The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

DECEMBER 10, 1853. comparison with the masterly analysis of the Baconian philosophy by Mr. Hallam. Along with other portions of his brilliant writings in which the flowers of his style hide his want of depth, the article on " Bacon " may be cited as a proof that Mr. Macaulay's generalisation is more rhetorical than real. So far from being actual, his analysis is often affected ; and when he cannot conquer the difficulties of a deep speculative question he envelops it in a cloud of words, and, blinding his pursuer with all the fireworks of his rhetoric, he sounds the flourish of victory where triumph there was Hone. _ _ _ Up to the present time we think the papers on " ('live " and " NVarren Hastings " his best historical productions. The subjeets were comparatively fresh, and his Oriental expe rience gave him the familiarity which produces mastery of a whole subject. " Clive," in our judgment, is the masterpiece of all his writings. It was in itself a subject so full of strange contrasts, dark incidents, desperate fortunes, and romantic vicissitudes, that it in vited naturally all the powers Of a colourist to realise. The character of Clive is therein historically drawn, while his life is dramatically described. The essay on " Hastings " was also most interesting (though rather episodical) in its narrative, but too irresolute in its conclusions. It severely accused, and then sophistically absolved. Given great men, brilliant effects, and questionable means, no one need ever doubt to which Mr. Macaulay 's "historical" verdict will incline. If he had been a French man he would have prostrated himself in literary idolatry of Iliehelieu, and Louis XIV., and Napoleon. lie can, indeed, affect the ethical in his judgments, but it is only affec tation. He tries every historical character suspected of " Toryism " by a code of I 'men, and he puts in special demurrers to every in dictment against Whigs. He degrades a Clarendon, and ho deifies a Cromwell ; he rails at the reputation of Mr. Pitt, and he forgets the frantic follies of Charles Fox. Ile surveys centuries of British history through the pre judices of a coterie, sneers ut the Church of England, vilifies Popery to-day like a Protest ant zealot, and extols it to-morrow like a ierman latitudinarian. The last point to which we have just adverted brings us to the most re markable feature in Mr. Macaulay's mode of thinking. Expressing himself with the greatest vehe mence on religious subjects, and consbintly referring to them, it is utterly impossible to ascertain what arc Mr. Nlacaulay's opinions on sacred subjects. Assuredly we shall sub ject neither him nor any other man to hortisitorial scrutiny on that momentous topic ; but, if a writer and speaker come before us who often treats of religious themes, we arc justified in examining his system of opinion. If Voltaire had been writing a " History of England " he could not have in flicted more cruel gashes upon our National Church than Mr. Macaulay. On the other hand, the Society of Jesus could not have desired or devised a more dexterous panegyric., on Romanism than the essay on " Ranke's History of the Popes." In his opening eulogium he writes of the Church of Rome—" She saw the commencement of all " the governments and of all the establish " ments that. now exist in the world, and we " feel no assurance that she is not destined to see " the end of them all." Truly a most extra ordinary sentence to have been penned by a British Protestant ! But our wonder increases when he writes of the Romish faith in his " History of England," and then stigmatises it. as " that gorgeous and fascinating super " stition " over whose ruin in England he re joices ; while again in Parliament he vilifies the Protestant Church of Ireland in language as reckless as if he were a "Young Irelander." The truth we suspect to be is, that on these and equally momentous subjects Mr. Macaulay has never been accustomed to think sub jectively. He looks more at objective rela tions of institutions and systems, and con siders them front a painter's and not a philosopher's point of view. To portray what appears to him, rather than to prove and ascertain the actuality of an idea or prin ciple, is the natural function of his highly pictorial mind. Goethe looked on the men THE PRESS. around him and on the phases of life with the perceptions of au artistic dramatist. Mr. Macaulay regards the world, and thinks upon the world's sublime and mysterious history, not as an investigator Or an archaeologist, but with the sentiments of a picturesque essayist. Effect—effect—effect—is the perpetual and almost the sole object of his aim. For his originality we must look to his style, not his substance,—to his uttenmee. anti not to his inspiration. Ile is umivalled in literature in putting in a striking way what has been known before. Thus we see only talent in his thoughts, but we see genius in his vivid words and suggestive diction. Assimilation and illustration are the master resources which he employs. Faded commonplaces ho retouches with exquisite art. and the haggard wrinkles of senile Whiggery he re juvenises with his literary pearl powder and rhetorician's rouge. A great master of language, he so writes, and often speaks. that while understood by his esoterievil admirers who are initiated in his manner, he does not raise a murmur front the unsuspicious crowd. who have not sense to decipher his enigmatieal ambiguities. and who credulously revere his high-sounding rhetorical heroics for revela tions of the profoundest philosophical import ance ! It may here be objeeted by some of Mr. Nlacatilay's admiring partisans, that authors, like painters, must be judged by their schools, and that, as we ought not to apply to a Vene tian artist the rules appropriate to the school of Bologna, so we should not try Mr. Macaulay by a criticism applicable to a more severe clams of historians. l'o this we answer, that in "critical and historical" essays we must be ware of analogy. The proprieties of painting are not applicable to the composition of prose : a painter addresses the eye, and endeavours to strike the imagination through that organ, whereas a historian addresses the understand ing, and must inform it by a relation of the real, and not a mere pictorial counterfeit thereof. But the analogy would not serve the ease of Mr. Macaulay bet Ore a High Court of Criticism which formed it sjudgments, not from the multitudinous yokes of the circulating libraries, but from the examples of the great literary masters who during centuries won the approval of the impartial and profound. Nei ther in literature or painting has the ornamen tal school over ranked in the first class. " Poetical ornaments, says Sir Joshua Hey nobs. "destroy that air of truth and plainness " which ought to characterise history." What would Sir .10ahuit have said if he saw a history in which the narrator, to tell us of the fact that Charles the Second died, ocenpies several pages describing the seene,an if the mode of his dying, and the furniture of his chamber, were potential causes in the history of the Ilevolu lion of lass? No doubt it is it very pretty mode of expression to represent Mr. Macaulay as belonging to the Venetian school of histo rians, but such a classification, however fanci ful, seems to us disparaging rather than com plimentary. We believe, sincerely, that Mr. Macaulay's writing for effect,—Lis catering for the admiration of the crowd,—his impas sioned tone,—his recurrent rhythms ad dressed to the ear,—his gorgeous diction, — his rhetorical artifices,—his study of manner to the neglect of mutter,—produce serious evil amongst our rising school of writers. His style, brilliant, fascinating, popular, though it be, can be scarcely held up as a grand model of pure English prose. Its perpetual use of figures, its rhythmical cadences, its declamatory air of recitation, go far to halianise it. and what its numerous imitators will gain in sono rous effect will be lust in moral strength. Truth of form will be sacrificed to brilliancy of fancy, vivacity will be thought more impor tant than reality—an oratorical tone will be adopted, and an inquiring habit of thought neglected. Careless of the permanent, authors will be satisfied with the popular; the applause of the many will be counted more than the approval of the few. What happens in every day life occurs also in literature. The real corruptors of mankind are not the thoroughly depraved, but those who unite some great vir tues with many imitable vices. What a crowd of ardent and inexperienced youths could be corrupted, not by Chartres, vr vl the 1 old Duke of Queensberry. but by the brilliancy of profligates of genius like Wharton, Holing broke. and Charles Fox ! So, in letters, it is those authors who mingle real powers with faults that e, u ► be ti►llowed, like Voltaire and othe►s, who spread MI epideu►ieal taint by their success. at onee charming readers and corrupting style. But we must remember that in his future volumes Mr. Maeaulay has again to come before us, and, as other historians imps-0% NI in those portions of their works which we►e com posed last, we may ►lefer our criticis e ► on MA so-called " History." Content to rank him now amongst the Grand Crosses of the Ancient and Distinguished Order of Essayists, we shall pause anti see his future achievements before we would advise sovereign judgment to deco rate him with the radiant honours of the illustrious Garterhood, in which Hume and Gibbon have been enrolled. No hostility of party would interfere with our hailing his elevation to a higher rank than mere popu larity and brilliancy can confer. 1 )iti'olvae e of sentiments, frequent opposition to his 4.01,e10 Pions, do not prevent us from regarding Napier's "Peninsular War" u already classical, in its substance and its style, its disquisition% anti its narrative, one of the greatest master pieees of prose in any tongue. Leaving the examination of Mr. Mayanlay as a thinker anti 1% Viii`r. we will proceed to consider him au a man • ! faetion, and in evideuro upon that point his speeches opportunely appear to enable us to disensm his putlit les IN a militant member of his party in the Senate. We shall return to these shortly. Annotatin,. (as the Aposio nod Epiotlos. De • tiit;ned chiefly for the l' se of Stu►lent►s of tlio Greek Text. liy Thomas Williamson P.l). Vol. T. Part I.—On the Eriatle to the Itemans. Seemed Edition, Revised and Enlarged. London: Itivingtons. WE are glad to nee ittipear the second edition of this valuable work, with the author's ma tured conclusions and latest notes, aceuunt lated during the seven years that have elapsed since he first gave it to the public, "as the " first published and least finished part" of a Meril`f4 of " annotations on the apostolical epis• ties." So far as we can eidleet, without mi nutely comparing the two editions, the later one has still further gained in all those quali ties which recommended the first, and whieh are chanteteristie of Pr. critical publi cations generally,— perspicuity, closeness of rya multi ng, ClllllllreheilfilVelleSS, and aceurate scholarship. To the student of theology. em• barrassed in his study of this the most profound and systematic of the Pauline epistles, if we except that to the Hebrews, by the very pro fusion of aids within his reach la list of SOUR' thirty-three commentaries may be seen in Ols batmen's introduction), it is • invaluable as a preliminary guide; inasmuch as a precise and critical elucidation of the apostle's actual lan guage can be the only safe basis for further in quiries into those groit truths, which, (mos eending all human media of expression, must from their very nature occasion us research and end in mystery. Taking ground removed from polemics and free from special doctrinal bias, the author has brought to bear upon his text the results of wider exegetical labours— holding the balitnee between eontlieting inter pretations with the steady and impartial hand of practised scholarship, acting under a e•m seientinns sense of truth. The entire series. of which the volume tinder notice forms a part, is one Ave trust to see among the eolleetion Of (1117 earnest student of the text of the :reek Testament. In none that we have seen lass there been more useful matter judiciously com pressed, or a closer attention paid to the real difficulties which beset his path. M. T. ticeronis ()ratio pro Maur', dr. fly the He .14.1iti smith Porton, M.A. Cambridge: J. w. Parker. IN 4 tlc respeet the "(ratio pro Miloue - re. sundaes the Ppeeeli which the active insagi uutiou of the Court of Alderinen ordered to bo