the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第10节

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SPEUSIPPUS。　Nay；　I　was　only

ALCIBIADES。　A　pupil　of　Gorgias　and　Melesigenes　afraid　of　Tartarus！　　In　what　region　of　the　infernal　world　do　you　expect　your　domicile　to　be　fixed？　　Shall　you　roll　a　stone　like　Sisyphus？　　Hard　exercise；　Speusippus！

SPEUSIPPUS。　In　the　name　of　all　the　gods

ALCIBIADES。　Or　shall　you　sit　starved　and　thirsty　in　the　midst　of　fruit　and　wine　like　Tantalus？　　Poor　fellow？　　I　think　I　see　your　face　as　you　are　springing　up　to　the　branches　and　missing　your　aim。　　Oh　Bacchus！　　Oh　Mercury！

SPEUSIPPUS。　Alcibiades！

ALCIBIADES。　Or　perhaps　you　will　be　food　for　a　vulture；　like　the　huge　fellow　who　was　rude　to　Latona。

SPEUSIPPUS。　Alcibiades！

ALCIBIADES。　Never　fear。　　Minos　will　not　be　so　cruel。　　Your　eloquence　will　triumph　over　all　accusations。　　The　Furies　will　skulk　away　like　disappointed　sycophants。　　Only　address　the　judges　of　hell　in　the　speech　which　you　were　prevented　from　speaking　last　assembly。　〃When　I　consider〃is　not　that　the　beginning　of　it？　　Come；　man；　do　not　be　angry。　　Why　do　you　pace　up　and　down　with　such　long　steps？　　You　are　not　in　Tartarus　yet。　　You　seem　to　think　that　you　are　already　stalking　like　poor　Achilles；

〃With　stride　Majestic　through　the　plain　of　Asphodel。〃　　（See　Homer's　Odyssey；　xi。　538。）

SPEUSIPPUS。　How　can　you　talk　so；　when　you　know　that　I　believe　all　that　foolery　as　little　as　you　do？

ALCIBIADES。　Then　march。　　You　shall　be　the　crier。　　Callicles；　you　shall　carry　the　torch。　　Why　do　you　stare？　　（The　crier　and　torchbearer　were　important　functionaries　at　the　celebration　of　the　Eleusinian　mysteries。）

CALLICLES。　I　do　not　much　like　the　frolic。

ALCIBIADES。　Nay；　surely　you　are　not　taken　with　a　fit　of　piety。　　If　all　be　true　that　is　told　of　you；　you　have　as　little　reason　to　think　the　gods　vindictive　as　any　man　breathing。　　If　you　be　not　belied；　a　certain　golden　goblet　which　I　have　seen　at　your　house　was　once　in　the　temple　of　Juno　at　Corcyra。　　And　men　say　that　there　was　a　priestess　at　Tarentum

CALLICLES。　A　fig　for　the　gods！　　I　was　thinking　about　the　Archons。　　You　will　have　an　accusation　laid　against　you　to…morrow。　　It　is　not　very　pleasant　to　be　tried　before　the　king。　　（The　name　of　king　was　given　in　the　Athenian　democracy　to　the　magistrate　who　exercised　those　spiritual　functions　which　in　the　monarchical　times　had　belonged　to　the　sovereign。　　His　court　took　cognisance　of　offences　against　the　religion　of　the　state。）

ALCIBIADES。　Never　fear：　there　is　not　a　sycophant　in　Attica　who　would　dare　to　breathe　a　word　against　me；　for　the　golden　plane…tree　of　the　great　king。　　（See　Herodotus；　viii。　28。）

HIPPOMACHUS。　That　plane…tree

ALCIBIADES。　Never　mind　the　plane…tree。　　Come；　Callicles；　you　were　not　so　timid　when　you　plundered　the　merchantman　off　Cape　Malea。　　Take　up　the　torch　and　move。　　Hippomachus；　tell　one　of　the　slaves　to　bring　a　sow。　　（A　sow　was　sacrificed　to　Ceres　at　the　admission　to　the　greater　mysteries。）

CALLICLES。　And　what　part　are　you　to　play？

ALCIBIADES。　I　shall　be　hierophant。　　Herald；　to　your　office。　　Torchbearer；　advance　with　the　lights。　　Come　forward；　fair　novice。　　We　will　celebrate　the　rite　within。

＇Exeunt。＇

。。。


CRITICISMS　ON　THE　PRINCIPAL　ITALIAN　WRITERS。

No。　I。　　DANTE。

（January　1824。）

〃Fairest　of　stars；　last　in　the　train　of　night；　If　better　thou　belong　not　to　the　dawn；　Sure　pledge　of　day；　that　crown'st　the　smiling　morn　With　thy　bright　circlet。〃　　　Milton。

In　a　review　of　Italian　literature；　Dante　has　a　double　claim　to　precedency。　　He　was　the　earliest　and　the　greatest　writer　of　his　country。　　He　was　the　first　man　who　fully　descried　and　exhibited　the　powers　of　his　native　dialect。　　The　Latin　tongue；　which；　under　the　most　favourable　circumstances；　and　in　the　hands　of　the　greatest　masters；　had　still　been　poor；　feeble；　and　singularly　unpoetical；　and　which　had；　in　the　age　of　Dante；　been　debased　by　the　admixture　of　innumerable　barbarous　words　and　idioms；　was　still　cultivated　with　superstitious　veneration；　and　received；　in　the　last　stage　of　corruption；　more　honours　than　it　had　deserved　in　the　period　of　its　life　and　vigour。　　It　was　the　language　of　the　cabinet；　of　the　university；　of　the　church。　　It　was　employed　by　all　who　aspired　to　distinction　in　the　higher　walks　of　poetry。　　In　compassion　to　the　ignorance　of　his　mistress；　a　cavalier　might　now　and　then　proclaim　his　passion　in　Tuscan　or　Proven嘺l　rhymes。　　The　vulgar　might　occasionally　be　edified　by　a　pious　allegory　in　the　popular　jargon。　　But　no　writer　had　conceived　it　possible　that　the　dialect　of　peasants　and　market…women　should　possess　sufficient　energy　and　precision　for　a　majestic　and　durable　work。　　Dante　adventured　first。　　He　detected　the　rich　treasures　of　thought　and　diction　which　still　lay　latent　in　their　ore。　　He　refined　them　into　purity。　　He　burnished　them　into　splendour。　　He　fitted　them　for　every　purpose　of　use　and　magnificence。　　And　he　has　thus　acquired　the　glory；　not　only　of　producing　the　finest　narrative　poem　of　modern　times　but　also　of　creating　a　language；　distinguished　by　unrivalled　melody；　and　peculiarly　capable　of　furnishing　to　lofty　and　passionate　thoughts　their　appropriate　garb　of　severe　and　concise　expression。

To　many　this　may　appear　a　singular　panegyric　on　the　Italian　tongue。　　Indeed　the　great　majority　of　the　young　gentlemen　and　young　ladies；　who；　when　they　are　asked　whether　they　read　Italian；　answer　〃yes；〃　never　go　beyond　the　stories　at　the　end　of　their　grammar；The　Pastor　Fido；or　an　act　of　Artaserse。　　They　could　as　soon　read　a　Babylonian　brick　as　a　canto　of　Dante。　　Hence　it　is　a　general　opinion；　among　those　who　know　little　or　nothing　of　the　subject；　that　this　admirable　language　is　adapted　only　to　the　effeminate　cant　of　sonnetteers；　musicians；　and　connoisseurs。

The　fact　is　that　Dante　and　Petrarch　have　been　the　Oromasdes　and　Arimanes　of　Italian　literature。　　I　wish　not　to　detract　from　the　merits　of　Petrarch。　　No　one　can　doubt　that　his　poems　exhibit；　amidst　some　imbecility　and　more　affectation；　much　elegance；　ingenuity；　and　tenderness。　　They　present　us　with　a　mixture　which　can　only　be　compared　to　the　whimsical　concert　described　by　the　humorous　poet　of　Modena：

〃S'udian　gli　usignuoli；　al　primo　albore；　Egli　asini　cantar　versi　d'amore。〃　（Tassoni；　Secchia　Rapita；　canto　i。　stanza　6。）

I　am　not；　however；　at　present　speaking　of　the　intrinsic　excellencies　of　his　writings；　which　I　shall　take　another　opportunity　to　examine；　but　of　the　effect　which　they　produced　on　the　literature　of　Italy。　　The　florid　and　luxurious　charms　of　his　style　enticed　the　poets　and　the　public　from　the　contemplation　of　nobler　and　sterner　models。　　In　truth；　though　a　rude　state　of　society　is　that　in　which　great　original　works　are　most　frequently　produced；　it　is　also　that　in　which　they　are　worst　appreciated。　This　may　appear　paradoxical；　but　it　is　proved　by　experience；　and　is　consistent　with　reason。　　To　be　without　any　received　canons　of　taste　is　good　for　the　few　who　can　create；　but　bad　for　the　many　who　can　only　imitate　and　judge。　　Great　and　active　minds　cannot　remain　at　rest。　　In　a　cultivated　age　they　are　too　often　contented　to　move　on　in　the　beaten　path。　　But　where　no　path　exists　they　will　make　one。　　Thus　the　Iliad；　the　Odyssey；　the　Divine　Comedy；　appeared　in　dark　and　half　barbarous　times：　　and　thus　of　the　few　original　works　which　have　been　produced　in　more　polished　ages　we　owe　a　large　proportion　to　men　in　low　stations　and　of　uninformed　minds。　　I　will　instance；　in　our　own　language；　the　Pilgrim's　Progress　and　Robinson　Crusoe。　　Of　all　the　prose　works　of　fiction　which　we　possess；　these　are；　I　will　not　say　the　best；　but　the　most　peculiar；　the　most　unprecedented；　the　most　inimitable。　　Had　Bunyan　and　Defoe　been　educated　gentlemen；　they　would　probably　have　published　translations　and　imitations　of　French　romances　〃by　a　person　of　quality。〃　　I　am　not　sure　that　we　should　have　had　Lear　if　Shakspeare　had　been　able　to　read　Sophocles。

But　these　circumstances；　while　they　foster　genius；　are　unfavourable　to　the　science　of　criticism。　　Men　judge　by　comparison。　　They　are　unable　to　estimate　the　grandeur　of　an　object　when　there　is　no　standard　by　which　they　can　measure　it。　One　of　the　French　philosophers　（I　beg　Gerard's　pardon）；　who　accompanied　Napoleon　to　Egypt；　tells　us　that；　when　he　first　visited　the　great　Pyramid；　he　was　surprised　to　see　it　so　diminutive。　　It　stood　alone　in　a　boundless　plain。　　There　was　nothing　near　it　from　which　he　could　calculate　its　magnitude。　　But　when　the　camp　was　pitched　beside　it；　and　the　tents　appeared　like　diminutive　specks　around　its　base；　he　then　perceived　the　immensity　of　this　mightiest　work　of　man。　　In　the　same　manner；　it　is　not　till　a　crowd　of　petty　writers　has　sprung　up　that　the　merit　of　the　great　masterspirits　of　literature　is　understood。

We　have　indeed　ample　proof　that　Dante　was　highly　admired　in　his　own　and　the　following　age。　　I　wish　that　we　had　equal　proof　that　he　was　admired　for　his　excellencies。　　But　it　is　a　remarkable　corroboration　of　what　has　been　said；　that　this　great　man　seems　to　have　been　utterly　unable　to　appreciate　himself。　　In　his　treatise　〃De　Vulgari　Eloquentia〃　he　talks　with　satisfaction　of　what　he　has　done　for　Italian　literature；　of　the　purity　and　correctness　of　his　style。　　〃Cependant；〃　says　a　favourite　writer　of　mine；（Sismondi；　Literature　du　Midi　de　l'Europe。）　〃il　n'est　ni　pur；　ni　correct；　mais