Chapter IX: The Age of Transition (4)

Having carried on my work thus far with so little obligation to
any favourer of learning, I shall not be disappointed though
I should conclude it, if less be possible, with less; for I
have been long wakened from that dream of hope in which I once
boasted myself with so much exultation,
My Lord,
Your Lordship’s most humble, most obedient Servant,
SAM. JOHNSON

(2)
ARLINGTON STREET, _November 13, 1760_
... Do you know, I had the curiosity to go to the burying
t’other night; I had never seen a royal funeral; nay, I walked
as a rag of quality, which I found would be, and so it was, the
easiest way of seeing it. It is absolutely a noble sight. The
Prince’s Chamber, hung with purple, and a quantity of silver
lamps, the coffin under a canopy of purple velvet, and six vast
chandeliers of silver on high stands, had a very good effect.
The Ambassador from Tripoli and his son were carried to see
that chamber. The procession through a line of foot-guards,
every seventh man bearing a torch, the horse-guards lining the
outside, their officers with drawn sabres and crape sashes
on horseback, the drums muffled, the fifes, bells tolling,
and minute guns, all this was very solemn. But the charm was
the entrance of the Abbey, where we were received by the Dean
and Chapter in rich copes, the choir and almsmen all bearing
torches; the whole Abbey so illuminated, that one saw it to
greater advantage than by day; the tombs, long aisles, and
fretted roof, all appearing distinctly, and with the happiest
chiaroscuro. There wanted nothing but incense, and little
chapels here and there, with priests saying mass for the repose
of the defunct--yet one could not complain of its not being
catholic enough. I had been in dread of being coupled with some
boy of ten years old--but the heralds were not very accurate,
and I walked with George Grenville, taller and older enough to
keep me in countenance.
WALPOLE

7. From a scrutiny of the subject and style of the following extracts assign the authorship of each. State clearly the reasons that lead you to select the particular author. Write a brief appreciation of the style of each extract.

(1) Mr Davies mentioned my name; and respectfully introduced
me to him. I was much agitated; and recollecting his prejudice
against the Scotch, of which I had heard much, I said to Davies,
“Don’t tell where I come from.”--“From Scotland,” cried
Davies, roguishly. “Mr Johnson,” said I, “I do indeed come from
Scotland, but I cannot help it.” I am willing to flatter myself
that I meant this as light pleasantry to soothe and conciliate
him, and not as a humiliating abasement at the expense of my
country. But however that might be, this speech was somewhat
unlucky; for with that quickness of wit for which he was so
remarkable, he seized the expression “come from Scotland,” which
I used in the sense of being of that country; and, as if I had
said that I had come away from it, or left it, retorted, “That,
sir, I find, is what a very great many of your countrymen cannot
help.” This stroke stunned me a good deal; and when we had sat
down, I felt myself not a little embarrassed, and apprehensive
of what might come next.

(2) I have presumed to mark the moment of conception: I shall
now commemorate the hour of my final deliverance. It was on the
day, or rather night, of the 27th of June, 1787, between the
hours of eleven and twelve, that I wrote the last lines of the
last page, in a summer-house in my garden. After laying down my
pen I took several turns in a _berceau_, or covered walk
of acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake,
and the mountains. The air was temperate, the sky was serene,
the silver orb of the moon was reflected from the waters,
and all nature was silent. I will not dissemble the first
emotions of joy on recovery of my freedom, and, perhaps, the
establishment of my fame. But my pride was soon humbled, and a
sober melancholy was spread over my mind, by the idea that I had
taken an everlasting leave of an old and agreeable companion,
and that, whatsoever might be the future fate of my history, the
life of the historian must be short and precarious.

(3) An’ now, auld Cloots,[188] I ken ye’re thinkin,
A certain Bardie’s rantin, drinkin,
Some luckless hour will send him linkin,[189]
To your black pit;
But, faith! he’ll turn a corner jinkin,
An’ cheat you yet.

But, fare you weel, auld Nickie-ben!
O wad ye tak a thought an’ men’!
Ye aiblins[190] might--I dinna ken--
Still hae a stake--
I’m wae to think upo’ yon den,
E’en for your sake!

(4) “I fought just as well,” continued the Corporal, “when the
regiment called me Trim, as when they called me James Butler.”
... “And for my own part,” said my uncle Toby, “though I
should blush to boast of myself, Trim;--yet, had my name been
Alexander, I could have done no more at Namur than my duty.” ...
“Bless your Honour!” cried Trim, advancing three steps as he
spoke, “does a man think of his Christian name when he goes upon
the attack?” ... “Or when he stands in the trench, Trim?” cried
my uncle Toby, looking firm.... “Or when he enters a breach?”
said Trim, pushing in between two chairs.... “Or forces the
lines?” cried my uncle, rising up, and pushing his crutch like a
pike.... “Or facing a platoon?” cried Trim presenting his stick
like a firelock.... “Or when he marches up the glacis?” cried my
uncle Toby, looking warm and setting his foot upon his stool.

8. How far are the statements in the following passage correct? Give examples of what Macaulay refers to, and say if his remarks are exaggerated in any form.

Johnson came up to London precisely at the time when the
condition of a man of letters was most miserable and degraded.
It was a dark night between two sunny days.... A writer had
little to hope from the patronage of powerful individuals.
The patronage of the public did not yet furnish the means of
comfortable subsistence.... If he had lived thirty years earlier
he would have sat in parliament, and would have been entrusted
with embassies to the High Allies.
MACAULAY

9. State how far the principles set out in the passage below are followed in the novel of the eighteenth century.

A novel is a large diffused picture, comprehending the
characters of life, disposed in different groups and exhibited
in various attitudes, for the purposes of an uniform plan. This
plan cannot be executed with propriety, probability, or success,
without a principal personage to attract the attention, unite
the incidents, unwind the clue of the labyrinth, and at last
close the scene, by virtue of his own importance.
SMOLLETT, _Ferdinand, Count Fathom_

10. “The eighteenth century established a prose style.” (Craik.) Discuss this statement on some such lines as the following: (_a_) Was there no “established” style in prose before the eighteenth century? (_b_) Who “established” it then? (_c_) What are the peculiarities of the new prose style? (_d_) What are the purposes for which it was used? (_e_) Has it been perpetuated? (_f_) Who has used it?

11. Matthew Arnold calls Burns “a beast with splendid gleams.” Why a “beast”? And what does he mean by the “gleams”? Is the criticism fair to Burns?

12. Account for the great development of the novel during the eighteenth century.

13. Who are most obviously the “transitional” poets of the century? In what sense are they transitional?

14. Give a historical account of the rise of the lyric during the eighteenth century.

15. Estimate the influence of French learning and literature upon English literature during the eighteenth century.