ame as those which have long been unfolded by the
great masters of composition in relation to poetry and the drama; they are
to be found applied by Sir Joshua Reynolds to the sister art of painting.
Yet are they not attended to by the great mass of readers, and even by
authors themselves, if we may judge by the frequent failures which are
exhibited, little understood or frequently neglected.

The first requisite of the historical romance is a subject which shall be
_elevated and yet interesting_. It must be elevated, or the work will
derogate from its noblest object, that of rousing the sympathetic
passions, and awakening the generous feelings; it must be interesting, or
these effects will be produced in a very limited degree. Readers of
romance look for excitement; they desire to be interested, and unless they
are so, the author's productions will very soon be neglected. This is
universally known, and felt alike by readers and writers; but yet there is
a strange misapprehension prevalent among many authors, even of
distinguished talent, in regard to the methods by which this interest is
to be awakened. It is frequently said, that the public are insatiable for
novelty; that all home subjects are worn out; and thence it is concluded,
that whatever is new must possess the greatest chance of becoming popular.
In the desire to discover such novelty, every part of the world has been
ransacked. Stories from Persia and the East have been plentifully brought
forward; the prairies and savages of North America have furnished the
subjects of more than one interesting romance; Russia, Poland, Italy,
Spain, as well as France, Germany, Sweden, and the United States, have
been eagerly ransacked to satisfy the craving of a generation seeking
after something new. The total failure of many of these novels, the
dubious success of many others, though written with unquestionable talent,
may convince us, that this principle of looking only for novelty may be
carried too far, and that it is within certain limits only that the
appetite for variety can successfully be indulged. And what these limits
are, may be readily learned by attending to what experience has taught in
the sister arts.

It has been said, and said truly, that "eloquence to be popular must be in
advance of the audience, _and but a little in advance_." The experience of
all ages has taught, that the drama is never successful unless it appeals
to feelings which find a responsive