New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-14

phantasmal figures with the ricbs $50 radically
Oh actual hundrum. REALISTIC obss-,.Sy robes
II Is hard to deal patiently WITH
I1pIOle OF writing about Dickens IN this -
HclaI ana patronizing way. The p,s,,--
nave Just quoted makes Us feel that NJ -.
mas not come within thousand r,f1s, = - -
standing his author: that be has n - ---Uer-
pathy for the genius OF Dickens thar -. ssI-
be expected to Rave FOR that OF a man
another language about another World
ana again Mr. GOsse says the pre+fy
adequate, thing. He talks OF Blaks,, - Ai-
oelnS to fling the roseate and ceruIs,, - -
ol MS oraln on gossaner texture woven an, =
me songs OF Shakespeare and the echos, !.
r ihgaIs airy hall" He describes him a, =
being all constituencies and lyric pasgIo.
uehcate' aerial mystery Who would So.
from these twitterings that while Rl,t, -
something about "gossamer textures nj, -.
more often seems to be compacted OF Gin -.
fog2 Mr.. Gosse reproduces for Us. a no-.--.s"a
William Beckford and caricature OF hin, 49,.
while he can find a few lines in which - -
Of that great eccentric's proceedings at Fo,tST,
he hardly does more than name ~vatbek- ~,
pages on Byron do absolutely nothing 10 49,.
the true sources Of the poets power -
where, in short. Mr.. GOsse is cOmmopplaca ~.
gives his reader facts but little else. and 4, 49,
choice Of a pOetical prose Illustration n. =
rarely felicitous
In one respect DIT. Garnett Is In no better -.
than Mr.. GOsse- He writes In his accour, !,
Elzabethan literature, without any .b,--
whatever. But We can overlook this ,o, a.
sake Of his sound scholarship and quietly s~..
tive way OF making interesting points A b-,..
popular survey OF a literary subject could b,-s
ly be given a better form than he has gfva, a,
his chapter on Bacon, Hooker Sydney ,,s
Raleigh Those commanding figures IN ola F.
lsh prose he sketches with a good deal ~ -
sight, and though he takes a more friendly w..
OF BacOns personal character than seems N n,
to be justified by all the facts. he is deligbtr,uv
Illuminating on BacOns works Dr. Ca-,s,,
shows that he has really apprehended the s,f-,,
and atmosphere Of the time OF which n. ..
speaking Here IS a typical fragment Of IA.
work in the fourth volume OF the history-
The era Of Elizabeth was thus one OF tho,.
Of which human history counts some sir !,
seven. IN which the mind OF man was s1dda,I,
expanded by being introduced to a more exten-
stve area, whether through the operation Of con-
quest. as in the ages OF Alexander the Great ana
the CrUsades; or Of discoveries as in that AZ c.
lumbUs; or Of new ideas. as in those OF fhs
Reformation and the French Revolution. sucs
periods must be favorable to literature and ar
suppOsing the requisite conditions 20 exist
which is not always the case In the Elizabeth,
an age itself. for example. while the literary
conditions were most favorable interest in a..
langUished. except az regarded music. With
every allowance, il seems remarkable that tia
age should have achieved so little In fine art
domestic architecture excepted So far from he
ing Unpicturesque generation, it was one OF
the most picturesque in English history whether
with regard to the characters Of its leading per-
sonaC es the incidents Of their lives the cos
TUNES in which they arrayed themselves. or the
mICnifcence Of shows and entertainments This
general piCtureSQueneSS communicated itself to
the literature. The authors Of the time are re-
splendeut with glowing tints. and In this point
OF view resemble even the most piCturesuus
among those Of their successors who have not
like Byron and Shelley, led lives CT adventure,
as a picture resembles an engraving. II may
Justly be said that there is not one among the
leading authors. statesmen, commanders, or
vOyagers OF the age whom 10 Is possible 70 rep
resent in q mean or prOsaic light All the arts
tic feelings OF the period seem to have been
absorbed into its daily life, the men do not
make but are pictures. The energy and IN
doubling self-COuhdenCe OF the age are shown
by the scale on which its works are undertaken
The plan Of Sponsors "Faery Queene" IS
much grander than Ariosto's rs his Glorana
the Virgin Queen. is higher than the house OF
F'errara- Raleigh cannot get away from tha
same sovereign under twenty books, and when
seeking a subject for his pen i0 the Tower moth
ing will serve him but the history Of the world
SYDNEY found the vOIumiuCus "Arradia' pref
~ amusement for a summer Mdrlowe con-
GeuSns the morals OF all miracle and mystery
PLAYS into one drama No English writer, until
the great revival after the French Revolution
has since shown an equal courage IN venturng
upon colossal themes. except Milton. and even
he seems to have gdUged the measure or us
powers with more nicely than the EIz1oethans'
ne is nearer perfection. but wants their exubeF-
arce-
There Is enthusiasm enough IN this passags