146 REVIEW. Mason's St. Patrick's Cathedral. with him more than once in the day; by procurement of Arnold le Power, then senischall of Kilkenny, hee was delivered, and corrupted the senischall to vex the Bishop, which he did, thrusting him into prison for three moneths. In ryfling the closet of Alice, they found a wafer of sacramental bread, having the devil's name stamped thereon, instead of Jesus, and a pype of oyntment, wherewith shee greased a staffe, whereon shee ambled through thicke and thinne, when and how shee listed. This businesse troubled all the clergy of Ireland, the rather for that the Lady was supported by noblemen, and lastly conveyed into England, since which time no man wotteth what became of her." It appears pretty manifest, that this matter originated in a contest for power between the clergy, led on by the ambitious Ledred, Bishop of Ossory, on the one hand, and the civil government on the other. Pp. 120, 121. The enormous expence of fine Church windows in antient times may be estimated by the following circum stance. "Ledred, Bishop of Ossory, in 1325, constituted the celebrated East window of Kilkenny Cathedral, for which the Pope's Nuncio offered, in 1645, the sum of 7001. This magnificent work was afterwards destroyed in the rebellion." The following was a curious regulation concerning Beggars. At the early period of the Reformation the Mendicant Fryers were bitterly attacked, and Archbishop Alex. de Bykenore, in allusion to them, is said to have preached warmly against the sin of Sloth, in consequence of which "The Mayor of Dublin would not suffer an idle person to beg within his liberties, but only those who spun and knitted as they went to and fro, which kind of exercise the begging Friars were obliged to imitate, for fear of the Archbishop's or the Mayor's censures." P. 135. Salt-cellars were useable as chalices. "In 1471 Archbishop Tregury bequeathed two silver salts gilt, with covers, to be used as chalices in the Cathedral at the celebration of the Lord's supper." P. 137. The following nuisance, occasioned by Tanners, has been long removed. In 1493 the "Two streams [of the Podell river], which of old time flowed without any impediment on either side of St. Patrickstreet, were then choaked up, partly by the inhabitants throwing into it their filth, and [Feb. partly by tanners making dams and sluices thereon, in so much, that of late years, the Church and College had been surrounded by water, to its great hurt and damage." P. 141. Neither Pirates, nor the native Irish, in 1527, had any idea of shunning the plague. "The English power in Ireland was then at its very lowest ebb; the Citizens [of Dublin] dared scarcely to venture without their walls on the Southern side; the neighbouring towns and villages purchased that security, which those of their own nation were unable to give, by paying black-mail to some powerful Irish chief; even the North side was not safe from the incursions of the Irish, who used to descend from their mountains at night, and crossing the river, close to the city, would enter into Fingal, at that time the granary of Dublin, and, driving before them flocks and herds, retire before morning to their fastnesses in the glens of the adjoining mountains. It would be foreign to the present purpose to dilate more upon this subject here. I will, however, insert the two passages to which I allude; the one exhibits a frightful picture of the city's interior, whilst visited by the plague; the other informs us, that in addition to other calamities, its port was, at the same time, infested by pirates. "Item, de iid. solutis Johanni Sextyn pro expulsatione infirmorum, et pro custodia portæ S. Patricii x. diebus ab ingressu infirmorum, tempore pestilentiæ ; et de ivd. solutis uni viro, qui sepelivit unum, mortuum de peste et dilaceratum cum canibus. [The other Item merely mentions the Pirates being off the Port.] P. 145. n. a. The selfish tyranny of Popery is well exhibited by the following simple incident. Mary dissolved the Grammar School founded by her brother King Edw. VI. (P. 157.) We have heard of Apprentices at the time of the Reformation hiding bibles under their pillows, like novels; and we find a similar curiosity here: "1559. Dr. Heath, Archbishop of York, sent this year a large English bible to the Dean and Chapter, to be placed on a reading desk in the middle of the choir. He conferred a like favour on the Cathedral of Christ's Church. It was very observable upon this occasion, saith Ware, how much all the people of the city were pleased with the prospect of having free use of the Scriptures, for they came in vast crouds to both Cathedrals, at time of divine service, to hear it read, and many, before and after service, shewed great impatience to read in the bi ble 1922.] REVIEW. Les Poètes ble themselves, and the curiosity of people herein could not be satisfied until the year 1566, when John Dale, a Dublin Bookseller, imported some small bibles from London, of which, in less than two years, he sold seven thousand copies." P. 163. The first clock was put up in Dublin in 1560 (p. 164). In p. 166 we find an instance of Queen Elizabeth's habit of taking up and promoting handsome men. "1571. Two dignitaries of this Cathedral, Nicholas Walsh, Chancellor, and John Kerney, Treasurer, distinguished themselves about this time by the introduction of Irish types; they procured an order from the government for printing the Common Prayer in that language, and likewise that a Church should be set apart in the chief town of each diocess, where the liturgy should be read in that language, and a sermon preached, by which means many persons were converted to the Established Church; the first book printed in this language, with Irish characters, was a Catechism, written by this Kerney." P. 170. It is well-known, that antiently the Crown used to employ Clergymen in forensic, diplomatical, and civil offices of the State; and salary them, as also Laymen, by means of Church benefices. It appears, from p. 170, that this abuse, with regard to the latter, was managed by means of the Archbishop of Canterbury granting dispensations from taking orders and resi dence. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, says Mr. Lodge (Illustrat. Brit. Hist. 1.211), "The prospect of our modern foreign commerce began to dawn, which the Nobility mingled in. Money was scarce, and the persons called Merchants were generally factors to the men of landed property, who owned the great mass of wealth." Accordingly the Queen encouraged it. : "The conduct of the Lord Chancellor [Gerrard] was highly approved of by the Queen in her letter to the Lord Deputy, of the 19th of May following, she highly commended him, and granted him licence to transport yarn, notwithstanding the statate." P. 173. Immense is the mass of information which Mr. Mason has compressed in this commencement of his Quarto; and we shall next see that as he is an excellent constructor from record of bones and muscles for his Topographical Body, so he can equally well ve it confirmation, grace, and beauty, 18. Les Poètes Anglais et les Auteurs de l'Edinburg Review, Satire traduite de l'Anglais, de Lord Byron, par L. V. Raoul, Professeur a l'Université de Gand.Gand, de l'imprimerie de A. J. Bounin. 1821. 8vo. pp. 130. THE public have of late years so attentively regarded the politics of France, as to overlook her literary claims, and the few hints which have been communicated on this subject are the result of hasty travels*. So tardy have its advances been on this side of the channel, that were they, whose business it is to inform us, questioned as to its state, they would probably represent it as a miserable collection of ribaldry, flimsy discussions on temporary subjects, and pirated editions of popular English works. Nor is this ignorance a matter of surprise: such are the importations of our tourists, and, together with caricatures and toys, represent the productive genius of that country in all its branches. Our views are di rected to higher objects; in our pages the historians of France have been already mentioned, and we hope hereafter to notice her antiquaries, her bibliographers, and her poets: the names of D'Hancarville, Guyot, Peignot, and Raoul, deserve all the praise that periodical criticism can bestow, towards diffusing their labours and their merits. Apart from such considerations, the poem now translated is one of those few minor compositions which deserve to encounter Time in all languages and in all countries. The names which it commemorates render it curious, and the lesson it enforces, useful; it may serve as a warning to Poets, to think before they utter, and to Critics not to deride the anxieties of authors whose replies are the severest attacks. The causes by which it was produced are well known: Lord Byron, in 1807, published a volume of poetical effusions, entitled "Hours of Idleness," which was harshly treated by the Edinburgh Reviewers; his lordship retorted on them with a se Lady Morgan and her France for example. Mr. Dibdin's Bibliographical and Antiquarian Tour forms a pleasing exception. 148 REVIEW. Les Poètes Anglais, &c. par Raoul. verity unexampled since the days of Pope (if we except the personalities of Churchill and the neglected satire of Christopher Smart), and saw the merits of his work and the justness of his cause acknowledged by a rapid demand; but, while the fifth edition was preparing for publication, thought proper to suppress it, since which time the public has been supplied with spurious editions, printed both at home and abroad *. Paraphrase, however, was a source from whence no one expected this poem in its genuine shape (how grateful to the subjects of its satire we cannot pretend to say). M. Raoul has judiciously printed the original English on the alternate pages, thereby conferring a double favour on his readers. His Translation is inscribed to a public character in the following dedication, which, for concise and elegant compliment, is without an equal: the justice of his eulogium can only be known to his countrymen : "A Monsieur Ch. le Cocq, de Tournay, Membre des Etats-Généraux de Royaume. Monsieur, Si j'avais connu un citoyen plus distingué, un meilleur père de famille, un ami plus franc, un juge plus éclairé des ouvrages de l'esprit, ce n'est pas à vous que J'aurais dédié cet opuscule.-Votre dévoué et affectioné concitoyen, Raoul." In the requisites of a translator, M. Raoul is by no means deficient: to adopt satire to a foreign language is not an easy task, and the difficulty increases in proportion to the excellence of the original; descriptions may be copied, and stories faithfully rendered, but personal remarks and allusions to passing circumstances scarcely admit of felicity: thus the choice of his subject was unfavourable, but having en [Feb. tered into it with the enthusiasm of a poet, he seldom sinks below expectation, and frequently rises above it. The poem commences with an abruptness peculiar to Satire, and which in this instance is borrowed from Juvenal; that, and the succeeding invocation, possess great spirit, and a spirit which the diffusive genius of French poetry was unable to catch: the version, however, will not be read without pleasure: "Still must I hear, &c. &c. "Faudra-t-il plus long-temps me faire violence? [silence, Faudra-t-il plus long-temps, dans un lâche Entendre, du refrain de ses aigres couplets, L'enroué *** remplir les cabarets? Quoi donc ! aurais-je peur de voir à mes [outrages, Nos censeurs d' Edimbourg, prodiguant les Dans leur docte revue, aux yeux de l'univers, ouvrages Calomnier ma muse et dénoncer mes vers? Non, non; c'est à mon tour de parler et d'ecrire : * These circumstances are thus alluded to by the author of a spurious third canto to "Don Juan:" "The world loves satire-people too admire Lords that can write-then came there forth abroad He raged like one from Bedlam's walls let loose, Well charged with gall, with anger and abuse- So weak his Song, his Satire so ill aimed, The author appears to have trusted principally to his invention for the facts mentioned in the latter stanza. 1822.] REVIEW. · Les Poètes Anglais, &c. par Raoul. Habile à dissiper ce chagrin d'un moment, Que d'écrivains obscurs tu tires des ténèbres! Après avoir tracé tant de savantes pages, The following lines, as they stand in the original, have become proverbial, but have woefully suffered in translating the best in the passage, "believe a woman or an epitaph," has fared more hardly than any of the rest: "And shall we own such judgment? no A translator's deviations are seldom successful; like Humlet's clowns, they should say no more than is set down for them. M. Raoul is apt to wander, but his version of the elegiac lines on Henry Kirke White are more than usually fortunate in their flights. His Peresse de la science is neither happy nor authorised, and the mains hideuses' of Death by no means improve the lines to which they do not belong : with these exceptions, they contain much to praise. "Unhappy WHITE! whose life was in its spring," &c. "WHITE! O destin cruel! ta vie à son aurore, Déjà belle d'espoir n'était qu'en fleur encore, 149 Elle a paru trop belle à tes regards séduits. Du champ qu'elle a semé la tombe à tous les fruits. Oui, ton propre talent fut l'arme empoison née Qui flétrit, qui tranchit ta noble destinée; L'aigle, monarque altier des habitans de L'aspect le fait frémir de rage et de douleur; Au lieu de le servir, s'abreuver de son Occasionally the translator mistakes the sense of his author, and in one instance so as to add to the poignancy of the satire : "HERBERT shall wield THOR's hammer, and sometimes In gratitude thou'lt praise his rugged rhymes. "HERBERT du fils d'Odin chantera la massue: Ses vers sont rocailleux et le public en sue; Mais, puisqu'il est des tiens, tu dont pencher pour lui; L'agreable SYDNEY t'offrira son appui ; HALLAM apportera tout le grec qu'il possede," &c. P. 55. Sometimes he inserts ideas of his own, by which the sense is considerably improved; the substitute in the following lines for "Swains! quit the plough, resign the useless spade." "Quittez pour Apollon Cérès et Triptolème," Is at once poetical, classical, and happy. But emendation is not always attempted with success, eye, "That ever glorious, almost fatal pay, "Ces deux illustres chefs du peuple qui One further specimen shall close our extracts; it is unquestionably the most Sotheby. [Feb. and imperfect rhymes may be met with, but his good taste more than atones for them.. There are other errors which we are sorry to observe, as they are the result of too slight an acquaintance with the names and allusions in Lord Byron t, but it is unreasonable to dwell on trifles where the whole is excellent. "Where all is just, is beauteous, and is fair, Distinctions vanish of peculiar air +." We cannot take leave of M. Raoul, without expressing a hope that this, his first production, is an earnest of more. Criticism is an unpleasant task, and only enlivened by an opportunity of bestowing praise where it is due; if, as the poet says, · verse sweetens toil,' the reader may guess at the pleasure arising from the perusal of this; in its author are united two of the most endearing qualities, which may secure esteem in this life, and renown hereafter:his verse proclaims him a genuine poet, and his prose a sincere friend. Mr. Southey has lately addressed a Letter (which was noticed in our last, p. 61), complaining of some observations on himself in Lord Byron's latest work, in which he alludes to this Poem. Of Mr. Southey's injuhas outstripped his accuracy. The ries we make no doubt, but his zeal Poem was not re-published with the Noble Author's approval, no authentic § edition having appeared since the original edition, and to the translation this invective cannot attach. If we have devoted a greater space than usual to a single specimen of French literature, it is but the discharging of a debt of honour. Much is owing to the exertions of Galignani and other publishers, who have disseminated our national talent, by re-printing its scarce admirable version of Hudibras (enand approved productions. Townley's riched with the criticisms of Larcher), Lord Byron's Hours of Idleness,' the novel of Kenilworth,' &c. have lately appeared, and the collected poems of Such as Grenville for Greville, Hogson for Hodgson, &c.; these may be merely typographical, but Mr. Canning is termed Lord Canning,' which is only to be accounted for as Milord Anglais. Lloyd is termed in the translation, le Phoenix de critiques,' we suppose ironically, but perhaps he is not known abroad as a poet. Codrington's epistle to Garth.-Was this the origin of Churchill's couplet so often quoted on like occasions ? § An impression of this work, purporting to be the third, is now selling, bearing the date 1810 in the title-page, and 1818 in the water-mark! Moore |