the spirit of place and other essays-第7章

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in　making　them　simple；　has　not　abstained　from　making　them　cunning。

Their　vanities　are　well　enough；　but　these　women　are　not　only　vain；

they　are　so　envious　as　to　refuse　admiration　to　a　sister…in…lawone

who　is　their　rival　in　no　way　except　in　so　much　as　she　is　a

contemporary　beauty。　　〃Miss　Arabella　Wilmot；〃　says　the　pious　father

and　vicar；　〃was　allowed　by　all　（except　my　two　daughters）　to　be

completely　pretty。〃



They　have　been　left　by　their　father　in　such　brutal　ignorance　as　to

be　instantly　deceived　into　laughing　at　bad　manners　in　error　for

humour。　　They　have　no　pretty　or　sensitive　instincts。　　〃The　jests　of

the　rich；〃　says　the　Vicar；　referring　to　his　own　young　daughters　as

audience；　〃are　ever　successful。〃　　Olivia；　when　the　squire　played　off

a　dullish　joke；　〃mistook　it　for　humour。　　She　thought　him；　therefore；

a　very　fine　gentleman。〃　　The　powders　and　patches　for　the　country

church；　the　ride　thither　on　Blackberry；　in　so　strange　a　procession；

the　face…wash；　the　dreams　and　omens；　are　all　good　gentle　comedy；　we

are　completely　convinced　of　the　tedium　of　Mrs。　Primrose's　dreams；

which　she　told　every　morning。　　But　there　are　other　points　of　comedy

that　ought　not　to　precede　an　author's　appeal　to　the　kind　of

sentiment　about　to　be　touched　by　the　tragic　scenes　of　The　Vicar　of

Wakefield。



In　odd　sidling　ways　Goldsmith　bethinks　himself　to　give　his　principal

heroine　a　shadow　of　the　virtues　he　has　not　bestowed　upon　her。　　When

the　unhappy　Williams；　above…mentioned；　has　been　used　in　vain　by

Olivia；　and　the　squire　has　not　declared　himself；　and　she　is　on　the

point　of　keeping　her　word　to　Williams　by　marrying　him；　the　Vicar

creates　a　situation　out　of　it　all　that　takes　the　reader　roundly　by

surprise：　　〃I　frequently　applauded　her　resolution　in　preferring

happiness　to　ostentation。〃　　The　good　Goldsmith！　　Here　is　Olivia

perfectly　frank　with　her　father　as　to　her　exceedingly　sincere

preference　for　ostentation；　and　as　to　her　stratagem　to　try　to　obtain

it　at　the　expense　of　honour　and　of　neighbour　Williams；　her　mind　is

as　well　known　to　her　father　as　her　father's　mind　is　known　to　Oliver

Goldsmith；　and　as　Oliver　Goldsmith's；　Dr。　Primrose's；　and　Olivia's

minds　are　known　to　the　reader。　　And　in　spite　of　all；　your　Goldsmith

and　your　Vicar　turn　you　this　phrase　to　your　very　face。　　You　hardly

know　which　way　to　look；　it　is　so　disconcerting。



Seeing　that　Olivia　（with　her　chance…recovered　virtue）　and　Sophia　may

both　be　expected　to　grow　into　the　kind　of　matronhood　represented　by

their　mother；　it　needs　all　the　conditions　of　fiction　to　surround　the

close　of　their　love…affairs　with　the　least　semblance　of　dignity。

Nor；　in　fact；　can　it　be　said　that　the　final　winning　of　Sophia　is　an

incident　that　errs　by　too　much　dignity。　　The　scene　is　that　in　which

Burchell；　revealed　as　Sir　William　Thornhill；　feigns　to　offer　her　in

marriage　to　the　good…natured　rogue；　Jenkinson；　fellow　prisoner　with

her　father；　in　order　that；　on　her　indignant　and　distressed　refusal；

he　may　surprise　her　agreeably　by　crying；　〃What？　　Not　have　him？　　If

that　be　the　case；　I　think　I　must　have　you　myself。〃　　Even　for　an

avowedly　eccentric　master　of　whims；　this　is　playing　with　forbidden

ironies。　　True；　he　catches　her　to　his　breast　with　ardour；　and　calls

her　〃sensible。〃　　〃Such　sense　and　such　heavenly　beauty；〃　finally

exclaims　the　happy　man。　　Let　us　make　him　a　present　of　the　heavenly

beauty。　　It　is　the　only　thing　not　disproved；　not　dispraised；　not

disgraced；　by　a　candid　study　of　the　Ladies　of　the　Idyll。







A　DERIVATION







By　what　obscure　cause；　through　what　ill…directed　industry；　and　under

the　constraint　of　what　disabling　hands；　had　the　language　of　English

poetry　grown；　for　an　age；　so　rigid　that　a　natural　writer　at　the　end

of　the　eighteenth　century　had　much　ado　to　tell　a　simple　story　in

sufficient　verse？　　All　the　vital　exercise　of　the　seventeenth　century

had　left　the　language　buoyant；　it　was　as　elastic　as　deep　and　mobile

waters；　then　followed　the　grip　of　that　incapacitating　later　style。

Much　later；　English　has　been　so　used　as　to　become　flaccidit　has

been　stretched；　as　it　were；　beyond　its　power　of　rebound；　or

certainly　beyond　its　power　of　rebound　in　common　use　（for　when　a

master　writes　he　always　uses　a　tongue　that　has　suffered　nothing）。

It　is　in　our　own　day　that　English　has　been　so　over…strained。　　In

Crabbe's　day　it　had　been　effectually　curbed；　hindered；　and　hampered；

and　it　cannot　be　said　of　Crabbe　that　he　was　a　master　who　takes

natural　possession　of　a　language　that　has　suffered　nothing。　　He　was

evidently　a　man　of　talent　who　had　to　take　his　part　with　the　times；

subject　to　history。　　To　call　him　a　poet　was　a　mere　convention。

There　seems　to　be　not　a　single　moment　of　poetry　in　his　work；　and

assuredly　if　he　had　known　the　earlier　signification　of　the　word　he

would　have　been　the　last　man　to　claim　the　incongruous　title　of　poet。

But　it　is　impossible　to　state　the　question　as　it　would　have

presented　itself　to　Crabbe　or　to　any　other　writer　of　his　quality

entering　into　the　same　inheritance　of　English。



It　is　true　that　Crabbe　read　and　quoted　Milton；　so　did　all　his

contemporaries；　and　to　us　now　it　seems　that　poetry　cannot　have　been

forgotten　by　any　age　possessing　Lycidas。　　Yet　that　age　can　scarcely

be　said　to　have　in　any　true　sense　possessed　Lycidas。　　There　are

other　things；　besides　poetry；　in　Milton's　poems。　　We　do　not　entirely

know；　perhaps；　but　we　can　conjecture　how　a　reader　in　Crabbe's　late

eighteenth　century；　looking　in　Milton　for　authority　for　all　that　he

unluckily　and　vainly　admired；　would　well　find　it。　　He　would　find　the

approval　of　Young's　〃Night　Thoughts〃　did　he　search　for　it；　as　we　who

do　not　search　for　it　may　not　readily　understand。　　A　step　or　so

downwards；　from　a　few　passages　in　〃Paradise　Lost〃　and　〃Paradise

Regained；〃　an　inevitable　drop　in　the　derivation；　a　depression　such

as　is　human；　and　everything；　from　Dryden　to　〃The　Vanity　of　Human

Wishes；〃　follows；　without　violence　and　perhaps　without　wilful

misappreciation。　　The　poet　Milton　fathered；　legitimately　enough；　an

unpoetic　posterity。　　Milton；　therefore；　who　might　have　kept　an　age；

and　many　a　succeeding　age；　on　the　heights　of　poetry　by　lines　like

these　…





Who　sing　and　singing　in　their　glory　move　…





by　this；　and　by　many　and　many　another　so　divineMilton　justified

also　the　cold　excesses　of　his　posterity　by　the　example　of　more　than

one　group　of　blank　verse　lines　in　his　greatest　poem。　　Manifestly　the

sanction　is　a　matter　of　choice；　and　depends　upon　the　age：　　the　age

of　Crabbe　found　in　Milton　such　ancestry　as　it　was　fit　for。



Crabbe；　then；　was　not　a　poet　of　poetry。　　But　he　came　into　possession

of　a　metrical　form　charged　by　secondary　poets　with　a　contented

second…class　dignity　that　bears　constant　reference；　in　the　way　of

respect　rather　than　of　imitation；　to　the　state　and　nobility　of　Pope

at　his　bestthe　couplet。　　The　weak　yet　rigid　〃poetry〃　that　fell　to

his　lot　owed　all　the　decorum　it　possessed　to　the　mechanical　defences

and　propsthe　exclusions　especiallyof　this　manner　of

versification。　　The　grievous　thing　was　that；　being　moved　to　write

simply　of　simple　things；　he　had　no　more　supple　English　for　his

purpose。　　His　effort　to　disengage　the　phraselong　committed　to

convention　and　to　an　exposed　artificedid　but　prove　how　surely　the

ancient　vitality　was　gone。



His　preface　to　〃The　Borough；　a　Poem；〃　should　be　duly　read　before　the

〃poem〃　itself；　for　the　prose　has　a　propriety　all　its　own。

Everything　is　conceived　with　the　most　perfect　moderation；　and　then

presented　in　a　form　of　reasoning　that　leaves　you　no　possible　ground

of　remonstrance。　　In　proposing　his　subject　Crabbe　seems　to　make　an

unanswerable　apology　with　a　composure　that　is　almost　sweet。　　For

instance；　at　some　length　and　with　some　nobility　he　anticipates　a

probable　conjecture　that　his　work　was　done　〃without　due　examination

and　revisal；〃　and　he　meets　the　conjectured　criticism　thus：　　〃Now；

readers　are；　I　believe；　disposed　to　treat　with　more　than　common

severity　those　writers　who　have　been　led　into　presumption　by　the

approbation　bestowed　upon　their　diffidence；　and　into　idleness　and

unconcern　by　the　praises　given　to　their　attention。〃　　It　would　not　be

possible　to　say　a　smaller　thing　with　greater　dignity　and　gentleness。

It　is　worth　while　to　quote　this　prose　of　a　〃poet〃　who　lived　between

the　centuries；　if　only　in　order　to　suggest　the　chastening　thought；

〃It　is　a　pity　that　no　one；　however　little　he　may　have　to　say；　says

it　now　in　this　form！〃　　The　little；　so　long　as　it　is　reasonable；　is

so　well　suited　in　this　antithesis　and　logic。　　Is　there　no　hope　that

journalism　will　ever　take　again　these　graces　of　unanswerable

argument？　　No：　　they　would　no　longer　wear　the　peculiar　aspect　of

adult　innocence　that　was　Crabbe's。







A　COUNTERCHANGE







〃Il　s'est　trompe　de　defunte。〃　　The　writer　of　this　phrase　had　his

sense　of　that　portly　manner　of　French；　and　his　burlesque　is　fine；

butthe　paradox　must　be　riskedbecause　he　was　French　he　was　not

able　to　possess　all　its　grotesque　mediocrity　to　the　full；　that　is

reserved　for　the　English　reader。　　The　words　are　in　the　mouth　of　a

widower　who；　approaching　his　wife's　tomb；　perceives　there　another

〃monsieur。〃　　〃Monsieur；〃　again；　the　French　reader　is　deprived　of　the

value　of　this　word；　too；　in　its　place；　it　says　little　or　nothing　to

him；　whereas　the　Englishman；　who　has　no　word　of　the　precise

bourgeois　significance　that　it　sometimes　bears；　but　who　must　use　one

of　two　English　words　of　different　allusionman　or　I　gentleman

knows　the　exact　value　of　its　commonplace。　　The　serious　Parisian；

then；　sees　〃un　autre　monsieur；〃　as　it　proves　anon；　there　had　been　a

divorce　in　the　history　of　the　lady；　but　the　later　widower　is　not　yet

aware　of　this；　and　explains　to　himself　the　presence　of　〃un　monsieur〃

in　his　own　place　by　that　weighty　phrase；　〃Il　s'est　trompe　de

defunte。〃



The　strange　effect　of　a　thing　so　charged　with　allusion　and　with

national　character　is　to　cause　an　English　reader　to　pity　the　mocking

author　who　was　debarred　by　his　own　language　from　possessing　the

whole　of　his　own　comedy。　　It　is；　in　fact；　by　contrast　with　his

English　that　an　Englishman　does　possess　it。　　Your　official；　your

professional　Parisian　has　a　vocabulary　of　enormous；　unrivalled

mediocrity。　　When　the　novelist　perceives　this　he　does　not　perceive

it　all；　because　some　of　the　words　are　the　only　words　in　use。　　Take

an　author　at　his　serious　moments；　when　he　is　not　at　all　occupied

with　the　comedy　of　phrases；　and　he　now　and　then　touches　a　word　that

has　its　burlesque　by　mere　contrast　with　English。　　〃L'Histoire　d'un

Crime；〃　of　Victor　Hugo；　has　so　many　of　these　touches　as　to　be；　by　a

kind　of　reflex　action；　a　very　school　of　English。　　The　whole　incident

of　the　omnibus　in　that　grave　work　has　unconscious　international

comedy。　　The　Deputies　seated　in　the　interior　of　the　omnibus　had

been；　it　will　be　remembered；　shut　out　of　their　Chamber　by　the