Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-11-15
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER IS. 1882.

THURSDAY, NOf ChoLN ~
From M. Iondan New Monthly Nag zine, tor october
DEATH OF SIR WALTER SCOTT.
The blow is struck-the Tyre is shat'ered-the
music i, hushed atlcng,h. The greatest-the
NEST yarious-the most comu inding genius "
mn,lern times has LETT Us To 81 '1r tha' 'ucceS
sor 90 MS renosn which, IN all p'"Oao'iity' 'e
maize generation alone will furnish forth. IL Is
tru. that we have been long prepared Tor '''s
eyent-it does not ,ail upon rs snddehiy-'ea'
after leaf MAS stripped from that noble tree ne
tor. IL MAS felied to the earth ut last,-our sym
n,,hv in M, decay has softened To Us the s"rte"
for his death |, Is not now our inteh'ioh W
trace the character or To enunera'c Tue "o'~so "
the great man whose career Is fuu;-t" every eve
tina. reads very ear that heais-every hear' '"a'
.,,,,snhars this much at least, ri his character Is
already krnwn.-tha, he had all the exuberance
of Genius an none vt IT'S excuses; thai DE was
az once equitable aud generous-that MS "ea''
was pver Omen TO charity that his lie mas pro
baby been shortened by his scrupu'nus resara
Tor Justice. HIS career was one spiend'u re,a'a'
finn of tne popular a!acy, that genus has OF ne
crsSity vi1ss-that is light must be meteofic-
and IT'S course way a AID and uncontrolled. Tie
has lef, msnkind two great lessons, we scarce
~ know watch is the most valu2 Die. lie has
tau Int US how much delight one human be'ng can
confer upon The world: he has taught Us also mat
the imagination NAV aspire to the widest lights
without Wandering into error vi whom else
amons .ur great list of names-the her, looms OF
our na,un--ean We say that-ne has !eit us every
thing IN ADMIRE. and nothing to t"rsite'
LII IN tnur d,f,ren. paths ct intellectual cunt
nence tina; >Ir Walt Scott has won his lame;
as poet, a br'grapher, an hIsio'iau, anu mover
i,t. I, is nat nov a time with tns great mans
ls.tn ina a
critical discussion. We cannut now weigh, and
slit. aud compare We feel too deeply at this
mon,ent 4, reason weli-but- We ourselves would
Incline to consider him q, eat-si "a ii puet. he
Their IL br that to our "a, lest recUeC tons he was
most entl.areh bv those mighty laws which called
fro.n antIuatv all its modest SPIRIT and treathed
a life aud nature into ,ha, literature which was
then Ianpu,shins under the dfowsiness OF eternal
imitation. and the trappings OF false aud Gallo
art,ti iiiiv Of school, AT once burthensvne and
frivo'nu>;-wha;e,er be ne cause OF our ditfer.
ing lr.a, the world in general on this point. Ger
tam i, js, that we think him even greater as n
pnct than novelist, - aud were II p"ssble that
time could wi,her up the interest of the world
in ei,ae.. we think tina, the prose of Wsverlev
micht suffer bef ,re the verse Of Marmion. Ne
yer. ia,erd. has there been poet 81 thoroughly
uuineric a. Scett--the baitle-the feast-thP
counci--th- guard rnnm at StirlIns--the dvins
Warrior az Fieiien--ihp herce Bertram speeding
up the al,ie--ali are H"meric ;-ail iive--move
breathe anu ouru-ahke poetry, bo' alike lite
There is TN, ,lff,reuce, too. marked and prom'
nent-b.rween his verse and his prose; the
Il 4 i. .npnareally the verse Of S,ott--the Tat
ter I've mean IN It's s'yle) nav b. the prose o'
any one--the strisiag originality. the dating
bo'lne.s, the as'ontsaing .isor ut ne sty'r. u
the Law of the L.s' Nm>'re, are lost IN the Az
Scott NAV b. SAID. ~ prose. to have 20 sfyie
There ar. those. we khuw. who call thus yer, an
s.pce of s,yle u nArl,-we VII not dispute ": q
il he NJ - OFT i, the first great prnse writer from
R,c,n "a li,hpon-na, from hero'loius IN u eek,
To P,ul Courier IN French-who has laid c'mn
10 it. For our own part. we think him great, ~
sp,,e Of the want Of s,se, and not because OF It.
A. bn .rapher. he has been unfortunate 10 his
subjects the two most important Of the various
live. he has either delinratrd or sketchrd-th i
of Dryden and that OF Swift-are men, to whose
ine> pllcable basene>s, genius could neither give
TIE t,un,ty of virtue nor the interest of error.-
Nor, perhaps. IL me may p e,ume to say SO "a'
the bent Of the b,osrapner's mind that OF uis
r,ncE: he ha ! mare OF the spirit ot veneration
,ha mat of inquiry. And 10 hrs estimate, both
of men aud oil Oonks, his reasoning seldom salts
fi.s M ~ much as his enthusiasm charms- lie
wa, born not 20 compose CRITICISMS. but ocrea''
c,,tlcs: and the lessons he would draw nom tht
lives and genius Of other men.--,he poet-th,
romaocer.-the crtiic-the philosopher OF future
,pes-wiil d,duce from his own.
A am historian, ae coutess that we prize hin
more nightly than as bosraPher: It Is true tina
the same faults are apparent ~ oo'h' ou' 'here
in the grand History Of Napoleon more scope 10
re,le, ,n,ng beauties. Hi- great, nus unrivahe'
excellence in description Is here oroush' tne
Z. ART