The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30

] quote Ben JOnsOn y W1bute 10 bndHsIedTe,
or 10 poin, out that the eulogy. splendid
as il lis. acquires ten-fold force from the
fact that II emanates from a man whose
general literary theory Is ayowedly differ
ent from that of the subject. while the
censure accompanying the eulogy loses
force in exactly the same proportion. Our
author THINKS that what Jonson blames in
Shakespeare. -any ancient critic (perhaps
even Longinus) would have blamed too
what Ben praises. il is not certain that any
ancient critic except LoEginrs, would have
seen" Prof Saintsbury holds. indeed, that
in every respect but one, namely, that his
viewpoint was necessarily that Of the later
! Rena ssance, Ben Jonton was critic armed
nj all points His l. now ledge OF literature
was extremely wide. Icing at the same time
solid and thorough, While he had an under
standing above all things strong and mas
culn. he was particularly addicted though
in 10 dilettantc fashion, TO points Of form
His whole energies. end they were little
short Of Titanic, were given 10 literature
Lastly, il he had not supreme poetic genius.
| he had such a talent that only the neigh
borhood Of supremacy dwarfs it. Where
| he came short was not in certain hardnts IS
Of temper and scholaeticism of attitude. for
by that enthusiasm for letters which Inc
poss.ssed are not lad EQUIPMENTS for the
| critic. II was rather in the fact that he
cam, too early for /, to lie possible for him
! oxfep, ly the helm of a miracle to Under
, stand the achievements end value of the
/ vcrn,cnIars Nv his latest DAYS il i, true
| ,b,, ,,rsorpapca Of those wns already very
yr,at Spain has hardly added ANYTHING
, since and Italy not very much. To her share
! of Eu,onoan literature, Franc, WIS already
| /, r.. tr., oush of her 'cla,.i,Pl' ppriod
af,or n long and plorious carlier history.
and wbat Ben's own contemporaries in
| ENGLAND had done all men know But
nodipvel li,ora,ure VAS .htu from him.
as from all ,il far later. he docs not s.tm
90 L,yo loan ,pucb drawn 10 Continental
let,e,s and nerb,ps In their cp,o. as GER
,ci,ly /, rryli.l no wos too n,ar- too tn,lch
a mr., or tba p,oyen.n,-,o Get il into finn
,o,.roc,;v."
Af,.r mining ,hat tho critical ,emper in
J,r.on may no al,pos, d,scrih,d a. all
/ n,ry,,;,, s;nce |, hr.aks oil, in his NIL y.
, and so,na,i,nas i'm his .w.ct,st lyr,c. Mr.
| Sai,,.burv no;r,s IN, that Their, ar, three
/ -nlacos mr. grouns Of placc. In Jor.ou's
,,r,,;,,. wbsra cri,i,i.m j.. reasonably
ioo,,..i FOR Wbo, IA. has in mind ar, I'M,
,,oca.iorol nraf,c.. mr. obsarya,iors 10
an, ~, ,ho rla ,b,,.,lv.. tb,. -,on.
| ,.arxa,i,,,. ,;,h Druuuord and aboy,
an 49, ;,.,s,,;.,,,l,, rnoy,,' 4d;,rov,ri..
49, .,i,u,,ar ON, .u,ho, makes no a,.
-, -, ,'i..,,, ,os,.,I.r CIV. NOR, .cat,sr.d
a,i,in.l ,,..,,,.- ,,.,r,l, r.ua,kirg tim,
i, ~, &c H., NAV H.. Co,,na TN, ",.l
a,i lii ,hnngh .o,n.v,b., n,,r,i.I knovl
,d,, ,h. ,rn,,g cons. ,h. ,nathniic schol.
| .e,i,, =, n, "a, lao .id. u,i,b hi. .,,,.lv
| ma. .u,hui.,ic lint rather foo clo..,.uack, Il
| -,,.,, III. ma, ul.foundad hut .liyh,lv ,x
o.-i, .alf-con0a,rc. ,nd tho, ,nuub
L,,lk.,,.r m,nn.r ~ asa.r,iop and
,,h.rao,,r;,a,ion :, hicb re,nnear.d in i,s
NO., m, ,uo,d., form il. tho ,,ony,rsa,ious
iii D,nr,wond,r Tho critical u,,ranccs
=, ,t,...', ,.,., ,or.,,io,s- mr.. mo, horo d.
missed IN fuu. hut soms az ,hs moro inter
o-.;ng ar. recalled ". ar, reminded
! ,or ,xan,,i. ,ho, r., Jorsop ,bouyh, all
,,h,r rhvm, irf.rior IN counle,. and had
,,s,,o ,r,.,i., unf,r,uno,.lv to-t
| ,r,i,s, ,,,s,, MI, In ,b,orx ar nrac,;c.,
| bsd takon ia. onpos;,e .idr His obiec.
to- 80 ..,o,z,s nrd oros. rbvu,." was
| ,h,, -os the purnos. mirht head b,vopd
| ,bor ,h.v u,ro all forced SIDNEY b,.
| sail -uod. ey.rv ana .n,ak a. we'll a.
himself. and so did not keep -decorpm
| Spansar's stapzas and matter did no, pleas.
| him Daniel WAS no poet III. did not
| Ike Dravon's -lonr verses" nor Svlvrs-
| tors and Fnirfax'. translatious He
! ,hoieht IN, trau.l,,ions of Homer Chan
| mans, and yirqil ,phaer'. into long Al,x-
| andrin,s" Il q fourteen.r,,. ver. but
| prose. W., elssv hare we hear that ne "hod
some 81 Chairman bv heart In Jou.or's
o,iriou. Harm tons Ariosto was the worst
| os all ,rarslations. Douu. no said WINS
.onetime, -pros.n.. and afor not keep
! IN, of acc.nt dcs.ryrd hanging" Inn .l..-
| uh.r, Dorm. l. described a. in. first moo,
| =, IN. world in soma ,bi,g, ,ho,,yb
-,h,ouyb moi b.in, Understood h, wo,ld
| ncrisb Shok.snaar, "waut.d art" and
| Ah,a,.Eranc,s abraham Er,u,col in Ill
Euglish h.xams,nrs was n fool Agair.
| .p,r,as u,,. no, n moot h,,, ~ y.r.,, r.
| oau., A., uro,. ,,, Rc,i,, Jo,.o, ,ur.,a
| p.,,rarcb sor r.aac,i,c yc,e.. q, so,,.,,s
(Which were like Procrnstes's b,d Qua.
| r;,,; i,,o,rr.d ~. -,,no h,,,mo a.. ST. phiIir
Sidney: and Lucan was good In part, only
apparcntlv because HI, theme was his
| ,orical The hes, pieces OF Ronsard 4"
| Jnnson tho,iuh, -wer, his Odes Drum.
| nond's own vorsss hjs interlo,ut,r ,old
him. were nll good bnt sm.lcd loo murh