New-York tribune., 1896-01-19
DE QUINCEY.
HIS ECCENTRICITIEs DESCRIBED BY
THOSE WHO KNEW HIM.

One Of the writer's in this volume depreca'es
the thought OF De Quincy as double person
ality. There was nothing in the famous httie
man. he says. that would have suggested 'he
contrast In him of DR.. Jekyll and Mr. HYDE. But
he certainly one sort OF man 10 look at anu
another sort to be imagined from his writings.
For instance Richard Woodhouse whose reni-
niscences form part of Mr.. Hoggs COLLECTION
had formed the idea that the Confessions OF an
English Opium Eeater" was the work OF a tall
thin pale gentlemany looking. couruerlike mas'
But the man whom he was so eager TO meet
turned out to be short. salow-lookng person,
OF very peculiar cast Of countenance. and APP
parenty much Of an invalid Woodhouse may
have fancied, though he does not say so, that
man who advertised his own shortcomings
through the press would be endowed with ef-
frontery. The construction OF his sentences in
the description of De Quincy seems to show that
the balance Of clauses which he had in mind
has been disturbed He did not find a bold, cool.
self-possessed literary adventurer, but a man
whose demeanor was 'very gentle, modest ana
unassuming" In one respect only was the
stranger all that Woodhouse anticipated. His
conversation fully came up to the idea l had
formed of what would be that of the writer Of
these articles" Happy De Quincy! Most men
Of letters are a disappointment at first hearing.
They are often too hungry at dinner to be brill
liant. Sometimes they do not to talk al all,
and rarely even when they do talk, is their con-
vemation up to the level of the writings which
have interested their visitors. But De Quincy,
II one may trust. not the reports but the impress
sions of those who were less intimate
with him. was even better talker than as
writer The strange thing is that nobody ever
thought OF making more than few random
and dsjointed notes Of what he said. Mr.. Hogg
himself regrets this neglect his own part.
"If only I had taken notes. he eXc!aims, "of
some Of these things when memory was green.
Need say that regret such lost opportunities?
Sometimes in the night-watches stray feeting
memories drift across me. but feel unable TO
catch the whole to present faithful re-
port" And sceptcal world TO which De Quin-
cey is only brilliant writer wonders II these
vague memories OF his talk are trustworthy.
They seem like those echoes of golden age
which never existed. but which tradition never
abandons.
One reason for scepticism is that Mr.. Hogg
makes his hero infalible in matters Of learning.
If a mistake occurs anywhere. then it must have
been made by some other body This tendency
on the part Of De Quinceys admirers is shown
particularly In the footnotes to Richard Wood
houses Notes of Conversations with Thomas
De Quincy" Woodhouse man who had no
literary ambitions of his own. His only aspra-
ton was to minge with distinguished writer's.
He was devotedly attached to Keats. he was
kind and judicious friend TO Leigh Hunt, and he
was the man to whom. says Dr. Garnett the
heartrer6ing communications Of Severn, from
Italy" were almost exclusively addressed. He
was much with De Quincy for three or four
months in the midst Of the stir caused by the
Confessions" and was soon convinced of his
new friends splendid and varied powers Dr.
Garnett, in the introduction to his edition of the
Confessions" gives Woodhouse the credit of re-
fiecting the pecuarites of De Quincey's conver-
sation 1.-The slvery accents the courteous defer
ence. the exquisitely refined phraseology, the
subdued yet almost exa aggerated earnestness the
clrcumstantiality and subtety, the copous flow
OF polished speech never lapsing into twaddle or
swelling into harangue which, II they could not
WELD democracy, could hold half-astonshed
half-amused aristocracy of intellect by spell
like the Ancient Mariners" a man who could
thus photograph q brilliant talker in the very
act was hardly the man to. n-isquote remark
that attracted his attehtion. On one occasion
De Quincy happened to speak Of Dryden and to
call attention to the "Satires OF MacFlecknoe."
He asked one OF his companions If he knew that
B. in those satres meant Burnet the historian.
Whoever made the notes to Woodhouse discov-
cred that there Is no alusion to B. nor to Burnet
In the satircs mentioned. but that Burnet figures
as the Buzzard in The Hind and the Panther
But the error is attributed not to De Quincy,
but to Woodhouse's report.
The fact appears to be that De Quincy was
capable Of strange lapses in memory. An Illus
tration OF this is afforded in this book by refer
ences to the poetry Of Burns. In 1921. when he
talked to Woodhouse the coming essayist was
far from pleased with the Scottish ploughman
poet He was astonished at the high opinion
which was held by the reading world in general
Of Burns. He accused the verses TO Mary III
Heaven" Of being false in sentiment. Fictitious
and commonplace. There was nothing OF the
high poet in THE Cotter's Saturday Night Be
sides the subject had been borrowed from Fer
gusson Even Tam O Shanter" was greatly
overpraised. In general. Burns might say some
things well, but ne could never be ranked as a
great poet. Now. If the evidence was lacking in
1921 TO prove that Burns was great poet, then
II must have been lacking forever after. Never
theless II Colin RaeBrown In his "Recollections
OF the Glasgow Period" OF De Quincey's career.
which reproduced in this volume, Is TO De
trusted then De Quincy had changed his mind
greatly by 1S47 Worship Of Burns was confessedly
a hobby with Mr.. Rae Brown. and he made more
than a mental note Of what the great critic had
to say apropos of fine edition Of Burnss poems
then Just announced. He observed that De Quin-
ceys eyes visibly dilated as ne spoke. "Ah"'
said he, 1.-The Ayrshire Colossus Is still expanding
outward and upward, in spite of all his detract-
ors II some Of my Lake friends had had more
critical insight. or more liberality, their i'm
mature deliverances on the achievements and
future position of our Ayrshire poet would have
savored more of the characteristics Of genuine
criticism and true prophecy" The contrast be-
tween the two opinions is glaring but 1t would
te less remarkable II De Quincy had not con-
demned others so unsparlngly for holding views
urhicn he himself once maintained. Any one