New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
c.CON AND MACAULAY.

Tho mere fact that this book exists, that 1T was
written. places it among the remarkable Things Oh
literature Its author, who was killed IN LONDON
year ago by being knocked down and run over by u
hanson cab had a peculiar character. With Vig
orous well-trained mind, good style, singuariy
calm and sound Judgment. and a capacity OF re-
search rarely cqualed and never surpassed, he was
wholly indifferent to literary reputation. lie I'M
pressed his friends and acQualntances with such a
sense of superior ability that Lord Houshton said
of him that. being accustomed to strike an average
between himself and any man with whom he talked
when he talked with Speeding he felt unutteraoiy
foolish-beyond PERMISSION; Teaning, OF course
that the superiority on Speddlngs side OF tho equa-
ton was so great that comparatively nothng was
left on the other Many other such tributes 10 opeu-
ding are known to those who are acquainted WIN
the savings and dongs of London literary society
within the last twenty-five years. And yet this man
Tins laudcd by the lauded, although lie paSsed his
life in literary pursuits. did nothing that gave MN
high literary position. or made his name known 10
the general reading public. He in this respect
like John Sterling and Arthur llallam, who were
looked upon as intellectual prodigics by their daily
companions and whose very names would at thls
day be unknown to the world were it not for the BIZ
ographv which Carlyle wrote of the one and the III
cense burned before the tomb Of the other by Tenny
son in d" In Melnoriam" Two causes combined to
Snediinr's comparative obscurity.-an initexibilty
of mind which prevented HIM from approaching
versatility, and lack, rather moral thah lhtellec
tuol of what the French call cltp-a quality which
is not quite DASH boldness enerIrisc and when
vet partakes of them all. His pecuniary means were
small: and yet he refused the position of Onder
Secretary of State, with yearly salary OF @-'uVV'
although il was pressed upOn him with entreaiy ny
those who sought his services rather than 10 serve
him; his refusal being ON the ground that he le''
himself inconpeent to the duties of the office, be-
cause he could not bear TO be called upon 10 lux"
his attention to dozen twenty different SUBJECTS
in the course of day His mind was so bent upon
tho snhect bafore him that the wrench OF turning II
srddenIv to any other was than he could Dear
Something of weakness well as OF strength thcre
was in this; but such selfknowlodgc ana such sell
obnecat,on are Iare and admirable. Spe"UIhE ue
voted the literary labor of his life to Bacon Ills
edition of Bacons works the best form OF which IN
comparab!y is that printed some years ago IN the
most beautiful style of the admirable klverslde
Press and which is now in the hands OF lIoughton
Niniin a CO.. is we'll known TO the lovers OF philos9
nhv and the higher literature for the thoroughDcss
ard the fneness OF appreciation in It's editorial work
II is said to have cost him the greater part of thirty
wears of literary labor. But SPEEDING was more
than Bacon's editor: he was his enthusiastic adj
miret almost his lover and made himself his knight
his champion. 1t is in this character that he now
comes before US. These two goodly octave volumes
are filed with a defence of Bacon against two re-
doubted assailants. Macauay and Pope; for Ma
caulay's vel-known essay on Bacon is a mere his
torical and rhetorical expansion of POpes line in
which he describes James Is Lord Chancellor az
"The greatest, wisest meanest OF mankind
The poets compact epigram, with its fascinating
paradox. and the rhetorican's splendid sketch IN
Ii. ls.r ~-ffl rfNT q
were alike captivating to the general reader, and
were botb supported with an array of alleged facts
which seemed convincing; and Bacon would prob
ably have gone down to posterity with the reputa-
hon which lie las brought down from Pope. But
Justice although always slow, is sometimes sure
and SPEEDING has indicated Bacons good name by
vanGuishing his assalants, whom he glbbetS III the
eyes of the world as slandeIers who to graty their
own desire to say something fine, bced a great man
rs to whose life they ignorant or only half IN
formed They. in the person of the principal
offender Macaulav. are convicted. not OF dellD-
eratcly bearing false witness against their neighbour
but OF failing to discover the truth about INN, ana
Willingly remaining in ignorance that suited
their own purpose of personal vanity. They aid not
sav what they knew to be false; but they did com
init the next most grievOus violation OF the great
ninth commandment by saying, with injurious IN
tent. that which they did not know to be true "a
sin sometimes meaner IN ITS motive thaD the more
direct violation of the moral law.
Mr. Spedding's book consists of nineteen argumen-
tative dialogues or Evenings" in which he and
his supposed friend, who has accepted Macaulay S
iudnrnt 90 together over the of BacOns life
year by year, month by month"; and almost day by
dav. following Macaulay in his essay. The method
is not admirable in itself for two reasons First 1t
is to be objected TO all such dialogues that the
writer's opponent is a man of straw, set up for his
own purpose that L. to be defeated and convinced.
There is all the difference between such a contest
md real one that there is in firing al man nShaped
mark and firing at a real man with real pistol IN
his hand But it must be admitted that Mir. Sped
ding is singulary fair The candid and judicial
tone of his mind appears in the strength which he
gives to his friendly opponents positions, and the
reserve and caution with which hc claims the VIC
tory which, step by step, he wins. But next, such
dialogues apt to be dull and from this reproach
in its earlier parts at least Nh Speddng's work IS
not free although its subject, his intimate know
ledge of it ana his literary skill redeem it as the
work goes on.
We cannot, Of course follow our author in an eX-
animation Of minute details ahd of dates supported
tv documentary evidence. The very value of tho
discussion consists in particularly of research
and of comparison. to bring which electually be-
fore the reader would requite the repetition of the
whole at least of the greater part OF these two
large volumes. The famous essay on Bacon ls taken
up paragraph by paragraph, assertion by assertion,
insnuation by insinuatiOn, and is shown TO be, in
the main. a gittcring tissue Of malicious rhetorical
gencralities. Briefly, SPEEDING crinds Macaulay
slowly into powder He shows that he was igno-
rant and not only ignorant but careless, of the
truth that lie took pleasure, an intellectual pleas
ure, in presenting caricaturcd, that is, an over
char ged picture of Bacon's moral nature and in
short that his essay is libel because of its writer's
lack of literary conscience. So thorough is he,-
Spedding-so careful to sustain his argument by