the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第12章

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rous　times：　　and　thus　of　the　few　original　works　which　have　been　produced　in　more　polished　ages　we　owe　a　large　proportion　to　men　in　low　stations　and　of　uninformed　minds。　　I　will　instance；　in　our　own　language；　the　Pilgrim's　Progress　and　Robinson　Crusoe。　　Of　all　the　prose　works　of　fiction　which　we　possess；　these　are；　I　will　not　say　the　best；　but　the　most　peculiar；　the　most　unprecedented；　the　most　inimitable。　　Had　Bunyan　and　Defoe　been　educated　gentlemen；　they　would　probably　have　published　translations　and　imitations　of　French　romances　〃by　a　person　of　quality。〃　　I　am　not　sure　that　we　should　have　had　Lear　if　Shakspeare　had　been　able　to　read　Sophocles。

But　these　circumstances；　while　they　foster　genius；　are　unfavourable　to　the　science　of　criticism。　　Men　judge　by　comparison。　　They　are　unable　to　estimate　the　grandeur　of　an　object　when　there　is　no　standard　by　which　they　can　measure　it。　One　of　the　French　philosophers　（I　beg　Gerard's　pardon）；　who　accompanied　Napoleon　to　Egypt；　tells　us　that；　when　he　first　visited　the　great　Pyramid；　he　was　surprised　to　see　it　so　diminutive。　　It　stood　alone　in　a　boundless　plain。　　There　was　nothing　near　it　from　which　he　could　calculate　its　magnitude。　　But　when　the　camp　was　pitched　beside　it；　and　the　tents　appeared　like　diminutive　specks　around　its　base；　he　then　perceived　the　immensity　of　this　mightiest　work　of　man。　　In　the　same　manner；　it　is　not　till　a　crowd　of　petty　writers　has　sprung　up　that　the　merit　of　the　great　masterspirits　of　literature　is　understood。

We　have　indeed　ample　proof　that　Dante　was　highly　admired　in　his　own　and　the　following　age。　　I　wish　that　we　had　equal　proof　that　he　was　admired　for　his　excellencies。　　But　it　is　a　remarkable　corroboration　of　what　has　been　said；　that　this　great　man　seems　to　have　been　utterly　unable　to　appreciate　himself。　　In　his　treatise　〃De　Vulgari　Eloquentia〃　he　talks　with　satisfaction　of　what　he　has　done　for　Italian　literature；　of　the　purity　and　correctness　of　his　style。　　〃Cependant；〃　says　a　favourite　writer　of　mine；（Sismondi；　Literature　du　Midi　de　l'Europe。）　〃il　n'est　ni　pur；　ni　correct；　mais　il　est　createur。〃　　Considering　the　difficulties　with　which　Dante　had　to　struggle；　we　may　perhaps　be　more　inclined　than　the　French　critic　to　allow　him　this　praise。　　Still　it　is　by　no　means　his　highest　or　most　peculiar　title　to　applause。　　It　is　scarcely　necessary　to　say　that　those　qualities　which　escaped　the　notice　of　the　poet　himself　were　not　likely　to　attract　the　attention　of　the　commentators。　　The　fact　is；　that；　while　the　public　homage　was　paid　to　some　absurdities　with　which　his　works　may　be　justly　charged；　and　to　many　more　which　were　falsely　imputed　to　them；　while　lecturers　were　paid　to　expound　and　eulogise　his　physics；　his　metaphysics；　his　theology；　all　bad　of　their　kindwhile　annotators　laboured　to　detect　allegorical　meanings　of　which　the　author　never　dreamed；　the　great　powers　of　his　imagination；　and　the　incomparable　force　of　his　style；　were　neither　admired　nor　imitated。　　Arimanes　had　prevailed。　　The　Divine　Comedy　was　to　that　age　what　St。　Paul's　Cathedral　was　to　Omai。　　The　poor　Otaheitean　stared　listlessly　for　a　moment　at　the　huge　cupola；　and　ran　into　a　toyshop　to　play　with　beads。　　Italy；　too；　was　charmed　with　literary　trinkets；　and　played　with　them　for　four　centuries。

From　the　time　of　Petrarch　to　the　appearance　of　Alfieri's　tragedies；　we　may　trace　in　almost　every　page　of　Italian　literature　the　influence　of　those　celebrated　sonnets　which；　from　the　nature　both　of　their　beauties　and　their　faults；　were　peculiarly　unfit　to　be　models　for　general　imitation。　　Almost　all　the　poets　of　that　period；　however　different　in　the　degree　and　quality　of　their　talents；　are　characterised　by　great　exaggeration；　and　as　a　necessary　consequence；　great　coldness　of　sentiment；　by　a　passion　for　frivolous　and　tawdry　ornament；　and；　above　all；　by　an　extreme　feebleness　and　diffuseness　of　style。　Tasso；　Marino；　Guarini；　Metastasio；　and　a　crowd　of　writers　of　inferior　merit　and　celebrity；　were　spell…bound　in　the　enchanted　gardens　of　a　gaudy　and　meretricious　Alcina；　who　concealed　debility　and　deformity　beneath　the　deceitful　semblance　of　loveliness　and　health。　　Ariosto；　the　great　Ariosto　himself；　like　his　own　Ruggiero；　stooped　for　a　time　to　linger　amidst　the　magic　flowers　and　fountains；　and　to　caress　the　gay　and　painted　sorceress。　　But　to　him；　as　to　his　own　Ruggiero；　had　been　given　the　omnipotent　ring　and　the　winged　courser；　which　bore　him　from　the　paradise　of　deception　to　the　regions　of　light　and　nature。

The　evil　of　which　I　speak　was　not　confined　to　the　graver　poets。　It　infected　satire；　comedy；　burlesque。　　No　person　can　admire　more　than　I　do　the　great　masterpieces　of　wit　and　humour　which　Italy　has　produced。　　Still　I　cannot　but　discern　and　lament　a　great　deficiency；　which　is　common　to　them　all。　　I　find　in　them　abundance　of　ingenuity；　of　droll　naivete；　of　profound　and　just　reflection；　of　happy　expression。　　Manners；　characters；　opinions；　are　treated　with　〃a　most　learned　spirit　of　human　dealing。〃　　But　something　is　still　wanting。　　We　read；　and　we　admire；　and　we　yawn。　We　look　in　vain　for　the　bacchanalian　fury　which　inspired　the　comedy　of　Athens；　for　the　fierce　and　withering　scorn　which　animates　the　invectives　of　Juvenal　and　Dryden；　or　even　for　the　compact　and　pointed　diction　which　adds　zest　to　the　verses　of　Pope　and　Boileau。　　There　is　no　enthusiasm；　no　energy；　no　condensation；　nothing　which　springs　from　strong　feeling；　nothing　which　tends　to　excite　it。　　Many　fine　thoughts　and　fine　expressions　reward　the　toil　of　reading。　　Still　it　is　a　toil。　　The　Secchia　Rapita；　in　some　points　the　best　poem　of　its　kind；　is　painfully　diffuse　and　languid。　　The　Animali　Parlanti　of　Casti　is　perfectly　intolerable。　I　admire　the　dexterity　of　the　plot；　and　the　liberality　of　the　opinions。　　I　admit　that　it　is　impossible　to　turn　to　a　page　which　does　not　contain　something　that　deserves　to　be　remembered；　but　it　is　at　least　six　times　as　long　as　it　ought　to　be。　　And　the　garrulous　feebleness　of　the　style　is　a　still　greater　fault　than　the　length　of　the　work。

It　may　be　thought　that　I　have　gone　too　far　in　attributing　these　evils　to　the　influence　of　the　works　and　the　fame　of　Petrarch。　　It　cannot；　however；　be　doubted　that　they　have　arisen；　in　a　great　measure；　from　a　neglect　of　the　style　of　Dante。　　This　is　not　more　proved　by　the　decline　of　Italian　poetry　than　by　its　resuscitation。　　After　the　lapse　of　four　hundred　and　fifty　years；　there　appeared　a　man　capable　of　appreciating　and　imitating　the　father　of　Tuscan　literatureVittorio　Alfieri。　　Like　the　prince　in　the　nursery　tale；　he　sought　and　found　the　sleeping　beauty　within　the　recesses　which　had　so　long　concealed　her　from　mankind。　The　portal　was　indeed　rusted　by　time；the　dust　of　ages　had　accumulated　on　the　hangings；the　furniture　was　of　antique　fashion；and　the　gorgeous　colour　of　the　embroidery　had　faded。　But　the　living　charms　which　were　well　worth　all　the　rest　remained　in　the　bloom　of　eternal　youth；　and　well　rewarded　the　bold　adventurer　who　roused　them　from　their　long　slumber。　　In　every　line　of　the　Philip　and　the　Saul；　the　greatest　poems；　I　think；　of　the　eighteenth　century；　we　may　trace　the　influence　of　that　mighty　genius　which　has　immortalised　the　ill…starred　love　of　Francesca；　and　the　paternal　agonies　of　Ugolino。　　Alfieri　bequeathed　the　sovereignty　of　Italian　literature　to　the　author　of　the　Aristodemusa　man　of　genius　scarcely　inferior　to　his　own；　and　a　still　more　devoted　disciple　of　the　great　Florentine。　　It　must　be　acknowledged　that　this　eminent　writer　has　sometimes　pushed　too　far　his　idolatry　of　Dante。　　To　borrow　a　sprightly　illustration　from　Sir　John　Denham；　he　has　not　only　imitated　his　garb；　but　borrowed　his　clothes。　　He　often　quotes　his　phrases；　and　he　has；　not　very　judiciously　as　it　appears　to　me；　imitated　his　versification。　　Nevertheless；　he　has　displayed　many　of　the　higher　excellencies　of　his　master；　and　his　works　may　justly　inspire　us　with　a　hope　that　the　Italian　language　will　long　flourish　under　a　new　literary　dynasty；　or　rather　under　the　legitimate　line；　which　has　at　length　been　restored　to　a　throne　long　occupied　by　specious　usurpers。

The　man　to　whom　the　literature　of　his　country　owes　its　origin　and　its　revival　was　born　in　times　singularly　adapted　to　call　forth　his　extraordinary　powers。　　Relig