Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-07-13

III ttsf 1liu+ III tic hH'Ss SDAi%gtfcti
Ito Gid his aswords and sabres" with
blood---a new species Of gold leaf.
9. His new aud obsolete verbiage.
+. Trystingplace, invest, leaguered and
ieasnring. biekering. heralded, inaumed
unrippled aud skirre," are some of the
words, flesh coined from Byron's mint.
Shall they pass current? Shall such for.
geries be committed on the back Of let
ters, and the ceantefieitures escape pu
nishment?
It might have been remarked, that his
latter rhymes have more of the irregula
rity of Soathey's than his earlior produce
tons For we find hexameter and penta-
meter verse promiscuously employed,
without any effort sufficient to warrant
suchlicense. This must have happened
through Incidence or want of genius: if
from the former. the public have been IN
suited: il from the latter, let its APP
plauses be withdrawn. We might add a
word respecting Byron's inhdelity, SO
long theme of remark: but we only
sasgest, thathe here calls upon the name
of Christ, with the same Ievity as his Co
Temporary southey, and styles him the
g boy ged'
We may also selet, among many unin-
tellisible expressions, that of '-soitly
dark" which is affected nonsense where
he qualities word belonging to one of
the senses, by an egthet applicable only
to another.--.s SoftIy 1ark"-he might as
well speak Of loud l.ght. But perhaps
this is only fashionable obscurity, ar a
mystery Ct fancy, rurp seIy left unintel.
iigihie.that its darkness may be mistak.
en- for depth, aud its blindness for wis
dsm
;: Thus was Corinth lest and won,"l
says the poet in bis last line; and thus.
after reading whole poem, we find our
selves Just as mach advanced at the end
as at the beginning. We proceed without
progressing ike animals in tnrning al
mill, whose secola,' third, and every re
vo|ution. is a repet tion of the first. Forl
so the n,lnd measures the circle OF fancy
Byron has described.
Such castles of fiction, such uasubsta1-|
tial paseants, our ace styles Ingenious.
But certainly there Is more ,,lot in ore of
lohhsen's. serious Ranblegs, and morel
Boetical imagination N GRE oi his ailego-
res, TRAN in Parisina CT the sc;ge of
Eotinth,
The Eacti$, our works are hastily writ
ten. aad are of course sealed with the
bread seal Of irnpertection. 1t is as true
IN f!e literary as in the natural world,
the productions Of haste are very short
lved. The elDis said to be al hun
bred years in coming to its growth ; it
sourishes a hundred years with vigor: 6.
it is the abor of hundred years to pros
trate it in the dust. While the tuIip
which was yesterday shooting from the
earth. will to das expand its leaves, and
It's saudy Rower; bat the SUD, which to
morrow circles the skies, will invigorate
the elm, while it is,parts the lansuor to|
the tulip; and the gale CT evening which
II dISfuiIJ oNofS .tic CVuSSs'iS VI tbC oiiSs
will sigh over the fallen beauty Of the o
Their
Indeed the poets Of this century are
the best friends OF papeT mills and book
stores. This might be called the age
Of types and presses, in whiSh booksel-
lers grow afiisent, and type casters in
dependent--the age CT lead. If it be
asked why the masses just now are SO
prolific, we answer, in the words Of one
of the brightest ornaments of American
lite aturc: Of one. whose eloquent ac-|
cents but lately fell on he>ear, for the
turf is hardly green which wraps the
grave Of Backminster ssi'he foul spirit
Of Innovations" says he, "has been seen
in the very groves Of the Lyce-
um." The cause exists in our love OF
novelty. Let Us expel this toul spirit
from the groves sacred to literature, by
refusing to countenance those magiciaas
WHO conjure it up. Why need we any
more demand that the winters drawn from
the springs Castalia. should be mixeG with
Ioreign ingredients I? Let as no more re-
quire TRIES to be de kca in meretricious
ornaments. But let US be content wit
nature as she appeared III the poems of
the astcentury, all ether Thompsons ard
Cowpers arise, to paint other newly dis |
covered beauties.
G.. r.