New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-24

81
forth, enehsins attention. In our language no no
writer has understood this better than Miiton his
poeiical iusges and descriptions are sure 70 omi'
nothing " hich can make those Images AND tnose ce
.rrirtions .trikiIg distinct and certain, while all
ellie is incnsiriously repelled
Wines tie fall OF Lucifer:
- from
"Toroon he fell from TO dewy eve,
"A summers dav and with the setting sun
sDrep, !ron the zenith like a falling star,
"On Lsmbos he Egean isle"
HsoescrIpuon of vocal music in the Allegro is an
other instance OF the same knc
And against eating cares,
LAP In SOFT Lydan ans,
"Msnied 20 immortal verse.
"Such q the Melting soul may pierce,
IN notes with many wndins oouI
"OfInked swestr ess lorg drawn out.
with vsnion heed and gddy cunning,
"Tte melnng voice through mszes running,
"Untwstns all the chains that tie
THE hidden soul Of harmony. ,
That Orpheus self may heave his head
From rolt ee siumber, on a bed
"Ofhespd Elysan flowers. and hear
"Such strains as won have won the ear
''OfPluto. to have cute SET ree
Hin half Iesarned Eurydce"
ou,siIe r e., so no.tica1 and. at the same time so
thoroughly and absolutely English, and so free from
all foreign idiom.
The inst three staDzas OF Grays Eiegy in
Country Churchysrd," are also remarkable for the
power and accuracy With which rural scenery Is pre-
scented, BY grouping together many objects In one
picture.
Another poetical instance of the same beautyis,
| the Burial Of Sir John Moore
There are remarkable Instances Of the same skill
in writing IN some OF the English prose writers, and
especially in the productions OF Daniel De Foe. No
boy doubts that every thing told OF Robinson Crusoe
Is exactly true, bee aUse all Is so crcnmstanaliy
told man doubts, until he is informed OF the
uay that the historian of the plague OF London
actually ali that he described, although De FOE
| was not born till afterward.
Tits well known saying, that the lie with crcum-
stance is exceedingly calculated to deceive and that
is tue ard it is equally true not only that fictitious
History gains credit and belief oy the skilful OF
Circumstance, but that true History also, may de-
rive UGH additional Interest from the same source.
In general, however historical facts are to be
| lated with rather close and exclusive regard TO
| such, and ch only are important.
The art Of Historical composition ives its origin
10 the institutions Of Political Freedom Under the
| eespo,i,ms of the Gauges and the IRdus, poetry
fouljshed with oriental luxuriance from the earli-
| est times but in the immense compass OF thar rich,
piimeyal literature, there Is no History in the high
| sense of that term. The banks of the Nile were
| crowded with historical monuments and memorials,
| stretching back into the remotest antiquity; and
recent researches have discovered historical records
| of the PhaIaohs in the scrolls OF Papyrus. some OF
| them ancient as the books of Moses. But in all
these, there is no History composed according to
the principles of art. In Greece, the Epic Song,
founded on Evolutionary legends long preceded his
| tofical composition. l remember when thought II
the greatest wonder in the world that the poems Of
Homer should have been written at period so re-
mote that the earliest Grecian History should have
| given account of their author. did not then
know, or had not then considered, that poetical
writings hymns, songs, accounts of personal adven
4 lures like those of Hercules and Jason, were. in
The nature OF things, earlier than regular Historical
| narratives Herodoius informs US that Homer
lived four hundred years before bis time. There is,
nevertheless, something very wonderful in the po'
ems Of Homer. In general, 1t is true of the lam
guages Of nations, that, in their earlier ages, they
| contain the substantial bone and sinew Characters
tic Of their iCiom, yet, that they are rough imper
| feet, and without polish. Thus Cnaucer ~rate Eng
s but IL is Shst we call oiS English ama to a abs
EYE OF Pope ana eh ad sofseSs ifI ~. wrote
The tcision and accuracy Of those later writer's II
| would seem that many books must be written and
read, ana great many tongues and pens employed,
before the language OF country reaches its highest
| polish and perfection. Now the wonder is how a
lartusee should become perfect as was the Greek
| OF Homer, at the time when that language could
have btsn very little written. Doubtless in suc.
CttClng ages the compass OF the Greek Tongue was
| enlarged as knowledge tecame more extended, and
| Lev things calitd Tor new words but within the
compass OF Giecan kDoyleGge, as il existed In the
tine OF Homer. II can scarce be questioned that the
| syie oil Homer is quite as perfect and polished as
tfat OF ally OF hs successors. The cause of this an.
parent Ofnaly is, that the language had NOT only
been spoken for many centuries, by people of great
lngetul snc e4traorC mary g0oo TASTE but had been
'eiuily cultivated by The recitation of poeticaI
o'mpeslilohs, oil sIeat variety OF religious and
| festive occasions.
| 1t not until the legislation of Scion had laid
ihe iouIdaton OF free political Institutions, and
these institutions ad unolded free and poverfuI
and active political hfe III the AtheH man Republic
uhll the discussion OF public affairs in the Senate
aIc The popular Assembly, had created celiberatiye
| eltqutlce ard the open administration OF Justice
| in The Courts and urd9f the Laws established by
Scion, had applied 20 the transactions between the
citizens all the resources ofIefntd logic and drawn
INTO me sphere OF civil rights and obligations the
power OF high forensic oTatory-it was not until
these results OF the legislative wisdom of Scion had
teen attained, that the art OF history rose and flour.
lthed in Greece With the decline of Grecian lib
cry, began The Decline IN the art OF historical com.
position Histories were written under the Grscran
Mugs OF Egypt and loDg line of writers four
nheo uletr the Byzantine Emperors but the hgh
aft oil historical composition as perfected ia the
master works Of Herodotus, Thucydides and
feecom. '
The origin progress, and decline OF History. az an
An, were nearly the same in Rome Saliust and
Ivy hourshed at the close of the Republic and the
Commence meht 81 the Empire. The gYeat works of
'aclus himself are thought by many to betray the
5egmnirg OF decline in the art and later writer's ex
hlbts its fall
The ant Of history again revived With the rise of
i'sisn kspuocs and since the revival OF liter
sure a. .he close OF the Middle Ages il will proba-
o.! re ieuno mat three things naturally rise INTO i'm
polahce together that is to say, civil liberty elo
qusI &c, and the art OF historical writing Wv
Olner foundation is not TO be laid for authentic
hisoiy man well authenticated facts but on this
Ioohoaueh structures may be Tssed Of different
ctaiacle5sslcs, historical, biographical and philoso
pnlcai Ohe wIiier may coDEne himself TO exact and
mhuIe narration another true 10 the general sto1y
may emoehsh that story with more or less NJ ertay
no. MOI ornament, or OF eoquence in descr ption a
into ,Sa aeeper philosophical spirit, may look
~, ~ eo causes OF events and transactions trace
mem WIN more profound research to their sources
- aIr vac eehehIs OF human nature, or consider and
serve WIN more or less success that uost io,nox,
al. question now far the character of nciyidnais
las pioouetd public events how far on the oths,
nsno' puole eveI's have produced and formed the
nhefeoie one history Of the same period. in nm.
msn ansis 10 more renders another history Of the
@ pei1oe useess or VI ad vsable, than the strc
tuie OF one temple Forbes tie erection of ano,hs
o. e ore .sstue Of Hercules, Apollo, or PercIe.'
sh.lla suppress all other attempts tn n,nSnns,
statues OF the same persons 'P' produce
-, Du' gehllemsp l must lot dwell longa, an
tnete genera topics We are Americans W. h. oa
80 ". a oar own We are all linked 10 its fates
n .. ~ io,tones u IS already not withou, renown
W % zen tne theaier OF some of the most imno.,
81 ., hun an transactions and it may well hecoo
for b;.,o,oa On me topics and the means furnished