, 1870-03-27

!: = R is<88lt = Sts.e.t.. . It ny !
model te bo followed; znd perhsp-
tho traces of : {oregone conclusion
arc too rercc,usAe in III Aacs. But 10 aaaht !
can 10 entertained ef thu caro- bestowed npon
It, and the conscientious. endeavos n..ie 70
ferresent fully md candidly the chasActat OF !
shis extraordinary womAu. Wr. Froude indeed I
goes bsck md back upon lis description, as
Te sometimes see done in notei when the !
writer III Gtas npes1t.n 81. q h
demonstrate herseH, either because Of the an
bizuity Of her proceedings, or because he fea1s
ehe VII not retain 80 exActly u might b d. |
sirod the Ikeuess Of The image he has made.
MhenDset he ~ sn e.. shanss as.1sv hs ss aonn
Of hcr mind, and with cars and ingenuity |
which Il IL impossible to oveeest- |
mate, keeps these principles before hizasaK !
sud .'provcs" them as thooloGian proseH
dogma, BY texts. ae it we're, from her di,,
The gossip thAs tuzzed about heF. Never VAS
; more elaborate study. lie looks 1t her al !
round ~ IL 6he were curious scientific c11ln-
rle. takes careful yiswH Il her trntn hundred
fe1eat poses ~ II she were ysg4ranik. Il Il
evidently his intention that siie shoula be ths
central dguts in his picture, distinctly dis.rim-
mated from 81 competsforsr figure thoIpugh-
II reallzahle and formed Of deah md blood
And when ws sas this. NC feel, h.A we nothing
Justification for tbs Mderrnt way in
which he hss treated Mary It is
Elizabeth who il his Qnesn+ it u
in her that ha wuald fain ccncenssata Ill
5eel. to he tho lady md mistress Of the age.
His preference may surprise u, but still it
ia perfectly possible md We should not have
\ word 70 sAy. For A7e there Not historians
upon Mar3's sids who concentrate the light
uIon her head, and leave Elizabeth II
a1.tE in NJ. Froude 9 ease is that his Elizabeth,
though 30 elabprately drawn, il not in Auy
seuse his ideal He studjes without approving
her, without finding Any int1insic salue III her.
He does hot love heE nor ptaass hes, nas ,. lAe
even warmed into urgent sympathy. He has
no special new Light to throw upon her chA1ac-
Ter which might endsaz hes 10 hiul, al any
tIeak nAN-fouud pa4k, rising ont OF tho tlt-
known seas, endcazs itself to The e1plasee,
The oaly novelty in his %isw Of ler ii the
religion With Which hs csedita lAs1- IA aNews
| her to be mem, asa1irious, hateful. un-
dependence could be rA<.ed Ia hes eithtr b.
Tr,e nrM = i. ae ~. ~ L. not word Of pane
sS;ch sS;h =. - s. -. -ule labored full~length. IN
trh;c1, i,s. : to see the seEs rc.S4s -4.a
~. g. robe u embroidered the solemn
" !.,r aaS'':.y IS Or r:rtiaEty in :the portrait
~ .e1ea Us whom Ne turn 10 hsa treatment Of
uer rivA. Why, then, if Elizabeth Is not to bo
elevated, Is Mary to be degraded7 Why 80
contemptuous III Indifference to the motives
Of the one md SO minute regard 70 shpse Of
tho others What's HecubA to him, NO ray in
stinctiselt, that lie should cast dirt 1t another
On her aecount1 There is no feeling involved
il tie rnatter, uniess it bs tho feeling Of tAd
Attist, who, conscious Of l1vins ma1io very
careful study, fAl1a SO muck in 1--we with thAt,
| tllAt he will rot even do the reat OF hiA work
[ or himself full Justice, lest tho perfection Of
tho whole should take AWAY something from
tho elaborate workmanship OF tho first conl.
| pleted part It IL curious piece Of solemn
folly, and yet 10 he hss Willed it. He il lot
enaluoEei Of Elizabeth, but he is enAsnorcd
1 Of his own pains. Of tho trouble 10 hAs takcn,
md III the hl,o1iouA details of his manufacture,
4 He uncoEets hi1isaH with certain Role,nuity
| in her presence, ~ II hc said, :" Though sLa
is not muck 70 bt.g OF, and havo told you 70,
| still hhe ia Elizabeth, and hats OF; whereas
hAve no time to take 80 much trouble about, in
| Wlose fAce let LIE flourish our capa; and sauu1l
We find her out IL Any bJ-play, laugh in out
sleeves. Or without them il occsaion requires.
W!len Elizabeth does hes by-plAs, wa do not
lsufh, nor even look aside, But fl our e5ea
upon It stetdilS and respectfully. And swallow
what We eaunot ignore. Such IL the po4itinn
Mz. Fruutle has chosen to occupy in respect to
thcse twu Queena. Our own impression is that
tho canvsh would hare been richer aud the
.osk more worthy had be taken the eame
trouble III 10th cascA and we cannot even seo
how the unity Of tho picture is bcnoated by ia
elaboration Of one i,alf and Ecamring Of tho
other. THO historian, however, it IL plain,
thinks otherTite. Ho gives hia hero.
inc tho. benefit Of Iii those new
lights Of observation which clear up
the darkness OF human motives, md chow us,
/ a. far 81 hNSt11~ 7,1f nt1y SFh4f
we're done, bat why things vere done, which
on the outeidc express but feeblr the meaning
ct the doer: He takes the pains to tell us why
Elizabeth thought - Hho do, By what meAas
her susceptiblitles we're bluuted in one iirec-
tiop aud shazpcned u another how ciscun-
stances had roulded her, how nature COM
PEELED her to many doubtful action; but he
takes Mary in the nnass 4fter the cd fashion,
without taking tue trouble to inquire how
things looked to heE from within. She Is to
him simple impoator. IN actress Of accom-
1 plished powers, very fne aud thoroughly
abandoning, the arts which ase dearet to her
than ANYTHING In Garth or heaven. 1lr. Froude
would prebAh1T think 1t bieotsy Of the tlaekeat
description, sad folly eca1ee!y less than lusi-
csous, wese ne to call MAhomrt IN i1npo.-
tor, orIve1y much further down in
that title without explanation o. mitigation TO
Cagliostro. lat he gives it unhesit atinHy to
Mary Stuart. Ho follows her through scenes
which thrill the pulses Of tho calneut reader
with his ences and his nickname-he doga her
stately steps through one crisis after another,
iu Which sLc stauds on such a precipise that, i
ono OF her namelees women were IN question,
Aa moaM allow it o.bo tragic and terrible
and points out to usY With suppressed
chucfle, what position her feet are placed il,
aud how careful rhe has been about the folds
Of her gown! Nay, ho wstehes her die. which
Is tho one moment in life which commands tie
awe Of eEey spectator, be the dyiue creatura
never 10 mean or miserable, and smiles Lis host
though it is hand wo1t, and tries to tell Us that
death too i 4 fine piece Of acting. We re-
peat that, Il he did this to heightcn tho light
around tho head Of An Ideally noble Elizabeth,
there might be Home seD1hlancc Of cuuse,
But his EGzabeth is only 4 careful piece ot
work, and not Al idcal; and hn has saeriticed
the wonderful eplcndor OF the contrast Of such
= mind and hfc Is those Of Mary, to = mcrr
superstition in favor OF his own hand;work
Srch ruirtskc I. its own punishment: and
ret it il ono Of the Htrangett mistakct into
which writer hkc Mr. Proudc could fall
The Office OF the Imagination ~ al intellect
uh agent has been much discussed and much
exalted, hut rhat ne E,ay call its moral indn-
tiou. Invention Is but one Of It. gifts, and, ne
believe, not the greatest Its highest mission
in this world Il that OF comprehension. Half
the nalindaesees, half the cluclties and harsh
! Judgments Of life, spring from deficiency of
th,s ai1-imrortant quality. Ihe msad whieh
| identity ianother's point Of rieE, ia,
however Just and scrupulous. continually
| in danger Of making false iccisions-
| There is sueh thing, to be sure, se fetlundan-
g Of imagination and sympathy, which goes
fss to ohliterate the limits Of right and vsnng
altogether. and TO aceonnt for cFery. action,
however base hnt deficiency Is much more
general than redundancy. Mr.. Frou3a has
Imagination enough for here and there yerr
vivid piece Of description; and 10 has. when
secsut Of Darnley's deatl in prcrious vol
umc', sufficiently powerful e,ynpaihetic fse-
ully to throw himself into the troubled being
Of another, and interpret it With touching and
solenn trnthfulneea but he has aycr.ions
which battle and confuse his ituAgination His
mind stopr short st Ma1y's rri4on door. Al
the strange conflict Of thought that must hare
gone on the1e--thc questions that may have
rtsen in the eilcnce-sha zeconections that must
have Eeoplea the solitude, the ,uasr Of paRions
Yrcludices, wroues and Iights--religi0ns con-
TsetIonr such ~ experience shows can dwell
eny ccrscious hspo1isF,-Mr: Ftoade cloees
the door upon them III With certain con-
tempt The workings Of MarY's mind are
nothing to hi1u the ataount Of truth she may
have had to back her does not interest hi1a,
He does not care what she hopes, wh1t she
fear1, or what she believes and yet she must
have hoped much, feared much and believed
something. or else human nature 1oust have
strangely changed. OF al the men and
women alive Oh the ear1h wc question ii thsre
whom the historian NTH airy insolence speaks
Of IA the Lady Of Tutbu1y. i tragic paet,
trimming over with passion and miseFv-a ID.
turc equally tragic, though lees unhaIpy-a
present ever hl]ea With the E1imaer OF such
possibility Is raa enough to ,ns&s
the possibility Of being suddenly CON
yeTted 1nv moment from 4 neglected car-
tive 10 the Queen Of = great nation, are thet1-
sclEes enough to aM every movement of Harss
With interctt. Sho hsa lived 1ilaly and lored
6ercely, and e1perieoced every hind Of alven-
tuse md vsclHedtuoe. She hid walked ~ m
euchaat7eas among naen, With lives cast under
hcr feet like flowers and she had sat for year.