322 IS POETRY AT BOTTOM 



crude and discordant opinions, Leopardi's overwhelming 

 pessimism, Heine's morbid sentimentality, Byron's super- 

 ficiality and cynicism, are cloaked and covered by the saving 

 virtues of imagination, lyrical inspiration, poetic style, 

 humour, intensity and sweep of passion. The very greatest 

 poets of the world have combined all these qualities, together 

 with that sound humanity which confers upon them immortal 

 freshness. Of Homer, Pindar, Sophocles, ^Eschylus, Dante, 

 Virgil, Shakespeare, Moliere, Goethe, it is only possible to 

 say that one or other element of poetic achievement has been 

 displayed more eminently than the rest, that one or other 

 has been held more obviously in abeyance, when we come to 

 distinguish each great master from his peers. But lesser men 

 may rest their claims to immortality upon slighter merits ; 

 and among these merits it will be found impossible to exclude 

 what we call form, style, and the several poetic qualities 

 above enumerated. To borrow a burlesque metaphor from 

 the Oxford schools, a poet may win his second-class on his 

 moral philosophy papers, if the others do not drag him 

 down below the level of recognition ; or he may win upon 

 his taste papers, if he has not been plucked in divinity. It 

 is only the supreme few whom we expect to be equally good 

 all round. Shelley and Leopardi have, perhaps, the same 

 prospect of survival on their artistic merits as Wordsworth on 

 the strength of his moral ideas. 



It will be seen that we have now arrived at Mr. Arnold's 

 attempt to place Wordsworth among the European pcets 

 of the last two centuries. Omitting Goethe and living men, 

 it seems, to Mr. Arnold, indubitable that to Wordsworth 

 belongs the palm. This distinction of being the second 

 greatest modern poet since the death of Moliere is awarded 

 to Wordsworth on his moral philosophy paper. ' Where, 

 then, is Wordsworth's superiority ? It is here : he deals with 

 more of life than they do ; he deals with life, as a whole, 

 more powerfully.' There is some occult fascination in the 

 game of marking competitors for glory, and publishing class- 

 lists of poets, artists, and other eminent persons. For myself, 

 I confess that it seems about as reasonable to enter Words- 



