New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02
RECoLLECTIoNs OF 4 READER
by CHARLES r. C0NGDoN.
VIII.
WASHINGTON IN VERSE.

MERABLE DEDfCATIOES-JOEL BARLOW AND
LOUIS xvf-RoBERr TREAT PAINE-THE EPIC OF
THOMAS NORTHUMBERLAND OLD-FAsEIoNED PIECE
OF oRAroRY.
deplorabe nonsense which has been written and
spoken about heroes Two great men of modern
times, Washington and Napoleon, specially
insJiIed the bad verse makers and the turgld
orators. The French Emperor had 0ut
dubious literary taste, as his passion for Ossian
sufficiently exempiifirs but do not think that
he Cart d much TO, the poets, Italian OF French,
who bored HIM with ante-mortem apcthe0sls
and it is we'll known that he had o profound
contempt for Barere. the laureate of The 2ulllO-
tine. who in cdrmGQnOle of unusual tawdriness,
declared that the hero or Austeritz sho1id be
s.yl,d the King of Kings. Washington, per-
tiers, was saved by death fiOm all knowledge OF
o great deal of wild and indiscriDinate eulogy,
which would have put his rquanlinlty severely
to the test. But it must be admitted that ne
bore tulspme adulatiOn with c0nsummate phi
losophy, and submitted to fattery which must
have been irritating with admirable pohteness.
There is also something dignified in the re-
spOnses which were extOrted IRON him. lie
would not appear to disregard pr Use when 1t
was kindly and generously rendered, but he
received as much as possible OF it officially.
Numberless books were dedicated to him, ana he
was always OBLIGED, though do not think that
he was ever o great reader, while the catalogue
of his library shows that he was small collector
oven for those times. In this respect there is
q great contrast between his library and the
curious and entertaining one picked up oy
John Adams.
Among tue books dedicated lin this instance
partially to Washington. Is TIE Lyric NOIks
of Horace. Translated in English Verse: 10
Which are Added u Number OF Original Poems;
BY a Native OF America. PhlladeDhia, 1856"
This is rather scarce book, aud usually eXcres
some attention at the sales. The translator.
whose name does not appear III the work, was
John Paike, of whom little is known except that
ba yva " nr0Onniy e,
"was last heard Of in Arundel County, Va"
There is IeaOn TO believe that ne was, during
the Revolutionary War, attached to the American
Army in General Wasblngt0ns DIVISION. Ills
versions are neither very good nor very bad.
But there never was such u thoroughly dedl-
Gated book The general dedication IS rs fol-
lows "TO his Excelency, George Washington,
Esq, LID, late General and Commander III
Chief of the Armies OF the United States OF
America, Mareshal ct France. etc, ETC., etc. 1t
begins lllustrous sir" Il ends with, Your
Exc0ency's most obliged and most devofed
very humble servant, The Author" 1t assigns
tO Washington a merit which, multltarIOns as
the encOmiuins passed uDOn hun have been, has
not often been mentioned. The whole circle
of ants and sciences" SAYS John Farkc, is
bOnud to You, by every sacred tie OF gratitude
and affection. 1t was your influence thai en-
eOaragoi, and your arms that supported the
dropping spirit of learning, through the tolls
and perils Of q long, predatory, and unnatural
war "a war which originated in oppression and
injustice, had plumber ana slavery for lts OH
ject; and, like tho GOths and Vandals in the
time CT Old Rome, would have overturned our
liberties aud developed our seDlnaries OF science
in the clouds If age barbarism." Parke
evidently thinks more of washington as an
LID. than as Mareshal Of France" The
"Lite of Horace prehXed to the poems Is de-
dicated 10 His Excel!ency Benjamin Franklin,
Esq, LID. Frs. President OF the Common
wealth of PENNSYLVANIA y the First Book OF the
O.les to His Exceliency Nicholas Vandyke.
ESQ.,, Governor OF Delaware State u; the Second
"A l,la Thomas
Mifilin, AM, speaker of the House OF Assembly
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and late
President OF Congress" y; the Third to The
Right Honorable Major General the Marquis de
la Fayette he Fourth to His Excellency
Major General William SmallwOod Governor of
the State of Maj yland"; the Epodes to- The
Honorable Robert Morris, Esquire, Member OF
the House of Assembly OF the Commonwealth OF
Pennsylvania, aud late Financer General to the
United Sites of America, ETC." In addition to
these major dedlcatinns there is no end OF minor
on Every separate ode is inscribed to some.
body. Thus Ode vi. of Book l. 10 addressed
"To his. Exceliency Count D'Estaing. Admiral
and Commander OF His Nj oSt Christian Majesty'S
feet and armv in America, to-, etc.. ETC." The
XXXVIlth Ode of Book |. (Pers;c0s ODD pueY
GpparGtuSJ is curiOnsy enough addressed 40
my Waiter, Jabez Traps, soldier" a. we'll
kn,wu ode of Book Ill. regi monumentuns) is
addressed tn farke's publisher, Lieutenant
Colonel Eleazar Oswald, OF the American Art'l-
lery,r whose place OF business, the peIls OF war
being over, was at the Coffee House " in Phila'
delplia. OF the literary merits of the work
there is little to say. The exquisite poems OF
Horace are altered in rather an uhschoiarly way
to suit the American latitude. An instance OF
tn occurs In the version of Ode XIV. OF the
Third BOOK. The subject of the original is the
retnrn of Augustus from SPAIN The subjec OF
Parke's translation Is the return OF General
WASHINGTON to VirgiGia. In this Martha w ash
ipgton is substituted queerly for Llvia, the wife
of the hero.
Chaste Mo-. shall embrace her spouse.
81 long detained by wars alarms;
For GIVING back her hero to her arms.
Her widoW'd daughter beautiful in tears
Shall grace the scene, and swell tue thankful train,
While aged matrons bent with years
Shall crowd the duplicated tane.
ought not, perhaps, to dismiss Mr.. Parke
without giving what may be regarded az the
most tremendous and daring OF his Inscriptions.
He dedicates the XVIth Ode OF the Fourth Book
b His Most August Majesty. Louis XVI, by
the Grace of God, King of France and Navarro,
Protector of the Rights OF Mankind, ETC., etc.,
Ptc., ETC." His Majesty is the only PEI sonage In,
yoked who rises 70 the dignity OF four "etcs"
General Washington himself has only three. In
such q serene presence there is nothing more To
be said, and nothing else to be zone put 10 DOW
ourselves out backward and leave His Christian
Majesty and Mr.. John PaIke alone together.
Unless, indeed, aprOpOs OF such vanities, We
pause q moment to speak OF Joel BarlOws dedi-
ca ICn of his Vision OF Columbus to this same
Louis XVI. from which single short extract
will bc sufficient: "YoIr Majesty's permission
tlat the unfortunate Columbus NAV once more
enjoy the protection of a royal benefacior, has
added new obligation to those before felt, in
common with grateful country" Barlow at
terward dedicated his clever poem of 1.-THE
Hasty Pudding" to Mrs. Washington, hut his
great work, The Coiumhiad," he inscribed to
Robert Fulton, his intimate friend. There is a
Iroll passage in @lnchequip's Letters" written
by Charles j. lneersoli, and published in 1909,
in which poor Barlow is just little snubbed.
Vigil. and Milton occupy exclusively the illus.