thoughts on man-第14部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


＇5＇　Essays；　Part　1；　Essay　xxiii。


A　few　examples　of　the　instability　of　fame　will　place　this　question　in　the　clearest　light。

Nicholas　Peiresk　was　born　in　the　year　1580。　　His　progress　in　knowledge　was　so　various　and　unprecedented；　that；　from　the　time　that　he　was　twenty…one　years　of　age；　he　was　universally　considered　as　holding　the　helm　of　learning　in　his　hand；　and　guiding　the　commonwealth　of　letters。　　He　died　at　the　age　of　fifty…seven。　　The　academy　of　the　Humoristi　at　Rome　paid　the　most　extraordinary　honours　to　his　memory；　many　of　the　cardinals　assisted　at　his　funeral　oration；　and　a　collection　of　verses　in　his　praise　was　published　in　more　than　forty　languages。

Salmasius　was　regarded　as　a　prodigy　of　learning；　and　various　princes　and　powers　entered　into　a　competition　who　should　be　so　fortunate　as　to　secure　his　residence　in　their　states。　　Christina；　queen　of　Sweden；　having　obtained　the　preference；　received　him　with　singular　reverence　and　attention；　and；　Salmasius　being　taken　ill　at　Stockholm；　and　confined　to　his　bed；　the　queen　persisted　with　her　own　hand　to　prepare　his　caudles；　and　mend　his　fire。　　Yet；　but　for　the　accident　of　his　having　had　Milton　for　his　adversary；　his　name　would　now　be　as　little　remembered；　even　by　the　generality　of　the　learned；　as　that　of　Peiresk。

Du　Bartas；　in　the　reign　of　Henry　the　Fourth　of　France；　was　one　of　the　most　successful　poets　that　ever　existed。　　His　poem　on　the　Creation　of　the　World　went　through　upwards　of　thirty　editions　in　the　course　of　five　or　six　years；　was　translated　into　most　European　languages；　and　its　commentators　promised　to　equal　in　copiousness　and　number　the　commentators　on　Homer。

One　of　the　most　admired　of　our　English　poets　about　the　close　of　the　sixteenth　century；　was　Donne。　　Unlike　many　of　those　trivial　writers　of　verse　who　succeeded　him　after　an　interval　of　forty　or　fifty　years；　and　who　won　for　themselves　a　brilliant　reputation　by　the　smoothness　of　their　numbers；　the　elegance　of　their　conceptions；　and　the　politeness　of　their　style；　Donne　was　full　of　originality；　energy　and　vigour。　　No　man　can　read　him　without　feeling　himself　called　upon　for　earnest　exercise　of　his　thinking　powers；　and；　even　with　the　most　fixed　attention　and　application；　the　student　is　often　obliged　to　confess　his　inability　to　take　in　the　whole　of　the　meaning　with　which　the　poet's　mind　was　perceptibly　fraught。　　Every　sentence　that　Donne　writes；　whether　in　verse　or　prose；　is　exclusively　his　own。　　In　addition　to　this；　his　thoughts　are　often　in　the　noblest　sense　of　the　word　poetical；　and　passages　may　be　quoted　from　him　that　no　English　poet　may　attempt　to　rival；　unless　it　be　Milton　and　Shakespear。　　Ben　Jonson　observed　of　him　with　great　truth　and　a　prophetic　spirit：　　〃Donne　for　not　being　understood　will　perish。〃　　But　this　is　not　all。　　If　Waller　and　Suckling　and　Carew　sacrificed　every　thing　to　the　Graces；　Donne　went　into　the　other　extreme。　　With　a　few　splendid　and　admirable　exceptions；　his　phraseology　and　versification　are　crabbed　and　repulsive。　　And；　as　poetry　is　read　in　the　first　place　for　pleasure；　Donne　is　left　undisturbed　on　the　shelf；　or　rather　in　the　sepulchre；　and　not　one　in　an　hundred　even　among　persons　of　cultivation；　can　give　any　account　of　him；　if　in　reality　they　ever　heard　of　his　productions。

The　name　of　Shakespear　is　that　before　which　every　knee　must　bow。　　But　it　was　not　always　so。　　When　the　first　novelty　of　his　pieces　was　gone；　they　were　seldom　called　into　requisition。　　Only　three　or　four　of　his　plays　were　upon　the　acting　list　of　the　principal　company　of　players　during　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Second；　and　the　productions　of　Beaumont　and　Fletcher；　and　of　Shirley；　were　acted　three　times　for　once　of　his。　　At　length　Betterton　revived；　and　by　his　admirable　representation　gave　popularity　to；　Macbeth；　Hamlet　and　Lear；　a　popularity　they　have　ever　since　retained。　　But　Macbeth　was　not　revived　（with　music；　and　alterations　by　sir　William　Davenant）　till　1674；　and　Lear　a　few　years　later；　with　love　scenes　and　a　happy　catastrophe　by　Nahum　Tate。

In　the　latter　part　of　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Second；　Dryden　and　Otway　and　Lee　held　the　undisputed　supremacy　in　the　serious　drama。

Such　was　the　insensibility　of　the　English　public　to　nature；　and　her　high　priest；　Shakespear。　　The　only　one　of　their　productions　that　has　survived　upon　the　theatre；　is　Venice　Preserved：　　and　why　it　has　done　so　it　is　difficult　to　say；　or　rather　it　would　be　impossible　to　assign　a　just　and　honourable　reason　for　it。　　All　the　personages　in　this　piece　are　of　an　abandoned　and　profligate　character。　　Pierre　is　a　man　resolved　to　destroy　and　root　up　the　republic　by　which　he　was　employed；　because　his　mistress；　a　courtesan；　is　mercenary；　and　endures　the　amorous　visits　of　an　impotent　old　lecher。　　Jaffier；　without　even　the　profession　of　any　public　principle；　joins　in　the　conspiracy；　because　he　has　been　accustomed　to　luxury　and　prodigal　expence　and　is　poor。　　He　has　however　no　sooner　entered　into　the　plot；　than　he　betrays　it；　and　turns　informer　to　the　government　against　his　associates。　　Belvidera　instigates　him　to　this　treachery；　because　she　cannot　bear　the　thought　of　having　her　father　murdered；　and　is　absurd　enough　to　imagine　that　she　and　her　husband　shall　be　tender　and　happy　lovers　ever　after。　　Their　love　in　the　latter　acts　of　the　play　is　a　continued　tirade　of　bombast　and　sounding　nonsense；　without　one　real　sentiment；　one　just　reflection；　or　one　strong　emotion　working　from　the　heart；　and　analysing　the　nature　of　man。　　The　folly　of　this　love　can　only　be　exceeded；　by　the　abject　and　despicable　crouching　and　fawning　of　Jaffier　to　the　man　he　had　so　basely　betrayed；　and　their　subsequent　reconciliation。　　There　is　not　a　production　in　the　whole　realms　of　fiction；　that　has　less　pretension　to　manly；　or　even　endurable　feeling；　or　to　common　propriety。　　The　total　defect　of　a　moral　sense　in　this　piece　is　strongly　characteristic　of　the　reign　in　which　it　was　written。　　It　has　in　the　mean　while　a　richness　of　melody；　and　a　picturesqueness　of　action；　that　enables　it　to　delude；　and　that　even　draws　tears　from　the　eyes　of；　persons　who　can　be　won　over　by　the　eye　and　the　ear；　with　almost　no　participation　of　the　understanding。　　And　this　unmeaning　rant　and　senseless　declamation　sufficed　for　the　time　to　throw　into　shade　those　exquisite　delineations　of　character；　those　transcendent　bursts　of　passion；　and　that　perfect　anatomy　of　the　human　heart；　which　render　the　master…pieces　of　Shakespear　a　property　for　all　nations　and　all　times。

While　Shakespear　was　partly　forgotten；　it　continued　to　be　totally　unknown　that　he　had　contemporaries　as　inexpressibly　superior　to　the　dramatic　writers　that　have　appeared　since；　as　these　contemporaries　were　themselves　below　the　almighty　master　of　scenic　composition。　　It　was　the　fashion　to　say；　that　Shakespear　existed　alone　in　a　barbarous　age；　and　that　all　his　imputed　crudities；　and　intermixture　of　what　was　noblest　with　unparalleled　absurdity　and　buffoonery；　were　to　be　allowed　for　to　him　on　that　consideration。

Cowley　stands　forward　as　a　memorable　instance　of　the　inconstancy　of　fame。　　He　was　a　most　amiable　man；　and　the　loveliness　of　his　mind　shines　out　in　his　productions。　　He　had　a　truly　poetic　frame　of　soul；　and　he　pours　out　the　beautiful　feelings　that　possessed　him　unreservedly　and　at　large。　　He　was　a　great　sufferer　in　the　Stuart　cause；　he　had　been　a　principal　member　of　the　court　of　the　exiled　queen；　and；　when　the　king　was　restored；　it　was　a　deep　sentiment　among　his　followers　and　friends　to　admire　the　verses　of　Cowley。　　He　was　〃the　Poet。〃　　The　royalist　rhymers　were　set　lightly　by　in　comparison　with　him。　　Milton；　the　republican；　who；　by　his　collection　published　during　the　civil　war；　had　shewn　that　he　was　entitled　to　the　highest　eminence；　was　unanimously　consigned　to　oblivion。　　Cowley　died　in　1667；　and　the　duke　of　Buckingham；　the　author　of　the　Rehearsal；　eight　years　after；　set　up　his　tomb　in　the　cemetery　of　the　nation；　with　an　inscription；　declaring　him　to　be　at　once　〃the　Pindar；　the　Horace　and　Virgil　of　his　country；　the　delight　and　the　glory　of　his　age；　which　by　his　death　was　left　a　perpetual　mourner。〃Yetso　capricious　is　fame　a　century　has　nearly　elapsed；　since　Pope　said；

Who　now　reads　Cowley？　　If　he　pleases　yet；　His　moral　pleases；　not　his　pointed　wit；　Forgot　his　epic；　nay；　Pindaric　art；　But　still　I　love　the　language　of　his　heart。

As　Cowley　was　the　great　royalist　poet　after　the　Restoration；　Cleveland　stood　in　the　same　rank　during　the　civil　war。　　In　the　publication　of　his　works　one　edition　succeeded　to　another；　yearly　or　oftener；　for　more　than　twenty　years。　　His　satire　is　eminently　poignant；　he　is　of　a　strength　and　energy　of　thinking　uncommonly　masculine；　and　he　compresses　his　meaning　so　as　to　give　it　every　advantage。　　His　imagination　is　full　of　coruscation　and　brilliancy。　　His　petition　to　Cromwel；　lord　protector　of　England；　when　the　poet　was　under　confinement　for　his　loyal　principles；　is　a　singular　example　of　manly　firmness；　great　independence　of　mind；　and　a　happy　choice　of　topics　to　awaken　feelings　of　forbearance　and　clemency。　　It　is　unnecessary　to　say　that　Cleveland　is　now　unknown；　except　to　such　as　feel　themselves　impelled　to　search　into　things　forgotten。

It　would　be　endless　to　adduce　all　the　examples　that　might　be　found　of　the　caprices　of　fame。