The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1873-05-01

Inc METHODS OF COmpoSitIOn en-
ployed by authors have been ~ va.
rious and Interesting ~ the lives OF
the authors themssl yes, and the his.
tory OF these methods il ono Of the
most entertaining and important pas.
sages in literary biography. Old
Burton kept a common place book,
the contents Of which he poured
into his Anatomy of NJ elancholy."-
Thomas Fuller. who advises every
body to follow his example, did the
same. Bar.hius, Turnbus, Scaligor,
most OF the medieval scholars, and
notably Butler, who by that means
enriched his "Hudibras' with such
an amount OF learning, adopted like
method. So did Soutbey, and the
Doctor" is the product. Bentley
bought all his books with wide mar.
gins, and Jotted on tho sides what.
ever struck him in reading and thus
supplied the defeats Of memory ex.
ceptionally imperfect. Pope was fer
ever collecting materials, and at once
noted down thought which struck
him in conversation oven IN crowd.
ed room He would ring his servants
up at all hours Of the night to ~
hin writing materials for that pur.
pose. Sheridan and Footo were ever
on the alert for wit. Addison took
notes tor his essays. johnson pur.
sued the same course tor his "RaM.
bls;' aud Hogarth would sketch on his
nail OF any face that struck him, and
IN this way he managed, to furnis h
his wonderful galleries Of portraits
Esohylus, it w are to credit Elan,
could never write until he was intox.
,cated; and according to Horace,
this was the case with Ennius and
erasmus. Ben Jonson wrote the
best under the influence Of canary !;
Sheridan prepared his marvellous
speech on the Dude charge in . tav.
ern, after swallowing tu,nbler after
tumbler Of brandy. The younger
Pitt was often under tho influence OF
port whom he spoke, aud Dundans, il
We may believe one Of Persons cpl
grams on the subject. could never
speak till he was "iar gone" Black
stone wrote his "Commentarie,n
with bottle OF port before him, aud
Beckiord 'Va.hek' supported by con.
slant draughts OF the same. Shad.
we'll stimulated himself by OPIUM
The arch impos.er Psalnanaazar,
Colsridge and De Quincy used the
same stimulant. Dryden and Fnsih
ate raw meat to insure vivid dreams.
Voltaire was never without his coffee,
and Byron wrote Don Juan under
the influence OF gin. Many literary
masterpieces were written At sit.
ting.
The 6rst draft Of "Ths Castle Of
Otranto" was nearly finished thus,
the author only desisting because he
was physically unable to hold his pen. |
F" Vathek was completed in three
days and two nights, OF incessant OF.
tort. Dryden finished "Alexander's |
Feast " in day and . night and it |
is said that Mrs. Browning wrote
=" Lady Geraldinc's Courts hip" in
twelve hours. Shelley, Byron and
Theodore Hook wrote with amazing
rapidity; and so did Scott, who sci.
dom or never corrected. Dryden
tells us thst his Thoughts came press.
ing in so last that no had scarcely
time Tor selection. He composed the
" Parallel between Poetry and
Painting" in just twelve mornings,
and the " Medal in a few days. Il
was the same with johnson, who
wrote bis Lite Of Savage" in . little
more than thirty.six hours, and his
" Rassclas to defrsy tho expense OF
his mothers funeral.-7hs london
Globe.