THE BLUES: A LITERARY ECLOGUE.1 "Nimium ne crede colori."-VIRGIL. O trust not, ye beautiful creatures, to hue, Though your hair were as red as your stockings are blue. ECLOGUE FIRST." London-Before the Door of a Lecture Room. Enter TRACY, meeting INKEL. Ink. You're too late. Tra. Ink. Is it over? Nor will be this hour. But the benches are cramm'd, like a garden in flower, With the pride of our belles, who have made it the fashion; [passion" So, instead of "beaux arts," we may say "la belle For learning, which lately has taken the lead in The world, and set all the fine gentlemen reading. Tra. I know it too well, and have worn out my patience With studying to study your new publications. There's Vamp, Scamp, and Mouthy, and Wordswords and Co. With their damnable Ta'en in such cruel sort, as grieves me still: The soul, who spilt our life. Such were their words; "Then turning, I to them my speech address'd, How him love thrall'd. Alone we were, and no Suspicion near us. Ofttimes by that reading Our eyes were drawn together, and the hue Fled from our alter'd cheek. But at one point Alone we fell. When of that smile we read, The wished smile, so rapturously kiss'd By one so deep in love, then he, who ne'er From me shall separate, at once my lips All trembling kiss'd. The book and writer both Were love's purveyors. In its leaves that day We read no more. While thus one spirit spake, The other wail'd so sorely, that heart-struck, 1, through compassion fainting, seem'd not far From death, and like a corse fell to the ground." The story of Francesca and Paolo is a great favorite with the Italians. It is noticed by all the historians of Ravenna. Petrarch introduces it, in his Trionfi d' Amore, among his examples of calamitous passion; and Tassoni, in his Secchia Rapita, represents Paolo Malatesta as leading the troops of Rimini, and describes him, when mounted on his charger, as contemplating a golden sword-chain, presented to him by Francesca :- "Rimini vien con la bandiera sesta, Tra. Excuse me: I meant no offence To the Nine; though the number who make some pretence To their favors is such- -but the subject to drop, Halli donata al dispartir Francesca "To him Francesca gave the golden chain At parting-time, from which his sword was hung; The wretchied lover gazed at it with pain, Adding new pangs to those his heart had wrung; The more he sought to fly the luscious bane, The firmer he was bound, the deeper stung."] [This trifle, which Lord Byron has himself designated as a "mere buffoonery, never meant for publication," was written in 1820, and first appeared in "The Liberal." The personal allusions in which it abounds are, for the most part, sufficiently intelligible; and, with a few exceptions, so goodhumored, that the parties concerned may be expected to join in the laugh.] 2["About the year 1781, it was much the fashion for several ladies to have evening assemblies, where the fair sex might participate in conversation with literary and ingenious men, animated by a desire to please. These societies were denominated Blue-stocking Clubs; the origin of which title being little known, it may be worth while to relate it. One of the most eminent members of those societies, when they first commenced, was Mr. Stillingfleet, whose dress was remarkably grave, and in particular it was observed that he wore blue stockings. Such was the excellence of his conversation, that his absence was felt as so great a loss, that it used to be said, We can do nothing without the blue stockings; and thus by degrees the title was established."Boswell, vol. viii. p. 86. Sir William Forbes, in his Life of Dr. Beattie, says, that "a foreigner of distinction hearing the expression, translated it literally, Bas Bleu,' by which these meetings came to be distinguished. Miss Hannah More, who was herself a member, has written a poem with the title of Bas Bleu,' in allusion to this mistake of the foreigner, in which she has characterized most of the eminent personages of which it was composed.”] [See the stanzas on Messrs. Wordsworth and Southey in Don Juan, canto iii.] That it is, as the phrase goes, extremely "refreshing." Ink. Not left him a tatter- Our poor friend-but I thought it would terminate So. Our friendship is such, I'll read nothing to shock it. Tra. What, won't you return to the lecture? Ink. Why, the place is so cramm'd, there's not room for a spectre. Besides, our friend Scamp is to-day so absurd- Loss!-such a palaver! Tra. I make you! Tra. Yes, you! I said nothing until Is that your deduction? When speaking of Scamp ill, Tra. You forget Lady Lilac's as rich as a Jew. Tra. Let her live, and as long as she likes; I Tra. A propos-Will you write me a song now and then? Ink. To what purpose? You know, my dear friend, that in prose My talent is decent, as far as it goes; Ink. You're a terrible stick, to be sure. Tra. I own it; and yet, in these times, there's no For the heart of the fair like a stanza or two; Tra. And the crowd of to-day shows that one fool Do you think me subdued by a Blue-stocking's eye, makes many. But we two will be wise. Ink. Pray, then, let us retire. Tra. I own it-'tis true A spinster? So far as to tremble to tell her in rhyme Ink. As sublime!-Mr. Tracy-I've nothing to say. Stick to prose-As sublime!!-but I wish you good | [wrong: day. Tra. Nay, stay, my dear fellow-consider-I'a Tra. bad taste. Ink. Miss Edgeworth's novels stepping from their covers, But-oh! ye lords of ladies intellectual, And you know, my dear fellow, how heartily I, Whatever you publish, am ready to buy. [sale, Ink. That's my bookseller's business; I care not for An Apartment in the House of LADY BLUEBOTTLE Indeed the best poems at first rather fail. There were Renegade's epics, and Botherby's plays,1 [Trevoux" "Tis the English "Journal de A clerical work of our Jesuits at home. Have you never yet seen it? Ink. Tra. Make haste then. Ink. Tra. That pleasure 's to come. Why so? I have heard people say That it threaten'd to give up the ghost t' other day. Ink. Well, that is a sign of some spirit. Tra. No doubt. Shall you be at the Countess of Fiddlecome's rout? Ink. I've a card, and shall go: but at present, as soon As friend Scamp shall be pleased to step down from the moon, Where he seems to be soaring in search of his wits,) Of his lecture, to treat him with cold tongue and praise. And I own, for my own part, that 'tis not unpleasant. Tra. That " metal 's attractive." But let us proceed; for I think, by the hum Ink. Very true; let us go, then, before they can come, Or else we'll be kept here an hour at their levy, [Messrs. Southey and Sotheby.] "My Grandmother's Review, the British." This heavy journal has since been gathered to its grandmothers.] [The "Journal de Trevoux" (in fifty-six volumes) is one of the most curious collections of literary gossip in the world, and the Poet paid the British Review an extravagant compliment, when he made this comparison.] 4["Sotheby is a good man-rhymes well, (if not wisely ;) but is a bore. He seizes you by the button. One night of a rout at Mrs. Hope's, he had fastened upon me-(something -A Table prepared. SIR RICHARD BLUEBOTTLE solus. In science and art, I'll be cursed if I know sore,) Is the numerous, humorous, backbiting crew Lady Blueb. Ah! Sir Richard, good morning; I've 66 Lady Blueb. But the luncheon attends. I pray ye be seated, sans cérémonie." Mr. Scamp, you're fatigued; take your chair there, [They all sit. next me. about Agamemnon, or Orestes, or some of his plays)--not withstanding my symptoms of manifest distress--(for I was in love, and just nicked a minute when neither mothers, nor husbands, nor rivals, nor gossips were near my then idol, who was beautiful as the statues of the gallery where we stood at the time.) Sotheby, I say, had seized upon me by the button and the heart-strings, and spared neither. Wil liam Spencer, who likes fun, and don't dislike mischief, saw my case, and coming up to us both, took me by the hand, and pathetically bade ine farewell; for,' said he, I see it is all over with you.' Sotheby then went his way: 'sic me servavit Apollo.'"-Byron Diary, 1821.] |