INTRODUCTORY. 3 



Coleridge coined for him the verb to " Darwinise." He 

 drew - refutations from a Dugald Stewart and an Arch- 

 deacon Paley ; and Dr. Thomas Brown laid the ground 

 for his own reputation in a volume to disprove him. 

 Thomas Campbell published his Pleasures of Hope in 

 1799: they ran through four editions in a twelve- 

 month ; but there can be little doubt that the resounding 

 roll " Oh, bloodiest picture in the book of time ! " of 

 those marvellous Sarmatian numbers is scarcely more 

 than a well-caught reverberation from the laborious 

 succussions of Dr. Darwin's theatrical sheet tin. John 

 Dennis complained that the rascals had stolen his 

 thunder ; and no less a larceny of his tin (din) Erasmus 

 might have brought home to Thomas ! 



So far, we have the tide at the flood; but it was 

 already at ebb as early as 1809, when Lord Byron 

 appeared with his English Sards and Scotch Reviewers. 

 In that poem Darwin is regarded as but little better than 

 another Cottle or another Stott ; J a note in it exclaims 

 that " the neglect of the Botanic Garden is some proof of 

 returning taste," while in the text, " false glare," " gilded 

 cymbals," " native brass," " pompous chime," " tinsel," 

 are alone declared to constitute the contents of it, and 

 lie, its author, is but " flimsy Darwin," a " mighty master 

 i >f unmeaning rhyme." By and by, Professor Craik 

 names his verses a sort of " pin-making ; " while Mr. 

 Lewes, later, characterises his " tawdry reputation," in its 

 " tawdry splendour," as " equally noisy and fleeting." 

 Tn short, judge after judge appears vieing with each 

 other in reprobation and contempt, till, on the part of 



1 "Boeotian Cottle 



Oh, Amos Cottle ! Phoebus ! what a name, 

 To fill the speaking trump of future fame ! " 

 " Some leaden calf but whom it matters not, 

 From soaring Southey down to grovelling Stott." 



