530 Collections from American Liter atttre. [^Nov. I> 



tlicy are not always such as a correct wrouglit by Mr. Scott tliat t!icy seem 

 tasle can admire, or a jtulicious j)0(;t to sjjriiig up fioni the force of magic, 

 ■ wtiuld make use of. i!e writes much, rather than the toil of industry, are call- 

 aitd yet his great resources always keep cd, in the pluase of tlie day, llie Jdyl- 

 liresonie; his variety is lie epopee; these are, strictly speakiiif?. 



liim froni beiuj, 



endless, hut liis variations are not al- 

 ways happy or beraitiinl ; he is capable 

 of harmony, and yet he is frequently 

 harsii and rugged ; always a master ot 

 the pathetic, he is not ecpiaily snccessiul 

 in the sublime, in attempting whi'cii he 

 too often degenerates to turgidity. In 

 depicting had characters and horrid 

 Fcenes ho is without a rival ; but I am 

 not disposed to infer unfavourable qua- 

 lities from his failure in opposite tasks. 

 • When Scott adopts the measure of 

 eight feet he dwindles to the jiigmy gin- 

 gle of a rhymster, and scarcely avoids 

 the contempt of a manly and full grown 

 4aste, formed on the classic )nodels of 

 English poets. This limited measure 

 does not alford room for bold expres- 

 sion ; the rhyme too often breaks in up- 

 on the sense, and tires the ear by satiety 

 of mnsic. No measure is so suitable to 

 narrative as the heroic, and Scott, as 

 •well as every other poet, pleases most 

 when be adopts this old-fashioned 

 «frain. 



For the same reason, the stanza ot 

 Spencer is olijectionable, as well as all 

 lliosc irregular nieasnves occasionally 

 <ljscd by Mr. Scott, 'there is too much 

 sound bet ween the sense, and iVcriuent- 

 ly too great a space between the sound; 

 and I am convinced that the sooner our 

 fashionable poets renounce these redun- 

 dant trappiiigs of rhyme, the sooner will 

 they attain that innnortality for w hich 

 liicy tunc their notes and exercise their 

 n-enius. Let the voice of experience, 

 echoed through many ages, teli tiicm of 

 this obvious but important trntii ; and 

 let their vanity or their arrogance, their 

 genius or intrepidity, stoop for a mo- 

 ment to receive that advice, >\hirli aims 

 at the perpetuity of their name, and the 

 perfection of tlieir powers. 



I eaimotreliminisli the invidious task 

 of an adviser without pronouisciiig a still 

 mosc ui!i)Icasant tnitli. whicli I tlio- 

 >ou:;hly believe the mtirch of time will 

 Bolelniily confirm. ir'ubjccts remote 

 iVom familiar incidents and daily pas- 

 sions can never live in the minds of pos- 

 terity ; their novelty may at fast procure 

 them celebrity, but when the curiosity 

 of tl>e moraetit has been satisfied they 

 will be given to oblivion, and never rc- 

 Yived again for repeated pleasure, 

 amusement, or instruction. 

 The pocBJS winch arc S9 easily 



nothing more than novels arrayed in the 

 robe ()f poetry, and sweetened by the 

 ginglc of rhyme. As such, they seem 

 mostly doomed to an ephemeral exis- 

 tence, from which nothing can rescue 

 them, for tlie inhciitance of fame, but 

 the superior taste of predominant ge- 

 nius, steady to the principles of nature, 

 and opposed to the innovations of ca- 

 price. The Works of a Eyron may ex- 

 tort admijatJon, and transmit him to 

 innnortality ; but the herd of those pro- 

 ductions, which emanate from the per- 

 verted minds of Scott, Southey, Bowlc.i, 

 and Lewis, must inevitably perish witli 

 the season that beheld their maturity, 

 and resounded with their applause. 

 Sucii nmst ever be the fate of perverted 

 ingenuity, uiisnccessfni in its inno- 

 vations. 



Many plar.sililc arguments may rea- 

 dily be alicdged in vindication of the 

 excellence, and in proof of the success, 

 of Scott ; hut, when they are exposed to 

 the torch of reason, liicy fade before th« 

 sight, and eti'acc the momentary impres- 

 sion that they cfleeted by the aid ol par- 

 tiality, fancy, or prejudice. It may bo 

 said, (hat by securing the chief end of 

 all authors, that of being universally 

 read, and generally admired, he hiis a* 

 once proved the pui i(y of his taste, and 

 evinced tlie perfection of Ins writings. 

 But it nnist be remarked, in opposition 

 to this specious conclusion, that pre- 

 sent applau:c is neither a tost of merit 

 nor a pusRj)ort to fame ; and that tlio 

 diffusion of a book may be caused by 

 circumstances nnconnected with pcrfcc-' 

 tion, and independent of beauty. No 

 production has become more universally 

 spread, or is more iiicessantly perused, 

 than tlie Pilgrim's Progress, yet no book 

 is so little endiollislicd with the beau- 

 ties of stylo, or jiolish of sentiment ; on 

 the contrary, it is owing to its familiar 

 diction and trite phraseology that it has 

 grown to be so eminently jjopnlar, and 

 the sacred nature of the subject haa 

 saved it from that oblivion which it 

 v'.ould otherwise have fallen into. Mr. 

 Scott nmst pardon a comparison not in- 

 tended to disparage his abilities, hut we 

 think he has succeeded in the same 

 manner, by the efiicacy of a popular 

 charm — I mean the romantic interest 

 of his subject, absiracted from poetic 

 beauties, ajid the old ballad measure he 



has 



