^ECT. VIII.] Elegiac Poetry. 30 



Another distinguished name, entitled to an lio- 

 nourable place in this list, is that of Shcn stone *, 

 who produced at least one Elegy which will ever 

 command admiration. Nor would it be just to pass 

 in silence the name of miss Seward, who, in this 

 department of poetry, has displayed powers in the 

 pathetic, the elegant, and the beautiful, which bid 

 fair long to render her character conspicuous in 

 the annals of English literature. 



The best elegiac poetry of the last age is di- 

 stinguished above that of all preceding periods, 

 by the union of a number of qualities which never 

 before so conspicuously met in this species of 

 composition. These qualities are regularity, cor- 

 rectness, pathos, elevation of sentiment, g:nd pu- 



humanity." Dr. Johnson, in his Lives of the Poets, is generally 

 eupposed not to have done justice to this celebrated Avriter. From 

 his Ele^rj/ in the Churchyard, indeed, that great critic could not 

 withhold the warmest praise. " In the character of this Elegy," 

 says he, " I rejoice to concur with the common reader. It 

 ^bounds with images which find a mirror in every mind, and 

 with sentiments to which every bosom returns an echo. Had 

 Gray wrilteji often thus, it had been vain to blame, and useless 

 to praise him." After all, it must be acknowledged that he wrote 

 but little J that only a part of that little is in the style of exquisite 

 excellence ; and that his Elegy is so greatly superior to every 

 other production of his pen, as to excite a suspicion that it wis 

 the result of unwearied polish and elaboration, rather than the 

 spontaneous effusion of a mighty genius. If this view of the sub- 

 ject be admissible, though Gray will still hold a place in the first 

 rank of lyric and elegiac poets; yet some of the praise which 

 has been bestowed on his genius will be pronounced excessive, 

 and the judgement of T>t. Johnson less liable to exception than is 

 commonly supposed. 



* William Shenstone was born in Shropshire in 17 li, and 

 idled unmanied in 17G3. His works were afterwards collected 

 .md published in 3 vols. 8vo, 



