come worst off. His attention was wholly “ Prince. I do not know him. directed to the youngest Schulin, who ap- “ Author. Your Highness has not yet, peared to indulge a wilful mood, by tea- I presume, begun to read English. sing the Prince, and telling him that he < Prince. No. I have not might rest satisfied with what he had got. " Author. But French ? The Prince, on the other hand, highly co

“ Prince. O yes ! louring, told him that he had got enough, “ Author. Your Highness is probably held a short twig to Schulin's nose, and did a great Frenchman ? all that he could to provoke a renewal of the “ Prince. No, indeed, I am not. combat. At last the Prince's tutor called “ Author. And shall I tell you, that his attention to the drawings for this work. you never will be. They seemed to interest and please him. “ Prince. (Smiling, and looking at me Looking at the view of the Sound, the with earnestness.) How so? Why? Prince demanded, “ Pray, what is the " Author. You are too fond of the sea, meaning of the little flag on the fore-top as I have been told by a naval friend of of the guard-ship?'

mine. “ Author. When that is flying ships 66 Prince. (With enthusiasm.) Yes! I need not strike their flags and sails to the do love the

sea. King of Denmark.

The Prince looked over the other “ Prince. What! must ships strike drawing, and then proceeded to his car. flags and sails to the King of Denmark ? riage, which was drawn up to the grand

“ Author. They must do more: the entrance of the palace. As he was going captains are obliged to come on shore, and to step into the carriage, he pulled off his pay a toll to the King of Denmark. The hat, and, making a polite bow, exclaimed, other day, an English ship, with a cargo of “I thank you much, sir, for the sight of cotton twist, paid L.1500 in toll.

those beautiful drawings; I hope they will “ Prince. Indeed! that was a fine ship. like them in England, and I wish you a I wish such an one would come every day. prosperous voyage." But how is it that ships pay this toll? “ Author. They do so to refund the ex

We have now discharged a public penses his Danish Majesty incurs on ac- duty, in calling the attention of the count of lighthouses, beacons, &c. It is literary world thus early to a work an old custom, of which the English, in which is undoubtedly destined to renparticular, are very fond. The English der the name of its author immortal. mariners are very partial to Holland's gin, We once more call upon Mr Feldberg which they get cheap, and in great perfec- to proceed fearlessly in his high cation at Elsinore; besides, they buy knick- reer, till he reaches the goal of glory knacks there for their wives and sweet- and of fame, to which the completion hearts, and the passengers have an oppor- of his labours must inevitably conduct tunity of visiting Hamlet's Garden. 6 Prince. Hamlet's Garden ! Where is readers due notice of the future

him. We shall not fail to give our that.

pro“ Author. Close to Elsinore.

gress of a work, of which it would be “ Prince. Who is Hamlet ?

unjust to the discernment of the pub“ Author. According to Shakespeare, lic to augur any thing but the most the most accomplished prince Denmark ever splendid success. produced.

WHY ARE POETS INDIFFERENT CRITICS ?
MR EDITOR,

to Troilus and Cressida, and Mr Pope, The variorum notes on Shakespeare haveconcurred in thinking, that Shakeare entertaining reading, and have pro- speare produced this long passage with bably been the cause of many a man's design to ridicule and expose the bomlooking into the works of the great bast of the play from whence it was poet, who would never have troubled taken, and that Hamlet's commendathem from pure love of the sublime or tion of it is purely ironical. This is pathetic. It is not, then, too much, become the general opinion. I think perhaps, to presume, that most gene- just otherwise ; and that it was given ral readers will pretty well recollect with commendation, to upbraid the Warburton's elaborate note on the false taste of the audience of that time, players' speech in Hamlet, as well as which would not suffer them to do the much controverted passage to which justice to the simplicity and sublime of it is appended. “ The greatest poet this production.” Warburton goes on, of this and the last age,” says War. as usual, through a variety of ingeniburton, “ Mr Dryden, in the preface ous and unsatisfactory arguments in

-or

support of his opłnion; but I must whether intuitively or by a serdes of own, that in his conclusion I am in- acts of the understanding, filled and saclined for the most part to agree. Not turated with the delight which springs that I can bring myself to think, as he from some favourite poetical style. does, the style of the speech a good This style must be his own ; and it is style, nor that his reasoning, as to only by the perfect comprehension, what Hamlet says of it, however sub- and intense admiration of its peculiatle, appears to me at all convincing; rities and its beauties, that he can have but because it is very possible that become an original poet. This feeling Shakespeare may have been fond of of delight, in a particular style of poetthe lines, although they are not good ry, may have arisen, as it no doubt in

any point of view. Nor is it impro- often arises, unconsciously. The numbable that he was so. That he him- berless steps, of perception after per

self wrote them, there cannot, I think, ception, and of association after assoI be much doubt. The Shakespearian ciation, may have been originally so

rein shews itself here and there. The imperceptible, or so completely for?: style, indeed, exhibits much more of gotten ultimately, as to give the whole leveys his nerve and manner.than that of some process the appearance of instinct,in of the plays which are attributed to it may have been a decided creation

him. Titus Andronicus, for instance, of the understanding. It may have which it is a wonder, by the bye, that originated in the nicest discrimination the critics haveneverattributed to Mar- and the most profound analysis. It low, for the turn of the versification, may have been artificial in its concepand the atrocity of the characters, are tion, in its birth, and in its essence. in exact keeping with the “ Jew of Still the style so doated on, must be Malta."-But that the players' speech truly the “ chosen one” the only beis not turgid, and in bad taste, and as loved ;” and the modes of choice can unlike the style of the ancients as only differ as the romantic “ love at “ Hyperion to a satyr," Warburton first sight” of the stripling differs from will succeed in persuading few readers. the gradual and intelligent affection of His parallel quotations, as he would the man. have them thought, from Troilus and Under the first supposition it is nearCressida, and from Anthony and Cleo- ly impossible to imagine that a mind, patra, are utterly worthless; the piece, influenced by such exclusive and deepin which the first occurs, is only half ly-seated feelings, should not be disin earnest throughout; and the last qualified impartially to compare the ef

nobody but Warburton would have fusionswhich produce them, with others [ produced as a similar passage. Still which do not. In the second instance,

Shakespeare may have liked the players' it is difficult to imagine this. When we speech,

though he never wrote it, as the have long and steadily preferred any learned doctor supposes, in imitation of thing, especially in poetry, that prethe ancients; as a player, it is the very ference, almost necessarily declines, (or thing that he would be likely to deem if the term displease,) improves into a attractive; and poets are, in truth, sort of amiable but unreasonable doseldom good critics, that is to say great tage. The lover may be brought to own poets are seldom judicious critics of that his mistress is, in the abstract, less poetry. Nor is it natural that they handsome than some other woman; should be, for which the reasons are but he cannot practically think that she tolerably obvious.

is so, because he cannot feel that she is Whether poets are inspired beings so. Her name must ever be to his ears or not, does not much alter the bear. “more musical than is Apollo's lute,' ings of this question. We have, to be let him play what tune he pleases. As sure, their own word for it that they it is in love, so is it in poetry. We are are, and they should know best, as infatuated with a word, a very sound. Count Caylus argued when he assured The poet may exclaim,“ What's in a his officious ghostly advisers, to their name !" as long as he will, but it is a great perplexity, that he had no soul. mistake to say that, to the poet, But then the word of a poet is none of the most credible, especially upon sub- By any other name would smell as sweet”. jects like these. Be this as it may, however, still it is impossible to con- It would not do so. ceive of a great poet but as being, How a mind impregnated with such

а

A rose

feelings should judge truly of the poet- possession of him as it has since done, ical, is incomprehensible. A jaundiced nor had he then attained to that nereye might as well distinguish colours. vous strength, either of thought, or

. In order to judge of poetry, according language, which imparts a double force to Burns's indignant expression," by to bis misanthropical reflections. He the square and rule," a poet must dis- accordingly wrote less from his own miss for the occasion that “in which ideas of style and subject than from he lives," which,“ is his life.” He those of others; and whenever Lord must go out of the very element in Byron has been an imitator, he has, in which he breathes to inhale some new- one or other sense of the word, failed. ly discovered gas. He must shuffle off with a predisposition, thus early, tonatare,and commit high treason against wards a certain style and colouring of the very bent and constitution of his thought, his judgment has been consoul and intellect. “ He must divide stantly overpowered by the peculiarities and go to buffets with himself of his poetical temperament. This is “ His understanding's self, must maul his evident even in what he has said reass-self !”

specting the Elgin marbles ; difference

of opinion is common, but there has He is to sit down and coolly examine been no measure in his wrath. He will that which naturally arouses his finest find very few to join him in his exaga passions, and act the unbiassed judge in gerated vituperations of the noble coà cause as to which he has been full of noisseur, for rescuing these exquisite prejudices from the very hour of his remains from the hands of Time and in birth; that the struggle to go through so the Turk. The only pity is that it had unnaturala task as this, should occasion not been done five hundred years ir all sorts of extremes and absurdities is sooner. But the eye of Byron had seen notextraordinary. Poetical criticismde- these unmatched sculptures in their mands other than poetical nerves. It is original situation; and he loved theme one man's calling to create a beautiful with the enthusiasm of a poet.* With metaphor, and another's to dissectit. It such feelings it were in vain to reason. is for your cold-blooded experimental Talk of utility or expediency! we it ist to stare a simile out of countenance, might as well expect the lover to cut on pretence of criticising the regularity off his mistress's beautiful hair to presente of its features, or to make mouths at vent it coming out, or draw her frontthe pathetie, under a pretext of subject- teeth to preserve the rest from caries. ing it to the test of ridicule, as an urchin His opinions on poetry, even when grins in your face in the hope of ma- he has endeavoured to rest them on king you as ridiculous as himself.

first principles, or logical deductions, Of the fact of good poets being, in seem to have veered and varied all his general, bad critics, the instances are life ; and with his opinions, variable

as plenty as blaek berries." His lord- as they have been, his practice has ship of Byron is one of the most modern generally contrived to be inconsistent. and eminent examples. This is appa. In his criticisms in the satire of“Eng, rent, not only in the recent Bowles lish Bards and Scotch Reviewers, Controversy to which one wonders at even when they are not warped by those who are sorry that he “ conde- irritated passions, it would be difficult scends,” for it is highly witty and amu- to shew any one rule to which he has sing, and cannot hurt his reputation as adhered throughout; if there be any, a poet with any one who has common it is the rule of contrariety. His imitasense, --but may be, more or less, de- tions have not been less inconsistent, tected in many other transactions of nor less unfortunate. They are, howhis life. Byron is truly a poet by in- ever, often fortunately unfortunate. tuition. In his juvenile poems, that Unfortunate in not being like the style tendency to melancholy, and to the imitated, and fortunate in being betdepicting the darker passions, which ter. The versification, for instance, has all along characterized him, is de- of the Bride of Abydos” is clearly cidedly developed. He was then too intended to resemble that of Sir Wal. young to suffer it to take such complete ter Scott, whose poems, by the bye,

This is not correct. The marbles were removed from the Parthenon before his Lordship visited Athens.---C. N.

;

he had ridiculed,--but it is more con- Glasgow, but which the worthy prodensed and more correct than thai of fessors are so strangely shy of shewing, Sir Walter. Again, he has nearly must be, to all Christian readers, the spoiled the third canto of “Childe paragon of all earthly poetry, --that is, Harold,” by mixing some unintelli- has been, or shall be. That a mind gible mysticism, about mountains and gifted like that of the author of Childe storms, with his own vigorous and Harold, should prefer Pope, sensible, well defined conceptions, under an witty, and elegant as he is, to Shakeidea that he was rivalling Wordsworth, speare, to Milton, or to himself, and

for such a reason as this, is next to “When Southey’s read, and Wordsworth impossible. Yet we must believe this understood,

before we can put faith in Lord By, I can't help putting in my claim to

ron's criticism. praise."

Don Juan.

Lord Byron has been mentioned first

as being perhaps the most notorious The controversy with Bowles is an- instance of the principle which these other instance of the work which po- remarks are intended to enforce. Coretical prepossessions make with the roborative examples, however, are sufcritical judgment of a poet. Lord By- ficiently abundant. Milton, like Byron, ron may persuade himself, if he can, seems to have been born a poet, though, that Pope is, after all, the greatest of to his native loftiness and fire, he has poets-and that he thinks him so; but superadded all the majestic and fancihe shall not persuade the public to ful graces which a profound knowledge believe either of these propositions, for of classical poetry could afford him. His all the syllogisms that he has yet put genius tended evidently to the higher forth. In truth, it is ten to one but beauties of poetry,--to the sublime and he hates Pope and his poetry from the the pathetic, rather than to the witty, very bottom of his soul, and if he were the ingenious, or the elegant. Like to make an affidavit of the contrary Byron, however, Milton is known to to-morrow, the question would still have preferred the works of one, the remain where it was. He is, in fact, tendencies of whose genius were as opthe dupe of his own feelings. Aware of posite to those of his own, as can well the occasional hollowness the some- conceived. Cowley, the quaint, time extravagance, of those bursts of the metaphysical, the artificial Cowley, exalted poetry, which are congenial was the favourite of Milton, who preand natural to his own mind, he dis- ferred him to Dryden. Dryden, Rotrusts himself. Such poetry is an every- chester, and the rest of King Charles day feeling with him, and he tires of the Second's pet poets, however, rebimself. Like the bank, he can com- turned the compliment, and were inmand an unlimited issue of his own judicious enough to express their concoin, and he depreciates himself. With tempt of Milton, whose Paradise Lost these feelings, he endeavours to erect was characterized amongst the courtiers an artificial standard of merit, in di- as a " dull poem,” by one Milton, a rect opposition to that which he feels blind old rebel, who had been Latin to be the true standard, and, in doing secretary to Cromwell, and narrowly so, he has, for lack of better, flounder- escaped hanging at the Restoration, ed upon the precious piece of logic, which, if he had not, they seem 'to that-because morals are the best of have thought would have been no great studies, and Pope has written moral matter for regret. essays in rhyme, therefore Pope is the Pope is another instance of the inabest of poets. He might as well say, bility of great poets to become good that because mahogany is the best of critics. He is the poet of good sense, woods, therefore an ode to Honduras wit, and judgment. His style, howmust exceed all possible odes to any ever, is plainly the effect of intense possible collection of trees; or, that labour. Its polish is the result of rebecause the prospect of Eton is the peated touches, and its correctness, of best of prospects, and Eton the best anxious and perpetual pruning. A geof colleges, therefore, Gray's ode must nius like that of Pope could not corbe the best that could be written on dially relish the natural and luxurious the Prospect of a College. If reasoning freedom of the older poets. Their like this may bold, the celebrated me thoughts rushed on like the stream of trical version of the Holy Scriptures a mountain torrent, whilst his flowed deposited in the University library at on with the equable current of a ca

nal. It was hardly possible that he Mrs Behn, were essentially commoncould really enjoy the works of men place, and he, like them, only remarklike these ; nor did he enjoy them. able for the art of unravelling plots, or Spence 'has put it upon record that he contrasting characters. After saying esteemed the writings of Ben Jonson, that Fleet-street was his favourite proupon the whole, as “ trash.” His sen- spect, it was natural to expect that he tence on Young was, that he was “ a should run down Pastorals. The poet genius without common-sense”-but of “ London” was not likely to rewhat tells against him most strongly lish Tasso, Guarini, or Allan Ramsay. is, that his edition of Shakespeare is Nor was he a very fair judge of Osprobably the worst ever published. sian, or even Dr Percy's ballads. Of the conjectural emendations, John- Amongst the living poets the same son's are very middling, Warburton's intemperate judgments are daily maworse than middling, and Pope's worst nifested. Byron, " in his own despite," of all. They are universally and woe- sets up Pope for a model ; deprecates fully flat. A fashionable canzonet oc- cant in one breath, and cants about curring in the midst of Moore's Irish, morals in the next. Percy Shelley, and or Burns' Scottish melodies, could not the rest of the school of “ naturals," sound more deplorably. Theobald, gibe at the “ artifice” and “sing song" the ci-devant hero of the Dunciad of Pope, and are in love with the un

poor Tib,” as Johnson called him, intelligible beauties of Chaucer, mahas experimentally and practically fal- king out in the excesses of their creed, sified the celebrated couplet of his “ Al discord, harmony_not understood.” enemy, and proved that it is one thing to write a poetical “ Essay on Criti- Nay, there was Leigh Hunt, the other cism," and another to practise it.

day, doating upon the exquisite pro

nunciation of - tobacco," as a rhyme • Let those judge others who, themselves, to “ acre,"—tobaccre ! and impru

excel, And censure freely who have written well.” mortification of all those who feel sore

dently avowing his fondness, to the The comparison between Pope's and at the jokes lately played off on the Theobald's edition of Shakespeare, is peculiarities of what is termed the in the very teeth of the maxim. “ Cockney School of Poetry.” The

If we come a little nearer our own Lake poets sneer at every body, and if time, and examine the literary opinions Dr Southey be not careful with his of Gray, Johnson, and Horace Walpole, hexameters, they run some risk of a we shall find the same narrowness in return. Indeed, the Laureat's “Spetheir critical decisions. Gray predict- cimens” of English Poetry are in themed ill of Collins, and especially, disco- selves no bad specimen of that perverse vered in the writings of the young singularity of judgment which haunts bard of the Passions, a paucity of the tribe of poets ; nor is Mr Campimages ! Mason and himself were bell's selections without some tendenmore a kin--and Mason he preferred. cies of this sort, though more judicious Dr Johnson makes out a passage in than Southey's. Sir Walter Scott's Congreve's Mourning Bride, to be confirmed predilection for antiquarian more poetically descriptive than any description, and heroes who “cannot thing in Shakespeare ; and Horace spell,” is well known; and to complete Walpole, reluctantly allowing him ge- the list, this infirmity of judgment, so nius, despises all the other dramatists fatal to great poets, is apparent even in his contemporaries. Nay, the Doctor the venerable father of " The Leg of would discourage quotations from the Mutton School," who, it is plain, must works of a man, of whose admirable have taken the hint of praising all his expressions, numbers have become great dining acquaintance from Pope's idiomatic in the language, by saying idea of writing "panegyrics on all the that he who brings a passage from kings in Europe," unmindful that the Shakespeare as a specimen of his plan was, upon second thoughts, abanpowers, is like the pedant, who doned by its original and equally il. brought a brick as a sample of the lustrious author. building. As if Shakespeare's mate- In this principle may be found the rials, like those of Mrs Centlivre, or origin of that illiberal habit more or

"*