; for them by knocking every body down that stands in their way. Every time the old royal, legitimate authors come out and appear before the public in a new suite there is a general review; and there is wonderful running and crowding to see the review especially if any of the Grecian and Roman princes (who are as great and numerous as German ones) be on the field; or if such great lexicographic and grammatical personages as Dr. Johnson and Lindley Murray, or any of the other royal dukes of the English language, be present. But with all their constant training, exercising and manoeuvring, there is hardly one of these critical regulars that can handle his firelock in such a soldier-like style as old corporal Cobbett; though they consider him as belonging to the awkward squad; for when they find home-bred, vigorous intellect too powerful for them, they loll out their tongues and drivel about learning, taste, grammar, rhetoric, and such wonderful accomplishments; as if classical saliva had the singular property of slabbering away the understanding. I mean to use great freedoms with some of the literary idols; and to deliver some very illegitimate doctrines concerning style: the giants of taste, criticism and learning may be expected to rise in a body; if, however, they will stipulate to keep lightness and delicacy out of the fray, I will undertake single-handed to put them all down with such weapons only as etymology supplies: I have some confidence in myself-much confidence in my weapons-very great confidence in the good THE QUALITIES OF GOOD COMPOSITION One would suppose good composition a very simple affair, admitting of few words; for they are always the most doubtful and spurious texts of science that require the largest comments and the minutest critical notes; but amazing quantities of rhetorical dust, varnish and flowers, have been heaped on the subject of style or composition. It is amusing indeed to witness the slow, laborious operations of rhetoricians in wrapping up their little silk-worm thoughts in fine-spun verbosities-buzzing all the while about the excellencies of composition. They certainly do excel in some of the qualities which they ascribe to good style: they are great masters of lightness, delicacy, prettiness, smoothness and harmony; in all other respects they are too ignorant and senseless to instruct-too dull and witless to amuse they have always indeed been surrounded by a gaping crowd of admirers, a few degrees more dull and witless than themselves, else the wit of Butler would have laughed them out of existence. But such lecturers as Dr. Blair and Dugald Stewart need never despair of a congregation; and College calens might become so free and bold as to neglect lightness and delicacy if they were not duly trained. into the true taste and best style by doctrine, precept and example. The first step to the acquisition of a good style is to disbelieve, disregard and scorn the doctrines and precepts of the rhetoricians. What one of the ancient philosophers said of laws may be truly said of rhetorical rules: they are like cobwebs, which entangle the weak, but which the strong break through. Strong intellects cannot be held captive in the petty. laws of petits maîtres: nor can there be any strength of mind without breaking down the fences of the servum pecus, and trampling the chains of intellectual bondage under foot. Before a man can be a good thinker or a good writer he must be free and bold→→→ he must be roused to noble daring-he must feel his whole soul rising in scornful indignation at the thought of having been for a day a blind follower of blind leaders-a slave of slaves-a member of the herd of creeping, crouching, servile minds. Slaves may bow gracefully, fawn smoothly, flatter politely, use inuendos of uncommon lightness and delicacy, apply misnomers with ready facility, imitate the best models, or great personages, closely, and strut elegantly after despotism according to the etiquette of established usage; but are slaves capable of intellectual originality, energy, dignity, or sublimity? Are slaves capable of bold thinking and fearless expression? Can servile composers in the harness of rules dreading the lash of criticism, limping upon quotations with their eye upon precedents and authorities create a style at once new and striking, yet just and proper? All real greatness is the offspring of freedom: there may be absurdity, folly, cant, hypocrisy, squeamish delicacy, finical politeness, sickly sentimentality, mawkish affectation in every possible fantastic form of fashion and variety; but there cannot be original, substantial excellence without intellectual independence, manly thinking and feeling. THE FIRST RULE OF GOOD COMPOSITION IS, THAT THE COMPOSER BE FREE AND BOLD. THE SECOND RULE IS, THAT HE ADOPT NO MODEL OF STYLE. Imitation is, in reality, servility; and servility is destructive of excellence. Their master, Horace, might have taught the roting, repeating, imitating, classical multitude, to consider themselves a servum pecus; yet these same repeaters are ever clamouring about perfect models of a perfect style. But when we examine these perfect models they are found to be contemptible idols of superstitious worshipers. The Latin models so much boasted of are, after all, bad imitations of bad models that never were originals. I know what an uproar this will make among classical minds; but I assert, and I am willing to prove my assertion, in any way they choose, that Virgil is a dull versifier, and that their famous orator, Tully, is a petty rhetorician. They will, perhaps, talk profoundly and loftily about long and intimate and minute acquaintance with the prince of poets and prince of orators. I pretend to no long, intimate, minute acquaintance with their petty princes, for I wish to keep better company; but if the birds of the air can discover by a single peck, or trial, whether fruit be good or not, it must be strange indeed if rational beings cannot, after many trials, pronounce on the merits of Latin authors; or if they must rote and repeat at them half a life-time, or half a century, to find out their coy, modest, latent virtues. Latin excellencies are perhaps so exquisitely light and little as to require much microscopic reflection and criticism; and perhaps the true taste for them can be acquired only in childhood when the mind is yet free from every incredulos bias occasioned by heretical and sceptical philosophy; so that those who bring the eyes and understandings of men to classical models, may be disqualified to appreciate their merits. This may be my hapless, hopeless case; and therefore I would be diffident and fearful of getting beyond my depth in so profound a question. There are many classical excellencies which I shall never be qualified to appreciate, or even to perceive: I pretend only to judge of Latin composition as I do of plain home-made English: I merely ascertain its sense and its nonsense: the latter I find as frequently and plentifully sprinkled as if it were Attic salt, or classic seasoning, to preserve sufficient lightness and delicacy; for sense is heavy and clumsy, and withal so vulgar that the Scotch metaphysicians thought they could not do better to render their baby |