Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-09-17
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
From, The North american Reriew.
CHARACTERS OF SOME OF THE DIS
TINGUISHED ENGLISH POETS.

Corvphaus OF the new school, and whose genius,
far more than any other, contributed to natural.
ize the exotic beauties of the French, was or was
not poet. If senslbility, fancy, wit, an uncur.
rupted taste, and an exquisite ear for verbal me-
lody, make poet, he was one indsputably.-
But hIs poetry. however, was not that either of
sensibIlity or fancy; with the exception of the
Rape Of the Lock, and two or three other subor-
dinate pieces, it was devoted to philosophy, cri-
ticism, aud satire. These were its aim, while
the stores Of fancy and feeling were rifcd only
fur subsidiary ILLUSTRATION. He was the poet Of
wit, of reason. Of man, at least of man as far as
he Is the subject of philosophical analysis; and
his poetry had far greater influence On his age.
than if il had been what some consider the high
err sort, like that Of Milton, for example. Pope's
track was on the earth, while Millions was in the
upper air, where none might venture, who did
not, like him, inherit
The priAe ard ample pinion
Which the I heban eagle bare
Popc's poetry, and indeed it holds true Of most
OF what may be called the poetry OF common
sense, was addressed to the reason, which, as
Tar "a is essential for this purpose. is found to be
much more equally distributed among men. than
sensihitv of Imagination. Writers like Milton
and Dante strike key, which. far from being
felt equally in every bosom. is by some, even
men Of undoubed genius, not responded to at
all. Witness Doctor JoSIson's criticism on the
latter poets Lycidas, for example. Hence the
practical influence Of such writers IN their art
has been comparatively smali. Their toll infu-
eace, moreover, Is not feit TIL long ai'er 'hey
have passed away. No one generation furnishes
| Kindred spuits Of sufficient number and autlorI-
" to settle their relative rank. which Is at length
| 4 hy IL
cism Of posterity.
| JomSsoN--During the first half Of George
| Ills reign, bright illumination was shed over
| English literature by body OF wits. who, had
,hey possessed sufficient independence 20 aban-
don themselves to the movements ct nature,
might possibly have ec.psed the slories of the
preceding period. johnson furnishes perhaps
the best Key to the literary character Of the time
lie was the aristarch OF his age. No despot ev.
err ruled with mote ordly sway the courts OF ell
ticism, though none in the province of ornamen-
tai literature had less real pretensiOn lie was
strangely lnsensble to the beauties Of sentiment,
as well as those of external nature; for which
last indeed his ph, seal defects furnish an apollo
gy. He was equally destitute OF imagination
and taste, az i, shown BY his habituaily cumbrons
and pedanlic style, and by the perseverity of his
criticisms on some of the higher specimens of
English poetry. His stiff reverence for anthorl-
ty and his Troy prpjudices. equally iDtoerant
and llliberal, made him high gravel blind, to
borrow Launcelot Gobbo's phrase, not merely
un political or ellg0us topics, bat on the most
| abstract questions OF literature. Our remarks,
we think, can scarcely be perverted into any
| disparaaement of JohnsOn's acknowledged ab!!i-
| lies, or the immense services which he has rem
dered to tne cause Of science and virtue. We
have intended to confne them exclusively to his
poeticai talent, and his principles OF criticism as
applied TO elegant literature. These principes.
established on the authority of the preceding age,
lad great weight, no doubt, in discouraglng the ell
furts OF more delicate spirits, whogne sufficient
evidence that their genius, unrcbuked, would
| have lowed in the ancient channels of MIXTURE
aud Eng ish feeling.
| Scorr-Scott's verse is prolific shoot from
! the ancient and long-ncglected stock OF English
minstrelsy. which Percy attempted to hiring into
| favorable notice about the middle OF tie last CEN
tucy. The attempt was suited III its birth by Dr.
johnson. who found nothing attractive III The art
lessness nf the old ballad, and who, by ridicu.
ous parody of the style, succeeded, according
| to his admring biographcr, in rendering BISHOP
Percy con,cmptrbe.' 1t indeed brought some
contempt ON his performance, for, although moth
difficult TO answer But. although the seed Tell
on stony ground in that day,it found sOIlln which
to take deep root in our own. Il well renem-
ber.' says Scott, in his agreeable auto.biograPhv
the tree under which lay when hrst entered
on the enchanting perusal Of Percy's Re!lques OF
Ancient Poetry. With congenia antiquarian
spirit, he compiled the remains AID limitations OF
Border minstreisy, and sent them INFO the World
in o,,},r IN ascertain the direction at the popular
current, Finding that it set in his favor, ne
speedily launched forth his more formidable ep-
les, which were drawn from similar sources, as
the ballads of primitive English feeling and teu-
dial exploit.
All who lived ia that day will recoiiect the en-
thusasm with which the pubic, wearied out with
the monotonous common places OF later times,
welcomed these delightful works. whose pages
glowed with such vivid portraiture Of character
as had not been seen siace the time OF Shakespeare
l-or indeed 10 the'harratiye form, since that oil