, 1873-12-06
LITERATURE.

LITERATURE.
The rur1tnn*1;s,s ;;s,,,,,,s. Walter nn,c'e''-.
PLAYS AND THE run1rANs; AND oTnHn 1rrsronr-
GAL ERsAYa. uy CHARLES KiNusLrr, London ur
N,,,v My ior4: X Macmillan 70. Chicago: jstaa, Nc
Tho throo esanys which mako up tho volume
before ua wcre first published in the North brit
ish Rcuie,o. III tho frat osHay,-" Phys and tho
Puritanv, "-the writer combats what Ia supposed
to bo historical fact by tl,oso who l,nvo
not studied carefully tho subject tint
tho Puritans worn Tho invetotato oppoHern,
not only OF all plays and play acting,
tut Of art In nil its departments. Tint they did
oppose theatres mud shows. is admitted but
atr. Kingsley proves that the stage had become
tho dolineator OF dobauclory and crimo II, its
worst forms; that, borrowing its plots and its
caractora from tho basess productions OF Italian
literature, tho play-i,ouaoa melted tho English
peop1o to adopt The worst habits Of the countries
from which tl,oso plays can,o; and llonce not
only tho puritans, but all good mon, wore forced
to condemn tue utter licontiousncaB that had be-
come tho characteristic OF tho English Btaee.
70 provo this, lie quotes tho opnions Ut Ben
1onaon all otllor groat na1nos Ill the literature
or that poriud, aud glvos d syi'opsis of tho lead
ing incidents, no far aa tlecc1cy will permit. of
several Of Tho mont popular plays Of the tflno.
Eyon immortal Shakespeare Is not FREQ from tile
tatnt of the ngo In which le lived; mud, in his
eaBo. the yery passnros whirl tho purjtanH cor.
tlarnunf nro fi,nao wrh ara now oxnuuvod i,o
foro hfu nsva m mn 1,nor the atnro tr,osa in.
p1rities a,o what tho puritans hatcd mud
nt ~. A!nEs'os euisoi' ~ e;nIs s!!a tnitl
art Of England Ind beco.no thoroughly baso and
corrupt, Tut art, In nearly all is dcl'nltmcnts,
WAB nlBde to irctc and numper the lowest yiGen
II is tecnrao tho puritalls led In those wars mt!
torriblo scencs that struck down these vices Of
thu court and too many Of ita alhoronts, that
tnoy 1avo been chnrgcd with tho odium OF op-
poaing NJ art, while thoy simply aanounced-t
nt(l alI othor urcs must condemn.
Some may assert tint all Lie art and tho noot-
~ ~ toi Iav nnnl and h,I hc,,m''.cd ~ ei ti,o
1soya'iHts. Tic author roplios:
Thero aro tsoso who bellows John Dnnyan, consider
nuthor whom England llaa seen sineo Shakespeare;
and there nger. too IN tic libraries nMd tho ears u
nsn = TGraf Of ere john aro to ~ was r
educated and highlyborn gentlemen ef tho Long lar-
10 avo s M or o nson Rapscs r. cartou"s y @
. aiaa Andrea Manttgnas triumph when Caares' r!c.
ses wer' G M M9 Ky ~, ,a bly, %0 S a
sef ho hgt 'ncl, classical lorc ~ pcdaat
not felt IT, lo would only havo written it} Tho maguif-
ceuce und worth Of really high art, u lilo drama when
1t was worthy Of man aud Of itself:
OF neorreoua trn0cdy
Presenting Thcbce' 81 pelops'iinc,
EnnoS1ea lt sl hsh te sIi nasId Ii lies sags'
No poet. nernans. sl,ows wider and tr,,or evron.thv
H onx hs1rx asv ya M b. , Wy rs1
VIC: t i ia not wfs dramas for SPORT Il isasi
"'tr- n,,l "'+u,So e1,So.Il.. -. e.'n.a.. -
Iho following extract, though rather long,
will be read with interest, for it does tho Old
PuritanB sitnnlo Justice f,othinr mnro
lt1u o matter Of dress and Of mnnpers ,he purt,or
stns r., nns neSm ESen the WORT enc.
c as so, uhot ~ 'nr ~ rcyeo anu 'a' "re'a Oh
Most as nf sc;r raos ~ ~ tus,e n..
II, fs,,.I W ~ 11tI ns,., ~ .e 4s.o , oeGuMo FIJI i4use VI
nuHa .,aus lgnuausehHen a WHO atlii call them
e"n @ aa H.. T. e. anont rounMef-
. = .i @ =, ui na u ~ 1. t' i n.h ~ & eotoIIao!o n, ~
IT, ,t . @ ~ .,,, ,t tS tnt.s M aona Tue - nneK
hci with tic Euspiarts. thsn tho inest asnticmc 4,
tho worlt, that sad.-that IL dark-coiors, aboyo ali
black were the nest for all stately and earnest gem
tlomcn. Nc al from the Tsactastan to tho anything
@ a@rtSn' IRE exasuy OF tho ya,no oIanlon Thoy held
.ra .a' ,mrss .aSSs y a'n 3ewc.aY gu man
So oli ths finest ec.slcnon IL EuaIan now. 'ary rcv
carry hIs in:otns ii. buck. ind bedzen hirnrolf
out III rods, bues. aud green's, ribbons, knots, aud
@ Ia anu III t1ite, Dhaaan rua built
cn 1or n5tc taau onn rte M ,oFo o.. atc4Ss u
we n1et such rufcu and rntitd w1rfhv M 1,knd ~
swacCer By dozens IN aud down Paul@s Walk. nnt M
Knowing how to ae. dnnor, nucl, leaa to pay his
tailor, ehould look upon him as firstly fool, and
sesond'y y s"inasr; wle II We met IN o'a puritan
re.t PIT a % IN o etacesay sna
anrcty n aoo Iasc mi wcn W. acovolra @
We probably should), over ai above, that tho h.ro
quin cavalier had boz Of sa!ye aud q
pstr Of dice In ono pocket. and . pack
u cards and = few pawnbrokers dupli-
cstes Ill .ae otness hst hs thoughts were altogether
i. coml ,ot o,,a III ,nnt ,hay Ioy any tnas
did quote Scripture somewhat through his nosc) tho
gentieman, shu the vouFnes aa most oHo.tiTo
nioe.'e" NJ ~ Ao auoo liaA4lnsht ElofJlh8 III nlR
Eaaate: m:, A4e p!esuro ~ ne nnfs, nor eyen the
aanant,c ,nsnsp y snoP aaa, saop Eares II "a
rictrue Witch every drs,nats., na well as sa,iria us