New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-02-15

A. &.
,..,,o &c Mr. Gosse says in bis preface.
:, t;I now no attempt has been made 10 lhcluoo
-, A., rorls of Gray in one puoucatloh' ino
.,or ne the "Elegy was not only Po'
.~or;si.e quality but he was also one VI '"e nv
charming of letter writer's. HIS corio'po" -,
,rh;ch holds a place in English literature a',n'o
entirely its own, has hitherto appo, ord
several incomplete and independent sr,i, The
.,na;aoroh,a mart of il in a mutilated ioii".
pavercnd William Mason. VINO ni'O Ps4 Gov
.alo.,ion Of the "Lettcrs," was gio''i' g,
.ha trust of literary executor, anu " -
otter comparing his versions WIN "iaS -
declares that lie has expeilehceu SUI Wv. tic y
49, 81 The impudence that the collation. reVca''
mem I'D transposed interpolated, suppressed
, - q He thought no moro OF cohIutins
.aou,, o,emv by introducing forged paraeiap,
Io,,er than he did Of completing an uniln'Snou
-..o.o or Of suppressng clumsy sep'onoe'
nU.ford WIN published successive edit'o"' "i''-
,-ord fnone of them complete). began ny pay
,,nr,o-;tad rcspect to Mason. but found GU. 'n"'
e,son,s practices before his own iaoors on"o' "a
Cease belonging to q critical anu oon'O -
80 a Wow If the duties of an editor whloh
hord1v presented itself to the contemporaries "a
Mason and was only half UNDERSTOOD Ill 'ho ''iu0
of Milford Theprincipal part OF the corresp0n
namely the letters to DR.. Thomas "har'o"' no 80 =:
cored from the original manuscripts p'eso'' 1o -
the British Museum. For other letters ho na' .raa
Obliged to relay upon the text OF Mi'io," ,,.,ssn,
fortunately appear to have been prih'eu ~ ..:oaI
in his ripper years, when MS lucas u -, -
;n+agritv were well settled. The poems anu ms
aouanonns nrose works have been treated ~ MI.
CO 18th the most scrurulous care. For most VI
AZ ooe,ns there is an authentic text, pflh'eu III
Grows lifetime with his own revlsiohs' IoI
others Mr. Gosse has had access to Moo pieSer'ou
1T Pembroke College, Cambridge. IN the poe'
hand. In every case he mentions his authoIiti0''
This thereforeis the frstcrtical ana corIec'
of GRAY that has ever appeared ana 'ho p
,a,ience tboroughness and Judgment win
which Il has been prepared deserve inc ""lN'''
acknowledgment ,... I. rr+s
This is also the first complete edition. IL puts
tocther the poetry and prose hitherto oistiiouVeu
among no fewer than four independent pupAoat'oH'
and IT includes number OF pieces never puoi''Ho"
be,ore Mr.. Gosse confesses that the hope he once
.ntertain-d of bringing to light considerable
ouantity of unknown treasures OF Gray s mas no'
been fulfilled Il am bound TO say that nave
e,ovlv become convinced that no such treasures
.xist and that we know the limits of Grays literary
nroduction.p But the search has not been WhoA9
IN vain In verse besides few trlnlng matters
he has found a translation from ProperliuS' "HicN
is certainly a spirited and elegant e@elc'so IL
rhvrne even if say no more OF IL anu .i''i' 80,
ton from Dante-the story Of ugohno' In 'he 'ou
canto of the InfernO-which in some passages conoS
,erbans ne close to the noble music of the original
as any blank verse can. In prose ne n"N "e0h "o'o
~ add something TO the number oil letters and TO
,,rint from ,be original manuscript "Jourrai in
France kept by the poet during his tonr WIN
Walnole in 1889 Thislsa terSe series OF memoranda
NOT without interest. although the topics covered
Inv II have been more deliberately treated ID the cor
resnondence Mr. Gosse has made discriminating
use of the notes of previous editors, and mas auueu
foot notes of his own which seem to us everything
that such illustrations ought to be- they never
encu,nber the text with superluous reflections bat
exnlaln obscure references. identify persons, ana
I'm the case of the poensl give the various reauus9
of different manuscripts and editions IN tracing
quotations and illusions Mi Gosse exhlhlts eAten-
sive research. An admirably and exceptionally
conions index completes publication which Will
he recognized as monument of scholarship ana
Good sense. and en- important contribution 10 the
critical study of English literature.
Pc this laborous work. no less than by his excel
lent Life of GRAY in thea English Men Of Letters
series. Mr. Gosse has presented a clear ana striKing
picture OF IA remarkable figure Inc lastOlouS anu
elegant poet wrote no verse until be was twenty
AK years Of age. and in tho whole OF the thIn
volume of his poetry there are only three OF louI
pieces to keep his name alive. These three or TOUT
include by common consent some OF the very
choicest of English poetry; and yet 1t is nara 10
think Of tray IS flushed with the inspiration of the
muse or writing under the impulse OF strong
noetic feeling He did rise TO q very high flight, at
rare intervals and then we watch the spendor.
mobility and rhythmic ease of his movement with
a perpetual delight and surprise; but his was not
ceuius TO which poetry or even imagination is
daily need of life he was rather man OF taste ana
letters TO whom the occasional cultivation OF the
poetical faculty matter OF habit, ike otner
refined pursuits He wrote SO little. and wrought
his verse with such prolonged and prodlgious labor
that ne he complains in letter to Wharton bic
,,;eces "must come out in the shape OF little six
penny fans, dropping one after another. till Mr.
Dodslev thinks fit to collect them with Mr.. This's
song and Mr.. 'Tother's epigram into a pretty
volume" 1t must be confessed that the themes
npon which he spent his skill and fancy were not
always worthy of such workmanship; but that was
the fault OF All age when triyaltty and polite
scholarship were equally fashionable and Cam
bridge student could divide his midnight musings
between an Ode on the Progress of Poesy and All
Ode ON dead cat.
When he did essay serious and lofty strain, Gray
brought TO the exercise an extraordinary range Of
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, and a business aud breadth of
sentiment far in advance Of his time 1t has been
remarked that true appreciation of the grand and
imposing in nature is distinctive note of modern
feeling Gray seems to have anticipated it. Among
the Alps and the Apennines he shudders with the
yentiopal horror at savage rocks and frOwnng pros
meets; that was the mood of all travellers in his
day: but with his perfunctory dread there mngles
new and irrepressble delight in the majestic and
romantic, and that, in lad of twenty-thtee,
fury and half ago, was almost an originality. OF
the Apennines he wrote to his mother: "This vast
chain of hills has its beauties and all the valleys
are cultivated; even the mountains themselves are
many of them so within little of their very tops
They are not so horrd as the Alps though pretty
L., mt Cnnis he Int