Οινος τοι χαριεντι μεγας πελει ιππος αοιδῳΥδωρ δε πινων χρηστον αν ουδε τεκης.CHAPTER XXXVI.
Οινος τοι χαριεντι μεγας πελει ιππος αοιδῳΥδωρ δε πινων χρηστον αν ουδε τεκης.
Οινος τοι χαριεντι μεγας πελει ιππος αοιδῳΥδωρ δε πινων χρηστον αν ουδε τεκης.
Οινος τοι χαριεντι μεγας πελει ιππος αοιδῳΥδωρ δε πινων χρηστον αν ουδε τεκης.
Οινος τοι χαριεντι μεγας πελει ιππος αοιδῳ
Υδωρ δε πινων χρηστον αν ουδε τεκης.
The individual next in succession was, and perhaps is, (for he may yet survive) a man of unquestionable genius; capable of high undertakings, both in prose and verse; but it is only with his qualifications and claims as a poet, that we have anything here to do.
Strange to say, but such is the perverseness of human nature, that the wisest among us, are sometimes apt to mistake our talents, and to plume ourselves most, upon those qualities, from the exercise of which, in the opinions of the more discerning and judicious, we are least entitled to applause.
This remark is in some degree applicable to our present subject. The person to whom the attention of the reader is now invited, had certainly, when very young, a great taste and talent for poetical composition, and produced, almost before manhood, a poem which obtained the strongcommendations of Dr. Johnson. This valuable praise, added to the delight which every youthful poet feels from the exercise of so agreeable an accomplishment, induced him probably to persevere in this particular pursuit.
Nevertheless, his talents of this kind, however exercised, cultivated, and improved, would never have placed him in the first rank of British poets; whereas, by study and by discipline, he might have rivalled the best of our historians.
This was manifestly proved by the execution of a work which will outlive all his poetry. A subject was proposed to him, by a great and accomplished character, long since no more, with which he was not in the smallest degree acquainted, except as a man of general information. It presented itself to him, clouded and perplexed with obscurity and difficulty; but he sat sturdily to work, and produced at intervals an historical performance of several volumes, which, as it richly deserved, was exceedingly well received by his countrymen.
When once the subject had occupied his mind, and fixed his studious attention, it is really wonderful with what sagacity, acuteness, and effect, he pursued it in all its ramifications. Nothing relating to it was unexplored, and the result of the whole will perpetuate his name. Yet would it have excited no surprize in him who made theabove observations, to have been told, that his old friend, (and we may add one of his oldest) was by no means satisfied with the above determination with regard to his literary claims. The appellation of poet, first given him among his school-fellows, was dear, as it was familiar from his boyhood. It grew with his growth. It was universally bestowed upon him through the progress of life, as an acknowledged Prænomen, and it is more than probable that he considered it at least of equal value, with any other which could possibly have been conferred, from his most successful prosecution of any different branch of literature.
Subjoined to the above observations is the following apostrophe:—
Yes! my old friend ⸺ was a character of no ordinary calibre, eccentric as a boy, eccentric as a man; nor at all less so, as life appeared to decline. But his eccentricity was injurious only to himself. His heart was warm, perhaps too susceptible, and too prone to yield to first impressions. But he was generous even to excess, nor could any length of time obliterate his sense of favours received. His hospitable spirit could hardly be circumscribed within any limits; his cheerfulness almost always uninterrupted. The most untoward incidents threw no more than a transient cloud over his countenance, and he frequently could observe of himself, with thegreatest good-humour, that he never was unhappy after dinner. Of his failings, nothing will here be observed. Such would not be the office of a friend, who for a long series of years had received from him the most affectionate attention, had passed the most pleasing hours and days in his society, delighted with his good-humour, cheered by his vivacity, and perhaps not unimproved by the collision of their mutual talents and interchange of the knowledge, in which they were severally proficient.
Of his talents, perhaps, sufficient may have been said; of these, he, who knew him for the space of no less a period than forty years, who was generally acquainted with his mode of occupying his time, his studious pursuits, and literary employments, may be supposed no incompetent judge. He was acute, prompt, active, and persevering, in all he undertook; perhaps somewhat to be censured for not more duly observing the Horatian axiom, of submitting for a longer period, the productions of his pen to the last examination of his judgment. He thus exposed himself to the attacks of the critical tribe, of whom the greater number are alike acute in detecting, and severe in censuring, the errors of authors. Notwithstanding this, however, and other checks and impediments, he pursued the usual tenor of his way, unintimidated and undisturbed, dividing his time as usual, between poetryand prose compositions, cheered as he went along by a numerous circle of friends and acquaintance; nor when he who wrote the above withdrew from his ken, had there existed any occasion to whisper in his ear the warning which Gil Blas felt it his duty to suggest to the Archbishop of Salamanca.