, 1860-01-21

The Character OF macaulay.
The London Ne,cs in IN elaborate obituary
notice Of Aseaulay, the essa1ist. makes these re.
marks upon his c1aracter.:as a writer md a
man:
As talker his powers ,fcrc x,e1hans unr;va,-
led It "as there that he Showed Whist be could
90 without the preparation which might. II it
did not, ensure the splendor Of his es1ays and
h!3 oratory. Atthe dinner table he poured .ons
big marvellous eloQuence with rapsditT equal
led only By that o. his friend Hallam's utter
ancc. He talked much, if at all: and thus it
was found that it lid not answer rerr well to
in'ite him with Jeffrey and Sydney Smith JET:
Trey would SIT sllentfoF moderate length OF
without annoyance- Both had three years Of
full liberty tor they did not interfere With each
other) during. Macaulay's absence: but be
eclipsed both on his return. -After some years
when hls health aud spirits we're declining, and
his Expectations btgau su merge it, Conscious
ness 81 failure, he sometimes sat quie. on sucl,
occasions listening OF lost in thou sht, as might
happen. ltwas then that Sidney Smith uttered
bis celebrated Saying about bis conversational
rival: "Aacaulay is Improved! Yes, Macauiay
Is improved! 1'haye observed in him Of late
hlshes-of silence" Meantime he
then otherwise like to sink prone after the re-
ty Of the Wing government, al ofwhose acts it
set itself indiscrimiua.ely to uphold.
Erousham, and his bsother William, Senior,
aud Aacaulay, with some underiings, wrote up
every wing act and design, aud made a virtue
and success Of every fault and failure; but it
would not all have done if 5lacanlay's nasui6-
cent articles, in 3 long and rich series, had not
carried the KeEieto everywhere, .nnd Unused
some lille into what was clearly an expiring or
ganrzation:: be splendid historical, biograph
tfs.kIu utJs}r
the most popular literature Of the day; and
they raised to the highest pitch the popular cx-
pectatlon from his history. i history Of Eng
land BY Macaulay was anticipated rs the richest
conceivable trent; though some thoughtful, or
experienced, or hostile person here and there
threw cut the remark tl4t as his oratory was
literature and his literature oratorv, bis history
would probably be :otneth:ng else than history
Most likely epigrammatc criticism. There
was some further preparation for lis failure as
we'll as SUCCESS rs historian afler his article ON
Bacon in the EIinburyh. That essay disabused
the wisest who expected services Of the first nr.
der from Macauay. la.!pat article he NIT only
betrayed his ineapacity fur philosophy and bis
radical Ignorance Of The subject he undertook
10 treat, but he shamrlessly helped himself to
TO the very materials be- was disparaeing. and
gave as bis own large excerpts from Nr. Nou-
taeu, while loa'ltaG him with contempt and re-
bnke. But those who Wei best aware Of 31acau-
lay : faults were carried away by the delight Of
reading him. As III artist we are under deep
uaii.atlous to him; aul in his own walk OF ast
fresh, and open to tho lnu!tiiude-hc was SUI
preEac. The mere s.vte, snrccful and antthet;c-
al, becomes fatiguiug from its want Of rcpose,
Is We ! rs its l'suurrtsm; but bis cumulative
method Of Illustration is unriya1|cd It has been.
is, and will he. atundaa1ly imitatel, but quite
unsuecesstully; for this reason-that it requires
Macau!ay' cra1i.ioo to supper: Macaulay' ; cu,-
nlative method; AM men Vi Macapiay's .erudi-
finn Nr$ il-aJr $r hnx+ r.
and, if they had, would N axe their own 1ath,
instead nf following ut Ills flee1s- -. =,
In 1s42 he published his Lays Of Ancient
Romc,' very charming. but eclectic with ven.
:;eance. He was no poet, it was clear, though
ie.hal given us u book delightful to the un-
'nent By his rejection ut E1inburs',-on account
merely OF theological qul1rel + tbc lime. They
compensated This slight, as far ~ they could,
~ promoting his election to such Scotch houors
as could he conferred upon h;nl-Such as being
chosen Lord Rector Of GLASGOW University. and
1dent ct the Edinburgh Philosophical Institu-
ton. Hc was soEely missed ia tie House,
though his speaking lad become iufrenucut'
When, at length, lie returned with new literary
honors accumulated on him, the enserness 10
near him showed what the priya,ion had been,
tr.m the courts, III: refreshmeut rooms, the
committee rooms--from every crrner to which
tue news could spread that Macau1sy was sup"
tue rush was Is II for i matter of life or death
Meantime, while be ssas in this parliamentary
anu official abeyance, he brought out what wele
called the first volumes Of his history; neither
ae nor any one else having any doubt that the
rest. ur.to the reign uf George ILL.,, would tol-
low regularly n1d speedily. The beauty Of the
book exceeded expectation; aud it's popularity
was such As no book had met with since the
days Of the Naverly novels; aud with regard
10 some eharacteti=tics aud some portions Of
the book: tue first enthusiastic Judgment will
stand. Ills portrait Of WiiIiam III, and the
p"1'inns Which may b. called the historical ro-
ntanse Of tile work, will be read with delight bv
successive generations. But the subrr dec;,iu
!,ea'ly awarded by time is that the work is not
history; and that it ought nercr to hare been
80 called while the characters Of real men wtre
treated with so little Regard 10 truth. Ofpraise
and profit Macxulay had his ill, Immediately
md tumu!,uously; and openly and heartily lie
enjoyed 1t. But tile critical iaipeuchsuepts
which followed must have kccn}y anuoy ell l1ir.
as they would any nan who cared Tor his houor
;lsa telater Vi facts and reporter and judge Of
'hr characters OF dead aud deltncclrss n,eu
Failing health added its dis.l,ssivc to industry.
tic bscam: subject 10 bronchitis 81, Il degree
winch rendered his uchierlule:.ta ...I his ptn,e
'ncnls uncertain.
lle WAS oEce more elected fur Edinburgh il,
his nbsrhcc; anu il VAS On this return to tls
House that the r1-l to hear Linn as 50 ren,urk-
able u spectacle. lie SPOKE kclIom, anil men
tclt that their opportunities would heEceforlh
b. few. Before h,s retirement 1. om the House
of Commons in ls5h, he was The mere wreck Of
hs former SELF Ills eye was .tec1-xuuk and
often dm; Ills full face waS wrnklcd and l.as-
rd; his fatigue IN utterance was obviously
very great. aud the trem1ousaes* IF limb and
ftatnrc melancholy to behold. In 1857 ho was
raised to the pecraEe, graceful compliment to
literature. Macautny's was mainly an intcl!cct-
mi life, brilliant aud stimulating, but cold auL
barren is regards the highest part of human
nature. As in his history there ii but one touch
oi tcuderness-ucnriel,u Wentwortl's name
carsel upon the tree-so in his brilliant and
varied display Of power in lis lille, the one thing
wanting il heart. Probably, tbs single touch
Il; senslbilisy WAS iu bin, and we should lind
soa,e blecdin. gashcs. or some scars in tue stiff
14rk, if VIC were at liberty 10 search; but hard
and rugged it was, while throwing out its pro-
tu>i'n of dancing fol'sgo and many tinted bios
son1s. 1t was magnificent growth; and We
MAY accept Its beauty very thankfully, though
VIC know it is only tit for ornament, and not TO
yield sweet solace at present, nor perennial usc.
If we cannot lave the u,au Of Euut, heroic or
other, nor the man Of genius as statesman or
pact. let us take him as the eloquent scholar,
aud be thankful.