"cardinal points of poetry,—the power of ex"citing the sympathy of a reader by a faithful "adherence to the truth of nature, and the 'power of giving the interest of novelty by the modifying colours of imagination. The sudden "charm which accidents of light and shade, which "moonlight or sunset diffused over a known and "familiar landscape, appeared to represent the practicability of combining both. These are the poetry of nature. The thought suggested itself (to which of us I do not recollect) that a series of poems might be composed of two sorts. In the "one the incidents and agents were to be, in 66 66 part at least, supernatural; and the excellence "aimed at was to consist in the interesting of "the affections by the dramatic truth of such "emotions as would naturally accompany such "situations, supposing them real; and real in "this sense they have been to every human being who, from whatever source of delusion, has at 'any time believed himself under supernatural agency. For the second class, subjects were "to be chosen from ordinary life: the characters "and incidents were to be such as will be found " in every village and its vicinity, where there is "a meditative and feeling mind to seek after "them, or to notice them when they present "themselves. 66 “In this idea originated the plan of the 'Ly"rical Ballads,' in which it was agreed that my "endeavours should be directed to persons and "characters supernatural, or at least romantic; yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a "human interest and a semblance of truth suffi"cient to procure for these shadows of imagi"nation that willing suspension of disbelief for "the moment which constitutes poetic faith. "Mr. Wordsworth, on the other hand, was to propose to himself, as his object, to give the "charm of novelty to things of every day, and to "excite a feeling analogous to the supernatural, 'by awakening the mind's attention from the "lethargy of custom, and directing it to the "loveliness and the wonders of the world before 66 66 us,--an inexhaustible treasure; but for which, "in consequence of the feeling of familiarity and "selfish solicitude, we have eyes yet see not, ears "that hear not, and hearts that neither feel "nor understand. "With this view I wrote the Ancient Mari"ner,' and was preparing, among other poems, "the 'Dark Ladie' and the 'Christabel,' in which "I should have more nearly realized my ideal "than I had done in my first attempt: but Mr. "Wordsworth's industry had proved so much more successful, and the number of his poems "so much greater, that my compositions, instead "of forming a balance, appeared rather an in'terpolation of heterogeneous matter. 66 66 "Mr. Wordsworth added two or three poems "written in his own character, in the impas 66 66 sioned, lofty, and sustained diction, which is "characteristic of his genius. In this form the "Lyrical Ballads' were published, and were "presented by him as an experiment, whether subjects, which from their nature rejected the "usual ornaments and extra-colloquial style of 66 poems in general, might not be so managed, in "the language of ordinary life, as to produce "the pleasurable interest which it is the peculiar "business of poetry to impart. "To the second edition he added a preface of "considerable length, in which, notwithstanding some passages of apparently a contrary import, 66 "he was understood to contend for the extension "of the style to poetry of all kinds, and to reject "as vicious and indefensible all phrases and "forms of style that were not included in what "he (unfortunately, I think, adopting an equi"vocal expression) called the language of real "life. From this preface, prefixed to poems in "which it was impossible to deny the presence of original genius, however mistaken its direction 'might be deemed, arose the whole long-conti"nued controversy. For, from the conjunction of perceived power with supposed heresy, I explain the inveteracy, and in some instances, I grieve to say, the acrimonious passions, with "which the controversy has been conducted by the assailants." (Vol. ii. p. 1.) 66 66 66 There are few incidents in the life of the literary man to make any narrations of sufficient importance or sufficiently amusing for the readers, and the readers only of works of amusement. The biography of such men is supposed to contain the faithful history and growth of their minds, and the circumstances under which it is developed, and to this it must be confined. What has been done by Coleridge himself, and where he has been his own biographer, will be carefully noticed and given here, when it falls in with the intention and purposes of this work; for this reason the Biographia Literaria has been so frequently quoted. Coleridge had passed nearly half his life in a retirement almost amounting to solitude, and this he preferred. First, he was anxious for leisure to pursue those studies which wholly engrossed his mind; and secondly, his health permitted him but little change, except when exercise was required; and during the latter part of his life he became nearly crippled by the rheumatism. His character will form a part in the Philosophical History of the Human Mind, which will be placed in the space left for it by his amiable and most faithful friend and disciple, whose talents, whose heart and acquirements makes him most fit to describe them, and whose time was for so many years devoted to this great man. But, to continue in the order of time, in June, 1797, he was visited by his friend Charles Lamb and his sister. On the morning after their arrival, Coleridge met with an accident which disabled him from walking during the whole of their stay. One evening, when they had left him for a few hours, he composed the poem, "This Lime-tree Bower my Prison," in which he refers to his old friend, while watching him in fancy with his sister, winding and ascending the hills at a short distance, himself detained as if a prisoner : "Yes! they wander on "In gladness all; but thou, methinks, most glad, "Ye purple heath flowers! richlier burn, ye clouds! "Struck with deep joy may stand, as I have stood, "On the wide landscape, gaze till all doth seem "Less gross than bodily; and of such hues "As veil the Almighty Spirit, when yet he makes During his residence here, Mr. William Hazlitt became acquainted with him, which is thus vividly recorded in the "Liberal:" 66 My father was a dissenting minister at Wem, in Shropshire; and in the year 1798, Mr. Coleridge came to Shrewsbury, to succeed Mr. Rowe |