamper .

my n atural aversion to affectation or pret e nc e by romantic and ,

artificial means I had better have formed myself o n the model

.

of S ir F opling F lutter T here is a class o f p e rson s whose .

V irtu e s and most shining qualities sink in and are concealed by , ,

an absorbent ground of m o d e s ty and r e s e rv e ; and such a one

1
I do without vanity profess mys e lf N ow these are the v e ry
, ,
.

[O p e rsons who are likely to attach thems e lves to the character of

Em iliu s and of whom it is sure to be th e bane T his dull
, .
,

phlegmatic retiring humour is not in a fair way to be corrected

, ,

bu t confirmed and rendered desperat e by being in th at work ,

held up as an obj e ct of imitation as an e x ampl e of simpli city ,

and m agnanimi ty — b y coming upon u s with all the rec o m

m e ndatio ns of nov e l ty surpris e and superiority to the pr e j udices
, ,

of the world — b y being stuck upon a p e d e stal m ade amiable , ,

’
dazzling a e e ae dupe ! T he reli ance on solid worth which i t
,
l u rr

inculcat e s the pr e fe re nc e of sober tru th to gaudy tin sel h angs

, ,

20 lik e a mill stone round the neck of t he imagination

-
a load
to sink a navy impedes our progr e ss and blocks u p every
-
,

prospect in lif e A m an to ge t on to be succ e ssful conspicuous

.
, , , ,

applauded should not r e tire u pon the centre of his conscious

,

r e sources b u t b e always at the circumference of appearances

, .

’
5 H e must envelop hims e lf in a halo of mystery — h e must rid e
in an equi page of O pinion — h e must walk with a train of self
conceit following him — h e must not st rip himself to a buff
j e rkin to the doubl e t and hose o f his real merits but must
, ,

surround himself with a eori ege o f pr ej udic e s lik e the signs of ‘

,

O th e Z odiac — he must seem anything bu t what he is and th e n ,

he m ay pass for anything h e pleas e s T he world love to b e .

1 N e arl y t h e s am s e n t i m n t wa wi tt il y an d h appil y e xpre ss e d b y a f ri e nd

e e s ,

w h o h ad s om e l o tte ry p uff s w h ic h h h ad b e e n e m pl oy d t o w i te re t u rn e d o n
, e e r ,

h is h nds fo r th ir t gr at s v ri ty of th ou g h t and cl assic al te rs e n e ss of s ty l e

a e oo e e e ,

an d w h o o bs e rv d o n th at o cc asi o n t h at M o d e s t me ri t n eve r c an s u cce e d ! ”

e
,
 ON REA D I N G O L D B O O K S 101

a mus e d by hollow pro fe ssions to b e deceiv ed by flattering ,

app e arances to live in a state of hallucination ; and c an forgiv e

,

everything bu t the plai n downright sim pl e honest truth — such

, ,

as we see i t chalked ou t i n the character of Em iliu s To .

-

return from this digression which is a little ou t of place h e r e ,

.

Books have in a gr e at measure lost th e ir power ov e r m e ;

nor can I revive the s am e int e re st in them as fo rm e rly I pe r .

c e ive when a thing is good rather than feel it I t is true ,

.
,

M arc i an C o l o n n a i s a d ai n ty b o o k
’
and the reading of M r Keats s Eve of S t A gnes lately m ade m e
. .

regret t h at I was not y o u ng again T he b e autiful and t end e r .

image s there conj ure d u p c o m e like shadows — so d e part

”
, .

” ’
T he tiger moth s wings which h e has spread ov e r his rich
-
,

p o e t ic blazonry j ust flit across my fancy ; the gorgeou s twilight

,

window which he has p ai nte d over again in his v e rs e to m e ,

“ ”
blushes almost in vain with blood of qu e e ns and kings .

I k no w how I should h av e fe l t at o ne t im e in r e ading such

passages ; and that is all T he sh arp luscious flavour the fi ne .
,

a ro m a is fl e d and no thing b u t t h e stalk the bran th e husk of

, , ,

lit e rature is left I f any one were to ask m e what I read now
‘

.
,
0
1

I might answ e r with my L ord H aml e t in the play Words ,

words words
,
”
What is the matter
.
? — “
N otlz ing l ” " “

T hey have scarce a m e aning But it was not always so T here . .

was a tim e wh e n to my thinking ev e ry word was a flow e r or a ,

pearl lik e thos e which dropp e d from the mouth o f the littl e
,
)»
l

p e asant girl in the F ai ry tale or like those that fall f rom the
-
,

great preacher in the C al e donian Chap e l I drank o f the stream

of knowl e dg e that t e mpted bu t did no t mock my lips as of the
'

, ,

riv e r of life fre e ly H ow eagerly I slak e d my thirs t of German

,
.

”
sentiment as the hart that pant e th for the water springs ;
,
-

how I bathed and rev e ll e d and added my floods of t e ars to ,

’ ’
G Oe the s S orrows of Werter and to S chill e r s R obb e rs ,

G iv i n g my st o c k o f m o r e t o t h at w h i c h h ad t o o much !
 1 02 S E LE CT I O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

’
I re ad and a ss e nt e d with all my soul to Coleridge s fine
,

S onn e t beginning
,

S c h i l l e r ! t h at h o u r I w ou l d h av e wish d t o die ’
,

I f t h r o ugh t h e s h u dd e ri n g m i d n i gh t I h ad se n t ,

F r o m t h e d ar k d u n g e o n o f t h e t o w r t i m e r e n t ’
-
,

T h at f e arf u l v o i c e a f am ish d fat h e r s c r y !

,
’ ’

I b e li e v e I m ay date my insight into th e myst e ri e s of po e try

from t he com m e nc e m e n t of my acquaintanc e with the authors
of the L yrical Ballads ; at l e ast my discrimination of th e higher
,

I O sorts — not my pr e dilection for such writ e rs as Goldsmith or

P op e : nor do I imagine th ey will say I got my liking for th e

N ov e lists or the comic writ e rs
,
for th e charact e rs of V al e ntin e
, ,

T attle or Miss P ru e from th e m I f so I m u s t have got from

, , .
,

th e m what th e y n e v e r had th e ms e lv e s I n points where po e tic .

I S diction an d conc e pt i on are conc e rn e d I m ay b e at a loss and , ,

liable to be im pos e d u pon : bu t in forming an e stimate of

passage s r e lating to common life and mann e rs I cannot think I ,

am a p lagiarist from any m an I there know my cue withou t

.

“
.

a prompt e r ”
I m ay say of such studi e s — [ nut s u i n enze I
.
‘
.

am j ust abl e to admire thos e lit e ral touch e s of obs e rvation and

d e scription Which p e rsons o f lofti e r pr e t e nsions ov e rlook and

,

d e spis e . think I com pr e h e nd som e thing of the characteristic

part of Shaks pe are ; and in him ind e e d all is charact e ristic e v e n , ,

the nonsen se and po e try I b e li e ve i t was the cel e brat e d S ir

.

'

2
5 H um phry D avy who used to say t h at S h ak s pe are was rath e r ,

a m e taphysician t h an a poet A t any rat e i t was not ill s aid I

.
,
.

wish that I had soon e r known t he dramatic writ e rs conte mpo

rary with S haks pe are ; for in looking th e m o v e r abou t a y e ar
ago I almost r e viv e d my O ld passion for r e ading and my O ld
, ,

30 d e light in b o oks though t h e y w e r e v e ry n e arly ne w to m e

,
.

T he P e riodical Essayists I r e ad long ago T he S p e ctator I .

lik e d e xtr e m e ly : but t he T atl e r took my fancy most I r e ad .

the oth e rs so o n aft e r t he R ambl e r th e A dv e ntur e r th e World

, , , ,

the C o nnoiss e ur : I was not sorry to ge t to the e nd o f th e m ,

 I O4 S E LE C T I O N S F R OM H AZ LITT

I hav e still ; and I still recoll e ct when I s ee the covers the , ,

pl e asure with w hich I dipp e d in to them as I return e d with my

double prize I was set u p for one while T hat t im e is past
'

. .

with all its giddy raptures but I am still anxious to pr e s e rve

”
5 its m e m o ry e mb alm e d with odours
,
With r e spect to the .

first of these works I would be permitted to remark h e r e in ,

passing that i t i s a su f fici e nt answer to the German criticism

,

which has since b e en start e d against the character of S atan

( viz that it is not o ne of disgusting d e formity or pur e defe cated
.
, ,

10 malice ) to say that Milton has there drawn not the abstract ,

principle of evil not a devil in carnate b u t a fall e n ange l T his

, , .

is the scriptural account and the po e t has follow e d it We may , .

safely retain such passages as that well known one -

f o r m h ad n o t y e t l o s t
H is
1
5 A l l h e r o ri g i n al b ri gh t n e s s ; n o r app e ar d ’

L e ss t h an arc h an g e l ru in d an d t h e e x c e ss ’

O f g l o r y o b sc u r d
’

“
for the theory which i s opposed to them ,
falls flat upon the ,

”
gru nse l e dge and shames i ts worshipp e rs
,
L e t us h e ar no .

>
0 more t h en of this monkish cant and bigot e d outcry for the ,

r e storation of the horns and tail of the d e vil A gain as to the ,

’
other work Burke s R efl e ction s I took a particular prid e and
, ,

pleasure in it and r e ad it to myself and others for months

,

aft e rwards I h ad re ason for my prej udice in favour of this

.

5 author T o understand an adversary is some prais e : to admire

.

him is more I thought I did both : I knew I did o ne F rom

. .

’
the first tim e I e v e r cast my e yes on any thing O f Burk e s ( which
was an e xtract from his L e tt e r to a N oble L ord in a thre e tim e s -

’
a week pap e r T he S t James s C hronicle in ,
I s aid to .
,

“
0 myself T his i s tru e eloquence : this is a man pouring out his
,

”
mind on paper A ll other style seem e d to m e pedantic an d
.

’
imp e rtinent D r Johnson s was walking on stilts ; and e v e n
. .

’
J u niu s s ( who was at that time a favourite with m e ) with all his
t e rseness shrunk up into little antithetic points and well trimmed
,
-
 ON R EA DI N G O L D B O O KS 1 05

’
sentences Bu t Burke s style was fork e d and playful as the
.

lightning crested lik e the s e rp e nt H e deliv e red plain things

,
.

on a plain ground ; but when he rose there was no end of his ,

flights and circumgyrations and in this v ery L etter he like , ,

an eagle in a dove cot fluttered nis V olscians

”
-
, ( t h e D u k e of
1 ” “
B e dford and the Earl of L auderdale) in C o rio li I did not .

c ar e for his doctrines I was then and am still proof against

.
, ,

their contagion ; but I admired the author and was considered ,

as not a very staunch partisan o f th e O pposite sid e though I ,

thought myself that an abstract pre po sitio n was on e thing — a

masterly transition a brilliant metaphor another I conceived
, ,
.

too th at he might b e wrong in his main argumen t and yet ,

deliver fifty truths in arriving at a false conclusion I remember .

Coleridge assuri ng me as a po e tical and political se t o ff to my

,
-

sceptic al admiration that Wo rds rth had written an Essay on

,

M arriage which for manly thought an d nervous expression he

, , ,

deemed incom parably superior A s I had not at th at time .

, ,

’
seen any specimens o f M r Wordsworth s prose style I could .
,

no t express my d o u b ts on the subj ect I f there are greater .

prose writers than B urk e , th ey either lie out of my cou rse of

- 2

study or are beyond my spher e of compr e hension I am too

,
.

old to be a convert to a new mythology o f ge nius T he niches .

are occupi e d the tab les are full I f s u ch is still my admiration

,
.

’
of this man s misappli e d pow e rs what must it have been at a ,

tim e when I myself was i n vain trying year afte r ye ar to write , ,

N

a sin g le Essay nay a single page or s e n tence when I regard e d

, ,

the wonders of his pen with the longing ey e s of one who was
dumb and a c hangeling ; and when to b e abl e to conv e y the ,

slightest conception of my meaning to others i n words was the ,

height of an almost hop e less ambition ! Bu t I nev e r measur e d

others exc e ll e nces by my own defects : th o ugh a sense of my
’

own incapacity and of the steep impassable ascent from m e

, ,

to them made m e regard th e m with gr e ater awe an d fondness

,
.

1 H e is t h e r e c all e d C i t iz e n L
“
au d e rd al e
”
I s t h is th e pr e s e n t E arl ?
.
 1 06 S E LE CT I O N S FRO M H A Z LI TT

I h av e thus run through most of my e arly studies and favourite

authors som e of whom I hav e sinc e criticis e d mor e at large
,
.

'

Wh e th e r those obser vations will surviv e m e I ne ithe r know nor ,

do I much car e : but to the works th e ms e lves worthy of all ,

”
acc e ptation and to the feelings t h ey have always e xcit e d in
,

m e sinc e I could distinguish a m e aning in languag e nothing ,

shall e ver pr e v e nt m e fro m looking back with gratitud e and

triumph T o hav e lived in th e cultivation of an intimacy wi t h
.

such works and to hav e familiarly r e lished such names i s not

, ,

I O to have lived quit e in vain .

T h e re are oth e r authors whom I have never read and yet ,

whom I hav e fre qu e ntly h ad a gr e at d e sir e to r e ad from some ,

circumstance r elating to th e m A mong th e s e is L ord C laren .

’
don s H istory of th e Grand R e b e llion aft e r which I have a ,

1 5 hank e ring from h e aring it spok e n of by good j udg e s — from

,

m y int e re st in the ev e nts and knowl e dg e of the characters ,

from other source s and from having s ee n fi ne portraits of most

,

of th e m I lik e to r e ad a w e ll p e nned character and Clar e ndon

.
-
,

is said to have be e n a mast e r in this way I should like to r e ad .

’ ’
20 F ro is sart s C hronicles Hollingsh e d and S tow e and F ull e r s
, ,

Worthi e s I intend whenev e r I can to r e ad Beaumont and

.
, ,

F l e tch e r all through T h e r e are fi f ty two of th e ir plays and I

.
-
,

have only r e ad a doz e n or fourt ee n of them A Wife for a .

Mon th and T hi e rry and T heo do re t are I am told delicious

‘

, , , , ,

and I can b e li e ve i t I s hould like to r e ad the sp e eches in

.

’
T hucydid e s and G u ic c iardini s H istory of F lorence and Don
, ,

Q uixot e in the original I have oft e n thought of r e ading the

.

L ov e s of Pe rsile s and S igismunda and th e Galat e a of the same ,

” “
author But I som e ho w reserve th e m like another Y arrow
. .

30 I should also lik e to r e ad the last new nov e l ( if I could b e sure

it was so ) of the author of Wav e rl ey : no one would b e more -

glad than I to fi nd it the best

 08
‘

1 S E L E CT I O N S FR O M H AZ LIT T

luxurian t t e eming with life and power ; or deck it with all the
,

pomp of art with temples and towers and mythologic groves

'

, , .

”
H is pictures denote a foregone conclusion H e applies natur e .

to his purposes works ou t her images according to the standard

,

of his thoughts e mbodies high fictions ; an d the first conception

,

being given all the rest s e ems to grow out of and b e assimilated
, ,
.

to it by the unfailing process of a studious imagination L ike

, .

his own O rion he overlooks the surrounding scene appears

, ,

“
to tak e u p the isles as a very little thing and to l ay the earth ,

”
IO in a balance With a laborious and mighty grasp h e pu t
.
,

nat u r e into the moul d O f the ideal and antique ; and was among

painters ( more than any one else) what Milton was among poets .

Th e r e is in both som e thing of the same p e d antry the same ,

sti f fness the sam e elevation the sam e grandeur the same
, , ,

mixtur e of art an d nature the s am e richness of borrowed ,

materials th e same unity of character N either the poet nor

,
.

the painter lowered the subj ects th e y tr e ated b u t filled up the ,

o utline in the fancy and add e d strength and reality to i t ; and

,

thus not only satisfied but surpass e d the expectations of the

,

20 spectator an d the r e ader T his i s held for the trium ph an d the

.

p e rfe ction of works of art T 0 give u s natur e such as we se e

.
,

it is w ell and deserving o f praise ; to give us nature such as

, ,

we have never s e en but h av e often wished to see it is better

, , ,

and d e s e rving of higher praise H e who can show the world .

25 in its firs t naked glo ry with the hues of fancy spread over it
, ,

or in its high and palmy state with the gravity o f history ,

stamped on the proud monum e nts of vanish e d empire — who , ,

”
by his so potent art can recal time past transport us to
, ,

distant places and j oin the regions of imagination ( a new con

,

30 quest) to thos e of reality who shows u s not only what nature

,

is but what she has b e en and is capable o f — he who does

, , ,

this an d do e s it with simplicity with tru th and grand e ur is

, , , ,

lord o f nature and he r powers and his mind is universal and ,

his art the master art ! -

 O N A LA N D S C A PE OF N I C O LA S P O U S S I N 1 09

“ ”
T here is no thing i n this mor e than natural if criticism ,

could b e persuaded to think so T he historic painter does n ot .

neglect or contravene nature bu t follows her mor e closely u p

,

into her fantastic heights or hidd e n recess e s H e demonstrates

,
.

wha t she would b e in conceivable circumstances and under , 5

impli e d co nditions H e giv e s to airy nothing a local habita
.

” ’
tion not a name
,
A t his touch words start up into imag e s
.
, ,

thoughts become things H e clothes a dr eam a phantom with

.
,

form an d colour and the whol e some attributes of reali ty Ali s

'

art is a second n ature ; no t a di f fe rent one T here are thos e .

, 1c

indeed who think that no t to copy nature i s the rul e for attain
, ,

ing pe rf e ction Bec aus e th ey canno t paint the obj e cts which
.

th ey have seen they fancy th e mselves qualified to paint the

,

ideas which th e y have not s e en But i t is possible to fail in this

.

latter an d m o r e di f ficult s tyle o f i mitation as well as in the , r:

f o rm e r humbler one T he detection it is true is no t so e asy

.
, , ,

because the o bj ects are not so nigh at hand to compar e and ,

th e r e fore there is mor e room both for fals e pretension and for
self d e ceit Th ey take an epic motto or subj ect and conclude
-
.
,

that the spirit i s impli e d as a thing of course T hey paint . 2c

infe rior portraits m audlin lifel e ss faces without ordina ry e x

, ,

pression or one look f e atur e or particl e of nature in th e m

, , , ,

and think that this i s to rise to the truth of history T h ey .

vulgaris e and d e grad e whate v e r is int e re sting o r sacred to th e

mind and suppos e that t h ey thu s add to the digni ty of t h e ir
,
2 :

profe ssion T hey r e pre sent a f ace that seems as if no thought

.

or feeling o f any ki nd had ever p ass e d through i t and would ,

have you beli e ve that thi s is the v e ry sublim e of expr e ssion ,

such as it would appear in h e ro e s or dem i— gods of old wh e n , ,

rapture o r agony was raised to its height T h e y sho w you .

3c
a landscape that looks as if the sun nev e r shon e upon i t and ,

tell y o u that it is not mod e rn — that so earth look e d wh e n

’
T itan first kissed it with his rays T his is no t t he tru e iaea l . .

I t is not to fill the moulds o f the imagination b u t to deface and ,

 1 10 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LI TT

inj ure th e m : i t is not to com e u p to but to fall short of the ,

poore st conc e ption i n the public mi n d S uch pictur e s should .

not b e h u ng in th e s am e room with that of O rion 1

.

P oussin was of all painters the most poetical H e was the

, ,
.

5 paint e r of id e as N o o ne ev e r told a story half so w e ll nor so

.
,

w e ll kn e w what was capable of b e ing told by the p e ncil He .

s e iz e d on and struck off with grac e and pr e cision j ust that point
, ,

’
of V i e w which would b e lik e ly to catch the r e ad e r s fancy T here .

is a significanc e a consciousn e ss in what e v e r h e do e s ( sometimes

,

[O a V ice but oft e n e r a virtue ) b eyond any other paint e r His Giants
,
.

sitting on the tops O f craggy mountains as huge thems e lves and , ,

’
playing idly on th e ir P an s pip e s s ee m to hav e b ee n s e at e d ther e
-

th e s e thr e e thousand y e ars and to know the beginning an d the ,

e nd of th e ir own story An infant Bacchus o r J upiter is big with

.

his future d e stiny Ev e n inanimat e and dumb thin gs sp eak a

.

language of th e ir own H is s nak e s t he messengers of fat e are

.
, ,

inspir e d with human int e ll e ct H is tre e s grow and e xpand th e ir .

leav e s in the air glad of t he rain proud of the sun awak e to

, , ,

Q
1 Ev e ry t h ing t e nds t o s h o w th e m ann e r in w h ic h a g r e at art is t is fo r m e d I f .

an y p e rs o n c ou l d cl ai m an e x e m p t i o n f r om t h e c ar e fu l i m i t at i o n of in divi dtial

o bj e c t s it was N ic o l as P ou ssin H e s t u di e d t h e an t iq u e b u t h e als o s t u di e d

,
.
,

n at u re I h ave of t e n ad m ire d say s V ignu e l de M arv ill e w h o kn e w h i m at a

.
,
”
,

l at e p e ri o d of h is li fe th e l ove h e h ad fo r h is a t O ld as h e was I f re q u e n t l y
,
“
r .
,

s aw h i m amo ng t h e r u ins of anci e n t R om e o t in t h e C am p agn a o r al o ng t h e ,

u ,

b anks of t h e T yb e r sk e tc h ing a sc e n e t h at h ad pl e as e d h i m and I of te n m et h i m

,

wi th h is h andk e rc h i e f fu ll of s t o n e s mo ss o r fl o w e rs w h ic h h e c arri e d h om e t h at
, , , ,

h e m ig h t c o p y t h e m e x ac t l y f r om n at u r e O n e day I ask e d h i m h o w h e h ad .

at tain e d t o s u c h a d e gr e e of p e r f e c t i o n as t o h av e g ain e d s o h ig h a r ank amo ng

,

t h e gr e at p ain t e rs of I t al y ? H e answ e r e d I H AV E N E G L E C T E D N O T H I N G ”
.
,

S ee l is Lif la t e /
z e y p b lishe d I t app e ars f r om t h is acc ou n t t h at h e h ad n o t f al l e n
u .

in t o a r e c e n t e rr o r t h at N at u re p u t s th e m an of g e n i u s o u t As a c o n t ras t t o t h e
, .

fo r e g o ing d e scrip t i o n I m ig h t m e n t i o n t h at I r e m e m b e r an o ld g e n t l e m an o nc e
, ,

asking M r “lo s t in t h e B ri t is h G all ry i f h e h ad e v e r b e e n at A t h e ns ? T o w h ic h

. e ,

t h e Pr e sid e n t m ad e answ e r N o ; n o r d id h e f e e l an y gr e at d e sir e t o g o ; fo r t h at

,

h e t h ou g h t h e h ad as g oo d an id e a of t h e pl ac e f r om t h e C atalo gu e as h e c ou ld ,
'

ge t b y l i v ing th e r e fo r any n um b e r of y e ars W h at w ou ld h e h av e s aid i f any o n e .

,

h ad t o ld h i m h e c ou ld ge t as g oo d an id e a of t h e s u bj e c t of o ne of h is gr e at w o rks
,

f r om r e ad ing th e C atal o g u e of it a s f r om s e e ing th e pic tu r e i t s e l f ! Ye t the answe r

,

was c h ar ac te ris t ic of t h e g e n i u s of t h e p ain t e r .

 1 12 S E LE CT I O N S F R O M H A Z LI TT

are strictly v e rsed in the business in hand H is grotesque com .

position s in particular his Nymphs and F auns are superior ( at

, ,

l e ast as f ar as styl e is conc e rned ) e ven to those of R ubens T h e y

,
.

’
are tak e n more immediately out of fabulous history R u b e ns s .

5 S atyrs and Bacchantes have a mor e o vial and voluptuous asp e ct ,

are more dru nk with pleasure m o r e full O f animal spirits and

,

riotou s impulses they laugh and bound along

L e ap i n g l i k e w an t o n k i d s i n p l e asan t s p ri n g :
but thos e of P oussin have more of the int e ll e ctual part of the
[ O character and seem V icious on reflection and of set purpose
, ,
.

’ ’
R u b e ns s are noble S pecimens of a class ; P oussin s are allego r
ical abstractions of the s ame class with bodies less pamp e r e d , ,

b u t with minds more s e cr e tly d e prav e d T he Bacchanalian

.

gro ups of the F l e mish pain t e r were howev e r his masterpi e ces , ,

in composition Witness those prodigies of colour character

.
, ,

and e xpression at B lenheim I n the mor e chaste and refined

.

delin e ation of classic fabl e P o ussi n was without a rival R u b e ns

,
.
,

who was a match for him i n the wild and picturesqu e could not ,

pr e te nd to vie with the el e gance and puri ty of thought i n his

20 picture of A pollo giving a po e t a cup of wat e r to drink nor with ,

the gracefulness of d e sign in the figure of a nymph squ e ezing

th e j uice of a bunch of grapes from h er fi ng e rs ( a rosy wine

press) which falls into the mouth of a chubby infan t below But .
,

above all who shall c e lebrate in t e rms of fit praise his picture

, , ,

of the sh e ph e rds in the V al e of T e m pe going out in a fi ne morn

ing of the spring and coming to a tomb with this inscri ption
,

ET EG O I N A R C A D I A V I X I ! The eager curiosity of some th e ,

expression O f others who start back with fear and surpris e the ,

cl e ar breez e playing with the branches of the shadowing tr e es ,

“ ”
30 the vall e ys low wh e r e the mild zephyrs u se
, th e distant u n
, ,

int e rrupt e d sunny prospects S p e ak ( and for ever will sp e ak on )

,

1
of age s past to age s ye t to com e
1 P ou ssin h a r e p e t d t h is s u b
s a e
j c t mo r e t h an o nc an d app e ars t h av e r eve ll e d
e e, o

in its wi tc h ri s I h v b e fo re all u d d t it and m ay ag ain I t is h ard th at we

e e . a e e o ,
.
 ON A LA N D S C A P E O F N I C O LA S P O US S I N 1 1 3

P ictures a set of chosen images a stream of pleasant

are ,

thoughts passing through the mind I t is a luxury to have the .

walls of our rooms h u ng round wi th them and n o less so to have ,

such a gall e ry in the mind to con ov e r the relics of ancient art

,

bound u p within the book and volume of the br ai n unmix e d , 5

”
( if i t were possible) with baser matter ! A life passed among
pictures in the study and the love of art is a h appy n oiseless
, ,

dream : or rather it is to dream and to b e awak e at the same

,

“ ”
time ; for i t has all the sober c e rtaintv of waking bliss with ,

the romantic voluptuousness of a visionary and abstract e d being . 1

“
T hey are the bright consummate essences of things and he ,

who knows of these delights to taste and interpose t h e m o f t is ,

”
not unwise ! T he O rion which I hav e her e taken occasion ,

to descan t u pon is one of a collection of excellent pictures as

, ,

this coll ection is itself one of a series from the old mast e rs which ,
1

have for som e years back embrown e d the walls of the British
Gallery and enriched the public eye What hu e s ( thos e of natur e
,
.

m e llowed by tim e ) breathe around as we enter ! What forms are ,

there wov e n into the memory ! What looks which only th e

, ,

answering looks O f the spectator can express What int e ll e ctual 2

stor e s have b ee n yearly pour e d forth from the shrine of an ci e nt

art ! T he works are various bu t the nam e s the same — heaps ,

’
of R embrandts frowning from the d ark e ne d walls R u b e ns s glad ,

gorgeous groups T itians more rich and rar e C laud e s always

, ,

’
exquisite sometimes beyond compare Guido s endl e ss cloy
, ,
2

ing sweetn e ss the l e ar ni ng of P oussin and the Caracci and

, ,

R apha e l s princely m agnificen ce crown ing all We r e ad certain

’
,
.

letters and syllabl e s in the catalogu e and at the w e ll known ,

-

magic sound a miracle of skill and b eau ty starts to view O ne

,
.

’
might think th at o ne year s prodigal display o f such perfection 3
’
would exhaust the labours of o ne man s life ; but th e n e xt
year and the next to that we fi nd anoth e r harvest reap e d and
, ,

s hou ld n t b al l o w d t dw ll a oft n a
o e e o e s e s we pl as o n w h at d ligh t s u s wh en
e e e ,

t h in g s t h at a e dis g r
r b l re c u r s o oft n
a ee a
e e a
g ins t ou r wil l
a .
 1 1 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

g ath e r e d in to t he gr eat g ar ne r of art , by the s am e imm o rtal

h ands
O ld G en i u s t h e p o r t e r o f t h e m was ;
He l e tt e t h in , h e l e tt e t h o u t t o w e n d .

5 Th e ir w o rks s e e m e ndl e ss as th e ir r e p u tati o n — to b e m any as

t h e y are c o mpl e te — to mul tiply wi t h the d e sir e o f th e mi nd to
~

s ee m o r e and m o r e o f t h e m as i f t h e r e we r e a livi ng p o w e r in
the br e at h o f F am e and in the v e ry nam e s o f th e gr e at h e irs o f
,

gl o ry th e r e w e r e pr o p ag ati o n t o o 1 I t is s o m e thi n g to h av e
[O a c o ll e c t i o n o f t his s o r t t o c o u nt u p o n o nc e a y e ar ; to h av e o ne
—

l as t li nge r i ngl o o k y e t to c o m e P ic tu r e s are sc at te r e d lik e s tr ay

, .

gif ts t hr o u gh t he w o rld ; an d whil e th ey r e m ai n e ar th has ye t a ,

li ttl e gildi ng l e ft no t q u i te r u bb e d o ff dish o no ur e d and d ef ac e d

, , , .

Th e r e are pl e n ty o f s tand ard w o rks s till to b e f o u n d in this

c o u nt ry in th e c o ll e c ti o n s at Bl e nh e im at Bu rl e igh and in t h o s e
, , ,

b e l o ngi ng to M r A ng e rs te i n L o rd G r o sv e no r th e M arquis o f
.
, ,

S taffo rd and o th e rs t o k e e p u p t his t r e at to the l o v e rs o f art

, ,

f o r m any y e ars : and it is t he m o r e d e sir abl e to r e s e rv e a priv

il e ge d s anc tu ary o f this s o r t wh e r e the eye m ay d o te and the
, ,

’
20 h ear t tak e it s fill o f s u ch pic t u r e s as P o u ssi n s O ri o n si nc e the ,

L o u vr e is s tripp e d o f it s t ri u m ph ant sp o ils and si n c e he who , ,

c o ll e c te d it and w o r e it as a rich j ew el in his I ro n C r o w n the

, ,

h u nte r o f gre atne ss and o f gl o ry is hims elf a sh ad e l ,

 1 16 S E L E C TI O N S FRO M H AZ LITT

b o r n ; ye t n o o ne f e els any r e m o rs e o r r egr et o r re p u gnanc e

, , ,

in c o nte mpl ati ng t his l as t id e a I t is r at h e r a r e li e f and dis

.

bur th en i n g o f th e m i nd : it s ee m s t o h av e b e en h o lid ay tim e -

wi th us th en : we w e r e no t c all e d to app e ar u p o n the s t age

o f life to w e ar r o b e s o r t atte rs to l augh o r cry b e h o o te d
, , ,

’
o r appl au d e d ; we had l ai n p em u s all t his whil e s nu g o u t , ,

’
o f h arm s wa ; an d h ad sl e p t o u t o u r t h o u s ands o f c ent uri e s
y
with o ut w anti ng to b e w ak e d u p ; at p e ac e and free fr o m
c ar e ih a l o ng no nage in a sl e e p d ee p e r and c alm e r th an
'

, ,

[ 0 t h at o f i n f ancy wr app e d in th e s o f te st and fi ne s t d u s t

,
A nd .

t he w o rst t h at we dr e ad is af te r a sh o r t fr e t f u l f e v e rish b e i ng
, , , ,

af te r v ai n h o p e s and idl e fe ars to si nk t o fi n al r e p o s e ag ai n

, , ,

and fo rg e t th e t r o u bl e d dr e am o f lif e ! Ye arm e d m en ,

k n igh t s t empl ars t h at sl ee p in the s to ne aisl e s o f th at o ld

,

I S T e mpl e ch u rch wh er e all is sil ent ab o v e and wh e r e a d e ep e r

, ,

sil e nc e r e ig ns b e l o w ( n o t bro k en by th e p eali ng o rgan) are ye ,

n o t c o nt e n te d whe r e ye lie ? O r w o u ld yo u c o m e o u t o f y o u r
l o ng h o m e s to go to the H o ly War ? O r do y e c o mpl ai n th at
p ai n no l o nge r visi ts y o u th at sick ne ss has d o ne its w o rst
, ,

20 th at y o u h av e p aid th e l ast d e bt t o nat ur e t h at yo u h e ar n o ,

’
m o re o f the t hick e ni ng ph al anx o f the f o e o r y o ur l ady s wan ,

ing l o v e ; and t h at w hil e t his b all o f e ar t h r o lls its e te r nal

r o u nd no s o u nd sh all e v e r pi e rc e t hr o u gh to dis turb y o u r l ast
,

ing r e p o s e fix e d as th e m arbl e o v e r y o ur t o mbs br e athl e ss as

, ,

the gr av e t h at h o lds yo u ! A nd t h o u o h ! th o u to wh o m my
, ,

h e ar t tu r n s and w ill t u rn whil e i t has f eeli ng l e f t who didst

, ,

l o v e in v ai n and wh o s e firs t was thy l as t sigh w il t no t t h o u to o

, ,

r e s t in p e ac e ( o r w il t t h o u cry to m e c o mpl ai ni ng fr o m thy cl ay ~

c o ld b ed) wh e n th at sad h e ar t is no l o nge r sad and t h at s o rr o w ,

30 is d e ad which th o u we r t o nly c all e d i n to the wo rld to fee l !

I t is c e r tai n th at th e re is no thi ng in t he id e a o f a pre exis te nt -

s tate th at e xci te s o u r l o ngi ng lik e the pr o sp e c t o f a p o s thum o u s

e xis te nc e We are s atisfi e d to h av e b egu n life wh e n we did ;
.

we h av e no ambiti o n to h av e se t o u t o n o u r j o u r ney s o o ne r ;
 The w ars w e w e l l r e m e m b e r o f K i n g N i n e ,

o ld A ss ar ac u s an d I nac h u s d iv i n e
”
Of .

N e i th e r h av e we any wish : we are c o nt en t ed to r e ad o f th e m 5

in s to ry and to s tand and g az e at th e v as t se a o f tim e t h at
,

s e p arat e s u s fro m t h e m I t was e arly d ays t h e n : the w o rld

.

was no t well a ired e no ugh f o r us : we h av e no i ncli nati o n to

-

h av e b een up and s tirri ng We do no t c o nsid e r the six t h o u

.

s and y e ars o f th e w o rld b e fo r e we w e r e b o rn as so much tim e

l o s t to us : we are p e rfe c tly i ndi f fer e nt ab o u t the m atte r We .

do n o t gri e v e and l am e nt t h at we did no t h app e n t o b e in t im e

to s e e the gr an d m ask and p ag e an t o f hum an life g o i ng o n in

all th at p e ri o d ; th o u gh we are m o r tifi e d at b e i ng o blige d to

q u i t o u r st and b e f o r e th e r e st o f the pr o c e ssi o n p ass e s .

I t m ay b e sugg e s te d in e xpl an ati o n o f this diffe r e nc e th at we ,

k no w f ro m vario u s r e c o rds and t r adi ti o ns wh at h app ene d in th e

'

tim e o f Qu ee n A nne o r e v e n in the r e ig n s o f the A ssyri an

,

m o narchs : b u t th at we h av e no m e an s o f asc e rt ai ni ng wh at is
to h app en h e r e aft e r bu t by aw ai ti ng the e v e n t and th at o u r 2 ,

e ag e r ne ss and curi o sity are sh arp e ne d in pr o p o r t i o n as we are

in th e d ark ab o u t it T his is no t at all the c as e ; f o r at t h at

.

r at e we sh o uld b e c o nst antly wishi ng to m ak e a v o y age o f

disc o v e ry to G r ee nl an d o r to th e M o o n ne i t h e r o f w hich we ,

h av e in g en e ral the l e as t d e sir e to do N e i th e r in tru th h av e N

, ,
.
, ,

we any p ar ticul ar s o lici tu d e to pry i nto th e s e cr e ts o f f u turi ty ,

bu t as a pr e te x t f o r pr o l o ngi ng o u r o wn e xi s te nc e I t is no t so .

m uch t h at we c ar e to b e aliv e a hu ndr e d o r a th o us an d y ears

h e n c e any m o r e th an to h a v e b e e n aliv e a hu ndr e d o r a th o u
,

s and y ears ago : b u t the thi ng lie s h e r e t h at we w o u ld all o f u s 3 ,

wish the pr e s e nt m o m e nt to l as t f o r e v e r We w o u ld b e as we .

are and w o uld h av e the w o rld r e m ai n j u st as it i s to pl e as e u s

, ,
.

T he p r e s e nt eye c at c h e s th e p r e s e n t o bj e c t
 1 1 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

to h av e and to h o ld whil e it m ay ; and abh o rs o n any t e rms to , ,

h av e it t o r n fr o m us and no thi ng l e f t in its r o o m I t is the

l
,
.

p ang o f p ar ti ng the u nl o o si ng o u r grasp t he br e aki ng as u n d e r

, ,

s o m e s t ro ng t ie th e l e avi ng s o m e ch e rish e d purp o s e u nfulfill e d

, ,

t h at cr e ate s the r e pug nan c e t o go and m ak e s c al ami ty o f so ,

”
l o ng life as it o f ten is
,
.

Oh t h o u s t r o n g h e ar t !
T h e re s su c h c o v e n an t t w i x t t h e w o rl d an d t h e e
’ ’
a ,

T h ey re t o b r e ak
’
lo t h

T he l o v e o f life th e n i s an h abi tu al attachm e nt no t an abs tract

, , ,

’
pri n cipl e S imply to [26 d o e s no t c o nte n t m an s natu r al de
.
r

sir e : we l o ng to b e in a c e r tai n t im e pl ace and circu ms tan c e , ,

.

We w o uld m u ch r athe r b e no w o n t his b ank and sh o al o f tim e ”

, ,

t h an h av e o u r ch o ic e o f any f u tu r e p e ri o d t h an t ak e a slic e o f ,

fif ty o r six ty y ears o u t o f the M ill enn ium f o r i ns tanc e This , .

sh o ws th at o u r at tachm ent i s no t c o nfine d e i th e r to éez rzg o r to

'

well k ing ; bu t t h at we h av e an i nv e te r ate pr e j u dic e in f av o u r o f

-

o u r imm e di at e e xis te nc e s u ch as it is T he m o u ntai nee r will

,
.

no t l e av e his r o ck no r t he s av ag e his h u t ; ne i t h e r are we wil l

,

’
0 ing to giv e u p o u r pr e s e nt m o d e o f lif e wi t h all its adv antag e s ,

and dis adv an tage s f o r any o th e r th at c o uld b e s u bs t i tu t e d f o r

‘

it
. N o m an w o uld I t hi nk e xch ange his e xis ten c e wi t h any
, ,

o th e r m an h o w e v e r f o r tu nate
,
We h ad as li e f not [26 as not .
,

b e o u rs elves Th e r e are s o m e p e rs o ns o f t h at r e ach o f s o ul t h at

.

ZS t h ey w o u ld lik e t o liv e t wo hu ndr e d an d fif ty ye ars h e n c e to ,

se e t o wh at h e igh t o f e mpir e Am e ric a will h av e gro w n u p in

t h at p e ri o d o r wh e t h e r t he English c o ns ti tu ti o n will l as t so
,

l o ng Th e s e are p o i nt s b e y o nd m e Bu t I c o n fe ss I sh o u ld
. .

lik e to liv e to se e t he d o w nfall o f the Bo urb o n s Th at is a .

vi tal qu e s ti o n wi th m e ; and I sh o uld lik e it the b e t te r the ,

s o o ne r it h app e n s !
N o y o u ng m an e v e r thi nks h e sh all die H e m ay b e li e v e .

th at o th e rs wi ll o r ass e n t t o t he d o c tri ne t h at
, all m e n are

m o r tal as an abs t r ac t pr o p o si ti o n b u t he is f ar e no u gh fro m ,

 1 20 S E L E C TI O N S FRO M H AZ LITT

A s the tr e e falls so let it lie S h u t u p the b o o k and cl o s e the

, .

acc o u n t o nc e f o r all !

I t has b e e n t h o u gh t by s o m e t h at lif e is lik e th e e xpl o ri ng o f

a p ass ag e t h at gr o ws narr o w e r an d d ark e r th e f ar th e r we ad

v an ce wi th o ut a p o ssibili ty o f e v e r t ur n i ng b ack and wh e r e we

, ,

are s t ifl e d f o r w ant o f br e at h at l as t F o r mys e lf I do no t .

,

c o mpl ai n o f the great e r t hick ne ss o f the at m o sph e r e as I ap

1
pr o ach the narro w h o us e : I f el t it m o r e f o rm e rly wh en the , ,

id ea al o n e s eem e d to s u ppr e ss a th o us an d risi ng h o p e s and

[O w eigh e d u p o n the puls e s o f the bl o o d A t pre s en t I r ath e r f e el .

a thi nne ss and w ant o f supp o r t I s t re t ch o u t my h and to s o m e ,

o bj e ct an d fi nd no ne I am t o o much in a w o rld o f abs t r ac t i o n ;

,

the n ak e d m ap o f lif e is S pr e ad o u t b e fo r e m e and in th e e m p ,

tin e ss and d e s o l at i o n I s ee D eat h c o mi ng to m ee t m e I n my .

‘5 yo u t h I c o uld no t b e h o ld him f o r the cr o wd o f o bj e c t s and

f ee li ngs and H o p e s to o d alw ays b e tw een u s s ayi ng
,
N ev er ,

”
mi nd t h at o ld fell o w ! I f I had liv e d i n d e e d I sh o uld no t ,

c ar e to die Bu t I do no t lik e a c o ntr ac t o f pl e asur e br o k e n o ff

.

u n fulfill e d a m arri age wi th j o y u nc o ns u mm at e d a pr o mis e o f

, ,

’
0 h appi ne ss r e sci nd e d M y public and priv ate h o p e s h av e b een
.

l e ft a r u i n o r r e m ai n o nly to m o ck m e I w o u ld wish t h e m t o
,
.

b e re edifi ed I sh o uld lik e t o see s o m e pr o sp e c t o f g o o d to

-
.

m anki nd such as my life b egan wi th I sh o uld lik e to l e av e

,
.

s o m e s te rli ng w o rk b e hi nd m e I sh o uld lik e to h av e s o m e .

fri e ndly h an d to c o n sign m e to the gr av e O n th e s e c o n diti o ns .

I am r e ady if no t willi ng to d e p ar t I sh all th en wri te o n my

, ,
.

t o mb G R AT E FU L A N D C O N T EN T E D ! Bu t I h av e t h o u gh t and
Su ffe r e d to o m u ch to b e willi ng to h av e t h o u gh t and s u f fe r e d in
v ai n . I n l o o ki ng b ack it s o m e tim e s app e ars to m e as if I
,

h ad in a m anne r sl e p t o u t my lif e in a dr e am o r S h ad o w o n the

sid e o f the hill o f k no wl e dge wh er e I h av e f e d o n b o o ks , ,

t ic l ar h avi n g this f ee li n g in r e adi n g S chill e r s

I r e m e mb e r o nc e in p ar ’
1 u
, ,

D o n C arl o s wh e re th e r e is a de sc rip tio n o f d e ath in a d e g r e e t h at alm o s t

,
.
,

s t ifl e d m e .
 ON THE FE A R O F D E AT H 121

on th o ugh ts o n pict u re s and o nly h eard in h alf murmurs the

, ,
-

t rampli ng o f busy f ee t o r the no is e s o f th e t hr o n g b e l o w W ak e d

,
.

o u t o f this dim t wiligh t e xis te n c e and s tar tl e d wi t h the p assi ng

, ,

sc ene I h av e f e lt a wish to d e sc e nd to the w o rld o f re ali

,

ti e s and j o i n in the ch ase Bu t I f e ar t o o l ate and t h at I had

,
.
,

b e tte r r e tur n to my b o o kish chim e r as and i nd o l enc e o nc e m o r e !

Z m zetto [ m a d [ 6 do m ze at stu dza [ a m atem atzm I will t hi nk o f it
' '

. .
, ,

I t is no t w o nd erful t h at the c o nte mpl ati o n and fe ar o f d e ath

b e c o m e m o re f amili ar to us as we appr o ach ne ar e r to it : th at
life s ee ms to e b b with the de c ay o f bl o o d and yo u thf u l S piri ts ; 10

an d t h at as we fi nd e v e ry thi ng ab o u t us subj e ct to ch anc e an d

ch ange as o u r s tr e ng t h and b e auty die as o u r h o p e s and pas

, ,

si o n s o u r fri e nds and o u r af fe c ti o ns l e av e us we b e gi n by de

, ,

gr ee s to f ee l o u rs elv e s m o r tal !
I h av e ne v e r s ee n d eath but o n c e and th at was in an i nf ant ,
.

I t is y e ars ago Th e l o o k was c alm and pl acid and the f ac e

.
,

was fair and firm I t was as if a w ax en im ag e h ad b e en l aid

.

o u t in t h e c o ffi n and s tr e w e d wi t h i nno c e n t fl o w e rs
,
I t was n o t .

lik e d e ath but m o r e lik e an im age o f life ! N o bre ath m o v e d

,

t he lips n o puls e s t irr e d n o sight o r s o u n d w o uld e nt e r t h o s e

, ,
2C

ey e s o r e ars m o r e Whil e I l o o k e d at it I s aw no p ai n was

.
,

t h e r e ; it s ee m e d to smil e at th e sh o rt p an g o f lif e which was

o v e r : b u t I c o u ld no t b e ar the c o ffi n lid to b e cl o s e d it s ee m ed -

to s t ifl e m e ; and s t ill as t he n e t tl e s w av e in a c o r ne r o f t he

churchy ard o v e r his li ttl e gr av e the w e lc o m e breez e h e lps to ,

re fr esh m e and e as e the tight ne ss at my br e ast !

,

’
A n iv o ry o r m arbl e im ag e lik e C h an try s m o num ent o f the ,

two childre n is c o n t e m pl ate d with pur e d e ligh t

,
Why do we .

n o t gri e v e and fr e t th at th e m arbl e is no t aliv e o r f ancy th at it ,

h as a sh o r tne ss o f br e ath ? I t ne v e r was aliv e ; and it is the 3C

di f ficulty o f m aki ng the t r ansi ti o n fr o m li fe to d e ath the s t r u ggl e ,

b e t w e en the two in o u r im agi nat i o n t h at c o nfo u n ds th eir pr o p ,

e rt ie s p ai n fully t o g e t h e r and m ak e s u s c o n c e iv e t h at t he i nf an t
,

t h at is b u t j u st d e ad still w ants to br e ath e t o e nj o y and l o o k

, , ,
 1 22 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

b
a out it , and is pr e v e nte d by t he icy h an d o f d e ath l o cki ng u p ,

its f ac u l ti e s and b en u mbi ng its s en s e s ; so t h at if it c o uld it , ,

w o uld c o mpl ai n o f its o wn h ard s tate P e rh aps r e ligi o us c o n .

sid e r ati o ns r e c o n cil e th e mi n d to this ch ange s o o ne r t h an any

o th e rs by r e pr e s e n t i ng t h e spiri t as fle d to ano t h e r sph e r e and
, ,

l e avi ng th e b o dy b e hi nd it S o in r efl e c ti ng o n d e at h g e ne r ally
.
,

we mix u p th e id e a o f lif e w i th it an d t h u s m ak e it the gh as tly

,

m o ns te r it is We t hi nk h o w we sh o u ld fe e l no t ho w the d ead
.
,

f ee l.

S t i l l f r o m t h e t o mb t h e v o i c e o f n at u r e c ri e s ;
Ev e n i n our a sh e s l iv e t h e i r w o n t e d fi r e s
’
Th e re is an a dmir abl e p ass ag e o n t his s u bj e c t in T U C K ER S
n fi t f
o N a t u re P u rs u ed which I sh all t r an scrib e as by much
, ,

th e b e s t ill u s t r ati o n I c an o ff e r o f it .

‘5 T he m e l an ch o ly app ear anc e o f a lif e l e ss b o dy th e m ansi o n ,

pr o vid e d f o r it t o i nh abi t d ark c o ld cl o s e and s o li tary are

, , , ,

S h o cki ng to t he im agi nat i o n ; b u t it is t o th e im agi nat i o n o nly ,

no t th e u n d e rs t an di n g ; f o r wh o e v e r c o n s u l t s t his f ac u l ty will

see at firs t gl an c e th at t h e r e is n o t hi n g dism al in all t h e s e cir

,

’O c u m st an c es : if th e c o rps e w e r e k e p t w r app e d u p in a w arm

b ed w i th a r o as ti n g fi re in the ch amb e r it w o u ld f e e l no c o m
, ,

f o rtab le w arm t h t h e r e fr o m ; w e r e s to r e o f tap e rs ligh te d up as

s o o n as day S hu t s in it w o u ld se e no o bj e c t s to div e r t it ; w e r e
,

it l e f t at l arg e it w o u ld h av e no lib e r ty n o r if s u rr o u nd e d wi th
,

c o mp any w o u ld b e ch e e r e d t h e r e by ; ne i th e r are the dis to r te d

fe atu re s e xpr e ssi o n s o f p ai n u ne asi ne ss o r dis tr e ss This e v e ry
, , .

o ne k no ws and will r e adily all o w up o n b e i ng sugg e s te d e t s till

, y ,

c anno t b e h o ld no r e v e n c as t a t h o u gh t u p o n th o s e o bj e c t s wi th
,

o u t sh u dd e ri n g ; f o r k no w i ng t h at a livi ng p e rs o n m u s t s u ffe r

30 gri e v o u sly u n d e r s u ch app e ar anc e s th e y b e c o m e h abi tu ally f o r

,

m idab le to th e mi n d and s trik e a m e ch anic al h o rr o r w hich is

, ,

”
i ncr e as e d by the c u s to ms o f the w o rld ar o u nd u s .

Th e r e i s u su ally o ne p ang add e d v o l u ntarily and u nn e ce ss arily

t o th e f e ar o f d e ath by o u r affe c ti ng t o c o m p assi o nat e th e l o ss
,
 r2 4 SE L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and, a te f r its sh o rt dat e th ey h ardly l eav e a nam e b e hi nd t h e m

,
.

’
A gr e at m an s m e m o ry m ay at the co mm o n r ate surviv e him , ,

”
h alf a ye ar H is h e irs and succ e ss o rs tak e his ti t le s his p o we r
.
, ,

and his w e al th all t h at m ad e him c o nsid e r abl e o r c o ur te d by

a
o th e rs ; and h e h as l e ft no t hi ng e ls e b e hi nd him e i t h e r t o d e light

o r b e ne fit the w o rld P o s te ri ty are no t by any m eans so disin

.

t e re ste d as th e y are supp o s e d to b e Th e y giv e t h e ir gratitud e .

an d admir ati o n o n ly in r e tur n f o r b e ne fits c o n fe rr e d Th ey .

ch e rish the m e m o ry o f th o s e to wh o m t h ey are i nd e bt e d f o r

(O i nstruc ti o n and d eligh t ; and th ey ch e ri sh it j ust in pro p o rti o n
t o the i n s t ructi o n and d e light t h ey are c o nsci o us t h ey r e c e iv e .

T he s e ntim e n t o f admir at i o n S pri ngs imm e di ate ly fro m this

1
gro u nd and c anno t b e o t h e rwis e t h an w e ll f o u nd e d
,
.

T he e f f e mi nate cli ngi ng to life as such as a g ener al o r abstract ,

id e a is the ef fe ct o f a highly civilis e d and artifici al s tate o f so

,

c ie ty . M e n fo rm e rly plu ng e d i nt o all the vicissi t ud e s and dan

ge rs o f war o r st ak e d th e ir all up o n a si ngl e die o r s o m e o ne
, ,

p assi o n which if th e y c o uld no t h av e gr atifi ed life b e c am e a

, ,

bur th en to th e m — no w o u r s tr o nge st p assi o n is to thi nk o u r chi e f ,

20 amus e m ent is t o r e ad n ew pl ays n ew p o e ms n e w no v e ls and , , ,

' ’

this we m ay do at o u r l e is u r e in p e rf e ct s e curity ad z nfi m tu m
, ,
.

I f we l o o k i nt o the o ld his to ri e s and r o m anc e s b e fo r e the éeller ,

Zefl res ne u tr alis e d hum an aff airs and r e duc e d p assi o n to a st at e

o f m e ntal e q u iv o c at i o n we fi nd th e h e r o e s and h e r o i ne s n o t se t
,

’ ”
t i ng th e ir liv e s at a pi n s f e e b u t r ath e r c o urti ng O pp o rtu ni ti e s
,

o f t hr o wi ng th e m aw ay in v e ry w an t o nne ss o f spi ri t T h ey r ais e .

th eir fo nd ne ss f o r s o m e fav o uri te pursuit to its h eight to a ,

pitch o f m ad ne ss and thi nk no pric e to o d ear to pay f o r its full

,

1 I t h as b e e n s al to rais e a v e ry nj s t cl am o r ag ai nst the e no rm o s s al a

u u u u u u

ri e s o f p blic si ng rs ac to rs and s o o n T his m atte r s ms re d cibl e to a m al

u e , , . ee u or

e
qu a t ion T h e y are p aid o u t
. m o ney rais e d by v o l u ntary c o ntribu t i o n s in
of

did n o t bri ng ce rtai n s u ms i nto the t re as u ry the

t h e s t ric te s t s e n s e ; an d if t h ey ,

M an ag e rs wo u ld n o t e n g ag e t h e m T h e s e s u ms are e xac t ly in pro p o r t i o n t o th e

.

nu mb e r o f i n divid u als t o wh o m th e ir p e rf o rm an c e g iv e s an e x t rao rdi nary d e g re e

o f pl e as u r e T h e tal e nt s o f a si ng e r ac to r & c are t h e re fo r e wo rth j u s t as m u ch

.
, ,
.

as th e y will f e t ch .
 ON THE F EA R O F D E AT H 12 5

gratific ati o n Ev e rythi ng e ls e i s dro ss T h ey go to d e ath as to

. .

a brid al b ed and s acrific e th e ms e lv e s o r o th e rs wi t h o u t r e m o rs e

,

at t he shri ne o f l o v e o f h o no u r o f r e ligi o n o r any o th e r pre

, , ,

v ailing feeli ng R o m eo ru ns his s e asick w e ary b ark u p o n the

.
,

”
r o ck s o f d e ath the i nst an t he fi nds hims elf d e priv e d o f his
,

J uli e t ; and she cl asps his ne ck in th e ir l ast ago ni e s and fo ll o ws ,

him to the s am e fat al sh o re O ne s tro ng id ea t ak e s p o ss e ssi o n

.

o f the mi n d and o v e rrul e s e v e ry o th e r ; and e v e n life i ts e lf j o y ,

l e ss with o ut th at b e c o m e s an o bj e ct o f i ndi f fe r enc e o r l o athi ng

, .

Th e r e is at l east m o r e o f im agi nati o n in such a st ate o f t hi ngs ,

IC

m o r e vigo ur o f fee li ng and pr o mp titud e to ac t th an in o u r lin

g e ri ng l anguid pr o t r acte d att achm ent to lif e f o r it s o wn p o o r
, ,

s ak e I t is p e rh aps als o b e tt e r as w e ll as m o r e h e r o ic al to
.
, , , ,

strik e at s o m e d ari ng o r d arli ng o bj e ct and i f we fail in th at to , ,

t ak e the c o ns e qu enc e s m anfully t h an to r ene w the l eas e o f a

,
1 :

t e di o u s spiri tl e ss ch arml e ss e xiste nc e m e re ly ( as P i e rr e s ays)

, , ,

”
to l o s e i aft e rw ards in s o m e vil e br awl
t f o r s o m e w o rthl e ss

o bj e ct Was t h e re no t a spirit o f m ar tyrd o m as w e ll as a S pic e

.

o f th e r e ckl e ss e ne rgy o f b arb arism in this b o ld d e fi anc e o f

d eath ? H ad no t r e ligi o n s o m ethi ng to do wi th it ; the implicit 2C

b e li e f in a futur e life which r end e r e d this o f l e ss v alu e and

, ,

e mb o di e d s o m e thi ng b ey o nd i t to the im agi nati o n ; so t h at the

r o ugh s o ldi e r the i nfatu ate d l o v e r the v al o r o u s k night & c
, , ,
.

c o uld af fo rd to thro w aw ay the pre s en t v e nt ur e and t ak e a l e ap ,

i nto the arms o f futurity which the m o d e r n sc e p tic shri nk s b ack

,

fro m wi th all his b o as te d r e as o n and v ai n phil o s o phy w eak e r

, ,

t h an a w o m an ! I c anno t h e lp thi nki ng so mys e lf ; but I h av e

e n d e av o ur e d to e xpl ai n this p o i n t b e fo r e and will n o t e n l arg e ,

fur th e r o n it h e r e .

A life o f acti o n and d ange r m o d e r at e s the dr e ad o f d e ath I t .

3C
n o t o nly giv e s u s fo rti t ud e t o b e ar p ai n but te ach e s u s at e v e ry ,

st e p the pr e c ari o u s t e nur e o n which we h o ld o u r pr e s e nt b e i ng .

S e d e nt ary and s tudi o us m e n are the m o s t appre h e nsiv e o n th is

sc o r e Dr J o h ns o n was an i nstanc e in p o i nt A f ew ye ars
. . .
 1 26 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

s ee m e d to him s o o n o v e r c o mp ar e d wi th t h o s e sw e e pin g c o n
,

te m plat io ns o n t im e and i nfi n i ty wi th which h e had b ee n u s e d

to p o s e hims e lf. In m an o f l e tte rs t h e re was

,

no o bvi o u s r e as o n f o r a ch ang e . H e migh t sit in an arm

ch air and p o ur o u t cu ps o f tea to all e ter ni ty W o uld it had
.

b een p o ssibl e f o r him to do so ! T he m o s t r ati o nal cure af te r

all f o r th e i no rdi nat e f e ar o f d e ath is to s e t a j u st v alu e o n lif e
.

I f we m e r e ly wish to c o n ti nu e o n the scene to i ndulge o u r h ead

str o ng h u m o urs and to rm e nti ng p assi o ns we had b e tte r b ego ne
,

[O at o n c e : and if we o nly ch e rish a f o n d ne ss f o r e xis te nc e acc o rd

ing to the go o d we d e riv e fr o m it the p ang we f e e l at p ar ti ng

,

wi th it will no t b e v e ry s ev e r e !
 128 S EL EC TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

”
liv e s to hims e lf till at l ength it p ass e s in to a pr o ve rb am o ng
,

th e f air c o rr e sp o n d e n ts This is no t h o w e v e r an e x ampl e o f

.
, ,

’—
wh at I u nd erst an d b y livi ng to o ae s seZ fl f o r Sir C h arl e s G r an di
so n w as i n d ee d alw ays thi nki ng o f hims e lf ; but by t his phr as e
’
I m e an n e v e r t hi nki ng at all ab o u t o ne s s e lf , any m o re th an if -

t h e r e w as n o such p e rs o n in e xis ten c e T he ch ar ac te r I sp eak.

’
of i s as li ttl e o f a n ego tis t as p o ssibl e : Rich ards o n s great
f av o u ri te was as m u ch o f o ne as p o ssibl e S o m e s atiric al cri tic .

has r e pr e s e nte d him in Elysi u m b o wi ng o v e r the f a ded h and

(O o f L ady G r an dis o n
( M iss Byr o n t h at was
) h e o ught t o h av e

b e e n r e pr e s e nte d b o wi ng o v e r his o wn h and f o r h e nev e r ,

admir e d any o ne b u t hims e lf and was th e go d o f his o wn

,

’
id o l atry N e i th e r do I c all it living to o ne s s elf to r etir e i n to
'

-
.

(
a d e s e rt lik e th e s ai nt s and m artyrs o f o ld t o b e d e v o ur e d by
)
wild b e as t s no r t o d e sce nd i nto a c av e to b e c o nsid ere d as
,

a h e rmi t n o r to get to the to p o f a pill ar o r r o ck to do fanat ic

,

p e nanc e and b e s ee n o f all m en Wh at I m e an by livi ng to .

o ne s s e lf is livi ng in th e w o rld as in it n
’ -
o t o f it : it is as if no
, ,

o ne k ne w th e r e w as such a p e rs o n and y o u wish no o ne t o ,

k no w it : it is to b e a sil ent sp e c tat o r o f the mighty sc ene o f

thi ngs no t an o bj e ct o f attenti o n o r curi o si ty in it ; to tak e a
,

t h o ugh tful an xi o u s i n te r e st in wh at is p assi ng in the w o rld bu t

, ,

no t t o f e e l th e slight e st i n cli nati o n to m ak e o r m e ddl e wi th it .

I t is such a life as a pur e spiri t migh t b e supp o s e d to l ead and ,

such an i nter e st as it might t ak e in the af fairs o f m en c alm c o n , ,

te m plative p assiv e dist an t t o uch e d wi t h pi ty f o r th e ir s o rr o ws

, , , ,

smili ng at th eir fo lli e s wi tho ut bi tt e r ness sh ari ng t h e ir af fe cti o ns , ,

but no t tr o ubl ed by th e ir p assi o ns no t s eeki ng th e ir no tic e no r

, ,

o nc e dr e am t o f by t h e m H e wh o liv e s wis ely to hims e lf and

.

to his o wn h e ar t l o o ks at the b u sy w o rld t hr o ugh the l o o p h o l e s

,
-

o f r e tr e at and d o e s n o t w an t to mi ngl e in t he fr ay
,
H e h ears .

”
the t u m u l t and is s till ,
H e is no t abl e to m e nd it no r willi ng
.
,

to m ar it H e s ee s e no ugh in t he u niv e rs e to i n t e r e s t him wi th

.

o u t p u tti ng hims e lf f o rw ard to try wh at he c an do t o fix the

 ’
O N LI V I N G T O O N E S S E L F -
1 29

e y e s o f the u niv e rs e u p o n him V ai n the att empt ! H e r e ads .

the cl o uds he l o o ks at the st ars he w atch e s the r e t ur n o f the

, ,

s eas o ns the f alli ng l eav e s o f autum n the p erfum e d br e ath o f

, ,

S pri ng ,
st arts wi th d elight at the no t e o f a thrush in a c o ps e
n e ar him sits by the fi re list en s to the m o ani ng o f t he wi nd 5
, , ,

p o re s up o n a b o o k o r disc o urs e s the fr e ez i ng h o urs aw ay o r

, ,

m e lts d o w n h o urs to mi nute s in pl easi ng th o ught All t his whil e .

he is t ak e n u p with o th e r thi ngs fo rg e t ti ng hims e lf H e r e lish e s, .

’
an au th o r s styl e wi th o ut thi nki ng o f tur n i ng auth o r
,
H e is fo nd .

o f l o o ki ng at a pri nt fr o m an o ld pic tur e in the r o o m wi th o u t 1 0 ,

t e asi ng hims e lf to c o py it H e d o e s no t fr e t hims e lf to d e ath

.

wi th t ry i ng to b e wh at he is no t o r to do wh at he c anno t H e ,
.

h ardly k no ws wh at h e i s c ap abl e o f and is no t in the l east ,

c o nc e r ne d wh e th er he sh all ev e r m ak e a fig u r e in the w o rld .

H e fe e ls the truth o f the li ne s 1

5

T h e m an wh o s e e y e i s e v e r o n h i m s e l f ,

D o t h l o o k o n o ne t h e l e as t o f natu r e s w o rk s ;
’
,

O ne wh o m igh t m o v e th e wi s e m an t o t h at s c o r n
W h i c h wi sd o m h o l d s u nl aw fu l e v e r

he l o o ks o u t o f hims e lf at the wid e e x te nd ed pro sp e ct o f nature ,

20

and t ak e s an i nt e r e st b e y o n d his n arr o w pr e t e n si o ns in g e ne r al

hum anity H e i s fre e as air and i nd e p end ent as the wi nd

.
,
.

Wo e b e to him wh en he first b e gi ns to thi nk wh at o th e rs say

o f him Whil e a m an i s c o ntente d wi th hims elf and his o wn
.

re s o urc e s all is w ell Wh en he u nd ert ak e s to pl ay a p ar t o n

,
. 2
5
the st ag e and to p e rsu ad e the w o rld to thi nk m o re ab o u t him
,

th an th ey do ab o ut th e ms e lv e s b e is go t i nt o a tr ack wh e r e h e
,

will fi nd not hi ng but bri ars and th o r ns v ex ati o n and dis app o i nt ,

m ent I c an sp e ak a li ttl e to this p o i nt Fo r m any y ears o f

. .

my lif e I did no thi ng bu t thi nk I had n o thi ng e ls e t o do b ut

'

.
30
s o lv e s o m e k no t ty p o i nt o r di p in s o m e abstrus e auth o r o r l o o k
, ,

at the sky o r w and e r by the p e bbl e d se a sid e

,
-

To ch il d r e n sp o r t i n g o n th e sh o r e
se e t h e ,

A n d h e ar t h e m igh ty w at e rs r o ll i n g e v e rm o r e
”
.
 I 30 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

I c are d f o r no thi ng I w ante d no thi ng I to o k my tim e to

,
.

c o nsid e r wh ate v e r o cc u rre d to m e and was in no h u rry to giv e ,

a s o phis t ic al an sw er to a qu e s ti o n — th e r e was no pri nte r s ’ ‘

d evil w ai ti ng f o r m e I u s ed t o w ri te a p age o r t wo p e rh aps in

.

5 h alf a y e ar ; and r e m e mb e r l aughi n g h ear tily at the c el ebr ate d

e xp e rim e nt alis t N ich o ls o n wh o to ld m e t h at in t w e nty y e ars he
,

h ad wri t ten as m u ch as w o u ld m ak e t hr e e h u ndr e d o ct av o

v o lum e s I f I was no t a gr eat au th o r I c o uld r e ad wi th e v e r
.
,

”
fre sh d e light ne v e r endi ng s till b e gi nni ng and had n o o cc a
, , ,

[O si o n to wri te a cri ticism w h en I had d o ne I f I co u l d no t p aint .

lik e C l au d e I c o u ld admir e th e wi tch e ry o f the s o f t blu e sky

,

as I w alk e d o u t an d was s atisfi e d wi t h the pl e as u r e it g av e m e

, .

I f I was dull it gav e m e li ttl e c o nc e rn : if I was liv ely I

, ,

i nd u lg e d my spiri ts I wish e d w e ll to the w o rld and b e li ev e d

.
,

as f av o u r ably o f it as I c o uld I was lik e a s t range r in a f o r e ign

.

l and at which I l o o k e d wi th w o nd e r c u ri o si ty and d eligh t

, , , ,

wi t h o u t e xp e c ti ng t o b e an o bj e c t o f attent i o n in r e tur n I had .

no r e l at i o n s to t h e s tat e n o d u ty t o p e rf o rm no t i e s t o bi nd
, ,

m e to o t h e rs : I h ad n e i th e r fri e nd n o r mis t re ss wif e o r child ,

.

’
O I liv e d in a w o rld o f c o nte mpl ati o n and no t o f ac ti o n , .

T his s o r t o f dr e ami ng e xis ten c e is the b e s t H e who qui ts it .

to go in s earch o f r eali t i e s g e ne r ally b ar te rs r e p o s e f o r r ep e at e d

,

dis app o i ntm en t s and v ai n r e gr e t s H is t im e t h o u gh ts and .

, ,

fe el ings are no l o nge r at his o wn disp o s al Fr o m t h at i nstan t .

he d oe s n o t surv ey the o bj e c t s o f nat u r e as th e y are in t h e m

s elv e s but l o o k s asq u i nt at th e m to see wh eth e r he c anno t
,

m ak e th e m t he i ns tr u m e nt s o f his ambi ti o n i nter e s t o r pl e as , ,

u re ; f o r a c andid u nd e sig ni ng u ndisg u is e d simplici ty o f ch ar

, ,

ac te r h is vi e w s b e c o m e j au ndic e d si n is te r and d o u bl e : h e tak e s

, , ,

30 no f ar the r i nt e r e s t in th e gr e at ch ang e s o f th e w o rld b u t as he

h as a p al try sh ar e in pr o duci ng th e m : i ns te ad o f o p e n i ng his

s ens e s his u nd e rs tandi ng and his h e ar t to the r e spl e nd en t
, ,

f abric o f the u n iv e rs e he h o lds a cr o o k e d mirro r b e fo r e his

,

fac e in which he m ay admir e his o wn p e rs o n and pr e ten si o ns

, ,
 I 32 S E L EC TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

We see and h e ar chi efly o f the f av o urite s o f F o r tu n e and the

M u s e o f gr e at g e ne rals o f fi rst r ate ac to rs o f c e l e br ate d p o e ts
, ,
-
, .

Th e s e are at the h ead ; we are s t ruck wi th the gli t t e ri ng em i

ne n c e o n which t h e y s tand an d l o n g to se t o u t o n the s am e
,

t e mp ti ng c ar ee r no t thi nki ng ho w m any disc o ntent ed h alf pa

y
-
‘

li eu te nant s are in v ai n s eeki ng pr o m o t i o n all t h eir liv e s and ,

o blig e d to put u p wi t h t he i ns o l e nc e o f o f fic e and t he spur n s ,

which p ati en t m e ri t o f the u n w o r thy t ak e s ; ho w m any h alf

s tarv e d s tr o lli ng pl ay e rs are d o o m e d to p e nu ry and t atte r e d
-

[O r o b e s in c o u ntry pl ac e s dr eami ng to th e l ast o f a L o nd o n em

,

gage m e n t ; ho w m an y wr e tch e d d aub e rs shiv e r and sh ak e in the

agu e— fi t o f al te r nat e h o p e s and f e ars w ast e and pi ne aw ay in
,

th e at r o phy o f g e n ius o r e ls e turn dr awi ng m ast e rs pictu r e

,
-
,

cl eane rs o r n e wsp ap e r cri tics ; ho w m any h apl e ss p o e ts h av e

,

sigh e d o u t t h e ir s o uls to t he M u s e in v ai n wi th o ut e v e r g etti ng ,

’
t h e ir e f fusi o n s f ar th e r k no w n th an t he P o e t s C o r ne r o f a -

c o u ntry ne wsp ap e r and l o o k e d and l o o k e d wi th g rudging wist

, ,

f u l ey e s at th e e nvi o u s h o ri z o n th at b o u nd e d t h e ir pro vi nci al

fam e S u pp o s e an ac to r f o r i ns tan c e aft e r the h e art ach e s and
, ,
-

”
20 th e t h o u s an d nat ur al p angs t h at fl e sh is h eir t o does get at t he ,

t o p o f his pr o f e ssi o n h e c an no l o ng e r b e ar a riv al ne ar the

,

t hr o n e ; t o b e s e c o n d o r o n ly e q u al t o ano th e r is t o b e n o thi ng ,
:

h e s tar t s at the pr o sp e ct o f a s u cc e ss o r and r e tai n s the ,

mimic sc e ptr e wi th a c o nvu lsiv e gr asp : p e rh aps as he is

3
5 ab o u t t o s e i z e th e firs t pl ac e which h e has l o ng h ad in his e y e ,

an u n s u sp e c t e d c o mp e t it o r s te ps in b e fo r e him and c arri e s o ff ,

th e pri z e l e avi ng him to c o mm e nc e his irks o m e t o il ag ai n : h e

,

is in a s tate o f al arm at e v e ry app e ar anc e o r r u m o ur o f the

app e ar an c e o f a n e w ac to r : a m o u s e t h at t ak e s u p its l o dgi ng
’ ” 1
30 in a c at s e ar h as a m ansi o n o f p e ac e to him : h e dr e ads
e v e ry hi n t o f an o bj e c t i o n and l e as t o f all c an fo rgiv e pr ais e
, ,

mi ngl e d wi th cen s u r e : to d o u bt is to i ns u l t to discrimi nate i s ,

to d e gr ad e : h e d ar e h ardly l o o k i nto a cri ticism u nl e ss s o m e

1 Webs te r s ’
D u ch e ss of M alf y .
 ON LIV I N G TO ONE
’ —
S SELF 1 33

o ne has tasted it f o r him to see th at th e r e is no o f fe nc e in it :

,

if he d o e s no t dr aw cro wd e d h o u s e s e v e ry n igh t he c an n e i t h e r ,

e at no r sl ee p o r if all t h e s e t e rribl e in fl ic tio n s are r e m o v e d and ,

”
he c an e at his m e al in p eac e h e th e n b e c o m e s s u rfe i te d wi th
,

appl aus e and diss at isfi e d with his pr o f e ssi o n : h e w an t s to b e

s o m e thi ng e ls e to b e dis ti ngu ish e d as an au th o r a c o ll e c to r a

, , ,

cl assic al sch o l ar a m an o f s e ns e and i n fo rm ati o n and w e igh s

, ,

e v e ry w o rd h e u t te rs and h alf r e t r acts it b e f o r e h e u t te rs it

, ,

l e st if he w e r e to m ak e the sm all e st slip o f the to ngu e it sh o u ld ,

e t bu z z e d abr o ad th at M r w a s o nly clever a s ( m d ete r 1c

g .

I f e v e r t h e r e was a m an who did no t d e riv e m o r e p ai n t h an

pl e asur e fro m hi s v ani ty t h at m an s ays R o uss eau was no
, , ,

o th e r t h an a f o o l A c o u nt ry ge ntl e m an ne ar T au nto n S p en t
.
-

his wh o l e life in m aki ng s o m e hu ndre ds o f wre tch e d c o pi e s

o f s e c o nd r ate pic t ur e s which w e r e b o ught u p at his d e at h by a
-
,
1 ‘

ne ighb o uri ng Bar o ne t to w ho m ,

"
S o me demon wh is pe r d, L
’
h av e a ta t e s !
”

A littl e Wil so n in an o bscur e c o r ne r e sc ap e d the m an o f 72231 22

‘

and was c arri e d o ff by a Bris to l pic t ur e d e al e r f o r thr ee gui ne as -

,

whil e the m uddl e d co pi e s o f the o w ne r o f the m ansi o n ( with 2C

the fr am e s ) f e tch e d t hir ty f o rty sixty a hu ndr e d duc at s a pi e c e

, , ,
.

A fri en d o f m i ne fo u n d a v e ry fi ne C anal e t ti in a s tat e o f

s tr ange disfigur e m ent wi th the upp e r p art o f th e sky sm e ar e d
,

o v e r and f antas tic ally v ari e g at e d wi t h English cl o u ds ; and o n

i nquiri ng o f the p e rs o n to wh o m it b e l o nge d wh eth e r s o m e 2!

.

t hi ng h ad no t b ee n d o ne to it r e c e iv e d f o r answ e r t h at a
,

g entl e m an a gr e at ar tist in the ne ighb o urh o o d had r eto u ch e d

, ,

”
s o m e p arts o f it Wh at i nfatu ati o n ! Ye t this c andid ate f o r
.

t he h o no urs o f the p e n cil might pr o b ably h av e m ad e a j o vi al

f o x hu nt e r o r r e sp e ct abl e j u s t ic e o f the p eac e if he c o uld o nly

-
, 3C
h av e stuck to wh at nature and fo rtu ne i ntend e d him f o r .

M iss c an by no m e an s b e p e rs u ad e d to qui t the b o ards

o f the t h e atre at a lit tl e c o u ntry t o w n in the W e s t o f

 1 34 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

Engl and . s al ary has b een abridg ed he r p ers o n ridicul ed

H er , ,

her acting l augh e d at ; no t hi ng will s e rv e she is d e te rmi ne d to

b e an actr e ss and s co r ns to r e tur n to h e r f o rm e r busi ne ss as a

,

milli ne r S h all I go o n ? A n act o r in the s am e c o mp any was

.

5 visi ted by the ap o th e c ary o f the pl ac e in an agu e fi t who o n -

,

aski ng his l an dl ady as to his way o f lif e was t o ld th at the p o o r ,

gen tl em an was v e ry qui e t and gav e lit tl e t r o u bl e t h at he gen ,

erally h ad a pl ate o f m ash e d p o tato e s f o r his di nne r and lay in ,

b ed m o s t o f his t im e r e p e ati ng his p ar t A y o u ng c o u pl e e v e ry

, .
,

10 way ami abl e and d e s e rvi ng w e r e to h av e b een m arri e d and a

, ,

b ene fi t pl ay was b e sp o k e by th e o f fic e rs o f the regi m e n t qu ar

-

t e re d t h e r e t o d e fr ay the e xp e n s e o f a lic e n s e and o f th e

,

w eddi ng ri ng but the pr o fi t s o f the nigh t did no t am o u nt t o the

-
,

’ ”
n e c e ss ary su m and th e y h av e I f e ar
,
virgi ne d it e er si nc e !
, ,

1 5 O h f o r th e p en cil o f H o g ar th o r Wilki e to giv e a vi e w o f the

c o mic s tr e ng th o f the c o mp any at dr aw n up in b attl e array -

in the C l an d e s ti ne M arri ag e wi th a re ap ( f a il o f the pit b o x e s

,
-
, ,

and g all e ry t o c u r e f o r e v e r t he l o v e o f th e i dea l and th e de

, ,

sir e to shi ne and m ak e h o lid ay in the e y e s o f o th e rs i ns tead ,

20 of r e tiri ng wi th in o u rs elv e s and k e e pi ng o u r wish e s and o u r

t h o ugh t s at h o m e

Ev en in th e c o mm o n affairs o f lif e in l o v e fri en dship and , , ,

m arri age ho w li ttl e s e c u ri ty h av e we wh en we t rus t o u r h appi

,

n e ss in the h an ds o f o t h e rs ! M o s t o f the fri ends I h av e s een

25 h av e tur ned o u t the bi tte r e st e ne mi e s o r c o ld u nc o mfo r tabl e , ,

acq u ai ntanc e s O ld c o m p ani o ns are lik e m e at s s e rv e d u p too

.

o f te n th at l o s e th e ir r e lish and t h e ir wh o l e s o m e ne ss H e who

'

l o o ks at b e au ty to admir e to ad o r e it who r e ads o f its w o ndr o us

, ,

p o we r in no v els in p o e ms o r in pl ays is no t u nwis e : b u t let

, , ,

30 no m an f all in l o v e f o r fr o m t h at m o m e nt h e is
,
the b aby o f a
”
girl . I lik e v e ry well to r e p eat s u ch li ne s as th e s e in the pl ay
M irand o l a
W i t h wh at a w av i n g ai r s h e g o e s
A l o ng th e c o rri d o r H o w l i k e a faw n !
.
 1 36 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

chill e d by i ndiffe r e nc e and sc o rn ; if so m any l o v ers b o t h b e fo r e

and si n c e t he m adm an in D o n Q u ix o te had n o t w o rshipp e d a
s tatu e hu nte d the wi nd cri e d al o u d to the d es e rt if f ri endship
, ,

w e r e l as t i ng ; i f m eri t w er e r eno w n and r e no w n w e r e h e al th , ,

rich e s and l o ng lif e ; o r if the hom age o f the w o rld w e r e p aid

,

to c o nsci o u s w o r t h an d th e t r u e aspir at i o ns af te r e xc e ll en c e in ,

s te ad o f its g audy sign s and o u tw ard tr appi ngs ; t h e n i nd ee d I

’
might b e o f O pi ni o n t h at it is b ette r to liv e to o th e rs th an o ne s
s e lf : but as the c as e st ands I i ncli ne t o the negativ e sid e o f
,

1
IO th e q u e sti o n .

I h av e no tl o v e d th e w o rl d no r th e w o rl d m e,

I h av e n o t fl at t e r e d it s r an k b r e at h n o r b o w d
’
,

T o i t s i d o l at ri e s a p at i e nt k n e e
N o r c o i n d m y c h e e k t o s m i l e s — n o r c ri e d al o u d
’

I n w o rsh i p o f an e c h o ; i n t h e c r o wd
T h e y c o u l d n o t d e e m m e o ne o f s u c h ; I s to o d
A m o n g t h e m b u t n o t o f t h e m ; in a s h r o u d
,

O f t h o u gh t s wh i c h w e r e n o t t h e i r t h o u gh t s an d s t i l l c o u l d
, ,

H ad I n o t fil e d m y m i n d wh i c h t h u s i t s e l f s u b d u e d .

20 I h av e l o v e d t h e w o rl d n o r t h e w o rl d m e
not ,

B u t le t u s p ar t fai r f o e s ; I do b e l i e v e
-
,

T h o u gh I h av e f o u n d t h e m n o t t h a t t h e r e m ay b e
,

W o rds wh i c h are t h i n gs h o p e s wh i c h wi ll n o t d e c e iv e ,

A n d v i rt u e s wh i c h are m e rc i f u l n o r w e av e
S n ar e s f o r t h e fail i n g : I w o u l d als o d e e m
O e r o t h e rs gri e f s t h at s o m e si n c e r e ly gri e v e ;
’ ’

T h at t wo o r o n e are a l m o s t wh at t h e y s e e m
, ,

T h at g o o d ne ss i s n o n am e an d h app i ne s s n o d r e a m ”
, .

S wee t mb alms the spiri t o f s o u r mis anthr o py : but

v e rs e e

30 wo e b e tid e th e ig no bl e pr o s e wri te r wh o sh o u ld t h u s d ar e to
-

c o mp are no te s wi th the w o rld o r tax it r o u ndly wi t h imp o s tur e

, .

h e ns to ne and G ray we re two m en o n e o f wh o m pre te nd e d to liv e t o hims e lf

1 S , ,

an d t h e o th e r r e ally did so G ray shru n k fr o m th e p u blic g az e ( h e did n o t e v e n

.

li k e his p o rt rai t t o b e pr e fi xe d t o his wo r k s ) i nt o his o wn th o u g h ts and i nd o l e nt

m u si ng s ; S h e ns to ne af f e c te d privacy th at h e mi g h t b e s o u g h t o u t by th e wo rld ;
t h e o ne c o u r te d r e t ire m e nt i n o rd e r t o e nj o y l e is u re and r e p o s e as t h e o th e r c o
,

q e tt e d wi t h it m e r e ly t o b e i nt e rr p t e d wi t h t h e imp o rt u n i ty o f visi to rs an d t h e
u ,
u

fl atte rie s o f abs e n t fri e nds .

 ’
ON LI V I N G T O O N E S SELF -
1 37

I f I had su ffi ci e nt pr o v o c ati o n to r ail at th e public as Ben ,

J o ns o n did at the audi e nce in the P r o l o gu e s to his pl ays I thi nk ,

I sh o u ld do it in go o d se t t e rms ne arly as fo ll o ws Th e r e is , .

no t a m o r e m e an s tu pid d as tardly pi tifu l s e lfish spi te ful e nv i

, , , , , ,
'

o u s u ngr ate ful anim al th an the P ublic

,
I t is the gr e at e st o f .

c o w ards f o r it is afr aid o f i ts e lf Fro m its u nwi eldy o v e rgro w n

,
.
,

dim ensi o ns it dre ads the l e ast O pp o si ti o n to it and sh ak e s lik e

, ,

isingl ass at th e t o uch o f a fi nge r I t st arts at its o wn sh ad o w

.
,

lik e the m an inthe H artz m o u ntai ns and tr embl e s at the m en ,

’
ti o n o f its o wn nam e I t has a li o n s m o uth the h eart o f a b are
.
, ,
IC

wi th e ars e re ct and sl e e pl ess e y e s I t st an ds list en in g its f ears

.
”
.

I t is so in awe o f its o wn O pi ni o n t h at it ne v e r d ar e s to f o rm ,

any b u t c at ch e s up th e first idl e rum o ur l e st it sh o

,
uld b e b ehi nd ,

h and in its j udgm ent and e ch o e s it till it is d e af ene d wi th the

,

s o u nd o f its o wn v o ic e T he id ea o f wh at the public will thi nk

. 1 !

pr ev ents the public fr o m e v e r thi nki ng at all and acts as a sp ell ,

o n t he e x e rcis e o f priv at e j u dgm e n t so th at in sh o rt the p u blic ,

e ar is at th e m e rcy o f th e first im p ud en t pr e tend e r who ch o o s e s

to fill it wi t h no isy ass e r t i o n s o r f als e su rmis e s o r s e cr e t whis
, ,

p e rs Wh at i s s aid by o ne is h e ard by all ; the supp o si ti o n th at

. 2C

a t hi ng is k no w n to all th e w o rld m ak e s all th e w o rld b e li e v e i t ,

and th e h o ll o w r e p e ti ti o n o f a v agu e r e p o r t dr o w n s the s till ,

sm all v o ice o f r eas o n We m ay b e li e v e o r k no w th at wh at is

.

s aid is n o t t ru e : but we k no w o r fan cy t h at o th e rs b eli e v e it

we d ar e no t c o nt r adict o r are to o i nd o l e n t to disput e wi t h th e m ,

and t h e r e f o r e giv e up o u r i n te rnal and as w e t hi nk o u r s o l itary

, , ,

c o nvicti o n to a s o u nd wi th o ut subst anc e wi t h o ut pro o f and o f ten , ,

wi th o u t m eani ng N ay m o r e we m ay b e li e v e and k no w no t
.
,

o nly t h at a t hi n g is f als e but th at o t h e rs b e li e v e and k no w it to

,

b e so th at th e y are quit e as much in the s e cr e t o f the im po s

, 3C
ture as we are th at th ey see the pupp e ts at w o rk the natu re o f
, ,

the m achi ne ry and y et if any o ne has the art o r p o w e r to ge t the

,

m anagem ent o f it he sh all k e e p p o ss e ssi o n o f the p u blic ear by

,

vi rtu e o f a c ant phras e o r nick nam e ; and by di n t o f e ffr o nte ry

-
 I 3S S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and p e rs e v e r anc e m ak e all the w o rld b e li e v e and r e p e at wh at

all the w o rld k no w t o b e f als e T he e ar i s q u ick e r t h an the
.

j u dgm e nt We k no w t h at c e r tai n thi n gs are s aid ; by t h at cir

.

c u m s tanc e al o ne w e k n o w t h at t h e y pr o d u c e a c e r tai n e ffe c t o n

,

5 the im agi nat i o n o f o t h e rs and we c o n f o rm to t h e ir pr ej u dic e s

,

by m e ch an ic al symp athy and f o r w ant o f s u ffi ci ent S piri t to

,

di f fe r wi t h th e m So f ar t h e n is public O pi ni o n fr o m r e s ti ng o n
.

a br o ad and s o lid b asis as the aggr e gate o f t h o u gh t and f ee li ng

,

in a c o mmu ni ty th at it is sligh t and sh all o w and v ariab le to t he

'

[ O l as t d e gr ee — the b u bbl e o f the m o m ent — so t h at we m ay s af ely

s a th e p u blic is th e d u p e o f p u blic o pi n i o n n o t it s p ar e n t T he
y , .

p u blic is p u sill anim o u s and c o w ardly b e c au se it is w e ak I t , .

k no ws i t s e lf t o b e a gr e at d u nc e and t h at it has no o pi n i o ns ,

but up o n sugge sti o n Ye t it is u nwilli ng to app e ar in l e adi ng

.

s t ri ngs and w o u ld h av e it th o ught t h at its d e cisi o ns are as wis e

,

as th e y are w e igh t y I t is h as ty in t aki ng up it s f av o u ri t e s

.
,

m o r e h as ty in l ayi ng t h e m asid e l est it sh o u ld b e s u pp o s e d de

,

fi c ie nt in s ag aci ty in e i th e r c as e I t is g e ne r ally divid e d i nto two

.

s t ro ng p ar ti e s e ach o f which will all o w ne i th e r c o mm o n s e ns e

,

20 n o r c o mm o n h o ne s ty t o the o t h e r sid e I t r e ads th e Edi nb u rgh .

and Qu ar te rly R e vi e ws and b e li e v e s t h e m b o th

,
o r if t h e r e is

a d o ub t m alic e t u r ns th e sc al e
,
T ayl o r and H e ss e y to ld m e t h at
.

t h e y had s o ld n e arly t wo e di t i o n s o f the C h ar ac te rs o f S h ak e s

’
sp e ar s P l ays in ab o u t t hr e e m o nths b u t t h at af te r the Qu ar t e rly ,

25 R e vi e w o f th e m c am e o u t t h e y ne v e r s o ld ano th e r c o py T he
,
.

p u blic enligh te ne d as t h ey are m u s t h av e k no w n the m ean i ng

, ,

o f th at attack as w e ll as t h o s e who m ad e it I t was no t ign o .

r anc e th e n b u t c o w ardic e th at led th e m to giv e u p t h e ir o wn

'

o pi ni o n A cr e w o f mischi ev o us cri tics at Edi n burgh h avi ng

.

30 af fix e d th e e pi th e t o f t he Coeé ney 5 am ! t o o ne o r t wo w ri te rs

b o r n in the m e tro p o lis all the p eo pl e in L o nd o n b e c am e afr aid

,

o f l o o ki ng into t h e ir w o rks l e st t h e y to o sh o u ld b e c o n vic te d o f

,

c o ck neyism O h br av e p u blic ! This e pi t h e t pr o v e d to o m u ch

.

f o r o ne o f the wri te rs in q u e s ti o n and s tuck lik e a b arb e d arr o w

,
 I 4O S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

T he p u blic are n
”
th e wr o ng ! o t q u i te so m o d e st P eo pl e .

alre ady b e gi n to talk o f th e S c o tch N o v e ls as o v e rr ate d H ow .

t h e n c an c o mm o n aut h o rs b e s u pp o s e d to k ee p th e ir h e ads l o ng

ab o v e w at e r ? A s a g e n e r al rul e all t h o s e wh o liv e by the p u blic

,

s tarv e and are m ad e a b y e w o rd and a st andi ng j e s t in t o the

,
-

b arg ai n P o ste ri ty is no b et te r ( no t a bit m o re e nlightene d o r

.

m o r e lib er al ) e xc e pt t h at yo u are no l o nger in th e ir p o w e r and

, ,

t h at the v o ic e o f c o mm o n f am e s av e s t h e m th e tr o ubl e o f d e cid

ing o n y o u r cl aims T he public no w are th e p o s te ri ty o f M il to n

.

IO and S h ak e sp e ar O u r p o s te rity will b e the livi ng public o f a

.

futur e gene rati o n Wh e n a m an is d ead th ey put m o ney in his

.
,

c o ffi n e re ct m o n um en ts to his m em o ry and c e l ebrate the anni

, ,

ve rsar
y o f his bir t h day in se t sp ee ch e s W o uld th e y t ak e any
-
.

no t ice o f him if h e w e r e livi ng ? N o ! I was c o mpl ai ni ng o f

this to a S c o tchm an who had b e en at t endi ng a di nner and a
subscrip ti o n to r ais e a m o num ent to Bu r n s H e r e pli e d h e .

w o uld s o o ne r subscrib e t w e nty p o u nds to his m o num e nt th an

h av e giv en it him whil e livi ng ; so th at if th e p o et w e r e to c o m e .

to lif e ag ai n h e w o uld tr e at him j u st as he was tr eate d in fact

,
.

20 This was an h o ne st S c o tchm an Wh at lze s aid the r e s t w o uld do

.
,
.

Eno ugh : my s o ul turn fr o m th e m and let m e t ry to r e g ai n

, ,

“
th e o bsc u rity and qui e t t h at I l o v e f ar fr o m the m addi ng
,

”
strife in s o m e s e q u e s te r e d c o rne r o f my o wn o r in s o m e f ar
, ,

distant l and ! I n the l at te r c as e I migh t c arry with m e as a ,

’
c o ns o l ati o n the p ass age in Bo l ingbro k e s R e fl e c ti o n s o n Exil e ,

in which h e d e scrib e s in gl o wi ng c o l o urs th e r e s o urc e s which a

m an m ay alw ays fi nd wi t hi n hims e lf and o f which the w o rld ,

c anno t d e priv e him .

Be li e v e m e the pr o vid en c e o f G o d has e st ablish e d such an

,

o rd e r in the w o rld th at o f all which b e l o ngs to us th e l e ast

30 , ,

v al u abl e p ar ts c an al o ne f all u nd er the will o f o th e rs Wh ate v e r .

i s b est is s afe s t ; li e s o u t o f the r each o f hum an p o w e r ; c an

n e i th e r b e giv e n n o r tak e n aw ay S uch is t his gr eat and b e au ti
.

f u l w o rk o f natur e th e w o rld S uch is the mi nd o f m an which

, .
,
 ’
ON LIV I N G T o O N E S S E L F -
1 41

c o nte mpl at e s and admire s the w o rld wh e r eo f i t m ak e s the

no bl e st p ar t Th e s e are in s e p ar ably o urs and as l o ng as we
.
,

r e m ai n in o ne we sh all e nj o y the o th e r L et us m arch th e r e fo re .

i ntr e pidly wh e r ev e r we are led by the c o urs e o f hum an accid ents .

Wh e r ev e r th ey l ead u s o n wh at c o ast s o e v e r we are t hr o w n by

, 5
th em we sh all no t fi nd o urs e lv e s abs o lu tely s trange rs We sh all
, .

f ee l the s am e r e v o lu t i o n o f s eas o ns and the s am e su n and ,

1
m o o n will guid e the c o urs e o f o u r y e ar T h e s am e az u r e v aul t .
,

b e sp angl e d wi th st ars will b e e v e ry wh e r e spr e ad o v e r o u r h eads

,
.

Th e r e i s n o p art o f the w o rld fr o m wh e nc e we m ay no t admir e IO

th o s e pl ane ts which r o ll lik e o u rs in diffe rent o rbi ts ro u nd the

, ,

s am e c entr al su n ; fr o m wh en c e we m ay no t disc o v e r an o bj e ct
s till m o r e stup en d o us th at army o f fix e d s tars hu ng u p in the
,

imm ens e sp ace o f the u niv e rs e i nnum e r abl e s u ns wh o s e b eams

,

e nligh ten and ch e rish th e u nk no w n w o rlds which r o ll ar o u nd I S

th e m ; and whilst I am r avish e d by such c o nt e mpl at i o n s as
th e s e whilst my s o ul i s thus r ais e d u p to h eav en imp o r t s m e
, ,

”
littl e wh at gro u nd I tr ead up o n .

1 Pl u t. o f ishm e nt H e co mp are s th o s e who c anno t liv e o u t o f t h e ir o wn

B an .

c o u ntry t o th e simpl e p e o ple wh o fanci e d th e m o o n o f A th e ns was a fi ne r m o o n

,

t h an th at o f C o ri n th .

L a éent em e /o
qu a da ezt is ( m m mz
'

er .

V irg . Geo rg ”
.
 O N T H E P A S T A N D F UT U RE

I h av e natu rally but lit tl e im aginati o n and am no t o f a v e ry ,

s angui ne turn o f mi nd I h av e s o m e d e sir e to enj o y the pre s ent

.

go o d and s o m e f o nd ne ss f o r the p as t ; bu t I am n o t at all giv e n

,

t o buildi ng c as tl e s in t h e air no r to l o o k f o rw ard wi t h much

,
.

c o nfid enc e o r h o p e to the brilli ant ill u si o n s h eld o u t by th e fu tu r e .

H e n c e I h av e p e rh aps b een led to f o rm a t h eo ry which is v e ry ,

c o nt rary t o the c o mm o n no ti o ns and f e eli ngs o n the subj e c t ,

and which I will h e r e t ry t o e xpl ai n as w e ll as I c an Wh en .

-

S t e rne in th e S en tim en tal J o ur ney to ld the Fr e nch M i nis te r t h at

if th e Fr ench p eo pl e had a f au l t it was t h at th ey w e r e to o s e ri
,

ou s,
th e l at t e r r e pli e d t h at if t h at was his o pi ni o n h e must ,

d e fen d it wi t h all his migh t f o r he w o uld h av e all the w o rld

,

ag ai n st him ; so I sh all h av e e no ugh t o do to ge t w e ll t hr o ugh

th e pr e s e n t argum e nt .

‘5 I c anno t see th en any r ati o nal o r l o gic al gr o u nd f o r th at

, ,

m igh ty diffe r e nc e in the v al u e which m anki n d g ene r ally set u p o n

th e p ast an d f u tu r e as i f the o ne w as e v e ry thi ng an d the o t h e r
,

no t hi ng o f n o c o n s e qu e nc e wh ate v e r
, O n th e o t h e r h and I
.
,

c o nc e iv e th at the p as t is as r eal and subs tant i al a p art o f o u r

’0
b e i ng th at i t is as much a aa7za fi de u n d e ni abl e c o nsid e rat i o n
, ,

in th e e s tim ate o f hum an lif e as the futur e c an p o ssibly b e T o

,
.

’
say th at th e p as t is o f no imp o r tanc e u nw o r thy o f a m o m e nt s
,

r eg ard b e c aus e it has g o ne by and is no l o ng e r any thi ng is an

, , ,

arg u m e nt t h at c an no t b e h e ld to any purp o s e : f o r if t he p ast

h as c e as e d to b e and i s t h e r e fo re to b e acc o u nte d n o thi ng in

,

the sc al e o f g o o d o r e vil th e futur e is y e t t o c o m e and has

, ,

ne v e r b ee n any thi ng S h o uld any o ne ch o o s e to ass e rt t h at the

.

pr e s e n t o nly is o f any v alu e in a s tric t and p o si tiv e s e ns e b e c aus e ,

1 42
 1 44 S E L E C TI O N S FR OM H AZ LITT

no ! fr o m it ! L et u s no t r ashly quit o u r h o ld up o n the

F ar
p as t wh en p e rh aps t h e r e m ay b e li ttl e e ls e l e ft to bi nd us to
,

e xis t e nc e I s it no thi ng to h av e b e e n and to h av e b een h appy

.
,

o r mis e r abl e ? O r is it a m atte r o f n o m o m en t t o t hi nk wh e th e r

I h av e b ee n o ne o r the o th e r ? D o I d e lud e mys e lf do I build ,

u p o n a sh ad o w o r a dr eam do I dre ss u p in the gaudy garb o f

,

idl e ness and f o lly a pur e fict i o n wi t h no thi ng an sw e ri ng to it ,

in th e u n iv e rs e o f thi ngs and th e r e c o rds o f t ru th wh en I l o o k ,

b ack wi th fo nd d e ligh t o r wi th t end e r r e gr e t to th at which was

[0 at o n e t im e to m e my a ll wh en I r e viv e th e gl o win g im ag e o f
,

s o m e bright r eal i ty ,

Th e t h o u gh t s of wh i c h c an n e v e r f r o m my h e art
Do I th e n m u s e o n no thi n g do I b end my ey e s o n no thi ng , ,

”
wh e n I tu rn b ack in f an cy to th o s e s u ns and ski e s so p u r e t h at
I S ligh te d u p my e arly p ath ? Is i t to th ink o f no t hi ng to se t an ,

idl e v alu e up o n n o thi ng to t hi nk o f all th at h as h app ened to

,

m e and o f all t h at c an e v e r i nte r e s t m e ? O r to u se th e lan

, ,

gu ag e o f a fi ne p o e t ( who is hims elf am o ng my e arli est and n o t

l e as t p ai nful r e c o ll e cti o ns)
20 W h at t h o u gh th e r ad i an c e wh i ch was o n c e so b ri g h t
B e n o w f o r e v e r v an is h d f r o m my sigh t
’
,

T h o u gh n o t h i n g c an b ri n g b ac k t h e h o u r
”
O gl o ry i n t h e gr ass o sp l e d r ’
f f n, o u i n t h e fl o w r

y e t am I m o ck ed wi th a lie wh en I v en tur e to t hi nk o f it ? O r
,

25 do I no t dri nk in and br e at h e ag ai n th e air o f h eav enly t r u th ,

wh e n I b u t r e tr ac e its fo o tst e ps and its skirts f ar o ff ad o r e ,

I c anno t say wi th the s am e p o e t

A nd se e ho w d ark t h e b ackw ard s t r e am ,

A l i ttl e m o m e n t p as t s o s m i l i n g ”

30 f o r it i s the p ast th at giv e s m e m o st d e ligh t and m o s t assur anc e

o f r e ali ty Wh at to m e co n s t i tu te s the gr e at ch arm o f the Co n
.

fe ssi o ns o f R o u ss e au is th e ir t ur ni ng so m u ch u p o n this feeli ng .

H e s e e ms to g ath e r u p the p as t m o m ent s o f his b e i ng lik e dr o ps

 ON TH E PA S T AND F UT U R E 145

of h o ney dew to dis til a pr e ci o us liq u o r fro m t h e m his alt er nate

-

pl e asure s and p ai ns are the b ead r o ll th at he te lls o v e r and pi o usly

-
,

w o rships ; he m ak e s a ro s ary o f the fl o w e rs o f h o p e and f ancy

th at str e w e d his e arli e st y ears Wh en he b egi ns the l ast o f the
.

’ ’

R e v eri e s o f a So lit ary W alk er [ I y a a ayb a rd lz a z f e a r des

, , 5
u es F leu rzr a agu a nle a m de ed: qu e / a z p rem ier w e M a da m e
' ' '

q , fi
Warens wh at a ye arni ng o f the s o ul i s impli e d in th at sh o rt
,
”

s ent enc e ! Was all th at had h app ene d to him all th at he had ,

th o ugh t and f el t in th at sad in t e rv al o f tim e to b e acco u nt ed ,

no thi ng ? Was th at l o ng dim f ad e d r e tr o sp e ct o f y ears h appy

, , IC

o r mis e r abl e a bl ank th at was n o t to m ak e his e y e s fail and his

,

h e art fai nt wi thi n him in tryi ng to gr asp all th at had o nc e fill e d

it and t h at h ad si nc e v anish e d b e c aus e it was no t a pro sp e c t
,

i nto f u turi ty ? Was h e wr o ng in fi ndi ng m o r e to i nt er e st him in

it th an in the ne xt fif ty y e ars — which h e did no t liv e to see ; [ I

o r if h e h ad wh at th e n ? W o uld th e y h av e b e e n w o r t h t hi nki ng
,

o f c o m p ar e d with t he tim e s o f hi s y o uth o f his firs t m ee ti n g wi t h

, ,

M ad am e W ar e ns wi th t h o s e tim e s which he has trac e d with such

,

” ’
truth and pur e d e light in o u r h e art s t abl e s Wh en all the
”
lif e o f lif e was fl o w n was he no t to liv e the first and b est p art
, 2C

o f it o v e r ag ai n and o nc e m o r e b e all th at he th e n was

, Ye
w o o ds th at cro w n the cl e ar l o ne br o w o f N o rm an C o ur t why ,

do I r e visi t y e so o f t and f e e l a s o o thi ng c o nsci o u s ne ss o f y o ur

,

pr e s e nc e bu t th at y o ur high t o ps w avi ng in the wi nd r ec al to

,

m e the h o u rs and y e ars t h at are f o r e v e r fl e d t h at y e r e ne w ,

2 :

in c e as e l e ss m urmurs the s to ry o f l o ng ch e rish e d h o p e s and bi tte r

-

dis app o i ntm ent th at in y o ur s o li tud e s and t angl e d wilds I c an

,

w and e r and l o s e mys e lf as I w and e r o n and am l o st in the s o li

tud e o f my o wn h eart ; and th at as y o u r ru stli ng br anch e s giv e
the l o u d bl as t to th e w as te b e l o w — b o r ne o n the th o u gh t s o f 3C
o t h e r y e ars I c an l o o k d o w n wi t h p ati e n t anguish at th e ch e e r
,

l e ss d e s o l ati o n which I fee l wi thi n ! Wi th o u t th at f ac e p al e as

the primro s e wi t h hy aci nthi ne l o cks f o r e v e r shu nni ng and f o r
,

ev e r h au nt in g m e m o cki ng my w ak i ng th o u gh t s as in a dr e am
, ,
 1 46 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

wi th o ut th at smil e which my h e ar t c o uld ne v e r t urn to sco rn ,

wi th o u t t h o s e e y e s d ark wi th t h e ir o wn l u s tr e s till b ent o n mi ne , ,

and dr awi ng the s o ul i nto t h e ir liq u id m az e s lik e a se a o f l o v e ,

’
wi th o ut t h at nam e tre mbli ng in f ancy s ear wi th o u t t h at f o rm ,

5 glidi ng b e f o r e m e lik e O r ead o r Dry ad in f abl e d gro v e s wh at ,

sh o u ld I do ho w p ass aw ay the lis tl e ss l ead en fo o te d h o u rs ?

,
-

T h en w av e w av e o n ye w o o ds o f T u derley and lift y o u r high

, , ,

t o ps in the air ; my sighs and v o ws u tter e d by y o ur mys tic v o ice

br e ath e i nto m e my f o rm e r b ei ng and enabl e m e to b ear the ,

[ 0 thi ng I am — T h e o bj e c t s t h at we h av e k no w n in b e tte r d ays

are th e m ai n pr o ps t h at s u s tai n t h e w e igh t o f o u r aff e c ti o n s and ,

giv e u s s tr eng th to await o u r fu t ur e lo t T he f u tu r e i s lik e a .

d e ad w all o r a t hick mist hidi ng all o bj e c t s fr o m o u r vi ew : the

p as t is aliv e and s t irri ng wi th o bj e ct s bright o r s o l em n and o f , ,

I S u nf adi ng i n t e r e st Wh at i s it in f ac t t h at we r e cu r t o o f tene s t ?
.

Wh at subj e c t s do we t hi n k o rt alk o f N o t the ign o r ant f u tu re ,

b u t th e w e ll s to r e d p as t O th e ll o t h e M o o r o f V e n ic e amus e d
-
.
, ,

hims e lf and his h e ar e rs at th e h o u s e o f S igno r Brab anti o by

r u nning t hr o ugh the s to ry o f his life e v en fro m his b o yish
” “
20 d ays ; and o f t b e guil e d th e m o f t h eir t e ars wh en he did ,

”
sp e ak o f s o m e dis as tr o u s s tr o k e w hich his y o u th s u f fe r e d .

This pl an o f i ngr ati ati ng hims elf w o u ld no t h av e an sw e re d if ,

the p as t h ad b e e n lik e the c o n te n t s o f an o ld alm an ac o f no

, ,

u se b u t to b e t hr o w n asid e and f o rg o tte n Wh at a bl ank f o r .

,

2 5 i ns tan c e d o e s the his to ry o f th e w o rld f o r t h e ne x t six th o us an d

‘
,

y e ars pr e s e nt to the mi nd c o mp are d wi t h th at o f the l as t ! All ,

th at s t rik e s the im agi nati o n o r e xci te s any i nt e r e s t in t he migh ty

1
sc e ne is wizaz lzas éeen ‘

A t re atis e o n th e M ill e nni m is d ll ; b t wh o was e v e r we ary o f re adi ng th e

1 u u u

f abl e s o f th e G o ld e n A g ? O n my o nc e o bs e rvi ng I sh ld li k e t o h ave b n

e ou ee

C l a d e a p e rs o n s aid th ey sh o ld n o t f o th at th n by this t im e i t w ld h ave

u , ,
u ,
r e ou

b n all o v e r wi th th m A s if it c o ld p ssibly si g nify wh e n we live ( s av and

ee e .
"
u o e

e xc e p t i n g t h e pr e s e n t mi n t e ) o as if t h e v al e f h m n lif e d cr e as e d o r i n
u ,
r u o u a e

cr as d wi th s u cc e ssive c e nt ri e s A t th at rate we h ad b e tte r h av e r lif e s till

e e u .
,
ou

to c m e at s m e f t u re p ri o d and o p s tp o ne o r exis te nc e c e nt ry af te r
o o u e ,
s o u u

c nt ry d i /zn ilmn
e u a zz
'

.
 1 48 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

our mi nds to pl e asur e no r st eel o u r fo rtitud e to the r e sistance

,

o f p ai n b e f o r e h an d ; if all o bj e cts drift e d al o ng by us lik e s tr aws

o r pi e c e s o f w o o d in a riv e r t he will b e i ng pur e ly p assiv e and

, ,

as li ttl e abl e to av e rt th e futur e a s to arr e st the p ast we sh o uld ,

5 in th at c as e b e e q u ally i ndiffe r e nt to b o t h t h at is we sh o u ld c o n ,

sid e r e ach as t h e y af fe c te d the th o ughts and im agi nat i o n wi th

c e r tai n s enti m ent s o f appr o b ati o n o r r egr e t but wi th o u t the ,

imp o r tu n i ty o f ac ti o n the irritat i o n o f the will t hro wi ng the

, ,

wh o l e w e ight o f p assi o n and pre j u dic e i nto o ne sc al e and l e av ,

IO ing th e o th e r qui te e mp ty Whil e the bl o w is c o mi ng we pre p ar e

.
,

to m e e t it we t hi n k to w ard o ff o r br e ak its fo rc e we arm o u r

, ,

s elv e s wi th p at i e nc e to e nd u r e wh at c anno t b e av o id e d we agitat e ,

o u rs e lv e s with fif ty nee dl e ss al arms ab o u t it ; b u t wh e n th e bl o w

is s truck the p ang is o v e r the struggl e i s no l o nge r ne c e ss ary

, , ,

1 5 and w e c e as e to h ar ass o r to rm e n t o u rs e lv e s ab o u t i t m o r e th an

w e c an h e lp I t is no t th at the o ne b e l o ngs to t he futur e and

.

th e o t h e r t o t im e p as t ; b u t t h at the o n e is a subj e ct o f ac t i o n ,

o f u n e asy appr e h e n si o n o f s t r o n g p assi o n and t h at th e o t h e r

, ,

has p ass e d wh o lly o u t o f th e sph e r e o f ac t i o n i nto the r e gi o n o f ,

C al m c o nt e m pl at i o n m aj e s t i c p ai n s ” 1
20 an d .

It w o u ld giv e a m an m o r e c o n c e r n to k no w th at he sh o u ld
no t

b e pu t to the r ack a y e ar h e n c e t h an to r e c o ll e c t th at h e h ad
,

b e e n pu t to it a y ear ago b u t t h at he h o p e s to av o id the o ne

, ,

wh e r e as he m u s t sit d o w n p ati e ntly u n d er th e c o nsci o us ne ss o f

25 th e o t h e r I n t his h o p e he w e ars hims e lf o u t in v ai n s truggl e s
.

wi th f ate and p u t s hims e lf to the r ack o f his im agi nati o n e v ery

,

day he has to liv e in th e m e an whil e Wh e n the e v en t i s so .

r e m o te o r so i nd e p e nd e n t o f th e will as to se t asid e the ne c e ssi ty

o f imm e di ate ac t i o n o r t o b aff l e all at t e mp t s to d e f e at it it giv e s
, ,

1 In l i k e m anne r th o u g h we k no w th at an e ve nt m u s t h av e tak e n pl ac e at a
,

dis tan c e l o n g b e f o re we c an h e ar t h e re s u l t y e t as l o ng as we re m ai n in ign o

, ,

ranc e o f it we irri tate o u rs e lv e s ab o t it and s u ff e r all t h e ag o n i e s o f s u sp e ns e

,
u , ,

as if it was s t ill t o c o m e ; b u t as s o o n as o u r u n c e r tai n ty is re m o v e d o u r fr e t f u l

. ,

imp at i e n c e v anish e s we re si g n o u rs e lve s to f ate and m ak e u p o u r mi nds t o wh at

, ,

has h app e ne d as we ll as we c an .
 ON THE PA S T AND F UT U R E I 49

u s li ttl e m o r e dis tu rb ance o r e m o ti o n th an if i t had alr e ady t ak e n

pl ac e o r w e r e s o m e thi ng to h app e n in ano th e r s tate o f b e i ng
, ,

o r t o an i ndiffe r e n t p e rs o n C rimi nals are o bs e rv e d to gro w

.

m o r e anxi o us as t h e ir t ri al appro ach e s ; bu t aft e r th e ir s ente nc e

is p ass e d t h e y b e co m e t o l e r ably r e sig ne d and g ene rally sl ee p
, ,

s o u n d the nig ht b e fo r e its e x e c u t i o n .

I t in s o m e m e as u r e c o nfirms t his th eo ry th at m e n at tach ,

m o r e o r l e ss imp o r tanc e to p as t and f u tu r e e v ent s acc o rd ing ,

as th e y are m o r e o r l e ss e ng ag e d in ac t i o n and th e busy sc ene s

o f life Th o s e who h av e a fo rtu ne to m ak e o r are in p u rs u i t o f

. IO

r ank and p o w e r thi nk li ttl e o f the p as t, f o r it d o e s no t c o ntrib

u te gr e at ly to t h e ir vi e ws : th o s e wh o h av e no t hi n g to do but to

t hi nk t ak e ne arly the s am e i nte r e st in th e p ast as in the f u t ur e

, .

Th e c o n t e mpl at i o n o f the o ne is as d e ligh t fu l and r e al as t h at

o f th e o t h e r T he s e as o n o f h o p e h as an end but th e r e m e m
.

br an ce o f it is l e ft T he p ast s till liv e s in the m e m o ry o f th o s e

.

who h av e l e is u r e to l o o k b ack u p o n th e way th at t h e y h av e tro d ,

an d c an fro m it c atch glimps e s t h at m ay m ak e th e m l e ss f o r

”
l o rn
. T h e turbul e nc e o f ac t i o n and u ne asi ne ss o f d e sir e mu st
, ,

p o i nt to the f u t ur e : it is o nly in the qui e t i nno c enc e o f sh e p 20

h erds in the simplici ty o f p ast o r al age s th at a t o mb was fo u n d

, ,

wi th this i nscrip ti o n I A L SO WA S A N A R C A D I A N
Th o u gh I by no m e ans t hi nk th at o u r h abitu al attachm en t to
life is in e x act pr o p o r ti o n to the v al u e o f the gif t y e t I am n o t ,

o ne o f t h o s e spl ene tic p e rs o n s wh o affe c t to thi nk it o f n o v al u e

’

at all .
Qu e pea de efi ose est [ a we fi a ma z ae is an excl am at i o n
in the m o uths o f m o r alis t s and phil o s o ph e rs to which I c anno t ,

agr ee I t is li ttl e it is S h o rt i t is no t w o r th h avi ng if we tak e

.
, , ,

the l ast h o ur an d l e av e o u t all t h at h as g o ne b e fo r e which has

, ,

b een o ne way o f l o o ki ng at the s u bj e c t S uch c alcul ato rs s ee m

.
3O
to say th at lif e is no thi ng wh e n it is o v e r and t h at m ay in t h e ir ,

s en s e b e tr u e I f the o ld rul e — R esp zee f i l em — w e r e to b e

'

m ad e abs o lu te and no o ne c o u ld b e pr o no u nc e d fo r tu nate t ill

,

t he day o f his d e ath t h e r e are f e w am o ng u s wh o s e e xis te n c e

,
 1 50 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

w o u ld ,
p o n t h o s e c o n di ti o ns b e much to b e e nvi e d Bu t this
u ,
.

’
is no t a f air vi e w o f th e c as e A m an s life is his wh o l e lif e
.
,

n o t th e l as t glimm e r i n g s n uff o f th e c an dl e ; and t his I say , ,

is c o n sid e r abl e and no t a little m atter wh eth e r we r e gard its

, ,
'

pl eas u r e s o r its p ain s T o dr aw a p eevish c o n clusi o n to the

.

c o nt r ary fr o m o u r o wn s u p e r annu ate d d esir e s o r fo rge tful in

d iffer ence is ab o u t as r e as o nabl e as t o say a m an ne v e r was ,

y o u ng b e c aus e he has gr o wn o ld o r ne v e r liv e d b ec au s e he is ,

no w d e ad T h e l eng th o r agr e e abl e ne ss o f a j o u r ney d o e s no t

.

IO d e p e n d o n the f ew l as t s t eps o f it no r is the si z e o f a b u ildi ng ,

t o b e j u dg e d o f fr o m t he l as t s to ne t h at is add e d t o it I t is .

ne i t h e r th e firs t no r l ast h o ur o f o u r e xis t e n c e but th e sp ac e ,

t h at p art s t h e s e t wo — no t o u r e xi t no r o u r e nt r anc e u p o n the

s tage b u t wh at we do fe e l and t hi nk w h il e th e r e — th at we
, , ,

[ 5 are to atten d t o in pr o no u n ci n g s e nte n c e up o n it I nd ee d it .

w o uld b e easy to sh e w th at it is the v e ry e x t e nt o f h u m an lif e ,

th e i nfi ni te n u mb e r o f t hi ngs c o ntain e d in it it s c o n t r adic to ry ,

and fluc t u at i ng i n t e r e s t s t he t r an si ti o n fr o m o n e si tu ati o n t o

,

ano t h e r th e h o u rs m o n t hs y e ars sp e nt in o n e f o n d pursui t

, , ,

af te r ano t h e r ; t h at it is in a w o rd th e l e n g t h o f o u r c o mm o n
, ,

j o u r ney and the q u ant i ty o f e v e nts cro wd e d i nto it th at b af , ,

fli ng the gr asp o f o u r ac tu al p e rc e p t i o n m ak e it slid e fr o m o u r ,

m em o ry an d d windl e i nto n o thi ng inits o wn p e rsp e c t iv e I t is

,
.

t o o migh ty f o r u s and we say it is n o t hi ng !

,
I t is a spec k in
o u r f ancy and y e t wh at c anv as w o uld b e big e no ugh to h o ld
,

it s s triki ng gr o u ps its e ndle ss s u bj e c t s ! I t is ligh t as v ani ty

, ,

and y e t if all its w e ary m o m e nt s if all it s h e ad and h e ar t ach e s,

w e r e c o mpr e ss e d i nto o ne wh at f o r ti tud e w o u ld no t b e o v e r

,

“
wh elm e d wi th the bl o w ! Wh at a h u ge h eap a hug e d u mb , ,

”
30 h e ap o f wish e s t h o u gh t s fe e li ngs anxi o u s c ar e s s o o thi ng
, , , , ,

h o p e s l o v e s j o ys fri e ndships it is c o mp o s e d o f H o w m any

, , , ,

id e as and tr ain s o f s e nt im e n t l o ng and d ee p and i nte ns e o f ten

, ,

’
p ass thr o ugh the mi nd in o nly o ne d ay s thi nki ng o r r e adi ng ,

f o r i ns tanc e ! H o w m any such d ays are th e r e in a y ear ho w , ,

 1 52 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

cr abb e d ne ss o f age A l o ad o f c ar e s li e s lik e a w e ight o f g u ilt

.

up o n the mi nd : so th at a m an o f busi ne ss o f ten has all the air ,

t he dis t r ac ti o n and r es tl e ssn e ss and hurry o f f e e li ng o f a crimi nal .

A k no wl edg e o f the w o rld tak e s aw ay the fr e e d o m and simplici ty

o f t h o ugh t as e ffe c t u ally as t he c o ntagi o n o f its e x ampl e T he .

artl e ss n e ss and c and o ur o f o u r e arly y e ars are o p e n t o all impr e s

'

si o ns alik e b e c aus e the mi nd is no t cl o gge d and pre o ccu pi e d

,
-

wi t h o th e r o bj e c ts O u r pl e as u r e s and o u r p ai ns c o m e singl e
.
,

m ak e r o o m f o r o ne ano th e r and the spri n g o f the mi n d is fr e sh

,

[ O and u nbr o k e n its asp e ct cl e ar and u ns u lli e d

,
H e nce the t e ar .

”
f o rgo t as s o o n as sh e d the su n shi ne o f the bre as t
,
Bu t as we .

adv an c e f ar th e r t he will g e ts gr e at e r h e ad
,
We fo rm vi o l en t .

ant ip at hi e s and i ndulge e xclusiv e pr e f e r e nc e s

,
We m ak e u p o u r .

mi nds to s o m e o ne thi ng and if we c anno t h av e t h at will h av e

, ,

no thi ng . We are w e dd e d to o pi ni o n to fancy to pre j u dic e ;, ,

which d e str o ys the s o u n dne ss o f o u r j udgm ent s and the s e r eni ty

and bu o y ancy o f o u r f ee li ngs T h e ch ai n o f h abi t c o ils i ts e lf
.

r o u nd the h e art lik e a s e rp ent to gnaw and s tifl e it I t gro ws

, ,
.

rigid and c all o us and f o r the s o f tness and e l astici ty o f childh o o d ,

20 f u ll o f pr o ud fl e sh and o bs ti nate tu m o u rs The vi o l en c e and per .

v e rsi ty o f o u r p assi o n s c o m e s in m o r e and m o r e t o o v e rl ay o u r

n at ur al s e n sibility and w e ll gr o u nd e d affe c t i o ns ; and we scr e w
-

o urs e lv e s u p to aim o nly at th o s e t hi ngs which are ne i th e r d e sir

abl e n o r pr ac tic abl e Th u s life p ass e s aw ay in the f e v e ri sh irri ta

.

t i o n o f p u rsuit and the ce r tai nty o f dis app o i nt m e nt By d e gr e e s .

,

no t hi ng b u t this m o rbid s tate o f f e e li ng s at isfi e s us : and all

c o mm o n pl e as u r e s and ch e ap amus e m en ts are s acrifice d t o the

d e m o n o f ambi ti o n av aric e o r dissip at i o n T he m achi ne is
, ,
.

o v e rwr o ugh t : th e p archi ng h e at o f th e v e i ns dri e s u p an d

30 wi th e rs the fl o w e rs o f L o v e H o p e and J o y ; and any p aus e

, , ,

an r e l e as e fro m th e r ack o f e cs tacy o n which we are s t r e tch e d

y ,

s ee m s m o r e i n s u pp o r tabl e th an the p angs which we e ndur e We .

are susp e nd e d b e tw e e n t o rm e n ti ng d e sir e s and t h e h o rr o rs o f ,

T he impuls e o f the will lik e the wh eels o f a c arri ag e

'

em u /2 .
,
 ON TH E PA S T AND F UT U R E 1 53

go i ng d o w n hill b e c o m e s t o o s t ro ng f o r the driv e r r e as o n and

, , ,

c anno t b e s to pp e d no r k e pt with in b o u n ds S o m e id e a s o m e .
,

f ancy t ak e s p o ss e ssi o n o f the br ai n ; and h o w e v e r ridic ul o u s

, ,

h o w e v e r dis tr e ssi ng h o w e v e r rui no us h au n t s u s by a s o rt o f

, ,

f asci nati o n thro ugh life .

5
N o t o nly is t his pri ncipl e o f exc e ssiv e irri tabili ty to b e s e e n at
w o rk in o u r m o r e turbul ent p assi o n s an d pursui ts b u t e v e n in ,

the f o rm al s t u dy o f arts an d sci enc e s the s am e thi ng tak e s pl ac e

, ,

and u n d e rmi n e s th e r e p o s e an d h appi n e ss o f lif e T he e ag e rn e ss .

o f purs u i t o v e rc o m e s th e s at isf ac t i o n t o r e sult fr o m the ae c o m IC

plish m e nt T he m in d is o v e rs t r aine d t o attai n its pu rp o s e ; and

.

wh en it is attai ne d the e as e and al acri ty ne c ess ary to enj o y it

,

are g o n e . T he irri tat i o n o f acti o n d o e s no t c eas e and go d o w n

with the o cc asi o n f o r i t ; but we are fi rst u ne asy to ge t to the
e nd o f o u r w o rk and t h e n u ne asy f o r w ant o f s o m e thi ng t o do
,
I .
!

T he f e rm e nt o f t he br ai n d o e s no t o f i t s e lf subsid e i nto pl e as u r e
and s o ft r e p o s e . H en c e the disp o si t i o n to str o ng sti m u li o b serv
abl e in p e rs o n s o f much i nte ll e c t u al e x e rt i o n to all ay and c arry

T he i mp romsatam p o et s ( it is r e c o rd e d
' '

o ff th e o v e r e xci te m en t
-
.

by S p enc e in his A n e cd o te s o f P o p e) c anno t sl e e p afte r an eve

’
ning s c o n t i nu e d displ ay o f t h e ir si ngul ar and di f ficul t art T he .

rhym e s k ee p ru nn i ng in t h e ir h e ad in spi te o f th e ms e lv e s and ,

will n o t le t t h e m r e s t M ech anics and l ab o uring p eo pl e ne v e r

.

k no w wh at to do wi th th e ms e lv e s o n a S u nd ay t h o u gh t h ey ,

r e t urn to t h e ir w o rk wi t h gre ate r S pi ri t f o r the r eli e f and l o o k ,

f o rw ard to it wi t h pl e asure all the w ee k S ir J o sh u a R eyn o lds .

was ne v e r c o mfo rtabl e o u t o f his p ai nt i ng r o o m and di e d o f -

,

ch agri n and r egr e t b ec au s e he c o uld n o t p ain t o n to the l as t

,

m o m ent o f his life H e us e d to say t h at he c o uld go o n

.

r eto u chi ng a pic ture f o r e v e r as l o ng as it s to o d o n his 3C

,

e as e l ; b u t as s o o n as it was o n c e f ai rly o u t o f the h o us e ,

h e nev e r wish e d t o see it ag ai n A n i ng eni o us ar ti s t o f o ur

.

o wn t im e has b ee n h e ard to d e cl ar e t h at if e v e r t he D e vil

,

go t him i nt o his cl u tch e s h e w o ul d se t him to CO py his o wn

,
 1 54 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

pictur e s Thus the s ecur e s elf—

.
,
c o mpl ac e nt r e t r o sp e ct to wh at
is d o ne is no thi ng whil e the anxi o us u neasy l o o ki ng fo rw ard
, ,

to w hat is to c o m e is e v e ry t hi ng . We are afraid to dw e ll u p o n

the p as t l e s t it sh o uld r e t ard o u r futur e pr o gr e ss ; the indu l
,

5 g enc e o f e as e is f atal to e xce ll enc e ; and to succ ee d in life ,

we l o s e th e ends o f b e i ng !
 1 56 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

yo urs e lf by fixi ng y o ur th o ughts o n the s u bj e c t y o u h av e to wri te

ab o u t A ny o ne m ay m o u th o u t a p ass ag e wi th a th e atric al
.

c ad en c e o r ge t u p o n s til ts to t e ll his th o ughts b u t to wri te o r

,

S p e ak w i th pr o pri e ty an d simplici ty is a m o r e di ffi c u lt t ask Th u s .

5 it is easy to aff e ct a p o mp o u s s tyl e to u se a w o rd t wic e as big ,

as th e t hi ng y o u w an t to e xpr ess it is no t so e asy to pi tch u p o n

th e v e ry w o rd th at e x ac tly fi t s it O u t o f e igh t o r ten w o rds
.

e q u ally c o mm o n e q u ally i nte lligibl e wi t h n e arly e qu al pr e te n

, ,

si o ns it is a m atte r o f s o m e nic e ty an d discrimi n ati o n to pick

,

[0 o u t th e v e ry o n e the pr e f e r abl e ne ss o f which is sc arc ely p e rc e p

,

’
tibl e b u t d e cisiv e T he r eas o n why I o bj ect to Dr J o h n s o n s
,
. .

s tyl e is t h at t h e r e is no discrimi nat i o n no s e l ec t i o n no v ari e ty

, , ,

“ ”
in it . H e u s e s no ne b u t tall o p aqu e w o rds t ak en fro m the
, ,

first ro w o f the r u bric : w o rds wi th th e gr eat e s t n umb e r o f

1 5 syll abl e s o r L at i n phr as e s wi t h m e r ely English te rmi nati o ns I f
, .

a fi n e s tyl e d e p e n d e d o n t his s o rt o f arbi t r ary pr e t e n si o n it w o uld ,

’
b e f air to j udg e o f an au th o r s e l e g an c e by th e m e asur e m ent o f
his wo rds and the s u bs ti tu ti o n o f fo r eig n circ u ml o c u ti o n s ( wi th
,

1
)
n o pr e cis e ass o ci at i o n s f o r th e m o t h e r to ng u e H o w simpl e is -
.

20 it to b e dig nifi e d wi th o u t e as e to b e p o mp o u s wi th o u t m e ani ng !

,

Su r e ly it is bu t a m e ch anic al rul e f o r av o idi ng wh at is lo w to b e

,

alw ays p e d an tic an d af fe c te d I t is cl ear yo u c anno t u se a vulg ar

.

English w o rd if y o u ne v e r u se a c o mm o n English wo rd at all

,
.

A fi ne t act is sh e w n in adh e ri ng to t h o s e which are p e rfe c tly

2
5 co mm o n and yet ne v e r f alli ng i nto any expr essi o n s which are
,

d e b as e d by disgusti ng circums tanc e s o r which o we t h e ir sig ,

nifi c atio n and p o i nt to t e ch n ic al o r pro fe ssi o n al all u si o n s A .

tr u ly natural o r famili ar s tyl e c an ne v e r b e q u ai nt o r vulg ar f o r

this r eas o n th at it is o f u niv e rs al fo rc e and applic abili ty and th at
, ,

30 qu ai ntne ss and v u lgari ty aris e o u t o f th e imm e di ate c o nn e c ti o n

o f c e r tai n w o rds wi th c o ars e an d dis agr e e abl e o r wi th c o nfi ne d ,

1 I h av e h e ard o f s ch a thi ng as an au th o r wh o m ak e s it a ru l e ne v e r to admi t

u ,

a m o no syll abl e i n t o his v apid v e rs e Y e t t h e ch arm and swe e t n e ss o f M arl o w s

’
.

line s d e p e n d e d o f te n o n th e ir b e i n g m ad e p alm o s t e n t ire ly o f m o n o syll abl e s

u .
 ON FA M I LIA R S TY L E 1 57

id eas T he l ast fo rm wh at we u nd e rst and by ea nt o r sla ng

.

phras e s . T o giv e an e x ampl e o f wh at is no t v e ry cl ear in the

g e ne ral s tat em ent I sh o uld say th at the phras e To c u t wit/z a
.

knif e o r To eat a pieee of wood is p e rf e ctly fre e fro m vulgarity

, , ,

b ec aus e it is p e rfe c tly c o mm o n : b u t to eat a n aequ a i nta nee is

no t quit e u ne xc e pti o nabl e b e c au s e it is n o t p e rf e c tly co mm o n
,

o r i nte lligibl e and h as h ardly y e t e sc ap e d o u t o f the limi t s o f

,

sl ang phr as e o l o gy I sh o uld h ardly t h e re fo r e u se the w o rd in

.

t his s e ns e wi t h o ut pu ttin g it in i talics as a lic ense o f e xpr e ssi o n ,

t o b e r e c e iv e d eu m gra no salis All pro vi nci al o r b ye phras e s

.
-

c o m e u nd e r the s am e m ark o f r e pr o b ati o n — all s u ch as the

wri te r tr ansfe rs to the p age fr o m his fi re sid e o r a p articul ar -

eateri e o r t h at h e i n v e n ts f o r his o wn s o l e u se and c o nv e ni e nc e

,
.

I c o nc e iv e th at w o rds are lik e m o ne y no t the w o rs e f o r b ei ng ,

c o mm o n b u t th at it is the st am p o f cust o m al o ne th at giv e s t h e m

,

circ u l at i o n o r v al u e I am fas tidi o u s in this r e sp e ct and w o uld

.
,

alm o st as s o o n c o i n th e c u rr e n cy o f the r e alm as c o u nte rf e i t t h e

’
K i ng s English I n ev e r i nv e n t e d o r g av e a ne w and u nau t h o ris e d
.

m eani ng to any w o rd bu t o ne si ngl e o ne ( the te rm i mperso na l

an d t h at was in an abs t r u s e m e taphysic al
appli e d to f ee li ngs
) 2

discussi o n to expr e ss a v e ry di ffi cult dis ti ncti o n I h av e b een .

( I k n ow
) l o udly accus e d o f r e v e lli n g in vulg arisms and br o k e n

English . I c anno t sp e ak to t h at p o i nt : b u t so f ar I pl e ad guil ty

to th e d e te rmi ne d u se o f ack no wl e dge d idi o ms and c o mm o n

e llip t ic al e xpr e ssi o ns I am no t sure th at the cri tics in q u e sti o n

.
0
l

k no w the o ne fr o m the o th e r th at is c an dis ti nguish any m e dium

, ,

b e tw e e n fo rm al p ed ant ry and the m o s t b arb ar o u s s o l e cism A s .

an auth o r I e nd e av o u r to e mpl o y pl ai n w o rds and p o p u l ar m o d e s

,

o f c o ns t ruc t i o n as w e r e I a C h apm an and d eal e r I sh o u ld c o m

, ,

m o n w e igh t s and m easur e s .

T he pr o p e r fo rc e o f w o rds li e s no t in the w o rds t h e ms e lv e s ,

b u t in th e ir applic at i o n A w o rd m ay b e a fi ne—
. s o u ndi ng w o rd ,

o f an u nusu al l e ng t h and v e ry imp o si ng fr o m it s l e ar ni ng and

,

no v e lty and y e t in th e c o nne c ti o n in which it is i ntr o duc e d

, ,
 1 58 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

m ay b e qui te p o i n tl e ss and irr e l e v ant I t is no t p o mp o r pre

.

t en si o n b u t the ad ap tati o n o f th e e xpr e ssi o n to the id e a th at

,

’
cl e nch e s a wri te r s m ean i ng as it is n o t the siz e o r gl o ssi ne ss

o f the m ate ri als b u t t h e ir b e i n g fi tte d e ach to it s pl ac e th at giv e s

, ,

s tr e ng th to th e arch ; o r as the p e gs and nails are as ne c e ss ary

to th e s u pp o r t o f th e b u ildi ng as th e l arg e r t imb e rs and m o r e ,

s o t h an th e m e r e sh e w
y u n subst ant i al o r nam e nt s I h at e any
,
.

t hi ng t h at o ccu pi e s m o r e sp ac e t h an it is w o r t h I h ate to see .

a l o ad o f b an d b o x e s go al o ng t h e s t r ee t and I h at e t o se e a
-
,

[O p arc e l o f big w o rds wi th o u t any t hi ng in t h e m A p e rs o n who .

d o e s no t d e lib e r at ely disp o s e o f all his t h o u gh t s alik e in c u m

br o us dr ap e ri e s and flimsy disguis e s m ay s trik e o u t tw enty
,

v ari e ti e s o f famili ar e v e ry day l angu age e ach c o mi n g s o m e

-
,

wh at near e r to th e f e e li ng he w ant s to c o n v ey an d at l as t no t ,

[ 5 hit u p o n t h at p ar t icul ar and o nly o ne which m ay b e s aid to

,

b e id ent ic al wi t h th e e x ac t impr e ssi o n in his mi n d This wo u ld .

s e e m to sh e w th at M r C o bb e t t is h ardly right in s ayi ng th at

.

the first w o rd th at o ccurs i s alw ays the b e s t I t m ay b e a v e ry

.

go o d o n e ; and y et a b e tte r m ay pr e s ent i ts e lf o n r e fl e c t i o n o r

’
0 fr o m t im e to tim e I t sh o uld b e sugge st e d naturally h o w e v e r
.
, ,

and sp o n t ane o u sly fr o m a fr e sh and liv e ly c o nc e p t i o n o f t he

,

s u bj e c t We s eld o m s u cc e e d by t ryi ng at impr o v e m en t o r by

.
,

m e r ely substi t u ti ng o ne w o rd f o r ano th e r t h at we are no t s atis

fi ed wi th as we c anno t r e c o ll e ct t he n am e o f a pl ac e o r p e rs o n
,

by m er e ly pl agui ng o u rs e lv e s ab o u t it We w and e r f ar th e r fro m

.

th e p o i n t by p e rsisti n g in a wr o ng sc e nt ; b u t it s tar t s u p acci

d e ntally in the m e m o ry wh en we l e as t e xp e ct e d it by to uchi ng ,

s o m e li nk in the ch ai n o f pr e vi o u s ass o ci ati o n .

T he r e are t h o s e wh o h o ard u p and m ak e a c au ti o u s displ ay

o f no thi n g b u t rich and r ar e phr as e o l o gy ; — an ci en t m e d als ,

o bsc u r e c o i n s
,
and S p an ish pi e c e s o f e igh t Th ey are v e ry
.

c u ri o u s to i n sp e c t ; bu t I mys e lf w o uld ne i th e r o ffe r no r tak e

th e m in th e c o u rs e o f e xch ang e A spri nkli ng o f arch aisms is
.

n o t amiss ; but a t issu e o f o bs o l e t e e xpr e ssi o ns is m o r e fit f or

 I 6O S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

k no w any b o rro w ed p encil t h at has m o r e p o w e r o r f elicity o f

e x e cu ti o n th an th e o ne o f which I h av e h e r e b e e n S p e aki ng .

I t is as e asy to wri te a g audy s tyl e wi t h o ut id eas as it is to ,

spr e ad a p all e t o f shewy c o l o u rs o r to sm e ar in a fl au nting

,

“ ” “ ”
t r an sp ar e n cy . Wh at do yo u r ead ? W o rds w o rds w o rds , ,
.

”
Wh at is the m atte r ? it migh t b e an sw e r e d .

T he fl o rid s tyl e i s th e r e v e rs e o f th e f amili ar T h e l as t is e m .

pl o y e d as an u n v ar n ish e d m e dium to c o nv ey id eas ; th e firs t i s

r e s o r te d to as a S p angl e d v e il t o c o nc e al the w an t o f th e m .

(O Wh e n th e r e i s no thi ng to b e se t d o w n b u t w o rds it c o s t s li ttl e ,

to h av e th e m fi ne L o o k thr o ugh the dic ti o nary and c u ll o u t

.
,

a fl o rilegi u m riv al th e tu litpam a u ia

,
R o uge high e no ugh and
.
,

n ev e r mi n d th e nat ur al c o mpl e xi o n T he v u lg ar who are no t

.
,

in the s e cr e t will adm ir e the l o o k o f pr e te rn at ur al h e al th and

,

‘5 vigo ur ; and th e f ashi o nabl e who r e gard o nly appe aranc es will
, ,

b e d e ligh t e d wi th th e imp o si ti o n K ee p to y o u r s o u ndi ng ge n

.

eralitie s y o u r ti nkli ng phr as e s and all will b e w e ll

, , S w e ll o u t .

an u n m e an i ng t r u ism to a p e rf e c t tymp any o f s tyl e A t h o ugh t .

,

a dis t i n c ti o n i s t he r o ck o n which all t his bri ttl e c arg o o f v e rbi

age S pli t s at o n c e S uch wri te rs h av e m e r e ly aeri a l im agi nati o n s

.

th at r etai n no thi ng b u t w o rds O r t h e ir p u ny t h o ugh ts h av e

.

dr ago n wi ngs all gr ee n and go ld Th ey s o ar f ar ab o v e the

-
,
.

vulg ar f aili n g o f th e S erm o lz u m i o b rep ens — th e ir m o s t o rdi nary

sp ee ch is ne v e r sh o rt o f an hyp e rb o l e spl e ndid imp o si ng v ag u e
, , , ,

25 i n c o mpr e h en sibl e m ag nil o q u e nt a c e nto o f s o u ndi ng co mm o n

, ,

‘ ”
pl ac e s I f s o m e o f u s w h o s e ambi ti o n i s m o r e l o wly pry a
.
, ,

li ttl e to o n arr o wly i nto no o k s and c o r ne rs to pick up a n umb er

”
of u n c o n sid e r e d t rifl e s th e y ne v e r o n c e dir e c t th e ir ey e s o r
,

lif t th e ir h ands to s e i z e o n any b u t the m o s t go rg eo u s tar nish e d , ,

30 t h re ad b ar e p at ch w o rk se t o f phr as e s t h e l e f t o ff fi ne ry o f p o e tic
-
,
-

e x t r av ag anc e t r an s mi tte d d o wn thro u gh s u cc e ssiv e g e n e r ati o n s

,

o f b arr e n pr e te n d e rs I f th ey cri ticis e ac to rs and ac tr e ss e s a

.
,

h u ddl e d ph antasm ago ri a o f fe ath e rs S p angle s fl o o ds o f ligh t , , ,

and o c e an s o f s o u nd fl o at b e fo r e th e ir m o rbi d s e ns e w hich t h e y ,

 ON FA M I LIA R ST YLE 1 6 1

p ai nt in the
styl e o f A nci ent P is to l N o t a glimps e c an yo u ge t .

o f the m e ri t s o r d e fe c ts o f the p e rfo rm e rs : t h e y are hidd e n in a

pr o f u si o n o f b a rb ar o us e pi th e ts and wilful rh o d o m o ntad e O u r .

hyp e rcri tics are no t thi nki ng o f th e s e li ttl e f anto cci ni b e i ngs
T h at s tr u t an d f r e t th e i r h o u r u p o n the s tag e
but o f tall ph anto ms o f w o rds abs t rac ti o ns genera and species , , ,

sw ee pi ng cl aus e s p e ri o ds th at u nite the P o l e s fo rc e d allite r

, ,

atio ns , ast o u ndi ng anti t h e s e s

“
A nd o n t hei r p s s i t s pl u m e d ”
'

en F us t z a n .

I f th ey d e scrib e ki ngs and q u eens it is an East e r n p ag eant , . IC

T he C o r o nati o n at e i th e r H o u s e is no thi ng to it We ge t at .

f o ur r e p e at e d im age s — a cur tai n a t hr o ne a sc ep tr e and a , , ,

f o o t s to o l Th e s e are wi th t h e m the w ardr o b e o f a l o fty im agi

-
.

n ati o n ; and th e y tur n t h e ir s e rvil e s tr ai n s t o s e rvil e us e s Do .

we r e ad a d e scrip ti o n o f pic tu r e s ? I t is no t a r e fl e c ti o n o f I t

’
to ne s and hu e s which natu r e s o wn sw ee t and cu nni ng h and
”
l aid o n b u t pil e s o f pr e ci o u s s to ne s rubi e s p earls e m e r alds
, , , , ,

’
G o lc o nd a s mi ne s and all th e bl az o nry o f art
,
S uch p e rs o ns .

are in f act b e s o t te d with w o rds and th e ir br ai n s are t ur ne d ,

wi th the gli tte ri ng b u t e mp ty and s te ril e ph anto ms o f thi ngs :

,

Pe rso nifi c atio n s c api tal l e t te rs s e as o f su nb e ams visi o n s o f

, , ,

gl o ry shi ni ng i n scri p ti o ns the fig u r e s o f a t r an sp ar e ncy Bri

, , ,

tanni a wi th h e r shi e ld o r H o p e l e ani ng o n an anch o r m ak e u p

, ,

t h e ir s to ck in t r ad e Th ey m ay b e c o nsid e r e d as lzierag/ypaiea l
.

wri ters I m age s s tand o u t in th ei r mi nds is o l ate d and imp o r tant

.

m e r e ly in th e ms elv e s wi th o u t any gr o u n d w o rk o f f ee li ng
,
-

th e re i s no c o n te x t in th e ir im agi nati o n s W o rds affe ct th e m .

in the s am e way by the m e r e s o u nd t h at is by t h e ir p o ssibl e

, , , ,

no t by th e ir ac t u al applic ati o n to t he s u bj e c t in h an d Th e y are .

f asci nat e d by first app e ar anc e s and h av e no s e n s e o f c o n se , 3C

qu e nc e s N o thi ng m o r e is m e ant by t h e m th an m e e ts the e ar :

.

th e y u nd e rs tand o r f ee l no thi ng m o r e th an m e e ts th e ir e y e T he .

web and t extur e o f th e u niv e rs e and o f the h e ar t o f m an is a , ,

 1 62 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

mys tery to th e m : t h ey h av e no f acul ty t h at s trik e s a ch o rd in

u nis o n wi th it T h ey c anno t ge t b e y o nd the d au bi ngs o f fancy
.
,

th e v ar nish o f s e nt im e nt O bj e c t s are no t li nk e d to f ee li ngs

.
,

w o rds to thi ngs bu t im ag e s r ev o lv e in spl e ndid m o ck e ry w o rds

, ,

r e pr e s e n t th e ms e lv e s in t h e ir str ange rh aps o di e s T he c at e .

g o rie s o f s u ch a mi n d a re prid e and ig no r an c e prid e in o u t

S id e S h o w t o which th e y s acrific e e v e ry t hi ng and ig n o r an c e o f

, ,

the tru e w o r t h and hidd e n s t r u c t ur e b o th o f w o rds and t hi ngs .

Wi th a s o v e r e ign c o nt e mp t f o r wh at i s f amili ar and natur al ,

IO t h e y are t h e sl av e s o f v u lg ar affe c tat i o n o f a r o u ti n e O f high

fl o w n phr as e s S c o rni ng to imi tate r e ali ti e s t h ey are u nabl e to
.
,

i n v e n t any thi ng to s trik e o u t o n e o rigi nal id e a Th e y are

,
.

no t c o pyis t s o f natu r e it is t r u e : b u t t h e y are t he p o o r e s t

,

o f all pl agi aris ts th e pl agi aris t s o f w o rds

,
All is f ar fe tch e d .
-
,

‘
5 d e ar b o ugh t ar tifici al o ri e ntal in Su bj e c t and allusi o n : all is
-
, ,

m e ch anic al co nv e nt i o nal v apid f o rm al p e d ant ic in styl e and

, , , ,

e x e cu ti o n T h ey s tar tl e and co n fo u nd the u n d e rs tan di ng o f the

.

r e ad er by th e r e m o ten e ss and o bscuri ty o f th e ir ill u s tr ati o ns :

,

t h e y s o o th e th e e ar by the m o n o to ny o f t he s am e e v e rl as ti ng

20 r o u nd o f circui to u s m e taph o rs Th ey are th e ni ece sch ool in .

-

p o e try and pr o s e Th ey fl o u nd e r ab o u t b e twee n f u s ti an in e x

.

pr e ssi o n an d b ath o s in s entim e nt Th ey t ant alis e the f an cy

,
.
,

b u t ne ve r r e ach the h e ad n o r to u ch the h e ar t Th eir T e m pl e .

o f F am e is lik e a S h ad o wy s t r u c t u r e r ais e d by D u l ne ss t o V an
’ ’
25 ity o r lik e C o w p e r s d e scrip t i o n o f th e Empr e ss o f R u ssi a s
,
’ ”
p al ac e o f ic e as w o r thl e ss as in sh e w tw as gli tte ri ng
,

“
It s m il e d , an d i t was co l d ! ”
 I 64 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

my h e ad and the gr een tu rf b ene at h my f e et a wi ndi ng r o ad

, ,

b e fo r e m e and a t hr e e h o urs m arch t o di nne r — and t h e n to

,
’

t hi nki ng ! I t is h ard i f I c anno t s tar t s o m e g am e o n t h e s e l o ne

h e aths I l au gh I ru n I l e ap I S i ng f o r j o y Fr o m the p o i n t
.
, , ,
.

o f y o n d e r r o lli ng cl o u d I pl u ng e i nto my p as t b e i ng an d r e v e l
, ,

t h e r e as the su n bur nt I n di an pl u ng e s h e adl o n g i nto th e w av e

,
-

t h at w af t s him to his nat iv e sh o r e Th en l o ng f o rgo t ten thi ngs .

-
,

”
lik e s u nk e n wr ack and suml e ss t r e as u ri e s b u rs t up o n my
“
,

e ag e r sigh t and I b e gi n t o fe e l t hi nk and b e mys e lf ag ai n

, , ,
.

[O I ns te ad o f an awkw ard sil enc e br o k en by atte mp t s at wit o r ,

dull c o mm o n—pl ace s mi ne is t h at u ndis tu rb e d S il en c e o f the

,

h ear t which al o ne is p e rf e c t e l o q u e nc e N o o ne lik e s pu n s .

,

alli te r at i o n s ant i t h e s e s arg u m e n t and analysis b e t t e r t h an I

, , ,

“
do ; b u t I s o m e tim e s h ad r ath e r b e wi t h o ut th e m L e av e .
,

”
o h l e av e m e to my r e p o s e !
,
I h av e j u s t no w o th er busi ne ss
“
in h and which w o u ld s ee m idl e to y o u b u t is wi t h m e
,
v e ry ,

”
s tuff o f the c o n sci e nc e I s no t t his wild r o s e sw ee t wi th o u t a
.

c o mm en t ? D o e s no t t his d aisy l e ap to my h e ar t se t in it s c o at
o f e m e r ald ? Ye t if I w e r e t o e xpl ai n t o y o u the circ u ms tan c e
’O
th at h as so e nd e ar e d it to m e y o u w o u ld o n ly smil e ,
H ad I .

n o t b e tte r t h e n k ee p it to mys e lf and le t it s erv e m e to br o o d ,

o ver ,
fro m h e r e to y o nd e r cr aggy p o i nt and fr o m t h enc e . ,

o n ward t o the f ar— dis tant h o ri z o n ? I sh o u ld b e b u t b ad c o m

p any all th at way and th e r e fo r e pr e f e r b e i ng al o ne I h av e
,
.

2
5 h e ard it s aid t h at y o u m ay wh e n th e m o o dy fi t c o m e s o n w alk
, ,

o r rid e o n by y o u rs e lf an d i nd u lge y o ur r e v e ri es
,
Bu t this .

l o o ks lik e a bre ach o f m anne rs a ne gl e c t o f o th e rs and yo u , ,

are t hi nki ng all th e t im e t h at yo u o u gh t t o r e j o i n yo u r p ar ty .

”
“
O u t u p o n s u ch h alf f ac e d f ell o wship -
sa
y I I lik e to b e ,
.

30 e i th e r e nt ir e ly t o mys e lf o r e n tir e ly at th e disp o s al o f o t h e rs ;

,

t o t alk o r b e sil e nt to w alk o r S it s t ill t o b e s o ci abl e o r s o li tary

, ,
.

’
I was pl e as e d wi th an o bs e rv at i o n o f M r C o b b e tt s th at he .
,

t h o u gh t it a b ad Fr e n ch c u s t o m to dri nk o u r wi ne wi t h o u r

m e als and th at an Englishm an o ugh t to do o nly o ne thi ng at a

,
 O N GOIN G A J O U RN E Y 16 5
’3
tim e. S o I c anno t t alk and thi nk o r i ndulg e in m e l an ch o ly
,

musi ng and liv e ly c o nv e rs ati o n by fi ts and s tar ts Let m e .

“

”
h av e a c o mp ani o n o f my way s ays S te r ne ,
w e r e it b u t to
,

”
r e m ark ho w the sh ad o ws l eng th en as the su n d e cli ne s I t is .

b e au t if u lly s aid : b u t in my o pi ni o n t his co nti nu al c o m p ari ng o f

,

no te s i n te rf e r e s wi t h th e i n v o l u n tary impr e ssi o n o f t hi ngs u p o n

t he mi nd and hurts th e s e nt im e nt
,
I f y o u o nly hi n t wh at yo u
.

fee l in a ki nd o f dumb S h o w it is i nsipid : if yo u h av e t o expl ai n

,

it i t is m aki ng a t o i l o f a pl e asur e Yo u c anno t r e ad th e b o o k

,
.

o f natu r e wi t h o u t b e i ng p e rp e t u ally pu t to th e tr o u bl e o f tr an s
,
IO

l ati ng it f o r the b e ne fit o f o th e rs I am f o r the sy nth e t ical

.

m e th o d o n a j o u r ney in pr e fe r e nc e to the analy tic al I am

,
.

c o n t ent to lay in a s to ck o f id e as th en and to e x ami ne and ,

anato mis e th e m af te rw ards . I w an t to see my v agu e no t i o n s

fl o at lik e the d o w n o f the t his tl e b e f o r e the br e ez e and no t to ,

h av e t h e m entangl e d in the bri ars and th o r ns o f c o n tro v e rsy .

Fo r o nc e I lik e to h av e it all my o w n way ; and t his is im

,

p o ssibl e u n l e ss yo u are al o ne o r in such c o mp any as I do no t

,

c o v et I h av e no o bj e c t i o n t o argu e a p o i nt wi th any o ne f o r
.

tw e nty mil e s o f m e as u r e d r o ad b u t no t f o r pl e as u r e I f y o u
,
.

r e m ark the scen t o f a b ean fi eld cro ssi ng the r o ad p e rh aps

-
,

y o ur f e ll o w t r av ell e r h as no sm e ll I f y o u p o i nt to a dis tan t

-
.

o bj e c t p erh aps h e is sh o r t sigh ted and has to tak e o u t his

,
-
,

gl ass to l o o k at it T h e r e is a f e eli ng in the air a to ne in the

.
,

c o l o ur o f a cl o u d which hi t s y o u r fancy b u t the e ffe ct o f which

,

o u are u nabl e to acc o u nt f o r T h e r e is th e n n o sym p at hy b u t

y .
,

an u ne asy cr avi ng af te r it and a diss at isf ac ti o n which purs u e s

,

o u o n th e wa and in the e n d pro b ably pr o duc e s ill h u m o u r

y y ,
.

N o w I ne v e r q u arr e l wi th mys e lf and tak e all my o wn c o n

,

el u si o n s f o r gr an te d t ill I fi nd it ne c e ss ary to d e f e n d t h e m 3 0

agai ns t o bj e c t i o ns . I t is no t m e r e ly th at yo u m ay no t b e o f
acc o rd o n the o bj e c t s and circ u ms tan c e s th at pr e s e n t t h e m

s e lv e s b e fo r e yo u — th e s e m ay r ec al a nu mb e r o f o bj e c ts and ,

l ead to ass o ci ati o n s to o d e lic ate and re fi ne d to b e p o ssibly

 I 66 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

c o mmu nic ate d t o o t h e rs Ye t th e s e I l o v e to ch e rish and

.
,
’

s o m e tim e s s t ill f o ndly c lu tc h them w h en I c an e sc ap e fr o m the ,

t hro ng t o do so .T o giv e way to o u r f e e li ngs b e f o r e c o mp any ,

s ee ms e x t r av ag anc e o r affe c tati o n ; and o n the o th er han d to , ,

5 h av e t o u nr av e l t his mys te ry o f o u r b ei ng at e v e ry t u rn and t o ,

m ak e o t h e rs tak e an e q u al i nte re s t in it ( o th e rwis e the e nd i s

)
n o t an sw e r e d is a t ask to which f e w are c o mp e t e nt W e m u st .

“ ”
giv e it an u nd e rs tan di ng but n o to ngu e ,
M y o ld fri en d .

C h o w e v e r c o uld do b o t h H e c o u ld go o n in the m o s t
,
.

’
IO d eligh tful e xpl anato ry way o v e r hill and d al e a summ e r s day , ,

and c o n v e r t a l andsc ap e i n to a did ac t ic p o e m o r a P i nd aric o de .

”
H e t alk e d f ar ab o v e S i n gi n g I f I c o u ld so cl o th e my id eas
.

in s o u ndi ng and fl o wi ng w o rds I migh t p e rh aps wish to h av e ,

s o m e o ne wi th m e t o admir e th e sw elli ng t h em e ; o r I c o uld b e

‘5 m o r e c o nt ent w e r e it p o ssibl e f o r m e s till t o h e ar his e ch o i ng
,

“
v o ice in the w o o ds o f All Fo xde n Th ey had th at fi ne m ad
-
.

n e ss in t h e m which o u r firs t p o e t s h ad and if t h e y c o u ld h av e

b e en c augh t by s o m e r ar e i ns t r u m ent w o uld h av e br e ath e d ,

such s t r ai ns as the f o llo wi ng .

20 H r h e w o o d s as gr e e n
e e

A s any air l i k e wi s e as f r e sh and sw e e t

,

A s wh e n sm o o t h Z e phyr u s pl ays o n t h e fl e et
F ac e o f t h e c u rl e d s t r e am s wi t h fl o w rs as m an y
’
,

A s t h e y o u ng sp ri n g giv e s and as c h o i c e as an y ;
,

2
5 H e r e b e all n e w d e l igh t s c o o l s t r e am s an d w e lls
, ,

A rb o u rs o e rgro wn wi t h w o o db i n e s c av e s an d d e ll s ;
’
,

C h o o s e wh e r e t h o u wil t wh i l s t I s it by an d si n g
, ,

O r g at h e r r u sh e s t o m ak e m an y a ri ng
,

F o r t h y l o n g fi n g e rs ; t e ll t h e e tal e s o f l o v e ;

3O H o w t h e p al e P h oe b e h u nt i n g in a gr o v e
, ,

F i rs t s aw t h e b o y E n dy m i o n f r o m wh o s e e y e s ,

S h e t o o k e t e r n a l fi re t h at n e v e r d i e s ;
H o w s h e c o nv e y d h i m s o f tly i n a sl e e p
’
,

H is t e m pl e s b o u n d wi t h p o p py t o t h e s t e e p ,

H e ad o f o ld L at m o s wh e r e sh e s t o o p s e a c h n igh t
35 , ,

G il d i ng t h e m o u n ta i n wi t h h e r b r o th e r s l i g h t
’
,

T o k i ss h e r sw e e t e s t
” ”
. F A IT H F U I S H E FH E R D ESS . .
 1 68 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

to c atch th epr e p ar ati o n and the s tir in the ki t ch en — P row l ,

O p roeu l este p rof a ni / T h e s e h o u rs are s acr e d to sil en c e and to

musi ng to b e t r easu re d u p in the m e m o ry and to f ee d the
, ,

s o urc e o f smili ng th o u gh t s h e r e aft e r I w o uld n o t w as te th e m

.

in idl e t alk ; o r if I must h av e the i n t e grity o f f ancy brok en

in up o n I w o uld r ath e r it w e r e by a s t r ang e r th an a fri en d
, .

A str ange r t ak e s his hu e and ch ar ac te r fr o m the t im e and

pl ace ; he is a p ar t o f the fur ni tu r e and c o s tu m e o f an inn I f
'

he is a Q u ak e r o r fr o m the W e st R idi ng o f Y o rkshir e so much

, ,

IO the b e tte r . I do no t ev en try to sym p at his e wi t h him and ,

h e br e aks n o squ ar e s I ass o ci ate no thi ng wi th my tr av e llin g

.

c o mp ani o n b u t pre s ent o bj e c t s and p assi ng e v ents I n his igno .

r anc e o f m e and my affairs I in a m anne r fo rge t mys e lf Bu t

,
.

a fri e n d r e m i n ds o ne o f o t h e r thi n gs ri ps u p o ld gri e v an c e s

, ,

and d e s t r o ys the abs t r ac t i o n o f th e sc e ne H e c o m e s in u n .

graci o u sly b etw e e n u s and o u r im agi nary ch ar act e r S o m e thi ng .

is dr o pp e d in the c o urs e o f c o nv e rs ati o n th at giv e s a hi n t o f

y o ur pr o fe ssi o n and pursui ts o r fro m h avi ng s o m e o ne wi t h yo u
th at k no ws the l e ss sublim e p o r ti o n s o f yo ur his to ry it s e e ms ,

t h at o t h e r p eo pl e do Yo u are no l o ng e r a ci ti z e n o f th e w o rld :
.

b u t y o ur u nh o us e d fre e c o ndi t i o n is pu t i nto circ u msp e c t i o n

”
an d c o n fi ne . Th e i neognito o f an inn is o ne o f it s s t riki ng
’ ” ’
privil e ge s l o rd o f o ne s s e lf u nc u m b e r d wi th a nam e
,
Oh .

it is gr e at to sh ak e o ff t he t r amm e ls o f th e w o rld and o f

25 p u blic o pi ni o n — to l o s e o u r imp o r tu nate to rm e nti ng e ve rlast , ,

ing p e rs o nal id en ti ty in the e l e m e nt s o f natu re and b e c o m e ,

the cr e atu r e o f th e m o m e nt cl e ar o f all t i e s —t o h o ld to the

,
~

u n iv e rs e o nly by a dish o f sw e et br e ads and to o we no thi ng

-
,

b u t the sc o r e o f th e e v e ni ng — and no l o ng e r s e eki ng f o r

30 appl au s e and m e e t i ng wi th c o n t e mpt t o b e k no w n by no o t h e r
,

’
t i tl e t h an tae Gentlem a n i n tlz e p a rlo u r ! O ne m ay t ak e o ne s

ch o ice o f all ch ar ac te rs in t his r o m antic s tate o f u nc e r tai nty as

’
t o o ne s r e al pr e te n si o n s and b e c o m e i nd e fi n i te ly r e sp e c tabl e and
,

ne g ativ e ly right w o rshipful -

We b af fl e pr ej udic e and dis app o i nt
.
 O N GOI N G A J O UR N E Y 1 69

c o nj e ctur e ; and fr o m b e i ng so to o th e rs b egi n to b e o bj e cts ,

o f cu ri o si ty and w o nd e r e v en to o u rs e lv e s We are no m o re .

t h o s e h ack ne y e d c o mm o n pl ac e s th at we app e ar in t he w o rld :

-

an inn r e s to r e s us to the l e v e l o f n atur e and qui t s sc o r e s w i t h

,

s o ci ety ! I h av e c e rtai nly S p ent s o m e e nvi abl e h o urs at i nns

s o m etim e s wh en I h av e b ee n l e ft en tir ely to mys e lf and h av e ,

t ri e d to s o lv e s o m e m e t aphysic al pr o bl e m as o n c e at Wi th am ,

co mm o n wh e r e I fo u nd o u t the pro o f t h at lik ene ss is no t a c as e

,

o f the ass o ci at i o n o f id e as — at o t h e r t im e s wh e n t h e r e h av e ,

b ee n pic tur e s in the ro o m as at S t N eo t s ( I thi nk it was)

,
’
.
, ,
IO
’
wh e r e I firs t m e t with G rib elin s engr avi ngs o f the C art o o ns ,

i nt o which I ente r e d at o nc e and at a li ttl e inn o n the b o rd ers

,

o f W al e s wh e r e t h e r e h app e n e d to b e h an gi ng s o m e o f Westall s
’
,

dr awi ngs which I c o m p ar e d t riumph antly ( f o r a t h eo ry th at

,

I had no t f o r the admir e d ar tis t) wi th the figur e o f a girl who

,
‘5

had f e rri e d m e o v e r th e S e v e rn st an di ng u p in a b o at b e tw ee n
,

m e and the twilight at o t h e r tim e s I migh t m ent i o n lux u ri ati n g

in b o o ks wi t h a p e c u li ar i nte r e st in t his way as I r e m e mb e r

, ,

si tti ng u p h alf the n ight to r ead P aul and V irgi ni a which ,

I pick ed up at an inn at Bridge w at e r aft e r b ein g dr en ch ed , 20

in the r ai n all day ; and at the s am e pl ac e I go t thro ugh two

’ ’
v o lum e s o f M ad am e D A rb lay s C amill a I t was o n t he ro t h .

o f April 1 7 9 8 th at I sat d o w n to a v o l u m e o f th e N e w El o is e
, , ,

at th e inn at L l an go ll e n o v e r a b o ttl e o f sh e rry an d a c o ld

,

chick en The l e t te r I ch o s e was t h at in which S t P r e ux

. .

d e scrib e s his f eeli ngs as he firs t c aught a glimps e fr o m the

h e igh ts o f the J ura o f the P ays de V au d which I had bro u gh t ,

wi t h m e as a b an oo u e/ze to cr o w n the e v en i ng wi th I t was my .

birth day and I h ad f o r the first tim e c o m e fr o m a pl ac e in the

-
,

n e ighb o urh o o d to visit t his d e ligh t f u l sp o t T he ro ad t o Ll an .

3O
go ll en t ur ns o ff b etw een C hirk and Wr exh am ; and o n p assi ng
a c e rt ai n p o i n t
y o u c o m e all at o nc e up o n the v all e y which
, ,

O p e ns lik e an am phi t h e atr e br o ad b arr e n hills risi ng in m aj e s t ic

, ,

s tate o n e i th e r sid e wi th gr een upl and sw e lls t h at e ch o to t he

,
 I 7O S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

bl e at of
fl o cks b el o w and the riv e r D ee b abbli ng o v er its sto ny
,

b ed in t he midst o f t h e m T h e v all ey at t his t im e . glitt e r e d

green wi th su nny sh o w e rs and a b u ddi ngash t r e e dipp e d it s
”
,
-

t end e r br anch e s in the chidi ng s tr eam H o w pr o ud ho w gl ad .

,

I was to w alk al o ng the high r o ad th at o v e rl o o ks the d elici o us

pr o sp e ct r e p e at ing the li ne s which I h av e j ust q u o t e d fro m
,

’
M r C o l e ridge s p o e ms ! Bu t b e sid e s the pro sp e ct which o p ene d
.

b ene at h my f ee t ano th e r als o O p ene d to my i nw ard sigh t

, ,

a h e av en ly visi o n o n which w e r e wri tte n in l e tte rs l arg e as

, ,

(O H o p e c o uld m ak e t h e m t h e s e fo u r w o rds L I BERT Y, G EN I US

, , ,

L OV E V I RT UE which h av e si nc e f ad e d i nto the light o f co mm o n

,

day o r m o ck my idl e gaz e

,
.

“
The b e au t i fu l i s v an ish e d , an d r e tu r n s no t .
”

S t ill I w o uld r etur n s o m e tim e o r o th e r to this e nch ante d sp o t

‘
5 b u t I w o uld r e t ur n to it al o ne Wh at o t h e r s e lf c o u ld I fi nd t o
.

sh ar e t h at i nflux o f t h o ughts o f r e gr e t and d eligh t the fr ag

, , ,

m e nt s o f which I co uld h ardly c o nj u r e u p to mys elf so much ,

h av e th ey b een bro k e n and d e fac e d ! I c o u ld st and o n s o m e

t all r o ck and o v e rl o o k the pr e cipic e o f y e ars th at s e p ar at e s m e
,

’0 fro m wh at I t h en was I was at t h at t im e go i ng sho rtly to visit

.

the p o e t wh o m I h av e ab o v e nam e d Wh e r e is he no w ? N o t .

o n ly I mys e lf h av e ch ang e d ; the w o rld which was th en new ,

to m e h as b e c o m e o ld and i nco rrigibl e

,
Yet will I tur n to th ee .

in t h o ugh t O sylv an D ee in j o y in y o u th and gl ad ne ss as t h o u

, , ,

t h e n w e rt ; and th o u sh al t alw ays b e to m e the riv e r o f P ar adis e ,

wh e r e I will dri nk o f the w ate rs o f lif e fr eely !

Th e r e is h ardly any thi ng t h at sho ws the S h o r t sigh te d ness o r -

c aprici o us ne ss o f the im agi nati o n m o r e th an t r av e lli ng do e s .

Wi th ch ange o f pl ace we ch ang e o u r id e as ; n ay o u r o pi ni o ns ,

50 and f e e li ngs We c an by an e ffo r t i nd ee d transpo rt o urs elv e s

.

to o ld and l o ng f o rgo tte n sc e ne s and t h e n th e pic t ur e o f th e

-

mi n d r eviv e s agai n ; b u t we fo rge t th o s e th at we h av e j u s t l e ft .

I t s eems th at we c an thi nk b u t o f o ne pl ace at a tim e T he .

 I 72 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

a sso ci ati o ns e v e ry o ne m u st h av e fo u nd th at the feeli ng gr o ws

,

m o r e vivid the near e r we appro ach t he sp o t fro m the m ere

'

antici p ati o n o f th e ac t u al impr e ssi o n : we r e m e mb e r circum

st an c e s f eeli ngs p e rs o n s fac e s nam e s t h at we had no t t h o ugh t

, , , ,

o f f o r y e ars ; but f o r t he t im e all th e r e s t o f the w o rld is f o rg o tt en !

T o r e tu r n to th e qu e s ti o n I h av e q u i tte d ab o v e .

I h av e no o bj e c ti o n to go to see rui ns aqu e duc t s pic tur e s in, , ,

co mp any wi th a fri e nd o r a p ar ty b u t r ath e r the c o ntr ary f o r

, ,

t he fo rm e r r e as o n r e v e rs e d T h ey are i ntelligibl e m atte rs and

.
,

[O will b ear t alki ng ab o u t The s entim e nt h e r e is no t t aci t b u t

.
,

co mmu nic abl e and o v ert S alisbury P l ai n is b arren o f cri ticism

.
,

but S to neh e nge will b e ar a discussi o n antiq u ari an pict ur e squ e , ,

and phil o s o phic al I n s e tti ng o u t o n a p ar ty o f pl eas u re the

.
,

first c o nsid e r ati o n alw ays is wh er e we sh all go to : in t aki ng

a s o li tary r ambl e t he q u e sti o n is wh at we S h all m e e t wi t h by
,

“
t he way . T he mi n d is it s o wn pl ac e ; no r are we anxi o u s t o

arriv e at th e e nd o f o u r j o ur ney I c an mys e lf do t he h o no u rs

.

i nd iffe r ently w e ll to w o rks o f art and c u ri o si ty I o n ce to o k a .

p arty to O xfo rd wi th no m e an eelat sh e w e d t h e m t h at s eat

20 o f the M u s e s at a dis tanc e ,

W i t h gl is t e ri n g sp i r e s an d p i nnacl e s ado rn
’
d

d e sc ant e d o n the l ear ne d air th at br e ath e s fr o m the grassy

qu adr angl e s and s to ne w alls o f h alls and co ll eg e s — was at
h o m e in the Bo dl e i an ; and at B l enh e im q u i te s u p e rs e d e d the
p o wd e r e d C ic e ro ni t h at atte nd e d u s and th at p o i nted in v ai n
,

wi th his w and to co mm o n pl ac e b eau ti e s in m atchl e ss pic tu r e s

-
.

A s ano t h e r e xc e p ti o n t o t he ab o v e r eas o ni ng I sh o u ld no t f ee l ,

co nfid e nt in v e ntu ri ng o n a j o ur ney in a f o r eig n c o u ntry wi th o u t

a c o mp ani o n I sh o uld w ant at i nte rv als to h e ar the so u nd o f
.

30 my o wn l angu age Th e re is an i nvo l u nt ary antip athy in the

.

mi nd o f an Englishm an to fo r eign m anners and no ti o ns th at

r eq u ire s the assis tanc e o f s o ci al symp athy to c arry it o ff As .

the dis t anc e fro m h o m e i ncr e as e s t his r e li e f which was at first

, ,
 ON GOING A J O U RN E Y 1 73

a luxu ry b e co m e s a p assi o n and an app et i te A p e rs o n w o uld

,
.

alm o s t f ee l s tifl e d to fi nd hims e lf in the d es e rts o f A r abi a wi t h

o u t fri e nds and c o u ntrym e n : th e r e must b e all o w e d to be

s o m e thi ng in the V i e w o f A th e ns o r o ld R o m e th at cl aims the
utt e r anc e o f sp ee ch ; and I o wn th at the P yr amids are to o
migh ty f o r any si ngl e c o nte mpl ati o n I n such situ ati o n s so .
,

’
o pp o sit e to all o ne s o rdi nary tr ai n o f id e as o n e s ee ms a sp e ci e s ,

’
by o ne s s e lf a limb t o r n o ff fro m so ci ety u nl e ss o ne c an m ee t
-
, ,

wi th i nstan t fell o wship and supp o rt —Ye t I did no t fe e l this .

w ant o r cr avi ng v e ry pr e ssi ng o nc e when I first set my fo o t o n I O

'

the l au ghi ng sh o r e s o f Fr anc e C al ais was p eo pl e d wi th no v e l ty

.

and d e light The c o n fus e d busy m urmur o f the pl ac e was lik e

.
,

’
o il and wi ne p o ur e d i nto my e ars ; n o r did t he m ari n e rs hym n ,

which was su ng fr o m the to p o f an o ld cr az y v e ss e l in the

h arbo ur as the su n w e nt d o w n s en d an ali en s o u nd i nto my
, ,

s o ul I o nly br eath e d the air o f g e ne r al hum an i ty : I w alk e d

.

“ ”
o v er the vi ne c o v e r e d hills and gay r e gi o ns o f Fr anc e
-
e r e ct ,

and s atisfi e d ; f o r th e im ag e o f m an was no t c ast d o w n and

ch ai ned to the fo o t o f arbitr ary thro ne s : I was at no l o ss f o r

l ang u age f o r th at o f all the gr eat Sch o o ls o f p ai nti ng was o p en 2 0
,

to m e . T he wh o l e is v anish e d lik e a sh ad e P ic t ur e s h e ro e s .
, ,

gl o ry fr eed o m all are fl e d : no thi ng r e m ai ns b u t the Bo u rb o ns

, ,

and the Fr e nch p eo pl e Th e r e is u ndo u b te dly a s ens ati o n in

t r av e lli ng i n t o f o r e ig n p ar ts th at i s to b e had n o wh e r e e ls e : b u t

it i s m o r e pl e asi ng at the tim e t h an l as t i ng I t is to o r e m o t e .

fr o m o u r h abi tu al ass o ci ati o ns to b e a c o mm o n t o pic o f disc o u rs e

o r r e f e r e nc e and lik e a dr e am o r ano t h e r st ate o f e xis t e n c e
, , ,

d o e s no t pi e c e i n to o u r d aily m o d e s o f life I t is an anim ate d .

b u t a m o m e n tary h alluci nat i o n I t d e m ands an e ff o rt to e xch ange

.

o u r ac t u al f o r o u r id e al id e n t i ty ; and t o f ee l the p u ls e o f o u r 3O
” “
o ld tr an sp o r t s r e viv e v e ry k e e nly we mus t ,
j u m p all o u r
pr e s ent co mfo rts and c o nne xi o ns O u r r o m antic and i ti ne r ant
.

ch ar act e r is no t to b e d o m e s tic at e d Dr J o h ns o n r e m ark e d ho w

. .

li ttl e f o r eign t r av e l add e d to the facili ti e s o f c o nv e rs ati o n in

 1 74 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLIT T

h s
t o e wh o h ad b ee n abr o ad I n fact the t im e we h av e sp ent
.
,

t h e r e is b o t h d e ligh tf u l an d in o ne s e n s e i n s t ructiv e ; b u t it

app e ars t o b e c u t o u t o f o u r s u bs tant i al d o wn righ t e xis tenc e

, ,

and n e v e r t o j o i n ki ndly o n t o it We are no t the s am e b u t

.
,

an o th e r and p e rh aps m o r e e n vi abl e i ndivid u al all th e tim e we

, ,

are o u t o f o u r o wn c o u n try We are l o s t to o urs e lv e s as w e ll

.
,

as o u r fri e n ds. S o the p o e t s o m e wh at qu ai n tly si ngs ,

Out of my c o u n t ry an d mys e l f I go .
”

Tho s e who wish to f o rg et p ai nfu l t h o u gh t s do w e ll to abs ent

,

[ O t h e ms e lv e s f o r a whil e fr o m th e t i e s an d o bj e c t s t h at r e c al

t h e m : b u t w e c an b e s aid o nly t o fu lfil o u r d e s t i ny in t he pl ac e

t h at g av e u s bir th .I sh o uld o n t his acc o u nt lik e w e ll eno ugh

t o sp e n d t h e wh o l e o f my lif e in t r av e lli n g abr o ad if I c o uld ,

any wh e r e b o rro w ano t h e r lif e t o sp e n d af t e rw ards at h o m e !

 I 76 S E L E C TI O N S F RO M H AZ LITT

in m o tl ey im age ry o r qu ai nt allusi o n till the light o f his g enius ,

’
sh o ne i nto my s o u l lik e the su n s r ays glit te ri ng in the puddl e s
,

o f th e r o ad I was at th at tim e dumb i narticu l ate h e lpl e ss

.
, , ,

lik e a w o rm by th e way S id e crush e d bl ee di ng lif e l e ss ; b u t

-
, , ,

“
n o w b u rsti ng fr o m t he d e adly b ands t h at
,
b o u nd th em ,

“
W i th S t yx i
n ne t i mes r ou n d th m e ,
”

my id eas fl o at o n wi nge d w o rds and as th e y e xp an d th e ir plum e s

, ,

c atch the go ld en ligh t o f o th e r y ears M y s o ul h as i nd ee d re .

m ai ne d in its o rigi nal b o n d ag e d ark o bscure with l o ngi ngs , , ,

IO i n fi ni te and u ns atisfi e d ; my h e ar t S h u t u p in the pris o n h o us e ,

-

o f t his rud e cl ay h as n e v e r f o u n d no r will it e v e r fi nd a h e art t o

, , ,

sp e ak to ; b u t th at my u nde rs t an di ng als o did n o t r e m ai n dumb

and bru tish o r at l e n g t h f o u n d a l an gu ag e to e xpr e ss i t s e lf I
, ,

o we t o C o l e ridg e Bu t this is no t to my p u rp o s e
. .

M y f ath e r liv e d te n mil e s fr o m S hr e wsbury and was I n th e ,

h abi t o f e xch angi ng visi ts wi th M r R o w e and wi th M r J enki ns .

, .

( )
o f Whi t church n i n e mil e s far t h e r o n acc o rdi ng t o th e c u st o m o f
’
Diss enti ng M i nis t e rs in e ach o th e r s ne ighb o urh o o d A li n e .

o f c o mmu n ic at i o n is t hu s e s t ablish e d by which the fl am e o f civil ,

and r e ligi o us lib e r ty is k e p t aliv e and n o urish e s its sm o uld e ri ng,

fi re u nq u ench abl e lik e the fir e s in th e Ag am e m no n o f ZE sc hylu s

,
-

pl ac e d at diffe r ent s tati o ns t h at w ai ted f o r te n l o ng y e ars to

,

ann o u nc e wi th t h e ir bl az i ng pyr amids th e d e s t ruc ti o n o f Tr o y .

C o l e ridg e had agr ee d to c o m e o v e r and see my f ath e r acc o rdi ng ,

’
to the c o urt e sy o f th e c o u ntry as M r R o w e s pr o b abl e suc
,
.

c e ss o r ; b u t in the m ean tim e I h ad go ne to h e ar him pr each

t he S u nd ay af te r his arriv al A p o e t and a phil o s o ph e r get ti ng
.

u p i nto a U ni tari an pulpi t to pr e ach the G o sp el was a ro m anc e ,

in t h e s e d eg e ne r ate d ays a s o r t o f r eviv al o f the primi tiv e spirit

,

o f C hris ti ani ty which was no t t o b e r e sis te d

30 ,
.

I t was in J anu ary 1 7 9 8 t h at I r o s e o ne m o r n

, ,
i ng b e fo r e day
l igh t to w alk te n mil e s in the m u d and we nt t o h e ar this c e l e
, ,

b ratc d p e rs o n pr e ach N e v e r th e l o ng e st day I h av e to liv e sh all

.
, ,
 M Y FI R S T A C Q U AI N TA N C E W IT H P O E T S I 77

I h av e suc h ano th e r w alk as this c o ld raw c o mfo r tl ess o ne in , , ,

the wi nt e r o f the y ear I 7 9 8 [ l y a des i mp ress io ns gu e u i le tems

.

u i les ei reo nsta nees p eu vent e fl

'

a eer B assey e viz/re des s ieeles entiers .

,

’ ‘

le do u x tem s de m a j eu nesse n e peu t rena itre p o u r m oi u i s efl a eer ,

’

j a mais da ns ma m em oire Wh en I go t th e r e t he o rgan was 5

.
,

pl ayi ng the t o o th ps alm and wh e n it w as d o ne M r C o l e ridg e

, , ,
.

r o s e and gav e o u t his t e x t A nd h e w e nt u p i nto th e m o u n

,

n
t ai n to pr ay H I M S E L F A L O N E
, ,
A s h e gav e o u t this te x t his
.
,

”
v o ic e r o s e lik e a s te am o f rich dis till e d p e rf u m e s and w h e n ,

he c am e to the t wo l ast w o rds which h e pr o no u nc e d l o ud d ee p I C , , ,

and disti nct it s ee m e d to m e wh o was t h en y o u ng as if the

, , ,

s o u nds h ad e ch o e d fr o m the b o tto m o f the hum an h e art and as ,

i f th at pray e r migh t h av e fl o at e d in s o l e m n sil enc e t hr o ugh the

u niv e rs e The id ea o f S t J o h n c am e i nto mi nd o f o ne cry i ng
. .
,

in the wild e rne ss who had his l o i n s gir t ab o ut and wh o s e fo o d I

, ,
E

w as l ocus t s and wild h o ne y

”
T he pr each e r t h e n l au nch e d i nto
.

his subj e c t lik e an e agl e d allyi ng wi th the wi nd T he s e rm o n

,
.

was up o n p eac e and war ; up o n church and s tate — no t th e ir

alli anc e but t h e ir s e p ar at i o n — o n t he spiri t o f th e w o rld and
,

th e spirit o f C hris ti ani ty no t as the s am e b u t as o pp o s e d to 2 0

, ,

“
o ne ano t h e r H e t alk e d o f t h o s e who had
. i nscrib e d the cro ss
”
o f C hrist o n b anne rs drippi ng wi t h h u m an g o r e H e m ad e a .

p o e tical and p asto r al e xc u rsi o n and to sh e w the f atal e f fe c t s,

o f war dr e w a s t riki ng c o n t r ast b e t w e e n the sim pl e sh e ph e rd

,

b o y drivi ng his team afi e ld o r si tt i ng u nd e r t h e h awth o r n pi p 2 5

, , ,

“ ”
ing to his fl o ck as th o ugh h e S h o u ld ne v e r b e o ld
,
and the ,

s am e p o o r c o u ntry lad crimp e d kid napp e d br o ugh t i nto to wn

-
, , , ,

m ad e dr u n k at an al e h o u s e t u r ne d i nto a wr e t ch e d dr u mm e r
,

b o y wi t h his h air s ticki ng o n e nd wi th p o wd e r and p o m at u m

, ,

a l o ng c u e at his b ack and trick e d o u t in the l o aths o m e fi ne ry 3 O

,

o f the pr o f e ssi o n o f bl o o d .

Su c h w e re s ce p o e t s u ng
’ "
th e n o t e ou r on lo v d
- .

And f o r mys e lf, I c o u ld no t h av e b ee n m o r e de ligh te d i f I had

 I 7S S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

h eard m u sic o f the S ph er e s P o et ry and P hil o s o phy had

th e .

m et to g e th e r T ru t h and G en i u s had e mbr ac e d u nd e r the ey e

, ,

and wi t h t h e s ancti o n o f R e ligi o n This was e v en b ey o nd my .

h o p e s I r e tu r ne d h o m e w ell s atisfi e d T h e su n th at was s t ill

. .

5 l ab o u ri n g p al e and wan thr o ugh the Sky o bscur e d by thick ,

mis ts s eem e d an e mbl e m o f t he good t a u se ; and th e c o ld d an k

,

dro ps o f de w th at hu ng h alf m e l te d o n the b e ard o f the this tl e ,

h ad s o m e thi ng g e ni al and r e fr e shi ng in t h e m ; f o r t h e r e was a

S pi ri t o f h o p e and y o u t h in all natu r e t h at tu r ne d e v e ry t hi ng ,

IO i nto go o d The f ac e o f nat u r e had n o t th en the br and o f J Us

.

D I V I N UM on it :

L i k e t o t h at s an g u i n e fl o w e r in sc rib d
’
wi t h wo e .
”

O n th e T u e sd ay f o ll o wi ng the h alf in spire d sp eak e r c am e

,
-
.

I was c all e d d o wn i nto th e r o o m wh e r e h e was and w en t h alf ,

‘5 h o pi ng h alf afr aid H e r e c e iv e d m e v e ry gr aci o usly and I

,
-
.
,

lis te ne d f o r a l o ng t im e wi th o u t u tte ri ng a w o rd I did no t .

”
suffe r in hi s o pi ni o n by my sil enc e F o r t h o s e two h o u rs he
.
,

af te r w
’
ards was pl e as e d t o s ay he was c o nv e rsi ng wi th W H s
,
. .

”
f o re h e ad ! H is app e ar anc e was di f f e r e nt fr o m wh at I had
"
O ant icip at e d fr o m s e e i ng him b e f o r e A t a dis tan c e and in th e .
,

dim ligh t o f the ch ap e l t h er e was to m e a s tr ange w ild ne ss

,

in his asp e c t a d u sky o bsc u ri ty and I t h o u gh t him pi tte d wi th

, ,

t he sm all po x -
H is c o mpl e xi o n was at t h at t im e cl ear and e v en
.
,

brigh t
A s are th e c h il d r e n o f y o n az u r e sh e e n
“
.
”

H is f o re h e ad was bro ad and high ligh t as if b u il t o f iv o ry , ,

wi th l arge pr o j e c ti ng e y e bro w s and his ey e s r o lli ng b e ne at h ,

“
t h e m lik e a se a w i th d ark e ne d l u s tr e A c e r tai n tend e r bl o o m .

’ ”
his fac e o e rspre ad a p u rpl e ti nge as we see it in the p al e
,

30 t h o u gh t f u l c o mp l e xi o n s o f t he S p an ish p o r tr ai t p ai nte rs M urill o -

,

and V e l asq u e z H is m o u th was gro ss v o l u p t u o us o p e n e lo

.
, , ,

q u e nt ; his chi n go o d hum o u re d and r o u nd ; b u t his no s e the

-
,

rudd e r o f the fac e t he i nd e x o f the will was sm all fee bl e

, , , ,
 I 80 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLIT T

s tudy o f the Bibl e and the p e rus al o f the C o mm entato rs

,
h u ge ,

fo li o s no t e asily go t thr o ugh o ne o f which w o uld o u tl ast a

, ,

wi nte r ! Why did he p o r e o n th e s e fro m m o r n to n igh t ( wi th

the e xc e p t i o n o f a w alk in the fi e lds o r a t u r n in the g ard en t o

S g at h e r br o c o li pl an t s o r kid ne y b ean s o f his o wn r e ari ng wi th

- -

“
no sm all d e gr e e o f prid e and pl e asur e) H e r e w e re n o figur e s

n e ith e r p o e t ry no r phil o s o phy — no thi ng

”
no r n o fan tasie s ,

t o d az z l e no t hi ng to e xci te m o d e r n curi o sity ; b u t t o his l ack

,

lus tr e ey e s t h e r e app e ar e d wi thi n the p ag e s o f the p o nd er o us

, ,

( O u nwi e ldy n egl e ct e d t o m e s t h e s acr e d nam e o f J E H O V A H in

, ,

H e bre w c api tals pr e ss e d d o w n by the w e igh t o f the styl e w o rn ,

to th e l as t f adi ng thi n ne ss o f the u n d e rs tandi ng t h e r e w e r e ,

glimps es glimm e ri ng no ti o n s o f the p atri arch al w and e ri ngs

, ,

wi th p alm t re e s h o v e ri ng in the h o ri z o n and pr o c e ssi o n s o f

-
,

cam els at th e dis tanc e o f thr ee t h o us and y e ars ; th er e was M o s e s

wi th the Bu r ni ng B u sh the numb e r o f the Tw elv e Trib e s typ e s
, , ,

sh ad o ws gl o ss e s o n the law and the pro ph ets ; th e re w e r e dis

,

e ussi o ns ( d u ll e no ugh o n the age o f e t h u s e l ah a migh y

) M t ,

sp e cul ati o n ! t h e r e w e r e o u tli nes rud e g u e ss e s at the sh ap e o f

,

’ ’
20 N o ah s Ark and o f th e rich e s o f S o l o m o n s T e mpl e ; qu e s t i o n s
as to the d at e o f the cre at i o n pr e dic ti o n s o f the e nd o f all
,

t hi ngs ; th e gr e at l aps e s o f t im e th e s tr ang e mu tati o n s o f the

,
’

gl o b e we re u nfo ld e d w i th the vo lu m ino u s l e af as it t ur ne d ,

o v e r ; and th o u gh th e s o u l migh t sl u mb e r wi t h an hi e r o glyphic

5 v e il o f i nscr u tabl e mys te ri e s dr aw n o v e r it ye t it was in a sl u mb e r

’
,

ill e xch ang e d f o r all the sh arp ene d r eali ti e s o f s ens e wit fancy
-
, , ,

’
o r r e as o n M y fath e r s life was c o mp arativ ely a dr eam ; b u t it
.

was a dre am o f i nfi ni ty and e t e r ni ty o f d e at h the r e s u rr e c ti o n

, , ,

and a j u dgm e nt t o c o m e !
5

30 N o two i ndivid u als w e r e e v e r m o r e u nlik e t h an w e r e th e h o st

and his g u e st A p o e t was to my f ath e r a s o r t o f no nd e scrip t :
.

e t wh at e v e r add e d gr ac e t o th e U ni tari an c au s e w as to him

y
w e lco m e H e c o uld h ardly h av e b e e n m o r e surpris e d o r pl ease d
.
,

if o u r visit o r had w o rn wi ngs I nde e d his th o ugh t s had w i ngs ;

.
,
 M Y FI R S T A C Q UAI N TA N C E W IT H P O ET S 1 81

and as the silk e n s o u nds rus tl e d r o u nd o u r li ttl e w ai nsc o te d

p arl o ur my f ath e r thr e w b ack his sp ect acl e s o v e r his fo r eh e ad
, ,

his whit e h airs mixi ng wi th it s s angui ne hu e ; and a smil e o f

d eligh t b eam e d acr o ss his rugge d c o rdi al f ace to t hi nk th at ,

T rLIth had f o u nd a ne w ally in F an cy ! 1

Be sid e s C o l e ridg e ,

s ee m e d to tak e c o nsid e r abl e no tic e o f m e and th at o f i ts elf was ,

e no ugh H e talk e d v e ry f amili arly b u t agree ably and gl anc e d

.
, ,

o v e r a v ari e ty o f subj e c t s A t di nne r t im e h e gr e w m o r e ani

.
-

m ate d and dil ate d in a v e ry e difyi ng m anne r o n M ary Wo ls to ne

,

cr af t and M acki nto sh T he l as t he s aid he c o n sid er e d ( o n my

.
, ,
IC

’
f ath e r s sp e aki ng o f his Vi ndia ee Gallieee as a c api tal p e rfo rm
'

anc e as a cl e v e r sch o l as t ic m an — a m as te r o f th e t o pics —o r

) ,

as t h e r e ady w ar e h o us e m an o f l e tt e rs who k ne w e x ac tly wh e r e ,

to lay his h and o n wh at he w ant e d t h o u gh th e g o o ds w e r e no t ,

his o wn H e t h o ught him n o m atch f o r B urk e e i th e r in s tyl e

.
,
1 :

o r m at te r Bu rk e was a m e taphysici an M acki nt o sh a m e r e

.
,

l o gici an Bu rk e was an o r at o r ( alm o st a p o et) who r eas o ne d in

.

fig u r e s b e c aus e he had an ey e f o r natur e : M acki nto sh o n the

, ,

o th e r h and was a rh e t o rici an who h ad o n ly an e e to c o mm o n

, y ,

pl ace s O n this I v e ntu re d to s ay th at I had alw ays e nte r tai ne d

.

a gr e at O pi ni o n o f B urk e and t h at
( as f ar as I c o u ld fi nd) the
,

sp e aki ng o f him wi th c o nte m pt might b e m ad e the t e st o f a .

vulgar d e m o cr atic al mi nd This was the firs t o bs e rv ati o n I e v e r

.

m ad e to C o l e ridge and he s aid it was a v e ry j us t and s triki ng

,

o ne . I r e m e mb e r the leg o f W e lsh m u tto n and the tu r nips o n 3 5

th e t abl e t h at day h ad the fi ne s t fl av o u r im agi nabl e C o l e ridge .

add e d t h at M acki nto sh and T o m W e dgw o o d

( o f wh o m h ow ,

e v e r h e sp o k e highly
, ) h ad e xpr e ss e d a v e ry i ndi f fe r e n t o pi ni o n

o f his fri e n d M r W o rdsw o r th . o n which he r e m ark e d to t h e m ,

H e s trid e s o n so f ar b e f o r e y o u t h at h e dwi ndl e s in the , 3O

”
dis tanc e ! G o dwi n h ad o nc e b o as te d to him o f h avi ng c arri e d
1 M
y f ath e r wa o n e o f t h s e wh mis t
s k his t al nt af te r all H e se d t b e
o o oo e . u o

v e ry m ch dissat is fi d th t I pre f e rr e d his L tt rs t o his S rm on s T h e l as t w re

u e a e e e . e

f o rc d and dry ; t h e fi rs t c am e nat r lly fr o m him F e ase h alf pl ays On w rds

e u a . or ,
-
o ,

an d a s pi n e m o n k ish i n d o l e n t pl as an t ry l h ave n e v e r s
u n t h e m e q all e d
e ee u
, , ,
.
 1 82 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

o n an a rgum e nt wi th M acki nto sh f o r t hr ee h o u rs wi th dubi o us

s u cc e ss ; C o l e ridge t o ld him I f th e r e h ad b ee n a m an o f
g eni u s in the r o o m h e w o u ld h av e s e ttl e d t he qu e s t i o n in fi ve
,

H e ask e d m e if I h ad e v e r s ee n M ary Wo lsto nec raf t

”
mi nu te s .
,

5 and I s aid I h ad o n c e f o r a f e w m o m e nts and t h at sh e s e e m e d

, ,

’
t o m e to t u r n o ff G o dwi n s o bj e c t i o n s to s o m e thi ng she adv an c e d

wi t h q u i te a pl ayf u l e asy air H e r e pli e d t h at t his was o nly

,
.
,

o n e i n s tanc e o f th e asc e nd an cy which p e o pl e o f im agi nat i o n

”
e x e rcis e d o v e r t h o s e o f m e r e i nt e ll e c t H e did no t r ate G o dwi n
.

1
10 v e ry high ( t his was c aprice o r prej udic e r eal o r affe c te d ) b u t ,

h e h ad a gr eat id e a o f M rs Wo lsto ne c raf t s p o w e rs o f c o n v e rs a

’
.

t i o n n o n e at all o f h e r t al e nt f o r b o o k m aki ng
, We t alk e d a -
.

li ttl e ab o ut H o lcr o ft H e had b e e n ask e d if he was n o t much

.

s tr u ck wit/z him and he s aid he th o u gh t hims e lf in m o r e d ange r

, ,

I
5 o f b e i ng s tr u ck him I c o mpl ai ne d t h at he w o uld n o t let m e
.

e t o n at all f o r h e r e q u ir e d a d e fi n i t i o n o f e v e ry t h e c o mm o n e s t
g ,

w o rd e xcl aimi ng Wh at do yo u m e an by a sensatio n Sir ? Wh at

, , ,

do y o u m e an by an idea 2 This C o l eridg e s aid was b arric ado

, ,

ing th e ro ad to tru th z — it was s e tti ng u p a t u rnpik e g ate at -

20 e v e ry s t e p we t o o k I fo rge t a gr e at n u mb e r o f thi ngs m any

.
,

m o r e th an I r e m e mb e r ; b u t the day p ass e d o ff pl e as antly and ,

th e n e x t m o r ni ng M r C o l e ridg e was to r e tu rn to S hr e wsbury

. .

Wh e n I c am e d o w n t o br e akfas t I f o u n d that he h ad j ust ,

r e c eiv e d a l ette r fr o m his fri e nd T W e dgw o o d m aki ng him an ,

.
,

o ffe r o f £ 1 0 a— y e ar if he ch o s e to w av e his pr e s e nt pursui t

25 5 ,

and d e v o te hims e lf e n tir e ly t o t he study o f p o e t ry and ph ilo so

phy C o l e ridge s e e m e d to m ak e u p his mi nd to cl o s e wi th t his

.

pro p o s al in the ac t o f tyi ng o n o ne o f his S h o e s I t thre w an .

addi t i o nal clamp o n his d e p ar tu r e I t to o k th e w ayw ard e nth u

.

’
siast qui te fr o m u s t o c as t him I nt o D e v a s wi n di ng v al e s o r
3o ,

by the sh o r e s o f o ld r o m anc e I ns te ad o f livi ng at te n mil e s

.

1 H e c o mpl ai n d i n p art ic l ar o f t h e pr s mp t i n o f his at t e mp t i ng t o e s tab

e u e u o

lish th e f t r imm rt al i ty o f m an wi th o t ( as h said ) k no wi n g wh at D e ath

u u e o ,
“
u
”
e
“

was or wh at L if e was — and t h e t o ne in which he pro no u nc e d th e s e t wo wo rds

s e e m e d to co nv ey a c o mpl e t e im ag e o f b o th .
 I 84 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

s aid was sto l e n fr o m an o bj e c ti o n s tar te d in o ne o f So u th s Se r ’

m o ns — C redat J u daeu s A pella ! ) I was no t v e ry much pl e as e d

at thi s acc o u nt o f H u m e f o r I had j ust b ee n r e adi ng
,
wi th ,

i nfi ni te r e lish th at c o mpl e t e st o f all m etaphysic al elzoke—

,
p ea rs ,

his Treatise o n H u ma n N atu re to which the E ssay s in p o i nt o f

, ,

sch o l as tic s u b tl e ty and cl o s e r eas o ni ng are m e r e e l egant trifli ng , ,

ligh t summ e r r eadi ng C o l e ri dge e v en d e ni e d the e xc ell enc e o f

-
.

’
H u m e s g ene r al s tyl e which I thin k b e tr ay e d a w an t o f tas te
,

o r c an d o ur H e h o w e v e r m ad e m e am ends by the m anne r in

.

IO which he S p o k e o f Berk el ey H e d we l t p ar ticul arly o n his E ssay

.

o n Visi o n as a m as te rpi e c e o f analy tic al r e as o n i ng S o it u n .

d o u b te dly i s H e was e xc eedi ngly angry wi th Dr J o h ns o n f o r

. .

’
s triki ng th e s to ne wi th his fo o t in all u si o n to this au t h o r s Th eo ry
,

“ ”
o f M at te r and S pi ri t and s ay ing ,
T hus I c o n fu te him S ir
, ,
.

’
‘5 C o l e ridg e dr e w a p ar all e l ( I d o n t k no w h o w h e br o u gh t ab o u t
t he c o nne c ti o n) b e t w ee n B ish o p Be rk e l ey and T o m P ai ne He .

s aid the o ne was an i ns tan c e o f a s u b tl e the o th er o f an ac u te ,

mi nd th an which no two thi ngs c o u ld b e m o r e dis ti nc t T he

,
.

’
o ne was a S h o p b o y s qu ali ty t he o t h e r t he ch ar ac t e ris tic o f a
-

20 phil o s o ph e r H e c o nsid er e d Bish o p Bu tl e r as a t r u e phil o s o ph er

.
,

a pr o f o u n d and c o nsci e nt i o us t hi nk e r a g e nui ne r e ad e r o f natur e

,

and his o wn m in d H e did no t sp eak o f his A na logy b u t o f

.
,

’
his Serm ons a t tlz e R olls Clzap el o f which I had ne v e r h e ard , .

C o l e ridg e s o m e h o w al ways c o n triv e d to pr e fe r the u nknow n to

’
5 t h e k no w n . I n t his i ns tanc e h e was righ t T he A nalogy is a .

t iss u e o f s o phis t ry o f wir e — ,

dr aw n th e o l o gic al S p e ci al pl e adi ng ;
,
-

the Serm o ns ( w i t h th e P r e f ac e to t h e m ) are in a fi ne v e i n o f

d ee p m atur e d r e fl e c ti o n a c andid app e al to o u r o bs e rv ati o n o f

, ,

h u m an nat ur e wi th o u t p e d antry and wi th o u t bi as I to ld

,
.

50 C o l e ridg e I h ad wri tte n a f e w r e m arks and was s o m e tim e s ,

f o o lish e no u gh to b eli ev e th at I had m ad e a disc o v e ry o n the

s am e s u bj e ct ( the N atu ral D i si nterestedness of tke [ f um a n
—and I tri e d t o e xpl ai n my vi e w o f it to C o l e ridge who ,

list ene d wi th gre at willi ngne ss but I did no t succ e e d in m aki ng

,
 M Y FI R S T A C Q UAI N TA N C E W IT H P O E T S I 8S

mys elf un d e rs to o d I sat d o w n to the task sh o r tly af te r w ards

.

f o r th e tw e nti e th t im e go t ne w p e ns and p ap e r d e te rmi ne d to

, ,

m ak e cl e ar w o rk o f it w r o te a f e w m e agr e s e nte nc e s in the

,

S k e l e to n styl e o f a m at h e m atic al d e m o n s t r at i o n
-
s to pp e d h alf ,

way d o w n the s e c o nd p age ; and af te r tryi ng in v ai n to p u mp

, 5
u p any w o rds im age s no ti o ns appr e h ensi o ns f ac t s o r o bs e rv a
, , , , ,

t i o ns fr o m t h at gulph o f abs t r ac t i o n in which I had plu ng e d

,

mys elf f o r fo u r o r fi ve y e ars pr e c edi ng gav e u p the atte m p t as ,

l ab o u r in v ai n and sh e d te ars o f h e lpl e ss d e sp o nd e ncy o n the

,

bl an k u nfi nish e d p ap e r I c an wri te fas t eno ugh no w A m I

. . IC

b e tt e r th an I was t h e n ? O h no ! O ne t r u t h disc o v e r e d o n e ,

p ang o f r egr et at no t b e i ng abl e to expr e ss it is b e tte r t h an all ,

the flu e n cy and fl ippanc y in the w o rld W o u ld t h at I c o u ld go

.

b ack to wh at I th en was ! Why c an we no t r eviv e p as t t im e s

as w e c an r e visi t o ld pl ac e s ? I f I had the q u ai nt M us e o f S ir 1 !

P hilip S id ne y to assis t m e I w o u ld wri te a So nnet to tb e R oa d

,

b etween W m a nd Sb rewsb u i y and imm o rt alis e e v e ry s te p

,

o f it by s o m e f o nd e nigm at ic al c o nc e i t I w o u ld sw e ar th at the
.

v e ry mil e s to ne s had e ars and t h at H arm e r hill s to o p e d wi th all

,
-

its pi ne s to lis te n to a p o e t as he p ass e d ! I r e m e mb e r b u t o ne

, ,

o t h e r t o pic o f disc o urs e in t his w alk H e m e n ti o ne d P al e y

.
,

prais e d the nat u r al ne ss and cl e arn e ss o f his s tyl e b u t c o n d e m ne d ,

his s entim ents th o ugh t him a m e r e tim e s e rvi ng c asuis t and

,
-
,

“
s aid th at the fact o f his w o rk o n M o r al and P o li tic al P hil o s o phy
b e i ng m ad e a te x t b o o k in o u r U niv e rsi ti e s was a disgr ac e to
-

the n ati o nal ch ar ac te r

”
.We p arte d at the S ix mil e s to ne ; and I -

r e tur ne d h o m ew ard p e nsiv e b u t m uch pl eas ed I had m e t wi th

,
.

u ne xp ec te d no tic e fro m a p e rs o n wh o m I b e li e v e d to h av e b e e n
,

K i nd and af fabl e to m e had b e en his

“
pr ej udic e d ag ai nst m e .

c o nd e sc ensi o n and sho uld b e h o no u r e d e v e r wi th s u i tabl e re

,

”
g ard . H e was the firs t p o e t I had k no w n and h e c e r tai nly ,

an sw e r e d to t h at i nspir e d n am e I had h eard a gr eat d e al o f

.

his p o w e rs o f c o nv e rs ati o n and was no t dis app o i nted I n f act

,
.
,

I ne v er m e t wi th any t hi ng at all lik e t h e m e i th e r b e fo r e o r ,

 I 86 S E L E C TI O N S F RO M H AZ LITT

si nc e I c o u ld e asily cr e di t the acc o u nt s which we r e circ u l ated

.

o f his h o ldi ng f o r t h t o a l arg e p ar ty o f l adi e s and g e ntl e m e n an ,

e v e ni ng o r t wo b e f o r e o n th e Be rk e l e i an Th e o ry wh e n h e m ad e
, ,

the W h o l e m ate ri al u n iv e rs e l o o k lik e a t r an sp ar e n cy o f fi ne

w o rds ; and ano th e r s to ry ( which I b e li e v e he has so m e wh er e

to ld hims e lf) o f his b e i n g ask e d t o a p ar ty at B irmi ngh am o f ,

his sm o ki ng t o b acc o and go i ng to sl eep af ter di nne r o n a s o f a ,

wh e re the c o mp any fo u n d him to th e ir no sm all s u rpris e which ,

w as i n cr e as e d to w o nd e r wh en h e st ar te d up o f a sudd e n and ,

IO r u bbi ng hi s ey e s l o o k e d ab o ut him and l au nch e d in to a t hre e

, ,

’
h o urs d e scrip ti o n o f the t hird h e av e n o f which h e had had a ,

’
dre am v e ry di f fe re nt fr o m M r S o u th ey s V isi o n o f J udgm ent
,
.
,

an d als o fr o m t h at o t h e r V isi o n o f Judgm e n t which M r M urr ay ,

.
,

th e S e cr e t ary o f t he Bridg e s t r e e t J u nt o has t ak en i n t o his

-
,

‘5 e sp e ci al k ee pin g !

O n my way b ack I h ad a s o u n d in my e ars it was the v o ic e

, ,

o f F ancy : I h ad a ligh t b e f o r e m e i t was the f ac e o f P o e t ry ,

.

T he o ne s t ill li ng e rs t h e re the o t h e r h as no t q u i tte d my sid e !

,

C o l e ridg e in t ru t h m e t m e h alf way o n th e gr o u nd o f ph il o s o phy

-
,

20 o r I sh o u ld n o t h av e b e e n wo n o v e r to his im agi nat iv e cr ee d .

I h ad an u neasy pl easur abl e s en s at i o n all the t im e t ill I was

, ,

t o visi t him D u ri ng th o se m o nths the chill br eat h o f wi nte r

.

gav e m e a w e lco mi ng ; t he v e r nal air was b alm and i nspir ati o n

to m e T he g o ld en su n s e t s th e S ilv e r s tar o f e v e ni ng ligh te d
.
-
, ,

’
5 m e o n my way to new h o p e s and pr o sp e c ts w a s to visit .

Coleridge i n tb e Sp ri ng This circ u ms tanc e Was ne v e r abs ent

.

fr o m my t h o u gh t s and mi ngl e d wi th all my f e e li ngs I wr o te

,
.

to him at th e t im e pr o p o s e d and r e c e iv e d an an sw e r p o s t p o n i n g
,

my i nte nd e d visit f o r a w ee k o r t wo b u t v e ry c o rdi ally u rgi ng ,

m e t o c o m pl e te my pr o mis e th e n This d el ay did n o t d amp.

,

b u t r ath e r i ncr eas e d my ard o ur I n the m e an t im e I w ent to .

Ll ango ll en V al e by way o f i ni ti ati ng mys e lf in the mys te ri e s o f

,

n at ur al sc e ne ry ; and I m u s t s ay I was e nch an te d wi th it I h ad .

’
b ee n r eadi ng C o l eridge s d e scri p ti o n o f Engl and in his fi ne Ode ,
 1 88 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

h av e w ante d o nly o ne t hi ng to m ak e m e h appy ; b u t w anti ng

t h at h av e w ante d e v e ry thi ng !
,

I arriv e d and was w e ll r e c e iv e d T he c o u ntry ab o u t N e th e r

,
.

S to w e y is b e au t if u l gr e en and hilly and n e ar t he sea S h o re

, ,
-
.

5 I saw it b u t the o th e r day afte r an i nte rv al o f t w en ty y e ars

, ,

fr o m a hill near T au nto n H o w was the m ap o f my lif e S pr e ad

.

o u t b e fo r e m e as t h e m ap o f the c o u nt ry la at my f e e t ! I n
, y
the af te r no o n C o l e ridg e t o o k m e o v e r t o All F o xde n a r o m ant ic -
,

o ld f amily m an si o n o f t h e S t Aubi n s wh e r e W o rds wo r t h liv e d

-
.
,
.

’
10 I t was t h e n in th e p o ss e ssi o n o f a fri e nd o f th e p o et s who ,

gav e him th e fr e e u se o f it S o m e h o w t h at p e ri o d ( the tim e

.

j u s t af te r the Fr e n ch R e v o l u t i o n) was no t a t im e wh en not/t i ng

was given f or not/Zi ng T he mi n d o p ene d and a s o f t ne ss might
.
,

b e p e rc e iv e d c o mi ng o v e r th e h e art o f i ndivid u als b e ne ath th e ,

”
I
5 sc al e s th at f en c e o u r s e lf i nte r e s t Wo rdsw o r th hims elf was
-
.

fr o m h om e b u t his sis te r k e p t h o us e an d se t b e fo r e u s a frugal

, ,

’
r e p as t ; and we had fr e e acc e ss to her bro th er s p o e ms the Ly ri ,

ea l B a lla ds which w e r e s t ill in m an uscrip t o r in t he f o rm o f

, ,

Sy b illi ne Lea ves I dipp e d i nto a f e w o f t h e s e wi t h gr eat s atis

.

zo f ac t i o n and wi t h the f ai th o f a n o vic e I sl e pt t h at nigh t in an

,
.

o ld r o o m wi th bl u e h angi ngs and c o v e r e d wi t h th e r o u n d f ac e d

,
-

family p o r tr ai ts o f th e age o f G eo rg e I and I I and fro m the

-
. .

w o o d e d d e clivi ty o f th e adj o i n i ng p ark t h at o v e rl o o k e d my

wi nd o w at the d aw n o f day c o u ld
, ,

2
5 h e ar th e l o u d s tag sp e ak .
”

I n th e s lif e ( and p ar tic u l arly at this t im e I fel t it so )

o u t et o f

o u r im agi nat i o n h as a b o dy t o it We are in a s tate b etwee n .

sl ee pi ng and w aki ng and h av e i n dis ti nct b u t gl o ri o u s glimps e s

,

o f s tr ang e sh ap e s and t h e r e is alw ays s o m e thi ng to c o m e b e tte r

,

30 t h an wh at we se e A s in o u r dr e am s the fuln e ss o f the bl o o d

.

giv e s w arm th and r e ali ty to th e c o i nage o f the br ai n so in y o u t h ,

o u r id e as are cl o th e d and f e d and p amp e r e d wi th o u r g o o d

, ,

S piri t s ; we br e ath e thick wi th t h o ugh tl e ss h appi ne ss th e w e ight ,

 M Y FI R S T A C Q U AI NTA N C E WIT H P O E T S 1 89

of fut u re y e ars pr e ss e s o n the str o ng p uls e s o f the h e ar t and ,

we r e p o s e wi th u ndisturb e d f ai th in t ru t h and g o o d A s we .

adv an c e we e xh aust o u r fu n d o f e nj o ym e nt and o f h o p e

, We .

’
are no l o ng e r wr app e d in la m b s w ool lull e d in Elysi u m As -
, .

we tast e the pl easure s o f lif e t h e ir spiri t e v ap o r ate s the s e ns e , ,

p alls ; and no thi ng is l e ft b u t the ph anto ms the life l ess S h ad o ws ,

o f wh at lza s b een !

Th at m o r ni ng as s o o n as bre akf as t was o v e r we s tr o ll ed o u t

, ,

i nt o the p ark and s eati ng o urs e lv e s o n the t r u nk o f an o ld ash

,

tr ee th at s tr e t ch e d al o ng the gr o u nd C o l e ridge r e ad al o u d wi t h , IC

a s o no r o us and music al v o ic e the b all ad o f B etty F ay I was .

n o t cri tic ally o r sc e ptic ally i ncli ne d I saw t o uch e s o f tr u t h .

and natu r e and to o k the r e s t f o r gr ant e d

,
Bu t in th e Tb orn .
,

the M a d [ W ot/t er and th e Co mpla i nt o

, f a P oor I ndia n Wo ma n ,

I f e l t th at d ee p e r p o w e r and p ath o s which h av e b ee n si nce 1 :

ack no wl e dg e d ,

In sp i t e of p rid e , in e rri ng r e as o n s sp i t e ’
,
”

as the ch arac te ris tics o f this au t h o r ; and the s e ns e o f a ne w

s tyl e and a n e w S piri t in p o e t ry c am e o v e r m e I t had to m e .

s o m ethi ng o f the e ffe ct t h at aris e s fr o m th e tu r ni ng u p o f the

fre sh s o il o r o f the firs t w elco m e br eath o f S pri ng
,

Wh i l e y e t t h e t r e mb l i n g y e ar i s un c o nfi rm e d .
”

C o l e ridg e mys e lf w alk e d b ack

and t o S to we y th at e v e ni ng ,
and

his v o ic e s o u nd e d high
P r o vi d e n c e fo r e k n o wl e dg e will and fate
Of , , , ,

F ix d f at e f r e e w il l f o r e k n o wl e dg e ab s o l u t e
’ ”
-
, , ,

as we p ass e d t hro u gh e ch o i ng gro v e by f airy s tr e am o r w ate r ,

f all gl e ami ng in the sum m e r m o o nligh t ! H e l am en te d t h at

,

W o rdsw o r th was no t pr o ne e no u gh to b eli e v e in the t r adi ti o nal

s u p e rs t i t i o ns o f the pl ac e and t h at th e r e was a s o m e thi n g c o r
,

o re al a m a tter of f u t t ness a cli ngi ng to t he p alp abl e o r o f te n

p
- -
, , ,

to the p e tty in his p o e t ry in c o ns e q u e nc e

,
H is g e nius was no t
,
.
 1 90 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

a spiri t th at d e sce nd e d to him t hr o u gh the air ; it spr u ng o u t

o f th e gr o u n d lik e a fl o w e r o r u n f o ld e d i t s e lf fr o m a gr e e n
,

spr ay o n which the go ld fi nc h s ang H e s aid h o w ev e r ( if I

,
-
.
,

r e m e mb e r righ t) t h at this o bj e c ti o n m u s t b e c o nfi ne d to his

d e scrip tiv e pi e c e s t h at his phil o s o phic p o e try had a gr an d and
,

c o mpre h en siv e spiri t in it so t h at his s o u l s e em e d to i nh abit

,

t he u n iv e rs e lik e a p al ac e an d t o disc o v e r t ru t h by i ntu i t i o n

, ,

r at h e r th an by d e d u c ti o n T he ne x t day W o rdsw o r th arriv e d

.

’
fr o m Bris to l at C o l e ridge s c o t tage I t hi nk I see him no w . .

H e an sw e r e d in s o m e d e gr e e to his fr ien d s d e scrip t i o n o f him

’
IO ,

b u t was m o r e g au nt and D o n Q u ix o telik e H e was q u ai ntly -

.

dr e ss e d ( acc o rdi ng to the eostu me o f th at u n c o ns t r ai ne d p e ri o d)

in a br o w n fus t i an j ack e t and s trip e d p an tal o o ns Th e re was .

s o m et hi ng o f a r o ll a l o u nge in his gai t no t u nlik e his o wn

, , ,

‘5 P e te r Be ll T h e r e was a s e v e r e w o r n pr e ss u r e o f t h o ugh t
.
,

ab o ut his t e mpl e s a fi re in his ey e ( as if h e s aw s o m e thi ng

,

in o bj e c t s m o r e t h an the o u tw ard app ear an c e) an i nte n s e high

n arr o w f o r e h e ad a R o m an no s e
,
ch ee ks f u rr o w e d by s t ro ng ,

purp o s e and f ee li ng and a c o n vulsiv e i n cli nati o n to l augh te r

,

20 ab o u t t h e m o u t h a go o d d e al at v ari an c e wi th t he s o l e m n
, ,

’
s tately expr e ssi o n o f the r e st o f his f ac e C h antry s b u s t w ants .

the m arki ng t r ai t s ; b u t h e was t e az e d i nto m aki ng it r e gul ar

’
and h e avy H ayd o n s h e ad o f him i nt r o duc e d i nto th e E ntra nee ,

(f C/z rist i nto J eru salem is th e m o st lik e his dr o o pi ng w e ight

,

o f t h o u gh t an d e xpr e ssi o n H e sat d o w n and t alk e d v e ry nat u

.

r ally and fr ee ly Wi th a mix t ur e o f cl e ar g u shi ng acc en ts in his

, ,

v o ic e a d ee p gu tt u r al i nto nati o n and a s tr o ng t i nc tu r e o f the

, ,

n o r th e r n b u rr lik e the cr u s t o n wi ne
,
H e i ns tantly b e g an t o .

m ak e h av o c o f the h alf o f a C h e shire ch ee s e o n the t abl e and ,

30 s aid t riumph antly th at his m arri age wi th exp e ri en c e had no t

’
b e e n so pro duc tiv e as M r S o u th ey s in t eachi ng him a k no wl
.

”
e dg e o f th e g o o d t hi ngs o f t his lif e H e had b een to s ee th e .

C astle Spectre by M o nk L e wis W hil e at B ris to l an

, d d e scrib e d
, ,

“
it v e ry w ell . H e s aid it fi tte d the tas te o f the audi e nc e lik e a
 192 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

un d e r two fi ne elm t r ee s an d lis te nin g to the b ee s hummi ng

-
,

r o u nd u s W hil e we qu affe d o u r fl ip I t was agre e d am o ng

,
.
,

o t h e r t hi ngs th at we S h o u ld m ak e a j au nt d o w n the B ris t o l

,
:

C h anne l as f ar as Li nto n We se t o ff t o g e th e r o n f o o t C o l e
,
.
,

ridg e J o h n C h e s te r and I
,
This C h e st e r was a nat iv e o f
,
.

’
N e th e r S to w e y o ne o f t h o s e who w e r e attrac te d to C o l e ridg e s
,

disc o u rse as fli e s are t o h o ney o r b ee s in s w armi ng t im e t o the ,

-

“
s o u n d o f a br ass pan H e f o ll o w e d in the ch ac e lik e a do g .

”
W ho h u nt s no t lik e o ne t h at m ad e u p th e cry
,
H e h ad o n .

IO a br o w n cl o t h c o at b o o t s and c o rd u r o y br ee ch e s w as lo w in
, , ,

s tature b o w l e gg e d h ad a drag in his w alk lik e a dr o v e r which

,
-
, ,

h e assis t e d by a h az e l swi t ch and k e p t o n a s o rt o f t r o t by the ,

S id e o f C o l e ridg e lik e a ru nn i ng f o o t m an by a s tate c o ach th at

, ,

h e migh t no t l o s e a syll abl e o r s o u nd t h at f e ll fr o m C o l e ridg e s

’
,

lips H e to ld m e his priv ate o pi ni o n t h at C o l e ridge was a

.
,

w o nd erful m an H e sc arc e ly o p en e d his lips much l e ss o ffer ed

.
,

an o pi n i o n th e wh o l e way : y e t o f th e thr e e h ad I t o chus e ,

d u ri n g th at j o u rney I w o uld b e J o h n C h e s te r H e af te rw ards

,
.

f o ll o w e d C o l e ridg e i nto G e rm any wh e r e the K an t e an philo so ,

20 h e rs w e r e p u z z l e d h o w t o bri n g him u nd e r any o f t h e ir c ate

p
’
go ries Wh en h e sat d o w n at tabl e wi t h his id o l J o h n s f e lici ty
.
,

’ ’
w as c o mpl e te ; S ir W al te r S c o tt s o r M r Bl ackw o o d s wh e n .
,

t h e y s at d o w n at th e s am e t abl e wi t h the K i ng w as n o t m o r e ,

so . We p ass e d D u n s te r o n o u r righ t a sm all to w n b e tw e en the ,

’
5 br o w o f a hill and the se a I r em e mb e r e yi ng it wis tfully as it .

lay b e l o w u s c o nt r as te d wi th th e w o o dy sc e n e aro u n d it l o o k e d ,

as cl e ar as p u r e as em b ro w n ed and id e al as any l an dsc ap e I

, ,

h av e s ee n S i nc e o f G asp e r P o u ssi n s o r D o m e nic hino s We

,
’ ’
.

’
h ad a l o ng d ay s m arch ( o u r f ee t k e p t t im e t o th e e ch o e s

o f C o l e ridg e s t o ng u e — t hr o u gh M i ne h e ad and by th e Bl u e
’
30 )
A nch o r and o n to Li nto n whi ch we did no t r each till near
, ,

m id nigh t and wh e r e we had s o m e di f fic u l ty in m akin g a lo dg

,

m e n t We h o w e v e r k no ck e d th e p e o pl e o f the h o u s e u p at l as t
. .
,

and w e w e r e r e p aid f o r o u r appr e h e n si o n s and f atig u e by s o m e

 M Y FI R S T A C Q UAI N TA N C E W IT H P O E T S I93

e xc ell ent r ash ers o f fri e d b ac o n and e ggs The vi e w in c o mi ng .

al o ng had b ee n spl en did We w alk ed f o r mile s and mil e s o n

.

d ark bro wn h eaths o v e rl o o ki ng the ch annel with the W e lsh ,

hills b ey o nd and at tim e s d esc e nde d i nto li ttl e sh e l te re d v all eys

,

’
cl o se by the se a sid e wi t h a smuggl er s face sco wli ng by us and
-
, ,

th en had to asc end c o nic al hills with a p at h wi ndi ng u p thr o u gh

’
a Co ppic e to a b arr e n to p lik e a m o nk s sh av e n cr o w n fr o m
, ,

’
o n e o f which I p o i nt e d o u t to C o l e ridg e s no t ic e t he b ar e m as t s

o f a v e ss e l o n the v e ry e dg e o f the h o ri z o n and wi thi n the re d

o rb e d disk o f the s e t ti ng su n lik e his o wn sp e ctr e S hip in t he I C

,
-

A nci ent M ari ner At L i nto n the ch ar act e r o f t he sea c o ast b e

.
-

c o m e s m o r e m ark e d and rugge d Th e r e is a pl ac e c all e d the .

Va lley of R ocks ( I susp e ct t his was o n ly the p o e tic al nam e f o r

it) b e dd e d am o ng pr e cipic e s o v e rh angi ng th e se a with r o cky ,

c av e r ns b ene ath i nto which the w av e s d ash and wh e r e the se a I

, ,
!

gull f o r e v e r wh ee ls its scr eami ng flight O n the to ps o f t h e s e .

are huge st o ne s thr o w n tr ansv e rs e as if an e ar thqu ak e h ad ,

t o ss e d th e m th e r e and b e hi nd th e s e is a fr e tw o rk o f perpe n
,

’
dic u lar ro cks s o m e t hi ng lik e th e Gia nt s Ca u seway A thu nd e r
,
.

sto rm c am e o n whil e we w er e at the inn and C o l e ridge was 2 C ,

ru nni ng o u t b ar eh ead e d to enj o y the c o mm o t i o n o f t he e l e m e nt s

in the Valley of R oeks bu t as i f in spi te the cl o uds o nly m ut
, ,

te re d a f ew angry s o u nds and let f all a f e w r e fr e shi ng dr o ps

, .

C o l e ridg e t o ld m e th at he and W o rds wo rth w e r e to h av e m ad e

this pl ac e the sc e ne o f a pro s e tal e which was to h av e b een -
,

in the m anne r o f but f ar su p e ri o r to the D ent/z of A b el b u t

, , ,

th ey had r e li nquish e d the d e sign I n the m o r ni ng o f the s e co nd .

day we br e akf as te d luxuri o usly in an o ld f ashi o ne d p arl o u r o n

,
~
,

te a t o as t e ggs and h o ne y in the v e ry sight o f th e b e e hiv e s

, , , ,
-

fro m which it had b een t ak en and a g ard en full o f thym e and 30 ,

W ild fl o w e rs t h at had pro duc e d it O n t his o cc asi o n C o l e ridg e .

’
sp o k e o f V irgil s G e o rgics but no t w ell I do no t thi nk he had
,
.

much feeling f o r the cl assic al o r e l e gant I t was in thi s ro o m .

th at we f o u nd a littl e w o r n o u t c o py o f the Seaso ns lyi ng in

-
,
 I 94 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

a wi nd o w s e at o n which C o l e ridge e xcl aim e d

-
,
Tb at is t ru e ,

fam e ' H e s aid Th o ms o n was a gr eat p o et r ath e r th an a

7}
,

go o d o ne ; his s tyl e was as m e re trici o u s as his th o ugh t s w e re

natur al H e sp
. o k e o f C o wp e r as the b e s t m o d e r n p o e t He .

s aid the Ly rieal B alla ds w e r e an e xp e rim e nt ab o u t to b e tri e d

by him and W o rdsw o r th t o see ho w f ar the public t ast e w o uld ,

e n dur e p o e try wri tten in a m o r e n at ur al an d simpl e styl e t h an

h ad hith e rt o b een at t e mp te d ; to t ally disc ardi ng the artifi c es o f

p o e t ic al dic ti o n and m aki ng u se o nly o f s u ch w o rds as had pr o b
,

IO ably b ee n c o mm o n in th e m o s t o rdi nary l an gu ag e si nc e th e

d ays o f H enry I I So m e c o mp aris o n was in tr o d u c e d b et w e en

.

“
S h ak e sp e ar and M il to n H e s aid he h ardly k ne w which to
.

pr e f e r S h ak e sp e ar app e ar ed to hi m a m e r e s tripli ng in the art ;

.

h e was as t all and as str o ng wi t h i nfi n i te ly m o r e ac tivi ty t h an ,

’
M ilto n but h e n e v e r app e ar e d to h av e co m e to m an s e s tate ;
,

”
o r if h e had h e w o uld no t h av e b e e n a m an but a m o ns te r
, ,
.

H e sp o k e wi th c o nte mpt o f G r ay and wi th i n t o l e ran c e o f P o p e ,

.

H e did no t lik e the versifi c atio n o f the l at t e r H e o bs e rv e d t h at .

th e e ars o f t h e s e c o upl e t—wri te rs might b e ch arg e d wi th h avi ng '

’0
S h o r t m e m o ri e s t h at co u ld no t r e tai n the h arm o ny o f W h o l e
,

’7
p ass age s H e th o ught li ttl e o f J u nius as a wri te r ; he h ad a
.

dislik e o f Dr J o h ns o n ; and a m u ch high e r o pi ni o n o f Bu rk e

.

as an o r ato r and p o li tici an t h an o f F o x o r P i tt H e h o wever ,

.

t h o ught him v e ry i n f e ri o r in rich ne ss o f s tyl e and im age ry to

s o m e o f o u r e ld e r pr o s e wri ters p ar tic u l arly J e r e my T ayl o r -

,
.

H e lik e d R ich ards o n b u t no t Fi e ldi ng ; n o r c o uld I get him

,

1
t o e nte r i n t o th e m e ri t s o f Ca leb IVillia m s
/ I n S h o r t he was .
,

pro fo u nd and discrimi nati ng wi th r e sp e ct to th o s e au th o rs wh o m

he lik e d and wh e r e h e g av e his j u dgm ent f air pl ay ; c aprici o u s
, ,

1 H e h adid e a o f pict re s o f C l au d e o r R aph ae l an d at this t im e I h ad as

no u
, ,

li tt l e as h e H e s o m e tim e s g ive s a st ri k i ng acc o nt at pre s e nt o f th e C ar to o ns at

. u

I isa by B u ff am alc o and o th e rs o f o ne in p ar tic u l ar wh e r e D e ath is s e e n in th e

’
,

air br an dishi n g his scy th e an d t h e g re at an d mi g h ty o f t h e e art h sh u dd e r at his

,

appr o ach Whil e t h e b e gg ars an d t h e wre t ch e d k n e e l t o him as t h e ir d e live r e r

,
He .

wo ld o f c o u rse u nd e rs tand so bro ad and fi ne a m o ral as this at any t im e

u .
 I 96 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

’
th at o cc asi o n b e tte r th an th ey s o m e y e ars af te r did M r
, ,
. Ellist o n s
and the Drury l ane b o ards-
,

Oh m e m o ry ! sh i e l d m e f r o m th e w o rl d s p o o r s t ri f e ’
,

A n d giv e t h o s e s c e n e s t h i n e e v e rl as t i ng l i f e
”
.

I saw n o
m o r e o f him f o r a y ear o r two duri ng which p e ri o d ,

h e h ad b e en w and e ri ng in th e H ar tz F o r e s t in G erm any ; and

his r e tur n was c o m e tary m eteo r o u s u nlik e his s e tti ng o u t I t
, ,
.

was no t till s o m e tim e af te r th at I k ne w his fri e nds L amb and

S o u th e y .T h e l ast alw ays app e ars to m e ( as I first saw him )
IO wi th a c o mm o n pl ace b o o k u nd e r hi s arm and the first wi th a
- -
,

’
b an m ot in his m o uth I t was at G o dwi n s t h at I m e t him with
-
.

H o lcr o f t and C o l e ridg e ,wh e r e t h ey w e r e dispu ti ng fi e rc e ly which

was th e b e s t — M a n as b e wa s or m a n as b e is to b e , G iv e .

’J
me ,
s ays L amb m an as he i s not to b e
) 3
,
This s ayi ng was .

‘5 th e b e gi nni ng o f a fri en dship b e t w een u s which I b e li e v e still ,

c o n ti n u e s Eno u gh o f t his f o r the pr e s e nt

. .

Bu t t h e r e i s m att e r f o r an o th e r rhy m e ,

A nd I to t h i s m ay add a s e c o n d t al e .
”
 M ER R Y E N G L A N D

S t G e o rg e f o r
. m e r ry E ngl an d !

This o ld f ashi o ne d e pi th e t might b e supp o s e d to h av e b e en

-

b e s to w ed ir o nic ally o r o n the o ld pri ncipl e

, Ut lu eu s a no n
lnt endo . Ye t th e re is s o m e t hi ng in the s o u nd th at hi ts the
f ancy and a s o r t o f tru th b ey o nd app ear an c e s T o b e sur e it
, .
,

is fr o m a d u ll h o m ely gr o u nd th at the gl e ams o f mir th and

,

j o llity bre ak o u t ; b u t the s t r eaks o f light th at ti nge the e v eni ng

sky are no t the l e ss striki ng o n th at acc o u n t The b e am s o f the .

m o rn in g— su n shi ni ng o n th e l o ne ly gl ad e s o r t hr o ugh the idl e ,

“
br anch e s o f the tangl e d fo r e s t the l e isur e the fr eed o m
,
th e , ,
IO

”
pl eas u r e o f go i ng and c o mi ng wi th o u t k no wi ng wh e r e the ,

tro o ps o f wild d ee r the S p o r ts o f the ch as e and o th e r r u s tic

, ,

gamb o ls w e r e su ffi ci ent to j us t ify the w e l l—

,
k no w n app e ll at i o n
“ ”
of M e rry S h e rw o o d and in lik e m anne r we m ay apply th e
, ,

phr as e to Merry E ngla nd The smil e is no t the l e ss si nc er e b e

. . ‘5

c au s e it d o e s no t al ways pl ay up o n the ch eek ; and the j e s t i s

no t the l e ss w e lc o m e no r the l augh l e ss h e ar ty b e c au s e t h e y
, ,

h app en to b e a r eli e f fr o m c ar e o r l e ad e n e y e d m el an ch o ly T he-

.

i nst an c e s are the m o r e pr e ci o us as t h ey are r ar e ; and we l o o k

f o rw ard to th e m wi t h the gr eate r go o d Will o r b ack u p o n t h e m ,

wi th th e gr e ate r gr ati tud e as we dr ai n the l ast dro p in the cu p

,

wi th p ar ticul ar r elish I f no t alw ays gay o r in go o d spiri ts we

.
,

are gl ad wh e n any o cc asi o n dr aws us o u t o f o u r n at ur al gl o o m ,

and disp o s e d to m ak e th e m o s t o f it We m ay say wi th Silo/l ee

.

in th e pl ay I h av e b een m e rry e re no w —and this o nc e

,
”
,

was to s e rv e him all his lif e ; f o r h e w as a p e rs o n o f w o nd e rful

”
sil enc e and gr avi ty th o u gh he chirp e d o v e r his c u ps and
,
“
,

“
anno u nc e d wi t h ch ar act e ris tic gl e e t h at th e r e w e r e pippi ns
‘
97
 198 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

’
and ch ee s e to c o m e S ilence was in t his s en s e a m er ry m an
.
,

th at is h e w o uld b e m erry if he c o u ld and a v ery gr e at e co n

, ,

o m y o f wit lik e a v ery sl end e r f ar e was a b anq u e t to him

, , ,

”
fr o m the simplici ty o f his tas te and h abi ts C o nti nen ts s ays
.
,

“
H o bb e s h av e m o s t o f wh at th ey c o n tai n
, an d in this V i e w

it m ay b e c o n te nd e d th at the English are the m e rri e st p eo pl e in

th e w o rld S i n c e t h e y o nly S h o w it o n high d ays and h o lid ays
,
-
.

Th ey are t h en lik e a sch o o l b o y let l o o s e fr o m sch o o l o r lik e a

-
,

do g t h at h as slipp e d his c o ll ar Th ey are no t gay lik e the

.

IO Fr en ch who are o ne e ter nal smil e o f s e lf c o m pl ace n cy to r

,
-
,

t u re d i nt o af fe c tati o n o r sp u n o u t i n to l an gu id i nd if fe r e n c e n o r
, ,

are th e y v o l u p tu o u s an d imm e rs e d in se n su al i nd o l e n c e lik e th e ,

,

I tali ans ; b u t t h ey h av e th at s o r t o f i nte rmi ttent fi tf u l irr e gul ar , ,

g ai e ty which is ne i th er w o rn o u t by h abi t n o r d e ad en e d by
, ,

‘
5 p assi o n b u t is s o u gh t wi th avidi ty as it t ak e s the mi nd by su r
,

pris e is s tar tl e d by a s e ns e o f o ddi ty and i nc o ngru i ty i nd u lg e s

, ,

its w ayw ard h u m o u rs o r liv e ly impuls e s w i t h p e rfe c t fr e e d o m,

an d ligh t ne ss o f h e ar t and s e iz e s o cc asi o n by th e f o r e l o ck t h at

, ,

it m ay r etu r n t o s e ri o u s busi ne ss wi th m o r e ch ee rf u l ne ss and ,

20 h av e s o m e thi ng to b eg u il e the h o u rs o f t h o u gh t o r s ad ness I .

do no t see h o w th e r e c an b e high S piri ts wi th o u t lo w o ne s ; and

e v e ry t hi ng has it s pric e acc o rdi ng to circ u ms t anc e s P e rh aps .

w e h av e t o pay a h e avi e r t ax o n pl eas u r e th an s o m e o th e rs ,

:

W h at skills it so l o ng as o u r g o o d spiri ts and g o o d h e ar ts e nabl e

,

u s to b e ar it ?
”
“
Th ey ( the English) s ays Fr o iss ar t am u s e d t h ems elv e s
, ,

”
s adly af te r th e f ashi o n o f th e ir c o u ntry ils se rej o u zssoient
tri stem ent selo n la co u tu me de leu r pay s Th e y h av e i nd e e d a way
.

o f t h e ir o wn Th e ir mir th is a r el ax ati o n fr o m gravi ty a ch all e nge

.
,

30 to d ull c ar e to b e go ne ; and o ne i s n o t al w ays cl e ar at firs t ,

wh e th e r the app e al is succ e ssf u l T he cl o u d m ay s till h ang o n

.

t he br o w ; th e ic e m ay no t th aw at o nc e T o h e lp th e m o u t .

in th e ir ne w ch ar ac te r is an ac t o f ch ari ty A ny thi ng sh o rt o f .

h angi ng o r dro w n i ng is s o m e thi ng to b egi n wi th Th ey do no t .

 2 00 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

sh o r t liv e d pl e as u r e s c all f o r th go o d hum o ur e d smil e s and l o o ks

- -

o f sym p athy in th e sp e c tat o rs Th e r e is no pl ac e wh e r e t r ap b all

.
-

fiv e s pris o n b as e f o o t b all q u o i t s b o wls are b e t t e r u nd e rs to o d

,
-
,
-
, ,

o r m o r e s u cc e ssf u lly pr actis e d ; and th e v e ry nam e s o f a crick e t

b at and b all m ak e English fi ng e rs t i ngl e Wh at h appy d ays m u st .

L o ng R o bi ns o n h av e p ass e d in ge tti ng re ady his wick e ts and

m e ndi ng his b at s who wh en t wo o f the fi nge rs o f his righ t h and
,
-

w e r e s t ruck o ff by th e Vi o l e nc e o f a b all had a scr e w f as te ne d ,

t o it t o h o ld th e b at and wi th t h e o t h e r h an d s t ill s e nt th e b all

,

’
IO t hu n d e ri ng ag ai n s t th e b o ards t h at b o u n d e d Old L ord s cricket

gro u nd Wh at d e ligh t fu l h o urs mus t h av e b e en his in l o o ki ng

f o r ward to the m at ch e s th at w e r e t o c o m e in r e c o u nt i ng the ,

fe ats h e had p erfo rm e d i t h o s e t h at w e r e p as t ! I h av e mys elf

n
whil e d aw ay wh o l e m o rn i ngs in s ee i n g him s trik e the b all ( lik e
‘5 a c o u nt rym an m o wi ng wi th a scy th e) to the f ar th e s t e x t r e mi ty
o f th e sm o o t h l e v e l s u n b u rn t gro u n d an d wi t h l o n g awkw ard
, ,
-
, ,

s trid e s c o u nt th e no tch e s th at m ad e vic to ry s u r e ! Th e n agai n ,

c u dge l —pl ayi ng qu ar te r — s taf f b u ll and b adg e r b ai ti ng c o ck fi ght

, ,
-
,
-

ing are alm o s t the p e c u li ar div e rsi o n s o f t his isl and and o f te n ,

’0 o bj e c te d t o u s as b arb ar o u s an d cru e l h o rs e r aci ng is the d eligh t -

and t he rui n o f nu mb e rs ; an d th e n o bl e sci en c e o f b o xi ng is

all o u r o wn F o r e ig ne rs c an sc arc ely u nd e rs tand ho w we c an

.

squ ee z e pl eas u re o u t o f t his p as tim e ; the l u x u ry o f h ard bl o ws

giv e n o r r e c e iv e d ; the j o y o f th e ri ng ; no r the p e rs e v e r anc e
1
’
5 o f t he c o mb atants T he English als o e xc e l o r are no t e xc e ll e d
.
,

1 T he g fre e p assag e o f arms at A shby was we are to ld s o call e d

l
e n t e an d
”
, ,

by t h e C hr o n icl e rs o f th e t ime o n acc o n t o f t h e f e ats o f h o rs e man ship and t h e

,
u

q u ant i ty o f k n i g h t ly bl o d th at was sh ed T his l as t circ u ms tanc e was p e rh aps

o .

n e c e ss ary t o q u alify i t wi t h t h e e pi th e t o f g e nt l e in th e O pi n i o n o f s o m e o f ”
,

t h e s e his to ri an s I thi n k th e r e as o n why t h e E ngl ish are t he brave s t nat i o n o n

.

e ar th is t h at t h e th o u g h t o f bl o o d o r a d e li g h t in cr ue l ty is n o t t h e chi e f exci t e
,

m e nt wi th th e m \Vh e re it is th e re is n e c e ssarily a ea c ti n f o r th o u g h it m ay
.
,
r o

add t o o u r e ag e r n e ss an d s avag e f e r o ci ty in i n flic t i ng w o u n ds i t d o e s n o t e nabl e ,

u s t o e n d r e th e m wi th g r e at e r p at i e n c e
u T h e E n g lish are le d t o th e attac k o r
.

s s tai n i t e q u ally we ll be ca s e t h ey fig h t as th e y b o x no t o t o f m al ic e b u t t o
u
,
u ,
u ,

S h o w pl k and m an h o o d F i pl y n d o ld Engl n d f T his is th e o n ly ’

uc . a r av a a or e er .

brav e ry th at will s tand the te s t T h e re is th e s am e d e te rmi nati o n and spiri t sh o wn

.
 M E R RY E N G LA N D 20 1

in wiri ng a h ar e in s talki ng a d ee r in sh o o ti ng fishi ng and

, , , ,

h u nt i ng Engl an d to t his day b o as t s he r R o bi n H o o d and his

.

m e rry m en t h at s to u t arch e r an d o u tl aw and p atro n s ai nt o f

, ,
-

t he sp o r t i ng—
c al e nd ar Wh at a ch ee rf u l s o u nd is t h at o f the
.

h u nte rs i ssui ng fr o m the au tum nal w o o d and s we e pi ng o v e r

,

hill and d al e !
A c ry m o r e tu n e abl e
W as ne ver h allo o d t o
’
by h o u n d or h o rn .
”

Wh at sp arkli ng rich n e ss in the sc arl e t c o ats o f the rid e rs wh at ,

a gli tte ri ng c o n fusi o n in th e p ack wh at spiri t in t he h o rs e s wh at , ,

IC

e ag e r ne ss in t he f o ll o w e rs o n fo o t as th e y disp e rs e o v e r the ,

pl ai n o r f o rc e th eir way o v e r h e dg e and di tch ! Su r e ly the

, ,

’
c o l o u re d pri nt s and pic tu r e s o f th e s e hu ng u p in gent l e m e n s ,

h alls and vill age al e h o us e s h o w e v e r h u mb l e as w o rks o f art , ,

h av e m o r e lif e and h eal th and spirit in th e m and m ark the pi t h , 1 :

and ne rv e o f th e n ati o nal ch ar ac te r m o r e cr e di tably t h an t h e

m awkish s e ntim e n tal aff e c te d d e sig ns o f Th e s e us and P iri tho us

, , ,

and [ Ene as and Did o p as te d o n f o r e ig n sa lo ns a m a nger and

, ,

th e i n t e ri o r o f c o u n t ry h o us e s I f o u r tast e s are no t e pic no r

-
.
,

o u r pr e te n si o ns l o f ty t h e y are sim pl e and o u r o wn ; an d we

,

m ay p o ssibly e nj o y o u r nativ e rur al sp o r ts and t he rud e r e m e m ,

b ranc es o f t h e m wi th th e tr u e r r e lish o n t his acc o u nt th at t h ey

, ,

are s u i te d to u s and we t o t h e m T he English nat i o n to o are .

, ,

nat u r ally bro th e rs o f the angl e ”

This p u rsuit impli e s j u s t t h at .

mix tu r e o f p ati en c e and p astim e o f v ac an cy and t h o u gh t f u l ne ss , ,

o f idl e ne ss and b u si ne ss o f pl e asur e and o f p ai n which is sui te d

, ,

in r e sis tan c as in at tac k ; b t n o t th e s am e pl e as r e in g e tt i ng a c t wi th a s abre

e u u u

a in g ivi n g o n e
s T h r is th e r e f o r e always a c r tai n d e g r e e o f e ff e mi nacy mix e d
. e e , ,
e

up wi th ppro ach to cru e l ty si n c e b o th h av e th e ir s o u rc e in t he sam e pri nci

any a ,

p le v iz an o v e r v al u i n g o f p ai n ( a ) T his was t h e r e as o n t h e F r e n ch ( h avi ng th e

-
. .
,

b e s t c au s e and th e b e st g e n e ral in t h e wo rld ) ran away at Wate rl o o b e c au s e th e y ,

we re i nfl am e d f u ri o u s dru n k wi th t he bl o o d o f th e ir e ne mi e s b u t wh e n it c am e
, , ,

t o th e ir t u rn want i n g th e s am e s t im u l u s t h e y we r e p an ic s t r u c k an d th e ir h e ar ts
, ,
-
,

an d t h e i r s e n s e s f ail e d th e m all at o n c e .

( a) V an i ty is th e s am e h alf wi t te d pri n cipl e c o mp ar e d wi t h prid e I t l eav e s

-
,
.

m e n in th e l u rch wh e n i t is m o s t n e e d e d is m o r t i fi e d at b e i ng r e d c e d t o s tan d u

o n t h e d e f en siv e an d r e l i n q u ish e s t h e fi e ld t o i t s m o r e s rly antag o n is t

,
u .
 2 02 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

t o th e genius o f an Englishm an and as I susp e c t o f no o ne els e

, ,

in the s am e d egr ee H e is e mi ne ntly gif te d to s tand in the sit

.

“
u atio n assig ne d by Dr J o hn s o n t o th e an gl e r
. at o ne e nd o f a ,

”
ro d wi t h a w o rm at t h e o t h e r I S h o uld s u pp o se no o th e r lan
.

’
5 gu age c an S h o w such a b o o k as an o f te n m e n ti o ne d o ne W al to n s -
,

C o mpl e te A ngl e r — so f u ll o f na i vete o f u naf fe c te d sprigh t li ne ss

, , ,

o f b u sy trifli ng o f d ai n ty s o ngs o f r e fr e shi n g bro o ks o f sh ady

, , ,

’
arb o u rs o f h appy t h o ugh t s an d o f t h e h e rb c all e d H ea rt s E a se
,

S o m e p e rs o ns c an s ee ne i th e r the wit no r wisd o m o f this g e nui ne

[O v o lum e as if a b o o k as w ell as a m an migh t no t h av e a p e rso nal
,

ch ar ac ter b e l o ngi ng to it ami abl e v e ne r abl e fro m the S piri t o f

, ,

j o y and t h o r o ugh go o d ne ss it m anif e s t s i nd ep ende ntly o f ac u t e ,

r e m arks o r sci e ntific disco v e ri e s : o t h e rs o bj e c t to the cru el ty o f

W al to n s t h eo ry and pr act ic e o f t r o u t fi shing — f o r my p art I
’
-
,

sh o uld as s o o n ch arge an i nfant wi t h cru e l ty f o r killi ng a fly ,

an d I f ee l t he s am e s o rt o f pl e asur e in r e adi ng his b o o k as I

sh o uld h av e d o ne in the c o mp any o f this h appy child lik e o ld ,

-

m an w at chi ng his ruddy ch ee k his l au ghi ng eye the ki nd ne ss

, , ,

o f his h e ar t and the d e xt e rity o f his h and in s e i z i ng his fi nny

,

20 pr ey ! I t mus t he c o nfe ss e d t h e r e is o f te n an o dd s o r t o f mate

,

ria lity in English sp o r t s an d r e cr e at i o n s I h av e k no w n s ev e ral .

p e rs o ns W h o s e exis te nc e c o n sis te d wh o lly in m anu al e x e rcis e s

, ,

and all wh o s e e nj o ym e n t s lay at t h e ir fi nge r— e n ds Th e ir gr eate st .

h appi ne ss was in cu tti ng a s tick in m en di ng a c abb age ne t in

,
-
,

2
5 diggi ng a h o l e in th e gro u nd in hi t ti ng a m ark t ur ni ng a l ath e
, , ,

o r in s o m e t hi ng e ls e o f th e s am e ki nd at which th e y had a c e r ,

t ai n knack W e ll is it wh e n we c an amus e o u rs e lv e s w i th s u ch
.

t rifl e s and wi th o u t i nj ury to o th ers ! This cl ass o f ch ar ac te r ,

which the S p e c tato r has imm o r talis e d in the p e rs o n o f Will

50 Wimbl e is s till c o mm o n am o ng y o u nge r bro th ers and r e tir e d
,

g entl em e n o f sm all i nc o m e s in to w n o r c o u nt ry T he Cockney .

ch ar ac te r is o f o u r English gro wth as this i ntim ate s a fe v erish

,

fidge ty d elight in r u r al sigh t s and s o u nds and a l o ngi ng wish , ,

af te r th e turm o il and c o nfi ne m e nt o f a ci ty lif e to tr ansp o r t -

,
 2 04 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and ge stur e s as in th e ir f eatur e s ? O ne might as w ell e xp e ct

v ari e ty and spiri t in a pr o c e ssi o n o f w axw o rk We m u s t b e h ard .

ru n i nd e e d wh en we h av e r e c o u rs e to a p ast e b o ard pr o xy to se t
,

o ff o u r mir th : a m ask m a
y b e a v ery g o o d c o v e r f o r lic e nt i o us
ne ss th o ugh o f t h at I saw no S ig ns
( ) b u t is a v e ry b ad e xp o n e n t
,

o f wit and hum o ur I S h o u ld supp o s e t h e r e is m o r e dro ll e ry and

.

u n c t i o n in th e c aric atur e s in G ilra s S h o p —

’
y wi n d ow th a n in all ,

1
th e m asks in I taly with o ut e xc e p t i o n
,
.

T he hum o u r o f English wri t i ng and d e scrip t i o n h as o f te n b e e n

[O w o n d e r e d at ; and i t fl o ws fr o m the s am e s o u rc e as the m e rry
tra its o f o u r ch ar ac t e r A d e gr ee o f b arb arism and r u s t ici ty
.

s ee ms ne c e ss ary to the p e rfe c ti o n o f hum o u r The dro ll and .

l au gh abl e d e p e nd o n p e culi ari ty and i nc o ngruity o f ch ar act er .

Bu t wi t h th e pr o gr e ss o f r e fi ne m ent th e p e culi ari ti e s o f i ndivid

,

n als and o f cl ass e s w e ar o u t o r l o s e t h e ir sh arp abrupt e dg e s ; ,

nay a c e r t ai n sl o w n e ss and dul n e ss o f u n d e rst an di ng is r e quir e d

,

to b e struck wi th o dd and u n acc o u ntabl e app e ar an c e s f o r which ,

a gr e at e r f acili ty o f appr e h e nsi o n c an s o o ne r assig n an e xpl ana

t i o n t h at br e aks the f o rc e o f th e s e e mi ng absurdi ty and to ,

20 whi ch a wid e r S c o p e o f im agi n at i o n is m o r e e asily r e c o ncil e d .

C l o w ns and c o u ntry p eo p le are m o r e am u s e d are m o r e disp o s e d ,

to l au gh and m ak e sp o rt o f t he dr e ss o f s tr ang e rs b e c aus e fr o m ,

th e ir ig no r anc e the surpris e is gr e at e r and t h ey c anno t c o nc e iv e

,

any t hi ng t o b e n atur al o r pr o p e r to which t h e y are u n us e d .

Wi th o u t a giv en p o r ti o n o f h ard ne ss and r e p ulsiv ene ss o f f ee li ng

’

the l u dicr o u s c anno t w e ll e xis t W o nd e r and c u ri o si ty the attri

.
, ,

bu tes o f i ne xp e ri enc e ent e r gre atly i nto its c o mp o si ti o n N o w

,
.

it app e ars to m e th at the English are ( o r w e r e ) j u st at t h at

m ean p o i n t b etw e e n i nte lligenc e and o b tus ene ss which must ,

pr o duc e the m o st abu nd ant and h appi e s t cro p o f hum o ur

'

1 lls are p e c u li ar to E ng l and T h e y j i ng l e th e m in I tal y d ri ng th e carn ival

Be . u

as b o ys do wi th u s at S hr o v e t id e b u t th ey h av e n o n o t i o n o f ri ng i ng t h e m ; T h e
s o n d o f vill ag e b e lls n ev e r ch e e rs y o u in t rav e lli ng no r h av e y o u th e l u te o r
u ,

ci tte rn in th e ir ste ad Ye t th e e xpr e ssi o n o f M e rry B e lls ” is a fav o u ri te and

.
,

n o t o n e o f t h e l e as t appr o pri at e in o u r l ang u ag e .

 M E R RY E N G LA N D 205

A bsurdi ty and si ng u l ar ity glid e o v e r the Fr ench mi nd with o ut

j arri ng o r j o s tli ng wi th it ; o r th ey e v ap o rate in levity z — wi th
the I t ali ans t h ey are l o s t in i nd o l e nc e o r pl e asur e T he ludicr o us
.

t ak e s h o ld o f the English im agi nati o n and cli ngs to i t wi th all

,

its r amific ati o ns

‘

.We r e s e nt any differ en c e o r p e c u li ari ty o f 5

app e ar an c e at firs t and y e t ,
h avi ng no t much m alic e at o u r
,

h e ar ts we are gl ad to tur n it i nto a j es t — we are li abl e to b e

,

o f fe n d e d ,
and as willi ng to b e pl e as e d — s tr u ck wi th o ddi ty

fro m no t k no wi ng wh at to m ak e o f it we w o nd e r and burs t o u t

,

a l aughi ng at t he e cc e ntrici ty o f o t h e rs whil e we f o ll o w o u r o wn

,
1

b ent fr o m wilful ne ss o r simplicity and thus af fo rd th e m in o u r

, ,

tur n m at t e r f o r the i ndulge nc e o f the c o mic v e i n I t is p o ssibl e

,
.

t h at a gr e at e r r e fi ne m e nt o f m anne rs m ay giv e bir th to fi ne r

dis ti nc ti o ns o f s atir e and a nice r t act f o r the ridic u l o us : b u t o u r

'

i nsul ar situ ati o n and c harac ter are I sh o u ld say m o st lik e ly to

, ,
1

f o st e r as th e y h av e in f act fo s te r ed t he gr eat e st qu anti ty o f

, ,

n at u r al and s t riki ng hum o ur in spit e o f o u r pl o ddi ng t e naci o us

,

ne ss and w an t b o th o f g ai e ty and quick ne ss o f p e rc e p t i o n

,
A .

se t o f raw r e cr u i t s wi t h th e ir a k ard m o v e m e nt s and u n b e nd

ing j o i nt s are l augh abl e e no ugh : b u t they c e as e to b e so wh en ,

2

th ey h av e o n c e b een drill e d i nto discipli ne and u nif o rmi ty S o .

it i s with nati o n s th at l o s e th e ir angul ar p o i nt s and gro te sq u e

qu ali ti e s wi th e duc ati o n and i nte rc o u rs e : but it is in a mix e d
s tate o f m anne rs th at c o mic h u m o ur chi e fly fl o u rish e s f o r in , ,

o rd e r th at th e dr o ll e ry m a n o t b e l o st we must h av e sp e c tato rs 2
y ,

o f the p assi ng sc e ne who are abl e to appr e ci at e and e mb o dy its

m o st r e m ark abl e fe at ur e s wi t s as w e ll as b u tts f o r ridicul e

,
.

I sh all m e nti o n two nam e s in t his d e p ar tm e n t which m ay s e rv e

t o r ede e m th e nati o nal ch ar act e r fr o m abs o l u te dul ne ss and
'

s o l e m n pr e t enc e ,
Fi eldi ng and H o gar th Th e s e w e r e t h o r o ugh
-
.
3
sp e cim e ns o f tru e English hum o u r ; y e t b o th w e r e gr av e m e n .

I n r e ali ty to o high a pi tch o f anim al spiri t s ru n s aw ay wi th the

,

I m agi nati o n i nst e ad o f h elpi ng it t o r e ach the go al ; is i ncli ne d

,

to tak e the j e s t f o r gr an t e d wh e n it o ught to w o rk it o u t wi t h

 2 06 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

p ati ent and m ark e d to uch e s and it ends in v apid flippanc y and
,

imp e rti ne nc e Am o ng o u r n e ighb o urs o n the C o nti nent M o li e r e

.
,

and R ab el ais c arri e d the fr ee d o m o f W it and hum o ur t o an

alm o st i n cr e dibl e h e igh t ; but th e y r ath e r b e l o nge d to th e o ld

U
r
Fre nch sch o o l and e v en appro ach and e xc ee d the English lic enc e
,

’
and e x t rav ag an c e o f c o nc e p ti o n I do no t c o nsid e r C o ngre v e s
.

wit ( t h o ugh it b el o ngs to u s ) as c o mi ng u nd e r the ar ticl e h e re

sp o k e n o f f o r his genius is any t hi ng but merry L o rd Byr o n .

was in the h abi t o f r aili ng at the spiri t o f o u r go o d o ld c o m e dy ,

’
(O and o f abusi ng Sh ak spe are s C l o w n s and F o o ls which h e s aid ,

the r e fi n e m e nt o f the Fr e n ch an d I tali an st ag e w o uld no t e ndur e

and which o nly o u r gr o ss ne ss and pu e ril e t ast e c o uld to l e r at e .

I n this I agr e e wi t h him ; and it is p at to my purp o s e I fl at ter .

mys e lf th at we are alm o st the o nly p e o pl e who u n d e rst an d and

r elish no nsense We are no t m e rry and wise but i nd u lge o u r
.
”
,

mir t h to e xc e ss and fo lly Wh e n we t rifl e we trifl e in go o d

.
,

e ar n e st ; and h avi ng o n c e r e l ax e d o u r h o ld o f the h e lm drift ,

idly d o w n the str eam and d e ligh te d with the ch ange are t o ss e d
, ,

ab o ut by e v e ry li ttl e br e ath o f whim o r c apric e ,

T h at d e r H e av e n i s bl o w n
’ ”
O un .

All we th en w an t is to pro cl aim a truce wi t h r eas o n and to b e ,

pl e as e d wi t h as lit tl e e xp e ns e o f t ho ught o r pr e t en si o n to wisd o m

as p o ssibl e . This lic ens e d fo o li ng is c arri e d to its v e ry u tm o st
l eng t h in S hakspeare and in s o m e o th e r o f o u r e ld e r dram atis t s
, ,

Z5 wi th o u t p e rh aps ; s u ffi ci ent w arran t o r the s am e e xcuse N o th

,
.

ing c an j us tify t his e xtre m e r e l ax ati o n b u t e xtr e m e t e nsi o n .

’
S hak spe are s trifli ng d o e s i nd ee d tre ad u p o n th e v e ry b o rd e rs
o f v ac ancy : his m e an i ng o f te n h angs by th e v e ry sl e n d e r e s t

t hr e ads. F o r this he migh t b e bl am e d if it did no t t ak e aw ay

o u r br e ath to f o ll o w his e agl e fligh t s o r i f h e did no t at o th e r
,

tim e s m ak e the c o rd age o f o u r h e ar ts cr ack A ft e r o u r h eads .

ach e wi th thi nki ng it is f air t o pl ay the fo o l

,
T he cl o w ns w e r e
.

as pr o p e r an app e nd ag e to th e gr avi ty o f o u r an tiqu e li te r atur e ,

 2 08 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

s elf— co mpl ac ency as if o il e d his ig no rant c o nc eit his gapi ng , ,

stup o r his l u mpish viv aci ty in L ubi n L o g o r T o ny L umpki n ;

,

f o r as o u r riv als do no t wi nd u p the m achi ne to such a d e te r

mi ne d i n t ensi ty o f purp o s e ne i th e r h av e th e y any id ea o f its
,

r u nni ng d o w n t o such d e gr ee s o f imb e cili ty and f o lly o r c o m ,

ing to an abs o lut e sta nd still and l ack o f m ean i ng no r c an t h e y

-

e nte r i nto o r b e amus e d wi t h th e c o ntr ast N o p eo pl e e v e r .

l augh h e ar tily who c an giv e a r e as o n f o r t h e ir d o i ng so : and I

b eli ev e the English in gene r al are no t yet in t his pr e dic am e nt .

Th e y are no t m etaphysic al b u t v e ry m u ch in a st at e o f natu re ;

,

an d this is o ne m ai n gr o u nd W hy I giv e t h e m cr e dit f o r b e i ng

m e rry no twi thstan di ng app ear an c e s Th e ir mirth is no t the

,
.

mir th o f vic e o r d esp e r ati o n but o f i nno c enc e and a n ativ e ,

wild ne ss Th e y do no t c avil o r b o ggl e at nic e ti e s o r m e rely

.
,

‘
5 c o m e to the e dge o f a j o k e but br e ak th e ir ne ck s o v e r i t wi th
,

“ ”
a w anto n H e re g o e s wh e r e o th e rs m ak e a p iro u ette and
,

st an d u p o n d e c o rum T he Fr ench c anno t h o w e v e r b e per

.
, ,

su ade d o f th e e xc e ll e nc e o f o u r c o mic s tag e n o r o f th e s to r e ,

we set by it Wh e n th ey ask W h at am u s e m ents we h av e , it is

.

’
O pl ai n t h ey c an ne v e r h av e h e ard o f M rs J o rd an no r K i ng no r .
, ,

Bannis te r no r Su e tt no r M u nd en n o r L e
, ,
wis no r li ttl e S imm o ns , , ,

n o r D o dd and P ars o ns and Em e ry and M iss P o p e and M iss

, , , ,

F arr en and all th o s e who e v en in my tim e h av e gl add ene d a

,

“ ’ ” ’
n ati o n and m ad e life s b u si ne ss lik e a summ e r s dr eam C an .

’
5 I thi nk o f th e m and o f t h e ir nam e s t h at gli tte re d in the pl ay
,

bills wh en I was y o u ng exci ti ng all the flu tt e r o f h o p e and

,

e xp e c tati o n o f s ee i ng th e m in th e ir fav o uri te p arts o f N e ll o r ,

L i ttl e P ickl e o r T o u chs to ne o r S ir P e te r T e az le o r L eni tiv e in

, , ,

th e P ri z e o r Li ng o o r C r ab t r e e o r Nipp e rki n o r o ld B o r n
, , , ,

;0 to n o r R ang e r o r the C o pp e r C apt ai n o r L o rd S ands o r Filch

, , , ,
.

o r M o s e s o r S ir A n dr e w Agu e ch ee k
,
o r Acre s o r Elb o w o r , , ,

H o dg e o r Fl o r a o r the D u e nna o r L ady T eaz l e o r L ady

, , , ,

G r ac e o r o f the g ai e ty th at S p arkl e d in all ey e s and th e

, ,
 M E R RY E N G LA N D 2 09

d elight th at o v e rfl o we d all h e ar ts ,
as th ey gl anc e d b e fo re us in
th e s e p arts ,

T h r o wi n g a g au dy sh ad o w u p o n li f e ,
”

and no t f e e l my h eart y e ar n wi thi n m e o r c o upl e the th o ughts ,

o f Engl and and t he S pl ee n t o g e t h e r ? O u r cl o ud has at l e as t its 5

rainb o w t i nts : o urs is n o t o n e l o n g p o l ar nigh t o f c o ld an d dul
I

n e ss bu t we h av e the gl e ami ng lights o f f an cy to amus e u s th e

, ,

h o us eh o ld fir e s o f tru th and g eni u s to w arm u s We c an go to .

a pl ay and s ee L ist o n ; o r st ay at h o m e and r e ad R o d e rick

R an d o m ; o r h av e H o garth s pri nts o f M a rriage a la M ode

’
10

“ ’
h angi ng r o u nd o u r r o o m T u t ! t h e r e s liv e rs e v e n in Eng
.

l and as w e ll as o u t o f it We are no t qui te the f orlorn lz op e

,
” ”
.

o f hum an i ty th e l as t o f n at i o ns
,
T he Fr ench l o o k at us acro ss
.

the C h anne l and s ee i ng no t hi ng but w at e r and a cl o udy mist

, ,

t hi nk that this is Engl and .

1
5

W h at s o u r B ri tai n
“ ’

”
I n th e w o rl d s v o l u m e ? I n a gr e at p o o l
’
a sw an s ’
ne t s .

I f th ey h av e any f ar th e r id ea o f u s it is o f G eo rg e I I I and o u r
,
.

J ack tars the H o u s e o f L o rds and H o us e o f C o mm o ns and

, ,

this is no gre at addi ti o n t o u s T o go b ey o nd this to t alk o f 2 0

.
,

arts and e l e g anc e s as h avi ng t ak en u

p th e ir ab o d e h e r e o r to ,

sa
y th at M rs Abi ngto n was e qu al to M ad em o is ell e M ars and
.
,

th at we at o ne t im e go t u p the S cho o l f o r S c and al as th ey do ,

the M is anthro p e is t o p e rsu ad e t h e m th at Ic e l an d is a pl eas an t

,

summ e r r etr e at o r to r e co mm en d the W h al e fi shery as a cl as 2 5

-
,
-

sic al amu s e m e n t T he Fr ench are the cockney s o f Eur o p e and

.
,

h av e no id ea ho w any o ne c an e xis t o u t o f P aris o r b e aliv e ,

wi th o ut i nc e ss ant grim ace and j abb er Ye t wh at im po rts it ? .

Wh at ! th o ugh the j o y o u s trai n I h av e j ust e num e r ate d w e r e ,

p e rh aps ne v e r h eard o f in the pr eci nc ts o f the P al ais—

,
R o yal is 30 ,

it no t e no ugh th at t h ey g av e pl e as u r e wh e r e th e y w e r e to t h o s e ,

who saw and h eard th e m ? M ust o u r l au gh to b e si nc e r e h av e , ,

 2 10 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

its e ch o o n the o th e r sid e o f the w ate r ? H ad no t the French

t h e ir fav o urit e s and th e ir e nj o ym e nt s at the t im e th at we k ne w ,

no t hi ng o f Why th en sh o u ld we no t h av e o urs ( and b o ast o f

th e m to o ) wi th o ut t h e ir l e av e ? A m o no p o ly o f s e lf c o nc e it is -

5 n o t a m o no p o ly o f all o th e r adv antag e s T he English wh e n .

,

th ey go abr o ad do no t t ak e aw ay the pr ej udic e agai nst t h e m

,

by th e ir l o o ks We s ee m d u ll e r and s add e r th an we are A s I

. .

wri te t his I am sitti ng in the o p en air in a b eautiful v all ey near

,

V e v e y : C l ar ens is o n my l e f t the D ent de J am ant is b e hi nd

,

[O m e th e r o cks o f M e ill eri e O pp o si te : u nd e r my fe e t is a gre en

,

b ank e nam e ll e d wi th whit e and purpl e fl o w e rs in which a dew

, ,

dro p h e re and t h e r e still gli tte rs wi th p e arly light

A nd g au d y b u tte r fl i e s fl u tt e r ar o u n d .
”

I nt e nt up o n the sc ene and up o n the th o ughts th at stir W i thi n

‘5 m e I c o nj u re up the ch ee rful p ass ag e s o f my life and a cr o wd
, ,

o f h appy im a ge s app ear b e fo r e m e N 0 o ne w o uld see it in my

.

l o o ks my e y e s gro w dull and fix e d and I s ee m r o o te d to the

,

sp o t as all this ph ant asm ago ri a p ass e s in re vi e w b e fo r e m e

, ,

gl anci ng a r e fl ex lustr e o n the f ace o f the w o rld and natur e .

20 B u t th e tr ac e s o f pl easur e in my c as e si nk in to an abs o rb ent

, ,

gr o u n d o f t h o ughtful m el anch o ly and r equir e to b e bro ught

,

(
o u t by t im e and circumst an c e s o r as the critics t e ll yo u
, ) by
th e va rnish o f s tyl e !

T he comf ort o n which the English lay so much str ess is o f the
, ,

s am e ch ar acte r and aris e s fr o m the s am e s o urc e as th e ir mir th

,
.

Bo t h e xis t by c o ntrast and a s o rt o f c o ntradicti o n T he English .

are c e rt ai nly th e m o st u nc o mf o rt abl e o f all p eo pl e in t h e m

s e lv e s and th er e fo r e it is th at th ey s tand in nee d o f e v e ry ki nd o f

,

c o mf o rt and acco mm o d ati o n T he l east thi ng puts th e m o u t o f

.

30 t h e ir way and th e r e f o r e e v e ry thi ng must b e in its pl ac e

,
Th ey .

are mightily o f fe nd e d at dis agree abl e t as te s and sm e lls and ,

t h e r e fo r e th ey e x act th e utm o st ne at ne ss and nic e ty Th ey are .

s e nsibl e o f h e at and co ld and th e r e fo re th ey c anno t e xis t u nl ess

, ,
 O F PE R S O N S O N E :

WO UL D W I S H TO

H A V E S E EN

Come l i k e sh ad o ws so d e p ar t .
”

B i t was I thi nk who sugge s ted this s u bj ect as w ell as

, , ,

t he d e f e nc e o f G u y F au x which I urg e d him t o e x e cut e

,
As .
,

h o w ev e r he w o uld u nd ertak e nei th e r I supp o s e I mus t do b o th

, ,

5
—a t ask f o r which h e w o uld h av e b e en much fitt e r no l e ss ,

fro m the t e m e ri ty th an the f elici ty o f his p en

N ever so su re our r ap tu r e t o c r e at e
A s wh en it t o u c h d th e b ri n k o f all w e h at e
’
.
”

C o mp ar e d wi th him I S h all I fe ar m ak e b u t a c o mm o n pl ace

, , ,
-

[0 pi e c e o f b usi ne ss o f it ; b u t I sh o u ld b e lo th the id e a was en tir ely

l o s t and b e sid e s I m ay av ail mys elf o f s o m e hi nts o f his in the
, ,

pr o gre ss o f it I am s o m e tim e s I s u sp ect a b e t te r r e p o r te r o f

.
, ,

the id eas o f o t h e r p eo pl e th an e xp o u nd e r o f my o wn I p u rsu e .

the o ne to o f ar i nto p ar ad o x o r mys ticism ; the o th e rs I am

‘
5 no t b o u nd to f o ll o w f ar th e r t h an I lik e o r th an s ee ms f air and ,

r e as o nabl e .

O n th e qu e s ti o n b e i ng s tar te d A s aid I s u pp o s e the

, ,

t wo first p ers o ns yo u w o uld ch o o s e t o see w o u ld b e the two

gr e ate st nam e s in English lit er atur e S ir I s aac N ewt o n and M r , .

”
"

’
0 L o ck e ? I n this A as usu al r e ck o ne d wi th o u t his h o st
, .

’
Ev e ry o ne b u rs t o u t a l au ghi ng at the e xpr e ssi o n o f B 3

Yes
“
f ac e in which imp ati e nce was r e s t rai ne d by c o ur te sy
,
.
,

”
the gr e ate s t nam e s he s tamm e r e d o u t h as tily
,
b u t they ,

w e r e no t p ers o ns — no t p e rs o n s
”
N o t p e rs o ns.
? ”
s aid “

A l o o ki ng wis e and fo o lish at the s am e t im e afr aid his ,

” “ “
t ri u mph might b e pr e m at ur e Th at is r ej o i ne d B
. no t ,

212
 PE R S O N S ONE W O U L D WI S H T O H AV E S E E N 2 1 3

ch ar act e rs yo u k no w By M r L o ck e and S ir I s aac N ewt o n yo u

,
. .
,

m ean the Ess ay o n the H um an U nd ers tandi ng and the P ri ncipi a , ,

which we h av e to this day Beyo nd th e ir co nt ents th e r e is no t h

.

ing p e rs o nally i nt e r e sti ng in the m en Bu t W h at we w an t to see .

any o ne b odily f o r is wh e n th e r e is s o m e thi ng p e culi ar s triki ng

, ,

in th e i ndividu als m o r e t h an we c an l ear n fr o m t h e ir wri ti ngs

, ,

and y e t are c u ri o u s to k no w I d ar e say L o ck e and N e w to n

.

’
w e r e v e ry lik e Kn ell er s p o rtr aits o f t h e m B u t who c o u ld p ai nt .

” “ ” “
S hakspe are ? Ay r e t o r te d A
,
th er e i t is ; th e n I
”
supp o s e yo u w o uld pr e fe r s ee i ng him and M il to n i nst ead ? IO

“
s aid B n e i th e r I h av e s ee n so much o f
.

S hakspe are o n th e st ag e and o n b o o k st alls in fro ntispi e c e s and -

,

o n m ante lpi e c e s th at I am qui te t ir e d o f th e e v e rl asti ng r e p e ti

,

’
ti o n : and as to M ilt o n s face the impr e ssi o n s th at h av e c o m e
,

d o wn to us o f it I do no t lik e ; i t is to o s tarch e d and purit anical ; ‘5

and I sh o u ld b e afr aid o f l o si ng s o m e o f the m ann a o f his p o et ry

’
in the l eav e n o f his c o u nt e nanc e an d the pr e cisi an s b an d and
go wn ”
. I sh all gu e ss no m o r e s aid A”
,
Who i s it ,

’
t h e n yo u w o uld lik e to see in his h abit as h e liv e d i f y o u had
, ,

yo ur ch o ic e o f the wh o l e r ange o f English lit e r atur e B ”O

th en n am e d S ir Th o m as Br o w n and F u lk e G r evill e the fri en d ,

o f S ir P hilip S id ne y as th e t wo w o rthi e s wh o m h e sh o u ld f e e l
,

t h e gr e ate st pl e asur e to e n c o u nt e r o n th e fl o o r o f his ap artm en t

in t h e ir nigh t go w n and slipp e rs an d to e xch ang e fri endly gr ee t

-
,

ing wi t h th e m A t this A
. l au gh e d o u trigh t and c o nc e iv e d ,

B was j e sti ng wi th him b u t as no o ne fo ll o w e d his e x ampl e ,

h e t h o ught th e r e might b e s o m e thi ng in it and w ai te d f o r an ,

e xpl an at i o n in a s tate o f whimsic al susp e ns e B th en ( as .

w ell as I c an r e m e mb e r a c o n v e rs ati o n th at p ass e d t w e nty ye ars

ago — ho w tim e slips !
“
) w e n t o n as fo ll o ws T h e r e as o n why .

I pi tch up o n t h e s e two au th o rs is t h at th e ir wri ti ngs are riddl es

, ,

and t h e y th e ms e lv e s th e m o st myst e ri o u s o f p e rs o nag e s Th ey .

r e s e mbl e th e s o o ths ay e rs o f o ld who d e alt in d ark hi n ts and

,

d o u b t ful o r acl e s ; and I sh o u ld lik e to ask t h e m the m e anin g o f

 2 14 S E LE CT I O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

wh at no m o r tal b u t t h e ms elv e s I sh o uld supp o s e c an f ath o m

, , .

Th er e is Dr J o hn so n : I h av e no c u ri o si ty no s trange u nc er
.
,

tai nty ab o u t h im : he and Bo sw e ll to g e th e r h av e pr e t ty w e ll let

m e i nt o th e s e cr e t o f wh at p ass e d t hro ugh his mi nd H e and .

o th e r wri te rs lik e him are su f fici e ntly e xplici t : my fri en ds wh o s e ,

r e p o s e I sh o uld b e te mpt e d to dis t urb ( w e r e it in my p o w e r)

,

are implici t i ne x tric abl e i nscrut abl e

, ,
.

A nd c al l u p h i m w h o l e ft h al f to l d
-

The s t o ry o f C amb u s c an b o ld .
”

IO Wh en I l o o k h at o bsc u r e b u t go rgeo u s pro s e co mpo si

at t -

t i o n ( the Urn b u rial) I s ee m to mys e lf to l o o k i nto a d ee p abyss

-
,

at th e b o tto m o f which are hid p e arls and rich t r e asur e ; o r it is

lik e a st at e ly l abyrinth o f d o u b t and wi th e r ing sp e cul at i o n and ,

I w o u ld i nv o k e the spiri t o f the au th o r to l ead m e t hro ugh it .

‘5 Be sid e s who w o uld no t b e curi o us to see the li ne am e nt s o f a

,

m an who h avi ng hims elf b een t wice m arri ed wish e d th at m an

, ,

ki nd w e r e pro p ag ate d lik e tr ee s ! A s to F u lk e G r evill e h e is ,

lik e no thi ng b u t o ne o f his o wn P r o l o gu e s sp o k en by the gh o st

’
o f an o ld k in g o f O rm u s a t ruly f o rmid abl e and i nvi ti ng per
,

so nage : his s tyl e is ap o c alyp tic al c ab alis tic al a k no t w o r thy o f

, ,

such an app ari ti o n to u n ti e ; and f o r the u n r av e lli ng a p ass age

o r t wo ,
I w o uld s tan d th e bru nt o f an enc o u nte r wi th so po r
” ”
t e nto u s a c o mm e ntat o r ! I am afraid in th at c ase s aid ,

“
A t h at if th e mys te ry w e r e o nc e cl e ar e d u p the m e rit ,

might b e l o s t — and t ur ni ng to m e whisp e re d a fri e ndly ,

appr e h e nsi o n th at whil e B

,
c o nti nu e d to admir e th e s e o ld
cr abb e d au th o rs he w o uld nev e r b e c o m e a p o p u l ar wri te r
,
.

Dr D o nne was m en ti o ne d as a w ri ter o f the s am e p e ri o d wi th

.
,

a v e ry i nte r e s ti ng c o u nte nanc e wh o s e his to ry was si n gul ar an d

, ,

30 wh o s e m e ani ng was o f te n qui te as u nco m ea ta b le wi th o u t a per ,

s o nal ci tati o n fro m the d e ad as th at o f any o f his c o nte mp o r ari es

,
.

T he v o l u m e was pr o d u c e d and w hil e s o m e o ne was e xp ati ati ng

o n th e e xq u isi te sim plici ty and b e au ty o f t he p o r t rai t pr e fix e d to
 2 1 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

A bl u sh i ng w o m anly di s c o v e ri ng gr ac e
, , .

R i c hly p e s are c all d ap e s an d as s o o n

’ ’
c lo th d a ,

E c lip s d as brigh t we c all t h e m o o n t h e m o o n

’
.

M e n o f F r an c e c h an g e ab l e c am e l e o n s
, ,

S p i tt l e s o f d is e as e s s h o p s o f f ash i o n s
, ,

L o v e s fu e ll e rs an d t h e righ t e s t c o m p any
’
,

O f p l ay e rs wh i c h u p o n t h e w o rl d s s t ag e h e
’
, ,

W i ll q u i c kly k n o w t h e e 0 s t ay h e r e ! f o r t h e e
.

E n gl an d i s o n ly a w o r t hy g al l e ry ,

IO T o w al k i n e xp e c t at i o n ; t il l f r o m t h e n c e
O u r gr e at e s t K i n g c all t h e e t o h i s p r e s e n c e .

W h e n I am g o n e d r e am m e s o m e h ap p i n e ss
, ,

N o r le t t h y l o o k s o u r l o n g h i d l o v e c o n f e ss ,

N o r p r ai s e n o r d isp r ai s e m e ; n o r bl e ss n o r c u rs e
, ,

O p e n ly l o v e s f o rc e n o r i n b e d f righ t t h y nu rs e
’
,

W i t h m i d n igh t s s tar t i n gs c ry i n g o u t O h o h
’
, , , ,

N u rs e o h my l o v e i s sl ai n I s aw h i m go
, , ,

O e r t h e w h i t e A l p s al o n e ; I s aw h i m I
’
, ,

A ssail d figh t t ak e n s tab b d bl e e d fall and die

’ ’
, , , , , , .

A u g u r m e b e tt e r c h an c e e xc e p t d r e ad J o v e ,

T h i n k it e n o u gh f o r m e t o h av e h ad t h y l o v e
”
.

So m e o ne th en i nquir e d o f B if we c o u ld no t see fr o m
the wi n d o w th e T e mpl e w alk in which C h au c e r us e d t o t ak e his
-

e x e rcis e ; an d o n his n am e b e i ng p u t t o th e v o t e I w as pl e as e d ,

to fi nd t h at t h e r e was a g e ne r al s e n s at i o n in his f av o ur in all

but A who s aid s o m e thi n g ab o u t th e rugg e d ne ss o f th e

m e tre and e v e n o bj e c te d to the qu ai ntne ss o f the o r t h o gr aphy
,
.

I was v e x e d at this s u p e rfici al gl o ss p e r ti naci o u sly re d u ci ng ,

e v e ry t hi ng t o its o wn t ri te l e ve l and ask e d if he did n o t thi nk ,

30 it w o u ld b e w o r th whil e to sc an the e ye th at had firs t gr e e te d

t he M u s e in th at dim twiligh t and e arly d aw n o f English li te r a

t ur e ; t o see th e h e ad r o u nd which t he visi o ns o f f ancy m u s t

,

h av e pl ay e d lik e gl eams o f i nspir ati o n o r a s u dd en gl o ry ; to

“
w atch th o s e lips th at lisp e d in nu mb e rs f o r the nu mb e rs ,

35 c am e as by a mir acl e o r as if the d u mb sh o uld sp e ak ? N o r

,

was it al o ne t h at h e h ad b ee n the first to tu ne his nat iv e to ng u e

( h )
o w e v e r im p e rf e c tly to m o d e r n e ars ; b u t h e was hims e lf a

no bl e m anly ch ar ac te r st andi ng b e fo r e his age and s trivi ng

, ,
 PE RS O N S ONE W O UL D W I S H T O H AV E S EE N 217

to adv anc e it ; a pl e as ant h u m o u ris t with al who has no t o nly ,

h and e d d o w n to us the livi ng m anners o f hi s t im e but h ad no , ,

d o ub t st o r e o f curi o us and qu ai nt d e vic e s and w o uld m ak e as

, ,

h e ar ty a c o mp ani o n as M i ne H o st o f the T ab ard H is i nt e rvi e w .

wi th P e tr arch i s fr aught wi th i nt e re st Ye t I w o uld r ath e r h av e

.

s e e n C h au c e r in c o mp any wi t h the au th o r o f the D e c am e ro n ,

and h av e h e ard t h e m e xch ang e t h e ir b e st st o ri e s t o g e th e r t he ,

-

’ ’
S quir e s T a l e ag ai nst th e st o ry o f the F alc o n th e Wife o f Bath s ,

P r o l o gu e agai n st the Adv en tu re s o f Fri ar Alb ert H o w fi ne to .

see th e high myst e ri o us br o w which l e ar ni ng th e n w o r e re ,

IC

lieved by the gay f amili ar t o ne o f m en o f th e w o rld and by

, ,

th e c o ur te si e s o f ge nius S ur e ly the t h o ughts and f ee li ngs

.
,

which p ass e d t hro ugh the mi nds o f th e s e gr e at r eviv e rs o f l e ar n

ing th e s e C adm u se s who s o w e d the t ee th o f l et t e rs must h av e
, ,

stamp ed an e xpr essi o n o n th ei r f e atur e s as di f fe r ent fr o m the ,

I t

”
m o d e r ns as th e ir b o o ks and w e ll w o rth the p erus al
,
D ant e .
,

I c o n ti nu e d is as i nt e r e sti ng a p e rs o n as his o wn U go li no o ne
, ,

wh o s e li neam ents curi o sity w o uld as e age rly d ev o ur in o rd e r to

p e ne tr ate his spiri t and t he o nly o ne o f t he I tali an p o e ts I sh o u ld
,

c ar e much to see Th er e is a fi ne p o rtr ait o f Ari o sto by no l ess

.
2C

’
a h an d t h an Ti ti an s ligh t M o o rish spiri te d but no t answ e ri ng
, , ,

’
o u r id e a T he s am e ar tist s l arg e c o l o ss al pr o fil e o f P e t e r Ar e ti ne
.

is the o nly lik e ne ss o f the k i n d th at has the e ff e ct o f c o nv e rsi ng

’
wi th the migh ty d ead and this is truly sp e ctr al gh as tly ne cro
, , ,

”
m an tic B
. put i t to m e if I sh o uld lik e to se e S p ens e r 2 I

as w e ll as C h auc e r ; and I answ e r e d wi th o u t h e sit ati o n No ; ,

f o r t h at his b e au ti e s w e r e id e al visi o nary no t p al p abl e o r pe r

, ,

so nal and th e r e fo r e c o nne c te d wi t h l e ss c u ri o sity ab o u t the m an

,
.

H is p o e try was the e ss e n c e o f r o m anc e a v e ry h al o r o u n d the

,

brigh t o rb o f fan cy ; and the bri ngi ng in th e i n dividu al migh t

diss o lv e the ch arm N o t o ne s o f v o ic e c o uld c o m e u p to th e
.

m e llifl u o u s c ad en c e o f hi s v e rs e ; no f o rm but o f a wi ng e d
ang e l c o u ld v ie wi t h the ai ry sh ap e s he has d e scrib e d H e was .

( t o o u r appre h e nsi o n s
) r at h er a cr e atur e o f the e l em ent th at ,
 21 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

’
liv e d in the r ai nb o w and pl ay e d in the plight e d cl o uds th an an ,

o rdi nary m o rt al O r if he did app e ar I sh o uld w ish it to b e as

.
,

a m e r e visi o n lik e o ne o f his o wn p ag e ant s and t h at he sh o uld

, ,

p ass by u nqu e s ti o ne d lik e a dr e am o r s o u nd

T/z a t was A ri o n c ro w n
’
d:
So w e nt he pl ay i n g o n th e w at ry pl ai n !
’

C apt ai n C . mut te r e d s o m et hi ng ab o u t C o lumbus and M C . .

hi nte d at the W an d e ri ng J ew ; b u t the l as t was set asid e as

spuri o us and the firs t m ad e o v e r to the N ew Wo rld
,
.

”
IO I sh o uld lik e s aid M iss D , t o h av e s e e n P o p e t alk
”
ing wi t h P atty Bl o u nt ; and I lz a ve s e e n G o ldsmi t h Ev e ry o ne .

tur ne d r o u nd to l o o k at M iss D as if by so d o i ng t h e y to o

c o u ld ge t a sight o f G o ldsmi th .

”
Wh e re ask e d a h arsh cr o aki ng v o ic e was Dr J o h ns o n
, , .

in the y ears 1 7 4 5 —6 ? H e did n o t wri te any t hi ng t h at we

k n o w o f no r is t h e r e any acc o u nt o f him in Bo sw ell duri n g
,

t h o s e two Ve ars Was he in S c o tl and wi th the P r ete nd e r ? H e

.

s eem s to h av e p ass e d t hro ugh th e sc en es in the H ighl ands in

’
c o mp any wi th Bo sw e ll m any y ears af te r wi t h l ack lus t re eye -
,

20
y e t as if t h ey w e re f amili ar to him o r ass o ci ate d in his mi nd ,

wi t h i nte r e s ts t h at he d u rs t n o t e xpl ai n I f so it w o uld b e an .

,

addi ti o nal r e as o n f o r my liki ng him ; and I w o uld giv e s o m e

t hi ng to h av e s e en him s e at e d in th e t en t wi t h th e y o u thful

M aj e s ty o f Bri tai n and p enni ng th e P ro cl am ati o n to all tru e

,

”
s u bj e c t s and adh e r e nt s o f the l e gi tim ate G o v e r n m ent .

”
I th o ugh t s aid A
,
t ur ni ng sh o r t r o u n d u p o n B
”
th at y o u o f the L ak e S ch o o l did no t lik e P o p e ? N o t lik e
P o p e ! M y d e ar sir yo u mus t b e u nd e r a mis tak e
,
I c an r ead
”
him o v e r an d o v e r f o r e v e r ! Why c e r tai nly the Ess ay o n ,

”
30 M an mus t b e all o w e d to b e a m as te r pi e c e I t m ay b e so -
.
,

” ’
b u t I s e ld o m l o o k i nto it O h ! t h en it s his Satir e s y o u
.

”
admir e ? N o no t his S atir e s b u t his fri e ndly Epis tl e s and
, ,

”
his c o m plim e nts C o m plim e nt s ! I did no t k no w he e v e r
.
 2 20 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

Wh at say yo u to Dryd en H er ath e r m ad e a S h o w o f

hims e lf and c o ur te d p o p u l ari ty in t h at l o w e s t t e mpl e o f F am e
, ,

’
a c o ffee h o us e so as in s o m e m e asur e t o vulg ari z e o ne s id e a
-

o f him . P o p e o n the c o ntr ary r e ach e d t he v e ry bea u ideal o f

, ,

’
wh at a p o et s lif e S h o u ld b e ; and his f am e whil e livi ng s ee m e d
to b e an e m anati o n fr o m t h at which was to circl e his n am e af te r

d eath H e was so f ar en vi abl e ( and o ne w o u ld f e e l pro ud to

.

h av e wi tne ss e d the r ar e sp e c t acl e in him ) th at he was alm o s t

the o nly p o e t and m an o f g e ni u s W h o m e t wi t h his r e w ard o n
[0 t his sid e o f the t o mb who r e aliz e d in fri e nds f o r tu n e t he e s tee m
, , ,

o f the w o rld th e m o st s angui n e h o p e s o f a y o u thf u l ambi t i o n

, ,

and wh o f o u n d t h at s o rt o f p at r o nag e fr o m th e gr e at d u ri ng his

life ti me which th e y w o u ld b e t ho u gh t anxi o us to b e s to w u p o n

’
him af te r his d e ath R e ad G ay s v e rs e s to him o n his s u pp o s e d
.

r e tu r n fr o m G r ee c e af te r his t ransl ati o n o f H o m e r was fi nish e d

, ,

and s ay if y o u w o uld n o t gl adly j o i n t h e brigh t pr o c e ssi o n th at

”
w e lc o m e d him h o m e o r see it o n c e m o r e l and at Whi te h all s tairs
,
-
.

”
S till s aid M iss D
,
I w o u ld r ath e r h av e s een him
t alki ng wi t h P atty Bl o u n t o r ridi ng by in a c o r o n e t c o ach wi th
,
-

’0
L ady M ary Wo r tl e y M o ntag u
E who was d ee p in a g am e o f piqu et at t he o th e r e nd
o f the r o o m whisp e r e d to M C t o ask if Ju n i u s w o uld n o t b e
,
. .

”
Ye s
“
a fit p e rs o n to i nv o k e fr o m the d e ad s aid B .
,

”
pro vid e d he w o u ld agree to lay asid e his m ask .

We w e re no w at a s tand f o r a S h o rt t im e wh e n Fi e ldi ng was ,

m e nti o ne d as a c andid ate : o nly o ne h o w e v e r s e c o nd e d the , ,

“ ”
pre po sitio n R ich ards o n
.
? By all m e an s b u t o nly to ,

l o o k at him thr o ugh the gl ass d o o r o f his b ack S h o p h ard at- -

,

w o rk u p o n o ne o f his no v e ls ( the m o s t e x tr ao rdi nary c o nt ras t

30 th at e v e r was pr e s e n te d b e tw ee n an au th o r and his w o rks ) b u t ,

n o t to le t him c o m e b e hi nd his cou nt e r l e s t h e sh o u ld w ant y o u

to tur n cus to m e r no r to go u ps tairs wi t h him l e s t he sh o u ld

, ,
’

o f fe r to r e ad th e firs t m anuscrip t o f S ir C h arl e s G r andis o n ,

w hich was o rigi nally w ri t te n in e igh t and t w e nty v o lum e s

 PE R S O N S ONE W O U L D WI S H T O H AV E S E E N 221

o ct av o o r ge t o u t the l e tt ers o f his fe m al e c o rr e sp o nd ents to

, ,

”
pro v e t h at J o se ph A ndre ws was lo w .

Th e re was b u t o ne s tate sm an in the wh o l e o f English his to ry

t h at any o ne e xpr e ss e d the l e ast d e sir e to se e O liv e r C r o m
w e ll wi th his fi ne fr ank r o ugh pim ply fac e and wily p o licy
’

, , , , ,

and o ne e n t husi as t J o h n Bu ny an th e imm o r tal au t h o r o f the

, ,

’
P ilgrim s P ro gr e ss I t s ee m e d th at if he c am e i nto th e r o o m
.
,

dr eam s w o uld fo ll o w him and th at e ach p e rs o n w o uld n o d ,

”
u nd e r his go ld e n cl o ud nigh sph e r e d in H e av e n a c ano py as
,
-

s tr ange and s tate ly as any in H o m e r . IC

’
O f all p e rs o n s n ear o u r o wn tim e G arric k s nam e was ,

r e c e iv e d wi th the gre ate s t e nt husi asm who was pr o p o s ed by ,

J F . H e pr e s ently sup e rs e d e d b o t h H o gar t h and H and e l ,

who h ad b ee n t alk e d o f b u t th e n it was o n c o ndi ti o n t h at h e

,

sh o uld ac t in trage dy and c o m e dy I n the pl ay and the farc e , ,

1 :

L e ar and Wildair and Ab e l Drugge r Wh at a sn t f or sore .

ey es th at w o u ld b e ! Who w o uld no t p art wi th a y ear s i nco m e ’

at l e as t alm o st wi t h a y e ar o f his n at u r al life to b e pre s e nt

, ,

at it ? Be sid e s as he c o uld no t ac t al o ne and r e ci tat i o n s are

, ,

u ns at isfac to ry thi ngs wh at a t r o o p he must bri ng wi th him

,

the silv e r t o n gu e d Barry and Q u i n and S hu t e r and W e s to n

-
, , ,

and M rs C liv e and M rs P ri t ch ard o f wh o m I h av e h e ard my

. .
,

f ath e r sp e ak as so gr eat a f av o uri te wh e n he was y o u ng !

This w o uld i nd ee d b e a r eviv al o f the d e ad the r e st o ri ng o f ,

art ; and so m u ch th e m o r e d e sir abl e as s u ch is th e lurki ng ,

sc e p ticism mi ngl ed wi th o u r o v e rs t r ai ne d admir ati o n o f p as t

e xc e ll e nc e t h at t h o ugh we h av e the S p e e ch e s o f B urk e th e
, ,

p o r t r ai ts o f R ey no lds the w ri ti ngs o f G o ldsmi th and the c o n

, ,

v e rs at i o n o f J o h ns o n to S h o w wh at p eo pl e c o uld do at th at
,

p e ri o d and to c o nfirm the u niv e rs al te s tim o ny to the m e ri ts o f

,

G arrick ; y e t as it was b efo re o u r tim e we h av e o u r mi sgivi ngs

, , ,

as if he was pr o b ably aft e r all li ttl e b e tte r t h an a B ar tl e my

fair ac to r dr e ss e d o u t to pl ay M acb eth in a sc arl e t c o at and

,

l ac ed c o ck e d hat Fo r o ne I sh o u ld lik e to h av e s ee n and

-
.
,
 222 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

h eard wi t h my o wn ey e s and e ars Ce r tai nly by all acco u nts .

.
, ,

if any o ne was ev er m o v e d by the t r u e his tri o nic a stu s it was ,

G arrick Wh en h e f o ll o w e d th e G h o s t in H aml e t he did no t

.
,

dro p th e sw o rd as m o s t ac to rs do b e hi n d the sc e ne s b u t k e pt
, ,

the p o i n t r ais e d th e wh o l e way r o u n d so f u lly was he p o ss e ss e d ,

wi t h the id e a o r so an xi o us no t to l o s e sigh t o f his p ar t f o r a

,

’
m o m en t O n c e at a S pl endid di nne r p ar ty at L o rd
. 5 th e y -
,

sudd e nly miss e d G arrick and c o uld no t im agi ne wh at was

,

b e c o m e o f him t ill th e y w e r e dr aw n to the wi nd o w by the c o n

,

[0 v u lsiv e scr e ams and p e als o f l augh t e r o f a y o u n g n e gr o b o y ,

who was r o lli ng o n th e gr o u n d in an e cs tasy o f d elight to se e

G arric k m imicki ng a t urk e y c o ck in the c o ur t y ard wi t h his
- -
,

c o at t ail s tuck o u t b e hi nd and in a s ee mi ng fl u tte r o f f eath er e d

'

-
,

r age and prid e O f o u r p ar ty o nly two p e rs o ns pr e s ent had

.

s ee n the B ri tish R o sc iu s ; and t h ey see m e d as willi ng as the

r es t to r ene w th e ir acqu ai ntanc e wi t h th e ir o ld f av o uri te .

We w e re i nte rrup te d in th e hey day and mid c aree r o f this - -

fan cifu l sp e cul ati o n by a grumbl e r in a c o rne r who d e cl ar e d it

, ,

was a sh am e t o m ak e all t his r o ut ab o u t a m e r e pl ay e r and

20 f arc e wri t e r t o the negl e ct and e xclusi o n o f the fi ne o ld dr am a
-
,

tist s th e c o n te mp or ari e s and riv als o f S hak spe are

,
B s aid .

he h ad anticip ate d t his o bj e c ti o n wh e n he had nam e d th e au th o r

of M us taph a and Al ah am ; and o u t o f c apric e i nsis te d u p o n
k e e pi ng him to r e pr e s ent the se t in pre fe r e nc e to the W ild h ar e
,

’
’
5 br ai ne d e nth u si as t K it M arl o w e ; to the s e x to n o f S t A nn s
,
.
,

— ’
W e bs te r wi t h his m e l anch o ly y ew tr e e s and d e ath s h eads ; t o
,
-

D ec k ar wh o was bu t a g arr u l o u s pro s e r ; to the v o lumi no u s

,

H eyw o o d ; and e v e n to Be au m o nt and Fl e tch e r wh o m we ,

migh t o f fend by c o m plim enti ng the wr o ng au th o r o n th eir

30 j o i nt pr o d u c ti o ns L o rd Bro o k o n the c o ntr ary s to o d qui te by
.
, ,

’ ” “
hims e lf o r in C o wl e y s w o rds was a v as t sp eci e s al o ne
, ,
.

S o m e o ne hi nte d at the circums tanc e o f his b e i ng a l o rd which ,

r ath e r s tar tl e d B b u t h e s aid a gkost w o u ld p e rh aps dis

p e ns e wi th s trict e tiq u e tte o n b e i ng r egul arly ad dr e ss e d by his
,
 2 24 S E L E C TI O NS FR O M H AZ LITT

u nd e r t he h ead o f G r amm ar was s till livi ng ] N o ne o f th e s e

,

narfl e s s e e m e d to e xci te much i nte r e st and I did n o t pl e ad f o r

,

t he re— app e ar an c e o f t h o s e wh o might b e th o ught b e st fi t t e d

by the abstr act e d natur e o f t h e ir s tudi e s f o r the pr e s ent spiri t

u al an d dis e mb o di e d s t at e and wh o e v e n whil e o n this livi n g
, ,

st age w e r e n e arly div e st e d o f c o mm o n fl e sh and bl o o d A s

,
.

A wi t h an u ne asy fi dge ty f ac e was ab o u t to pu t s o m e

,

qu e s ti o n ab o ut M r L o ck e and Dugald S te w ar t he was pre

.
,

v ente d by M C who o bs erv e d

. . If J was h e r e h e w o u ld
, ,

[ 0 u n d o ub te dly b e f o r h avi ng u
p t h o s e pr o f o u nd and r ed o u bt e d
”
s o ci alis ts Th o m as Aqui nas and D u ns S c o tus
,
I s aid this .

might b e f air e no ugh in him who had r ead o r f anci e d he had

r e ad the o rigi nal w o rks b u t I did no t see ho w we c o uld h av e
,

an righ t t o c all u p t h e s e au t h o rs to giv e an acc o u nt o f th e m

y
‘5 s e lv e s in p e rs o n till w e h ad l o o k e d i nto t h e ir wri t i ngs .

By t hi s t im e it sh o u ld s ee m th at s o m e rum o u r o f o u r whim
sic al d e lib e r ati o n h ad go t wi nd an d h ad dis t urb e d th e irrita b le
,

en u s in t h e ir sh ad o wy ab o d e s f o r we r e c e iv e d m e ss ag e s fr o m
g ,

s e v e r al c andid ate s t h at we had j u st b een t hi nki ng o f G r ay .

20 d e cli n e d o u r i nvi tat i o n t h o ugh h e h ad no t y e t b e e n ask e d :

,

G ay o ffe r e d to c o m e and bri ng in his h and th e Duch e ss o f

Bo l to n the o rigi nal P o lly : S tee l e and Addis o n l e ft th e ir c ards
,

as C ap tai n S en try and S ir R o ge r de C o v e rl e y : S wif t c am e in

and s at d o w n wi th o u t sp e aki ng a w o rd and qui tte d th e r o o m ,

as abrup tly : O tw ay an d C h at te r to n w e r e s ee n li nge ri ng o n t h e

O pp o si te sid e o f th e S tyx b u t c o u ld no t mus te r e no ugh b e t w e e n

,

t h e m to pay C h ar o n his f ar e : T h o ms o n f e ll asl e e p in the b o at ,

an d was r o w e d b ack ag ai n — and Bur n s s en t a lo w f e ll o w o ne ,

J o h n Barl e yc o rn an o ld c o mp ani o n o f his who had c o nducte d

,
’

30 hi m to the o th e r w o rld to s ay t h at h e had du ring his lif e tim e

,

b e en dr aw n o u t o f his r e tir e m e nt as a S h o w o nly to b e m ad e an ,

e xcis e m an o f and t h at h e w o u ld r ath e r r e m ai n wh e r e h e was

,
.

H e d e sir e d h o w e v e r to S h ak e h ands by his r e pre s e ntativ e

, ,
th e

h and th u s h eld o u t was in a b u r ni ng fe v e r and sh o o k pr o digi o usly

, , ,
.
 PE R S O N S ONE W O UL D W I S H T O H AV E S E E N 22 5

T he r o o m was hu ng r o u nd wi th s e v e r al p o r tr ai ts o f e min e n t
p ain t e rs Whil e we w e r e d e b at i ng wh e th e r we sh o uld d em and
.

sp ee ch wi t h th e s e m as te rs o f mu t e e l o qu e nc e Wh o s e fe ature s ,

w er e so famili ar to us it s ee m e d th at all at o nc e th ey glid e d

,

fro m th e ir fr am e s and s eate d th e ms e lv e s at s o m e li ttl e dis tan c e

,

fro m us Th e r e was L eo nard o with his m aj e s tic b eard and

.

w atchful ey e h avi ng a bus t o f Archim e d e s b e fo r e him ; next

,

’
him was R aph ael s grac e ful h e ad tu rne d r o u nd to the
F o rnan na ; and o n his o th e r sid e was Lucr e ti a Bo rgi a wi th
'

c alm g o ld en l o cks ; M ich ae l A ng el o had pl ace d the m o d el o f

,
IC

’
S t P e te r s o n t he tabl e b e fo r e him ; C o rre gio h ad an ang el at
.

his sid e ; Ti ti an was s e ate d wi t h his M is t r e ss b e tw e en hims elf

and G io rgio ni ; G uid o was acc o mp an i e d by his o wn A u r o r a ,

who t o o k a dic e b o x fr o m him ; C l au d e h e ld a mirro r in his

-

h and ; R ub ens p atte d a b e autiful p anth e r ( led in by a s atyr) o n I t

the h e ad ; V andyk e app ear e d as his o wn P aris and R e mbr an d t ,

was hid u nd e r furs g o ld ch ai ns and j e w els which Sir J o shu a

, ,

e y e d cl o s e ly h o ldi ng his h an d so as to sh ad e his f o r e h ead

,
.

N o t a w o rd was sp o k e n ; and as we r o s e to do t h e m h o m ag e ,

t h e y s till pr e s e n t e d the s am e surf ac e to the vi e w N o t b e i ng .

b o n dfl de r e pr e s e ntati o n s o f livi ng p eo pl e we go t rid o f the

-
,

spl endid app ari ti o ns by sig ns and d u mb S h o w A s s o o n as .

th ey had m el te d i nt o thi n air th e r e was a l o ud no is e at t he

,

o u te r d o o r an d we fo u n d it was G i o t to
,
C im abu e and G hir , ,

landaio who h ad b een r ais e d fr o m the d ead by th eir e arne st

,

d e sir e to see th eir illus tri o us succ e ss o rs

W h o s e n am e s o n e ar t h
F am e s e t e rn al r e c o rd s l i v e f o r ay e !
’
In

Fi ndi ng th e m go ne th ey had no ambiti o n to b e s een af te r

,

th e m and m o ur nfully wi thdre w

, Eg ad s aid B . th o s e

are the v e ry f e ll o ws I sh o uld lik e to h av e had s o m e t alk wi th to ,

k no w ho w t h ey c o uld se e to p ai nt wh en all was d ark aro u nd

th em
 2 26 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

”
Bu t sh all we h av e no thi ng to say i nte rr o gate d G J ,
.

”
to the L e g e nd o f G o o d W o m en ? N am e nam e M r J , ,
.

cri e d H in a b o is te ro us t o ne o f fri e ndly e xul tati o n nam e ,

as m an y as y o u pl e as e wi t h o ut r e s e rv e o r fe ar o f m o l e s tati o n !
,

5 I was p e rpl e x e d b e tw een so m any ami abl e r e c o ll e cti o ns ,

t h at the nam e o f th e l ady o f his ch o ic e e xpir e d in a p e nsiv e

whi f f o f his pip e ; and B imp ati e nt ly d e cl ar e d f o r the

Duch e ss o f N e wc as tl e M rs H u t chi n s o n was no s o o ne r m en
. .

t io n e d t h an sh e c arri e d the day fr o m th e D u ch e ss

, We w e r e .

IO the l e ss s o lici to us o n t his s u bj e ct o f filli n g up the p o s t hum o us

lis t s o f G o o d W o m e n as t h e r e was alr e ady o ne in the r o o m as

,

go o d as s e n sibl e and in all r e sp ec t s as e x empl ary as the b e st

, , ,

o f t h e m c o u ld b e f o r t h e ir liv e s I sh o u ld lik e v as tly to h av e

’ ”
s e en N i no n de l Enc lo s s aid th at i nc o mp ar abl e p e rs o n ; and
,

this imm e di ate ly pu t us in mi nd t h at we h ad n e gl e ct e d t o pay

h o no ur du e to o u r fri e n ds o n the o th e r S id e o f the C h anne l :

V o l tair e th e p at ri arch o f l e vi ty and R o uss eau the f ath e r o f s enti
, , ,

m e nt M o ntaigne and R ab e l ais ( gr eat in wisd o m an d in wit)

, ,

M o li er e and t h at illustri o u s gro u p t h at are c o ll e c te d r o u n d him

( in t he pri nt o f t h at s u bj e c t
) t o h e ar him r e ad his c o m e dy

o f the T ar t u f f e at the h o u s e o f N i no n
; R aci ne L a F o ntai ne , ,

R o c he f o u c au lt, S t Evre m o nt , & c

. .

“ ” “
Th e r e is o ne p e rs o n s aid a shrill q u e rul o u s v o ice
.

,
I , ,

”
w o u ld r ath er se e t h an all t h e s e D o n Q u ix o te !
25 Co me co me ,
s aid H I th o u gh t we sh o uld h av e no
h e r o e s r e al o r f ab u l o us Wh at say y o u M r B
,
. A re yo u ,
.

f o r e ki ng o u t y o u r sh ad o wy lis t wi t h s u ch nam e s as Al e x and e r ,

”
J u li u s C ae s ar T am erlane o r G h e ngis K h an
, ,
Excus e m e ,

s aid B o n th e s u bj e c t o f ch ar ac te rs in ac tiv e life ,

0 pl o tte rs an d dis tu rb e rs o f the w o rld I h av e a cr o tch e t o f my ,

”
o wn which I b e g l e av e to r e s e rv e
,
N o no ! c o m e o u t wi th
.
, ,

”
y o ur w o r thi e s ! Wh at do y o u t hi nk o f G u y F au x and
“

”
J u d as I scari o t ? H t u r ne d an ey e u p o n him lik e a wild
“
I ndi an b u t c o rdi al and full o f sm o th e r e d gl ee
,
Y o ur m o st .
 O N T H E F EE L I N G O F I M M O RT A L IT Y
I N Y O UT H

Li fe i s a p u r e fl am e , an d we l iv e by an i n v i sibl e w ith i n u s
su n
‘

.
”

SIR T H O M A S B RO W N .

No y o u ng m an b e li e v e s he sh all e v e r die I t was a s ayi ng o f .

’
my br o th e r s and a fi ne o ne T h e r e is a f eeli ng o f Ete rn i ty in
,
.

y o u th which m ak e s us am en ds f o r e v e ry thi ng T o b e y o u ng is
,
.

t o b e as o n e o f th e I mm o rt al G o ds O ne h alf o f t im e i nd ee d .

is fl o wn — the o th e r h alf r e m ai n s in s to r e f o r u s wi th all its

c o u ntl e ss t r e asur e s ; f o r th e r e is n o li ne draw n and we see no ,

limi t to o u r h o p e s and wish e s We m ak e the c o mi ng age o u r .

o wn .

The v as t , b
th e u n o u n d e d p r o sp e c t l i e s b e f o r e us .
”

D e ath o ld age are w o rds wi th o u t a m e ani ng t h at p ass by u s

, , ,

lik e the idl e air which we r egard no t O th e rs m ay h av e u n d er .

go ne o r m ay s till b e li abl e to t h e m — we b e ar a ch arm e d

,
“

life which l aughs to sco r n all s u ch sickly f anci e s A s in set

,
”
.

t i ng o u t o n a d e ligh t ful j o ur n ey we s t r ai n o u r e ag e r g az e ,

f o rw ard
B i d d i ng t h e l o v e ly s c e n e s di s tan c e h ail ”
at ,

and se e n o e nd t o t h e l an dsc ap e
bj e c t s pr e s ent i ng th e m ne w o
“

s elv e s as we adv anc e ; so in the c o mm en c e m en t o f lif e we se t

, ,

n o b o u nds to o u r i ncli nat i o n s no r t o th e u n r e strict e d o ppo r

,

20 t u nitie s o f gr at ifyi n g t h e m We h av e as y et f o u nd no o bs tacl e

.
,

no disp o si t i o n to fl ag ; and it s ee m s th at we c an go o n s o f o r

ev er . We l o o k r o u nd in a ne w w o rld f u ll o f life and m o ti o n , , ,

and c e as e l e ss pr o gr e ss ; and f ee l in o urs e lv e s all th e vig o ur and

spirit to k e e p p ac e w i th it and do no t f o r e s e e fr o m any pre s e nt

,

2 28
 THE F E E LI N G OF I M M O RTA LIT Y I N Y O U T H 2 29

symp to ms ho w we S h all b e l e f t b e hi nd in the nat u r al c o u rs e o f

t hi ngs d e cli ne i n to o ld age and dr o p i nto th e gr av e
, ,
I t is the .

simplici ty and as it w e r e a bstra ctedness o f o u r f e e li ngs in y o u th

, ,

t h at ( so to sp e ak ) id e nt ifi e s u s wi th nat u r e and ( o u r e xp e ri e nc e
,

b ei ng slight and o u r p assi o ns s tr o ng) d elud e s us i nto a b e li e f

o f b e i ng imm o r tal lik e it O u r sh o rt liv e d c o nne cti o n wi th e x
.
-

iste nc e we f o n dly fl atte r o urs e lv e s is an i ndiss o l u bl e and l as ti ng

, ,

u ni o n — a h o ne y m o o n th at k no ws ne i th e r c o ld ne ss j ar no r
-
, ,

s e p ar ati o n A s i nfants smil e and sl ee p we are r o ck e d in the

.
,

cradl e o f o u r w ayw ard fanci e s, and lull e d i n t o s ecuri ty by the [ C

r o ar o f the u niv e rs e ar o u nd us we qu aff the cu p o f life wi t h

e ag e r h as te wi th o u t dr ai ni ng it i n s te ad o f which i t o n ly o v e r
,

fl o ws t he m o r e o bj e cts pr e ss ar o u n d us filli ng the mi nd with ,

t h e ir m ag ni t u d e and wi th the t hr o ng o f d e sir e s t h at w ai t up o n

th e m so t h at we h av e no r o o m f o r the th o ughts o f d eath

,
. I t

Fr o m the pl e ni tu d e o f o u r b e i n g we c anno t ch ange all at o nc e

,

“
to dust and ash e s we c anno t im agi n e
,
this s en sibl e w arm ,

”
m o ti o n to b ec o m e a k ne ad e d cl o d
,
we are t o o much daz
z le d by th e bright n e ss o f the w aki n g dr e am ar o u nd u s t o l o o k

i nto the d ark ne ss o f th e t o mb We no m o r e see o u r e nd t h an

. 2C

o u r b e gi nni ng : th e o ne is l o st in o blivi o n and v ac an cy as the ,

o th e r is b id fr o m u s by the cr o wd and hurry o f appr o achi ng

e v e nts . O r th e grim sh ad o w is s een li ng e ri ng in th e h o riz o n ,

which we are d o o m e d nev e r to o v er tak e o r wh o s e l ast f ai n t , , ,

glimm e ri ng o u tli ne t o uch e s u p o n H e av en and t r an sl at e s u s to N1 (

1

the ski e s ! N o r w o uld t h e h o ld t h at lif e h as t ak e n o f u s p e rmi t

u s to d e tach o u r t h o u gh ts fr o m th e pr e s e nt o bj e cts and pur

s u its e v e n if we w o u ld Wh at is th e r e m o r e o pp o s e d to h e al th
,
.
,

th an S ick n e ss ; t o s t r e n g t h an d b e au ty t h an d e c ay and diss o

,

lu tio n ; to th e ac tiv e s e arch o f k no wl e dg e t h an m e r e o blivi o n ? 3C

O r is t h e r e no ne o f t he u su al adv antag e to b ar the appr o ach o f
D eath and m o ck his idl e t hr e at s ; H o p e s u ppli e s t h e ir pl ac e
, ,

and dr aws a v e il o v e r the abrup t t e rmi nati o n o f all o u r ch e r

ished sch e m e s Whil e th e spirit o f y o u th r e m ai ns u nim p air e d

.
,
 2 30 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

”
e re th e wi ne of
life is dr an k u p we are lik e p eo pl e into xi ,

c ate d o r in a f e v e r who are hurri e d aw ay by the V i o l e nc e o f

,

th eir o wn s ens at i o n s : it is o nly as pr e s e nt o bj e cts b e gi n to p all

up o n t he s e ns e as we h av e b ee n dis app o i n te d in o u r f av o u ri te
,

pursui t s c u t o ff fr o m o u r cl o s e st ti e s t h at p assi o n l o o s e ns it s
, ,

h o ld u p o n th e br e ast t h at we by d e gre e s b e c o m e w e ane d fro m

,

the w o rld and all o w o urs e lv e s t o c o n t e mpl ate

, as in a gl ass , ,
”
d arkly the p o ssibili ty o f p ar ti ng wi t h it f o r go o d Th e e x ampl e
, .

o f o t h e rs t he v o ic e o f e xp e ri e nc e h as no e ff e c t up o n u s wh at
, ,

IO ev er . C asu al ti e s we m u s t av o id : th e sl o w and d e lib e rate ad

v anc e s o f age we c an pl ay at b ide a nd— seek wi th We thin k -
.

o urs e lv e s to o l u s ty and t o o n imbl e f o r t h at bl e ar— e y e d d e cr e pid

o ld g e ntl e m an t o c at ch u s L ik e the f o o lish f at sc u lli o n in

.
,

S te r ne wh en S h e h ears t h at M as te r Bo bby is d e ad o u r o nly

, ,

”
‘
5 r e fl e c ti o n is S o am no t I ! T he id e a o f d e ath i ns te ad o f ,

s taggeri ng o u r co n fid en ce r at h e r s ee ms t o s t r e ngt h en and

,

e n h an c e o u r p o ss e ssi o n and o u r e nj o ym ent o f lif e O t h e rs m ay .

f all ar o u nd lik e l e av e s o r b e m o w e d d o w n lik e fl o w e rs by t he

,

scy th e o f Tim e : th e s e are but tr o p e s and figur e s to the u n re

20 fl ec t ing e ars and o v e rw e e ni ng pr e sump t i o n o f y o u t h I t is no t .

t ill we see t he fl o w e rs o f L o v e H o p e and J o y wi th e ri ng

, , ,

ar o u n d us and o u r o wn pl e as u r e s cut up by the r o o t s t h at we

, ,

bri ng t he m o r al h o m e to o urs e lv e s th at we ab ate s o m e thi ng ,

o f th e w an to n e x t r av ag an c e o f o u r pre t e n si o n s o r t h at th e ,

e m p t i ne ss and dr e ari ne ss o f th e pr o sp e ct b e f o r e u s r e c o n cil e s u s

t o t he s till ne ss o f th e gr av e !

L i f e ! t h o u s t r an g e t h i n g t h o u h as t a p o w e r t o f e e l
,

T hou p e rc e iv e t h at h e rs ” 1
art , an d to ot are .

W e ll might the p o e t b egi n his i ndig nant i nv e c tiv e agai ns t an

30 art wh o s e pro f e ss e d o bj e c t is its d e s t ruc t i o n wi t h t his an im ate d
, ,

ap o str o ph e to lif e Life is i nd e e d a str ange gif t and its privi

.
,

l e ge s are m o st miracul o u s N o r is it si ngul ar t h at wh e n the

.

spl endid b o o n i s firs t gr an te d u s o u r gr ati t ud e o u r admirati o n , , ,

1 Fa wce tt s ’
A rt of War ,
a po e m ,
I 7 94 .
 2 32 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

on e c sp e ctat o rs and a p ar t o f the m o vi ng scene to w atch , th e

r e tur n o f the s easo n s o f spri ng and autum n to h e ar , ,

T h e s t o c k d o v e p l ai n am i d t h e f o r e s t d e e p
(2
,

T h at dr o wsy r u s t l e s t o th e sigh i n g g al e
to t rav e rs e d e s e rt wild er ness t o lis te n to th e mid night ch o ir to , ,

’
visi t ligh te d h alls o r pl u nge i nto the du ng eo n s gl o o m o r sit in
, ,

cro wd e d th e at re s and s ee lif e i t s elf m o ck e d to f ee l h e at and co ld , ,

pl easur e and p ai n righ t and wr o ng t ru th and f als eh o o d t o s tudy

’

, , ,

th e w o rks o f art and r e fi ne th e s e n s e o f b e au ty to ag o ny to ,

[0 w o rship f am e and to dr eam o f imm o r tali ty to h av e r e ad S h ak ,

1
sp ear e and b e l o ng to th e s am e S p eci e s as Sir I s aac N e wt o n to
1 La dy \V o rt le y M o n ta g
s ays in o ne o f h e r l e t te rs th at S h e wo u ld m u ch
ue , ,

rath e r b e a rich ef en di wi th all his i g no ran c e th an S ir I saac N ewto n wi th all his

’

, , ,

k no wl e d g e T his was no t p e rh aps an imp o li t ic ch o ice as sh e h ad a b e tt e r

.
”
,

ch anc e o f b e c o mi n g o ne th an th e o th e r t h e r e b e i ng m any rich e ff e n dis t o o ne

,

S ir I s aac N e wto n T h e W ish was n o t a v e ry i nt e ll e c t u al o n e T h e s am e p e tu

. .

l anc e o f r an k an d se x br e ak s o u t e v e ry wh e re in th e se L ett s ” Sh e is c o n “
er .

s t ant ly r e d u ci n g t h e p o e t s o r phil o s o ph e rs wh o h av e t h e misf o r tu n e o f h e r

ac q u ai ntan c e t o fig r h ey mi g h t m k e t h e dyship s l e v e e o r t o il ette

’
t h
,
e u e t a a r L a
,

n o t c o n sid e ri n g th at t h e p u blic mi n d d o e s n o t symp at hi e wi t h t his pr o c e ss o f a z

fast idi o u s im ag i nat i o n I n th e s am e spiri t sh e d e clare s o f P o p e and Swif t t h at

.
, ,

h ad it n o t b e e n f o r t h e goo d n a tu e o f m an k i nd t h e s e t wo s p e ri o r b e i ng s we r e
-
r
,
u

e n t i t l e d by t h e ir bir th an d h e r e di t ary f o rt u n e t o b e o n ly a c o u pl e o f li n k b o ys
” -
.
, ,

lliv e s T rav e ls and t h e R ap e o f t h e L o c k go f o r n o t hi n g i n t his cri t ic al

r ’
Gu , ,

e s t im at e ; an d t h e wo rld r ais e d th e au t h o rs t o t h e r an k o f s u p e ri o r b e i ng s in ,

spi te o f th e ir disadv antag e s o f birth and f o rt u ne o t f p good n a t ! S o ,

u o u re -
u re

ag ai n sh e s ays o f R ich ards o n t h at h e h ad n e v e r go t b e y o n d t h e s e rvan t s h all

’
, , ,

an d was t t e rly u n fi t t o d e scrib e t h e m ann e rs o f p e o pl e o f q ali ty ; t ill i n th e

u u

c aprici o u s wo r k i n g s o f h e r v an i ty sh e p e rs ad e s h e rs e lf th at C lariss a is v e ry
,
u

li k e wh at s h e was at h e age an d th at S ir T h o mas an d L ady G randis o n s t ro ng ly

r ,

re s e mbl e d wh at sh e h ad h e ard o f h e r m o th e r an d r e m e mb e re d o f h e r f ath e r I t .

is o n e o f th e b e au t i e s an d adv an t ag e s o f li t e rat u r e th at i t is t h e m e an s o f ,

abs t rac t i n g t h e mi n d fr o m t h e n arr o w n e ss o f l o c al an d p e rs o n al pre j dic e s an d u ,

o f e n abli n g u s t o j d g e o f t r u th a n d e xc e ll e n c e by t h e ir i n h e r e n t m e ri t s al o n e
u .

Wo e b e t o t h e p e n th at w o ld u n d o t his fi n e ill si o n ( th e o n ly re ali ty ) and

u u
,

t e ach u s t o r e g l at e o u r n o t i o n s o f g e n i u s an d vir t u e by t h e circ ms tan c e s in

u u

which th e y h app e n t o b e pl ac e d ! Yo u wo u ld n o t e xp e c t a p e rs o n wh o m y o u saw

in a s e rv ant s h all o r b e hi n d a c o u n t e r t o wri te C l ariss a ; b u t af t e r h e h ad
’
, ,

wri t te n th e wo r k t o p j dg it fro m t h e si tu ati o n o f t h e wri te r is an u npar

,
ro - u e ,

d o nabl e pi e c e o f i nj u s tice and f o lly H is m e ri t c o ld o nly b e t h e g re ate r fro m

. u

t h e c o nt ras t I f li te ratu re is an e l e g an t acc o mplishm e n t which n o ne b u t p e rs o ns

.
,

o f bi rt h an d f ashi o n sh o u ld b e all o we d t o e xc e l in o r t o e x e rcis e wi t h adv an tag e ,

t o th e p u blic le t t h e m by all m e ans tak e u p o n t h e m th e tas k o f e nli g h t e n in g an d

,
 THE F E E LI N G OF I M M O RTA LIT Y I N Y O U T H 2 33

be and t o do all
this and th en in a m o m e nt to b e no thi ng to h av e
, ,

’
it all s natch e d fro m o ne lik e a j uggl e r s b all o r a ph antasm ag o ri a ;

re fi n i ng m ank i n d : if th ey d e cli ne this r e sp o nsibili ty as to o h e avy f o r th e ir

sh o u ld e rs le t th o se wh o do th e d ru d g e ry in th e ir s te ad h o we v e r i nad e q u at e ly
, , ,

f o r wan t o f t h e ir p o li t e e x ampl e r e c e iv e t h e m e e d t h at is t h e ir du e and n o t b e

, ,

t r e at e d as lo w pr e t e nd e rs wh o h av e e n cro ach e d u p o n t h e pr o vi n c e s o f th e ir
b ette rs S u pp o s e R ich ards o n t o h ave b e e n ac q u ai nt e d wi t h th e g re at m an s
.
’

s te ward o r v ale t i n s t e ad o f th e g re at m an hims e lf I will v e ntu re t o say th at

, , ,

t h e r e was m o r e diff e r e n ce b e twe e n him wh o liv e d in an i d a l w o ld and h ad t h e e r

,

g e n i u s and f e lici ty t o o p e n th at wo rld to o th e rs an d his fri e n d th e s t eward th an , ,

b e twe e n th e l ac q u ey and th e m e re l o rd o r b e tw e e n t h o s e wh o liv e d in diff e r

,

e n t r o o ms o f t h e s am e h o u s e wh o di n e d o n t h e s am e l u x u ri e s at diff e r e n t t abl e s
, ,

wh o r o d e o u tsid e o r i n sid e o f th e s am e c o ach an d w e r e pr o u d o f w e ari ng o r o f ,

b e s to wi ng th e sam e t awd ry liv e ry I f th e l o rd is dist i ng u ish e d fro m his v al e t

.

by any thi ng e ls e it is by e d u c at i o n an d t al e nt which h e has in c o mm o n wi th

, ,

t h e au t h o r B u t if t h e l at te r sh e ws th e s e in t h e hi g h e s t d e g r e e it is as k e d wh at
.
,

are his pre t e n si o n s ? N o t bir th o r f o r tu n e f o r n e i t h e r o f t h e s e wo u ld e nabl e

,

him t o wri te C l ari ss a O ne m an is b o rn wi th a t i tl e an d e state ano th e r wi th g e n i u s

.
,
.

T h at i s s u ffi ci e nt ; an d we h av e n o ri g h t t o q u e s t i o n t h e g e n i u s f o r want o f
th e gent i l ty u n l e ss t h e f o rm e r ran in f amili e s o r c o u ld b e b e q u e at h e d wi th a
'

z , ,

f o rtu ne which is no t the c as e We re it s o th e fl o we rs o f li te ratu re li k e j ewe ls

, .
, ,

an d e mbr o id e ry w o u ld b e c o n fi ne d t o th e f ashi o n abl e circl e s ; an d th e r e w o u ld

,

b e n o pr e te n d e rs t o t as t e o r e l e g an c e b u t th o s e wh o s e nam e s w e r e f o u n d in
t h e c o u r t lis t N o o n e o b j e c t s t o C l au d e ’s L an dsc ap e s as th e wo r k o f a p as t ry
.

co o k o r wi thh o lds fro m Raph ae l th e e pi th e t o f divin e b e cau s e his p are nt s we re

, ,

n o t rich T his imp e r t i ne n c e is c o n fi n e d t o m e n o f l e t te rs ; th e e vid e n c e o f th e

.

s e ns e s b af fl e s th e e nvy an d f o pp e ry o f m ank i n d N o q u arte r o u g h t to b e g iv e n .

t o this a i st o c ra t ic t o n e o f cri t icism wh e n e v e r it app e ars

r P e o pl e o f q al i ty are . u

n o t c o nt e n te d wi th c arryi n g all t h e e x t e r nal adv antag e s f o r t h e ir o wn sh ar e b u t ,

wo u ld p e rsu ad e y o u th at all th e i n te ll e c t u al o ne s are p ac k e d u p in t h e s am e b u ndl e .

L o rd Byro n was a l at e r i ns t an c e o f t his d o u bl e an d u nw arr an tabl e s tyl e o f p re

t e n si o n — 7n n t m ingens b if o rm e
o s r u H e c o u ld n o t e n d re a l o rd wh o was no t a
, . u

wit n o r a p o e t wh o was n o t a l o rd
, N o b o dy b u t hims e lf an swe re d t o his o wn
.

s tand ard o f p e rf e c ti o n M r M o o re carri e s a pro xy in his p o c k e t fro m s o m e n o bl e

. .

p e rs o ns t o e s t i mate li te rary m e ri t by th e s am e ru l e L ady M ary calls F i e ldi ng .

nam e s b u t s h e af t e rwards m ak e s at o ne m e n t by d o i ng j u s t ic e t o his fran k fr ee

, , ,

h earty n atu re wh e r e h e s ays his spiri t s g av e him r ap tu re s wi th his c o o k m aid

,
-
,

an d ch e e rf u l n e ss wh e n h e was s tarvi n g i n a g arr e t and his h appy c o n s t i t u t i o n ,

m ad e him f o rg e t ev e ry thi n g wh e n h e was pl ac e d be f o r e a v e n is o n p as ty o r o ve r -

a fl as k o f ch amp ag ne ” S h e d o e s n o t wan t shr e wd n e ss an d spiri t wh e n h e r p e t u

.

l an ce and c o nc e i t do no t ge t t h e b e tte r o f h e r and sh e h as d o ne ampl e and ,

m e ri te d e xe c u t i o n o n L o rd B o li ng bro k e S h e is h o weve r v e ry ang ry at th e free

.
, ,

d o ms tak e n wi th th e G r e at ; m ells a ra t in this i ndiscrimi nate scribbli ng and

s ,

th e f amili ari ty o f wri t e rs wi t h th e r e adi n g p blic ; an d i nspir e d by h e r T u r k ish u

co stu m e fo re te lls a F re nch and E ng lish re vo l u t i o n as th e c o ns e q u e nc e o f t ran sfe r

,

ri n g th e p at r o nag e o f l e tte rs fr o m th e gnal ty to t h e m o b and o f s u pp o si ng th at '

z ,

o rdi nary wri te rs o r re ad e rs c an h av e an n o t i o ns in c o mm o n wi th th e ir s u p e ri o rs

y .
 2 34 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

th ere i s s o m ethi ng r e v o lti ng and i ncre dibl e to s ens e in the

transi ti o n and no w o nd e r th at aid e d by y o u th and w arm bl o o d
, , ,

and th e flush o f e n th usi asm th e mi n d c o ntriv e s f o r a l o ng

,

tim e to r ej e ct i t wi t h disd ai n and l o athi ng as a m o ns tr o us and

impro b abl e fic ti o n lik e a m o nk ey o n a h o us e to p th at is l o ath
,
-
, ,

amids t its fi ne disc o v e ri e s and sp e ci o us ant ics to b e tu mbl e d ,

h eadl o ng i nto the str ee t and crush e d to ato ms the sp o rt and

, ,

l augh te r o f the m u l t itud e !

T h e ch ang e fro m the c o mm enc e m en t to the cl o s e o f life
, ,

[0 app e ars lik e a f abl e af te r it h ad t ak e n pl ac e ; ho w sh o u ld we

,

tr e at it o t h e rwis e t h an as a chim era b e f o re it has c o m e to p ass ?

Th e r e are s o m e thi n gs th at h app ene d so l o ng ago pl ac e s o r ,

p e rs o n s we h av e fo rm e rly s e e n o f which s u ch dim trac e s re

,

m ai n we h ardly k no w wh e th e r it was sl ee pi ng o r w aki ng t h ey

,

o ccurr e d ; t h e y are lik e dr e ams wi thi n the dr e am o f lif e a mist , ,

a film b e f o r e the ey e o f m e m o ry which as we t ry t o r e c all t h e m

, ,

m o r e dis tin ctly e lud e o u r no tic e al to ge th e r I t is but natur al

,
.

th at the l o ne i nt e rv al t h at we t hu s l o o k b ack u p o n S h o uld h av e ,

app e ar e d l o n g and e ndl e ss in pr o sp e c t Th e re are o th e rs so

.

20 dis ti nc t and fr e sh t h ey s e e m b u t o f y e s te rd ay — t h e ir v e ry
,
~

vivid ne ss might b e d ee m e d a pl e dge o f th e ir p e rm an e nc e Th en .

,

h o w ev e r f ar b ack o u r impr e ssi o ns m ay go we fi nd o th ers s t ill ,

o r o u r y e ars are mul t ipl i e d in y o u t h) ; d e scrip t i o ns o f

o ld e r
( f
sc ene s t h at we had r e ad and p eo pl e b e fo r e o u r t im e P ri am and
, ,

’
5 the Tro j an war ; and e v e n th e n N e s to r was o ld and dw e lt
,

d e ligh te d o n his y o u t h and sp o k e o f the r ac e o f h e ro e s th at

, ,
.

w e r e no m o r e ; — wh at w o nd e r th at s ee i ng t his l o ng li ne o f
,

b ei ng pic tu r e d in o u r mi nds and r e vivi ng as it w e r e in us we

, ,

sh o uld giv e o u rs e lv e s i nv o l u ntary cr edi t f o r an i nd ete rmi nate

e xis te nc e ? I n th e C at h e dr al at P e t e rb o r o ugh t h e r e is a m o nu

m en t to M ary Q u ee n o f S c o ts at which I us e d to gaz e wh en

, ,

a b o y whil e t he e v e nt s o f th e p e ri o d
,
all th at had happ e ne d
,

si nc e p ass e d in r e vi e w b e fo r e m e I f all this m ass o f feeli ng

,
.

’
an d im agi nati o n c o uld b e cr o wd e d i nto a m o m e nt s c o mp ass ,
 2 36 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

thus e mpl o y e d l o st o r o u r p ai ns thr o w n aw ay or o u r pro gr e ss

, ,

sl o w we do no t dr o o p o r gro w tir e d but gai n a new vigo u r

,

at o u r e ndl e ss t ask — and S h all T im e grudg e u s the O ppo r

t u nity to fi nish wh at we h av e au spici o usly b eg u n and h av e ,

5 fo rm e d a s o rt o f c o mp act wi th natur e to achi ev e ? T he fam e o f

the gr e at nam e s we l o o k up to is als o imp e rish abl e ; and S h all

no t we who c o nte mpl at e it with such i nte n s e y e arn i ngs imbib e

, ,

a p o rti o n o f e th e r e al fi re the di vi na p a rtic u la a u ra which

, ,

n o thi ng c an e x tin g u ish ? I r e m e mb e r t o h av e l o o k e d at a pri n t

IO o f R e mbr an d t f o r h o urs to g e t h e r wi th o u t b e i ng c o nsci o us o f the

,

flight o f tim e tryi ng to r e s o lv e i t i nto its c o mp o nen t p ar ts to

, ,

c o nne c t its s tro ng and sh arp grad ati o n s to l ear n the s e cr e t o f ,

its r e fl e ct e d ligh t s and fo u nd ne i th e r s ati e ty no r p aus e in the

,

pro s e c u ti o n o f my studi e s T he pri nt o v e r which I was p o rin g

.

w o uld l ast l o ng e no ugh ; why sh o uld the ide a in my mi nd which ,

was fi ne r m o r e imp alp abl e p e rish b e fo r e it ? A t t his I r e d o ubl e d

, , ,

th e ard o ur o f my pursuit and by the v e ry s u b t l e ty and re fi ne

,

ment o f my i nq u iri e s s ee m e d to b e sp e ak f o r th e m an e x e mpti o n

,

1
fro m c o rrup ti o n and the rud e grasp o f D eath .

20 O bj e cts o n o u r firs t acq u ai ntanc e wi th t h em h av e t h at si ngl e

, ,

ne ss and i n te gri ty o f impr e ssi o n th at it s e e ms as if no t hi ng c o uld

d e s tro y o r o bli te r ate t h e m so firmly are t h e y s tam p e d and riv e t ted

,

o n th e br ai n We r e p o s e o n t h e m wi th a s o rt o f v o luptu o us
.

i nd o l e nc e in full fai th and b o u ndl e ss c o nfid en c e We are ah

,
.

25 s o rb e d in the pr e s e nt m o m ent o r r e tur n to the s am e p o i nt

,

—idli ng aw ay a gre at d eal o f tim e in y o u th thi nki ng we h av e ,

e no ugh to sp ar e Th e r e is o f te n a l o c al f ee li ng in the air which

.
,

is as fix e d as if it w er e m arbl e we l o i te r in dim C l o is te rs l o si ng ,

o u rs e lv e s in th o ugh t a n d in th e ir glimm e ri n g arch e s ; a wi nd

30 ing r o ad b e fo re u s s ee ms as l o ng as the j o ur ne y o f life and ,

as f u ll o f e v e nts Tim e and e xp e ri enc e dissip ate this ill u si o n ;

.

and by r e d u ci ng th e m to d e tail circ u mscrib e t h e limi t s o f o u r

,

1 I s it h is th at fre q e n tly k e e ps ar tists al ive so l o ng vi th e c o ns tant o c c u

no t t u ,
z .

p at io n o f th e ir mi nds wi th vivid im ag e s wi th li tt l e o f th e w e a n d t e a o f th e b o dy ?
r-a -
r
,
 THE F E E LI N G OF I M M O RTA LIT Y I N Y O UT H 2 37

e xp ectati o n s I t is o nly as the p age ant o f life p ass e s by and

.

the m asqu e s t ur n th e ir b acks u p o n u s t h at we see thr o ugh t he ,

d e c e p ti o n o r b eli e v e th at the trai n will h av e an e nd I n m any

,
.

c as e s the sl o w pr o gr e ss and m o no t o no us t extur e o f o u r liv e s

, ,

b efo r e we mi ngl e with the w o rld and are e mbr o il e d in its af fairs 5 ,

has a te nd e ncy to aid the s am e f ee li ng We h av e a di f ficul ty .

,

wh en l e f t to o urs e lv e s and wi th o ut the r e s o urc e o f b o o ks o r

,

“
s o m e m o r e liv e ly pursuit to b eguil e the sl o w and cr ee pi ng
,

”
h o urs o f tim e and argu e th at i f it m o v e s o n alw ays at this
,

t e di o us s nail s p ac e i t c an ne v e r c o me to an end We are will 1

’
-
,
.

ing to skip o v e r c e r tai n p o r ti o ns o f it th at s e p ar at e u s fr o m

f av o urite o bj e cts th at irri tate o urs e lv e s at the u nne c e ss ary d e l ay
,
.

T he y o u ng are pr o dig al o f lif e fro m a sup e r ab u nd anc e o f it ; the

o ld are t e n aci o us o n t he s am e sc o r e b e c aus e th ey h av e lit tl e
,

l e ft and c anno t e nj o y e v en wh at r e m ai ns o f it
,
I .

Fo r my p ar t I se t o u t in life wi t h the Fr ench R e v o luti o n

, ,

and th at e v ent h ad c o n sid e r abl e i n flu enc e o n my e arly f e e li ngs ,

as o n th o s e o f o th e rs Y o u t h was t h en d o u bly such I t was

. .

th e d awn o f a n ew era a ne w impuls e h ad b ee n giv en t o m e n s

’
,

mi nds and the su n o f L ib e r ty r o s e up o n the su n o f L ife in the 2

,

s am e day and b o th w e r e pr o u d to ru n t h eir r ac e t o g e th e r

,
.

L it tl e did I dre am whil e my first h o p e s and wish e s w e nt h and

,

in h and wi th th o s e o f the h u m an r ac e th at l o ng b e f o r e my e y e s
,

sh o uld cl o s e th at d aw n w o uld b e o v e rc as t and se t o nc e m o re

, ,

in the nigh t o f d e sp o tism to t al e clips e H appy th at I did 2

no t. I f e l t f o r y e ars and duri ng the b e s t p art o f my e xis te nc e
, ,

b eu rt wb ole in t h at c aus e and tri u mph e d in th e tru m phs o v e r

-
,

th e e ne mi e s o f m an A t th at tim e whil e the f air e s t aspir ati o n s o f

,

th e hum an mi nd s e e m e d ab o u t t o b e r e ali z e d e re the im age o f ,

m an was d e f ac e d and his bre ast m angl e d in sc o r n phil o s o phy 3 ,

to o k a high e r p o e try c o uld affo rd a d e e p e r r ang e

, A t t h at t im e .
,

t o r ead t he R o bb e rs was i nd e e d d e lici o us and to h e ar

, ,

F ro m th e d u n g e o n o f t h e t o w e r t i m e r e nt -
,

T h at f e ar fu l v o i c e a f am ish d fath e r s c ry
,
’ ’
,
”
 2 38 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

c o u ld b e b o r ne o n ly amids t the ful ne ss o f h o p e the crash o f ,

th e f all o f th e s t r o ng h o lds o f p o w e r an d th e e xul t i ng s o u n ds

,

o f th e m arch o f h u m an fr ee d o m . Wh at f ee li ngs the d eath sc ene -

in D o n C arl o s s e nt i nt o th e s o ul ! I n t h at h eadl o ng c ar ee r o f

5 l o fty e nthu si asm and the j o y o u s o p e nin g o f the pr o sp e c t s o f

,

th e w o rld and o u r o wn t he t h o u gh t o f d e ath cr o ssi ng it sm o te

, ,

d o u bly co ld up o n the mi nd ; t h e re was a s tifli ng s e ns e o f O ppre s

si o n and c o nfi ne m ent an imp at i e nc e o f o u r pr e s en t k no wl edge
, ,

a d e sir e to gr asp th e wh o l e o f o u r e xis ten c e in o n e s tr o ng

e mbr ac e to s o u n d th e mys t e ry o f li f e and d e at h an d in o rd e r

, ,

to p u t an e nd t o t he ag o ny o f d o ub t and dr e ad t o burs t t hr o ugh ,

o u r pris o n h o u s e and c o n fr o nt th e K i ng o f T e rr o rs in his grisly

-
,

p al ac e ! As I was wri ti ng o u t t his p ass age my mi ni at ur e ,

pic tur e wh en a child lay o n the m antl e pi e ce and I to o k it o u t

-
,

‘5 o f th e c as e t o l o o k at it I c o uld p e rce iv e f ew tr ac e s o f mys elf

.

in it ; b u t t h e r e was th e s am e pl acid br o w th e dimpl e d m o uth

, ,

the s am e t imid i nquisi t iv e gl anc e as e v e r

,
Bu t it s c ar e l e ss smil e
.

did no t s e e m t o r e pr o ach m e wi t h h avi ng b eco m e r e cr e ant to

the s e nt im en t s t h at w e r e t h e n s o w n in my mi nd o r wi th h avi ng ,

20 wri tten a s ent ence th at co uld c all up a blush in t his im age o f

i ngenu o us y o u th
”
“
Th at tim e is p as t wi t h all its giddy r ap tu r e s S i nc e the .

f u t ure was b arr e d to my pr o gr e ss I h av e t u r ned f o r c o ns o l ati o n

,

t o the p as t g ath e ri n g u p the fr agm e nt s o f my e arly r e c o ll e c t i o ns

, ,

2
5 an d p u t t i ng t h e m i nto f o rm t h at migh t liv e I t i s thus t h at
.
,

wh e n we fi nd o u r p ers o nal and subs tanti al id e nti ty v anishi ng

fr o m u s we s triv e to g ai n a r e fl e ct e d and s u bs ti tu te d o ne in o u r
,

t h o u gh ts : w e do no t lik e t o p e rish w h o lly and wish t o b eq u e at h

,

o u r n am e s at l e ast t o p o s te ri ty
. A s l o ng as we c an k eep aliv e o u r
30 ch e rish e d t h o u gh t s and ne ar e s t i nte r e s t s in the mi nds o f o th e rs ,

we do no t app e ar to h av e r e tir e d al to g e th e r fr o m th e s tag e we ,

s till o cc u py a pl ac e in the e s tim ati o n o f m anki nd e x e rcis e a ,

p o w e rf u l i nflu e nc e o v e r th e m and it is o nly o u r b o di e s th at are

,

trampl e d i nto d u s t o r disp e rs e d to air O u r d arli ng sp ecul ati o ns

.
 2 40 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

a w ay gr adu ally l o ng b e fo r e ; f acul ty af te r faculty att achm ent ,

aft e r att achm e nt we are t o r n fr o m o urs e lv e s pi e c e m e al whil e

,
-

livi ng ; y e ar aft e r year t ak e s s o m e thi ng fro m u s ; and d eath

o nly c o n sig ns th e l as t r e m nan t o f wh at we w e r e to th e gr av e .

The r e vulsi o n i s n o t so gr e at and a q u i e t eu t/z a nasi a is a

,

wi n di ng u p o f the pl o t t h at is no t o u t o f r eas o n o r nat u re

-

,
.

Th at we sh o u ld thus in a m anne r o u tliv e Ou rs elv e s and ,

dwi ndl e imp e rc e p t ibly i nto no thi ng is no t s u rprisi ng wh e n ev en

, ,

in o u r prim e the s t r o ng e s t impr e ssi o n s l e av e so li ttl e tr ac e s o f

IO t h e ms e lv e s b e hi n d and the l as t o bj e c t is driv e n o u t by th e s u c
,

c ee ding o ne . H o w li ttl e e ffe c t is pr o d u c e d o n u s at any tim e

by the b o o ks we h av e r e ad t he sc e ne s we h av e wi tne ss e d the
, ,

su f feri ngs we h av e go ne thr o u gh ! Thi nk o nly o f the v ari e ty

o f f e e li ngs we e xp e ri e n c e in r e adi ng an i nt e r e s ti ng r o m an c e o r ,

b e i ng pr e s e nt at a fi ne pl ay — wh at b e au ty wh at s u blimi ty , ,

wh at s o o t hi ng wh at h ear t r en di ng e m o ti o n s ! Yo u w o uld su p
,
-
,

p o s e th e s e w o u ld l as t f o r e v e r o r at l e as t s u bd u e the mi nd to
,

a c o rr e sp o n d en t to n e and h arm o ny — whil e w e t ur n o v e r the .

p ag e whil e the sc e ne is p assi ng b e fo r e us it s ee ms as if n o thi ng

, ,

“
’
0 c o u ld e v e r af te r sh ak e o u r r e s o l u ti o n t h at t r e as o n d o m e stic
, ,

fo r e ign l e vy no thi ng c o ul d to uch u s f ar th e r ! T he firs t spl ash

,

o f mud we ge t o n e nt e ri n g th e s t r e e t th e first p e tt ifo ggi ng sh o p

, ,

k e e p er th at ch e ats u s o u t o f two p enc e and the wh o l e v anish e s

-
,

cl e an o u t o f o u r r e m e mbr anc e and we b e c o m e the idl e prey

,

o f th e m o s t p e t ty and anno yi ng circumst anc e s Th e mi nd s o ars .

by an e f fo r t to the gr an d and l o f ty : it is at h o m e in the gro v ,

e lli ng th e dis agr e e abl e an d th e li ttl e

, ,
This h app e n s in the h e ight
.

and he y day o f o u r e xist e n c e wh e n no v e l ty giv e s a s t r o ng e r im

-
,

puls e to the bl o o d and tak e s a f as te r h o ld o f the brai n ( I h av e ,

30 k no w n the impr e ssi o n o n c o mi ng o u t o f a gall e ry o f pic tur e s

t h en l as t h alf a day) as we gr o w o ld we b e c o m e m o r e f e e bl e
,

”
and qu e rul o us e v e ry o bj e ct
,
r e v e rbs i ts o wn h o ll o wne ss and ,

b o th w o rl ds are no t e no u gh to s atisfy th e p e e vish imp o r tu ni ty

and e xtr av agant pr e sum p t i o n o f o u r d e s ir e s ! Th er e are a f ew
 TH E F E E LI N G OF I M M O RTA LIT Y I N Y O U T H 24 1

sup e ri o r h appy b ei ngs who are b o r n wi th a te mp e r e x em p t

, ,

fro m e v ery trifli ng anno y ance This S piri t si ts s e r e ne and smili ng

.

as in its nat iv e ski e s and a divi ne h arm o ny ( wh e th e r h e ard o r

,

)
no t pl ays ar o u nd t h e m . This is to b e at p e ac e . Wi t h o u t t his
,

it i s in v ai n to fly i nto d e s e r ts o r to b u ild a h e rmi tag e o n the

, 5
to p o f r o cks if r egr e t and ill hu m o ur f o ll o w u s th e r e : and wi t h
,
-

this it is nee dl e ss to m ak e the e xp e rim e nt T he o nly t r u e re

,
.

t ir e m e nt is t h at o f th e h e art ; the o nly t r u e l e is u r e is th e r e p o s e

o f the p assi o n s . T o such p e rs o n s it m ak e s li ttl e diffe r e nc e

wh e th e r th e y are yo u ng o r o ld ; and th ey die as t h ey h av e 10

liv ed wi t h gr ac e ful r e sig nati o n

,
.
 O N R EA D I N G N E W B O O K S

A nd wh at of t his ne w b o o k t h at , th e wh o l e w o rl d m ak e s u c h a ro u t
about ? S T ER NE .

I c anno t u nd e rstand the r age m anife s te d by the gre at e r p art

o f t he w o rld f o r r e adi ng N e w Bo o ks I f the p u blic had r e ad .

all t h o s e t h at h av e g o n e b e f o r e I c an c o n c e iv e ho w th e y S h o u ld
,

no t wish t o r e ad th e s am e w o rk t wic e o v e r ; b u t wh e n I c o n

sid e r the c o u ntl e ss vo lum e s t h at lie u no p e n e d u n r egard e d , ,

u nr e ad and u ntho u gh t o f I c anno t e n te r i nto the p ath e tic c o rn

,
-
,

pl ai nts t h at I h e ar m ad e t h at S ir W al te r wri te s no m o r e
,
th at

th e pr e ss is idl e t h at L o rd Byr o n is d e ad If I h av e no t r e ad .

a b o o k b e f o r e it is ,
t o all i nte nt s and p u rp o s e s n ew t o m e
, , ,

IO wh e th e r it was pri nte d y e s te rd ay o r t hr ee h u n dr e d y e ars ago .

I f it b e urged t h at it h as no m o d e rn p assi ng i n cid ents and is , ,

Ou t o f d at e and o ld f ashi one d t h en it is so m u ch th e ne w e r : it

-
,

is f ar th e r r e m o v e d fr o m o th e r w o rks th at I h av e l ate ly r e ad ,

fr o m the f amili ar r o u ti ne o f o rdi na ry life and m ak e s so much ,

m o r e addi ti o n t o my k no wl edg e Bu t m any p eo pl e w o u ld as .

s o o n t hi nk o f p u tti ng o n o ld arm o ur as o f taki ng u p a b o o k ,

n o t p u blish e d wi thi n th e l ast m o nth o r y e ar at th e u tm o st ,

.

Th e r e is a f ashi o n in r e adi ng as w e ll as in dr e ss which l ast s ,

o nly f o r th e s e as o n O ne w o u ld im agi ne th at b o o ks w e r e lik e

.
,

1
’
0 w o m e n th e w o rs e f o r b e i ng o ld ; t h at th e y h av e a pl e asur e in
,

b e i ng r e ad f o r th e firs t t im e ; th at th e y o p en th e ir l e av e s m o r e
c o rdi ally ; t h at the spiri t o f e nj o ym e nt w e ars o u t wi t h the S piri t
o f n o v e l ty ; an d t h at af te r a c e r tai n age it is high t im e t o pu t
, ,

th e m o n the S h e lf This c o nc e i t s e e ms to b e f o ll o w e d u p in
.

1 La ws are n o t li k e wo m e n , the wo rs e f or b e i ng o ld .
”
l e D u ke f
o B u ck
in g/ ’
l a ne s S ee d: in
p Me H o u se of L ds ,
or in C/z a rle s t/ze S e c on d ’5 t im e .

2 42
 244 S E L E C TI O N S F RO M H AZ LITT

Th o ugh no t the p are nt o f the b ant ling th at has j us t c o m e i nto

”
this br e athi ng w o rld sc arc e h alf m ad e u p wi th o ut the aid o f
, ,

cri ticism and p u ffi ng y e t we are the go ssips and f o s te r nu rs e s

,
-

o n the o cc asi o n wi t h all the mys t e ri o u s sign ific an c e and s e lf

,

5 imp o r tan c e o f the t rib e I f we w ai t we mus t t ak e o u r r e p o rt

.
,

’
fr o m o th e rs ; if we m ak e h as te we m ay dic tate o u r s to t h em
, .

I t is no t a r ac e th e n f o r pri o ri ty o f i n fo rm ati o n b u t f o r
, , ,

pr e c e d enc e in t attli ng and d o gm atisi ng T he w o rk l ast o u t .

is the firs t t h at p eo pl e t alk and i nquir e ab o u t I t is the su b .

e c t o n the tap is — th e c aus e t h at is p e ndi n g is l st

10 j I t t h e a .

c andid ate f o r s u cc e ss ( o th e r cl aims h av e b e en disp o s e d o f ) ,

and app e als f o r t his s u cc e ss t o us and u s al o ne O u r pre d

, .

ec esso rs c an h av e no thi ng to say t o t his q u e s t i o n h o wev e r ,

t h e y m ay h av e ant icip at e d u s o n o t h e rs ; f u t ur e ag e s in all ,

‘5 pr o b abili ty will no t t ro u bl e t h e ir h eads ab o u t it ; we are the

,

p ane l H o w h ard th en no t to av ail o u rs e lv e s o f o u r imm e di ate

.
, ,

privil ege to giv e s e nte nce o f life o r d e at h — to s e e m in ig no ranc e

o f wh at e v e ry o ne e ls e is f u ll o f — to b e b e hi nd h an d wi th th e -

p o li te the k no wi ng and fashi o nabl e p ar t o f m anki nd — to b e at

, ,

20 a l o ss and d u mb f o u nd e d -
wh en all ar o u n d us are in th eir
,

gl o ry and figuri ng aw ay o n n o o th e r gr o u n d th an t h at o f
, ,

h avi ng r ead a w o rk t h at we h av e no t ! Bo o ks t h at are to b e

wri tte n h e r e af te r c anno t b e cri ticis e d by u s ; th o s e t h at w e r e
wri tte n fo rm e rly h av e b ee n cri ticis e d l o n g ago : b u t a new b o o k
2
5 is the pr o p e r ty the pr e y o f e ph e m e r al cri ticism which it d ar ts
, ,

triumph an tly u p o n ; th e r e i s a raw thi n air o f ign o ranc e and

u nc er tai nty ab o u t it no t fill e d u p by any r e c o rd e d o pi ni o n ;
,

and curi o si ty im p e r ti nenc e and v an i ty rush eage rly i nto the

, ,

v ac u um A ne w b o o k is the f air fi e ld f o r p e tul anc e and c o x

.

c o mbry to g ath e r l au r els in — the b u t se t u p f o r r e m o vi ng

O pi ni o n to aim at C an w e w o nd e r th e n th at the circ u l ati ng
.
, ,

libr ari e s are b e si e g e d by li te r ary d o w ag e rs and th e ir grand

d au gh te rs wh e n a ne w no v e l is anno u nc e d ? Th at M ail C o ach
,
-

Co pi e s _ o f th e E di n b u i /i [ Review are o r w e r e c o v e t e d ? Th at
g
 ON R EA D I N G N E W B O O KS 24 5

the M anu script of the

W av e rl ey r o m anc e s is s e nt abro ad in
tim e f o r the Fr ench G e rm an o r e v e n I t ali an t ransl ati o n t o
, ,

app e ar o n the s am e da
y as the o rigi nal w o rk so t h at the ,

l o ngi ng C o nt i ne ntal p u blic m ay no t b e k e pt w ai ti ng an i ns tant

l o nge r t h an th e ir f ell o w r ead e rs in the English m e tro p o lis
-
,

which w o u ld b e as tantalisi ng and i ns u pp o r tabl e as a li ttl e girl

’
b e i ng k e p t wi th o u t h er ne w fr o ck W h e n he r sis ter s is j ust c o m e
,

h o m e and is the talk and admirati o n o f e v e ry o ne in the h o us e ?

T o b e sur e th e r e is s o m e thi ng in th e t as te o f the t im e s ; a
,

m o d e r n w o rk is e xpr e ssly ad ap te d to m o d e r n r e ad e rs I t . IO

app e als to o u r dir e c t e xp e ri e n c e and to w e ll k no w n subj e cts ;

,
-

it is p art and p arc e l o f th e w o rld ar o u n d u s and is dr aw n fro m ,

the s am e s o u rc e s as o u r d aily t h o u gh t s Th er e i s th e r e fo r e.
, ,

so f ar a natu r al o r h abi t u al symp at hy b e tw ee n u s and th e

,

li te r atur e o f the day th o ugh this is a di ffe r e n t c o nsid e rat i o n

,
.

‘5

fr o m th e m e r e circums tan c e o f no v el ty A n au t h o r no w aliv e .

has a righ t to c alcul ate up o n th e livi ng public : h e c anno t c o u nt

u p o n the d ead no r l o o k f o rw ard wi th m u ch c o nfid e nc e to th o s e
,

th at are u nb o r n N e i th e r h o w e v e r i s it tru e th at we are e age r

.
, ,

to r e ad all new b o o ks alik e : we t u r n fr o m t h e m wi t h a c e r tai n

f ee li ng o f dis tas te ~and dis trus t u nl e ss th e y are r e c o mm end e d

,

to u s by s o m e p e culi ar f e atu r e o r o bvi o u s dis ti nc t i o n O nly .

’
y o u ng l adi e s fr o m the b o ardi ng sch o o l o r milli ne rs girls -
, ,

r e ad all the ne w no v els t h at c o m e o u t I t m u s t b e sp o k e n o f .

’
o r ag ai ns t ; the wri t e r s n am e must b e w e ll k no w n o r a gr e at

s e cr e t ; i t mu s t b e a to pic o f disc o u rs e and a m ark f o r cri ticism

t h at is it m u s t b e lik e ly t o bri n g u s i nto no t ic e in s o m e w ay
,

o r w e t ak e no no tic e o f it Th e r e is a mu t u al and taci t

.

u nd e rs tandi ng o n t his h e ad We c an no m o r e r e ad all the ne w

.

b o o ks t h at app e ar t h an we c an r e ad all t he o ld o ne s th at h av e
,

dis app e ar e d fr o m tim e to t im e A qu e s ti o n m ay b e s tar te d

.

h er e and p u rs u e d as f ar as n eedf u l wh e th e r if an o ld and

, , ,

w o rm e ate n M anuscrip t we r e disc o v e r e d at the pre s e nt m o m ent

-
,

it w o u ld b e s o u gh t af te r w i t h the s am e avidi ty as a ne w and

 2 46 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

ho t—
pr e ss e d p o e m o r o th e r p o p u l ar w o rk ? N o t g ene r ally
, ,

c e r tai nly t h o ugh by a f ew wi th p e rh aps greate r z eal Fo r i t

,
.

w o uld no t affe c t pr e s ent i nte r e sts o r am u s e pr e s ent f anci e s o r , ,

t o uch o n pr e s e nt m anne rs o r f all in wi t h th e public egotis m in

,

an y way : it w o u ld b e the w o rk e i th e r o f s o m e o bscur e au t h o r

in which c as e it w o u ld w ant th e pri ncipl e o f e xci te m e nt ; o r o f

s o m e ill u s t ri o us nam e wh o s e s tyl e and m anne r w o uld b e
,

alr e ady f amili ar t o t h o s e m o st v e rs e d in th e s u bj e c t and his ,

f am e e s tablish e d —so t h at as a m atte r o f c o mm e n t and c o n

,

[0 t ro v e rsy it w o uld o nly go t o acc o u nt o n th e Old sc o r e : th e r e

,

wou ld b e no r o o m f o r l e ar ne d fe u ds and h ear t bur ni ngs Was -

.

’
t h e r e n o t a M an uscrip t o f C ic e r o s t alk e d o f as h avi ng b ee n

disco v e r e d ab o u t a ye ar ago ? B u t we h av e h e ard no m o r e o f

it Th e r e h av e b een s e v e r al o th e r c as e s m o r e o r l e ss in p o i nt
.
, ,

in o u r t im e o r n e ar it A N o bl e L o rd ( which m ay s erv e t o
.

sh e w at l e as t the i nte r e st tak e n in b o o ks not f or bei ng new)

s o m e tim e ago gav e 6 2 0 0 0 f o r a c o py o f th e firs t e di ti o n o f the
,

D e c am e r o n : b u t did he r e ad it ? I t has b een a f ashi o n als o o f

l ate f o r no bl e and w e al t hy p ers o n s to go to a c o n sid e rabl e
e xp e ns e in o rd e ri ng r e pri n t s o f th e o ld C hr o nicl e s and bl ack

l e tte r w o rks D o e s no t t his r ath e r pro ve that the b o o ks did

.
o

no t circ u l at e v e ry r apidly o r e x t en siv e ly o r s u ch e x tr ao rdi nary ,

p atr o nag e and lib e r ali ty wo u ld no t h av e b e e n ne c e ss ary ? M r .

T h o m as T ayl o r at the i n s tanc e I b e li e v e o f the o ld D u k e o f

, , ,

N o rfo lk pri nte d fifty c o pi e s in q u ar to o f a tr an sl ati o n o f the

,

w o rks o f P l ato and Aris to tl e H e did no t ch o o s e t h at a l arge r

.

impr e ssi o n sh o u ld b e s tr u ck o ff l est t h e s e au th o rs sh o u ld ,

ge t i nto th e h ands o f th e vulg ar Th e r e was no d ange r o f .

a ru n in th at w a I t ri e d to re ad s o m e o f the Di al o gu e s
y .

30 in the t r ansl ati o n o f P l ato but I c o n f ess c o u ld m ak e

, , ,

“ ” 1
no thi ng o f it : the l o gic was so di f fe r e n t fr o m o urs ! A

1 xpr e ssi o n b o rr o we d fro m a v o l bl e G e rman sch o l ar wh o g ave this as an

An e u ,

exc s e f o r n o t t ransl at i ng th e C it iq e of P e R e a on i nto E ng lish H e mi g h t as

u r u ur s .

we ll h av e said s e ri o sly th at th e R le of Th ee in G e rman was di f fe re nt fro m

u ,
u r
 2 48 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

l
a on g wi t h the din and s tir o f nati o n al j e al o u sy and pr e tensi o n .

Who r eads O ssi an no w ? I t is o ne o f th e r e pro ach e s bro ugh t

ag ai n s t B u o n ap ar te t h at h e was f o n d o f it wh e n y o u ng I .

c anno t f o r mys e lf see the o bj ec ti o n T h er e is no d o ub t an .

an t iq u ari an spi ri t alw ays at w o rk and o pp o s e d t o the spiri t o f

,

no v e l ty hu nti ng ; b u t t h o u gh o pp o s e d it is sc arc e ly a m at ch
-
, ,

f o r it in a g e ne r al and p o p u l ar p o i nt o f vi e w I t is no t l o ng .

ago t h at I h app en e d t o b e sugg e sti ng a n e w t r an sl at i o n o f

D o n Q u ix o te t o an e nterprisi ng b o o ks e ll e r ; and his answe r

was ,
We w ant new D o n Q u ix o te s
“ ”
I b eli e v e I d e priv e d
.

’
t h e s am e ac t iv e mi nd e d p e rs o n o f a n igh t s r e s t by te llin g
-

him th e r e was the b egi nni ng o f ano t h e r no v e l by G o ldsmi th

in e xis ten c e This if it co u ld b e pr o c u r e d w o u l d s atisfy b o th
.
, ,

t as te s f o r th e ne w and th e o ld at o n c e I f e ar it is b u t a .

‘5 fr agm en t and th at we mus t w ai t till a n e w G o ldsmi th app ears

, .

We m ay o bs e rv e o f l ate a s tro ng cr avi ng af ter [ Memoirs and

L ives of tb e D ea d B u t t h e s e it m ay b e r em ark e d s av o u r so
.
, ,

much o f the r e al and f amili ar th at th e p e rs o n s d e scrib e d di f fe r

,

fr o m u s o nly in b e i ng d e ad which is a re fl e Ctio n t o o u r advan

,

”0 t ag e o r if re m o te and ro m antic in th e ir i n te r e s t and adv e ntu re s

, ,

t h e y r e q u ir e to b e b o ls te r e d u p in s o m e m e asur e by th e e mb e llish

m e nt s o f m o d e rn s tyl e and cri ticism T he acco u nt s o f P e t r arch

.

and L aur a o f Ab e l ard and El o is e

,
h av e a l u sci o us ne ss and
,

w arm t h in the s u bj e c t which c o ntras t q u ai ntly and p o i nte dly

’
wi th the c o ld ne ss o f the gr av e ; and af te r all we pr e f er P o p e s
, ,

El o is e and Ab e l ard wi t h the m o d e r n dre ss and fl o u rish e s to th e ,

s u blim e and affe c t i ng simplici ty o f the o rigi nal L e tte rs .

I n s o m e v e ry j u s t an d agr e e abl e r e fl e c t i o n s o n t he s to ry o f
Ab el ard and El o is e in a l ate numb e r o f a co n te mp o r ary p u bli
,

c ati o n t h e r e is a q u o tati o n o f s o m e li ne s fro m L u c an which

, ,

El o is e is s aid to h av e r e p e ate d in br o k e n acc e n ts as sh e w as

adv anci ng t o the al tar to r e c e iv e the v e il

O m axim e c o nj u x !
O t h alam is i n dig n e m e i s ! IIoc j u ri s h ab e b at
-
 ON R EA D I N G N EW B O O K S 2 49

I n t antu m f o r tu na c ap u t ? C u r i mp l a nu psi ,

S i m i se r m f ac tu r a f u i ? N u n c ac c i pe paenas
u ,

S e d q u as S p o nt e l u am P H A RSA L I A l i b 8
.
”
, . .

This sp ee ch qu o te d by ano th e r p e rs o n o n such an o cc asi o n

, , ,

might s ee m c o ld and p e d antic ; but fr o m the m o u t h o f the pas 5

sio nate and u naf fe c te d El o is e it c an no t he ar t h at i n t e rpr e t ati o n .

Wh at s o u ndi n g li ne s ! Wh at a p o mp an d ye t wh at a famili ar ,

”
b o ld ne ss in t h e ir applic ati o n pro ud as wh en blu e I ris b e nds !
T he re adi ng t his acc o u nt br o ught fo rcibly to mi nd wh at has
struck m e o f te n b e fo r e the u nr e as o nabl e ne ss o f the c o mpl ai nt IO

we c o nst an tly h e ar o f th e ign o ranc e and b arb arism o f fo rm e r

age s and th e fo lly o f r e s tric ti ng all r e fi ne m e nt and lit e r ary e le
,

g anc e to o u r o wn We are i nd e e d i nd e b te d to the age s th at

.
, ,

h av e g o ne b e fo r e u s and c o uld no t w e ll do with o u t t h e m Bu t

,
.

in all ag e s th e r e will b e f o u n d s till o th e rs t h at h av e g o ne b e f o r e ‘5

wi t h nearly e qu al lustr e and adv antage th o ugh by dis tan c e and ,

th e i nte rv e nt i o n o f mul tipli e d e xc e ll e nc e this lustr e m ay b e ,

dimm e d o r fo rgo tte n H ad it th e n no e xis te nc e ? We might

.
,

wi th the s am e r eas o n supp o s e th at the h o riz o n is the l as t b o u n d

,

ar and v e rge o f th e r o u n d e ar th S till as we adv anc e it

y .
, ,

r e c e d e s fr o m u s ; and so tim e f ro m its st o r e h o u s e p o urs o u t

'

an e ndl e ss succ e ssi o n o f th e pr o duc t i o n s o f art and g e ni u s and

th e f ar th e r we e xpl o r e th e o bscuri ty o t h e r tr o phi e s and o th e r

,

l and m arks ris e u p I t i s o nly o u r igno r an c e th at fix e s a limi t

-
.

— as the mis t gath e r e d ro u nd th e m o u ntai n s br o w m ak e s u s ’

f ancy we are tr eadi ng the e dge o f the u niv e rs e ! H er e was

H e l o is e livi ng at a p e ri o d wh e n m o nkish i nd o l enc e and sup e r
stit io n w e r e at t h e ir h e igh t in o n e o f th o s e t h at are e m phati
c ally c all e d the da rk ages ; and y e t as she is le d to the al tar to
,

m ak e her l ast f atal vo w e xpr e ssi ng her f ee li ngs in l angu age

, 30
q u i te natur al to her but fr o m which the m o s t acco m plish e d and
,

h er o ic o f o u r m o d e rn fe m al e s w o uld shri nk b ack wi th pr e tty

and af fe c te d w o n d e r and af fright T he gl o wi ng and imp e tu o u s
.

li ne s which she murmur e d as she p ass e d o n wi th sp o ntaneo u s

, ,
 2 50 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and risi ng en thusi asm w e r egrav e n o n he r h ear t f amili ar to

, en ,

he r as he r her mi nd m u s t h av e b ee n fu ll o f
d aily t h o u gh t s ;
t h e m to o v e rfl o wing and at the s am e t im e e n rich e d wi t h o th e r
'

s to r e s and s o u rc e s o f k no wl e dg e e q u ally e l egant and impr e ssiv e ;

and we p e rsis t no t wi ths tan di ng t his and a t h o us and simil ar cir
,

c u m stan c e s in i n d u lgi n g o u r surpris e h o w p e o pl e c o u ld e xist

, ,

and see and f ee l in th o s e d ays W i th o u t h avi ng acc e ss t o o u r

, , , .

o pp o r tu ni ti e s and acq u ir e m e nt s and h o w S h ak e sp e ar e wr o te

,

lo ng af te r i n a b arb aro u s age ! T he mys te ry in this c as e is o f

,

o u r o wn m aki ng We are s t ruck wi th as to nishm ent at fi ndi ng

.
,

a fi n e m o r al s en t im en t o r a no bl e im ag e n e rv o usly e xpr e ss e d in

an au t h o r o f the age o f Q u e e n Eliz ab e t h ; n o t c o n sid e ri n g th at ,

i nd e p e nd e ntly o f nature and f e eli ng which are the s am e in all ,

p e ri o ds the wri ters o f th at day who w e r e gener ally m en o f

, ,

e duc ati o n and l e ar ni ng h ad s u ch m o d e ls b e f o r e t h e m as the

,

o n e t h at has b ee n j us t r e f e rr e d t o w e r e t h o ro ughly acqu ai nte d

wi t h t h o s e m as te rs o f cl assic t h o u ght and l ang u age c o mp ar ed ,

with wh o m in all th at r e l ate s to the ar tifici al grac e s o f c o mp o

,

sitio n th e m o st studi e d o f t he m o d e r n s are li ttl e b e tte r t h an

,

”O
G o ths and V and als I t is tr u e we h av e l o s t S igh t o f and neg
.
, ,

le c ted the fo rm e r b e c au s e th e l atte r h av e in a gr e at d egree

, , ,

sup e rs ed e d th em as the e l e v ati o ns near e st to u s i nte rc e p t t h o s e

,

far th e s t o ff ; b u t o u r no t availi ng o urs elv e s o f t his v antage

gr o u n d is no r e as o n why o u r f o r e fat h e rs sh o uld no t ( who had
n o t o u r su perfl u ity o f ch o ic e
) and m o st assur e dly t h e y did
,

s tu dy and ch e rish the pr e ci o u s fr agm ent s o f antiqui ty co ll ect e d ,

“
to g e t h e r in t h e ir tim e lik e s u nk en wr eck and suml e ss tr eas
,

u rie s and w hil e t h e y did t his we n ee d b e at no l o ss to acc o u nt

,

f o r any e x ampl e s o f gr ac e o f f o rc e o r dig ni ty in t h e ir wri ti ngs

, , ,

30 i f th e s e mus t al ways b e tr ac e d b ack to a pr e vi o us s o u rc e O ne .

age c anno t u nd e rs tand ho w ano th e r c o u ld subsist wi th o ut its

ligh t s as o ne co u ntry thi nks e v e ry o th e r m u s t b e p o o r f o r w an t

,

o f its physic al pro d u c t i o ns This is a n arro w and s u p e rfici al

.

vi e w o f the subj e c t : we sh o uld by all m e ans ris e ab o v e it .

 2 52 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

’
to b e v e ry di f fe ren t fro m Sir T ho m as L awr e nc e s ye t the o ne
was th e fav o uri te p ai nte r o f H enry V I I I as th e o th e r is o f .
,

G eo rge I V Wh at sh o uld we say in Ou r tim e to th e eup/z u ism

.

o f the age o f Eli z ab e th wh e n s tyl e was m ad e a riddl e and the

, ,

c o urt t alk e d in co nu ndrums ? This as a no v el ty and a tri al o f ,

t h e wi ts might t ak e f o r a whil e : af te rw ards it c o uld o nly s ee m

, ,

absurd .We mus t alw ays m ak e s o m e all o w an c e f o r a ch ange o f

styl e which th o s e Who are a ccusto m ed to r ead no ne but w o rks
,

wri tten wi thi n the l ast tw enty y ears nei th e r c an no r will m ak e .

[O Wh en a wh o l e gene r at i o n r ead t h ey will r ead no ne bu t c o nt em

,

po rary pr o d u cti o n s T he t ast e f o r li te rat ur e b e c o m e s sup erfici al

.
,

as i t b e c o m e s u niv e rs al and is spr e ad o v e r a l arge r sp ac e Wh en .

t en th o us an d b o ardi ng sch o o l girls who h av e l e arne d to pl ay o n

-
,

th e h arpsich o rd are br o ught o u t in the s am e s eas o n R o ss ini

, ,

‘5 will b e pr e f err e d to M o z ar t as the l ast new c o mp o s e r I re

,
.

m emb e r a v e ry gentee l y o u ng c o upl e in the b o x e s o f D ru ry L ane

b e i ng v e ry much sc an d alis e d s o m e y ears ago at the phr as e in
A lVew Way to P ay Old D eb ts
”
an i ns o l e n t pi e c e o f p ap e r

— appli e d to the co nt en ts o f a l ette r — it w ante d the m o d e rn

20 lightne ss and i ndi f fe re nc e L e t an o ld b o o k b e e v e r so go o d it
.
,

tre at s ( gene rally S p eaki ng) o f t o pics th at are s tal e in a s tyl e th at ,

“
has gro w n s o m ewh at mu sty ; o f m anne rs t h at are e xpl o d e d ,

pr o b ably by the v e ry ridicul e t hus c as t up o n t h e m ; o f p e rs o ns

t h at no l o ng e r figur e o n th e s tag e ; and o f i n t e r e sts th at h av e
’
5 l o ng si n c e giv e n pl ac e to o th e rs in th e i nfi nite fluc t u ati o n s o f
hum an af fairs L o ngi nus c o mpl ai n s o f the w ant o f i nt e re st in
.

the O dyss ey b e c aus e it d o e s no t lik e th e I li ad t r e at o f war

, , , .

T he v e ry c o mpl ai nt we m ak e ag ai n st the l atte r is th at it t r eats

o f no thi ng e ls e ; o r th at as Fus e li e xpr e ss e s it e v e ry t hi ng is s e en
, ,

“ ”
0 thro ugh the bl az e o f war Bo o ks o f d e v o ti o n are no l o nge r
.

’
r ead ( if we r ead I rvi ng s O rations i t is m e r e ly th at we m ay go
,

as a lo u nge to see th e m an) e v e n at tacks o n r e ligi o n are o u t o f

’ ’
d at e and i nsipid V o l tair e s j e s ts and the j ew s L etters in answ e r
.

( e qu al in wi t and m o r e th an e qu al in l e arn i ng
, ) re p o s e qui e tly ,
 ON R EA D I N G N E W B O O KS 2 53

o n the S h elf t o ge th e r We w an t s o m e thi ng in Engl and ab o u t

.

R e n t and the P o o r L aws and s o m e thi ng in Franc e ab o ut the

-
,

C h art e r — o r L o rd Byro n Wi t h th e atte mpts h o w e v e r to

.
, ,

r eviv e sup e rsti ti o n and i nto l e r ance a spiri t o f o pp o si ti o n has ,

’
b een e xci te d and P asc al s P rovi ncial L etters h av e b een o n ce
,

m o r e e nlis te d i nto the s e rvic e I n Fr anc e y o u m ee t wi th no o ne.

who h as r ead the [ Vew H eloi se : the P ri ncess of Cleves is no t e v e n

m en ti o n e d in th e se d ege ne rate d ays I s it no t pro v o ki ng wi th .

’
us to see the B egga rs Opera c u t d o w n to two ac ts b e c aus e s o m e ,

o f th e allusi o n s are to o br o ad and o t h e rs no t u nd e rs to o d ? A nd I O

,

’
in A m e ric a th at V an D ie m e n s L an d o f l e t te rs this st e rli ng
s at ir e is h o o t e d o ff the st ag e b e c aus e f o r tu nat ely th ey h av e no
, , ,

such s tate o f m atte rs as it de sc rib es b e f o re t h e ir e y e s ; and b e ,

c au s e u nfo r tu nate ly th ey h av e no c o nc e p ti o n o f any t hi ng but

, ,

wh at th ey se e A m e ric a is sin gul arly and awkw ardly si tu ate d in

.

this r e sp e ct I t is a ne w c o u ntry wi t h an o ld l ang u age ; and

.

whil e e v e ry thi ng ab o u t th e m is o f a d ay s gr o wth t h ey are c o n

’
,

stan tly applyi n g to u s to k n o w wh at to t hi n k o f it an d taki ng ,

th e ir o pi ni o ns fr o m o u r b o o ks and newsp ap e rs wi th a s t r ang e

mixtur e o f s e rvili ty and o f the spiri t o f c o ntr adic ti o n Th ey are 2 0 .

an i nd e p e nd e nt s tate in p o li t ics : in li t e r at u r e t h e y are s till a

c o l o ny fro m u s no t o u t o f t h e ir l e adi ng s t ri ngs and s tr ange ly ,

pu z z l e d ho w to d e te rmi ne b e tw e e n the Edi nb u rgh and Q u ar te rly

R evi e ws We h av e n atur alis e d s o m e o f t h e ir wri te rs who had
.
,

fo rm e d t h e ms e lv e s u p o n us This is at o nc e a c o mplim ent to 2 5

.

t h e m and to o u rs e lv e s Amids t the scr ambl e and l o tte ry f o r

.

f am e in the pre s en t day b e sid e s p u f fi ng which m ay b e r e gard e d

, ,

as the ho t b e d o f r e put at i o n ano th e r m o d e has b e en at te mp te d

-

by tra nspla nting it ; and wri te rs who are se t d o w n as driv e ll ers

at h o m e sh o o t u p gr e at au th o rs o n th e o th e r sid e o f th e w ate r ; 3 0
,

p ack u p t h e ir all a ti tl e p ag e and s u ffi ci e nt imp u d enc e ; and a

-

’
w o rk o f which the fl occi na u ci nik i/ip ilij i catio n in S h e ns to ne s
,
- -
,

phr as e is w e ll k no w n to e v e ry c o m p e te nt j u dg e is placa rded

, ,

i nt o e mi nence and fl am e s in the f o r eh e ad o f the m o r ni ng sky

,
 2 54 S E LE C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

on th e
w alls o f P aris o r S t P e t e rsb u rgh I d are no t m ent i o n
. .

the i n st an c e s but so it is , S o m e r e pu t ati o n s l ast o nly whil e the

.

p o ss e ss o rs liv e fr o m which o ne migh t supp o s e t h at th e y gav e

,

t h e ms e lv e s a ch ar ac te r f o r g e nius : o th e rs are cri e d u p by t h e ir

5 go ssipi n g acqu ai ntan c e s as l o ng as t h ey giv e di nne rs and m ak e

,
-
,

t h e ir h o us e s pl ac e s o f p o lit e r e s o r t ; and in g e ne r al in o u r tim e , , ,

a b o o k m ay b e c o n sid e r e d to h av e p ass e d th e o rd e al t h at is

m e nti o ne d at all t hr ee m o n ths afte r it is pri nte d I mm o rt ali ty .

’
is no t e v en a dr eam a b o y s c o n ce i t ; and p o sthum o us f am e
'

1
[ O is no m o r e r e gard e d by the au t h o r t h an by his b o o ks e ll e r .

This idl e dissip ate d tur n s ee ms to b e a set o ff to o r the

,
-
,

o bvi o us r e ac t i o n o f th e e xclusiv e admir ati o n o f the anci ent s

, ,

which was fo rm e rly the f ashi o n : as i f the su n o f h u m an i nte l

l ect r o s e and se t at R o m e and A th en s and the mi n d o f m an ,

‘5 h ad ne v e r e x e r te d i t s elf to any purp o s e S i nc e T he ig no ran t as .

,

w e ll as the ad e p t w e r e ch arm e d o nly wi th wh at was o bs o l e te

,

and f ar f e t ch e d wr app e d u p in t e ch n ic al t e rms and in a l e ar ne d

-
,

to ng u e Th o s e who S p o k e and wro te a l angu age which h ardly

.

any o ne at pr e s e nt e v en u n d e rs to o d mus t o f c o urs e b e wis e r ,

20 th an we Tim e th at bri ngs so m any r e p u tati o ns to d e c ay had

.
, ,

e mb alm e d o th e rs and r e n d e r e d t h e m s acr e d Fr o m an implici t .

fai th and o v e rstrai ne d h o m age p aid to ant iq u i ty we o f the ,

m o d e r n sch o o l h av e tak e n to o stro ng a bi as to wh at is n ew ; .

and divid e all wisd o m and w o r t h b e tw e e n o urs e lv e s and p o s t e r

25 ity ,
no t a v e ry f o rmid abl e riv al t o o u r s e lf l o v e as we at t rib -

u te all its adv ant ag e s t o o u rs e lv e s t h o ugh w e pr e t e n d to o we

,

li ttl e o r no thi ng to o u r pr e d ec e ss o rs Ab o u t the t im e o f the .

Fr e nch R e v o l u ti o n it was agr ee d th at th e w o rld had hi th e r to

,

b ee n in its d o tage o r its i nf an cy ; and th at M r G o dwi n C en .

,

30 do rc e t and o th e rs w e r e to b e gi n a new r ac e o f m en — a ne w
,

1 Wh e n a ce r tai n p o e t was as k e d if h o u gh t L o rd Byro n s n am e wo u ld live

he t
’

t hr ee y ea rs f
a te r h e was d ea d h e an sw r
e e ,
d N o t t hr e e d ays S
,
i r ! ”
T his was ,

pre m atu re it h as l aste d ab o v e a y e ar H is wo rk s h ave b e e n t ransl ate d i nto F re n ch

.
,

an d th e re is a Caf e By n o n th e B o u l e v ards T hi n k o f a Caf e I V asw o t/i o n

’
ro . / or r

t h e B o u l e vards
 2 56 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

are c o nfo u nd e d wi t h the w o rst L e ar ni ng no l o nge r supp o rt e d

.
,

by o pi ni o n o r genius by fam e is c as t i nto the mir e and tr ampl e d

, , ,

”
u nde r the h o o fs o f a swi nish mul ti tu d e I w o u ld r ath e r e ndur e
.

the m o st bli nd and big o t e d r e sp e ct f o r gr e at and illus tri o u s

nam e s th an t h at pi t if u l gr o v e lli ng hum o ur which h as no prid e

, ,

in i nte ll e c tu al e xc e ll e nc e and no pl e as u r e but in d e cryi ng t h o s e

,

wh o h av e giv en pr o o fs o f it and re d u ci ng th e m to its o wn l e v e l

,
.

I f wi t h the diff u si o n o f k no wl e dge we do n o t gai n an e nl arg e

, ,

m ent and e l e v at i o n o f vi ews wh e r e is the b e nefi t ? I f by t e ar

, ,

[0 ing asu nd e r nam e s fr o m thi ngs w e do no t l e av e e v e n th e nam e

,

o r sh ad o w o f e xc e ll e n c e it is b e tte r t o le t t h e m r e m ai n as t h ey
,

w er e ; f o r it i s b et t er to h av e s o m ethi ng to admire th an no t hi ng
— nam e s if no t t hi ngs — the sh ad o w if no t the subst an c e
, ,

th e t i n s e l if no t th e go ld
,
All c an no w r ead and wri te e qu ally ;
.

and it is t h e r e f o r e pr e s u m e d e qu ally w e ll
,
A ny t hi ng sh o r t o f
,
.

this sw ee pi ng c o nclusi o n i s an i nvidi o u s dis t i nc t i o n ; and th o s e

who cl aim i t f o r t h e ms e lv e s o r o th e rs are ex clu sio nists in l e tt e rs .

Ev e ry o ne at l e ast c an c all nam e s c an i nv e nt a f als e h o o d o r ,

r e p eat a st o ry agai nst t h o s e who h av e galle d th e ir pragm atic al

20 pr ete nsi o ns by r eally addi ng to the s to ck o f ge ne r al am u s e m e nt
o r i n s t r u c ti o n Ev e ry o ne in a cro wd has the p o w e r to thro w
.

dirt ; ni ne o u t o f ten h av e the i ncli nat i o n I t is curi o us th at .

,

in an age wh e n the m o s t u niv e rs ally admi tt e d cl aim to public -

dis ti n c ti o n i s li te r ary m e ri t the at t ai ni ng thi s dis ti nc ti o n is alm o s t

,

1
a sur e t i tl e to public c o nte m p t and o bl o q u y T h ey cry yo u up .
,

b e c ause y o u are u nk no w n and do no t e xci te t h eir j eal o usy ; and

,

ru n o u d o w n wh e n t h e y h av e thus dis t i nguish e d o o ut of

y , y u ,

e n vy and S pl e en at the v e ry id o l th e y h av e se t u p A p u blic .

f av o uri te is k ep t lik e an appl e in the j aw o f an ape — fi rst

“

30 m o u th e d to b e af te rw ards sw all o w ed Wh en th ey nee d wh at

,
.

y o u h av e gl e ane d it is b u t squ e ez i ng y o u
,
and spu ng e
y ou , , ,

”
sh all b e dry ag ai n A t firs t th e y thi nk o nly o f the pl e asur e o r
.

I s no t this p ar tly o wi ng
1 t o th e disapp o i n tm e nt of th e p u blic at fi n di ng any

d e fe c t in th e ir id o l ?
 ON REA D I N G N E w B O O KS 2 57

a dv ant age th e y r ec eiv e : but o n r e fl e cti o n th e y are m o r tifi e d at , ,

the sup e ri o ri ty impli e d in this i nv o lu ntary c o nc e ssi o n and are ,

d e t e rmi ne d to b e eve n with yo u the v e ry first o pp o rtu ni ty .

Wh at is the pr e v aili ng spiri t o f m o d e r n li te r atur e ? T o d e fam e

m e n o f l e tte rs Wh at are the public ati o ns t h at s u cc ee d ? Th o s e
.

th at pr e tend to teach the public t h at the p ers o ns th ey h av e b e e n

accus to m e d u nwit ti ngly to l o o k u p to as the ligh t s o f the e ar th

are no b e tte r t h an t h e ms e lv e s o r a se t o f v ag ab o nds o r miscr e an t s

,

1
th at sh o uld b e hu nt e d o u t o f s o ci ety H enc e m e n o f l e tte rs .
,

l o si ng th e ir s e lf r e sp e ct b e co m e go v e r n m ent to o ls and pro s ti

-
,
-
,
IO

tu te th e ir t al ent s to the m o st i nf am o us purp o s e s o r t ur n da ndy ,

scri bblers and s e t up f o r g e n tl e m e n a

, u t h o rs in th e ir o wn d e fenc e .

I lik e the O rd e r o f the J e sui t s b e tte r th an t his : th ey m ad e

th e m s elv e s r e sp e cte d by the l ai ty k e pt th e ir o wn s e cr e t and , ,

did no t pr ey o n o ne ano th e r R e sum e th e n o h ! L e ar ni n g thy .

, ,

r o b e po ntific al ; cl o th e thys e lf in prid e and purpl e ; j o i n the

s acr e d to the pro fane ; wi e ld b o t h w o rlds ; i ns tead o f t w o p enny
’
tr ash and m e ch anics m agaz i ne s issu e bulls and d e cr e tals ; say ,

no t le t th e r e b e light but d ark ne ss visibl e ; dr aw a b an d age

, ,

1 An fri end o f mi ne wh e n h e re ad th e ab u s e an d billi ng s g ate p o u re d o u t

o ld ,

in c e r tai n T o ry p u blic at i o n s u s e d t o c o n g ratu l at e hims e lf u p o n it as a f avo u rabl e

,

si g n o f th e t im e s an d o f th e pro g re ssiv e impr o v e m e n t o f o u r m anne rs Wh e re

, .

we n o w c all e d n am e s we f o rm e rly b u r nt e ach o th e r at a s tak e : and all t h e

,

m alic e o f th e h e art fl e w to th e t o ng e and v e n te d i ts e lf in sc o ldi ng i n s te ad

u ,

o f cru s ad e s an d a t o da — u
f es th e no bl e r r ev e ng e o f o u r an c e s t o rs f o r a di f fe re n c e
-

o f o pi n i o n A n au th o r n o w lib e ls a pri n c e ; an d if h e t ak e s th e law o f him o r

.
,

t hr o ws him i n t o g ao l it is l o o k e d u p o n as a h arsh and u ng e nt l e m an ly pr o c e e d

,

ing H e t h e r e f o re g e t s a dir ty S e cre tary t o e mpl o y a dir ty b o o k s e ll e r t o hire a

.
, , ,

s e t o f di rty scribbl e rs t o p e l t him wi th dir t an d c o v e r him wi th bl a c kg u ard e i

p
t h e ts t ill h e is h ardly in a c o n di t i o n t o wal k t h e s t r e e t s T his is h ard m e as u r e .
,

n o d o u b t an d b as e i ng rat i tu d e o n t h e p ar t o f th e p blic acc o rdi n g t o t h e i m ag

,
u ,

i nary di g n i ty and n at u r al pr e c e d e n c e which au th o rs t ak e o f k i ng s ; b u t t h e l atte r

are m e n an d will h ave t h e ir r e v e n g e wh e r e t h e y c an ge t it T h e y h av e no l o n g e r
, .

t h e ir o ld s u mm ary app e al — t h e ir will m ay s t ill b e g o o d — t o th e d u ng e o n and

t h e d agg e r T h o s e wh o sp e ak e vil o f di g n i ti e s ” m ay th e re f o re t hi n k t h e mse lve s
“
.
, ,

we ll o ff in b e i ng m e re ly en t to C v n t y and b e sid e s if th e y h ave pl k th ey

s o e r , ,
uc

c an m ak e a P ar t hi an re t r e at an d sh o o t p o is o n e d arr o ws b e hi n d th e m
,
T he go o d .

p e o pl e o f F l o re n c e lif t u p th e ir h an ds wh e n th ey are sh ewn t h e c aricatu re s in th e

Q u e e n s M at rim o n i al L add e r an d ask if th e y a e re ally a li k en e ss o f t h e K i n g ?
’ - r
,
 2 58 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

o v e r the ey e s o f the ig no rant and u nl e tte r ed ; h ang the terro rs

o f sup e rs t i t i o n and d e sp o tism o v e r th e m ; — and f o r thy p ai n s

t hey will bl e ss t hee : childr en will pull o ff t he i r c aps as t h o u

d o st pass ; w o m e n will c o ur te sy ; the o ld will wip e th e ir b e ards ;
5 and t h o u wilt rul e o nc e m o r e o v e r the b as e s e rvi ng p eo pl e ,

Cl o w n s and no bl e s wi th a ro d o f ir o n !
, ,
 260 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

W e thi nk th e m v e ry w o r thy p eo pl e and w o uld b e gl ad o f an ,

o pp o r tu nity to do th e m a g o o d turn if it w e r e in o u r p o w e r
;
b u t w e c anno t ge t b e yo nd t his : th e u tm o s t we c an do is t o s ave
app e ar an c e s and no t c o m e to an o p en rup tu r e wi t h t h e m
, .

T he tru t h is in all such c as e s we do no t symp at his e as we

5 , , (
o ugh t
) wi t h th em b ec aus e th e y do no t sym p athis e ( as t hey
,

o ught
) wi t h us Th e y h av e d o ne wh at t h e y did fr o m a s e ns e o f
.

du ty in a c o ld dry m anne r o r fro m a m e ddl e s o m e busyb o dy

,

hum o ur ; o r t o sh e w the ir sup e ri o ri ty o v e r u s o r to p at r o n is e ,

IO o u r i nfirmity ; o r t hey h av e dr o pp e d s o m e hi n t by t he wa
y or ,

blu nd er e d up o n s o m e to pic t hey sh o uld n o t and h av e sh ew n , ,

by o ne m eans o r o th e r t h at th ey w e re o ccu pi e d wi th any thi ng

,

b u t the pl easur e t hey w e r e affordi ng us o r a d e lic ate atte nt i o n ,

to o u r fe e li ngs S u ch p e rs o n s m ay b e s tyl e d f riendly grieve;

.

T h ey are c o mm o nly p e o pl e o f lo w spiri t s and dis app o i nte d

vi e ws who see the disc o ur agi ng si de o f h u m an lif e and wi t h
, , ,

th e b e s t i n t en t i o n s in th e w o rld c o nt riv e t o m ak e e v e ry t hi n g
,

t hey h av e to do wi t h u n c o mf o r tabl e Th ey are aliv e to yo u r .

dis tr e ss an d t ak e p ai n s to r e m o v e it ; bu t t h ey h av e no s at is
,

20 f ac ti o n in the gai e ty and e as e th e y h av e c o mmu n icated an d are ,

o n th e look o u t f o r s o m e n e w o cc asi o n o f sign ali z i ng t h e ir z e al ;

-

no r are t hey b ackw ard t o i n si n u ate th at

yo u will s o o n h av e
ne e d o f th e ir assis tanc e t o gu ard y o u ag ain st ru nni ng i n t o fr e sh
,

di f ficul ti e s o r to e x tric ate y o u fr o m th e m Fr o m l arg e b e nev o

,
.

“
°
5 l en c e o f s o u l and disco urs e o f r eas o n l o o ki ng b e f o re and ,

”
af te r
,
t hey are c o n ti nu ally r e mi ndi ng y o u o f s o m e thi ng th at h as
g o ne wro ng in tim e p as t o r t h at m ay do so in th at which is to
,

c o m e and are s u rpris ed t h at t h e ir awkw ard hi nt s sly inu e ndo s

, , ,

bl u n t q u e s ti o n s and s o l e m n f e atu re s do no t e xci te all th e

,

30 c o mpl ac e ncy and m u t u al g o o d u nd e rs tandi ng in yo u which

it i s i ntend e d th at t h e y sh o u ld Wh e n t hey m ak e t h e ms e lv e s
.

mis e rabl e o n yo u r acc o u nt it is h ard t h at y o u will no t l en d

,

t h e m y o u r c o u n te nanc e and s u pp o r t This d e pl o r abl e h u m o u r

.

o f th e irs do e s no t h it an
y o ne e ls e T hey are us e f u l b u t n o t
.
,
 O N D I SA G R E EA B L E P EO P L E 26 1

a gr eeabl e p eo pl e ; th ey may assist yo u in y o ur af fairs b u t th ey ,

d e pr e ss and tyr ann is e o v e r y o ur f ee lin gs W he n t hey h av e .

m ad e yo u h appy t h ey will no t le t yo u b e so — h av e no enj o y

,

m ent o f the go o d t hey h av e d o ne — will o n no acc o u n t p art

'

wi t h th eir m e l anch o ly and d e sp o ndi ng to ne — and by th e ir , 5

m awkish i ns ensibili ty and d o l e fu l grim ac e s thr o w a d am p ,

o v e r the triumph t hey are c all e d up o n t o c e l e brat e Th e y .

w o uld k ee p yo u in ho t w ate r t h at th ey m ay h elp y o u o u t

,

o f it. T he y will nurs e yo u in a fi t o f sick ne ss ( c o ngeni al s u f

f ere rs arbi t r at e a law sui t f o r
-
y o u and e mbr o il yo u d e e p e r
,
10

pro cur e yo u a l o an o f m o ney ; —bu t all the whil e t h ey are

o n ly d e ligh t e d wi th rubbi ng the s o r e pl ac e and c as ti ng th e ,

co l o ur o f yo ur m e nt al o r o th e r dis o rd e rs T he wh o l e nee d .

no t a physici an ; and b e i ng o nc e pl ac e d at e as e an d c o mf o rt
, ,

th ey h av e no f ar th e r u s e f o r yo u as subj e cts f o r t h e ir si ng u l ar I S
b ene fi c e nc e and y o u are no t s o rry to b e qui t o f t h e ir tir e s o m e
,

i nt e rf e re nc e T he o ld pr o v e rb A f riend
.
,
need is a f riend

i ndeed is no t v e rifi e d in th e m T he cl ass o f p e rs o ns h e r e sp o k e n

, .

o f are the v e ry r e v e rs e o f s u m merf rzm ds who c o urt yo u in pr o s

'

pe rity fl att e r y o ur v ani ty are t he humbl e s erv ants o f y o u r f o lli e s

, , ,
20

n e v e r see o r allud e t o any thi ng wr o ng mi nis te r to y o ur g ai e ty , ,

sm o o th o v e r e v e ry di ffi cul ty and wi t h t he sligh tes t appr o ach o f

, ,

misfo rtu ne o r o f any thi ng u npl eas ant t ak e Fr e nch l e av e ,

;

“
A s wh e n in p ri m e o f J u ne a b u r n i sh e d fl y
, , ,

S p r u n g f r o m t h e m e ad s o e r wh i c h h e sw e e p s al o ng
’
, ,
2
5
C h e e r e d by t h e b re at h ing b l o o m an d v i tal sk y
‘

T u ne s up a m i d t h e s e ai ry h alls h i s s o n g ,

S o o t h i n g at fi rs t t h e gay r e p o si ng t h r o ng ;
A nd o f t h e si p s t h e i r b o wl o r n e arly d r o w n e d
, ,

H e t h e n c e r e c o v e ri n g d riv e s t h e i r b e ds a m o n g ,

A n d s c ar e s t h e i r t e n d e r sl e e p wi t h t r u m p p r o f o u n d ;
T h e n o u t ag ai n h e fl i e s t o wi n g h i s m az y r o u n d
”
.

T H O M S O N S C A ST L E O F I N D O LEN C E
’

H o w ev e r we m ay d espis e such trifl e rs ye t we r egr e t t hem m o r e

,

th an th o s e w e ll m eani ng fri e nds o n wh o m a du ll m e l anch o ly

-
 26 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

v ap o ur h angs th at drags th e m and ev e ry o ne ab o u t th e m to

,

the gr o u nd .

A gai n th e re are t h o s e who migh t b e v e ry agreeabl e p eo pl e

, ,

if t hey had but S pirit to b e so ; b u t the re is a narr o w u naspiri ng , ,

u nd er br e d t o ne in all th ey say o r do Th ey h av e gr eat s en s e

-
.

and i nf o rm at i o n ab o u n d in a k no wl e dg e o f ch ar ac te r h av e
a f u nd o f ane cd o te are u n e xc e p t i o nabl e in m anne rs an d

app e ar an c e — and e t we c anno t m ak e u p o u r mi nds t o lik e

y
t h e m : we are no t gl ad to s ee t h e m no r s o rry wh e n th e y go ,

IO aw ay . O u r f amili ari ty wi th t h e m h o w e v e r gr e at w ants th e

, ,

pri n cipl e o f c e m e nt which is a c e r tai n app ear an c e o f fr ank c o r

,

diality and s o ci al e nj o ym ent Th e y h av e no pl e asur e in the

.

s u bj e c ts o f t h eir o wn th o ugh t s and th e re fo r e c an co mmu n icate

,

no ne to o th e rs Th er e is a dry h u sky gr ati ng m ann e r

.
, ,
a p e tti

‘5 ne ss o f d e tail — a t enaci o u s ne ss o f p ar ticul ars h o w e v e r trifli ng ,

o r u n pl e as ant a disp o si t i o n t o c avil an av e rsi o n t o e nl arge d

and lib e r al vi e ws o f t hi ngs in sh o r t a h ard p ai nf u l u nb endi ng

, , ,

m a tter— f f ad i zerr fro m which the spiri t and e ffe c t are b anish e d
o , ,

and the l e tt e r o nly i s at t e n d e d t o which m ak e s it imp o ssibl e to

,

20 symp at his e wi th th eir disco urs e T o m ak e c o nv e rs ati o n i nte r

.

e s ti ng o r agr e e abl e t h e r e is r e quir e d e i t h e r th e h abi tu al t o ne o f

,

go o d c o m p any which giv e s a fav o u rabl e c o l o uri ng to e v e ry

,

thi ng o r th e w arm t h an d e n thusi asm o f g e nius which th o u gh , ,

i t m ay o ccasi o n ally o ffen d o r b e thro w n o ff its gu ard m ak e s ,

am e nds by its r ap tu r o u s fligh t s and flings a gl anci n g light u p o n

,

all t hi ngs T h e li te r al and dogged s tyl e o f c o nv e rs ati o n r e s e m

.

bl es t h at o f a Fr e nch pictur e o r its m e ch anic al fid e li ty is lik e

,

e vid e n c e giv e n in a c o u r t o f j us tic e o r a p o lic e r e p o r t

, .

Fr o m the li te r al to th e pl ai n sp o k e n the t r ansi ti o n is e asy

-
, .

30 T he m o st e f fici e nt w e ap o n o f o f fe nc e is t r u th Th o s e who d eal .

in dry and r e p u lsive m atte rs o f f ac t t ir e o u t th e ir fri ends ; th o s e

- -
,

who bl u r t o u t h ard and h o m e tr u ths m ak e t h e ms e lv e s m o r tal ,

e ne mi e s wh e r e v e r t h e y c o m e Th e r e are y o u r bl u n t h o ne st
.
,

cr e atu re s who o mi t no o pp o r tu ni ty o f l e tti ng y o u k no w th e ir

,
 264 S E L E C TI O N S F RO M H AZ LITT

Yo u u nhi nge all t h eir e st ablish e d o pi ni o ns and tr ai ns o f th o ugh t ;

and af te r l e avi ng t h e m in t his lis tl e ss v ac ant u n s e ttl e d s tate , ,

diss atisfi e d wi t h t h eir o wn no ti o n s and sh o ck e d at y o u rs — y o u

e xp e c t t h e m to c o ur t and b e d e ligh te d wi t h y o u r c o mp any b e ,

c aus e fo rs o o th yo u h av e o nly e xpr e ss e d y o ur si n ce r e and c o nsci

, ,

e nti o ns c o n vic ti o ns M anki nd are no t d e c e iv e d by pr o fe ssi o n s

.
,

u nl e ss t h e y ch o o s e They think t h at this pill o f tru e do c tri ne

.
'

h o w e v e r it m ay b e gild e d o v e r is f u ll o f gall and bi tte r ne ss to ,

th e m ; and agai n it is a m axim o f which the v u lg ar are firmly

, ,

p ers u ad e d th at pl ai n sp e aki ng ( as it is c all e d ) is nin e p arts

'

-
[O , ,

in te n spl een and s elf O pi ni o n ; an d the o th e r p art p e rh aps

,
-
l
, ,

h o n e s ty T h o s e who will no t ab ate an i nch in argum en t and

.
,

are al ways s e e ki ng to r e c o v e r th e wi nd o f yo u are in the e y e , ,

o f the w o rld dis agr e e abl e u nc o n sci o nabl e p e o pl e wh o o u gh t to

, , ,

b e rem Z0 Cat/M i r} o r l e f t to wr angl e by t h e ms e lv e s N o pe r

‘
.
,

s o ns h o w e v e r are m o r e av e rs e to c o ntradic ti o n t h an th e s e s am e
, ,

d o gm atists Wh at sh ews o u r s u sc e p tibili ty o n t his p o i nt is th at

.
,

t h e r e is n o fl atte ry so adr o i t o r e f f e c t u al as t h at o f implici t ass en t .

A ny o ne h o w e v e r m ean hi s c ap aci ty o r ill qu alifi e d to j udg e

,
-

who giv e s way to all o u r s entim ents and n e v e r s ee ms t o thin k ,

b u t as we do is i nd e e d an a lter i dem — ano th e r s e lf ; and we

,

admit him wi th o u t scrupl e i nto o u r e nt ir e c o nfid e n c e y e a i nto , ,

”
o u r h e ar t o f h e arts .

I t is th e s am e in b o o ks Th o s e which u nd e r the disguis e o f

.
,

pl ai n sp eaki ng v e nt p ar ad o x e s and se t th e ir f ac e s agai ns t the

-

, ,

c o mm o n s e ns e o f m anki nd are ne i th e r the v o l u m e s

-
,

h ri c h th e sh o p s
t at e n ,

T h at p as s wi th ap p r o b at i o n t h ro u gh th e l an d ;
l

n o r, I fe ar ,
c an it b e add ed
T h at b ri n g t h e i r au t h o rs an i m m o r tal f am e .
”

Th ey e xci te a cl am o u r and O pp o si ti o n at first and are in ge ne r al ,

s o o n c o nsig ne d to o blivi o n Ev e n i f t he o pi ni o n s are in the e nd

.

ad o p te d th e au th o rs g ai n li ttl e by it and th e ir n am e s r e m ai n in
, ,
 O N DI SA G R EEA B L E PE O P L E 26 5

th eir o rigi nal o bl o q u y ; f o r the public will o wn n o o bligati o ns to

such u ngr aci o u s b ene fact o rs I n lik e m anne r t he re are m any
.
,

b o o ks wri tten in a v ery d e ligh t f u l v e i n th o u gh wi t h li ttl e in ,

t h e m and th at are acc o rdin gly p o pul ar

,
Th e ir pri ncipl e is to .

pl e as e and no t to o ffend ; and th e y succ ee d in b o th o bj e c t s

,
.

W e are c o nt ente d wi t h the d e fe r enc e sh o w n to o u r f ee li ngs f o r

th e tim e and gr an t a truc e b o t h t o wit and wisd o m
,
T he .

“ ”
co ur teo u s r ead e r and the g o o d n at ur e d au t h o r are w e ll -

m atch e d in this i n s tanc e and fi nd th e ir acc o u n t in mu t u al t e nd e r

,
’
ne ss an d f o rb e ar an c e to e ach o t h e r s infi rm it ie s I am no t sur e . IO

’
t h at W alt o n s A ngl e r is no t a b o o k o f this l ast d e scripti o n

T h at d al l i e s wi t h th e i nno c e n c e of t h o u gh t ,

”
L i k e the o ld age .

H o bb e s and M and e vill e in the

pp o sit e e xtr e m e and h av e
are o ,

m e t wi th a c o rr e sp o nd e n t f at e The T at l e r and S p e c tat o r are

.
1 5
in the go ld e n m ean c arry in s truc t i o n as f ar as it c an go with o u t
,

sh o ck in g and giv e the m o st e xquisi te pl e asur e with o u t o ne

,

p articl e o f p ai n D esire p lease a mi y o u w ill

.
,

i s a m axim e qu ally applic abl e to the s t udy o r the dr aw in g ro o m -

.

Thus als o we see acto rs o f v e ry sm all pr ete nsi o ns and who ,

h av e sc arce any o th e r m e ri t t h an th at o f b e i ng o n go o d t e rms

wi th th e ms e lv e s and in high go o d hum o ur wi t h th e ir p arts
,

( th o ugh t hey h ardly u nd e rs tan d a wo rd o f th e m ) who are u ni ,

v e rs al fav o u ri te s wi th the audi enc e O th e rs who are m as te rs o f .

,

t h e ir art and in wh o m no slip o r fl aw c an b e d e te ct e d yo u h av e

, ,

no pl e asur e in s e e in g fro m s o me thin g dry r e pulsiv e and u n c o n

, , ,

c iliat ing in th e ir m anne r ; and o u alm o st h ate th e v e ry m en ti o n

y
o f th e ir n am e s as an u nav aili ng app e al t o y o ur c an did d e cisi o n
,

in t h e ir fav o ur and as t ax ing yo u wi th i nj u s tic e f o r r e f u sin g it

,
.

We m ay o bs e rv e p ers o ns who s ee m to t ak e a p e culi ar d e ligh t 30

in the disagreea ble Th e y c atch all s o rts o f u n c o u t h t o ne s and
.

ge s t ure s the m ann e rs and di al e c t o f cl o wn s and h o yd en s and

, ,

aim at vulg ari ty as d e sp e r ate ly as o th e rs ape g e nt ili ty

[ This is .
 26 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

wh at is o ften u nd e rs to o d by a love of low lif e ] Th ey say the

m o s t u nw arr antabl e t hi ngs wi th o u t m e ani ng o r f ee li ng wh at
,

t h e y say . Wh at s tartl e s o r sh o cks o th e r p eo pl e is to t h e m a ,

sp o rt — an amusi ng e xci tem e nt — a fillip to th e ir c o ns ti tuti o ns ;

and fro m th e blu ntn e ss o f th e ir p e rc e p ti o ns and a c e rt ain wil ,

ful ne ss o f spiri t no t b e i ng abl e t o e nte r i n to the r e fi ne d and

,

agr ee abl e t hey m ak e a m e rit o f d e spisi ng e v e ry thi ng o f th e

,

kin d M asculi ne w o m e n f o r e x ampl e are th o s e who no t b ei ng

.
, , ,

disti nguish ed by the ch arms and d elic acy o f the sex af fe ct a ,

IO sup e ri o ri ty o v e r it by t hro wi ng asid e all d eco rum W e also fi nd .

ano th e r cl ass who c o n ti n u ally do and s ay wh at th ey o ught no t

, ,

and wh at t h e y do no t i nt end and who are g o v e r ne d alm o st e n

,

t irely by an i n st in ct o f abs u rdi ty O wi ng to a p e rv ersity o f

.

im agin ati o n o r irri tabili ty o f n e rv e the id ea th at a t hi ng is im

,

1
5 pr o p e r acts as a pro v o c ati o n to it : th e f e ar o f c o mmi tti ng a
blu nd e r i s so stro ng th at in t h eir agi tati o n t hey b elt o u t wh at
,

e v e r is u pp e rm o s t in th e ir min ds b e f o r e t h ey are aw ar e o f the

,

co n s e q u e nc e T he dr e ad o f so m et hi ng wro n g h au nt s and riv e ts

.

th e ir at tenti o n to it ; and an u n e asy m o rbid appr e h en sivene ss

,

o f t e mp e r t ak e s aw ay th e ir s e lf p o ss e ssi o n and hurri e s th e m

-
,

into th e v e ry mis tak e s t h ey are m o st anxi o u s to av o id .

If we l o o k ab o u t u s and ask who are the agr eeabl e and

,

dis agree abl e p eo pl e in the w o rld we sh all se e th at it d o e s no t

,

d e p end o n t h e ir virtu e s o r vic e s — th e ir u nd e rst an di ng o r stu

p idi ty
— but as much o n the d e gr e e o f pl e asure o r p ai n t h ey
s e e m to f ee l in o rdi nary s o ci al i n t erc o urs e Wh at signify all the .

go o d qu ali ti e s any o ne p o ss e sse s if he is no ne the b ette r f o r

,

th e m hims elf ? I f the c aus e is so d e ligh t ful the ef fe c t o ught to ,

’
b e so to o W e e nj o y a fri end s s o ci e ty o nly in pr o p o r ti o n as h e
.

30 i s s atisfi e d wi th o urs Ev en wit h o w ev e r it m ay s tar tl e is o nly

.
, ,

agr e e abl e as i t is sh e ath e d in go o d hum o ur Th e r e are a ki nd

-
.

o f z a telleet u a l sta mm erers who are d e liv e r e d o f th e ir go o d t h ings

'

wi th p ai n and e f fo r t ; and c o ns equ ently wh at co s ts th e m such

e vid e nt u ne asi ne ss d o e s no t imp art u n mix e d d e light to the
 268 . S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

c en sur e he d e fi e d d e dic ate d his C ain to S ir W al te r S co tt — a

,

pr e tty go dfat h e r to such a b antli ng

So m e p e rs o ns are o f so te az i ng and fidge t ty a t u rn o f mi nd ,

’
t h at t h ey do n o t giv e y o u a m o m e nt s r e st Ev e ry t hi ng go e s .

wr o ng wi t h t h e m Th e y c o mpl ai n o f a h e ad ach e o r the w eath e r

. .

Th e y t ak e u p a b o o k and lay it d o w n agai n — v e ntu r e an

,

o pin i o n an d r e t r act it b e f o r e t h ey h av e h alf d o ne — o f fe r to

,

s e rv e yo u and pr ev ent so m e o ne e ls e fro m d o i ng it I f y o u

, .

di ne wi th t h e m at a tav e rn in o rd e r to b e m o r e at y o ur eas e
, ,

IO th e fish is t o o li ttl e d o ne t he s auc e is no t th e right o ne ; t h ey

ask f o r a s o rt o f wi n e which t h ey thi nk is n o t to b e had o r if it ,

is af te r s o m e t r o ubl e pro cur e d do no t to uch it ; th ey gi v e the

, , ,

w ai te r fif ty c o n tradicto ry o rd e rs and are r e s tl ess and sit o n,

t h o rn s th e wh o l e o f di nne r tim e All this i s o wi ng to a w ant o f

-
.

ro bus t h eal th and o f a str o ng spi ri t o f enj o ym ent ; it is a f astid

,

i o us h abi t o f min d pr o duc e d by a v al etudi nary h abi t o f b o dy :

,

t hey are o u t o f s o r ts wi th e v e ry t hi ng and o f c o urs e th e ir ill ,

h u m o u r and c ap t i o us ne ss c o mmu nic ate s i t s e lf to yo u who are ,

as li tt l e d e ligh te d wi th th e m as t h ey are wi t h o t h e r t hi ngs .

20 A no t h e r so r t o f p eo pl e e qu ally o bj e cti o nabl e wi th t his h elpl ess

,

cl ass who are disco nce r te d by a sh o w e r o f r ai n o r s to pp e d by

,

’
an i n s e c t s wi ng are t h o s e who in t he o pp o sit e spiri t will h av e
, , ,

e v e ry t hi ng t h e ir o wn way and c ar ry all b e f o r e t h e m

,
who c an
n o t br o o k the sligh te s t sh ad o w o f o pp o si ti o n who are alw ays

5
2 in the h e at o f an argum ent — who k ni t th e ir bro ws and cl e nch
t h e ir t e e t h in s o m e sp e c u l ativ e discussi o n as if th ey w e r e eng age d ,

in a p ers o nal q u arr e l and wh o th o ugh succ e ssf u l o v e r alm o st

,

e v e ry c o mp e ti to r s e e m s t ill to re s ent the v e ry o ffe r o f r esist

,

an c e to t h e ir supp o s e d au th o rity and are as an gry as if t h e y h ad

,

30 sus tai ne d s o m e pr e m e di tat ed i nj ury Th e re is an im p ati en c e .

o f t e mp e r and an i nt o l e r anc e o f o pin i o n in this th at c o ncili at e s

n e i th e r o u r af fe c ti o n no r e s tee m T o such p e rs o n s no thi ng ap

.

p ears o f any m o m e nt but the i ndulg e nc e o f a d o mi nee ri ng i nte l

l e c tu al s u p e ri o ri ty to the disr egard and disc o m fi tu re o f th e ir o wn
 ON D I S A G R E E A B L E PE O P L E 269

’
and e v e ry b o dy e ls e s co m fo r t M o u nte d o n an abstr ac t pr o p o si
.

ti o n th ey tr ampl e o n e v e ry c o ur te sy and d ec en cy o f b eh avi o ur ;

,

and t h o u gh p e rh aps t h e y do n o t i nte n d t he gr o ss p e rs o n ali t i e s

, ,

th ey are g u il ty o f ye t t hey c anno t b e acqui tte d o f a w ant o f du e

'

c o nsid e r at i o n f o r o th e rs and o f an i n to l e r abl e e go tism in the

,

s u pp o r t o f tru th and j ustic e Yo u m ay h ear o ne o f th es e Q u ix

.

o tic d e cl aim e rs pl e adi ng t he c au s e o f hum an i ty in a v o ic e o f

thu nd e r o r e xp ati ati ng o n the b eau ty o f a G uid o wi t h f e atur e s

,

dis to r te d wi t h rage and sc o r n This is no t a v ery ami abl e o r .

e difyi ng sp e ct acl e . IO

Th e r e are p e rs o ns who c anno t m ak e fri ends Who are th ey ? .

Th o s e wh o c anno t b e fri e nds I t is no t the w an t o f u n d e rs tand

.

ing o r g o o d— natur e o f e n t e rt ai n i ng o r us e ful qu aliti e s th at y o u

, ,

c o mpl ai n o f : o n t he c o ntr ary t hey h av e pr o b ably m any p o i nts ,

o f at tr ac ti o n but t hey h av e o ne t h at ne u t r alis e s all th e s e th e y

c ar e no thi ng ab o ut yo u and are ne i th e r the b e t te r no r w o rs e f o r

,
'

wh at y o u thi nk o f th e m T h ey m anife st no j o y at y o ur appr o ach ;

.

and wh e n y o u l e av e t h e m it is wi t h a fee li ng t h at t h ey c an do
,

j ust as w ell with o ut yo u This is no t sull enne ss no r i ndi f fe r en c e

.
, ,
'

n o r abs e n c e o f mi n d ; b u t th e y are i n t e n t s o l e ly o n t h e ir o wn 2 0

th o u gh ts and yo u are m e r ely o ne o f the subj e cts t hey e x e rcis e

,

th em u p o n Th ey liv e in s o ci ety as in a s o litud e ; and h o w e v e r

.
,

th e ir br ai n w o rks th eir p u ls e b e ats ne i th e r f ast e r no r sl o w e r f o r

,

the c o mm o n accid e nt s o f lif e Th e re is th e r e fo r e s o m ethi ng

.
, ,

c o ld and re p u lsiv e in the air th at is ab o u t t h e m — lik e th at o f

m arbl e I n a w o rd th e y are m odern p ailosop/zers ; and the
.
,

m o d e r n phil o so ph e r is wh at the p e d ant was o f o ld — a b e i ng

who liv e s in a w o rld o f his o wn and has no c o rr e sp o n d e nc e wi t h ,

t his. I t is no t t h at such p e rs o ns h av e no t d o ne y o u s e rvic e s

o u ack no wl e dg e it ; i t i s n o t t h at t h e y h av e s aid s e v e r e thi ngs 3O
y
of ou o u s u bmit to it as a n e c e ss ary e vil : b u t it is th e c o o l
y y
m ann e r in which the wh o l e is d o ne t h at anno ys yo u the sp e c

u lating u p o n o u as i f w e r e n o b o dy — the r e g ardi ng y o u

y y o
, u ,

wi t h a vi e w to an exp e rim ent i n corp ore vili — the pri ncipl e o f

 2 7o S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

diss e cti o n — the d e t e r mi nati o n to sp ar e no bl e mish e s — to cut

o u d o w n to y o ur r e al st and ard — in sh o r t th e u tte r abs e nc e
y ,

o f th e p ar ti ali ty o f fri e ndship the bli n d e n t h u si asm o f af fe c t i o n

, ,

o r th e d e lic acy o f c o mm o n d e c e n cy
“
t h at w h e th e r t h e y
,
he w

5 y o u as a c arc as e fi t f o r h o u nds o r c arv e y o u as a dish fi t f o r

,

”
the g o ds ,
th e O p e r at i o n o n y o ur f ee li ngs and y o u r s e n s e o f o bli

a tio n is j u s t th e s am e a n d wh e th e r t h e y are d e m o n s o r ang els

g ,

in th e ms e lv e s yo u wish th e m e q u ally a t Me dev il !

,

O th e r p e rs o n s o f w o r th and s ens e giv e way to m e r e vi o l e nc e

( O o f t e mp e r am e n t
( wi t h which t he u n d e rs tan di n g h as n o t hi ng t o

do ) — are b u r nt up with a p e rp e tu al f u ry — r e p e l and thr o w

o u to a dis tan c e by th e ir r e stl e ss whirli ng m o t i o n — s o th at
y ,

o u d ar e no t go n e ar th e m o r f e e l as u ne asy in th e ir c o mp any
y ,

as if y o u s to o d o n th e e dg e o f a v o lc an o T hey h av e th e ir zem
.
‘

5 p ara m ollia f a i i di ; but th e n wh at a s tir m ay y o u n o t e xp ec t the

n e x t m o m en t ! N o t hi ng is l e ss i nvi t i ng o r l e ss c o mf o r tabl e t h an

this s tate o f u n c e r tai nty and appr e h en si o n Th e n th e r e are t h o s e .

who ne v e r appr o ach y o u wi th o u t th e m o s t al armi ng advic e o r

i n fo rm at i o n te lli ng y o u th at yo u are in a dyi ng w ay o r t h at y o ur
, ,

aff airs are o n th e p o i n t o f r u i n by w ay o f disb u r t h en i ng t h e ir

,

c o nsci e nc e s ; and o th e rs who giv e y o u to u nd e rs tan d m u ch the

,

s am e t hi ng as a go o d j o k e o u t o f sh ee r imp e r ti ne nc e c o nstitu
, ,

t io nal viv aci ty and w an t o f s o m e t hi ng t o s ay

,
All th e s e it mus t
.
,

b e c o nf e ss e d are dis agr e e abl e p eo pl e an d y o u r e p ay t h e ir o v e r

,

5 anxi e ty o r to tal fo rg e tf u l n e ss o f y o u by a d ete rmi nati o n to c u t

’
,

t h e m as sp ee dily as p o ssibl e W e m e e t wi t h i ns tan ce s o f p e rs o n s

.

who o v e rp o w e r y o u by a s o rt o f b o is te ro u s mir th and rud e

anim al spiri t s w i th wh o s e o rdi nary s tate o f e xci te m en t it is as
,

i mp o ssibl e to k e e p u p as wi th th at o f any o ne r e ally i nto xic ate d ;

and w i th o th e rs who s e e m sc arc e aliv e who t ak e no pl e asur e
o r i nt e r e s t in any t hi ng wh o are b o r n to e x e m plify the m axim ,

N o t to a d m i r e i s all th e art I k n o w
To m ak e m e n h ap py o r t o k e e p t h e m
, so ,
”

and w ho s e m awkish i ns ensibili ty or s u ll e n sc o r n are e qu ally

272 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

Th e r e are a v as t nu mb e r who are dis agr e e abl e fr o m m eanne ss

o f spirit d o w n righ t i ns o l e n c e fr o m sl o v e nli n e ss o f dr e ss o r dis
, ,

gus t i ng tricks fr o m f o lly o r igno r anc e : b u t th e s e c aus e s are

,

p o si t iv e m o ral o r physic al d e f e c t s and I o nly m ean t to sp e ak o f ,

t h at re pu lsive ness o f m anne rs which aris e s fr o m w an t o f t act

and symp at hy wi th o t h e rs S o f ar o f fri endship : a w o rd if I

.
,

d u rs t o f l o v e G all ant ry t o w o m e n ( the s u r e r o ad to th eir

,
.

fav o ur) is n o thi ng b u t the app e ar anc e o f e x tr e m e d e v o t i o n

to all t h e ir w ants and wish e s — a d e light in th e ir s atisf ac ti o n ,

and a c o n fid e n c e in y o u rs e lf as b e i n g abl e t o c o ntribut e to w ards

,

it T h e sligh te s t i ndiff e r en c e wi t h r e gard to th e m o r dis tr u s t o f

.
,

y o urs el f are e q u ally fatal T he ami abl e is the v o l u p tu o u s in

,
.

l o o ks m anne r o r w o rds N o fac e t h at e xhibi ts t his ki n d o f

, ,
.

e xpr e ssi o n — wh e th e r liv e ly o r s e ri o us o bvi o u s o r suppr e ss e d , ,

will b e th o ugh t ugly —n o addr ess awkw ard — no l o v e r who ~

,
~

appr o ach e s e v e ry w o m an he m ee t s as his mis t r e ss will b e ,

u ns u cc e ssfu l D ifli denc e and awkward ne ss are the t wo ant i

.

d o te s t o l o v e .

T o pl e as e u niv e rs ally we mus t b e pl eas e d wi th o u rs e lv e s and

,

o t h e rs Th e r e sh o uld b e a t i ng e o f the c o xc o mb an o il o f s e lf
.
,

c o mpl ac ency an anticip ati o n o f s u cce ss — t h e r e sh o uld b e no

,

gl o o m n o m o r o s ene ss no shy ne ss — in sh o r t t h e r e sh o u ld b e
, , ,

v e ry li ttl e o f an Englishm an and a go o d d eal o f a Fr e nchm an ,

.

B u t t h o ugh I b e li e v e t his is th e r e c e ipt we are no ne th e near e r

, , ,

m aki ng u se o f it I t is imp o ssibl e f o r t h o s e who are natur ally

.

dis agr ee abl e e v e r to b e co m e o th e rwis e This is s o m e c o n s o l a .

t i o n as it m ay s av e a w o rld o f us e l e ss p ai n s and an xi e ty
,
.

”
D esire p lease a nd y o u will i 72fi zlli/2ly p lease
,
is a t ru e ,

m axim ; b u t it d o e s no t f o ll o w th at it is in the p o w e r o f all

t o pr ac t is e it A v ai n m an who t hi nks he is e nd e av o uri ng t o
.
,
'

pl e as e is o nly e nd e av o uri ng to shi ne and is s till f ar th e r fro m

, ,

the m ark A n irri tabl e m an who pu t s a ch e ck u p o n hims elf

.
, ,

o nly gro ws d u ll and l o s e s S piri t t o b e any thi ng

,
G o o d te mp e r .

and a h appy spiri t which are t he i ndisp e ns abl e r e q u isi te s ) c an

(
 O N D I S A G R E E A B L E PE O P L E 27 3

no m o re b e c o mm and e d th an g o o d h e al th o r go o d l o o ks ; and
th o ugh the pl ai n and sickly nee d no t disto rt t h e ir f eatur e s and
'

m ay abs tai n fro m e xc e ss this is all th ey c an do T he utm o s t a

,
.

dis agr eeabl e p e rs o n c an do is to h o p e to b e l e ss dis agr ee abl e th an

wi th c ar e and study he might b e c o m e an d to p ass u nno tice d , 5
in s o ci ety Wi t h this n eg at iv e ch ar ac t e r h e sh o uld b e c o nte nt e d
.
,

and m ay build his fam e and h appi ne ss o n o t h e r t hi ngs .

I will c o nclud e wi th a ch ar act e r o f m en who nei th e r pl eas e

no r aspir e to pl e as e anyb o dy and wh o c an c o m e in no wh e re so
,

pro p e rly as at the f ag e nd o f an e ss ay

-
I m ean t h at cl ass o f 1c

disc o nt ente d but amusi ng p e rso ns who are i nfatu at e d with th eir
,

o wn ill succ e ss and r e duc e d to d e sp air by a lucky tur n in t h e ir

,

f av o ur Whil e all g o e s w e ll th ey are like fi slz 02d of w ater

.
,
.

Th ey h av e no r eli anc e o n o r symp athy wi t h th e ir go o d f o r t u ne ,

and l o o k up o n it a s a m o m e nt ary d e l u si o n Le t a do u b t b e
. 1

t hr o w n o n the qu e s t i o n and th e y b e gi n to b e full o f liv e ly

,

appr e h e nsi o n s ag ai n : le t all th e ir h o p e s v an ish and t hey f ee l ,

th e ms e lv e s o n firm gr o u nd o n c e m o r e Fr o m w ant o f spirit o r

.

o f h abi t th e ir im agi nat i o n s c ann o t ris e ab o v e th e lo w gr o u n d o f

,

h u mility — c anno t r e fl e c t the gay fl au nting ti n ts o f the f an cy

,
2

fl ag and dr o o p i nt o d e sp o nd e ncy and c an n e i th e r i n d u lg e th e

e x p e ct ati o n no r e mpl o y the m e an s o f s u cc e ss

, Ev e n wh e n it is
.

wi thi n th e ir r e ach th ey d ar e no t lay h an ds up o n it ; and shri n k

,

fr o m u nl o o k e d f o r b u rs t s O f pr o sp e ri ty as s o m e thin g O f which
-
,

t h e y are b o th ash am e d and u nw o r thy T he cl ass o f cro a kers

.
0

’
h e r e sp o k en o f are l e ss d eligh te d at o th e r p eo pl e s misfo r tu ne s
t h an t h e ir o wn Th eir n eighbo u rs m ay h av e s o m e pr e te nsi o ns
.

t h ey h av e n o ne Qu erul o us c o m pl ai nt s and anticip ati o n s o f

.

pl e asur e are the f o o d o n which th ey liv e ; and th ey at l as t ac

q u ire a p assi o n f o r th at which i s th e fav o u ri te t h e m e o f t h e i r 3
t h o ughts and c an no m o r e do with o u t i t t h an wi th o u t the p in ch
,

o f s n uff wi t h which t h e y s e as o n t h e ir c o nv e rs at i o n and e nliv e n ,

the p aus e s o f th e ir d aily pro g no s t ics .

 —
O N A S UN D IAL

c arv e di als q u ai nt ly p o i nt b y p o i nt S H A K ES P EA RE
”
To out , . .

o
' '

H ora s 72072 n u m er m o t t o o f a su n di al
nzsz serenas is th e -

ne ar V e nic e Th e r e i s a s o f tne ss and a h arm o ny in the w o rds

.

and in t he t h o ugh t u n p ar all e l e d O f all c o n c e i ts it is sur e ly the

.

”
m o st cl assic al I c o u nt o nly the h o urs t h at are s e re ne Wh at
. .

a bl and and c ar e disp e lli ng f ee li ng !

-
H o w the sh ad o ws s ee m to
f ad e o n the di al pl ate as the sky l o u rs and tim e pr es e nt s o nly a
-
,

bl ank u nl e ss as its pr o gr e ss is m ark e d by wh at is j o yo u s and all ,

th at is no t h appy si nks i nto o blivi o n ! Wh at a fi ne l e ss o n is c o n

(O ve y e d t o the min d — to t ak e no n o t e o f tim e b u t by it s b e ne fi t s ,

to w at ch o nly f o r t he smil e s and n egl e c t the fr o w n s o f f at e t o ,

c o mp o s e o u r liv e s o f brigh t and g entl e m o m e nts t u r ni ng alw ays ,

t o t he s u nny sid e o f t hi ngs and l e t ti ng t he r e s t sli p fr o m o u r

,

im agi nati o n s u nh ee d e d o r f o rgo tte n ! H o w di f fere nt fr o m the

,

‘5 c o mm o n art O f s elf to rm enti ng ! Fo r mys e lf as I r o d e al o ng

-
,

th e Br e nt a whil e t he s u n sh o ne h o t u p o n it s sl u ggish slimy

, ,

w av e s my s en s ati o n s w e r e f ar fr o m co mfo r tabl e ; b u t t he r e ad

,

ing this i nscrip t i o n o n th e sid e o f a gl ari ng w all in an i ns tant

r e s to r e d m e to mys e lf ; and s till w h ene v e r I t hi nk o f o r r e p e at
,

’
0 it it h as th e p o w e r o f w af ti ng m e i nto th e r e gi o n o f pur e and
,

blissful abs tr ac ti o n I c anno t h elp fancyi ng it to b e a l eg end Of

.

P o pish s u p e rs ti ti o n S o m e m o nk o f t he d ark age s m u s t h av e

.

i nv e nte d and b e q u eath e d it to us who l o i te ri ng in trim gard en s , ,

and w atchi ng the sil e n t m arch o f tim e as his fr u i t s rip e n e d in ,

2
5 the s u n o r hi s fl o w e rs sc e nte d th e b almy air f el t a mild l ang u o r ,

p erv ad e his s e n s e s and h avi ng li ttl e to do o r to c ar e f o r d e te r

, ,

mi ned ( in imi tati o n O f his su n di al ) to e ffac e t h at li t tl e fro m his

-

274
 2 76 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

d e fe ct iv e o f all I ts cree pi ng s ands are no t i nd e e d ah u napt

'

e mbl e m o f t he mi nut e co u ntl e ss p o rti o n s o f o u r e xis te nc e ;

,

and th e m anne r in which t h e y gr adu ally slid e thr o u gh th e ho l

lo w gl ass and dimi nish in numb e r t ill no t a si ngl e o ne is l e f t ,

als o illustr at e s th e way in which o u r y e ars slip fr o m us by

st eal th : but as a m ech anic al i nv enti o n it is r ath e r a hi ndran ce ,

t h an a h e lp f o r it r e quir e s t o h av e t he t im e o f which it pre

, ,

t e nds t o c o u n t th e pr e ci o us m o m e nt s t ak e n u p in att e nt i o n t o,

i ts elf and in s eei ng th at wh en o ne end o f the gl ass i s e mp ty

, ,

[O we tur n it ro u nd in o rd e r th at it m ay go o n ag ain o r e ls e all

, ,

o u r l ab o ur i s l o s t and we must w ait f o r s o m e o t h e r m o d e

,

o f asc e r tai ni ng th e t im e b e f o r e we c an r e c o v e r o u r r e ck o ni ng

and pr o c ee d as b e f o r e T he phil o s o ph e r in his c e ll the c o ttage r

.
.

at he r spi nn in g wh e e l mus t h o w e v e r fi nd an i nv alu abl e acqui

-
, ,

”
[
5 sitio n in this c o mp ani o n o f the l o ne ly h o u r as it has b ee n ,

1
c all ed which no t o nly s e rv e s to t ell ho w the t im e go e s but to
, ,

fill up its v ac an ci e s Wh at a t r e as u re must n o t the littl e b o x

.

s ee m to h o ld as if it w e r e a s acr e d d e p o si t o f t he v e ry grai ns
.

and fl ee tin g s an ds o f lif e ! Wh at a busi ne ss in li e u o f o th e r ,

m o r e imp o rtant av o c ati o ns to see it o u t to the l ast s an d and

, ,

th en to r ene w the pro c e ss agai n o n t he i ns tant th at th e r e m ay ,

n o t b e th e l e ast fl aw o r e rr o r in t he acc o u n t ! Wh at a s tr o ng
s e ns e m u st b e br o ugh t h o m e to the mi nd o f the v alu e and irre
c o v e r abl e natu re o f the tim e th at is fl e d ; wh at a thrilli ng inc es ,

s ant c o nsci o u s ne ss o f the slipp e ry ten ur e by which we h o ld

wh at r e m ai n s O f it ! O u r v e ry e xis tenc e must s e e m crumbli ng
to ato ms and ru n ni n g d o w n ( wi th o u t a mir acul o us r e pri e v e )
,

to the l as t fr agm e n t Dus t to dus t and ash e s to ash e s is a

.
“ ”

t e xt t h at migh t b e f airly i nscrib e d o n an h o u r gl ass : it is o rdi -

’
n arily ass o ci ate d wi th th e scy th e O f Tim e and a D e ath s h e ad -
,

as a M emento m ori ; and h as no d o u b t furn ish e d m any a tacit , ,

1 O nc e m o re c o mp an i o n o f
, th e lo ne ly h o u r ,

I ll t u r n th e e u p ag ai n ”
’
.

B loong
fl e ld ’
s P o ems Tli e Widow t o lze r H ou r-gla ss
 ON A S U N D IA L
-
2 77

hi nt to the appr eh e nsiv e and visi o nary thusi ast

en in fav o ur
of a r e surr e cti o n to ano th e r lif e !
T he Fr e nch giv e a diff e re n t turn to t hi ngs l e ss so m ore and ,

l e ss e difyi ng A co mm o n and als o a v e ry pl e asi ng o r nam e nt to

.

a cl o ck in P aris is a figur e O f T im e s e ate d in a b o at which 5

, ,

’
C upid i s r o wi ng al o ng wi th the m o tto L A m o nr f a iz passer le ‘
, ,

Tems — which the wi t s ag ai n h av e tr av e sti e d i nt o Le Tem s f a il

’
passer L A m o u r All this is i ngen i o u s and w e ll ; b u t it w ant s
.

s entim en t I lik e a p eo pl e who h av e s o m e thi ng th at th ey l o v e

.

and s o m e t hi ng th at th ey h at e and wi t h wh o m e v e ry thi ng i s no t 1 0

,

alik e a m att e r o f i ndiffe r en c e o r p o u r p asser le lems T he Fr e n ch .

att ach no imp o rt anc e to any t hi ng e xc e pt f o r th e m o m e n t ; th e y

,

are o nly t hi nki n g ho w th e y sh all ge t ri d o f o ne s e n s at i o n f o r

ano th e r ; all th e ir id e as are i n i ra nsil u Ev e ry thi ng is d e t ach e d

.
,
‘

no thing is accumul at e d I t w o uld b e a milli o n O f y e ars b e fo re 1 5

.

a Fr e nchm an w o uld thi nk O f the H oras non n u mero nis i serenas .

I ts imp assi o ned r e p o s e and idea l v o lu ptu o us ne ss are as f ar fro m

th eir br e asts as the p o et ry o f th at li ne in S hak spe are H ow
sw ee t the m o o nlight sl ee ps u p o n th at b ank I Th ey ne v e r arriv e
at the cl assic al — o r t he r o m ant ic T h ey blo w t he bubbl e s o f 2 0
.

v ani ty fashi o n and pl eas u r e ; bu t t hey do n o t exp and t h eir per

, ,

c e ptio ns i nt o r e fi ne m e n t o r str e n g t h e n th e m i nt o s o lidi ty

,
Wh e r e .

t h e r e is n o thi ng fi ne in t he gr o u n d w o rk o f the im agi nati o n-

,

n o thi ng fi ne in the sup e rstructur e c an b e pro duc e d Th e y are .

ligh t airy f anciful ( to giv e th e m th e ir du e) — b u t wh en t h e y 2 5

'

, ,

( )
at t e m p t to b e s e ri o us b e y o nd m e r e g o o d s en s e th ey are e i t h e r

d u ll o r e xtr av agant Wh en the v o l atil e s alt has fl o w n o ff no thi ng

.
,

but a eap nz m ortnu m r e m ai ns Th ey h av e i nfi ni te cr o tch e ts and

‘
.

c apric e s wi t h th e ir cl o cks and w atch e s which s e e m m ad e f o r ,

an t hi n g b u t to t e ll the h o ur — g o ld r ep e at e rs w a t ch e s wi th 30
-
y ,

m e tal c o v e rs cl o cks wi th h ands to c o u nt the s e co n ds Th e r e is no

,
.

e sc api ng fr o m qu ack e ry and im p e r t i ne n c e e v en in o u r at t e m p t s ,

to c alcul at e th e w as t e o f tim e T he y ears gall o p f as t e no u gh f o r

.

m e wi th o u t r e m arki ng e v e ry m o m e nt as i t fli e s ; and far th e r

, ,
 2 78 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT
.

I mus t say I dislik e a w at ch ( wh eth e r o f French o r Engli sh

m an ufac t ure ) th at c o m e s to m e like a fo o tp ad wi th it s face
m u f fl e d and d o e s no t pr e s e nt its cl e ar o p e n asp e ct lik e a
, ,

fri en d and p o i nt wi th it s fi nge r t o t h e t im e o f day All t his

, .

O p en i n g and shu tt i n g o f dull h e avy c as e s , ( u n d e r pr e te nc e th at

th e gl a ss lid is li abl e t o b e br o k en o r l e t s in th e d u s t o r air and

-
,

o bs t r u c t s th e m o v e m e nt o f th e w at ch
) is n o t to h u sb an d t im e
, ,

b u t to giv e tr o ubl e I t is m e r e p o m p o si ty and s e lf imp o r tanc e

.
-
,

lik e c o n sul ti ng a myst eri o us o racl e t h at o ne c arri e s ab o u t wi t h

’
[ O o ne in o ne s p o ck e t i ns te ad o f aski ng a c o mm o n q u e s t i o n o f an
,

acqu ai ntan c e o r c o m p an i o n Th e r e are two cl o cks which strik e

.

the h o u r in th e r o o m wh e r e I am This I do n o t lik e I n th e

. .

firs t pl ac e I do no t w an t to b e r e mi n d e d twic e h o w the t im e

,

go e s ( it is lik e the s e c o n d tap o f a s aucy s e rv an t at y o u r d o o r

wh en p e rh aps yo u h av e no wish to ge t u p ) : in the ne x t pl ace ,

it is s tar ti ng a di f f e re n c e o f o pi n i o n o n th e s u bj e c t and I am ,

av e rs e to e v e ry app e ar an c e o f wr angli ng and disp u t at i o n Tim e .

m o v e s o n the s am e wh ate v e r disp ari ty t h e r e m ay b e in o u r

,

m o d e o f k e e pi ng c o u nt o f it lik e tru e f am e in S pi te o f the

,

c avils and c o ntr adic t i o ns o f the cri tics I am no fri end to re .

p e a t in g w at ch e s . T h e o nly pl e as an t ass o ci at i o n I h av e wi th

t h e m is the acc o u n t giv e n by R o uss e au O f s o m e Fr e n ch l ady ,

wh o sat u p r e adi ng th e [ Vew H eloise wh e n it firs t c am e o u t and ,

o rd e ri ng h e r m aid to s o u n d t he r e p e ate r fo u n d it was to o l at e ,

to go to b e d an d c o nt i nu e d r e adi ng o n t ill m o r ni ng
,
Ye t ho w .

di f fe r ent is the i nter e s t e xci ted by this s to ry fro m the acco u n t

which R o u ss e au s o m e wh e re els e giv e s O f his si tti ng u p wi th his
f ath e r r e adi ng r o m anc e s wh en a b o y t ill th ey w e r e s tar tl e d by
, ,

t he s wall o w s twi tt e ri ng in th e ir ne s ts at day br e ak and t he f ath e r -

3 0 cri e d o u t,
h a lf a n gry an d a sh am e d — A llo ns m o n fi ls ; 7e s nis
“
,

p lu s enf a nz one toi l I n g e ne r al I h av e h eard r e p e ati ng w atch e s

‘
,

s o u n d e d in s tag e co ach e s at nigh t wh e n s o m e f ell o w tr av e ll e r

-
,
-

sudd e nly aw aki ng and w o nd eri ng wh at w as the h o u r ano th e r ,

h as v e ry d e lib e r ate ly t ak en o u t his w atch and pr e ssi n g the

.

,
 2 80 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

t al e of th er tim e s T he d ays t h at are p ast the g ener at i o ns

o .
,

th at are go ne the t an gl e d fo r e st gl ad e s and h aml et s bro w n o f

,

’
my nati v e c o u ntry the w o o dsm an s art the N o rm an w arri o r
, ,

’
arm e d f o r th e b at tl e o r in his f e s t iv e h all t he c o nqu e r o r s iro n ,

’
r u l e and p e as an t s l amp e x ti nguish e d all s tar t u p at the cl am ,

o ro u s p e al and fill my mi nd wi t h f e ar and w o nd e r

,
I c o nfe ss .
,

no thi ng at pr e s en t i n t e r e sts m e b u t wh at h as b ee n the rec o l

l e c ti o n o f the impr e ssi o ns o f my e arly life o r e v ent s l o ng p as t , ,

o f which o n ly t he dim t r ac e s r e m ai n in a sm o u ld e ri ng rui n o r

h alf o bs o l ete cust o m Th at tlzi ngs sno nld oe t/z at a re now no more
-
.
,

cr eate s in my mi nd t he m o s t u nfe igne d as to n ishm ent ; I c anno t

s o lv e the mys te ry o f the p as t no r e xh aus t my pl e asur e in it
, .

T he y e ars th e g ene r at i o n s t o c o m e are no thi ng to m e W e

, ,
.

c ar e no m o r e ab o u t the w o rld in the y e ar 2 3 0 0 th an w e do

ab o u t o n e o f t he pl ane t s Ev e n G eo rg e I V is b e t ter t h an the
. .

Earl o f Wi nds o r We might as w e ll m ak e a v o y ag e to th e m o o n

.

as thi n k o f s t e ali n g a m arch u p o n Tim e wi t h imp u ni ty D e n on .

app a renti ons et no n ex istentions ea dem est ra ti o Th o s e who are .

t o c o m e af te r us and p u sh us fr o m th e s tag e s ee m lik e ups tar t s

’0 and pr e te n d e rs th at m ay b e s aid t o e xist i n o a eno we k no w n o t
, ,

u p o n wh at e xc e pt as th e y are bl o w n u p wi th v ai n and s elf c o n

,

c e it by th e ir p at r o n s am o ng t he m o d e rn s Bu t the anci ent s are .

t r u e and 2072227 2722 p eo pl e to wh o m we are b o u n d by aggr e gate

,

k no wl e dg e and fili al t i e s and in wh o m s ee n by th e m ell o w ligh t

,

o f his t o ry we f e e l o u r o wn e xis te nc e d o ubl e d and o u r prid e c o n

so l e d as we rumi nate o n th e v e s tige s o f th e p as t T he public

,
.

in g e ne r al h o w e v e r do no t c arry this sp e cul ativ e i ndiffe r enc e

, ,

ab o u t th e f u t u r e to wh at is to h app e n to t h e ms e lv e s o r to the ,

p ar t t h e y are to ac t in t he busy sc e ne Fo r my o wn p ar t I do ; .
,

30 and t he o nly wish I c an f o rm o r t h at e v e r pr o mp t s th e p assi ng

,

sigh w o uld b e to liv e s o m e o f my y ears o v e r again — th ey

,

w o u ld b e th o s e in which I enj o y e d and s u ffe r e d m o st !

T h e t icki ng O f a cl o ck in the nigh t has n o thi ng v e ry i nte r e st
ing no r v e ry al armi ng in it t h o ugh s u p e rs ti ti o n has m ag nifi e d it
,
 ON —
A S U N D IA L 28 1

i n to m en I n a s tate o f vigil anc e o r d e bili ty i t pr eys u p o n

an o .
,

the S pi ri t s lik e t he p e rs e cu ti o n o f a t e az i ng p e r t i naci o us i ns e c t ;

and h au nt i ng th e im agi nati o n af te r i t h as c e as e d in r e ali ty is ,

c o nv e r te d i nto the d e at h w atch Tim e is r e nd er ed v ast by c o n

-
.

te m plating it s mi nu te p o r t i o ns th u s r e p e at e dly and p ain fully urg e d

u p o n its at tent i o n as the o c ean in its imm ensi ty is c o m p o s e d o f

,

w ate r dro ps A cl o ck s t riki ng wi t h a cl ear and silv e r s o u n d is a

-
.

gre at r e li e f in such circums tanc e s br eaks the S p ell and r e s e mbl e s

, ,

a sylph lik e and f ri e ndly spiri t in th e r o o m

-
F o r e ig ne rs wi t h all
.
,

th e ir tricks and c o ntriv anc e s up o n cl o cks and tim e pi e c e s are I O -

,

s tr ange rs to the s o u n d o f vill ag e b e lls t h o ugh p e rh aps a p eo pl e

-
,

th at c an d anc e m ay disp ens e wi t h t h e m Th e y imp ar t a p ensiv e .

,

w ayw ard pl e asur e to the mi nd and are a kin d O f chro no l o gy o f

,

h appy e v ents o f ten s e ri o us in th e r e tr o sp e ct birt hs m arri age s

, , ,

and so for t h
” ’
C o l e ridg e c alls th e m
. th e p o o r m an s o nly m u sic .

A vill ag e spir e in Engl and p e e pi ng fro m its cl u s te r o f t r ee s is

-

alw ays ass o ci ate d in im agi n at i o n wi t h t his ch e e rf u l ac c o m pani

m e nt and m ay b e e xp e c te d to p o ur its j o y o us t idin gs o n the

,

gal e I n C ath o lic co u ntri e s yo u are stu nne d wi th the e v e rl as t i ng

.
,

t o lli ng o f b e lls to pr ay ers o r f o r the d e ad I n th e A p enn i ne s .

,

an d o t h e r wild and m o u n tai no u s distric t s o f I taly the lit tl e ch ap e l ,

b ell wi th its simpl e ti nkli ng s o u n d h as a r o m an tic and ch armi ng

e f fe ct T he M o nks in f o rm e r tim e s app ear to h av e t ak en a prid e :

in the c o n structi o n o f b e lls as w e ll as church e s ; and s o m e o f

t h o s e o f t he gr e at c ath e dr als abr o ad ( as at C o l o g ne and R o u en)

m ay b e f airly s aid t o b e h o ars e with c o u n ti ng the flight o f ag e s .

T h e chim e s in H o ll and are a nu is anc e T h e y d anc e in th e h o urs .

and t he qu ar te rs Th e y l e av e no r e spi te t o the i m agi nati o n Be

. .

fo r e o ne set has d o ne ri ngi ng in y o ur ears ano th e r b e gi ns Yo u ,

.

do no t k no w wh et h e r the h o urs m o v e o r st an d s t ill go b ack 30 ,

w ard s o r fo rw ards so f antas t ic al and p e rpl e xi ng are t h e ir ae c o m

,

p a n im e nt s T im e is a
. m o r e s t aid p e rs o nag e a n d n o t so f u ll o f ,

gamb o ls I t puts yo u in mi nd o f a tu ne wi t h v ari ati o ns o r o f

.
,

an e mbr o id e r e d dr e ss S ur e ly no thi ng is m o r e simpl e th an tim e

.
,
.
 282 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

H is m arch is str aightfo rw ard ; but we sh o uld h av e l e isur e all o w e d

u s t o l o o k b ack u p o n th e dist anc e we h av e c o m e and no t b e ,

c o u nti ng his s te ps e v e ry m o m en t Tim e in H o ll and is a fo o lish .

o ld f e ll o w wi t h all t h e antics o f a y o u th who go e s to church ,

in a c o rant o and ligh ts his pip e in a ci nqu e p ac e — ”

The chim e s .
,

wi th us o n t he c o ntr ary as t h ey c o m e in e v e ry t hr ee o r f o ur
, ,

h o urs are lik e st age s in the j o u rney o f the day Th e y giv e

,
.

a fillip t o th e l az y cr ee pi ng h o u rs and r e li e v e th e l assit u d e o f

, ,

c o u nt ry pl ac e s A t n o o n t h e ir d e s u l to ry trivi al s o ng is diffus e d
-
.
, ,

IO thr o ugh the h aml e t wi th the O d o ur o f r ash e rs o f b aco n ; at the

cl o s e O f day th ey s end the t o il w o rn sl e e p e rs to th e ir b e ds
.
-
.

Th e ir disc o nti nu anc e w o uld b e a gr eat l o ss to the thi nki ng

o r u n t hi n ki ng p u blic M r W o rdsw o r th has p ai nte d t h e ir e ffe ct
. .

o n th e mi n d wh e n he m ak e s his fri e n d M atth e w in a fit o f ,

i nspir e d do t age ,

S i ng th o s e w i tty rhym e s
A b o u t t h e c r az y O ld ch u rc h cl o c k -

A nd t h e b e wilde r d c h i m e s
’ ”
.

T he t o lli ng o f the b e ll f o r d e aths and e x e cuti o ns is a fearfu l

20 summ o ns th o ugh as it ann o u nc e s no t the adv anc e o f tim e b u t
, , ,

th e appr o ach o f f at e it h appily m ak e s n o p art o f o u r s u bj e c t

,
.

”
O th e rwis e th e s o u n d o f the b ell f o r M ac he ath s e x e cuti o n in
,
’

”’
t he Be ggar s O p e r a o r f o r t h at o f the C o nspir ato rs in V e nic e
,

” ’
P r e s e rv e d wi th the ro ll o f th e dr u m at a s o ldi e r s f u ne ral an d
, ,

a digr e ssi o n to t h at o f my U ncl e T o by as it i s so fi ne ly de ,

scrib e d by S te r ne w o uld f u r nish ampl e to pics to d e scant u p o n

,
.

If I w e r e a m o r alis t I migh t dis appr o v e the ringi ng in the new

,

and ri ngi ng o u t th e O ld y e ar .

Why d an c e y e, m o r tal s ,
’
o e r th e gr av e of Tim e ? ”

’
30 S t . lls o nly f o r the d e ath o f o u r English ki ngs o r
P aul s b e ll to ,

1
a dis ti ng u ish e d p e rs o nage o r two wi t h l o ng i n t erv als b e tw e en , .

1 Ro u sse au dmirably d e scrib e d

h as a th e e ff e c t of b e lls o n th e im ag i nat i o n in
a p ass ag e in t h e C o n f e ssi o n s b e g i nn i ng
“ ’
Le dos eloe/zes szngn lzere
' '

,
s on 7n a /ou rs
t on
nze n t a
fl e et é, ” & C .
 2 84 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

Idlene ss to m elt d o wn h o urs to m o m en ts P e rh aps s o m e such

.

th o ugh t s as I h av e h er e set d o w n fl o at b e fo re m e lik e m o te s

b e f o re my h alf— S hut e y e s o r s o m e vivid im age O f th e p as t by
,

fo rcibl e c o ntrast rush e s by m e Di ana and he r f aw n and all ,

the gl o ri e s o f the an t iqu e w o rld ; th en I start aw ay t o pr ev en t

the ir o n fr o m en t e rin g my s o u l and le t f all s o m e t e ars i n to t h at
,

s t re am o f t im e which s e p arate s m e f arth e r and far th e r fro m all

I o nc e l o v e d ! A t l ength I r o us e mys e lf fr o m my r ev e ri e and ,

h o m e to di nne r pr o ud o f killin g tim e wi th th o ugh t nay e v en

, ,

1 0 wi t h o ut t hin k in g . So m e wh at o f this idl e hum o ur I in h eri t fr o m

my fath er th o ugh he had no t the s am e free d o m fr o m ennu i
, ,

f o r h e was n o t a m e t aphysici an ; and t h e r e w e r e s to ps and

v ac an t int e rv als in his b e in g which he did n o t k no w ho w to fill
u p H e us ed in th e s e c as e s and as an o bvi o us r e s o urc e c are
.
, ,

I
S fu lly t o wi n d up his w atch a t n ight a n
,
d wi t h l ack —
lustr e eye
’
m o re th an o n c e in t he c o urs e o f th e day l o o k to s ee wh at o cl o ck
it was Yet he h ad n o thin g e ls e in his ch arac te r in c o mm o n
”

with t he e ld e r M r S h andy W e re I to at te mp t a sk e tch o f him

. .
,

’
f o r my o wn o r the r ead e r s s at isfac ti o n it w o u ld b e afte r the
,

fo ll o wi ng m anne r : but no w I r e c o ll e ct I h av e d o ne So m e thi ng

,

o f t he ki n d o nc e b e fo r e and w e r e I t o r e s u m e the s u bj e ct h e r e
, ,

s o m e b at o r o wl o f a cri t ic wi th sp e ctacl e d gravi ty migh t S w e ar

, ,

I h ad s to l en th e w h o l e o f this Ess ay fro m mys e lf — o r ( wh at is

w o rs e) f ro m him ! S o I had b ette r let it go as it is .
 O N C A N T A N D H Y PO C R I S Y

I f to w e r e as e asy as
do to te a c h o t h e rs wh at w e r e g o o d t o b e d o n e ,

c h ap e ls h ad b e e n c h u rc h e s , an d p o o r m e n s c o ttag e s p ri n c e s p al ac e s
’ ’
.
”

M r Addis o n it is s aid was f o nd

.
, , of
tippli ng ; and C u rl it ,

is add e d wh en he c all e d o n him in the m o rn i ng u s e d to ask as

, ,

a p ar ticul ar f av o u r f o r a gl ass o f C anary by way o f i ngr ati ,

ati ng hims e lf and th at t he o t h e r migh t h av e a pr e te n c e to j o i n

,

him and fi nish th e b o ttl e H e fe ll a m artyr to this h abi t and

.
,

ye t ( s o m e p e rs o ns m o r e nice th an wis e e xcl ai m ) he d esire d th at ,

the y o u n g Earl o f W arwick might at te n d him o n his d e at h — b ed ,

”
to see ho w a C hristi an c o uld die ! I see no i n c o nsist ency no r
hyp o crisy in this A m an m ay b e a go o d C hris ti an a s o u n d
.
,

b e li ev e r and a si nc e re l o v e r o f virtu e and h av e n o twi thst an di ng

, , , ,

o ne o r m o r e f aili n gs I f he had r e c o mm end e d it to o th ers to

.

ge t dru n k , t h en I sh o uld h av e s aid he was a hyp o cri te and th at ,

his pr e te nd e d v ene r ati o n f o r the C hris ti an r eligi o n was a m e r e

cl o ak pu t o n to suit the purp o s e s o f f ashi o n o r c o nv en i enc e .

H is d o i ng wh at i t c o nd e m ne d was no pr o o f o f any s u ch t hi ng :
”
T he S pirit was willi ng bu t the fl e sh was w e ak
,
H e is a .

hyp o crit e who pro f e ss e s wh at he d o e s n o t b e li e v e ; no t he who

d o e s n o t pr ac tis e all he wish e s o r appr o v e s I t migh t o n the .

s am e gr o u n d b e argu e d th at a m an is a hyp o cri te who admir e s

,

R aph ae l o r S h ak e sp ear e b e c au s e he c anno t p ai n t lik e t he o ne

, ,
O
I

o r writ e lik e the o th e r I f any o ne r eally d e spis e d wh at he

.

affe c te d o u t w ardly to admir e this w o uld b e hyp o crisy

,
I f he .

affe ct e d to admir e i t a gr e at d e al m o r e t h an he r e ally did t his ,

w o u ld b e c ant S i nc e ri ty has to do wi th th e c o nne xi o n b etw ee n

.

o u r w o rds and th o ughts and no t b e tw ee n o u r b e li e f and ac t i o n s

,
. N

28
5
 2 86 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

T he l ast c o nst antly b e li e the s tro nge s t c o nvic ti o ns and r e s o l u

t i o n s in t h e b e s t o f m en ; i t is o n ly th e b as e and dish o ne s t w ho

giv e t h ems e lv es cr e di t wi th t h e ir to ng u e f o r s entim ent s and ,

O pi ni o n s which in t h e ir h e ar t s th e y dis o w n .

'

5 I do no t t h e re f o r e thin k t h at the o ld t h eo l o gic al m axim

The gr e ate r the si nne r th e gr e ate r th e s ain t
,
is so u tterly
u n fo u n d e d Th e r e is s o m e mix tur e o f tru t h in it Fo r as l o ng
. .

as m an is c o mp o s e d o f t wo p ar t s b o dy and s o ul ; and w hil e th e s e

,

are all o w e d to pull diffe r e nt w ays I s ee no r e as o n why in pr o p o r

, ,

[O t i o n to t he l e ng th t he o ne g o e s th e O pp o si t i o n o r r e ac t i o n O f
,

the o th e r S h o uld n o t b e m o r e vi o l e n t I t is c e r tai n f o r e x ampl e

.
, ,

th at no o ne m ak e s s u ch go o d r e s o lu ti o n s as th e so t and the
gambl e r in t h eir m o m ent s o f r e p e nt anc e o r c an b e m o r e im ,

pr e ss e d wi th the h o rr o rs o f th e ir si tu ati o n — sh o uld this dis

[ 5 p o si ti o n i n ste ad o f a t r ansi ent idl e p ang by ch an c e b ec o m e l asti ng
, , , ,

who c an b e supp o s e d to f e e l t he b e au ty o f t e mp e ranc e and

e c o n o my m o r e o r to l o o k b ack wi t h gr e at e r gr at i tu d e t o t h e ir
,

e sc ap e fr o m th e tr amm e ls o f vic e and p assi o n ? W o uld th e in

genio u s and e l eg an t au th o r o f the S P E C T A T O R f ee l l e ss r eg ard

f o r the S crip tu r e s b e c au s e t h e y d eno u n c e d in p o i nt e d te rms th e
,

”
i nfirmi ty t h at m o st e asily b e s e t him th at was the to rm ent o f
,

his lif e and the c aus e o f his d e ath ? Su ch r e as o ni ng w o uld b e

,

tru e if m an was a simpl e anim al o r a l o gic al m achi ne and all

, ,

his fac u l ti e s and imp u ls e s w e r e in s tric t u n is o n i ns tead o f which

25 t h e y are e te r nally at v ari anc e an d no o ne h ate s o r t ak e s p ar
,
t

ag ai ns t hims e lf m o r e h e ar tily o r h e r o ic ally th an d o e s the s am e

i ndivid u al D o e s he no t p ass s e nt enc e o n his o wn c o nduc t ? I s

.

no t his c o n sci e nc e b o t h j u dge and acc u s e r ? Wh at e ls e is th e

m e ani ng o f all o u r r e s o lu ti o ns agai n s t o u rs e lv e s as w e ll as o f ,

30 o u r e xh o r tat i o ns t o o th e rs ? Video m e/i o ra p ro l ogu e deteri ora ,

sequ o r is no t th e l an g u ag e O f hyp o crisy b u t o f h u m an nat ur e

, , .

T he hyp o crisy o f pri e s t s h as b e e n a b u t t f o r ridic u l e in all

ag e s ; b u t I am no t s u r e th at t h e r e h as no t b e e n m o re wit t h an

phil o s o phy in it A pri e s t it is tr u e is o blige d to af fe c t a greate r

.
, ,
 288 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

no f ear b eli e f o f the next I h o ld f o r a crud e and vulgar prej

or ,

u dic e I f a p o o r h alf st arv e d p arish pri e st p ays his c o ur t to an

.
-

o lla p odri da o r a v e nis o n p asty with u nc o mm o n gu sto sh all we

'

, , ,

say t h at h e has no o th e r s e nt im e nts in O ff e ri ng his d e v o t i o ns to

a crucifix o r in c o u n ti ng his b e ads ? I s e e no m o r e gr o u n d f o r

,

such an i nf e r enc e th an f o r af firmi ng th at H and e l was no t in

,

e ar ne st wh e n he sat d o w n to c o m p o s e a S ymph o ny b e c aus e h e ,

had at the s am e t im e p e rh aps a b o t tl e o f c o rdi als in his c u pb o ard ;

o r th at R aph ae l was no t e nt i tl e d to the e pi t h e t o f di vi ne b e c aus e ,

h e was att ach e d t o the F o rnarina ! Ev e ry thi ng h as its t ur n in

this ch equ e re d sc ene O f thi ngs u nl e ss we pre vent it fr o m t aki ng
,
'

i ts tur n by o v e r rigid c o ndi t i o n s o r driv e m en to d esp air o r the

-
,

m o st c all o us e ffr o nte ry by e r e cti ng a s tand ard o f p e rfe c ti o n to

, ,

which no o ne c an co nf o rm in r e ali ty ! Th o mso n in his C as tl e ,

”
I S o f I nd o l e nc e
( a subj e ct o n which his p en ran ri o t
, ) as i ndulge d
h ,

in r ath e r a fr ee d escripti o n O f a li t tl e r o u nd f at o ily m an o f , ,

God
W h o sh o n e all gl i s te n i ng wi t h u ng o dly dew ,

I f a t igh t d am s e l ch an c e d t o t ri p p e n by ;
20 W h i c h wh e n o b s e rv e d h e sh r u n k i nt o h i s m e w
, , ,

A nd s t r aigh t w o u l d r e c o ll e c t h i s p i e ty an e w
”
.

N o w, was th e pi e ty inthis c as e the l e ss r eal b e c aus e it had b een ,

fo rgo tten f o r a m o m e nt ? O r e v en if this m o tive sh o uld no t pr o v e

th e s tr o ng e s t in the e nd w o uld t his t h e r e fo re sh o w th at it was
,

no n e which is n e c e ss ary to the argum e n t h e r e c o mb ate d o r t o

, ,

m ak e o u t o u r li ttl e plump pri est a v ery k nav e ! A pri e st m ay b e

h o nest and ye t e rr ; as a w o m an m ay b e m o d est and y et h alf
, ,

i ncli ned to b e a rak e S o the vir tu e o f pr u d e s m ay b e susp e ct e d

.
,

th o ugh no t th e ir si nc e rity T he str e ng th o f t h e ir p assi o ns m ay

.

30 m ak e th em m o r e c o nsci o u s O f th eir w eak ness and m o re c au ti o us ,

o f e xp o si ng th e ms e lv e s ; b u t no t m o r e to bli nd o th e rs th an as a

g u ard u p o n th ems e lv e s Agai n supp o s e a cl e rgym an h az ards a

.
,

j e s t u p o n s acr e d subj e cts d o e s it fo ll o w t h at he d o e s no t b e

,

li e v e a w o rd o f the m at te r ? P ut the c as e th at any o ne e ls e ,

 O N C A N T A N D H Y P O C RI S Y 2 89

en oc ur age d by his e x am pl e t ak e s up the b ant er o r l evi ty and

, ,

see wh at e ff e ct i t will h av e up o n the r e v e r e nd divi ne H e will .

tur n r o u nd lik e a s e rp ent tro d u p o n wi th all t he v e h e m enc e and

,

asp e ri ty o f the m o st big o t e d o r t h o d o xy I s this dictat o ri al and

.

e xclusiv e S pirit th e n put o n m e r e ly as a m ask and to br o wb e at

'

o th e rs N O but he t hi nks he is privil ege d to t rifl e with the sub

ec t s af e ly hims e lf fro m th e st o r e o f e vid e n c e he h as in r e s e rv e
j , ,

and fr o m the natur e Of his fu ncti o ns but he is afraid o f s e ri o us

c o ns e qu ence s b e i ng dr aw n fro m wh at o th e rs migh t say o r fro m ,

his s eemi ng to c o u nt enance it and the m o m ent the C hurch is in IO

d ange r o r his o wn fai t h br o ugh t in qu esti o n his att achm en t to

, ,

e ach b e c o m e s as visibl e as his h atr e d to th o s e who d ar e to im

’
pu gn e i t h e r the o ne o r t he o t h e r A w o m an s at tachm en t to h er
.

husb and is no t to b e susp e c t e d if she will all o w no o ne to ab u s e

,

him b ut h e rs elf I t has b e e n r e m ark e d th at wi th the spr ead o f

,

lib e r al o pi ni o ns o r a m o r e gene r al sc e p t icism o n articl e s o f fai th

, ,

t he cl e rgy and r e ligi o u s p e rs o ns in g ene r al h av e b e c o m e m o r e

sq u eamish and j eal o us o f any o bj e c t i o ns to t h e ir f av o urit e do c
tri ne s : but this is wh at must fo ll o w in the natur al c o urs e o f
thi ngs the r e sis t anc e b e i ng alw ays in pr o p o r t i o n to t he d ang e r ; 20

and argum e nt s and b o o ks t h at w e r e f o rm e rly all o w e d to p ass

u nh ee d e d b e c aus e i t was supp o s e d im p o ssibl e t hey c o uld do any

,

mischi e f are no w d e no u nc e d o r pr o hibi te d wi th the m o st z eal o us

,

vigil an c e f ro m a k no wl edg e o f the c o ntagi o us n atu r e o f th e ir

,

i n flu en c e and c o n t en ts So in m o r als it is o bvi o us th at the

.
,

gre at e st nic e ty O f expr e ssi o n and all u si o n mus t b e o bs e rv e d ,

wh e re the m anne rs are the m o s t c o rrupt and the im agi nati o n

,

m o s t e asily e xci te d no t o u t O f m e r e affe c tati o n but as a dic tate

, ,

o f c o mm o n s en s e and d e c en cy .

O ne o f the fi ne st r e m arks th at has b een m ad e in m o d e rn 30

tim e s is th at o f L o rd S h af te sb u ry th at t h er e is no such thi ng
, ,

as a p e rf e c t Th e ist o r an abs o l u t e A t h e is t ; t h at wh at e v e r m ay
,

b e the g e ne r al c o nvic ti o n e nte r tai ne d o n t he subj e ct the e vid e nc e ,

is no t and c anno t b e at all tim e s e qu ally pr e s en t to the mi nd ;

 290 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

th at e v en if it w e r e we are no t in the s am e hum o ur to r e ce iv e

,

it : a fi t O f the g o u t a sh o w e r o f r ai n sh ak e s o u r b e st e st ablish e d
,
-

c o nclusi o ns ; and acc ordi ng to circums tanc e s and the fram e o f

mi nd we are in o u r b e li e f v ari e s fr o m the m o s t s angui ne enthu
,

siasm to luk e w ar m i ndiffe r e n c e o r th e m o s t gl o o my d e sp ai r

, .

Th er e is a p o i n t o f c o nc e iv abl e fai t h which migh t pr ev ent any

l aps e fr o m vir tu e and r e co ncil e all c o nt r ari e t i e s b e tw een th eo ry
,

and pr ac tic e ; but t his is no t t o b e l o o k e d f o r in t he o rdi nary

c o urs e o f natur e and is r e s e rv ed f o r the ab o d e s O f t he bl e st

, .

”
[O H e re ,
u pon this b ank and sh o al o f tim e the u tm o st we c an ,

h o p e t o at tai n is a s tr o ng h abi tu al b eli e f in t he e xc e ll e nc e o f

,

virtu e o r the disp e ns ati o ns o f P ro vid e nc e ; and the c o nflict o f

,

the p assi o ns and th e ir o cc asi o nal m as te ry o v e r u s f ar fr o m dis

, ,

pr o vi ng o r d e stro yi ng this ge ne r al r ati o nal c o nvic t i o n o f te n fli ng

, ,

[ 5 u s b ack m o r e f o rcibly u p o n it and lik e o th e r infidelitie s and mis

,

u nd e rst andi ngs pro d u c e all the al te rnat e r e m o rs e and r aptur e s

,

o f r e p e n t an c e and r e c o ncili ati o n .

It has b een fr e qu ently r e m ark e d t h at the m o st o bsti nate

h er e tic o r c on firm e d sc e p t ic wi tne ssi ng the s e rvic e o f the R o m an
,

’O
C at h o lic church th e e l e v ati o n o f the h o s t amids t th e s o u nds
,

o f music t he po m p o f c e r e m o ni e s the e mb e llishm e n ts o f art

, , ,

f e e ls hims e lf sp e ll b o u nd ; and is alm o st p e rsu ad ed to b e c o m e a

-

r ene gad e to his r eas o n o r his r eligi o n Ev e n in h e ari ng a v e sp e rs

.

ch au nte d o n t he s tage o r in r e adi ng an acc o u nt o f a t o rch ligh t

,
-

’5 pr o c e ssi o n in a r o m an c e a sup e rs ti ti o us awe cr ee ps o v er the

,

fr am e and we are m o m e ntarily ch arm e d o u t o f o u rs e lv e s Wh e n

,
.

such is the o bvi o us and i nv o lu ntary i nflu en c e o f circumst anc e s

o n th e im agi nat i o n sh all we say t h at a m o nkish r eclus e sur
,

r o u nd e d fro m his childh o o d by all this p o mp a s tr ange r to any ,

o th e r f ai th ,
wh o has br e ath e d no o th e r atm o sph e r e and all ,

wh o s e m edi tati o ns are b ent o n this o ne s u bj e c t b o th by i nter e st

and h abit and d u ty is to b e s e t d o wn as a r ank and h e ar tl e ss
,

m o u nteb ank in the pr o fe ssi o ns he m ak e s o f b e li e f in it b e c au s e ,

his th o u gh ts m ay s o m e tim e s w and e r to fo rbidd en subj e c ts o r ,

 29 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

wh o l e s e cre t o f M et h o di sm which is a s o r t o f m o d er n v ent f o r

,

t he e b u lli ti o n s o f the spiri t thr o ugh the g aps o f u nrigh teo us ne ss .

W e O ften see th at a p e rs o n c o nd e m ns in ano th e r the v e ry

thi ng he is guil ty o f hims elf I s this hyp o crisy ? I t m ay o r it
.
,

m ay no t I f h e r eally f ee ls no ne o f the disg u s t and abh o rr e nc e

.

he expre ss e s t his is q u ack e ry and impud enc e Bu t if he r e ally

, .

e xpr e ss e s wh at he f ee ls
( and b e e asily m ay f o r it is th e abstr act
, ,

id e a he c o nt empl ate s in the c as e o f ano t h e r and the imm e di at e ,

t emp tati o n to which he yi e lds in his o wn so t h at h e pr o b ably i s ,

no t e v e n co nsci o u s o f t he id e nt i ty o r co nne xi o n b e tw e e n the

t his is no t hyp o crisy but w an t o f str e ng t h and k e e p

,

ing in t he m o r al s e n s e All m o r ali ty c o nsis t s in squ ari ng o u r ac t i o ns

.

and s e n tim e n ts t o o u r id e as o f wh at is fit an d pr o p e r ; and it is

th e i nc e ss ant s tr u ggl e and al t e r nate t riumph o f the two pri ncipl e s ,

th e ideal and th e physic al t h at k e e ps up this

“
,
migh ty c o il and
”
pudde r ab o u t vic e and vir tu e and is o ne gre at s o urc e O f all
,

t he g o o d and e vil in the w o rld T he mi n d o f m an is lik e a cl o ck

.

th at is alw ays r u nni ng d o wn and r e q u ir e s t o b e as c o n s t antly

,

w o u nd u p T he ideal pri ncipl e is t he m ast e r key t h at wi nds i t

.
-

’0
up and wi th o u t which it w o uld c o m e to a st and : the s e nsu al
,

and s e lfish f ee li ngs are th e d e ad w e igh t s t h at p u ll it d o w n to th e

gr o ss and gro v e lli ng Till the i ntell e c tu al f acul ty is d e s tro y e d

.
,

so t h at t he mi nd s e e s no thi ng b ey o n d its e lf
( o r th e pr e s e n t ,

m o m ent ) it is imp o ssibl e to h av e all br u tal d e pr avi ty : till the

,

25 m ate ri al and physic al are d o ne aw ay wi th ( so th at it sh all c o n ,

t e mpl ate e v e ry thi n g fro m a p u r e ly spiri t u al an d disi n te r e s te d

p o i nt o f vi e w ) it is imp o ssibl e to h av e all virtu e Th e r e mus t

,
.

b e a mix tu r e o f the two as l o ng as m an is c o mp o u n d e d o f O pp o

,

si te m ate ri als a c o ntr adic ti o n and an e te r nal c o mp eti ti o n f o r

,

30 th e m as te ry I by no m e an s t hi nk a S i ngl e b ad ac t i o n c o n d e m n s
.

a m an f o r h e pr o b ably c o n d e m ns it as m u ch as y o u do ; no r a
,

si ngl e b ad h abi t f o r he is pro b ably tryi ng all his life to get rid
,

o f it . A m an is o nly t h o r o ughly pro fl igate wh en he has l o s t the

s e ns e o f righ t and wr o ng ; o r a th o r o ugh hyp o cri te wh en he ,
 O N C A N T A N D H Y P O C RI S Y 29 3

has no t e e n the
v wish to b e wh at he app e ars The gr eate st .

o ffe n c e ag ai nst virtu e is t o sp e ak ill o f it T o r e c o m m end c e rt ain

.

thi ngs is w o rs e th an to pr ac t is e t h e m T h e r e m ay b e an e xcus e

.

f o r the l ast in the fr ail ty o f p assi o n ; b u t the fo rm e r c an aris e

fro m no thi ng b u t an u tte r d e pravi ty o f disp o si ti o n A ny o ne .
5
m ay yi e ld to t e mp tati o n and ye t fe e l a si n c e r e l o v e and aspira
,

t i o n af te r vir tu e : b u t h e who m ai ntai ns vic e in t h eo ry h as no t ,

e v e n t he c o nc e p t i o n o r c ap acity f o r vir tu e in his mi nd M en .

e rr : fi e n ds o nly m ak e a m o ck at g o o d ne ss .

We s o m etim e s d e c e iv e o u rs elv e s and thin k w o rs e O f h u m an

,
to

natur e th an i t d e s e rv e s in c o n s e qu e n c e o f j udgi ng o f ch ar act e r

,

fro m nam es and cl ass e s and m o d e s o f life N o o ne is simply

, ,
.

an d abs o l u te ly an o n e thi ng t h o ugh h e m a b e br an d e d wi t h

y , y
it as a nam e S o m e p e rs o ns h av e e xp e c te d to see his crim e s
.

wri tte n in the fac e o f a m urd e r e r and h av e b ee n dis app o i nte d

,
1 5
b e c aus e t hey did no t as if thi s imp e ach e d the disti n cti o n b e
,

tw e en virtu e and vic e N o t at all T he circu ms tanc e o nly

. .

sh o w e d t h at the m an was o th e r thi ngs and had o th e r f ee li ngs ,

b esid e s t h o s e o f a murd e re r I f he had no thi ng e ls e — ii he

.
,

had f e d o n no thi ng e ls e — if he h ad dr e amt o f no t hin g e ls e , b u t

,
20

sch em e s o f murd e r his f e atur e s w o uld h av e e xpr e ss e d no thi ng

,

e ls e : b u t t his p e rf e cti o n in vic e is no t to b e e xp e c t e d fr o m the

c o nt r adic to ry and m i x e d natur e o f o u r m o tiv e s H um ani ty is to .

b e m et wi t h in a den o f r o bb e rs ; nay m o de s ty in a br o th e l ,
.

Ev en am o ng th e m o s t ab and o ne d o f the o th e r sex th e r e is no t ,

25

u nfr e qu ently fo u nd to e xist ( c o ntr ary to all t h at is g ene rally

s u pp o s ed ) o ne s tr o ng and i ndividu al attachm en t which re m ai ns ,

u n sh ak e n to the l as t V irtu e m ay b e s aid to s teal lik e a guil ty

.
,

thi ng i nt o the s e cr et h au nt s o f vice and i nfamy ; it cli ngs to

,

th e ir d ev o t e d victim and will no t b e driv e n qui te aw ay N o th

,
.
3o
ing c an d e str o y th e hum an h e ar t Ag ai n t h e r e is a h e r o ism
.
,

in crim e as w e ll as in virtu e V ic e and i nfamy h av e als o th e ir

, .

al tars an d t h e ir r e ligi o n This m ak e s no thi ng in th e ir f av o ur

.
,

’
but is a pro o f o f the h er o ic al disi nte r e ste d ne ss o f m an s nat ur e ,
 294 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

and th at wh at ev e r he d o es h e must fli ng a d ash o f r o m anc e

,

and sublimi ty i nt o it ; j ust as s o m e gr av e bi o gr aph e r has s aid

o f S h ak e sp e ar e t h a
“
,
t e v en wh en h e kill e d a c alf he m ad e a ,

”
sp ee ch and did it in a gr eat styl e .

I t is t h en imp o ssibl e t o ge t rid o f t his o rigi nal dis ti nc t i o n and

c o n tr adic to ry bi as an d to r e d u c e e v e ry t h ing to the sys tem o f
,

Fr e nch l evi ty and Epicur e an i ndi f fe r en c e Wh e r e v e r th e re is a

.

c ap aci ty o f c o n c eivi ng o f thi ngs as diffe r e nt fr o m wh at t h ey are ,

th er e mus t b e a pri nci pl e o f t ast e and s e l e ct i o n — a disp o si ti o n

IO t o m ak e t h e m b e tt e r an d a p o w e r t o m ak e t h e m w o rs e
,
A sk a .

P arisi an milli n e r if she d o e s n o t thi nk o n e b o nne t m o re b ec o m

ing th an ano th er —a P arisi an d anci ng m as t e r if Fre nch gr ac e
-

is no t b ette r t h an English awkw ard ne ss a Fr e nch c o o k if all

s auce s are alik e a Fr e n ch ola eélegs if all t hr o ws are e q u al o n

the dic e ? I t is curi o us th at the Fr e n ch n at i o n r e s trict rigid

rul e s and fix e d pri ncipl e s to c o o k e ry and the dr am a and m ai n ,

t ai n t h at t he gr e at dr am a o f h u m an lif e is e ntir e ly a m at t er o f
’
c apric e an d f an cy N O o ne will ass e rt th at R aph ael s his to ri e s
.
,

’
t h at C l aud e s l an dsc ap e s are n o t b e tte r t h an a d aub : b u t if th e
’
20 e x pre sswn i n o ne o f R aph ae l s f ac e s is b e t te r th an t he m o s t

m ean and v u lgar ho w r e sist the c o n s e q u e n c e t h at t he fe e li ng

,

so e xpr e ss e d is b e tt e r als o ? I t d o e s no t app e ar to m e t h at all

f ac e s o r all ac t i o ns are alik e If g o o d ne ss w er e o nly a th e o ry

.
,

it w e r e a pi ty it sh o uld b e l o s t t o the w o rld Th e r e are a .

n u mb e r o f thi ngs the id e a O f which is a cl e ar g ai n to th e mi n d

,
.

L e t p e o pl e f o r i ns t an c e r ail at fri en dship g e ni u s fr e ed o m as

, , , , ,

l o ng as t h e y will — the v e ry nam e s o f th e s e d espis e d qu ali ti e s

are b e t te r t h an any thi ng e ls e t h at c o uld b e subs ti t u te d f o r

t h e m and e mb alm e v en the m o s t e n v e no m e d s atir e ag ai nst

,

30 the m . I t is no sm all c o nsid er ati o n th at the mi n d is c ap abl e e v en

o f f eig ni ng s u ch thi ngs S o I w o uld c o ntend ag ai ns t th at re a
.

s o n i ng which w o uld h av e it th o ugh t th at if r e ligi o n is no t t r u e ,

t h e r e is no di f fe r e n c e b e t w ee n m an ki nd and the b e as ts t h at

p e rish -
I S h o uld s ay t h at this dis ti nc ti o n is e q u al l y pr o v e d if
, ,
 29 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

as a m enabl e o nly to the dict ate s o f his u nd e rstandi ng and his

c o nsci en c e and no t e xcu s abl e fr o m th e t em pt at i o n s and fr ail ty
,

O f hum an ig no r anc e and p assi o n T he mixi ng u p O f r e ligi o n

.

and m o r ality t o g e th e r o r t he m aki n g u s acc o u n t abl e f o r e v e ry

,

w o rd th o ught o r ac ti o n u nd e r no le ss a r e sp o nsibili ty th an o u r
, , ,

e v e rl as ti ng futur e w e lf ar e o r mis e ry h as als o add e d i nc alcul ably ,

to the difli c u lties o f s e lf k no wl e dg e has sup e ri nduc e d a vi o l en t

-
,

and spuri o us st at e o f fee li n g and m ad e it alm o st imp o ssibl e t o

,

dis ti ng u ish the b o u nd ari e s b e tw een the t ru e and f als e in j udgi ng ,

1 0 o f hum an c o n duct and m o t iv e s A r eligi o us m an is afr aid o f

.

l o o ki ng i nto t he s tat e o f his s o ul l est at the s am e tim e he S h o uld

,

r ev e al it to H e av e n ; and tri e s to p e rs u ad e himse lf th at by shu t

t in g his e y e s t o his tru e ch ar act e r and f e e li n gs th e y will r e m ai n ,

a pr o fo u nd s e cr e t b o th h e r e and h e r e af te r This is a s tr o ng .

I S e ngi n e and irre sis t ibl e i nduc e m e n t to s e lf d e c e p t i o n ; and t he -

m o r e z e al o u s any o ne is in his c o nvic ti o ns o f the truth o f r e ligi o n ,

t he m o re we m ay susp e ct t he si n c e rity o f his pr e t ensi o n s to

pi e ty and m o rality .

Th u s th o ugh I t hi nk th e r e i s v e ry li t tl e d o w n right hyp o crisy

,

20 in th e w o rld I do thi nk th e r e is a gr e at d e al o f ea nt —
“
,
c an t re
”
ligio u s c ant p o litic al c ant lit e r ary
, , &c a s L o rd Byro n s aid
,
.
, .

Th o ugh f ew p eo pl e h av e the fac e to set u p f o r the v e ry thi ng

t h e y in th e ir h e arts d e spis e we alm o st all w an t t o b e t h o u ght
,

b ette r t h an we are and affect a gre ate r admir ati o n o r abh o rr enc e
,

O f c e r tai n t hi ngs th an we r e ally f e e l I n d ee d s o m e d e gr ee o f .

,

af f e ct ati o n is as ne c e ss ary to the mi nd a s dr e ss is to th e b o dy ;

w e mus t o v e r act o u r p ar t in s o m e m easur e in o rd e r to pro d u c e , .

’
an e ffe c t at all Th e r e w as f o rm e rly th e two h o urs s e rm o n the
y .
,

l o ng wi nd e d gr ac e the n as al drawl the uplif te d h ands and ey e s ;

-
, ,

30 all which th o u gh acc o mp ani ed wi th s o m e c o rr e sp o ndi ng e m o t i o n

, ,

e xpr e ss e d m o r e th an was r e ally f e l t and w e r e in fact i n t e n d e d ,

to m ak e u p f o r th e c o nsci o u s d e fici e ncy As o u r i nte r e st in .

an ythi ng w e ars o u t wi th tim e and h abi t we e x agg e r ate th e O u t ,

w ard symp to ms o f z eal as m e ch anic al h elp s to d ev o ti o n dw ell ,

 O N C AN T A N D H Y P O C RI S Y 29 7

the l o nge r o n o u r w o rds a s t h ey are l e ss f e l t and h enc e the

,

v e ry o rigi n o f the t e r m ea nt T he c an t o f s e ntim e ntali ty has

,
.

succ ee d e d to th at o f r el igi o n Th e r e is a c ant o f hum ani ty

.
,

o f patriOt ism and l o y al ty — no t th a t p eo pl e do no t fe e l t h e s e

e m o ti o n s b u t t h ey m ak e to o gr e at a f uss ab o u t t h e m and dr awl

, ,

o u t the e xpr e ssi o n o f t h e m t ill t h e y t ire t h e ms e lv e s and o th e rs .

Th er e is a c ant ab o ut S h ak e sp ear e T h e r e is a c ant ab o u t

.

P olitical E co no my j ust no w I n sh o r t t h e r e is and m u s t b e a

.
,

c ant ab o u t e v e ry thi ng th at e xci te s a c o nsid e r abl e d egr ee o f

at t e nt i o n an d i n t e r e st and t h at p eo pl e w o uld b e th o u gh t to
,
IO

k no w and c ar e r ath e r m o r e ab o u t t h an t h e y ac tu ally do C an t .

is the v o l u ntary o v erch argi ng o r pro l o ngat i o n o f a r eal s e n ti

m en t ; hyp o crisy is the s e tti ng u p a pr e t ensi o n to a fe e li ng yo u
n e v e r h ad an d h av e n o wish f o r M r C o l e ridge is m ad e u p
. .

o f ( an ,
t th at is o f m awkish af f e ct at i o n and s e n sibili ty ; b u t he
,

has no t si nc e ri ty e no u gh to b e a lzypoerite t h at is he h a s no t, ,

h e ar ty dislik e o r c o nte m pt e no ugh f o r anythi ng to giv e the lie ,

to his puli ng pr o f e ssi o n s o f admir at i o n and e s te e m f o r it T he .

fuss th at M r L ib e r al S nak e m ak e s ab o u t P o li tic al Ec o no my is

.

no t c ant b u t wh at M r Th eo d o r e H o o k p o li te ly c alls nu m b /2g

,
.
,

he hims e lf is h ardly the d u p e o f his o wn p o m p o u s r eas o ni ng ;

b u t he wish e s to m ak e it the stallei ng lz orse o f his ambi t io n o r
-

i nt er e s t to s ne ak i nto a pl ac e and c u rry f av o ur Wi t h the

G o v e r nm en t .
 A F A R EW EL L T O E S S A Y —
W R IT I N G
T h is l i f e i s b e s t i f q u i e t l i f e i s b e st
,
.
”

F o o d w arm t h sl ee p
, , , and a b o o k ; t h e s e are all I at pr e s ent
ask — th e u lti m a tau le of my w an d e rin g d esir e s D o y o u no t .

h
t en wish f or
A f ri e n d y o u r r e t r e at
in ,

Wh o m y o u m ay wh i sp e r s o l i t u d e i s sw e e t
,
? ”

Exp e c te d , w e ll eno u gh go n e s till b ette r S uch attr act i o n s are

,
.

s t reng th ene d by dis tanc e N o r a mis tre ss ? B eau t ifu l m ask !

.

”
I k no w t h e e ! Wh en I c an j udge o f the h ear t fr o m the f ac e ,

IO o f th e t h o u ghts fr o m t he lips I m ay ag ai n t rus t mys e lf

,
I ns tead .

o f t h e s e giv e m e th e r o bi n re d br e as t p e cki ng t he cr u mbs at t he

,
-

d o o r o r w arbli ng o n t he l e afl e ss S pr ay the s am e gl anci ng f o rm

, ,

t h at h as fo ll o w e d m e wh e r e v e r I h av e b ee n and d o ne its spiri t ,

ing ge ntly o r t he rich no te s o f t he t hr u sh t h at s t ar tl e the e ar

7

o f wi nt e r an d s ee m t o h av e dru n k up th e f u ll dr aught o f j o y
,

fro m t he v e ry s en s e O f c o n tr as t T o t h e s e I adh e r e and am .

f ai thfu l f o r t h ey are t ru e to m e ; and d ear in th e ms e lv e s are

, , ,

d e ar e r f o r t he s ak e O f w h at is d e p ar te d l e adi ng m e b ack ( by the ,

h and ) t o t h at dr e ami ng wo rld in th e i nno c enc e o f which t h ey

,

20 sat an d m ad e sw e e t m u sic w aki ng th e pr o mis e o f fu tu r e y e ars

, ,

and an sw e r e d by th e e ag e r thr o bbi ngs O f my o wn br e as t Bu t .

“ ” ’
no w t h e cr e dul o u s h o p e o f m u tu al mi nds is o e r and I t ur n ,

b ack fr o m t he w o rld t h at h as d e ce iv e d m e to natu re t h at l en t ,

it a f als e b eau ty and t h at k e e ps u p the ill u si o n o f the p as t A s

,
.

2
5 I qu aff my lib ati o ns o f t e a in a m o r ni ng I l o v e to w atch th e ,

cl o u ds s aili ng fro m t he w e s t and fancy th at the spri ng co m e s

,
“

”
sl o w ly u p this way I n this h o p e whil e
. fi e lds are d ank and ,

”
w ays are mire I fo ll o w the s am e dir e c ti o n to a ne ighb o u ri ng
,

29 8
 300 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

h
t at no t hi ng sh o u ld e v e r dis t urb m e agai n and I w o u ld b e c o m e ,

th e ch ar act e r it r e pr e s e nt s — such p e rf e c t c alm ne ss and s e lf

p o ss e ssi o n r e igns in it ! Why do I no t h ang an im age O f t his in

s o m e d u sky c o r ne r o f my brai n and tur n an ey e up o n it e v e r ,

and an o n as I h av e nee d o f s o m e such t alism an to c alm my

,

t ro u bl e d t h o ughts ? T h e at te mpt is frui tl e ss if no t nat ur al ; o r , ,

lik e t h at o f t he Fr e nch to h ang g arl ands o n the gr av e and to

, ,

c o nj u r e b ack the d e ad by mi ni at ur e pic tur e s o f th e m wh il e livi ng !

I t i s o nly s o m e ac t u al c o i ncid e nc e o r l o c al ass o ci ati o n th at t ends
, ,

”
[0 wi t h o u t vi o l e nc e to O p e n all the c ells wh e re m e m o ry sl e pt
,
.

I c an e asily by s to o pi ng o v e r the l o ng sprent gr ass and cl ay c o ld

,
-
.
-

cl o d r e c all the t uf t s o f primro s e s o r purpl e hy aci nths t h at f o r

, , ,

m e rly gr e w o n the s am e sp o t and c o v e r the bush e s wi t h l eav e s

,

and si ngi ng birds a s t h ey w e r e e ight e e n summ e rs ago ; o r pro

-
,

I5 l o ngi ng my w alk an d h e ari ng the sighing gal e rustl e thr o ugh a

t all s tr ai t w o o d at the e nd o f it c an f ancy th at I dis t i nguish
, ,

the cry o f h o u n ds and the f at al gro u p iss u i n g fro m it as in the

, ,

t al e o f T h eo d o r e and H o no ri a A m o an i ng gus t o f wi n d aids the

.

b eli e f ; I l o o k o n c e m o r e to see wh e th e r the tr e e s b e fo r e m e

answ e r to t he id e a o f th e h o rr o r s t ri ck e n gr o v e an d an air buil t
-
,
-

ci ty t o w e rs o v e r t h e ir gre y t o ps .

Of all t h e c i t i e s i n R o m an i an l an d s ,

T he ch i e f an d m o s t re n o wn d R av e n n a s t an ds ’
.
”

I r e tur n h o m e r e so lv e d to r ead the e ntir e p o e m thr o ugh and , ,

25 af t e r di nne r dr awi ng my ch air t o the fi re and h o ldi ng a sm all

, ,

’
pri nt cl o s e to my e y e s l au n ch i n to the f u ll t id e O f D ryd en s
,

c o upl e ts ( a s tr e am o f s o u nd) c o mp ari n g his did ac tic and de

,

sc rip tiv e p o m p wi t h the simpl e p ath o s and pic t ur e sq u e t r u th o f

’
Bo c c ac io s s to ry and tas t i ng wi th a pl e as u r e which no ne b u t an
, ,

30 h abi tu al r e ad e r c an fee l s o m e qu ai nt e x ampl e s o f pr o nu nci ati o n

,

in t his acc o mplish e d ve rsifie r .

W h i c h wh e n I I o no ri a
-
v ie w
’
d,
T he fres h i mp u ls e h e r f o rm e r f righ t
'

re n e w
’
d .
”

T/z eo do re an d H o n o ri a
 A FA R E W E L L T O E S S AY -
W RITI N G 30 1

A nd m ad e t h i n s u lt wh i c h i n h i s gri e f ap p e ars
’
, ,

The m e an s t o m o u r n t h e e wi t h my p i o u s t e ars .
”

S igi s m o n da an d Gu i sc a rdo

Th e s e trifli ng instanc e s o f the w ave ring and u ns e ttl e d s tat e o f

the l angu age giv e d o u bl e e ffe ct to the firm and s tate ly m arch

o f t h e v e rs e and m ak e m e d we ll wi t h a s o r t o f t e n d e r i nte r e s t
, 5
o n th e difficul ti e s and d o ub ts o f an e arli e r p e ri o d o f li te r atu r e .

T hey pr o no u n c e d w o rds t h e n in a m anne r which we sh o uld l augh

at no w ; and t h e y wr o t e v e rs e in a m ann e r which we c an do

anythi ng b u t l augh at T he prid e o f a n ew acq u isi t i o n s ee ms to

.

giv e fr e sh c o nfid enc e to it ; to imp e l the ro lli ng syll abl e s t hr o ugh IO

t he m o ulds pro vid e d f o r t h e m and t o o v e rfl o w t he e n vi o u s

,

bo u nds o f rhym e i nt o tim e h o no ur e d tripl e ts I am m u ch pl e as e d

-
.

’ ’
wi th L e igh H u nt s m en ti o n o f M o o r e s i n v o l u ntary admir ati o n
’
o f D ryd e n s fr ee u nsh ackl e d v e rs e and o f his r e p e ati ng eo n
, ,

a more and wi t h an I rish spiri t and acc e nt t he fi ne li ne s

, ,

L et h o n o u r an d p r e f e rm e n t go f o r g o l d ,
Bu t gl o ri o u s b e au t y i s n t t o ’
b e so l d ”
.

Wh at s o m e tim e s surpris e s m e in l o o ki ng b ack to t he p ast is , ,

with the e xc e p ti o n alr e ady s tat e d to fi nd mys e lf so lit tl e ch ange d

,

in the tim e T he s am e im ag e s and t r ai n s o f t h o ugh t s tick by

.

m e : I h av e th e s am e t ast e s liki ngs s en tim e n ts and wish e s

, , ,

t h at I had th e n O ne gr e at gr o u nd o f c o nfid e nc e and supp o r t

.

has i nd ee d b een s truck fr o m u nd e r my fe e t ; bu t I h av e m ad e

, ,

it u p to mys e lf by pr o p o rti o nabl e p e rti naci ty o f o pi ni o n T h e .

succ ess o f the gr e at c aus e to which I had v o w e d mys elf w as

, ,

to m e m o r e t h an all th e w o rld : I had a s tr e ng th in its s t r e ng th ,

a r e s o urc e which I k n e w no t o f t ill it f ail e d m e f o r the s e c o n d

,

tim e .

’
F all n was G le n art ny
’
s s tat e ly t r e e
Oh ! ne e
’
r to se e L o rd R o n al d m o r e 30

I t was no t t ill I saw the axe l aid to th e ro o t th at I fo u nd the ,

f u ll e x tent o f wh at I had to l o s e and su f fe r B u t my c o nvic ti o n .

o f the right was o nly e st ablish e d by the t riumph o f the wro ng ;

 30 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

and my e arli e s t h o p e s will b e my l as t r e gr et s O ne s o urc e o f .

t his u nb e n di ng ne ss ( which s o m e m ay c all o bs t i n acy ) is t h at

, ,

t h o ugh livi ng m u ch al o n e I h av e ne v e r w o rshipp e d t he Ech o

, .

I s ee pl ai nly e no u gh th at bl ack i s no t whi te t h at the gr ass is ,

5 gr e e n t h at ki ngs are n o t t h e ir s u bj e c ts and in such s e lf e vid en t

, ,
-

c as e s do no t t hi nk it ne c e ss ary to c o ll ate my o pi ni o ns wi t h the

,

r e c e iv e d pr ej udic e s I n s u b tl e r qu e s t i o ns and m at te rs t h at admi t

.
,

o f d o u bt a s I do no t imp o s e my o pi n i o n o n o th e rs wi tho u t
,

a r e as o n so I w ill n o t giv e u p mi n e t o t h e m wi t h o u t a b e tte r

,

IO r e as o n ; and a p e rs o n c alli ng m e nam e s o r givi ng hims elf airs ,

o f au tho rit d o e s n o t c o n vi n c e m e o f his h avi ng t ak e n m o r e

y , ,

p ai n s to fi nd o u t t h e t r u t h th an I h av e b u t the c o ntr ary M r ,

. .

G iffo rd o n c e s aid t h at whil e I was si tti n g o v e r my gi n and

,

”
t o b acc o pip e s I f an ci e d mys e lf a L e ib n i tz
-
,
H e did n o t S O m u ch .

a s k no w t h at I h ad e v e r r e ad a m et aphysic al b o o k : — was I
t h e r e f o r e o u t o f c o mpl ais an c e o r d e f e r e n c e to him t o f o rg e t
, ,

wh e th e r I had o r no t ? I am r at h e r dis app o i nte d b o t h o n my ,

o wn acc o u nt and his ,t h at M r H u n t h as m iss e d th e o pp o r tu ni ty

.

O f e xpl ai n i ng t h e ch ar ac t e r o f a fri e n d as cl e arly as h e might ,

7
0 h av e d o ne H e i s p u z z l e d t o r e co n cil e the s hy n e ss o f my pre
.

t e n si o n s wi t h th e i n v e te r acy and s tu rdi ne ss O f my pri n cipl e s .

I sh o uld h av e t h o u gh t t h ey w e r e ne arly the s am e t hi ng Bo t h .

_

fr o m disp o si ti o n and h abi t I c an ass u m e n o thi ng in w o rd l o o k

, , ,

o r m anne r I c anno t s te al a m arch u p o n p u blic O pi ni o n in any

.

way . M y s tandi ng u prigh t S p eaki ng l o u d e nte ri ng a r o o m

, ,

gr ace fully pr o v e s no thi ng ; th e re fo r e I ne gl e c t th e s e o rdi nary

,

m e ans O f r e c o mm e ndi ng mys e lf to th e g o o d grac e s and admir a

ti o n o f s tr ang e rs ( and as it app e ars e v e n o f phil o s o ph e rs and
, , ,

f ri e nds ) Why ? B e c au s e I h av e o th e r re s o u rc e s o r at l e as t
.
, , ,

30 am abs o rb e d in o th e r s t u di e s and p u rs u i t s Su pp o s e t his ab so rp .

t i o n to b e e x t r e m e and e v e n m o rbid ,
t h at I h av e br o o d e d o v e r

an id e a ti l l it has b e c o m e a ki nd o f s u bs tanc e in my brai n t h at ,

I h av e r e as o ns f o r a thi ng which I h av e fo u nd o u t wi th much

l ab o u r and p ai ns and to which I c an sc arc e ly do j u s tic e wi th o u t
,
 3 04 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

’
to ge t rid of th e anno y an c e
This pr o b abl y tickl ed M r H u nt s
. .

fancy and r etai n s p o ss e ssi o n o f it to th e excl u si o n o f the o bvi o us

, ,

truism th at I natu r ally w e ar a m e l an ch o ly hat

”
.
,

I am ch arge d wi t h u si ng s tr ange ge s tur e s and c o n to r ti o ns o f

“ ”
f eatu r e s in argu m e nt in o rd e r to l o o k ene rg e tic
, .
O ne w o uld .

r ath e r s u pp o s e th at the h e at o f the arg u m ent pro duc e d the

e x t r av ag an c e o f th e g e st u r e s a s I am s aid to b e c alm at Oth e r
,

tim e s I t is lik e s ayi ng th at a m an in a p assi o n cl e nch e s his

.

t ee th no t b ec aus e h e is b u t in o rd e r to s ee m angry Why

, , ,
.

IO S h o uld e v e ry t hi ng b e c o ns t r u e d i n to air and af fe ct ati o n ? Wi th

”
H aml et I m ay say ,
I k no w no t seems
,
.

Ag ai n my O ld fri e nd and pl e as ant C o mp ani o n r e m arks it

, ,

a s an ano m aly in my ch ar ac te r t h at I cr awl ab o u t the Five s ,

C o u r t lik e a crippl e t ill I ge t th e r ack e t in my h an d wh en I ,

s tart u p a s if I was p o ss e ss e d wi th a d evil I h av e t he n a .

m o tiv e f o r e x er ti o n ; I lie by f o r di f fic u l ti e s an d e x tre m e c as es .

A u t Ce sa r a u t n u llu s I h av e no no ti o n o f d o i ng no thi ng wi t h
.

an air o f imp o r tan c e no r sh o uld I e v e r t ak e a liki ng to th e

,

gam e o f b attl e d o o r and shut tl e c o ck I h av e o nly s een by acci .

20 d ent a p age o f the u npublish e d M anu scrip t r e l ati ng to the

pre s ent s u bj ec t which I d ar e say is o n the wh o l e fri e n dly and
, , ,

j u s t and which has b e e n suppr ess e d as b ei ng to o fav o u r abl e

, ,

c o nsid e ri ng c e r tai n pr ej udic e s ag ai nst m e .

I n m atte rs o f tast e and fe e li ng o ne pr o o f th at my co nclusi o n s

,

h av e no t b een qui te sh all o w o r h as ty is the circums tan c e O f t h e ir ,

h avi ng b ee n l as ti ng I h av e the s am e f av o u ri te b o o ks pic tur e s

.
, ,

p ass ag e s t h at I e v e r had : I m ay th er e fo r e pr esum e th at th ey

will l as t m e my life — nay I m ay i nd u lg e a h o p e th at my,

th o ugh t s will s u rviv e m e This c o nt i nui ty o f impr e ssi o n is the

.

30 o nly thi ng o n which I prid e mys e lf Ev en L wh o s e r elish

.

o n c e r tai n thi ngs i s a s k ee n and e ar ne s t as p o ssibl e t ak e s a ,

surfe i t o f admir ati o n and I sh o uld b e afr aid to ask ab o u t his

,

s el ect au th o rs o r p ar ticul ar fri e nds af te r a l aps e o f te n y e ars ,

.

A s to mys e lf an y o ne k no ws wh e r e to h av e m e Wh at I h av e
,
.
 A FAR E W E L L T O E S S AY -
W RITI N G 30 5

on e c m ad e u p my mi nd to I abid e by to the e nd o f the ch ap te r

, .

O ne c aus e o f my i nd e p e nd e nc e O f O pi ni o n is I b eli e v e the , ,

lib e rty I giv e to o th e rs o r the v e ry diffide nc e and dis tr u s t o f

,

m aki ng c o nv e r ts I sh o uld b e an e xc ell e n t m an o n a j u ry :

.

I migh t s ay li ttl e b u t sh o u ld s tarv e the o th e r e l e v e n o bs ti nate

,
“
5
”
f ello ws o u t I r e m e mb e r M r G o dwi n wri ti ng to M r W o rds
. . .

”
w o r th th at his tr ag e dy o f A nto n i o c o u ld no t f ail o f succ e ss
, .

I t was d am ne d p as t all r e d e mp t i o n I s aid to M r W o rdsw o r th

. .

th at I th o u gh t t h is a natu r al c o ns e q u e nc e ; f o r ho w c o u ld any
o n e h av e a dr am at ic tur n O f mi nd wh o j u dge d e nt ir e ly o f o th e rs 10

fr o m hims e lf M r G o dwi n might b e c o nvi n c ed o f th e e xc e ll enc e

.

o f his w o rk ; b u t h o w c o u ld he k no w t h at o t h e rs w o u ld b e c o n

v inc e d o f it u nl e ss by su pp o si n g t h at t h e y w e r e a s wis e as him

,

s e lf and a s i nfallibl e cri tics o f dr am atic p o etry — so m any

,

A ris to tl e s si tti ng in j udgm e nt o n Eu ripid e s ! Thi s sh o ws why I S

p rid e i s c o nn e c te d wi th shy ne ss and r e s e rv e ; f o r the r e ally
pro ud h av e no t so high an O pi n i o n o f the g e ne r ali ty a s to su p
p o s e t h at t h ey c an u n d e rst and t h e m o r th at th e r e is an y ,

c o mm o n m e asur e b e tw een t h e m S o D ryd e n e xcl aims o f his

.

o pp o n e n ts wi th bi tte r disd ai n 20

”
Nor c an I t h i n k wh at t h o u gh t s t h e y c an c o n c e iv e .

I h av e no t s o u gh t to m ak e p ar tis ans s till l e ss did I dr eam o f

,

m aki ng e ne mi e s ; and h av e th e r e f o r e k e p t my o pi ni o n s mys e lf ,

wh e th e r t h e y w e r e c u rre ntly ad o p te d o r no t T o ge t o th e rs to .

c o m e i nto o u r w ays o f thi nki ng w e mus t go o v e r to t h e irs ; and

,

it is ne c e ss ary to fo llo w in o rd e r to l ead A t the t im e I liv e d

,
.

h e r e f o rm e rly I had no s u spici o n th at I sh o u ld ev e r b e co m e a

,

v o l u mi no u s wri te r ; y e t I had j u s t th e s am e c o nfid e nc e in my

fee li ngs b e fo r e I had v e ntur e d to air th e m in public as I h av e
no w . N e i th e r the o u tcry f or o r aga i nst m o v e s m e a j o t : I do 30
no t say t h at the o ne is n o t m o r e agr e e abl e t h an t he o t h e r .

’
N o t f ar fro m the sp o t wh e r e I w ri te I firs t r e ad C h au c e r s ,

F lower a nd L eaf an d was ch arm e d wi th t h at y o u ng b e au ty

, ,
 306 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

shro ud e d in h er b o w e r and listeni ng wi th e v e r fr e sh d elight to

,
-

th e r e p e ate d s o ng o f the nigh tin g al e cl o s e by h e r th e impr e s

si o n o f the sc ene th ev e rnal l andsc ap e t he c o o l o f the m o rni ng

, , ,

th e gushing no te s o f the s o ngs t r e ss ,

A nd y
a e n, m e t h o u gh t sh e s u ng cl o s e by m i n e e ar,
”

is as vivid as if it h ad b ee n o f y e s te rd ay ; and no thi ng c an per

su ad e m e t h at t h at is no t a fi ne p o e m I do no t fi nd this im .

’
pre ssi o n c o nv ey e d i n D ryd en s v e rsi o n and th e r e fo r e no thin g ,

c an p e rsu ad e m e t h at th at is a s fi ne I u s e d to w alk o u t at this

.

IO tim e wi th M r and M iss L. o f an e v e n i ng t o l o o k at th e ,

C l aud e L o rrai ne ski e s o v e r o u r h e ads m e l ti ng fro m az ur e i nto ,

p u rpl e and go ld and to gath e r mushro o ms th at spru ng u p at

, ,

o u r f ee t to thr o w i nto o u r h ash e d m u tto n at supp e r

, I was at .

th at tim e an ent h u si as tic admir e r O f C l au d e and c o u ld dw e ll f o r ,

e v e r o n o ne o r t wo o f the fi ne s t pri nts fr o m him h u n g r o u n d

my li ttl e ro o m ; t he fl eec y fl o cks th e b endi ng t r e e s the wi n di ng

, ,

s tre ams th e gro v e s th e no ddi n g templ e s the air w o v e hills and

, , ,
-

dist ant s u nny v al e s ; and tri e d to tran sl ate th e m i nto t h e ir l o v e ly

livi ng hu e s P e o pl e th e n to ld m e th at Wils o n was m u ch s u p e ri o r
.

20 to C l au d e .I did no t b e li e v e t h e m Th e ir pic tu r e s h av e sin c e

.

b een s e en t o ge th er at the Bri t ish I ns ti tu ti o n and all t he wo rld ,

h av e co m e i nto my o pi ni o n I h av e n o t o n th at acc o u nt giv e n

.
, ,

i t u p I will no t c o mp are o u r h ash e d m u tto n wi t h A m e li a s ;

.
’

b u t it p u t u s in mi n d o f it and le d to a discussi o n sh arply

, ,

s e as o ne d and w e ll s u s tai n ed t ill mid nigh t the r e s u l t o f which

, ,

app e are d s o m e y e ars af te r i n th e Edi nb u rgh R e vi e w H av e I .

a b e tte r o pi ni o n o f t h o s e cri t icism s o n t h at acc o u n t o r S h o u ld I ,

th e re fo r e m ai n t ai n t h e m wi th gr e ate r v e h e m e n c e an d te naci o us

n e ss ? O h n o ! Bo th r at h e r wi th l e ss no w th at th ey are b e fo r e ,

30 the public and i t is f o r t h e m to m ak e th e ir e l e c ti o n

, .

I t is in l o o ki ng b ack to s u ch sc e ne s th at I dr aw my b e s t c o n
s o l ati o n f o r the f u t ur e L ate r impre ssi o ns c o m e and go and
.
,

s e rv e to fill u p the i n terv als b u t th e s e are my s tandi ng r e s o u rc e ,

 T H E S I C K C H A M B ER

Wh at a di f fe r enc e b e tw een t h is s u bj e ct and my l ast a re e

Admissi o n Y et fro m th e cr o wd e d t h e at r e to th e sick ch amb e r ,

fr o m the no ise the gl ar e the k e en d elight to the l o neli ne ss the

, , , ,

d ark ne ss t he dul ne ss and the p ai n t h e r e is b u t o ne ste p A

, , , .

5 br eath O f air an o v e rh angi ng cl o ud e ffe cts it ; and t h o ugh the

, ,

tr ansi ti o n is m ad e in an i ns tant i t s ee ms as if it w o uld l ast f o r

,

ev er . A sudd en ill ne ss no t o n ly p u t s a s to p to the c ar ee r o f

o u r t riumphs and agr e e abl e s e n s at i o n s b u t bl o t s o u t and c anc e ls
,

all r e c o ll e c ti o n o f an d d e sir e f o r t h e m W e l o s e th e r e lish o f

.

IO e nj o ym e n t ; we are e f f e ctu ally c u r e d o f o u r r o m anc e O u r .

b o di e s are c o nfi ned to o u r b e ds ; no r c an o u r th o ughts w ant o nly

d etach t h e ms elv e s and t ak e the r o ad to pl easur e b u t t ur n b ack ,

wi th d o ub t and l o athi ng at the fai nt e v ane sc e nt ph anto m which

has usurp e d it s pl ac e I f the fo ldi ng d o o rs o f the im agi nat i o n
.
-

w e r e thr o wn o p en o r l e f t a j ar so th at fr o m the dis o rd e r e d

-
,

c o uch wh e r e we lay we c o u ld s till h ail the vis ta o f the p ast o r

,

fu tu r e and s ee the gay and go rgeo u s visi o n s fl o at i ng at a dis

,

t anc e h o w e v e r d e n i e d to o u r e mbr ac e the c o n tr ast th o ugh

, , ,
'

m o r tifyi ng migh t h av e s o m ethi ng s o o thi ng in it the m o ck

, ,

spl e nd o u r migh t b e the greate r f o r the ac tu al gl o o m : but t he

mis e ry is th at we c anno t c o n c e iv e anythi ng b ey o nd o r b e tt e r
th an the pr e s e n t e vil ; w e are shu t u p and sp e ll b o u nd i n th at -
,

t he c u r tai n s o f t he mi n d are dr aw n cl o s e we c anno t e sc ap e fr o m

,

”
o u r s o uls are c o nq u e r e d dism ay e d
“
th e b o dy o f this d e ath , , ,

25 co o p e d and c abi ne d in and thro wn wi th the lumb e r o f Ou r

”
,

c o rp o r e al fram e s in o ne c o rne r o f a negl e c te d and s o li tary ro o m .

We h ate o urs elv e s and e v e ry thi ng e ls e ; no r d o e s o ne ray o f

”
c o mfo rt p ee p t hro ugh the bl ank e t o f the d ark to giv e u s
“

308
 T H E S I C K C H A M BE R 3 09

h o p e H o w sh o uld we ent e rt ai n the im age o f grac e and b eauty

.
,

wh en o u r b o di e s wri th e wi th p ai n ? T 0 wh at p u rp o s e inv o k e
th e e ch o O f s o m e rich str ai n o f music wh e n we o urs e lv e s c an
,

sc arc ely br e ath e ? Th e v e ry at tem pt is an imp o ssibili ty We .

giv e u p the v ai n t ask O f li nki ng d e ligh t to ago ny o f urgi ng to r

,

po r i nto e cst asy which m ak e s th e v e ry h e art sick We f ee l the

,
.

pre s ent p ai n and an imp ati en t l o ngi ng to ge t rid o f it T h is

,
.

w e re i nd ee d a c o nsumm at i o n d e v o utly to b e wish e d : o n t his

we are i ntent in e arne st i ne x o r abl e : all e ls e is imp e rti ne nc e
, ,

an d f o lly ; and c o uld we bu t O b tai n ease t h at G o dd e ss o f the I O

(
i nfirm and suffe ri ng) at an y pric e we thi nk we c o uld fo rsw e ar
,

all o t h e r j o and all o th e r s o rr o ws H oc erat i n o otis All o th e r

y . .

thi ngs bu t o u r dis o rd e r and its cur e s eem l e ss th an no thi ng and

v ani ty I t assum e s a p alp abl e fo rm ; it b e c o m e s a d e m o n a
.
,

S p e ctr e an i n cubu s h o v e ri ng o v e r and O ppr e ssi ng us : we gr ap

,

p le wi t h it : it strik e s its f an gs i n t o u s spr

,
e ads it s arms r o u nd

u s i n fe c ts u s wi t h it s br e ath gl ar e s u p o n us wi th its hid eo us

, ,

asp e ct ; we f ee l i t t ak e p o ss e ssi o n o f e v e ry fibre and o f e v e ry

facul ty ; and we are at l e ng t h so abs o rb e d and f asci nat e d by it ,

th at we c anno t div e rt o u r r efl e c t i o n s fr o m it f o r an i nst ant f o r 20 ,

(
all o th e r t hi ngs b u t p ai n and th at which we s u ff e r m o st acut ely
) ,

app e ar to h av e l o st th e ir pi th an d p o w e r to i nt e r e st Th e y are
.

tur ne d to d u s t and s tubbl e This is the r eas o n o f the fi ne

.

r e s o luti o ns we s o m etim e s fo rm in such c as e s and o f th e v ast

,

su p e ri o ri ty O f the sick b ed to t he p o mps and thr o ne s o f the

w o rld We e asily r e no u nc e wi ne wh en we h av e no thi ng bu t
.

the t as te o f physic in o u r m o u t hs : th e rich b an qu e t te mp t s u s

”
no t wh e n
,
o u r v e ry g o rg e ris e s wi thi n u s : L o v e and Beau ty
fly fro m a b e d twis te d i nto a th o us and f o lds by r e s tl ess l assi tud e
and t o rm en ti n g c ar e s : th e n e r v e o f pl e asur e i s kill e d by the 3O

p ai ns t h at sh o o t thr o ugh the h ead o r r ack the limbs : and i ndi

g e s ti o n s e iz e s yo u wi th its l e ad en gr asp and gi ant fo rc e ( d o w n ,

A mbi ti o n — yo u shiv e r an d t re mbl e lik e a l eaf in a fi t o f the

agu e .

( A v aric e le t go y o ur p alsi e d h o ld ! ) We th en are i n the

,
 310 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

m o o d wi th o ut gh o stly advice
, ,
to b e tak e o urs elv e s to th e lif e of
”
h e rmi t p o o r ,

In p e n s iv e p l ac e o b sc u r e ,

an d sh o uld b e gl ad pr e v e nt the r etur n o f a f e v e r r agi ng in

to

t he bl o o d by f ee di ng o n p u ls e and sl aki n g o u r thirst at th e

,

limpid bro o k T he s u dd e n r eso l u t i o n s h o w ev e r o r v o ws

.
, ,
“

”
m ad e in p ai n as vi o l en t and v o id are g ene r ally o f sh o r t d u ra
,

ti o n : the e xc e ss and the s o rr o w f o r it are alik e s e lfish ; and

t h os e r e p e ntan c e s which are th e m o st l o u d and p assi o nate are
(O th e s u r e s t t o e nd sp e e dily i n a r e l aps e ; f o r b o t h o rigi nat e i n

t he s am e c aus e th e b e i ng engro ss e d by th e pr e v aili ng fee li ng

,

( wh at ev e r it m ay b e) and an ut te r i n c ap aci ty t o l o o k b ey o nd it
,
.

T h e D e v il was s i c k th e D e v i l a m o n k w o u l d b e :
,

The D e vi l gr e w w e l l t h e D e v i l a m o n k was h e !
,

‘5 I t is am az i ng ho w li ttl e e ffe c t physic al s u ffe ri ng o r l o c al cir

c u m stanc e s h av e up o n th e mi n d e xc e p t whil e w e are subj e ct t o
,

t h e ir imm e di ate i nfl u en c e Whil e the impr e ssi o n l as ts th ey are

.
,

e v e ry thi ng : wh e n it is g o ne t h ey are no t hi ng ,
We t oss and .

tumbl e ab o ut in a sick b e d ; we lie o n o u r righ t sid e we t h en ,

’0 ch ang e to the l e ft ; we s tr e tch o urs e lv e s o n o u r b acks we t ur n ,

o n o u r f ace s ; we wr ap o u rs e lv e s u p u nd e r the cl o th e s to
e xcl u d e the c o ld we t hro w t h e m o ff t o e sc ap e th e h e at an d
,

s u ffo c ati o n ; we grasp the pill o w in ago ny we fli ng o u rs e lv e s ,

o u t o f b e d we w alk u p and d o w n th e r o o m wi th h as ty o r f e e bl e
,

s te ps ; we re tu rn t o b ed ; we are w o r n o u t wi th f atigu e and

p ai n ye t c an ge t n o r e p o s e f o r the o ne no r i n t e rmissi on f o r
, ,

th e o t h e r ; we s u mm o n all o u r p at i e nc e o r giv e v e n t to p assi o n

,

and p e t ty r ag e : no thi ng av ails ; we s ee m w e dd e d to o u r dis

“
e as e
,
lik e life and d e ath in dispr o p o r ti o n m e t ; we m ak e ne w
e ffo r ts t ry ne w e xp e di e nt s b u t n o thi ng app e ars to sh ak e it o ff
, , ,

o r pr o mis e r e li e f fr o m o u r grim f o e : it infi x e S i t s sh arp s ti n g

i nt o u s o r o v e rp o w e rs u s by its sickly and stu nni ng w eight :

,

e v e ry m o m e nt is as much a s we c an b e ar and y e t t h e r e s ee ms
‘

,
 31 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

sky I wit ne ss e d a sh o rt whil e b e fo r e th e whi te fleec y cl o uds , ,

the az u r e v au l t t he v e rd ant fi elds and b almy air I n v ai n ! T he

, , .

wi ngs o f f ancy r e fu se to m o u nt fr o m my b e d sid e T he air wi th -

.

O u t h as no thi ng in c o mm o n wi t h t he cl o s ene ss wi t hi n the cl o u ds

5 dis app ear the sky is in s tantly o v e rc ast and bl ack I w alk o u t
,
.

in t his sc e ne soo n af te r I r e c o v e r an d wi th t h o s e fav o uri te and

w e ll k no w n o bj e cts i nte rp o s e d c an n o l o nger r e c all the t umbl e d
-

pill o w the j u l e ps o r t he l ab e ls o r the u nwh o l es o m e du ngeo n in

, ,

which I was b e fo r e immur e d Wh at is c o ntr ary to o u r pre s ent

.

[O s ens ati o ns o r s ettl e d h abi ts amalg am ate s i ndiffe r en tly wi th o u r

,

b eli e f t he im agi nati o n rul e s o v e r im agi nary t h e m e s ; the s ens e s

and cu st o m h av e a n arr o w e r sw ay and admi t b u t o n e gu e st at ,

a tim e I t is h ardly to b e w o nd e r e d at t h at w e dre ad physic al

.

c al ami ti es so li ttl e b e f o r e h and : we thi nk n o m o re o f t h e m the

[ 5 m o ment afte r t hey h av e h app ene d O u t of szgli t o u t of m ind .
,
.

This will p erh aps expl ain why all ac t u al pu nishm ent has so li ttl e
e f f e ct ; i t is a st at e c o n tr ary t o nat u r e ali e n t o the will I f it ,
.

d o e s no t to uch h o no ur and c o nsci e n c e ( and wh e r e t h e s e are no t ,

ho w c an it to uch th e m ?) it g o e s f o r no t hi ng ; and wh e r e t h e s e
’
O are it r at h e r s e a rs and h ard e n s th e m
,
T he gyv e s t he c e ll the .
, ,

m eagr e f ar e th e h ard l ab o ur are abh o rr ent to the mi n d o f the

,

culprit o n wh o m th ey are imp o s e d who c arri e s the l o v e o f lib e rty

,

o r i nd u lg e nc e t o lic enti o u s ne ss ; and who t hr o ws th e t h o ugh t o f

th e m b e hi nd him ( the m o me nt h e c an e v ad e the p enal ty ) with ,

sc o rn and l aught e r ,

L i k e S am s o n h i s gr e e n wy th e s ” 1
.

i n tr av e lli ng we o f ten m ee t wi th gr e at fatigu e and inc o n

So , ,

ve nie nc e fr o m h e at o r c o ld o r o t h e r accid e n t s and r e s o lv e ne v e r

, ,

to go a j o u r ne y ag ai n ; but we are r e ady t o set o ff o n a new

1 h o u g h ts o f a c ap t iv e c an no m o re ge t b ey o n d his pris o n walls th an his

T he t -

limbs u nl e ss th ey are b u si e d in pl ann i ng an e sc ap e ; as o n th e c o n trary wh at

, , ,

pris o ne r af te r e ff e c ti ng his e sc ap e eve r s u ffe re d th e m to re tu rn th e re o r t o o k

, , ,

c o mm o n pre cau t i o n s to prev e nt his o wn ? \Ve i nd u l g e o u r fancy m o re t h an we

c o ns u l t o u r i nt e r e st T he s e ns e o f p e rs o nal id e nt i ty h as alm o s t as li ttl e i nfl u e nc e
.

i n prac t ic e as i t h as f o u n d at i o n in th e o ry .
 TH E SI C K C H A M B E R 31 3

e xcursi o n to m o rr o w We r em e mb e r the l andsc ap e the ch ange

-
.
,

o f sc e ne the r o m an tic e xp e ct ati o n and thi nk n o m o r e o f th e

, ,

h eat the no is e and dust T he b o dy f o rge ts its gri e v anc e s till

, , .
,

th ey r e cu r ; b u t im agi nati o n p assi o n prid e h av e a l o nge r m em

, , ,

or
y and quick e r appre h e n si o ns T o the firs t t he pl e asur e o r
.

p ai n is no thi ng wh e n o n c e o v e r ; to t he l as t it is o n ly th en th at
th ey b egi n to exist T he li ne in M e tas tasi o
.
,

The w o rs t of e v e ry e vi l i s th e f e ar ,
”

i s tru e o n ly wh en appli ed to this l att e r s o rt I t is curi o u s th at .

,

o n c o mi ng o u t o f a sick ro o m wh e r e o ne has b e e n p e nt so me
-
,
IO

tim e and gro w n w eak and ne rv o us and l o o ki ng at N atu r e f o r

, ,

the first tim e the o bj e cts th at pr e s e n t th e ms e lv e s h av e a v e ry

,

q u e s t i o nabl e and sp e ctral app e ar anc e the p eo pl e in the s tr ee t ,

r e s e mbl e fli e s cr awli ng ab o u t and s ee m sc arc e h al f aliv e I t is

,
-
.

we wh o are j u st ris en fr o m a to rpid and u nwh o l e s o m e st ate .

,
I S
and who imp art o u r im p e rf e ct f ee li ngs o f e xist e nc e h e al th and , ,

m o t io n to o th e rs O r i t m ay b e th at the vi o l e nc e and e x e r ti o n
.

o f the p ai n we h av e g o ne t hr o u gh m ak e c o mm o n e v e ryd ay

o bj e cts s eem u n r e al and u n subs tan ti al I t is no t till we h av e .

e s tablish e d o urs e lv e s in f o rm i n t he sit ti ng r o o m wh ee l e d r o u n d -

,

the arm ch air to th e fi re ( f o r t his m ak e s p ar t o f o u r re i nt ro

- -

d u cti o n to the o rdi nary m o de s o f b e i ng i n all s e as o ns ) f e l t o u r ,

app e ti te r e tu rn and tak en u p a b o o k

,
th at w e c an b e c o n ,

side re d as at all r e s to r e d to o u rs e lv e s A nd e v e n th e n o u r .

firs t s e ns at i o ns are r ath e r e m piric al th an p o si tiv e a s af te r sl ee p ,

w e str e tch o u t o u r h ands to k no w wh e th e r we are aw ak e T h is .

is the tim e f o r r e adi ng Bo o ks are th en in d ee d a w o rld b o th

.
,

”
pur e and go o d in t o which we e n t e r wi th all o u r h e ar ts aft e r
, ,

o u r r e viv al fr o m ill ne ss and r e spi te fr o m the t o mb a s wi t h the ,

fr e sh ne ss and no v e l ty o f y o u th Th ey are no t m e r e ly acc e p tabl e

.

a s wi tho u t t oo much e x e rti o n th ey p ass the tim e and r e li e v e

enn u i ,
bu t fr o m a c e rt ai n susp e n si o n and d e ad en i ng o f the
p assi o n s and abs tr acti o n fr o m w o rldly pursui t s th ey m ay b e
, ,
 314 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

s aid to bri ng b ack and b e fri endly to the guil el e ss and enthu si
astic to ne o f f ee li ng wi th which w e f o rm e rly r e ad th e m S ick .

n e ss has w e ane d us p ro temp ore fro m co nt e st and c ab al ; and

we are f ai n t o b e d o cil e and childr e n ag ai n All s t ro ng ch ang e s.

in o u r pr e s en t p u rsuits thr o w u s b ack up o n the p as t This is .

th e S h o rt e s t an d m o s t c o mpl e t e e m ancip at i o n fr o m o u r l at e dis

c o m fi tu re . W e w o nd e r t h at any o n e who h a s r ead Til e H istory

of a F o u ndli ng sh o uld l ab o ur u nd e r an i ndig e s t i o n n o r do we ,

c o mpr e h end ho w a p erus al o f the F aery Qu een sh o uld no t ensur e

[ O th e tru e b e li e v e r an u ni nte rr u p te d succ e ssi o n o f h alcy o n d ays .

P r e s ent o bj e cts b e ar a r e tr o sp e c t iv e m eani ng and p o i n t t o a ,

”
fo r e go ne c o nclusi o n R e turni ng b ack to lif e wi t h h alf s tru ng
.
-

nerv e s and sh atte r e d str e ng t h we s ee m a s wh en we first e n t e r e d

,

i t wi t h u nc e r tai n p u rp o s e s and f alte ri ng aims T he m achi ne has .

r e c e iv e d a sh o ck and it m o v e s o n m o r e t r e m u l o usly t h an b e fo r e
, ,

and n o t all at o n c e in th e b e ate n t r ack S t ar tl e d at th e appro ach

.

o f d e at h ,
we are willi ng to ge t a s f ar fr o m i t a s we c an by
m aki ng a pr o xy o f o u r f o rm e r s e lv e s ; and fi ndi ng the pr ec ari o us
t e nur e by which we h o ld e xis te n c e and it s l as t s an ds ru nni ng
,

o u t we g at h e r u p and m ak e t he m os t o f th e fr agm e nt s th at
'

m em o ry h as s to r e d u p f o r us Ev e ry thi ng is s ee n thro ugh a

.

m e di u m o f r e fl ecti o n and c o ntr ast We h e ar the s o u nd o f m e r ry

.

v o ic e s in the s tr ee t ; and t his c arri e s u s b ack t o the re c o llecti o ns

o f s o m e c o u nt ry t o w n o r vill ag e gr o u p
- -

2
s We se e t h e c h il dr e n sp o r t i n g o n t h e sh o r e ,

A n d h e a r t h e m igh t y w at e rs r o ari n g e v e rm o r e ”
.

A crick e t chirps o n th e h e ar th and we are r e mi nd e d o f C hrist

,

m a s gamb o ls l o ng ago T he v e ry cri es in the s tre e t s e e m to b e

.

o f a f o rm e r d at e ; and t h e dry t o as t e ats v e ry much a s it did

50
— twe nty y e ars ago A r o s e sm ells d o u bly sw ee t af te r b e i ng
.
,

s tifl e d wi th t i nc tu re s and e ss e nc e s ; and we e nj o y the id e a o f

a j o u r ne y and an inn the m o r e f o r h avi ng b een b e d rid Bu t -
.

a b o o k i s th e s e cr e t an d s u r e ch arm t o bri ng all t h e s e impli e d

 N O T ES

T he ly c o mpl e te e di t i o n o f H az litt s wri t i ng s is by Wall e r and G l o v e r in

on
’

t hir te e n v o l u m e s i n cl u di ng o n e v o l u m e which c o n tai n s a f u ll i nd e x to s u b j e c t s

,

an d q u o t at i o n s R e fe re c e s
. n in t h s
e e n o t e s o
t W o rk s
”
are always t o this e di t i o n .

T h e i n s t an ce s o f my i nd e b te d n e ss to th is e di t i o n are too nu m e r o u s t o m e n t i o n .

H az lit t s h abi t o f q u o t i ng fr o m m e m o ry h as b aff l e d e v e ry e di t o r wh o h as t ri e d

’

t o disc o v e r t h e s o u rc e s o f t h e q u o tat i o ns . T h o u g h sch o l ars h av e b e e n abl e to

disc o v e r m o st o f t h o se u s e d in t his v o l u m e a f e w h ave e l u d e d th e m o s t c ar e f u l
,

s earch o f m any e di to rs .

H A M L ET

Th e only c ri t i c is m o f H am l e t b y H az l i tt i s th e r e v i e w o f K e an s pl ay ’

i ng wh i c h ap p e ar e d i n t h e M o rn i ng C/z ro n i c le M arc h 1 4 1 8 1 4 Th e
, , , .

p r e s e nt i ss u e i s p ri nt e d f r o m t h e firs t e d i t i o n o f t h e C h ar ac te rs o f
”
S h ak e sp e ar w h i c h i s a r e p ri nt u s u ally w i t h sm all c h ang e s o f
, ,

t h e t h e at ri c al r e v i e ws ap p e a ri n g i m m e d i at e ly af t e r t h e p e r f o rm an c e

o f t h e p l ays .

I n h i s p r e fac e to t h e p u bl i sh e d v o l u m e C h ar ac t e rs o f S h ak e sp e ar
“ ”
, ,

H az l i t t s ays T h e o n ly w o rk wh i c h s e e m e d t o s u p e rs e d e t h e n e c e ss i ty
o f an att e m p t l i k e t h e p r e s e n t w as S c h l e g e l s v e ry a dm i r abl e L e c tu r e s
’

o n t h e D r am a wh i c h giv e by f ar t h e b e s t a c c o u n t o f t h e pl ays o f S h ak
’
,

S p e r e t h at h as h i t h e r t o a p p e a r e d . T h e o nly c i rc u m s tan c e s in wh i c h
i t was t h o u gh t n o t i m p o ss ibl e t o i m p r o v e o n t h e m an n e r i n wh i c h th e
G e rm an c ri t i c h as e x e c u t e d t h i s p ar t o f h i s d e sig n w e r e i n av o i d i ng a n
,

ap p e a r an c e o f mys t i c is m i n h i s s tyl e n o t v e ry att r a c t iv e t o t h e E n gl i sh

,

r e ad e r an d in b ri n gi n g ill u s t r at i o ns f r o m p ar t i c u l ar p ass ag e s o f th e pl ays

,

t h e m s e lv e s o f wh i c h S c h l e g e l s w o rk f r o m t h e e x t e n siv e ne ss o f h i s pl an
’
, , ,

d i d n ot ad m i t W e wi ll at t h e s am e t i m e c o n f e ss t h at s o m e l i ttl e j e al
.
,

r
o u sy o f th e c h ar ac t e r O f t h e n at i o n al u n d e rs t an d i n g was n ot w i t h o u t it s

sh ar e I n p r o d u c i n g th e f o ll o w i n g u n d e r t aki ng f o r we w e r e p iq u e d
,
‘ ’

t h at it sh o u l d b e r e s e rv e d f o r a f o r e ig n c ri t i c t o giv e r e as o n s f o r t h e
‘

fai t h wh i c h we Engl i sh h av e i n T h e n H az l i t t p ri nt e d a
l o n g p ass ag e f r o m S c hl e g e l and c o nt r as t e d h i s e s t i m ate o f S h aksp e r e
w i t h t h at o f S am u e l J o h n s o n m u c h to t h e d is adv antag e o f t h e l at te r
,
.

31 7
318 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

1 3 t h at f am ou s s ol i l oqu y : I I I i 5 6 , , .

1 4 t h e adv i c e t o t h e p l ay e r s I I I ii , .

1 4 t h i s g oo dl y fr am e I I i i 31 0 , ,
.

1 7 m an del i gh t ed not
"
I I i i 32 1 , , .

1 9 gr av e di gg e rs : V i
-
, .

1 23 t oo m u ch i ’ t h ’ s u n
"
I ii 67 , , .

22 t h e pang s of de s pi s e d 16ve III i 72 , , .

3 10 w e h av e t h at w i t hi n I ii 85 , ,
.

3 27 wh e r e h e k il l s P o l o ni u s I I I iv , .

3 28 alt e rs t h e l ett e rs : I V v i ; V i i 5 1 , , , .

3 33 r e f u s e s t o k i l : I I I I v ; ls
l a o H e
, k e l s a d p ay s
n e n r
”
.

4 21 How all o cca s i on s I V iv 3 2 , , .

5 33 t h e Whol e Du t y o f M an w as a t r e at i s e p u bl ish e d i n 1 6 59 T h e .

au t h o r i s u n k n o w n I t w as v e ry p o p u l ar o n e i m p r e ssi o n o f 1 7 1 7
.
,

ap p e ari n g wi t h t h e all u ri n g t i t l e T h e W h o l e D u t y o f M an c o n si d e r d
’
,

u n d e r i t s t h r e e p ri n c i p al an d g e n e r al div is i o n s n am e ly T h e D u t i e s w e ,

o we t o G o d O u rs e lv e s an d N e i g hb o rs F ai t h f u lly e x t r a c t e d f r o m t h at
, ,

e x c e ll e n t b o o k so e n t i t l e d an d p u bl i sh e d f o r t h e b e n e fi t o f t h e p o o r e r

s o r t T h e b o o k h as b e e n att rib u t e d to R o b e r t N e l s o n E s q t o R o b e r t
.
”
, ,

N o r t o n H e n ry H am m o n d an d o t h e rs I t w ill b e r e m e mb e r e d as o n e O f
, ,
.

t h at i nt e r e s t i n g c o ll e c t i o n o f b o o k s o f L yd i a L an g u i sh i n S h e ri d an s
’
,

R iv al s I 2
”
, , .

5 33 A c ade my of C om pl i m ent s o r t h e W h o l e A rt o f C o u rt sh i p b e i n g ,

t h e n e ar e s t an d m o s t e x ac t w ay o f w o o i n g a M ai d o r \Vi do w by t h e ,

way o f D i al o g u e o r C o m pl i m e nt al E xp r e ss i o n s L o n d o n ( no d at e ) . .

T h e r e w e r e e d i t i o n s i n 1 6 4 0 1 6 50 , .

6 21 l v
I o ed Op e h l i a
”
V i 292 , , .

6 26 S w eet s t o t h e sw eet V i 2 66 , , .

7 1 3 h i s adv i c e t o L ae rt e s : I i i i , .

7 14 advi c e t o t h e K i ng I I ii , .

7 28 K e mb l e : J o h n P h il i p K e mbl e ( 1 7 5 7 t h e c e l e b r at e d E n gl ish

t r ag e d i an s o n o f R o g e r K e mbl e b r o t h e r o f C h arl e s K e mbl e and o f

, ,

M rs S a r ah K e mbl e S i dd o n s H e m ad e h i s deb u t as H am l e t at D r u ry
. .

L an e i n 1 7 8 3 and r e t i r e d as C o ri o l anu s J u n e 2 3 1 8 1 7 A S m anag e r o f , , .

D r u ry L an e an d l at e r o f C o v e nt G ard e n h e w o n a r e p u t at i o n p art ic u ,

larly at t h e O p e n i n g o f t h e n e w C o v e nt G ard e n T h e at e r wh e n t h e o ld “

p ri c e ri o t s o c c u rr e d K e mbl e w as p o p u l ar as H aml e t C ato and B r u tu s

”
.
, , ,

b u t e sp e c i ally as C o ri o l anu s H az l i tt d e s c rib e d wi t h f e e l i n g an d w i th

.

r e gr e t K e m b le s r e t i r e m e n t f r o m th e s tag e in th e Ti m es f o r j u n e 2 5
’
,

1817 . F o r m a n y c ri t i c i sm s o f h i s ac t i n g s e e W o rks V o l VIII , , . .

7 n ot e Th e r e i s a w il l o w I V vi i 1 6 7 , , .
32 0 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

s ay o f h i ms e l f an d S ir R o b e r t W al p o l e : R o b i n an d I are two h o ne s t
m e n t h o u gh h e i s f o r K i n g G e o rg e an d I f o r K i n g J am e s Of him
”
'

,
.
,

H az l i tt in h is B ri t ish S e n at e wri t e s : H e was o n e o f t h e m o s t v e h e

m e n t an d v ig o r o u s o p p o s e rs o f th e m e as u r e s o f g o v e r n m e nt t h r o u g h
t h e wh o l e o f t h i s r e ig n B u t h e w as a m an o f gr e at fi rm n e ss an d
.

in d e p e n d e n c e o f m i n d
”
.

1 2 23 P ereant i s t i c o n fo u n d th e f e ll o ws wh o h av e s ai d o u r g o o d
t h i n gs b e f o r e u s ( H az li tt ) .

1 2 n o t e Mande vil l e : B e r n a rd de M an d e vi ll e ( 1 6 7 0 i n 1 705 he

p u bl ish e d a r o u gh p o e m i n o c t o syll abi c s e nt i t l e d T h e G r u m bli n g ,
“

H iv e T h i s was r e pri nt e d i n 1 7 1 4 t o g e t h e r w i t h a l o ng c o m m e n t ary in

”
.

p r o s e w i t h t h e t i t l e T h e F abl e o f t h e B e e s o r P riv at e V i c e s P u bl i c
,
“
, ,

B e ne fi t s
”
.

1 3 3 Lo r d Halif ax : G e o r g e S avil e M arq u i s o f H ali f ax ( 1 6 3 3 ,

h e h as b e e n s o m e t i m e s c all e d t h e f o u n d e r o f t h e p o l i t i c al p amp h l e t .

H is s t yl e was si m pl e an d f u l l o f w it H i s c o l l e c t e d p am p hl e t s ap p e ar e d
.

i n 1 7 00 an d are i nt e r e s t i ng .

1 3 7 Co wl ey : A b r ah am C o wl e y ( 1 6 1 8 a r o y al i s t p o e t an d o n e

O f t h e firs t wri t e rs o f t h e E n gl i sh e ss ay .

1 3 8 S i r Will iam T e m pl e ( 1 6 2 8 di s t i n g u i sh e d s tate sm an an d

p r o s e w ri t e r H e w as f o r a t i m e a p at r o n o f S wi f t
. .

1 3 9 Lo r d S h aft e s b u ry : A nt o n y A shl e y C o o p e r t h i rd E arl o f S h af te s ,

b u ry ( 1 6 7 1 —1 7 1 3 ) h e p u bl i sh e d a b o o k wh i ch b e c am e v e ry fam o u s an d
h ad m u c h i n fl u e n c e o n th e t h o u gh t o f t h e e i gh t e e n t h c e n tu ry C h ar ,

ac t e ris t i c s o f M e n M ann e rs O p i n i o n s T i m e s H e w as e m i n e n t
"
, , (171 ,

as a p h ilo s o ph i c al e ss ay i s t H e w as O p p o s e d t o H o bb e s an d m ai nt ai n e d
.

t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a m o r al s e n s e .

1 3 no te N am qu o dc u nqu e &c : Lu c r e t i u s I I I 7 5 2 .
, , .

1 4 6 t h e Tat l e r : t h i s f am o u s p ap e r i n s t i tu t e d by R i c h ard S t e e l e c o n
, ,

t i nn e d f r o m A p ri l 1 2 1 7 09 t o J an u ary 2 1 7 1 1
, ,
I n all t h e r e w e r e 2 7 1
, .

n u mb e rs o f wh i c h S t e e l e c o n t rib u t e d 1 8 8
,
S e e t h e e di t i o n s o f S t e e l e
.

a nd A dd is o n i n t h e A t h e n az u m P r e ss S e ri e s S e e als o t h e e d i t i o n o f .

th e
“
T at l e r by G A A i t k e n
. .

1 4 7 S p e ct at or c o nt i n u e d f r o m M a rch 1 1 7 1 1 t o D e c e mb e r 6 1 7 1 2 , , , ,

an d f r o m J u n e 1 8 , t o D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 7 1 4 T h e l ar g e r n u mb e r o f
,
.

p ap e rs w e r e wri tte n by A d dis o n .

14 1 2 h
t e p"
e rf e c t s py 0
’
t h ’
t im e
”
M acb e t h I I I i 1 29 ,
”
, , .

1 4 1 8 T h e fi rs t of t h e s e pape rs : a l arg e p ar t o f t h i s p ass ag e h ad

app e ar e d i n t h e Ex a m i n e r ( M arch 5 I t was t h e n r e p ri n t e d
,

i n T h e R o u n d T abl e ( 1 8 1 7 ) and was l ate r i n cl u d e d in t h e e ss ay

”

b e fo r e u s .
 N O TES 32 1

1 4 26 I aa s c B ic k er staf f ,
Es q . : i n s t ar t i n g t h e
ss u m e d T at l e r , ” S te e l e a

th e n am e o f t h e as t r o l o g e r I s aa c B i c k e rs taff r e n d e r e d f am o u s by S wi f t
, , ,

wh o p r o f e ss e d t h at B i c k e rs t af f was a t r u e as t r o l o g e r d isg u s t e d at t h e ,

l i e s t o l d by i m p o s t o rs S e e S wi ft s P r e d i c t i o n s f o r t h e Y e a r
.
’
,

1 4 32 T e m pl e B ar : t h e fam o u s g at e w ay b e f o r e t h e T e m pl e i n L o n
do n wh i c h f o rm e rly d iv i d e d F l e e t S t r e e t f r o m t h e S t r an d
, .

1 5 9 h e dw e ll s w it h a secr et s at s act i on :
i f T at l e r ”
N o 1 07 D e c e m , .
,

b er 1 7 09
4, 1 .

1 5 14 Th e cl u b at t h e T r u m p et :
“
T at l e r ,
”
No . 1 3 2, wh e r e the club
i s d e s c rib e d .

The T r u mp e t s to o d ab o u t h alf way u p S hire L ane b e twe e n T e mpl e Bar and

-
,

C are y S t re e t at th e wid e s t an d be st p art o f t he l ane and re m ai ne d alm o st e nt ire ly

, ,

in it s o ri g i nal s t ate u nt il d e m o lish e d t o m ak e way f o r t h e n e w L aw C o u r t s I t h ad .

t h e O ld S i g n o f t h e T ru mp e t to t h e l as t as it fig u r e d in L im b ard s M o i rr r ” ’
,
in a
pic tu re wh e re it is pl ac e d sid e by sid e wi th a vi ew o f th e h o u s e in F u lwo o d s ’

R e n t s wh e r e p ap e rs f o r t he S p e c t at o r ” we r e t ak e n in
“
.

A i t k e n s e di t i o n o f T atl e r I l l 98 99 ’
,
”
,
-
.

1 5 16 cav alcade of the j u s t ic e , &c . :

“
T at l e r ,
”
No . 86 , O c to b e r 26 ,

1 7 09 .

1 5 20 t h e h l s t er e r and h is com
up o i s 1 5 5 1 60 1 7 8 pan on T at l e r , ” N o s .
, , .

T he o rigi n al o f t h i s p o l i t i c al u p h o ls t e r e r was s a i d to h av e b e e n E dw ard

A r ne o f C o v e nt G ard e n .

1 5 21 Gr e en P ark : a l a rg e p a rk in L o n d o n b e t w e e n B u c k i ngh a m
P al ac e and P i c c ad illy I t w as e sp e c i ally p o p u l ar i n t h e e igh te e nt h
.

c e ntu ry .

1 5 28 b u rl e s q u e c opy of v ers e s : T at l e r N o 2 38 O c t o b e r 1 6 1 7 1 0
”
.
, , ,
.

S w i f t wri t e s ( J o u r nal O c t o b e r 1 0 1 7 1 0 )
, I am n o w w ri t i ng my p o e t
,

i c al d e s c ri p t i o n o f a S h o w e r i n L o n d o n an d w ill s e n d it to t h e
‘ ’

1 5 31 t h e Gr e c ian c of f ee h ou s e : p r o b ably th e m o s t an c i e nt O f t h e
-

c o ff e e h o u s e s I t g o e s b ac k t o ab o u t 1 6 5 2 I t s t o o d i n D e v e r e u x C o u r t
-
. .

an d h ad i t s n a m e f r o m a G r e e k C o n s t ant i n e w h o k e p t it , , .

T at l e r ann o u n c e m e n t s o f all a c c o u n t s o f l e a r n i ng w e r e
“
I n the to

b e u n d e r th e t i t l e O f t h e G r e c i an ; s e e al s o T at l e r No 6 W h il e
” “
,
”
. .

o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e to w n are am u s e d wi t h t h e p r e s e n t ac t i o n s [ o f t h e

D u k e o f M arlb o r o u gh ] we g e n e r ally S p e n d t h e e v e n i ng at t h is t abl e

[ t h e G r e c i an] i n i nq u i ry i nt o an t iq u i ty an d t h i n k any t h i ng n e w wh i c h ,

giv e s u s n e w k n o wl e dg e I n D r K i n g s A ne c d o t e s t h e r e i s a s to ry
.
”
.
’ ”

o f tw o g e n t l e m e n fri e n ds wh o d isp u t e d t h e r e ab o u t t h e ac c o u n t o f a

G r e e k w o rd t o s u c h a l e n g t h t h at th e y w e nt o u t i nt o D e v e r e u x C o u r t
an d d r e w sw o rds wh e n o n e o f t h e m w as k il l e d o n t h e sp o t
”
, .
32 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

1 5 32 Wi ll s ’ : th e c o ff e e h o u s e
-
on th e n o t r h s i de of R u ss e ll S t r e et,
C o v e nt G ard e n , at t h e e nd o f B o w S tr e et
m e d f o r it s fi rs t . I t was na

p r o p ri e t o r W ill i am U rw i n I n t h e s e v e n t e e nt h c e ntu ry it b e c am e t h e
, .

c h i e f r e s o r t o f t h e p o e t s an d c a m e t o b e k n o w n as th e w z ts c o ff e e ’
’

h o u s e S e e Pe py s s D i ary F e b r u ary 1 66 3—1 6 6 4

.
’ “
,
”
,
.

1 6 7 M r L il l y : f o r S p e c t at o r N o 1 38 A u g u s t 8 1 7 1 1 S t e e l e
” “
.
, .
, , ,

wr o t e t h e f o ll o wi n g adv e r t i s e m e n t : T h e e x e rc i s e o f t h e s nu ff b o x ac -

c o rd i n g t o t h e m o s t fash i o n abl e ai rs an d n o t i o n s in O p p o s i t i o n t o th e ,

e x e rc i s e o f th e f an w ill b e t au gh t wi t h t h e b e s t p l ai n o r p e r f u m e d s nu ff
,

at C h a rl e s L illi e s p e r f u m e r a t t h e C o r n e r o f B e au f o r t B u il di n gs i n t h e
’
, ,

S t r an d
”
.

1 6 8 B ett e rt o n : T h o m as B e tt e r t o n ( 1 6 3 5 fam o u s as ac to r and

t h e at e r m an ag e r H e i s o f te m e nt i o n e d in t h e T at l e r e g N o s 1
”
. n , . . .
,

6 S A i k s d i i 1 1
’
6 —
7 1, 1 7 . e e t e n e t o n 1 3 1 64 , , .

1 6 8 M rs Ol dfi e l d : A n n e O l dfi e l d ( 1 68 3
. a c e l e b r at e d a c t r e ss .

A c c o rdi ng to t r adi t i o n F arq u h ar t h e d r am at i s t h e ard h e r in t h e M i t r e

, , ,

T av e r n r e c i t i n g p ass ag e s f r o m B e au m o nt an d F l e t c h e r s p l ays H e sp o k e
’
.

f av o r ably o f h e r to V an b r u gh w h o i n tu r n p r e s e nt e d h e r to C h ris t o p h e r
,

R i c h m an ag e r o f D r u ry L an e
,
.

1 6 9 Wi l l E s t c ou rt : R i c h ard E s t c o u r t ( 1 6 68 ac t o r an d d r am at i s t .

S p e c t at o r N o 4 68 A u g u s t 2 7 I 7 1 2
“ ”
See , .
, , .

1 6 1 0 To m Du rf e y : T h o m as D Urf e y ( 1 6 53 d r am at is t and s o n g
’

wri t e r o ft e n r e f e rr e d t o i n t h e T at l e r e g N o s 1 1 1 4 3 & c H e
, ,
”
. . .
, , , .

wr o t e T h e M o d e r n P r o p h e t s wh i c h was p r o d u c e d in 1 7 09 A t h i s
“
,
”
.

d e at h h e le f t h is w at c h an d c h ai n to S te e l e w h o w o r e it at t h e f u n e r al
.
, .

1 6 1 1 Du k e of M arl b or ou g h : J o h n C h u rc h i l l fi rs t D u k e o f M arlb o r o u gh ,

6
( 5 1
1 0 — th e d i s t i n g u is h e d g e n e r al i n t h e W ar o f t h e S p an i s h S u c

c e ss i o n T h ac k e r ay h as giv e n a v iv i d p e rh ap s n o t a f ai r p i c tu r e o f h i m
.
, ,

i n H e n ry E sm o n d .
”

1 6 1 1 M arsh al T u r e nne ( 1 6 1 1 —1 6 7 5 ) c r e at e d M arsh al G e n e r al O f th e -

a rm i e s o f F r an c e in 1 6 6 0 ; h e w o n m an y b ril li ant v i c t o ri e s .

1 6 1 2 V anb r u g h : S i r J o h n V an b r u gh ( l 6 6 1 o r 1 6 6 6 a p ro m i .
r

n e n t d r am at i s t an d arc h i t e c t o f t h e t i m e o f t h e R e s t o r at i o n O ne o f h i s .

m o s t fam o u s b u il d i n gs was B l e n h e i m n e ar O x fo rd gi v e n by t h e C r o w n ,

t o t h e D u k e o f M arlb o r o u gh .

T h e fi rs t s pri g h t l y r u nni ng s D ryd e n IV 1

” ” “
1 6 27 “
A u re n gz e b e , , ,

A nd fro m dre g s o f life thi n k t o re c e iv e

th e ,

Wh at th e fi rst spri gh tly ru nn i ng c o ld n ot g iv e u .

1 7 18 a mi abl e w eak ne s s e s : S p e c t ato r N o 1 00 J u ne 2 5 I 7 1 1 ,

”
.
, , .

1 7 18 h o s p i t al i t y : S p e c tato r N o s 1 0 6 1 07 J u ly 2 3 1 7 1 1 ,
”
.
, , , , .
32 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

20 5 o ri g i nal copy of the q u a rt o i

e di t o n of th e T at l er : th e T at l e r
”
was
r e iss u e d in 8 v o , an d in 1 2m o in 1 —1
71 0 71 1 .

20 8 S ir Is aa c N e wt o n ( 1 64 2 th e g r e at e s t of n at u a r l p h il o s
o p h e rs .

20 10 H e r al d’s Co ll e g e : C o lle ge o f A rm s an an c i e nt r o y al c o rp o r at i o n ,

i n s t i tu t e d by R i c h ard I I I i n 1 4 8 3 B e h i n d L i t t l e K n igh t R i d e r S t r e e t .
“ -
,

t o t h e e as t o f D o c t o rs C o m m o n s i s t h e H e r a l d s C o ll e g e ( L e igh
’ ’ ”
,

H u nt , T he T o w n c h ap i i T h i s b o o k c o n tai n s a n i n te r e s t i ng
,
”
. .

ac c o u nt o f t h e p l a c e ) .

20 1 2 Th e Gu ar di an : c o nt i n u e d f r o m M arc h 1 2 1 7 1 3 t o O c t o b e r 1 , , ,

1713 . O f t h e 1 7 6 nu mb e rs S t e e l e wr o t e 8 2 an d A d di s o n 5 3 .

20 1 6 t h e Rambl e r : a s e ri e s o f p a p e rs in i m i tat i o n o f t h e Sp e c
“
‘

t at o r app e ari n g e v e ry T u e sd ay an d S at u rd ay f r o m M a rc h 2 0 1 7 0 t o
”
, 5 , ,

M arc h 1 4 1 7 5 2 A ll t h e p ap e rs e x c e p t fi v e w e r e w ri tt e n by S am u e l
, .

J o h ns o n .

22 1 7 Th e e l e ph ant ” P aradi s e L o s t I V 3 4 5 ,
”
, .

23 1 0 If h e w er e t o w ri t e a f abl e ” : B o sw e ll ( e d i t e d b y H i ll ) I I 2 3 1
" “ ”
.
, ,
.

24 7 Ras s e l as J o h n s o n s m o s t p o p u l ar w o rk I t i s t h e s to ry ’
.

o f t h e w an de ri n gs o f t h e P ri n c e o f A byss i n i a in s e a rc h o f h ap p i n e ss .

24 1 2 pat ron i s ed L au de r : B o sw e ll I I 2 2 8 —2 3 1 ,
”
,

T he Re v . Dr Dou . g l as h vi ng wi t h
co mm o n acu te n e ss cl e arly d e t e c te d
,
a ,
un
,

a g ro ss f o rg e ry an d imp o si t i o n u p o n t h e p blic by \Villiam L a d e r a S c o t ch u u ,

sch o o lm ast e r who had wi th e q u al imp d e n c e an d i n g e n u i ty re pre s e nte d M il t o n

,
u

as a pl ag iary fr o m c e rt ai n m o d e rn L at i n p o e t s J o h n s o n w h o h ad b e e n so f ar , ,

imp o s e d u p o n as t o f u rnish a P re fac e and a P o s t scrip t t o his wo r k n o w dictate d ‘

a l e t t e r f o r L au d e r addr e ss e d to D r D o u g l as ac k n o wl e d g i n g his fra d in t e rms

,
.
,
u

o f s u i tabl e c o n t ri t i o n L au d e r af t e rwards we n t t o t h e B arb ad o e s wh e r e h e di e d

.
,

v e ry mis e rably ab o u t th e y e ar 1 7 7 1 .

24 20 th e k i ng of g oo d f e ll ow s
T h e re s ’
au ld R o b M o rris th at wo n s in y o n g l e n
He ’
s the K i n g o f g u d e f e ll o ws an d wal e [ pic k] o f au ld m e n .

B u rns A ld R o b M o rris ,
"
u ,
”
1 . 2

24 28 r
"
o
’
s m
t h e Eb
t e p e r ”
: n o o n e s e e m s t o u n d e rs tan d wh e r e H az l i tt

s e c u r e d t h is e xp r e ss i o n M r G o ll an c z i n h i s e d i t i o n o f H az litt s \V it
. .
,
’

asks t h e q u e s t i o n wh e t h e r t h is m ay b e a v e ry i n ac c u r a t e
”
and I I u m o u r ,

m i sq u o t i n g o f th e l i n e in O t h e ll o V i i 2 5 2 :
” “
, , ,

It is a swo rd of Sp i
a n, th e ic e -br o o k s t mp r
’
e e .

25 l w i nd i nt o a s u b j e ct
Do e s h e B o sw e ll II ”
,
”
, 2 60 .

25 3 If t h at f e ll o w ”
B u rk e I b id I I 4 50 . .
, .

25 T oph am B eau cl e rc and L ang t o n ibi d I 2 5 0

'

(1 .
, .
 N O T ES 32 5

25 20 N ow I t h i n k I am a good— h u m o u r ed f el l o w ibi d I I .
, 36 2 .

25 22 h i s q u i tt i ng t h e s oci et y of Garric k ib id I 20 1 : .
, .

25 23 di nin g w i t h Wil k e s : ib i d I I I 6 4 .
,
.

25 24 s i t t i ng w i t h t h e y o u ng l adi e s : ibi d I I 1 2 0 .
, .

25 27 h is c arry i ng t h e u nf or t u nat e v ict im : S e rg e ant T alf o u rd in h i s ,

a c c o u n t o f t h e l e c t u r e s by H az l i t t w r o t e : ,

T h e c o mp arat iv e i n s e n sibili ty o f t h e b l k O f his au di e n c e t o his fi ne s t p ass ag e s

u

s o m e tim e s pro v o k e d him t o awak e n th e ir at te nt i o n by p o i n ts which bro k e th e

t rai n o f his disc o u rs e af t e r which h e c o u ld m ak e hims e lf am e n ds by s o m e abr u p t
,

p arad o x which mi g h t s e t th e ir pre j u dic e s o n e d g e an d m ak e th e m fan cy th ey ,

we re sh o c k e d .H e o n c e h ad an e difyi ng adv an tag e o v e r t h e m H e was .

e n m e rat i n g t h e h u m an i t i e s which e n d e are d D r J o h n s o n t o his mi nd an d at

u .
, ,

t h e cl o s e o f an ag r e e abl e c at al o g u e m e n t i o n e d as l as t an d n o bl e s t his c arryi ng “

, , ,

t h e p o o r vic t im o f dis e as e and dissip at i o n o n his b ac k thr o u g h F l e e t S t re e t

”
at ,

which a t i tte r aro se fro m s o m e wh o we r e st ru c k by th e pic t r e as l u dicro u s and

, u ,

a m u rm u r fro m o t h e rs wh o d e e m e d t h e all u si o n u n fi t f o r e ars p o li te

,
H e p au s e d .

f o r an i n s tan t an d th e n add e d i n his s t e adi e s t an d m o s t impr e ssiv e m anne r

,
an ,
“

ac t which r e ali e s t h e p ar abl e o f t h e G o o d S am ari tan at which his m o ral and

”
z
,

d e licate h e are rs shran k r eb u k e d i nt o d e e p sil e nc e .

L i te rary R e m ai n s o f \V illiam H az li tt ” pp cxxvi ii — cxxix ,

.

26 7 “
wh e r e t h ey i n t r em b l i n g h ope r e po s e ”
: G r ay s
’
E l e gy , T h e
”
E p i t aph .

26 1 3 Th e A dv ent u r er : N o v e mb e r 7 , 1 7 5 2 , t o M arc h 9 , 1 7 54 , by J o h n
H awk e sw o rth ( 1 7 1 5
26 1 6 T h e Wo rl d : J an u ary 4 1 7 5 2 to M arch , , 9 , 1 7 5 4 by E dw ard M o o r e
,

( 7
1 1 2 —1 7 5 7 ) i n c o ll ab o r at i o n w i t h L y tt l e t o n , C h e s t e rfi e l d , and H o r ac e
W al p o l e .

26 1 7 Conno i s s eu r : J anu ary 3 1 1 7 54 t o S e p te m b e r 30 1 7 5 6 ; b e g u n

, , ,

by G e o rg e C o l m an an d B o n n e ll T h o r nt o n I t c o ntai n e d \V illiam C o w .

p e r s fi rs t p o e t ry T h e s t at e m e n t i n th e l as t o f t h e s e t h e r e i s o n e g o o d
’
.
,

i d e a r e f e rs to a p ap e r by M o o r e i n t h e IVo rla N O 1 7 6
”
,
’
, . .

26 23 C i ti z e n of t h e Wo rl d t h e t i t l e giv e n t o a c o ll e c t i o n o f

p ap e rs fi rs t p u bl i sh e d as C h i n e s e L e tt e rs .
”

c r i M e rc h an t o f V e n i c e
” “ ”
26 24 g o
“
a b ou t t o o z e n e pu t at o n 11 :

, ,

i x 37
,
h sh all o ab u
f or w o g o t
To c o z e n f o r t ne u an d b e h o no u rabl e
\V it h o u t t h e s tamp o f m e ri t ?
26 27 P e rs i an L et t e rs ( 1 7 3 5 ) L e tt e rs f r o m a P e rsi an i n E n gl a n d to
h i s f ri e n d I sp ah an by L o rd Ly ttl e to n ( 1 7 09
at ,
”

T h e b onz e s and pri e s t s ” C i t i z e n o f t h e \V o rl d L e t te r X

“
27 4 . .

27 21 W e are po s it iv e wh en w e s ay : ibi d L e t te r V . .

27 25 B e au T ibbs : ib i d L e t t e rs X X I X L I V L V L X X I
.
, , , .
32 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

27 29 Lounger : Edz n ou rg/z , J anu ary 2 3 1 7 7 9 t o M ay 2 7 I 7 SO

'

, , , .

27 30 M irro r : Ed nz ou rg/z F e br u ary 5 I 7 8 5 t o J anu a ry 6 1 7 8 6 H e nry

, , , , .

M a c k e nz i e ( 1 7 4 5—1 8 3 1 ) was t h e ch i e f c o nt rib u to r to b o t h .

27 32 L a Ro ch e : i n t h e M i rro r N o s 4 2 4 3 44 , .
, , .

27 33 L e F evr e : L e F e v e r i n S t e r ne s T ri s t r am S h an dy VI 6 ’
,
”
, .

28 1 — 4 M an of t h e Wo rl d J u l ia de Roub i gné M an of P eel .

i ng ( I 7 7 1 ) all by H e n ry M ac k e n z i e .

28 4 Ro s amond Gray : r o m an c e by C h arl e s L amb in 1 7 9 8 .

C H ARAC T ER O F M R . B UR K E

This e ss ay ap p e ar e d o rigi n ally as a p ar t o f t h e p ap e r C o l e ri dg e s ,

’

L i te r ary L i fe E d n ou rg/i R ev i ew X XV I I I 503 A u g u s t 1 8 1 7 I t ap

,
”
z
'

, , , , .

p e are d o n t h e fif t h o f t h e f o l lo wi n g O c t o b e r i n t h e Clz a mp z o n u n d e r
’

the t i tl e C h ar ac t e r o f M r B u rk e I n 1 8 1 9 it was p u bl i sh e d i n t h e
”
. .

v o l u m e P o li t i c al E ss ays wi t h S k e t c h e s o f P u bl i c C h ar ac t e rs ” Th e
,
“
, .

t e x t O f 1 8 1 9 i s h e r e r e p ri n t e d .

Edm u nd B u r k e ( 1 7 2 9 t h e c e l e b r at e d E n gl ish o r at o r an d s t at e s

m an H az litt s r e l at i o n t o B u rk e i s i nt e r e s t i n g as w e ll as v e ry c h ar
’
.

ac t e ris t i c .W h e n h e was e igh t e e n y e a rs o f age h e fo u n d o n

o n e O f h i s r a mbl e s a c o py o f S t j a m e s Clz ro n i c le wh i c h c o nt ai n e d a
’
. s ,

l o n g e x t r ac t f r o m B u rk e s f am o u s L e tt e r t o a N o bl e L o rd I t w as
’
.
”

t h e fi rs t t i m e t h at H az l i t t h ad r e a d a l i n e o f B u rk e s T o fi nd s u ch
’
.

w o n d e r f u l l an g u ag e s u c h spl e n d i d i m agi nat i o n ap p e al e d i n e xp r e ssibly

, ,

t o th e y o u n g r e ad e r b u t at t h e s am e t im e fill e d h i m wi t h d e sp ai r t h at h e
,

sh o u ld fi n d s o difli c u lt t h e t ask o f c o n v e y i n g to o t h e rs t h e sligh t e s t c o n

c e pt io n o f h i s m e an i n g L at e r h e p i c k e d u p i n a S h r e wsb u ry b o o k
.

sh o p B u rk e s R e fl e c t i o n s o n th e R e v o l u t i o n i n F r an c e ( 1 7 9 0 ) an d
’ “ ”

wr o t e o f it w i t h e nt h u si asm T h r o u gh o u t h i s l i f e h e r e tai n e d a s i n c e r e
.

ad m i r at i o n f o r B u rk e s w ri t i n gs b u t r o u n dly c ri t i c i z e d h i s p o si t i o n o n
’
,

p u bl i c q u e s t i o n s an d d e c ri e d h i m as an e n e my o f th e p e o p l e S e e als o .

an o t h e r p ap e r \V o rk s I I I 3 2 5
, , ,
.

T h e v i e ws e xp r e ss e d i n t h i s e ss ay sh o u l d b e c o m p ar e d wi t h t h e
adm i r abl e sh o r t b i o gr a phy o f B u rk e by L o rd M o rl e y i n t h e E n gl i sh M e n

o f L e tt e rs S e ri e s .

3 2 1 8 s pee ch o n t h e B e g u m ’s af fai rs : o n B u rk e s at t i tu d e t o w ard I n d i an

’

aff a i rs an d W arr e n H as t i n gs s e e M o rl e y c h ap v i i , , . .

32 28 t h e w or d ab dic atio n : t h e s e c o n d c l ai m O f t h e R e v o l u t i o n S o

c i e ty i s a ri g h t o f c ash i e ri ng t h e i r g o v e r n o rs f o r m i s c o n d u c t P e rh ap s .
’

t h e a pp r e h e n si o n s o u r an c e s t o rs e n t e r t ai n e d o f f o rm i n g s u ch a p r e c e d e nt

as t h at o f c ash i e ri ng f o r m i s c o n d u c t was t h e c au s e t h at t h e d e cl ar at i o n
’
32 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

3 7 2O P l at o : “
X
T h e R e p u b li c ,
”
Bo o k .

3 7 32 which e cs ta s y i s v e ry c u nni ng i n H ml e t III i v 1 38

a ,
”
, , .

3 8 1 9 L or d B aco n : ,
T h e A dv an c e m e n t of L e a r n i n g ” B o o k II , ,

c h ap i v s e c t 2 ff
.
, . .

39 1 Ou r e yesm ade t h e f ool s

are M a cb e t h I I 1 44 ”
,
”
, , .

T h at if i t w o u l d M i ds u m m e r N igh t s D r e am V i 1 9 ff
’ ”
39 3 , , , .

Th e fl am e 0 t h t ape r C y mb e l i n e I I ii 19
’ ’ ” ”
39 8 , , , .

f or t h e y are old l i k e h i m K i ng L e ar I I i v 29 1
”
3 9 26 “
, , , .

4 0 1 1 W h en L e ar s ay s of Edg ar : ibi d I I I iv 68
'
.
, , .

40 1 8 T h e l it t l e dogs and all ” K i ng L e a r I I I v i 60 ,

”
, , .

4 0 25 So I am ” K i ng L e a r I V v i i 70
“
,
”
, ,
.

Oh now f or e v er O t h e ll o 1 1 1 i i i 34 7 ff
”
40 3 1 , , , , .

4 1 10 N e v e r I ag o ” : ib i d I I I i i i 4 5 3 ff
“
,
.
, , .

41 2O B u t t h e r e wh e r e I h av e garner d ’
i bi d I V i i 5 7 .
, , .

42 8 t rag edi e s of M oor e and L i ll o : E dw ard M o o r e ( 1 7 1 2 d r am

at is t an d w ri t e r o f f abl e s H e was t h e au t h o r o f T h e G am e s t e r
” “
.

s u p p o s e d t o b e t h e s t r o n g e s t l e ss o n ag ai n s t g ambl i n g e v e r
p r e ac h e d f r o m s tag e o r p u lp i t W i t h L y tt l e t o n C h e s t e rfi e l d and
.
, ,

H o r ac e W al p o l e M o o r e e d i t e d t h e I Vo rld f r o m 1 7 5 3 to 1 7 5 7
, G e o rg e
/ .

L ill o ( 1 69 3—1 7 39 ) was al s o a d r am at i s t H e wr o t e s e v e n p l ays in t h e.

l i n e o f wh at was k n o w n as t h e d o m e s t i c d r am a T h e i n fl u e n c e o f h i s
“
.
”

m o s t p o p u l ar pl ay T h e L o n d o n M e rc h an t o r T h e H i s t o ry o f G e o rg e
,

B a r nw e ll w as c o n si d e r abl e .

4 2 1 8 A s M r B u r k e ob s e rv e s : S u bl i m e an d B e au t i fu l P art I
”
.
, ,

s e c t xv
.

C h o o se a day o n which to r e pre s e n t t h e m o st s blim e and aff e c ti ng t rag e dy u

we h ave ; app o i n t t h e m o s t f av o ri t e ac to rs ; S p are n o c o st u p o n t h e sc e ne s an d

u

d e c o rat i o n s ; n i te th e g re at e s t e ff o r ts o f p o e t ry p ai nt i ng and m u sic ; an d wh e n

u , ,

y o u h av e c o ll e c te d y o u r a di e n c e j u s t at t h e m o m e n t wh e n t h e ir mi nds are e re c t
u ,

wi th e xp e c tat i o n le t it b e r e p o rt e d t h at a s tate crimi nal o f hi g h ran k is o n th e

,

p o i n t o f b e i ng e xe c t e d in t h e ad j o i n i ng s q u are ; in a m o m e nt th e e mp ti ne ss O f
u

t h e t h e at re w o u ld d e m o n s t rat e t h e c o mp arat iv e we ak n e ss o f t h e imi tat iv e ar ts ,

and pr o cl aim t h e t ri u mph o f t h e r e al symp at hy .

43 8 M as t e rl e s s pass ion ”
M e rc h an t of V e ni c e ,
”
IV i , , 50
—5 1 . In
S h ak sp e r e t h e l i ne s are

f o r aff e c t i o n ,
M is t re ss of p assi o n sways ,
it to th e moo d
Of wh at i t li k e s o r l o at h e s .

i g ht de sc endi ng Po pe 8 9—
”
43 27 No w n
”
, D u n c i ad , I , 90 .

4 3 30 T hr o w him o n t h e s t e e p C o ll i n s , O de t o F e a r ,
”
11 —1
. 14 5 .
 N O T ES 329

43 3 3 I ngr at i t u de t h ou m ar b l e h eart ed
, K i ng L e ar -
,
”
1, iv , 2 5o :

I ng rat i t u d e th o u m arbl e h e ar te d fi e nd
,
-
,

M o re hid e o u s wh e n t h o u s h o w st t h e e in a child ’

T h an t h e s e a m o ns t e r -
.

4 5 33 J acob ’s Dr eam : s e e G e ne si s xx xv 9 —1 5 H az l i tt asp i r e d t o , .

p a i n t a p i c tu r e o n t hi s s u bj e c t sy mb o l i z i ng t h e d e v e l o p m e nt o f s o c i e ty .

R e m br an d t w as t h e gr e at D u t c h p ai nt e r an d e t c h e r ( 1 60 7
4 6 2 Doct o r Ch alm ers T h o m as C h alm e rs ( 1 7 8 0 c e l e b r ate d
S c o tt ish d iv i n e an d au t h o r p r o f e ss o r o f p h il o s o phy at S t A n d r e ws and
, .

at E d i n b u rgh H e w r o te
. D i sc o u rs e s o n C h ri s t i an R e v e l at i o n v i e w e d
i n C o nn e c t i o n w i t h M o d e r n A s t r o n o my w i t h t h e p u rp o s e o f ”

r e c o n c il i ng s c i e n c e wi t h th e c o n c e p t i o n o f C h ri s t i an i ty S e e H az l i tt .
,

S pi ri t o f t h e A ge
”
W o rks I V 1 8 5
, , , .

o u r f e ll o f h a i r M a cb e t h V v I I
”
46 13 z , , , .

4 6 15 M a cb e t h i s onl y t o l e r at ed : p r o b ably t h i s r e f e rs t o m u si c wri tte n

f o r t h e pl ay by H e n ry P u rc e l l ( 1 6 58 H e was a d i s t i ng u i sh e d
E ngli sh m u s i c al c o m p o s e r o rg an i s t o f W e s t m i n s t e r f r o m 1 68 0 an d
, ,

fam o u s f o r T e D e u m and J u b il at e f o r S t C e c il i a s D ay .
’
,

4 6 19 t h e B e gg ar ’s Ope r a : by J o h n G ay ( 1 68 5 p r o d u c e d at
L i n c o l n s I nn F i e l ds J anu a ry 2 9 1 7 2 8 I t p r e s e n t e d t h e p e o pl e o f th e
’
, , .

day — h ighw aym e n pi c k p o c k e t s an d all t h e c o rr u p t i o n o f c o n te m p o r ary

, ,

p o l i t i c s T h e pl ay b e c am e v e ry p o p u l ar th r o u gh o u t th e e igh t e e nt h and
.

e arly n i n e t e e n t h c e n tu ri e s an d i s t h e s u bj e c t o f a nu m b e r o f H az li tt s
’

t h e at ri c al r e v i e ws S e e r e v i e ws o f it in
. T h e R o u n d Tabl e
”
W o rks , ,

I 6 5 ; in V i e w o f E ngl i sh S tag e W o rk s VIII 1 9 3 2 5 4

,
”
, , , , .

4 6 23 Obsc u ri t y h er c u rt a i n r ou nd t h e m dr e w u sed ag ai n b y
“

H az l i tt i n h i s e ss ay O n t h e I de al F r o m a p o e m T o t h e H o n o r abl e
”
.
“

an d R e v e r e n d F C i n D o ds le y s C o ll e c t i o n o f P o e m s VI
” ’ “ ”
. .
,

1 38 . T h e p o e m ( an o n ym o u sly p u bl ish e d ) w as w ri t t e n by S n e y d D av i e s
1 0 —
( 7 9 1 7 6 9 ) and was ad d r e ss e d t o F r e d e ri c k C o r nw all i s af t e rw ard s ,

A rc h bi sh o p o f C an t e rb u ry S e e Gen t ly /M M : i/aga z z lz e I 1 7 4 an d
'

i
i
.
, , ,

N i c ho ls ,I ll u s t r at i o n s o f t h e L i t e r ary H i s t o ry o f t h e Eigh t e e nt h C e n
V o l I S e e als o W o rks X I 5 7 0
”
t u ry , . .
, , .

47 9 B et w ee n t h e ac t i n g J u l i u s C aes ar I I i 6 3—6 9 “
,
”
, ,
.

T ho u g h t s t h at v o l u nt a ry m ov e P ar a d is e L o s t I I I 3 7 ”
48 12 , , .

48 17 th e w or ds of M e rc u ry ” L o v e s L ab o r s L o s t V i i at c l o s e ’ ’
,
”
, ,

o f pl ay .

Th e wo rds o f M e rc u ry are h arsh af t e r t h e s o ng s o f A p o ll o .

”
49 1 1 the s e cr et sou l of h arm ony M il t o n ,
’
L A lle gro , l . 1 44 :

T he hidd e n s o u l of h arm o ny .
3 3o S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

4 9 32 the g ol den c adenc e s of poet ry Lo v e s

’
L ab o r
’
5 L o st,
”
IV ,
ii , 1 27 .

50 3 S ail i ng w i t h s u pr e m e do mi nio n ”
: G r ay , T he P r o gr e ss of

P o e sy ,
”
III , 3 .

5 0 1 3 Th e m e rch ant ,
as de scr i b ed in Ch au c e r : P ro l o gu e to
“
C ant e r
b u ry T al e s ,
”
1. 27 5
H is sp ak h e f l s o le m pne ly
re s o n s u ,

S o wn ing alway t h ’ e n c re e s o f his wi nn i ng .

5 0 1 5 Ev e ry pro s e- w ri t e r h i s p ar t o f th e s u bj e c t i s t r e at e d at l arg e
: t

in H az litt s e ss ay
’
O n t h e P r o s e S tyl e o f P o e t s
, W o rks V II 5 ,
”
, , .

5 1 3 A ddi s on’s C am pai g n : t h e f am o u s p o l i t i c al p o e m w ri tt e n by

J o s e p h A d d is o n ( 1 6 7 2 —1 7 1 6 ) i n 1 7 04 i n h o n o r o f th e D u k e o f M arl
b o r o u gh t o c e l e b r at e t h e v i c t o ry at B l e n h e i m T h e p o e m i s c all e d a .

G az e tt e i n R hym e i n D r J o s e p h VV art o n ( 1 7 2 2 A n E ss ay o n
” “
.

t h e W ri t i ngs an d G e n i u s o f P o p e s e c t v p p 2 6 7 —2 68 : .
, .

r e g u l ar m arch which th e p o e t h as o bs e rve d fro m o ne to wn t o

S u r e ly t h e
an o t h e r as if h e h ad b e e n a c o mmiss ary o f t h e army c ann o t w e ll b e e xc s e d
, ,
u .

T h e r e is a p ass ag e in B o il e au so r e m ar k ably o pp o si te t o t his f au l t o f A ddis o n

, ,

t h at o n e w o ld alm o s t b e t e mp t e d t o t hi n k h e h ad t h e C amp ai g n in his e y e wh e n

u

h e wr o te it if t h e t im e w o u ld admi t it
, .

Lo ni c e s rim e u rs crai ntifs d o n t l’e sp it ph le gm at iqu e ,

r

G ard e d an s se s f u r e u rs u n o rdre did ac t i q u e ;

Q u i ch ante n t d n h e ro s le s p ro gres e c latan s
’
u ,
’ ’ ”
fl /a zgres H is t o rians , w on t [ o n z re ( les t emps
'

'
su z .

Bo il e au ,
L ’A rt P o ét i qu e ” ch ap ii
,
.

5 1 25 His p i l r i m s g w al k ab o e v the ea rt h : se e B u n y an , P i lgri m s ’

g
P r o r e ss , at t h e e n d
”
of P ar t I .

5 1 31 w s of Ca s t al i e C as tal i a was an an c i e nt f o u nt ai n o n th e sl o p e
de
o f M o u n t P ar nass u s s a c r e d t o t h e M u s e s an d A p o ll o B o t h c l assi c al an d .

m o d e r n p o e t s f r e q u e nt ly r e f e r t o it as a s o u rc e o f i n sp i r at i o n .

5 1 33 P h ilo ct et e s a l e g e n d a ry w arr i o r o f th e G r e e ks wh o was

w o u n d e d by a s e rv an t o r ac c i d e ntally by a p o i s o n e d arr o w an d l e f t t o ,

die o n t h e i sl an d o f L e m n o s S o ph o c l e s w r o t e a pl ay ab o u t h i m T h e
. .

s p e e c h e s r e f e rr e d t o by H az l i tt c o m e n e ar t h e cl o s e o f th e pl ay .

5 2 10 A s I w al k ed ab ou t
”
Ro b i ns o n C ru s o e P ar t I c h ap i i i ,
”
,
. .

5 2 24 R ich ar ds on ’s rom anc e s : I I az litt r e f e rs t o t h e w o rks o f t h e fi rs t

E n gl i sh n o v e li s t S am u e l R i ch a rds o n ( 1 6 8 9 — P am e l a ”
,
1 76 1 )

C l a ri ss a I l arlo we -
S ir C h arl e s G r an d i s o n
5 2 32 g iv e an e ch o t o t h e s eat T w e l ft h N igh t II iv 2 1 ,
”
, , .

5 3 1 3 Ou por e sy i s as a gu m ”
T i m o n o f A t h e ns I i 2 0 ff ,
”
, , .
3 32 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

5 8 5 Dr a ke : Sir F r an c i s D r ak e ( 1 54 0 g r e at E n gl i sh d m i r al
a

an d c i rc u m n av ig ato r th e t e rr o r o f th e S p an is h I n d i e s i n
, t h e r e ig n

O f Q u e e n E l iz ab e t h
”
.

5 8 5 C o k e : S ir E dw ard C o k e ( 1 5 5 2 t h e j u ri s t c o nt e m p o r a ry , ,

o f S h aksp e r e an d B a c o n .

5 8 7 8 J on s on B e n J o n s o n ( 1 5 7 3— 1 637 ) B e au m ont F r an c i s B e au m o n t
-

, ,

( 5 4
1 8 — 1 6 1 6 ) F l e t ch e r J o h n F l e t c h e r ( 57 9
1 —1 6 2
,

5 9 9— 1 0 Webs t e r J o h n W e bs t e r ( 1 580 —1 6 2 5 ) Deo kar T h o m as

, ,

D e k k e r ( 0 1 5 7 0—0 . M ars t on J o h n M ars t o n ( 1 5 7 5

.
,

M arl o w C h ri s t o p h e r M arl o w e ( 1 5 6 4
,
C h apm an G e o rg e C h ap m an ,

— y w h m s yw d —
( 5 59
1 I 6 34 ) H e oo d T o a H e o o 1
, 5 7 5 1 6 50 ) M i ddl et on ,

T h o m as M i ddl e t o n ( 1 5 7 0—1 6 2 7 ) R ow l e y W illi a m R o wl e y ( P 1 5 8 5 ,

59 10 How lo v d h ow h o our d onc e

’
n
’
,
P o p e E l e gy t o th e M e m o ry ,

o f an Un f o r tu nat e L ady
”
1 71 : , .

H o w lo v ’d, h o w h o n o u r’d on e , a ac v ils t h e e no t .

5 9 30 dr a w t h e c u rt ai n of T im e f
T w e l t h N igh t , I v 2 49 ”
, , .

6 0 6 , 20 "
of po ri n g p edant ry ,
”
also "
po m p of e l d e r d ay s ”
: s o nn e t

w ri tt e n bl an k l e af D u gd al e , M o n as tic o n T h o m as W ar t o n
”
in a of ,

( 1 7 28
60 18 s acr ed in fl u enc e of l i g h t
th e P ar ad is e L o s t I I ,
”
, 1 034 .

nor c an w e t h i n k wh at t h ou gh t s D ryd e n , T h e i nd
”
6 1 2O H and

t h e P an t h e r I 31 5 : ”
, ,

N o r c an I t hi n k wh at th o u g h t s th ey c an c o nce ive .

6 1 29 Thi n k
s ay s S h ak e s pear : C ymb e l i n e I I I iv
,
”
,
”
, .

by nat u r e ’s own T w e l f t h N igh t I v 2 57 ”

62 9 , , , .

62 12 wh e r e P an kn i t w it h t h e Gr ac e s ,
P ar ad is e L o s t IV 2 66
”
, ,
.

6 2 1 5 t h at t h ere are m or e t h i ng s H aml e t I v 1 66

”
.
, , ,

63 8 m at chl e s s , di vi ne w h at w e w l il ”
P o p e I m i t at i o n s o f H o r ac e
, , ,
”

B o o k II E p i s t l e I l 7 0 :
, , .

S tyl e t h e divi ne ,
th e m atchl e ss wh at y o u will
, .

64 3 t h e y w er e s o u gh t af t er D r J o h ns o n . .

65 5 l e ss t h an t h e sm al l e s t dw arf s P ar ad is e L o s t I 7 7 9 ,
”
, .

65 7 de s iri n g t hi s m an ’s art ” S h ak sp e r e S o n n e t X X I V l 7 , , . .

in sh ap e and g e s t u r e pr ou dl y emi nent P ar ad is e L o s t I 59 0

”
6 5 13 , , .

6 5 25 hi s s ou l was l i k e a s t ar \V o rdswo rth M i l to n W ri tte n in , ,

L o n d o n,
6 5 27 r e w af t e r h im
d P ar ad i s e ”
L o s t,
”
I I 69 2 , .

6 6 1 V e nic e P r e s e rv e d p u bl i sh e d i n 1 68 2 ; a v e ry p o p u l ar pl ay e v e n

i n t h e e arly n i n e te e nt h c e nt u ry .
 N O TE S 333

66 15 J s
l r
on o n s
’
c k : M i l t o n L A lle gro l 1 3
ea ne d s o ,
’
,
”
.
"

pene trab l e s t u f f H am l e t I I I iv 3 6 ”
6 9 12 , , , .

6 9 23 M y peac e I gi v e u nt o y ou J o h n xi v 2 7 , .

6 9 25 t h e y s h ou l d l o v e o ne anot h e r J o h n xv 1 2 , .

6 9 27 Wom an b eho l d t h y son

, J o h n xix 2 6 , .

7 0 28 t o t h e J e w s a s t u mbl i ng bl oc k 1 C o ri n t h i an s i 2
3 , .

71 2 w e perc e i v e a sof tne s s c omi ng ov e r t h e h e ar t of a nat i o n as

y e t n o o n e h as d is c o v e r e d t h e s o u rc e o f t h i s q u o tat i o n S e e [ Vo te a n d . s

Qu eri es n i n t h s e ri e s VI I 3 88
, , , .

so f t as s i ne w s H a ml e t I I I iii 7 1 ”
71 7 , , , .

7 1 26 T h e b e s t of m e n ” D e kk e r T h e H o n e s t W h o re P ar t I
“ “ ”
, , ,

A c t V s c e ne i i
, .

7 2 26 T ass o by F a i r f ax : E dw ard F ai rf ax ( 1 5 8 0 T h e fi rs t e di
t i o n O f h i s t r an sl at i o n o f T ass o J e r u s al e m D e l iv e r e d ap p e ar e d i n
“ ”
, ,

1 60 0 .

7 2 27 A rio s t o by Harri ng t o n : S ir J o h n H arri ng t o n ( 1 5 6 1 —1 6 1 2 ) p u b

lis h e d a t r an sl at i o n o f A ri o s t o O rl an d o F u ri o s o
”
, .

7 2 27 Hom e r and H e s iod by Ch apm an : G e o rg e C h ap m an ( 1 5 59

d r am at i s t an d t r an sl ato r H is I l i ad was p u bl ish e d in 1 6 1 1 t h e
.
”
,

”
O dyss e y in 1 6 1 6 .

7 2 28 V i r g i l l ong b ef o r e : p r o b ably r e f e rs t o t h e t r an sl at i o n o f t h e
Ai n e id by G aw ai n D o u gl as ( 1 4 7 4 T h e t r an sl at i o n i n t o t e n
“ ”

syl l abl e m e t e r was m ad e b e tw e e n 1 50 1 an d 1 5 1 3 .

7 2 28 Ov id s oon af t e r : O v i d was t r an sl at e d by A rt h u r G o l d i ng i n
I S6 S— 5 5
1 7

7 2 28 S ir Th om as N ort h ( 1 5 3 5 — 1 60 1 f r o m t h i s t r ansl at i o n o f Plu

t arch ( 1 5 7 9 ) S h ak sp e r e d r e w m o s t o f h i s m at e ri al f o r h i s R o m an pl ays .

7 2 3 1 C at il i ne and S ej anu s c l as s i c al p l ays by B e n J o n s o n th e f o rm e r ,

i n 1 6 1 1 th e l att e r in 1 6 0 3
, .

7 3 3 t h e s at iri s t A r et i ne : P i e t r o A r e t i n o ( 1 4 9 2 an I t al i an
wri te r O f t h e si x t e e nt h c e n t u ry au t h o r O f c o m e d i e s s o n n e t s l i c e n t i o u s
, , ,

d i al o g u e s and a f e w r e ligi o u s w o rk s \V h e n v e ry y o u n g h e was b an i sh e d

, .

f r o m A r e z z o o n ac c o u nt O f a s at i ri c al s o n n e t w h i c h h e c o m p o s e d ag ai ns t
i n d u lg e n c e s A c c o rd i n g t o s o m e ac c o u n t s h e d i e d by f all i n g f r o m a c h ai r
.

in a fi t o f l au gh t e r c au s e d by h e ari n g an i n d e c e n t s t o ry .

7 3 3 M achi av e l : N i c c o l o M ac h i av e ll i ( 1 4 6 9 t h e d i s t i n g u i sh e d

I t al i an s t at e s m an an d w ri t e r au t h o r o f I I P ri n c i p e (T h e P ri n c e ) 1 5 1 3
,
“ ”
, .

7 3 3 C as t i g l i one : B al d ass ar e C as t igl i o n e ( 1 4 7 8 d i pl o m at i s t an d

m an o f l e t t e rs H is f am o u s w o rk was
. I I C o r t e g i an o ( T h e C o u r ti e r ) ,

c all e d by t h e I t al i an s I l L ib r o d O rO ( T h e Bo o k o f G o l d ) an d was
’ ”
,

p u bl ish e d by A l d u s in V e n i c e i n 1 5 2 8 I t was fi rs t t r an sl at e d i nto .

3 34 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

E n gl i sh by T h o m as H o by in 1 5 6 1 J o h n s o n c all e d it t h e b e s t b o o k
.
“

t h at e v e r w as wri tt e n o n g o o d b r e e di n g
”
.

7 3 5 R ons ar d : P i e rr e de R o n s ard ( 1 5 2 4 f am o u s F r e n c h p o e t ,

o ne o f th e a gr o u p o f s e v e n wri t e rs w h o app l i e d t o t h e v e r n ac

u l a r l ang u ag e t h e c ri t i c al p ri n c i p l e s wh i c h t h e y h ad l e a r n e d f r o m t h e

c l assi c s .

7 3 5 D u B art a s : G u i ll au m e de S all u s t e du B ar tas ( 1 5 44 H is

c h i e f w o rk L a S e p m ain e a p o e m o n t h e c r e at i o n o f th e w o rl d w e nt
,
”
, ,

t h r o u gh t h i r t y e di t i o n s i n s i x y e a rs H e w as m u ch adm i r e d by S p e n s e r
.
,

B e n J o n s o n an d o t h e r E l i z ab e t h an p o e t s
, J o shu a S ylv e s t e r m ad e a .

t r an sl at i o n o f t h e b o o k in 1 5 9 8 :

74 14 F o rt u nat e fi e l ds and g r ov e s P ar ad is e L o s t 1 1 1 5 68—5 7 0 : ,

”
,

L i k e th o se H e sp e ri an G ard e n s fam e d o f o ld,

F o r tu nat e fi e lds an d g r o v e s & c ,

.

7 4 22 P ro s pe ro
S h ak sp e r e in w ri t i n g
’
s En ch ant e d
Isl and : it h as b e e n t h o u gh t p r o b abl e t h at
The Tem p est h ad b e f o r e h i m t h e a c c o u nt by
“ ”

J o u rd an O f t h e wr e c k o f S ir G e o rg e S o m e rs s S h i p in a t e mp e s t o ff th e ’

B e rm u d as u n d e r t h e t i t l e
, A D i sc o v e ry o f t h e B e rm u d as o t h e rwi s e
“
,

c all e d t h e I le o f D iv els e t c S e t e b o s an d p e rh ap s o t h e r n am e s h e m ay
,
”
.

h av e t ak e n n o t f r o m t h i s b o o k b u t f r o m E d e n s H is to ry o f T rav aile ” ’
,

1 57 7
7 4 26 Ri g ht w e ll I w ot e I I P ro e m I
F ae ri e Q u e e ne ,
”
Bo o k , .

7 5 29 L e ar i s f ou nde d on an o ld b all ad : t h i s b all ad K i ng L e i r ”

to , ,

b e f o u n d in P e rcy s R e l iq u e s i s p r o b ably n o t s o o ld as S h aksp e r e

’ ”
, .

T h e pl ay i s b as e d o n t h e H is t o ri a R e g u m B rit o n u m ( c 1 1 30 ) o f
“ ”
.

G e o ff r e y o f M o n m o u t h b u t S h aksp e r e p r o b ably t o o k t h e s t o ry f r o m
,

H o li n s h e d s C h r o n i c l e
’
.

7 5 29 Ot h e ll o on an I tal i an no v e l :
“ ”
T h e H e c at o m m it h i o f G iraldi

C i nt h i o ( 1 5 0 4 p u bl i sh e d in 1 5 6 5 .

t h o s e b o dil e s s cr eat i on s H aml e t I I I i v 1 38 ”

76 2 , , , .

76 8 Y o u r f ac e m y T h,
a ne
”
M acb e t h I v 60 ,
”
, , .

7 6 1 3 T y rrel and F o rre s t : R i c h ard I I I I V i i an d i i i T y rre l ,

”
, .
,

D i g h to n an d F o rr e s t at t h e o rd e r o f R i c h ard k i ll e d t h e p ri n c e s i n t h e
,

To w e r .

7 6 20 t hic k a n d sl a b ”
M acb e t h I V i 32 ,
”
, , .

7 6 25 s nat ch ed a w il d and f earf u l j oy ” : G r ay O de o n a D is t an t

"
,
“

P r o sp e c t o f Et o n C o ll e g e l l 38 4 0 : ,
”
.

S t ill h ey ru n th ey l o o k b e hi n d
as t ,

T h e y h e ar a v o ic e in e v e ry wi n d ,

A n d s nat ch a f e arf u l j o y .
3 36 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

a d m i r abl e w o r t h i e s o f t h e i r t i m e M r J o h n F l e t ch e r an d M r W ill i am , . .

S h ak e sp e ar e M o d e r n s c h o l arsh i p is d i sp o s e d t o a c c e p t t h i s g r an t i ng
.
”
,

t o F l e t c h e r t h e m o s t o f t h e p l ay S e e A H T h o r n d i k e s I nfl u e n c e o f . . .
’

B e au m o n t an d F l e t c h e r o n S h a ksp e r e ”
.

7 8 5 S at u r nal ian l ic e nc e : o rigi nally t h e gr e at f e s t iv al o f S at u r n w as

c e l e b r at e d o n t h e n i n e te e nt h o f D e c e mb e r b u t aft e r C ae s ar s r e f o rm ,
’

o f t h e c al e n d a r o n t h e s e v e nt e e n t h
, H o w e v e r i n p o p u l ar u s ag e t h e .
,

c e l e b rat i o n l as te d s e v e n d ays T h e t i m e was o n e o f g e n e r al j o y an d .

m i r th N o p u n i sh m e n t was i n fl i c t e d n o w ar was d e c l ar e d A ll dis t in c

.
, .

t i o n s w e r e f o rg o t t e n s o t h at m a s t e rs at e w i t h sl av e s an d t h e t o g a w as

no t w o r n H e n c e t h e p h r as e h as c o m e t o m e an ab s o l u t e u n r e s t r ai n t
. .

7 8 1 3 R et u rne fro m Par na ss u s : P ri nt e d i n 1 6 0 6 4t o b u t w ri t te n “

, ,

d u ri n g t h e r e ig n o f E l i z ab e t h I t i s a sh r e wd an d l iv e ly d r am at i c s at i r e
.

o n m an y o f t h e p o e t s an d p l aywri g h t s o f t h e p e ri o d li k e t h e G r e at ‘
,

A ssi z e s h o l d e n in P ar nass u s 1 6 4 5 an d S u c kl i ng s S e ss i o n o f th e ,
’
,
’ ‘

P o ets ( W C H az l i t t)
’
. . .

it s o w e d of m eat a d dr k C an t e rb u ry T al e s P ro l o gu e
” ”
7 8 30 n n i n , ,

34 5
7 8 34 as s erv e s : c f S p e c i m e n s o f E ngl i sh D r am at i c
M r L amb . ob .

P o e ts ,
”
L amb s n o t e att a ch e d t o M ars t o n s
’
W h at Y o u W il l ’
.
”

79 4 i n ac t and co m pl e m ent e x t e r n O t h e ll o I i 6 2 —6 3 : “
,
”
, ,

T he ive ac t an d fig u r e
n at of my h e art
I n c o mplim e n t e xte r n .

7 9 1 1 Deo k ar h as g iv en
mirabl e de scri pt i on of a m ad hou s e : an ad -

H o ne s t W h o r e P ar t I A c t V s c e n e i i
“ ”
.
, , ,

79 18 A M ad Wo rl d my M as t e rs a c o m e dy by T h o m as M i d dl e t o n
,

( I 6 08 ) .

80 1 1 l i k e bir dl im e I I i 1 28
, b r ai n s and all
”
O t h e ll o ,
”
, ,
.

M ateriam s uperab at opus : O vi d M e tam o rp h o s e s II 5 ”

8 0 23 , , , .

b ut P an i s a Go d ” : J o h n L yly M i d as A c t IV s c e n e i
" ”
81 1 1 , , , .

ON TH E P L EA S U RE OF PAI N T I N G
Our p r e s e nt t e x t i s t h e fi rs t o f th e two p ap e rs i n T abl e T alk o n “

t h i s s u bj e c t O u r r e p ri n t i s f r o m t h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n O f 1 8 2 4 a r e p ri n t
. ,

o f t h e fi rs t e d i t i o n ( V o l I 1821 V ol I I T h e s e e ss ays ap p e ar e d
.
,
.
,

i n t h e L o n do n fl l a g m z z l w f o r D e c e mb e r 1 8 2 0
'

'
.
,

82 1 T h e r e i s a pl e a s u r e i n pai nt i ng
"
se e D ryd e n S p an i sh , ,

F ri a r
”
, II I ,

T h e re is a pl e as u re s r e ,
u ,
in b e i ng m ad, which n o ne but m adm e n k no w .
 N O TE S 3 37

O r C o wp e r , T he Task , th e T i mep ie ce —
5 28 6 : ,
”
ll . 28

T h e r e is a pl e as u r e in p o e t ic p ai n s
Which o n ly p o e t s k no w .

8 2 15 “
s t udy w i t h j oy h er m anne r ”
: C o wp e r , “
T h e T ask ,
”
III ,

2 2 —
7 2 28 :

c k no wl e d g e s wi th j o y
a

H is m an n e r and wi th rap t u r e t as te s his s tyl e

, .

82 26 sp olia op ima : the sp o il s ta k e n by o ne R o m an g e ne r al f r o m

an o t her .

83 1 6 m r o e t ed i ou s t h an a t w i c e-t o l d t al e K ing J o h n , ”
I I I iv , , 1 08 :

L if e is as t e di o u s as a t wic e to ld -
ta el .

83 n o te W e rt er : W e r t e r by G o e th e ( 1 7 4 9
T h e S o rr o ws of

T h i s e x t r ac t i s t ak e n f r o m L e tt e r V I I I M ay 2 6 T h i s b o o k w as p u b , .

lish e d i n O c t o b e r 1 7 7 4 an d m ad e G o e t h e wi d e ly f am o u s I t i s t h e b o o k
, , .

o f t h e age e xp r e ssi n g t h e p a i n u n d e r wh i c h t h e t h o u gh t f u l m e n o f th e
,

t i m e w e r e l ang u i shi n g S e e C arlyl e L e c t u r e s o n G e rm an L i t e r at u r e

.
,

als o H az l i tt O n t h e G e rm an D r am a \V o rk s V 3 5 8 —36 4
”
, , , , .

84 7 M y mi nd t o m e a k i ng dom i s ” t h e fi rs t l i n e o f t h e p o e m att rib

u t e d t o S ir E dw ard D y e r ( 1 5 5 0

84 1 1 P u r e in t h e l as t r ec e s s e s of t h e mi nd ” D ry d e n s t r an sl at i o n
’

o f t h e S e c o n d S at i r e o f P e rs i u s l i n e 2 A c c rd i n g t F r anc e s R e y
33 o o ,
.

mo l ds ( J o h n s o n i an M is c e l l an i e s ( e d i t e d by G B I I ill) I I 2
‘ ’
t he
‘

. .
, ,

l i n e s are q u o te d by J o h n s o n at th e e nd o f an e l o q u e nt e u l o gi u m o f
M rs T h r al e ( W o rks VI
“

,
.
,

85 8 pal pabl e t o f e e l i ng as t o s i gh t p e rh ap s r e m e mb e ri n g th e l i n e
f r o m O th e ll o I i i 7 6 : ,
”
, ,

’
T is pro babl e an d p alp abl e to t hi n k i ng .

8 5 26Wi l s on : R i c h ard \V il s o n ( 1 7 1 4 fam o u s l ands c ap e p ai nt e r ,

o n e o f t h e o rigi nal m e mb e rs o f t h e R o y a l A c ad e my i n 1 7 6 8 H e h as .

b e e n c all e d T h e E n gl ish C l au d e F o r f r e q u e nt r e f e r e n c e s t o W ils o n

”
.
,

s e e H az l i tt C o n v e rs at i o n s o f N o r t h c o t e \V o rk s V o l V I
“ ”
, , , . .

8 6 1 7 T h e fi rs t h ead I e v e r t ri e d t o p ai nt : M e m o i rs I 1 0 8 n o te ” :

, , ,

T he p e rs o n who s at t o him f o r this pic t u re ( ne arly d e s t r y d by m e g ilp ) was o e

an o ld c o ttag e r h e m e t n e ar M an ch e s t e r S h e di e d v e ry s o o n af t e r h e r li k e n ss. e

was t ak e n T h e pic t u re u s e d f o r a l o ng t im e t o h ang i n M r J o h n H u n t s r o o m ’

. .

wh e n h e was in C o ldbath F i e lds P ris n an d M r H az li tt wo u ld go th e re and g a e o ,

. z

at i t f o n dly I t is n o w in t h e h ands o f t h e f amily

. .

Se e I nt r o d u c t i o n p x i x ; , l s o H az li tt
. a ,
“
C o n v e rs at i o n s of J am e s
N o r t h c o te ( e di t e d by E d m u n d G o ss e , p p xv i i ff
. .
338 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

86 32 I h ad mb randt at B u rl e i gh House : h e i s
s ee n an o ld h ead b y R e -

su p p o s e d t o h av e b e e n at t h e age o f ab o u t s e v e n t e e n ( 1 7
9 5 ) wh e n H az
li tt m ad e t h e v is i t t o B u rl e igh wh i c h l e f t s o v ivi d an i m p r e ssi o n u p o n
h i s m e m o ry H e m ad e h i s s e c o n d v i si t p r o b ably in 1 8 03 I n 1 8 2 4 i n
. .
,

wri t i ng o f t h e p i c t u r e s at B u rl e igh H o u s e h e sp e aks o f th e gr e at d i f f e r ,

e n c e b e t w e e n t h e e ff e c t t h e n an d n o w

T hy [ B u rl e i g h
s e] g ro v e s we re l e afl e ss th e n as no w : it was th e middl e o f
H ou
wi nte r twice th at I visi te d t h e e b e f o re ; b u t th e l ar k m o u nte d in th e s ky and th e ,

s u n sm o t e my y o u thf u l bl o o d wi t h it s sl an t ra
y an d t h e pl o u g hman whis t l e d as h e ,

dro v e his t e am afi e ld H o p e spre ad o u t it s g l ad vis tas t hr o u g h th y f ai r d o m ai ns ,

O h B u rle igh l F an cy d e c k e d t hy walls wi t h w o r k s o f s o v e r e i g n art an d it was

, ,

S pri n g n o t wi n te r in my br e as t A ll i s s t ill th e sam e li k e a p e t rif act i o n o f th e

m ind —the s am e t hi n g s in th e s am e plac e s ; b u t t h e ir e ff e ct is n o t th e s am e
, ,
.
,

u pon m e I am twe nty ye ars th e wo rse f o r w a r a n d t a

. A h ! th o u g h t I e e r .
,

t h e r e is th at fi n e o ld h e ad by R e mbrand t ; t h e r e wi thi n t h o s e c o ld g re y walls t h e ,

p ai nte r o f o ld age is e nsh rih e d imm o rtal iz e d in s o m e o f his i n imi tabl e wo r k s ,

.

8 7 4 S i rJ os h u a : S i rJ O S h u a R e y n o l ds ( 1 7 2 3—I se e C o n v e rs at i o n s of

J am e s N o r t h c o t e T h i s p o i n t i s d is c u ss e d in H az lit t s two p ap e rs o n S ir
.
” ’

J o sh u a R e y n o lds s D i s c o u rs e s e sp e c i ally th e s e c o n d i n T abl e T al k

’ ”
,
”
,
.

I n c o nn e c t i o n w i t h t h i s t h e f o l l o wi n g p ass ag e i s i nt e r e s t i n g :

A mo ng o th e r e ssays in p ai nt i n g which h e m ad e u p o n c o mmissi n was in o ,

h alf l ng th o f S ir J o sh a R ey n o lds wi th which h e wa p t o t o f c o n c i t by wit

e u ,
s u u e

n e ss in g a p e rf o rm an c e o f I n di an j gg l e rs ; an d a h ad o f L e ar which fro m all u e , ,

th at I c an l ar n was q i t e an e arly e xp rim nt

e ,
I t is a s k t ch f t h e h ad an d
u e e . e o e

sh o ld e rs o f th e o ld m ad k i ng wi t h his whi te h air wavi n g in th e wi n d v ry ch ar

u , ,
e

a t e i t i an d S h ak sp ari an
c rs c e e .

H e wa v e y imp at i e nt wi t h hims e lf an d wh e n h e c
s r ld n o t pro d c e th ffe c t ,
ou u e e

h d sir d h e h as b n k n wn t o
e e e ,
t t h c anv as i nt o ribb n s
ee T h e g ran d o b j c t
o cu e o . e

o f his ambi t i n a an ar t is t wa t h ill s t r at i o n o f t h e s b j c t o f J ac b s L add e r ;

o s s e u u e o
’

an d h e r e h n v e r in his e wn s t im at i n
e m ch a appro ach d s cc ss
,
o e o ,
so u s e u e .

I n 1 8 4 h e c o mm n ce d a p o rt rai t f his f th r wh was n w b g i nn i n g t o g t

0 e o a e ,
o o e e

o n in y ars I am s re my fath e r h ad as li ttl e van i ty f r th a t as m st p rs ns

e . u o e r o e o ,

y e t wh n h e h ad at t o m e a f e w t im s
e h g r w vid n t ly n asy wh n it wa
s e e e e e u e e s

a fin day t h at is wh n t h s n sh n i n t o th r
e , ,
m e th t w c
e ld n t p ai nt ;
u o e e oo ,
so a e ou o

and wh e n i t b e c am e cl o dy b g an t b st l e ab o t and a k m e if I w s n t g tt i ng
u
,
e o u u s a o e

re ady . B tw n my f ath r s l v e e f si t t i ng an d mi n e
ee f p ai nt i n g w h it
e
’
o o o ,
e

u p o n a t l rabl li k ne ss at la t ; b t th e pic t re is crac k d and g o n an d m g ilp

o e e e s u u e e, e

( th b ane o f t h e E ng lish S ch o o l ) h as d s t r y d a fi n an o ld N n c n fo rmis t

e e o e s e o o

h ad as we c ld h p to i n th s e d g n e rat t im e s
”
e ou o e see e e e e .

T h e p e r at i n g o f t h e m g ilp h as n t b e n q i te so f t al in th e pr e s nt i n s tan c e
o e o e u a e

a ths p ai nt r s w rds mi g h t l av
e e
’
t o c n cl d e
o T h e pic t r e is s t ill in e xis t
e e us o u . u

e nc and al th o g h t h
e, d l t ri s l m nt in t h e o ld varn ish h ad nd o b t dly
u e e e e ou e e e u u e

d m ag d it t s m sli gh t x t nt it is in v ry f air pr s rv at i o n at this m m e nt

a e o o e e e ,
e e e o ,

af te r pwards f sixty y ears e xp o s u r e to all at m sph e ric i nflu e nc e s I t was ’

u o o .
34 0 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

9 0 n o te 1 . Th e famou s S ch ill e r k n e w S c h i ll e r s
( 1 7 59 H az l i tt
’

D o n C arl o s T h e R o bb e rs an d was m u c h i n fl u e n c e d by t h e
“ ” “
an d

v i e ws o f p o l i t i c al an d i nt e ll e c tu al l ib e r ty e xp r e ss e d by S c h i ll e r S e e
.
.

W o rks V 3 58—36 4
, ,
.

9 0 n o t e 2 Th e rich impas ting : i m p as t i ng i s t h e t h i c k c o v e ri n g o f t h e

.

p ai nt .

9 0 n o t e 2 T i t i an ( 1 4 7 7 . Gi or gi o ne ( 1 4 7 7
9 1 8 old Ab rah am T u c k e r : B y 1 8 0 4 H az litt s ab ri dgm e nt o f T u c k e r s
’ ’

L igh t o f N at u r e R e v e al e d h ad b e e n b e g u n S e e W o rks I V 3 7 1 —3 8 5
”
.
, , .

9 1 21 t h e sou rc e o t irt y y ars

“
f h e
”
: se e N o r t h c o t e L i fe o f Rey ,

no l ds ,
”
II 2 8 6 , .

9 1 3 1 S h af t e sb ury ’s C h ar act e ri s t ics C h ar a c t e ri s t i c s o f M e n M an “

,

n e rs O p i n i o n s an d T i m e s
, was t h e f am o u s w o rk o f t h e Earl o f S h af t e s
,

b u ry A n t h o ny A shl e y C o o p e r S e e p 1 3 an d n o t e H is w o rk was i ll u s
, . . .

t rat e d by t h e w e ll k n o w n l i n e e n gr av e r S i m o n G rib e lin ( 1 66 1

-
,

G rib e lin w e nt t o E ngl an d i n 1 6 8 0 and w as v e ry p o p u l ar am o n g th e

n o b i l i ty H i s m o s t f am o u s w o rk w as th e A p o th e o s i s o f J am e s I o n “
.

th e c e il i n g o f t h e b an q u e t i n g r o o m i n W h i t e h al l .

e v e r i n t h e h au nch of w i nt e r si ngs 2 H e n ry IV IV iv 9 2
” ”
92 10 , , , .

9 2 20 C o rr e g g i o s e e V as a ri Lives ( e d i te d
”
[ als o am a , ,

by Blashfi e ld an d H o p k i n s ) I I I 3 2 s e q T h o u gh C o rr e ggi o was e x c e e d

, ,
.

i n gly s e ns i t iv e an d m o d e s t t h i s l e g e n d r e g ardi ng h i m l o ng p e rsi s t e d

, ,

( I al s o am a p ai n t e r )
“
'
”
A l z c k z o s o n p i ll o w .

9 2 26 Honou rabl e M r S k ef fi ngt on : S ir L u ml e y S t G e o r ge S k e fh n g

. .

au t h o r o f T h e S l e e p i n g B e au t y an d o t h e r pl ays
”
to n ( 1 7 7 1 .

9 2 30 t h e b att l e of A u s t e rl it z : D e c e mb e r 2 1 8 0 5 a gr e at v i c t o ry f o r , ,

N ap o l e o n .

9 3 5 b u t h e hims e lf i s g one H az litt s f at h e r W i ll i am H az l i tt th e e l d e r

’
, , ,

d i e d J u ly 1 6 1 8 2 0 H e h ad l iv e d and p r e ac h e d i n th e v il l ag e o f W e m
, .

f r o m 1 7 8 7 t o 1 8 0 5 F r o m t h e r e h e m o v e d t o A ddl e s to n e S u rre y t h e n c e
.
, ,

t o C r e di t o n an d W i n sw o o d .

O N RE AD IN G O L D BO O K S

T h is s s ay ap p e ar e d fi rs t in th e L o n do n XI/aga z m e f o r 1 8 2 1 and was

e I

r e p ri nte d in T h e P l ai n S p e ak e r ( 1 8 2 6 ) as t h e t h i rd e ss ay in V o l
“ ”

ume I I T h e d i ff e r e n c e s b e tw e e n t h e t wo i m p ri nt s are i m m at e ri al O u r
. .

t e x t f o l l o ws t h at o f T h e P l ai n S p e ak e r
”
.

94 4 T al e s of M y L andl o r d : a s e ri e s o f S c o tt s n o v e l s app e ari n g u n d e r

’

t h e t i tl e T al e s o f M y L an dl o rd c o ll e c t e d an d arr a n g e d by J e d i d i ah
“
, ,

C le is b o t h am b e gi nn i ng wi th B l ac k D w ar f an d O ld M o r tal i ty i n
,
” ” ”
 N O TES 34 1

181 6, an d i n c l u di ng R o b R o y H e ar t o f M i dl o t h i an
“

B ri d e o f L am m e rm o o r an d Le g e n d o f M o nt ro s e
9 4 6 Lady M or g an ( 1 7 8 3 o r 1 7 8 5 S y d n e y O w e n s o n d au gh t e r ,

o f R o b e r t O we nso n w as t h e au t h o r o f s t i rri ng I rish t al e s and was v e ry

,

p o p u l ar i n h e r day .

9 4 8 A nas t as i u s : A nas t asi u s o r M e m o i rs o f a G r e e k W ri tt e n at th e

“
,

C l o s e o f t h e E igh t e e n t h C e n t u ry ap p e ar e d an o nym o u sly in 1 8 1

”
9 It .

w as r e c e iv e d m o s t f av o r ably an d w as assig n e d t o By r o n H o w e v e r i t s .
,

au t h o r was T h o m a s H o p e ( 1 7 7 4 ? T h e h e r o i s a s o r t o f o ri e nt al
G il B l as T h e b o o k was d is c u ss e d i n t h e E f i n /m g}: l ew ew M arch 1 8 2 1 ’ '

. l 2 t , , .

9 4 1 0 D el phi ne : a n o v e l by M ad am e de S t ael p u bl ish e d i n 1 8 0 ,

2

S e e th e E z m om g/z [ Fez/ 22 0 A p ril 1 8 03

’
7
, , .

94 1 8 A ndr e w M il l ar ( 1 7 0 7 o n e o f th e m o s t e m i n e nt b o o k

s e ll e rs o f t h e e igh t e e n t h c e n tu ry p u bl ish e r o f F i e l di ng s w o rk s an d o f
,
’

D r J o h n s o n s D i c t i o nary D r J o h n s o n o n c e s a i d o f h i m
.
’
. . I r e sp e c t ,

M ill ar S ir h e h as r ai s e d t h e p ri c e o f l i t e r atu r e
, , S e e E M ars t o n .
”
.
,

S k e t c h e s o f S o m e B o o ks e ll e rs o f t h e T i m e o f D r S am u e l J o h n s o n .

( 1 90 2 )
9 4 1 9 Th u rlo e ’s S t at e P ap e rs : l e tte rs o f J o h n
a c o lle c t io n
'
of th e
—
T h u rlo e ( 1 6 1 6 1 6 6 8 ) p u bl i sh e d i n 1 742 H e was a v e ry c ap abl e s e c r e .

t a ry o f s t at e d u ri ng t h e P r o t e c t o r at e an d h as l e f t i n h i s p ap e rs a v al u abl e

r e c o rd o f th e d o i n gs o f t h e t i m e .

94 20 S ir W il l iam T e m pl e ( 1 6 2 8 1 6 99 ) h i s E ss ay s w e r e p u bl i sh e d ”
-

i n 1 68 0 an d 1 6 9 2 T e m pl e i s t o b e r e m e mb e r e d as a d i s t i n g u i sh e d d i pl o
.

m at an d t h e p at r o n o f D e an S wi f t .

9 4 21 S i r Godfr e y K ne ll e r ( 1 6 4 6 h i s o rigi n al n am e w as G o t t
f ri e d K h ill e r H e b e c am e f am o u s f o r h is p o r t r ai t s o f r o y al ty I t w as
. .

w h i l e si t t i n g t o K n e ll e r f o r a p o r t r ai t c o m m i ssi o n e d by P e pys t h at , ,

J am e s h e ard t h e n e ws o f t h e l an d i ng o f t h e P ri n c e o f O r ang e t h e ,

f u tu r e W ill i am I II .

9 5 20 rif ac c i m e nt os a n e w m o d e li n g o r r e c as t i n g o f a l i t e r ary w o rk .

T h e p r o p e r pl u r al a c c o rd i n g t o t h e I t al i an w o u l d b e 7 ffi zc zzm t i
'
'

1z .

9 6 8 F o rt u nat u s s W i shi n g Cap : i n T h e N igh t s o f S t r a p a r o l a an

’ “ ”
-
,

I tal i an n o v e l is t o f t h e si x t e e n th c e ntu ry F o r an i n te r e s t i ng ac c o u n t o f .

t h i s l e g e n d an d i t s c o nn e c t i o n w i t h t h e d r a m a s e e P r o f e ss o r C I I I l e r , . .

f o rd s S tu d i es in t h e L i t e r ary R e l at i o n s o f E n g l an d and G e rm any in

’

t h e S i x t e e n t h C e n t u ry
”
.

9 6 1 1 B ru sc am b il le : S t e r n e T ri s t r am S h an dy i O O k I I I c h ap x x x v
“ ”
, , .
.
,

9 6 1 2 P er egri ne P ic k l e by T o bi a s S m o ll e tt ( 1 7 2 1
9 6 1 2 T o m J one s : M asq u e r ad e B o o k X I I I c h ap vi i ; T h rac k u m an d
, ,
.

S q u a r e B o o k I I I c h ap i i i ; M o lly S e a g ri m B o o k I V c h a p v i i i ; S o ph i a
, , .
, , .
.
34 2 S E L E C TI O N S FROM H AZLITT

Boo k V c h ap iv ; A u n t s
, .
’
L e c tu r e , B o o k VI I ch ap i i i , . . S e e H az l i tt,
W o rks V I I 3
, , .

9 7 1 4 B al l ant y ne pr e s s J am e s B all anty n e ( 1 7 7 2

: a gr e at f ri e n d o f

W al t e r S c o tt e s tab l ish e d t h e p r e ss wh i c h p ri n te d S c o tt s w o rks I t will b e

,
’
.

r e m e mb e r e d t h at S c o tt ass u m e d t h e gr e at d e b t c au s e d by t h e f ail u r e o f
t h is c o n c e r n an d sp e nt th e m o n e y f r o m h i s b o o ks i n p ayi n g th e c r e d i t o rs .

9 7 1 5 M ine rv a pr e s s : f r o m t h i s p r e ss i n L e ade n h all S t r e e t L o n d o n , ,

w e r e i ss u e d in t h e l at e y e ars o f th e e igh t e e nt h an d e arly n i n e t e e n t h

c e ntu ry p o p u l ar r o m an c e s h ighly c o l o r e d an d v e ry s e n s at i o n al
, .

9 7 21 C oo k e s po c k et edit ion : Co o k e s S e l e c t E d i t i o n o f B ri t i sh
’ - ’

N o v el s J o hn C oo ke ( 1 7 3 1 b o o ks e ll e r m ad e l a rg e f o r ,

t u n e s i n p u bl i sh i n g p o p u l ar w o rk s i n w e e kly p ar t s M r W C H az l i t t . . . .

s ays t h at H az l i tt b e c am e a c q u ai nt e d wi t h t h i s b o o k t h r o u gh h i s fath e r s ’

b e i n g an o rigi nal s u b s c rib e r t o t h e s e ri e s I n t h o s e d ays C o o k e s .

“ ’

e d i t i o n o f t h e B ri t i sh p o e t s c a m e u p H o w I l o v e d t h e s e l i tt l e S ix
.

p e nn y n u mb e rs c o n tai n i n g wh o l e p o e t s ! I d o at e d o n t h e i r si z e o n
, ,

t h e i r wr ap p e r c o n t ai ni n g l is t s o f o t h e r p o e t s an d o n th e e n gr av i n gs
, ,

f r o m K i rk ( L e igh H u n t A u t o b i o gr ap hy , p .

9 7 24 R om anc e of t h e F o r e s t : p u bl ish e d 1 7 9 1 by M rs A nn R ad c l i ff e , .

( 1 7 64 wri t e r o f r o m an t i c t al e s wh i c h ab o u n d in d e s c rip t i o n s o f
s c e n e s o f mys t e ry an d t e rr o r .

9 7 25 s w eet i n t h e m out h b i t t e r in t h e b e ll y R e v e l at i o n x 9 , .

gay cr eat u r e s M il t o n C o mu s l 2 99 ”
9 7 27 “
, , . .

9 8 2 T om J one s di scov e rs S qu ar e : T o m J o ne s B o o k V c h ap v
”
, , . .

9 8 3 P ars on A dams : J o s e ph A n d r e ws B o o k I V c h ap xi v
“ ”
, ,
. .

9 8 6 J o s eph A ndr e w s : H e n ry F i e ld i ng s fi rs t n o v e l p u bl i sh e d 1 7 4 2
’
, ,

w as i n sp i r e d by t h e fi rs t E n gl i sh n o v e l P am e l a ”
by R i c h ards o n
,
“
.

9 8 1 3 M aj o r B at h : i n F i e l d i n g s n o v e l J o s e p h A n dr e ws
’ “ ”
.
,

9 8 14 Co mm odor e T r u nn i on : i n P e r e gri n e P i c kl e by S m o ll e t t ,
”
.

9 8 1 4 T ri m : i n S t e r n e s T ri s t r am S h an dy
’ ”
.

”
9 8 1 4 Uncl e T oby : i n T ri s t r a m S h an dy .

9 8 1 5 Gil B l as : i n L e S ag e s s at i r e o f s am e n am e
’
.

”
9 8 1 5 Dam e L o r en z a S e pho r a : i n G il B l as
“
.

9 8 1 6 L au r a : t h e l ady t o wh o m P e t r arc h wr o t e .

”
9 8 1 6 L u cr et i a : i n J o s e p h A n d r e ws
“
.

T r a c t s and P o s th u m o u s W o rks
”
9 8 3O Ch ubb ’s T r ac t s : by T h o m as ,

C h u bb ( 1 6 9 7 p u bl i sh e d in 1 7 5 4 H is t r ac t s wo n f o r h i m a pl a c e
.

am o ng t h e d e i s t s o f t h e e igh t e e n t h c e n t u ry .

”
99 5 f at e fr e e w ill
,
P ar ad is e L o s t I I 5 6 0
-
, ,
.

W o u l d I h ad nev e r s e e n ” C h ris to ph e r M arl o w e s ( 1 56 4 1 593 )

’
99 9 “ -

D r F au s tu s sc e n e xi x
”
,
. .
34 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

Be fo re w e nt t o L o n d o n in J u ly 1 8 2 2 h e h ad giv e n C arlyl e an i n t r o
he , ,

d u c t i o n t o J an e W e l sh H e alw ays l o v e d J an e W e l sh wh o s ai d o n o n e
.
,

o c c as i o n I f I h ad m arri e d I rvi ng th e t o n g u e s w o u l d n e v e r h av e b e e n
,

h e ard H is c ar e e r b e f o r e h e w e n t t o L o n d o n h i s p o p u l ari t y an d su c
”
.
,

c e s s t h e r e h av e m ad e h i m o n e o f t h e m o s t s t ri ki n g fig u r e s i n e c cl e s i as
,

t i c al h is t o ry T h e r e are m an y r e f e r e n c e s t o h i m i n L amb s L e t te rs an d
’
.

i n C r abb R o b i n s o n s D i ary S e e al s o H az lit t s ac c o u n t o f h i m i n S p i ri t

’ ’
.
,

o f th e A ge ,
”
IV , 222 .

1 01 3 0 as h art t h at pant et h
th e P s al m xl i i I ,

1 01 32 S chi ll e r ’
s R ob b e rs : t h is p l ay was p ri n t e d i n 1 7 8 1 an d p r o d u c e d

in 1 782 . I t m ad e a gr e at i mp r e ssi o n i n G e rm any an d i n E n gl an d .

T he Ro bb e rs was th e fi rs t pl ay I e v e r r e ad : an d th e e ff e c t it pro d c e d u p o n u

m e was t h e g r e ate s t I t s t u nne d m e li k e a bl o w an d I h av e n o t r e c o v e re d e n o u g h

.
,

fro m it to d e scrib e h o w it was F iv e an d twe nty y e ars h av e e l aps e d si nc e I - -

fi rs t re ad th e t ran sl at i o n o f th e R o bbe rs b t t hey h av e n o t bl o tte d th e impre ssi o n

,
u

fro m my mi nd L e c tu r e s o n A ge o f E liz ab e t h ” L e c tu re V I I I
.
,

1 01 3 3 “
Gi v i n g my sto ck ”
A s Yo u L i k e I t,
”
II i , , 4 8 —49 :

G ivi ng t h y su m o f m o re
T o t h at which h ad t o o m u ch .

1 02 1 C l
o e r i dg e
’
s fi ne S onnet : t h is s o n n e t was p ri n t e d in 1 7 9 6 The .

n o t e a p p e n d e d s e e m s t o i mply t h at C o l e ri dg e wr o t e i t o n h is fi rs t r e a d

i ng o f T h e R o bb e rs
“
at C amb ri dg e n o t l at e r t h an 1 7 9 4
”
I f so h e .
,

c o u l d h av e k n o w n S c h i ll e r o n ly in t h e E ngli sh v e rs i o n .

1 02 7 I b e l i e v e I m ay dat e s e e M y F i rs t A c q u ai nt an c e w i t h P o e t s ,
”

p p 1 7 5 ff
. .

1 02 1 2 Val ent i ne Tatt l e M i s s P r u e : c h a r a c t e rs i n C o n gr e v e S Lo v e

7

, ,

f o r Lo v e ( I 69 5) .

1 02 1 9 I ntus et in c u te : P e rsi u s S at i r e s I I I 30 :
”
, , ,

E go t e i nt u s et in c u te no vi .

I k ne w t h e e i nt imate ly an d in t h e sk in .

1 02 24 S i r H u m phry Dav y ( 1 7 78 th e f am o u s n at u a r l p hilo s o

ph e r .l e c tu r e s at t h e R o y al A c ad e my b e g an i n 1 8 0 1
H is .

1 02 3 1 T h e S pe ct at or e t c : se e O n P e ri o di c al E ss ayis t s p 14 ”
.
, , . .

1 03 8 Cl ar i ss a : h e r o i n e o f C l a ri ss a H a rl o w e
1 03 8 Cl e m e nt i na : h e r o i n e o f S i r C h arl e s G r an di s o n ( I 7 53) .

1 03 8 P am e l a : h e r o i n e o f P am e l a ”
1 03 8 w i t h ev e ry t ric k A l l 5 W e ll I 1 1 0 7
’
.
”
, , .

1 03 1 5 M i s s p r o b abl y th e l ady o f L ib e r A m o ris ” Wo rks “

, ,

V I I 50 1
, .
 N O T ES 34 5

1 03 1 5 "
t h at l i g am ent , fi ne as i t w as ” :
“
T ri s t r am S h an dy ,
”
Bo o k VI ,

c h ap x .
, T he S t o ry o f Le Fev e r . T he s t o ry c o n t i n u e s f r o m c h ap v i . to

c h ap . xfi .

1 03 21 H is s tory of t h e Haw k : T h e D e c am e r o n by B o c c a c c i o fi f t h ,
”
,

day , n i nt h s t o ry S e e in L e c tu r e s o n A ge o f E l i z ab e t h
.
“
W o rks V ,
”
, ,

3 4 6 34 7 :
-

Fe d e ri g o b e i ng in l o v e wi th o u t m e e t i n g wi t h any re tu r n sp e nds all his su b

, ,

s t anc e h avi ng n o thi ng l e f t b u t o ne p o o r h aw k which h e g iv e s t o his l ady f o r h e r

, ,

di nne r wh e n sh e c o m e s t o his h o u s e ; sh e k n o wi ng this ch ang e s h e r re s o l u t i o n, , ,

an d m arri e s him by which m e ans h e b e c o m e s v e ry rich

,
.

1 03 24 I r em e m b e r as l ong ago as th e y ear 1 7 9 8 it will b e r e m e mb e r e d

,

t h at t h i s w as t h e y e ar in wh i c h H az l i tt m e t C o l e ri dg e at S h r e wsb u ry

an d l at e r W o rd sw o r t h at A lf o x de n See M y F i rs t A c q u ai n tan c e wi t h
.

P o e t s p p 1 7 5 ff
,
”
. .

1 03 25 F ar qu h ar R e cr u i t i ng Of fi c e r : F arq u h a r ( 1 6 7 8 p ro m i
n e n t d r am at i s t o f t h e R e s t o r at i o n p e ri o d p r o d u c e d T h e R e c r u i ti ng “
,

O ffi c e r i n 1 7 06 W h i l e h e was i n t h e army an d s t at i o n e d at S h r e ws
”
.

b u ry h e w r o te th e pl ay .

1 03 26 at one p r ou d S woop M ac b e t h IV i i i 2 1 9 :
”
, , ,

At o ne f e ll swo o p .

1 03 28 B u r k e ’s Re fl ect i ons :
p p 2 9 ff an d n o te s see . .

1 03 n o t e D u ri ng t h e pe ac e of A mi e n s : t h e t e rm s o f t h e p e ac e o f A m i e n s
w e r e c o n cl u d e d in M arch 1 8 0 2 N e g o t i at i o n s w e r e o p e n e d by N ap o l e o n
, .

t o all o w h i m t i m e t o o rg an i z e h i s r e s o u rc e s I n M ay 1 8 0 3 E ngl an d .
, ,

’
ant i c i p at e d a r e n e w al o f h i s att ac k by a d e c l ar at i o n o f w ar S e e H az litt s .

a c c o u nt i n h i s L i f e o f N ap o l e o n c h ap s xxx an d xxxi ”
. .
,

1 04 4 w i t h all it s g i ddy r apt u r e s W o rd sw o r th L i n e s C o m p o s e d ,

a F e w M il e s ab o v e T i nt e r n A bb e y
” :

T h at t im e is p ast

A nd all it s di z z y rap tu re s .

1 04 5 mb alm ed w it h odou rs
e P ar ad i s e L o s t 1 1 8 4 3 ,
”
, .

1 04 1 4 Hi s fo rm h ad not y et l s o t ” P ar ad i s e L o s t I 59 1 ,
”
, .

1 04 18 f all s fl at ” : ib i d I 4 6 0—4 6 1
“
.
,
.

1 04 28 L ett e r t o a N obl e L o r d : i n 1 7 9 6 an att ac k was m ad e by t h e

D u k e o f B e d fo rd an d L o rd L au d e rd al e u p o n B u rk e o n a c c o u nt o f
t h e p e n si o n wh i c h h e r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e g o v e r n m e n t I l i s r e ply in th e .

le tt e r wi t h th e nam e giv e n ab o v e ( 1 7 9 6 ) i s o ne o f o u r c l ass i c s c all e d by ,

34 6 S E L E CT I O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

L o rd M o rl e y t h e m o s t spl e n d i d r e p ar te e i n t h e E ngl ish l ang u ag e S e e .

L i f e o f B u rk e by J o h n M o rl e y p 1 9 8 T h e r e ad e r sh o u ld c o m p ar e it
”
, , . .

wi t h H az litt s L e t te r t o W illi am G iff o rd W o rk s V o l I S e e H az l i tt P o l i t

’
, , . .
,
“

i c al E ss ays C h ar ac t e r o f B u rk e W o rks V o l I I I e sp e c i ally p p 33 5—33 6

”
, , , .
, . .

1 04 33 J u ni u s : t h e sig natu r e o f t h e an o n ym o u s w ri t e r o f l e tt e rs wh o
h as s u c c e e d e d i n b afii i ng t h e c u ri o si ty o f c ri t i c s f o r m o r e t h an a h u n
d r e d y e ars T h e s e l e tt e rs att ac k i n g t h e g o v e r n m e nt ap p e ar e d in th e
.
, ,

P u bli c A dvert i s er a p ap e r p u bl i sh e d by W o o d fall f r o m J an u ary 2 1

, , ,

1 7 6 9 t o J an u ary 2 1
, 1 772 T h e s e n s at i o n c r e at e d by t h e s e at tack s n o t
, .

o n ly o n p ar t i e s an d p o l i c i e s b u t al s o u p o n p r iv at e i n divi d u al s w as t re

m e n do u s T h e au t h o rsh i p h as b e e n att rib u t e d t o at l e as t t h i r ty fi v e

.
-

p e rs o n s o f wh o m B u rk e was th e c h o i c e o f c o nt e m p o r ary O p i n i o n A t
, .

p r e s e nt th e s t r o ng e s t e v i d e n c e s e e m s to p o i nt to S ir P h ili p F ran c i s
( 1 7 40 a p r o m i n e n t W h ig p o l i t i c i an an d a s t r o n g p amph l e t e e r .

T h e arg u m e nt s f o r and ag ai n s t t h e au t h o rsh i p o f F r an c is h av e b e e n

s u m m ari z e d and e x am i n e d by S ir L e sl i e S t e p h e n in t h e D i c t i o n ary o f “

N at i o n al B i o gr ap hy u n d e r th e n am e o f F r an c i s V o l X X
”
, . .

h e l i k e an e ag l e C o ri o l anu s V Vi 1 1 5
”
1 05 4 , , , , .

1 05 1 5 E s s ay on M arriag e n o s u c h e ss ay by W o rdsw o r t h i s at p r e s e nt
k n o w n t o e xi s t I t w o u l d s e e m e i t h e r t h at M arri ag e i s a m i sp ri nt f o r
.
” “

s o m e o th e r w o rd o r t h at H az l i t t w as m is t ak e n in t h e s u bj e c t o f t h e
,

e ss ay r e f e rr e d t o by C o l e ri dg e H az l i tt i s p r o b ably r e c al l i n g a c o n v e r
.

s at i o n wi t h C o l e ri dg e i n S h r o p sh i r e at t h e b e gi nn i n g o f 1 7 9 8 ( s e e M y “

F i rs t A cq u ai nt an c e w i t h P o e t s p at wh i c h t i m e a L e tt e r t o t h e
”
.
,

B i sh o p o f L l an d aff ( 1 7 93 ) was th e o n ly n o t abl e w o rk wh i ch W o rds

”

w o r t h h ad p u bl i sh e d ( W o rks V I I , ,

1 05 n o t e I s t h i s t h e p r e s e nt Earl ? J am e s M ai t l an d e igh t h e arl o f ,

L au d e rd al e ( 1 7 59 s u c c e e d e d h i s f at h e r i n A u g u s t 1 7 8 9 S e e , .

W o rks VII 50 1
, , .

1 06 1 3 L or d Cl ar endon’s ( 1 6 08—1 6 7 4 ) H i s t o ry o f t h e R e b e ll i o n an d
C iv il Wars i n E n gl an d
”
( 1 702
1 06 20 F ro i s s art : J e an F r o i ss art ( 1 338 F r e n c h ch r o n i cl e r an d
r ac o n t e u r .

1 06 20 Holl i ng sh e d : R al ph H o l i n sh e d ( d i e d ab o u t C h r o n i cl e s
”
o f E nglan de S c o t lan de a nd I r e l an d
, ,

1 06 20 S t o w e : J o h n S t o w ( I 5 2 5 P I 6 o 5 )
“
S u m m arie o f Engly s h e
-
,

C h r o n i cl e s
”
A S u rv e y o f L o n d o n
“ ”

1 06 20 F u e s W o rt hi e s : T h o m as F u l l e r ( 1 6 08
ll r T h e H is t o ry
’ “

o f t h e W o r t h i e s o f E ngl an d

1 06 23 A W i f e f or a M ont h
1 06 24 T hi e rry and T h e o doret
 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LIT T

1 1 0 1 0 Hi s G i ant s h e s e are p i c tu r e s by P o u ssi n d e al i n g wi t h J u p i t e r

t , ,

P an B ac ch u s an d o t h e r my t h o l o gi c al s u bj e c t s i n t h e N at i o n al an d
, , ,

D u lwi c h G al l e ri e s i n Lo n d o n an d i n t h e L o u vr e in P ari s .

1 1 0 n o t e V i gnu el de M arv i l l e : t h i s p ass ag e i s t ak e n f r o m M e m o i rs

o f t h e L i f e o f N i ch o l as P o u ssi n by M ari a G r ah am ( L ady C allc o t t) ”
,

( I 8 20 ) pp 3 5 3 6
,
-

1 1 0 n o te M r . W e s t ( 1 7 38
West : A m e ri c an h i s t o ry
B e n j am i n
an d p o r t r ai t p ai n t e r w as b o r n at S p ri n gfi e l d P e n n sylv an i a
, I n 1 7 63 h e , .

s e tt l e d in L o n d o n as a h i s t o ri c al p ai n t e r an d b e c am e e m i n e n t ly s u c c e ss
f u l O n t h e d e at h o f S i r J o sh u a R e y n o l ds h e was e l e c t e d h i s s u c c e ss o r
.

as p r e si d e n t o f t h e R o y al A c a d e my an o ffi c e wh i c h h e h e l d f o r tw e n t y ,

e igh t y e ars H e d i e d i n 1 8 2 0 an d w as b u ri e d i n S t P au l s L o n d o n
’
. .
, .

1 1 1 1 2 P l ag u e of A t h ens t h e D e l u g e b o t h p i c t u r e s are i n t h e L o u v r e
, ,

G all e ry i n P aris N o s 7 1 0 an d 7 39 ( s e e H az l i tt I X
, . A r e p e ti ti o n , ,

o f t h e f o rm e r p i c t u r e f o rm e rly in th e C o l o nna P al ac e at R o m e was

, ,

p r e s e nt e d t o th e N at i o n al G all e ry in 1 8 3 8 T h e p r o p e r t i t l e i s P l ag u e .

a m o n g t h e P h il is t i n e s at A sh d o d (N o .

1 1 1 1 9 a p ic t u r e of A u ro r a : C e ph al u s an d A u r o r a by P o u ssi n in ”
, ,

t h e N at i o nal G all e ry ( N o .

1 1 1 22 Tit ho nu s : by t h e p r ay e rs o f E o s ( D aw n ) wh o l o v e d h i m ,

T i t h o nu s o b t ai n e d f r o m t h e g o ds i m m o r t al i ty b u t n o t e t e r n al y o u t h i n , ,

c o n s e q u e n c e o f wh i c h h e c o m pl e t e ly sh r an k t o g e t h e r i n h i s o ld age ;
wh e n c e a d e cr e p i t o ld m an was p r o v e rbi ally c all e d T i t h o nu s S e e .

T e nnys o n s p o e m o f t h at n am e
’
.

1 1 2 5 S at yrs and B acch ant e s : i n M r A nge rs t e in s c o ll e c t i o n t h e r e

’
.

was a D an c e o f B ac c h an als by P o u ssi n n o w N o 4 2 in th e N at i o n al ,

”
, .

G all e ry W o rks I X 1 4
, , , .

112 8 L ap
e i ng“
l i k e w an t o n k id s ”
: S p ens e r F ae ri e Q u e e n e B o o k I ,
“
,
”
,

c anto v i s t anz a I 4 ,
.

1 1 2 24 p ic t u r e of t h e sh eph e r ds s e e H az lit t s e ss ay O n th e P r o gr e ss
’
,

i n W o rks I 1 6 3 T h i s p i c t u r e o f t e n m e n t i o n e d by H az l i t t i s
”
o f A rt , , , .
, ,

i n t h e L o u vr e ( N o I t e xp r e ss e d a c c o rdi ng t o s o m e t h e i d e a o f
. , ,

t h e sh o r t n e ss o f l i f e .

1 1 2 27 Et e go i n A rcadi a vix i : t h i s r e f e rs t o P o u ssi n s c e l e b r at e d

’

p i c tu r e o f s o m e A rc ad i an sh e ph e rd s s tan di n g n e ar a t o mb an d r e ad i n g
wi th s u rp ris e t h i s i n s c ri p t i o n u p o n it T h e s o u rc e o f t h e L at i n r e m ai n s .

u n d is c o v e r e d S e e N o tes a n d Qu eri es six t h s e ri e s VI 39 6 wh e r e p re

.
, , , ,

c e di ng r e f e r e n c e s are giv e n .

1 13 5 w i hi “
t n t h e oo a db k n v o l u m e of t h e br a i n
”
H aml e t I v 1 ,
”
, , .

113 11 h e w h o k no w s of t h e s e de l i g h t s M i l to n S o n ne t t o ,

M r L awr e n c e
.
 N O T ES 34 9

H e wh o o d e li g h ts c an j d g e
f th o s e u
,
an d sp are
To i nte rp o se t h e m o f t is n o t u nwise
, .

1 1 3 26 t h e C ar acc i : u s u ally sp e l l e d C a rr ac c i T h e r e w e r e th e b r o t h e rs .

A g o s t i n o ( 1 5 58 —1 6 0 2 ) and A n n i b al e ( 1 5 6 0—1 6 0 9 ) and t h e i r c o u si n L o d o

vico ( 1 555 all f o u n d e rs o f t h e B o l o g n e s e sc h o o l o f p ai n t i ng .

Old Ge n i u s F ae ri e Q u e e n e B o o k I I I c an t o v i s tanz as
”
1 14 3 , , ,

31
—3 2 .

1 1 4 1 5 B l e nh ei m W o rk s I X 7 1 —7 5
: see , , .

1 1 4 16 M r A n g e r s t e i n : J o h n J u l i u s A ng e rs t e i n ( 1 7 3 5
. ri c h
m e rch an t an d p at r o n o f t h e fi ne ar t s H is c o ll e c t i o n o f ab o u t f o r ty
.

fam o u s p ai nt i n gs b e c am e t h e b asi s o f t h e p r e s e n t N at i o n al G all e ry .

T h e P i c t u r e G all e ri e s i n E n gl an d \N o rks V o l I X
“ ”
See , ,
. .

1 1 4 20 s inc e t h e L ou v r e i s s t ri ppe d : i n t h e tw e n ty y e ars af te r 1 7 9 3

gr e at art t r e as u r e s w e r e b r o u gh t t o t h e L o u v re in c o n s e q u e n c e o f th e ‘

s u c c e ss iv e F r e n c h v i c t o ri e s in d i f f e r e nt p ar t s o f E u r o p e I n 1 8 1 5 wh e n .

t h e al l i e s t o o k p o ss e ssi o n o f P ari s m o s t o f t h e s e p i c t u r e s w e r e r e t u r n e d

t o t h e c o u nt ri e s f r o m wh i c h t h e y h ad c o m e .

1 1 4 22 as a ri ch j e w e l in hi s Iron Cr o w n N ap o l e o n was c r o w n e d in
P ari s o n D e c e mb e r 2 1 8 04 A d e p u tat i o n o f t h e r e p u bl i c o f L o m
, .

b ardy c am e f r o m I taly t o P ari s t o O ff e r h i m t h e I r o n C r o w n o f C h arl e

m ag n e I t c o n s i s t e d o f a p l ai n c i rc l e t o f g o l d c o v e ri n g a ri n g o f i r o n
.
,

s ai d t o b e c o m p o s e d o f t h e n ai ls o f t h e C r o ss T h e c e r e m o n y t o o k .

pl ac e in th e c at h e d r al o f M i l an T aki ng th e I r o n C r o w n f r o m t h e
.

h an ds o f t h e A r c hb i sh o p o f M i l an N ap o l e o n p l ac e d it u p o n h i s h e ad
, ,

c al l i n g al o u d D i e u m e l a d o n n ée ; g ar e a qu i Ia t o u ch e wh i c h e x
,
’
,
”

p r e ss i o n b e c am e t h e l e g e n d o f t h e O rd e r o f t h e I r o n C r o w n f o u n d e d ,

by th e E m p e r o r t o c o m m e m o r at e t h e e v e n t S e e H az l i tt L i f e o f .
,
“

N ap o l e o n c h ap x xxi v S e e als o C h amb e rs B o o k o f D ays i 6 7 3

” “ ”
.
, , ,
. .
,

N ap o l e o n d i e d at L o n gw o o d o n t h e i sl an d o f S t H e l e na o n M ay 5 .
,

1 82 1

O N T H E FE AR OF DE AT H
This ss ay o rigi nally ap p e ar e d as t h e l as t ( N o X V I I ) o f t h e s e c o n d
e .

v o l u m e o f T abl e T al k ( 1 8 2 2
“ ”

115 1 A nd o u r l i tt l e Iif e ” :
"
T he T e m p e s t
“
I V i 1 56 ; a p ar t ,
”
, ,

o f t h e f am o u s p ass ag e o n t h e m o n u m e n t t o S h aksp e r e i n W e s t m i n s t e r

A bb e y .

1 1 5 1 0 B ic k e rs t aff : s e e O n P e ri o d i c al E ss ayi s t s p 14 ”
. .
,

1 1 5 1 3 t h e Gl ob e : a fav o ri t e c o ff e e h o u s e o f G o l dsm i t h i n F l e e t S t r e e t ,
.

S e e F o rs t e r L i f e o f G o l d sm i t h c h ap xvi i p 2 7 0 S e e als o I im b s
” ' ‘

, ,
.
, . .
,

C l u bs an d C l u b L i f e i n L o n d o n p 4 04 ”
, . .
3 50 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

1 1 5 1 5 S t er ne b ro u gh t ou t the v l o um es : th e fi rs t tw o v o lu m es of T ri s
“

t a r m S h an dy a p p e ar e d in 1 7 6 0 , t h e t h i rd an d f o rt h
u in 1 761 , t h e fi ft h

an d S ix t h in 1 7 6 2 , th e se v e nt h an d e igh t h in 1 7 6 5, an d t h e l as t in 1 7 67 .

1 1 5 26 ri s e s atgor ge H aml e t V i 2 06 ”
,
”
, , .

1 1 6 6 perdus : l o s t i n v is ibl e , .

1 1 6 1 4 s t one ai sl e s of t h at old T e m p l e ch u rch : H az l i tt r e f e rs t o th e

n i n e m o nu m e nt s o f T e m pl ars o f t h e t w e lf t h an d t h i r t e e n t h c e nt u ri e s ,

c o n s i s t i ng o f r e c u mb e nt fig u r e s in f u ll arm o r in t h e T e m pl e C h u rc h in
Lo nd on .

1 1 6 1 8 H ol y War : t h e w ars o f t h e C ru s ad e rs I t u s e d t o b e t h o u gh t .

t h at t h e c r o s si n g o f t h e l e gs o f t h e r e c u mb e n t fig u r e s o f k n igh t s i n t h e

c h u rch e s as in t h e T e m p l e C h u rc h was a S ig n t h at th e k n igh t s b u ri e d

, ,

b e n e at h h ad t ak e n p ar t in t h e C r u s ad e s .

Th e w ars we w e ll r e m emb e r F ae ri e Q u e e n e Bo o k I I
” ”
1 17 3 “
, ,

c ant o i x s tan z a 5 6 , .

1 1 7 33 T h e pr e s ent ey e T r o i l u s an d C r e ssi d a ”
I I I i ii 1 8 0 , , , .

Oh ! t h ou s tron g h e art l ” : W e bs t e r T h e W h i t e D e v il o r
“
118 7 , ,

V i tt o ri a C o ro m b o na V i i i 9 6 ( M e rm ai d e d i t i o n ) ,
”
, , .

1 1 8 29 t h e do wn f all of t h e B ou rb o ns : t h e n o bl e f am ily o f B o u rb o n
f r o m wh i c h s o m any Eu r o p e an k i n gs h av e sp ru n g t o o k it s n am e f r o m
a d is t ri c t i n F r an c e c all e d B o u rb o nnai s T h e f am ily d at e s f r o m t h e .

n i nt h c e ntu ry .

1 1 8 3 2 N o y ou ng m an e v e r t h in k s : H az l i t t att rib u t e s t h i s r e m ark

t o h i s b r o t h e r J o h n t h e p ai nt e r ,
.

119 6 h s s s i bl w r m m t i ”
M e as u r e f o r M e as u r e III ”
'

“
T i e n e a o on : , ,

i 1 20
, .

t u rn t o w i t h e r e d w ea k and g r e y P ar ad is e L o s t X I 5 4 0
“ ”
1 19 8 , , , , .

1 1 9 27 gone i nt o t h e w as t e s of tim e S h aks p e r e S o n n e t X I I ,

T h at th o u am o ng th e waste s o f t im e m u st go .

119 no te Y o u ng , N igh t T h o u gh t s ,
”
I , 4 24 .

1 20 n o t e S ch i l l e r s Don C arl o s th e M a rq u i s i m p e rs o n a
’
, th e

i
t o n o f all t h at S c h i l le r c o n si d e rs m o s t no bl e i n m an , d i e s i n t h e fi rs t
sc e n e of Act V .

1 21 7 Z anetto , f asc ia : R o u ss e au ,
“
Co n fe ssi o n s ,
”
P ar t i e I I , L iv r e VII
( 1 7 43 1 7 44 1
-

1 21 1 5 I h av e v r s een deat h b u t onc e : M e m o i rs o f \V illiam H az

ne e
“

l i tt I 1 7 0 T h i s r e f e rs t o t h e fi rs t s o n o f W i l li am H az l i t t wh o w as b o r n
,
”
,
.
,

J anu ary 1 5 1 809 an d di e d o n t h e fi f t h o f J u ly o f t h e s am e y e ar C o mp ar e

, ,
.

t h e p ass a g e in D e Q u i n c e y s A u t o b i o gr ap hy d e s c rib i n g h i s fi rs t s igh t

’ ”
,

S e l e c t i o n s f r o m D e Q u i n c ey ( e d i t e d by T u rk ) p p 6 s e q
”
o f d e at h .
, . .
352 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

ON LI VING T O O N E S S E LF
’ -

This ss ay was wri tt e n at W i nt e rsl o w H u t J an u ary 1 8 an d 1 9 1 8 2 1

e , , ,

an d fi rs t ap p e ar e d as N o X i n V o l I o f T abl e T alk
”
. .

R e m ot e u nfr i ended G o l dsm i t h T h e T r av e ll e r l 1

”
1 27 1 “
, ,
“
, . .

1 27 1 6 W i nt e rsl o w : af t e r t h e i r m arri ag e H az l i tt an d h i s wi f e w e nt t o
W i nt e rsl o w t o l i v e M rs H az l i tt h ad i n h e ri t e d s o m e c o ttag e s i n t h i s
. .

l i ttl e v i ll ag e ab o u t s e v e n m i l e s f r o m S al isb u ry o n th e A n d o v e r r o ad .

H e r e t h e i r fi rs t s o n t o b e c all e d W illi am w , as b o r n J anu ary 1 5 1 80, 9

-
,

an d d i e d th e f o l l o wi n g J u ly A f t e r t h i s m is f o r tu n e th e H az lit ts i n v i t e d
.

C h arl e s an d M ary L am b M ar t i n B u r n e y an d C o l o n el P h ill i ps t o W in

, ,

t e rslo w t o S p e n d a f e w w e e k s T h e f o u r t e e n t h o f J u ly was s e t f o r t h e v i si t
.
,

b u t o n a c c o u n t o f t h e i ll n e s s o f M ary L amb t h e t ri p w as p o s t p o n e d ,

u nt i l t h e f o ll o wi n g O c t o b e r T h e r e w e r e m an y pl e as ant d ays t o g e t h e r
.
,

as w e m u s t s u pp o s e f r o m t h e l e tt e rs o f M ary L amb wri tt e n at t h at t i m e .

I n t h e J u ly o f t h e n e x t y e ar t h e L amb s ag ai n vi si t e d t h e H az lit ts at W in
'

t e rs lo w an d H az l i tt a c t e d as g u i d e t o t h e L ambs t o O x f o rd an d B l e n h e i m

o n t h e i r r e tu r n t o L o n d o n C h arl e s L amb h as wri tt e n o f t h i s in h i s

.

O x f o rd i n t h e V a c at i o n ( E ss ays o f S e e al s o M e m o i rs o f
“ “ “

H az l i tt , I 1 6 8—1 7 5 ; al s o I I 2 2
”
, ,

A ft e r 1 8 1 9 H az l i t t sp e nt m u c h o f h i s t i m e at W i nte rsl o w H u t wh e r e ,

m an y o f hi s e ss ays w e r e wri tt e n II s e e H az l i t t , ,

O n t h e C o n v e rs at i o n o f A u t h o rs W o rk s V I I 2 4 ff ,
”
, , .

T h e f o ll o w i n g s e l e c t i o n i s f r o m th e p r e f a c e t o \V i n t e rslo w : E ss ays
an d C h a r a c t e rs W ri t t e n t h e r e by W i l l i a m H az l i tt C o l l e c t e d by h i s S o n .

Wi nt e rsl o w is vill ag e o f W il t shire b e twe e n S alisb u ry and A n d o v e r wh e re

a , ,

my f ath e r d u ri ng a c o n sid e rabl e p o rt i o n o f his lif e sp e n t s e v e ral m o nths o f e ach

, ,

y e ar l atte rly at an anci e n t in n o n th e g re at we s te r n r o ad c all e d W i n t e rsl o w

, , ,

H u t O n e o f his chi e f at t r ac t i o n s hi th e r w e r e th e n o bl e w o o ds o f T y th e le igh o r

. r

T u do rle igh r o u n d N o rm an C o rt
,
A no th e r f e atu re was Cl are nd o n \Vo o d
u .

— wh e nc e t h e n o bl e f amily o f C l are n d on d e riv e d th e ir t i tl e I n ano th e r .

dire c ti o n wi thi n e asy dis tan c e g l e ams S to n eh e ng e visi te d by my fath e r l e ss

, , , ,

p e rh aps f o r its his to ric al ass o ci at i o ns th an f o r its app e al t o t h e im ag i nati o n .

A t n o g re at dis tan c e in an o th e r dir e c t i o n are t h e fi n e pic t u re s o f L o rd R e dno r

, ,

an d s o m ewh at f r th e r t h o s e o f W il t o n H o u s e
u B u t t h e chi e f h appi ne ss was t h e
.

th o r o u g h q u i e t o f t h e pl ac e th e s o l e i n t e rru p t i o n o f which was th e p ass ag e t o

, ,

an d f ro o f t h e L o n d o n m ails
, A m o ng th e s e [ s o m e L o n d o n fri e nds ] d e ar1y
.
,
-

l o v e d an d h o no re d th e re as e ve rywh e re e ls e C h arle s and M ary L amb p aid u s

u ,

fr e q u e nt visi ts rambli ng ab o t all t h e t im e th o ro g h L o nd o ne rs in a th o ro u g hly

,
u ,
u

c o n t ry pl ac e d e li g h te d and wo nd e ri ng and wo nd e re d at
u
, .
 N O TES 353

1 27 1 7 “
Whil e H ea v ’ ’
n s ch anc e l v au l t - ”
: K e at s , “
H yp e ri o n,
”
II ,

6 —
3 38 :
Wh e n chill rai n b e g i ns at sh u t o f e ve
th e ,

I n du ll N o v e mb e r and t h e ir ch anc e l vau l t

,
-
,

T h e H e av e n i t s e lf is bli nd e d thro u g h o u t n i g h t
,
.

1 27 23 Lady G L ady G r an d i s o n i n S ir C h arl e s G r an d is o n, by

“ ”
. :

S am u e l R i ch ards o n .

1 29 1 6 who s e ey e
T h e m an W o rdsw o r t h L i n e s l e f t u p o n a S e at ,

in a Y e w t r e e 11 5 5—
”
59
-
, . .

1 29 3 3 To see t h e c h i l dre n Wo rdsw o r t h I n t i m at i o n s o f I m m o r ,

t al i t y 11 1 7 0—1 7 1
”
.
, .

1 30 6 Ni cho l s on : W ill i am N i c h o l s o n ( 1 7 5 3
'

m an o f s c i e n c e
an d i n v e n t o r B e si d e s h i s i n v e n t i o n o f m any m at h e m at i c al i n s t r u m e nt s
.
,

h e wr o te b o o k s o n n atu r al p h il o s o p hy .

ne v e r e ndi ng b e g i nni ng D ry d e n A l e x an d e r s ’
1 30 9 “
s t ill , ,

F e as t ”
l 202
, . .

1 30 1 1 t h e w i t ch ery of t h e so ft bl u e s ky ” : \N o rdswo rth

“
P ete r ,
“

B e ll
”
, 1 26 5 . .

1 3 1 1 2 Gol dsmi t h : H az l i tt h ad p r o b ably r e ad t h e s t o ry i n N o rth c o t e s

’

L i f e o f R e y n o l ds wh e r e t h e s c e n e i s l ai d at A n t w e rp T h e i n c i d e n t
' ’
, .

r e ally o c c u rr e d at L i sl e wh i l e G o ld sm i t h was o n h i s way t o P ari s w i t h

t h e H o rn e c k s W e h av e M iss H o rn e c k s au th o ri ty f o r b e l i e vi n g t h at
.
’

t h e s t o ry as t o l d by N o r t h c o t e a n d h e r e r e p e at e d by H az l i tt i s m u c h

e x agg e r at e d S e e P ri o r L i f e o f G o l dsm i t h
. I I 2 9 0—2 9 1 ; F o rs te r
,
‘
,
’
, ,

L i f e an d T i m e s o f O l i v e r G o l ds m i t h I I 2 1 7 ; B o sw e ll L i f e o f
‘ ’ ‘
, , ,

J o hns o n ( e d i te d by H ill) I 4 1 4 an d n o t e S e e W o rks V I 4 7 7

’ ”
, , , ,
.

47 8 .

1 31 1 7 I h av e s een a ce l eb rat ed t al k e r : was t h i s C o l e ri dg e ?

1 31 24 Wh o s e t o p t o cl imb
“
C y mb e li n e I I I i i i 47 ,
”
, , .

1 3 1 30 W h en B uonapart e go t i nt o hi s c a rr i ag e : s e e H az l i tt L i fe o f ,

N ap o l e o n c h ap s xl i i i and xli v
”
, . .

1 32 7 t h e i n s o l e nc e of o ffi c e H am l e t III i 7 3 “
,
”
, , .

1 32 1 9 a ft e r t h e h ea rt ach e s
“
i b i d III i 6 2 - .
, , .

a m ou s e : W e bs t e r T h e D u c h e ss o f M alfi I V i i p 2 07
” ”
1 32 29 “
, , , , .

( M e rm ai d e d i t i o n ) .

1 3 3 1 2 s ay s R ou ss e au : s e e L a N o u v e l l e H el o i s e P ar t i e V L e t t r e ,
”
,

II I T h i s l e tte r o f R o u ss e au i s e sp e c i ally i n te r e s t i ng and s e e m s t o

.

h av e b e e n m u c h l i k e d by H az l i tt .

1 33 1 3 A c ou nt ry g e nt l e m an near T au nt o n : T au n t o n i s a f e w m il e s
-

s o u t h o f B ris to l H az l i tt h ad b e e n i n B ri s t o l i n 1 7 9 8 o n h is v i si t t o
.

C o l e ridg e an d W o rdsw o r t h .
3 54 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

1 33 1 7 “
S om e de m on whi s per d ’ ”
: Po p e ,
“
M o r al E ss ays , ” IV , 1 6 .

The l i ne in P o p e is :

So m e de m o n wh ispe r d V is to I h av e ’
. a t a te s .

1 33 1 8 A li t t l e Wi l son : a p i c tu r e by W il s o n , th e p ai nt e r ( s e e ab o v e ,

P 337 )
:

1 33 22 Canalett i : A nto n i o C anal e or C anal e tt o ( 1 69 7 the V e

n e t ian p ai nt e r o r B e r nard o B e ll o tto ( 1 7 2 4
, h is n e p h e w .

1 34 1 4 v r g d t e er s c e
i i ne i ’
i n
”
C o ri o l anu s V i i i 48 ,
”
, , .

1 34 1 5 Ho g art h : W i ll i am H o g ar t h ( 1 6 9 7 c e l e b r at e d En gl i sh
p ai nt e r an d e sp e c i ally f am o u s f o r h i s r e al is t i c p i c t u r e s o f e igh t e e nt h
c e ntu ry l i f e an d m an n e rs H o g art h i s o f t e n m e nt i o n e d by H az l i t t ( s e e
.

W o rks V o l V I I I ; al s o T h ac k e r ay s E n gl i s h H u m o u ri s t s o f th e
, .
’

E igh t e e nt h
1 34 1 5 W il ki e : S i r D avi d W il k i e ( 1 7 7 5 S c o tt i sh g e n r e p ai n t e r .

S e e H az lit t s c o m p ari s o n o f H o g ar t h an d W i lki e i n h is C o m i c W ri t e rs

’ “ ”
,

L e c tu r e V I I W o rks V o l V I I I
, , . .

1 34 1 7 t h e Cl ande s t i ne Ma rri ag e : a c o m e dy by G e o rg e C o l m an t h e ,

e l d e r an d D av i d G arri c k
, I t was fi rs t p r o d u c e d i n 1 7 6 6
. .

1 3 4 30 bab y of a girl ” M ac b e t h I I I iv 1 0 6
“ ”
, , ,
.

1 34 3 3 Wit h wh at a w av in g air
“
B W P r o c te r
. M i r an d o l a . .
, ,
”

A c t I p 20 ( ed iti o n of
, .

1 35 7 Th e fl y t h at s i ps
“
G ay T h e B e gg ar s O p e r a I I ii ,
’
,
”
, .

F r o m o n e o f M ac h e at h s s o n gs
’
.

1 3 5 1 7 y et t h e t i e i s f or l if e : H az lit t s o wn e xp e ri e n c e d o e s n o t s e e m
’

q u i t e c o n si s t e nt w i t h t h i s r e m ark ; b u t t h i s e ss ay was wri tt e n b e f o r e h e

'

h ad s u c c e e d e d i n u nt yi n g it ; h i s d iv o rc e was gr an t e d i n 1 8 2 2 .

L i k e l if e and deat h ” L amb J o h n VV o o dv il II i i : “ ”

1 3 5 21 , , ,

r th e d e ad we re gath e r’d t o th e d e ad
B e tt e ,

T h an d e at h and lif e in dispr o p o rt i o n m e e t .

h er P ar adi s e L o s t, X 8 9 8 —9 08
” ”
1 3 5 24 F or ei t ,
.

1 36 2 t h e m adm an i n Don Qu i x ot e : c o n cl u s i o n o f t h e s to ry o f th e sh e p
h e rd e ss M arc e ll a : T h i s C h rys o s t o m e l o v e d w e l l an d was h at e d
h e ad o r e d an d was d i sd ai n e d h e b e g g e d p i ty o f c r u e l ty i t s e l f ; h e s t r o v e
,

t o m o v e o b d u r at e m arbl e ; p u rs u e d t h e w i n ds ; m ad e h i s m o an s t o s o l i

t ary d e s e r t s ( P ar t I c h ap xi i i )
”
e tc , .
,
. .

”
1 36 1 1 I v “
h a e not l v
o ed t h e w o rl d ”
By r o n C h i l d e H ar o l d , ,

c ant o i i i s tanz as 1 1 3—1 1 4

,
.

1 3 6 n o t e S h en s t one and Gr ay : G r ay s ays t h e s am e t h i n g i n a l e t te r

t o N o r t o n N i ch o ll s J u ne 2 4 1 7 6 9 ( W o rk s e d i t e d by G o ss e I I I
, , , , ,
3 56 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

r e v i e ws h i s p o e t ry T h e ar t i cl e s e sp e c i al ly i n s u l t i ng w e r e in B la de
of .

w o o ds A u g u s t 1 8 1 8 p r o b ably by L o c kh ar t an d i n t h e Qu a rterly by
, , , , ,

J W C r o k e r f o r A p ril b u t n o t p u bl i sh e d t i ll S e p t e mb e r 1 8 1 8
. .
, , , .

1 39 3 “
A b u d b it R o m e o an d J u l i e t I 1 1 3 7 —1 39 ,
”
, ,
.

A h u g e s i z e d m ons t e r ” T r o il u s and C r e ss i d a I I I i i i 1 4 7 :
”
1 39 1 0 “ -
, , ,

A g re at siz e d m o ns te r o f i ng rat i tu d e s
-
.

1 39 3 1 B u b Doddingt o n : G e o rg e B u bb D o dd i n g t o n ( 1 69 1 See
T h e D i ary of t h e L at e G e o rg e B u bb D o dd i n g t o n , B ar o n of M e l c o mb e
R e gis fro m M arc h 8 , 8 —1 7 49 , t o F e b r u ary 6 , 761 , fi rs t
1 74 1 no w pu b
li s h e d by W y n dh am
H e n ry P e n ru ddo c k e
1 40 2 t al k of t h e S cot ch N ov e ls : t h i s e ss ay was wri t te n i n 1 8 2 1 ;
“
Wav e rl e y t h e fi rs t o f S c o t t s n o v e l s h ad ap p e ar e d in 1 8 1 4
,
” ’
, .

1 40 25 B ol i ng b ro k e s R efl ec t i on s o n E x il e : t h i s p ass ag e i s t ak e n f r o m
’

p e rh ap s h i s m o s t f am o u s w o rk S e e W o rk s I 1 07 —1 08 ( e di t i o n o f .
, ,

O N TH E PA S T A N D F UT U R E

T h is
ss ay fi rs t ap p e ar e d in t h e fi rs t v o l u m e o f T abl e T alk “ ”
e

1 4 2 8 Wh e n S t e r ne : S e n t i m e nt al J o u r n e y C h ar ac t e r V e rs ai ll e s ”
, .

1 43 1 9 T h os e j o ys are lo dg d ” : t h e s o u rc e o f t h is q u o t at i o n i s
“ ’

u nk no w n
‘

1 44 1 2 T h e t h ou gh t s of which ”
P arad is e L o s t I X 9 1 2
”
, ,

l o ss o f th e e
Ye t
Wo u ld ne v e r fro m my h e ar t .

1 44 20 “
W h at t h ou g h th e r adi anc e \V o rdsw o rt h , I nt i m at i o n s of

I m m o r tal i ty ,
”
II
79 seq
. 1 . S e e H az litt
’
s e ss ay on Wo rdsw o r t h in S p i ri t
of t h e A ge ,
”
\Vo rk s , I V , 270 .

1 44 26 r et rac e i t s f oot st e ps XI P ar ad i s e L o s t,
”
, 3 29 :

I n y o n d r ne t h r w rld wh e r e h all I s e k
e e o s e

H e r bri g h t app e ar anc o f o o t s t ps t rac e e, r e .

1 44 28 “
A nd s ee how dar k ”
: Wo rdsw o r th s ’ “
L i ne s wri t te n wh i l e
s ai li ng in a B o at at Ev e n i ng .
”

1 45 4 th e l as t of t h e R e v e ri e s : t h e s e w e r e w ri t te n in 1 7 7 5—1 7 7 6 .

L o rd M o rl e y c alls t h e m th e m o s t p e r f e c t o f R o u ss e au s c o m p o s i t i o n s
’
.

M ad am e de \Nare ns was t h e c o n fid an t e o f R o u ss e au H is fi rs t i n t e r .

v i e w wi t h h e r o n t h e 2 i s t o f M arc h 1 7 2 8 s tam p e d i ts e l f f o r e v e r o n , ,

ss
R o u e au s m i n d VVh e n h e s ays i n t h e F r e n c h s e n t e n c e q u o t e d by H az
’ ’
.

l i tt th at i t h as b e e n /i/Zi y e ars S i n c e h e fi rs t s aw M ad am e de W ar e ns a
/ ,

c o m p aris o n wi ll S h o w t h at s t ri c tly sp e ak i n g it was o n ly ab o u t f o r ty e i g h t

, ,
- .
 N O TES 357

1 45 1 9 all t h e l i f e of l if e w as fl o w n ”
: Bu rns,
“
L am e n t f o r G l e n c ai r n
’“

Fo r ’
a th e life of lif e is d ead .

1 4 5 22 l one b ro w of No rm an C ou rt : se e M e m o i rs ,
”
II , 1 —
4 15

I t was b e f o re his fi nal s e tt le m e nt at W i nte rsl o w th at h e b e c am e in s o m e m an

n e r ac q u ai nt e d wi t h t h e W i n dh ams o f N o rm an C o r t n e ar S alisb u ry I t was th e u ,
.

H o n o rabl e C h arle s W i n dh am wh o l iv e d t h e re at th at t im e wi th an o n ly d au g h t e r ,

wh o was his h e ir e ss .

At o ne t W i n dh am o ff e r e d t o pl ac e at H az litt s d i sp o s al
ime C h arl e s
’

an ap a r t m e n t o r tw o at N o rm an C o u r t T h i s h as b e e n m ad e v e ry c l e ar .

by M r R e e s in N o tes an d Qu eri es t e nt h s e ri e s X 6 3
.
, , , .

r u nning t hr ou gh th e s t o ry O t h e ll o 1 i i i 1 7 5 ff
”
1 46 1 9 , , , .

1 4 7 1 4 P os th cec meminisse j uvabit : V i rgi l ZEn e id I 2 03 , , , .

1 4 8 20 C al m cont em pl at i on W o rdsw o r t h L ao d am i a l 7 2 : , ,
”
.

C alm pl e as u re s th e re abid e m aj e st ic p ai n s .

1 49 1 8 c at ch g l im ps e s W o rdsw o r t h s ’
S o nn e t ,
“
T he W o rl d i s to o

m u c h wi t h us

Ha v e g l impse s th at wo u ld m ak e me l e ss f o rl o rn .

1 49 22 “
I
l s o w as an A rc adi an ” : s e e p 1 1 2 an d n o t e ; se e N o tes
a .

a n d Qu e ri es f o u r t h s e ri e s I
, 50 9 5 6 1 & c , , , , .

T o o n e o f h i s p o e m s S t e v e n s o n g av e t h e t i t l e E t t u in A rc adi a
“
,

”
V ix i s t i .

1 4 9 26 Q ue p ea de c hose : V o l tai r e ,
“
L e tt e r t o M a d am e da D e ffan d ,
”

O c to b e r 1 3, 1 7 59 . M arq u i s e du D e ff an d w as a d i s t i ng u i sh e d F r e n c h
igh t e e nt h c e n tu ry an d f ri e n d o f
[

w o m an o f the e , V o l tai r e D A le m b e rt ,
’
,

an d H o r ac e W al p o l e .

1 4 9 32 R espic e fi nem : a wri t e r i n [ Vo tes a n d Qu e ri es fi f t h s e ri e s V I , , ,

3 1 3 t r a c e s t h i s L at i n p h r as e b ac k t o a f abl e i n F ab u lae V ari o r u m

“
,

Au c to ru m .
”

t h e h i g h e ndeav ou r : C o wp e r T h e T ask V 90 1
” ”
151 5 “
, , , .

Oh God ! m et hi n k s 3 H e n ry V I II v 21 f ”
1 5 1 10 “ “
, , , .

1 5 2 10 t h e t “
e a r f o r g o t ”
: G r ay O n a D i s t ant P r o sp e c t o f E t o n ,
“

C o ll e g e s tan z a 5
”
.
,

1 5 3 1 9 it i s r e co r de d b y S pe nc e A n e c d o t e s O bs e rv at i o n s an d C h ar
“
, ,

ac t e rs o f B o o k s an d M e n c o ll e c t e d fr o m t h e C o n v e rs at i o n o f M r l o p e
’ ”
.
,

by J o s e p h S p e n c e ( e d i t i o n o f 8 —
7 88 :
-

pp .

W e alm o s t always b e tte r th e s e c o n d h alf h o u r th an th e fi rst b e cau s e we

do ,

g ro w warme r and warm e r ; to s ch a d e g re e at l ast th at wh e n I h ave im p ro iso d

u ,
v
’

a wh o l e e v e n i n g I c an ne v e r ge t a wi n k o f sl e e p all t h e n i g h t af te r
,
.
358 S E L E C TI O N S F RO M H AZ LITT

ON F AMIL I AR S T Y LE

T h i s was t h e tw e nt y -
f o r t h e ss ay
u of T abl e T alk .
”

In r e adi n g t h i s e ss ay an d r e r e adi n g it o n e h as t h e f e e l i ng t h at h e r e ,

are s o m e o f th e b e s t w o rds e v e r wri tt e n o n t h e s u bj e c t and wri t t e n by

a m an w h o h ad t h o u gh t o f s t yl e an d wh at i t m e an s I t i s i nt e r e s t i n g t o .

r e ad i n c o n ne c t i o n w i t h t h i s e ss ay T h e G e n t e e l S tyl e o f W ri t i n g in ,

L amb s T h e L as t E ss ays o f E li a
’ “ ”
.

1 5 6 n o t e M arl o w ’s l i ne s : C h ris t o p h e r M a rl o w e ( 1 5 6 4 p o et
an d d r am at is t .

1 5 7 1 8 I ne v e r i nv e nt e d : H az litt s s ty l e i s r e m ark abl e f o r i ts p u ri t y o f

’

di c t i o n P r o b ably h e n e v e r u s e d m o r e t h an a h al f d o z e n w o rds ab o u t
.

t h e p u ri t y o f wh i c h t h e r e was any q u e s t i o n an d in e ac h o f t h o s e c as e s ,

h e m ak e s a c ar e fu l n o t e o f h i s u s ag e .

1 5 8 3 1 S pani s h pi e c e s of e i g h t : t h e S p an i sh
”
d o l l ar o r p i as t r e “
,
” “

( pi e z a de a o ch o ) D o e s o n e e v e r f o rg e t t h i s c o i n aft e r r e adi n g
.

S t e v e ns o n s T r e as u r e I sl an d
’ ” 9

1 5 9 1 9 B u r t on : t h e s e are t h e s e v e nt e e nt h c e nt u ry au t h o rs t h at L amb -

s e e m e d t o li k e b e s t an d i m i tat e d H az litt s c o m m e n t o n th e q u ai n t .
’

i m i tat i o n i s m o s t apt C o m p ar e wh at L amb h i m s e l f s ays ab o u t t h is

.

p e c u l i ari ty o f h i s s t yl e in th e p r e f ac e t o t h e L as t E ss ays .
”

1 5 9 24 E l ia : L amb s fi rs t E l i a e ss ay ap p e ar e d i n t h e L o n do n M aga
’

z in e f o r Au gu s t 1 8 2 0 w i t h th e t i t l e
, R e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t h e S o ut h S e a
, ,
-

H ou se T h e h i s t o ry o f L amb s p s eu d o nym i s t o l d i n a l e tt e r t o J o h n
” ’
.

T ayl o r t h e p u bl i sh e r i n J u ly 1 8 2 1
, , ,

H avi n g a br th r n o h e re [ at t h e S o u th S e a H o u s e] and d o b ti ng h o w h e
e ow t -
u

mi g h t r e to rt ce r tai n d e scrip t i o n s in it cl ap t d o wn th e nam e o f E li a t o it which

, ,

p asse d o ff pre t ty we ll f o r E li a hims e lf add e d th e f u n c t i o n o f an au th o r t o t h at o f

,

a scriv e n e r l i k e m ys e lf
,
I we nt th e o th e r day ( n o t h avi ng s e e n him [ E li a]
.

f o r t h e y e ar ) t o l au g h o v e r wi th him at my s rp at i o n o f his n am e and f o u nd u u ,

him al as ! n o m o re t h an a n am e f o r h e di e d o f co n s u mp t i o n e l eve n m o nths ago

,

an d I k n ew n o t o f it S o t h e n am e h as f airly d e v o lv e d t o m e I thi n k and ’t i s

.
, ,

all h e h as l e f t m e .

M r L u c as
. a dd s in a no te :

M rs C
. o wd e n C l ar k e r e c o rd s i n a m ar g i n al n o t e t o h e r c o py o f P r o c t e r s
’

M e m o irs ” ( which was re c e nt ly l e nt to m e ) t h at L amb o n c e r e m ar k e d th at E li a ”

f o rm e d an an ag ram o f a lie ” “
.

c c o u n t in L u c as L i f e o f L am b I I 4 2 ff
S e e th e a , ,
”
, .

1 5 9 29 A w e l l of nat i v e E ngl i sh ” S p e n s e r
“
F ae ri e Q u e e n e , ,
”

B o o k I V c ant o i i s t an z a 3 2 :
, ,
36 0 S E L E C TI O N S FRO M H AZ LITT

Be sid e s which I am anxi o s t o wri te a bi o g raphy re ally if I u n d e rs tand mys e lf

,
u

in q e s t o f pr o fi t I t hi n k it m u s t b e g o o d t o liv e wi th an o th e r m an fro m bir th

u ,

to d a
et h . L e t t e rs ”
( e di t e d by C o lvi n ) —2 2 6
,
.

W h y t h i s p r o j e c t w as n o t c a rri e d o u t i s n o t k n o w n .

I t i s i n t e r e s t i ng al s o t o fi n d in R o u ss e au s u c h e n t h u si as t i c p r ai s e of

w alk i ng
Ne ve r did I thi n k s o m u ch e xist so m ch b e mys e lf so m u ch as in t he
,
u , ,

j o u rn eys I hav e m ad e al o n e an d o n fo o t T h e si g h t o f t he c o u nt ry th e s u cc e ssi o n

.
,

o f ag r e e abl e vi e ws o p e n ai r g o o d app e t i t e t h e fr e e d o m o f t h e al e h o u s e t h e
, , , ,

abs e n c e o f e v ery t hi n g t h at c o u ld m ak e m e f e e l d e p e n d e nc e o r r e c all m e t o m y -

si t u at i o n — all this s e ts my mi nd fre e g ive s m e g re ate r b o ld ne ss o f th o u g h t , .

Wh e n I c am e t o a pl ac e I o nly th o u g h t o f e at i n g an d wh e n I l e f t it I o nly ,

t h o u g h t o f wal k i ng C o nf e ssi o ns I V 2 7 9 ff ”
. .
, ,

163 5 “
Th e fi e l ds h is st u d y ”
: B l o o mfi e l d ,
“
T h e F arm e r
’
s Boy,
”

Sp ri ng, 3 1
1 6 3 14 a r t
f r i end i nC o wp e r my R e t i r e m e nt
ret e a l l 7 4 1 —7 4 2 , ,
”
. .

1 6 3 22 M ay pl u m e h er f eat h ers M il t o n Co mu s II 3 7 8 ff
”
, , . .

1 6 3 27 i n a T il b u ry : a gig o r t w o wh e e l e d c arri ag e wi t h o u t a t o p I t -
.

was n am e d f o r t h e i n v e nt o r a c o ac h b u i l d e r o f th e e arly n i n e t e e nt h
,

c e ntu ry .

1 6 4 8 s u nk en wr ac k : H e n ry V I i i 1 65
”
, , , .

1 64 15 l eav e m e t o my repos e l : th e r e f r ai n o f t h e P r o ph e t e ss
“ ”

i n G r ay T h e D e s c e nt o f O di n T h e l i n e i s q u o te d by B u rk e i n
“ ”
.
,

L e tt e r t o a N o bl e L o rd ( W o rks B o h n e di t i o n V
“ ”
, , ,

I f all r ev o l u t i o n ist s we re n o t pr o o f ag ai n st all cau t i o n I S h o u ld re co mm e n d it ,

t o th e ir c o nsid e r at i o n t h at n o p e rs o ns we r e e v e r k n o wn i n his t o ry e i th e r s acr e d

, ,

o r pr o f an e t o v e
,
t h e s e p u lchr e an d by t h e ir s o rc e ri e s t o c all u p t h e pr o ph e t ic
x ,

d e ad wi th any o th e r e v e nt th an t h e pre dic t i o n o f th e ir o wn disas t r o u s f ate

,

L e av e m e o h l e av e o r pos
”
“
,
m e t e e .

1 6 4 29 s u ch h alf f ac ed f e ll ow ship : 1 H e n ry I V I i i i 2 08
Out u pon - ” “
,
”
, , .

165 2 L e t m e h av e a c om pa o
“
n i n
”
i S vt e e n s o n W alk i g o u rs
n T ”
,
“
.

166 8 g iv e it an u nde rs t andi ng

“
H aml e t ”
I i i 2 50 “
, , , .

1 6 6 8 M y old fri e nd C C o l e ri dg e S e e t h e e ss ay M y F i rs t “
,
.

A cq u ai ntan c e w i t h P o e t s p 1 7 5 ; se e al s o I n t r o d u c t i o n p xv i
,
”
.
,
. .

1 6 6 12 He t a ed l“
k f a r a b o v e s i n g i ng : B e au m o nt an d F l e t c h e r
”
,

Ph ilas t e r,
”
V , 5 :

I did h e ar y o u ta l k f ar ab o v e si ng i ng .

”
1 6 6 16 “
t h at fi ne m adnes s D r ay to n , C e ns u re of P o e ts :

h at fi ne m ad ne ss s t ill h e did re tai n

Fo r t ,

Which ri g h tly sh o ld p o ss e ss a P o e t s brai n

u
’
.
 N O TES 36 1

1 6 6 20 “
He r e b e woods ” “
T h e F ai th f l u S h e ph e rd e ss
”
by
J o hn F l etc h e r I iii —4
( 579
1 , , 27
3 .

L am b spl e nd i d c h ar ac te ri z at i o n L a mb
’
1 67 8 L . S e e H az litt s of

in
“
S pi ri t of t h e A ge ,
”
W o rks I V , , ff 36 2 .

1 6 7 20 “
ta k e one s ’
ease
”
: 1 H e n ry IV , I I I i i i 93 :
”
, ,

F a lst afl
'

. S h all no t I ta ek mi ne ea e s in mi ne inn b u t I sh all h av e my p o c k e t

,

pic k e d P
1 6 7 27 c u ps t h at ch ee r : C o wp e r T h e T ask IV 39 —4 0
“
Th e ”
, ,
”
, .

1 6 7 30 S ancho S an c h o P anz a t h e r o u n d s e l fish an d s e l f i m p o r tant

, ,
-

sq u i r e o f D o n Q u i x o t e in C e rv ant e s s r o m an c e o f t h at n am e T h e ’
.

r e fe r e n c e h e r e is t o D o n Q u i x o te P ar t I I ch ap xl i x
”
, , . .

1 6 8 1 Proc al : t h i s p ass ag e i s q u o t e d o f t e n by H az l i tt T h e c o m pl e t e .

l i n e s are
P ro c u l 0 p ro c u l e s te pr o f a i
“
,
n
”
, ,

C o nc lam at v ate s t o t o qu e ab s is t it e l u c o
,
”
f E ne id V I 2 5 8 .
, ,
.

R e t ir e h e n c e r e t ir e y e pr o f ane and q u i t e nt ir e ly th e s acre d g r o v e ”

, , ,
.

T h i s was t h e r e g u l a r w ar n i ng in r e l igi o u s c e r e m o n i e s t o th e i m p u r e
o r u n i n i t i at e d t o k e e p al o o f l e s t t h e c e r e m o n y b e de fi le d
, .

u nho u s e d f r e e co ndi t i on O t h e ll o I i i 26
” ”
1 6 8 21 , , , .

1 6 8 23 l or d of one’s se lf ” : D ryd e n T o m y H o n o u r d K i n sm an
“
,
“ ’
,

J o h n D ride n 1 1 8 :”
, .

L o rd o f y o u r s e lf u nc u m b e r’d wi th a Wif e ,
.

1 6 9 10 S t N eot . w n n e ar P e te rb o r o u gh I t w ill b e r e m e mb e r e d
’
s : a to .

t h at H az l i tt h ad w alk e d i n t o t h i s p ar t o f th e c o u nt ry s o m e t i m e n e a r
17 6
9 . See T h e P i c tu r e s at B u rl e igh H o u s e
“ ”
W o rk s I X 6 3 A ls o , , , .

s e e I nt r o d u c t i o n p xv , . .

1 6 9 1 1 Grib eli n’s e ng r av i ngs of t h e C art oon s : i n 1 7 0 7 G rib e lin c o m

ple t e d a s e t o f s e v e n sm al l p l ate s o f th e c ar t o o n s o f R aph ae l w i t h a t i t l e

p age c o m p o s e d o f a s e c t i o nal v i e w o f t h e ap ar t m e n t at H am p t o n C o u r t
i n wh i c h t h e y w e r e t h e n p l a c e d T h i s s e ri e s m e t w i t h gr e at s u c c e ss . .

1 6 9 1 3 W e s tall : R i c h ard W e s t al l ( 1 7 6 5 a p r o m i n e n t h i s to ri c al

p ai nt e r Early in th e n i n e te e nt h c e n tu ry h e d e v o te d h i ms e l f c h i e fl y to
.

d e sig n s f o r i l l u s t r at i o n o f e d i t i o n s o f th e E ngl i sh p o e t s H is p i c tu r e s in .

P i lgri m s P r o gr e ss and D o n Qu i x o te are v e ry m u c h adm i r e d

’ ” ”
.

1 6 9 1 9 P au l and V ir g i ni a at an i nn at B r i dg e w at e r : P au l e t V i r
gi n i e b y B e r nard i n de S ai nt P i e rr e ( 1 7 3 7
”
, ap p e ar e d in 1 7 88 It .

was t r an sl at e d i nt o E n gl i sh i n 1 7 9 6 b y H M W ill i am s . . .

1 6 9 22 C amill a : t h i s n o v e l by F an ny B u r n e y was p u bl i sh e d i n 1 7 9 6 .

T h o u g h a l i t e r ary f ai l u r e it e nabl e d t h e au t h o r t o b u il d a c o ttag e f o r

,

h e rs e l f c all e d C am ill a C o ttag e

, .
36 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

1 6 9 23 N ew E l o i s e at t h e i nn at L l an goll en : se e t h e e ss ay My “

F i rs t A cq u ai n t an c e w i t h P o e ts
p 1 8 6 R o u ss e au s ,
”
. .
’ “
N e w H el o i s e
was fi n ish e d i n 1 7 5 9 an d p u bli sh e d e arly i n 1 7 6 1 .

1 6 9 25 St P r e u x de s cr ib e s hi s f e e l i ngs : R o u ss e au
. L a N o u v e ll e ,
“

H el o i s e ” P a r t i e I V L e tt r e X V I I
'

, , .

1 6 9 34 gr e e n upl d s w ll s
“
a n e
”
C o l e ri dg e O de o n t h e D e p ar t i ng ,

Y e ar V I I 4—6
”
, ,
.

170 13 T h e b e au t i f u l i s v ani sh e d ” : C o l e ridg e T h e D e at h o f

“ - “
,

W all e n s t e i n V i ,
”
, .

B ey ond H y de P ark T h e M an o f M o d e by S ir
” ” “
1 7 1 12 “
:

G e o rg e Et h e r e dg e ( 1 6 3 5 A c t V s c e n e i i p 3 6 1 ( e d i t e d by , , .

V e ri ty )
D o rm iem t t o H a mi e t . Wh ate ’e r yo uy I k no w all b eyo n d
sa ,
H yd e Par k ’s a

d e s e rt t o you , an d h
t at n o gall ant ry c an draw yo u fu rth e r .

See al so O n L o n d o ne rs W o rk s V I I 6 7 an d C o u nt ry P e o pl e ,
”
, , .

1 7 1 1 2 S ir T opli ng F l u tt e r : sh o u l d b e S ir F o pl i n g F l u tt e r .

1 72 16 T h e m i nd i s it s ow n pl ac e P aradi s e L o s t I 2 54
”
, , .

1 7 2 1 8 I o nc e t oo k a part y : s e e I nt r o d u c t i o n p xxv ; al s o O n th e , .

C o n v e rs at i o n o f A u t h o rs W o rks V I I 2 4 4 4 ; M e m o i rs I 1 7 2 ;
— ”
,
”
, ,
“
, ,

L amb s L e tt e rs
’ “ ”
A u g u s t 9 1 8 1 9 ; L u c as L i f e o f C h arl e s L amb
,
”
, ,
“
,

I , 300 .

1 7 2 21 “ ‘
W i th g l i s t e r i ng s pi r e s P ar adi s e L o s t,
”
II I , 5 50 .

1 7 2 25 Ci c e roni h is i s t h e pl u r al f o rm f o r c i c ero n e t h e I tal i an w o rd

: t ,

f o r gu i d e so n am e d o n a c c o u nt o f t h e p r o v e rb i al t al k at iv e n e ss o f
“ ”
,

t h o s e wh o d e s c rib e t h e an t iq u i t i e s an d c u ri o s i t i e s o f m u s e u m s .

1 7 3 1 0 wh e n I fi rs t s et my f oot : N o t e s o f a J o u r n e y t h r o u gh F r an c e
an d I taly
”
W o rk s I X 30 2 :
, , ,

We re tu rn e d by m e rs and C al ais I wish e d t o

way of St O . . se e C al ais on e c
m o re f o r it was th e re I fi rs t land e d in F ran ce twe nty y e ars ago
,
.

T h i s was t h e o c c as i o n of h i s g o i ng to P aris ( O c t o b e r ,
1 802 ) to s tu dy
at t h e Lou v re .

1 7 3 33 Dr . J oh nson r em ar k ed : B o sw e ll
’
s Li fe ”
( e di t e d by H i ll ) , III ,

30 1
S o it rav e lli ng a m an m st c arry k nowl e d g e wi th him if h e wo u ld bri ng
is in t ,
u ,

h o m e k no wl e d g e .

Al s o
T im e m ay b e e mpl o y e d t o m o r e advantag e fro m n i ne t e e n t o twe n ty f o u r alm o s t -

in any way th an in t rav e lli n g ; wh e n y o se t t rav e lli n g ag ai n s t m e re n e g at i o n u ,

ag ain s t d o i ng n o thi ng i t is b e tt e r t o b e s u r e b u t h o w m u ch m o r e w o u ld a y o u n g
, ,
36 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

1 77 2 II y a des impressio ns ”
R o u ss e au , Co n fe ssi o n s
Th e re are impre ssi o ns th at n e i th e r t im e s n o r circ ms tan c e s c an e f fac e We re u .

I e nabl e d t o live wh o l e ag e s th e swe e t d ays o f my y o u t h c o u ld n o t r e vive f o r m e

,

no r e v e r b e o bli te r at e d in my m e m o ry .

1 77 5 W h en I got t h e r e
l i ttl e c h u rc h o n H igh S t r e e t S h r e wsb u ry
th e , ,

i s s t i ll u s e d by th e Un i tari an c o n gr e g at i o n T h o u gh al t e r e d b o t h wi t h i n .

an d wi t h o u t it r e t ai n s t h e s a m e p u l p i t an d b e n c h e s t h o u gh t h e b ac ks
, ,

o f t h e p e ws h av e b e e n c u t d o w n O n t h e w all at t h e r e ar o f t h e p u lp i t
.

i s th e d e c r e e o f K i ng G e o rg e I I I aff o rdi ng p r o te c t i o n t o t h e w o rsh ip

e rs . T h i s was s e c u r e d by t h e m e mb e rs af t e r t h e o u t r ag e s p r a c t i c e d
u p o n P ri e s tl e y C h arl e s D a rwi n was a m e mb e r o f t h i s c h u rc h
. .

1 7 7 7 his t ext : J o h n v i 1 5 , .

1 7 7 14 of o ne cr y i ng M att h e w i i i 3 4
“ -
, .

as t h o u g h h e sh ou l d ne v e r b e o ld : S i d ne y s A rc ad i a
” ’ ”
1 7 7 26 “ “
,

Lib I . .

1 7 7 32 S u ch w e r e t h e not e s
“
P o p e E p is t l e t o R o b e r t Earl o f , ,

O x f o rd
”
1 1, .

S u ch w e r e th e n o t e s t h y o n c e l o v e d P o e t s n g -
u
,

T ill D e ath u nt im e ly s to pp d his t u ne f l t o ng u e ’

u .

1 7 8 12 “
Li k e t o t h at s ang u i ne L y c i d as ,
”
l . 10 6 .

I 7 S 25 “
As are the chil dr en ”
: T h o m s o n,
“
The C ast l e of I nd o
l enc e , I I s tanz a xxxi i i
”
, .

1 7 8 28 A c e rt ai n t ende r ”
“
ib i d I 5 7 .
, .

1 7 8 30 M u ri ll o ( 1 6 1 8 —1 6 8 2 ) and V e l asq u e z ( 1 599 b o th we r e

c e l e b r at e d S p an i sh p ai nt e rs .

1 7 9 16 C ol er i dg e w as at t h at t im e f o r i nd e p end e nc e o f h i s
v i e ws C o l e ri dg e h ad b e e n e xp e l l e d f r o m C am bri dg e an d h ad e nt e r e d a
r e gi m e nt o f dr ag o o n s En c o u r ag e d by th e C ap t ai n wh o h ad f o u n d birri
.
,

r e ad i ng P l at o i n G r e e k C o l e ri dg e l e ft t h e army an d e nt e r e d i nt o t h e
,

s c h e m e o f t h e P an t is o c r acy W h e n t hi s p l an f ail e d t h e y o u n g e n th u si
.
,

as t b e g an a s e ri e s o f m e e t i n gs i n v ari o u s E ngl i sh c i t i e s f o r t h e p u rp o s e

o f d iss e m i n at i n g h i s v i e ws o n p o l i t i c s an d r e l igi o n I n t h at c ap ac i ty h e .

h ad b e c o m e w e ll k n o w n an d it i s n o t s t r ang e t h at t h e p e o pl e at
,

S h r e wsb u ry e ag e rly aw ai t e d h i s c o m i ng .

1 7 9 1 9 poo r Iri sh lad : H az litt s f at h e r h ad b e e n b o r n i n T i pp e r ary

’

C o u nty I r e l an d ; h e was s e nt t o G l asg o w at t h e age o f n i n e te en ( 1 7 5 6 )

,

wh e r e h e s tu d i e d u n d e r A d am S m i t h ( 1 7 2 3 t h e c e l e b r at e d

S c o t t i sh p o l i t i c al e c o n o m i s t F o r an a c c o u n t o f t h e l i f e o f H az lit t s
’
.

fath e r s ee W C H az l i t t F o u r G ene r at i o n s o f a L i t e r ary F am il y

, . .
,
”
.
 N O TES 36 5

1 8 1 9 M ary Wolst o ne c raf t ( 1 7 5 9 —1 7 9 7 ) w i fe of W il li am G o dwi n and

m o t h e r o f t h e s e c o n d w i f e o f S h e ll e y S h e was th e au t h o r o f th e .

“
V i nd i c at i o n o f t h e R igh t s o f Wo m e n ”

1 8 1 1 0 M ac ki nt o sh : S ir J am e s M ac k i nt o sh ( 1 7 6 5 p h il o s o ph e r
an d h is t o ri an I n 1 7 9 1 h e p u bl i sh e d i n an sw e r
“ ”
. V i n dic iae G allic ae
R e fl e c t i o n s o n t h e R e v o l u t i o n i n F r an c e
’
t o B u rk e s
”
S e e H az litt s
’
.

e ss ay i n t h e S p i ri t o f t h e A ge W o rk s I V 2 7 9 ,
”
, , .

1 8 2 24 m ak i ng h im an o f f e r : C o l e ri dg e p r e ach e d at S h r e wsb u ry o n
S u n d ay J an u ary 1 4 1 7 8 9 O n t h e l o t h J o si ah \V e dgwo o d h ad w ri tt e n :
, ,
.
,

A fte r wh at my b r o t h e r T h o m as h as w ri tt e n I h av e o nly t o s tat e t h e

p r o p o s al we w i sh t o m ak e t o y o u I t i s t h at y o u sh al l a c c e p t an ann u i ty
.

f o r l i f e o f £ 1 5 0 t o b e r e g u l arly p ai d by u s n o c o n d i t i o n wh at s o e v e r ,

b e i ng an n e x e d t o it S e e M rs H e n ry S an d f o rd T h o m as P o o l e an d
.
”
.
,

H is F ri e n ds I 2 3 6—2 38 ; als o R B V Vitc hfi e ld L i f e o f T o m VVe dg

,
”
,
. .
,

wo o d ”

T h i s l e t t e r r e ac h e d S to w e y ( C o l e ri dg e s h o m e ) o n S atu rd ay t h e 1 3 th
’
,

wh e n C o l e ri dg e was o n h i s way t o S h r e wsb u ry T o m P o o l e t o o k .

c h arg e o f t h e l e tt e r an d f o rw ard e d i t o r s e nt w o rd o f its c o nt e nt s .

C o l e ri dg e d e c i d e d t o ac c e p t t h e gi f t an d o n t h e 3 o th wr o t e t o T h e lw all
, ,

A s to n i sh e d agi t ate d an d f e e l i ng as I c o u l d n o t h e l p f e e l i ng I ac c e p t e d
, ,

th e o ff e r i n t h e s am e w o r t hy sp i ri t i n wh i c h it w as m ad e On his
”
.

r e tu r n f r o m S h r e wsb u ry h e w e nt t o T o m P o o l e s h o u s e t o m e e t T o m ’

W e d gw o o d t o m ak e h i s p e rs o n al ac k n o wl e dgm e nt s o f th e o ff e r o f t h e
“

annu i t y wh i c h h e ad j u s t m a d e u p h i s m i n d t o ac c e p t
”
h .

1 8 2 30 De v a : t h e an c i e nt L at i n n am e f o r t h e D e e a ri v e r o f N o r t h ,

W al e s wh i c h fl o ws p as t C h e s t e r i n t o t h e I ri sh S e a .

1 8 3 3 S h eph e r d on t h e D el e c t ab l e M o u nt ai ns in P ilgri m s P r o gr e ss ’

C h ri s t i an an d H o p e f u l c o m e t o t h e S h e p h e rd s o f th e D e l e c t abl e M o u n
t ai n s i m m e di at e ly af t e r t h e y h av e e s c a p e d f r o m G i an t D e sp ai r .

1 8 3 1 3 C as s andr a : i n C a ss an d r e
”
by L a C alp re n ede
“
I c o n f e ss I .
“

h av e r e ad s o m e o f t h e s e fab u l o u s f o l i o s f o rm e rly wi t h n o sm all d e g r e e

of d e l i g h t an d b r e at h l e ss an xi e ty p ar t i c u l arly t h at o f ,

\Y o rk s X I I 6 1
, , .

S o u ndin g on hi s way ” : C h au c e r s d e sc ri p t i o n o f t h e M e r
’
1 8 3 21 “

c h an t P r o l o g u e 1 2 7 5
, ,
”
. .

1 8 3 34 H u m e E s s ay on M i r acl e s : D avi d H u m e ( 1 7 1 1 th e
fam o u s S c o tt i sh p h il o s o ph e r an d h i s to ri an k no w n c h i e fl y as t h e e x ,

p o u n de ro f sk e p t i c al v i e ws i n p h i l o s o ph y H is gr e at w o rk T r e at i s e o n
.
,

H u m an N at u r e was p u bl i sh e d V o l s I an d I I i n 1 7 39 V o l I I I i n 1 7 4 0
”
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, . .

1 84 1 So u t h s S e rm ons ’
R o b e r t S o u t h ( 1 6 34 t h e n o t e d E n gl i sh

d iv i n e wh o b e g an a c o n t r o v e rsy o n th e T ri n i ty w h i c h ar o u s e d s u c h ,

b i tte r ne ss t h at t h e k i ng i nt e rv e ne d .
36 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H A Z LITT

1 84 2 Credat J u daeu s A pella : H o a e, r c S at i r e s ,

”
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C re dat I u dae u s A p e lla,

N o n e go .

L e t th e J ew A p e lla b e li e v e it , I will no t .

S e e N o tes an d Qu eri es i h s e ri e s I I I 3 2 6 ; V I I 240

, n nt , , , .

1 84 1 0 Essay o n Vis io n by G e o rg e B e rk e l e y ( 1 6 8 5 I ri sh bi sh o p .

E ss ay o n V i si o n was p u bl i sh e d i n 1 7 0 9 ; T h e o ry o f M att e r an d
”
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S p i ri t i n 17 33 T h e aim o f B e rk e l e y t hr o u gh o u t h i s wri t i ngs i s t o
”
.

att ac k m at e ri al i sm an d h e i s t h e r e f o r e o p p o s e d t o H o bb e s
, .

Th u s I conf u t e h im B o sw e ll L i f e ( e di t e d by H ill ) I 4 7 1
”
1 84 1 4 , , , .

1 84 1 6 Tom P ai ne : T h o m as P ai n e ( 1 7 3 7 A n gl o A m e ri c an -

p o l i t i c al wri t e r an d f r e e t h i n k e r H e s u p p o r t e d t h e c au s e o f th e A m e ri
.

c an C o l o i s n e a n d p bl ish d
u e R igh t s o f M an in 1 7 9 1 —1 7 9 2 F o r t h i s
“ ”
.

h e w as o u t l aw e d f r o m E n gl an d .

1 8 4 20 B i sh op B u t l e r : J o s e p h B u t l e r ( 1 6 9 2 E ngl ish t h e o l o gi an ,

b i sh o p o f B ri s to l an d o f D u rh am H is m o s t f am o u s w o rk was T h e .

A n al o gy o f R e l igi o n ( I 7 36 ) F i f t e e n S e rm o ns P r e ac h e d at th e R o lls
.

C h ap e l ( 1 7 2 6 ) i s r e f e rr e d t o in t h i s p ass age
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.

1 8 4 32 N atural D is interes tedness p ri n t e d by H az l i tt in 1 8 0 5 t h o u gh ,

h e h ad b e e n t h i n k i n g it o v e r f o r y e ars .

1 8 5 1 6 S i dne y : b e si d e s S i d n e y s p r o s e it wi ll b e r e m e mb e r e d t h at h e
’
,

w r o t e th e f am o u s s o nn e t s e q u e n c e A s t r o p h e l an d S t e l l a ,
“ ”

1 8 5 21 P al e y : W i ll i a m P al e y ( 1 7 4 3 E n gl i sh t h e o l o gi an an d
p h il o s o p h e r .

1 8 5 29 “
K in d and affab l e P arad is e L o s t V I I I 6 4 8—6 5 0 ,
”
, .

1 8 6 5 h e h as s o m e wh e r e to l d h i ms e lf B i o grap h ia L i t e r ari a c h ap x ”
, . .

1 8 6 1 3 t h at ot h e r V i s i on of J u dg m ent : s e e an ac c o u nt i n t h e Edi n
b u rg/z R ev i ew J u n e 1 8 2 2
, ,

T his was by Byr o n p u blish e d in th e fi rs t n u mb e r o f L e i g h H u nt s L ib e a l

’
r .
,

T h e B rid g e S t re e t A ss o ci at i o n o r G ang as i t was c all e d by it s e ne mi e s was

-
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f o u nd e d in 1 8 2 1 t o s pp o rt t h e l aws f o r s u ppre ssi ng s e di t i o u s p u blicat i o n s an d f o r

u

d e f e n di ng th e c o nt ry fr o m th e fatal i n fl u e nc e o f disl o yal ty and s e di t i o n

u .

1 8 6 3 2 L l ango l l en W al e s ab o u t t h i r ty si x m il e s f r o m W e m
V al e : in ,
-
.

1 8 6 34 Ode o n t h e De part i ng Y ear : t h is p o e m was c o mp o s e d i n D e c e m

b e r 2 3—2 6 1 7 9 6 I t ap p e ar e d i n an ab ri dg e d f o rm o n D e c e mb e r 3 1
,
.
,

an d l at e r c o m pl e t e i n a q u a r t o t e x t .

1 8 7 7 t h ou g h t o f T om J one s : T o m J o ne s B o o k X c h ap v T h i s
”
, , . .

was o n e o f H az lit t s f av o ri te b o o ks
’
.

1 8 7 9 at T e w k e sb u ry : a c c o rdi n g t o h i s e ss ay
”
O n G o i n g a J o u r ne y , ,

i t was at B ri dg e w at e r S e e p 1 6 9 . . .
36 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

w e nt to G e rm any in S e p te mb e r o f t h e s am e y e ar 1 7 9 8 T o all t h i s was , .

,

a m o s t i m p o r tant e v e n t .

1 9 2 22 S i r W alt er S cott ’s : H az l i tt p r o b ably r e f e rs t o t h e b an q u e t

giv e n t o G e o rg e I V by th e m agi s t r at e s o f E d i n b u rgh A u g u s t 2 4 1 8 2 2 , , .

1 9 2 22 M r B l ac k w ood’s : W illi a m B l ackw o o d ( 1 7 7 6

. S c o t ch
p u bl i sh e r an d b o o k s e ll e r f o u n d e r and e d i t o r o f B l ac kw o o d s Edi n
,
’

b u i g/z fl /aga z i u e A p ri l I 1 8 1 7 , , .

1 9 2 28 Ga s pe r P o u s s i n 6 — F r e n c h l an ds c ap e p ai n t e r
( 1 1 3 1 6 7 5) ,

b r o t h e r in law and p u p il o f N i c o l as P o u ssi n

- -
.

1 9 2 28 Do m en ic h i no : o r D o m e n i c o Z am p i e ri ( 1 5 8 1 n o t e d I t al i an

p ain t e r fam o u s f o r t h e c o rr e c t ne ss o f h i s d e si g n
, .

1 9 3 1 9 Giant’s Causeway : t h e c e l e b rat e d r o c k f o rm at i o n o n t h e n o r t h

c o as t o f I r e l an d .

1 9 3 26 D eath of A b el : by S o l o m o n G e ss ne r ( 1 7 30 wh o w as a
S wiss i dyl l i c p o e t an d l an ds c ap e p ai n t e r H is b e s t k no w n p i e c e i s T o d .
-

Ab e l s a p r o s e i dyl .

T h e S e as o n s b y J am e s T h o m s o n ap p e ar e d 1 7 2 6
“ ”
1 9 3 34 S eas o ns : , ,

S e e H az litt s c ri t i c i sm o n T h o m s o n an d C o wp e r L e c tu r e s On
’
17 0
3 .
,

E n gl i sh P o e t s L e c t u r e V W o rks V 8 5
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1 94 27 Caleb Williams : f am o u s p o l i t i c al n o v e l by W il l i am G o dwi n :

( 1 7 56 p u bl i sh e d i n 1 7 9 4 G o dwi n w as o n e o f t h e i m p o r tant m e n .

o f h i s t i m e an d ass o c i at e d w i t h all t h e ch i e f w ri t e rs e sp e c i ally H az l i t t , ,

L amb t h e H u n t s S h e lle y S e e H az litt s e ss ay i n t h e S pi ri t o f t h e

’
.
, ,

A ge ,
”
W o rks IV 200 S e e al s o C K e g an P au l W i ll i am G o dwi n
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h i s F ri e n d s an d C o n t e m p o r ari e s
1 94 n o t e B u ff am alc o : B u o n am i c o B u ff alm ac c o ( 1 3 1 1 F l o re n
”
t i n e p ai n t e r c e l e b r at e d f o r h i s j e s t s i n B o c c a c c i o s D e c am e r o n
’
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See .

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, , ,
.
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-
,
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.

I f e ar th e e an ci e nt M ari ne r !
,

I fe ar t hy s k i nny h and
A n d th o u art l n g an d l an k an d bro wno ,

A s is th e ribb e d se a sand -
.

In a no te C o l e ri d g e s ays , F o r th e l as t t wo l i ne s o f th i s s t anz a I am

i nd e b te d to Mr . \V o rds w o rth .
”

1 9 5 3 4 R e m o rs e h is pl ay w as p r o d u c e d at D r u ry L an e J an u ary 2 3
: t , ,

1813 , an d w as f ai rly s u c c e ss f u l I t ra n f o r t w e nty n i g h t s Fo r h i s . .

sh ar e C o l e ridg e r e c e i v e d £ 400 .

1 9 6 1 M r El l i s t on : R o b e r t W ill i am E ll i s t o n ( 1 7 7 4
. H e w as a
fav o ri te ac t o r o f L am b s a n d pl ay e d th e t i tl e p ar t i n L am b s f arc e
’ ’
 N O TES 36 9

Mr . wh i c h fai l e d on D e c e mb e r 1 0, 1 806 . S e e L amb s

’
El i a e ss ay
c all e d Ellis t o n ian a .
”

1 9 6 1 1 I t was . at Godw i n’s

m e e t i ng b e tw e e n H az l i t t an d L am b : th e

t o o k pl a c e p r o b ably i n t h e e arly m o n t h s o f 1 8 0 4 an d was b r o u gh t a b o u t

by C o l e ri dg e S e e L u c as L i fe o f Lam b I 34 1
.
, ,
”
,

1 9 6 1 2 Holcr oft : T h o m as H o l c r o ft ( 1 7 4 5 E ngl ish d r am at i s t ,

m i s c e ll an e o u s w ri t e r an d a c t o r B e c au s e h e e mb r ac e d t h e p ri n c i pl e s o f
, .

t h e F r e n c h R e v o l u t i o n h e w as i n di c t e d f o r h igh t r e as o n an d i m p ri s o n e d

f o r a sh o r t t i m e H az l i tt wr o t e a li f e o f h i m S e e W o rk s I I 1 —
. 28 1 .
, , .

B u t t h er e i s m att e r : W o rdsw o r t h H ar t L e ap W e l l
” ”
1 96 17 “
,
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,

II 9 5—
.
96 :
B u t t h e r e is m at te r f o r a s e c o n d rhym e ,

A n d I t o this w o u ld add an o th e r t al e .

M ER R Y E N G L A N D

This ss ay fi rs t ap p e ar e d i n th e N ew [ W
e e n t/
y [ Maga z i n e f o r D e c e m
21

b e r 1 8 2 5 ; i t w as p u bli sh e d i n S k e t ch e s an d E ss ays
”
,

1 97 1 S t G e o r g e f o.r m e rry E n g l an d ”
: S t G e o rg e was r e c o g n i z e d
-
.

as t h e p at r o n s ai n t o f E n gl an d f r o m t h e t i m e o f E dw a rd I I I ( 1 3 2 7

p r o b ably b e c au s e o f h i s b e i ng ad o p t e d as p at r o n o f t h e O rd e r o f t h e
G ar t e r T h e p h r as e
. m e rry E ngl an d app e ars in C urs o r M u n d i
” “ ” “
,

1 300 1 4 00 ; als o in
-
A L y t e l l G e s t e o f Ro b i n H o o d S e e N o tes a n d
“ ”
.

Qu eri es t e nt h s e ri e s X 8 8
, , , .

1 9 7 3 Ui luc us t h e p h r as e i s lu eu s a 7 207 2 lu c eu n’o a l igh t f r o m i ts n o t

“
,

sh i n i ng T h e p h r as e is u s e d t o m ark an abs u rd o r d i sc o rd an t e tym o l o gy

”
. .

L u eu s , a gr o v e i s d e riv e d f r o m lu ee re t o sh i n e b e c au s e t h e r ays
,
”
,
“
,
”

o f th e s u n are s u pp o s e d r a r e ly t o sh i n e t h r o u gh i t s f o l i ag e .

2 H e n ry IV V iii 42
”
1 9 7 24 S ilenc e : , , , .

1 9 7 28 t h e r e we r e p i pp i n s M e rry W iv e s I i i 1 2
”
, , ,
.

198 4 C ont i ne nt s h av e m o s t ” : H o bb e s H u m an Natu r e Wo rk s , ,

”

( e di t e d by M o l e sw o r t h ) I V 50 , , .

”
T h e y ” s ay s F r o i ss ar t : al s o q u o t e d i n T h e R o u n d T abl e
“
1 9 8 26 “
,
.

S e e \Y o rk s I 4 3 1 ,T h i s w e l l k n o w n s ay i n g i s w r o ngly at t rib u t e d t o
, .
-

F r o i ss ar t S e e /Vo tes a n d Qu eri e f o r 1 8 6 3 and s u bs e q u e n t y e ars

. s .

1 9 9 6 B lindm an’s b u f f : s e e S t r u tt S p o r t s an d P as t i m e s
-
( e di te d by ,

H o ne , p 39 2 . .

1 9 9 6 h u nt t h e sl i ppe r : i bi d p 3 8 7
- -
. . .

1 99 7 h ot coc k l e s : ib i d p 39 3
-
. . .

ro m th e F re nch h a te s c o q ill e s a pl ay in which o ne k n e e ls and c o ve ri ng

F u -
u , ,

his e y e s l ays his h e ad in ano th e r s lap an d g e ss e s wh o s t r c k him ’

u u .
37 o S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

T h e N e w En gli s h D i c t i o nary r e fu s e s to a c c e p t t h i s d e riv at i o n of th e

w o rd , s u gg e s t s n o o t h e r
b ut .

1 9 9 7 s nap dr ag on : ib i d p 39 7
-
. . .

1 9 9 21 Dr u ry l ane or C ov ent g arde n t h e fi rs t t h e at e r o f wh i c h w e h av e

- -

re c o rd i n D r u ry L an e was T h e C o c kp i t wh e r e i n t h e d ays o f t h e C o m , ,

m o nwe alth a c t o rs att e m p t e d s u rr e p t i t i o u sly t o giv e p l ays T h e n a m o r e

, .

c o n v e n i e nt b u i l di n g w as e r e c t e d in t h e s am e s t r e e t an d o p e n e d A p ri l 8 ,

1 6 63 . I n J an u ary 1 6 7 1 —1 6 7 2 t h i s t h e at e r t o o k fi re an d was e nt i r e ly de
, ,
~

s t r o y e d T h e n e w t h e at e r u n d e r th e d i r e c t i o n o f S ir C h ris t o p h e r W r e n
.
, ,

was b u i l t an d o p e ne d M a rch 2 6 1 6 7 4 I n 1 7 9 1 i t was t ak e n d o w n s o t h at a , .

m o r e c o m m o d i o u s b u il di n g m igh t b e e r e c t e d o n t h e s am e si t e T h i s n ew .

t h e at e r was o p e n e d o n t h e tw e l f t h o f M arc h 1 7 9 4 I t was d e s t r o y e d by , .

fi re o n F e b r u ary 2 4 1 8 09 T h e i n c i d e n t i s w e ll k n o w n o f S h e ri d an i t s
, .
,

m anag e r r e f u s i n g t o p o s t p o n e a d e b at e in th e H o u s e o f C o m m o n s wh e n
,

th e fi re was d is c o v e r e d T h e n e w t h e at e r was r e o p e n e d i n O c t o b e r 1 8 1 2
.
,
.

T h e C o v e n t G ard e n T h e at e r was o p e n e d f o r i t s fi rs t p l ay o n O c t o b e r
2 17 2
, 3 I t was b u r n e d o n S e p t e mb e r 2 0 I 8 O 8 T h e c o r n e r s t o n e o f t h e
.
,
.

n e w b u i l d i n g w as l a i d wi t h gr e at c e r e m o n y by t h e P ri n c e o f W al e s o n

D e c e mb e r 3 1 o f t h e s am e y e ar F o r a sk e t c h o f t h e s e two t h e at e rs i n .

t h e e igh t e e n t h c e n t u ry s e e i n t r o d u c t i o n t o B ak e r s
’
, B io grap h ia D ra
m at i c a I t i s n o e x agg e r at i o n t o s ay t h at t h e h i s t o ry o f t h e s e
t w o t h e at e rs f r o m t h e R e s t o r at i o n t o t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e nt u ry w i t h t h e ac ,

c o u n t o f t h e i r m an ag e rs an d a c t o rs i s th e s t o ry o f d r am at i c p r o d u c t i o n ,

i n E n gl an d d u ri n g t h at t i m e S e e als o C o ll e y C ib b e r s A p o l o gy
’ “ ”
.

1 99 33 J ac k -o ’— t h e Gr ee n : S t r u tt p 3 58 : -
, .

T he J ac k re e n is a pi e c e o f p ag e ant ry c o nsist i ng o f a h o ll o w fram e

in t h e G
o f w o o d o r wic k e r w o r k m ad e i n t h e f o rm o f a s u g ar l o af b t o p e n at t h e b o t t o m
-
, ,
u

an d s u fli c ie n t ly l ar g e an d hi g h t o r e c e iv e a m an T h e fram e is c o ve r e d wi t h g r e e n .

l e av e s an d b n ch e s o f fl o we rs i n te rwo v e n wi t h e ach o t h e r so th at th e m an wi thi n

u
,

m ay b e c o mpl e t e ly c o n c e al e d wh o d an c e s wi t h his c o mp an i on s an d t h e p o p u l ac e
, ,

are mi g h t ily pl e as e d wi t h t h e o ddi t

y o f t h e m o vi ng pyramid .

L ong R obi ns on s i s t h e f am o u s c ri ck e t Old L o rd ’

L o rd
” ’
200 6 “
s :

gr o u n d i n E n gl an d A f e w y e ars ago wh e n it was p r o p o s e d t o b u i ld a

.

t r am l i n e t h r o u gh t h e gr o u n d a p e e r i n P arl i a m e n t in o u t sp o k e n o pp o s i
,

t i o n e xc l ai m e d L o rd s i s o n e o f t h e m o s t s ac r e d sp o t s in E n gl an d
“ ’ ”
, .

I n 1 7 8 7 t h e fi rs t L o rd s gr o u n d w as l a i d O ff o n t h e s i t e o f wh at i s n o w
’

D o rs e t S q u ar e ; it was ag ai n m o v e d i n 1 8 1 1 an d t o th e p r e s e nt pl ac e i n ,

1 8 1 4 i n S t J o h n s Wo o d L o n d o n I t t o o k t h e n am e f r o m T h o m as L o rd
’
, .
, .
,

a p r o m i n e n t c ri ck e t e r an d k e e p e r o f gr o u n ds in t h e e igh t e e n t h c e n t u ry .

200 24 t h e j oy of t h e ri ng : se e H az lit t s fam o u s e ss ay T h e F igh t

’ ”
, ,

W o rks X I I 1 , ,
.
37 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

207 9 Chil r l de Ha fi rso c

d : th e s o f C h il d e H ar o l d w e r e
t tw o an t o
“ ”

p u bl i sh e d in 1 8 1 2 t h e t h i rd in 1 8 1 6 th e f o u r t h in 1 8 1 8
, D o n J u an , .
“
,
”

c ant o s i an d i i in 1 8 1 9 ; i i i —v in 1 8 2 1 ; v i xiv in 1 8 2 3 ; xv xv i in 1 8 2 4 -
, .

208 2 L u b i n L og or T ony L u m p k i n : T o ny L u m pk i n i n G o l dsm i t h s ’

S h e S t o o p s t o C o n q u e r ; Lu b i n L o g in L o v e L aw an d P hys i c
” “ ”
, ,

by J am e s K e nn e y ( 1 7 8 0
208 20 ff M rs J or dan : M rs J o rd an w as t h e ass u m e d n am e o f D o r o t hy
. . .

B l an d ( 1 7 6 2 an I ri sh a c t r e ss d i s t i n g u i sh e d f o r h e r R o s al i n d an d
,

V i o l a T h o m as K i n g ( 1 7 30
. J o h n B an n i s t e r ( 1 7 6 0 1 8 3 6 ) was a -

p u p i l o f D av i d G a rri c k H is r e t i r e m e n t f r o m t h e s tag e at D r u ry L an e
.

was d e s c rib e d by H az l i tt i n t h e E xa m i i i e r J u ne 4 1 8 1 5 W o rk s VI I I -

, , , , ,

2 29 R i ch ard S u e tt ( 1 7 5 5 1 8 0 5 ) h ad a p ar t i n t h e fi rs t pl ay wh i c h
.
-

H az l i tt e v e r s aw ( I n t r o d u c t i o n p p xi v an d xliv ) J o s e p h M u n d e n ( 1 7 5 8
’

, . .

C h arl e s L amb c all e d h i m t h e k i n g o f b r o ad c o m e dy J am e s .

W i lli am D o d d ( 1 7 3 0 W i ll i am P ars o n s ( 1 7 36 J o h n E m e ry
( 1 777 E l i z ab e t h F arr e n ( 1 7 5 9
208 27 ff N e ll & c . N e l l in
,
T h e D e v i l t o P ay o r T h e W iv e s M e t a
.
,

m o rp h o se d by C o ffe y a p ar t t ak e n by M rs J o rd an ; L i tt l e P i ckl e i n
”
, , .

“
T h e S p o i l e d C h il d ; T o u c h s t o n e i n
”
A s Y o u L i k e I t ; S ir P e t e r “ ”

T e az l e i n S c h o o l f o r S c an d al by S h e ri d an ; L e n i t iv e i n T h e P ri z e
,
”
,
”

by P ri n c e H o ar e ; L i ng o i n T h e A gr e e abl e S u rp ri s e by O K e e f e ;
“ ”
,
’

C r ab t r e e i n S c h o o l f o r S c an d al by S h e ri d an ; N i p p e rk i n in S p rigs
”
,

o f L au r e l T h e R o ad t o R u i n a c o m e dy i n fi v e a c t s by
” ”
; D o rn t o n i n
“
,

T h o m as H o l c r o f t ; R ang e r i n T h e S u sp i c i o u s H u sb an d by
”“

H o ad ly ; C o p p e r C ap t ai n i n R u l e a VVif e an d H av e a W i f e by F l e t ch e r ;
“ ”
,

L o rd S an ds i n S h ak sp e r e s K i ng H e n ry V I I I F il ch i n G ay s B e g
’ ’ “

g ar s O p e r a ; M o s e s in S ch o o l f o r S c an d al ; A c r e s in S h e ri d an s
’ ” “ ” ’

T h e R iv al s E lb o w i n S h aksp e r e s M e as u r e f o r M e as u r e H o dg e
’

L o v e i n a V i ll ag e a c o m i c o p e r a by I s aa c B i c k e rs t a ff ;
“ ”
in
F l o r a in T h e Wo nd e r by M rs C e ntliv re ; D u e nna i n D u e nn a
“ ” ” “
, .

(177 a t h r e e a c t c o m i c O p e r a by S h e ri d an ; L a dy T e az l e i n
-
Schoo l
f o r S c an d al ; L ady G r ac e i n T h e P r o v o k e d H u sb an d o r A J o u r n e y
”
,

to L o n d o n by V an b r u gh an d C i bb e r
,
”
.

209 9 R ode ric k R ando m : S m o lle tt s fi rs t s to ry

’

209 1 0 Hogart h ’s pr i nt s s e e H az li tt s e ss ay o n t h at s u bj e c t i n W o rks

’
,

I ,
2
5 .

209 1 6 Wh at ’
8 our B ri t ai n ”
C y mb e l i n e ,
”
I I I iv , , 1
38 :

I
w o rld s v o l u m e
’
th e
’

O u r B ri tai n s e e ms as o f i t b u t n o t in t ;
’
,

I n a g re at p o o l a swan s n e s t pri th e e thi nk

’
, , ,

T h e r e s liv e rs o t o f B ri tai n
’
u .
 N O TES 37 3

209 22 M rs A b i ngto n . : F r an c e s A bi ng to n ( 1 7 37 fl o w e r s e ll e r ,

s t r e e t si ng e r c o o k m ai d
, , an d c o m e dy q u e e n . H az l i tt w r o te :

I wo u ld rath e r h av e s e e n M rs . A bi ng to n s ’
M illam ant h
t an any R o a n s li d th at
e v e r app e ar e d o n th e s tag e .

Se e L e c tu r e s W ri te rs W o rks V I I I 7 4
on Co m i c ,
”
, , .

209 22 M adem o i s e ll e M ars : A nn e F r anco i s e B o u t e t M o nv e l ( 1 7 7 9 -

t h e c l e v e r i m p e rs o n ato r o f M o l i er e s h e r o i n e s at t h e T h éfi t re
’

F r an cai s H e r fat h e r M o nt e t was an a c t o r an d h e r m o t h e r M ars an

.
, , , , ,

a c t r e ss
.

21 0 7 A s I w ri t e t hi s t h i s p ap e r w as wri t t e n a p p a r e n t ly at V e v e y i n

th e s u m m e r o f 1 8 2 5 M e m o i rs V o l I I c h a p xv S e e al s o
“ ”
See .
, .
, . .

W o rk s I X 2 8 1
, , .

21 0 1 3 A nd gau dy b u tt e rfl i e s ” f r o m o n e o f P o l ly s s o ngs in T h e ’

B e gg ar s O p e r a A c t 1 s c e ne 1
’ ”
.
, ,

OF P ER S O N S ONE W O UL D W I S H TO H AV E S EEN

This e ss ay ap p e ar e d fi rs t i n t h e A ’ew [ W 21
o n t/ y fl /aga z i n e f o r J an u a ry ,

was r e p u bl i sh e d i n L i t e r a ry R e m ai n s
”
1 826 ; it ( 1 8 3 6 ) an d in \V in
”
t e rs lo w

This e r e ad in c o nn e c t i o n wi t h t h e two in T h e P l ai n
ss ay sh o u l d be
S p e ak e r O n t h e C o n v e rs at i o n o f A u t h o rs
” “ ”
, .

M y att e n t i o n h as b e e n c all e d by M r J R o g e rs R e e s o f S al i sb u ry . .
,

E ngl an d t o wh at i s c e r tai n ly t h e s o u rc e o f t h e i d e a o f t h i s p ap e r I n
, .

1 7 6 8 t h e r e ap p e ar e d a w o rk by A b r ah am T u c k e r Th e L igh t o f N at u r e ,

P u rs u e d by E dw ard S e arc h I n 1 8 07 H az l i t t p u bl i sh e d an ab ri dgm e nt

.
”

o f t h i s v e ry p o p u l ar w o rk T h e t w e nt y t h i rd c h ap t e r o f V o l I I h ad t h e
.
- .

h e ad i n g T h e V i si o n an d b e g an as f o ll o ws :
, ,
”

g
O ne day af t e r h avi n my t h o u h t s i nt e n t all th e m o rn i n g s bj e c t o f g p u on th e u

g g
t h e two f o re o i n g
ch ap te rs , I we nt o u t in t h e e v e n i n to a n e i g hb o r s h o s e t o
’
u

r e cre ate mys e lf wi th a g am e at c ards A n d e v e ry o n e f e ll t o c o nsid e r h o w

.

h e mi g h t b e s t g rat ify his c u ri o si ty if he we re p o ss e ss e d o f th at art [ ne cr o m an cy ]

, ,

wh at p e rs o ns h e sh o u ld wak e fro m th e sh ad e s and wh at q u e s t i o ns h e sh o u ld pu t

t o th e m .

T h en are s u m m o n e d t h e sh ad e s o f L o c k e N e w t o n an d o t h e rs m e n , ,

t io n e d by H az l i t t i n h i s d e l i g h t f u l e ss ay .

21 2 1 . Com e l i k e sh ado w s ”
“
M acb e t h IV i 1 1 1 ,
”
, , .

21 2 2 B C h arl e s L amb T h i s e ss ay at t e m p t s t o d e s c rib e a

.

c o nv e rs at i o n wh i c h t o o k p l ac e at o n e o f L amb s \Ve dn e s day s at 1 6 ’ ”

M i t r e C o u r t B u il d i n gs wh e r e C h arl e s L amb an d h i s s is t e r M ary l iv e d

,
 37 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

f ro m 1 80 1 to 1 8 09 . T h o u gh
s ays t h is d is c u ssi o n t o o k plac e H az l i t t
t w e n t y y e ars ago wh i c h w o u l d b e ab o u t 1 80 6 M r L u c as t h i nk s it
“ ”
, , .

m ay h av e b e e n as l at e as 1 8 1 4 S e e h is L i f e o f Lamb I 3 80
‘

”
,
. .
,

21 2 3 Gu y F au x : G u y F awk e s ( 1 5 7 0 S e e H az litt s e x c e l l e n t
’

ar t i c l e s o n h i m W o rks X I 3 1 7 334 ; t h r e e p ap e rs t h at ap p e ar e d in
, , ,
-

t h e E xa m i n er N o v e mb e r 1 1 18, 2
5 1 8 2 1 T h e u n s u c c e ss f u l att e m p t , , , .

o f F awk e s t o s e t fi re t o t h e H o u s e o f P arl i am e n t ( N o v e mb e r
5 1 60 5 ) ,

s t art e d t h e c e l e b r at i o n wh i c h i s O b s e rv e d e v e ry y e ar I n e v e ry t o w n .

an d v ill age o f En gl an d F awk e s i s b u r n e d i n e ffi gy T h e f e s t ivi t i e s o f .

t h e day r e s e mbl e t h o s e o f t h e F o u r t h o f J u ly in A m e ri c a .

21 2 7 N ev e r s o s u r e o u r r apt u r e P o p e M o ral E ss ays I I 5 1 ”

, , ,
.

21 2 1 7 A W ill i am A y rt o n ( 1 7 7 7 —1 8 5 8 ) th e m u si c i an an d m u si ,

c al c ri t i c di r e cto r o f m u si c at K i n g s T h e at e r an d e di t o r o f C h arl e s
,
’

K n igh t s M u s i c al L ib r ary H az l i tt c all e d h i m t h e W il l H o n e yc o mb o f

’
.

H e was a f ri e n d o f t h e B u rn e y s S e e L u c as L i f e o f L amb
” ”
o u r s et . .
, ,

I , 2 37 ff .

21 3 8 Knelle r ’s po rt r ai t s : t h e p o rt r ai t o f N e w t o n is at K ad e , an d his
b e s t p o r t r ai t o f L o c k e i s at C h ris t C o ll e g e , O x o rd f .

—
21 3 21 S ir T h om as B r ow n ( 1 6 0 5 1 68 2 ) o n e o f C h arl e s L amb s f av o r
’

it e wri t e rs , au t h o r o f R e ligi o M e d i c i
”
( 1 6 4 2 ) an d H yd ri o t aph i a o r
Urn B u ri al S e e t h e l e tt e r p r o b ably by M i t f o rd q u o t e d i n
”
, ,

L u c as , fe o f L amb I I 1 68 Li ,
”
,
.

21 3 21 F u l k e Gr e vill e ( 1 5 54—1 6 2 8 ) fi rs t L o rd B r o o k e H e was a p o e t .

an d f ri e n d o f Q u e e n E l i ab e t h an d o f S ir P h ili p S id n e y wh o s e l i f e h e
z

wr o t e H e h e l d i m p o r tant p o s i t i o n s i n c l u di ng t h at o f C h an c e ll o r o f t h e
.
,

E xc h e q u e r H az l i tt o ft e n m e n t i o n s h i m in h i s w o rk s
. .

I l P e ns e ro s o
”
21 4 8 A nd c al l u p h im w h o l e f t h alf to l d II 1 09 -
, .

1 10 .

21 4 28 Dr J o h n D o n ne ( 1 5 7 3
. Donne : o n e o f t h e s o c all e d -

m e t ap hys i c al p o e t s t o wh o m we are l a r g e ly i n d e b t e d f o r t h e u s e o f
,

c o n c e i t s in t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n tu ry S e e t h e e d i t i o n o f h i s p o e ms by .

E K C h amb e rs in t h e M u s e s L ib r ary
. . .

21 4 33 b e au t y of t h e po rt r ait : s e e n o t e o n p 2 7 6 V o l 1 M e m o i rs .
, .
,
“

o f H az l i tt
”
:

I t was pr o b ably t h e e di t i o n o f 1 6 6 9 1 2 m o at l e as t th at was t h e o n e L amb h ad ,

.

T h e r e we r e in i t m any n o t e s by C o l e rid g e an d t his m e m o r and u m : I sh al l die ,

s o o n my d e ar C h arle s L amb an d th e n y o will no t b e v e xe d th at I h av e b e

, ,
u

scribbl e d y o u r b o o k S T C 2 d M ay 1 8 1 1 .
”
. . .
,
.

He r e l i es ”
A n E p i t h al am i o n F r e d e ri c k
“
21 5 3 “
a She S un - :
on

C o u nt P al at i ne o f th e R h i ne an d t h e L ady E l iz a etb h b e i ng m arri e d

on St . V al e nt i ne s ’
D ay ,
”
s tanz a v i i .
37 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

21 8 1 0 M i ss D M rs . y
R e n o l ds . See
“
L i te r ary R e m ai n s , ”
II ,

T h i s was t h e
l ady wh o h ad b e e n L amb s s c h o o l m i s t r e ss H e r ’
342 . .

m ai d e n n a me was C h amb e rs p o ssibly p ri m B e t sy C h amb e rs o f ,

“ ”

L amb s G o n e o r G o i n g S e e L u c as L i f e o f L amb I 38 ; als o 38 0 ff

’ ” ”
. .
, , ,

21 8 1 7 S cot l and w i t h t h e P r et ender : t h e F r e n c h v i c t o ry at F o nt e n o y ,

M ay 3 1 1 7 4 5 e n c o u r ag e d C h arl e s E dw ard S t u ar t an d t h e J a c o bi t e s i n
, ,

S c o t l an d t o p u sh f o rw ard T h i s m o v e m e nt r e s u l t e d in t h e b at t l e at .

C u ll o d e n M o o r J anu ary 2 3 1 7 4 6 S e e B o sw e ll J o h n s o n ( e di te d by
” “
, , .
,

H ill) I 1 7 6 ff , ,
.

21 9 3 L o r d C o r nb u r y : H e n ry H yd e ( 1 7 1 0 f ri e n d o f B o l i ngb r o k e
an d L ady M o n t ag u .

De s p i s e low j o y s I m i tat i o n s o f H o r ac e B o o k I e p i s t l e v i ”
21 9 5 , , ,

II 6 0 —6 1
. .

21 9 9 L o r d M an s fi el d ( 1 7 33 L o rd C h i e f J u s ti c e of th e C o u rt
of Co mmon P l e as .

21 9 1 2 C on s pic uo u s sc ene ib i d 11 50 —53 . . .

21 9 1 8 W h y r a il t h e y t h e n ”
Ep i l o gu e to S at i r e s ,
”
D i al o g u e II ,

II 1 8 —1
.

3 39 .

21 9 22 why t h en pub l i sh B ut P r o l o g u e t o S at i r e s 11 1 3 5—1 4 6 ,

”
. .

220 1 4 Gay ’s v e rs e s t o h i m : M r P o p e s W e l c o m e f ro m G re e c e “
.
’
.

A C o py o f V e rs e s w ri tt e n by M r G ay u p o n M r P o p e s h avi ng fi ni sh e d . .
’

h i s T r an sl at i o n o f H o m e r s I li ad S e e G ay s P o e m s ( e di t e d by U n d e r
’
.
’

h ill ) I 2 07 , ,
.

E r asm u s P h ill i p s ; t h i s n am e i s giv e n i n L i t e r ary

“
220 21 E
R e m ai n s
”
I I 34 6 I f t h i s i s c o rr e c t it was th e P h illi p s wh o was a v e ry
, , .
,

i nt i m at e f ri e n d o f th e B u rn e y s T h i s m ay b e th e o n e wh o wi t h M ar t i n .

B u r n e y an d t h e L amb s v i si t e d t h e H az lit ts at W i nt e rsl o w .

221 9 n i g h s ph e r e d i n H e av e n C o ll i n s
-
O de o n t h e P o e t i c al ,

C h ar ac t e r
”
1 66 , . .

221 1 3 J F B arr o n F i e l d ( 1 7 8 6
. S e e L i t e r ary R e m ai n s ,
”

I I 3 4 7 H e w as a l awy e r an d m i sc e ll an e o u s wri te r H e was th e f ri e n d

, . .

wi t h i n i t i als B F wh o a c c o m p an i e d C h arl e s an d M ary L amb t o

“
. .
”

E ss ays o f E l i a
”
I I e rtf o rds h i re See . .

221 1 6 W ildai r : S ir H arry W i ldair by G e o rg e F arq u h ar .

221 1 6 A b e l Dr u gg e r : i n B e n J o n s o n s A l c h e m is t
’ “ ”

221 21 B arry and Qu i n : ac t o rs riv als o f G a rri c k , , .

221 21 S h u t e r : c o m i c ac t o r o f t h e s am e t i m e .

221 21 We s t on : T h o m as W e s t o n ( 1 7 3 7 o ne o f th e b e s t
c o m e d i an s o f h i s t i m e .

221 22 M rs Cl iv e : c all e d K i t ty C l iv e i n c o m e dy
.
, .

221 22 M rs P ri t ch ar d : f am o u s as Lady M acb e t h. .

 N OT ES 37 7

222 2 g e n u i n e fi re o f t h e a c to r
ces tus : t h e .

222 8 s u dde nly mi s s e d Garri c k : m any s u c h an e c d o t e s are t o l d o f G ar

ri ck S e e P e rcy F i tz g e r al d D av i d G a rri c k ( e d i t i o n o f
.
,
“
p p 2 1 5 ff ”
. .

222 1 5 Ro sci u s : f ri e n d o f C i c e r o an d gr e at e s t c o m i c ac t o r o f R o m e .

222 23 M u s taph a and A l ah am : b o t h are t r ag e d i e s by F u l k e G r e v il l e

( L o rd B r o o k e ) .

222 25 K it M arl o w e : t h e f am il i ar n am e o f C h ri s t o ph e r M arl o w e

( 6 —
1 5 4 1 59 3 »
222 25 t h e s e x t on of S t A nn s : H az l i t t i s b u ri e d i n S t A nne s
.
’
.
’

C h u rc h S o h o L o n d o n
, , .

223 4 G W i ll i am G o dwi n S e e L i te r ary R e m ai ns II 3 50

.
,
”
, .

223 5 h i s r om ant ic v i s i t t o D r u mm ond : b e t w e e n S e p t e mb e r 1 6 1 8 an d , ,

J an u ary 1 9 1 6 1 9 B e n J o n s o n w e nt t o v i s i t t h e p o e t D r u m m o n d o f
, ,

H aw t h o r n d e n T h e n o t e s wh i c h D r u m m o n d m ad e o f t h e i r t al k f o rm t h e
.

m ai n s o u rc e o f th e b i o gr ap h y o f J o n s o n S e e C o n v e rs at i o n s w i t h .
“

D r u m m o n d o f H aw th o r n d e n ( e d i t e d by L ai n g ) .

223 8 E u g e ne A r am ( 1 7 0 4 h e was h ang e d f o r t h e m u rd e r o f

D an i e l C l ark H e was a gr e at s c h o l ar an d was t h e s o u rc e o f t h e h igh ly
.

i d e al i z e d p o r t r ai t i n B u lw e r L y tto n s n o v e l o f th e s am e n am e’

223 9 A dm ir ab l e Cr ich t on ”
“
J am e s C ri ch t o n ( 1 5 6 0—1 58 5 P) s u r n am e d ,

T h e A dm i r abl e o r t h e W o n d e r fu l by S ir T h o m as U rq u h ar t in 1 6 5 2
, ,
.

H e was a r e m ark ab l e w ri t e r and s c h o l ar M r J M B arri e h as wri tt e n . . . .

a d e l igh t fu l pl ay ab o u t h i m .

223 1 5 H L e igh H u nt S e e L i t e r ary R e m ai n s II 3 5 5

.
,
”
, .

223 22 J onat h an E dw ar ds ( 1 7 0 3 A m e ri c an t h e o l o g i an an d
p h i l o s o ph e r au t h o r o f F r e e d o m o f t h e W i ll
,
”

224 1 8 D u g al d S t e w a rt ( 1 7 5 3 di s t i n g u i sh e d S c o t tish ph ilo so ph e r .

224 9 J J h as n o t b e e n i d e nt ifi e d .

224 1 1 Tho m a s A q u i nas and D u ns S cot u s b o t h s c h o l as t i c p h il o s o p h e rs ,

t h e f o rm e r o f t h e t h i r t e e n t h an d t h e l at t e r o f t h e n i n t h c e nt u ry .

224 21 D u ch e s s of B ol t on : L av i n i a F e nt o n ( 1 7 08 1 7 60 ) pl ay e d fi rs t -

t h e p ar t o f P o lly in G ay s B e gg ar s O p e r a
’ ’

224 22 S t ee l e and A ddi s o n : C ap t ai n S e n t ry i n S p e c tat o r

”
No 2 , . .

224 25 Ot w ay and Ch att e rt on : T h o m as O tw ay ( 1 6 5 2 p o e t an d

t r agi c d r am at i s t T h o m as C h att e r to n ( 1 7 5 2
. t h e b o y p o e t au t h o r ,

of T h e R o wl e y P o e ms ”
.

224 27 T homs on f el l a sl e ep : J am e s T h o m s o n ( 1 7 00 au t h o r o f

T h e S e as o n s was p r o v e rb i ally i n d o l e nt
“ ”
.
,

224 29 J oh n B arl e yco rn : B arl e y c o r n i s p e rs o n i fi c at i o n o f m al t l iq u o r

as m a d e f r o m b arl e y S e e B u rns s p o e m J o h n B arl e y c o r n : a Ball ad
’ “ ”
.
, ,

I 33—3 5 ( A l di n e e di t i o n)
, .
37 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

225 9 F ornar i na : i s s ai d t o h av e b e e n a b ak e r s d au gh t e r wi t h ’
She

t h e n a m e M argh e ri t a an d i s c o m m o n ly c all e d R aph ae l s m i s t r e ss

’
, T he .

n am e w as giv e n t o R ap h ae l s f am o u s p i c t u r e ab o u t 1 7 50
’
.

225 9 L u cr et i a B o rgi a ( 1 4 80— 1 1 9)

5 t h e d au gh t e r o f C a rd i n al B o rgi a ,

wh o aft e rw ard s b e c am e P o p e A l e x an d e r V I S h e pl ay e d an i m p o r tan t .

p ar t in th e h i s t o ry o f h e r day .

225 1 0 m odel of S t P et e r ’s : M i ch e l ang e l o ( 1 4 7 5 1 56 4 ) b e c am e arch i

.
-

t e e t o f S t P e t e r s R o m e J anu ary I 1 5 4 7
’
.
, , , .

225 24 Gi ot t o Di B ou done ( d Gio v anni Cim ab u e ( 1 2 4 0.

Gh irl andai o ( D o m e n i c o Bigarde ) ( 1 4 4 9 1 49 4 ) e arly F l o r e n t i n e p ai nt e rs -

wh o s e w o rk was th e i n sp i r at i o n f o r t h e gr e at e r m as te rs wh o s u c c e e d e d
th e m .

225 27 Wh o s e nam es on ear t h H az l i tt l ik e d t o q u o t e t h e s e l i n e s ,

wh i ch h e t h o u gh t b e l o n g e d t o D an t e Wall e r and G l o v e r p ri nt a f ew .

s e nt e n c e s f r o m L amb s l e tt e r t o B e r n ard B ar to n ( F e b ru ary 1 7

’
,

wh i c h s e e m t o o ff e r an e xpl anat i o n : I o n c e q u o t e d two l i n e s f r o m a

t r an sl at i o n o f D ant e wh i c h H az l i t t v e ry gr e at ly ad m i r e d an d q u o t e d in
, ,

a b o o k as p r o o f o f t h e s tu p e n d o u s p o w e r o f t h at p o e t ; b u t n o s u c h l i n e s
,

are t o b e f o u n d i n th e t r an sl at i o n wh i c h h as b e e n s e arc h e d f o r th e ,

p u rp o s e I m u s t h av e d r e am e d t h e m f o r I am q u i t e c e r t ai n I d i d n o t
.
,
.

f o rg e t h e m k n o wi ngly W h at a m i s fo r tu n e t o h av e a lyi ng m e m o ry
.
”

( H az l i tt W o rks X 4 0 5
, , ,

L e g e nd of Good Wo m e n C h au c e r s w o rk wri t t e n ab o u t 1 38 5
’
226 2 “
, .

S e e S k e at W o rks o f C h au c e r V o l I I I
, ,
”
. .

226 8 D u ch e s s of N ewc as t l e : M arg ar e t C av e n d ish D u c h e ss o f N e w ,

c as t l e ( 1 6 2 4 wri t e r o f pl ays p o e m s an d l e t te rs S h e was m u c h , , .

adm i r e d i n h e r day .

226 8 M rs H u t chi n s on : L u cy H u t c h i n s o n ( b
. a m o s t i nt e r e s t .

i ng an d w e ll e d u c at e d w o m an o f t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e nt u ry S h e wr o t e
-
.

t h e l i f e o f h e r h u sb an d t h e P u ri t an c o l o ne l i n 1 6 6 4 1 6 7 1 b u t it was
, ,
-
,

n o t p u bl ish e d t ill 1 806 .

226 1 1 one i n t h e r oo m : M ary L amb .

226 14 N i non de L ’Enc los ( 1 6 1 5—1 7 0 5 ) t h e t yp i c al F r e n chw o m an o f ,

t h e gay s e v e nt e e n t h c e nt u ry s o c i e t y as w e ll as t h e l e ad e r o f f ash i o n in
-

P aris and th e f ri e n d o f w i t s an d p o e t s Esp e c i ally n o te w o r t hy i s h e r .

l o n g f ri e n dsh i p wi t h S ai n t Ev re m o nd -
.

226 28 T am e rl ane : T i m u r L ang t h e r e n o w n e d o ri e n t al c o n q u e r o r ,

o f t h e f o u r t e e n t h c e n tu ry T h e n am e h as b e c o m e v u lg ari z e d i nt o
.

T am e rl an e o r T am b e rlan e H e h as b e e n a p o p u l ar s u bj e c t f o r t r ag
.

” ’
M o n k L e wi s s T i m o u r M arl o w e s T amb u rl ai n e Ro we s
” ’ ” ’
e dy .
, ,

T am e rl an e
”
.
38 o S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

23 2 3 “
Th e st o c k dov e T h o ms o n, The C as t l e of I nd o l e n c e ,

C an t o 1, s tanz a 4 .

23 2 n o t e L ady Wort l ey M ont agu e ( 1 6 9 0—1 m o s t i nt e r e s t o ne o f t h e

ing w o m e n o f t h e e igh t e e nt h c e nt u ry H e r l e tt e rs h av e giv e n h e r a h igh .

p l ac e am o n g th e l e tt e r wri t e rs o f t h e w o rl d F o r h e r c o m m e nt s o n F i e l d .

i ng and R i c h ards o n s e e e sp e c i ally t h e l e t t e rs d ate d D e c e mb e r 1 4 1 7 5 0

, , ,

D e c e mb e r 8 1 7 5 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7 5 2 J u n e 2 3 1 7 5 4 S e p te mb e r 2 2 1 7 5 5
, , , , , , , .

a T u rki sh t i t l e o f r e sp e c t c h i e fl
y ap pl i e d t o g o v e r n
’
23 2 n o t e efi endi ‘
.
,

m e n t o ff i c i als an d t o m e m b e rs o f t h e l e ar n e d p r o f e ss i o n s
”
( N e w E ng
l i s h D i c t i o n ary ) S e e L ady M o n t agu s L e tt e r M ay 1 7 1 7 1 7
.
’
, , .

232 n o t e h ad it not b e en ” W o rks II 2 5 4 , , .

23 2 n o t e s h e s ays of Ri ch ards on : I I 2 2 2 and 2 8 5 , .

23 3 n o t e mo ns tru m ingens b if o rme : ZEn e id I I I 6 5 8 , , , .

233 n o t e M r M oo r e T h o m as M o o r e ( 1 7 7 9
’
. S e e H az litt s
e ss ay in t h e S p i ri t o f t h e A ge 3 IV 3 5 3
’
, , .

23 3 n o t e L ady M ary : L ady M ary W o r t l e y M o n t ag u S e e ab o v e . .

234 30 C at h e dral at P e t e rb orou g h : H az lit t s fat h e r an d m o t h e r w e r e

’

m arri e d at P e t e rb o r o u gh J anu ary 1 9 1 7 6 6 S e e I n t r o d u c t i o n p i x H e

, , .
, . .

c am e b ac k t o th e pl ac e p r o b ably in th e y e ars wh e n h e l iv e d at W e m ,

p e rh ap s i n 1 7 9 6 S e e I nt r o d u c t i o n p x v
.
, . .

I n t h e s o u t h ai sl e o f t h e P e t e rb o r o u gh C at h e d r al i s a m o nu m e nt
m ark i n g t h e f o rm e r r e s t i n g p lac e o f M ary Q u e e n o f S c o t s B y o rd e r .

o f h e r s o n J am e s I in 1 6 1 2 h e r r e m a i n s w e r e r e m o v e d t o t h e C h ap e l
, , ,

o f H e n ry V I I in W e s t m i n s t e r A bb e y .

T h e P r o gr e ss o f P o e sy
”
23 5 1 8 th e pu r p l e l i gh t of l o v e ”
: G r ay
“
, ,

l 4!
.

T h e bl o o m o f y o u ng D e sire and p u rpl e li g h t o f L o v e .

235 31 “
t h e R aph ae l gr ac e Po p e , M o r al E ss ays , ”
VIII , 36 .

23 6 2 gai n a ne w vi o u r g C o wp e r , C h ari t y ,
”
I . 1 04 .

F r om t h e du nge on C o l e ri dg e , S o nn e t t o S c h ill e r
”
237 33 . See
O n R e ad i ng O ld B o o ks , p
”
. 1 02 .

”
238 4 Don Carl o s : se e O n th e F e ar of D e at h , p . 1 20 .

238 1 3 my mi ni at u r e-pi ct u r e : o n e wh i c h was p ai nt e d by h is b r o t h e r

A
wh i l e th e H az litts w e r e in m e ri c a I t i s m e nt i o n e d in L ib e r A m o ris , ”
.

L e tte r VI .

23 8 22 “
T h at t im e i s pa s t W o rd sw o r t h T i nte r n A bb e y
”
:
—8
5 , ,
”
.

23 9 1 0 “
E v en f rom t h e t o mb G r ay El e gy
” —2
9 , , .

all t h e l i f e of l if e
”
23 9 1 8 se e Bu r ns L am e n t f o r J am e s
“
.
,

D ryd e n A u re ngz e b e A c t I V s c e ne i
”
F r om t h e l a s t dr e gs
“
23 9 27 , , , .

240 20 “
t r eas on dom e s t ic M a cb e t h I I I i i 2 4—2 5 ,
”
, , .

240 3 2 r ev e rbs i t s ow n h oll o w ne ss K i ng L e ar I i 1 45 ,

”
, , .
 N OTES 38 1

ON R EA D I N G N EW BO O K S

T h i s e ss ay fi rs t ap p e ar e d J u ly 1 8 2 7
i n t h e ll/o n t/z ly fi l aga z i n e f o r , .

I t was p u bl ish e d w i t h s o m e c h ang e s i n S k e t c h e s an d E ss ays “

T h i s p ap e r was w ri t te n d u ri n g t h e au t h o r s s t ay at F l o r e n c e in M ay ’
,

1825 . See M e m o i rs I I 1 5 4 T h e p r e s e nt t e x t i s a r e p ri nt f r o m t h e
,
”
, .

m ag az i n e .

24 2 7 S ir Wal t e r w r it e s no mo r e S c o tt d i e d in 1 8 3 2 s e v e n y e ars af te r ,

t h e w ri t i n g o f t hi s e ss ay T h e Be tro th e d T h e T ali sm an
“ ” ” “
. an d

a p p e ar e d i n 1 8 2 5 W o o ds t o c k
,
“ ”
F ai r M ai d o f P e r t h
,
“
A nne o f ,
” “

G e i e rst e in ”
w e r e th e i m p o r tant b o o k s o f t h o s e s e v e n y e ars .

24 2 8 L o r d B yron : B y r o n h ad l iv e d ab r o ad s e v e n o r e igh t y e ars and

h ad d i e d i n G r e e c e o n t h e n i n e t e e nt h o f A p ril 1 8 2 4 , .

24 2 n o t e T h e c o m p l e t e s e n t e n c e was A n d g iv e m e l e av e t o t e ll
“
,

y o u r l o rd sh i ps by t h e way t h at s t atu t e s are no t l i k e w o m e n f o r t h e y

, , ,

are n o t y e t t h e w o rs e f o r b e i n g o ld S p e e c h o n t h e D is s o l u t i o n o f
”

P arl i am e nt ”
i n c l u d e d in H az litt s E l o q u e n c e o f th e B ri t is h ’ “

S e n at e G e o rg e V ill i e rs s e c o n d D u k e o f B u c k i n gh am ( 1 6 2 7
,

i s f am o u s f o r h av i ng wri tt e n T h e R e h e ars al .
”

h as j u s t co m e R i ch ard I I I I i 21
”
244 1 “
, , , .

244 1 7 t o gi v e s ent e nc e of l if e or deat h : t h i s p h r as e was n o n e t o o

s t r o n g f o r H az l i tt wh o aft e r m any e xp e ri e n c e s h ad s u ffe r e d f r o m p rej u
,

d i c e d c ri t i c i s m .

244 3 1 circ u l ati ng l ibr ari e s s e e th e i nt e r e s t i n g ac c o u nt o f t h e Bo o k s

o f L y d i a L an gu is h s C i rc u l at i n g L ib r ary in G H N e t t l e t o n s
’ ” ’ “
The ,
. .

M aj o r D r am as o f R i c h ard B ri n sl e y S h e ri d an
”
S e e i nt r o d u c t i o n .
,

p p l xv i i i lxxv i i ( G i nn an d C o m p any )
.
- .

24 5 1 t h e Wav e rl e y r om an c e s : p u bl i sh e d an o nym o u sly u n t i l 1 8 2 7 ,

wh e n S c o tt p u bl i cly c o n f e ss e d at t h e d i n ne r giv e n f o r t h e b e n e fi t o f
t h e E d i n b u rgh T h e at ri c al F u n d F e b r u ary 2 3 1 8 2 7 , , .

24 6 1 2 M a n u scri pt o f C i c e r o
’
s : C ard i nal A ng e l o M ai a ( 1 7 8 2 an

I tal i an c ard i nal n o te d as a p h i l o l o gi s t and ant i q u ary d i s c o v e r e d v ari o u s

, ,

m an u sc ri p t s an d p am p hl e t s and e d i te d C i c e r o s D e R e p u bl i c a ’
.
”

24 6 1 5 A N ob l e Lo r d : t h e M arq u i s o f B l an d f o rd b o u gh t V aldo rf e r s
’

e d i t i o n o f B o c c a c c i o f o r £ 2 6 0 at t h e R o xb u rgh e S al e i n 1 8 1 2 .

24 6 23 M r T h om as T ayl o r : T h o m as T ayl o r ( 1 7 58
. t h e P l at o n is t .

T h e o ld D u k e o f N o r f o l k ( B e r n a rd E dw ard t w e l f t h D u k e 1 7 6 5 1 8 4 2 ) , ,
-

was h i s p at r o n an d l o c k e d u p n e arly t h e wh o l e o f T ayl o r s e d i t i o n o f

’

P l ato ( 5 v o l s 1 8 0 4 ) i n h i s l ib r ary S e e W o rks n o t e xi i 4 8 4

.
,
.
”
, , .

246 n o t e Critique of P ure Reaso n t h e fam o u s p h il o s o p h i c al t r e at i s e

by K ant in 1 7 8 3 an d s e c o n d e di t i o n w i t h m o di fi c at i o ns in 1 7 8 7 .
38 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

24 7 2 Ire l and ce l eb rat ed ’

sf o r ge ry : t h e f o r g e ry V o r t ig e r n b y , ,
”

W i ll i am H e n ry I r e l an d ( I 7 7 7 was p r o d u c e d by t h e f am o u s ac t o r ,

K e m bl e at D r u ry L an e T h e at e r o n A p ri l 2 1 7 9 6 A f te r a vi si t t o
, , .

S t r at f o r d i n 1 7 9 4 I r e l an d h ad b e g un a s e ri e s o f f o rg e ri e s o f m o r tg ag e
d e e ds a t r an sc ri p t o f L e ar e x t r ac t f r o m H aml e t a n ew bl an k v e rs e
, ,
”
,
”
-

pl ay in S h ak sp e r e s h an dwri t i ng c all e d V o r t ig e r n and R o w e na

’
,
” “ ”
.

T h e analys i s o f t h i s p l ay le d t o a c o m p l e t e e xp o s u r e o f t h e f r au d
'

F o r a s at is f ac t o ry ac c o u nt se e J A F arr e r L i t e r ary F o rg e ri e s “ ”
. .
, ,

c h ap x iv. .

L amb s f ri e n d G e o rg e D y e r ( 1 7 55
’
24 7 n o t e G D . . H is H is
t o ry o f th e Un iv e rsi t y an d C o ll e g e s o f C ambri dg e was p u bl ish e d i n
”

t wo v o l u m e s i n 1 8 1 4 S e e a m o s t i n t e r e s t i ng c h ap t e r o n D y e r i n L u c as
.
,

L i f e o f L amb I 1 44 1 6 7 L am b c o nfe rr e d i m m o r tal i ty u p o n h i m in

” -
, , .

h i s e ss ays O x f o rd in th e V a c at i o n an d A m i c u s R e d iviv u s
,
” “
.

I n r e f e r e n c e t o t h e n u m b e r o f c o rr e c t i o n s i n t h e H i s t o ry L amb
”
,

c all e d D y e r C an c e ll ari u s M aj o r H az litt s e ss ay O n t h e L o o k o f a

”
.
’
,

G e nt l e m an sp e ak s o f D y e r as o n e o f G o d A l m igh ty s G e ntl e ’

men .
”
S e e W o rk s VII 2 1 9 —2 2 0 , , .

24 7 n o t e A not h er f r i end : L e igh H u nt S e e h i s e ss ay J ac k A bb o t s .

,
“ ’

B r e ak f as t
”
.

24 7 n o t e P eel’s co f fee h ou s e t h i s was o n e o f t h e c o ff e e h o u s e s o f t h e

-

J o h n s o n i an p e ri o d at N o s 1 7 7 1 7 8 F l e e t S t r e e t e as t c o r n e r o f F e tt e r
.
-
,

L an e H e r e was l o n g p r e s e rv e d a p o r t rai t o f D r J o h n s o n o n t h e k e y
. .
,

s to ne o f a c h i m ne y p i e c e s ai d t o h av e b e e n p ai nt e d by S ir J o sh u a
,

R e y n o l ds S e e T i mb s C l u b L i fe in L o n d o n p 36 1
”
.
, , . .

24 8 3 B uonapart e w as f ond of it : H az l i tt s ai d t h at t h i s was o n e

r e as o n why h e l i k e d N ap o l e o n .

248 1 6 We m ay ob se rv e of l at e a st rong cravi ng aft e r M emo irs : p er

h ap s a r e f e r e n c e t o W al t e r S av ag e L ando s I m agi ry C o n v e rs at i o n s
r n a
” ’
,

t h e fi rs t s e ri e s o f wh i c h app e ar e d i n 1 8 2 4 L an d o r b e g an t h e s e at .

F l o r e n c e wh e r e H az li t t in M ay 1 8 2 5 wr o t e t h i s e ss ay
, , , .

248 22 P et r arch and L au r a : P e t r arc h ( 1 304 t h e c e l e b r at e d

I tal i an p o e t an d h u m an i s t and f ri e n d o f D ante I t was not u n c o mm o n .

f o r p o e t s i n t h e M i d dl e A g e s t o ch o o s e s o m e l ady t o wh o m h o m ag e
m igh t b e p ai d in s o n n e t o r o t h e r lyri c p o e m s ; f o r e x am pl e P e t r arc h and ,

L au r a D an t e and B e at ri c e &c
, , .

248 23 A b el ar d and El o i s e : A b e l ard was a d is t i ng u i sh ed F r e n c h

s ch o l ar an d p r e c e p to r o f t h e tw e l f t h c e nt u ry O f h i s l o v e f o r H el oi s e
t h e abb e ss m
.
,

an y p o e m s h av e b e e n w ri tt e n
, E sp e ci ally w e l l k n o w n i s .

P o p e s p o e m T h e l e tte rs o f th e two l o v e rs h av e b e e n f r e q u e ntl y

’
.

p ri nte d .
38 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

25 2 3 3 Vol t aire s j e s t s
’
and
’
th e J ew s L etters : V o l t ai r e m ai ntai ne d
t h at th e J e ws w e r e t h e e n e mie s o f th e h u m an r ac e S e e CE u v re s ” .
“

( e di t e d by B au d o i n X X 39 6 4 55 D r P h i l ip le P anu p u bl i sh e d
, , , . .

i n 1 7 7 7 a t r an sl at i o n o f t h e A bb é G u én ée s L e tt r e s de c e r t ai n e s j u iv e s ’

a M V o l ta i r e
. .
”

25 3 2 R e nt and t h e Poo r Law s t h at was a s e e t hi n g t im e f o r t h e E ng

-

l i sh go v e r n m e n t an d t h e s e w e r e gr e at q u e s t i o n s I t was n o t u n t il 1 8 3 2
, .

t h at t h e N e w R e f o rm B ill b e c am e a law T h e N e w P o o r L aw was .

e n ac t e d in 1 8 4
3 .

25 3 5 Pas cal ’s Pro vinc ial L etters : P asc al ( 1 6 2 3 th e F r e n c h

g e o m e t ri c i an and p h il o s o ph e r w r o t e e igh t e e n l e tt e rs o v e r t h e n o m de
,

p l u m e L o u i s de M o ntalte p r o f e ss e dly t o a f ri e n d in t h e p r o v i n c e s
, , .

H e n c e t h e e p is t l e s are k n o w n as L e s P r o v i n c i al e s T h ey d e fe n d e d
”
.

t h e d o c t ri n e o f t h e P o r t R o y al m o n as t e ry ag ai n s t t h e J e s u i t s
-
.

L a P ri n c e ss e de C l ev e s a no v e l ( 1 6 7 7 )
”
25 3 7 Princ ess of Cleves : ,

by M ad am e de L a F ay e tt e d e al s wi t h t h e c o u r t o f H e n ry I I and M ary
,

S tu ar t .

25 3 32 fl occ i nauc i : se e S h e n s t o n e s L e tt e r X X I ( 1 7 4 1 )
’
-

F o r wh at e v e r th e w o rld mi g h t e s t e e m in p o o r S o m e rvill e I re ally fi n d t h at I ,

l o v e d him f o r n o thi ng so m u ch as his fl o c e i nau c i nihili pili fi c at io n o f m o n ey - - - -

.

S h e n s to n e s W o rks ( e d i t i o n o f
’

25 3 34 fl am es i n t h e f o r eh ead
“
L y c i d as
l 171 ,
”
. .

25 4 29 Co ndorc et ( 1 7 4 3 F r e n c h m at h e m at i c i an i n t e r e s t e d in ,

”
p o l i t i c al e c o n o my an d t h e o l o gy . See D ow d en F r e n c h L i t e r atu r e
,
“
,

P 255 ‘

C o nd o rc e t bri ng i ng t o g e th e r th e id e as o f e co no mist s and his to ri ans t race d ,

h man pro g re ss thro u g h th e p as t an d u tte re d ard e nt pro ph e ci e s o f h u m an p e r

u

f e c t ib i lity in t h e f u tu r e .

25 4 no t e This no te was o m i tt e d f r o m th e r e p ri nt in S k e t ch e s an d

E ss ays
”

25 5 7 The E nq uiry c o nc erning P o litic al J us tice :p u bl i sh e d in 1 7 9 3 .

25 5 21 “
B y H e av e n s I d ’
r ath e r be ”
: W o rd sw o r t h s s o nne t ’
,
“
T he
”
w o rl d i s m u c h wi t h u s
to o .

t r am pl e d u nder t h e h oo fs
”
: se e B u rk e R e fl e c ti o ns
“
25 6 2 “
, on th e

R e v o l u t i o n i n F r an c e ( e d i te d by P ay n e ) II 93 , , .

25 7 n o t e sent to Co ventry : se e N e w E ngl i sh D i c t i o n ary

:

s e nd ( a p e rs o n) t o C o ve nt ry ; t o e xcl u d e him fro m th e s o ci e ty o f which

To
h e is a m e mb e r o n acc o n t o f o b j e c t i o nabl e c o nd u c t ; t o r e f s e to ass o ci ate wi t h
u u

him .

See a l so N o tes and Qu eri es , n nt i h s e ri e s I V , ,

2 64,
33 5 .
 N O T ES 38 5
”
P art h i an
r et r eat : s e e S m i t h s C l ass i c al D i c t i o n ary ’
25 7 n o te

T h e P arthi an s w e re a v e ry warli k e p e o pl e an d w e r e e sp e ci ally c e l e brate d as ,

h o rs e arch e rs T h e ir tact ics b e c am e s o c e l e brate d as t o p ass i nto a pro v e rb

-
. .

T h e ir m ail cl ad h o rs e m e n spr e ad li k e a cl o u d r o u nd t h e h o s t il e army and p o u r e d

-
,

in a sh o we r o f d art s and t h e n e v ad e d an y cl o s e r c o nflic t by a rapid fli g h t d u ri ng

, ,

which th e y st ill sh o t th e ir arro ws b ac k u p on t h e e n e my .

25 7 n o te Qu een s
’
W ill i am H o ne s ( 1 7 8 0
M at rim onial L adde r : o ne o f
’

1 8 4 2 ) sq u ibs p u bl i sh e d i n 1 8 2 0 an d i ll u s t r at e d w i t h c u t s b y C r u i ksh an k .

Th e c o m p l e t e t i t l e was T h e Q u e e n s M at ri m o n i al L ad d e r a N at i o n al
’
,

T o y w i t h F o u r t e e n S t e p S c e n e s an d I ll u s t r at i o n s i n V e rs e
,
”
T h i s r e f e rs .

D i c t i o n ary o f N at i o nal B i o gr ap h y
”
t o Q u e e n C a r o l i ne Se e . f o r an
i nt e r e s t i ng ac c o u nt o f th e s to rm y l i f e o f H o ne .

ON D S I A G REE A B L E P EO P L E
This p ap e r fi rs t ap p e ar e d i n th e M 20 M o n th ly M agaz i n e f o r A u g u st ,

I t was r e p u b l ish e d i n S k e t c h e s an d E ss ays

”
1 827 . .

26 0 25 di s c ou r s e of reaso n ”
se e H aml e t
”
I i i 1 50 , , , .

26 1 33 Th om son ’s Cas t l e of I ndo l enc e c ant o i s tanz a 6 4 ,

.

26 4 15 sent to Co ventry : H az l i t t li k e s t o u s e t h i s p h r as e S ee p 2 57 . .

and n o t e .

264 22 “
into ou r h e art of h eart s ”
H aml e t ,
”
II I i i , , 78 .

’
26 4 27 t h at e nr ich t h e sh ops ”
: R o sc o m m o n
’
s t anr sl at i o n o f H o r ac e s
A rt of P o e t ry .
”

26 4 30 “
That bring t h eir au th o rs ” : th e s o u rc e of t h i s q u o tat i o n i s
un k no w n .

26 5 1 1 W al t on s ’
An g l er : T h e C o m pl e at
fi rs t ap p e ar e d in A ngl e r ”

1 6 5 3 ; it was gr e at ly a l t e r e d i n t h e s e c o n d e d i t i o n i n 1 6 5 5 E di t i o n s an d .

r e p ri nt s innu m e r abl e h av e b e e n p u bli sh e d s i n c e t h at t i m e .

Th at dall i e s T w e l f t h N igh t II i v 4 9 :
”
26 5 1 2 , , ,

A nd d alli e s wi th th e i nn o c e n c e of l o ve
L i ke t h e o ld age .

267 5 “
Wit at t h e h elm G r ay , T h e B ard ,
”
l 74. :

Y o u th on t he prow ,
an d P l as re at th e h e lm
e u .

”
26 7 1 2 a b utt, a c rco di ng t o t h e S p ec t ato r : se e
“
Sp e c t at o r , No .
47,
A p ri l 2 4, 1 71 1 , a p ap e r on l au gh t e r :
I m e an th o s e h o n e st g e ntl e m en th at are always exp o s e d t o th e wit and raill e ry
o f t h e ir w e ll wish e rs an d c o mp an i o n s ; t h at are p e l t e d by m e n w o m e n an d chil
-
,

dre n fri e n ds and fo e s and in a wo rd s t an d as b u t ts ” in c o nve rs at i o n f o r e v e ry

, , ,
“
,

o n e t o sh o o t at t h at pl e as e s .
38 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

26 8 1 de di c at ed hi s C ai n : C ai n A Mys t e ry was b e gu n o n J u l y 1 6 , ,

1 82 1 an d fi n i sh e d S e p t e m b e r 9 an d w as p u bl i sh e d i n D e c e mb e r
, , Th e .

p u bl i c at i o n o f t h e p o e m b r o u gh t f o r t h h o s t il e r e vi e ws and attac k s S c o tt
'

c o rd i ally ac c e p te d t h e d e d i c at i o n .

h ew y ou as a c arc as e J u l i u s C aes ar I I i 1 7 4 ”
27 0 4 “
, , , .

27 0 1 4 tempora mo llia f andi : f En e i d I V 2 9 3— 2 4 :

9 , ,

T he favo rabl e t im e s o r o cc asi o ns f o r sp e a ki g n .

27 0 32 “
N ot t o adm i r e Po p e , I m i t at i o n s o f H o r ac e ,
”
S i x t h Ep i s tl e
of th e F i rs t B o o k 11 1 —2 , . .

27 1 4 We st mi n st e r S ch oo l of R e f orm : t h e Wes t m i n s ter R ev i ew w as

e s t abli sh e d i n 1 8 2 3 by J e r e my B e nt h am ( 1 7 4 8 —1 8 2 ) an d o t h e rs This
3 .

p ap e r g av e a gr e at i m p e tu s t o R adi c al i sm t h r o u gh th e c o nt rib u t i o n o f
B o w ri n g t h e fi rs t e di t o r J am e s an d J o h n S tu ar t M i ll an d o t h e rs
, , , .

27 1 8 t h e S cot ch as a nat i on : s e e a v e ry u n c o m p l i m e nt ary e ss ay o n

,

T h e S c o t c h C h ar ac t e r by H az li tt p u bl i sh e d in t h e L i beral ( 1 8 2 2 )
“ ”
,

an d r e p u bli sh e d f o r t h e fi rs t t i m e i n W o rks X I I 2 5 3 2 59 L amb h ad , ,

-
.

s o m e t h i n g o f th e s am e av e rsi o n as e xp r e ss e d in h i s E l i a e ss ay I m ,

p e rf e c t S ym p at h i e s : I h av e b e e n t ryi n g all my l i f e t o l i k e S c o t c h
”

m en
,9
.

27 1 21 m il k of h u m an ki ndne s s M acb e t h ,
”
I v , , 1
5 .

ON A —
S UN D I A L

This p ap e r was fi rs t p u bl i sh e d in th e N ew M o n t/21y M aga z i n e O c t o ,

b e r 1 8 2 7 an d was r e p u bl i sh e d i n S k e t c h e s and E ss ays

, ,
It is
s ai d t o h av e b e e n wri tte n in 1 8 2 5 .

To carv e ou t di al s 3 H e n ry V I I I v 24 ”
27 4 1 , , , .

27 4 14 al ong t h e B r e nt a : o n h i s t ri p t o th e C o n t i n e n t ( A u g u st 1 8 24 , ,

t o O c t o b e r 1 8 2 5) H az l i tt w e nt t h r o u gh F r an c e an d I t aly
,
T h e r e fe r e n c e .

h e r e i s t o h i s t ri p f r o m P ad u a t o V e n i c e W o rks I X 2 6 6 , , ,
.

27 5 1 1 mo r al s on t h e t im e
“
A s Y o u L i k e I t II v i i 2 9
”
, , , .

’ ”
27 7 6 L A mo u r f ait passer : l o v e m ak e s t h e t i m e p ass wh i c h th e
“
,

w i t s t r av e s t i e d i nt o T i m e m ak e s l o v e p as s
How sw e et t h e m oonl i g h t M e rch an t o f V e n i c e V i 54
”
27 7 1 8 “
, , ,
.

27 8 22 t h e acco u nt g iv en b y R ou ss eau : p r o b ably t h e s t o ry t o l d i n

L e s C o n f e ss i o n s P a r t i e I I L iv X I”
, , . .

L e s C o n f e ssi o n s P ar t i e I L iv r e I :
”
27 8 30 A llo ns mo n fi ls
“ ”
, See , ,

C o m e my ,
so n , I am m o re a child th an y o u .

27 9 9 l end it bot h an u nde rs t andi ng H am l e t ,

”
I ii, , 2 50 .
38 8 S E L E CTI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

285 1 8 “
Th e sp rit i was w ill i ng M att h e w xxv i 4 1 , .

28 6 30 Video melio ra p ro b oq ue O vi d , “
m
M e ta o rp h s
o e s ”
VI I , , 20 . See
N o tes and Qu eri es , i h s e ri e s V 4 0
n nt , , .

28 7 29 Th e c
s ene b et w een t h e A bb ot : th e A bb o t P au l an d th e P o rt e r ,

i n S h e ri d an s
’
D u e nna ( I 7 7 5) .

288 3 o lla p o drida a Sp

i sh p h r as e m e an i ng l i t e r ally a r o tt e n p o t
an .
”

A fav o ri t e S p an ish d i sh c o n si s t i n g o f v ari o u s k i n ds o f m e at and v e ge

t abl e s ; h e n c e a h o dg e p o dg e I t is o f t e n m e nt i o n e d i n D o n Q u i x o t e
”
. .

288 1 0 F o r nari na : s e e ab o v e p 37 8 , . .

28 8 1 8 Who sh one all : T h o m s o n C as t l e o f I n d o l e n c e c ant o i

“ ” ”
,
“
, ,

s tanz a 6 9 .

28 9 3 1 rem ark s of L ord S h af t e s b u r y : s e e h i s Ch ar ac t e ri s t i c s

”
,

P ar t I s e c t i o n 2
, .

u po n t h i s b an k M acb e t h I v i i 6
”
290 1 0 , , , .

29 1 2 V all om b ro s a : P ar ad i s e L o s t 1 30 2 —303 :
”
, ,

T hic k mn al l e ave s th at s t ro w th e bro o ks

as au t u

In V all o mbro sa .

It is no w t h e s i te of an an c i e nt m o nas t e ry f o u n d e d in th e e e l v e n th
c e nt u ry .

29 1 3 Gr and Ch art r eu x : L a G r an d C h ar t r e u s e th e m o t h e r h o u s e o f ,

t h e o rd e r o f C art h u si an m o n ks i n s o u t h e r n F r an c e n e ar G r e n o bl e
, .

29 1 1 9 A t t h e f e as t of R am adan : t h e f e as t o f e l E ed— es S a h ee r (
g th e - -
“

m i n o r f e s t iv al ) i s a M o h am m e d an c e l e b r at i o n l as t i n g f o r t h r e e d ays
”

an d f o ll o wi n g t h e m o n t h o f R a m ad an .

29 2 1 5 m i gh ty c oil and pu dde r

“
K i n g L e ar ” I I I i i 5 0 , , , .

29 3 8 M en err : w i t h t h i s s e n t e n c e t h e fi rs t p ar t o f t h e e ss ay c o n c l u d e s .

29 4 1 4 F r ench b lac klegs : B l ac kl e gs i s o r igi nally t h e w o rd f o r tu r f

s wi n dl e r ; h e n c e g ambl e r .

29 5 9 M ani ch e an : at t h e c l o s e o f t h e t h i rd c e ntu ry th e t h r e e c h i e f
re l igi o u s sys t e m s w e r e Ch ri s t i a n N eo P la to n i s m an d M a n c h e i s m th e
'

-
, , i ,

l as t n am e d f o r M an i ( M a ut xa io s) I t was a d u al i s t i c and u n iv e rs al
-
.

r e l igi o n .

29 5 1 0 Gno s t ic t h e g n o s t i c s w e r e s e c t s wh i c h ar o s e i n t h e C h ris t i an

c h u rc h i n t h e fi rs t c e n t u ry T h e y h e l d t h at k n o wl e dg e r at h e r t h an fa i t h
.

was i m p o r tan t f o r s al v at i o n an d t h e y r e j e c t e d t h e l i t e r al i nt e rp r e tat i o n

,

o f t h e S c ri p t u r e s .

29 5 1 9 Er e i t e s and fri ars :

m P ar ad is e L o s t III 4 7 4 4 7 5
”
, ,
-
.

29 7 1 t h e v er y o ri g i n of t h e t e rm c ant : S e e N e w E n gl ish D i c t i o n ary :

,

P re s mably r pre s
u e s c ant si ng i ng
e nt s o ng -
us, ,
” “
,
”
ch an t ,
”
b u t th e d e tails of

th e d e riv at i o ns and d e v e l o pm e nt a e u nk no wn r .
 N O T ES 38 9

29 7 1 9 M r L ib e r al S nak e
. : inv e l by B e nV ivi an G rey,
”
th e fi rs t no

j am i n D i sr ae l i Earl o f B e ac o n s fi e ld ( 1 8 04
, T h e n o v e l h ad
ap p e a r e d i n 1 8 2 7 o n ly ab o u t a y e ar b e f o r e t h i s e ss ay was w ri t t e n
, .

T h i s was o ne o f t h e n o v e ls by a w ri t e r o f t h e so c all e d da n dy sc h o o l -
,

wh i c h i n cl u d e d D i s r ae l i B u lw e r L y tto n L i s t e r and T h e o d o r e H o o k
, , , .

29 7 20 M r Th eodor e Hoo k ( 1 7 8 8
. d r am at i s t an d n o v e l is t H e .

was f am o u s as a c o n v e rs at i o n al i s t an d i mp ro v i s ato re an d e d i t e d t h e
N ew M o n th ly M agaz i n e .

A F A REW EL L TO ES SA Y -
W R I TIN G
This p ap e r w as w ri tt e n at W i n t e rsl o w F e b ru ary 2 0 1 8 2 8 an d was , , ,

p u bl i sh e d in th e L o n do n Wieehly Rev i ew f o r t h e 29 t h o f M arc h 1 8 2 8 I t , .

w as p ri nt e d i n t h e W i n t e rsl o w v o l u m e 1 8 5 0 , .

T h i s li f e i s b est C ymb e l i n e III i i i 2 9

”
29 8 1 “
, , , .

29 8 2 F oo d w armt h s l e e p and a boo k : i n S t e v e n s o n s C e l e s t i al S u r ’

, , ,

g e o n we fi nd
I f m o rn i ng s k i e s ,

B o o k s an d my f o o d and s u mm e r rai n ,

K n o c k e d o n my s u lle n h e art in v ai n .

29 8 3 u ltima thu le : T h u l e was t h e

m e giv e n by th e an c i e nt s to th e na

m o s t n o rt h e r n c o u nt ry w i t h wh i c h t h e y w e r e acq u ai nte d H e n c e th e .

R o m ans c all e d it u lt z nza Th u le t h e f art h e s t T h u l e

'
“ ”
,
.

A f ri end i n y ou r retreat C o wp e r R e t i r e m e nt 11 7 4 1 7 4 2
” ” “
29 8 5 , , .
-
.

done it s s p iri t i ng g ent l y ” T e m p e st I i i 2 99 ”

29 8 1 3 “
, , , .

t h e sp ri ng c o m e s sl o wl y C o l e ri dg e C h ri s tab e l P ar t I ”
29 8 26 “
, , .

fi e l ds are dan k M il t o n S o nn e t t o L awr e n c e

”
29 8 27 “
1 2
, , . .

299 15 l ef t it s l i tt l e l i f e in air
“
P o p e \V indso r F o r e s t 11 1 33 , ,
”
.

1 34
Of t m o u nt i ng l ark s th e ir n o te s pre p are
as t h e

T h ey f all an d l e av e t h e ir l i tt l e liv e s in air .

299 25 peep t h rou gh k et M acb e t h

t h e b l anI v 51 ,
”
, ,

Nor h av n p e p thr g h th blan k t f th d rk

e e e ou e e o e a .

300 1 0 c e ll s
ope n all the C o wp e r , T h e T ask ,
”
VI , 1 1- 1 2 .

300 1 8 T h eodor e and Honori a : a s t o ry w h i c h D ry d e n p ar aph r as e d f r o m

B o c c ac c i o .

300 22 “
Of all th e ci t i e s ”
T h eo d o re an d H o no ri a,
”
11 . 1 —2 .

3 00 3 2 Whi ch wh en Hono ri a ib i d ll . .

34 2 -
343 .

A nd m ade t h D ryd e n S igi s m o n d a G u i s c ard o ,

’ ” ”
3 01 1 ins u lt , an d

D ry d e n s l i ne s
’
11 6 6 8 6 69
.
- . are :

A nd m ad e th
’
i ns u l t which,
in his g if t app e ars .
39 0 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZLITT

301 1 2 I m u ch pl eas ed t h i s s e nt e n c e was o m i tt e d f r o m th e W i nt e r

am

sl o w e di t i o n an d s e v e r al o t h e r r e p ri n t s .

1
30 29 F al l ’“
n w as Gle art ny s s t at el y t r ee
n
’
f r o m th e l as t s t anz a
o f S c o tt s G le n fi nlas o r L o rd R o n al d s C o r o nac h
’ ’ ”
, .

302 1 2 M r Gi ff o rd : s e e t h e c o nt r o v e rsy b e t w e e n G i ff o rd an d H az l i tt
. .

T h e s e n t e n c e i s q u o t e d in fu ll by H az l i t t i n h i s ar t i cl e o n G i ff o rd in
th e S p i ri t o f t h e A ge

I t was am u si n g t o s e e t his p e rs o n si tt i n g li k e o n e o f B r o we r ’s D u t ch b o o rs
,

o ve r his gin and t o b acc o pip e s an d f an cyi ng hims e lf a L e ib n i tz

-
,
.

302 1 7 I am rat h er di s appoi nt ed : t h i s s e nt e n c e was o m i tte d f r o m th e

W i nt e rsl o w r e p ri nt .

3 03 4 t h e admir ed of all ob serv e r s

“
H am l e t
”
II I i 162 , , , .

3 03 1 4 Wh at I h av e h ere s t at ed t h e p ass ag e b e gi n n i n g wi t h t h i s p ar a
”
gr ap h an d r e ac h i n g t o c o n c e r n i n g c e r tai n p r e j u d i c e s p 304 h as
“
, .
,

b e e n l e f t o u t o f t h e W i nte rsl o w e d i t i o n .

304 1 2 pl eas ant Co m pani on ” L e igh H u n t .

304 1 7 A u t Ccesar aut nullus : o ld L at i n p r o v e rb E i t h e r C ae s ar o r ,

I n H az lit t s e ss ay S h o u l d A c t o rs S i t i n B o x e s h e w ri t e s
” ’ ”
no o ne .
, , ,

T h e m o tto o a gr e at a c t o r sh o u l d b e A u t Ca s a r a t n ih i l
”
“
f u , See .

Su eto n i u s I 7 9 , , .

304 30 L p r o b ab ly L amb .

305 6 M r Go dwi n wri t i ng t o M r W or ds wort h L amb h as t o l d th e s t o r y

. .

o f t h e p r o d u c t i o n an d f a il u r e o f t h i s pl ay w ri t t e n by G o dwi n E v e ry o n e .

i n t e r e s t e d in t h e p e o pl e o f t h at t i m e sh o u l d r e ad h i s ac c o u nt in h i s
T h e O ld A c t o rs Th e A nt o n i o
”
e ss ay i n t h e L o n do n M agaz i n e o n .

was p e r f o rm e d at D r u ry L an e D e c e mb e r 1 3 1 8 00 , ,
.

305 1 5 A ri s t ot l es sitt i ng i n j u dg m ent : t h e r e was m u c h d i s ap p r o v al o f

t h e d r am at i c i nn o v at i o n s o f E u ri p i d e s S e e A ri s t o t l e s P o e t i cs ” ’
.
, .

N or c a I t hi k : D r de n T h e H i n d an d t h e P ant h e r
” “ ”
305 21 “
n n
y , ,

I , 31 5.

3 05 26 A t t h e t i m e I l i v ed h e r e f orm e rl y : s e e I nt r o d u c t i o n p xxi i i , . .

H az l i t t h ad g o n e f r o m L o n d o n t o W i nt e rsl o w i m m e d i at e ly af t e r h i s
m arri ag e in 1 8 08 an d l iv e d t h e r e t ill 1 8 1 2 wh e n h e r e tu r n e d to L o n d o n
,
.

305 32 C h au c e r ’s F lo wer and L eaf : t h is p o e m i s n o l o n g e r att rib u t e d

t o C h au c e r I n h i s l e c tu r e o n C h au c e r an d S p e n s e r H az l i tt sh o w e d a
.
,

sp e c i al l i ki n g f o r t h i s p o e m an d q u o t e d f r o m i t at l e ng th S e e W o rks V .
, ,

27 seq W i t h l i tt l e s u c c e ss D ry d e n m ad e t h i s p o e m o v e r i nto h e r o i c
.

c o u pl e t s .

306 9 I u s ed t o w al k o u t at t hi s t im e : t h i s r e f e rs t o o n e o f t h e vi si t s
o f t h e L am b s t o W i nt e rsl o w p e rh ap s t o t h at o n e m ad e i n 1 8 09 o f wh i c h
,

L amb w ri t e s i n h i s l e tt e r t o C o l e ridg e O c t o b e r 30 1 8 0 9 :
, ,
39 2 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

31 1 2 t r ou b l e de af Heav en S h ak sp e r e , S o nn e t X X X I .

31 1 6 m o r ali s e ou r co m pl ai nt s ” “
As Y o u L i k e I t, I I i 44
”
, , .

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3 1 3 7 M et ast as i o P i et ro ( ass u m e d
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3 1 4 25 W e s e e t h e chi l dren W o rdsw o r t h I nt i m at i o n s o f I m m o r ,

t al i t y 11 1 7 0—
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H e n ry F i e l d i n g .

3 1 5 3 P aul Clif f ord : a n o v e l b y B u lw e r L y tt o n ( I 8o 3 1 8 7 p u bl i sh e d

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, .

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3 1 5 23 Th e t ru e pat ho s Bu r ns E p i s t l e t o D r B l ac kl o c k , . .
 IN DEX

A bd i c at i o n 3 2 , , 326 B o l i n gb r o k e , H en ry St . John , 1 40,

A bi ng to n M rs , .
, 2 09 , 37 3 j
A c a de my f Co mp li m en ts , 5 , 3 1 8
o B o u d o n e , G i o t t o d1, 2 2 5 , 3 7 8
A ch ill e s , 3 2 7 B o rgi a L u c r e t i a, 2 2 5 , 3 7 8
,

A c qu a i n ta n c e w i t/z P o ets , fl ly F i rs t, B o sw e l l , J am e s , 2 4 , 2 5 , 2 1 4 , 2 1 8
B r o o k , L o rd , 2 2 2 , 37 7
A ddi s o n J o s e p h
, , 1 7, 1 8, 1 9, 2 2, 2 7 , B r o w n e , T h o m as , 1 5 9 , 2 1 3 , 2 2 8 ,
379
A d e l ph i T h e at r e , 2 5 1 , 38 3 B ru sc am b ille , 9 6 , 3 4 1
A dv en tu rer, 7 72e, 2 6 , 1 0 2 , 3 2 5 B u ff am alc o , 1 9 4 , 3 6 8
f Es c h y lu s , 2 5 1 B u ny an , J o h n , 5 1 , 2 2 1
’
z Es op s F a b /es , 1 8 B u r/te e, C/z a raete r of fl i n , 2 9 , 3o , 3 1 ,
A nas t asi u s 9 4 34 1 , , 326
A ng e l o M i c h ae l 5 7 8 9 2 2 5 3 7 8
, , , , , B u rk e , E d m u n d , xv , xv i 2 1 , 2 5 , 33 ,
,

A n g e rs t e i n J o h n J u l i u s 1 1 4 3 49
, , , 4 2 , 5 3 , 1 0 3 , 1 0 5 , 1 08 , 1 1 5 , 1 8 1 ,
A r am Eu g e n e 2 2 3 3 7 7
, , ,

A r e t i ne 7 3 2 1 7 333
, , , B u r n e y , C ap t ai n J am e s xv i , , 2 1 8,

A ri o s t o 3 1 7 2 2 1 7 3 2 7 333 37 5
, , , , , , 37 5
A ris to tl e 1 1 2 4 6
, , B u r n s , R o b e r t, 6 8 , 1 4 0 , 2 2 4 , 3 7 7
A u s t e rl i tz 9 2 340 , , B u r t o n , R o b e r t , 1 4 9 , 3 58
A y rt o n, W i lli am , 2 1 2,
37 4 B u t l e r , J o s e ph , 1 8 4 , 2 2 3 , 3 6 6
B u t t , a, 2 6 7 , 38 5
B ac o n, F r an c i s , 58 6 3 , , 2 23, B yr o n , L o rd , 2 0 6 , 2 0 7 , 2 4 7 )
53
’ I

3 28
B all ant y n e p r e ss , 9 7 , 3 4 2
B ann i s t e r , J o h n, 2 08 , 3 7 2 Ca m i /la , 1 6 9 , 3 6 1
B a r ry , S p r an g e r , 2 2 1 , 3 7 6 C a n al e t t i , A
n t o n i o , 1 33 , 3 5 4
Bar t h o l o m e w - F ai r , 2 03 , 3 7 1 s t a n d H y p oc ri sy , 28
5 38 7 ,

B e au T ibb s , 2 7 3 2 5
, , C ar ac c i , t h e , 1 1 3 , 3 4 9
B e au cl e rc , T o p h am , 2 5 , 3 2 4 C as t igl i o n e , G i o v an n i , 7 3 , 3 3 3
B e au m o nt , 5 8 , 5 9 , 1 06 , 2 2 2 , 3 3 2 C av e n d i sh , M ar gar e t , D u c h e ss o f
f
B e d o rd , D u k e o f , 1 0 5 N e wc as t l e , 3 7 8
ff
B e g u m a ai rs , 3 2 , 3 2 7 C h al m e rs , D r , 4 6 , 3 2 9
.

B e rk e l e y , xv i , 9 9 , 1 8 4 , 36 6 C h ant ry , F r an c i s , 1 2 1 , 1 9 0 , 3 5 1 ,

B e tt e r t o n , T h o m as , 1 6 , 3 2 2 36 7
B ibl e , t h e , 5 3 , 6 7 , 68 C h ap m an, G e o rg e 59 , 6 6 , 7 2 , 3 3 2 ,
,

ff
B i ck e rs t a , I s aa c , 1 4 ,
B l ac kl e gs , 2 9 4 388
i 33
, i
C l at t e rto n T h o m as , 2 2 4 3 7 7
, ,

B l ac kw o o d , W ill i am , 1 9 2 , 3 6 8 C h au c e r G e o f f r e y , 5 o , 5 1
, , 1 8 3,
B l e n h e i m 1 1 4 , 349,

B o c c a c c i o , xv i , 1 2 , 5 1 , 7 3 , 7 6 , 2 1 7 , C h e s te r, J o h n , 1 9 2 1 9 5 ,

C h u bb s T r ac t s , 9 8 , 3 4 2
’
300 : 33 5 ’ 3 4 5 : 3 7 5
39 3
39 4 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

C i m ab u e , G i o v ann i , 2 2 5 , 2 2 7 , 3 7 8 D o m e n i c h i n o , 1 9 2 , 368
C l ar e n d o n ( E dw ard H y d e ) , 1 06 , D o n Qu ix o te , xv i , 1 06 , 1 36 ,
346 D o nne , D r , 2 1 4 , 3 7 4
.

C l au d e L o rr ai n, 4 7 , 6 2 , 8 6 , 1 1 3,
C l iv e , M rs , 2 2 1 , 3 7 6
. D r u m m o n d , W ill i am , 2 2 3 , 3 7 7
C o bb e t t, W i lli am , 1 5 8 , I 6 4
C o c k n e y , 1 38 , 2 0 2 , 3 5 5, 37 1
C o k e , E dw ard , 5 8 , 33 2
C o l e ridg e , S am u e l T ayl o r , i x , xv i ,
33, 1 0 2 , 1 0 5 , 1 7 6, 1 7 7 ,
1 7 9 , 1 8 1 , 1 8 2 , 1 8 3 , 1 8 7 , 1 88 , 1 8 9 ,
D o w, G e r ard , 8 8 , 339
D r ak e , F r an c i s , 5 8 , 33 2
D ru ry L ane , 1 9 6 , 1 99 , 2 5 2 , 3 7 0
D ryd e n , 5 1 , 300 , 30 1 , 306 , 38 9
D u B art as , 7 3 , 33 4
D u r fe y , T o m , 1 6 , 3 2 2
D y e r , G e o rg e , 2 4 7 , 38 2

E br o s t e m p e r , th e ,
’
1 9 2 , 1 93 , 1 9 4 , 1 9 5 , 1 9 6 , 2 4,
324
E di n b u rg/z Rev i ew , 1 38 , 2 44, 2
53,
C o ll i n s , W i l li am , 4 3 , 39 1 355
C o l m an , G e o rg e , 3 54 E dw ards , J o n at h an , 2 2 3 , 3 7 7
C o n d o rc e t , 2 5 4 , 38 4 ff
E e n di , 2 3 2 , 3 8 0
C o ngr e v e , W i ll i am , xv i , 20 6 E li z a b etna n L i te ra tu re, On , 58 , 33 1
Co n n o i s s eu r, t h e , 2 6 , 1 0 2 , 3 2 5 E ll is to n , R o b e r t W illi am , 1 9 6 , 3 68
C o o k e s p o c k e t-e d i t i o n, 9 7 , 3 4 2 E m e ry , J o h n , 2 08 , 3 7 2
’

C o r n b u ry , L o rd , 2 1 9 , 3 7 6 E r asm u s , 1 5 9 , 3 5 9
C o rr e ggi o , An t o n i o , 9 0, 9 2 , 2 2 5 , E s t c o u r t, W ill , 1 6 , 33 2
E u p h u i sm , 2 5 2 , 38 3
C o ry at e , T h o m as , 1 59
C o tt o n , C h arl e s , 1 3 F a m i li a r S ty le, On , 1 5 5 , 3 5 8
C o u rt o f H o no r, 3 2 3. F a rew ell to E s s ay Wri t i ng, A , 298,

C o v e nt G ard e n , 1 99 , 3 7 0 38 9
C o v e nt ry , s e nt t o , 2 5 7 , 2 6 4 , 38 4 , F arq u h ar , G e o rg e , xvi , 1 03, 34 5 ,
38 5 37 6
C o wl e y , A br ah am , 1 3 , 2 2 2 , 3 2 0 F arr e n , E l i z ab e t h , 2 0 8 , 3 7 2
C o wp e r , W i ll i am , 1 6 2 , 1 9 4 , 3 5 7 , F au x , G u y , 2 1 2 , 3 7 4
F aw c e tt , J o s e ph , 2 30, 3 7 9
A d m i r abl e , 2 2 3, 37 7 F ea r of D ea t/z , 0u t/z e , 1 1 5 , 3 49
C r o w n T h e I r o n , 1 1 4 , 3 49
, F eeli ng, M a n of , 2 8
C u rl ( E d m u n d C u rll ) , 2 8 5 , 38 7 F eeli ng of I m m o rta li ty i n Yo u t/z ,
O n M e, 2 2 8 , 3 7 9
F e nt o n , L av i n i a, 2 2 4 , 3 7 7
F i e l d , B arr o n , 2 2 1 , 3 7 6
’
D A rb lay , I 6 9 , 36 2
D avy , S ir H u m p h ry , 344 F i e l di ng , H e n ry , xvi , 1 9 4 , 2 0 5 , 2 2 0,
D ea l/z , 0u t/z e F ea r of , 1 1 5 , 349 2 33 ; A m eli a , 3 0 6 , 39 1 To m
f
D e o e , R o b i n s o n Cr us oe , 5 1 , 5 2 , j o n es , 3 4 1 , 3 6 6 , 39 2
F l e t ch e r , J o h n, 5 8 , 59 , 66 , 7 6 , 7 7 ,
D e kk e r , T h o m as , 59 , 6 6 , 7 1 , 7 9 ,
F o r n ari na, 2 2 5 , 2 88 , 3 7 8 , 388
F o r t u n atu s s W i sh i n g C ap, 9 6 , 3 4 1
’
D elp /z z u e , 9 4 , 3 4 1
'

D e Q u i n c e y , T h o m as , xxi F r o i ss ar t, J e an , 1 06 , 1 9 8 3 4 6 , 3 69
.

D i s agreea ble P eop le , O n , 2 59 , 38 5 F u ll e r , T h o m as , 1 0 6 , 1 5 9 , 34 7

D is r ae l i , 38 9 F u s e li , 1 9 , 8 9 , 2 5 2 , 3 3 3 ’ 339
D o dd , W i lli am , 2 08 , 3 7 2
D o dd i ng to n , G e o rg e B u bb , 1 39 , G arri c k , D av i d , 2 5, 1 1 5, 221 , 2 22,

3 56
39 6 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LITT

J e n ki n s , Mr , . 1 76 M ac ki n t o sh , J am e s , 181 , 1 82, 36 5
J o h ns o n , S am u e l , 2 0, 2 1 , 2 2, [ Va n of F eeli ng 2’8 3 2 6 , ,

2 6, 64, 1 02, 1 04 , 1 1 5 , 1 2
5, 1
56, M an o
f M e I/Vo rla 2 8 3 2 6
, ,

324 , M an d e vi ll e , B e r n ard de , 2 6 5 , 3 2 0
M an i ch e an 2 9 5 3 8 8 , ,

J o ns o n , B e n , 58 , 5 9 , 6 6 , 7 2 , 2 08 , M an sfi e ld L o rd , 2 1 9 , 3 7 6
,

M arlb o r o u g h , D u k e o f , 1 6 , 3 2 2
j o u rn e
y , 0u Go i ng a, 1 6 3, 3 59 M ar l o w e , C h ri s t o p h e r , 59 6 6 7 6 , , ,

J u l iu s P, o p e , 89

J u n i u s xvi , , 1 04 , 1 9 4, 2 5 5, 34 6 M ars M ad e m o i s e ll e 2 09 3 7 3
, , ,

M ars t o n J o h n 5 9 6 6 33 2
, , , ,

K ant , 2 4 6 , 3 8 1 M arv ill e V ign u e l de , 1 1 0 3 4 8

, ,

K e an , E dm u n d , xlvi 8 3 1 8 , , M eri y E ngla n d 1 9 7 , 3 6 9 ,

K e at s , J o h n, xxxi , 1 0 1 , 1 3 9 , 3 5 3 , M e t as t asi o 3 1 3 39 2 , ,

355 M i d dl e t o n T h o m as 59 6 6 33 2
, , , ,

K e mbl e , J o h n P h il i p , 7 , 8 , 3 1 8 M ill ar A n dr e w 9 4 3 4 1
, , ,

K i ng , T h o m as , 2 08 , 3 7 2 M il t o n J o h n xv i 2 2 2 4 4 8 6 5
, , , , , , ,

K n e ll e r , G o d r e y , 9 4 , 2 1 3 , 34 1 ,f 68 , 3
10 , 1 04 , 1 08 , 1 35 , 1 4 0, 1 9 4,

37 4 312
M i ne rv a p r e ss 9 7 34 2 , ,

L a F o nt ai n e , 2 2 6 M i rro r t h e 2 7 3 2 6
, , ,

L amb , C h arl e s , i x , xi x xxi i xxxi x

, , , M i tr e th e 2 5
, ,

M o l i er e J e an B ap t is t e , 3 6 ,
, 2 06 ,

36 1 1
gg
27

38 2 , 39 0 , 39 1 ; R o s a m o n d Gray , M n ta u, L ady M ary W o rt l ey ,

2 20, 2
32 ,
2
33 , 3 7 6 , 38 0
L amb M ary , xxi v , xl iv , 3 7 8
, M o nt ai g n e , M i ch e l , 1 0, 1 2 , 1 3, 21 ,

L an g t o n , B e n n e t , 2 5 , 3 2 4
L a Ro e/2e, 2 7 , 3 2 6 M o o r e E dw ard , 4 2 , 3 2 8
,

L au d e r , W i ll i a m 2 4 , 3 2 4 , M o o r e , T h o m as , 2 33 3 0 1 , 38 0 ,

L au d e rd al e , E arl o f , 1 0 5 , 34 6 M o rg an L ady 9 4 3 4 1, , ,

L aw r e n c e , T h o m as , 2 5 2 M u n d e n J o s e p h 2 08 , 3 7 2
, ,

L e F e vr e , 2 7 , 3 2 6 M u ril l o , 1 7 8 3 6 4 ,

L e ib n i tz , G o tt fri e d , 2 2 3 M u rr ay , M r , 1 8 6 .

L e ly , P e te r, 2 5 1

L e o n ard o da V
i n c i , 9 0, 2 2 5 , 339 , N ap o l e o n, 1 03 , 1 3 1 , 3 4 5 , 349 3 5 3 , ,

37 9 38 2
L e wis , M o n k , 1 9 0 , 2 08 , 3 6 7 N e w to n, I s aac , 2 0, 2 1 2, 21 3, 232,

L i ll o , G e o rg e , 4 2 , 3 2 8
i
24

L i lly , M r , 1 6 , 3 2 2 . N i h o ls o n , W i lli am , 1 30 , 3 5 3
L i s t o n , J o h n , 2 0 7 , 2 09 N i n o n de L E n c lo s , 2 2 6 , 3 7 8
’

N o r t h , T h o m as , 2 , 3 3 3
’
L i v i ng to O n e s S elf , On , 1 2 7 , 3 5 2 -
.

L o ck e , J o h n , 9 9 , 2 1 2 , 2 1 3 , 2 2 4 , N o r t h c o t e , J a m e s , 8 9 , 3 39
343
g
L o n i n u s , 2 5 2 , 38 3 O l dfi e l d , M rs , 1 6 , 3 2 .
)
t
»

L o rd M ay o r , t h e , 3 6 , 4 3 , 3 2 7 O ll a p o d ri d a, 2 8 8 , 388
L o u nge r, t h e , 2 7 , 3 2 6 O pi e , J o h n , 8 9 , 339
L u c an , 2 4 8 , 3 8 3 O ssi an , 5 3, 5 7 , 2 4 7 , 33 1
O tw ay , T h o m a s , 6 6 , 2 2 4 , 28 2, 37 7 ;
M ac h i av e ll i N i c c o l o 7 3 333 , , , Ve n ic e P l esei v eel, 33 2 '

M ac k e n z i e H e n ry 1 03 3 2 6 , , , O vi d , 1 2 , 333
 IN DEX

P al e y W ill i am 1 8 5 36 6
, , , R e y n o l ds , S ir J o sh u a , 57, 87 , 91 ,

P ai ne T o m 1 8 4 3 6 6
, , , 22 1 ,

P ars o n s W i lli a m 2 08 37 2
, , , 347
P asc al 2 5 3 38 4
, , R e y n o l ds , M rs , 2 1 8 , 3 7 6 .

Pa s t an d F ut u re, On t/z e , 1 4 2, R i c h ards o n , J o nat h an , 8 9 , 3 39

35 6 R i c h a rds o n , S am u e l , xv i , 2 , 1 0 3,
Pa u l a n d Vi rgi n i a , x vn, I 69 , I 87,
3 6 1 ’ 36 7 R i c km a n , J o h n , xv i
P e e l s c o ff e e h o u s e
’
-
, 247 , 38 2 Rif ac c i m e n t o s, 9 5 , 3 4 1
Peop le, O n D i s agreea ble , 5 38 5
2 9, R o b i n s o n, C r abb , xv i , x v n, x x v u ,

P e ri o dic a l E s s ay i s ts , O n t/z e, 9 , 3 1 9 xxx

Pe rs i a n L etters , 2 6 , 3 2 5 R o b i n s o n L o n g 2 00 3 7 0
, , ,

P ers o n s o n e w o u ld I/Vi s /z to lz a v e R o ch e f o u c au l d xv i 2 2 6 , ,

S een , Of , 2 1 2 , 3 7 3 R o n s ard P i e rr e de 7 3 334

, , ,

P e t r arch , 7 3 , 2 4 8 , 3 7 5 , 38 2 R o s a S alv at o r 33 3 2 6
, , ,

P h ill i p s , E , 2 2 0, 3 7 6 . R o ssi n i 2 2 3 8 3 , ,

P h il o c t e te s 5 1 330 , , R o u b ign é, 28, 326

P i e c e s o f e igh t 1 58 , , 3 58 R o u ss e au , J e an J acq u e s xv i , , 99,
P l at o 37 2 4 6 3 2 8
, , , 33, 1

Pleas u re of P a i n ti ng, On t/z e, 8 2 , 2 2 6 , 2 7 8 , 3 4 3, 3 0

5 , 36 0,
33 6
P o et ry i n Gen e ra l, On , 3 5 , 3 2 7 Ro w e , M r , 1 7 5 , 1 7 6 , 3 6 3.

P o e t s - C o r ne r , t h e , 1 3 2 R o wl e y , W ill i a m , 5 9 , 3 3 2
’

P o ets , [ My F i rs t A c gu a i n ta n c e w i t/z , R o y al E xc h an g e , 1 9 , 3 2 3
I 7 , 363
S Ru b ens, 1 1 2, 235

P o o l e , T o m , 1 9 1 , 36 7

P o pe, A
l e x an d e r , 1 1 , 1 6 , 4 3 , 50, S adl e r s W e ll s , 2 5 1 , 38 3
’

S t N e o t s, 1 69 , 36 1
’
1 02 , 1 5 3, .

37 5 S atu r nal i an li c e n c e , 7 8 , 3 3 6
P o p e M i ss 2 08
, , S ar t o , A
n d r e a de l, 9 0 , 339
P o u ssi n G asp e r , , 1 9 2, 36 8 S c h i ll e r , 9 0, 1 0 1 , 1 2 0 ,
’
P o u ss i n , A ic o las , O n l
a L a n dsc ap e
fl
0 1 07 , 34 6 S c o tt , i x, 94, 1 9 2, 242, 2 4 5, 268 ,

P ri t ch ard , M rs , 22 1 , 37 6
S even Ch a mp i o n s , 1 8 , 3 - 3
Qu a rte’rly Rev i ew 1 38 2 5 3 3 5 5 , , , f
S h a t e sb u ry , L o rd , 1 3 , 9 1 , 289 ,

Qu een s M a tri m o n i a l L adder 2 5 7

'

-
, ,

38 5 S h ak e s p e ar e , 4 2 , 5 0 , 53 , 58 , 59 ,

Q u i n J am e s
, , 22 1 , 37 6
1 02 , 1 38, 1 4 0, 21
3, 2 2 2,

R ab e l ai s , 2 06 , 2 2 6 , 39 1 2 2 , 2 4 7 , 2 50 ,

R ad cli e , M rs ff nn e , 9 7 ,
34 2 . A 2
94
R al e igh , S i r W al t e r , 5 8
.

S h e ll e y , P
e rcy B yssh e , 2 6 7

R ap h ae l , 1 1 1 , 1 1 , 1 4, 2 2 ,
3 9 5 S h e n s t o n e , W i ll i am , 1 3 6 , 2 53 , 3 5 4 ,
2 88 , 2 9 4 ; t h e Ca r
2
33, 38 4
to o n s , 1 9 , 323 S h e ri d an , R i c h ard B ri n sl e y , 2 8 7 ,
Rea di ng N ew B oo ks , O n , 2 2,
38 1 388
Rea di ng O ld B o o l s , O n e
, 3 40 S h i p p e n , W i ll i a m , 1 1 , 3 1 9
R e m br an d t, 4 6 , 8 5 , 9 2, 1 1
3, S ic k C/z a m b er 7 71 e, 308 39 1 , ,

P
S id ne y , S ir h il i p , 5 8 , 7 7 , 1 8 5 , 2 1 3 ,

Ret u r ne f ro m P a rn a ss u s , 7 8 , 33 6
 39 8 S E L E C TI O N S FR O M H AZ LI TT

S i m m o n s , 2 08 T h u cydi d e s 1 0 6 , 3 4 7 ,

S k e fli n gt o n , H r bl e
o no u a Mr .
, 9 2, T i lb u ry , A , 1 6 3 , 3 60 .

3 40 T i t i an, 4 7 , 6 2 , 9 0 , 1 1 3 , 21 7, 22
5,
S m i t h , A d am , 1 7 9 340
S m o ll e tt , T o bi as , xv i , 34 1 , 3 7 2 T o o k e, H o rne , 2 2 3
S n ak e , M r L i b e r al , 2 9 7 , 38 9
. T r u m p e t, t h e , 1 5 , 3 2 1
S o p h o cl e s , 35 1 Tu c k e r, A
b r ah am , x xi i i , 9 1 , 1 22,
S o u t h , R o b e r t, 1 8 4 , 3 6 5 3 4 0 ’ 3 SI
S o u t h e y , i x , xxi i , 1 8 6 , 1 9 0 , 1 9 6 T u r e n n e , M arsh all , 1 6 , 3 2 2
Sp ec ta to r, t h e , 1 4 , 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 9 , 2 0,

Ug o l i n o , C o u n t , 5 7 , 33 1
S p e n c e , J o s e p h , 1 5 3, 3 5 7
S p e n s e r , E d m u n d , 48 , 5 8 , 7 4 , 2 1 7 , V anb ru gh J o h n 1 6 3 2 2 , , ,

31 4 V an dyk e 2 2 5 2 5 1 , ,

ff
S t a o rd M a rq u i s o f , 1 1 4
, V e l asq u ez 1 7 8 36 4 , ,

S t e e l e , R i c h ard , 1 4 , 1 7 , 1 8 , 1 9 , 2 2 V i rgil 1 2 1 4 1 333

, , ,

S t e e n , J an , 8 8 , 339 V o l tai r e 2 5 2 2 9 1 38 4 , , ,

S t e r n e , L au r e n c e , 2 7 , 1 1 5 , 1 4 2 ,
W al t o n I z aac 2 0 2 , , , 26
5 , 38 5
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