登陆注册
4705400000095

第95章

(October 1838)

Memoirs of the Life, Works, and Correspondence of Sir William Temple. By the Right Hon. THOMAS PEREGRINE COURTENAY. Two vols.

8vo. London: 1836.

Mr. Courtenay has long been well known to politicians as an industrious and useful official man, and as an upright and consistent member of Parliament. He has been one of the most moderate, and, at the same time, one of the least pliant members of the Conservative party. His conduct has, indeed, on some questions been so Whiggish, that both those who applauded and those who condemned it have questioned his claim to be considered as a Tory. But his Toryism, such as it is, he has held fast through all changes of fortune and fashion; and he has at last retired from public life, leaving behind him, to the best of our belief, no personal enemy, and carrying with him the respect and goodwill of many who strongly dissent from his opinions.

This book, the fruit of Mr. Courtenay's leisure, is introduced by a preface in which he informs us that the assistance furnished to him from various quarters "has taught him the superiority of literature to politics for developing the kindlier feelings, and conducing to an agreeable life." We are truly glad that Mr. Courtenay is so well satisfied with his new employment, and we heartily congratulate him on having been driven by events to make an exchange which, advantageous as it is, few people make while they can avoid it. He has little reason, in our opinion, to envy any of those who are still engaged in a pursuit from which, at most, they can only expect that, by relinquishing liberal studies and social pleasures, by passing nights without sleep and summers without one glimpse of the beauty of nature, they may attain that laborious, that invidious, that closely watched slavery which is mocked with the name of power.

The volumes before us are fairly entitled to the praise of diligence, care, good sense, and impartiality; and these qualities are sufficient to make a book valuable, but not quite sufficient to make it readable. Mr. Courtenay has not sufficiently studied the arts of selection and compression. The information with which he furnishes us, must still, we apprehend, be considered as so much raw material. To manufacturers it will be highly useful; but it is not yet in such a form that it can be enjoyed by the idle consumer. To drop metaphor, we are afraid that this work will be less acceptable to those who read for the sake of reading, than to those who read in order to write.

We cannot help adding, though we are extremely unwilling to quarrel with Mr. Courtenay about politics, that the book would not be at all the worse if it contained fewer snarls against the Whigs of the present day. Not only are these passages out of place in a historical work, but some of them are intrinsically such that they would become the editor of a third-rate party newspaper better than a gentleman of Mr. Courtenay's talents and knowledge. For example, we are told that, "it is a remarkable circumstance, familiar to those who are acquainted with history, but suppressed by the new Whigs, that the liberal politicians of the seventeenth century and the greater part of the eighteenth, never extended their liberality to the native Irish, or the professors of the ancient religion." What schoolboy of fourteen is ignorant of this remarkable circumstance? What Whig, new or old, was ever such an idiot as to think that it could be suppressed? Really we might as well say that it is a remarkable circumstance, familiar to people well read in history, but carefully suppressed by the Clergy of the Established Church, that in the fifteenth century England was in communion with Rome.

We are tempted to make some remarks on another passage, which seems to be the peroration of a speech intended to have been spoken against the Reform Bill: but we forbear.

We doubt whether it will be found that the memory of Sir William Temple owes much to Mr. Courtenay's researches. Temple is one of those men whom the world has agreed to praise highly without knowing much about them, and who are therefore more likely to lose than to gain by a close examination. Yet he is not without fair pretensions to the most honourable place among the statesmen of his time. A few of them equalled or surpassed him in talents; but they were men of no good repute for honesty. A few may be named whose patriotism was purer, nobler, and more disinterested than his; but they were of no eminent ability. Morally, he was above Shaftesbury; intellectually, he was above Russell.

To say of a man that he occupied a high position in times of misgovernment, of corruption, of civil and religious faction, that nevertheless he contracted no great stain and bore no part in any great crime, that he won the esteem of a profligate Court and of a turbulent people, without being guilty of any disgraceful subserviency to either, seems to be very high praise; and all this may with truth be said of Temple.

同类推荐
  • 天机经

    天机经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 噎膈反胃门

    噎膈反胃门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 优婆夷志

    优婆夷志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宋景濂先生未刻集

    宋景濂先生未刻集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说无能胜大明王陀罗尼经

    佛说无能胜大明王陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 穿越从零开始的异世界生活

    穿越从零开始的异世界生活

    一个普通高中男生穿越到了re0的世界,他不知道关于这个世界的任何信息,而这个世界里的各种事件也因他而发生了改变,他是否能在这个世界上找到回家的路?无数的轮回与难关等待着他……
  • 天才萌宝:庶女娘亲不好惹

    天才萌宝:庶女娘亲不好惹

    大婚之夜,无端被人掳走。归来后,却已非完璧,还有孕在身。一纸休书,她受尽白眼和讽刺,成为了京城人人闻之而不屑的弃妇。然而……两眼一睁,白捡了一个聪明腹黑又天才的萌宝儿子!作为二十一世纪王牌佣兵的她表示,需要吃根辣条静静……眨眼之间懦弱胆小不复,嫡妹下陷害,狠狠反击,皇子羞辱鄙夷,十倍奉还!母子联手,这世上只有她们想要和不想要的东西!扮猪吃老虎,伪善又嚣张,在她面前谁敢猖狂?然而却偏偏有个不怕死的天天在她眼前晃!“龙少辰,你信不信我现在就杀了你?”某男手牵萌宝,笑得一脸狡黠,“娘子若是下得去手,舍得咱们宝贝没有爹,那就……动手吧!”【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 与美女的孤岛生活

    与美女的孤岛生活

    公司的一次大抽奖,我竟然抽到了头奖,水机跨国太平洋到欧美的7日游,但是刚上填不就,就下地了,到了一个不知道是哪的荒岛,手机不能用,只好按着鲁宾逊漂流记的方法生存,但也不全是坏事,我竟然和国民女神,娇小萝莉,漂亮御姐她们一起生活......这是我的第一本书,大家买个面子,帮我看看好好点评。谢谢。
  • 改革大佬王安石

    改革大佬王安石

    历史上,改革人物向来受到争议,而尤以宋朝的王安石为最甚。有人骂他是“民贼”,是“古今第一小人”;有人赞他是“圣人”,是“古今第一完人”。罪恶的阴影与神圣的光环从来没有如此纠结地围绕在同一个人身上,除了王安石。北宋神宗年间,王安石以“天变不足畏,祖宗不足法,人言不足恤”的精神,推出一系列变革措施,力图挽救积弊已久的大宋王朝。可是,他试图富国强兵,却招致朝中几乎所有大臣的群起攻击;他想要为民谋利,不料百姓却拿他像猪狗一样谩骂。而且,他不但生前不被看,理解,死后数百年也都背负着骂名,直到近代才有人为其翻案。
  • 我的女友叫阿飘

    我的女友叫阿飘

    "神秘女孩李若兰是东江大学的大一新生,在新生报道的第一天,就在居住的四号女生寝室楼的楼顶救下了一名试图跳楼的女孩。南方男孩麦世荣在去东江大学报道的火车上,偶遇同样去报道的漂亮女孩柳梦璃,并对其产生爱慕之情。到达学校后柳梦璃竟成了李若兰的室友,同时住进寝室的还有其它六名性格各异的女生。刚刚住进四号女生寝室楼的新生不断遇到各种诡异恐怖的事件,神秘恐怖的六楼更是被列为学校禁地,同时两个凄惨的传说也在学生之间流传。你身边遇到的每一个人真的是人吗?那些传闻又有多少是真是假?"
  • 大道窥天

    大道窥天

    色彩缤纷的浩瀚历史长河,神话滔滔,开天辟地的伊始,封神榜,大洪水,诸神的黄昏,诸多瑰丽的传说故事纷纷而来,把握住世界神话的脉络,让我们一起在神话的历史当中畅游,跟随着我们的猪脚一起走过。修真不为杀人夺宝,只为了追求天下间所有的道理,让这个天再也没有奥秘……这本书写的是一种孜孜不倦的追求!
  • 快穿王者之英雄,对不起

    快穿王者之英雄,对不起

    云笙死了,意外之下绑定了一个系统。系统:宿主宿主!做任务了!这次是李白啊!云笙:死开,不做
  • 我掌仙府

    我掌仙府

    漆黑的夜晚,风萧上完夜班回家,在半路路过一偏僻的胡同时,突听求救,他奋身而出,在一番周旋下总算救下一明眸皓齿,姿容绝佳的少女,第二天在半路就被人绑架,身已死,偶然得到的一枚石珠此时却意外认主成功。
  • 豪门虐恋之错爱

    豪门虐恋之错爱

    为了儿时承诺,她不惜背弃家族嘱托,以股权合并的方式成为他的妻子。但怎知,他早已另外心有所属。婚后,他不断折磨,羞辱,甚至日夜与那患精神疾病的初恋厮混,她这才知道,原来心碎的感觉就是麻木的毫无知觉。但另外一个男人的出现,却改变了她原本苦涩的生活轨迹。他说,这纸离婚协议只要你签字便即可生效,但有一点,你莫家的股权支配还是归我颜安勋所有。她冷笑,划去那最残忍的一条协议,潇洒签字。再见面,却只得到她因病逝世的消息,双胞胎姐姐继承全部家产,当她画着魅惑的妆容,挽着他弟弟的胳膊谈笑风生的时候,他突然发现,原来早在很久之前他便已经爱上了她。勾唇,她举止轻挑而冷漠,颜总,咱们的帐是不是也该仔细算个清楚了?
  • 狂女重生:妖孽王爷我要了

    狂女重生:妖孽王爷我要了

    惨遭未婚夫退婚,依旧面不改色,却对绑架自己的丑男露出小女儿神态!面对他人刁难,一鸣惊人英姿展,反倒被个“轮椅男”耍的团团转?李宛如是谁,和硕公主又是谁,自己的身体,却隐藏着自己都不知道的秘密!这个世界太危险,被扔下井,被绑上山,只是我自有福星照耀,纵有千难万险,也有我牢靠的独木桥。只是独木桥也有靠不住的时候,且看我“临时”公主如何在异国他乡横冲直撞,过五关,斩六将。情节虚构,请勿模仿