499

Notes and Anecdotes, Political and Miscellaneous, from 1798 to 1830-Drawn from the Portfolio of an Officer of the Empire; and translated by a gentleman in Paris, from the French, for the Messenger, viz: General Mallet-Consequences of the Second Conspiracy of Mallet-A word on the Third Conspiracy of Mallet-The Pope at Constantinople-A Confession-Piedmont while under the Government of the French.... 490 Constantine: or, the Rejected Throne. By the Author of "Sketches of Private Life and Character of William H. Crawford." Chapters VII and VIII. (Continued)...

A Scene from "Torquato Tasso," a Dramatic Poem, by Goethe. Translated from the German for the Messenger.......

.... 475

508

Song. Air-" The Moonlight March." 1833.... 509

Providence: A Sketch, in the manner of John Neal Glimpses into the Biography of a Nameless Traveller. Chap. VI. Traits of travel-wonderful phenomenon---active benevolence---highways and byways--rage, jealousy, romance, and steamboats-repentance-the power of sleep..

VOL. III.

T. W. WHITE, Editor and Proprietor.

Charleston, S. C. July 27, 1837.

TO MR. THOMAS W. WHITE,

If

Editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. Sir,-You have, in two successive letters, requested a further communication of articles for your really unpretending publication." Nothing from my pen would be calculated for a work of pretension; and it is only at your repeated solicitation that I send the enclosed. your readers should differ from you as to the value of my remarks, and if the postage should at all derange your pocket, you have nobody to blame but yourself. My first communication was promised; and I only fulfilled that promise in sending it. The second and longer article will, perhaps, surprise, if it does not amuse; at any rate you shall have them: valeant quantum possint.

CONJECTURAL READING OF A

PASSAGE IN MACBETH. Conjecture has taken so many liberties with Shakspeare's text, that I wonder the critics should have been wholly silent as to the subjoined affecting passage in the last act of Macbeth. The more I read it, the more I am persuaded that Shakspeare never wrote it as it now stands. If a very slight change of punctuation should, in your estimation, add, as I confess it does in mine, to the force and truth of the lines, you will, perhaps, publish my remarks. Nothing, it seems to me, can be flatter than the present reading, unconnected as it is with what precedes: Macbeth might as well have moralized about the universal deluge. The instant he wishes that the intelligence of the Queen's death could have been deferred 'till "to-morrow," his soliloquy becomes beautifully and impressively suitable to his feelings.

Let us first take the passage as it stands, and then see how my conjectural emendation will apply. Shak speare belongs as much to us as he does to our English ancestors; and I can see no reason why "Spartam quam nacti sumus, non exornemus"—or at least, "exornare conemur;"-in other words, why we should not occasionally try our hands at criticism.

Macbeth. "Wherefore was that cry?"
Servant. "The Queen, my lord, is dead."
Macbeth. "She should have died hereafter:
There wou'd have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty space from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death."

Macbeth, Act V, Sc. 5.

Read—meo periculo--as Dr. Bentley used to say, when he did not choose to give any other reason:

"She should have died hereafter:

There would have been a time for such a word
To-morrow! Aye! to-morrow and to-morrow," &c.

No. VIII.

5 PER ANNUM.

As if he had said: "This additional blow (his wife's death) should have been reserved for another moment, when I could have found time for grief. There might have been a time for it to-morrow! At present, I have enough, without this, to distract me."

When this alteration of the passage in question ocLord Byron's "Journal," of February 14th, 1814. It curred to me, I had not seen the subjoined paragraph in seems to me that the turn of his mind, when he wrote it, was precisely that of Macbeth, when he lost all con

sideration of the fatal news announced to him, and betination. "I have certainly," says Lord Byron, in this gan to moralize upon the usual consequences of procraswhich weighs upon the heart; and it is better that they soliloquy of his pen, "enough of that perilous stuff should believe, &c.-but-aye, always but, to the end of the chapter." "There might have been a time for

such a word--to-morrow I could have borne the additional calamity--aye, to-morrow," &c. "I do not find (says Dr. Parr in a letter to Lord Holland), what Hume beautifully calls the smooth transition of the imagination.” Surely, if "smoothness of transition" could be required, it was so in this fine passage-which, however, as it stands, is as abrupt as ever fell from the pen of man. Since my own remark, to this effect, was written, I have been told that Mr. Macready always spoke the lines as I have suggested: I trust that his example will be fol

lowed.

MISS EDGWORTH'S HELEN.

It was always known that the novels published by Miss Edgworth owed much to the contributions of her father; and when, after twenty years elapsed without a sign of life, HELEN appeared, I, in common with many others, was satisfied that, in this case at least, there was no "dux fœmina facti." In the Quarterly Review of this production, we hear of "envious whispers, indefatigably circulated among certain circles, that Miss Edgworth's vein of creative fancy had been buried with her father." The reviewer admits the fact; for, he immediately proceeds to account for it; notwithstanding which, he is very severe upon all who either originated the opinion, or concurred in it. If the reviewer had paid more respect to the labors of his predecessors in that critical tribunal, he would have found, in an arti cle on Mr. Edgworth's Memoirs, (Q. R. No. 46) that "finessing and trick" were not so foreign to the nature of both father and daughter, as was indignantly proclaimed on occasion of the doubts thrown out about Helen. The critic expressly mentions "the considerable share that the father had in the daughter's novels," whole plot of Helen and the slip-slopperiness that per&c. But, independently of other circumstances, the vades its style, would, probably, never have seen the light, if Mr. Edgworth's judgment and taste had extended their guardian influence to this literary bantling VOL. III.-59

big, yellow corking-pin, which my maid had left sticking point foremost, out of some part of me. p. 14. (How elegant!)

She open'd to both friends cordially, apropos to some love of a lace trimming. (Is this comme il faut ?)

You cannot, I conceive, satisfy yourself with the namby-pamby, little-missy phrase. p. 34. (Lady Davenant to Helen !)

The noise sounded tremendous. p. 41.

Shot back again into the room. p. 43.

Cecilia stretched behind her husband. p. 79.

The General sees in Helen only the discreet, properbehaved young lady, adapted to nitch and notch in her place, &c. p. 80. (Beauclerc loquitur.)

Lawyers are provoking wretches, with their fast bind fast find (not a lawyer's phrase). Such an unconscionable time as they do take for parchment doings, heeding naught of that little impatient flapper Cupid. p. 95. (Lady Cecilia!)

A caryatides gentleman lean'd on each side, &c. p. 97. He was prepared with a ready bit of wit. p. 101. Scandal hot and cold, and ice cold and cold. p. 102. (Half-meaning.)

He sugared and creamed, and drank and thought. Helen pushed out of his way a supernumerary cup. p. 105. She feared, and grew sick with fear long deferred. p. 110. (Feared where no fear was.)

Lightly tripp'd she up the stairs. To her askings, “not at home” never echoed. p. 114. (An Irish echo!) Louisa went on with a medical maundering. p. 117. I am a famous hand at doing up a parcel. p. 124. (Lady Cecilia.)

She has been under a course of the tooth-ach. p. 134. (Lady Cecilia.)

The conversation touch'd safe on frivolities; yet things undesignedly said, often touched on the taboo'd matter. p. 146.

The editor consulted Churchill, and, in consequence of his pepper and salt hint. p. 160. (What is meant ?) Resolution is what you want, Helen, I tell you. Helen could not chop logic. p. 167.

His gratitude could not make its way out. p. 169. It ended in his giving a shove to the work-box, which he knew she could not mislike, on account it was made out of samples of wood, &c. p. 170.

On roll'd the carriages, and Cockburn got her over the ground with all speed. p. 178. (Postilion cant.)

So that was good. (Beauclerc.) p. 194.

It is odds but you blind him for life. p. 195. Happy was it for Lady Cecilia and Helen to be reliev'd from her jabbering, and not exposed to her spying and reporting. p. 200.

The evening before the wedding was to be. Ib. Lady K. was there, with her tristeful visage. p. 203; &c. &c. &c.

Can any such slip-slop, careless, vulgar phraseology be detected in the volumes published by Miss Edgworth while her father was alive? Would any well educated mother suffer her daughter to form a style upon this model? Would Madame de Stael, or Madame de Genlis, or Madame de Sévigné have written such French? or Mrs. Jamieson such English? Cicero admits that

there is a carelessness of style that pleases; and Dr. Johnson detested a buckram style. Has Miss Edgworth attained the happy medium?

It would be easy to add to these very offensive passages, many others, not less so. But enough!

TO MRS. S****S.

1834.

I dreamed an Angel hovered o'er
The scene, where fashion's votaries throng-
Where dancers glided on the floor-
Where sorrow's sighs seemed heard no more,
Lost in the voice of song.

There, eyes and jewels sparkled bright—
There, gleamed the snowy pearl,
Like lillies in the morning light,
Or moonbeams on the robe of night,
From many an ebon curl.

There, cheeks like flowers of fairest bloom,
Blushed in their beauty's pride-
There, nodding gracefully the plume
Spread a soft fragrance o'er the room;
There, lips with rubies vied.

There, richly wrought entwines the gold,
Round marble necks and arms of snow;
And there, round forms of classic mould,
The silken robes, in many a fold
Of tasteful drapery, flow.

I thought the Angel turned away,
(Perhaps to wipe a tear)—

I thought he said, "I cannot stay
"Amidst these revellers of a day-
"True pleasure is not here."

An instant served to change the scene
We lingered near a spot,

Where nature seemed to be the Queen--
Where all seem'd quiet and serene,
And all but Home forgot.

I saw in the small circle there
Some faces that I knew--

I thought the Angel whispered, "here
"Is lovely woman truly fair."
I thought he looked at you.

E. A. S.

The Hebrew Cabbala contain the mystical interpretation of the laws of God by different Rabbis. They are divided into three parts. First. Gematria-which consists in taking letters for arithmetical numbers, and so explaining each word by the value of the letters composing it. Second. Notaricon-where each letter of a word is taken for an entire word, or where one word is formed of the initials of several. Third. Themurain which the secret is found in changing words and letters.