wild Northumbrians, indeed, went beyond the ferocity of their ancestors. They were not content with a duel: each contending party used to muster what adherents he could, and commence a kind of petty war. So that a private grudge would often occasion much bloodshed. "It happened that a quarrel of this kind was on foot when Mr. Gilpin was at Rothbury, in those parts. During the two or three first days of his preaching, the contending parties observed some decorum, and never appeared at church together. At length, however, they met. One party had been early at church, and just as Mr Gilpin began his sermon, the other entered. They stood not long silent. Inflamed at the sight of each other, they began to clash their weapons, for they were all armed with javelins and swords, and mutually approached. Awed, however, by the sacredness of the place, the tumult in some degree ceased. Mr Gilpin proceeded when again the combatants began to brandish their weapons, and draw towards each other. As a fray seemed near, Mr. Gilpin stepped from the pulpit, went between them, and addressed the leaders, put an end to the quarrel, for the present, but could not effect an entire reconciliation. They promised him, however, that till the sermon was over they would make no more disturbance. He then went again into the pulpit, and spent the rest of the time in endeavouring to make them ashamed of what they had done. His behaviour and discourse affected them so much, that, at his farther entreaty, they promised to forbear all acts of hostility while he continued in the country. And so much respected was he among them, that whoever was in fear of his enemy used to resort where Mr. Gilpin was, esteeming his presence the best protection. "One Sunday morning, coming to a church in those parts, before the people were assembled, he observed a glove hanging up, and was informed by the sexton, that it was meant as a challenge to any one who should take it down. Mr. Gilpin ordered the sexton to reach it to him; but upon his utterly refusing to touch it, he took it down himself, and put it into his breast. When the people were assembled, he went into the pulpit, and, before he concluded his sermon took occasion to rebuke them severely for these inhuman challenges. 'I hear,' saith he, that one among you hath hanged up a glove, even in this sacred place, threatening to fight any one who taketh it down see, I have taken it down ; and, pulling | out the glove, he held it up to the congregation, and then showed them how unsuitable such savage practices were to the profession of Christianity, using such persuasives to mutual love as he thought would most affect them."-Life of Barnard Gilpin. Lond. 1753, 8vo, p. 177. NOTE 3 K. A Horseman arm'd, at headlong speed.-P. 345. This, and what follows, is taken from a real achievement of Major Robert Philipson, called from his desperate and adventurous courage, Robin the Devil; which, as being very inaccurately noticed in this note upon the first edition, shall be now given in a more authentic form. The chief place of his retreat was not Lord's Island, in Derwentwater, but Curwen's Island, in the Lake of Windermere: This island formerly belonged to the Philipsons, a family of note in Westmoreland. During the Civil Wars, two of them, an elder and a younger brother served the King. The former, who was the proprietor of it, commanded a regiment; the latter was a major. "The major, whose name was Robert, was a man of great spirit and enterprise; and for his many feats of personal bravery had obtained, among the Oliverians of those parts, the appellation of Robin the Devil. "After the war had subsided, and the direful effects of publie opposition had ceased, revenge and malice long kept alive the animosity of individuals. Colonel Briggs, a steady friend to usurpation, resided at this time at Kendal, and, under the double character of a leading magistrate (for he was a Justiceof-Peace) and an active commander, held the country in awe. This person having heard that Major Philipson was at his brother's house on the island in Windermere, resolved, if possible, to seize and punish a man who had made himself so particularly obnoxious. How it was conducted, my authority does not inform us-whether he got together the navigation of the lake, and blockaded the place by sea, or whether he landed and carried on his approaches in form. Neither do we learn the strength of the garrison within, nor of the works without. All we learn is, that Major Philipson endured a siege of eight months with great gallantry, till his brother, the Colonel, raised a party and relieved him. "It was now the Major's turn to make reprisals. He put himself, therefore, at the head of a little troop of horse, and rode to Kendal. Here, being informed that Colonel Briggs was at prayers, (for it was on a Sunday morning,) he stationed his men properly in the avenues, and himself armed, rode directly into the church. It probably was not a regular church, but some large place of meeting. It is said he intended to seize the Colonel and carry him off; but as this seems to have been totally impracticable, it is rather probable that his intention was to kill him on the spot, and in the midst of the confusion to escape. Whatever his intention was, it was frustrated, for Briggs happened to be elsewhere. "The congregation, as might be expected, was thrown into great confusion on seeing an armed man on horseback make his appearance among them; and the Major, taking advantage of their astonishment, turned his horse round, and rode quietly out. But having given an alarm, he was presently assaulted as he left the assembly, and being seized, his girths were cut, and he was unhorsed. At this instant bis party made a furious attack on the assailants, and the Major killed with his own hand the man who had seized him, clapped the saddle ungirthed as it was, upon his horse, and, vaulting into it, rode full speed through the streets of Kendal, calling his men to follow him; and, with his whole party, made a safe retreat to his asylum in the lake. The action marked the man. Many knew him: and they who did not, knew as well from the exploit that it could be nobody but Robin the Devil." 1 Dr Burn's History of Westmoreland. The Bridal of Triermain: OR, The Vale of St. John. A LOVER'S TALE. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.1 bably derived their chief value from their supposed historical authenticity. The same may be generally said of the poetry of all early ages. The marvels IN the EDINBURGH Annual RegisTER for the year and miracles which the poet blends with his song, 1809, Three Fragments were inserted, written in do not exceed in number or extravagance the figimitation of Living Poets. It must have been ap-ments of the historians of the same period of society; parent, that by these prolusions, nothing burlesque, and, indeed, the difference betwixt poetry and prose, or disrespectful to the authors, was intended, but that they were offered to the public as serious, though certainly very imperfect, imitations of that style of composition, by which each of the writers is supposed to be distinguished. As these exercises attracted a greater degree of attention than the author anticipated, he has been induced to complete one of them, and present it as a separate publication.2 It is not in this place that an examination of the works of the master whom he has here adopted as his model, can, with propriety, be introduced; since his general acquiescence in the favourable suffrage of the public must necessarily be inferred from the attempt he has now made. He is induced, by the nature of his subject, to offer a few remarks on what has been called ROMANTIC POETRY ;-the popularity of which has been revived in the present day, under the auspices, and by the unparalleled success, of one individual. as the vehicles of historical truth, is always of late introduction. Poets, under various denominations of Bards, Scalds, Chroniclers, and so forth, are the first historians of all nations. Their intention is to relate the events they have witnessed, or the traditions that have reached them; and they clothe the relation in rhyme, merely as the means of rendering it more solemn in the narrative or more easily committed to memory. But as the poetical historian improves in the art of conveying information, the authenticity of his narrative unavoidably declines. He is tempted to dilate and dwell upon the events that are interesting to his imagination, and, conscious how indifferent his audience is to the naked truth of his poem, his history gradually becomes a romance. It is in this situation that those epics are found, which have been generally regarded the standards of poetry; and it has happened somewhat strangely, that the moderns have pointed out as the character. The original purpose of poetry is either religious or historical, or, as must frequently happen, a mix-istics and peculiar excellencies of narrative poetry, ture of both. To modern readers, the poems of Homer have many of the features of pure romance; but in the estimation of his contemporaries, they pro 1 Published in March 1813, by John Ballantyne and Co. 12mo, 7s. 6d. 2 Sir Walter Scott, in his Introduction to the Lord of the Isles says," Being much urged by my intimate friend, now unhappily no more, William Erskine, I agreed to write the little romantic tale called the Bridal of Triermain; but it was on the condition, that he should make no serious effort to disown the composition, if report should lay it at his door. the very circumstances which the authors themselves adopted, only because their art involved the duties of the historian as well as the poet. It can As he was more than suspected of a taste for poetry, and as I took care, in several places, to mix something which might resemble (as far as was in my power) my friend's feeling and manner, the train easily caught, and two large editions were sold. A third being called for, Lord Kinedder became unwilling to aid any longer a deception which was going farther than he expected or desired, and the real author's name was given." not be believed, for example, that Homer selected | καὶ ἱστορέων επυνθάνετο· εἰκὸς δί μιν ἦν καὶ μνημόσυνα the siege of Troy as the most appropriate subject závoær yęápsola..2 Instead of recommending the for poetry; his purpose was to write the early history choice of a subject similar to that of Homer, it of his country; the event he has chosen, though not was to be expected that critics should have exhorted very fruitful in varied incident, nor perfectly well the poets of these latter days to adopt or invent a adapted for poetry, was nevertheless combined with narrative in itself more susceptible of poetical ornatraditionary and genealogical anecdotes extremely ment, and to avail themselves of that advantage in interesting to those who were to listen to him; and order to compensate, in some degree, the inferiority this he has adorned by the exertions of a genius, of genius. The contrary course has been inculcated which, if it has been equalled, has certainly been by almost all the writers upon the Epopaia; with never surpassed. It was not till comparatively a what success, the fate of Homer's numerous imilate period that the general accuracy of his narra- tators may best show. The ultimum supplicium of tive, or his purpose in composing it was brought criticism was inflicted on the author if he did not into question. Δοκεῖ πρῶτος [ὁ Αναξαγόρας] (καθά choose a subject which at once deprived him of all φησι Φαβορίνος εν παντοδαπῆ Ιστορία) την Ομήρε claim to originality, and placed him, if not in actual ποίησιν ἀποφήνασθαι εἶναι περὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ δικαιοσύνης.1 contest, at least in fatal comparison, with those But whatever theories might be framed by specu- giants in the land whom it was most his interest lative men, his work was of an historical, not of an to avoid. The celebrated receipt for writing an allegorical nature. Εναυτίλλετο μετὰ τῇ Μέντεω καὶ epic poem, which appeared in The Guardian, ὅπε εκάστοτε αφίκοιτο, πάντα τὰ επιχώρια διερωτᾶτο, was the first instance in which common sense Diogenes Laertius, lib. ii. Anaxag. Segm. II. 2 Homeri Vita, in Herod. Henr. Steph. 1570, p. 356. 3 A RECEIPT TO MAKE AN EPIC POEM. "Take out of any old poem, history book, romance, or legend, (for instance, Geoffry of Monmouth, or Don Belianis of Greece,) those parts of story which afford most scope for long descriptions. Put these pieces together, and throw all the adventures you fancy into one tale. Then take a hero whom you may choose for the sound of his name, and put him into the midst of these adventures. There let him work for twelve books; at the end of which you may take him out ready prepared to conquer or marry, it being necessary that the conclusion of an epic poem be fortunate." To make an Episode.—“ Take any remaining adventure of your former collection, in which you could no way involve your hero, or any unfortunate accident that was too good to be thrown away, and it will be of use, applied to any other person, who may be lost and evaporate in the course of the work, without the least damage to the composition." For the Moral and Allegory." These you may extract out of the fable afterwards at your leisure. Be sure you strain them sufficiently." FOR THE MANNERS. "For those of the hero, take all the best qualities you can find in all the celebrated heroes of antiquity; if they will not be reduced to a consistency, lay them all on a heap upon him. Be sure they are qualities which your patron would be thought to have; and, to prevent any mistake which the world may be subject to, select from the alphabet those capital letters that compose his name, and set them at the head of a dedicacation before your poem. However, do not absolutely observe the exact quantity of these virtues, it not being determined whether or not it be necessary for the hero of a poem to be an honest man. For the under characters, gather them from Homer and Virgil, and change the names as occasion serves." FOR THE MACHINES. "Take of deities, male and female, as many as you can use. Separate them into equal par.s, and keep Jupiter in the middle. Let Juno put him in a ferment, and Venus mollify him. Remember on all occasions to make use of volatile Mercury. If you have need of devils, draw them out of Milton's Paradise, and extract your spirits from Tasso. The use of these machines is evident, for since an epic poem can pos sibly subsist without them, the wisest way is to reserve them for your greatest necessities. When you cannot extricate your hero by any human means, or yourself by your own wits, seek relief from Heaven, and the gods will do your business very readily. This is according to the direct prescription of Horace in his Art of Poetry: 'Nec Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus Never presume to make a god appear But for a business worthy of a god."—ROSCOMMON. That is to say, a poet should never call upon the gods for their assistance, but when he is in great perplexity." FOR THE DESCRIPTIONS. For a Tempest." Take Eurus, Zephyr, Auster, and Boreas, and cast them together into one verse. Add to these of rain, lightning, and of thunder (the loudest you can), Quantum sufficit. Mix your clouds and billows well together until they foam, and thicken your description here and there with a quicksand. Brew your tempest well in your head before you set it a-blowing." For a Battle.-"Pick a large quantity of images and descriptions from Homer's Iliad, with a spice or two of Virgil; and if there remain any overplus, you may lay them by for a skirmish. Season it well with smiles, and it will make an excellent battle." For a Burning Town.-"If such a description be neces sary, because it is certain there is one in Virgil, Old Troy is ready burnt to your hands. But if you fear that would be thought borrowed, a chapter or two of the Theory of Conflagration, well circumstanced, and done into verse, will be good succcedaneum." As for similes and metaphors, "they may be found all over the creation. The most ignorant may gather them, but the danger is in applying them. For this, advise with your book. seller." FOR THE LANGUAGE (I mean the diction.) "Here it will do well to be an imitator of Milton; for you will find it easier to imitate him in 1 From Lib. iii. De Conflagratione Mundi, or Telluris Theoria Sacra, published in 4to, 1689. By Dr Thomas Burnet, master of the Charter-House. |
