letters on literature-第18节

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Christmas　and　a　happy　New　Year。







APPENDIX　I







Reynolds's　Peter　Bell。



When　the　article　on　John　Hamilton　Reynolds　（〃A　Friend　of　Keats〃）　was

written；　I　had　not　seen　his　〃Peter　Bell〃　（Taylor　and　Hessey；　London；

1888）。　　This　〃Lyrical　Ballad〃　is　described　in　a　letter　of　Keats's

published　by　Mr。　Sidney　Colvin　in　Macmillan's　Magazine；　August；

1888。　　The　point　of　Reynolds's　joke　was　to　produce　a　parody　before

the　original。　　Reynolds　was　annoyed　by　what　Hood　called　〃The　Betty

Foybles〃　of　Wordsworth；　and　by　the　demeanour　of　a　poet　who　was

serious；　not　only　in　season；　but　out　of　season。　　Moreover；

Wordsworth　had　damned　〃a　pretty　piece　of　heathenism〃　by　Keats；　with

praise　which　was　faint　even　from　Wordsworth　to　a　contemporary。　　In

the　circumstances；　as　Wordsworth　was　not　yet　a　kind　of　solemn　shade；

whom　we　see　haunting　the　hills；　and　hear　chanting　the　swan　song　of

the　dying　England；　perhaps　Reynolds's　parody　scarce　needs　excuse。

Mr。　Ainger　calls　it　〃insolent；〃　meaning　that　it　has　an　unkind　tone

of　personal　attack。　　That　is；　unluckily；　true；　but　to　myself　the

parody　appears　remarkably　funny；　and　quite　worthy　of　〃the　sneering

brothers；　the　vile　Smiths；〃　as　Lamb　calls　the　authors　of　〃Rejected

Addresses。〃　　Lamb　wrote　to　tell　Wordsworth　that　he　did　not　see　the

fun　of　the　parodyperhaps　it　is　as　well　that　we　should　fail　to　see

the　fun　of　jests　broken　on　our　friends。　　But　will　any　Wordsworthian

deny　to…day　the　humour　of　this？　…





〃He　is　rurally　related；

Peter　Bell　hath　country　cousins；

（He　had　once　a　worthy　mother）；

Bells　and　Peters　by　the　dozens；

But　Peter　Bell　he　hath　no　brothers；

Not　a　brother　owneth　he；

Peter　Bell　he　hath　no　brother；

His　mother　had　no　other　son；

No　other　son　e'er　called　her　'mother；'

Peter　Bell　hath　brother　none。〃





As　Keats　says　in　a　review　he　wrote　for　The　Examiner；　〃there　is　a

pestilent　humour　in　the　rhymes；　and　an　inveterate　cadence　in　some　of

the　stanzas　that　must　be　lamented。〃　　In　his　review　Keats　tried　to

hurt　neither　side；　but　his　heart　was　with　Reynolds；　〃it　would　be

just　as　well　to　trounce　Lord　Byron　in　the　same　manner。〃



People　still　make　an　outcry　over　the　trouncing　of　Keats。　　It　was

bludgeonly　done；　but　only　part　of　a　game；　a　kind　of　horseplay　at

which　most　men　of　letters　of　the　age　were　playing。　　Who　but　regrets

that；　in　his　〃Life　of　Keats；〃　Mr。　Colvin　should　speak　as　if　Sir

Walter　Scott　had；　perhaps；　a　guilty　knowledge　of　the　review　of　Keats

in　Blackwood！　　There　is　but　a　tittle　of　published　evidence　to　the

truth　of　a　theory　in　itself　utterly　detestable；　and；　to　every　one

who　understands　the　character　of　Scott；　wholly　beyond　possibility　of

belief。　　Even　if　Lockhart　was　the　reviewer；　and　if　Scott　came　to

know　it；　was　Scott　responsible　for　what　Lockhart　did　in　1819　or

1820；　the　very　time　when　Mrs。　Shelley　thought　he　was　defending

Shelley　in　Blackwood　（where　he　had　praised　her　Frankenstein）；　and

when　she　spoke　of　Sir　Walter　as　〃the　only　liberal　man　in　the

faction〃？　　Unluckily　Keats　died；　and　his　death　was　absurdly

attributed　to　a　pair　of　reviews　which　may　have　irritated　him；　and

which　were　coarse；　and　cruel　even　for　that　period　of　robust

reviewing。　　But　Keats　knew　very　well　the　value　of　these　critiques；

and　probably　resented　them　not　much　more　than　a　football　player

resents　being　〃hacked〃　in　the　course　of　the　game。　　He　was　very

willing　to　see　Byron　and　Wordsworth　〃trounced；〃　and　as　ready　as

Peter　Corcoran　in　his　friend's　poem　to　〃take　punishment〃　himself。

The　character　of　Keats　was　plucky；　and　his　estimate　of　his　own

genius　was　perfectly　sane。　　He　knew　that　he　was　in　the　thick　of　a

literary　〃scrimmage；〃　and　he　was　not　the　man　to　flinch　or　to　repine

at　the　consequences。







APPENDIX　II







Portraits　of　Virgil　and　Lucretius。



In　the　Letter　on　Virgil　some　remarks　are　made　on　a　bust　of　the　poet。

It　is　wholly　fanciful。　　Our　only　vestiges　of　a　portrait　of　Virgil

are　in　two　MSS。；　the　better　of　the　two　is　in　the　Vatican。　　The

design　represents　a　youth；　with　dark　hair　and　a　pleasant　face；

seated　reading。　　A　desk　is　beside　him；　and　a　case　for　manuscript；　in

shape　like　a　band…box。　　（See　Visconti；　〃Icon。　Rom。〃　i。　179；　plate

13。）　　Martial　tells　us　that　portraits　of　Virgil　were　illuminated　on

copies　of　his　〃AEneid。〃　　The　Vatican　MS。　is　of　the　twelfth　century。

But　every　one　who　has　followed　the　fortunes　of　books　knows　that　a

kind　of　tradition　often　preserves　the　illustrations；　which　are

copied　and　recopied　without　material　change。　　（See　Mr。　Jacobs's

〃Fables　of　Bidpai；〃　Nutt；　1888。）　　Thus　the　Vatican　MS。　may　preserve

at　least　a　shadow　of　Virgil。



If　there　be　any　portrait　of　Lucretius；　it　is　a　profile　on　a　sard；

published　by　Mr。　Munro　in　his　famous　edition　of　the　poet。　　The

letters　LVCR　are　inscribed　on　the　stone；　and　appear　to　be

contemporary　with　the　gem。　　This；　at　least；　is　the　opinion　of　Mr。　A。

S。　Murray；　of　the　late　Mr。　C。　W。　King；　Braun；　and　Muller。　　On　the

other　hand；　Bernouilli　（〃Rom。　Icon。〃　i。　247）　regards　this；　and

apparently　most　other　Roman　gems　with　inscriptions；　as　〃apocryphal。〃

The　ring；　which　was　in　the　Nott　collection；　is　now　in　my　possession。

If　Lucretius　were　the　rather　pedantic　and　sharp…nosed　Roman　of　the

gem；　his　wife　had　little　reason　for　the　jealousy　which　took　so

deplorable　a　form。　　Cold　this　Lucretius　may　have　been；　volatile

never！　｛11｝







Footnotes：



｛1｝　　This　was　written　during　the　lifetime　of　Mr。　Arnold　and　Mr。

Browning。



｛2｝　　Since　this　was　written；　Mr。　Bridges　has　made　his　lyrics

accessible　in　〃Shorter　Poems。〃　　（G。　Bell　and　Sons：　　1890）



｛3｝　　Macmillans。



｛4｝　　Reynolds　was；　perhaps；　a　little　irreverent。　　He　anticipated

Wordsworth's　〃Peter　Bell〃　by　a　premature　parody；　〃Peter　Bell　the

First。〃



｛5｝　　Appendix　on　Reynolds's　〃Peter　Bell。〃



｛6｝　　〃Aucassin　and　Nicolette〃　has　now　been　edited；　annotated；　and

equipped　with　a　translation　by　Mr。　F。　W。　Bourdillon　（Kegan　Paul　&

Trench；　1887）。



｛7｝　　Edinburgh；　1862。



｛8｝　　The　Elzevir　piracy　was　rather　earlier。



｛9｝　　Pindar；　perhaps；　in　one　of　his　fragments；　suggested　that　pretty

Cum　regnat　Rosa。



｛10｝　　See　next　letter。



｛11｝　　Mr。　Munro　calls　the　stone　〃a　black　agate；〃　and　does　not

mention　its　provenance。　　The　engraving　in　his　book　does　no　justice

to　the　portrait。　　There　is　another　gem　representing　Lucretius　in　the

Vatican：　　of　old　it　belonged　to　Leo　X。　　The　two　gems　are　in　all

respects　similar。　　A　seal　with　this　head；　or　one　very　like　it；

belonged　to　Evelyn；　the　friend　of　Mr。　Pepys。











End