GENIUS AND MISFORTUNE.

2

129

and the white skin of his friend, all1 contrasted with the bright hectic flush on his cheek, and heightened 3 the sinister effect; he went away hardly hoping." And he who hardly hoped for another, what extent 5 of hope had he for himself? From the poet's bed to the painter's studio is but a bound for the curious and eager mind. Keats, pitied and struck down by the hand of disease, lies in paradise compared with the spectacle that comes before us-genius weltering in its blood, self-destroyed because neglected! 10

Pass we to another vision! Amongst the indignant declaimers against 11 the unjust sentence which criticism had passed on 12 Keats, Shelley stood foremost. 13 What added poignancy to indignation 14 was the settled but unfounded 15 conviction that the death of the youth had been mainly occasioned by 16 wanton persecution.17 Anger found relief in song.18 "Adonais: an Elegy on the Death of John Keats," is 19 amongst the most impassioned of Shelley's verses.20 Give heed to the preface:

,

"John Keats died 21 at Rome of a 22 consumption, in his twenty-fourth year, on the day of 23 1821, and was buried in the romantic and lovely cemetery of the Protestants in 24 that city, under 25 the pyramid which

1 Sing.- the bright hectic flush on, la vive rougeur hectique de3 heightened, augmentait encore-4 hardly hoping, "almost without hope"-5 extent, degré—6 is but a bound, il n'y a qu'un bond-1 lies in, est en compared with, en comparaison de-9 comes, se présente -10 genius, etc......neglected, l'homme de génie nageant dans son sang, détruit de ses propres mains, parce qu'il était abandonné11 the indignant declaimers against, ceux qui dénoncèrent avec indignation-12 passed on, prononcée contre-13 stood foremost, se tenait au premier rang- 14 what added poignancy to......, ce qui rendait l'......plus poignante-15 settled but unfounded, mal fondée mais fixe-16 had been mainly occasioned by, avait eu pour cause principale -17 wanton persecution, une persécution gratuite (or: systématique)-18 anger found relief in song, la colère se soulagea en chantant 19 is, figure-20 verses, compositions-21 died, est mort-22 of a, de-23 on the day of, le -24 in, de-25 under, au pied de.

K

is the tomb of Cestius, and1 the massy walls and towers, now mouldering and desolate, which formed the circuit of ancient Rome. The cemetery is an open space among the ruins, covered in winter with 2 violets and daisies. It might make one in love with death to thinks that one should be buried in so sweet a place."

5

Reader, carry the accents in your ear, and accompany us to Leghorn. A few months only have elapsed. Shelley is on the shore-Keats no longer lives, but you will see Shelley has not forgotten him. He sets sail for the Gulf of Lerici, where he has his temporary home; he never reaches it.7 A body is washed ashore at Via Reggio. If the features are not to be recognised, there can be no doubt of the man 10 who carries in his bosom the volume containing Lamia and Hyperion. The body of Shelley is burned, but the remains are carriedwhither? You will know by the description: "The cemetery is an open space among the ruins, covered in winter with violets and daisies. It might make one in love with death to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place." There he lies! 11 Keats and he, the mourner and the mourned, almost touch! 12

The Times, Sept. 17th, 1849.

THE WEALTH AND POWER OF FRANCE.

Indeed, when I consider the face 13 of the kingdom of

1 And, et sous-2 with, "of "-3 it might make one in love with death to think, cela pourrait rendre amoureux de la mort que de penser-carry the accents, gardez ces accents-5 Leghorn, Livourne

6 he sets sail, il fait voile he never reaches it, il n'y arrivera pas-8 a body is washed ashore, un cadavre est rejeté sur le rivage

are not to be recognised, sont méconnaissables-10 there can be no doubt of the man, on ne peut douter quel est l'homme- there he lies, c'est là qu'il repose-12 touch, se touchent.

13 Face, aspect.

THE WEALTH AND POWER OF FRANCE.

8

131

France; the multitude and opulence of her cities; the useful magnificence of her spacious high roads and bridges; the opportunity of her artificial canals and navigations opening the conveniences of maritime communication through a solid continent of so immense an extent; when I turn my eyes to the stupendous works of her ports and harbours, and to her whole naval apparatus, whether 5 for war or trade; when I bring before my view the number of her fortifications, constructed with so bold and masterly 7 a skill, and made and maintained at so prodigious a charge, presenting an armed front and impenetrable barrier to her enemies upon every side; when I recollect 10 how very small a part 1 of that extensive region is without cultivation 12 and to what complete 13 perfection the culture of many of the best productions of the earth has been brought in France; when I reflect on 14 the excellence of her manufactures and fabrics, second to none but ours, and in some particulars not second; 15 when I 16 contemplate the grand foundations 17 of charity, public and private; when I 18 survey the state of all the arts that beautify and polish life; when I reckon the men she has bred for extending her fame in war, her able statesmen, the multitude of her profound lawyers 19 and theologians, her philosophers, her critics, her historians, and antiquaries, her poets and her orators, sacred and profane; I behold

1 Navigations, voies de navigation-2 opening the conveniences, qui font pénétrer les avantages-3 plural-4 to, vers-5 whether......or soit......soit-6 when I bring before my view, quand j'envisage7 masterly, supérieur-8 at so prodigious a charge, à de si énormes frais-9 upon every side, de tous les côtés-10 when I recollect, quand je songe-11 how very small a part, quelle faible portion-12 without cultivation, en friche-13 to what complete, à quel extrême degré de

14 on, à-15 second, etc.......not second, inférieures seulement aux nôtres, qu'elles égalent sur certains points-16 when I, quand j'y17 foundations, institutions-18 when I, quand j'y—19 lawyers, juristes.

3

in all this something which awes and commands 2 the imagination, which checks the mind on the brink of precipitate and indiscriminate censure, and which demands that we should very seriously examine what and how great are the latent vices that could authorise us at once to level so specious a fabric with the ground.5 EDMUND BURKE,

4

mean

FEMALE INTELLECT.

6

13

We hear it asserted, not seldom by way of compliment to us women,8 that intellect is of no sex.9 If this 10 that the same faculties of mind are common to men and women, it is true; 11 in any other signification it appears to me false, and the reverse of 12 a compliment. The intellect of woman bears the same relation to that of man as her physical organization;—it is inferior in power, and different in kind. 14 That 15 certain women have surpassed certain men in bodily strength or intellectual energy does not contradict 16 the general principle founded in 17 nature. The essential and invariable distinction appears to me this:18 in 19 men 20 the intellectual

1 This, cela-2 awes and commands, frappe et domine-3 of precipitate and indiscriminate censure, d'une censure irréfléchie et immodérée-4 what and how great, de quelle nature et de quelle étendue at once, etc......with the ground, à renverser tout d'un coup un édifice si imposant.

6 We hear it asserted, nous entendons dire (see note, p. 80)— 7 not seldom by way of, assez souvent par forme de- to us women, (see note, p. 69)-9 is of no sex, n'a pas de sexe-10 if this mean, si par là on entend-11 it is true, l'assertion est juste-12 the reverse of, rien moins que-13 bears the same relation to, est dans le même rapport à-14 different in kind, d'une espèce différente-15 that, de ce que-16 does not contradict, cela ne renverse pas-17 in, sur18 this, être celle-ci-19 in, chez-20 sing.

FEMALE INTELLECT.

2

3

133

faculties exist more self-poised and self-directed 1-more independent of the rest of the character than we ever find them in women, with whom talent, however predominant, is in a much greater degree 5 modified by the sympathies and moral qualities.

4

6

11

9

In thinking over all the distinguished women I can at this moment call to mind, I recollect but one who, in the exercise of a rare talent, belied 10 her sex ; but the moral qualities had been first perverted. It is from not knowing, or not allowing, this general principle, that men of genius have committed some signal mistakes. They have given us exquisite and just delineations of 12 the more peculiar characteristics of women,13 as modesty, grace, tenderness; and when they have attempted to portray them 14 with the powers common to both sexes, as wit, energy, intellect, they have blundered in some respects; 15 they could form no conception 16 of 17 intellect which was 18 not masculine, and therefore have either suppressed the feminine attributes altogether,19 and drawn coarse caricatures, or they have made them 20 completely artificial. Women distinguished for wit may sometimes appear masculine and flippant, but the cause

over,

1 Exist more self-poised and self-directed, sont plus maîtresses de leur propre équilibre et de leur propre direction-2 sing.—3 in.............. with, dans......chez-4 is, see note a, p. 33-5 in a much greater degree, à un bien plus haut degré-6 sympathies, sentiments-7 à-8 call to mind, me rappeler-9 I recollect but one, je ne me souviens que d'une seule 10 belied, past subjunctive- it is, etc...... allowing, c'est parce qu'ils n'ont pas connu ou n'ont pas voulu admettre-12 they have, etc......of, ils nous ont tracé avec finesse et exactitude-13 the more peculiar characteristics of women, les traits plus spécialement caractéristiques de la femme-14 attempted to portray them, voulu la représenter-15 they have blundered in some respects, ils se sont fourvoyés sur certains points-16 they could form no conception, ils ne pouvaient se faire une idée-17 of an " was, fût-19 altogether, entièrement-20 20" or they have represented those attributes as."

18