10 
by noble streams and adorned by nu- 
merous cities most delightfully situated ; 
but from Erzerum to the frontiers of 
Persia, it is wild and uncultivated. 
——a——— 
NEWS FROM PARNASSUS. 
No. XIV. 
Sardanapalus, a Tragedy; the Two 
Foscari, u Tragedy ; Cain, a Mystery. 
By the RIGHT HON. LORD BYRON. 
1 our strictures upon “ the Doge of 
Venice,” the first regular tragedy 
published by the noble author, we ex- 
pressed our opinion that this was not 
the class of composition in which his 
talents were likely to be exerted with 
success. Weare confirmed in our sen- 
timents by the present productions. 
There is, in his genius, much force, 
but no variety; and the drama, above 
every other species of composition. de- 
mands an intellect capable of entering 
into every diversity of passion and of 
character. Perhaps the noble lord may 
be pre-determined to overcome, by ob- 
stinate perseverance, the difficulties 
which nature has thrown in his way ; 
but we should strongly recommend 
to him to give up the contest, and to 
pursue those paths which he can tra- 
verse with much more ease to himself, 
and far greater satisfaction to lis read- 
ers. In estimating the three works 
before us, we have no hesitation in 
giving the preference, in point of poeti- 
cal merit and effect, to the “ Mystery of 
Cain,”’ which we shall accordingly select 
as the principal object of our remarks. 
The unity of passion and simplicity of 
action inseparable from the subject 
render this drama particularly suitable 
to the powers of the writer, and we find 
that he has treated it with a correspond- 
ing degree of vigour and effect. 
It might have been safely prognosti- 
cated that Lord Byron, after the outcry 
raised against the morality of DonJuan, 
could not lay his hand upon a sacred 
subject without exciting the horror of 
certain scrupulous critics, who have ac- 
cordingly professed themselves thun- 
derstruck with the impiety and blas- 
phemy of the “‘ Mystery of Cain.’? Such 
an accusation is sheer nonsense; and 
it deserves no other reply. The work 
is not free, to be sure, from allusions to 
questions of the greatest difficulty and 
moment; but when a poet, in the per- 
son of Cain or Lucifer, adverts to the 
old puzzles of necessity and free-will, 
the origin of evil, and other venerable 
and inevitable dilemmas, it is ridicu- 
News from Parnassus...No. XIV. 
| Feb. 1, 
lous to assume an inquisitorial tone, 
and to convert a few passages of a spe- 
culative metaphysical character, into a 
serious charge of blasphemy and irre- 
ligion. 
The Mystery opens, and exhibits 
Adam, with his whole family, in the act 
of offering up their morning supplica- 
tions. After each individual has atter- 
eda prayer, except Cain, Adam turns 
to him and enquires— 
Son Cain, my first-born, wherefore art 
thou silent ? 
Cain. Why should I speak ? 
Adam. To pray. 
Cain. Have ye not pray’d ? 
Adam. We have, most fervently. 
Cain. And loudly—I have heard you. 
Adam. So will God, I trust. 
Abel. Amen, 
Adam. But thou, my eldest-born, art 
silent still. 
Cain. Tis better I should be so, 
Adam, Wherefore so? 
Cain. } have nought to ask. 
Adam. Nor aught to thank for? 
Cain. No. 
Adam. Dost thou not live? 
Cain. Must I not die? 
Eve. Alas! 
The fruit of our forbidden tree begins 
To fall. 
This passage affords a key to the 
temper and frame of mind of Cain 
throughout the piece. He disdains the 
limited existence allotted to him; he 
has a rooted horror of death, attended 
with a vehement curiosity as to his na- 
ture, and he nourishes a sullen anger 
against his parents, to whose miseon- 
duct he ascribes his degraded state. 
Added to this, he has an insatiable thirst 
for knowledge beyond the bounds 
prescribed to mortality, and this part of 
the poem bears a strong resemblance 
to Manfred, whose counterpart, indeed, 
in the main points of character, Cain 
seems tobe. He continues intractable, 
and desires to be left alone. 
And this is 
Toil! and wherefore should I toil * 
because 
My father could not keep his place in Eden. 
What had I done in this ?—I was unborn, 
I sought not to be born ; nor love the state 
To which that birth has brought me—Why 
did he 
Yield to the serpent and the woman? or, 
aa why suffer? What was there in 
this ? 
The tree was planted, and why not for him? 
Ifnot, why place it near him, where he grew, 
The fairest in the centre? They have but 
One ~ 
Life ! 
