New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-14
THE AGE AND REMAINS OF ROMANCE.
A LECTURE.


last night al the Cnapet Oh cOtunOld OoicSt Tie
first of a Course OF Lectures on Romance and
Romantic Poetry The audience in attendance
was not so large as it should have been, but per
haps the announcement of the lectures had not
been generally noticed.
Mr.. r commenced by referring the rise Of Ro-
nance to the era of the fall of Rome and of the
ancient civilization The Eruption of the Northern
tribes displaced the worn.out elements OF Euro
pean society; but the elements OF Christianity
and Art still maintained an important influence.
Christianity from the first had exerted powerful
influence and the heroic Christian or ChvaIrous
age followed the decay of Paganism and Pagan
art Christianity and Art now demanded fresh
materials what remained of ancient letters lay
buried in Monastic Libraries and though the
works of Art were still visible, they were as good
as buried in the general torpor and ignorance. But
the sight Of works of Art the inspiration of classic
air, the words of fire from the lips of Christian
priests, kindled in the impulsye Northern nature
an irrepregsible enthusiasm that broke forth IN
unprompted Poetry, and gave rise to an original
species of Art, which from Rome, to whose
religion and art it owed ts origin, was called
" Romande." And early Romances and Lays
were but the preludings to those aiestle strains
sounded forth by Tasso, Dante, Chaucer, Spen
SER Shakspere and Milton, which, combining both
the gothic and the classic clements rolled back
into the worlds East echo from the hitherto 81
lent W est. Mr. l.. traced the rise OF the Gothic
Architecture to the same source and era OF North
ern influence. lie then referred to the popular
theory of the origin of Romance and Chivalry in
the Crusades and the Moorish Conquest OF Spain
in the confluence OF the East and the w est IN
stead of the North and the South But moth.
ing can be more essentially unlike than the
Eastern and Western fable-than the Arabian
Nights and the Pilgrims Progress. In both are
giants and magcians, COLLINS and fairies, dragons,
and lions and enchantment; but what difference
in the inner heart of the two iictions The
speaker proceeded to exhibit this difference. The
Eastern Romance was pure extravaganza, nur-
sery tales tricked out to impose upon mature
mind. The w estern was the manhood OF the
age and the people endcav0rng to realize Itself,
relating and eXalting the acts oil real heroes, and
placing the ideal OF perfect hero before the mind
for emulation. Mr.. Lord further elucidated the
differences by explaining the nature OF each
species OF Romance, and comparing them to the
Gothic Church and the Moorish Palace He then
proceeded TO consider Romance IL its idea with
an attempt to discover its meaning. He spoke
OF the rude and gigantic forms oil homance, aud
uncouth and terrible ancies, as contracted with
the quiet and harmonious creations OF the elias
sic Muse. Size and Strength, irrespective OF Fro
portion, were characteristic OF Romance; Grace
iulness and fitness OF the Classcn. In Romance
the physical predominates working IN grand but
little understood phenomena; III CLASSICS, lheal
and genter forms abound, working logically, pro-
pOrtionate and consistent But he thought, Tor
this reason. the Romantic WAS more dependent
for power on mental and moral reasons than the
Classic and III this seeming paradox he saw the
secret of its power But we have not room to
sketch this argument and analysis, IN which ne
traced the workings of those haltdcveloped and
gigantic ideas of an age scarcely less dark and
turbulent than that oretold in the ouspa;
"a bearded age: an age Of swords
Shields will be cloyen.
An age OF winds age OF wolves
Till the world slall PERISH, 49,,
There will moi be one that shall spare another
Mr.. l.. considered briefly the scandinavian
mythology that wonderfully gigantic system
which had worked with powerful influence uPou
the age under consideration, but was now TOO
little known. He then noticed the era OIL tue
Mime Singers, the Wandering knights ana
Chronclers of Romance. These remarkable men
carried everywhere the new ideas OF power
With them the supernatural superseded the pre-
ternatural the enchanted blade OF Paladlu TOOK
the place Of the hammer OF Thor the strength
supplied instrument OF a divine and occult lnten'
ton took the place of the strength wasting engine
of phvsica agency. Tom Thumb, who has re-
tanned his place in the world from which Arthur
and Amads dc Gaul have vanished, the insight
fcant but matchless symbol OF Right, creeping
down overgrown giants, is the true, the carcature
type of the essential idea IN all Romance. Mr. l..
SAID that the earliest RomanccS We're closely allied
with the early NEUROLOGICAL forms OF Europe The
heroic legends Of the Niebelungen-eld and OF the
Reldenbuch were almost purely Gothic. Charlie
msgue and his Paladins the Aext great subject,
are represented with more OF Southern warmth
and coloring King Arthur and his knights OF
the Round Table show history altogether overlala
with Aliegorv, IN which the actual ideal heroes,
without any abatement OF Northern breadth and
strong Gothic painting IN the picture, are presen-
ted with all the richness OF oriental invention
and all the tenderness OF Southern leellng and
sentiment. Romance at length reached It's h5h.
est point of Southern development IN Arlosto and
Tasso, the last OF whom harnlonlzed It with the
Epic form Yet we are willing to believe that 1t
attained its consumate flower in the pure al!egry OF
Speuser Mr. L. enumerated some OF the NOV
ing causes of these creations Of fiction. The Cru
sedes themselves were grand and solemn ale
CORY, acted by an earnest, heroic age OaT age
holds the same relation to that as Sancho rama
sustained to Don Quixote. The speaker mere
traced in a pointed manner the degcneracy, II we
may call il so, OF our age, and then proceeded u
defense OF Chivary, and more especially 10 d
euloev upon the Monks OF the Middle Ages, who
were the consecrators and propagat0rs OF all tna1
existed OF Literature, Learning and Art. ne
then traced the story OF the renowned hlh6 ar,
thur, both historical and romantic anu 5a.e
his audience right worthy view OF this great
original and model OF al! that Ghiy2liy and
Romance have ever conceived OF hnightt{ per,
fectiop. Historically, Arthur IS merely brave
Prince well skilled in the arts OF war, and sue
cessful in repelIing the aggressions Of crowd Of
Brif;sh tinss dramatically Arthur mag be con
sids sS the perfect embodiment Of the great idea
which was then struggling in the soul OF man.
He compared the degenerate Knights OF scott IT.,
and James's Romantic novels with the bold PIC
lures of Hallnshed and Fr0Issart' o. Uhdge cs.
SrSnr 4 the foiinwing noble descriptive euogy
Of Sin La sC And now dare say that Sir
LaunceIot there thou lyest thou were never eyer
matched ofnone earthly knight shands Andt i9
were the curtiest knight that ever bare sheelde.
nd fhnn ,xere the trnest friende TO thy lover