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    tone of moralitypervading ; not only , their conduct of literatures bi # their views of it , as ifj indeed , they liad no conception of Iiitera'ttire being anything else than an arena for the display of wit ^; dp&tent ^ learning , and ; ^' ers 6 * i ^ spite , —all these traits mark but ^ scribing it from tjie passionate ,, poe ^ calj and . thoughtful . Literatumtvof j tfie 17 th century , ; arid- the mmoiovi fsl ^ moral . Literature of . the . 19 . tuv ; -- WJiatev ** may be said against our age , this much at least must b ' eBaid for it ; i that Literature is looked upon as a thing noble and ennobling ; not as ' ah amusement only , but as a means of educatirig through amiisenient , as aineans of expanding and directing , the spills ofour generation ,. . ; ,,:, _; ., . ,. . .. „ / , , ; ir £ tf " - * b . f

    Pope , who was the culmination of that literature , exhibits one and all of its vices . ; The brightness and fefieity of hia' talents need nbti here be ihsisted on ; they are familiar Wherever the' Eriglish lartguJige is reabt . , B , ut we must pause for a moment to po ^ nt to , those defects which . lie ^ ha ^ edjn common with almost all the , writers of his age ; and besidesJtiiose already noted , there is one which may be said to imply them allj implying as it does the absence of the very principle of . chivalry—we mean his-opinion of and treatment of women . ' It is worthy of note tliat the two greatest satirists' of that " age * Swift and Pope , both Wr 6 te degradingly of women , and 'both' treated them with horrible selfishness , which was in ' .. each ' case repaid by ujrtjtiring devotion . Swift ' s cpnduct to JStelja and Vanessa was , perhaps , raoi ; e ; like I f i

    madness , than Pope ' s to , Teresa and Martha Biount ; and Swift was afcJeast guiltless of the infamy of having pubUcly flung filth and calumny upon the woman he had once loved . There is something inexplicable ill ' Pope ' s mean selfishness : after for along while dallying with the two sisters ,, Utfable , apparently , to determine on a choice , and wishing certainly to preserve both to himself , he , not being of a polygamous turn , of miud , forced Teresato . consent to celibacy for six years ; allowing'her , meanwhile , an income of forty pounds a year ^ and by the time that period expired , he had settled his Platonic preference on her sister . Now , explain this connexion hovvyou will , nothing could rescue it from tha charge of the basest selfishness ,, buifc J £ s standing as an isolated act in a generous , unselfish life , which Pope ' s was not . Read by light reflected from the episode with Lady Mary its : despicable nature is evident . , ... : ¦ . ¦ . ;•; .- . . ; : 1 .

    Lady Mary may have used him ill . We do not see imich evidence for such a supposition : she imy have liked his Avit and conversation , but , to judge from her letters , she never encouraged his passion—rather the reverse and although ( if it be true that she did burst out into an immoderate fit of laughter when he declared his passion , ) she behaved with cruel , and most unwomanly levity , yet not even that , nor any other wrong she might have done him , nor any sorrow she might have caused him , could ever " justify his unmanly attacks upon her . " The coarsest lines he ever wrote , " says bis biographer , " and the most bitter of his personal attacks , were . directed |

    against the lady on whom he had lavished every epithet of admiration and praise . " And the fact , significant of the absence of chivalry characterizing the age , and not therefore to be taken as an individual defect , is , that the man who notoriously committed this outrage on the woman lie had loved was not held up to public scorn for it , but was courted and admired , as if the outrage were no more than the flagellation of a Curll , a Dennis , or a Theobald ! It formed the topic of scandal , a bit of piquant gossip ; tickled the enemies of Lady Mary , and found admirers among lovers of satire for the venom of its sting and the polish of its verse . ' Is not that evidence of a tone of moral feeling pervading the age which to our age is revolting ?

    Mr . Carruthers has given us material for more moralizing in this agreeable volume , had we time and space to avail ourselves of it , for he paints a vivid p icture of Literature and its professors . But we can find room only for one specimen passage : — "The Homer subscription had brought the poet honour , wealth , and troops of friends . The year 1714 may be considered us marking the commencement of the gayest period of Pope ' s life . It was the beginning of a decade of prosporous years , in which , through nil cireum . statices , his spirit was sanguine , exultait , and dofiant . He had not yet assumed the philosopher ' s robe , or hardened down into . severe satire and ethics . His wit was sportive ; and ' his enemies—for ho always supposed himself to be surrounded by a ' cloud of

    enemies—ho could afford to smile at . His pen was the sword with which he had cut h is way through the world , and it was bright and trenchant , ready for any service . At first his good fortune seems to have transported him into excesses foreign to his real diameter . Jle set ,, p for a bon-viviiiit and rake—frequented the October Club and gaming-houses ( hut was never known to bet ) -boasted of sitting till two in the morning over l ) ur < -undy and champagne—and grew ashamed of Ihikmuksh . I \> or authors , of course , were his special aversion , lie sketched plans and arch itectural desi gim with Lord Burlington ; lounged in the library of Lord Oxford ; breakfasted with Cmgg « J talked of the Spanish war with the chivalrous Mordaunt , Lord Peterborough , the English Amadis ; or , in the ovmiiug joined in the learned

    raillery of Arlnithnot . With young Lord Warwick and other lwanx- « wririts ho had delicious lobstor-nightN and tavern guieLiefr-how different , from life in Windsor Forest ! At the country seats of Lords JIareourt , Uathurs t and Cobhuni , ho was a frequent visitor—criticising groves , walks , glade * , gardens and porticoes ; and he may claim the merit of having done more than any other poet to render English scenes classic ground-a distinction in which he was ' followed by Gray and Walpole , the latter actin g am historia n of patrician improvement and rural beauty . In the society of ladies of rank and fashion tho uiiniuutivo iiguro of tho poot might be seen in his suit of black velvet , with tie-wig and smallsword , discoursing on topics of wit and gallantry , ] iin Hue eyo and handsome intellectual face soon making tho defects of kin

    i person fb * gbtteri ; J fbV in ^ onipahy ^ ntirelr tb li ^ imnd ' l ^ eVt hen t > ossps « o ^ ii aW ana £ aktythai cbuid * laugfr'dl ^ m ^^ i ^ l ^ , ^^^^ ^ pE ^ ea ^ &dy 'Mary ^ rtliey 'Slontalu flaf re ^ ritft ^ uiffiea her * M ££ Fi WHtochfre , ^¦ T 6 ti < fo £ ' » a' 1 i % ^ the'mettfbpolia . j Pope 4 v ^ s wtften tHf tier ¦ side ; ' ^ liis ^ erin |^^ erles tnaF ' ** afterwards .--to' Be fchatigedMbnrsesl The ^ ucfie '&eii bf ^ Que ^ nsberrv " WUM ^^ ari ^ Mbn ^ agu ' smilea gracious ^ 'bn'tlie ^ au ^ c 6 th& * Wa&& > pleasure partieS ^ ri'Me l ^ Vfe ? Th ^ MaidsJof ^ on& % ^ court of the Princess Caroline ~ -th& ^ m ^ Wrty ^^ e £ rfen ^ ary & % i MJw ' - Gnffi ^ ' ^ d- 'Mftf ^ HD ^ a ^ i ' adh ^ tt ^ rtiim ^ flielr ; dorindence-i * tt » ofc h j into theirprotection , ^ c 6 ntraTy-tb'the lawsr ' agalnt&fc hirfed&riri ^ ip ^ A fs ^ g jj ^ - ^ ! instructed him in th ® --fra 6 faw $ esMf *~ $ he '' -4 j&xLtlS ^ | pomppus Mini 5 ters . of Stateand sage Bbctor » ofi 3 iyinity . : ; , ; , ;) .. / J ; y « M , ; jf ? , In tjje , way ; of objection w , e . musjt . inot ^ f porifcr ^ i ^ ' . inserted ; iti thepe / pages . ;¦•; they , are more like ; - / signboards ; than portraits ^ an < i . depr « ciate the voiume * -A- xem ^ rfa . ; also 1 b * ^ called' fbrTbt * th& . follo i vving passage : —i—" ¦ '¦ ' : ^< if-: Mr > -i •¦;¦ ¦¦ * . .,- ! -. ( iJ ^ . r ' - 1 " >'' i V' - " -i- - d-iZ '> . ;• ' in- <• ., ; . - j t , .. . v . . . ; . " -r j t , > . ¦ , ;; , ,.-, !! , ' r ¦ r J ! : ! ' " : i- !\ ¦¦)¦¦ ' ¦¦¦ -. ' '' . ; , . ¦; . ' ¦ ' :. i . ; - .-i't -. < : <> > . ¦ : !"¦¦ : ' j . \ i : ' ,. ' -. ' q- ¦ : /' J- ; •*; .: ' : :, ; : ] ,., " . ' Consideringhow yery . lifctle , Ihad whea I Qamefromischool , Xthinlc l wav be said , to haye taught myself" ^ atiu < i § w . fcweIlas . vF * ench :. ipri-Greekv- ' aad---in > aU these lny chief , way of ; , getting ^ themAv . as ; by trans ^ 0 f / lliiniSelfi- ,:-r ! ,. ; .: - l , /^; -: ; -,:. ¦ .. ; : ! : ... > : ¦;¦•¦; > ' ^ > , ! - -11 , ilt ^ l , iui / . ; n / ,, vi '< - ' . i . i ' .: ¦ ,. ¦¦ ; , ; . . : ; ; . ¦¦ ' ; .. i-r . 'i ; : ^ : , B 1 'ed . » 'P ;^ t ^ lOme ^ fljlj . fiju ;^ IJfeffllQtyr . nj-. J'i-. itj ; . ]; :: ,. - ; ; r .- ' . , ; ; .. ., . . r I ,, ' . ; ,-Tp . ' reud iii . _ 0 re ^ k ^ tl ^ e . , iyr atJi-. ^ . JE * «]|^ u ^ * . ^ on . * -. . . .. . _ . . - ... r . .. . ; . ' . ¦ ¦ . ' . " J"To critical scholar , how « Ve ^ ha ^ gi ^ n ' Fope credit foi * proficiency in the language of Homer , or ' pronounced ' < his schemes ; of self-ihstrlitrticln tohave beeh a perfectly successful experiment . He fopeettvhis way into the chabibersi'bf '^ ancient literature , bt » fc lie never _ qbtaibed compiete possession 1 of- the'treasures ¦| with which they are stored . ^ Ilis case * itiRy be held tt > support the arginrieW j in favour of public schools ; but at the same time it affords an animating example to i ; he young student who hasbeen denied the inestimable advantaee 8 of early-academical training and ^ discipline . ' ¦ - ¦ ¦ ¦ t •! ' : r . This we tajke to be Gieeian , but he learned by his - -method precisely i what hemaiitedto learn he had no scholarly ambition ; poefe seldom ; have ; 'but if he hjSd desired to attain entlcal knowledge , does Mr . Camithers suppose lib cbuld not-have donesb tinardecl' t > y " pu blic " schools ? ' So far frbin fjtliis ca ^ . af | ord ^ an ¦ . argument m favour of puplic sclwols , iit affoirds , if anytlm ^ an argument against thein \ fox , however low wo , may estimate pope ' s . mastery of Greek it was surely immeasurably greaterithatr that of ninetee n but of twenty \ viio have received the advantages 1 of " academical training 1 ?* ' ¦ '

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    COMTE'S PHILOSOPHY Of THE SClfiNCKs ;' Comle ' s Philosophy , of the . Sciences : being an Expasition of the Principles of tho Cours de i'hiloKop / iic f osilU-e of Auguxle Comle . By G . H . Lewes . ( Bohn ' s Scientific Library ) . , H . ' J . Bohu . In looking about us to remedy as best we could the effects of the disaster which consigned our weekly work prematurely to the flames , it was of course natural that we should alight upon those subjects which most readily admitted of treatment . Hence , although there are obvious reasons which make a notice of the work at the head of this article a somewhat delicate task , the one reason of facility overpowers all the rest . This volume purposes to be an attempt to popularize the leading principles of Comte ' s Positive Philosophy , forming a systematic introduction to tho study of the eleven volumes of Comte ' s works ; and to supply , for those renders who have not sufficient leisure , the place of such study . The readers of this journal will remember that last year a series of articles with this purpose appeared in our columns . It was our intention to have completed the design by a sccdnd series ; but the difficulty of finding space for a series extending over more than three months , forced us to relinquish that intention . The articles which appeared form about half the present volume ; they have , . however , been revised and greatly enlarged , three new sections having been added ; one on the Mathematical Sciences , and one propounding a theory of the Passage from the Inorganic to the Organic . Besides these additions , there is an outline of Comte ' s Cerebral Theory , and the second half of the volume is devoted to a condensation of his throe volumes on Social Science , and a very brief analysis of his Politiquc Positive . We have now made our readers awaro of tho scope and structure of tho book : and the two extracts we shall take from it arc from tho additions made to tho old series . After illustrating in various ways Comte ' s fundamental law of evolution , b y means of the three Methods , Theological , Metaphysical , and Positive , Mr . Lewes adds : . " Tho history of any Bcionco will furnish examples of tho threo Methods , and Cointe , ill the cburao of hLs work , h ! ls , / 1 V ( .,, Hov < , n , j : fat ino add oiui from Teratology , or tho ' SeiciuM ! of MoiiHfcroHiticB , ' - —n . hciciico only nusniblo within tho last century , pi nee tho discoveries of ( leoU ' roy St . Hilaire " At flr . st ; , wlion nix unhappy mother brought forth one of those ' organic deviations' wo namo ' inonnt . or . V—Hueh , for oxamplo , m a child with two hoitfls , II child with no head , tho read y explanation wiw , thnfc mush a monster ctuno an n ' t <> 1 ™ » of Clod ' a HUtfor ; ' HomotiincH it ; Wui fiilid that the Devil had hvaXuwxI or violated tho mother , and thin mounter wan the result ! Here we have tho nponfancoiiH exp lanation HUgp'HkHl b y tho Theolog ical spirit . In later time . ' ) , thin explanation waH r « - linqui . slied us ridioulima . It was then bolicved , —iw , iiide (; d , it in fitill very generally l ) eli « v « ' ( l , —that tho acorn contained the oak . and l , ho gorin contained tho »« in - This lyiotnphyMicnl concep ! , iou ( , f j > ,-hnit , ivo gorniH , potentially oontaining nil that may » m ! w «« iu « tttly " « developed l ' i \ iiiWf nittuvally led liion to arguo tlmt «»

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    95 Z . . ; . ¦' . ifM ^^ . ^ & ^ & ' ' MM . L . ' lsm ^ IfgftiS ^

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 1, 1853, page 954, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2006/page/18/