poems. These latter have had a wide circulation, and are well known. Some of the pieces have attained a reputation, - in some measure deserved, for example, The Shakespeare Ode," "The Winged Worshippers," the "Lines on the Death of M. S. C.," and "I See Thee Still." Others have acquired a notoriety which is anything but desirable fame. We speak of the Prize Odes for Festivals and Opening Nights of new theatres a species of literature almost beneath contempt, and whose sine quâ non of success is pedantic commonplace. Who believes that a really good poem would even be glanced at a second time by any one of a committee appointed to decide upon such things as Opening Addresses ?

The Shakespeare Ode" of Mr. Sprague is, after all, scarcely an exception to our general rule in this case. We may, perhaps, modify matters so as to admit that while all prize articles are bad ex officio, the "Shakespeare Ode" is the best of them. It carries the essential error to the height of its perfection that is precisely what we mean. Farther than this no man should go. We allow that public opinion is here against us, and the poem in question is generally considered as a “brilliant production." Public opinion, however, is a certain intangible something of which we have no opinion at all. By this we mean what is called public opinion; for the true, unbiassed judgment of the majority is a different thing, but can never be accurately ascertained. If it could, it would nearly always be found in accordance with critical decision. We must keep in mind the distinction when we read the words of Chamfort," Il y a à parier," says he, "que toute idée publique, toute convention reçue, est une sottise; car elle a convenu au plus grand nombre."

In fact, all that a just criticism can say in favour of this Ode is that its versification is of the highest order of excellence (it includes finer lines and even finer entire paragraphs than are to be found elsewhere), and that its imagery is scrupulously accurate and well sustained its imagery such as it is. What, indeed, can be more outrageously absurd than an obstinate persistence, at each epoch, in the mawkish allegory of ancient theology a thing which, in its origin and under the best circumstances, never had, never could have had, from its very nature, the slightest effect or force beyond that of an inane assent to its ingenuity. We say nothing of the imitation of Collins' "Ode to the Passions this is too obvious to need a word of

18 comment.

"Curiosity," the longest poem in the volume, is entitled just to that amount of praise which we have awarded to the " Shakespeare Ode," while its defects (of a similar character with those upon which we have commented) are scarcely so glaring. Its versification is superb nothing could be better. Its thoughts are tersely put forth. The style is pungently epigrammatic. Upon the whole, it is fully as good a poem as Pope could have written, upon the same subject, in his finest hour of inspiration. We must bear in mind one important distinction, however. With Pope the ideas and the management of the piece would have been original; with Mr. Sprague they are Pope's. We will end our comments upon "Curiosity" with the general remark that didactic subjects are utterly beyond, or rather beneath, the province of true poesy.

The Lines on the Death of M. S. C." are distinguished by all the minor beauties for which Mr. S. is so remarkable, while they abound in merit of a bet

ter, although still not of the highest, order. They are pathetic and simple, but evince little ideality.

"The Winged Worshippers" is, beyond question, a beautiful little poem, and relieves us from a distressing doubt we had begun to entertain - a doubt whether we should not, after all, be forced to look upon Mr. Sprague as merely a well-educated poetaster, of what is (satirically?) called classical taste, of accurate ear, and of sound negative judgment.

THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP, AND OTHER TALES. BY CHARLES DICKENS. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY CATTERMOle and Browne. Philadelphia, Lea AND BLANCHARD.

MASTER HUMPHREY'S CLOCK. BY CHARLES DICKENS. (Boz.) WITH NINETY-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS BY GEORGE CATTERMOLE AND HABLOT BROWNE. PHILADELPHIA, LEA AND BLANCHARD.

[Text: Graham's Magazine, May, 1841.]

WHAT We here give in Italics is the duplicate title, on two separate title-pages, of an octavo volume of three hundred and sixty-two pages. Why this method of nomenclature should have been adopted, is more than we can understand, although it arises, perhaps, from a certain confusion and hesitation observable in the whole structure of the book itself. Publishers have an idea, however (and no doubt they are the best judges in such matters), that a complete work obtains a readier sale than one to be continued"; and we plainly see that it is with the design of intimating the entireness of the volume now before us, that " The Old Curiosity

The

Shop, and Other Tales," has been made not only the primary and main title, but the name of the whole publication as indicated by the back. This may be quite fair in trade, but is morally wrong not the less. volume is only one of a series only part of a whole; and the title has no right to insinuate otherwise. So obvious is this intention to misguide, that it has led to the absurdity of putting the inclusive, or general, title of the series as a secondary instead of a primary one. Anybody may see that if the wish had been fairly to represent the plan and extent of the volume, something like this would have been given on a single page.

"Master Humphrey's Clock. By Charles Dickens. Part I. Containing The Old Curiosity Shop, and Other Tales, with Numerous Illustrations, &c., &c."

This would have been better for all parties, a good deal more honest, and a vast deal more easily understood. In fact, there is sufficient uncertainty of purpose in the book itself, without resort to mystification in the matter of title. We do not think it altogether impossible that the rumours in respect to the sanity of Mr. Dickens, which were so prevalent during the publication of the first numbers of the work, had some slight, some very slight foundation in truth. By this, we mean merely to say that the mind of the author, at the time, might possibly have been struggling with some of those manifold and multiform aberrations by which the nobler order of genius is so frequently beset, but which are still very far removed from disease.

There are some facts in the physical world which have a really wonderful analogy with others in the world of thought, and seem thus to give some colour of truth to the (false) rhetorical dogma, that metaphor or simile may be made to strengthen an argument, as

well as to embellish a description.

The principle of the vis inertia, for example, with the amount of momentum proportionate with it and consequent upon it, seems to be identical in physics and metaphysics. It

is not more true, in the former, that a large body is with more difficulty set in motion than a smaller one, and that its subsequent impetus is commensurate with this difficulty, than it is, in the latter, that intellects of the vaster capacity, while more forcible, more constant, and more extensive in their movements than those of inferior grade, are yet the less readily moved, and are more embarrassed and more full of hesitation in the first new steps of their progress. While, therefore, it is not impossible, as we have just said, that some slight mental aberration might have given rise to the hesitancy and indefinitiveness of purpose which are so very perceptible in the first pages of the volume before us, we are still the more willing to believe these defects the result of the moral facts just stated, since we find the work itself of an unusual order of excellence, even when regarded as the production of the author of Nicholas Nickleby. That the evils we complain of are not, and were not, fully perceived by Mr. Dickens himself, cannot be supposed for a moment. Had his book been

published in the old way, we should have seen no traces of them whatever.

an an

The design of the general work, "Humphrey's Clock," is simply the common-place one of putting various tales into the mouths of a social party. The meetings are held at the house of Master Humphrey. tique building in London, where an old-fashioned clockcase is the place of deposit for the MSS. Why such designs have become common, is obvious. One half the pleasure experienced at a theatre arises from