formation anterior to the race of man, by the
remains imbedded in its bosom. A more fas-
cinating inquiry never was presented to the in-
vestigation of the philosopher ; and it derives
additional interest to the Christian believer,
from the confirmation which it affords, at every
step, of the Mosaic account of creation, and the
truth of Holy Writ. Optics had made so great
a stride under the genius of Newton that httle
remained to be gleaned by future observers ;
but yet Brewster has added much to the circle
of our knowledge in the polarization of light,
and added a new element in the production of
harmonious beauty in the changes of the kaleid-
oscope.
In one particular a fresh walk in literature
• was opened up at this period, and
P.iae of the cultivated with the most brilliant suc-
'earncd re- ccss. This was the new style of
views and review and lengthened essay. Re-
essfy'J!"'"^ views, indeed, had long been estab-
lished in Great Britain; and Addison,
Steele, and Mackenzie had brouglit the short
essay to as great perfection as was practical)le
in that limited species of compositiciu. But the
Monlklij Review and Gentle man's Maij;azinc were
poor periodicals, distinguished by little talr:nt,
illuminated by no genius, containing scarcely
more than meagre abstracts of, or interested eu-
logiums on books, and jejune records of trans-
actions. Even the mighty genius of Burke,
then unconscious of its own .strength, had hccn
unable to burst the fetters with whicli politiiral
narrative at that period was restrained ; and
his historical compositions in the Annual Reg-
ister contmn few symptoms of the vast concep-
your artist.s ; and then you would have had no rcaHon to
lan-ent your inferiority in the line arts."'
tions which afterward shv ne foith and illumin-
ated the world in his writings. Ao one need
be told that the essays of Addison, Steele, and
Jchnson are charming compositions, distin-
guished by taste, embellished by fancy, adorn-
ed by imagination, in which the stores of learn-
ing are set off witii all the decorations of mod-
ern genius. But their day has passed away ;
they are well-nigh forgotten. They are to be
seen in every library, but are seldom taken
down from its shelves. This oblivion is, no
doubt, in part to be ascribed to the prodigious
multiplication of works of imagination which
has since taken place, and whichrenders it next
to impossible for works of a former period to
maintain their ground against the constantly-
increasing tide. Yet this is not the sole cause
of their neglect ; works of superlative merit
have no ditficulty in maintaining their place
Poems innumerable have since appeared, but
Virgil and Tasso are in no danger of being for-
gotten ; our walls are every day decorated with
new paintings, but we gaze with undiminished
admiration on the works of Raphael and Claude.
The true reason of the decline in the estima-
tion in which our old essayists are held is to
be found in their own defects. With a few
brilliant exceptions, they are commonplace in
thought, and feeble in expression ; full of tru-
isms, but wanting in originality ; often distin-
guished by conceit, seldom by simplicity ; re-
markable more for taste than genius ; and rath-
er fitted for the thoughtless amusement of a
vacant half hour than to be the charming com-
panion of an evening fireside.
It was in this state of the periodical litera-
ture of the country that the Edin- ^^
BURGH Review arose, and communi- Rise of the
cated a new character to its pages, Edinburgh
a fresh impulse to its exertions. Review,
Discarding the feeble and irresolute Review ^
criticisms of the British Critic and and Bla'ck-
Monthhj Review, its authors boldly wood's Mag-
dashed forward into the unoccupied '^''""^'
arena of severe and caustic animadversion, am'
quickly secured general favor by indulging in
general abuse. This is the most certain pass-
port to extensive pojjularity. All, except the
objects of attack, like to see others abused.
Above all, it was refreshing to the great body
of readers to see the oligarchy of autiiorship
broken down, and the lash of criticism a|)i)lied
to a class who, even when in fault, had hillier-
to escaped without any adccpiate animadver-
sion. The practical aiiplication of their motto,
"Judex damnatur cum nocens absolvitur," gave
universal satisfaction ; for every one hoped his
neighbor would fall under, and himself escape
the chastisement. 'I'lii; vigorous talent and
varied acqiiirenients of ils early contrilmtors
sustained and increased the reputation at first
acquired by more (|iiestioiiable means ; it was
impossible that a journal where the talents
of Jeffrey, Brougham, Sidney Sinitii, Mackin-
tosh, Playfair, and .Malthus weie allrrnalcly
exerted, could fail in attiacling general notice
and acquiring extensive |)opularily. Its repu-
tation, accordingly, soon became very great, its
circulation immense, its influence formidable
even to the Govt^rnment in power. To coun-
teract it, a new journal was set up in London,
which, under the title of the Qcarteui.y R»-
148
HISTORY OF EUROPr..
LC'iiAP. V
*iK\v. under tlio diroction, first, of Gillbrd, and
thou of Lookhart, with the aid of ISir M alter
Scott, Southey, Canninfi, Kllis, Trero, and Rose,
Boon came to rival its northern competitor, and
nas ever since maintained its eUnated position ;
wlule m Kdinhnr^'h itself a rude assault was
made on the NN'hiji olijjarchy of the north by a
still more sturdy antagonist, and the g;enius of
Wilson, Lockhart, and their coadjutors soon
elevated BLACKwoon's Magazink to the lead in
patriotic cl!ort, independent thous^ht. and varied
criticism. These journals, each admirable in
its way. but yet entirely diflerent from each
other, have given an entirely new tone to our
[)eriodical literature, and been the vehicles by
which the most important thoughts on philo-
sophical, political, and literary subjects have,
during the last half century, been sent forth to
the world.
Jeffrey, who took the lead in this great rev-
^2 olutiou in literature, was a very remark-
Jeffrey, ^ble man, but more so from the light, airy
turn of his mind, and the felicity of il-
lustration which he possessed, than from either
originality of thought or nervous force of ex-
pression. His information was far from ex-
tensive : he shared in the deficiency of his
country at that period in classical knowledge ;
he was ignorant of Italian and German ; and
his acquaintance with French literature was
chiefly confined to the gossiping memoirs of the
day, and with that of his own country, to the
writings of the Scotch metaphysicians or the
old English dramatists. But these subjects he
knew thoroughly ; within these limits he was
thoroughly master. He was fitted by nature
to be a great critic. A passionate admirer of
poetry, alive to all the beauties and influences
of nature, with a feeling mind and a sensitive
heart, he possessed at the same time the calm
judgment which enabled him to fonn an im-
partial opinion on the works submitted to his
examination, and the correct taste which, in
general, discovered genius and detected imper-
fections in them. Kindly and affectionate in pri-
vate life, he was equally indulgent and consid-
erate in his public disquisitions ; his long career
as a critic foreshadowed on a great scale the
uprightness and temperance of opinion, which
rendered him in the highest degree popular and
useful as a judge. His style of speaking in
pubUc was rather fascinating from quickness of
fancy or felicity of illustration, than impressive
from force of expression or elevation of thought.
In conversation, his mind was rapid, discursive,
and often very brilliant ; but there was a con-
stant straining after display, and a total want
of that simplicity which always characterizes
the greatest minds and constitutes their chief
charm. His political essays contained nothing
original or striking, and were so deeply imbued
with the party views of the day, that they have
long since been forgotten, and have not, in one
single instance, been reproduced in his collected
works.
A more striking contrast to Jeffrey, as an es-
^^ sayist, can hardly be imagined than
Brougham. Brougham ; for he possessed all that
the former wanted, and wanted every
thing which he possessed. His WTitings, like
his speeches, are varied, vigorous, and discurs-
JTC, full of talent, replete with information, and
often adorned by a manly eloquence. But they
have none of the cool thought and temperate
judgment which is essential for lasting influ-
ence in political science; they partake lather
of th(> <'X('itement of the bar, or the fervor of
the senate, tlian the sober judgment of the acad-
emy. Many of them were much admired and
talked of when they first appeared ; none ai«
now recollected, or have taken a lasting place
in our literature. \Miat is very remarkable, hia
.style, both of speaking and WTiting, is precisely
the reverse f what his taste approves, and
what hisjudgm.T.t has selected as particularly
worthy of admiration in others. He is a pas-
sionate admirer of the Greek authors, and pe-
culiarly emphatic in his eulogies on the terse-
ness of their expression, and the admirable
brevity of their diction ; and yet he himself, in
his style of composition, is the most signal ex-
ample of the danger of deviating from these
precepts, and of the way in which the greatest
talent may be in a manner buried under the re-
dundance of its own expression. He illustrates
an idea, and puts it in new forms, till the orig-
inal impression is well-nigh obliterated. His
knowledge is great, his acquirements vast, his
mind capacious ; but his fame is varied rather
than great. He has marred his reputation by
aiming at eminence in too many things ; and
he will be considered by posterity rather as a
powerful debater and a skillful dialectician,
than either a profound philosopher or consist-
ent statesman.
Mackintosh has been already discussed in
these pages as a senator ; but his 45.
merits as an essayist, and as one Sir .lames
of the original contributors to the Mackintosh.
Edinburgh Review, are too considerable to ren-
der any apology necessary for again making
him the subject of discussion. His mind was
essentially philosophical ; his soul was imbued
with principle, his memory stored with knowl-
edge. He was fitted to have been a great
teacher of men, rather than their powerful rul-
er. These characteristics are strongly appar-
ent in his writings ; and the English language
can not present a more perfect example of phil-
osophical disquisition than some of his political
essays, particularly that on Parliamentary Re-
form, exhibit. He had candor enough, in his
later years, to abandon many of the opinions
which, with the hasty ardor of genius, he had
at first embraced ; the antagonist of Burke, and
the apologist of the Revolution in the VindicitB
Gallica: in early life, he became the most ardent
admirer of the former, and enemy of the latter,
in his maturer years. He had great powers
both of generalization and condensation — two
qualities apparently dissimilar, but which, in
reality, are counterparts of each other ; for the
former distills thought, the latter abbreviates
expression. He was greatly improved as a phi
losopher, though perhaps injured as a debater,
by his long residence in the solitude of the
East : it is not in the arena of politics, or the
busy whirl of party contention, that the fount-
ains of wisdom are unlocked to mankind. His
compositions on the voyage home are a proof
of this ; there is nowhere to be found a more
brilliant series of characters of literary and po
litical men tt m those in the composition ot
which he rel.' ved the solitude of the AI'.aDti^i
Chap, v.]
HISTORV OF EUROPE.
Ha
wave, and which appeared in his admirable bi-
ography by his sons. But his mind was philo-
sophic, not dramatic ; his style didactic, rather
than graphic. He had no pictorial powers, and
little poetic thought ; he was a great discourser
on history, but not a historian. He never could
have carried on, in a style of equal popularity,
the immortal work of Hume ; and the absorp-
tion of his mind, and waste of his time in the
attractions of London society, so much a sub-
ject of regret at the time to his friends, perhaps
saved his reputation from the injury it must
have sustained had he aimed at a liigher flight,
^nd failed in the attempt.
Sidney Smith, so well known in his day as
4g. one of the most popular essayists in the
Sidney Edinburgh Review, and of the most brill-
Smith, iant wits about London, had powers of
an entirely different order, but more fitted for
immediate popularity than Mackintosh. He
had no philosophic turn, httle poetic fancy, and
scarce any eloquence, but a prodigious fund of
innate sagacity, vast powers of humorous illus-
tration, and a clear perception of the practical
bearing of every question. Though bred to the
Church, and holding considerable preferment,
the Dean of St. Paul's had very little of the
clerical in his disposition ; his turn was rather
for the humorous in thought, the brilliant in so-
ciety, the felicitous in expression. He would
have made a great nisi prius lawyer ; his influ-
ence with juries, from the combined effect of
wit and sterling good sense, would have been
irresistible. In society he was very much
sought after, from the fame of his convivial tal-
ents, and the real force of his colloquial expres-
sions ; but there was a constant straining after
effect, and too little interchange of thought to
raise his discourse to a very high charm. It is
very seldom that the conversation of professed
wits possesses that attraction ; it sometimes
amuses, seldom interests. It is in statesmen,
diplomatic characters, and men of the world,
where they are also well informed, that we must
look for the true conversational talent, which
consists in the rapid interchange of thoughts
on interesting subjects, and whic;h, when it oc-
curs between persons of equal abilities, sym-
lathetic minds, but opposite sexes, is perhaps
"lie greatest enjoyment which life can offer. It
is neither to be found in the prelections of pro-
fessors, the vanity of artists, nor the sallies of
wits. Sidney Smith's talents as an essayist
were great ; the success of his collected works,
both in Great Britain and America, is a decisive
proof of it. But their popularity was owing to
force and felicity of expression, ratlicr than
depth of thought or power of eloquence ; his
name is linked with no great question, either
in morals or politics, which is permanently in-
teresting to mankiml ; and lie will |)rohal)ly, in
the end, afltjrd another illustration of tiie triilii
of Sir Joshua Reynolds' observation . Poster-
ity and present times are rivals ; lie who pays
court to the one mu.st reckon upon being dis-
countenanced by the other."
Macaulay, as a historian, belongs to a later
period of this lii.story ; l)Ut, as an e.s-
Macauiay sayist, he early began to give tokens
" of the vast and deserved reputation
which he afterward acquired. Nature had sin-
gled iiim Of*, fe .- a great man : she had imjjressed
the signet mark of genius on nis mind. E.i
dowed with vast powers of application and an
astonishing memory, an accomplished scholar
and erudite antiquarian, he had, at the same
time, the brilliant genius which can apply the
stores of learning to useful purposes, and the
moving eloquence which can render them per-
manently attractive to mankind. It is hard to
say whether his poetry, his speeches in Parlia-
ment, or his more brilliant essays are the most
charming ; each has raised him to very great
eminence, and would be sufficient to constitute
the reputation of any ordinary man. That he
was qualified to have taken a very high place
in oratory, is proved by many of his speeches
in the House of Commons, particularly those
on the Reform Bill ; that he was a briUiant es-
sayist will be doubted by none who have read
his reviews of Lord Clive and Warren Hastings,
perhaps the most perfect compositions of the
kind in the English language ; that he was im-
bued with the very soul of poetry is sufficiently
evinced by his " Battle of the Lake Regillus,"'
and his moving "Legends of Rome." Rarely,
indeed, does a single mind exhibit a combina-
tion of such remarkable and opposite qualities.
But perfection was never yet given to a chfld
of Adam, and the traces of the weakness com-
mon to all may be discerned in him in the very
brilliancy of the qualities which render h\m so
attractive. His imagination often snatches
the reins from his reason ; his ardor dims ^lis
equanimity. His views, always ingenious, gen-
erally eloquently supported, are not uniforml)
just ; his powers as a rhetorician sometimes
make him forget his duties as a judge ; he is
too often splendid, rather than impartial. The
reader will never fail to be interested by his
narrative ; but he is not equally certain to be
instructed : the impression left, however brill-
iant, is often fallacious ; and the fascinating vol-
ume is often closed with regret that the first
pleader at the bar of posterity has not yet been
raised to the bench.
If the Quarlerly Review can not exhibit such
a splendid series of essays from one
individual, as those of Macaulay in the Lockhan.
Edinburgh, it has not the less taken a
memorable part in English literature, and ac
quired no inconsiderable weight in the forma
tion of English opinion. Supporting the prin-
ciples of Conservatism in jjoiitics, of orthodo.xy
in religion, it has brought to tlie supjiort of the
altar and the tiirone a powerful i)halanx of tal-
ent, and an immense array of learning. Its
present accomplished editor, Lockuakt, who at
a siiort interval succeeded Giflbrd in its direc-
tion, l)rought to his arduous task quaiiti(>s wiiich
eminently fitted him fi)r its duties. He is not
Iiolilical in his disposition, at least so far as en-
gaging in the great strife of piibii{; (jii(":tions is
c()iic,(Tne(l ; he is one of tiie light, not tlu; lieavy
anned infantry, and pn'fi^rs exchanging tiirust.'?
with a court rapier to wielding the massy clul)
of Hercules.* But in the lighter branches of
* The expression was Bii(;gcHted by llio ilistinntli'n
drawn by n lady of rank and genius, wlio was well iie-
quaintcd with the InlentH of either, and at her KpU-mlid
inansion of Newton Don hail ollcn reeeivcd both Sir Wal-
ter .Scott and Mr. Loekhart. "Sir Waller," said Liidy
Don (now Lady \Vallae<^), "always puts me in mind, in
ronversation.of hisown description of Uirhard (,'(Knr-ile-
Lion: lie lets full a massy club: Lockhart In Saladiu
ibO
H I s T O U 1 U !•' E U K 1' E.
[Ciixr. f
litoratiiro no has desorvcilly attained the vrr>'
highest oiiiinonoo. As a novelist, a critic, and
n bioizrapluT, ho has taken a histing place in En-
glish literature. His Valrrius is the most suc-
ressful attempt which has ever yet been made
to insirafl the interest of iiiodern romance on
ancient story ; its extreme difUcidty may be
judired of by the brilliant <;onius of Biihvcr hav-
ing alone rivaled him in the imdertakin^. But
his fame with posterity will mainly rest on his
Life of Sir Waller Seolt, for which, as his near
relation, he had no doubt frreat advantages, but
which he has executed with so much skill, and
in so admirable a manner, that, next to Bos-
well's Ltfe of Johnson, it will probably always
be considered as the most interesting work of
bioirraphy in the English language.
\\"iLso>f. as the leading contributor, for a long
series of years, to BlackicootV s Magazine,
Wilson. ^^^ brought more vigor and genius into
the field of periodical literature than any
of his contemporaries. His mind is essentially
poetical. The inspiration of genius is apparent
in all his vTitings. Ardent in feeling, warm in
temperament, impassioned in thought, he wants
the calm judgment, patient research, and labo-
rious industr>' requisite for success in political
or historical literature ; his fancy w-heels in ae-
rial flights through the heavens, without alight-
ing or caring for the concerns of a lower world.
He dwells in the regions of imagination, and
there he soars on the eagle's wing. The whole
literature of England does not contain a more
brilhant series of critical essays than those with
which he has enriched the pages of Blackwood'' s
Magazine ; and, what is rarer still, the generos-
ity of feeling by which they are distinguished
equals their critical acuteness and delicacy of
taste. Himself a poet, and endowed with the
very highest gifts of the muses, he is entirely
destitute of that VTCtched jealousy which so
often, in persons of a similar temperament,
mars the greatest endovMnents, and disfigures
the brightest genius. If his criticisms have any
imperfections, it is that they are too indulgent.
He is justly alive to faults, and, when obliged
to notice, signalizes them with critical justice ;
hut the generosity of his nature leads him rath-
er to seek for excellences, and, when he finds
them, none bestows the meed of praise with
nore heartfelt fervor. He is one of the most
striking examples that ever existed of the im-
portant truths, that simplicity of thought and
generosity of feeling are the surest character-
istics of the highest class of intellect ; that
true taste is to be evinced by the appreciation
of beauties, rather than the detection of blem-
ishes ; and that none are fitted really to criticise
merit but those who could have rivaled it.
Historical literature, next to poetrj', reflects
most strongly the images of the time ; the mov-
ing phantasmagoria of real events ere long kin-
dles the imagination, and tinges the pictures
who flies round him with a Damascus cimiter." It is im-
possible to characterize more happily the conversational
character of these two near relatives and very eminent
mnn : and the author trugts an early and hijihiy-valued
friend, whose Sfreat talents and charm in conversation —
e(]ual to that of cither — so eminently qualify her to appre-
ciate similar excellences in others, will forgive him for
recording an e.xpression which depicts, more truly and
faithfully than he could have done, the conversational tal-
ents of two men in whom posterity will always feel so
warm an interest.
of the narrative. The cold ; rademic style of
Robertson may suit the comparative jf,
calmness of the eighteenth century, change ic
but the fervor and animation of its ti'c style
close communicated itself to the his- ^'''history
torical works of the next. Hall.\m * '""'
was the first historian whose style gave token
of the coming change ; his works mark the tran-
sition from one age and style of literature to an-
other. In extent and variety of learning, and a
deep actjuaintance with antiquarian lore, the
historian of the Middle Ages may deservedly
take a place with tlie most eminent writers in
that style that Europe has produced ; but his
mind is more imaginative than those of his la-
borious predecessors, and a fervent eloquence,
or poetic expression, often reveals the ardor
which the heart-stirring events of his time had
communicated to his disposition. His extens-
ive and varied learning, alike in parliamentary
transactions and general literature, has enabled
him to throw an important light on our consti-
tutional history, and illustrate, with happy dis-
crimination, the literature of modem Europe.
It is only to be regretted that he sometimes
has not, in artistic style, sufficiently massed
his lights and shadows. There is often a want
of.breadth in his pieces ; the light is thrown too
equally on all, and the mind of the reader, op-
pressed with an infinity of unimportant details
or unknown names, sometimes loses the gen-
eral thread of the composition, or misses the
impression which the author himself desired to
produce by his work.
Sharon Turner, like Hallam, belongs to the
antiquarian school, but, like him, he gj
has enlivened the industry of un- sharon Tur-
wearied compilation by gleams of ner and Pal-
fervent imagination. His History of s^a^^'f^-
the Anslo-Saxons, by far his best work, has
thrown a new and important hght on that in
teresting portion of English history ; and ilhis
trated, with equal truth and accuracy, the insti
tutions, manners, and habits of the people who
form so large a part of the stock of English an
cestry. When Ave compare the meagre and oft-
en inaccurate accounts of our Saxon forefathers,
which preceded the labors of this indefatigable
antiquarian, with the broad light which has now