the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第17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！

a　majestic　style。　　Be　this　as　it　may；　he　no　sooner　changes　his　subject　than　he　changes　his　manner。　　When　he　speaks　of　the　wrongs　and　degradation　of　Italy；　devastated　by　foreign　invaders；　and　but　feebly　defended　by　her　pusillanimous　children；　the　effeminate　lisp　of　the　sonnetteer　is　exchanged　for　a　cry；　wild；　and　solemn；　and　piercing　as　that　which　proclaimed　〃Sleep　no　more〃　to　the　bloody　house　of　Cawdor。　　〃Italy　seems　not　to　feel　her　sufferings；〃　exclaims　her　impassioned　poet；　〃decrepit；　sluggish；　and　languid；　will　she　sleep　forever？　　Will　there　be　none　to　awake　her？　　Oh　that　I　had　my　hands　twisted　in　her　hair！〃

（〃Che　suoi　guai　non　par　che　senta；　Vecchia；　oziosa；　e　lenta。　Dormira　sempre；　e　non　fia　chi　la　svegli？　Le　man　l'　avess'　io　avvolte　entro　e　capegli。〃　Canzone　xi。）

Nor　is　it　with　less　energy　that　he　denounces　against　the　Mahometan　Babylon　the　vengeance　of　Europe　and　of　Christ。　　His　magnificent　enumeration　of　the　ancient　exploits　of　the　Greeks　must　always　excite　admiration；　and　cannot　be　perused　without　the　deepest　interest；　at　a　time　when　the　wise　and　good；　bitterly　disappointed　in　so　many　other　countries；　are　looking　with　breathless　anxiety　towards　the　natal　land　of　liberty；the　field　of　Marathon；and　the　deadly　pass　where　the　Lion　of　Lacedaemon　turned　to　bay。　（〃Maratona；　e　le　mortali　strette　Che　difese　il　LEON　con　poca　gente。〃　Canzone　v。）

His　poems　on　religious　subjects　also　deserve　the　highest　commendation。　　At　the　head　of　these　must　be　placed　the　Ode　to　the　Virgin。　　It　is；　perhaps；　the　finest　hymn　in　the　world。　　His　devout　veneration　receives　an　exquisitely　poetical　character　from　the　delicate　perception　of　the　sex　and　the　loveliness　of　his　idol；　which　we　may　easily　trace　throughout　the　whole　composition。

I　could　dwell　with　pleasure　on　these　and　similar　parts　of　the　writings　of　Petrarch；　but　I　must　return　to　his　amatory　poetry：　to　that　he　entrusted　his　fame；　and　to　that　he　has　principally　owed　it。

The　prevailing　defect　of　his　best　compositions　on　this　subject　is　the　universal　brilliancy　with　which　they　are　lighted　up。　　The　natural　language　of　the　passions　is；　indeed；　often　figurative　and　fantastic；　and　with　none　is　this　more　the　case　than　with　that　of　love。　　Still　there　is　a　limit。　　The　feelings　should；　indeed；　have　their　ornamental　garb；　but；　like　an　elegant　woman；　they　should　be　neither　muffled　nor　exposed。　　The　drapery　should　be　so　arranged；　as　at　once　to　answer　the　purposes　of　modest　concealment　and　judicious　display。　　The　decorations　should　sometimes　be　employed　to　hide　a　defect；　and　sometimes　to　heighten　a　beauty；　but　never　to　conceal；　much　less　to　distort；　the　charms　to　which　they　are　subsidiary。　　The　love　of　Petrarch；　on　the　contrary；　arrays　itself　like　a　foppish　savage；　whose　nose　is　bored　with　a　golden　ring；　whose　skin　is　painted　with　grotesque　forms　and　dazzling　colours；　and　whose　ears　are　drawn　down　his　shoulders　by　the　weight　of　jewels。　　It　is　a　rule；　without　any　exception；　in　all　kinds　of　composition；　that　the　principal　idea；　the　predominant　feeling；　should　never　be　confounded　with　the　accompanying　decorations。　　It　should　generally　be　distinguished　from　them　by　greater　simplicity　of　expression；　as　we　recognise　Napoleon　in　the　pictures　of　his　battles；　amidst　a　crowd　of　embroidered　coats　and　plumes；　by　his　grey　cloak　and　his　hat　without　a　feather。　　In　the　verses　of　Petrarch　it　is　generally　impossible　to　say　what　thought　is　meant　to　be　prominent。　　All　is　equally　elaborate。　　The　chief　wears　the　same　gorgeous　and　degrading　livery　with　his　retinue；　and　obtains　only　his　share　of　the　indifferent　stare　which　we　bestow　upon　them　in　common。　　The　poems　have　no　strong　lights　and　shades；　no　background；　no　foreground；they　are　like　the　illuminated　figures　in　an　oriental　manuscript；plenty　of　rich　tints　and　no　perspective。　　Such　are　the　faults　of　the　most　celebrated　of　these　compositions。　　Of　those　which　are　universally　acknowledged　to　be　bad　it　is　scarcely　possible　to　speak　with　patience。　　Yet　they　have　much　in　common　with　their　splendid　companions。　　They　differ　from　them；　as　a　Mayday　procession　of　chimneysweepers　differs　from　the　Field　of　Cloth　of　Gold。　　They　have　the　gaudiness　but　not　the　wealth。　　His　muse　belongs　to　that　numerous　class　of　females　who　have　no　objection　to　be　dirty；　while　they　can　be　tawdry。　　When　his　brilliant　conceits　are　exhausted；　he　supplies　their　place　with　metaphysical　quibbles；　forced　antitheses；　bad　puns；　and　execrable　charades。　　In　his　fifth　sonnet　he　may；　I　think；　be　said　to　have　sounded　the　lowest　chasm　of　the　Bathos。　　Upon　the　whole；　that　piece　may　be　safely　pronounced　to　be　the　worst　attempt　at　poetry；　and　the　worst　attempt　at　wit；　in　the　world。

A　strong　proof　of　the　truth　of　these　criticisms　is；　that　almost　all　the　sonnets　produce　exactly　the　same　effect　on　the　mind　of　the　reader。　　They　relate　to　all　the　various　moods　of　a　lover；　from　joy　to　despair：yet　they　are　perused；　as　far　as　my　experience　and　observation　have　gone；　with　exactly　the　same　feeling。　　The　fact　is；　that　in　none　of　them　are　the　passion　and　the　ingenuity　mixed　in　just　proportions。　　There　is　not　enough　sentiment　to　dilute　the　condiments　which　are　employed　to　season　it。　　The　repast　which　he　sets　before　us　resembles　the　Spanish　entertainment　in　Dryden's　〃Mock　Astrologer〃；　at　which　the　relish　of　all　the　dishes　and　sauces　was　overpowered　by　the　common　flavour　of　spice。　　Fish；flesh；fowl；everything　at　table　tasted　of　nothing　but　red　pepper。

The　writings　of　Petrarch　may　indeed　suffer　undeservedly　from　one　cause　to　which　I　must　allude。　　His　imitators　have　so　much　familiarised　the　ear　of　Italy　and　of　Europe　to　the　favourite　topics　of　amorous　flattery　and　lamentation；　that　we　can　scarcely　think　them　original　when　we　find　them　in　the　first　author；　and；　even　when　our　understandings　have　convinced　us　that　they　were　new　to　him；　they　are　still　old　to　us。　　This　has　been　the　fate　of　many　of　the　finest　passages　of　the　most　eminent　writers。　　It　is　melancholy　to　trace　a　noble　thought　from　stage　to　stage　of　its　profanation；　to　see　it　transferred　from　the　first　illustrious　wearer　to　his　lacqueys；　turned；　and　turned　again；　and　at　last　hung　on　a　scarecrow。　　Petrarch　has　really　suffered　much　from　this　cause。　　Yet　that　he　should　have　so　suffered　is　a　sufficient　proof　that　his　excellences　were　not　of　the　highest　order。　　A　line　may　be　stolen；　but　the　pervading　spirit　of　a　great　poet　is　not　to　be　surreptitiously　obtained　by　a　plagiarist。　　The　continued　imitation　of　twenty…five　centuries　has　left　Homer　as　it　found　him。　　If　every　simile　and　every　turn　of　Dante　had　been　copied　ten　thousand　times；　the　Divine　Comedy　would　have　retained　all　its　freshness。　　It　was　easy　for　the　porter　in　Farquhar　to　pass　for　Beau　Clincher；　by　borrowing　his　lace　and　his　pulvilio。　　It　would　have　been　more　difficult　to　enact　Sir　Harry　Wildair。

Before　I　quit　this　subject　I　must　defend　Petrarch　from　one　accusation　which　is　in　the　present　day　frequently　brought　against　him。　　His　sonnets　are　pronounced　by　a　large　sect　of　critics　not　to　possess　certain　qualities　which　they　maintain　to　be　indispensable　to　sonnets；　with　as　much　confidence；　and　as　much　reason；　as　their　prototypes　of　old　insisted　on　the　unities　of　the　drama。　　I　am　an　exotericutterly　unable　to　explain　the　mysteries　of　this　new　poetical　faith。　　I　only　know　that　it　is　a　faith；　which　except　a　man　do　keep　pure　and　undefiled；　without　doubt　he　shall　be　called　a　blockhead。　　I　cannot；　however；　refrain　from　asking　what　is　the　particular　virtue　which　belongs　to　fourteen　as　distinguished　from　all　other　numbers。　　Does　it　arise　from　its　being　a　multiple　of　seven？　　Has　this　principle　any　reference　to　the　sabbatical　ordinance？　　Or　is　it　to　the　order　of　rhymes　that　these　singular　properties　are　attached？　　Unhappily　the　sonnets　of　Shakspeare　differ　as　much　in　this　respect　from　those　of　Petrarch；　as　from　a　Spenserian　or　an　octave　stanza。　　Away　with　this　unmeaning　jargon！　　We　have　pulled　down　the　old　regime　of　criticism。　　I　trust　that　we　shall　never　tolerate　the　equally　pedantic　and　irrational　despotism；　which　some　of　the　revolutionary　leaders　would　erect　upon　its　ruins。　　We　have　not　dethroned　Aristotle　and　Bossu　for　this。

These　sonnet…fanciers　would　do　well　to　reflect　that；　though　the　style　of　Petrarch　may　not　suit　the　standard　of　perfection　which　they　have　chosen；　they　lie　under　great　obligations　to　these　very　poems；that；　but　for　Petrarch　the　measure；　concerning　which　they　legislate　so　judiciously；　would　probably　never　have　attracted　notice；　and　that　to　him　they　owe　the　pleasure　of　admiring；　and　the　glory　of　composing；　pieces；　which　seem　to　have　been　produced　by　Master　Slender；　with　the　assistance　of　his　man　Simple。

I　cannot　conclude　these　remarks　without　making　a　few　observations　on　the　Latin　writings　of　Petrarch。　　It　appears　that；　both　by　himself　and　by　his　contemporaries；　these　were　far　more　highly　valued　than　his　compositions　in　the　vernacular　language。　Posterity；　the　supreme　court　of　literary　appeal；　has　not　only　reversed　the　judgment；　but；　according　to　its　general　practice；　reversed　it　with　costs；　and　condemned　the　unfortunate　works　to　pay；　not　only　for　their　own　inferiority；　but　also　for　the　injustice　of　those　who　had　given　them　an　unmerited　preference。　And　it　must　be　owned　that；　without　making　large　allowances　for　the