Herespectsmyresponsibilitynoless——thoughherespectsitlessexplicitly——thanIdohis。Whatheallowsmewouldnotbegrantedbyameanermaster。Ifhedoesnotholdhimselfboundtoprovehisowntruth，hereturnsthanksformytrust。Itisasthoughheusedhiscountrymen’scourteoushyperboleandcalledhishousemyown。
Inasenseofthemostnoblehostshiphedoesmethehonoursofhispicture。
BecauseImpressionismissofree，thereforeisitdoublybound。
Becausethereisnonetoarraignit，itisathousandtimesresponsible。Toundertakethisartforthesakeofitsprivilegeswithoutconfessingitsobligations——oratleastwithoutconfessingthemuptothepointofhonour——istotakeavulgarfreedom：toseeimmunitiespreciselywherethereareduties，andanadvantagewherethereisabond。AverymobofmenhavetakenImpressionismuponthemselvesinthisourlaterday。Itisagainstallprobabilitiesthatmorethanafewamongthesehavewithinthemthepointofhonour。Intheirgallerieswearebesetwithadimdistrust。Andtodistrustismorehumiliatingthantobedistrusted。Howmanyoftheselandscape-painters，deliberatelyrash，arepaintingthetruthoftheirownimpressions？Anethicalquestionastoloyaltyiseasilyanswered；truthandfalsehoodastofactare，happilyfortheintelligenceofthecommonconscience，nothardtodivide。ButwhentheDUBIUMconcernsnotfactbutartistictruth，canthemanybesurethattheirsensitiveness，theircandour，theirscruple，theirdelicateequipoiseofperceptions，thevigilanceoftheirapprehension，areenough？NowImpressionistsoflatehavetoldusthingsastotheirimpressions——astotheeffectofthingsuponthetemperamentofthismananduponthemoodofthat——whichshouldnotbeassertedexceptontheartisticpointofhonour。Themajoritycantellordinarytruth，buttheyshouldnottrustthemselvesfortruthextraordinary。Theycanfacethegeneraljudgment，buttheyshouldhesitatetoproduceworkthatappealstothelastjudgment，whichisthejudgmentwithin。Thereistoomuchreasontodivinethatacertainnumberofthosewhoaspiretoderivefromthegreatestofmastershavenotemperamentsworthspeakingof，nopointofviewworthseizing，novigilanceworthawaiting，nomoodworthwaylaying。Andtobe，departipris，anImpressionistwithoutthese！OVelasquez！Norisliteraturequitefreefromalikereproachinherownthings。Anauthor，hereandthere，willmakeasthoughhehadawordworthhearing——nay，worthover-hearing——awordthatseekstowithdrawevenwhileitisuttered；andyetwhatitseemstodissembleisalltooprobablyaplatitude。Butobviously，literatureisnot——asisthecraftandmysteryofpainting——soatthemercyofahalf-imposture，soguardedbyunprovablehonour。Fortheartofpaintingisreservedthatshadowyrisk，thatundefinedsalvation。MaythegodsguardusfromthefurtherpopularisingofImpressionism；forthepointofhonouristhesimplesecretofthefew。
COMPOSURE
Tribulation，Immortality，theMultitude：whatremedyofcomposuredothesewordsbringfortheirowngreatdisquiet！WithouttheremotenessoftheLatinitythethoughtwouldcometoocloseandshaketoocruelly。Inordertothesaneenduranceoftheintimatetroubleofthesoulanaloofnessoflanguageisneedful。Johnsonfeareddeath。DidhisnobleEnglishcontrolandpostponetheterror？Diditkeepthefearatsomecourteous，deferentdistancefromthecentreofthathumanheart，intheveryactoftheleapandlapseofmortality？Doubtlessthereisinlanguagesuchaneducativepower。Speechisaschool。Everylanguageisapersuasion，aninducedhabit，aninstrumentwhichreceivesthenoteindeedbutgivesthetone。Everylanguageimposesaquality，teachesatemper，proposesaway，bestowsatradition：thisisthetone——thevoice——oftheinstrument。Everylanguage，bycounter-
change，repliestothewriter’stouchorbreathhisownintention，articulate：thisishisnote。Muchhasalwaysbeensaid，manythingstothepurposehavebeenthought，ofthepowerandtheresponsibilityofthenote。OfthelegislationandinfluenceofthetoneIhavebeenledtothinkbycomparingthetranquillityofJohnsonandthecomposureofCanningwiththestimulatedandcloseemotion，theinteriortrouble，ofthosewriterswhohaveenteredasdisciplesintheschoolofthemoreTeutonicEnglish。
Forifeverylanguagebeaschool，moresignificantlyandmoreeducativelyisapartofalanguageaschooltohimwhochoosesthatpart。Fewlanguagesofferthechoice。Thefactthatachoiceismadeimpliestheresultsandfruitsofadecision。TheFrenchauthoriswithoutthese。TheyareofalltheheritagesoftheEnglishwriterthemostimportant。Hereceivesalanguageofdualderivation。HemaysubmithimselftoeitherUniversity，whitherhewilltakehisimpulseandhischaracter，wherehewillleavetheirinfluence，andwhencehewillaccepttheireducation。TheFrenchmanhascertainlyastyletodevelopwithindefinitelimits；buthedoesnotsubjecthimselftosuggestionstendingmainlyhitherwardsorthitherwards，tocurrentsofvariousracewithinoneliterature。
SuchachoiceofsubjectionisthesingularopportunityoftheEnglishman。Idonotmeantoignorethenecessarymingling。
Happilythatminglinghasbeendoneonceforallforusall。Nay，oneofthemostcharmingthingsthatamasterofEnglishcanachieveistherepaymentoftheunitedteachingbylinkingtheirresultssoexquisitelyinhisownpractice，thatwordsofthetwoschoolsaremadetomeeteachotherwithasurpriseanddelightthatshallprovethematoncegayerstrangers，andsweetercompanions，thantheworldknewtheywere。Neverthelessthereremainsthelibertyofchoiceastowhichschoolofwordsshallhavetheplaceofhonourinthegreatandsensitivemomentsofanauthor’sstyle：whichschoolshallbeusedforconspicuousness，andwhichformultitudinousservice。Andthechoicebeingopen，theperturbationofthepulsesandimpulsesofsomanyheartsquickenedinthoughtandfeelinginthisdaysuggeststomeadeliberatereturntotherecollectednessofthemoretranquillanguage。’Doubtlessthereisaplaceofpeace。’
Aplaceofpeace，notofindifference。Itisimpossiblenottochargesomeofthemoralistsofthelastcenturywithanindifferenceintowhichtheyeducatedtheirplatitudesandintowhichtheirplatitudeseducatedthem。Addisonthusgaveandtook，untilhewasalmostincapableofcomingwithinarm’s-lengthofarealorspiritualemotion。Thereisnoknowingtowhatdistancetheremovalofthe’appropriatesentiment’fromthecentralsoulmighthaveattainedbutforthechangeandrenewalinlanguage，whichcamewhenitwasneeded。AddisonhadassuredlyremovedeternityfarfromtheapprehensionofthesoulwhenhisCatohailedthe’pleasinghope，’the’fonddesire；’andthetouchofwarwasdistantfromhimwhoconceivedhis’repulsedbattalions’andhis’doubtfulbattle。’
Whatcameafterwards，whensimplicityandnearnesswererestoredoncemore，wasdoubtlessjourneyman’sworkattimes。Menweretooeagertogointotheworkshopoflanguage。Therewereunreasonablerapturesoverthemeremakingofcommonwords。’Ahand-shoe！afinger-hat！aforeword！Beautiful！’theycried；andfortheloveofGermantheyoungestdaughterofChrysaleherselfmighthaveconsentedtobekissedbyagrammarian。Itseemedtobeforgottenthatalanguagewithallitsconstructionvisibleisalanguagelittlefittedforthemoreadvancedmentalprocesses；thatitsimagesarematerial；andthat，ontheotherhand，acertainspiritualisingandsubtilisingeffectofalienderivationsisaprivilegeandanadvantageincalculable——thattopossessthathalfofthelanguagewithinwhichLatinhereditieslurkandRomanesqueallusionsareatplayistopossessthestateandsecurityofadeadtongue，withoutthedeath。
ButnowIspokeofwordsencounteringasgaystrangers，variousinorigin，dividedinrace，withinamaster’sphrase。ThemostbeautifulandthemostsuddenofsuchmeetingsareofcourseinShakespeare。’Superfluouskings，’’Alassunparalleled，’
’Multitudinousseas：’weneedednottowaitfortheeighteenthcenturyorforthenineteenthtolearnthesplendourofsuchencounters，ofsuchdifferences，ofsuchnuptialunlikenessandunion。Butitiswellthatweshouldlearnthemafresh。Anditiswell，too，thatweshouldnotresisttherhythmicreactionbearingusnowsomewhattothesideoftheLatin。Suchareactionisinsomesortanethicalneedforourday。Wewanttoquelltheexaggerateddecisionofmonosyllables。Wewantthepoiseandthepausethatimplyvitalityattimesbetterthanheadstrongmovementexpressesit。Andnotthephraseonlybuttheformofversemightrenderustimelyservice。Thecontrollingcoupletmightstaywithatouchamoderngrief，asitrangedinorderthesorrowsofCanningforhisson。Butitshouldnotbeattemptedwithoutadistinctintentionofsubmissiononthepartofthewriter。Thecouplettransgressedagainst，trespassedupon，shakenoff，islikealawoutstripped，defied——tothedignityneitheroftherebelnoroftherule。ToLettersdowelooknowfortheguidanceanddirectionwhichtheveryclosenessoftheemotiontakingusbytheheartmakesnecessary。ShallnottheThingmoreandmore，aswecomposeourselvestoliterature，assumethehonour，thehesitation，theleisure，thereconciliationoftheWord？
DR。OLIVERWENDELLHOLMES
Itisgoodtogo，nowandagain——lettheAmericanphrasebepermitted——’backof’someofourcontemporaries。Weneverdesiredthemascoevals。Weneverwishedtoshareanagewiththem；wesharenothingelsewiththem。Andwedeliverourselvesfromthembypassing，inliterature，intothecompanyofanauthorwhowrotebeforetheirtime，andyetisfamiliarlymodern。ToreadDr。OliverWendellHolmes，then，istogobehindtheNewHumorist——intoatimebeforehewas，orhisHumour。Obviouslywegoinlikemannerbehindmanyanother，butthefunnywriterofthemagazinesissuggestedbecauseinreferencetohimouracthasaspecialsignificance。WeconnecthimwithDr。Holmesbyareluctantancestry，byanimpertinentdescent。Itmaybeobjectedthatsuchaconnectionisbutatrivialthingtoattribute，asaconspicuousincident，toamanofletters。Soitis。Butthetrivialityhaswideallusions。
Itisoftenaquestionwhichofseveralsignificanttrivialitiesacriticshallchooseinhiscommunicationwithareaderwhodoesnotinsistthatallthegravethingsshallbetoldhim。And，bytheway，areweeversufficientlygratefulforthatreader，whomthelastfewyearshavegiventous，ortowhomwehavebeengivenbythelastfewyears？Atrivialconnexionhasremoteandnegativeissues。TogotoDr。OliverWendellHolmes’speriodistogetridofmanythings；togotohimselfisespeciallytogetridoftheNewHumour，yettostandatitsunpropheticsource。AndwelovesuchauthorsasDickensandthisAmericanfortheirownsake，refusingtobeawareoftheircorruptfollowing。Wewouldmakehastetoignoretheirposterity，andtoassurethemthatweabsolvethemfromanyfaultoftheirsinthebastardy。
Humouristhemostconspicuousthingintheworld，whichmustexplainwhythelittlehumourinElsieVennerandtheBreakfastTableseriesisnotonlythefirstthingthecritictouchesbutthethingwherebyherelatesthisauthortohisfollowingandtotheworld。TheyoungmanJohn，ColonelSprowlewithhis’socialentertainment，’theLandladyandherdaughter，andthePoorRelation，almostmakeupthesumofthecomicpersonages，andfiftypercent。ofthethingstheysay——nomore——aregoodenoughtoremainafterthebloomoftheirvulgarityhaswornoff。Butthathalfisexcellent，keen，jolly，temperate；andbecauseofthattemperance——
themoststimulatingandfecundatingofqualities——thehumourofithassettheliteratureofahemispheretothetuneofmirth。LikeMr。Lowell’sitwashumourindialect——notIrishdialectnornegro，butAmerican；anditmadeNewEnglandawareofhercomedy。Untilthenshehadfeltwithinherselfthattherewasnothingtolaughat。
’Natureisinearnestwhenshemakesawoman，’saysDr。OliverWendellHolmes。Rather，shetakesherselfseriouslywhenshemakestheaveragespiritualwoman：asseriouslyasthatwomantakesherselfwhenshemakesanovel。AndinalikemoodNaturemadeNewEnglandandendowedherwithpurpose，withmortuaryfrivolities，withlongviews，withenergeticprovincialism。
IfwerememberbestTheWonderfulOne-HossShay，wedosoinspiteofthereligiousandpatheticmotiveofthegreaterpartofDr。
Holmes’swork，andofhisfancy，whichshouldbeatleastasconspicuousashishumour。Itisfancyratherthanimagination；butitismoreperfect，moredefinite，morefit，thanthelargerartofimagery，whichisapttobevague，becauseitisintellectualandadult。Nogrownmanmakesquitesodefinitementalimagesasdoesachild；whenthemindagesitthinksstrongerthoughtsinvaguerpictures。TheyoungmindofDr。Holmeshaslessintellectualimaginationthanintelligentfancy。Forexample：’Ifyoueversawacrowwithaking-birdafterhim，youwillgetanimageofadullspeakerandalivelylistener。Thebirdinsableplumageflapsheavilyalonghisstraightforwardcourse，whiletheothersailsroundhim，overhim，underhim，leaveshim，comesbackagain，tweaksoutablackfeather，shootsawayoncemore，neverlosingsightofhim，andfinallyreachesthecrow’sperchatthesametimethecrowdoes；’butthecomparisongoesonafterthisatneedlesslength，withexplanations。Again：’Thatblessedclairvoyancewhichseesintothingswithoutopeningthem：thatgloriouslicencewhich，havingshutthedooranddriventhereporterfromthekeyhole，callsuponTruth，majesticVirgin！togetofffromherpedestalanddropheracademicPOSES。’Andthis，oftheLandlady：’Shetoldmeherstoryonce；itwasasifagrainthathadbeengroundandboltedhadtriedtoindividualiseitselfbyaspecialnarrative。’’Theriotoustumultofalaugh，which，Itakeit，isthemob-lawofthefeatures。’’ThinkoftheOldWorld——thatpartofitwhichistheseatofancientcivilisation！……Amancannothelpmarchinginstepwithhiskindintherearofsuchaprocession。’’Youngfolklookonafaceasaunit；childrenwhogotoschoolwithanygivenlittleJohnSmithseeinhisnameadistinctiveappellation。’Andthatexquisitelysensitivepassageonthenervousoutwardmovementandtheinwardtranquillityofthewoods。Suchthingsarethebestthisgoodauthorgivesus，whethertheygogaywithmetaphor，orbebarethoughtsshapelywiththeirowntruth。
PartofthecharmofDr。Holmes’scommentonlife，andofthephrasewhereinhesecuresit，arisesfromhissingularvigilance。Hehasunpreoccupiedandalerteyes。Strangelyenough，bytheway，thiswatchfulnessisforonceasmuchatfaultaswouldbetheslovenlyobservationofanordinaryman，inthedescriptionofahorse’sgallop，’skimmingalongwithinayardoftheground。’Whoshalltrustaman’snimbleeyesafterthis，whenhabitandcredulityhavetaughthim？Notaninchnearerthegroundgoesthehorseoffactatagallopthanatawalk。ButDr。Holmes’svigilancehelpshimtosomewhatsqualidpurposeinhisstudiesofNewEnglandinlandlife。
Muchcarefulliteraturebesideshasbeenspent，aftertheexampleofElsieVennerandtheAutocrat，uponthecottageworldliness，theroutineofabundantandcommoncomfortsachievedbyadistressinghouseholdindustry，theshrillness，theunrest，thebest-parlouremulation，theungracefulvanity，ofAmericansofthecountry-sideandthecountry-town；upontheiraffectionsmadevulgarbyundemonstrativeness，andtheirconsciencesmadevulgarbydemonstrativeness——theirkindnessbyreticence，andtheirreligionbycandour。
AsforthequestionofheredityandofindividualresponsibilitywhichDr。OliverWendellHolmesproposesinElsieVenner，itisstrangethatamanwhomithadsincerelydisquietedshouldpresentit——notinitsowninsolubilitybut——incaricature。Asthoughthesecretsoftheinheritedbodyandsoulneededtobeheightenedbyabitofburlesquephysiology！ItisinspiteofourprotestagainsttheinventionofElsie’shorribleplight——aconceptionandinventionwhichDr。OliverWendellHolmesshouldfeeltobeessentiallyfrivolous——thattheserpent-maidenmovesusdeeplybyherlast’Goodnight，’andbythegentlephrasethattellsus’Elsiewept。’Butnow，ifDr。Holmesshallsucceedinproposingthequestionofseparateresponsibilitysoastoconvinceeverycivilisedmindofhisdoubts，therewillbecuriouslylittlechangewroughttherebyinthedisciplineoftheworld。ForDr。Holmesincidentallyletsusknowthathecherishesandvaluestheinstinctofintoleranceanddestructivenessinpresenceofthecruel，theself-loving，andthefalse。Negationofseparatemoralresponsibility，whenthatnegationistemperedbyaworkinginstinctofintoleranceanddestructiveness，willdealwiththefelon，afterall，verymuchinthemannerachievedbythepresentprevalentjudicialness，unscientificthoughitmaybe。AndtosaythisistoconfessthatDr。OliverWendellHolmeshasworked，throughanumberofbooks，tofutilepurpose。Hisbooksarejustifiedbysomethingquiteapartfromhispurpose。
JAMESRUSSELLLOWELL
TheUnitedStateshaveproducedauthorsnotafew；amongsomenamesnotthemostfamous，perhaps，onthepopulartongue，aretwoorthreenamesoftheirpoets；buttheyhavehardlygiventotheworldmorethanonemanofletters——judicious，judicial，disinterested，patient，happy，temperate，delighted。Thecolonialdays，withthe’painful’divineswhobroughttheparishintothewilderness；theexperimentalperiodofambitionandattemptsataliteraturethatshouldbeyoungasthesoilandmuchyoungerthantherace；thecivil-waryears，withaliteraturethatmatchedtheself-consciousandinexpertheroismofthearmy；——noneoftheseperiodsofthenationallifecouldfitlyberepresentedbyamanofletters。AndthoughJamesRussellLowellwasthecontemporaryofthe’transcendentalists，’andamanofmiddleagewhentheSouthseceded，andthoughindeedhisfameasaYankeehumourististobediscernedthroughthesmokeandthedust，throughthegravityandtheburlesque，ofthewar，clearupontheotherside，yethewasvirtuallythechildofnationalleisure，ofmoderationandeducation，anAmericanoftheseventiesandonwards。Herepresentedthelittle-recognisedfactthatinripeness，notinrawness，consiststheexcellenceofAmericans-anexcellencetheymustbecontenttosharewithcontemporarynations，howevermuchitmaycostthemtoabandonweknownotwhatboundingambitionswhichtheyhaveneversucceededindefinitelydescribinginwords。Mr。LowellwasarefutationofthefallacythatanAmericancanneverbeAmericanenough。Herankedwiththestudentsandthecriticsamongallnations，andnothingmarkshistransatlanticconditionsexcept，perhaps，thathisscholarlinessisalittleanxiousandwouldnotseemso；heenricheshisphrasesbusily，andyetwouldseemcomposed；hemakeshisallusionstreadcloselyoneuponanother，andthereisanassumedcarelessness，andanill-concealedvigilance，astotheeffecttheirnumberandtheireruditionwillproduceuponthereader。TheAmericansensitivenesstakeswithhimthatpleasantestofforms；hisstyleconfessesmorethanhethinksoftheloveableweaknessofnationalvanity，andasksofthestrangernowandagain，’Well，whatdoyouthinkofmycountry？’
Declining，asIdo，toseparatestyleinexpressionfromstyleinthethoughtthatinformsit——fortheywhomakesuchaseparationcanhardlyknowthatstyleshouldbeintheveryconceptionofaphrase，initsantenatalhistory，elsethewordisneitherchoicenorauthentic——IrecogniseinMr。Lowell，asaproseauthor，asenseofproportionandadelicacyofselectionnotsurpassedinthecriticalworkofthiscriticalcentury。Thosesmallvolumes，AmongMyBooksandMyStudyWindows，areallpureliterature。Afaultincriticismistherarestthinginthem。IcallnonetomindexceptthestrangejudgmentonDr。Johnson：’OurpresentconcernwiththeSaxonsischieflyaliteraryone……TakeDr。Johnsonasaninstance。TheSaxon，asitappearstome，hasnevershownanycapacityforart，’
andsoforth。OnewondershowLowellreadthepassageonIona，andthelettertoLordChesterfield，andthePrefacetotheDictionarywithoutconvictionofthegreatEnglishwriter’ssupremeart——artthatdeclaresitselfandwouldnotbehidden。ButtaketheessayonPope，thatonChaucer，andthatononePercival，awriterofAmericanverseofwhomEnglishreadersarenotaware，andtheyproveLowelltohavebeenasclearinjudgingashewasexquisiteinsentencing。Hisessay’OnaCertainCondescensioninForeigners’isfamous，butanequalfameisdueto’MyGardenAcquaintance’and’A
GoodWordforWinter。’Histalkabouttheweatherissofullofwitthatonewondershowprattlersatalossforatopicdareattemptonesorich。Thebirdsthatnestinhissyringasseemtobenothispensionersonly，buthisparishioners，socharminglylocal，sointentuponhischronicledoeshebecomewhenheismindedtoplayWhiteofSelbornewithasmile。Andallthewhileitisthewordthatheisintentupon。Youmaytracehisreadingbysomefinewordthathasnotescapedhim，buthasbeengarneredforusewhenhisfanhasbeenquicktopurgeawaythechaffofcommonplace。Heisthusfastidiousandalertinmanylanguages。YouwonderatthedelicacyofthesensewherebyheperceivesachoicerhymeintheAnglo-NormanofMariedeFranceoraclangofarmsinthebriefverseofPeiredeBergerac，ortouchessensitivelyawordwherebyDantehastranscendedsomethingsweetinBernarddeVentadour，orVirgilsomewhatnobleinHomer。Inhisownuse，andwithinhisownEnglish，hehastheabstinenceandthefreshnessofintentionthatkeepeverywordnewfortheday’swork。Hegavetothelanguage，anddidnottakefromit；itgainedbyhim，andlostnot。TherearewritersofEnglishnowatworkwhoalmostconvinceusoftheirgreatnessuntilweconvictthemonthatcharge：theyhavesucceededatanunpardonablecost；theyareglorified，buttheyhavebeggaredthephrasestheyleavebehindthem。
NeverthelessLowellwasnopoet。Toaccepthisverseasapoet’swouldbetoconfessalackofinstinct，andthereisnomoregrievouslackinaloverofpoetry。Reason，wegrant，makesforthefullacceptanceofhispoems，andperhapssojudicialamindashismaybeforgivenforhavingtrustedtoreasonandtocriticism。Histrustwasjustified——ifsuchjustificationavails——bytheadmirationoffairlyeducatedpeoplewhoapparentlyholdhimtohavebeenapoetfirst，ahumouristinthesecondplace，andanessayistincidentally。Itishardtobelievethathefailedininstinctabouthimself。Moreprobablyhewascontenttoforegoitwhenhefoundtheode，thelyric，andthenarrativeverseallsowilling。
Theymadenodifficulty，andhemadenone；whythenarewereluctanttoacknowledgethemanifeststatelinessofthisverseandtheevidentgraceofthat，andthefinethoughtfinelyworded？Suchreluctancejustifiesitself。NorwouldIattempttobackitbythecheapsanctionsofprophecy。Nay，itisquitepossiblethatLowell’spoemsmaylive；Ihavenocommandsforfuturity。Enoughthatheenrichedthepresentwiththeexampleofascholarly，linguistic，verballoveofliterature，withastudiousnessfullofheart。
DOMUSANGUSTA
Thenarrowhouseisasmallhumannaturecompelledtoalargehumandestiny，chargedwithafatetoogreat，ahistorytoovarious，foritsslightcapacities。Menhavecommonlycomplainedoffate；buttheircomplaintshavebeenofthesmallness，notofthegreatness，ofthehumanlot。Adisproportion——allinfavourofman——betweenmanandhisdestinyisoneofthethingstobetakenforgrantedinliterature：sofrequentandsoeasyistheutteranceofthehabituallamentationastothetroubleofa’vaincapacity，’sowellexplainedhasiteverbeen。
’ThouhastnothalfthepowertodomeharmThatIhavetobehurt，’
discontentedmanseemstocrytoHeaven，takingthewordsofthebraveEmilia。Butinarticulatehasbeenthevoicewithinthenarrowhouse。Obviouslyitneverhaditspoet。Littleelocutionisthere，littleargumentordefinition，littleexplicitness。Andyetforeveryvaincapacitywemayassuredlycountathousandvaindestinies，foreveryliberalnatureathousandliberalfates。Itisthetroubleofthewidehousewehearof，clamorousofitsdisappointmentsanddesires。Thenarrowhousehasnoechoes；yetitspatheticshortcomingmightwellmovepity。Onthatstraitstageisactedageneroustragedy；tothatinadequatesoulisintrustedanenormoussorrow；atempestofmovementmakesitshomewithinthatslendernature；andheroichappinessseeksthattimorousheart。
Wemay，indeed，inpartknowthenarrowhousebyitsinarticulateness——not，certainly，itsfewnessofwords，butitsinadequacyandimprecisionofspeech。For，doubtless，rightlanguageenlargesthesoulasnootherpowerorinfluencemaydo。
Who，forinstance，buttrustsmorenoblyforknowingthefullwordofhisconfidence？Whobutlovesmorepenetratinglyforpossessingtheultimatesyllableofhistenderness？Thereisa’pledgingoftheword，’inanothersensethantheordinarysenseoftrothandpromise。Thepoetpledgeshisword，hissentence，hisverse，andfindsthereinapeculiarsanction。AndIsupposethatevenphysicalpaintakesonanedgewhenitnotonlyenforcesapangbutwhispersaphrase。Consciousnessandthewordarealmostascloselyunitedasthoughtandtheword。Almost——notquite；inspiteofitsinexpressivespeech，thenarrowhouseisawareandsensitivebeyond，asitwere，itspoorpower。
Butastothewholedisparitybetweenthedestinyandthenature，weknowittobegeneral。Lifeisgreatthatistriviallytransmitted；
loveisgreatthatisvulgarlyexperienced。Death，too，isaheroicvirtue；andtothekeepingofusallisdeathcommitted：death，submissiveintheindocile，modestinthefatuous，severalinthevulgar，secretinthefamiliar。Itisdestructivebecauseitnotonlyclosesbutcontradictslife。Unlikelypeopledie。Theonecertainthing，itisalsotheoneimprobable。Adreadfulparadoxisperhapswroughtuponalittlenaturethatisincapableofdeathandyetisconstrainedtodie。Thatisatruedestruction，andthethoughtofitisobscure。
Happyliteraturecorrectsallthisdisproportionbyitsimmortalpause。Itdoesnotbidusfollowmanorwomantoanillogicalconclusion。Mrs。MicawberneverdoesdesertMr。Micawber。
Consideringhermentalpowers，bytheway，anillogicalconclusionforherwouldbemanifestlyinappropriate。Shakespeare，indeed，havingseenalifewhole，seesittoanend：seesitout，andFalstaffdies。MorethanPrometheanwastheaudacitythat，havingkindled，quenchedthatspark。Butotherwisethegrotesquemaninliteratureisimmortal，andwithsomethingmoresignificantthantheimmortalityawardedtohiminthesayingsofrhetoric；heispredurablebecauseheisnotcompleted。Hishumoursarestrangelymatchedwithperpetuity。But，indeed，heisnotworthytodie；forthereissomethinggraverthantobeimmortal，andthatistobemortal。IprotestIdonotlaughatmanorwomanintheworld。I
thankmyfellow-mortalsfortheirwit，andalsoforthekindofjokethattheFrenchsopleasantlycallunejoyeusete；thesearetosmileat。Butthegayinjusticeoflaughterisbetweenmeandthebook。
Thatnarrowhouse——thereissometimesamessagefromitslivingwindows。Itsbewilderment，itsreluctance，itsdefect，showbymomentsfromeyesthatareapttoexpressnonebutcommonthings。
Thereareallusionsunawares，involuntaryappeals，inthosebriefglances。Farfrommeandfrommyfriendsbethemisfortuneofmeetingsuchlooksinreplytopainofourinflicting。Tobecleverandsensitiveandtohurtthefoolishandthestolid——wouldstthoudosuchadeedforalltheworld？NotI，bythisheavenlylight。
REJECTION
Simplicityisnotvirginalinthemodernworld。Shehasapenitentialoravidualsingleness。Wecanconceiveanantiqueworldinwhichlife，art，andlettersweresimplebecauseoftheabsenceofmanythings；forusnowtheycanbesimpleonlybecauseofourrejectionofmanythings。Weareconstrainedtosuchavigilanceaswillnotletevenamaster’sworkpassunfannedandunpurged。Evenamonghisphrasesoneshallbetakenandtheotherleft。Forhemayunawareshaveallowedthehabitualnessthatbesetsthismultitudinouslifetotakethepenfromhishandandtowriteforhimapageoraword；andhabitualnesscompelsourrefusals。Orhemayhaveallowedtheeasyimpulseofexaggerationtoforceasentencewhichthemeretruth，sensitivelyandpowerfullypausing，wouldwellhavebecome。Exaggerationhasplayedapartofitsowninhumanhistory。Bydepreciatingourlanguageithasstimulatedchange，andhaskeptthecirculatingwordinexercise。Ourrejectionmustbealertandexperttoovertakeexaggerationandarrestit。Itmakesusshrewderthanwewishtobe。And，indeed，thewholeendlessactionofrefusalshortensthelifewecoulddesiretolive。Muchofourresolutionisusedupintherepeatedmentalgestureofadversedecision。Ourtacitandimplicitdistasteismadeexplicit，whoshallsaywithwhatlosstoourtreasuryofquietness？Wearedefraudedofourinteriorignorance，whichshouldbeaplaceofpeace。Weareforcedtoconfessmorearticulatelythanbefitsourconventionwithourselves。Wearehurriedoutofourreluctances。Wearemadetoomuchaware。Nay，more：wearetemptedtotheoutwardactivityofdestruction；reviewingbecomesalmostinevitable。Asforthespirituallife——Oweary，wearyactofrefusal！Owastebutnecessaryhours，vigilandwakefulnessoffear！’Welivebyadmiration’onlyashortenedlifewholivesomuchintheiterationofrejectionandrepulse。AndintheverytouchofjoytherehidesIknownotwhatultimatedenial；ifnotononeside，ontheother。Ifjoyisgiventouswithoutreserve，notsodowegiveourselvestojoy。Wewithhold，weclose。Havingdeniedmanythingsthathaveapproachedus，wedenyourselvestomanythings。Thusdoesilgranrifiutodivideandruleourworld。
Simplicityisworththesacrifice；butallisnotsacrifice。
Rejectionhasitspleasures，themoresecretthemoreunmeasured。
Whenwegarnishahousewerefusemorefurniture，andfurnituremorevarious，thanmighthauntthedreamsofdecorators。Thereisnolimittoourrejections。Andtheunconsciousnessofthedecoratorsisinitselfacauseofpleasuretoamindgenerous，forbearing，anddelicate。Whenwedress，nofancymaycountthethingswewillnoneof。Whenwewrite，whathindersthatweshouldrefrainfromStylepastreckoning？Whenwemarry——。Moreover，ifsimplicityisnolongersetinaworldhavingthegreatandbeautifulqualityoffewness，wecanprovideanequallyfairsettinginthequalityofrefinement。Andrefinementisnottobeachievedbutbyrejection。
Onewhosuggeststomethatrefinementisapttobeamerenegativehasofferedupasingularblunderinhonourofrobustiousness。
Refinementisnotnegative，becauseitmustbecompassedbymanynegations。Itisathingofpriceaswellasofvalue；itdemandsimmolations，itexactsexperience。Noslightoreasycharge，then，iscommittedtosuchofusas，havingapprehensionofthesethings，fulfiltheofficeofexclusion。Neverbeforewasatimewhenderogationwasalwayssonear，adailydanger，orwhentherewardofresistingitwassogreat。Thesimplicityofliterature，moresensitive，morethreatened，andmoreimportantthanothersimplicities，needsaguardofhonour，whoshallneverrelaxthegoodwillnorlosethegoodheartoftheirintolerance。
THELESSONOFLANDSCAPE
Thelandscape，likeourliterature，isapttogrowandtogetitselfformedundertooluxuriousideals。ThisistheevilworkofthatLITTLEMOREwhichmakesitsinsensiblebutpersistentadditionstostyles，tothearts，totheornamentsoflife——tonature，whenunluckilymanbecomestooexplicitlyconsciousofherbeauty，andtoodeliberateinhisarrangementofit。Thelandscapehasneedofmoderation，ofthatfast-disappearinggraceofunconsciousness，and，inshort，ofareturntowardstheascetictemper。TheEnglishwayoflandowning，aboveall，hasmadeforluxury。Naturallythecountryisfat。Thetreesarethickandround——aworldofleaves；
thehillsareround；theformsareallblunt；andthegrassissodeepastohavealmosttheeffectofsnowinsmoothingoffallpointsandcurvingawayallabruptness。Englandisalmostasbluntasamachine-mademouldingorapieceofEarly-Victoriancast-ironwork。Andonallthiswehave，ofsetpurpose，improvedbyourinventionofthecountrypark。Therealliscurvesandmasses。A
littlemoreisaddedtothegreennessandthesoftnessoftheforestglade，andforincreaseofornamentthefatlandisdevotedtoidleness。Notatreethatisnotimpenetrable，inarticulate。Thicksoilbelowandthickgrowthabovecoverupallthebonesoftheland，whichinmoredelicatecountriesshowbrowsandhollowsresemblingthoseofafinefaceaftermentalexperience。Byaveryintelligibleparadox，itisonlyinalandscapemadeupforbeautythatbeautyissoillachieved。Muchbeautytheremustneedsbewheretherearevegetationandtheseasons。Buteventheseasons，inparkscenery，aremarredbytheLITTLETOOMUCH，toocompleteawinter，tooemphaticaspring，anostentatioussummer，anautumntoodemonstrative。
’Seektohavelessratherthanmore。’ItisacounselofperfectioninTheImitationofChrist。Andhere，undoubtedly，isthesecretofallthatisvirileandclassicintheartofman，andofallinnaturethatismostharmoniouswiththatart。Moreover，thisisthesecretofItaly。Howlittledothetouristsandthepoetsgraspthislattertruth，bytheway——andtheartists！ThelegendofItalyistobegorgeous，andtheyhaveherlegendbyrote。ButItalyisslimandallarticulate；hermostcharacteristictreesarethosethataredistinctanddistinguished，withlinesthatsuggesttheetching-pointratherthanabrushloadedwithpaint。Cypressesshapedlikeflames，tallpineswiththeabruptflatnessoftheirtops，thincanesinthebrakes，sharpaloesbytheroad-side，andoliveswiththedelicateacutenessoftheleaf——thesemakekeenlinesofslendervegetation。Andtheyowntheseasonsbyagentleconfession。RatherthanbeoverpoweredbytheclamorousproclamationofsummerintheEnglishwoods，wewouldfollowJunetothissubtlerSouth：eventotheCampagna，wherethecycleoftheseasonspasseswithinsuchnarrowlimitationsthatinsensitiveeyesscarcelyrecogniseit。Inearlyspringthereisafreshertouchofgreenonallthespacesofgrass，thedistancegrowslessmellowandmoreradiant；bythecomingofMaythegreenhasbeenimperceptiblydimmedagain；itblusheswiththemingledcoloursofminuteandnumberlessflowers——adustofflowers，inlineslongerthanthoseofoceanbillows。Thisisthedesertblossominglikearose：nottheobviousroseofgardens，butthemultitudinousandvariousflowerthatgathersonceintheyearineveryhand’s-breadthofthewilderness。WhenJunecomesthesunhasburntalltoleaguesofharmoniousseed，colouredwithahintofthecolourofharvest，whichisgraduallychangedtothelighterharmoniesofwinter。Allthisfinechromaticscalepasseswithinsuchmodestboundariesthatitisaccusedasamonotony。Butthosewhofinditsmodestydelightfulmayhaveastillmoredelicatepleasureinthebloomingandblossomingofthesea。Thepassingfromthewinterbluetothesummerblue，fromthecoldcolourtothecolourthathasinitthefireofthesun，thekindlingofthesapphireoftheMediterranean——
thesignificanceofthesesea-seasons，sofarfromthepastureandtheharvest，isimperceptibletoordinarysenses，asappearsfromthefactthatsofewstaytoseeitallfulfilled。Andifthetouriststayed，hewouldnodoubtviolateallthatislovelyandmoderatebytheinsistenceofhisdescriptions。Hewouldfindadjectivesforthebluesea，butprobablyhewouldrefusetosearchforwordsforthewhite。AwhiteMediterraneanisnotinthelegend。Neverthelessitblooms，nowandthen，paleasanopal；thewhiteseaistheflowerofthebreathlessmidsummer。Andinitsclear，silentwaters，afewdays，intheculminationoftheheat，bringforthtranslucentlivingcreatures，many-shapedjelly-fish，colouredlikemother-of-pearl。
Butwithoutgoingsofarfromthelandscapeofdailylife，itisinagriculturalItalythattheLITTLELESSmakessoundesignedly，andasitweresoinevitably，forbeauty。Thecountrythatisformedforuseandpurposeonlyisimmeasurablytheloveliest。Whatalessoninliterature！Howfeelinglyitpersuadesusthatallexceptaverylittleoftheornamentoflettersandoflifemakesthedulnessoftheworld。Thetendernessofcolour，thebeautyofseriesandperspective，andthevarietyofsurface，producedbythesmallcultureofvegetables，areamongthecharmsthatcomeunsought，andthatarenottobefoundbyseeking——arenevertobeachievediftheyaresoughtfortheirownsake。Andanotherofthedelightsoftheusefullaboriouslandisitsvitality。Thesoilmaybethinanddry，butman’slifeisaddedtoitsown。Hehasembankedthehilltomakelittleplatformsforthegrowthofwheatinthelightshadowsofoliveleaves。Thankstothemetayerland-
tenure，man’sheart，aswellashisstrength，isgiventotheground，withhishopeandhishonour。LouisBlanc’s’pointofhonourofindustry’isaconsciousimpulse——itisnottoomuchtosay——withmostoftheTuscancontadini；butaseachefforttheymakefortheirmastertheymakealsoforthebreadoftheirchildren，itisnowonderthatthelandtheycultivatehasalookoflife。Butinallcolour，inallluxury，andinallthatgivesmaterialforpicturesqueEnglish，thislovelysceneryforfoodandwineandraimenthasthatLITTLELESStowhichwedesiretorecallarhetoricalworld。
MR。COVENTRYPATMORE’SODES
Tomostofthegreatpoetsnogreaterpraisecanbegiventhanpraiseoftheirimagery。Imageryisthenaturallanguageoftheirpoetry。Withoutaparableshehardlyspeaks。Butundoubtedlythereisnowandthenapoetwhotouchesthething，notitslikeness，toovitally，toosensitively，forevensuchapauseastheversemakesforloveofthebeautifulimage。Thoseraremomentsaresimple，andtheirsimplicitymakesoneofthereader’skeenestexperiences。
Othersimplicitiesmaybeachievedbylesserart，butthisistranscendentsimplicity。Thereisnothingintheworldmorecostly。
Itvouchesforthebeautywhichittranscends；itanswerfortherichesitforbears；itimpliestheartwhichitfulfils。Allabundanceministerstoit，thoughitissosingle。Andherewegetthesacrificialqualitywhichisthewell-keptsecretofartatthisperfection。Allthefacultiesofthepoetareusedforpreparingthisnakedgreatness——areusedandfruitfullyspentandshed。ThelovelinessthatstandsandwaitsonthesimplicityofcertainofMr。
CoventryPatmore’sOdes，thefervoursandsplendoursthatarethere，onlytobeputtosilence——tosilenceofakindthatwouldbeimpossibleweretheylessglorious——aretestimoniestothedifferencebetweensacrificeandwaste。
Butdoesitseemlessthanreasonabletobeginareviewofapoet’sworkwithpraiseofaninfrequentmood？Infrequentsuchamoodmustneedsbe，yetitisinaprofoundsensecharacteristic。Tohaveattaineditonceortwiceistohaveprovedsuchgiftandgraceasatruehistoryofliteraturewouldshowtobeaboveprice，evengaugedbytherudemeasureofrarity。Transcendentsimplicitycouldnotpossiblybehabitual。Manliveswithingarmentsandveils，andartischieflyconcernedwithmakingmysteriesoftheseforthelovelinessofhislife；whentheyarerentasunderitisimpossiblenottobeawarethatanoverwhelminghumanemotionhasbeeninaction。ThusDEPARTURE，IFIWEREDEAD，AFAREWELL，EURYDICE，THE
TOYS，ST。VALENTINE’SDAY——thoughherethereisintheexquisiteimaginativeplayamitigationofthebarevitalityoffeeling——groupthemselvesapartastheinnermostofthepoet’sachievements。
SecondtothesecometheOdesthathavesplendidthoughtingreatimages，anddisplay——ratherthan，asdothepoemsfirstglancedat，betray——thebeautiesofpoeticart。Emotionishere，too，andinshocksandthroes，neverfranticwhenalmostintolerable。Itismortalpathos。Ifanyotherpoethasfilledacupwithadraughtsounalloyed，wedonotknowit。LoveandsorrowarepureinTheUnknownEros；anditsauthorhasnotrefusedeventhecupofterror。
Againstloveoften，againstsorrownearlyalways，againstfearalways，menofsensibilityinstantaneouslyguardthequickoftheirhearts。Itisonlytheapproachofthepangthattheywillendure；
fromthepangitself，dividingsoulandspirit，amanwhoisconsciousofaprofoundcapacityforpassiondefendshimselfinthetwinklingofaneye。ButthroughnearlythewholeofCoventryPatmore’spoetrythereisanenduranceofthemortaltouch。Nay，more，hehastheenduranceoftheimmortaltouch。Thatis，hiscapacityforallthethingsthatmeneludefortheirgreatnessismorethanthecapacityofothermen。Heenduresthereforewhattheycouldbutwillnotendureand，besidesthis，degreesthattheycannotapprehend。Thus，tohavestudiedTheUnknownErosistohavehadacertainexperience——atleasttheimpassionedexperienceofacompassion；butitisalsotohaverecognisedasoulbeyondourcompassion。
WhatsomeoftheOdeshavetosingof，theirauthordoesnotinsistuponourknowing。Heleavesmorelibertyforawell-intentionedreader’serrorthanmakesforpeaceandrecollectionofmindinreading。Thatthegeneralpurposeofthepoemsisobscureisinevitable。Ithastheobscurityofprofoundclearwaters。Whatthepoetchieflysecurestousistheunderstandingthatloveanditsbonds，itsbestowalandreception，doesbutrehearsetheactionoftheunionofGodwithhumanity——thatthereisnoessentialmansaveChrist，andnoessentialwomanexceptthesoulofmankind。
WhenthesingerofaSongofSongsseemstoborrowthephraseofhumanlove，itisratherthathumanlovehadfirstborrowedthetruthsoftheloveofGod。ThethoughtgrowsgayinthethreePsycheodes，orattemptsagaiety——thereaderatleastbeingsomewhatreluctant。Howisit？Mr。CoventryPatmore’splaymoreoftenthannotwinsyoutobutaslowparticipation。Perhapsbecausesomethrustofhishasleftyoustilltremulous。
Buttheinequalityofequallovers，sungintheseOdeswithaDivineallusion，isamostfamiliartruth。Lovethatispassionatehasmuchoftheimpulseofgravitation——gravitationthatisnotfalling，asthereisnodownfallintheprecipitationofthesiderealskies。
Theloveofthegreatforthesmallisthepassionatelove；theupwardlovehesitatesandisfugitive。St。FrancisXavieraskedthatthedayofhisecstasymightbeshortened；Imogen，thewifeofallpoetry，’praysforbearance；’thechildis’frettedwithsalliesofhismotherskisses。’Itmightbedrawinganimagetooinsistentlytocallthisacentrifugalimpulse。
Theartthatuttersanintellectualactionsocourageous，anemotionsoauthentic，asthatofMr。CoventryPatmore’spoetry，cannotbeotherwisethanconsummate。Oftenthewordhasafulnessofsignificancethatgivesthereaderashockofappreciation。Thisisalwayssointhosesimplestodeswhichwehavetakenastheheartoftheauthor’swork。Withoutsuchwonderfulrightness，simplicityofcourseisimpossible。Noristhatbeautifulprecisionlessinpassagesofdescription，suchasthelandscapelinesinAmeliaandelsewhere。Thewordsareusedtotheuttermostyetwithcomposure。
Andacertainjustnessofutteranceincreasestheprovocationofwhatwetakeleavetocallunjustthoughtinthefewpoemsthatproclaimanintemperatescorn——political，social，literary。Thepoemsarebuttwoorthree；theyaretobeknownbytheirsubjects——
wemightaswelldosomethingtojustifytheirscornbyusingthemostmodernofadjectives——andcallthemtopical。Hereassuredlythereisnocomposure。Neverbeforedidsuperioritybearitselfwithsolittleofitsproper，signal，andpeculiargrace——
reluctance。
IfMr。PatmorereallyintendsthathisOdesshallbereadwithminim，orcrochet，orquaverrests，tofillupameasureofbeatentime，wearefreetoholdthatheratherarbitrarilyappliestoliberalversethelawsofversesetforuse——cradleverseandmarch-
markingverse（weare，ofcourse，notconsideringversesettomusic，andthuscompelledintothemusicaltime）。Liberalverse，dramatic，narrative，meditative，cansurelybeboundbynotimemeasures——iffornootherreason，forthis：thattoprescribepausesisalsotoforbidanypausesunprescribed。Granting，however，hisprincipleofcatalexis，westilldoubtwhethertheirregularmetreofTheUnknownErosishappilyusedexceptforthelargesweepoftheflightoftheOdemoreproperlysocalled。
Lycidas，theMrs。AnneKilligrew，theIntimations，andEmerson’sThrenody，consideredmerelyfortheirversification，fulfiltheirlawssoperfectlythattheycertainlymovewithoutchecksaswithouthaste。SowiththegraverOdes——muchinthemajority——ofMr。
CoventryPatmore’sseries。Amorelovelydignityofextensionandrestriction，amoretouchingsweetnessofsimpleandfrequentrhyme，atruerimpetusofpulseandimpulse，Englishversecouldhardlyyieldthanaretobefoundinhisversification。Andwhatmovementofwordshaseverexpressedflight，distance，mystery，andwonderfulapproach，astheyareexpressedinacelestialline——theeighthintheodeTotheUnknownEros？Whenwearesensibleofametricalcheekitisinthisway：TotheEnglisheartheheroiclineistheunitofmetre，andwhentwolinesofvariouslengthundesignedlyaddtogethertoformaheroicline，theyhavetobeseparatedwithsomethingofajerk。Andthisadding——as，forinstance，ofalineoffoursyllablesprecedingorfollowingoneofsix——occursnowandthen，andeveninsuchamasterlymeasureofmusicasAFarewell。
Itisaswhenasailsuddenlyflapswindlessinthefetchingaboutofaboat。InTheAngelintheHouse，andotherearlierpoems，Mr。
CoventryPatmoreusedtheoctosyllabicstanzaperfectly，inasmuchasheneverleftiteitherheavilyorthinlypacked。MoreoverthosefirstpoemshadacomposurewhichwasthepreludetothepeaceoftheOdes。Andeveninhisslightestworkheproveshimselfthemaster——thatis，theowner——ofwordsthat，ownedbyhim，areunprofaned，areasthoughtheyhadneverbeenprofaned；thecapturerofanartsoquickandclosethatitisthevoicelessofapoetthanoftheveryMuse。
INNOCENCEANDEXPERIENCE
IshallnotaskthecommentatorswhetherBlakeusedthesetwowordsinunionorinantithesis。Theyassuredlyhaveaninseverableunionintheartofliterature。ThesongsofInnocenceandExperienceareforeachpoetthesongsofhisownseparateheartandlife；buttotakethecumulativeexperiencesofothermen，andtousetheseinplaceofthevirginalfruitofthought——whereasonewouldhardlyconsenttotakethemfororderingeventhemosthabitualofdailyaffairs——istoforegoInnocenceandExperienceatonceandtogether。
Obviously，Experiencecanbenothingexceptpersonalandseparate；
andInnocenceofasingularlysolitaryqualityishiswhodoesnotdiphishandsintoothermen’shistories，anddoesnotgivetohisownwordthecommonsanctionofothermen’ssummariesandconclusions。ThereforeIbindInnocenceandExperienceinone，andtakethemasasignofthenecessaryandnobleisolationofmanfromman——ofhisuniqueness。ButifIhadamindtoforegothatmannerofpersonalseparateness，andtousethethingsofothers，IthinkI
wouldratherappropriatetheirfuturethantheirpast。Letmeputontheirhopes，andthecoloursoftheirconfidence，ifImustborrow。NotthatIwouldburdenmypropheticsoulwithunjustifiedambitions；buteventhiswouldbemoretolerablethantoloadmymemorywithanunjustifiablehistory。
Andyethowdifferentlydothewritersofacertainkindoflove-
poetryconsiderthismatter。Thesearethelove-poetswhohavenoreluctanceinadoptingthepastofamultitudeofpeopletowhomtheyhavenotevenbeenintroduced。Theirverseisfullofready-
madememories，various，numerous，andcruel。Nosinglelife——
supposingittobealiberallifeconcernedwithsomethingbesidessex——couldquitesufficeforsomuchexperience，somuchdisillusion，somuchdeception。Toachievethattoneinitsfulnessitisnecessarytotakeforone’sownthepraeterita（say）ofAlfreddeMussetandofthemenwhohelpedhim——nottolivebut——tohavelived；itisnecessarytohavelivedmuchmorethananymanlives，andtomakeacommonhoardoferoticremembranceswithallkindsofpoets。
AstheFranciscansweareachother’soldhabits，andoneFriargoesaboutdarnedbecauseofanother’srending，sothepoetofacertainordergrowscynicalforthesakeofmanypoets’oldloves。Nototherwisewilltheresultantversesucceedinimplyingsomuch——orrathersomany，inthefeminineplural。Themanofverysensitiveindividualitymighthesitateattheadoption。TheFranciscanisunderstoodtohaveafastidiousnessandtoovercomeit。Butthesepoetssotriumphovertheirrepugnancethatitdoesnotappear。Andyet，ifchoicewere，onemightwishrathertomakeuseofone’sfellowmen’soldshoesthanputtheiroldsecretstouse，anddressone’sartinamotleyofpastpassions。Moreover，toutilisethementalexperienceofmanyisinevitablytousetheirverseandphrase。Fortherest，allthetraitsofthislove-poetryarefamiliarenough。Oneofthemistheabsenceofthewordofpromiseandpledge，thelossoftheearliestandsimplestoftheimpulsesoflove：whichisthevow。’Tilldeath！’’Forever！’arecriestoosimpleandtoonaturaltobecommonplace，andintheirdenialthereistheleasttolerableofbanalities——thatofothermen’sdisillusions。
PerfectpersonaldistinctnessofExperiencewouldbeinliteratureadelicateInnocence。Notapassageofcheapness，ofgreed，ofassumption，ofsloth，orofanysuchsinsintheworkofhimwhoselove-poetrywerethustrue，andwhosepudeurofpersonalitythussimpleandinviolate。Thisistheprivateman，inotherwordsthegentleman，whowillneitherlovenorrememberinpublic。
PENULTIMATECARICATURE
Therehasbeennodenunciation，andperhapsevennorecognition，ofacertainsocialimmoralityinthecaricatureofthemid-centuryandearlier。Literaryandpictorialalike，ithadforitsnoticethevulgarisingofthemarriedwoman。NoonenowwouldreadDouglasJerroldforpleasure，butitisworthwhiletoturnupthathumourist’sserial，Mrs。Caudle’sCurtainLectures，whichwerepresumablyconsideredgoodcomicreadinginthePunchofthattime，andtomakeacquaintancewithacertainidealofthegrotesque。
Obviouslytomakeaseriouscommentonanythingwhichothersconsiderorhaveconsideredhumorousistoputone’s-selfatadisadvantage。Hewhoseesthejokeholdshimselfsomewhatthesuperiorofthemanwhowouldseeit，suchasitis，ifhethoughtitworthhiseyesight。Thelast-namedhastobeartheleasttolerableofmodernreproaches；butheneednotalwayscare。NowtoturnoverDouglasJerrold’smonologuesistofindthatpeopleinthemid-centurytooktheirmirthprincipallyfromthelifeofthearriereboutique。Onthatshabbystagewasenactedthecomedyofliterature。ThereforewemusttakesomethingofthevulgarityofJerroldasacircumstanceofthesocialrankswhereinhedelighted。
Buttheessentialvulgarityisthatofthewoman。ThereisinsomeoldPunchvolumeadrawingbyLeech——whomoneiswearyofhearingnamedthegentle，therefined——wheretheworkoftheartisthasviedwiththespiritoftheletter-press。DouglasJerroldtreatsofthewoman’sjealousy，Leechofherstays。Theylieonachairbythebed，beyonddescriptiongross。Andpagebypagethewomanisderided，withanunfailingenjoymentofherfoolishuglinessofperson，ofmanners，andoflanguage。Inthattimetherewas，moreover，onegreathumourist；heborehispartwillinglyinvulgarisingthewoman；andthepartthatfelltohimwasthevulgarisingoftheactofmaternity。Womanspiteful，womansuingmanatthelawforevadingherfatuouscompanionship，womanincoherent，womanabandonedwithoutrestrainttoviolenceandtemper，womanfeigningsensibility——innoneoftheseignominiesiswomansocommon，foul，andfoolishforDickensassheisinchild-
bearing。
InamedLeechbutnow。Hewas，inallthingsessential，Dickens’scontemporary。Andaccordinglythemarriedwomanandherchildarehumiliatedbyhispencil；notgrossly，butcommonly。Forhimsheismoderatelyanddullyridiculous。Whatdelightshimashumorousisthatherhusband——himselfwearisomeenoughtodieof——iswearyofher，findsthetimelong，andtriestoescapeher。Itamuseshimthatsheshouldfurtivelyspendmoneyoverherowndowdiness，totheannoyanceofherhusband，andthatherhusbandshouldhavenodesiretoadornher，andthathermothershouldbeintolerable。Itpleaseshimthatherbaby，withenormouscheeksandahideousrosetteinitshat——aburlesquebaby——shouldbeagrotesqueobjectofherlove，forthattoomakessubtlyforherabasement。CharlesKeene，again——
anothercontemporary，thoughhelivedintoalateranddifferenttime。Hesawlittleelsethancommonformsofhumanignominy——
indignitiesofcivicphysique，ofstupidprosperity，ofdress，ofbearing。Hetransmitsthesethingsingreaterproportionthanhefoundthem——whetherforloveofthehumourofthem，orbyakindofinverteddisgustthatisaseagerasdelight——oneisnotsurewhichistheimpulse。Thegrossnessofthevulgaritiesisrenderedwithacompletenessthatgoesfartoconvinceusofacertainsensitivenessofapprehensioninthedesigner；andthenagainwegetconvincedthatrealapprehension——realapprehensiveness——wouldnothaveinsisteduponsuchthings，couldnothavelivedwiththemthroughalmostawholecareer。ThereisonedrawinginthePunchofyearsago，inwhichCharlesKeeneachievedthenastiestthingpossibletoeventheinventionofthatday。Adrunkencitizen，intheusualbroadcloth，hasgonetobed，fullydressed，withhisbootsonandhisumbrellaopen，andthejokeliesinthesurpriseawaiting，whensheawakes，thewifeasleepathissideinanight-cap。EveryonewhoknowsKeene’sworkcanimaginehowthehugewell-fedfigurewasdrawn，andhowthecoatwrinkledacrosstheback，andhowthebourgeoiswhiskerswereindicated。Thisobscenedrawingismatchedbymanyequallyodious。Abjectdomesticity，ignominiesofmarriedlife，ofmiddle-age，ofmoney-making；theoldcommonjapeagainstthemother-in-law；ill-dressedmenwithwhisky——ill-dressedwomenwithtempers；everythingthatisunderbredanddecivilised；
abominableweddings：inonedrawingabridegroomwithshamblingsidelonglegsaskshisbrideifsheisnervous；sheisawidow，andsheanswers，’No，neverwas。’Inallthesethingsthereisverylittlehumour。WhereKeeneachievedfunwasinthefiguresofhisschoolboys。Thehintoftendernesswhichinreallyfineworkcouldneverbeabsentfromaman’sthoughtofachildorfromhistouchofone，howeverfrolicorrowdythesubjectinhand，isabsolutelylackinginKeene’sdesigns；nevertheless，weacknowledgethathereishumour。Itisalsoinsomeofhisclericalfigureswhentheyarenotcaricatures，andcertainlyin’Robert，’theCitywaiterofPunch。ButsoirresistibleisthederisionofthewomanthatallCharlesKeene’spersistentsenseofvulgarityisintentcentrallyuponher。Neverforanygracegoneastrayisshebantered，neverforthesocialextravagances，forprattle，orforbeloveddress；butalwaysforherjealousy，andfortherepulsivepersonofthemanuponwhomshespiesandinwhomshevindicatesherignoblerights。
Ifthisistheshopkeeperthepossessionofwhomisherboast，whatthenisshe？
Thisgreatimmorality，centringintheirreproachabledaysoftheExhibitionof1851，orthereabouts——thepleasureinthisparticularformofhumandisgrace——haspassed，leavingonetraceonly：thehabitbywhichsomemenreproachasillywomanthroughhersex，whereasasillymanisnotreproachedthroughhissex。ButthevulgarityofwhichIhavewrittenherewasdistinctivelyEnglish——
themostEnglishthingthatEnglandhadindayswhenshebraggedofmanyanother——anditwasnotabletosurviveanincreasedcommerceofmannersandletterswithFrance。ItwasthechiefimmoralitydestroyedbyFrenchfiction。
