FARMER'S FINE DAUGHTER. 333 Mr. Crabbe's usual moderate allowance of incident. The whole of the story is, that the daughter of a rigid Quaker, having been educated from home, conceives a slight prejudice against the ungallant manners of the sect, and is prepared to be very contemptuous and uncomplying when her father proposes a sober youth of the persuasion for a husband:- but is so much struck with the beauty of his person, and the cheerful reasonableness of his deportment at their first interview, that she instantly yields her consent. There is an excellent description of the father and the unbending elders of his tribe; and some fine traits of natural coquetry. "The Widow's Tale" is also rather of the facetious order. It contains the history of a farmer's daughter, who comes home from her boarding-school a great deal too fine to tolerate the gross habits, or submit to the filthy drudgery of her father's house; but is induced, by the warning history and sensible exhortations of a neighbouring widow, in whom she expected to find a sentimental companion, to reconcile herself to all those abominations, and marry a jolly young farmer in the neighbourhood. The account of her horrors, on first coming down, is in Mr. Crabbe's best style of Dutch painting—a little coarse, and needlessly minute — but perfectly true, and marvellously coloured. "Used to spare meals, dispos'd in manner pure, p. 128, 129. "The Lover's Journey" is a pretty fancy; and very well executed at least as to the descriptions it con 334 CRABBE'S TALES THE LOVER'S JOURNEY. tains. A lover takes a long ride to see his mistress; and passing, in full hope and joy, through a barren and fenny country, finds beauty in every thing. Being put out of humour, however, by missing the lady at the end of this stage, he proceeds through a lovely landscape, and finds every thing ugly and disagreeable. At last he meets his fair one-is reconciled — and returns along with her; when the landscape presents neither beauty nor deformity; and excites no emotion whatever in a mind engrossed with more lively sensations. There is nothing in this volume, or perhaps in any part of Mr. Crabbe's writings, more exquisite than some of the descriptions in this story. The following, though by no means the best, is too characteristic of the author to be omitted: "First o'er a barren heath beside the coast "This neat low gorse,' said he, with golden bloom, "Onward he went, and fiercer grew the heat, Dust rose in clouds beneath the horse's feet; For now he pass'd through lanes of burning sand, Bounds to thin crops or yet uncultur'd land; Where the dark poppy flourish'd on the dry And sterile soil, and mock'd the thin-set rye. "The Lover rode, as hasty lovers ride, And reach'd a common pasture wild and wide; Small black-legg'd sheep devour with hunger keen The meager herbage; fleshless, lank and lean : He saw some scatter'd hovels; turf was pil'd In square brown stacks; a prospect bleak and wild! A mill, indeed, was in the centre found, With short sear herbage withering all around; A smith's black shed oppos'd a wright's long shop, And join'd an inn where humble travellers stop.". p. 176, 177. The features of the fine country are less perfectly drawn: But what, indeed, could be made of the vulgar fine country of England? If Mr. Crabbe had had the good fortune to live among our Highland hills, and GROUP OF GIPSIES. 335 lakes, and upland woods our living floods sweeping through forests of pine-our lonely vales and rough copse-covered cliffs; what a delicious picture would his unrivalled powers have enabled him to give to the world! But we have no right to complain, while we have such pictures as this of a group of Gipsies. It is evidently finished con amore; and does appear to us to be absolutely perfect, both in its moral and its physical expression. 66 Again the country was enclos'd; a wide With Gipsy-state engrossed the only chair; Solemn and dull her look : with such she stands, 336 CRABBE'S TALES · EDWARD SHORE. Useless, despis'd, his worthless labours done, p. 180-182. The next story, which is entitled "Edward Shore," also contains many passages of exquisite beauty. The hero is a young man of aspiring genius and enthusiastic temper, with an ardent love of virtue, but no settled principles either of conduct or opinion. He first conceives an attachment for an amiable girl, who is captivated with his conversation; - but being too poor to marry, soon comes to spend more of his time in the family of an elderly sceptic (though we really see no object in giving him that character) of his acquaintance, who had recently married a young wife, and placed unbounded confidence in her virtue, and the honour of his friend. In a moment of temptation, they abuse his confidence. The husband renounces him with dignified composure; and he falls at once from the romantic pride of his virtue. He then seeks the company of the dissipated and gay; and ruins his health and fortune, without regaining his tranquillity. When in gaol, and miserable, he is relieved by an unknown hand; and traces the benefaction to the friend whose former kindness he had so ill repaid. This humiliation falls upon his proud spirit and shattered nerves with an overwhelming force; and his reason fails beneath it. He is for some time a raving maniac; and then falls into a state of gay and compassionable imbecility, which is described with inimitable beauty in the close of this story. We can afford but a few extracts. The nature of the seductions which led to his first fatal lapse are well intimated in the following short passage: FINE PICTURE OF SHATTERED INTELLECT. 337 "Then as the Friend repos'd, the younger Pair Or heard the music of th' obedient Bride; Till rose the moon, and on each youthful face, Shed a soft beauty, and a dangerous grace."-p. 198, 199 The ultimate downfall of this lofty mind, with its agonising gleams of transitory recollection, form a picture, than which we do not know if the whole range of our poetry, rich as it is in representations of disordered intellect, furnishes any thing more touching, or delineated with more truth and delicacy. "Harmless at length th' unhappy man was found, To the dull stillness of the misty day! if free "And now his freedom he attain'd And his lost mind to these approving friends. "That gentle Maid, whom once the Youth had lov'd, Is now with mild religious pity mov'd; Kindly she chides his boyish flights, while he Will for a moment fix'd and pensive be; Charm'd by her voice, th' harmonious sounds invade "Rarely from town, nor then unwatch'd, he goes, But soon returning, with impatience seeks His youthful friends, and shouts, and sings, and speaks; The children's leader, and himself a child; |