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THE

POETICAL WORKS

OF

JOHN KEATS.

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Memoir of John Keats.

THE short career of JOHN KEATS was marked by | village were the scenes of his earliest abstractions, the development of powers which have been rarely and the prompters of many of his best poetical exhibited in one at so immatured an age. He had productions: most of his personal friends, too, rebut just completed his twenty-fourth year when sided in the neighborhood. His first published he was snatched away from the world, and an end volume, though the greater part of it was not put for ever to a genius of a lofty and novel order. above mediocrity, contained passages and lines of Certain party critics, who made it their object to rare beauty. His political sentiments differing lacerate the feelings, and endeavor to put down by from those of the Quarterly Review, being manly vituperation and misplaced ridicule every effort and independent, were sins never to be forgiven; which emanated not from their own servile de- and as in that party work literary judgment was pendants or followers, furiously attacked the wri- always dealt out according to political congeniali. tings of Keats on their appearance. Their promise ty of feeling, with the known servility of its wriof greater excellence was unquestionable, their ters, an author like Keats had no chance of being beauties were obvious,-but so also were defects, judged fairly. He was friendless and unknown, which might easily be made available for an attack and could not even attract notice to a just comupon the author; and which certain writers of the plaint if he appealed to the public, from his being Quarterly Review instantly seized upon to gratify party malice, not against the author so much as against his friends. The unmerited abuse poured upon Keats by this periodical work is supposed to have hastened his end, which was slowly approaching when the criticism before-mentioned appeared.

yet obscure as an author. This Gifford, the editor of the Quarterly, well knew, and poured his malignity upon his unoffending victim in proportion as he was conscious of the want of power in the object of his attack to resist it. A scion of nobility might have scribbled nonsense and been certain of applause; but a singular genius springing up This original and singular example of poetical by its own vitality in an obscure corner, was by genius was of humble descent, and was born in all means to be crushed.-Gifford had been a cobMoorfields, London, October 29, 1796, at a livery- bler, and the son of the livery-stable-keeper was stables which had belonged to his grandfather. not worthy of his critical toleration! Thus it alHe received a classical education at Enfield, under ways is with those narrow-minded persons who a Mr. Clarke, and was apprenticed to Mr. Ham-rise by the force of accident from vulgar obscumond, a surgeon at Edmonton. The son of his rity: they cannot tolerate a brother, much less suschoolmaster Clarke encouraged the first germs of perior power or genius in that brother. On the the poetical faculty which he early observed in the publication of Keats's next work, "Endymion," young poet, and introduced him to Mr. Leigh Gifford attacked it with all the bitterness of which Hunt, who is reported to have been the means of his pen was capable, and did not hesitate, before his introduction to the public. Keats was an indi- he saw the work, to announce his intention of vidual of extreme sensitiveness, so that he would doing so to the publisher. Keats had endeavored, betray emotion even to tears on hearing a noble as much as was consistent with independent feelaction recited, or at the mention of a glowing ing, to conciliate the critics at large, as may be thought or one of deep pathos: yet both his moral observed in his preface to that poem. He merited and personal courage were above all suspicion. to be treated with indulgence, not wounded by the His health was always delicate, for he had been envenomed shafts of political animosity for literary a seven months' child; and it appears that the errors. His book abounded in passages of true symptoms of premature decay, or rather of fragile poetry, which were of course passed over; and it vitality, were long indicated by his organization, is difficult to decide whether the cowardice or the before consumption decidedly displayed itself. cruelty of the attack upon it, most deserve execraThe juvenile productions of Keats were pub- tion. Of great sensitiveness, as already observed, lished in 1817, the author being at that time in and his frame already touched by a mortal dishis twenty-first year. His favorite sojourn appears temper, he felt his hopes withered, and his atto have been Hampstead, the localities of which tempts to obtain honorable public notice in his

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