FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  
rvives himself, his tomb, and all that 's his. And when his bones are dust, his grave a blank, His station, generation, even his nation, Become a thing, or nothing, save to rank In chronological commemoration, Some dull MS. oblivion long has sank, Or graven stone found in a barrack's station In digging the foundation of a closet, May turn his name up, as a rare deposit. And glory long has made the sages smile; 'T is something, nothing, words, illusion, wind-- Depending more upon the historian's style Than on the name a person leaves behind: Troy owes to Homer what whist owes to Hoyle: The present century was growing blind To the great Marlborough's skill in giving knocks, Until his late life by Archdeacon Coxe. Milton 's the prince of poets--so we say; A little heavy, but no less divine: An independent being in his day-- Learn'd, pious, temperate in love and wine; But, his life falling into Johnson's way, We 're told this great high priest of all the Nine Was whipt at college--a harsh sire--odd spouse, For the first Mrs. Milton left his house. All these are, certes, entertaining facts, Like Shakspeare's stealing deer, Lord Bacon's bribes; Like Titus' youth, and Caesar's earliest acts; Like Burns (whom Doctor Currie well describes); Like Cromwell's pranks;--but although truth exacts These amiable descriptions from the scribes, As most essential to their hero's story, They do not much contribute to his glory. All are not moralists, like Southey, when He prated to the world of 'Pantisocracy;' Or Wordsworth unexcised, unhired, who then Season'd his pedlar poems with democracy; Or Coleridge, long before his flighty pen Let to the Morning Post its aristocracy; When he and Southey, following the same path, Espoused two partners (milliners of Bath). Such names at present cut a convict figure, The very Botany Bay in moral geography; Their loyal treason, renegado rigour, Are good manure for their more bare biography. Wordsworth's last quarto, by the way, is bigger Than any since the birthday of typography; A drowsy frowzy poem, call'd the 'Excursion.' Writ in a manner which is my aversion. He there builds up a formidable dyke
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Southey

 

present

 

Wordsworth

 

Milton

 

station

 

contribute

 

prated

 

unexcised

 
unhired
 

Pantisocracy


moralists
 

Season

 

pedlar

 
descriptions
 

earliest

 
Caesar
 
Currie
 

Doctor

 

stealing

 

Shakspeare


bribes

 

describes

 
scribes
 

essential

 
amiable
 

pranks

 

Cromwell

 

exacts

 
biography
 

quarto


bigger

 

renegado

 

treason

 

rigour

 

manure

 

birthday

 

typography

 

aversion

 
builds
 
formidable

manner

 

frowzy

 

drowsy

 

Excursion

 

aristocracy

 

Morning

 

Coleridge

 

democracy

 

flighty

 

Espoused