Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-02-19
NUMBER S2,
LIT RH.SRY.

VILLAGE AsD FARM COTTAGES Dy IIea-\W.
Cieaveand, VIM. Backhus and S. y. BacShu.. I&.-
!rat"d with ore hundred engravins. New YcghA
Appleton IL Co. Received from A. Morris rA. :
qulremen,s of American village homes are here ecuA
.idered and suggested by able architects. with .!s-r.
for such houses of moderate cost TIE lanG.cq2a2
and embellishments are from the skiliul pecci oi lr.
F. A. Chapman, and the engraving. by NJ Fogv.auG.
They are worthy Of all praise. The wora w provo
valuable TO persons dssirous OF building cottages.
Mty ASp WoNES.-By Rober. Browning. Ec..
ton: Tickror & Fields. Received from J. Ij'oc.;-
Louse.-"These 'Men and Women err won4et!ui."
says the c:itic Of tho Albion
They not only show that Browning has 10: retro
graded, like many of his co.emporaries ri ;aer
excel all iis former creations, and place him III no
front rank OF the worlds groat dIanatiss.
"slncc Shakespeare, it may be doubted whelhec
we have bad any dramatist 10 compare vii, Rol-rJ
Browning. To be sure, he has produced no succass
ful acting play but he has done something better a
has written t6at sweetest, ssddest rngeiy c ynUsu
and Sin-"Thc Blot OH the 'ScutcheOn' that ,hi:"i.
rous and beautiful love play-"Colombes B;rthGnr''
! the passionate scenes OF Sebald ard Ounn IN Pm
| pa Passes, The Last Du.chess" and dramatic lt-
rics innumerabe. That indefnsble some,hin, which
call the dramatic element, is the liz, anI .ou Of
B:ownings poetry. He is dramatst. or no:iii:-
He cannot for the life of him write subjective pr.'r
no matter how short. His mind project, i.-.f into
imaginary eIstenc"s which color his themes. There
is no such man as Robert Browning among his 'i!rn
and Women In bis stead, we have Fra Lippo
Lippi, Bloughram, Andrea del Sa.:o, No,b=r.. end
many nameless shape:
| They come like shnGows 80 depart"
| There is however, one pecuarity ajCut ns i:a.
matte pieces, which will prevent them ba ns
widely read they are not clear enough at frst. You
read line after line OF certain passages. in k.., ut
dream not understanding what you read. !. -: ma
to you that you are about to obtan glimpse. Of
strange d-eps OF character mysterious insiis into
the nature of man, but just at that moment, s"G'r-
thing thwaris Browning YOURSELF ami pr,sip, All Is
| obscure again. Instead of giving results he C;vca
processes; and leaves you IN deduce result. II.
| characters think while they spesk:-ther thoughts
may be plain to them, but they Greek to you. IHr
sooque, full OF questions TIM; need no Fns
of to imaginary questions; OF sudden start.
aud npustrophes in short they are as chHr;'c "S 40
minds and hearts from which they sTri0S. n.owa-
| ing works, aS the Germans have 1t. from with" out
wards" This method is serious drawback 20
ces,ful dramatic writing; bot he /: si.u-
| didly. You confess the spell OF his Esr:co, gen
when it perp!excs you mos; and when y"u lay @a"n
the book, his neoui0us matter slowly cones or: Iu;o
| constitutions.
| NAPoLEoy AT ST. HELENA. By John y G -.
bott with illustrations. New York: Harper II Bro
thers.-Received from Harold & Murray. III, ve.
ume consists OF interesting anecdoe- an, reae. IN.
BILE conversations OF the Emperor da-as; the iv" .1
u half years of bis captivity at St. Helena coe.i
from the memorials Of Las CGsss, O'Mear:, ;lau;.l-
lon iuummanhi, and Others. 1t is specie al snp-
plelncnt to Abbo;t's life OF Na.o!eon but r." ;Il
the great objection urged against thst "nus.ic! As
tory OF the great General. NJ. Abbott hrr" per.
forms little more than the unanlbi,ious ta,* e!
piler The conversations of Napoleon oAc. f r. h n
telectual treat. We DO not doubt tha; the h1ua be-
fore us will have an extensive circulation.
CIcERo's TIRE. Books Of OFFICES OR Mo0M
DurIE-; also, his Cato Major, an essny od ::
I.atus an essay on Friendship; paradvArs, :cir
Dream; and a Letter to Quintus on the iuiics O.:
magistrate. Literally translated, with rotes ,'es ei
to exhibit comparative view O! :hc opinion oE
Cicero and those of modern morsiists snd ethical -,
osophers. BY Cyrus Edmunds. Now YORK: i!nr-
per u Brother. Received from Harold n Moaay.
The present volume comprises the mos pcpala moral
treatses Of Cicero. The edition is adapted 10 tho
wants OF the student The translator haa cGr=t:-iy
pointed ou, whu, extent the writings o; r'ydsrn
morslists have been tnctured with the thoughts 0t
; the Roman philosopher.