New-York tribune., 1880-06-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE ENGLISH POETS. Edied " l,,Ior Cn
'h WARD II. A. Vol. I. l2mo. Macmillan q w.
The sincere lovers OF English poetry Ill l's
auccess,ye stages OF aiiucnt dcyciopmeht WI"
this Collection for the choice character VI "s
and the wise aud pregnant body OF cri'cisO' pS
,xriters of uote IN Englisn elegant literature WHICH W
comnanirs the original poems. Nothing "l 'l' NV" zoe
ayr bcfr been attempted tho scale OF the pres''
work which is intended as representative ""'"c.
oey OF the wide field Of English poetry l"o oN'
book which aims at covering tue "no'o N -
ia the popular Specimens" bY Thomas N""P''.
but this has had rs day, and can no Longer oo
reOarded as the adequate exponent OF hclu "hic" "
Dapds eunal breadth OF study, dscrimtia'io"" w '
and sOuudness and libcraliyof critical 1udS"eH'i ~
proportions The work III fact, is Of too vast eAoN'
roo delicate character to bc accomplished by S"E'
hand IL embraces too many sections anu e'"-V ~
,rdcrnept of one writer to possess hiGh crl'lc'I
NV but demands the cooperation OF many ""o
been led by their studies to Il speci"' ''"o " s o.
nrehepsye a sphere. The Editor MS ho' "
present a complete collection oi an ,"r,,ocr. 'n
he fairly included In the rank Vi ''S'l ',
o,horu,sc hts work must have bech eiII'i.'"
IN y. least three times its present extent ~ .'
confined hmsef to the task OF cOliecIhS ~ n'"' " 80
b.st and most characteristic OF their "F''I"SS Il" w
- renrcsent the great poets. while no one VI "i
canstderalle elnIneuce should be omitted N"u' P0
oa nj ,ved an tmporttnt part in the history Oi
rnoisl literature and men Of renown III hol uS
such as Sidn y. and Cowley, and "aher aIe Nv"
road . othels whose names have never ocen WV"
ofe nj
and 10 each OF these classes the Editor has
20 do tustce gat herring the former such secleh
os may serve 10 explain their iaDe, ana llom '"0 ~
Whatever they wrote that may Challenge 'lu0 p0
excellence. Among the contributors ""''0 Wv
caI ESSAYS add depth and sOlIdity as wei
" ,rio,y IN the work, may be mentioned inc
name. of Matthew Arnold Professor Skcat' l. Alh"'"
Professor Nichol, urtOn Collins, the Dean o - u "
Edmund W. Gosse. Professor DOW"cA anu ',
zvho can boast of em.ucnt distinction IN the WINS
of English literature. Mr.. Matthew Ainous 8 l"'i""uV
tory Essay Will not fail attract the attention VI s'
o,l by IFS characteristic mixture of sense anu
paradox plausible conjecture ana hrm cri'ie's''
while its beauty of style and Illustration VIII
otten produce deeper and more "hoc9o"''
tmuress ON. than the assertion of It's cri'r
i ,ud,meots Mr. Arnold justly reuaik'
"We sbould conceive of poetry wortlhy, ana moe
highly than 1T has been the custom to coueei'c"i "
We should conceive of it rs capable Oi hlGher uS' "
called 10 irrr destu!es thau those whiea in geA'i'
mon have assigned to 1t hitherto. More anu H'oe "''
,,a m discover that We have TO to poetry To IN
te,nrct life for u.s. to console to sustain U.S. "-o"
poetry our science Will appear lncohle'e' anu o'
what now passes with Us for rciigOh anu Pii"S't''
will he replaced by poetry. Science, say, VIII appear
ncomulete without For finely and truly does W"u
yortn cali poetrv the lmpassOned expression whch Il
I'm the countenancr Of all science; ana Wha' Is COUNT"
nance without its tXlrcssOnI Again. "Oru9"o1' ''''io
and truly calls poetry the breath ana nher slr'Io VI u"
knowleire our religion, paraiing evidences sueh Us
onn >, u,prr itself ON Its rcasonnSS about ctusaOn
and finite and infinite being; what are theH ou' III,
shadows and dreams ana false SHOWS O! k"o"'uSc
Thod,v win come wien We shall wonder at curse Ne@
far having trusted to them. for having taken 'cih s'4I
ousy md the We perceive their h'ioWhe>|' '"'
more We shall prize the breath ana hher sII't o1
kuoSledge' offered 10 us by poetry
Rut if we conceive thus hi hly OF the de>tIne' OF hr
poot Mr. Arnold adds, We must el'0 set our s'""uII"
fnoe.ry birb since pue;ry must possess hish order
IN til =.
In met y which is thought and ant III one, 1t Is the
glory the eternal honor. that chlrlatan!> >LII ma IT"
entrance; that this noble sphere be kept III
vio,ie and inviOlablc. CAIraian.sm Is for
copfusiur or oGltciaung the d.,tWcton7 "-
tween excellent and inferior, sound and Ut
snd or only half sound, true and untrue or OAy hdi
trne 1t is cnarlatanIsm. conscious or UNCONSCIOUS
Whenever we confuse OF Ohera;e thesr And III poetry
more than any where else Is unpcrmiSsioIe 10 cOhust
or oh iterate them. For in poetry the distinction be
tween excellent aud inferior sound and un>Ourd or Only
half soind true and only ia true IL OF para
mount import mcc. 1t Is of paramount importance pe
cause Of the high dcstinies Of poetry I'm poetry as
criticism OF lie under the conditions TX !or 'uch
criticism by the laws poetic trutA and poet Beauty
the spirit Of our will huo We have s"id Is Hin'
c,cs on and as other helps Ia It's cons 'la"L ana Sii
But the consolation and stay viii o. Of power IN pO"F
zion to the power of the criticism OF LIE Ana lac cil
cism OF Ife VIII b. Of power IL pro"rt' s .'c c'
conycyIng II Is exec !,Lt rather tb2n hIc!"T Soui
true or naif true.
Ihe best poetry. Mr. Arnold rel eats, Is what
We want. In that find Il peculiar lOWoi
OF forming, sustaining, and deiighting. Constantly
in rcauing poetry, a scase for The BEST tie
really excellent and Of the Strength aud joy to be
drawn from it, ehonlt be present IN our minds and
Should govern estimate of what we read But tii'
real estimate the only true One is liable to bc super
si if We are not watchful. by two other kinds Of C.
tnate the historic and the personal estimate
hath uf
cont To us historically, they may count to Ous or grOunC,
personal to ourselves aud they may count 10 Us really
Tuey may count historically Tle course OF Gevtl
opment of nations language thought, and poetry, l.
proiouudly interestngi aud by regarding a pocit
work as stage IN this course OF developmen
we NAV easily bring ourselves TO make 1t q
moro Importance as poetry than In Itself 1t really
s we may lang uage OF quite eXaggeratct
praise crcising i'll short 10 overrale IT, 30 arloc
In our poetic judgments the faacy caused by the esti
mate which may call historic. Then again. poet o
@ poem may count to us ou grounds personal to our
selyes Our personal sfiuites, lkings and circum
stances have great pnwer to our estimate OF ti
or that poets work. and TO make us att:"h more IT t
auce to It poetry than IN itself II really possesses
beeaus. TO us 1t is or has been. OF high Importance
Here also we 0vcrrae the object Of cur interest ant
aunly TO il u language OF praise which is quite eXaggei
ated Aud thus we get the :Orrce OF Il second faiac
in Cur poetic 1ujGDeuts-le !alacy caused DJ an es
mate which We may ca personal
The spirit OF these remarks forms the esscuce OF t
present volumes They accordingly possess chdrat
terist,c value not only the source OF poetic know
edge but tue guide OF poetic Instinct They place
In possession OF an immense mass Of poetic maeria
while at the same time they afford the means for il
highest application to the purposes both Of maglnatv
delight and utility. Tncy will stimulate aud
struct passion for poetry while they suggest the tiu
spirit for its wise aud profitable uses.
Nrw pnblllutlon5