ISO 



POETRY AND POETS. 



eight ; took a light supper ; smoked 

 his pipe ; drank a glass of water, 

 and went to bed. He never drank 

 strong liquors, and seldom drank 

 anything at all between his meals. 



GOLDSMITH'S HABITS. 

 In the house he usually wore his 

 shirt-collar open, in the manner 

 represented in the portrait by Sir 

 Joshua. Occasionally he read much 

 at night when in bed; at other times, 

 when not disposed to read, and yet 

 unable to sleep, which was not an 

 unusual occurrence, the candle was 

 kept burning, his mode of extin- 

 guishing which, when out of imme- 

 diate reach, was characteristic of his 

 fits of indolence or carelessness : he 

 flung his slipper at it, which in the 

 morningwas in consequence usually 

 found near the overturned candle- 

 stick, daubed with grease. 



When the young gentleman who 

 styles himself the American Goethe 

 was asked why he did not write 

 something equal to Goethe's, he 

 testily answered, " Because I haven't 

 a mind to." 



DEATH AND FUNERAL OF SHELLEY. 



It is well known that Shelley 

 was wrecked and drowned in a 

 storm, with his friend, Captain 

 Williams, on theii' way from Leg- 

 horn to Leria. 



"The remains of Shelley and Mr. 

 Williams," says Leigh Hunt, "were 

 burnt, after the good ancient fa- 



fate of his friends, completed his 

 kindness by taking the most active 

 part on this last mournful occasion. 

 He and his friend, Captain Shenley, 

 were first upon the ground, attend- 

 ed by proper assistants. Lord Byron 

 and myself arrived shortly after- 

 wards. His lordship got out of his 

 carriage, but wandered away from 

 the spectacle, and did not see it. I 

 remained inside the carriage, now 

 looking on, now drawing back, with 

 feelings that were not to be wit- 

 nessed. 



' : None of the mourners, however, 

 refused themselves the little com- 

 fort of supposing that lovers of 

 books and antiquity, like Shelley 

 and his companion Shelley in par- 

 ticular, with his Greek enthusiasm 

 would not have been sorry to fore- 

 see this part of their fate. The mor- 

 tal part of him, too, was saved from 

 corruption not the least extraor- 

 dinary part of his history. 



''Among the materials for burn- 

 ing were many of the more grace- 

 ful and more classical articles, such 

 as could readily be procured frank- 

 incense, wine. &c. To these was 

 added Keats' volume, found in his 

 vest pocket. 



" The beauty of the flame arising 

 from the funeral pile was extraor- 

 dinary. The weather was beautifully 

 fine. The Mediterranean, now soft 

 and lucid, kissed the shore as if to 

 make peace with it. The yellow 

 sand and blue sky were intensely 

 contrasted with one another; mar- 

 j ble mountains touched the air with 



shion, and gathered into coffers. | coolness ; and the flame of the fire 



Those of Mr. Williams were subse- 

 quently taken to England. Shel- 



bore away to wards heaven in vigor- 

 ous amplitude, waiving and quiver- 



ley's were interred at Home, in the i ing with a brightness of inconcciv- 

 Protestant burial-ground, the place j able beauty. It seemed as though 

 which he had so touchingly describ- 1 it contained the glassy essence of 

 ed in recording its reception of i vitality. You might have expected 

 Keats. a seraphic countenance to look out 



"The ceremony of the burning | of it, turning once more, before it 

 was alike beautiful and distressing. | departed, to thank the friends that 

 Trelawney, who had been the chie had done their duty, 

 person concerned in ascertaining the " Shelley, when he died, was in 



