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London, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

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his clever essays, his ballads in the " Annuals,"
and the notice accorded to him by patronising
peers.
Invited by Jeffrey to become a contributor
to the Edinburgh, young Maeaulay's fortune
was decisively made by "the Milton article."
Jeffrey had always been neat, correct, spark-
ling, clear, but superficial; his style scin-
tillated, but never blazed. Mackintosh was
profbund, but ponderous ; his philosophy had
a fatal laxity that palsied the nervous vigour
of his style ; in the Commons his rhetoric
rumbled along with a guttural Scotch accent ;
he exhausted superlatives in saying kind
things of every one ; while in metaphysical
language that appeared to hide original thought
he echoed what Brookes's proposed and
Burlington-house accepted.* Hallam, deep
in books, was not dazzling as a writer; and,
though he excelled all mankind in the art of
throwing cold water upon illustrious reputa-
tions, he never succeeded as a reviewer.
Brougham wrote articles in a style that
proved him an adept in literary " thunder."
He clothed commonplaces with the costume
of oratory, assumed the profound with an
oracular gravity that amused nobody more
than that excellent personage himself, and
badgered Tory pamphleteers with the scowling
and sarcastic style of literary vita prism
Sydney Smith, like one of Shakspeare's fools
in a cassock, was always droll and often
dazzling. Shaking his cap and bells under
the laurels of genius (never under a mitre),
he tickled Methodists to death out of pure
humanity, and rattled down man-traps and
spring-guns under volleys of epigrams. But
not one of these brilliant persons, nor all of
them together, could write an essay like that
on " Milton," where, amidst the tropical
fertility of its metaphors, and the tangled
luxuriance of its flowery rhetoric, MI
original perception of the picturesque, and
talent for producing it in words, is visible in
every page.
If Macaulay had then been a man entirely
unconnected, like a Hazlitt or a Gifford, or
other professional writers, he might have
waited for many years before he was " taken
up," as the phrase goes. But from his personal
connections he had the entrance already to
the high circles of his party. Lord Lansdowne
bad an hereditary love for the patronage of dis-
tinguished talents, and Caine returned the
eloquent essayist to the Commons. The
Reform Bill came on, and the bitterest of
" Quarterly " was pitted against the most
brilliant of the Edinburgh reviewers. Wonders
were expected from the tongue of the new
recruit. Ardent Liberals boasted that their
cause would be adorned by one who, with the
genius of Burke for generalisation, would
exhibit the muscle of Brougham in close en-
counter, and fascinate St. Stephen's with
language more glowing than Canning had dis-
played, and subdue its convictions with argu-
ment more overwhelming than Plunket had
employed.
His first displays could scarcely be ranked
with the masterpieces of parliamentary elo-
quence, and disappointed some whose cxpcc
tations had been too highly raised. his
figure was short, his elocution monotonous,
his voice harsh, and his general manner par.
taking of a public lecturer. Though his speak-
ing was rapid it suggested the swiftness of
the stream that issues from the pondcd
waters, rather than the rush of the mountain
torrent bursting naturally from the Highland
tarn. His most brilliant displays seemed
more like recollections of the genius of others
than revelations of his own ; as if the thoughts
of Fox. Burke. Hallam, Mackintosh, and the
Edinburgh Renew had been passed under a
rhetorical rolling-machine and drawn out
stamped with Lord Grey's Reform patterns.
He never crushed an adversary in close en-
counter and left him prostrate on the field
like Mr. Stanley in his famous encounter with
Mr. Rigby ; and even Sir Robert Peel's very
subordinate talent for the satirical was often
effective against the pretentious manner of the
member for Caine.

His inferiority as an orator was more mani-

• "The lira meeting I ever Atten.led ws• fit Burling-
ton-house. My Lnrd• Grenville and Grey sdoiressed the Lords,
sud Mr. rnimitill Hutt Mr. Iteruey tut lreeseil the Certunems.--
/era J. Jitisoril.

SATURDAY,

feet from the contrast with two of his fellow
members in the Commons. Then might be
seen, night after night, the internecine contest
between the greatest demagogue of modern
times, and a masculine patrician, ready in
tulip° and resolute in purpose. Then was
that famous tribune, the boast of the Irish bar,
and potent ruler for twenty 7ears of Celtic Ire
land, doomed for the first time to meet, in the
heir to the house of Derby, an oratorical anta-
gonist as rapid and fluent as himself, as pow-
erful to rouse the manly passions of an au-
dience, as forcible and far more finished in
invective. What chance for a moment would
the glancing foil of our great reviewer have
had against the club of O'Connell, wielded with
gigantic power and practised ease ? Against
the onslaughts of the Celtic chief, and the ela-
borate tirades of Mr. Shell, Mr. Macaulay, in
1833, was called on to try his powers. Though
our sympathies were entirely with him on that
occasion, we must say that he failed. He
could attitudinise like the best of political
athletes, but he wanted the stern resolve and
sinewy muscle which prostrate the sturdy foe.
Yet his speeches on Reform were very bril-
liant performances of a particular kind. For
the first time it might be said that the House
listened to a mere " essayist." Though his mat-
ter was not comparable to that of Burke, his
manner was better, his elocution more facile,
and his accent had not the coarseness of the
Irish brogue. His speeches on Reform were
heard with attention, loudly cheered, eagerly
read, extracted by journalists, and applauded
by Ministers. Of their intrinsic merits and
their peculiar defects we will speak presently.
Their effect upon the fortunes of the brilliant
speaker was humorously recorded by one of
his adversaries. When a philosophical Radi-
cal was talking all the obvious commonplaces
that a cavilling critic might apply to the
great reviewer, Mr. Sheil, in our presence
at Bellamy's, screeched out in his rasping
voice, "Nonsense, sir! Don't attempt to run
down Macaulay. He's the cleverest man in
Christendom. Didn't he make four speeches
on the Reform Bill, and get ten thousand a
year ? Think of that,—and be dumb !" Pro-
moted to the Indian Council, he had leisure
for his literary pursuits, and continued those
charming essays with which his name will be
permanently linked, whatever may be the esti-
mate passed on him as "a historian," when
the voice of contemporary cliques is mute,
and admiration can be extoited only by the
genuine and great.
Of all who wrote in the Edinburyb Reriew.
not one contributor stamped his compositions
with such inimitable workmanship. The arti-
cles were often unequal in truth of statement
and weight of matter • but they were uniform
in brilliancy, and in the powers of a style that
could decorate the superficial and hide the
sophistical with varied graces, with inge-
nuity of thought, and variety of allusion ,
with sparkling fancies, and a sonorous ar-
rangement of words that titillated the earl
with luscious cadences. He sparkled over
the "Utilitarian Controversy " with the flip-
pancy of Voltaire writing of geology. Ho
castigated the faults of Dryden, and feebly
acknowledged his merits, in a manner that
deserves to be forgotten by all except his cri-
tics. From the French Revolution he sought
to extract as much literary capital as Mr.
Rigby himself, and, while the latter sought to
terrify the commercial classes with tales of ter-
ror, :kir. Macaulay rung the changes on the
fall of the Faubourg St. Germain, for the spe-
cial intimidation of the nobility of Old Eng-
land. He scourged Horace Walpole, and
sneered at Dr. Johnson with a one-sided seve-
rity not approved by the literary world. In
his review of " Dumont's Mirabeau " he re-
clothed the greatest fallacies of Charles Fox.
In his essay on " History" (judiciously not
reprinted) he gave a summary more pictu-
resque than profound of the leading historians
who have gained the approbation of ages, and
he propounded his own theory of history,
which is nothing more than " the Waverley
Novel School."

His essay on " Bacon " is an agreeable
biographical sketch, but in philosophic think-
ing it is weak and unsatisfactory. It teaches
little, suggests still less, and absolutely proves
nothing. It appears to great disadvantage on

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 criticise► 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 eof
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 Aposionod 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