New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-27
LANDOR.

From, The Neir Volume me Encyclopaedia Britannica
From nineteen almost TO ninety his intellectual
and literary activity was indeiat gably lncessant;
but hereiu at least. like Charles Lamb. whose
cordial he cordially returned, he cond MOI WHO
n note of three lines which ala not pear the marx
of his Roman hand III It's matcnless ana mint.
.ble command of a style at once the most powerful
and the purest Of his age. The one charge whch
can ever seriously be brought and maintained
AGAINST IL ia that of such occasional ODscurlty Or
difficulty as may arise from excessive strictleas lh
condemnation of phase and expurgatIOn OF matter
not always superiiuous ara sometimes a.ilost 10
dlspensable His English prose ana MS LAIN verso
are perhaps frequently and more gravely liaDie
TO this charge than either his English verse or MS
Latin prose- At times II IS wei nish lnPos'o on
for an eye less keen and swift scholarship esi
exuulste and ready than his own. 10 eaten INC
precise direction and follow the perfect course Oh
his rapid thought and rad1nt utterance. LGls
apparently studlOns pursuit anu preference OF the
most terse and elliptic expression which could De
found for anything lie might have to say could not
lut occasionally make even 80 sovereign master
of two great languages appear " dark with excess
OF lights, but flOm no former master OF elther
tongue in prose or verse was ever the luiily Oh
zeal obscurity. of loose aud nebu.ous lncerttude
more utterly alien and more naturally remote
There is nothing Of cloud or fog about the pith on
which he leads us; but we fee now ana then tho
want of bridge or hand-rail; we have 10 leap
from point 10 point of narrative or argument, with
Out the usual help OF a connecting plank. Even IN
his dramatic works, where least OF all 1t should
have been found, this lack OF visible connection or
sequence in details of thought or action Is 100 oien
a source of sensible perpexlty. In MS none
trolOgy on the history Of Ol0tanna, queen OF
Naples 1t is sometimes actually dmcuIt TO realIo
on n first reading what has happened or Is happen
ing or how. why, or by what agency,-a detect
nIone sufficient but unhappily sufficient IN ITSELF
10 explain the too general ignorance o. "a work so
rich IN subtle and NOBLE Treatment oil character 20
SIRE and strong in It's grasp ana rendering oI hisn
actions and high passions, so rich ia hnnoi ana
in pathos, royalty serene i'll us coI'iuahdiins
mower ar the tragic malnspings % IT. TOT ilu VI
pity As a poet he may be SAID on the "hoie 10
stand midway between Byron and sAeleN'-aoouV
hoy he
exccut Cutullus and Sunonidcs u might DE ilhu
to match and il wonld be impossible TO 0Eerra'cD
the flaw less and blimelcss yet living ana breathing
beauty OF his most perfect eIegeS y iE Trans y.
cptaphs AS truly as prettIly was ne lAen, z
Leigh Hunt. ito stormy mountain Pllc VIZ M
should produce lilies His pass o.lale 'oH''>'o'i
his hitter and burning rlty Tor al WRONGS thnaIcu
IN all the world. found only their natural ana ID
eyitable outlet in his lifelong defence or advocacy
of tyranniclde the last resource of Daihcd u'ue
tLe Last discharge of heroic duty. Ills tender AMI
ardent love of children. of animals ana 81 flowers;
makes fragrant alike the pages OF MS Wlltile anu
the records of his life. lie was as surely lhe ioS
gentle and generous the most heaosltOlH 'hU
hot headed OF heroes or OF men, NOT ever "d' 'nS
mans best work more thoroughly lnoEcl anu ~, ~
Tanned of evidence of his noOlest quantities. H'
lov,ltv and uberality of heart were az lneAndus1
lille a. his bounty and beneacenee OF hand iIlso
and reimbursement, deserved or unNeael Eeu' -
vet more readily To his lbs IMAM cu"to"-o
defiance ReViled and rdlculed by LORI bNloii, no
retortcd on the offender living less readily any i
warmly than he lamented ana GAtolc Mn ~
ON rho noble dramatic WORKS OF Ms hoth'I hop.1s
he layiShed magntcence OF sly npathet!c Pi'',o
which his utmost sclf-estmate would never uaNo
exacted for his own. Age and the lapse OF u i
coud neither heghcn nor lessen TIE iuIhe>S % IA,
rich and ready generosity. 10 the poets OF hl' wv
and of the next generation he VAS not fcauifI 'o
honor than 10 those of "A later grown an9 Nv
seldom OF deserts far lover ana FAR lesser cla'uS
than theirs That he was not unconscious OF w
own and avowed it with the iraRk sImpiloils =,
nobler times is not more evident or more Cei'a'I
than that in cOmpaI !sOn with his friends ana Ic'''
he was liable to undeTvalue than 10 Ovcirlte mn
self He was classic and no Journalist; me "l"o
range of his Just and loyal admiration hau '.2, r
for n genius so lar from classical ms BlakeS' 40
in his own highest mood OF method OF creative asv
critical work was he claSsed classic Only ~ az
narrow or exclusive sense OF the term. On elln.i
side immediately or hardly below his mighty n'a' n
teIpiece OF Percles aud Aspasa, STAND Tue ~ Nv"
scarcely less beautiful and vivid studies OF meu
val Italy and ShakeSpearean fHglanu. i"O atly
first flower OF his immortal dialogues IL pto"'viyy
IN he found i'm the single volume COMPRISING ny
" Imaginary Conversations OF GREEKS anu houiHL IL,
his utmost command of passion ana paihoS ns'Iisd
tested by The trascendt mt success IN rms ui'''aJ
and concentrated tragedy OF lloe las "n
Vlpsania" where for once he shows quall., ~; NV,
prorer 10 romantic than classical lmaglhalioaut,a
The subtle aud sublime and terrible power 10 ,se
the dark vestibule of distraction, 10 thlo" ID
whole force of his fancy. the whole hie Oh IA, alls
into the shadOwmg passion ias ShaAeSiSS h,s and
H. OF gradually imminent insanity; ith u "ia,end
Mi other studies from ancient history or 80
aonId Inc s,,btracted from the volume of ms WI" W.
enough would DO left whereon 10 rest tue i ;nar
linn 81 a tame which time could not sensloy iuF