"of war and victory, are dishonest tricks, and poor contemp"tible pageantry.” Let us however abandon this topic, to say something of "The Lady of the Lake." It is now in the hands of all our readers, and we shall not therefore indulge them with any extracts, but merely state our general impressions with regard to this admirable poem. We read it, to use a French phrase tout d'une haleine-in one breath, and throughout with sentiments of unmingled delight, and unvarying approbation. We pronounced it without hesitation, to be the masterpiece of its author, and after having again dwelt upon every line, and examined anew the "Lay" and "Marmion," we continue to adhere to our first opinion. The story of "The Lady of the Lake" is infinitely more captivating, and at the same time much more regular, than that of the other poems of Mr. Scott: the versification is more full, rich and harmonious: the blemishes of every kind much fewer and less important: and the dramatic effect is incomparably fine. As a picture, in some respects, of Highland manners, and as a delineation of the chivalrous character, it unites all the excellence of a faithful history, with the charms of an ingenious romance. If to impart pleasure be the chief end of poetry, Mr. Scott has succeeded, as fully as any favourite of Apollo that ever lived. We know of no poem in any language, with the exception of the Orlando Furioso, to which, in many points, it bears a resemblance, that is better fitted than "The Lady of the Lake" to enthral the fancy, and to monopolize the attention of the reader. Ellen, Douglas, RoderickDhu, and Fitz James take complete possession of the mind. The reader follows them through the train of their adventures, with the same steady interest that is felt in the perusal of the Arabian Tales, while the liveliest sympathies of the heart are kept in unremitting activity, and the imagination constantly recreated, with graphic delineations of the most singular clearness, and of the most picturesque beauty. Mr. Scott copies both from the internal language, and the exterior imagery of nature, with astonishing fidelity and success. He may confidently say with Dante, Io mi son un che quando Natura spira, noto, ed a quel modo In "The Lady of the Lake," he has made a most valuable gift to the literary world. Pliny styles the epic poem the most precious fruit of the human mind:-" pretiosissimum hum ni "animi opus." The work of Mr. Scoti, has not, it is true, the VOL. I. Y dignity or majesty of the Epopee, but it has many of its most attractive features, and if it cannot be well denominated the most precious, it is, at least, one of the most enchanting productions of the intellect. In the construction of the poem there appears to us but one prominent defect, and that is, the little relief which is given to the character of Malcolme Græme, the favoured lover of the heroine. In the middle cantos he is forgotten altogether, and is scarcely wished for, or expected, at the dénouement of the plot. This blemish strikes every reader, and has been remarked by all the critics. It is so palpable as to excite some surprise that it escaped the notice of the poet. "The Lady of the Lake" has been reviewed in nearly all the literary journals of Great Britain. We have read most of their criticisms, and have found none that has given us much satisfaction, but that of the Edinburgh Review. In their examination of this poem, the Scottish censors have manifested that superiority over all their competitors, which they never fail to display, whenever their unrivalled powers of analysis and expression are called forth, by a theme of great interest or importance. Although the political' opponents, and, in some respects, the literary rivals, of Mr. Scott, they have done justice to his merits, and have, with perfect impartiality, and with the most admirable force and originality of thought, pointed out not only the distinguishing excellence of this poem, but. the characteristic features of the author's genius. We earnestly recommend the whole of this critique to our readers, and shall subjoin a few extracts from it, which may serve to express, in language much stronger than any we ourselves could employ, the opinions which we entertain, with regard both to the particular work under consideration, and to the general merits of Mr. Scott's poetry. "Of this poem (the Lady of the Lake) we are," say the Reviewers" inclined to think more highly than of either of Mr. "Scott's publications. We are more sure, however, that it has "fewer faults, and that it has greater beauties; and as its beau"ties bear a strong resemblance to those with which the pub"lic has already been made familiar in those celebrated works, "we should not be surprised if its popularity were less splen"did and remarkable. For our own parts, however, we are of "opinion, that it will be oftener read hereafter than either of "them; and that, if it had appeared first in the series, their re"ception would have been less favourable than that which it "has experienced. It is more polished in its diction, and more regular in its versification; the story is conducted with infi "nitely more skill and address; there is a greater proportion "of pleasing and tender passages, with much less antiqua"rian detail; and, upon the whole, a larger variety of characters, more artfully and judiciously contrasted. There is nothing so fine, perhaps, as the battle in Marmion-or so "picturesque as some of the sketches in "The Lay;" but "there is a richness and a spirit in the whole piece, which "does not pervade either of these poems,-a profusion of in"cident and a shifting brilliancy of colouring, that reminds us "of the witchery of Ariosto, and a constant elasticity, and "occasional energy, which seem to belong more peculiarly to "the author now before us." The following is their view of the general merits of the poet. "Confident in the force and originality of his own genius, "Mr. Scott has not been afraid to avail himself of common"places both of diction and of sentiment, whenever they appeared to be beautiful or impressive,-using them however, at all times, with the skill and spirit of an inventor: "and quite certain that he could not be mistaken for a plagiarist or imitator, he has made free use of that great treasury of characters, images and expressions, which had "been accumulated by the most celebrated of his predecessors; at the same time that the rapidity of his transitions, the novelty of his combinations, and the spirit and variety of his own thoughts and inventions, show plainly that he "was a borrower from any thing but poverty, and took only "what he could have given if he had been born in an earlier generation. The great secret of his popularity, however, "and the leading characteristic of his poetry, appear to us to "consist evidently in this, that he has made more use of common topics, images and expressions, than any original poet "of later times; and, at the same time, displayed more genius "and originality than any recent author who has worked in "the same materials. By the latter peculiarity, he has entitled "himself to the admiration of every description of readers;-બ by the former, he is recommended in an especial manner to "the inexperienced, at the hazard of some little offence to the more cultivated and fastidious. " 66 "In the choice of his subjects, for example, he does not attempt to interest merely by fine observation or pathetic. "sentiment, but takes the assistance of a story, and enlists the "reader's curiosity among his motives for attention. Then his characters are all selected from the most common dra 66 "matis persona of poetry;-kings, warriors, knights, outlaws, "nuns, minstrels, secluded damsels, wizards, and true lovers. "He never ventures to carry us into the cottage of the peasant, "like Crabbe or Cowper; nor into the bosom of domestic pri"vacy, like Campbell; nor among creatures of imagination, like "Southey or Darwin. Such personages, we readily admit, are "not in themselves so interesting or striking as those to whom "Mr. Scott has devoted himself; but they are far less familiar "in poetry-and are therefore more likely, perhaps, to engage "the attention of those to whom poetry is familiar. In the 66 management of the passions, again, Mr. Scott appears to us "to have pursued the same popular, and comparatively easy 66 course. He has raised all the most familiar and poetical "emotions, by the most obvious aggravations, and in the "most compendious and judicious way. He has dazzled "the reader with the splendour, and even warmed him with "the transient heat of various affections; but he has nowhere "fairly kindled him with enthusiasm, or melted him into ten"derness. Writing for the world at large, he has wisely ab"stained from attempting to raise any passion to a height to "which worldly people could not be transported; and con"tented himself with giving his reader the chance of feeling, "as a brave, kind and affectionate gentleman should often "feel in the ordinary course of his existence, without trying to breathe into him either that lofty enthusiasm which dis"dains the ordinary business and amusements of life, or that "quiet and deep sensibility which unfits for all its pursuits. "With regard to diction and imagery, too, it is quite obvious, "that Mr. Scott has not aimed at writing either in a pure or a very consistent style. He seems to have been anxious only to "strike, and to be easily and universally understood; and, for "this purpose, to have culled the most glittering and con"spicuous expressions of the most popular authors, and to "have interwoven them in splendid confusion with his own "nervous diction and irregular versification. Indifferent whe❝ther he coins or borrows, and drawing with equal freedom "on his memory and his imagination, he goes boldly forward, "in full reliance on a never-failing abundance; and dazzles, "with his richness and variety, even those who are most apt "to be offended with his glare and irregularity. There is "nothing, in Mr. Scott, of the severe and majestic style of "Milton-or of the terse and fine composition of Pope-or "of the elaborate elegance and melody of Campbell-or even "of the flowing and redundant diction of Southey.-But "there is a medley of bright images and glowing words, set "carelessly and loosely together-a diction, tinged succes"sively with the careless richness of Shakspeare, the harsh"ness and antique simplicity of the old romances, the home"liness of vulgar ballads and anecdotes, and the sentimental "glitter of the most modern poetry,-passing from the bor"ders of the ludicrous to those of the sublime-alternately "minute and energetic-sometimes artificial, and frequently "negligent-but always full of spirit and vivacity,-abound"ing in images, that are striking, at first sight, to minds of every contexture-and never expressing a sentiment which "it can cost the most ordinary reader any exertion to com"prehend. "Such seem to be the leading qualities that have contri"buted to Mr. Scott's popularity; and, as some of them are "obviously of a kind to diminish his merit in the eyes of "more fastidious judges, it is but fair to complete this view "of his peculiarities by a hasty notice of such of them as en"title him to unqualified admiration; and here it is impos"sible not to be struck with that vivifying spirit of strength "and animation which pervades all the inequalities of his "composition, and keeps constantly on the mind of the "reader the impression of great power, spirit and intrepidity. "There is nothing cold, creeping or feeble, in all Mr. Scott's "poetry;-no laborious littleness, or puling classical af"fectation. He has his failures, indeed, like other people; "but he always attempts vigorously; and never fails in his "immediate object, without accomplishing something far be"yond the reach of an ordinary writer. Even when he wan"ders from the paths of pure taste, he leaves behind him the "footsteps of a powerful genius; and moulds the most humble of his materials into a form worthy of a nobler substance. "Allied to this inherent vigour and animation, and in a great "degree derived from it, is that air of facility and freedom. "which adds so peculiar a grace to Mr. Scott's compositions. "There is certainly no living poet whose works seem to come "from him with so much ease, or who so seldom appears to "labour, even in the most burdensome parts of his performance. He seems, indeed, never to think, either of himself "or his reader, but to be completely identified and lost in the 46 personages with whom he is occupied; and the attention of "the reader is consequently either transferred, unbroken, to "their adventures, or, if it glance back for a moment to the "author, it is only to think how much more might be done, "by putting forth that strength at full, which has, without "effort, accomplished so many wonders. It is owing partly |