Gents Mag 1850 part 1 p.359
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Gentleman's Magazine 1850 part 1 p.359
be to me the being that he has been. I have a trick of thinking too well of those I love, better than they generally deserve, and better than my cold and containing manners ever let them know; the foibles of a friend always endear him, if they have coexisted with my knowledge of him; but the pain is - to see beauty grow deformed - to trace disease from the first infection. These scientific men are indeed the victims of science. They sacrifice to it their own feelings, and virtues, and happiness."It would be a pleasing and by no means an unprofitable occupation to compare the substance of this passing sketch of Southey with the valuable and well-considerd biographies of Sir Humphrey Davy by Dr. Paris, and by his brother. They were both writers worthy of the subject, and Sir Humphrey Davy stood, for originality of mind, depth of thought, and acuteness of itellect, among the foremost of his age. P.203. "If they buy me any books at Gunville (Mr. Wedgwood's seat) let them buy the Engleish Metrical Romancees, published by Ritson."On these romances of Ritson, see Annual Review, vol.ii. p.515-522. Sir Walter Scott says, in his Lady of the Lake, that Ritson published the "Orfee and Heusodius" from a bad MS. vide p.393. Sir Frederick Madden is in possession of a third English version of the "Gest of King Horn," not known to Ritson; vide Quart. Rev. No.LXVIII. p.172. On the MS. of the Earl of Thurlass, see Brit. Bibliograph. vol.vi. p.95. Sir Frederick Madden says, "The opinion of Tyrwhitt, repeated by Ritson, Warton, Ellis, Scott, that no English romance existed prior to Chaucer that was not a translation from the French, must be read with considerable caution." King Horn is decidedly English growth; vide Conybeare's Ang. Sax. Poetry, i. 46; Madden's Intr. to Havelok, p.xlvi. Sir Frederick Madden discovered in the Bodleian a copy of King Horn of the same date as MS. Harl. (about 1300), which gives in many respects preferable readings; vide Pref. to William and the Werwolfe, p.vi.; see also Havelok, p.182. See on the Preliminary Dissertation by Ritson to these romances, Nichols's Illust. of Literature, vol.vii. p.113, 121, 122. P.203. "Cowper's Life is the most pickpocket work of its shape and price, and author, and publisher, that ever appeared. It relateds very little of the man himself. This sort of delicacy seems quite groundless towards a man who has left no relations or connections who could be hurt by the most explicit bibliographical detail. His letters are not what one does expect, and yet what one ought to expect, for Cowper was not a strong-minded man even in his best moments. The very few opinions he gave on authors are quite ludicrous. He calls Mr. Park, - that comical spark, Who wrote to ask me for Joan of Arc, 'one of our best hands' in poetry! Poor wretched man" the Methodists among whom he lived made him ten times madder than he could else have been."list, This opinion became much modified and softened before Southey became himself the editor of these Letters and the bibliographer of the poet. In the Qtrly Review, No.LXIX. in a review of Dr. Sayers, by Southey, will be found his judgment of the merits of Cowper's poetry. Miss Seward had a great dislike to the poetry of Cowper, and perhaps to Cowper himself - her copy of Hayley's Life was crowded with critical remarks of the severest kind. In the Memoirs of Hayley may be seen what Lady Hesketh, whose intimate knowledge of the poet caused her judgment to be well formed, thought of Hayley's Life. See vol.i. p.465; vol.ii. pp.34, 92, 223. But our limits are exhausted. We shall shortly resume this subject with a notice of vol.iii. and will only add, at the present, that, with respect to the BUTLER mentioned at p.335, the editor seems but imperfectly informed. His portrait, and that of his man William, are now hanging on the walls of our study. His Life is on our table. He himself has long since returned to the "august abode" from which he came. |
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