the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第17章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


wn　time　Lord　Byron；　by　a　series　of　attempts　of　the　same　nature；　made　himself　the　object　of　general　interest　and　admiration。　Wordsworth　wrote　with　egotism　more　intense；　but　less　obvious；　and　he　has　been　rewarded　with　a　sect　of　worshippers；　comparatively　small　in　number；　but　far　more　enthusiastic　in　their　devotion。　　It　is　needless　to　multiply　instances。　　Even　now　all　the　walks　of　literature　are　infested　with　mendicants　for　fame；　who　attempt　to　excite　our　interest　by　exhibiting　all　the　distortions　of　their　intellects；　and　stripping　the　covering　from　all　the　putrid　sores　of　their　feelings。　　Nor　are　there　wanting　many　who　push　their　imitation　of　the　beggars　whom　they　resemble　a　step　further；　and　who　find　it　easier　to　extort　a　pittance　from　the　spectator；　by　simulating　deformity　and　debility　from　which　they　are　exempt；　than　by　such　honest　labour　as　their　health　and　strength　enable　them　to　perform。　　In　the　meantime　the　credulous　public　pities　and　pampers　a　nuisance　which　requires　only　the　treadmill　and　the　whip。　　This　art；　often　successful　when　employed　by　dunces；　gives　irresistible　fascination　to　works　which　possess　intrinsic　merit。　We　are　always　desirous　to　know　something　of　the　character　and　situation　of　those　whose　writings　we　have　perused　with　pleasure。　The　passages　in　which　Milton　has　alluded　to　his　own　circumstances　are　perhaps　read　more　frequently；　and　with　more　interest；　than　any　other　lines　in　his　poems。　　It　is　amusing　to　observe　with　what　labour　critics　have　attempted　to　glean　from　the　poems　of　Homer；　some　hints　as　to　his　situation　and　feelings。　　According　to　one　hypothesis；　he　intended　to　describe　himself　under　the　name　of　Demodocus。　　Others　maintain　that　he　was　the　identical　Phemius　whose　life　Ulysses　spared。　　This　propensity　of　the　human　mind　explains；　I　think；　in　a　great　degree；　the　extensive　popularity　of　a　poet　whose　works　are　little　else　than　the　expression　of　his　personal　feelings。

In　the　second　place；　Petrarch　was　not　only　an　egotist；　but　an　amatory　egotist。　　The　hopes　and　fears；　the　joys　and　sorrows；　which　he　described；　were　derived　from　the　passion　which　of　all　passions　exerts　the　widest　influence；　and　which　of　all　passions　borrows　most　from　the　imagination。　　He　had　also　another　immense　advantage。　　He　was　the　first　eminent　amatory　poet　who　appeared　after　the　great　convulsion　which　had　changed；　not　only　the　political；　but　the　moral；　state　of　the　world。　　The　Greeks；　who；　in　their　public　institutions　and　their　literary　tastes；　were　diametrically　opposed　to　the　oriental　nations；　bore　a　considerable　resemblance　to　those　nations　in　their　domestic　habits。　　Like　them；　they　despised　the　intellects　and　immured　the　persons　of　their　women；　and　it　was　among　the　least　of　the　frightful　evils　to　which　this　pernicious　system　gave　birth；　that　all　the　accomplishments　of　mind；　and　all　the　fascinations　of　manner；　which；　in　a　highly　cultivated　age；　will　generally　be　necessary　to　attach　men　to　their　female　associates；　were　monopolised　by　the　Phrynes　and　the　Lamais。　　The　indispensable　ingredients　of　honourable　and　chivalrous　love　were　nowhere　to　be　found　united。　　The　matrons　and　their　daughters　confined　in　the　harem；insipid；　uneducated；　ignorant　of　all　but　the　mechanical　arts；　scarcely　seen　till　they　were　married；could　rarely　excite　interest；　afterwards　their　brilliant　rivals；　half　Graces；　half　Harpies；　elegant　and　informed；　but　fickle　and　rapacious；　could　never　inspire　respect。

The　state　of　society　in　Rome　was；　in　this　point；　far　happier；　and　the　Latin　literature　partook　of　the　superiority。　　The　Roman　poets　have　decidedly　surpassed　those　of　Greece　in　the　delineation　of　the　passion　of　love。　　There　is　no　subject　which　they　have　treated　with　so　much　success。　　Ovid；　Catullus；　Tibullus；　Horace；　and　Propertius；　in　spite　of　all　their　faults；　must　be　allowed　to　rank　high　in　this　department　of　the　art。　　To　these　I　would　add　my　favourite　Plautus；　who；　though　he　took　his　plots　from　Greece；　found；　I　suspect；　the　originals　of　his　enchanting　female　characters　at　Rome。

Still　many　evils　remained：　　and；　in　the　decline　of　the　great　empire；　all　that　was　pernicious　in　its　domestic　institutions　appeared　more　strongly。　　Under　the　influence　of　governments　at　once　dependent　and　tyrannical；　which　purchased；　by　cringing　to　their　enemies；　the　power　of　trampling　on　their　subjects；　the　Romans　sunk　into　the　lowest　state　of　effeminacy　and　debasement。　Falsehood；　cowardice；　sloth；　conscious　and　unrepining　degradation；　formed　the　national　character。　　Such　a　character　is　totally　incompatible　with　the　stronger　passions。　　Love；　in　particular；　which；　in　the　modern　sense　of　the　word；　implies　protection　and　devotion　on　the　one　side；　confidence　on　the　other；　respect　and　fidelity　on　both；　could　not　exist　among　the　sluggish　and　heartless　slaves　who　cringed　around　the　thrones　of　Honorius　and　Augustulus。　　At　this　period　the　great　renovation　commenced。　The　warriors　of　the　north；　destitute　as　they　were　of　knowledge　and　humanity；　brought　with　them；　from　their　forests　and　marshes；　those　qualities　without　which　humanity　is　a　weakness　and　knowledge　a　curse；energyindependencethe　dread　of　shamethe　contempt　of　danger。　　It　would　be　most　interesting　to　examine　the　manner　in　which　the　admixture　of　the　savage　conquerors　and　the　effeminate　slaves；　after　many　generations　of　darkness　and　agitation；　produced　the　modern　European　character；to　trace　back；　from　the　first　conflict　to　the　final　amalgamation；　the　operation　of　that　mysterious　alchemy　which；　from　hostile　and　worthless　elements；　has　extracted　the　pure　gold　of　human　nature　to　analyse　the　mass；　and　to　determine　the　proportion　in　which　the　ingredients　are　mingled。　　But　I　will　confine　myself　to　the　subject　to　which　I　have　more　particularly　referred。　　The　nature　of　the　passion　of　love　had　undergone　a　complete　change。　　It　still　retained；　indeed；　the　fanciful　and　voluptuous　character　which　it　had　possessed　among　the　southern　nations　of　antiquity。　　But　it　was　tinged　with　the　superstitious　veneration　with　which　the　northern　warriors　had　been　accustomed　to　regard　women。　　Devotion　and　war　had　imparted　to　it　their　most　solemn　and　animating　feelings。　　It　was　sanctified　by　the　blessings　of　the　Church；　and　decorated　with　the　wreaths　of　the　tournament。　　Venus；　as　in　the　ancient　fable；　was　again　rising　above　the　dark　and　tempestuous　waves　which　had　so　long　covered　her　beauty。　　But　she　rose　not　now；　as　of　old；　in　exposed　and　luxurious　loveliness。　　She　still　wore　the　cestus　of　her　ancient　witchcraft；　but　the　diadem　of　Juno　was　on　her　brow；　and　the　aegis　of　Pallas　in　her　hand。　　Love　might；　in　fact；　be　called　a　new　passion；　and　it　is　not　astonishing　that　the　first　poet　of　eminence　who　wholly　devoted　his　genius　to　this　theme　should　have　excited　an　extraordinary　sensation。　　He　may　be　compared　to　an　adventurer　who　accidentally　lands　in　a　rich　and　unknown　island；　and　who；　though　he　may　only　set　up　an　ill…shaped　cross　upon　the　shore；　acquires　possession　of　its　treasures；　and　gives　it　his　name。　　The　claim　of　Petrarch　was　indeed　somewhat　like　that　of　Amerigo　Vespucci　to　the　continent　which　should　have　derived　its　appellation　from　Columbus。　　The　Provencal　poets　were　unquestionably　the　masters　of　the　Florentine。　　But　they　wrote　in　an　age　which　could　not　appreciate　their　merits；　and　their　imitator　lived　at　the　very　period　when　composition　in　the　vernacular　language　began　to　attract　general　attention。　　Petrarch　was　in　literature　what　a　Valentine　is　in　love。　　The　public　preferred　him；　not　because　his　merits　were　of　a　transcendent　order；　but　because　he　was　the　first　person　whom　they　saw　after　they　awoke　from　their　long　sleep。

Nor　did　Petrarch　gain　less　by　comparison　with　his　immediate　successors　than　with　those　who　had　preceded　him。　　Till　more　than　a　century　after　his　death　Italy　produced　no　poet　who　could　be　compared　to　him。　　This　decay　of　genius　is　doubtless　to　be　ascribed；　in　a　great　measure；　to　the　influence　which　his　own　works　had　exercised　upon　the　literature　of　his　country。　　Yet　it　has　conduced　much　to　his　fame。　　Nothing　is　more　favourable　to　the　reputation　of　a　writer　than　to　be　succeeded　by　a　race　inferior　to　himself；　and　it　is　an　advantage；　from　obvious　causes；　much　more　frequently　enjoyed　by　those　who　corrupt　the　national　taste　than　by　those　who　improve　it。