New-York tribune., 1876-02-26
NEW BOOKS FROM BOSTON.
rIrR OF WILLIAM GOODWIN.

oP ESSAYS" SIGHTS AND INsIGHTs " BY MRS
A. d. T. WHITNEY.
BosroN. Feb, 25.-The Life of Goodwin, which
Messrs Roberts Brothers to publish tomorrow
I'm Two small octave volumes. and has the ntie "hah
Goodwin his Friends and Cotemporarles" II sa WORK
,.ss lelv IN be interesting from any skill In narration
which its auLor possesses than from the thoroughnes
with which he has made use OF original papers IN MS
hands and the fidelity and good Judgment that marx MS
selections from them. Goodwin wrote out notes Oh hS
early life in 1900 and about twelve years earlier egan
a diary which he continued 10 the end OF his llie His
correspOndence has accessible tO gratifying uegee
nlso for PURPOSES of biography TIE main facts oi MS
career ar more clearly noted IN these volumes
than they have been before but they VIII thro" no
new light upon his character or his relations 10
those about him. Nevertheless, there are tempting
materials for the reader III it, do not propose 70
anticipate tao batter further than to refor 20 few OF the
features of the biography
AT 80 years OF age, Goodwin was IN London on the
threshold of literary career. He had political tastes
also and ne had formed intimaces with actors. His
daughter Mrs Shelley, furnishes portrait OF Nile Inch
bald who was an actress well as writer Of plays
We are told that "sbe exceedingly beautiful, ana
though living in mean lodgings dressed with an economy
allied to penury without connections, and alone, her
beauty talents and the charm OF her manners gave
her entrance to delightful circle OF society," Aptto
fall in love- and desirous to marry ber position forbade
her receiving an eligible offer. Fond OF pleasure sue
prudent IN her conduct; pehufous III hcl peisoh"i
expenditure. she generous TO others" Vain OF her
bcsnty the gown she coarse and shabby. she
Was capable of guarding herself against pasSlon ana
though she might have been called frt, her character
was uninpeachable." She gathered every man around
her chair when she into room. Goodwin used TO
describe her piQuant mixture OF lady and nilk-
maid and added that Sheridan declared she was the
only authoresR whose society pleased him. Goodwin sub
mitted his Cobb Williams" TO this lady for critical
Judgment and grau1ed by receiving from her The
most Mandatory praise.
The notes left by Mrs Shelley relation TO her mothers
he peculiar upon social topics, and her mar
rage with Goodwin largely made use OF. and form an
important feature of the work The manner in which
some of The obnoxious opinions OF the present day
on the subject OF marriage anticipated nearly
century earlier is here fully set forth Mary W0SOhe-
craft appears to have been Objectionable parsonage
to InchDad and the reproacbes of Goodwin TO the
latter upon his we's death terminated their intimacy
In 1900 Golwin is ireland at the invitation Of Cur
ran "Grattau," he writes, ais mild gentle polished
and urbane" while "Curran is Wild ferocous jocar,
humorous, uim tic, and htenish, true Irshman ONLY
In the vast portion OF soul that informs him, which, OF
course, very ordinary Irshman must he content to
want" The correspondence with COloridse Of whicH
much furnished begins at this time characteristic
essay of Lambs, The Old Players contains an ac-
count his vein of the danng OF Gcdwlns play
"Anton!o at its first representation. The kembles were
IN the cast, but Goodwin was no dramatist To God
wins disastrOus bookseller, into whlch nc
was drawn by his second wife, indebted for the
"Taes from Shakespeare" of Mary and Charles Lamb
which were written his request Goodwin has given his
own tase cdrens literature in one of his letters OF
this time He liked Mrs. Barbauld Int also favored
work more imaginative, such Beauty and the Beast
~Fortunatus" Valentine and Orson," &c; and Rob
inson CrusOe" II weeded of its Methodism Lamb wrote
for Goodwin book called The Adventures OF Ulysses
Goodwin desired him TO change some expressions IN IT,
such as deyoured their limbs yet warm and trembling
tapping the blood" also account Of the giants
yomt and n description Of the extiDguishng OF the
GIANTS eve Lamb responds: The giants vomit was
perfectly nauseous, and am glad you pointed II out.
lie otieeted TO the other suggestions, writing: As an
author say tOyOu. author Touch NOT my WORK AS
20 bookseller say Take the work suchas 1t is OF refuse
itAs friend. say, Don't plague yourself and me
with nor sensical objections; assure you viii not
alter a word"
This correspondence with sheey began in 1871. The
next year tie latter to visit Goodwin Mary Cod
win was then only Is years Of ANA Shelley appears
~ have scarcely her. In something over year be
elopcd with her. and lived with her rs his vile Godwn,
who had modified his own views OF the marriage rea-
ton was greatly nccnsod. The shelleys began diary
Immediately after tnoy reached Paris, 70 which we are
much indebted for the material OF this volume Inc
suicides of Godwins stcpdaughter by his first wife,
Fanny and the wife Of shelley, whom the latter had
deserted for Mary Goodwin were within month OF each
other few years later. Godwins correspondence with
tie Shelleys at this time has not been preserved On lie
death of Shelley Goodwin wrote letter full Of sympathy
and tenderness his daughter and the return OF the
latter to England the cordial relations of the two were
fully restored.
Among the late correspondents of Goodwin were Lady
Caroline Lamb Washington Irving and Sir f. L. Buwer
There was something like gush on Godwin's side In
writing 10 the latter. He had read Paul Clifford"
with transport" and found 1t in many parts "diyiney
wrcn" In 1881 Goodwin writes TO Scott to ask him 10
In,ercede with Eadell to publish for him novel, and
tells tale of poverty and OF need Scott IN reply re-
cites his own peeunary msfortuncs, offers 10 aid In
subscription to publish any book Of Godwn's "not
religious or political" but declines "to interfere in
literary speeuations when have nothing TO engage me
but my sincere goodwill to the author" Goodwin was
spared the poverty he feared however ny being granted
place under the Government He died few years
later in 1896 The work is printed from the English
plates and is embeished by beautiful heliotyps por-
traits Of Goodwin, and OF Mary WOllstOnecrsft
Prof John Fske Of Harvard University has made a
collection his essays in volume which is 10 he issued
very soon from the publishing house Of james r. Osgood
Co. To his expression. he has done this g by
way Of clearing ont his literary workshop for, besides
tbe elaborate agaz ne articles that from me
Atlantic Monthly and other sources, he mcludes In the
volume .he bricer reviews that have appear in The
Nation II am not mistaken The book takes its tte
In part from the two essays THE Unseen World"
watch are inst completed IN The AnGn'ie These are fol
lowed by articles on "The Jesus OF History" "The
Christ of Dogma" and "a Word about Miracles" In
which the uDoithodOx theology of Prot. Fiske ap-
peers There is an ntnaton Ia note to one Of
them that a l. the Intention OF the writer TO prepare
work ON Jesus OF Nazareth and the Founding of Girls
tanity" The highest praise Is bestowed upon Strauss
Life Of Jesus IN the first Of these essays II il termed
zone OF the monumental works OF the nineteenth ccn-
tury" instantly supersodng and rendering antiquated
everything which had preceded it, TIE views of the
great bulk OF Christian believes approached in the
same apparent vein OF dOemaism which it will I've