The Sun.
London, England, 1814-09-09 00:00:00

;NOTICE.

[We thank " A Corrector" for his pdrtive assurance that
tiara is the erffsprin !Arid tkitoss ling-richlen Muse,
and Jacquelhic the puny bantling of Mr. Ronea's coy -tress. We believe he is tigkt cannot depart' from
our own mode of treating, the Subject, adopted from a de-
termination to reuiew ,Lara which we could
not hare done, had we considered it as the production of a
liritish Peer, who labours under the imputation of being the
foremost and most adept...libeller and slanderer of • his
. -I'xince !1

We broke off with the notice of the coincidence
between Lard and CoLraftmes Ordonio: a -few
parallel passages will serve to bear us out in the
opinion that this is more than an accidental re-
semblance, lather, however in sentiment than in

language :

Sic was a man different from other men, ,
•
And be despised them; yet revered hiinself.—Colerielge.
. • there was io him a vital scorn of all: '
As -if the worst had fallen which could befall.—Lora.
N 'attire had made hint for some other planet,
And pressed his soul into a human shape
By accident Or malic.—Colcrigge.
. lle stood a stranger in the hreathin:r world;
Ah erring spirit from another limn,
He walked alone.—Lark.
And phantom thoughts, unsought for, troubled him;
SOmethint; within would still be shadowing out
. All possibilities; and with these shadows
His mind held dalliance.ii/crictge...
-A thing of dark imaginings, that shap'd •
By choice the perils he by chance escaped;
But 'scaped in vain, fur in their memory yet
His mind would half exult and half regret.—Lora.
•
Surveying all things with a quiet scorn,
Tatted himself down to living purposes,
The occupations and the semhlances
Of ordinary men—and such Le seem4.—Coleridge.
So much he soar'd beyond, or sunk beneath
The men with whom he felt ethidemned to breath,
And longed by-good or ill to seperate
Himself from all who shared- his mortal state :
Thus coldly passing all that passed below,
• His blood intemperate seeming now would flow.
But; we need not multiply examples—these are
enow to Show that the pictures are of very nearly
the same"brigin, though differently touched, ac-
cording to the panner of 'the two Artists both
unnaturally metaphysical, abstract, personages who
have a strange -facility of confounding good with
ill, and that perversity of intellect which inclines
them to prefer the latter.
We have little desire to swell the catalogue of
faults upon which we have already touched—they
arc, in truth, too numerous for those bounds of
criticism which we have prescribed for ourselves.
Dipping, therefore, into any-dozen of consecu-
tive lines, we may copy them as a sample of the
entire poem. The account of- Lara's contempla-
tion of a- dance runs thus (v.:21. Canto I.)

And Lara gazed on these sedately glad,
I-lis brow belied him if his soul was sad,
AS his glance followed fast Aach fluttering fair
Whose' steps of lightness woke no echo there: •
lie leaned against the lofty pillar nigh .
With folded arms and long attentive e.se;
;for marked a glance So sternly fixed nu his,
11l brooked high Lara scrutiny like this i
At length he caught it, 'tis a face unknown,
But seems as searching his, and his alone; •
Prying and dark, a stranger's by his mein,
Who still till now had gazed on him unseen :

Theu jam satist
" This is'the very false gallop of verSes ; why do you infect
'yourself with thetu? I'll'rhyme you se, eight years together ;
dinners, and suppers, and sleeping hours excepted : it is
the right butterwomatt'sTate to tnarIiet."—SLIAKESPEARE.

, Leaving, however, to- their own merits the
four first expletives in the first .fire • lines, of
which two stand for rhymes, we would fain know
the intent and meaning of the three last verses—;•
as for grammatical construction, that is out of
the question. Let us try: them in plain prose,
And then we shall see what loose kind of rambling
this is which is miscalled poetry. The two lines
preceding the six are introductory—" With arms'
folded and long-attentive eye he leaned against the
lofty, pillar (nigh, unnecessary in prose), nor
marked a glance sternly fixed on his ; ill brooked
high Lara scrutiny like this (which he did
not mark) ; at length be caught It (the
glance)—'tis (the glanFe. ia). a face -unknown,
but (this face) seems as searching his (face),
-and his -(facc) alone; prying. and dark, (this
•fac'e is) a stranger's by his mien, who (who or
what this who belongs to, who can tell) still (an
expletive) till now had gazed unseen on him."
This is no exaggeration, -any more than were we
to observe-that the stranger himself was so struck •
with it, that in the next verse'he " cried" a " whis-
pered word," Which was re-echoed fast and far by
those that heard this whisper' cry ! !
• Lara is unmoved by the disorder around him,
though (page 36.)--
Time words of many, and the-eyes of all
That there were gathered„seetned on him to fall;
But hi 4 were silent,- Iris appeared to stnty - -
In far forgetfulness au'ay—away—

How sweet would' have been the effect of this
-repetition in the last line, had we been carried to
-so delightful a poetical ornament by co►umon
-sense ! But the preceding lines are incontestible'
no meaning, for what idea can we attach to the
descrirtion of the words of many (the eyes as a
-figure of speech we can conceive) falling upon an
individual ? and then, " his were silent"—bis
what ? his words or his eyes ? no matter ! there
tiettned to be a confused image in the passage,
iand,your sublime Poet never stickles for trifles
Alter pointing out these often recurring
hientisl►es, it would he invidious to prolong lu►►ch
lurther our strictures on the minor defects which
t►re 6-cry where so obvious. Of the many faulty
rhymes, we shall particularize only one " known"
And " unknown,.. (page 23) ; and of the Ire-
cluent inadmissible change of person and • tense,
would require a page to ellitnierate, WC

* At. pag, 89, this here' 'r there" of which the Author ap
pears to he as fond as the most wu!gareat ~ ceocu,
) cuts wi
egJa ollieNs. spieuous figure in helping out an extraordinary
vo:.,e. lie is telling of Lartt's gatherwg stuues, arid Says....
f 'these the heaviest thevrc he gathered there,
Aad slung them with 3aaurc that; commun cart ! ! !

tacitict, tzteprtitt subsli-
tution of " otir " for .“..his." at page 41, spoiling
the passage for no other purpose, but 'that the
Author way appear like Illastd Stephen,

omit all

" me-

!Am.:holy-and- _gentlemanlike." In ninrality and
'religion, or rather in immorality 'and
the Author of Lava has been it most successful
Copyist of Lord liYgo.s.- Ills spirit, like his
Lordships, "rises with the subject, and he breathes
all his energy-into a-aenial of the immortality 'of
the soul, or a Sneer against .those-solaces which
religion bestows ;—and which, however ridiculous
in the eyes of such philosophers; have often soothed
the agonies of death in offenders less hardened in
crime, than those whose borrible:catastrophes they
delight to paint. An example of the former closes
the Ist. Canto ; the following•in Canto 2d, (page
83), is an instance of the latter.- It is the•disso-
littion of Lars► :

Yet Sense secn►ertleft, though better were its loss;
.For when one near displayed the absolving cross,
And profferred to his touch the holy bead
Of which his parting soul might own the need; •
He looked upon it with an eye profane,
And smil'd—Heaven pardon ! if 'twere with disdain ;
And Kaled, though he spoke not, nor withdrew
From Lara's face his fixed' despairing view,
With brow repulsive, and with gesture swift,.
Flung back the hand which held the sacred gift,
As if such but disturbed the man,
Nor seemed to know that life but Wu began,
-The life immortal, infinite, secure,
To all for who►n that cross bath made it sure !
.The mark of admiration at the end, and the word"
''theta" in italics,- as in the poem, are a sufficient
continent upon the Author's meaning. But the
whole tendency of the volume, where it at all i►p=
proaches that theme, is to make a moekcry!uf
ligion.
Having concluded all the animadversions which
we could not help making oil this work, it is• hut
justice to say something of its merits. The Writer
is evidently capable of better things TiteVe is'a
smoothness in his style, an impressiveness in his
language,-and a keeping in his descriptions,-which
often powerfully lay hold of the imagination Engl
agitate the feelings with 'genuine emotion. Of
these passages, even after having gone at so great
length into critical remarks, we shall make no
apology for selecting several wherewith to close
our task, and, we trust, compensate our Rea►lers
for the tediousness of the-way, by the beauty and
interest-of its termination.

NIGHT.

It was the night—and. Lara's glassy stream
The stars are studding, each with imaged beam
So calm, the waters scarcely seem to stray,
And yet they glide like happiness airay;*"
Iteilecting far and fairy-like from high
The immortal lights that live along the sky.

THE SPECTRE.
He turned within his solitary hail,
Aid his high shadow shot along the wall ;
There was`the painted forms or Other times,
'Twas all they left of virtues or of crimes,
Save vague tradition ; and the glOomy vaults
That hid their dust, their foibles, and their faults;
And half a column of the pompous page,
That speeds the specious tale from age to age ;
Where history's pen its praise or blame supplies,
And lies like truth, and still most truly lies.
He wandering mused, and as the moonbeam shone
Through the dim lattice o'er the floor of stone,
And tlic high fretted roof, and saints, that there
O'er Gothic windows knelt in pictUred prayer,
Reflected in fantastic figures grew,
Like life, but not like mortal life; to:View ;
His bristling locks of sable, brow of gloom, . •
And the wide waving of his shaken plume
Glanced like a spectre'S attrihutes,and gave
His aspect all that terror gives the grave.

'Twas midnight—all was slumber; the lone light
Dition'd in the lamp, as loth to break the night.
Hark ! there be murmurs beard in Lara's hall—
A sound---a voice—a shriek—a fearful call!
A long, loud shriek—and silence—did they hear
That frantic echo burst the sleeping ear ?
They heard and rose, and tremulonsly brave
Rush where the sound invoked their aid to save;
They come with half-lit taperS,in their bands,
And snatched in startled haste unbelted brands.

• ('old as the marble where his length was laid,
Pale as the beam that o'er his features played,
Was Lara stretch'd ; his half drawn sahre•ncar.
Dropp'd it should seem in more than nature's fear;.
Yet he was arm, or had been firm till now,
And still dt,fiance.knit his gathered brow;
Though mix'd with terror, senseless as he lay,
There lived upon his lip the wish to slay ;
Sonic hallLforin'd threat in utterance there had died,
Nome imprecation of despairing pvide ;
his eye was almost scald, but not forsook,.
.Even in its trance the gladiator's look,
That oft awake his aspect could disclose,
,And now was tix'd ifi horrible repo4e.'
They raise hint—hear ! he breathes, he speaks,
The swarthy blade recolours in his_ cheeks;
lii lip resumes its red,' his eye; though
Rolls wide and wild, each'slow•ly quivering limb
Recalls its function, hut his words are strun
In terms that seen not of his native torigne ;
Distinct, but stratige,' enough they uis.aerstancl
To deem them accents of another land,
And such they were, and meant to meet an ear
That hears him not,--alas ! that cannot hear !

THE BATTLE AND'MORTAL WOUND.
Commanding, aiding,•apilnating all,
'here foe appeared to press, or friend to fill,
Cheers Lara 's voice, and Waves or strikes his iteo,
Inspiring hope, himself had ceased to feel.
None fled; for well they ktiew that flight was vain,
But those that waver turn to smite again
Whileyet they find the firmest of the foe ,
Recoil before their leader's look:and blew; _
Now girt with numbers, now almost alone,
lie foils their ranks, or re-unites his•own ;
Himself he spared not e they seemed to liy—
NOw was the time, he Waved his baud on higb,
And shook—why suddeuirroops that plumed crest?
The shaft is sped—the arrow's in his breast
That -fatal gesture left the unguarded side,
And Death had stricken down yon arm of pride.
The word of triumph fainted, from his tongue; •
That hand, so raised, how droopingly it bung
But yet the sword instinctively retains,
Though from its fellow slirnk the tailing reins;
These Rated snatches; d,zzy with the blow,
And senseless hendina; o'er his saddle-bow,
Perceives not Lara that his anxious page
Beguiles his charger front the combat's rage :
Meantime his followers charge, and charge again;
Too Inix'd the slayers now to heed the slain!
11, This fine idea is, however, borrowed from Lopez de Vega.

(JACQULL.t NE in our next)

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM TUE Carpenter OF
TUE CI:YRACOA, To MS FATHER IN MONTROSE.
" I hare been at Elba; it is a very tine island. nuosAPARTE
was on hoard the Curaco:i at a Bali. He visited every part of
the veslel, which, at the time,.wa; in complete fighting trim :
Made many inquiries, and paid Inuit particular attention to
the information given him. lie is a fine (milt :man, motes
his legs- very actively, and has a quick piercing evej stands
übf.v:t fire feet six inches high,'stont made,,rind his nose in-
clining a little to the Roman. He is always in motion very
early in the morning; I have seen hiin frequently by live
o'clock, with his Otficer,, planning out new roads, and con-
structing furtifications. His uncommon activity and ;WI-Se-
verance surmount every obstacle. •He seems en4inoured with
his new scene of life, and meets his fate with great furti-
jude." •