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year is ever at the doors." Words wortli has himself given a 

 noble description of the character and uses of his poetry : — 



"Power hath been given to please for higher ends 

 Than pleasure only ; gladdening to prepare 

 For wholesome sadness, troubling to refine, 

 Calming to raise." 



(The introduction to the " White Doe of Eylstone " should also be read 

 in this connection.) 



It may be charged that some great writers have been of 

 immoral character. Probably they were not much worse than the 

 ordinary men of their time — but let that pass. It must be 

 admitted that some men of genius have perverted literature, laying 

 unhallowed incense on the altar of genius, and mingling with 

 strange flames her vestal fire. We will make some allowance 

 for their temptations, for their strongly susceptible natures. We 

 will remember Burns's touching appeal for charitable judgment : — 

 " To step aside is human * * what's done we partly may compute 

 but know not what's resisted."' Shall we because of their errors 

 refuse to read the magnificent works they have left us ? May we 

 not accept their very failmgs as an indication of the fact that they 

 were men of like passions with ourselves, to the same frailties 

 incident, and by the same temptations overcome ? Happily most 

 of our great poets have been men of the people, conversant with 

 their virtues and their faults, their hopes and aspirations, their 

 wants and needs. Some fantastic admirers have imagined the 

 poets as being nursed in quiet retreats far from the madding 

 crowd, and engaged in occupations almost celestial. Fortunately 

 this is but a fancy. Cowley's comparison of Bacon to Moses 

 standing on Mount Pisgah is applicable to many of our writers. 

 While the multitude at the foot of the hill saw only the flat sterile 

 desert bounded on every side by a close horizon, he was gazing 

 from a far higher stand on a far lovelier country, following with 

 his eye the long course of fertilising rivers, through ample 

 pastures, and under the bridges of great capitals, measuring the 

 distances of marts and havens, and portioning out all those 

 wealthy regions from Dan to Beersheba. Some of our poets — 

 like Wordsworth and Cowper — have not only " allured to brighter 

 worlds " but have themselves trod the favoured laud. While others 

 have conceived lofty ideals, have drawn noble pictures, have 

 pointed the way (to the great benefit of succeeding generations) 

 but have themselves failed to carry out the principles inculcated 

 in their writings. Are we justified in renouncing the whole of 

 their books on this account ? Are we never to listen to admon- 

 itions until they who preach become perfect? There is much 

 instruction in Goethe's saying — " there are many echoes in the 

 world but few voices"; and it should be our constant efl'ort to 

 distinguish the voices from the echoes and to respond accordingly. 



