New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-28
WALPOLE AND BOSWELL.
TWO GREAT BUsYBODlES OF THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

HORACE wALPoLE Memoirs OF the kesn bw
Sir Sr"f Denis LIE Marchant: Bart And now re-,
edited by G. F. Russell Barker WIN s'S saas
RoswEILs LIFE OF JOHNSON. Edited with
an Introduction by Mowbray Morris, VOL ! J.
PIP. XIV. 800; Vol II. PIP Co., Thomas T.
This handsome edition of walpole's George
ILL.," with its redned ttle-pages and It's COL
lection Of portraits raises. even before one opens
the rough-edged pages. moot question IN h'era-
ture. Why is it that the personality Of some
authors. Johnson, for example, Is 50 much more
important than their writings. while others would
stand so much better in the worlds estimation II
their works were the only testimony or thesr
oxistenceo The latter are so numerous that 1t
&c no disbursement TO Walpole to say that ne
should be counted with them. strong argument
cou,d no made from the multitude Of instances
ilxe his that genius in man Is something apart
not only from its physical but its mental en-
yironment Here was man who literally created
English romance by his Caste or Otranto'
whose memoirs have lent vitality to the WORKS
of every English historian since his Time ana
vet whose own character was trivial whimsical
and eccentric Pen in hand he was master
among men, and will remain so as long as
English literature and English history are read
but. deprived Of that weapon, he has little claim
on the respect OF posterity. lie was says Ai'
Barker. "a fastidious and capricious man, fuil OF
whims and fancies with affected manners d
lively wit and an almost feminine 1ondhess lot
mischief and gossip" Strangely enough he pre-
tended like Congreve. to despise the only quar-
tiles he had which made him valuable. lie de-
c,ared that he had no ambition for literary fame
But the impulse within him was stronger IMAM
b,s affectaton: he could not let the pen alone
tervals in the production of his more formal
WORKS and he left to be published long after his
death the memoirs of the reigns Of George II and
III and the journal of the Reign of King George
III from III to 17SS' His letters are fairly de-
scribed by Mr.. Barker ''ncomparab e Ihere
is not a dull page in his writings. For the heht
malice and jealousy and misrepresentation "mch
the memoirs contain he forestalled censure py
his frankness. in the opening pages OF 'he "oih
In hand. He wrote memoirs. ne deciareu' ho'
history. II in place he contradicteo 'he opi"-
ions which he had advocated on announcer page
the discrepancy must be attributed to the lac'
that the writing was done at different periods
sometimes after long intervals. LAS knew men
more" he added. II may have altered my sehu-
ments Of them-they themselves may nave
changed If / had any personal causes lol
changing my opinion. l have told them 1airiy'
that the fault may be imputed to my PASSIONS
rather than to those speak Of
The notes appended TO his work by others snow
that it was highly needful for Walpole to remind
his readers of his point of view ana OF ms
necu,iaritles. His jealousy sometimes descended
TO minute particulars. He disliked the Loru bu'e
of his time. whom he called the favorite-though
no MIGHT with better reason have said the master
or the euardian-of the youthful George ILL., II
was legitimate to condemn the party politics or
the craftsmanship Of Lord Butte. but Walpoie
an,mositv went somewhat further. He was NM
self a noteworthy amateur in art Among the
works published in his lifetime were TWO thd' III
d,cated his tastes in such matters Anecco'es OF
Painting in England" and "A Catalogue OF En-
rravers Who Have Been Born or Resided IN f-he
land" His house, Strawberry Hill, was cro"ueu
nv the end Of his life with huge colecuoh ol
curosities Of every description. TINS museum
vas far from being worthless 1t was sofa III
1Si2 and the sale lasted thirty-two days 'he
sum realized amounting to Sl6I.26o Poruohs u
4. may have betrayed the eccentrciues ol inc
collector but these were best eXhloited IN the
house itself Walpoe fancied that he had turn
for architecture we'll as other arts. Ills mouse
uas originally a cottage which had belonged to
q famous toy-woman Of London. by slow de-
yrees "savs Mr.. Barker. "he transformed the cot
Assuming himself to be expert in architecture
II was natural that with his temper he should De
Jealous of others who pretended to proficiency
,n the same field Thus il happened that Lord
Rute came in for some sarcastic punishment
which he did not deserve. Lord Butte. writes
Walpole, had little reading. and affected learn
ing" and little later, 1.-The revenues OF the
Crown were so soon squandered In purchasing
dependents that architecture. the darling art Oh
Lord Butte was contracted from the erection OF
a new palace to altering a single door-case IN thc
drawing-room at st. James's. These remarks
were dictated purely by i'll will Sir Denis lie
Marchant observed that they were not borne out
by the facts and he cited the collection OF pictures
at Lord Bute's palace of Luton as PROOF OF the
owners munifcence and discernment he also
said that Luton itself. or rather the enlargement
Of II which Lord Butte is known to have personally
superintended with many faults had likewise
many beauties. and was surpassed in taste by
few mansions Of that date and certainly not py
strawberry HILL" But what strikes the reader
over and over again is that these MALICIOUS
thrusts which in purpose trivial are delivered
IN q STYLE that lends them dignity. What the
mending Of decrease at st. Jamess really had
70 do with project for new palace would have
nuzzIed even Walpole TO tell. but with that fond
ness for mischief which. as Mr.. Barker says
characterized him, he at once associated the TWO
facts together by an allusion to the finances OF
the Kingdom All three points might nave Deen
true and yet in juxtapostion they may nave
given an impression wholly Incorrect Something
of the same kind happened in the CHARACTERIZE
tion OF George III. Americans have no good
reason for cherishng the memory OF that hihg'
hut not even the most ardent patriot OF the ReVo-
lutionary period would have denied him the
quality Of persistence, and they certainly would
have questioned his claim to be called humane
But Walpole, seeing him at the outset OF MS
reign, said that ''as far as could be discerned OF
the Kings natural disposition 1t was humane ana
benevolent If flowing courtesy TO all men was