"ratherthannot。""Ratheruglythannot，anduglyinalittlewaythatweneedsayfewwordsabout——thefewerthebetter；"nay，thisparaphrasecannotachievethehomelyItalianqualitywherebytheprintedandcondemnatorycriticismismadeafamilyaffairthatshallgonofurther。Afterthesoundofit，theEuropeanconcertseemstobecomposedofbrassinstruments。

HowunlikeisthehouseofEnglishlanguageandtheenclosureintowhichatravellerhitherhastoenter！Dowepossessanythingheremoreessentiallyours（thoughweshareitwithoursisterGermany）

thanourparticle"un"？Poorarethoselivinglanguagesthathavenotouruseofsorichanegative。TheFrenchequivalentinadjectivesreachesnofurtherthantheadjectiveitself——orhardly；

itdoesnotattaintheparticiple；sothatnoFrenchorItalianpoethasthewords"unloved"，"unforgiven。"Nonesuch，therefore，hastheopportunityofthegravestandthemostmajesticofallironies。

InourEnglish，thewordsthataredeniedarestillthere——"loved，"

"forgiven"：excludedangels，whostanderect，attestingwhatisnotdone，whatisundone，whatshallnotbedone。

Nomerelyoppositewordscouldhavesomuchdenial，orsomuchpainofloss，orsomuchouterdarkness，orsomuchbarredbeatitudeinsight。All-present，all-significant，all-remembering，all-

foretellingistheword，andithasaplenitudeofknowledge。

Wehavemanymoreconspicuouspossessionsthatare，likethis，propertocharacterandthought，andbynomeansonlyanaccidentofuntransferablespeech。Anditisimpossibleforareader，whoisaloveroflanguagesfortheirspirit，topassthewordsofuntravelledexcellence，propertotheirowngardenenclosed，withoutrecognition。Nevermaytheybedisregardedorconfoundedwiththeuniversalstock。IfIwouldnotsoneglectPIUTTOSTOBRUTTINI，howmuchlessaworddominatingliterature！AndofsuchwordsofascendancyandracethereisnogreatEnglishauthorbuthasabundantpossession。Noneedtorecallthem。Butevenwriterswhoarenotgreathave，hereandthere，provedtheirfullconsciousnessoftheirbirthright。Thusdoesamanwhowashardlyanauthor，Haydonthepainter，putouthishandtotakehisrights。Hehasincomparablelanguagewhenheisatacertainpageofhislife；atthattimehesatedowntosketchhischild，dyinginitsbabyhood，andtheheadhestudiedwas，hesays，fullof"powerandgrief。"

Thisisaphraseofdifferentdiscoveryfromthatwhichrevealsalocalrhyme-balancedepigram，agraciousantithesis，takinganintellectualplace——Felicechivimira——ortheart-critic’sphrase——

piuttostobruttini——ofeasy，companionable，andequalcontempt。

AsforFrench，ifithadnoothersacredwords——andithasmany——whowouldnottreasurethelanguagethathasgivenus——no，notthathasgivenus，butthathaskeptforitsown——ensoleille？Nowhereelseisthesunservedwithsuchaword。Itisnottobesaidorwrittenwithoutaconvincingsenseofsunshine，andfromtheverywordcomelightandradiation。Theunaccustomednorthcouldnothavemadeit，northeaccustomedsouth，butonlyanationpart-northandpart-

south；thereforeneitherEnglandnorItalycanrivalit。ButthereneededalsothesensesoftheFrench——thosesensesofwhichtheysayfartoomuchineverysecond-classbookoftheirenormous，theirgeneralsecond-class，butwhichtheyhavematchedintheirtimewithsomeinimitablewords。Perhapsthatmatchingwasdoneatthemomentofthefullliteraryconsciousnessofthesenses，somewhereaboutthefamous1830。ForIdonotthinkensoleilletobeamucholderword——Imakenoassertion。Whateveritsorigin，mayithavenoend！

Theycannotwearyuswithit；foritseemsasnewasthesun，asremoteasoldProvence；village，hill-side，vineyard，andchestnutwoodshineinthesplendouroftheword，theairislight，andwhitethingspassingblindtheeyes——awoman’slinen，whitecattle，shiningonthewayfromshadowtoshadow。Awordofthesenseofsight，andasummerword，inshort，comparedwithwhichtheparaphraseisbutapicture。ForensoleilleIwouldclaimtheconsentofallreaders——thattheyshallallacknowledgethespiritofthatFrench。Butperhapsitisamerepersonalpreferencethatmakeslejours’annoncealsosacred。

Ifthehymn，"StabatMaterdolorosa，"waswritteninLatin，thiscouldbeonlythatitmightintimefinditstruelanguageandincomparablephraseatlast——thatitmightawaitthedayoflifeinitsproperGerman。Ifounditthere（andknewatoncetheauthenticverse，andknewatonceforwhattongueithadbeenreallydestined）

inthepagesoftheprayer-bookofanapple-womanatanInnsbruckchurch，andintheaccentsofhervoice。

APOINTOFBIOGRAPHY

Thereishardlyawriternow——ofthethirdclassprobablynotone——

whohasnotsomethingsharpandsadtosayaboutthecrueltyofNature；notonewhoisabletoattemptMayinthewoodswithoutamodernreferencetothemanifolddeathanddestructionwithwhichtheair，thebranches，themossesaresaidtobefull。

Butnoonehaspausedinthecourseofthesephrasestotakenoticeofthecuriousandconspicuousfactofthesuppressionofdeathandofthedeadthroughoutthislandscapeofmanifestlife。Wherearethey——allthedying，allthedead，ofthepopulouswoods？Wheredotheyhidetheirlittlelasthours，wherearetheyburied？Whereistheviolenceconcealed？Underwhatgaycustomanddecenthabit？

Youmaysee，itistrue，anearth-worminarobin’sbeak，andmayhearathrushbreakingasnail’sshell；buttheselittlethingsare，asitwere，passedbywithakindoftwinkleforapology，asbyawell-bredmanwhodoesopenlysomelittlesolecismwhichistooslightfordirectmention，andwhichameanermanmighthideoravoid。Unlessyouareverymodernindeed，youtwinklebackatthebird。

Butotherwisethereisnothingvisibleofthehavocandthepreyandplunder。Itiscertainthatmuchofthevisiblelifepassesviolentlyintootherforms，flasheswithoutpauseintoanotherflame；butnotall。Amidallthekillingtheremustbemuchdying。

Thereare，forinstance，fewbirdsofpreyleftinourmoreaccessiblecountiesnow，andmanythousandsofbirdsmustdieuncaughtbyahawkandunpierced。Butiftheirkillingisdonesomodestly，sothenistheirdyingalso。Shortliveshaveallthesewildthings，butthereareinnumerableflocksofthemalwaysalive；

theymustdie，then，ininnumerableflocks。Andyettheykeepthemillionsofthedeadoutofsight。

Nowandthen，indeed，theymaybebetrayed。Ithappenedinacoldwinter。Thelatefrostsweresosudden，andthefaminewassocomplete，thatthebirdsweretakenunawares。TheskyandtheearthconspiredthatFebruarytomakeknownallthesecrets；everythingwaspublished。Deathwasmanifest。Editors，whenagreatmandies，arenotmoreresolutethanwasthefrostof’95。

Thebirdswereobligedtodieinpublic。Theyweresurprisedandforcedtodothus。TheybecamelikeShelleyinthemonumentwhichtheartandimaginationofEnglandcombinedtoraisetohismemoryatOxford。

Frostwassurelyatworkinbothcases，andinbothitwroughtwrong。ThereisasimilarityofunreasoninbetrayingthedeathofabirdandinexhibitingthedeathofShelley。Thedeathofasoldier——passeencore。ButthedeathofShelleywasnothisgoal。

Andthedeathofthebirdsissolittlecharacteristicofthemthat，ashasjustbeensaid，nooneintheworldisawareoftheirdying，exceptonlyinthecaseofbirdsincages，who，again，arecompelledtodiewithobservation。Thewoodlandisguardedandkeptbyarule。Thereisnodisplayofthebattlefieldinthefields。Thereisnotaleofthegame-bag，noboast。Thehuntinggoeson，butwithstrangedecorum。Youmaypassafineseasonunderthetrees，andseenothingdeadexcepthereandtherewhereaboyhasbeenby，oramanwithatrap，oramanwithagun。Thereisnothinglikeabutcher’sshopinthewoods。

Butthebiographershavealwayshadotherwaysthanthoseofthewildworld。Theywillnothaveamantodieoutofsight。Ihaveturnedoverscoresof"Lives，"nottoreadthem，buttoseewhethernowandagaintheremightbea"Life"whichwasnotmoreemphaticallyadeath。ButthereneverisamodernbiographythathastakenthehintofNature。Oneandall，thesebookshavethedisproportionateillness，thedeathoutofallscale。

Evenmorewantonthanthedisclosureofadeathisthatofamortalillness。Ifthemanhadrecovered，hisillnesswouldhavebeenrightlyhisownsecret。Butbecausehedidnotrecover，itisassumedtobenewsforthefirstcomer。Whichofuswouldsufferthedetailsofanyphysicalsuffering，overanddoneinourownlives，tobedisplayedanddescribed？Thisisnotaconfidencewehaveamindtomake；andnooneisauthorisedtoaskforattentionorpityonourbehalf。Thestoryofpainoughtnottobetoldofus，seeingthatbyusitwouldassuredlynotbetold。

Thereisonlyoneotherthingthatconcernsamanstillmoreexclusively，andthatishisownmentalillness，orthedreamsandillusionsofalongdelirium。Whenheisincommonlanguagenothimself，amendsshouldbemadeforsobitteraparadox；heshouldbeallowedsuchsolitudeasispossibletothealienatedspirit；heshouldbelefttothe"nothimself，"andsparedtheintrusionagainstwhichhecansoillguardthathecouldhardlyhaveevenresentedit。

ThedoublehelplessnessofdelusionanddeathshouldkeepthedoorofRossetti’shouse，forexample，andrefusehimtothereader。Hismortalillnesshadnothingtodowithhispoetry。Someratheraffectedobjectionistakeneverynowandthentothepublicationofsomefacts（othersbeingalreadywellknown）inthelifeofShelley。

Nevertheless，theseareall，properlyspeaking，biography。Whatisnotbiographyisthedetailoftheaccidentofthemannerofhisdeath，thedetailofhiscremation。Orifitwastobetold——toldbriefly——itwascertainlynotformarble。Shelley’sdeathhadnosignificance，exceptinasmuchashediedyoung。Itwasadetachableanddisconnectedincident。Ah，thatwasafrostoffancyandoftheheartthatuseditso，dealingwithaninsignificantfact，andconferringafutileimmortality。Thoseareill-namedbiographerswhoseemtothinkthatabetrayalofthewaysofdeathisapartoftheirordinaryduty，andthatifmaterialenoughforalastchapterdoesnotlietotheirhandtheyaretosearchitout。They，ofallsurvivors，arecalledupon，inhonourandreason，tolookuponadeathwithmorecomposure。Tothosewholovedthedeadclosely，thisis，foratime，impossible。Tothemdeathbecomes，forayear，disproportionate。Theirdreamsarefixeduponitnightbynight。

Theyhave，inthosedreams，tofindthedeadinsomelabyrinth；theyhavetomournhisdyingandtowelcomehisrecoveryinsuchaminglingofdistressandofalwaysincreduloushappinessasisnotknowneventodreamssaveinthatfirstyearofseparation。Buttheyarenotbiographers。

Ifdeathistheprivacyofthewoods，itisthemoreconspicuouslysecretbecauseitistheironlyprivacy。Youmaywatchormaysurpriseeverythingelse。Thenestisretired，nothidden。Thechasegoesoneverywhere。Itiswonderfulhowtheperpetualchaseseemstocausenoperpetualfear。Thesongsareallaudible。Lifeisundefended，careless，nimbleandnoisy。

Itisahappythingthatminorartistshaveceased，oralmostceased，topaintdeadbirds。TimewaswhentheydiditcontinuallyinthatBritishSchoolofwater-colourart，stippled，ofwhichsurroundingnations，itwasagreed，wereenvious。Theymusthavekilledtheirbirdtopainthim，forheisnottobecaughtdead。A

birdismoreeasilycaughtalivethandead。

Apoet，onthecontrary，iseasily——tooeasily——caughtdead。Minorartistsnowseldomstipplethebirdonitsback，butagoodsculptorandaUniversitytogethermodelledtheirShelleyonhisback，unessentiallydrowned；andeverybodymayreadaboutthesickmindofDanteRossetti。

THEHONOURSOFMORTALITY

Thebrillianttalentwhichhasquitelatelyandquitesuddenlyarisen，todevoteitselftotheuseofthedayoroftheweek，inillustratedpapers——theenormousproductionofartinblackandwhite——isassuredlyaconfessionthattheHonoursofMortalityareworthworkingfor。Fiftyyearsago，menworkedforthehonoursofimmortality；thesewerethecommonplaceoftheirambition；theydeclinedtoattendtothebeautyofthingsofusethatweredestinedtobebrokenandwornout，andtheylookedforwardtosurvivingthemselvesbypaintingbadpictures；sothatwhattodowiththeirbadpicturesinadditiontoourownhasbecometheproblemofthenationandofthehouseholderalike。To-daymenhavebegantolearnthattheirsonswillbegratefultothemforfewbequests。Artconsentsatlasttoworkuponthetissueandthechinathataredoomedtothenaturalandnecessaryend——destruction；andartshowsamostdignifiedalacritytodoherbest，daily，forthe"process，"

andforoblivion。

Doubtlessthisabandonmentofhopessolargeatonceandsocheapcoststheartistsomething；nay，itimpliesanacceptanceoftheinevitablethatisnotlessthanheroic。Andtherewardhasbeeninthesingularandmanifestincreaseofvitalityinthisworkwhichisdoneforsoshortalife。Fittinglyindeeddoesliferewardtheacceptanceofdeath，inasmuchastodieistohavebeenalive。

Thereisarealcirculationofblood-quickuse，briefbeauty，abolition，recreation。Thehonourofthedayisforeverthehonourofthatday。Itgoesintothetreasuryofthingsthatarehonestlyand——completelyendedanddonewith。Andwhencansohappyathingbesaidofalifelessoil-painting？Whoofthewisewouldhesitate？

Tobehonourableforoneday——onenamedanddatedday，separatefromallotherdaysoftheages——ortobeforanunlimitedtimetedious？

COMPOSURE

Tribulation，Immortality，theMultitude：whatremedyofcomposuredothesewordsbringfortheirowngreatdisquiet！WithouttheremotenessoftheLatinitythethoughtwouldcometoocloseandshaketoocruelly。Inordertothesaneenduranceoftheintimatetroubleofthesoulanaloofnessoflanguageisneedful。Johnsonfeareddeath。DidhisnobleEnglishcontrolandpostponetheterror？Diditkeepthefearatsomecourteous，deferentdistancefromthecentreofthathumanheart，intheveryactoftheleapandlapseofmortality？Doubtlessthereisinlanguagesuchaneducativepower。Speechisaschool。Everylanguageisapersuasion，aninducedhabit，aninstrumentwhichreceivesthenoteindeedbutgivesthetone。Everylanguageimposesaquality，teachesatemper，proposesaway，bestowsatradition：thisisthetone——thevoice——oftheinstrument。Everylanguage，bycounter-

change，returnstothewriter’stouchorbreathhisownintention，articulate：thisishisnote。Muchhasalwaysbeensaid，manythingstothepurposehavebeenthought，ofthepowerandtheresponsibilityofthenote。OfthelegislationandinfluenceofthetoneIhavebeenledtothinkbycomparingthetranquillityofJohnsonandthecomposureofCanningwiththestimulatedandcloseemotion，theinteriortrouble，ofthosewriterswhohaveenteredasdisciplesintheschoolofthemoreTeutonicEnglish。

Forifeverylanguagebeaschool，moresignificantlyandmoreeducativelyisapartofalanguageaschooltohimwhochoosesthatpart。Fewlanguagesofferthechoice。Thefactthatachoiceismadeimpliestheresultsandfruitsofadecision。TheFrenchauthoriswithoutthese。TheyareofalltheheritagesoftheEnglishwriterthemostimportant。Hereceivesalanguageofdualderivation。HemaysubmithimselftoeitherUniversity，whitherhewilltakehisimpulseandhischaracter，wherehewillleavetheirinfluence，andwhencehewillaccepttheirre-education。TheFrenchmanhascertainlyastyletodevelopwithindefinitelimits；

buthedoesnotsubjecthimselftosuggestionstendingmainlyhitherwardsorthitherwards，tocurrentsofvariousracewithinoneliterature。SuchachoiceofsubjectionisthesingularopportunityoftheEnglishman。Idonotmeantoignorethenecessarymingling。

Happilythatminglinghasbeendoneonceforallforusall。Nay，oneofthemostcharmingthingsthatamasterofEnglishcanachieveistherepaymentoftheunitedteachingbylinkingtheirresultssoexquisitelyinhisownpractice，thatwordsofthetwoschoolsaremadetomeeteachotherwithasurpriseanddelightthatshallprovethematoncegayerstrangers，andsweetercompanions，thantheworldknewtheywere。Neverthelessthereremainsthelibertyofchoiceastowhichschoolofwordsshallhavetheplaceofhonourinthegreatandsensitivemomentsofanauthor’sstyle：whichschoolshallbeusedforconspicuousness，andwhichformultitudinousservice。Andthechoicebeingopen，theperturbationofthepulsesandimpulsesofsomanyheartsquickenedinthoughtandfeelinginthisdaysuggeststomeadeliberatereturntotherecollectednessofthemoretranquillanguage。"Doubtlessthereisaplaceofpeace。"

Aplaceofpeace，notofindifference。Itisimpossiblenottochargesomeofthemoralistsoftheeighteenthcenturywithanindifferenceintowhichtheyeducatedtheirplatitudesandintowhichtheirplatitudeseducatedthem。Addisonthusgaveandtook，untilhewasalmostincapableofcomingwithinarm’s-lengthofarealorspiritualemotion。Thereisnoknowingtowhatdistancetheremovalofthe"appropriatesentiment"fromthecentralsoulmighthaveattainedbutforthechangeandrenewalinlanguage，whichcamewhenitwasneeded。AddisonhadassuredlyremovedeternityfarfromtheapprehensionofthesoulwhenhisCatohailedthe"pleasinghope，"the"fonddesire"；andthetouchofwarwasdistantfromhimwhoconceivedhis"repulsedbattalions"andhis"doubtfulbattle。"

Whatcameafterwards，whensimplicityandnearnesswererestoredoncemore，wasdoubtlessjourneyman’sworkattimes。Menweretooeagertogointotheworkshopoflanguage。Therewereunreasonablerapturesoverthemeremakingofcommonwords。"Ahand-shoe！afinger-hat！aforeword！Beautiful！"theycried；andfortheloveofGermantheyoungestdaughterofChrysaleherselfmighthaveconsentedtobekissedbyagrammarian。Itseemedtobeforgottenthatalanguagewithallitsconstructionvisibleisalanguagelittlefittedforthemoreadvancedmentalprocesses；thatitsimagesarematerial；andthat，ontheotherhand，acertainspiritualizingandsubtilizingeffectofalienderivationsisaprivilegeandanadvantageincalculable——thattopossessthathalfofthelanguagewithinwhichLatinhereditieslurkandRomanesqueallusionsareatplayistopossessthestateandsecurityofadeadtongue，withoutthedeath。

ButnowIspokeofwordsencounteringasgaystrangers，variousinorigin，dividedinrace，withinamaster’sphrase。ThemostbeautifulandthemostsuddenofsuchmeetingsareofcourseinShakespeare。"Superfluouskings，""Alassunparalleled，"

"Multitudinousseas"：weneedednottowaitfortheeighteenthcenturyorforthenineteenthorforthetwentiethtolearnthesplendourofsuchencounters，ofsuchdifferences，ofsuchnuptialunlikenessandunion。Butitiswellthatweshouldlearnthemafresh。Anditiswell，too，thatweshouldnotresisttherhythmicreactionbearingusnowsomewhattothesideoftheLatin。Suchareactionisinsomesortanethicalneedforourday。Wewanttoquelltheexaggerateddecisionofmonosyllables。Wewantthepoiseandthepausethatimplyvitalityattimesbetterthanheadstrongmovementexpressesit。Andnotthephraseonlybuttheformofversemightrenderustimelyservice。Thecontrollingcoupletmightstaywithatouchamoderngrief，asitrangedinorderthesorrowsofCanningforhisson。Butitshouldnotbeattemptedwithoutadistinctintentionofsubmissiononthepartofthewriter。Thecouplettransgressedagainst，trespassedupon，usedloosely，islikealawoutstripped，defied——tothedignityneitheroftherebelnoroftherule。

ToLettersdowelooknowfortheguidanceanddirectionwhichtheveryclosenessoftheemotiontakingusbytheheartmakesnecessary。ShallnottheThingmoreandmore，aswecomposeourselvestoliterature，assumethehonour，thehesitation，theleisure，thereconciliationoftheWord？

THELITTLELANGUAGE

Dialectistheelfratherthanthegeniusofplace，andadwarfishmasterofthemagicoflocalthings。

InEnglandwehardlyknowwhataconcentratedhomelinessitnourishes；inasmuchas，withus，thecastesandclassesforwhomGoldoniandGallinaandSignorFogazzarohavewritteninthepatoisoftheVeneto，usenodialectatall。

NeitherGoldoninorGallinahaschargedtheVenetianlanguagewithsomuchliteratureastotakefromthepeopletheshelteroftheiralmostunwrittentongue。SignorFogazzaro，bringingtragedyintothehomesofdialect，doesbutshowushowthelanguagestaggersundersuchastress，howitbreaksdown，andresignsthatoffice。

Oneofthefinestofthecharactersintheranksofhisadmirablefictionisthatoldmanageressofthenarrowthingsofthehousewhosedaughterisdyinginsane。Ihavecalledthedialectashelter。Thisitis；butthepoorladydoesnotcowerwithin；herresignedheaderect，sheisshutoutfromthathomelyrefuge，sufferingandinarticulate。Thetwodramatistsintheirseveralcenturiesalsorecognizedtheinabilityofthedialect。Theylaidnonebutlightloadsuponit。Theycausedittocarrynomoreintheirhomelyplaysthanitcarriesinhomelylife。Theirworkleavesitwhatitwas——thetalkofapeopletalkingmuchaboutfewthings；apeoplelikeourownandanyotherintheirlackofliterature，butlocalandallItalianintheirlackofsilence。

Commonspeechissurelyagreaterpartoflifetosuchapeoplethantoonelesspleasedwithchatterormorepleasedwithbooks。Iamwritingofmen，women，andchildren（andchildrenarenotforgotten，sinceweshareapatoiswithchildrenontermsofmorethancommonequality）whopossess，foralloccasionsofceremonyandopportunitiesofdignity，ageneral，national，liberal，able，andillustrioustongue，chargedwithallitshistoryandallitsachievements；forthespeakersofdialect，ofacertainrank，speakItalian，too。Buttotamperwiththeirdialect，ortotakeitfromthem，wouldbetoleavethemhouselessandexposedintheirdailybusiness。Somuchdoestheirpatoisseemtobetheirrefugefromtheheavyandmultitudinousexperiencesofaliterarytongue，thatthestoppingofafox’searthmightbetakenastheimageofanyactthatshouldspoilorstopthetalkoftheassociatedseclusionoftheirtown，andleavetheminthebleaknessofalargerpatriotism。

TheVenetianpeople，theGenoese，andtheotherspeakersoflanguagesthatmightallhaveprovedright"Italian"hadnotDante，PetrarchandBoccacciowritteninTuscan，canneitherwritenorbetaughthardthingsintheirdialect，althoughtheycanlive，whethereasylivesorhard，andevidentlycandie，therein。Thehandsandfeetthathaveservedthevillagerandthecitizenathomelytaskshaveallthelowlinessofhispatois，tohismind；andwhenhemustperforceyielduptheiremployment，wemaybelievethatitisasimplethingtodieinsosimpleandsonarrowalanguage，onesocomfortable，neighbourly，tolerant，andcompassionate；soconfidential；soincapable，ignorant，unappalling，inapttowinganyweariedthoughtupondifficultflightortospurituponhardtravelling。

Notwithoutwordsismentalpain，orevenphysicalpain，tobeundergone；butthewordsthathavedonenomorethanorderthethingsofthenarrowstreetarenotwordstoputafineedgeorapiercingpointtoanyhumanpang。ItmayevenwellbethattodieindialectiseasierthantodieintheeloquenceofManfred，thoughthatdeclaimedlanguage，too，isdoubtlessadefence，ifoneofadifferentmanner。

ThesewritersinVenetian——theyarenamedbecauseinnootherItaliandialecthasworksopopularasGoldoni’sbeendone，norsoexcellentasSignorFogazzaro’s——havelefttheunletteredlocallanguageinwhichtheylovedtodeal，toitsproperlimitations。

Theyhavenotgivenweightythingsintoitscharge，normadeitheavilyresponsible。Theyhaveaddednothingtoit；nay，bywritingittheymightevenbesaidtohavemadeitduller，haditnotbeenforthereaderandtheactor。Insomuchastheintenseexpressivenessofadialect——ofasmallvocabularyinthemouthofadramaticpeople——liesinthevariousaccentwherewithasoutherncitizenknowshowtoenrichhistalk，itremainsfortheactortorestoreitslifetothewrittenphrase。Indialecttheauthorisforbiddentosearchfortheword，forthereisnonelurkingforhischoice；butoftones，allusions，andofreferencesandinferencesofthevoice，thespeakerofdialectisamaster。Norangeofphrasescanbehis，buthehasthemoreorthelessconfidentialinflection，untilattimestheclosecommunicationofthenarrowstreetbecomesaveryconspiracy。

Letitbeborneinmindthatdialectproperlysocalledissomethingallunlike，forinstance，themerejargonofLondonstreets。ThedifferencemaybemeasuredbythefactthatItaliandialectshaveahighlyorganizedandorderlygrammar。TheLondonercannotkeepthesmallandlooseorderofthegrammarofgoodEnglish；theGenoeseconjugateshispatoisverbs，withsubjunctivesandallthingsofthathandsomekind，lackedbytheEnglishofUniversities。

Themiddleclass——thepiccolomondo——thatsharesItaliandialectwiththepooraremorestrictlylocalintheirmannersthaneithertheopulentortheindigentofthesamecity。Theyhavemoreoverthebusyintelligence（whichistheintellectofpatois）atitskeenest。TheirspeechkeepsthemasequesteredplacewhichisItalian，Italianbeyondthekenofthetraveller，andbeyondthereachofalteration。And——whatisprettytoobserve——thespeakersarewellconsciousofthecharactersofthisintimatelanguage。AnItaliancountrymanwhohasknownnootherclimatewillvaunt，inferventplatitudes，hisItaliansun；inlikemannerheisconsciousofthelocalcharacterofhislanguage，andtuckshimselfwithinitathome，whateverTuscanhemayspeakabroad。Aproperlyspeltletter，Swiftsaid，wouldseemtoexposehimandMrsDingleyandStellatotheeyesoftheworld；buttheirlittlelanguage，ill-

written，was"snug。"

Lovershavemadealittlelanguageinalltimes；findingthenoblerlanguageinsufficient，dotheyensconcethemselvesinthesmaller？

discardnobleandliteraryspeechasnotnobleenough，andindespairthusprattleandgibberandstammer？RatherperhapsthisdeparturefromEnglishisbutanexcursionaftergaiety。Theideallovers，nodoubt，wouldbesosimpleastobegrave。Thatisatenableopinion。Nevertheless，agebyagetheyhavebeengay；andagebyagetheyhaveexchangedlanguageimitatedfromthechildrentheydoubtlessneverstudied，andperhapsneverloved。Whyso？

TheymighthavechosenbrokenEnglishofothersorts——that，forexample，whichwasoncethoughtamusinginfarce，asspokenbytheFrenchmanconceivedbytheEnglishman——acomplicationofhumourfictitiousenough，onemightthink，topleaseanyone；orelseafragmentofnegrodialect；orthestyleoftelegrams；orthemasterlyadaptationofthesimplesavage’sEnglishdevisedbyMrsPlornishinherintercoursewiththeItalian。Butnoneofthesefoundfavour。Thechoicehasalwaysbeenofthelanguageofchildren。LetussupposethattheflockofwingedLovesworshippingVenusintheTitianpicture，andthenoblechildthatrideshislionerectwithabackgroundofVenetiangloomydusk，maybetheinspirersofthoseprattlings。"Seethenthyselfelikewiseartlyttlemade，"saysSpenser’sVenustoherchild。

Swiftwasthebestprattler。Hehadcaughtthelanguage，surpriseditinStellawhenshewasveritablyachild。Hedidnotpushherclumsilybackintoachildhoodhehadnotknown；hesimplyprolongedinherachildhoodhehadloved。Heis"seepy。""Nite，dealestdea，nitedealestlogue。"Itisarealgood-night。Itbreathestendernessfromthatmoodyanduneasybedofprojects。

ACOUNTERCHANGE

"Ils’esttrompededefunte。"ThewriterofthisphrasehadhissenseofthatportlymannerofFrench，andhisburlesqueisfine；

but——theparadoxmustberisked——becausehewasFrenchhewasnotabletopossessallitsgrotesquemediocritytothefull；thatisreservedfortheEnglishreader。Thewordsareinthemouthofawidowerwho，approachinghiswife’stomb，perceivesthereanother"monsieur。""Monsieur，"again；theFrenchreaderisdeprivedofthevalueofthisword，too，initsplace；itsayslittleornothingtohim，whereastheEnglishman，whohasnowordoftheprecisebourgeoissignificancethatitsometimesbears，butwhomustuseoneoftwoEnglishwordsofdifferentallusion——manorIgentleman——

knowstheexactvalueofitscommonplace。TheseriousParisian，then，sees"unautremonsieur；"asitprovesanon，therehadbeenadivorceinthehistoryofthelady，butthelaterwidowerisnotyetawareofthis，andexplainstohimselfthepresenceof"unmonsieur"

inhisownplacebythatweightyphrase，"Ils’esttrompededefunte。"

ThestrangeeffectofathingsochargedwithallusionandwithnationalcharacteristocauseanEnglishreadertopitythemockingauthorwhowasdebarredbyhisownlanguagefrompossessingthewholeofhisowncomedy。Itis，infact，bycontrastwithhisEnglishthatanEnglishmandoespossessit。Yourofficial，yourprofessionalParisianhasavocabularyofenormous，unrivalledmediocrity。Whenthenovelistperceivesthishedoesnotperceiveitall，becausesomeofthewordsaretheonlywordsinuse。Takeanauthorathisseriousmoments，whenheisnotatalloccupiedwiththecomedyofphrases，andhenowandthentouchesawordthathasitsburlesquebymerecontrastwithEnglish。"L’Histoired’unCrime，"ofVictorHugo，hassomanyofthesetouchesastobe，byakindofreflexaction，averyschoolofEnglish。Thewholeincidentoftheomnibusinthatgraveworkhasunconsciousinternationalcomedy。TheDeputiesseatedintheinterioroftheomnibushadbeen，itwillberemembered，shutoutoftheirChamberbytheperpetratoroftheCoupd’Etat，buteachhadhisofficialscarf。

Scarf——pish！——"l’echarpe！""Ceindrel’echarpe"——thereisnorealEnglishequivalent。Civicresponsibilityneverwasotherwiseadequatelyexpressed。Anindignantdeputypassedhisscarfthroughthewindowoftheomnibus，asanappealtothepublic，"etl’agita。"

ItisapitythattheFrenchreader，havingnosimplerword，isnotinapositiontounderstandtheslightburlesque。Nay，themereword"public，"spokenwiththispeculiarFrenchgoodfaith，hasforusIknownotwhatuntransferablegravity。

Thereis，inshort，ageneralinternationalcounterchange。Itisaltogetherinaccordancewithouractualstateofcivilization，withitsextremely"specialized"mannerofindustry，thatonepeopleshouldmakeaphrase，andanothershouldhaveandenjoyit。And，infact，therearecertainFrenchauthorstowhomshouldbesecuredtheuseoftheliteraryGermanwhereofGermans，andGermanwomeninparticular，oughtwithallseveritytobedeprived。ForGermansoftentellyouofwordsintheirowntonguethatareuntranslatable；

andaccordinglytheyshouldnotbetranslated，butgivenoverintheirownconditions，unaltered，intosaferhands。TherewouldbeaclearingoftheoutlinesofGermanideas，abetterorderinthephrase；thepossessorsofanalienword，withthethoughtitsecures，wouldfindalsotheiradvantage。

SowithFrenchhumour。ItisexpresslyandsignallyforEnglishears。Itissoeveninthecommonestfarce。Theunfortunatehouseholder，forexample，whoispersuadedtokeepwalkingintheconservatory"pourretablirlacirculation，"andtheotherwhodescribeshimself"sous-chefdebureaudansl’enregistrement，"andhewhoproposesto"fairehommage"ofadoubtfulturbottotheneighbouring"employedel’octroi"——theseandalltheirlikespeakcommonplacessousualastoloseintheirowncountrytheperfectionoftheirdulness。Weonly，whohavethealternativeofplainerandfresherwords，understandit。ItisnottheleastoftheadvantagesofourowndualEnglishthatwebecomesensibleofthemockeryofcertainphrasesthatinFrancehavelosthalftheirridicule，uncontrasted。

TakeagainthecommonrhetoricthathasfixeditselfinconversationinallLatinlanguages——rhetoricthathasceasedtohaveallusions，eithermajesticorcomic。TotheearsomewhatunusedtoFrenchthisproffersafrequentcomedythatthewell-accustomedear，evenofanEnglishman，nolongerdetects。AguardonaFrenchrailway，whoadvisedtwotravellerstotakeacertaintrainforfeartheyshouldbeobligedto"vegeter"forawholehourinthewaiting-roomofsuchorsuchastationseemedtothelesspractisedtouristtobeafreshkindofunexpectedhumourist。

OneofthephrasesalwaysusedinthebusinessofcharitiesandsubscriptionsinFrancehasmorethantheintentionalcomedyofthefarce-writer；oneofthemostabsurdofhispersonages，wearyinghisvisitorsinthecountrywithaperpetualgameofbowls，saystothem："Nousjouonscinquantecentimes——lesbeneficesserontversesintegralementelasouscriptionquiestouverteelacommunepourlaconstructiondenotremaisond’ecole。"

"Fletrir，"again。Nothingcouldbemorerhetoricalthanthisperfectlycommonwordofcontroversy。Thecomicdramatistiswellawareofthespentviolenceofthisphrase，withwhicheveryseriousFrenchmanwillreplytoopponents，especiallyinpublicmatters。

Butnoteventhecomicdramatistisawareofthelaststateofrefusecommonplacethatawordofthiskindrepresents。Refuserhetoric，bytheway，ratherthanEmerson’s"fossilpoetry，"wouldseemtobetherightnameforhumanlanguageassomeoftheprocessesoftheseveralrecentcenturieshaveleftit。

TheFrenchcomedy，then，isfairlystuffedwiththin-SforanEnglishman。Theyarenotall，itistrue，sofinelycomicas"Ils’esttrompededefunte。"Inthereportofthatdull，incomparablesentencethereisenoughhumour，andsubtleenough，forboththemakerandthereader；fortheauthorwhoperceivesthecomedyaswellascustomwillpermit，andforthereaderwhotakesitwiththefreshnessofastranger。Butifnotsokeenasthis，thecurrentwordofFrenchcomedyisofthesamequalityoflanguage。Whenofthefourteencouplestobemarriedbythemayor，forinstance，thedeafclerkhasshuffledtwo，alooker-onpronounces："Ils’estempetredanslesfuturs。"ButforareaderwhohasafullsenseoftheseverallanguagesthatexistinEnglishattheserviceoftheseveralwaysofhumanlife，thereis，fromthemereterminologyofofficialFrance，highorlow——dailyFrance——agratuitousanduncovenantedsmiletobehad。WiththisthewitofthereportofFrenchliteraturehasnotlittletodo。Norisitinitself，perhaps，reasonablycomic，buttheslightestironyofcircumstancemakesitso。Averylittleofthemockeryofconditionsbringsoutallthelatentabsurdityofthe"sixiemeetseptiemearron-

dissements，"inthetwinklingofaneye。Soisitwiththemere"domicile；"withtheaidofbutalittleoftheburlesqueoflife，thesuitatlawto"reintegrerledomicileconjugal"becomesasgrotesqueasaphrasecanmakeit。Even"edomicile"merely——thewordofeveryshopman——is，intheunconsciousmouthsofthespeakers，alwaysawaitingthelightesttouchoffarce，ifonlyanEnglishmanhearsit；soistheadviceofthepolicethatyoushall"circuler"inthestreet；soistherequest，postedup，thatyoushallnot，inthechurches。

Soaretheseriousandordinaryphrases，"maisonnuptiale，""maisonmortuaire，"andthestillmoreserious"reposdominical，""oraisondominicale。"Thereisnomajestyinsuchwords。Theunsuspiciousgravitywithwhichtheyarespokenbroadcastisnottobewonderedat，thelanguageofferingnoreliefofcontrast；andwhatismuchtothecreditofthecomicsensibilityofliteratureisthefactthat，throughthisgeneralunconsciousness，theridiculeofathousandauthorsofcomedyperceivesthefun，andsinglesoutthefamiliarthing，andcompelsthatmostelaboratedulnesstoamuseus。US，aboveall，byvirtueofthecustomofcounter-changeheresetforth。

Whoshallsaywhether，byoperationofthesameexchange，theEnglishpoetsthatsopersistinFrancemaynotrevealsomethingwithintheEnglishlanguage——onewouldbesomewhatlothtothinkso——

reservedtotheFrenchreaderpeculiarly？Byrontothemultitude，EdgarPoetotheselect？ThenwouldsomeofthemysteriesofFrenchreadingofEnglishbeexplainedotherwisethanbytheplainerexplanationthathashithertosatisfiedourhaughtycuriosity。ThetasteforrhetoricseemedtoaccountforByron，andthedesireoftherhetoriciantoclaimatasteforpoetryseemedtoaccountforPoe。But，afterall，patatras！Whocansay？

HARLEQUINMERCUTIO

ThefirsttimethatMercutiofellupontheEnglishstage，therefellwithhimagayandhardlyhumanfigure；itfell，perhapsfinally，forEnglishdrama。Thatmannerofman——Arlecchino，orHarlequin——

hadoutlivedhisplaymates，Pantaleone，Brighella，Colombina，andtheClown。AlittleofPantaleonesurvivesinoldCapulet，alittleinthefatheroftheShrew，butthelifeofMercutiointheoneplay，andofthesubordinateTraniointheother，islessquicklyspent，lesseasilyputout，thanthesmoulderingoftheoldman。

ArlecchinofrolicsinandoutofthetragedyandcomedyofShakespeare，untilhethusdiesinhislightest，hisbrightest，hismostvitalshape。

Arlecchino，thetricksyandshiftyspirit，thecontriver，thebusybody，thetrustyrogue，thewonder-worker，themanindisguise，themercurialone，livesonbuoyantlyinFrancetotheageofMoliere。HeisofficiousandefficaciousintheskinofMascarilleandErgasteandScapin；buthetendstobealacquey，withareferencerathertoAntiquityandtheLatincomedythantotheMiddleAges，asontheEnglishstagehismerememorysurvivesdifferentlytoalaterageinthepersonof"Charles，hisfriend。"

WhatconvincesmethathevirtuallydiedwithMercutioischieflythis——thatthiscomradeofRomeo’slivessokeenlyastobefullycapableofthedeaththathetakesatTybalt’ssword-point；helivedindeed，hediesindeed。Anotherthingthatmarksthecloseofacareerofagesishislossofhislongcustomarygoodluck。WhoeverheardofArlecchinounfortunatebefore，atfaultwithhissword-play，overtakenbytragedy？Histimehadsurelycome。Thegaycompanionwastobleed；Tybalt’sswordhadmadeaway。’Twasnotsodeepasawellnorsowideasachurch-door，butitserved。

SomeconfusioncomestopassamongthetypicalfiguresoftheprimitiveItalianplay，becauseHarlequin，onthatconventionallittlestageofthepast，hasahero’splace，whereaswhenheinterferesinhumanaffairsheisonlytheauxiliary。Hemightbeloverandbridegroomontheprimitivestage，inthecomedyofthesefewandunalteredtypes；butwhenPantaloon，Clown，andHarlequinplaywithreallyhumanbeings，thenHarlequincanbenomorethanafriendofthehero，thefriendofthebridegroom。Thefivefiguresoftheoldstagedanceattendance；theyplayaroundthebusinessofthosewhohavethedignityofmortality；they，poorimmortals——aclownwhodoesnotdie，apantaloonneverfarfromdeath，whoyetdoesnotdie，aColumbinewhoneverattainsDesdemona’sdeathofinnocenceorJuliet’sdeathofrectitudeandpassion——flitinthebackwardplacesofthestage。

Arielfulfilshisoffice，andisnotofonekindwiththoseheserves。IsthereamemoryofHarlequininthatdelicatefigure？

Somethingofthesubservientimmortality，ofthelightindignity，propertoPantaleone，Brighella，Arlecchino，Colombina，andtheClown，hoversawayfromthestagewhenArielisreleasedfromthetroubleofhumanthings。

Immortality，didIsay？ItwasimmortalityuntilMercutiofell。

AndifsomeclaimbemadetoitstillbecauseHarlequinhastransformedsomanyscenesforthepleasureofsomanythousandchildren，sinceMercutiodied，ImustreplythatourmodernHarlequinisnomorethanamarionnette；hehasreturnedwhencehecame。Amanmayplayhim，butheis——ashewasfirstofall——adoll。Fromdoll-hoodArlecchinotooklife，and，sopromoted，flittedthroughathousandcomedies，onlytobeagainwhathefirstwas；savethat，asonceadollplayedtheman，sonowamanplaysthedoll。ItisbutamemoryofArlecchinothatourchildrensee，apoorstatueorimageendowedwithmobilityratherthanwithlife。

WithMercutio，vanishedthelightheartthathadgiventotheseriousagesoftheworldanhour’srefugefromtheunforgottenburdenofresponsibleconscience；thelightheartassumed，borrowed，madedramaticallythespectator’sown。Wearenotseriousnow，andnoheartnowisquitelight，evenforanhour。

LAUGHTER

Timeshavebeen，itissaid，merrierthanthese；butitiscertainneverthelessthatlaughterneverwassohonouredasnow；wereitnotfortheparadoxonemightsay，itneverwassograve。Everywherethejoke"emerges"——asan"elegant"writermighthaveit——emergestocatchtheattentionofthesenseofhumour；andeverywherethesenseofhumourwanders，watches，andwaitstohonourtheappeal。

Itloiters，vaguelybutperpetuallywilling。Itwears（lettheviolentpersonificationbepardoned）ahanginglip，andawrinkleinabeyance，andaneyeinsuspense。Itismuchattheserviceofthevagrantencounterer，andmaybeaccostedbyanychancedaughtersofthegame。Itstandsinuntowardplaces，orplacesthatwereonceinappropriate，andisearlyatsomeindefiniteappointment，someubiquitoustryst，withthecompliantjest。

Allliteraturebecomesafieldofeasyassignations；thereisaconstantsignalling，anendlessrecognition。Formsofapproachareremitted。Andthejokeandthesenseofhumour，withnosurpriseofmeeting，ornogaietyofstrangeness，socustomaryhasthepromiscuitybecome，goupanddownthepagesofthepaperandthebook。See，again，thetheatre。Asomewhateasysortofcomicactingisbysomuchthebestthinguponourpresentstagethatlittleelsecanclaim——paradoxagainapart——tobetakenseriously。

Thereis，inaword，adetermination，anincreasingtendencyawayfromtheOrientalestimateoflaughterasathingfitterforwomen，fittestforchildren，andunfittedforthebeard。Laughteriseverywhereandateverymomentproclaimedtobethehonourableoccupationofmen，andinsomedegreedistinctiveofmen，andnomeanpartoftheirprerogativeandprivilege。Thesenseofhumourischieflytheirs，andthosewhoarenotmenaretobeadmittedtothejestupontheirexplanation。Theywillnotrefuseexplanation。

Andthereislittleuponwhichamanwillsovaluehimselfasuponthatsense，"inEngland，now。"

Meanwhile，itwouldbeapityiflaughtershouldeverbecome，likerhetoricandthearts，ahabit。Anditisinsomesortahabitwhenitisnotinevitable。Ifweaskourselveswhywelaugh，wemustconfessthatwelaughoftenestbecause——beingamused——weintendtoshowthatweareamused。Wearerighttomakethesign，butasmilewouldbeassureasignalasalaugh，andmoresincere；itwouldbutbechangingtheconvention；andthechangewouldrestorelaughteritselftoitsownplace。Wehavefallenintothewayofusingittoprovesomething——oursenseofthegoodnessofthejest，towit；butlaughtershouldnotthusbeused，itshouldgofree。Itisnotademonstration，whetherinlogic，or——astheworddemonstrationisnowgenerallyused——inemotion；andwedoilltochargeitwiththatoffice。

SomethingoftheOrientalideaofdignitymightnotbeamissamongsuchapeopleasourselvescontainingwideandnumerousclasseswholaughwithoutcause：audiences；crowds；agreatmanyclergymen，whoperhapsfirstfellintothehabitintheintentionofprovingthattheywerenotgloomy；butavastnumberoflaymenalsowhohadnotthatexcuse；andmanywomenwholaughintheiruncertaintyastowhatishumorousandwhatisnot。Thislastisthemostharmlessofallkindsofsuperfluouslaughter。Whenitcarriesanapology，aconfessionofnaturalandgenialignorance，andwhenagentlecreaturelaughsalaughofhazardandexperiment，sheistobemorethanforgiven。Whatshemustnotdoistolaughalaughofinstruction，andasitwereretrievethejestthatwasneverworththetaking。

Thereare，besides，afewwomenwhodonotdisturbthemselvesastoasenseofhumour，butwholaughfromasenseofhappiness。

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