301 liEVIEWS — THE PILGRIMAGE AND OTHEH POEMS. 



the s;.me ptanza as "Childe Harold," but they will not otherwise 

 atari:! comparison with the work of that noble poet, whose " Hours of 

 Idleue .-■,'' were criticised to such good purpose by the "Scotch Re- 

 viewers. " An extract or two from the Edinburgh article for January 

 1808, we should have thought would better have answered our New 

 York critic's purpose — with only a very slight adaptation, — than the 

 " servile" article he borrowed from the London Gazette. " He cer- 

 tainly," says the older Reviewer, in reference to the presumptuous 

 lordling then taken to task, " does allude frequently to his family 

 and ancestors — sometimes in poetry, sometimes in notes ; and while 

 giving up his claim on the score of rank, takes care to remember us 

 of Dr. Johnson's saying, that ' when a nobleman appears as an author 

 his merit should be handsomely acknowledged.' " And then how much 

 better would the following passage, from the same anti-aristocratic 

 Reviewer's pen, have served a3 an introduction to the Earl's stanzas 

 than the faint praise of English critics. Who knows but it might 

 have provoked the Earl into setting that invaluable anonymous Secre- 

 tarial genius of his to work on an English Baeds and Yankee Re- 

 viewees ! " We must beg leave seriously to assure Lord [Ellesmere] 

 that the mere rhyming of the final syllable, even when accompanied 

 by the presence of a certain number of feet,— nay although (which 

 does not always happen) those feet should scan regularly, and have 

 been all counted accurately on the fingers, — is not the whole art of 

 poetry. We would entreat him to believe that a certain portion of 

 liveliness, somewhat of fancy, is necessary to constitute a poem, and 

 that a poem of fancy in the present day, to be read, must contain at 

 least one thought, either in a little degree different from the ideas of 

 former writers, or differently expressed. We put it to his candour, 

 whether there is anything so deserving the name of poetry in verses 

 like the following:" — and here should follow the sample of stanzas, 

 which, however, we take not from the volume under review, — if 

 indeed ours be not rather the review of a review, — but from a popular 

 selection, culled years ago, as pieces, by various authors, worthy of 

 special note, and before the writer of these pleasing reminiscences 

 of his own Arabian Nights' Entertainments which " The Pilgrimage" 

 supplies, had gone the unpardonable length of becoming an Earl t 



Round yonder watch-fire's blaze the muleteers 

 In circle close. — The leader of the throng, 

 Fluent and fast, to never sated ears 

 The tale recites, or chants the Arab song, — 

 Wild stanzas, strange adventures. Loud and long 



