1825.] 
what says the reader to the following 
line, from the same praise-bequoted 
" passage ? i 
*« And conscious of romance-inspiring charms.” 
And how shall the ear alone find out 
that the ensuing is verse? —“ that my 
insane ambition for the name of brother 
to Theodric, founded all those high- 
built hopes that crushed her.” And 
yet, we have “ founded” instead of 
laid the foundations of,” for the count 
of the syllables. Of the use, on the 
other hand, of syllables, superfluous to 
the sense, merely to make out the 
measure and the rhyme we have in- 
stances enough, without travelling be- 
yond the commendatory quotations: 
but one shall suffice— 
“« Whileage’s tremulous wailings round him rose, 
What accents pierc’d him deeper yet than those !” 
From the unfavouring Quarterly we, 
of course, are not to look for more for- 
tunate passages. They are not, how- 
ever, so much worse as, even to tliose 
who have not read the entire poem, to 
suggest the idea of malicious selection. 
Take, however, the following: 
** Their converse came abruptly to a close; 
For scarce could each his troubled looks compose, 
When visitants, to Constance near akin, 
(Im all but traits of soul) were usher’d in. 
They brought not her, nor midst their kindred band 
The sister who alone, like her, was bland ;* 
But said—and smiled to see it gave him pain— 
That Constance would a fortnight yet remain. 
Vex’'d by their tidings, and the haughty view 
They cast on Udolph as the youth withdrew, 
Theodric blamed his Constance’s intent.— 
The demons went, and left him as they went, 
To read, when they were gone beyond recall, 
A note from her lov’d hand, explaining all. 
She said, that with their house she only staid 
That parting peace might with them all be made; 
But pray’d for love to share his foreign life, 
And shun all future chance of kindred strife. 
He wrote with speed, his soul’s consent to sy: 
The letter miss’d her on her homeward way. 
In six hours Constance was within his arms: 
Mov’d, flush’d, unlike her wonted calm of charms.” 
Of the story, the two Reviewers give, 
each of them, rather an imperfect sketch ; 
and to presentany thing like acorrectidea 
of it, we must borrow from both—be- 
ginning, as in the quotations, with the 
more favourable. 
“Tt opens, poetically, with the descrip- 
tion of a fine scene in Switzerland, and of a 
rustic church-yard, where the friend of the 
author points out to him the flowery grave 
of a maiden, who, though gentle and fair, 
had died of unrequited love—and so they 
proceed, between them, for the matter is 
left poetically obscure, to her history. Her 
fancy; had been early captivated by the 
* This favourite epithet is impartially 
applied to both the ladies. 
Philosophy of Contemporary Criticism—No. XLIV. 
335 
tales of heroic daring and chivalrie pride, 
with which her country’s annals abounded 
—and she disdained to give her love to one 
who was not graced with the virtues and: 
glories of those heroic times. This exalted 
mood was unluckily fostered by her 
brother’s youthful ardour in’ praise of the 
commander under whom he was serving 
abroad—by whom he was kindly tended 
when wounded, and whose picture he. 
brought back with him on his return to his 
paternal home, to renew, and seemingly to 
realize, the day-dreams of his romantic 
sister. This picture, and the stories her 
brother told of the noble Theodric, com- 
pleted the poor girl’s fascination. Her 
heart was kindled by her fancy; and her 
love was already fixed on a being she had 
never seen! In the mean time, Theodric, 
who had promised a visit to his young pro= 
tégé, passes over to England, and is be-, 
trothed to a lady of that country of infinite 
worth and amiableness. He then repairs 
to Switzerland, where, after a little time, he 
discovers the love of Julia, which he gently 
but firmly rebukes | giving her, however, to 
understand, that if he had seen her first, she 
might have had the pveference / |—returns to 
England, and is married. His wife has un- 
comfortable relations —quarrelsome, selfish 
and envious ; and her peace is sometimes 
wounded by their dissentions and unkind- 
ness.” . 
Thus far the Edinburgh. We take 
up the Quarterly for the remainder. 
“ War is renewed, and Theodric resolves 
to take the field again. He urges Con- 
stance to remain one campaign in England, 
and she, though secretly resolved to accom- 
pany him, gives an apparent assent, and, at 
a time when the days previous to his em- 
barkation are numbered, sets off on a visit 
to her relations. Theodric is naturally 
much vexed at this unseasonable absence, 
and, while he is musing on her seeming 
neglect, Udolph is unexpectedly announced, 
bringing an account of his sister’s hopeless 
illness, and her strong wish to see Theodric 
once before her death.’’-—[ Here the quota- 
tion comes in from which we made our last 
extract. |—“‘ 'Theodric aitives in time to 
take leave of Julia; and from her death- 
bed he is summoned to attend his wife, to 
whom he returns too late to find her alive. 
The violence of her mother, who, from 
selfish reasons, wishes to prevent her from 
going abroad, has occasioned premature 
delivery (if we understand the passage 
rightly). She dies, having first penned a 
letter to her husband, with which, and 
with a description of his feelings on petus- 
ing it, the poem closes.” 
It is, then, not without cause that we 
join with the severer criticin hecaptianins 
of the deadening effect of the story itself, 
“from the ill-judged division of interest 
between the two heroines?” Or is he 
totally unauthorised in saying, that 
: “ Theodrie 
