New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-07


ing Gaol, by c. 3. g." No one pretends to sympa-
| thize with the notorious author who is under
| stood to- have enlivened his confinement by the
composition of these verses; but, Of course, say
the wiseacres, we must not allow our judgment
Of the work to be warped by prejudice against
the man. Well, ii needs no great detachment
from personal considerations to decide as to the
merit of this ballad. Candidly it has no merit.
The tone is the familiar tone Of the criminal
who, In an abyss Of self pity, finds the hands OF
justice intolerably cruel The author has not,
either, lent any weight to his work by echoing
weakly the manner of Hoods Dream OF
Eugene Aram." This is, In short, a performance
marked by cheap platitude and mawkish senti-
ment The crocodile tears which the author
sheds over the murderer whose hanging Is dwelt
Upon at such length only provoke contempt
Mr. William watson's earliest volume. 1.-THE
Princes Quest" was published in 1880. con-
siderable number Of publications have been put
to his credit since that date That he should
have made a selection from them to print in one
volume, entitled 1.-THE Collected Poems Of Will
lam Watson" is, no doubt, legitimate He has
omitted much, and 1t Is always encouraging
when a minor poet sees fit TO withdraw due
proportion Of his songs. But that Mr.. Watson
conclusively by the present volume, in spite Of
its somewhat complacent title. The most that
can be said for Mr.. Watson is that he is fair
critic Of literature, and by seduously following
the best examples has achieved a dignided
manner Of embodyng literary criticism in verse.
He has high ideals and addresses himself to
them with real devotion. His workmanship is
polished In a word his utterance is clear. Bat
it is never freighted with thought nor is it
musical. Behind it all we divine the poet who
has been made, not born. This mechanical
origin Of Mr. Watson's poems declares itself in
more ways than one. We have alluded to his
lack of spontaneous melody. Even more disu-
sionizing is the frequent failure of his taste.
The poet chooses the right word by instinct.
Mr.. Watson, cropping for ii in the dark, often
hits upon the very last word that he should use.
In an ode to Arthur c. Benson he alludes to the
atmosphere of Elton, in which the historic past
strikes him as appearing "affably real and
near" 1t would be hard to imagine a more in
fecitious, unpoetic line.
The latest addition to THE Muses. Library" is
volume given to 1.-THE Poems of Thomas
Carew" 1t is edited by Mr.. Arthur Vincent
who tells in a brief introduction the very little
there is to be told concerning the life of the
poet and refrans from the besetting sin OF ed-
! tors the disposition to belaud their authors
| Discretion is wise in the case of Carew, for he
is not a poet whose every line is to be treasured
| On the contrary, he wrote many things which
! are welcome in the present edition merely as
matter of record and, Mr. Vincent points
out with mild disapproval, some of Carew's
/ euphuisms uncommonly absurd. He it was
who spoke of the Earl of Angeseys legs as
stately pillars" But the small quantity of his
good work and his occasional mannerisms do
not matter At his best and in his OWN way he
is one of the most exquisite Wrists in English
pears in a series notable for beautiful press
work 1t is a dainty little book. THE Cam
bridge Edition of the Poets" edited by MIR. Hor
ace E. Scudder eschews daintiness: the volumes
are stoutly made. and are printed with the
double columns that facilitate the inclusion Of
the complete works Of poet in one book. This
series is one for practical purposes and case
in point is offered by the new volume Just pub
lished containing The Complete Poeucal works
of John Milton" Mr. William V. Moody edits
this relying of course, to a great extent upon
the heroic labors of Professor Mason, but
bringing merits Of his own to his task Ihere
is the usual biographical introduction, an essay
compact instructive and well written There are
also critical notes of the most thorough charac-
fer accompanying separate poems the Lath
noems Mr.. Moody has translated into prose
! saekine literalness as his chief aim. The notes
are ample, and there is an excellent index
Whom Mr. Robert Cameron Rogers writes
,ra,,v LITTLE lyrics with sentimental burdens he
discIoses facility enough. but no very fresh III
4 he