New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-04

embell,shed with portraits Of Richard Burbage
! and william Cartwright-thc later one OF Ben's
tribe -copied from originals in the precious coli
lection preserved at the Dulwich Gallery.
II Is more pleasant to cad Jonson In one of
the folios than In any other form. because In the
folio he seems more like what he truly Is.
curiosity In any form he Is an author dilcult
TO read His plays ndeed are generally wen
proportioned. well balanced. neatly hnisned
cumulative in interest. rcdolcnt OF animal HE.
rcplete with eccentrcit!cs II coarse humanity.
and written with prodigious abundance. voluhil-
ity and variety of language sometimes Win
even a pomp Of eloquence and. at rare intervals.
with an Intermittent glow OF poetic spiendor.
But his persons are se.doI1 agreeable or natural
his spirit is earthly. his humor Is exceedingly
vulgar, his style often lapses into verbosity ana
dulness. and his writings nearly always show
effort and impart fatigue. That he possessed
great mastery Of the English language. more
particularly In its Latin elements together with
ample scholarships and that he was a man OF
strone character and a lyrical poet of nimbe
invention and extraordinarily productive vital
force no reader of him corli fail 10 see. Yet his
works live in the library rather than in the
heart.
He laid great stress upon form, and for that
virtue he has always been admired; but the pcst
of form IL less delightful than the wildn'ss OF
inspiration and a whole play by Jonsoh becomes
insignificant beside chosen page by SNAKE
speare He is at his worst In tragedy. SeJahus
is a positive affection, and "Cat:hne IL not
ro,cb hotter He is at his best in his lyrical
pieces and his light entertainments, and IN
EVERY Man In His Uumour, the only one OF
his comedies that has kept even the senpiahce
of a place upon the stage the pest sidenEh's
upon the man are found In Drummonds Notes
and IN some W the letters OF James Howell.
Some knowledge Of Jonson Is essentiai TOT every
student OF English drama and for those readers
who have not the time or the patience 10 MAKE
a more exhaustive study OF him, TINS coinpen-
dunn should prove Of much service.
Ford's genius is seen at its best OF power In
his tracedy-upon n loathsone ana appalling
subiect-ent!t,ed IT'S Pity, etc, but IL IS
noby disclosed In The Broken Heart The
character Of Orgllus upon which so much OF inc
action OF this piece Is made TO depend H. per
haps somewhat strained from nature II GER
tainly is ignoble in It's bias toward base sns-
n,con and in the awful cruelty II It's v,ngeful
resentment: but IT has been warped by misery.
Passion is treichted 10 the utmost in that char
acter and in every character thcrcls TREMENDOUS
vitality. The rcmorse ~ Itho-les the Jealous
sublime anguish " CalaLtha. are all intensified
and made excruclatlng ~,th terrible sincerity.
There was no anectatlon in Ford. lie felt pro
foundlv and he delineatcl men and women who
take lie in deadly earnest, and who feel. aspire
and suffer
The language II The BROKEN Heart. While
no, Invariably fine 4. rcmaf kahlc for the stately
and solemn splendor with which II moves. and
FOR its inherent. involuntary poetic beauty. The
scene OF the death Of Org!.u" Is one - awiul teF-
ror instinct with pity. AMI that %: Caanthas
remuneration and heart-r"nding fate j. the per
lection Of rathos. In this neat 'oun" Inc
Broken Heart forms one - series ~ English
Readings for students Nr. Scollards preface
Is terse and sensible and his notes are excellent
He SAYS a word 4 meritcd tribute 10 f"ris ~
ceptional merit a lyri'al poet. and he briefly
sets forth the little that Is known ~ MS NE
M, much ia known about the lives 81 any u the
Euzabe,han dramatists-a fact worth remcfn-
bcring when the wonder is expressed that 90
rttie should be known about Shakespeare Ford
was born In 1886. and he survived TIL 1913 or
little later.
In the second part u his tragedy u Nero.
Mr. Bridges has told story OF c"nsWThcy l'd
by Piso agains, that rule. which ends IN as
aster 10 the conspiratoro and in the death ~ Inc
bamelcss Seneca. The piece would mol prove
effective in representation for the reason that IL
is diffuse and monotonous. and that the sus-
mango which II aims 10 excite and sustain is too
long protracted one meeting = the consp'ra-
,ors should suffice and the catastrophe should
AZ once be prccipta;cd T. show every step ~
the way is 10 show too much But the piece IL
interesting TO read, and doubtless II Is good
history
Mr. Bridges writes in fluent and flexible hihhk
verse which. while II never rises into poetry ~
Invariably melodious and sometimes is eloquent
His characters are clearly and boldly drawn. as
II distinct 10 his vision and magnetic t. MS fec-
ings. Nero is made to express his composite
contradictory and malevoent nature with "s-
pecial felicity. Hus lghtness. sapence. worldly
wisdom. humor. vanity. bacful sensuasm and
,nvetcrate hardness ~ "vil purpose are denoted
with many felicltous touches. PetrJniu3 IS made
very attractive and Seneca is portrayed wlth
remarkable skill. The strongest character Is
Eplcharis-a woman who .atcs the Emperor.
plots against him and nearly battles him. ana
whom no torture can subdne.-and her speech
Of denuncation Of Nero in his courtroom mas
the true ring OF actual dramatic language one
Of the finest touches in the work Is that when
ehows the compex mood II Nero. after he has
assented TO the killing Of Seneca The lony
composure Of that philosopher. AZ the hour OF
his death draws near. is inpiessively slgnihed
This play IL one Of a series Of eight. and 1t IA
dedicated t. Andrew Lang. The style OF this
author is shown at It's best in these words.
spoken by Nero:
| know that there IS no man In the world.
Nor ever was hut hath his flaw. In some
IT'S foul blot. that IN the eye OF nature
Stands out objectionable and unredeened
BY all the school oi virtues howsoccr
They dance In grace around II. In another
IT'S like n beauty mark. a starry mole
Which on q virgins body but sets OF
The dazzling flesh that else were self-cxtin-
guishcd
In It's fairness