the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第31部分

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ated。　The　sheath　of　the　sword；　like　the　shield　of　Achilles；　is　carved；　in　exquisitely　fine　miniature；　with　scenes　from　the　common　life　of　the　period；　a　dance　at　Almack's　a　boxing　match　at　the　Fives…　court；　a　lord　mayor's　procession；　and　a　man　hanging。　　All　these　are　fully　and　elegantly　described。　　The　Duke　thus　armed　hastens　to　Brussels。

BOOK　IX。

The　Duke　is　received　at　Brussels　by　the　King　of　the　Netherlands　with　great　magnificence。　　He　is　informed　of　the　approach　of　the　armies　of　all　the　confederate　kings。　　The　poet；　however；　with　a　laudable　zeal　for　the　glory　of　his　country；　completely　passes　over　the　exploits　of　the　Austrians　in　Italy；　and　the　discussions　of　the　congress。　　England　and　France；　Wellington　and　Napoleon；　almost　exclusively　occupy　his　attention。　　Several　days　are　spent　at　Brussels　in　revelry。　　The　English　heroes　astonish　their　allies　by　exhibiting　splendid　games；　similar　to　those　which　draw　the　flower　of　the　British　aristocracy　to　Newmarket　and　Moulsey　Hurst；　and　which　will　be　considered　by　our　descendants　with　as　much　veneration　as　the　Olympian　and　Isthmian　contests　by　classical　students　of　the　present　time。　　In　the　combat　of　the　cestus；　Shaw；　the　lifeguardsman；　vanquishes　the　Prince　of　Orange；　and　obtains　a　bull　as　a　prize。　　In　the　horse…race；　the　Duke　of　Wellington　and　Lord　Uxbridge　ride　against　each　other；　the　Duke　is　victorious；　and　is　rewarded　with　twelve　opera…girls。　　On　the　last　day　of　the　festivities；　a　splendid　dance　takes　place；　at　which　all　the　heroes　attend。

BOOK　X。

Mars；　seeing　the　English　army　thus　inactive；　hastens　to　rouse　Napoleon；　who；　conducted　by　Night　and　Silence；　unexpectedly　attacks　the　Prussians。　　The　slaughter　is　immense。　　Napoleon　kills　many　whose　histories　and　families　are　happily　particularised。　　He　slays　Herman；　the　craniologist；　who　dwelt　by　the　linden…shadowed　Elbe；　and　measured　with　his　eye　the　skulls　of　all　who　walked　through　the　streets　of　Berlin。　　Alas！　his　own　skull　is　now　cleft　by　the　Corsican　sword。　　Four　pupils　of　the　University　of　Jena　advance　together　to　encounter　the　Emperor；　at　four　blows　he　destroys　them　all。　　Blucher　rushes　to　arrest　the　devastation；　Napoleon　strikes　him　to　the　ground；　and　is　on　the　point　of　killing　him；　but　Gneisenau；　Ziethen；　Bulow；　and　all　the　other　heroes　of　the　Prussian　army；　gather　round　him；　and　bear　the　venerable　chief　to　a　distance　from　the　field。　　The　slaughter　is　continued　till　night。　　In　the　meantime　Neptune　has　despatched　Fame　to　bear　the　intelligence　to　the　Duke；　who　is　dancing　at　Brussels。　　The　whole　army　is　put　in　motion。　　The　Duke　of　Brunswick's　horse　speaks　to　admonish　him　of　his　danger；　but　in　vain。

BOOK　VI。

Picton；　the　Duke　of　Brunswick；　and　the　Prince　of　Orange；　engage　Ney　at　Quatre　Bras。　　Ney　kills　the　Duke　of　Brunswick；　and　strips　him；　sending　his　belt　to　Napoleon。　　The　English　fall　back　on　Waterloo。　　Jupiter　calls　a　council　of　the　gods；　and　commands　that　none　shall　interfere　on　either　side。　　Mars　and　Neptune　make　very　eloquent　speeches。　　The　battle　of　Waterloo　commences。　　Napoleon　kills　Picton　and　Delancy。　　Ney　engages　Ponsonby　and　kills　him。　The　Prince　of　Orange　is　wounded　by　Soult。　　Lord　Uxbridge　flies　to　check　the　carnage。　　He　is　severely　wounded　by　Napoleon；　and　only　saved　by　the　assistance　of　Lord　Hill。　　In　the　meantime　the　Duke　makes　a　tremendous　carnage　among　the　French。　　He　encounters　General　Duhesme　and　vanquishes　him；　but　spares　his　life。　　He　kills　Toubert；　who　kept　the　gaming…house　in　the　Palais　Royal；　and　Maronet；　who　loved　to　spend　whole　nights　in　drinking　champagne。　Clerval；　who　had　been　hooted　from　the　stage；　and　had　then　become　a　captain　in　the　Imperial　Guard；　wished　that　he　had　still　continued　to　face　the　more　harmless　enmity　of　the　Parisian　pit。　But　Larrey；　the　son　of　Esculapius；　whom　his　father　had　instructed　in　all　the　secrets　of　his　art；　and　who　was　surgeon…general　of　the　French　army；　embraced　the　knees　of　the　destroyer；　and　conjured　him　not　to　give　death　to　one　whose　office　it　was　to　give　life。　The　Duke　raised　him；　and　bade　him　live。

But　we　must　hasten　to　the　close。　　Napoleon　rushes　to　encounter　Wellington。　　Both　armies　stand　in　mute　amaze。　　The　heroes　fire　their　pistols；　that　of　Napoleon　misses；　but　that　of　Wellington；　formed　by　the　hand　of　Vulcan；　and　primed　by　the　Cyclops；　wounds　the　Emperor　in　the　thigh。　　He　flies；　and　takes　refuge　among　his　troops。　　The　flight　becomes　promiscuous。　　The　arrival　of　the　Prussians；　from　a　motive　of　patriotism；　the　poet　completely　passes　over。

BOOK　XII。

Things　are　now　hastening　to　the　catastrophe。　　Napoleon　flies　to　London；　and；　seating　himself　on　the　hearth　of　the　Regent；　embraces　the　household　gods　and　conjures　him；　by　the　venerable　age　of　George　III。；　and　by　the　opening　perfections　of　the　Princess　Charlotte；　to　spare　him。　　The　Prince　is　inclined　to　do　so；　when；　looking　on　his　breast；　he　sees　there　the　belt　of　the　Duke　of　Brunswick。　　He　instantly　draws　his　sword；　and　is　about　to　stab　the　destroyer　of　his　kinsman。　　Piety　and　hospitality；　however；　restrain　his　hand。　　He　takes　a　middle　course；　and　condemns　Napoleon　to　be　exposed　on　a　desert　island。　　The　King　of　France　re…enters　Paris；　and　the　poem　concludes。

。。。


ON　MITFORD'S　HISTORY　OF　GREECE。

（November　1824。）

This　is　a　book　which　enjoys　a　great　and　increasing　popularity：　but；　while　it　has　attracted　a　considerable　share　of　the　public　attention；　it　has　been　little　noticed　by　the　critics。　　Mr　Mitford　has　almost　succeeded　in　mounting；　unperceived　by　those　whose　office　it　is　to　watch　such　aspirants；　to　a　high　place　among　historians。　　He　has　taken　a　seat　on　the　dais　without　being　challenged　by　a　single　seneschal。　　To　oppose　the　progress　of　his　fame　is　now　almost　a　hopeless　enterprise。　　Had　he　been　reviewed　with　candid　severity；　when　he　had　published　only　his　first　volume；　his　work　would　either　have　deserved　its　reputation；　or　would　never　have　obtained　it。　　〃Then；〃　as　Indra　says　of　Kehama；　〃then　was　the　time　to　strike。〃　　The　time　was　neglected；　and　the　consequence　is　that　Mr　Mitford　like　Kehama；　has　laid　his　victorious　hand　on　the　literary　Amreeta；　and　seems　about　to　taste　the　precious　elixir　of　immortality。　　I　shall　venture　to　emulate　the　courage　of　the　honest　Glendoveer　〃When　now　He　saw　the　Amreeta　in　Kehama's　hand；　An　impulse　that　defied　all　self…command；　In　that　extremity；　Stung　him；　and　he　resolved　to　seize　the　cup；　And　dare　the　Rajah's　force　in　Seeva's　sight；　Forward　he　sprung　to　tempt　the　unequal　fray。〃

In　plain　words；　I　shall　offer　a　few　considerations；　which　may　tend　to　reduce　an　overpraised　writer　to　his　proper　level。

The　principal　characteristic　of　this　historian；　the　origin　of　his　excellencies　and　his　defects；　is　a　love　of　singularity。　　He　has　no　notion　of　going　with　a　multitude　to　do　either　good　or　evil。　An　exploded　opinion；　or　an　unpopular　person；　has　an　irresistible　charm　for　him。　　The　same　perverseness　may　be　traced　in　his　diction。　　His　style　would　never　have　been　elegant；　but　it　might　at　least　have　been　manly　and　perspicuous；　and　nothing　but　the　most　elaborate　care　could　possibly　have　made　it　so　bad　as　it　is。　It　is　distinguished　by　harsh　phrases；　strange　collocations；　occasional　solecisms；　frequent　obscurity；　and；　above　all；　by　a　peculiar　oddity；　which　can　no　more　be　described　than　it　can　be　overlooked。　　Nor　is　this　all。　　Mr　Mitford　piques　himself　on　spelling　better　than　any　of　his　neighbours；　and　this　not　only　in　ancient　names；　which　he　mangles　in　defiance　both　of　custom　and　of　reason；　but　in　the　most　ordinary　words　of　the　English　language。　It　is；　in　itself；　a　matter　perfectly　indifferent　whether　we　call　a　foreigner　by　the　name　which　he　bears　in　his　own　language；　or　by　that　which　corresponds　to　it　in　ours；　whether　we　say　Lorenzo　de　Medici；　or　Lawrence　de　Medici；　Jean　Chauvin；　or　John　Calvin。　　In　such　cases　established　usage　is　considered　as　law　by　all　writers　except　Mr　Mitford。　　If　he　were　always　consistent　with　himself；　he　might　be　excused　for　sometimes　disagreeing　with　his　neighbours；　but　he　proceeds　on　no　principle　but　that　of　being　unlike　the　rest　of　the　world。　　Every　child　has　heard　of　Linnaeus；　therefore　Mr　Mitford　calls　him　Linne：　　Rousseau　is　known　all　over　Europe　as　Jean　Jacques；　therefore　Mr　Mitford　bestows　on　him　the　strange　appellation　of　John　James。

Had　Mr　Mitford　undertaken　a　History　of　any　other　country　than　Greece；　this　propensity　would　have　rendered　his　work　useless　and　absurd。　　His　occasional　remarks　on　the　affairs　of　ancient　Rome　and　of　modern　Europe　are　full　of　errors：　　but　he　writes　of　times　with　respect　to　which　almost　every　other　writer　has　been　in　the　wrong；　and；　therefore；　by　resolutely　deviating　from　his　predecessors；　he　is　often　in　the　right。

Almost　all　the　modern　historians　of　Greece　have　shown　the　grossest　ignorance　of　the　most　obvious　phenomena　of　human　nature。　In　their　representations　the　generals　and　statesmen　of　antiquity　are　absolutely　divested　of　all　individuality。　　They　are　personifications；　they　are　passions；　talents；　opinions；　virtues；　vices；　but　not　men。　　Inconsistency　is　a　thing　of　which　these　writers　have　no　notion。　　That　a　man　may　have　been　liberal　in　his　youth　and　avaricious　in　his　age；　cruel　to　one　enemy　and　merciful　to　another；　is　to　them　utterly　inconceivable。　　If　the　facts　be　undeniable；　they　suppose　some　strange　and　deep　d