BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3124, 30 June 1917, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

•A KBMABKABIJB FIND. "ncminlscences of a Literary Lifo," by Charles MacFarJaup. With an introduction by John F. Tattersall. (Loa(Jon; John Murray; per Whilcombo and Tombs).

Mj\ Tattorsallj who "presents," as the tlvsatriciil phrase goes, tlieao rcminisvwas luoky onoujli, ivien exploring the stock of a provincial booksollei , early last year, to como across two quarto mannsoript TOmmos, which the bookseller had. bought at tho sale of n, countryftOUßo library. Tho volumes, tipon examination, turned ont to contain the reminiscences of a gontloman who was frromiriont in literary circles during tho first half of the last century, but whoso aarno 'is.now well nigh forgotten. By editing MacFarlano's rominisconces, Mr. Xattoi'sall has placed present-day readers under a debt of gratitudo, for the book Iβ orio of the most onteitaining productions of its kind that has been published tor Eomo time past. Charles MacFarlano wag a most industrious author, tho list of his -works including histories, books of travel, and novels. Hβ wrote much, about Ztaly. and Tnrkoy. In tho firstcmmtjry ha lived for eotno yoarG. returning to London to become a literary advisor and hack writer for the once famous publisher, Charles Knight. For Knight, llacFarlano wrote "Tho Pictorial History of England," in si?», ho proudly tells us, "at least equal to thirls tiro rolumes of the common octavo histories of Hume and Smollett," It was a task which kept him busy for eight years. _ Tho history, if not a brilliant production, js at least a highly respect able pieco of work. It is not, howevnr, upon his literary work that MaoFarkue principally discourses in these reminiscences, but of tba many more or leas, eminent men and women, of his time with whom he camemto. contact, until, iU-fortune bofailing him, he subsided into comfortable seclusion as .i Poor Brother of the Charterhouse, where he jotted down his recollections, passing away in JBSB. Ho seems, by his owil admission, to have been a sharp tempered, rather wasrnsh-tongued littlo man. JTe was a staunch Tory and Qh-urchflian, and his personal and political prejudices are set forth , in his book with a curious but quite engaging frankness. Ho was certainly very lucky in becoming acquainted wth bo many far mous people. At the nge of seventy he went to Italy, and lived at Naples foy 6ome ten veal's ago. At Naples it was his good fortune to strike up an acquaintance with Shelley, meeting him in the sculpture gallery of the Eoyal Museum, and making a trip to Pompeii with him. For a marj. of MacFarlane's opinions and prejudices Shelley might feem to have been a most uncongenial comrade, but they got on very well together. "» MacFarlane describes the poef s appearance as follows:—"He waa an unmistakable and most interesting-looking English gentleman, in appearance not more pan five or six and twenty, very evident, ly in delicate health. He was very thin, and would, have been very pale but for a little flush at the upper edge of the cheek; hia eye was rather sunken or hollow, but at the sanjo time uncommonly quick, brilliant, and glancing; his hair was long and wavy, curling naturally; the expression of the countenance melancholy, but a. melancholy frequently irradiated with liveliness and even, with joyous- ■ Or religious opinions MacFarline, himeelf thoroughly orthodox, writes. —"If he could change a few words m his vocabulary, Shelley nrost have been co'nBidered a reverential, devout man. For God he read Nature. . . . As far as I could understand him, ho had put in tho place of the Invisible tihis visible and no doubt vory beautiful world, and for God the Creator he had substituted Gorl's creation. This ho worshipped, and this he revoredmore fervently, jiioto citireJr, than most mon revere God." When tho poet's body was found in the Gulf of Spezzia, a well-worn pookot Bible was. found in his soa-jacket Ho had, says ifooFarlano, "become an aasiduoua reader of the New Testament, and of tho most striking books of tho Old Testament."

Tie chaptor in. -which MacFarlane ropotds hie impressions of Hartley Coleridge, whom he visited at Grasmore, afforda somo of the most piquant passages in the book. Tho author had been visitisg Wordsworth at Eydal Mount, and wont over to Grasmere, whore ho found the poet son of a poet father living in a tiny stone, cottage in the village. Hart, ley was hie guest at a specially-ordered dinner at the village inn, and so liberally patronised the port, of which ho insisted upon having a eecond magnum, that after, some hours of brilliant talk on poetry, music, politics, and the celebrities of the day, the little poet—like MacFarlane himself Hartley was a little man, of frailest physique—suddenly collapsed. The landlord was fully equal to the occa. sion. Aβ ho said, "We know his way; we're used to him, and wo will put hun to bed upstairs. His landlady won't expect him home, and he'll be all right to-morrow morning." And suro enough die tipsy poet of the previous evening was up at 7, and at 8 MaoFarlane found him by the lakeside, "as fresh as a daisy and as gay as a skylark." Ho seems to have been a most amiable character, beloved by all the country folk, who rovored the very name of the elder Coleridge, and took every care of that wayward genius, his eon

If MacFarlane liked Hartley Coleridge, and he writes of him at considerable length, and always with geniino affection, he had scant respect for De Quiincey, of whom he gives a most unflatteripg portrait. Hβ does not, he eays, discussing De Quincoy's autobiographical writings, accuse the author of "The Confessions of an Opium Eater" of "intentional, deliberate falsehood," but he says that Bβ Qoinoey "has so long Hed to himself that he believes in his own falsehoods or visions." Hβ describes De Quincey as ehamofully neglecting his family, and of sponging on his mother and his friends. As to. hie laudanum drinking habits, MaoFarlano quotes with evident approval what the boieterously jovial John -Wilson (Christopher North) once said to the essayist. When invited out to dinner Dβ Quinoey always earned bis laudanum bottle with him. This used greatly to annoy Wilson. "Hang you, So Quincey!" ho won Id nay. "Can't you ' your whiekoy toddy like it Christian man, find leave your d d opium elops to infi4ei Turks, Persians and Chinamen?" ..-.■. According to MacFarlano. tho Opium Eater was a dreaaful humbug, tvlo. alikonHi "a Tory of the deepest dm wrote for an nltra-Liboral-Whig-KnxliCivl magazine, and vented therein a good deal of Bpite. malice, and caluW' ■ on Wordsworth, Coleridge, oven Mrs Wordsworth, nil of whom had frequently befriended him. After relating how Do Onutcej 'left his wife ana children almost lo starve at the little village of Lasswade, one of ,Bir Walter Scol.fe pel: hnunte. jh** father strutted about in fcdinburßh .» a liiorarv Hod, Ihn rnnthor ndde: "\Tid vet when ho Teturns-if li? cyor eternal sentences about tho "trmgth, depth, iind lininmswaWa. vivacity of 1 naternal affcctionF. J have now lost all pTliencp i with him. I,can no longer telcrrts his solemn cant. ! Iwiild I could quote from MacFa - s'lrn Kogore. Sir Sidney Smith, and .a tooet of other celebrities who fifniro m his wiEW. Of Tom Mooro lio_sivm a quite delightful account, desen bine him a. Icndor-licarUd, Ronial, most lorablo n ,;in. JracTiirlane, by l-uo""?- lllf! - "redils Leißh Hunts story thai Byrmi need to ridicuio Tom Moore na a tufthunter, and to say "Tominy clearly loyes a lord." Hβ oava: "At Genoa, ]ust before hin departure for Greece, Lord Byron used those very words ' to my -fnajia %JL, efld jrto In Greece rt

Missolonghi, ho ropeated them inoro than once to his physician and my friend, tho lato Dr. Millingen." Of another poor, another Thomas, to wit Tom Campbell, the author of "Tho Pleasures of Hope, he draws a most amusing portrait.

Amongst othor colebritics who figure in tho pages of this most eAtortaimng volunio are Sir Walter Scott, William Godwin, Sir Robert Pool, Spencer Peruoval, Canning, Lotiis Napoleon, Maxzini, Viscount Hardingo, Beau Brummoll, and tho famous engineers, tho Brunols. A special chapter is devoted ki an ardent defence of Sir Elijah Inipoy, tbo Indian Judge, against the strictures of Maeanlay. The fact that JlacJiulay was a Whig may havo had something to do with tho vimlonco of Jtcl'arlanoM comments upon tho historian, but ho certainly makes out a strong caso in dofonco of tho elder Impoy, whoso son bocame a great friend of tho author. Not for many a long day havo 1 rend a more- entertaining book than fchcso "Uoinimsconcos of Literary Lifo." I warmly commend it to the attention of my readers. (N.Z. prico 12s. Gd.)