The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-01-05
PENCIL MARGIN N&EIt---FOR Sun.
DAY READING.

Special Cor, STATE CHEoNitIEl
The readers Of tie CHRONICLE Mil re-
member that suopended for an attempt
e0 Christmas MARGINAIIA, my remarks on
the great men Of letters OF the seventeenth
century. its orators, poets and prose writ
ers. The reigns of Anne and the TWO last
Georges have been always regarded as
''AuGuStan periods IN English literature
but | challenge their brightest days to a
comparison with those which produced a
Milton, a Dryden, a Browne, a Sidney. a
South, Pym, Naue, Il Digby, IA Straf-
ford, Halifax and others of equal or APP
proXlmate genius and renoWn AS to Sir
Thomas Browne BROWNE | hardly dare
mention him in the CHRONICLE again.
When | last expressed my gratitude for
printers failure to have him figure as
Daniel Boone, the great Kentucky Pioneer,
| thought had spelt his name-or, rather
WRITTEN it-plainly enough, but out it
came at the last, Sir Thomas BRoME," as
If the soothing character of his writings
suggested some form Of bromide, dear to
doctors. Sir Thomas. however, was a man
of too much genuine worth 10 be put down
by the printers or any other devil. and if,
from some serene seat above the thunder,
his spirit should behold these indiCnitleS
TO his cognomen, his privileged acquaint-
ance with poSt-mortal affairs Will enable
him to recall Byron's idea Of glory as the
fate of one who die, lighting for his coun-
try and has his name ''mis pelt in tho
GaZttte.' 1t is the fate Of most great
writer's that their best thoughts become 50
familiar as TO grow what We term ..hack-
neyed' Sir Thomas has not altogether
escaped this common misfortune. but he
has suffered from il less severely than
SbakSpriire. Milton and some Others. The
passage am about TO quote, though given
IN pam oy Taine, in his English Literature,
by Chambers, in his CSclopaedia of Eng
lsh literature. by WASHINGTON Irving. in
his sketch Book. and incidentally in the
WRITINGS Of many authors, it NAV be, is
50 Thoroughly illustrative Of his best vein
tnat cannot forbear reproducing il for
such raaltf~ of the CWR0NICIE as NAV not
have ha1 I'D pleasure OF seeing it. saws
he. ora!ntIy enough:
| .What songs The sirens sang, or what
| name Achilles assumed wh,=i ne hid him
saIf amoIio women. thouYh nuzzlinr oues-
4 tio,,s ..r. not l,.,o,8 ,i} rnniartnra Nhat
TINE tba uersons of these o.fuaries entered
/ rha f..,,,,,i,s. .u,t1ous of tb,. dad and slent
! ,.ifl ,,ri,,c4. And counsellor. ,oiyht admit
/ a vide s.lutiou But vino .,ere the pro
pnIErARIF9 Of thc>s, bones. &. what bodies
| These ashes made M. weI, a question
above aDtIulla1iauisfn. not 10 be resolved
| bE man nor easily IerlaDS bN spirits eX-
cent Ne consult the provincial Guardians
n,t.taI,rv ohsarvatdrs HID they made
al GOOD nroyision for their Games as they
49, dnna fa,. tha;r r.Iics ,hny had not
i' ,,,l,,, -, +tl ~ = ,,,,y.,,o+,,ot;ar
D., l,,tiit ~ n,,a d bt -
l-,iI,I o,9,a,,. = : faIIa,, ia 1,rott;n,,
YIN :.has Which N H.. oblivion Of
names nersnns times anI sexes. have
| fonnd nnto themselvesa = fri t}ess continu-
ation and onlv arises unto late nootcrity.
l,,,}innno az n,o,tal VANITY antidotes
-, ,,,;,la ,.ai,,,,lo,.,, -, i ,,addaninr
80 Pa.,an vajnoIorias .,hich thon@hf
~, u.c,Id ,ni,,bt Iauf fornva.. had ancGnr-
se,eroa,,t fn,. ambition arI finding no
Afrnnos INTO tbe immor inv Of their
-,a,,,d ,,.ar. mover Ianna. With tho NO
;t,3 af olli,inn Evrn ~ on,hit;ons
i'ad -, o9,,,,,,,,1o of a,,rs !. tba attrnnts
- tii-'i,. ,,ain,,l.,i.g who ,rt;n,, .arIv
"a I,ofara tbe ,raI,abl, me-, ,Jian If tim9'
ha,,o(,y I'LL nm. fonn1 t.a,.,nmnlish
,'a,,+. Of +b.ir Io.i,,r. [2hn~abv thp anc-
iant brroas nave already .1tla.ted their