The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-28
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this, for in his later poems he has preached
freedom for all the world except Ireland,
and has bitterly attacked Mr.. Gladstone
because that gentleman insisted that what
was good for the rest of the world should
be good for Ireland, too. This doubtless
atoned for many sins OF comparison IN
the eyes of the queen and Lord Salisbury.
Still the queen has an excellent memory,
and she must remember many occasions
when Swinburne pounded away at kings
and queens and princes and popes and
thrones In way that to her seemed thor
oughly unnecessary. So her black mark
may be opposite his name yet.
Certainly the queen can scarcely forget
Swinburne's outbreak on the occasion of
the assassination of Alexander III. of Rus
STA, when he, in sense, gloritied the work
Of the anarchists. So the poets attacks
on Gladstone are not at all certain to give
him the place now held by Tennyson.
As for that other genius, William Nor
ris, he is amply fitted for the post of poet
laureate save that he is no time server.
But be is not likely to get the position.
He is rich, but he is an out-and-out social
list; John Burns and Hyndman and Annie
Besant are his friends, and his favorite
song is of labor oppressed. He is great
poet, but socialist; even if lie is great
poet, a socialist is not wanted at Windsor
castle. Who knows but that he might
1t Is somewhat interesting to look back
over the list of the men who have been
poets laureate and note what poor lot
the most of them were. In all the other
countries poets laureate or "royal poets"
were selected solely for merit. England
has not followed that plan. "Rare Ben
JonsOn" is called a laureate, but 1t does
not seem clear that he, any more than
Spenser, was officially invested with that
title. Jonson got $500 per year and a
certain amount of canary wine, and Eliza
beth gave Spenser pension of 800 per
year, but he was not known as laureate.
Henry III. paid one Henry de branches
100 shillings per annum to write the verses
praising him. One Walo praised Henry
l., and Baston sang the glories of Richard
l. That they prohted much by it is very
doubtful. During the life of Spenser two
men were poets laureate. They were
Charles Edward and Samuel Daniel. John
Shelton is alleged to have been another.
He made Cardinal Wolsey the butt of his
wit and was forever disgraced.
Richard Edwards seems TO have been the
first laureate whose title was clearly set
forth. In letters patent he is nam I'd
Laureate, poet, player, musician and buff
foon to Mary and Elizabeth" His poetry
would not real well in these more refined
days. Then came the Samuel Davis before
mentioned, whose poems are said to have
been written by Ben Jonson. In 1887 came
Sir William Davenant, who so singulariy
resembed Shakespeare that he was said to
have been his natural son. He died in 1868
and was succeeded by the first OF the great
laureates, John Dryden. In 1896, when
Addison was king in the literary world,
Nahum Tate was made laureate He is
said to have robbed Milton" and "mutil-
ated Shakespeare" He didn't do much
else of consequence except die, in liza.
Nicholas Rowe succeeded him. He inn
itated Shakespeare and did it badly. was
high favorlte at court and died in 1718
Rev. Lawrence Eusdon came next, and
his highest title of fame rests on the
fact that Pope mentioned him in the ''Dun-
clad" ColIy Cibber was also savagely
lampooned by Pope. But Cibber was a
clever man in NANNY ways, and he is not
yet forgotten, as most of the laureates are.
William Whitehead came after Cibber,
The post was offered to Gray, but in addi-
ton TO being great poet he was sensi-
bic man. He declined it and said he
thought it a ''lamentable thing that there
lived people who could envy a poet lau-
reate." Whitehead died in 1885, and
James Warton was appointed. Johnson
said of him that he was a man of genius
and the only man of genius he ever met
who had no heart. He was succeeded in
1870 by Henry James Pye. You couldn't
look for much poetry in the soul of a man
with such name as that. At any rate
ne wasn't very poetical. But neither
were the Hanoverian kings, whose praises
he was supposed to sing, so it didn't much
matter.
Southey was the next laureate. and de-
meaned himself in taking the post, He
made one reform IN it. He exchanged the
allowance OF wine that went with it for
$3.50 per year. Then, came Wordsworth in
ls42, and In 1850 Ternyson. who has held
the position for more than forty wears. and
has honored as no one has before him.
more indeed than it has honored him.
1t isn't an impressive list when YOU look
1t over. Take Dryden and Tennyson and
perhaps Southey out of it, and the rest are.
IN the main, poor lot. 1t would look as
II the real poets of England had been pur-
posely kept out of IT, You see in it no
Shakespeare, no Milton, or Goldsmith. or
Gray, or Pope, or Addison, or Byron. Not
al ali, and If Great Britain can do nothing
better IN the way of poets laureate in the
future than 1t has done in the past. it
would not be bad idea 10 go out of the
business. Tennyson has shed luster on
the position, but when he dies, mediocracv
Will be in the saddle again.
Indeed, there are not a few wise men
over here who say that Tennyson, the
greatest Of poets laureate. will be the last
one. The average Englishman is growing
TO be more radical animal every day.
lie pays for the support of the royal fam
lily, but he growls nightly about it. and
when It comes TO extras he objects openly.