322 
News from Parnassus., .No. XL 
sonably doubt how far thay have been 
the means of enriching, in any great 
degree, our stores of national poetry, 
or are likely to bind a wreath more per* 
manent than that woven by the caprice 
of fashion, or the prevailing appetite 
for novelty, round the brows of the ob¬ 
ject of their patronage. 
From the time that the poetical la¬ 
bours of Burns and Bloomfield gained 
for their authors that deserved popula¬ 
rity, to which genuine talent, wherever 
found, is justly entitled, various candi¬ 
dates for like success, prompted either 
by their own self-love, or by the fa¬ 
vourable opinion of partial friends and 
patrons, have made their appearance ; 
resembling the gifted writers of the 
44 Farmer’s Boy,” or the 44 Cotter’s Sa¬ 
turday Night,” in nothing but their 
want of early education, and their ob¬ 
scure situation in life. Ploughmen, 
milkmaids, and other similar prodigies 
have thus acquired an ephemeral cele¬ 
brity ; and the error of these writers 
appears to us far more excusable than 
that of their professed admirers, in mis¬ 
taking the very common disease of a 
love for rhyming, for that rare poetic 
genius which, in all ages, has been ac¬ 
corded only to a favoured few. Most 
of these have flourished their brief day, 
indebted for their temporary success 
principally to that feeling of the mind, 
which has been happily defined 44 the 
effect of novelty upon ignorance.” We 
are far from being disposed to regret 
that such attempts should have contri¬ 
buted to the comforts or enjoyments of 
those who have made them ; hut every 
principle of sound judgment and im¬ 
partial criticism lead us to deplore the 
influence which even the short-lived 
favour with which they haA T e been re¬ 
ceived has had, in vitiating the taste of 
no small portion of the public. In oppo¬ 
sition to the judicious assertion of an 
elegant writer of our own, that 
“ True ease in writing- comes from art, 
not chance,” 
an opinion has been engendered among 
many unreflecting persons, that the 
most natural and pleasing poetry is the 
offspring of mental powers intuitive and 
uncultivated; and instead of requiring 
that marked superiority of know ledge, 
which the sage in Rasselas regarded as 
indispensable to the formation of the 
poetic character, they appear to hail the 
existence of consummate ignorance as 
a happy omen of success in the votary 
of the muses. While such sentiments 
[Nov. 1, 
prevail, the evil of incompetent intru¬ 
ders into the walks of literature will 
obviously be an increasing one ; and 
the 44 scribimns indocti do clique ” a 
complaint better founded than ever. 
Though the author of the poems be¬ 
fore us is undeniably superior in correct 
observation, vigour of intellect, and na¬ 
tive talent, to many others who have 
come before us with pretensions of a 
similar description, w r e do uot consider 
him as forming an exception to the ge¬ 
neral tenor of the observations with, 
which we have introduced our notice 
of his volumes. We do not conceive 
that occasional sweetness of expression, 
or accurate delineations of mere exte¬ 
rior objects, can atone for a general de¬ 
ficiency of poetical language, or the in¬ 
dulging in a style devoid of uniformity 
and consistency. The Village Minstrel 
is the principal poem in the collection, 
and is evidently intended to afford a 
picture of the peculiar circumstances 
and early scenes of the author’s life. 
To himself this topic is no doubt pecu¬ 
liarly interesting; and his descriptions 
may very probably be productive of 
amusement to those who are familiar 
with the originals. To us, however, 
the writer’s mention of himself ap¬ 
pears, in general, too egotistical and 
querulous, and the local subjects and 
rural amusements, whatever opinion 
may be entertained of the colours in 
which he has pourtrayed them, have 
not, v T e think, been very judiciously 
selected for the purpose of inspiring 
general interest. There is, besides, 
something more than homeliness, ap¬ 
proximating to vulgarity, in many of 
his themes, and it must be admitted 
that these are described in most suita¬ 
ble language. What shall we say, for 
instance, of lines like the following ? 
a But soldiers, they're the boys to make a 
rout.'’ 
“ The bumptious serjeant struts before his 
men.” 
44 His friends so poor and clothes excessive 
dear." 
“ And don't despise your betters ’cause 
they’re old.” 
“ Up he’d chuck sacks as one would hurl a 
stone.” 
“ And in disgrace at last each jockey 
bumps adown.” 
41 And monstrous fun it makes to hunt the 
Pig 1 , 
As, soap’d and larded, through the crowd 
he flies ; 
Thus, turn’d adrift, he plays them many a 
