Thewindsofheavenblew，theoceanroll’dIt’sgatheringwaves——yefeltitnot。TheblueBar’ditseternalbosom，andthedewOfsummernightscollectedstilltomakeThemorningprecious：beautywasawake！
Whywereyenotawake?ButyeweredeadTothingsyeknewnotof，——werecloselywedTomustylawslinedoutwithwretchedruleAndcompassvile：sothatyetaughtaschoolOfdoltstosmooth，inlay，andclip，andfit，Till，likethecertainwandsofJacob’swit，Theirversestallied。Easywasthetask：
AthousandhandicraftsmenworethemaskOfPoesy。Ill-fated，impiousrace！
Thatblasphem’dthebrightLyristtohisface，Anddidnotknowit，——no，theywentabout，Holdingapoor，decrepidstandardoutMark’dwithmostflimsymottoes，andinlargeThenameofoneBoileau！”
ItwastheselinesthatraisedtheireofByron，whoregardedthemasanirreverentassaultuponhisfavoritepoet，Pope。
InthecontroversyoccasionedbytheRev。W。L。Bowles’sstricturesontheLifeandWritingsofPope，Byronperverselyasks，”Whereisthepoetryofwhichone-halfisgood?IsittheAeneid?
IsitMilton’s?IsitDryden’s?Isitanyone’sexceptPope’sandGoldsmith’s，ofwhichALLisgood?”
Inthefirstquarterofthenineteenthcentury，thespiritualflowwhich，asIhavesaid，setinaboutthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury，andreceiveditsfirstgreatimpulsefromWilliamCowper，reacheditshightideinWordsworth，Coleridge，Shelley，Keats，Southey，andByron。Thesepoetswereall，moreorless，influencedbythatgreatmoralconvulsion，theFrenchrevolution，whichstirredmen’ssoulstotheirdeepestdepths，inducedavaststimulationofthemeditativefaculties，andcontributedmuchtowardtheunfoldingoftheideas”onman，onnature，andonhumanlife”，whichhavesincesovitalizedEnglishpoetry。*
*”Theagitation，thefrenzy，thesorrowofthetimes，reacteduponthehumanintellect，andFORCEDmenintomeditation。
Theirownnaturewasheldupbeforetheminasternerform。
Theywerecompelledtocontemplateanidealofman，farmorecolossalthanisbroughtforwardinthetranquilaspectsofsociety；
andtheywereoftenengaged，whethertheywouldornot，withtheelementaryproblemsofsocialphilosophy。Meredangerforcedamanintothoughtswhichelsewereforeigntohishabits。
Merenecessityofactionforcedhimtodecide。”
ThomasDeQuincey’s`EssayonStyle’。
Wordsworthexhibitedinhispoetry，astheyhadneverbeforebeenexhibited，thepermanentabsoluterelationsofnaturetothehumanspirit，interpretedtherelationsbetweentheelementalpowersofcreationandthemorallifeofman，andvindicatedtheinalienablebirthrightofthelowliestofmentothoseinward”oraclesofvitaldeityattestingtheHereafter。”
Wordsworth’spoetryis，infact，sofarasitbearsuponthenaturalworld，aprotestagainsttheassociationtheoryofbeautyoftheeighteenthcentury——atheorywhichwasanoffshootofthephilosophyofLocke，wellcharacterizedbyMacvicar，inhis`PhilosophyoftheBeautiful’(Introd。，pp。xv。，xvi)，as”aningenioushypothesisforthecloseoftheeighteenthcentury，whenthephilosophythenpopulardidnotadmit，asthegroundofanyknowledge，anythinghigherthanself-repetitionandthetransformationofsensations。”
Coleridge’s`RimeoftheAncientMariner’isanimaginativeexpressionofthatdivinelovewhichembracesallcreatures，fromthehighesttothelowest，oftheconsequencesoftheseveranceofman’ssoulfromthisanimatingprincipleoftheuniverse，andofthosespiritualthreshingsbyandthroughwhichitisbroughtagainunderitsblessedinfluence。Inhis`Cristabel’hehasexhibitedthedarkprincipleofevil，lurkingwithinthegood，andeverstrugglingwithit。WereaditinthespellthewickedwitchGeraldineworksuponherinnocentandunsuspectingprotector；
wereaditinthestrangewordswhichGeraldineaddressestothespiritofthesaintlymotherwhohasapproachedtoshieldfromharmthebelovedchildforwhomshedied；wereaditinthestoryofthefriendshipandenmitybetweentheBaronandSirRolanddeVauxofTryermaine；wereaditinthevisionseenintheforestbytheminstrelBard，ofthebrightgreensnakecoiledaroundthewingsandneckofaflutteringdove；and，finally，wereaditinitsmoststartlingform，intheconclusionofthepoem，”Alittlechild，alimberelf，singing，dancingtoitself，”etc。，whereinisexhibitedthestrangetendencytoexpresslove’sexcess”withwordsofunmeantbitterness”。Thisdarkprincipleofevil，wemaysuppose，afterdwellinginthepoet’smind，inanabstractform，creptintothisbrokenpoem，whereitliescoiledupamongthechoicestandmostfragrantflowers，andoccasionallyspringsitswarningrattle，andprojectsitsforkedtongue，toassureusofitsuglypresence。
BoththesegreatpoemsshowtheinfluenceoftherevivaloftheoldEnglishBallads。Coleridgehaddrunkdeepoftheirspirit。
ShelleyandByronwerefullychargedwiththerevolutionaryspiritofthetime。Shelley，ofallthepoetsofhisgeneration，hadthemostpropheticfervorinregardtotheprogressofthedemocraticspirit。Allhisgreatestpoemsareinformedwiththisfervor，butitisespeciallyexhibitedinthe`PrometheusUnbound’，whichis，inthewordsofTodhunter，”toallotherlyricalpoemswhattheninthsymphonyistoallothersymphonies；andmorethanthis，forShelleyhashereoutsoaredhimselfmoreunquestionablythanBeethoveninhislastgreatorchestralwork……TheTitanPrometheusistheincarnationofthegeniusofhumanity，chainedandsufferingunderthetyrannyoftheevilprinciplewhichatpresentrulesovertheworld，typifiedinJupiter；thenamePrometheus，FORESIGHT，connectinghimwiththatpoeticimaginationwhichisthetruepropheticpower，penetratingthemysteryofthings，because，asShelleyimplies，itisakindofdivineLogosincarnateinman——acreativeforcewhichdominatesnaturebyactinginharmonywithher。”
Itis，perhaps，morecorrecttosayofByron，thathewaschargedwiththespiritofrevoltratherthanwiththerevolutionaryspirit。
Therevolutionaryspiritwasinhimindefinite，inarticulate；
heofferednothingtoputintheplaceofthesocialandpoliticalevilsagainstwhichherebelled。ThereisnothingCONSTRUCTIVE
inhispoetry。Butifhisgreatpassion-capital，hiskeenspiritualsusceptibility，andhisgreatpowerofvigorousexpression，hadbeenbroughtintotheserviceofconstructivethought，hemighthavebeenarestorativepowerinhisgeneration。
ThegreatestlosswhichEnglishpoetryeversustained，wasintheprematuredeathofJohnKeats。Whathewouldhavedonehadhislifebeenspared，wehaveanassuranceinwhathehasleftus。
HewasspirituallyconstitutedtobeoneofthesubtlestinterpretersofthesecretsoflifethatthewholerangeofEnglishpoetryexhibits。
Nopoetevermoredeeplyfelt”thevitalconnectionofbeautywithtruth”。Herealizedinhimselfhisideaofthepoetexpressedinhislines，——”’TisthemanwhowithamanIsanequal，beheking，Orpoorestofthebeggar-clan，OranyotherwondrousthingAmanmaybe’twixtapeandPlato；
’Tisthemanwhowithabird，Wren，oreagle，findshiswaytoAllitsinstincts；hehathheardThelion’sroaring，andcantellWhathishornythroatexpresseth，Andtohimthetiger’syellComesarticulateandpressethOnhisearlikemothertongue。”*
*”WeoftenthinkofShelleyandKeatstogether，andtheyseemtohaveanattractionformindsofthesamecast。
Theywerebothexposedtothesameinfluences，thoserevolutionaryinfluencesinliteratureandreligionwhichinauguratedanewperiod。
Yetthereisagreatcontrastaswellasagreatsimilaritybetweenthem，anditisinterestingtoremarkthedifferentspiritualresultsinthecaseofthesetwodifferentmindssubjectedtoconditionssosimilaringeneral，thoughdifferentindetail。Bothfeltthesameneed，theneedofESCAPE，desiringtoescapefromtheactualworldinwhichtheyperceivedmoreevilthangood，tosomeotheridealworldwhichtheyhadtocreateforthemselves。Thisisthepointoftheirsimilarity；
theirneedandmotivewerethesame，toescapefromthelimitationsofthepresent。Buttheyescapedindifferentdirections，KeatsintothepastwherehereconstructedamythicalGreekworldafterthedesignsofhisownfancy，Shelleyintoafuturewherehesoughtinanewanddistantera，inanewanddistantworld，arefugefromthepresent。WemaycompareKeats’s`Hyperion’
withShelley’s`Prometheus’，asbothpoemstouchthesameidea——
thedominionofeldergodsusurpedbyyounger，forPrometheusbelongedtotheeldergeneration。TheimpressionKeatsgivesusisthatherepresentsthedethronedgodsinthesadvale，”farfromthefierynoon”，forthepleasureofmovingamongthemhimself，andcreatestheirlonelyworldasaretreatforhisownspirit。
Whereasinthe`PrometheusUnbound’wefeelthatthesceneslaidinancientdaysandbuiltonGreekmyths，haveadirectrelationtothedestiniesofman，andthatShelleywentbackintothepastbecausehebelieveditwasconnectedwiththefuture，andbecausehecoulduseitasanartisticsettingforexhibitinganidealworldinthefuture。”Thisproblemofescape——torescuethesoulfromtheclutchesoftime，`ineluctabiletempus’，——whichKeatsandShelleytriedtoresolveforthemselvesbycreatinganewworldinthepastandthefuture，metBrowningtoo。ThenewwaywhichBrowninghasessayed——thewayinwhichheacceptsthepresentanddealswithit，CLOSESwithtimeinsteadoftryingtoeludeit，anddiscoversinthestrugglethatthistime，`ineluctabiletempus’，isreallyafaithfulvassalofeternity，andthatitslimitsserveanddonotenslaveillimitablespirit。”——FromaPaperbyJohnB。Bury，B。A。，Trin。Coll。，Dublin，onBrowning’s`Aristophanes’Apology’，readat38thmeetingoftheBrowningSoc。，Jan。29，1886。
