New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-10
By ROB R T w II T A E R

words ! was reused to a sense Of my indecorum
by seeing her suddenly blush. believe that Miss
Blake interpreted my admiration rightly, for She
not offended; but, on the contrary, Tor the
rest of the day, when not attending to her sister,
conversed almost exclusively, and III confidential
way, with Lord Westport and myself. And
from this day ! altered creature, never
again reapsing into the careless ineffective mind
Of childhood.
Whatever the bushng Irish beauty may have
thought that August afternoon IN the year OF grace
1900, she certainly did think that the crimson
flush which rresistby suttused her cheeks IN pres
ence of the boys admring gaze would color all the
future of De Quincey's life, and be pictured through
his genius to the observation OF the world. Did
Fames caprice bestow larger reward for
effort slight, insignificant? The blush that
charmed the boy charmed also the genius OF lnnor-
talitv
What more conspicuous instance Of unconscious
renown than the fame of Annie Laurie? If tradition
be true the daughter of Sir William Laurie was i'm
mortalized through the devotion OF lovesIck swan
whose affection awoke no response IN the heart OF
the girl. Seldom if ever Is the name OF the poet
given with the song; but her name lies hngeringly
upon the lips of every lover who can lisp the sweet
Scottish ditty. Unless the story bellies her, the
promise true" proved rope of sand; yet her
name is the dearest title that lover beStoW upon
the girl of his choice, for the name IS a synonym OF
mans highest devotion, and not of woman $ faith
lessness; if indeed she was faithless OF whom the
poet sang.
There are few songs that excel in pathos and pic
turesque beauty William MotherWeHs canine
Morrison in which he celebrates the love OF his boy
hood Motherwell died at hrty-eight worn out by
his seemingly fruitess strivings after an enduring
fame One or two of his simplest poems still live.
Immortalized His Frierds
rTTE poet Moore had special delight in associ-
Il ating the of his friends with his verse
Such fame as he won for himself he literally shared
with his favorites in the gay coterie Of which he
the bright particular star. lie did not conne his
favOrs to his friends, but occasionally contributed
to the sort of renown which Dryden and Pope I'M
posed upon their unfortunate rivals in the days
when diatribe and satire more common among
the poets Moores paSqunades were trIfies however,
as compared with MacFlecknoe" and The Dun
clad Shadwell is chiefly remembered the Mac
Flecknoe of Drydens deathess satire, and Colley
Cibber though worthy of better fate, IS pillorled
by Pope as Shadwell's successor to the throne of
dullneSS, a bad emnenCc from which all the literary
Judges have not been able to release him. Perhaps
there something of poetic justice in the fact that
the men who tried to laugh them out of court have
immortalzed the otherwise forgotten poets whom
they scofed at and derided. MacFlecknoe and
The Dunciad reflect quite seriously upon the
moral qualities of Dryden and Pope as they do upon
the mental qualities of Shadwcl and Cibber.
Every biography abounds in the names of OBJ
securities who owe their little fame the accident of
contact with greatness. Especially are volumes OF
autobiography likely to be filled with personal
reference Such books are not often written in the
stately almost stilted style of Edward Gibbon,
whose aristocratic sympathies plainly evident
in the excusiveneSs which leads him to say III the
story of his life AS l am entering a more
ample field of society and study, can hope to avoid
a vain and proix garruity only by overlooking the
vulgar crowd of my acquaintance, and contnnG
myself TO such intimate friends among books and
men as are best entitled to my notice by their own
merit and reputation by the deep impression which