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"of preparation for a tragedy, far more terrible than aught the stage could show, were audible in the dis"tance; and hollow mutterings, which could not be mis“taken, told that the tempest was gathering round the "metropolis with fearful acceleration. It is possible "that he may have foreseen the approaching storm, "and fled from the first efforts of its violence.

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Apparent diræ facies, inimicaque Troja
Numina !'

"The Covenanters were already in arms, and advancing towards the borders; and at home the stern and "uncompromising enemies of all that was graceful " and delightful, were rapidly ascending in the scale of

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We do not know how we can better preface the few specimens of our author's peculiar manner, which it is our intention to lay before our readers, than by the masterly delineation of its beauties and defects which Mr. Gifford has given us in his Introduction: "Much as has been said of the dramatic poets of Elizabeth "and James's days, full justice has never yet been "rendered to their independence on one another: gene

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rally speaking, they stand insulated, and alone, and draw, each in his station, from their own stores. "Whether it be that poetry in that age

'Wanton'd, as in its prime, and played at will
Its virgin fancies,'

or that some other fruitful cause of originality was "in secret and powerful operation; so it is, that every "writer had his peculiar style, and was content with it.

* Gifford. Introduction, pp. 44, 45.

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"At present, we are become an imitative, not to say a 66 mimic, race. A successful poem, a novel, nay even a happy title-page, is eagerly caught at, and a kind of "Ombre Chinoise representation of it propagated from one "extremity of the kingdom to the other. Invention "seems almost extinct among us. That it does not some"where exist, it would be folly to imagine; but it

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appears to move, comet-like, in very eccentric orbits, "and to have its periods of occultation of more than "usual duration. It may, and undoubtedly will, revisit us; meanwhile, as the knight of the enchanted cavern "judiciously advises, 'patience, and shuffle the cards!' "I have been led into these desultory remarks, notwithstanding it may be urged that an exception to the subject of them may be found in Ford. He appears "to have discovered, indeed, that one of the nameless "charms of Shakspeare's diction consisted in the skill "with which he has occasionally vivified it, by convertέσ ing his substantives into verbs, and to have aspired "to imitate him. He cannot be complimented on his "success; nor, indeed, can much be expected, without "such a portion of Shakspeare's taste and feeling, as it "seems almost hopeless to expect. Ford's grammatical

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experiments take from the simplicity of his diction, "while they afford no strength whatever to his descrip"tions. Not so with the great original; in his conver"sions all is life. Take, for example, the following passage; it is not a description that we read; it is a series of events that we hear and see:

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'The quick comedians

Extemporally shall stage us, and present

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Our Alexandrian revels; Antony

'Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see
'Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness

'I' th' posture of a whore.'

"With this slight exception, which, after all, may be purely visionary, the style of Ford is altogether original, "and his own. Without the majestic march that distinguishes the poetry of Massinger, and with little, or none of that light and playful humour which charac"terizes the dialogue of Fletcher, or even of Shirley, "he is yet elegant, and easy, and harmonious; and though rarely sublime, yet sufficiently elevated for the most pathetic tones of that passion, on whose romantic energies he chiefly delighted to dwell. It has, as has "been observed, its inherent beauties and defects; among "the latter of which may be set down a pedantic affec"tation of novelty, at one time exhibited in the com

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position of uncouth phrases, at another (and this is "Ford's principal failure) in perplexity of language: frequently, too, after perversely labouring with a re"mote idea, till he has confused his meaning, instead of "throwing it aside, he obtrudes it upon the reader in"volved in inextricable obscurity. Its excellencies, "however, far outweigh its defects; but they are rather "felt than understood. I know few things more difficult "to account for than the deep and lasting impression "made by the more tragic portions of Ford's poetry. "Whence does it derive that resistless power, which "all confess, of afflicting, I had almost said harassing, "the better feelings? It is not from any peculiar beauty "of language; for in this he is equalled by his contem"poraries; and, by some of them, surpassed; nor is it

"from any classical or mythological allusions happily "recollected, and skilfully applied, for of these he sel"dom avails himself. It is not from any picturesque "views presented to the mind; for of imaginative poetry "he has little, or nothing; he cannot conjure up a suc"cession of images, whether grave or gay, to flit across "the fancy, or play in the eye; yet it is hardly possible "to peruse his passionate scenes without the most pain "ful interest, the most heart-thrilling delight. This can only arise at least, I can conceive nothing else 66 adequate to the excitement of such sensations-from "the overwhelming efficacy of intense thought devoted "to the embodying of conceptions adapted to the “awful situations in which he has imperceptibly, and " with matchless felicity, placed his principal characters.”*

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We shall not apologize to our readers for having set before such of them as have yet in reserve the pleasure attendant on a perusal of the original work, this accurate investigation of our author's faults and merits; couched, as it is, in language far better than we can command, and displaying a depth of research to which few, beside Mr. Gifford, have had time or perseverance enough to attain. Were we, however, so presumptuous as to set our humble wits in opposition to so eminent a critic, we should be inclined to doubt the propriety of the censure passed in such unqualified terms. on the imitative character of modern literature.

We scarcely can credit the fact, that in the days which Byron has adorned, and which Scott and Campbell are

* Gifford. Introduction, pp. 36, 37, 38.

still adorning with all the energy that master-minds can alone bestow, this should be made a subject of complaint by one, whose whole life, besides being (we believe) that of piety in all its fervour, and of benevolence in all its purity, was in a literary view so gifted with all that can enrich, and purify, and ennoble the intellect of mankind. But assuredly we are too conscious of our weakness to do more than wonder, where it would be presumptuous vanity to censure; and we had rather suppose it is a fault in us not fully to comprehend his meaning, than that Mr. Gifford erred in thus expressing his opinion. E. L.

[To be continued.]

THE DEATH OF THE CHARGER.

Merrily echoes the fresh'ning morn,
With the clanging hoof, and the bugle-horn,
The crashing fence, the courser's neigh,
O'er hill and dale, as he bounds away:
But there is one in plunging pride,

A noble steed, yet none to ride :
With mouth unbitted, and feet unshod,
Wildly he spurns the flying sod.
Away! yet, mark'd ус then
That sudden start of sick'ning pain,
As if a cloud came o'er his brain?

He staggers: there!—again!

'Tis o'er! With one short desp'rate bound,
And ears that seem'd to drink the sound,
(As onward yell'd each straining hound),
And quivering eyes, he fell.

Oh! many a year, thou gallant steed,

Has pass'd, since just thou prov'dst thy speed,

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