The Press. — London, England, 1854-12-30 00:00:00

1848 body who has passed a few months at St. Petersburg. Against Count Orloff, the Czar's most intimate friend, and mast intelligent in strument, ho hesitates not to repeat the well known imputation of his having once made an awkward use of poison. Of Prince Ps.skie witch's military services, and public career, and character, he speaks with what we believe to be deserved respect ; and he tells us a fact not uninteresting now that war is impending between Russia and Austria, that the prince entertains a profound detestation of Austria and Austrian generals, owing to the atrocious cruelty displayed by the latter in the war in Hungary. Lifting the veil of private life, he shows us the illustrious warrior in the 'unfor tunate, and, for such a . man, grotesque predicament of a hen-pecked husband :—" His " obedience to his wife is equal to his respect " for his sovereign," says he. He introduces , us to an influential personage of whom we never before heard—Dr., Mandt, the Czar's own physician—and he tells an anecdote of how the Czar having once had a bilious attack suspected the doctor of poisoning him. Finally, he speaks not at all respectfully of the public and private character of the Foreign Minister, Nesselrode, one of the lions alias of , my Lord Aberdeen. From what we have said and quoted it will be seen that this book is well worth consult ing by all who are desirous of ascertaining the real state of Russia—one of the most.momen tons subjects of the present day. • For that, purpose we confidently recommend it... But we cannot speak favourably of the manner in which it is executed. Its matter is ill arranged ; the style is sometimes stiff mid , un gainly, and at others very slovenly ; and there are numerous unpardonable blunders—such as, removing Cronstadt to the Black Sea, and making the Emperor Alexander the father of the present Czar. The title, too, is a very silly one. Literary Fables from the Spanish of Yriarte. By Robert Rockliff. Second Edition. London : Longmans. THESE fables, in their collected shape, have very agreeably surprised us. Ingenious thought and pointed meaning are conveyed in sparkling verse, enriched with the sportive allusions and apt images of a luxuriant fancy. Each fable is a poem, and in this respect the compositions of Yriarte are superior to those of any fabulist of modern day. The collection is further distinguished by great novelty of design. In general, fables are of very wide application, but here each bears some kind of reference to authorcraft, or to the pursuits of literary men. This unity of plan heightens the merit of the collection as an artistic work, but may perhaps impede its popularity. Anthors form but a small portion of mankind, and it is scarcely to be expected that fables which have a special application to this class will ever interest to the same extent as the like compositions which appeal to the sense and feeling of universal humanity. These " Fabulas Litentrias," it is justly remarked by Mr. Rockliff, resemble in design the " Ars Poetica" of Horace ; but they are loss intended to, establish laws of composition than to hit the follies and errors into which the " scribbling race " are prone to fall, though very often, as in this one following, for example, the " moral " is as world•wide as any to be found in 2Esop : TUE BEAR, TILE APE, AND THE PIG. A Hear, whose dancing help'd to gain His own and owner's livelihood, And whose success had made him vain • As any petit-maitre, stood Upon his hinder legs to try The figure of a new quadrille, When seeing that an Ape was nigh, He stump'd about with all his skill. And 4 ' Tell me how you like," ho cried, " My dancing, for I'm always glad To hear the truth."—The Ape replied, " I really think it very bill"— " 'Tis plain enough," rejoin'd the Bear, "'that envy makes you censure so; For have I not a grateful air, A slender shape and limber toe?" but here a tasteless rig began To grunt applause, and sui4l " I vow REPRESS I've never met, in brute or man, danced so well as thou." -{ this, became for awhile ; eg: And then; as if abash'd with shame, ' Replied in a more humble style : " The agile Ape's tobuke might be Inspired by jealousy or spigot(; But, since the rig common's, l see llow bad m a y dancing must hare been." Let every author, WO; pu . ,And kola the maxim for rule— The worst that can tidal filth is ' The approbation' of i fob'. in , other fable $, , howcVer, the moral is pecu liar,. nd, pat t ,,nutil that is stated is justice done to the antlior's and 'invention. Here at first sight is a little story, merely re fleeting on that parasitic servility whleli de stroys the thing to which it clitigs THE in AND THE THYME. I've read—l know aid. where or when, or if in mos or rhyme— A dialogue that passA l between the Ivy and the Thyme, The Ivy, bowing ha Lily, lily ? like one of high degree, Began : " God help thee' little ode, hoW Mucit'l2 Pitythee ; For, though the sweetest. of theeheatta that , mien* 'the air • ~ arosind,, . 111 • - Then art 11 dwarf ataterth, jaoarpo a.wpaw; wbovu ,the ground," , ~ • " I own my inSipifidiiiice," the „ , thyttie replied; "But still, my stately friehdrl think t h ypity misapplied. I rather ought to pity' thee, ttir I, Itowetror small, Ass not andebteddbr my growth, :like thee, unto a wall ; th•llo selfe4 twnio , the,stooea so which thy tibles • • grow, •;•„• • L Wouldst trail fiii4:litroiid 64 the,grOund,—the lowest' of the . 11 • • tt,blo emAtteised by, tllb'bAhcl 'ti>iifng .ye,k4e, t . .4) . 1th Points' tOO troth not liniiiddiately „ ,Obvtotts, but aPpreciat6d pis soot as ex pressed:— Thus many a scholiast contrives to climb the steep of fame, By linking to some lofty work his else unatitieed name; For, though his scholia may deface the text o'er whicirthey crawl, - They grow incorporate with it, like ivy with the wall. So in our next quotation an impression is convoyed of the general truthfulness of the meaning:— tan noir AND THIS nohst. A Goat, with feet that danced and head that sway'd In modulated measure to the sound Of a sweet violin, which, deftly played, Awoke the blandest echoes all around, flail listened long, when, with an air of pride, He thus addreWs'd a Horse who stood beside : ' , " These chords that. speak so well, my humble friend, Were borrow'd from the bowels of a goat; And even I, when life is at ati end, " • May still survive, and be a thing of nets; For then some artist of harmonic skill Shall twist my tripe into as sweet a trill." . The Horse, as if iu laughter, neigh'd aloud, And answer'd thus : " Poor wretch ! of what avail • Would be the simple ,cliords which make thee pond, Unless I had supplied them from my tail With many a hair to forth the fiddle-bow, Whose movement makes the hidden music flow ? • " And, though the loss allay pain me, I'm content; For, after all, it gladdens me to see, While t am still alive, the linitrumont Indebted for its hXrttrony'teme. But say, what pleasure tan its acettnts give To solace thee when thou last ceased to live 7" But it is reserved for the " mond" to furnish thq Stmeial adaptation ThUti 'many a wretched writer, who has tried With unsuccessful efforts to engage • Cotemporary praise, applals with pride Unto the ,judgment of a future age, As if posterity's approving breath Could gratify " the dull cold ear of death." In the next, Johnson's famous axiom, tbst Those who litre to please Must please to live, • • receives agreeable rat Rxr. Amr, rite. err aoo. • " Thou bubbler," cried a Deo, one day, Unto a Cuckoo," pritheo, cease! 1 hate thy everlasting lay; Begone, and let me work in peace. " Ta< hew gas syllable Po 1046 With such monotony, the word, The Angie word that is thy song, Exhausts my patience, foolish bird." " Well, f Any sung lie wearisome," Replied the Cuckoo to the nee, " The structure of thy htineycoltib Seems just as much in fault to me. " Its endless hexagons display No eftbrt of inventive skill ; Then, shape it in some other way, And I will try a newer trill." " Our cases differ," said the Bee, • My honeycomb needs no excuse; The strielot, uniformity , •Is excellent in works o f use. • ' SATITRDIA, "But works of taste, my friend, like thine, Should take, of course, a wider range; For pleasnre is their chief design, And pleasure's essence lies in change." The good sense and cultivated taste of thi s Spanish fabulist usually lead him to the ex pression of unexceptionable principles; but in the piece hesded *The Laee-makers," his con clusion is open to question : i Tan LACE-MAKERS. In the same village dwelt a brace of neighbours, A man and woman,—an uulustrous brew, Engaged from morn till night in kindred labours, For both were manufauturersof lane ; But his from gold and hers from Rai was made, And yet the woman's was the better trade. " 'Tis strange," exellim'd the Man," that °lir galloons Should differ so in value, andthat thine Should fetch in anywarket more donbloons Than twice an equal quantity of mina, • , While mine, as all may feel, are sterling attek, And thine too flimsy to withstand *puff " The different price, dear sir, et 'which we sell Our different fabrics may be shortly - told," The dame replied ; " for though I him,/ frill well That mine id wrought in thread and .youni in gold, . The preference ofthe former to the latter 'ls bat a proof tbat Artturpasses ,Matter." Let authors study to improve their style— For, as the thread from which the costliest lace Is firshian'd iw eumparsitively, And owes Au art alque its wqrtli gut' grace, The veriest trifle, if expreseid with ease Anti elegance of style, is sure to please. The analogy attempted to be established here betiveen the manipulation of matter and of intellect will hardly stand. We may in all cases claim for art a superiority over dead matter - even the diamond is lustreless till it be polished—but this net so with that mental mine whence productions often issue, which no art, no labour, can improve. Perfect at the fiat, they defy all efforts at improve ments, and when changed in any degree are changed only to their, injury. An author's first thoughts are commonly Ins best; and when genius fires him, and "thoughts that breathe " find meet expression in " words that barn" to think of adding to their worth by ela borate chasing ,Would be simpler than "to " gild refined gold or paint the lilY." In authorship there are examples of study having done much to improve style; but the greatest authors have a style of their own independent of study, and the inythelogy which repre sented: Minerva as springing all perfect and armed from the brain of Zeus, points to that essential inspiration which we may judge to be heaven-deacended, so separate is it from human skill and endeavOur. ' The wittiest fable here is directed against that " refuse and trash of yore " which im poses on the ignorant by a show of research, and, by its appearance of antiquity alone, secures transient favour for compositions which would otherwise be . despised; but the piece is not well suited. for, extract. In the " Rat and the Author " the, puns are so pro fuse as to suggest a doubt whether Mr. Itockliff has not attempted to improve upon his author. We must confess that we:cotico this little volume without the advantage of having the original Spauith before us. It is evident that Mr. Roeklitre.rendering is often extremely free, but some liberty may fairly be allowed in compeeitiona of this class, as their ru9rit, must, depend more on their pith and poAnt, than pn,their, exact phraseOlegy., He ShOUl4 D liny,,,liostevei, that the ride' ipi . qotes .1u„ ii .Iccgp is not reeogniied in „present day, and.we certainly have felt deAb 'B , lll going threngli thie very agreeable coileeirOß ,whet s her klie , libe'rty : llowed to a translator has not in some eases b?cn unwarrantably exCeeded, The fables thus far quoted are .among the, ilighte§t,.in tliF 1)001( 1. but we ,r4ust not dart from it peforo an example of the eeper ineanipq Nvlu t eh is often embodied in the verse, end ter this i purpose 19 select fl Are ,A?in, rne JUti GI.EIt. . Good Pector Dunderhead, who lost his brains By Orerstadying of natural histoY— ror Students often take itsconmion pains To turn the plainest matter to a mysterroo. . . Who wrote a score et volumes to describe Sonic score of beasts that Adam never saw, Of phoenix, nnicorn, or griffin tribe, And gamtbeir very likeness to itclaw ; In short, who rummaged continent anti cape For creatures of the strangest aisle and shape, This reverend writer tells in,pondertme prose A certain story, whic4l'llre-compoT , .l, Thlightitrid eirelesi verse, aboiti an Ape. A. 1 1% ~I. • ••• ••• With one who dances tet 4lW/ 1$ The Bear, on hearing • Sedate and pensive I ;i Vl"°; 7 N r f • t lbw; NOIN/a..-