the spirit of place and other essays-第9章

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praise　her　for　her　〃prudence；　economy；　and　obedience。〃　　Her　other；

more　disgusting；　characteristics　give　her　husband　an　occasion　for

rebuking　her　as　〃Woman！〃　　This　is　done；　for　example；　when；　despite

her　obedience；　she　refuses　to　receive　that　unlucky　schemer；　her　own

daughter；　returned　in　ruins；　without　insulting　her　by　the　sallies　of

a　kitchen　sarcasm。



She　plots　with　her　daughters　the　most　disastrous　fortune　hunt。　　She

has　given　them　a　teaching　so　effectual　that　the　Vicar　has　no　fear

lest　the　paltry　Sophia　should　lose　her　heart　to　the　good；　the

sensible　Burchell；　who　had　saved　her　life；　for　he　has　no　fortune。

Mrs。　Primrose　begins　grotesquely；　with　her　tedious　histories　of　the

dishes　at　dinner；　and　she　ends　upon　the　last　page；　anxious；　amid　the

general　happiness；　in　regard　to　securing　the　head　of　the　table。

Upon　these　feminine　humours　the　author　sheds　his　Vicar's　indulgent

smile。　　What　a　smile　for　a　self…respecting　husband　to　be　pricked　to

smile！　　A　householder　would　wince；　one　would　think；　at　having

opportunity　to　bestow　its　tolerance　upon　his　cook。



Between　these　two　housewifely　appearances；　Mrs。　Primrose　potters

through　the　book；　plotsalways　squalidly；　talks　the　worst　kinds　of

folly；　takes　the　lead；　with　a　loud　laugh；　in　insulting　a　former

friend；　crushes　her　repentant　daughter　with　reproaches　that　show

envy　rather　than　indignation；　and　kisses　that　daughter　with

congratulation　upon　hearing　that　she　had；　unconsciously　and

unintentionally；　contracted　a　valid　marriage　（with　a　rogue）；　spoils

and　makes　common　and　unclean　everything　she　touches；　has　but　two

really　gentle　and　tender　moments　all　through　the　story；　and　sets；

once　for　all；　the　example　in　literature　of　the　woman　we　find

thenceforth；　in　Thackeray；　in　Douglas　Jerrold；　in　Dickens；　and　un

peu　partout。



Hardly　less　unspiritual；　in　spite　of　their　conventional　romance　of

youth　and　beauty；　are　the　daughters　of　the　squalid　one。　　The　author；

in　making　them　simple；　has　not　abstained　from　making　them　cunning。

Their　vanities　are　well　enough；　but　these　women　are　not　only　vain；

they　are　so　envious　as　to　refuse　admiration　to　a　sister…in…lawone

who　is　their　rival　in　no　way　except　in　so　much　as　she　is　a

contemporary　beauty。　　〃Miss　Arabella　Wilmot；〃　says　the　pious　father

and　vicar；　〃was　allowed　by　all　（except　my　two　daughters）　to　be

completely　pretty。〃



They　have　been　left　by　their　father　in　such　brutal　ignorance　as　to

be　instantly　deceived　into　laughing　at　bad　manners　in　error　for

humour。　　They　have　no　pretty　or　sensitive　instincts。　　〃The　jests　of

the　rich；〃　says　the　Vicar；　referring　to　his　own　young　daughters　as

audience；　〃are　ever　successful。〃　　Olivia；　when　the　squire　played　off

a　dullish　joke；　〃mistook　it　for　humour。　　She　thought　him；　therefore；

a　very　fine　gentleman。〃　　The　powders　and　patches　for　the　country

church；　the　ride　thither　on　Blackberry；　in　so　strange　a　procession；

the　face…wash；　the　dreams　and　omens；　are　all　good　gentle　comedy；　we

are　completely　convinced　of　the　tedium　of　Mrs。　Primrose's　dreams；

which　she　told　every　morning。　　But　there　are　other　points　of　comedy

that　ought　not　to　precede　an　author's　appeal　to　the　kind　of

sentiment　about　to　be　touched　by　the　tragic　scenes　of　The　Vicar　of

Wakefield。



In　odd　sidling　ways　Goldsmith　bethinks　himself　to　give　his　principal

heroine　a　shadow　of　the　virtues　he　has　not　bestowed　upon　her。　　When

the　unhappy　Williams；　above…mentioned；　has　been　used　in　vain　by

Olivia；　and　the　squire　has　not　declared　himself；　and　she　is　on　the

point　of　keeping　her　word　to　Williams　by　marrying　him；　the　Vicar

creates　a　situation　out　of　it　all　that　takes　the　reader　roundly　by

surprise：　　〃I　frequently　applauded　her　resolution　in　preferring

happiness　to　ostentation。〃　　The　good　Goldsmith！　　Here　is　Olivia

perfectly　frank　with　her　father　as　to　her　exceedingly　sincere

preference　for　ostentation；　and　as　to　her　stratagem　to　try　to　obtain

it　at　the　expense　of　honour　and　of　neighbour　Williams；　her　mind　is

as　well　known　to　her　father　as　her　father's　mind　is　known　to　Oliver

Goldsmith；　and　as　Oliver　Goldsmith's；　Dr。　Primrose's；　and　Olivia's

minds　are　known　to　the　reader。　　And　in　spite　of　all；　your　Goldsmith

and　your　Vicar　turn　you　this　phrase　to　your　very　face。　　You　hardly

know　which　way　to　look；　it　is　so　disconcerting。



Seeing　that　Olivia　（with　her　chance…recovered　virtue）　and　Sophia　may

both　be　expected　to　grow　into　the　kind　of　matronhood　represented　by

their　mother；　it　needs　all　the　conditions　of　fiction　to　surround　the

close　of　their　love…affairs　with　the　least　semblance　of　dignity。

Nor；　in　fact；　can　it　be　said　that　the　final　winning　of　Sophia　is　an

incident　that　errs　by　too　much　dignity。　　The　scene　is　that　in　which

Burchell；　revealed　as　Sir　William　Thornhill；　feigns　to　offer　her　in

marriage　to　the　good…natured　rogue；　Jenkinson；　fellow　prisoner　with

her　father；　in　order　that；　on　her　indignant　and　distressed　refusal；

he　may　surprise　her　agreeably　by　crying；　〃What？　　Not　have　him？　　If

that　be　the　case；　I　think　I　must　have　you　myself。〃　　Even　for　an

avowedly　eccentric　master　of　whims；　this　is　playing　with　forbidden

ironies。　　True；　he　catches　her　to　his　breast　with　ardour；　and　calls

her　〃sensible。〃　　〃Such　sense　and　such　heavenly　beauty；〃　finally

exclaims　the　happy　man。　　Let　us　make　him　a　present　of　the　heavenly

beauty。　　It　is　the　only　thing　not　disproved；　not　dispraised；　not

disgraced；　by　a　candid　study　of　the　Ladies　of　the　Idyll。







A　DERIVATION







By　what　obscure　cause；　through　what　ill…directed　industry；　and　under

the　constraint　of　what　disabling　hands；　had　the　language　of　English

poetry　grown；　for　an　age；　so　rigid　that　a　natural　writer　at　the　end

of　the　eighteenth　century　had　much　ado　to　tell　a　simple　story　in

sufficient　verse？　　All　the　vital　exercise　of　the　seventeenth　century

had　left　the　language　buoyant；　it　was　as　elastic　as　deep　and　mobile

waters；　then　followed　the　grip　of　that　incapacitating　later　style。

Much　later；　English　has　been　so　used　as　to　become　flaccidit　has

been　stretched；　as　it　were；　beyond　its　power　of　rebound；　or

certainly　beyond　its　power　of　rebound　in　common　use　（for　when　a

master　writes　he　always　uses　a　tongue　that　has　suffered　nothing）。

It　is　in　our　own　day　that　English　has　been　so　over…strained。　　In

Crabbe's　day　it　had　been　effectually　curbed；　hindered；　and　hampered；

and　it　cannot　be　said　of　Crabbe　that　he　was　a　master　who　takes

natural　possession　of　a　language　that　has　suffered　nothing。　　He　was

evidently　a　man　of　talent　who　had　to　take　his　part　with　the　times；

subject　to　history。　　To　call　him　a　poet　was　a　mere　convention。

There　seems　to　be　not　a　single　moment　of　poetry　in　his　work；　and

assuredly　if　he　had　known　the　earlier　signification　of　the　word　he

would　have　been　the　last　man　to　claim　the　incongruous　title　of　poet。

But　it　is　impossible　to　state　the　question　as　it　would　have

presented　itself　to　Crabbe　or　to　any　other　writer　of　his　quality

entering　into　the　same　inheritance　of　English。



It　is　true　that　Crabbe　read　and　quoted　Milton；　so　did　all　his

contemporaries；　and　to　us　now　it　seems　that　poetry　cannot　have　been

forgotten　by　any　age　possessing　Lycidas。　　Yet　that　age　can　scarcely

be　said　to　have　in　any　true　sense　possessed　Lycidas。　　There　are

other　things；　besides　poetry；　in　Milton's　poems。　　We　do　not　entirely

know；　perhaps；　but　we　can　conjecture　how　a　reader　in　Crabbe's　late

eighteenth　century；　looking　in　Milton　for　authority　for　all　that　he

unluckily　and　vainly　admired；　would　well　find　it。　　He　would　find　the

approval　of　Young's　〃Night　Thoughts〃　did　he　search　for　it；　as　we　who

do　not　search　for　it　may　not　readily　understand。　　A　step　or　so

downwards；　from　a　few　passages　in　〃Paradise　Lost〃　and　〃Paradise

Regained；〃　an　inevitable　drop　in　the　derivation；　a　depression　such

as　is　human；　and　everything；　from　Dryden　to　〃The　Vanity　of　Human

Wishes；〃　follows；　without　violence　and　perhaps　without　wilful

misappreciation。　　The　poet　Milton　fathered；　legitima