第3章

Theintellectualpoweroftwoormoreperiods，asexhibitedintheirliteratures，mayshownomarkeddifference，whilethespiritualvitalityofthesesameperiodsmayverydistinctlydiffer。Andifitbeadmittedthatliteratureproperistheproductofco-operativeintellectandspirit(thelatterbeingalwaysanindispensablefactor，thoughtherecanbenohighorderofliteraturethatisnotstronglyarticulated，thatisnotwellfreighted，withthought)，itfollowsthattheperiodsofaliteratureshouldbedeterminedbytheebbandflowofspirituallifewhichtheyseverallyregister，ratherthanbyanyotherconsiderations。Thereareperiodswhicharecharacterizedbya”blindnessofheart”，aninactive，quiescentconditionofthespirit，bywhichtheintellectismoreorlessdivorcedfromtheessential，theeternal，anditdirectsitselftotheshowsofthings。Suchperiodsmayembodyintheirliteraturesalargeamountofthought，——thoughtwhichisconversantwiththeexternalityofthings；butthatofitselfwillnotconstituteanobleliterature，howeverperfecttheformsinwhichitmaybeembodied，andthegeneralsenseofthecivilizedworld，independentlyofanytheoriesofliterature，willnotregardsuchaliteratureasnoble。Itismadeupofwhatmustbe，intime，superseded；ithasnotasufficientlylargeelementoftheessential，theeternal，whichcanbereachedonlythroughtheassimilatinglifeofthespirit。Thespiritmaybeso”cabined，cribbed，confined”asnottocometoanyconsciousnessofitself；oritmaybesosetfreeastogoforthandrecognizeitskinship，respondtothespiritualworldoutsideofitself，and，bysoresponding，KNOWwhatmerelyintellectualphilosopherscalltheUNKNOWABLE。

ToturnnowtothelineofEnglishpoetswhomaybesaidtohavepassedthetorchofspirituallife，fromliftedhandtohand，alongthegenerations。Andfirstis”themorningstarofsong，whomadeHismusicheardbelow：”DanChaucer，thefirstwarbler，whosesweetbreathPreludedthosemelodiousburststhatfillThespacioustimesofgreatElizabethWithsoundsthatechostill。”

Chaucerexhibits，inahighdegree，thislifeofthespirit，anditisthesecretofthecharmwhichhispoetrypossessesforusafteralapseoffivehundredyears。Itvitalizes，warms，fuses，andimpartsalightsomenesstohisverse；itcreepsandkindlesbeneaththetissuesofhisthought。WhenwecompareDryden’smodernizationsofChaucerwiththeoriginals，weseethedifferencebetweentheverseofapoet，withahealthyvitalityofspirit，and，throughthathealthyvitalityofspirit，havingsecretdealingswiththings，andversewhichislargelytheproductoftherhetoricalorliteraryfaculty。Wedonotfeel，whenreadingthelatter，thatanyunconsciousmightco-operatedwiththeconsciouspowersofthewriter。ButweDOfeelthiswhenwereadChaucer’sverse。

AlloftheCanterburyTaleshaveoriginalsoranalogues，mostofwhichhavebeenreproducedbytheLondonChaucerSociety。

NotoneofthetalesisofChaucer’sowninvention。Andyettheymayallbesaidtobeoriginal，inthetruest，deepestsenseoftheword。

Theyhavebeenvitalizedfromthepoet’sownsoul。Hehasinfusedhisownpersonality，hisownspirit-life，intohisoriginals；

hehas”createdasoulundertheribsofdeath。”ItisthisinfusedvitalitywhichwillconstitutethecharmoftheCanterburyTalesforallgenerationsofEnglishspeakingandEnglishreadingpeople。Thislifeofthespirit，ofwhichIamspeaking，asdistinguishedfromtheintellect，isfelt，thoughmuchlessdistinctly，inacontemporarywork，`TheVisionofWilliamconcerningPiersthePlowman’。

Whattheauthorcalls”KINDWIT”，thatis，”naturalintelligence”，has，generally，theascendency。Wemeet，however，withpowerfulpassages，whereinthethoughtsareaglowwiththewarmthfromthewriter’sinnerspirit。HeshowsattimesthemoralindignationofaHebrewprophet。

The`ConfessioAmantis’ofJohnGower，anothercontemporarywork，exhibitscomparativelylittleofthelifeofthespirit，eitherinitsverseorinitsthought。Thethoughtrarelypassesthelimitofnaturalintelligence。Thestories，whichthepoetdrewfromthe`GestaRomanorum’andnumerousothersources，canhardlybesaidtohavebeenBORNAGAIN。Theverseissmoothandfluent，butthereaderfeelsittobetheproductofliteraryskill。

Itwantswhatcanbeimpartedonlybyanunconsciousmightbackoftheconsciouslyactiveandtrainedpowers。ItisthisunconsciousmightwhichJohnKeats，inhis`SleepandPoetry’，speaksofas”mighthalfslumberingonitsownrightarm”，andwhicheveryreader，withtherequisitesusceptibility，canalwaysdetectintheverseofatruepoet。

IntheintervalbetweenChaucerandSpenser，thislifeofthespiritisnotdistinctlymarkedinanyofitsauthors，notexceptingevenHenryHoward，EarlofSurrey，whosesadfategaveafactitiousinteresttohiswritings。ItismorenoticeableinThomasSackville，LordBuckhurst’s`InductiontotheMirrorforMagistrates’，which，inthewordsofHallam，”formsalinkwhichunitestheschoolofChaucerandLydgatetothe`FaerieQueene’。”

TheRev。JamesByrne，ofTrinityCollege，Dublin，inhislectureon`TheInfluenceofNationalCharacteronEnglishLiterature’，remarksofSpenser：”AfterthatdarkperiodwhichseparatedhimfromChaucer，afterallthedesolationoftheWarsoftheRoses，andallthedeeptrialsoftheReformation，heroseonEnglandasif，touseanimageofhisown，”`AtlastthegoldenorientallgateOfgreatestheavengantoopenfayre，AndPhoebus，freshasbrydegrometohismate，Camedauncingforth，shakinghisdeawiehayre，Andhurledhisglisteringbeamsthroughgloomyayre。’”ThatbaptismofbloodandfirethroughwhichEnglandpassedattheReformation，raisedbothProtestantandCatholictoanewnessoflife。Thatmightyworkingofheartandmindwithwhichthenationthenheavedthroughout，wentthrougheverymanandwoman，andtriedwhatmannerofspiritstheywereof。Whatapreparationwasthisforthatperiodofourliteratureinwhichman，thegreatactorofthedramaoflife，wasabouttoappearonthestage！

Itwastobeexpectedthatthedramashouldthenstartintolife，andthathumancharactershouldspeakfromthestagewithadepthoflifeneverknownbefore；butwhocouldhaveimaginedShakespeare?”

AndwhatanewmusicburstupontheworldinSpenser’sverse！

Hisnoblestanza，soadmirablyadaptedtopictorialeffect，hassincebeenusedbysomeofthegreatestpoetsoftheliterature，Thomson，Scott，Wordsworth，Byron，Keats，Shelley，andnumerousothers；

butnoneofthem，exceptinrareinstances，havedrawnthemusicoutofitwhichSpenserdrew。

ProfessorGoldwinSmithwellremarks，inhisarticleonMarkPattison’sMilton，”Thegreatgrowthsofpoetryhavecoincidedwiththegreatburstsofnationallife，andthegreatburstsofnationallifehavehithertobeengenerallyperiodsofcontroversyandstruggle。Artitself，initshighestforms，hasbeentheexpressionoffaith。Wehavenowpeoplewhoprofesstocultivateartforitsownsake；buttheyhavehardlyproducedanythingwhichtheworldacceptsasgreat，thoughtheyhavesuppliedsomesubjectsfor`Punch’。”

Spenserwho，ofallthegreatEnglishpoets，isregardedbysomecriticsasthemostremotefromreallife，andtheleastreflectinghisage，is，nevertheless，filledwiththespiritofhisage——itschivalric，romantic，patriotic，moral，andreligiousspirit。Whenhebegantowrite，thenationhadjustpassedthroughthefieryfurnaceofareligiouspersecution，andwasrejoicinginitsdeliverancefromthepapisticalruleofMary。

Thedevotiontothenewqueenwithwhichitwasinspiredwasgrateful，generous，enthusiastic，andevenromantic。ThisdevotionSpenser’sgreatpoemeverywherereflects，andithasbeenjustlypronouncedtobethebestexponentofthesubtletiesofthatCalvinismwhichwasthearistocraticformofProtestantismatthattimeinbothFranceandEngland。

TherenewedspirituallifewhichsetinsostronglywithSpenser，reacheditsspringtideinShakespeare。Itwasthesecretofthatsenseofmoralproportionwhichpervadeshisplays。

Moralproportioncannotbesecuredthroughthelawsoftheancients，orthroughanyformulatedtheoryofart。Itwas，Iamassured，throughhisdeepandsensitivespirit-lifethatShakespearefelttheuniversalspiritandconstitutionoftheworldasfully，perhaps，asthehumansoul，inthislife，iscapableoffeelingit。Throughithetookcognizanceoftheworkingsofnature，andofthelifeofman，BYDIRECTASSIMILATIONOFTHEIRHIDDENPRINCIPLES，——

principleswhichcannotbereachedthroughanobservation，bythenaturalintelligence，ofthephenomenal。Hethusbecamepossessedofaknowledge，orratherwisdom，farbeyondhisconsciousobservationandobjectiveexperience。

Shakespearemayberegardedasthefirstandthelastgreatartisticphysiologistornaturalhistorianofthepassions；

andhewasthisbyvirtueofthelifeofthespirit，whichenabledhimtoreproducesympatheticallythewholerangeofhumanpassionwithinhimself。Hewasthefirstoftheworld’sdramatiststhatexhibitedthepassionsintheirevolutions，andintheirsubtlestcomplications。Andthemoralproportionhepreservedinexhibitingthecomplexandoftenwildplayofthepassionsmusthavebeenlargelyduetotheharmonyofhissoulwiththeconstitutionofthings。WhattheRestorationdramatistsregardedorunderstoodasmoralproportion，wasnotmoralproportionatall，butaproportionfashionedaccordingtomerelyconventionalideasofjustice。Shakespeare’smoralproportionappearedtothem，intheirlowspiritualcondition，amoralchaos，whichtheysetaboutconverting，insomeofhisgreatplays，intoacosmos；

andasadmuss，ifnotaridiculousmuss，theymadeofit。

Signalexamplesofthisarethe`rifacimenti’oftheTempestbyDrydenandDavenant，theKingLearbyTate，andtheAntonyandCleopatra(entitled`AllforLove，ortheWorldwellLost’)byDryden。

InMilton，thoughthereisanoticeable，anevendistinctlymarked，reductionofthelifeofthespirit(inthesenseinwhichIhavebeenusingthesewords)exhibitedbyShakespeare，itisstillverystrongandefficient，andcontinuesuninfluencedbythemalignatmospherearoundhimthelastfifteenyearsofhislife，whichwerelivedinthereignofCharlesII。Withinthatperiodhewrotethe`ParadiseLost’，`ParadiseRegained’，and`SamsonAgonistes’。”Milton，”saysEmerson，”wasthestairorhightable-landtoletdowntheEnglishgeniusfromthesummitsofShakespeare。””Theseheightscouldnotbemaintained。Theywerefollowedbyameannessandadescentofthemindintolowerlevels；

thelossofwings；nohighspeculation。Locke，towhomthemeaningofideaswasunknown，becamethetypeofphilosophy，andhis”understanding”themeasure，inallnations，oftheEnglishintellect。HiscountrymenforsooktheloftysidesofParnassus，onwhichtheyhadoncewalkedwithechoingsteps，anddisusedthestudiesoncesobeloved；thepowersofthoughtfellintoneglect。”

Thehighestpowersofthoughtcannotberealizedwithoutthelifeofthespirit。Itisthis，asIhavealreadysaid，whichhasbeenthegloryofthegreatestthinkerssincetheworldbegan；

nottheirintellects，buttheco-operating，unconsciouspowerIMMANENTintheirintellects。

DuringtheRestorationperiod，andlater，spirituallifewasatitsverylowestebb。Imean，spirituallifeasexhibitedinthepoeticanddramaticliteratureofthetime，whosepoisonedfountain-headwasthedissolutecourtofCharlesII。