The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-09 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

QUARTERLY REVIEW, No. ell,
London, 1834.
ow that Mr. Macaulay has withdrawn himself
~only for a season, we trust—from the Edinburgh
I?eriew, the Quarterly is incomparably the first
Periodical of the day. There is a high, gentlemanly
t'rle—a mellowness and maturity of thought and
feeling—an ease and polish of style about it—in
which its great Whig and Radical rivals are, if not
Wholly deficient, at least far inferior. It does not
4 tore us to death with the jargon of Utilitarianism.
is not constantly flourishing the ferule of a
Pedantic schoolmaster, or enforcing those visionary
projects (the bane of the age) which are somewhat
whimsically misnomered practical,"—because they
'an never be brought to bear with any prospect of
'drantage to the community. The Quarterly
itdulges in no theories of this sort. It is neither
`I
the Bentham nor the Martineau faction, but of
,
the World, worldly. But here our praise must stop.
' Graceful, sensible, enlightened as it is, on all literary
" philosophical subjects—a wide field for specula-
tion—in its political tone, it is marked by extreme
Titrro-, -mindedness and, its inseparable adjunct,
clargnity„ It breathes the bitter spirit of disap-
Point2d ambition. It flings about its mud with all
the practised indifference of a scavenger. What is
worse, it never states a question fairly ; never wages
ihonourable battle with an antagonist. It is the
Quail-ranger of political warfare. Thus in its
Present notice of the " Revolutions of 1688 and
1831," it wholly loses sight of its theme, in the
ardour of its zeal to attack Lord Brougham ; with
/Il'ich view it has recourse to inuendos, and calum-
!les, and significant shrugs of the shoulders, and
decorous up-turnings of the eyes, and grave, mys-
tellous shakes of the head, all of course meant to
141 l lythat if its virtue would allow it to speak out, the
Quarterly could tell shocking things about his Lord-
'hi!). In this respect its vinegar virginity is worthy of
the sourest Tabby that ever shrugged a slander. Its
Qiee sense of decorum is shocked at the most inno-
cent speech of the Lord Chancellor. It listens
to him, arrectis auribus, with its blushing face hidden
behind a fan, as if every word that fell from his
PS were fraught with flagrant impropriety. Out
11Pon this conventional cant ! The whole sum and
tobstance of the Quarterly's present charge against
Lord Brougham is confined to the one simple fact,
Which was satisfactorily explained at the time, that
he introduced his Church Bill into the House of
reers after the Archbishops and Bishops had gone
lodine officially with the Lord Mayor. In this fact
it discovers the quintessence of all political iniquity !
i‘re say nothing of the Quarterly's parallel between
ord Chancellors Jeffries and Brougham, because
I.ery one with the slightest knowledge of the past
ucl present history of his country, knows well that
Jeffries; was the unblushing, sycophantic tool of
YrannY ; and that Brougham is its sworn foe, under
whatever specious disguise it may lurk, whether it
hallenge admiration in the fine new garments of
the Radical reformer, or the venerable old clothes
of the Tory Statu-quo-ite.
" Letters and Essays in Prose and Verse," is a
lust criticism on Mr. Sharp's late publication.
.Froro the specimens which the Reviewer gives of this
book, we should conclude that it possessed great
tad various ability. Few will deny the truth and
force of this remark.
IPerhaps there are few less happy than those who are
„.
Critic:au without industry ; who pant for the prize, but
"" will not run the race."
The following observations deserve to be printed
n letters of gold. They are not less correct in
sentiment than beautiful in expression. The sen-
lee marked in italics is one of the completest
are eiire graceful we have ever met with :
n' ere'are few difficulties that hold out against real
attacks; s; they fly like the visible horizon before those who
advance. A passionate desire, and an unwearied will can
Perform impossibilities, or what seem to be such to the cold
4(1 feeble. If we do but go on, some unseen path will
,obeli among the hills. Not only fame and fortune, but
V'eaSlire is to be earned. Efforts are as indispensable as
desires, The globe is not to be circumnavigated by one
ind. We should never do nothing."
• • • . •

" It is very easy to cherish, like Sterne, the sensibilities
that lead to no sacrifices. Most of those that are so vain
if their fine feelings are persons loving themselves very
q.a.rly, and having a violent regard for their fellow crea-
tures in general, though caring little or nothing for the in-
dividuals about them."
(Canning has lashed these pseudo-philanthropists
In the Anti-Jacobin.)
An anxious restless temper, that runs to meet care on
iy or
zcay, that regrets lost opportunities too much, and that
er pains-taking in contrivances for happiness, is foolish,
a!td should not be indulged. Many run about after feli-
;.:.tY, like an absent man hunting for his hat, while it is on
h.ead or in his hand. Though sometimes
vet small evils.
ein insects, inflict great pain the chief secret
't Comfort lies in not suffering evils -to vex one, and in
Pnulently cultivating an under-growth of small plea-
sures, since very few great ones are let on long leases."
The above words, which are the words of wisdom,
and, as such, deserve to he held in lasting remem-
brance, are Mr. Sharp's ; what follows is the re-
wer's, who is commenting on some aphorisms of
this accomplished essayist
.. There is, we believe, no human being of real capacity,
""° se
intoet,
ineeiton sof his fellow creatures, both of their moral
, do
able as he advanPZeinslife. not grow more and more favour-
Thisg is boldly and justly said, though it is at
'ariance with the spirit of Shakspeare's remark,
who, so far from thinking that we become more
benevolent as we grow older, hints directly the re-
verse. His charming little song,
" Crabbed age and you h
Cannot live together,"
ascribes cynicism and misanthropy not to age, as the
reviewer would ascribe it, but to youth. Never-
theless, the latter's view of the question is the cor-
rect one, though the toleration that comes of years
is not, as he would imply, the toleration of benevo-
Itlee, but of growing indifference. With men of
enlarged minds, like Shakspeare, Scott, or Words..
Worth, the case may be different ; but the majority
become tolerant as their heads whiten, only because
the fine edge of sensibility is blunted, only because
indifference takes the place of enthusiasm, and
nothing is deemed worthy to excite serious specula-
tion or anxiety that has not an immediate refer-
ence to one's own
personal identity. In youth,
the sympathies of the heart, like streams flow-
ing on towards the sea, roll in a thousand dif-
ferent channels ; in age, they are all absorbed and
engulfed in—Self. Trench not on this, and you
will fnd age a philanthropist ; trespass on the
sclred borders, and you will find it crabbed and in-
tolerant to a degree beyond Youth's conception.
History of the House of Swabia and its Times"
s an animated historiette, full of interesting detail.
ti 4440 biography of Sir Egerton Brydges" is writ-
inheill a delightful spirit of frankness. The accom-
"6hed, but timid and somewhat maudlin Baronet
rn3ets with fair play, and no more. At the age of
seventy-five, Sir E. ton Brydges, though pos-
_yssed in no
ordinary e
degree of fancy, feeling, and
ledge, has beeegnr aeeful and popular parts of know_
ful, Why is this ?
" emparativ lv speaking, unsuccess-
we can tell him in .Af
er reading his " Autobiography''
courage to brave and ,
a worn. He wanted the moral
to
condescend to win fame bendure. He would not
Y a
series of successive