New-York tribune., 1841-10-18
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR.
From The Dial for October.


nowisc cautious 10 conceal his or thu; OF his
native country, or his very g esteem FOR the per-
sons and the country that surround him. When Mr.
Bull rides in an American coach, be speaks QUICK
and strong he is very ready to confess his igao
rance Of every thing about him, persons manners
customs politics. geography He wonders that
the Americans should build with wood, whist all
this is lying in the roadside, and Is aSton'hed
to lean that Il wooden house may last q hundred
wears nor will ne remember the fact many MIN
ute, after it has been told him; he wonders they
do not make elder-wnc and cherry bounce, since
here are cherries. aud every mile Is crammca with
elder bushes. lie has never seen d good horse IL
America, nor u good coach noT good I'm Here
is very good earth and water, and plenty oi them,
that he is free TO allow-to all other gifts OF Ha
iure Or man, lis eyes sealed by the ine%orabie
demand for the precise convcniences to which ne
is accustomed in England. Add to th;s proud
bndness the better quality Of great downrighines'
in speaking the truth and the love Of fan play. on
all occusons and moreover, the peculiarly winch
Is alleged # the Englishnan, that his virtues do
not como out until he quafrelS. Transfer these
traits to very elegant and accomplished mind,
AID we shall have no bad picture OF " alter Saw
aye Lander, who may stand a. favorable rpeI-
sonaiion OF the genius OF his cOunymen ii the pre-
sent day. sharp dogmatc man with a great deal
Il
deal of pride with profound contempt for all iiat
he does not understand master Of all elegant
learning and capable of the utmost delcacy Of sen
timent and vet prone to indulge II OF o. tenta-
ton of coarse imagery and language. His pnrtia!-
tiles and dislikes are by no means calcu!abIc but
are often whimsical and amusing; yet they are
quite sincere atll like those of Johnson and Cole
eridge, are easily separable from the man What
he saws of Wordsworth, is true of himself that he
delights to throw clod of dirt on the table, and
cry Z" Gentlemen there Is better man than all OF
you." Bolivar Nina, and General jackson Will
never be greater soldiers than Napoleon and Alex
ander, let Mr.. Lander think as he will; nor vii!
he persuade us to burn Plato and Xenephon out Of
our admiration of Bishop Patrick, or :" Lucas on
Happiness or Lucas on Holiness or even Bar
rows Sermons YET may love paradox,
without losing either his vii or his honesty.
less pardonable eccentricity is the cold and grani-
toas ob,rusicn Of licentous images, not so much
the suggestion of pqerment as otbittcrnesS. Mon
ta ne assigns as reason for his license of speech
that he is Ii ed Of seeing his Essays on the work
tables of ladies' and he is determined they shall Tor
the future put them out of sight. In Mr.. Lander
coarseness there is certain air ot defiance; and
the rude word seems sometimes 10 arise from
disgust at niceness and cvcr-reEnemcnr. Before
well-dressed company he punges his fingers in Il
cess-pool u, tito expose the wilderness of his hands
and the Jewels of his ring. Aficrward, lie washes
them in water, he washes them IL wine; but yod
are never secure from his freaks sort Of Earl
Peterborough in literature, his cccentucty Is 100
too decided not to have diminished his greatness.
He has capital enough to have furnished the brain
Fifty stock authors Yet has written 80 good book.
Blu, we have spoken all discomfort Posi-
bly, his writings are open to harsher ccnsure; but
ib,, fr,o, -.rli tu.
reasons to be assigned; and have 10 wish if We
were able, 10 put an argument in the mouth of his
critics Now for twenty years we have sul found
the Imaginary Conversations sure resource IN
solitude and it seems u original IN it, form
as in its matter. Nay, when we remember ms rich
and ample page, wherein we arc always sure to
ind Iee aud sustained thought 4 keen and pre-
else understanding. atiucnt and ready memory
fam,lia, with AL chosen books, an industrious ob
scrvaiinn in every ceparmeu: OF lie, an experience
to- which nothing has occurred in vain. honor Tor
every jcsi and generous sentiment, and >course
like that of the Furies for every oppressor, wheIh'r
public or private, feel how disnied l. Tins per-
petuai Censor ia his rule char, and We wish 10
tha,k KEN factor OF the reading world.
Mr.. Landor is one of the iorcmo.; OF ;hs, sna |
class who inasc good in the nineteenth century the
claims ot pure literature. In these busy days OF
nvar;co and ambition, when there is 50 h,lc dl,Po-
Sition to profound thought, or 10 any but the most
superficial inteectuc entertainments, faithful
scholar receiving tiom past ages the treasures 1t
wi. and caareine Them by his own love, i friend
and CONSIDER OF mankind When pronounce
the names of Homer and f>chlus-Ho,ace Old
and Observation-Disclosures, Scaligcr ana Moniaisoe-
Ben Johnson and lsaek Wa!tou-Dl yden and Pope
we pass al once on, of trivial asSocia, ouS and
enter into region Of the pufeSt pleasure acctsS'-
bic TO human nature. We have quilted all ben al
the moon, and entered that crystal sphere IN which
every thing In the werld Of matter reaPpearS, but
;rauStsuied and immortal. Literatuie i the ciiot
of man 10 indemnity himself for the wrongs OF his
condition. The existence of the poorest play
wright and the humbest scyivcner is q good omen.
\ charm attaches To the most interior names which
have in any manner got themselves eprolcd IN the
registers oil the House Of Fame, even as y rtcrs
aud srooms in the courts. TO Cveech aud Feaon
Tbeobad ana DenSis. Aubrey and Spence From
tre moment of entering library and opening q
desired book, we cease 20 be citizens creditors.
debtors house-keepers, and men OF care ard fear.
What bound.cSs ei>urc what Original lurl>d'c.lnni
The old CONSULTATIONS have sei-rew and brighter
have arisen; an ely>ian light ,inges all oHJec.S'
..Ju the afternoon we came unto n land
In when i, seemed alwsyS Afternoon.
And his sweet ASYLUM OF an intellectual life
mus, appeur 70 have the sanction OF nature, as long
as 30 many men are bora with 50 decided an apii'
nude 10, reading ard writing. Let Us thankfully
allow every faculty ard att which opens new scope
10 life SO con6ned rs ours. There aic vast
spaces in u thought; slave, whSm The reI,-
gious sen,imen; Is opened, has freedom which
makes his masters freedom slavery. Let not
be 80 iEber,I with schemes for tue renovation
Of society and nature, u disesteem or deny the
literary spirit Certainly there nights IN
nature which command this; there are many more
- =. .l,.nrnnr6s Il Is win To call IL a