297 
1821. j Retrospective Rev 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONTEM¬ 
PORARY CRITICISM. 
No. XV. 
Retrospective Review, No. 7- 
nnHE last number of tlie Retrospec- 
~1_ tive Review, appears by no means 
inferior, either for the interest or the va¬ 
riety of its contents, to any of its pre¬ 
decessors. In the poetical department 
it is particularly rich. The splendid 
papers on the poetical literature of 
Spain, and on the early English drama, 
are here continued ; and Leonard Law¬ 
rence’s Arnalte and Lucinda, Daven¬ 
port’s King John and Matilda, and 
Colonel R. Lovelace’s Lueasta, fill up 
the measure of its poetical attractions. 
Nor are the prosaic contents less ta- 
ried and inviting. Aseham’s Toxo- 
philus has almost persuaded us to con¬ 
vert our grey goose quill to other than 
literary purposes. Andrew Fletcher 
was a man after our own heart; and 
we have no feeling in common with 
that individual whose breast does not 
glow with the fervour of a generous 
indignation at the recital of the oppres¬ 
sions of the English government, and 
the not less disgraceful dissentions of 
the divided Welsh, as depicted in the 
spirited article on the Gfwedir History. 
Added to these, 44 that most perfect piece 
of ante-biography,’’ the life of Benve¬ 
nuto Cellini, and the prose works of 
the immortal Dry den, complete the 
contents of this most entertaining 
Miscellany. 
Mats commenger au commencement. 
The first article is in prose; la vita 
he Benvenuto Cellini. This dis¬ 
tinguished artist, tlie son of an archi¬ 
tect and engineer, and one of the court- 
musicians of the Roman Pontiff, was 
born on All-Saint’s Day, in the first 
year of the 16th century, at a period 
when the irregularities of the human 
passions were only partially repressed 
by law, and the angular projections of 
individual character were not worn 
down by the influence of correct man¬ 
ners. Notwithstanding the passionate 
desire of his father that our hero should 
become the first flute player in the 
world, he was, to his great delight, re¬ 
leased from musical thraldom, at the 
age of thirteen, and allowed to learn 
the trade, or rather, as the business then 
was considered, the profession* of a 
goldsmith. We regret that we are un¬ 
* See the Retrospective Review, Vol. 4, 
p. 4. 
Monthly Mag. No. 360. 
lew.—No. VII. 
able to follow him through all the vary¬ 
ing scenes of his life — his trouble and 
his joy. Suffice it that he distinguished 
himself among his contemporaries, at 
the same time as an artist, a musician, 
a poet, and a soldier; and having en¬ 
joyed the intimacy of popes, cardinals, 
and sovereign princes—and having ex¬ 
perienced the luxuries of a court, and 
the privations of a dungeon, he died at 
Paris on the 13th of February, 1570, in 
the 70th year of his age. We cannot, 
however, conclude our notice, without 
expressing our surprise, that, from the 
ante-biography of an artist, the friend 
of Michael Angelo, and-Giulio Romano, 
the writer should have been either un¬ 
able, or unwilling to extract any anec¬ 
dotes relative to these, his most illus¬ 
trious contemporaries. 
The next article is a paper on the 
Poetical Literature of Spain, 
equally remarkable for the learning, 
taste, and facility of versification, which 
so eminently distinguish its reputed 
author. A brief analysis, such as we 
could afford, of a subject so extensive 
and so interesting as this — omitting, 
too. as of necessity we should be com¬ 
pelled to do, the beautiful poetical 
illustrations of the author’s opinions, 
would be worse than useless. Instead 
of raising the curiosity it would excite 
the disgust of the reader; and we are 
compelled, however reluctantly, refer- 
ingour readers to the original work, to 
pass on to the consideration of the next 
article. 
The third article is a review of the 
prose works and dedications of John 
Dryden ; in which the writer endea¬ 
vours to elevate his author above the 
established models of the days of Queen 
Anne. We do not blame this endea¬ 
vour, however opposed to the 44 * idols 
of our theatre,” or in other words to 
the prejudices of our education. Dis¬ 
cussion is the only way by which we 
can reasonably hope to arrive at truth. 
A blind admiration of the 44 deeds of 
days of old,” whether literary, scientific, 
or purely physical, is — we assert it 
without fear of contradiction — one of 
the most formidable obstacles in the 
way of improvement. Yet, although 
we admit that vixere fortes ante slga- 
msnona — and although we are ready 
with the reviewer, to exclaim against 
the monopoly which Addison exercises, 
(to the exclusion of some writers, who 
* See Lord Bacon’s 4< Novum Organum,” 
Lib. I. sec. 2. 
2 P 
deserve. 
