New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-24

q rhythmical quality. at once exquisite anu
simple for which you may quest In vain among
the Minors Of to-day"
One question Of fact Is regrettable to see left
In dubious case by Mr.. Henley. In a note re-
ferring to Beckford, he accepts In toto the ira
ditonal idea that "Vathek was written, as its
author claimed. In single sitting of three
days and two nights Of hard labor" II never
took my clothes off the whole time" wrote Beck
ford and for years he has been believed. But
only three or four years ago some correspondence
was discovered that had passed between Beck
ford and his friend Samuel Henley, and that
proved "Vathek'' to have been the product OF
fully a years intermittent activity. This how
ever. Is a trife. Mr.. Henley's notes are. on the
whole. as Judcious as they are penetrating and
the evidence OF prejudice here and there can
not obscure the fact that he has performed his
duty with unexpected tact and success. We
say unexpected. because as has been indicated
above. Mr.. Henley would have seemed the one
man In London unlikely to do justice to Byron's
vigorous simplicity 1t Is a simplicity concern
ing which II will be more interesting to speak
at length when further volumes In this edition
have widened the sphere Of discusson but
this initial nstalment Of the prose Is sufficient
to provoke a confident suruise that a new epoch
Is heralded in its arrival Byron is an Intel
lectual tonic. 1t will be interesting to see how
he acts upon the world within the next few
years 1t would be mistake TO regard the re-
vival OF interest In him as partaking OF the
nature Of discovery but he is certainly des-
tined to be a more persistent element in literary
discussion In the immediate future than he has
been for some years His influence. and no
other. is exactly the one Of which contemporary
literature Is most in need. Were he more
austere type, he would be less persuasive. less
serviceable. Wordsworth. whose name was
linked with Byron's by Matthew Arnold.
in a prophecy which assigned 10 those two
poets the ultimate -eminence Of their time
Wordsworth is hardly needed now as Bryon
Is needed. For the latter very like
ourselves. tossed about by gusts Of pas
sion. trimming with energy which he
did not know just what to d, WITH riding on
whrlwind of feeling and thought which never
allowed the tension Of his soul 10 relax. Sharing
as he did in man, of the most characteristic dis
sipations OF the Regency. burning the candle al
both ends. he anticipated the recklessness of
our own day. But where he had preservatve
which he now seems destined to convey into the
turbid channels of our life and letters was in
remaining through all his audacity and careless
emphatically honest temperament.
Time was when dandies initiated the wave Of
his collar To-day no man reading him with
the smallest degree OF intelligence can fail to
recognize his freedom, from, quackery. his essen.
tial sincerity. The Byronic attitude was GER
tainly a pose. But even in his foibles the poet
was remarkably frank He is. in short. the poet
Of the nineteenth century who is most candid
without being offensive who is strongest. most
virile without being gross His gallant indom
liable temper touches the imagination with
sense of freshness and buOyancy. Its re-en-
trance upon the stage Of thought is an suspicious
omen. That re-entrance is made the more con-
ciating. IT may be added. through the printing
OF Mr. Henleys new edition in very excellent
form. The type is handsome. the paper AMI
presswork good. and save that the notes
In type q tri1e too small. and that the shape
of the volume is somewhat dumpy. the book is
exactly what It should be-