第1章

PrefaceAdventuresAmongBooksRecollectionsofRobertLouisStevensonRab\'sFriendOliverWendellHolmesMr。Morris\'sPoemsMrs。Radcliffe\'sNovelsAScottishRomanticistof1830

TheConfessionsofSaintAugustineSmollettNathanielHawthorneTheParadiseofPoetsParisandHelenEnchantedCigarettesStoriesandStory-tellingTheSupernaturalinFictionAnOldScottishPsychicalResearcherTheBoyPREFACE

OftheEssaysinthisvolume\"AdventuresamongBooks，\"and\"Rab\'sFriend，\"appearedinScribner\'sMagazine；and\"RecollectionsofRobertLouisStevenson\"(tothebestoftheauthor\'smemory)inTheNorthAmericanReview。TheEssayon\"Smollett\"wasintheAnglo-

Saxon，whichhasceasedtoappear；andtheshorterpapers，suchas\"TheConfessionsofSaintAugustine，\"inaperiodicalstyledWitandWisdom。For\"ThePoemsofWilliamMorris\"theauthorhastothanktheEditorofLongman\'sMagazine；for\"TheBoy，\"and\"Mrs。

Radcliffe\'sNovels，\"theProprietorsofTheCornhillMagazine；for\"EnchantedCigarettes，\"andpossiblyfor\"TheSupernaturalinFiction，\"theProprietorsofTheIdler。Theportrait，afterSirWilliamRichmond，R。A。，wasdoneaboutthetimewhenmostoftheEssayswerewritten——andthatwasnotyesterday。

CHAPTERI:ADVENTURESAMONGBOOKS

Inanageofreminiscences，isthereroomfortheconfessionsofaveteran，whoremembersagreatdealaboutbooksandverylittleaboutpeople？IhaveoftenwonderedthataBiographiaLiterariahassoseldombeenattempted——abiographyorautobiographyofamaninhisrelationswithotherminds。Coleridge，tobesure，gavethisnametoaworkofhis，buthewanderedfromhisapparentpurposeintoaworldofaliendisquisitions。Thefollowingpagesarefranklybookish，andtothebookishonlydotheyappeal。Thehabitofreadinghasbeenpraisedasavirtue，andhasbeendenouncedasavice。Innocase，ifweexcepttheperpetualstudyofnewspapers(whichcannotfairlybecalledreading)，isthevice，orthevirtue，common。Itismoreinnocentthanopium-eating，though，likeopium-eating，itunlockstousartificialparadises。

ItrytosaywhatIhavefoundinbooks，whatdistractionsfromtheworld，whatteaching(notmuch)，andwhatconsolations。

Inbeginninganautobiographialiteraria，anaccountofhow，andinwhatorder，bookshaveappealedtoamind，whichbookshaveeveraboveallthingsdelighted，theauthormustpraytobepardonedforthesinofegotism。Thereisnoothermind，naturally，ofwhichtheauthorknowssomuchasofhisown。Onn\'aquesoi，asthepoorgirlsaysinoneofM。PaulBourget\'snovels。Inliterature，asinlove，onecanonlyspeakforhimself。Thisauthordidnot，likeFulkeGreville，retireintotheconventofliteraturefromthestrifeoftheworld，ratherhewasborntobe，fromthefirst，adwellerinthecloisterofalibrary。AmongthepoemswhichI

rememberbestoutofearlyboyhoodisLucyAshton\'ssong，inthe\"BrideofLammermoor\":-

\"Looknotthouonbeauty\'scharming，Sitthoustillwhenkingsarearming，Tastenotwhenthewine-cupglistens，Speaknotwhenthepeoplelistens，Stopthineearagainstthesinger，Fromtheredgoldkeepthyfinger，Vacantheart，andhand，andeye，Easyliveandquietdie。\"

Therhymes，unlearned，clungtomymemory；theywouldsingthemselvestomeonthewaytoschool，orcricket-field，and，abouttheageoften，probablywithoutquiteunderstandingthem，Ihadchosenthemforakindofmottoinlife，atunetomurmuralongthefallentissemitavitae。Thisseemsaqueerideaforasmallboy，butitmustbeconfessed。

\"Ittakesallsortstomakeaworld，\"somearesoldiersfromthecradle，somemerchants，someorators；nothingbutaloveofbookswasthegiftgiventomebythefairies。Itwasprobablyderivedfromforebearsonbothsidesofmyfamily，oneagreatreader，theotheraconsiderablecollectorofbookswhichremainedwithusandwerealltried，perseveredwith，orabandonedinturn，byastudentwhohasnotblanchedbeforetheEpigoniad。

AbouttheageoffourIlearnedtoreadbyasimpleprocess。IhadheardtheelegyofCockRobintillIknewitbyrote，andIpickedoutthelettersandwordswhichcomposethatclassictillIcouldreaditformyself。Earlierthanthat，\"RobinsonCrusoe\"hadbeenreadaloudtome，inanabbreviatedform，nodoubt。IrememberthepicturesofRobinsonfindingthefootstepinthesand，andadanceofcannibals，andtheparrot。But，somehow，Ihaveneverread\"Robinson\"since:itisapleasuretocome。

Thefirstbookswhichvividlyimpressedmewere，naturally，fairytales，andchap-booksaboutRobertBruce，WilliamWallace，andRobRoy。Atthattimetheselittletractscouldbeboughtforapennyapiece。IcanstillseeBruceinfullarmour，andWallaceinakilt，discoursingacrossaburn，andRobRoyslippingfromthesoldier\'shorseintothestream。Theydidnotthenawakenaprecociouspatriotism；aboyoffiveismoreathomeinFairylandthaninhisowncountry。ThesuddenappearanceoftheWhiteCatasaqueenafterherheadwascutoff，thefiendishmaliceoftheYellowDwarf，thestrangecakeofcrocodileeggsandmilletseedwhichthemotherofthePrincessFrutillamadefortheFairyoftheDesert——thesethings，allfreshandastonishing，butcertainlytobecredited，aremyfirstmemoriesofromance。OnestoryofaWhiteSerpent，withawoodcutofthatmysteriousreptile，I

neglectedtosecure，probablyforwantofapenny，andIhaveregrettediteversince。Oneneverseesthosechapbooksnow。

\"TheWhiteSerpent，\"inspiteofallresearch，remainsintrouvable。

Itwasalostchance，andFortunedoesnotforgive。Nobodyeverinterferedwiththese，orindeedwithanyotherstudiesofoursatthattime，aslongastheywerenotprosecutedonSundays。\"ThefightingestpartsoftheBible，\"andtheApocrypha，andstorieslikethatoftheWitchofEndor，weresabbaticalliterature，readinahugeoldillustratedBible。HowIadvancedfromthefairytalestoShakespeare，whatstagestherewereontheway——fortheremusthavebeenstages——isathingthatmemorycannotrecover。A

nurserylegendtellsthatIwaswonttoarrangesixopenbooksonsixchairs，andgofromonetotheothers，perusingthembyturns。

Nodoubtthiswaswhatpeoplecall\"desultoryreading，\"butIdidnothearthecriticismtilllater，andthentoooftenformycomfort。Memoryholdsapicture，morevividthanmost，ofasmallboyreadingthe\"MidsummerNight\'sDream\"byfirelight，inaroomwherecandleswerelit，andsomeonetouchedthepiano，andayoungmanandagirlwereplayingchess。TheShakespearewasavolumeofKennyMeadows\'edition；therearefairiesinit，andthefairiesseemedtocomeoutofShakespeare\'sdreamintothemusicandthefirelight。AtthatmomentIthinkthatIwashappy；itseemedanenchantedglimpseofeternityinParadise；nothingresemblingitremainswithme，outofalltheyears。

WewentfromthebordertothesouthofEngland，whenthenumberofmyyearswassix，andinEnglandwefoundanotherparadise，acirculatinglibrarywithbrown，greasy，ill-printed，oddvolumesofShakespeareandofthe\"ArabianNights。\"Howtheirstainedpagescomebeforetheeyesagain——thepleasureandthepuzzleofthem!

WhatdidtheladyintheGeni\'sglassboxwantwiththeMerchants？

whatmeantalltheseconversationsbetweentheFatKnightandFord，inthe\"MerryWives\"？Itwasdelightful，butinpartsitwasdifficult。Fragmentsof\"TheTempest，\"andofotherplays，remainstrandedinmymemoryfromthesereadings:FerdinandandMirandaatchess，Cleopatracuffingthemessenger，theaspinthebasketoffigs，theFriarandtheApothecary，TroilusontheIlianwalls，avisionofCassandrainwhitemuslinwithherhairdown。Peopleforbidchildrentoreadthisorthat。Iamsuretheyneednot，andthateveninourinfancythemagician，Shakespeare，bringsusnothingworsethanaworldofbeautifulvisions，halfrealised。IntheEgyptianwizard\'slittlepoolofink，onlythepurecanseethevisions，andinShakespeare\'smagicmirrorchildrenseeonlywhatispure。AmongotherbooksofthattimeIonlyrecallakindofSundaynovel，\"Naomi；or，TheLastDaysofJerusalem。\"

Who，indeed，couldforgetthebattering-rams，andthemanwhocriedonthebattlements，\"Woe，woetomyselfandtoJerusalem!\"IseemtohearhimagainwhenboysbreakthehumofLondonwithyellsofthelatest\"disaster。\"

WeleftEnglandinayear，wentbacktoScotland，andawoke，asitwere，toknowthegloriesofourbirth。WelivedinScott\'scountry，withinfourmilesofAbbotsford，and，sofar，wehadheardnothingofit。Iremembergoingwithoneofthemaidsintothecottageofakinsmanofhers，acarpenter；adelightfulplace，wheretherewassawdust，whereourfirstfishing-rodswerefashioned。Rummagingamongthebooks，ofcourse，Ifoundsomecheapperiodicalwithversesinit。Thelinesbegan-

\"TheBaronofSmaylhomerosewithday，Hespurredhiscourseron，Withoutstoporstay，downtherockywayThatleadstoBrotherstone。\"

Arustictea-tablewasspreadforus，withsconesandhoney，nottobeneglected。ButtheyWEREneglectedtillwehadlearnedhow-

\"ThesablescoreoffingersfourRemainsonthatboardimpressed，AndforevermorethatladyworeAcoveringonherwrist。\"

Wedidnotknownoraskthepoet\'sname。Children，probably，sayverylittleaboutwhatisintheirminds；butthatunhappyknight，SirRichardofColdinghame，andthePriest，withhischamberintheeast，andthemoodyBaron，andtheLady，havedweltinourmindeversince，andhardlyneedtoberevivedbylookingat\"TheEveofSt。John。\"

SoonafterthatweweretoldaboutSirWalter，howgreathewas，howgood，how，likeNapoleon，hisevildestinyfoundhimatlast，andheworehisheartawayforhonour\'ssake。Andweweregiventhe\"Lay，\"and\"TheLadyoftheLake。\"Itwasmyfatherwhofirstread\"Tamo\'Shanter\"tome，forwhichIconfessIdidnotcareatthattime，preferringtotakewitchesandbogieswithgreatseriousness。ItseemedasifBurnsweretriflingwithanoblesubject。Butitwasinasummersunset，besideawindowlookingoutonEttrickandthehilloftheThreeBrethren\'sCairn，thatI

firstread，withthedearestofallfriends，how-

\"ThestagatevehaddrunkhisfillWheredancedthemoononMonan\'srill，AnddeephismidnightlairhadmadeInloneGlenartney\'shazelshade。\"

Thenopenedthegatesofromance，andwithFitz-Jameswedrovethechase，till-

\"Fewwerethestragglers，followingfar，ThatreachedthelakeofVennachar，AndwhentheBrigofTurkwaswon，Theforemosthorsemanrodealone。\"

Fromthattime，formonths，therewasusuallyalittlevolumeofScottinone\'spocket，incompanywiththemiscellaneouscollectionofaboy\'streasures。Scottcertainlytookhisfairyfolkseriously，andtheMauthDogwasratheradisagreeablecompaniontoasmallboyinwakefulhours。{1}AfterthiskindofintroductiontoSirWalter，afterlearningone\'sfirstlessonsinhistoryfromthe\"TalesofaGrandfather，\"nobody，onehopes，cancriticisehimincoldblood，orafterthemannerofMr。LeslieStephen，whoisnotsentimental。Scottisnotanauthorlikeanother，butourearliestknownfriendinletters；for，ofcourse，wedidnotaskwhoShakespearewas，norinquireabouttheprivatehistoryofMadamed\'Aulnoy。Scottpeopledforustheriversandburnsideswithhisreivers；theFairyQueencameoutofEildonHillandhauntedCarterhaugh；atNewarkTowerwesaw\"theembattledportalarch\"-

\"WhoseponderousgrateandmassybarHadoftrolledbackthetideofwar，\"-

justas，atFoulshiels，onYarrow，webeheldtheveryrooflesscottagewhenceMungoParkwentforthtotracethewatersoftheNiger，andatOakwoodthetoweroftheWizardMichaelScott。

ProbablythefirstnovelIeverreadwasreadatElgin，andthestorywas\"JaneEyre。\"Thistalewasacreepyoneforaboyofnine，andRochesterwasamystery，St。Johnabore。Butthelonelylittlegirlinherdespair，whensomethingcameintotheroom，andherdaysofstarvationatschool，andtheterriblefirstMrs。

Rochester，werenottobeforgotten。Theyabideinone\'srecollectionwithaRedIndian\'sghost，whocarriedarustyruinedgun，andwhoseacquaintancewasmadeatthesametime。

IfancyIwasratheranindustriouslittleboy，andthatIhadmindedmylessons，andsatisfiedmyteachers——IknowIwasreadingPinnock\'s\"HistoryofRome\"forpleasure——till\"thewickeddayofdestiny\"came，andIfelta\"call，\"andunderwentaprocesswhichmaybedescribedastheoppositeof\"conversion。\"The\"call\"camefromDickens。\"Pickwick\"wasbroughtintothehouse。Fromthathouritwasallover，forfiveorsixyears，withanythinglikeindustryandlesson-books。Iread\"Pickwick\"inconvulsionsofmirth。IdroppedPinnock\'s\"Rome\"forgood。IneglectedeverythingprintedinLatin，infacteverythingthatonewasunderstoodtoprepareforone\'sclassesintheschoolwhitherIwasnowsent，inEdinburgh。Forthere，livingaratherlonelysmallboyinthehouseofanagedrelation，IfoundtheWaverleyNovels。

Therestistransport。AconscientioustutordraggedmethroughtheLatingrammar，andaconstitutionaldisliketobeingbeatenonthehandswithaleatherstrapurgedmetoacquireacertainamountofelementaryerudition。But，forayear，Iwasayounghermit，livingwithScottinthe\"Waverleys\"andthe\"BorderMinstrelsy，\"

withPope，andPrior，andatranslationofAriosto，withLeverandDickens，DavidCopperfieldandCharlesO\'Malley，LongfellowandMayneReid，Dumas，andinbrief，witheverykindoflightliteraturethatIcouldlaymyhandsupon。Carlyledidnotescapeme；IvividlyrememberthehelplessragewithwhichIreadoftheFlighttoVarennes。InhisworkonFrenchnovelists，Mr。

Saintsburyspeaksofadisagreeablelittleboy，inaFrenchromance，whofoundScottassommant，stunninglystupid。Thiswasaveryodiouslittleboy，itseems(Ihavenotreadhisadventures)，andhecame，ashedeserved，toabadend。Otherandbetterboys，Ilearn，findScott\"slow。\"Extraordinaryboys!Perhaps\"Ivanhoe\"

wasfirstfavouriteofyore；youcannotbeatFrontdeBoeuf，theassaultonhiscastle，thetournament。Noothertournamentneedapply。SirArthurConanDoyle，greatlydaring，hasattemptedtoenterthelists，butheisamereRalphtheHospitaller。Next，I

think，inorderofdelight，came\"QuentinDurward，\"especiallytheheroofthescar，whosenameThackeraycouldnotremember，Quentin\'suncle。Then\"TheBlackDwarf，\"andDugald，ourdearRittmeister。Icouldnotread\"RobRoy\"then，norlater；nay，nottillIwasforty。NowDiVernonistheladyforme；thequeenoffiction，thepeerless，thebrave，thetender，andtrue。

ThewisdomoftheauthoritiesdecidedthatIwastoreadnomorenovels，but，asanobserverremarked，\"Idon\'tseewhatistheuseofpreventingtheboyfromreadingnovels，forhe\'sjustreading\'DonJuan\'instead。\"Thiswassomanifestlynoimprovement，thatthebanonnovelswastacitlywithdrawn，orwaspermittedtobecomeadeadletter。TheywerefarmoreenjoyablethanByron。Theworstthatcameofthiswasthesuggestionofayoungfriend，whoselifehadbeenadventurous——indeedhehadservedintheCrimeawiththeBashiBazouks——thatIshouldmasterthewritingsofEdgarPoe。I

donotthinkthatthe\"BlackCat，\"andthe\"FalloftheHouseofUsher，\"andthe\"MurdersintheRueMorgue，\"areverygoodreadingforaboywhoisnotpeculiarlyintrepid。Manyabadhourtheygaveme，hauntingme，especially，withafearofbeingprematurelyburied，andofwakingupbeforebreakfasttofindmyselfinacoffin。OfallthebooksIdevouredinthatyear，PoeistheonlyauthorwhomIwishIhadreservedforlaterconsideration，andwhomIcannotconscientiouslyrecommendtochildren。

IhadalreadyenjoyedasipofThackeray，readingataventure，in\"VanityFair，\"abouttheBattleofWaterloo。ItwasnotlikeLever\'saccountsofbattles，butitwasenchanting。However，\"VanityFair\"wasunderataboo。Itisnoteasytosaywhy；butMr。Thackerayhimselfinformedasmallboy，whomhefoundreading\"VanityFair\"underthetable，thathehadbetterreadsomethingelse。Whatharmcanthestorydotoachild？HereadsaboutWaterloo，aboutfatJos，aboutlittleGeorgeandthepony，aboutlittleRawdonandtherat-hunt，andishappyandunharmed。

Leavingmyhermitage，andgoingintotheverydifferentandverydisagreeableworldofamaster\'shouse，Iwasluckyenoughtofindacharminglibrarythere。MostofThackeraywasontheshelves，andThackeraybecamethechiefenchanter。AsHenryKingsleysays，aboyreadshimandthinksheknowsallaboutlife。Idonotthinkthatthemundaneparts，aboutLadyKewandherwiles，aboutEthelandtheMarquisofFarintosh，appealedtooneorenlightenedone。

Ethelwasamystery，andnotaninterestingmystery，thoughoneusedtocopyDoyle\'spicturesofher，withthestraightnose，theimpossibleeyes，theimpossiblewaist。ItwasnotEthelwhocaptivatedus；itwasClive\'syouthandart，itwasJ。J。，thepainter，itwasjollyF。B。andhisaddresstothemaidaboutthelobster。\"Afinerfish，Mary，mydear，Ihaveneverseen。Doesnotthissolvethevexedquestionwhetherlobstersarefish，intheFrenchsense？\"Then\"TheRoseandtheRing\"cameout。Itwasworthwhiletobetwelveyearsold，whentheChristmasbookswerewrittenbyDickensandThackeray。Igotholdof\"TheRoseandtheRing，\"Iknow，andofthe\"ChristmasCarol，\"whentheyweredampfromthepress。KingValoroso，andBulbo，andAngelicawereevenmoredelightfulthanScrooge，andTinyTim，andTrottyVeck。Oneremembersthefairymonarchmorevividly，andthewondrousarrayofegg-cupsfromwhichhesippedbrandy——orwasitrightNantes？——

still\"goingonsipping，Iamsorrytosay，\"evenafter\"Valorosowashimselfagain。\"

But，ofallThackeray\'sbooks，Isuppose\"Pendennis\"wasthefavourite。ThedelightfulMarryathadentertaineduswithPeterSimpleandO\'Brien(howgoodtheirflightthroughFranceis!)withMestyandMr。MidshipmanEasy，withJacobFaithful(Mr。Thackeray\'sfavourite)，andwithSnarleyyow；butMarryatnevermadeuswishtorunawaytosea。Thatdidnotseemtobeone\'svocation。ButthestoryofPenmadeonewishtorunawaytoliterature，totheTemple，tostreetswhereBrown，thefamousreviewer，mightbeseenwalkingwithhiswifeandumbrella。Thewritingofpoems\"upto\"

pictures，thebeerwithWarringtoninthemornings，thesuppersintheback-kitchen，thesewerethealluringthings，notsociety，andLadyRockminster，andLordSteyne。Well，onehasrunawaytoliteraturesince，butwhereisthematutinalbeer？Whereistheback-kitchen？WhereareWarrington，andFoker，andF。B。？Ihavenevermettheminthislivingworld，thoughBrown，thecelebratedreviewer，isfamiliartome，andalsoMr。SydneyScraper，oftheOxfordandCambridgeClub。Perhapsback-kitchensexist，perhapstherearecakesandaleinthelifeliterary，andF。B。maytakehiswalksbytheRoundPond。Butoneneverencounterstheserarities，andBungayandBaconarenolongertheinnocentandignorantrivalswhomThackeraydrew。Theydonotgivethosewonderfulparties；MissBunnionhasbecomequiteconventional

PercyPopjoyhasabandonedletters；Mr。Wenhamdoesnottoady；Mr。

Waggdoesnotjokeanymore。Theliterarylifeisverylikeanyother，inLondon，orisitthatwedonotseeitaright，nothavingtheeyesofgenius？Well，alifeontheoceanwave，too，maynotbesodesirableasitseemsinMarryat\'snovels:somanyaladwhomhetemptedintothenavyhasdiscovered。ThebestpartoftheexistenceofamanoflettersishislookingforwardtoitthroughthespectaclesofTitmarsh。

Onecanneversayhowmuchoneowestoaschool-masterwhowasafriendofliterature，whokeptahousefulofbooks，andwhowashimselfagracefulscholar，andanauthor，whilehechosetowrite，ofpoeticandhumorousgenius。Suchwasthemasterwhowrotethe\"DayDreamsofaSchoolmaster，\"Mr。D\'ArcyWentworthThompson，towhom，inthisplace，Iamgladtoconfessmygratitudeafterallthesemanyyears。WhileweweredeepinthehistoryofPendenniswewerealsobeingdraggedthroughtheCommentariesofCaiusJuliusCaesar，throughtheLatinandGreekgrammars，throughXenophon，andtheEcloguesofVirgil，andadepressingplayofEuripides，the\"Phoenissae。\"IcanneversayhowmuchIdetestedtheseauthors，who，takeninsmalldoses，arefar，indeed，frombeingattractive。

Horace，toalazyboy，appearsinhisOdestohavenothingtosay，andtosayitinthemostfrivolousandvexatiousmanner。ThenCowper\'s\"Task，\"or\"ParadiseLost，\"asschool-books，withnotes，seemsaridenoughtoaschool-boy。Irememberreadingahead，inCowper，insteadofattendingtothelessonandtheclass-work。Hisobservationsonpublicschoolswerenotuninteresting，butthewholeEnglishschool-workofthosedayswasrepugnant。One\'sEnglisheducationwasallgotoutofschool。

AstoGreek，foryearsitseemedamerevacuousterror；oneinventedforone\'sselfallthecurrentargumentsagainst\"compulsoryGreek。\"Whatwastheuseofit，whoeverspokeinit，whocouldfindanysenseinit，oranyinterest？Alanguagewithsuchcruelsuperfluitiesasamiddlevoiceandadual；alanguagewhoseverbsweresofantasticallyirregular，lookedlikeabarbaricsurvival，amereplagueandtorment。SoonethoughttillHomerwasopenedbeforeus。ElsewhereIhavetriedtodescribethevividdelightoffirstreadingHomer，delight，bytheway，whichSt。

Augustinefailedtoappreciate。Mostboysnotwhollyimmersedindulnessfeltit，Ithink；tomyself，forone，Homerwastherealbeginningofstudy。Onehadtriedhim，whenonewasveryyoung，inPope，andhadbeenbaffledbyPope，andhisartificialmanner，his\"fairs，\"and\"swains。\"Homerseemedbetterreadingintheabsurd\"crib\"whichMr。BuckleywroteforBohn\'sseries。HectorandAjax，inthatdisguise，wereasgreatfavouritesasHoratiusontheBridge，ortheyoungerTarquin。Scott，bytheway，musthavemadeoneafuriousandconsistentLegitimist。Inreadingthe\"LaysofAncientRome，\"mysympathieswerewiththeexpelledkings，atleastwithhimwhofoughtsowellatLakeRegillus:-

\"Titus，theyoungestTarquin，Toogoodforsuchabreed。\"

Where-

\"ValeriusstruckatTitus，Andloppedoffhalfhiscrest；

ButTitusstabbedValeriusAspandeepinthebreast，\"-

Ifind，onthemarginofmyoldcopy，inaschoolboy\'shand，thewords\"Welldone，theJacobites!\"Perhapsmypoliticshavenevergonemuchbeyondthissentiment。ButthisisadigressionfromHomer。Theverysoundofthehexameter，thatlong，inimitablerollofthemostvariousmusic，wasenoughtowintheheart，evenifthewordswerenotunderstood。Butthewordsprovedunexpectedlyeasytounderstand，fullastheyareofallnobility，alltenderness，allcourage，courtesy，andromance。The\"Morted\'Arthur\"itself，whichaboutthistimefellintoourhands，wasnotsodearasthe\"Odyssey，\"thoughforaboytoreadSirThomasMaloryistorideatadventureinenchantedforests，toenterhauntedchapelswherealightshinesfromtheGraal，tofindbylonelymountainmeresthemagicboatofSirGalahad。

AfteroncebeinginitiatedintothemysteriesofGreecebyHomer，theworkatGreekwasnolongertedious。Herodotuswasacharmingandhumorousstory-teller，and，asforThucydides，hisaccountoftheSicilianExpeditionanditsendingwasoneoftheveryrarethingsinliteraturewhichalmost，ifnotquite，broughttearsintoone\'seyes。Fewpassages，indeed，havedonethat，andtheyarecuriouslydiscrepant。Thefirstbookthatevermademecry，ofwhichfeatIwashorriblyashamed，was\"UncleTom\'sCabin，\"withthedeathofEva，Topsy\'sfriend。ThenitwastryingwhenColonelNewcomesaidAdsum，andtheendofSocratesinthePhaedomovedonemorethanseemedbecoming——these，andapassageinthehistoryofSkalagrimLamb\'sTail，and，asIsaid，theruinoftheAtheniansintheSyracusanBay。IhavereadthesechaptersinanoldFrenchversionderivedthroughtheItalianfromaLatintranslationofThucydides。Eveninthisfar-descendedform，thetalekeepsitspathos；thecalm，gravestampofthattragictellingcannotbewornawaybymuchhandling，bylongtime，bythemanychangesofhumanspeech。\"Otherstoo，\"saysNicias，inthatfatalspeech，when-

\"Allwasdonethatmenmaydo，Andallwasdoneinvain，\"-

\"havingachievedwhatmenmay，havebornewhatmenmust。\"Thisistheveryburdenoflife，andthelastwordoftragedy。Fornowallisvain:courage，wisdom，piety，thebraveryofLamachus，thegoodnessofNicias，thebrillianceofAlcibiades，allareexpended，allwasted，nothingofthatbraveventureabides，excepttorture，defeat，anddeath。Noplaynotpoemofindividualfortunesissomovingasthisruinofapeople；nomodernstorycanstirus，withallitseloquence，likethebriefgravityofthisancienthistory。

Norcanwefind，atthelast，anywisdommorewisethanthatwhichbidsusdowhatmenmay，andbearwhatmenmust。SucharethelessonsoftheGreek，ofthepeoplewhotriedallthings，inthemorningoftheworld，andwhostillspeaktousofwhattheytriedinwordswhicharethesumofhumangaietyandgloom，ofgriefandtriumph，hopeanddespair。Theworld，sincetheirday，hasbutfollowedinthesameround，whichonlyseemsnew:hasonlymadethesameexperiments，andfailedwiththesamefailure，butlessgallantlyandlessgloriously。

One\'sschool-boyadventuresamongbooksendednotlongafterwinningthefriendshipofHomerandThucydides，ofLucretiusandCatullus。One\'sapplicationwasfartoodesultorytomakeaseriousandaccuratescholar。

Iconfesstohavinglearnedtheclassicallanguages，asitwerebyaccident，forthesakeofwhatisinthem，andwithaprovokinglyimperfectaccuracy。Cricketandtroutoccupiedfartoomuchofmymindandmytime:ChristopherNorth，andWalton，andThomasTodStoddart，and\"TheMoorandtheLoch，\"weremyholidayreading，andIdonotregretit。PhilologistsandIrelandscholarsarenotmadeso，butyoucan，innoway，fashionascholaroutofacasualandinaccurateintelligence。ThetruescholarisonewhomIenvy，almostasmuchasIrespecthim；butthereisakindofmentalshort-sightedness，whereaccentsandverbalnicetiesareconcerned，whichcannotbesharpenedintotruescholarship。Yet，evenforthoseafflictedinthisway，andwiththemaladyofbeing\"idle，carelesslittleboys，\"theancientclassicshaveavalueforwhichthereisnosubstitute。Thereisacharminfindingourselves——ourcommonhumanity，ourpuzzles，ourcares，ourjoys，inthewritingsofmenseveredfromusbyrace，religion，speech，andhalfthegulfofhistoricaltime——whichnootherliterarypleasurecanequal。

Thenthereistobeadded，astheuniversitypreacherobserved，\"thepleasureofdespisingourfellow-creatureswhodonotknowGreek。\"Doubtlessinthatthereisgreatconsolation。

Itwouldbeinteresting，wereitpossible，toknowwhatproportionofpeoplereallycareforpoetry，andhowtheloveofpoetrycametothem，andgrewinthem，andwhereandwhenitstopped。Modernpoetswhomonemeetsareapttosaythatpoetryisnotreadatall。

Byron\'sMurrayceasedtopublishpoetryin1830，justwhenTennysonandBrowningwerestrikingtheirpreludes。ProbablyMr。Murraywaswiseinhisgeneration。Butitisalsolikelythatmanypersons，evennow，areattachedtopoetry，thoughtheycertainlydonotbuycontemporaryverse。Howdidthepassioncometothem？Howlongdiditstay？WhendidtheMusesaygood-bye？Tomyself，asIhaveremarked，poetrycamewithSirWalterScott，foronereadShakespeareasachild，ratherinakindofdreamoffairylandandenchantedisles，thanwithanydistinctconsciousnessthatonewasoccupiedwithpoetry。NexttoScott，withme，cameLongfellow，whopleasedoneasmorereflectiveandtenderlysentimental，whilethereflectionswerenotsodeepastobepuzzling。Irememberhow\"Hiawatha\"cameout，whenonewasaboy，andhowdelightfulwasthefreeforestlife，andMinnehaha，andPaupukkeewis，andNokomis。

Onedidnotthenknowthatthesamecharm，withayetfresherdewuponit，wastomeetonelater，inthe\"Kalewala。\"But，atthattime，onehadnoconsciouspleasureinpoeticstyle，exceptinsuchringingverseasScott\'s，andCampbell\'sinhispatrioticpieces。

Thepleasureandenchantmentofstylefirstappealedtome，atabouttheageoffifteen，whenonereadforthefirsttime-

\"SoalldaylongthenoiseofbattlerolledAmongthemountainsbythewintersea；

UntilKingArthur\'sTable，manbyman，HadfalleninLyonnesseabouttheirLord。\"

PreviouslyonehadonlyheardofMr。Tennysonasaname。WhenachildIwastoldthatapoetwascomingtoahouseintheHighlandswherewechancedtobe，apoetnamedTennyson。\"IsheapoetlikeSirWalterScott？\"Irememberasking，andwastold，\"No，hewasnotlikeSirWalterScott。\"Hearingnomoreofhim，Iwasprowlingamongthebooksinanancienthouse，aramblingoldplacewithaghost-room，whereIfoundTupper，andcouldnotgetonwith\"ProverbialPhilosophy。\"NextItriedTennyson，andinstantlyanewlightofpoetrydawned，anewmusicwasaudible，anewgodcameintomymedleyofaPantheon，agodnevertobedethroned。\"Menscarcelyknowhowbeautifulfireis，\"Shelleysays。IamconvincedthatwescarcelyknowhowgreatapoetLordTennysonis；usehasmadehimtoofamiliar。Thesamehandhas\"raisedtheTableRoundagain，\"thathaswrittenthesacredbookoffriendship，thathaslulleduswiththemagicofthe\"LotusEaters，\"andthemelodyof\"Tithonus。\"Hehasmadeusmove，likehisownPrince-

\"Amongaworldofghosts，Andfeelourselvestheshadowsofadream。\"

Hehasenrichedourworldwithconquestsofromance；hehasrecutandresetathousandancientgemsofGreeceandRome；hehasrousedourpatriotism；hehasstirredourpity；thereishardlyahumanpassionbuthehaspurgeditandennobledit，including\"thisoflove。\"Truly，theLaureateremainsthemostvarious，thesweetest，themostexquisite，themostlearned，themostVirgilianofallEnglishpoets，andwemaypitytheloversofpoetrywhodiedbeforeTennysoncame。

Heremayendthedesultorytaleofadesultorybookishboyhood。Itwasnotinnaturethatoneshouldnotbegintorhymeforone\'sself。Butthoseexerciseswereseldomevenwrittendown；theylivedalittlewhileinamemorywhichhaslostthemlongago。I

doremembermethatItriedsomeofmyattemptsonmydearmother，whosaidmuchwhatDrydensaidto\"CousinSwift，\"\"Youwillneverbeapoet，\"adecisioninwhichIstraightwayacquiesced。Fortorhymeisonething，tobeapoetquiteanother。Agooddealofmortificationwouldbeavoidedifyoungmenandmaidensonlykeptthisobviousfactwellposedinfrontoftheirvanityandtheirambition。

InthesebookishmemoriesIhavesaidnothingaboutreligionandreligiousbooks，forvariousreasons。But，unlikeotherScotsofthepen，Igotnoharmfrom\"TheShorterCatechism，\"ofwhichI

rememberlittle，andneitherthennornowwasoramabletounderstandasinglesentence。Someprecociousmetaphysicianscomprehendedandstoodaghastatjustification，sanctification，adoption，andeffectualcalling。These，apparently，werenecessaryprocessesintheScottishspirituallife。Butwewerenottoldwhattheymeant，norwerewedistressedbyasensethatwehadnotpassedthroughthem。Frommostchildren，onetrusts，Calvinismranlikewateroffaduck\'sback；unluckyweretheywhofirstabsorbed，andlaterwerecompelledtogetridof，\"TheShorterCatechism!\"

Onegoodthing，ifnomore，thesememoriesmayaccomplish。Youngmen，especiallyinAmerica，writetomeandaskmetorecommend\"acourseofreading。\"Distrustacourseofreading!PeoplewhoreallycareforbooksREADALLOFTHEM。Thereisnoothercourse。

Letthisbeareply。Nootheranswershalltheygetfromme，theinquiringyoungmen。

II

Peopletalk，innovels，aboutthedelightsofafirstlove。Onemayventuretodoubtwhethereverybodyexactlyknowswhichwashis，orher，firstlove，ofmenorwomen，butaboutourfirstlovesinbookstherecanbenomistake。Theywere，andremain，thedearestofall；afterboyhoodthebloomisofftheliteraryrye。Thefirstparcelofthesegarrulitiesendedwhentheauthorleftschool，atabouttheageofseventeen。One\'sliteraryequipmentseemstohavebeenthenalmostascompleteasiteverwillbe，one\'stastesdefinitelyformed，one\'sfavouritesalreadychosen。Aslongaswelivewehopetoread，butwenevercan\"recapturethefirstfinecarelessrapture。\"Besides，onebeginstowrite，andthatisfatal。Myownfirstessayswerecomposedatschool——forotherboys。NotlongagothegentlemanwhowasthenourEnglishmasterwrotetome，informingmehewasmyearliestpublic，andthathehadnevercreditedmyyoungerbrotherwiththeessayswhichthatunscrupulouslad(\"Ispeakofhimbutbrotherly\")wasaccustomedtopresentforhisconsideration。

OnleavingschoolatseventeenIwenttoSt。Leonard\'sHall，intheUniversityofSt。Andrews。ThatistheoldestofScotchuniversities，andwasfoundedbyapapalbull。St。Leonard\'sHall，afterhavingbeenahospitiumforpilgrims，ahomeforoldladies(about1500)，andacollegeintheUniversity，wasnowakindofcrossbetweenamaster\'shouseatschool，and，asbefore1750，acollege。Wehadmorelibertythanschoolboys，lessthanEnglishundergraduates。IntheScotchuniversitiesthemenlivescattered，inlodgings，andonlyrecently，atSt。Andrews，havetheybeguntodinetogetherinhall。Wehadacommonroof，commondinners，worescarletgowns，possessedfootballandcricketclubs，andstarted，ofcourse，akindofweeklymagazine。Itwasonlyamanuscriptaffair，andwasprofuselyillustrated。Fortheonlytimeinmylife，Iwasnowaneditor，underasub-editor，whokeptmeuptomywork，andcutoutmyfinepassages。Theeditor\'sdutywastowritemostofthemagazine——towriteessays，reviews(ofbooksbytheprofessors，verysevere)，novels，shortstories，poems，translations，alsotoillustratethese，andto\"fag\"hisfriendsfor\"copy\"anddrawings。Adeplorableflippancyseems，asfarasoneremembers，tohavebeenthechiefcharacteristicoftheperiodical——flippancyandanabundantuseofthesupernatural。

ThesewerethedaysofLord\'Lytton\'s\"StrangeStory，\"whichI

continuetothinkamostsatisfactoryromance。InspiredbyLordLytton，andaidedbytheUniversitylibrary，IreadCorneliusAgrippa，Trithemius，PetrusdeAbano，MichaelScott，andstruggledwithIamblichusandPlotinus。

Thesearereallybutdisappointingwriters。Itsoonbecameevidentenoughthatthedevilwasnottoberaisedbytheirprescriptions，thatthephilosopher\'sstonewasbeyondthereachoftheamateur。

Iamblichusisparticularlyobscureandtedious。ToanyyoungbeginnerIwouldrecommendPetrusdeAbano，asthemostadequateandgruesomeoftheschool，for\"realdeevilryandpleesure，\"whileinthewildernessofPlotinustherearemanybeautifulpassagesandloftyspeculations。TwowintersintheNorthernUniversity，withtheseamysideofschoollifeleftbehind，amongthekindestofprofessors——Mr。Sellar，Mr。Ferrier，Mr。Shairp——inthesocietyofthewarden，Mr。Rhoades，andofmanydearoldfriends，arethehappiesttimeinmylife。Thiswastrueliteraryleisure，evenifitwasnottoowellemployed，andthereligiolocishouldbealiberaleducationinitself。Wehaddebatingsocieties——IhopeI

amnowforgivenforanattackonthecharacterofSirWilliamWallace，latroquidam，asthechroniclercallshim，\"acertainbrigand。\"ButIamforeverwritingaboutSt。Andrews——writinginaccurately，too，theScotchcriticsdeclare。\"Farewell，\"wecried，\"dearcityofyouthanddream，\"eternallydearandsacred。

HerewefirstmadeacquaintancewithMr。Browning，guidedtohisworksbyaparodywhichaladywroteinourlittlemagazine。Mr。

Browningwasnotapopularpoetin1861。Hisadmirerswerefew，alittlepeople，buttheywerenottheninthelatermoodofreverence，theydidnotawfullyquestiontheoracles，asinafteryears。Theyread，theyadmired，theyapplauded，onoccasiontheymocked，good-humouredly。ThebookbywhichMr。Browningwasbestknownwasthetwogreenvolumesof\"MenandWomen。\"Inthese，I

stillthink，istheheartofhisgeniusbeatingmoststrenuouslyandwithanimmortalvitality。Perhapsthis，foritscompass，isthecollectionofpoetrythemostvariousandrichofmodernEnglishtimes，almostofanyEnglishtimes。ButjustasMr。

FitzgeraldcaredlittleforwhatLordTennysonwroteafter1842，soIhaveneverbeenabletofeelquitethesameenthusiasmforMr。

Browning\'sworkafter\"MenandWomen。\"Heseemstohavemoreinfluence，thoughthatinfluenceisvague，onpersonswhochieflycareforthought，thanonthosewhochieflycareforpoetry。I

havemetaladywhohadread\"TheRingandtheBook\"often，the\"LotusEaters\"notonce。AmongsuchstudentsareMr。Browning\'sdisciplesoftheInnerCourt:IdwellbutintheCourtoftheGentiles。Whileweall——allwhoattemptrhyme——havemoreorlessconsciouslyimitatedthemannerofLordTennyson，Mr。Swinburne，Mr。Rossetti，suchimitationsofMr。Browningareuncommonlyscarce。Heisluckyenoughnottohavehadtheseedofhisflowerstolenandsowneverywheretill-

\"OnceagainthepeopleCalleditbutaweed。\"

TheothernewpoetofthesedayswasMr。Clough，whohasmanyundergraduatequalities。Buthispeculiarwistfulscepticisminreligionhadthennoinfluenceonsuchofusaswerestillhappilyintheagesoffaith。Anythinglikedoubtcomeslessofreading，perhaps，thanofthesuddennecessitywhich，inalmosteverylife，putsbeliefonhertrial，andcriesforanexaminationofthecreedshithertohelduponauthority，andbydintofuseandwont。

InadifferentwayonecanhardlycareforMr。MatthewArnold，asaboy，tillonehascomeundertheinfluenceofOxford。SoMr。

BrowningwastheonlypoetaddedtomypantheonatSt。Andrews，thoughMacaulaythenwasadmittedandappearedtobemorethetruemodelofaprosewriterthanheseemsinthelightoflaterreflection。ProbablyweallhaveaperiodofadmiringCarlylealmostexclusively。Collegeessays，whentheessayistcaresforhiswork，aregenerallybasedononeortheother。Thentheyrecedeintothebackground。Asfortheirthought，wecannotforeverremaindisciples。Webegintoseehowmuchthatlookslikethoughtisreallytheexpressionoftemperament，andhowindividualathingtemperamentis，howeachofusmustconstructhisworldforhimself，orbecontenttowaitforananswerandasynthesis\"inthatfar-offdivineeventtowhichthewholecreationmoves。\"So，forone，inthesehighmatters，Imustbecontentasa\"masterlessman\"swearingbynophilosopher，unlesshebetheimperialStoicofthehardyheart，MarcusAureliusAntoninus。

Perhapsnothingineducationencouragesthisincredulityabout\"masters\"ofthoughtlikethehistoryofphilosophy。Theprofessorofmoralphilosophy，Mr。Ferrier，wasafamousmetaphysicianandscholar。Hislectureson\"TheHistoryofGreekPhilosophy\"wereanadmirableintroductiontothesubject，afterwardspursued，intheoriginalauthorities，atOxford。Mr。Ferrierwasanexponentofothermen\'sideassofairandpersuasivethat，ineachnewschool，wethoughtwehaddiscoveredthesecret。WewerephysicistswithThalesandthatpre-Socratic\"companyofgallantgentlemen\"forwhomSydneySmithconfessedhislackofadmiration。WewerenowEmpedocleans，nowbelieversinHeraclitus，nowinSocrates，nowinPlato，nowinAristotle。Ineachlectureourprofessorsetupanewmasterandgentlydisintegratedhiminthenext。\"AmurathtoAmurathsucceeds，\"asMr。T。H。GreenusedtosayatOxford。HehimselfbecameanAmurath，asultanofthought，evenbeforehisapotheosisastheguideofthatbewilderedclergyman，Mr。RobertElsmere。AtOxford，whenonewentthere，onefoundMr。Greenalreadyinthepositionofaleaderofthought，andofyoungmen。

HewasatutorofBalliol，andlecturedonAristotle，andofhimeageryouthsaid，inthewordsofOmarKhayyam，\"HEKNOWS!HE

KNOWS!\"WhatwasitthatMr。Greenknew？Wherewasthesecret？

Toamindalreadyscepticalaboutmasters，itseemedthatthesecret(apartfromthetutor\'snoblesimplicityandrareelevationofcharacter)wasaknackoftranslatingSt。JohnandAristotlealikeintoaterminologywhichwethenbelievedtobeHegelian。

Hegelweknew，notintheoriginalGerman，butinlecturesandintranslations。Reasoningfromtheseinadequatepremises，itseemedtomethatHegelhadinventedevolutionbeforeMr。Darwin，thathissystemshowed，sotospeak，thespiritatworkinevolution，thesomethingwithinthewheels。ButthiswasonlyapersonalimpressionmadeonamindwhichknewDarwin，andphysicalspeculationsingeneral，merelyinthevaguepopularway。Mr。