The Osceola times., 1877-05-19
Colcridgc AZ a Talker.

The life Of Bryan Waller Proctor
barry Cornwall), which is to be pub
lishcd shortly, contains ssme very in
teresting "reminiscences OF literary great
men that have never before been given
to the public. The following sketch of
Co!eridge is masterpiece OF pen-Por-
traiture:
"He was full Of words, full Of thought,
yielding both in an unfailing flow, That
delighted many and perplexed few OF
his hearers. lie was man of prodigious
miscellaneous reading, always ready to
communicate all he knew. Frrm alpha
TO omega, all was familiar TO him. He
was deep in Jacob Behmen; he was in
innate with Thomas Aquinas and Que
vedo; with Bacon and Kant; with
Peter Simple and TEN Cringle's Log,
and with all the old divines of both En-
gland and France. The pages of all the
infdels had passed under his eye and
made their legitimate land not more
than their legitimatc) impression. He
went from flower to flower, throughout
the whole garden of learning, like the
butterfly or the bee most like the bee,
He talked with everybody, about any
thing. He was 30 full Of information
that it was relief to him to part with
SINE portion of it to others. II was like
laying down part Of his burden. He
knew little or nothing of the art of paint
ing; yet | have heard him discuss the
merits and defects of a picture of the
poorest class as though it had sprung
IRON the inspiration Of Raphael. He
would advert to certain parts and sur
mise that it had been touched upon here
aud there: would pronounce upon its
character and school, its chiaroscuro, the
gradatlons, the handling, etc., when in
Iact il had no mark or merit or charac-
ter about it. 1t became TRANSPORTED,
sublimated by the speakers imagina-
ton"
Several anecdotes of Coleridge's doings
follow, OF which we make room for two
zone day, when dining with some
lawyers, he had been more than usually
cloq and full OF talk. His perpetual
interruptions were resented by one OF
the guests, who said to his neighbor, 'Pll
stop this fellow and thereupoD addressed
the master of the house with, c.,
I've not forgotten my promise to give
you the extract from The Pandects. II
was the ninth chapter that you were al
luding to. 1t begins: de retercs guidap,
phiiosophi.' Pardon me, sir, interposed
Coleridge, there think you are in
error. The ninth chapter begins in this
way Incident Srpe Cause etc. 1t was
in vain to refer to anything on the sup
position that the poet was ignorant, for
he really had acquaintance with every
subject. l imagine that no man had
ever read so many books and at the same
time had digested SO much"
The second anecdote is given in illus.
tration OF Coleridge's propensity to talk
perpetually upon whatever subject any
one might suggest:
"He had come from Highgate to Lon
don for the sole purpose OF consulting a
friend about his son Hartley ('our dear
HsrtleyO, toward whom he expressed,
and have no doubt felt, much anxiety.
He arrived about one or two o'clock, in
the midst of conversation, which imme-
diately began TO Interest him. He struck
into the middle of the talk very soon, and
held the ear of the house until dinner
made its appearance about four O'Clock.
lie then talked all through. the dinner,
all the afternoon, all the evening, with
scarcely single interruption. He ex-
patiated on this subject and on that; he
drew fine distinctions; he made subtle
criticisms. He descended to anecdotes,
historical, logical, rhetorical; he dealt
with law, medicine and divinity. until
at last, five minutes before eight o'clock,
the servant came in and announced that
the Highgate stage was at the corner of
the street aud was waiting to convey Mr..
Coleridge home. Coleridge Immediately
started up, oblivious of all time, and
said in hurried voice: My dear T.,
| will come to you some other day and
talk to you about our dear Hartley.
lie had quite forgotten his son and every.
body else in the delight of such an en-.
..,ro.l o,,l.,n.a