P
age
6,
verse
5 , for
beau t e ous rea d bounteo us
.
P R E FA C E
.
has so few fitting opportunities of address
i ng his reade rs on the subj ect of hi s own compositions
that the author of T h e G o lden A ge trusts he will be
pardoned for seizing this oc casion to make the follow
i ng brief observations
Though partly retrospective
theywould not have been expressed at all but for thei r
be a ring on his future designs
I t is just ten years since he published T h e Sea
so n
and he has no reason to complain of the recep
tion accorded to it both then and since especiall ywhen
he refle c ts that its literary metho d a nd i t s ethical aim
are diametrically oppose d to the form and purpose
of those poetical compositions for whi ch the taste of
our da y has shown so deci ded a partiality But about
a twelvemonth after the first appearance of T h e Sea
s o n he vent ure d to submit to the public a lon er and
g
more ambitious work entitled T h e H uma n T ra gedy
A
WR I T E R
,
.
,
.
,
,
‘
.
,
,
,
.
Vi
P R E FA CE
Its fate is accurately
des c ribe d
.
by a foreign critic
:
‘
9e
ma n p O Eme fa t s i mp lement vo né a n né a nt et
r eg a rdé c o mme no n a vena
Aft er explaining what
Ce
ro
-
,
.
,
in his opinion wa s the c ause of this indifferenc e he
is goo d enough to a dd : Une i ndifié renee i mmé r i t é e
,
,
,
h dt o ns
vell e
a va
it
-
noa s
de l a dé c la r er ,
é t a i t de b ea u c o up
f
ai
t
'
31
ra
g
nd
b rdi t
a
t t endn ga e
s a p é r t enr e a
l
’
aeuvr e no u
n p O Eme
dent
on
’
.
It is be c ause this O pinion is like wise the opinion
of the author himself a nd is strongly confirme d by
,
privately expresse d t estimony of persons on whos e
d
r
ro
u
ment
a
n
can
d
ou
r
h
n
best
e
ly
that
he
d
e
c
a
j g
p
poses to pers ist i n a s ch eme h e has long ent ert a ined
of giving to T h e H uma n T r a g edy that fourfol d as
—
evelopment
the
t
n
d
R
eli ious the Romantic
e
c
a d
g
p
—
the E thni c al a nd t h e Humanitarian which it s eems
to him unhappily but too capabl e of assuming H e
c a n only say that h e has sou ht to arrive at no su ch
g
con clusion still l e ss to be its mouthpie c e a nd inter
preter T hey have both forc e d themselves upon him
t he
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
S ati i que Anglais R u d D en M nd
If the autho i s obliged to bo ow the lan
1 5 S eptemb e 1 8 65
guage of a fo eign c itic it is because his wo ks have never had
the honou of being c iticised in his native tongue
Un R omancier
r
r
e
es
r
.
r
ev
r
r
r
,
a:
rr
r
.
o
es ,
P RE FA C
E
v ii
.
and he appears to have no option I n obe di ence to
this new task T h e H uma n T ra gedy as it ori gi nally
stood and which treate d only of what i s strangely
called the softer passion has been withdrawn from
c irc ulation
A s for the following Satir e it has occupied the
author s min d for several years and his pen for several
months But for the absorbing duel between Franc e
and G erm any of which he was throughout a close
spe ctator it w ould have been publi shed last autumn
H e long resi ste d writing it but now that it is written
and i s being given to the world he must add that it
expresses hi s most profound if melancholy c onvi c
tions
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
’
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
c
M a r h 1 6t h , 1 8 7 1
.
ARG
UME
NT
.
olden Age Its disappear ance Its pro mi sed r eturn
Non ful fil ment of the P romi se
T h e c r aving after and joyful dis
c overy of A nothe r ;
and the foundation through the pur suit of
G old of the G olden A ge a s a per manent institution
T h e view
of e xistence which fir st pr esents itself to the ingenuous boy T h e
destruction of his day dr eams by golden e xperience and his per
version to r ational views of l i fe H is success O ccasionall y even
his failur e T h e early lays of L eli us and his final domestication
in G rub str eet Comparison of so called artists their me rits and
r ewar ds
with those of the r eal artists of othe r times L ove of
the simple girl for Hylas h er admir ation for S olon h er r espect
fo r Cato and h er marr iage with C r oesus
T h e r esults of this
happy un ion T h e car eer of P lutus H e fli ng s his pur se to the
heavenly maid O lympia who picks it up amid the congratula
tions of the polite world T heir agr eeable life together and final
separ ation in the D ivorce Cou rt whe r e P lutus has hi s horns
tipped wi th gold T h e r age for gold by no means confined
to the base born or the vulgar T h e wa r hor se r efined to the
two year old to gratify modern aristocr atic tastes and aspir a
tions T h e S tory of L ucullus T h e H orr or s of Wa r e x changed
fo r the H o rr or s of P eace ; Feudalism supplanted by Competition ;
and For ce deposed i n favour of Fr aud T h e domestic misery
wrought by the latter compar ed wi th the havoc i mputed by H is
tory to the former consider ed at length T h e wealth and splen
dour of L ondon Its pove rty and s qualor T h e G olden M ean
between these two e xtr emes and some of the G olden M ean s con
se quences A dulter ation of Food L ife belts made of str aw
Baby farming and Infanticide T hanks to G old Woman as case
first
THE
G
.
.
.
-
.
,
!
,
.
.
-
,
,
.
.
.
,
-
-
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
,
,
.
-
-
.
-
-
,
.
.
.
,
.
,
.
.
’
,
.
.
-
.
-
.
,
A R C HI V E /VT
xi
.
har dened as M a n Clar a and Claribel O ur P rivate Worth e qualled
by o ur P ublic V irtue S ervility and B ribery the paths to P arlia
ment M en s mode of getting into it matched by their an xiety for
their country when they succeed T h e powerlessness of such L e
T h e L o r ds as se rvile as
gi sl a t ors to a rrest or cont rol the C rowd
the Commons and fo r the same motives T h e Ar istocracy implor ed
to be honest i f they are not allowed to be wise and to save their
Country by a virtuous e x ample T h e M use s R emonstr ance with
a young P r ince O ur Foreign P oli cy as much dir ected by the love
of gold as our domestic fortunes T h e abandonment of D enmark
T h e S econd Fr ench E mpir e built on gold
Its disappearance in a
day T h e French Army and Nation alik e corrupted by gold and
their successive defeat and humiliation T h e V ictor coax ed home
wards over a bridge of gold P arallel between E ngland and
France
G old the guiding G eni us of both
O ur P eace a t any
price P olicy and our gradual di smembe rment of the E mpir e in orde
to save our gold T h e futili ty of such a cour se demonstrated
T h e comparison with T arpeia and the culminating betr ayal of
E ngland
S ummons to Britain to confront the world in arms if
necessary Faili ng spirit enough for that the A uthor prays that
the glacial period may return and the Isla nd be once more wrapped
in impenetr able mists
.
.
.
’
.
.
.
.
,
,
,
’
.
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
.
.
-
-
r
,
.
.
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
G OLDE N AGE
THE
L O NG
.
ere the Muse the strenuous chords had swept
And the first lay as yet in sil ence slept
,
,
A Time there was which since has stirred the lyre
T o notes of wail and accents warm with fire ;
hi s
Moved the soft Mantuan to
A nd h i m
who sobbed in
n
a
e
t
p
silve ry strain a
,
me t ri c
pain ;
I)
birthplace of Vi rgi l i s conclusively asce rtained to have
been close to Mantua howeve r scholars may dispute about the spot
of his interment T h e lines howev e r which are known to hav e once
b een inscri bed on the tomb in whose p resence Bocc a ccio abjured
the mercantile pur suits to which h i sfather had dedicated him must
always r emain an admir able summary of his l ife and labours :
Mantua me genui t ; C alabri ra puere ; tenet nunc
P a rthenope
Cecini pascua rur a duces
1
I fear the re is a sufficient number of learned people i n this
The
,
.
,
,
,
’
.
,
,
.
’
D
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
.
T o which the Wo rld wa x ed desolate and old
,
F ondly rever ts and calls the Age of G old
,
,
.
Then without toil by vale and mountain
,
,
side
,
Men found their few and simple wants supplied
Plenty like dew d r opp e d subtle fr om the
,
,
a i r,
And E arth s fai r gifts r os e prodigal as p r aye r
’
.
world to make it necessary to state that though the a lternation
of the pentameter with the hex ameter which constituted in L atin
the elegiac met e was the favourite metrical method of O vid and
is one of the chief beauties of the T ri s t z a his well known pass
age o n the A ge of G old and its successor s occur s in a poem
wher e the he x amete r alone is employed T hough I don t think I
eve r knew the passage in question by heart and had certainly
not read it for nearly twenty year s when I wrote the opening lin es
of this satir e how largely I was indebted to unconscious r ec oll ec
tion of it may be seen by a r eference to the first book of the
M et a morp h o ses v 8 9 1 50
,
,
r
,
,
'
-
,
’
.
,
c
,
,
.
-
.
TH E
G OLDEN
A GE
3
.
L ove with no charms e x cept its own to lu r e
,
Was swiftly answere d by a love as pu r e
No
need
fo r
.
wealth ; each glitte ring fruit an d
flowe r
E ach sta r
!
Fa r i n
,
’
each streamlet
lowe r
made the maiden s
.
the futur e l urked mate rnal th r o es
,
And children blossomed painless as the rose
No
‘
’
.
harrowin g question why no to rturing how
’
‘
,
Bent the lithe frame or knit the youthful b row
The gr owing mind had naught to se ek
or
L ike the plump fig it ripened in the sun
.
.
shun ;
.
’
F r om dawn to dark Man s life was steeped in j oy
And the gray sir e was happy as the boy
.
N at in e with Man yet waged no t r oublous st ri fe
'
And D eath was almost easier than L ife
.
,
,
THE G OLDEN A GE
4
.
o a k,
S afe on its native m ountains thr ove the
No r ever g r oaned neath greed s r elentless stroke
’
No
’
fear of loss no restlessness for mo r e
,
0
,
D rove the p oo r marine r fr om sho r e to sh ore
No
distant mines by p enury divined
,
Made him the sport of fickle wave
.
.
,
or
wind
.
Rich for secu re he checked each wish to roam
,
And hugged the safe felicity of h o me
‘
jl
.
It has been obj ected by a private critic that fear of loss
does not drive people from shor e to shor e whatever r estlessness
for mor e may do But I submi t that we have r eached that r efined
pitch of civilisation at which men hold their wealth with so little
sense of security that it is often the positiv e dread of its slipping
away from them which makes them plunge into speculation
‘
1 H e r e the latent r emi niscence of O vid becomes mo r e marked
H e w rites :
No ndum c aesa suis per e gri num ut vi s er et o rh em
M ont i b us in li quidas pinus de s c ender a t undas
Null a qu e mortales p raeter sua li t ora nora nt
which I lately discover ed D ryden has thus r ende r ed :
T h e mountain t r ees in distant p r ospect please
E re yet the pine descended to the seas ;
‘
c
’
,
,
’
.
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
6
!
TH E
G OLDEN
A GE
.
But when that cruel Fiat smote the ea rth
P rimeval
!
o
y
was p oisoned at its birth
.
I n sorr ow stole the infant fr om the womb
.
The ag ed c r ept in so rr ow to th e tomb
The ground so beauteous once
,
,
r
,
.
efused to bear
Mo r e than was w rung by sowe r
shar e
,
,
seed
and
,
.
O fttimes would r uthless winds or torrents
ra
ze
The rip eni n g fr uit of t oilsome nights and days
E ach
o ne
in tu r n gr e w
And fenced his patch
stone
ea l ou s
w ith
of his
.
o w n,
ditch and churlish
.
As g r ee d upros e and gr eed e ngende red strife
,
Contention r age d coincident with life
,
.
Man aga i nst man maid ag ainst maiden turned
,
And
the
soft br east with envious
a s s l o ns
p
burned
.
TH E
The loss of one
was
G OLDEN
A GE
.
hailed as othe rs gain
’
,
And pleasur e to ok unnatur al birth fr om pain
.
G oaded by woe and thr ough t radition s lore
’
,
Mindful of all the blissfulness of yo r e
,
The H uman Race its so rr ows to assuage
,
D r eamed afa r o ff a second G olden Age ;
N 0t
in the
di m i rr evocable
Past
,
But in a Future just as vague and vast
’
.
’
The prophet s lips the poet s flat t ering pen
,
Revelle d in fo r ecasts of that golden Then
,
.
The days should come when grief wo ul d be no
mo r e
And Peace and Plenty rule from shore to shore ;
All men alike enj oy wha t non e did earn
A nd
even mo r e than Satur n s Reign
’
,
r e t i un
.
8
G OLDEN
TH E
As year s rolled
o n,
A GE
.
as centuries went by
,
And still that Promised Time seeme d no more
nigh
f
,
Mankind at length outwear ied with delays
,
G ave up all hop e o f thos e s eductive days
Then othe r prophets other scribes ar ose
,
A near e r sur er E den to disclose
,
O
long befooled
-
,
l
’
,
.
,
.
they said
awake
,
,
an d
deem
The Past a tale the Futur e but a dream
,
.
H e r e in the living Present act your pa rt
,
,
,
g
Str aining its vulgar blessings to your heart
.
We have still among us a sanguine race of mort als who b e
lieve that the G olden A ge is not behind us but still to come
and that we a re marching steadil y and perceptibly towar ds it
P e rhaps the events of the last few year s ha v e somewhat shaken
the holders of this ami able c reed
8 T his would seem to be the theo r
y favour ed by the p r esent
i
,
,
.
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
9
.
L et hand with hand and b rain with b rain con
tend
And each
o ne
,
labour to some selfish end
I n wealth and riot lu x ury and power
,
.
,
Baffle the mocke ry of the transient hou r
.
I f thousands fall if tens of thousands bleed
,
,
Will not a hun dr ed or a sco r e succeed ?
,
,
L et those who cannot yield to those
Fate has its
p i les
who
can
of victims ; why
no t
Man
B etter a furious fight where some
o ne
wins
Than sluggish life which ends as it begins
L aur eate
,
?
,
.
and much in vogue at the time of his writing T h e G o lden
Y ea r
What stuff is this !
O l d write r s pushed t h e happy season back
T h e mo r e fools they —w e fo rwar d ; dreame r s bo t h
but well I know
T hat unto him who works and feels he wo rks
T his same gr and year is eve r at the doo r s
,
,
,
’
.
.
G OLDE N
TH E
1 0
A GE
.
Vain was the bar d who whilst the \Vo rld was
n ew ,
,
’
Twi x t men and beasts the fond distinction d r ew
,
That thes e confine th e ir downwar d gaze to earth
Whilst man lo oks up enamour e d of his birth
,
N ot in the skies but deep beneath the soil
,
,
11
.
,
.
The r e will you
fin d y o u r
happiness
a nd
spoil
E nough fo r brutes its simple face to know
.
,
But godlike man must pie r ce and delve b e lo w
D eep in its bowels seek the shining
o re,
And at its touch shall Satur n r eign once mo r e
Fo r him whose thews
clear
sound
,
w hos e
fir m,
the G olden Age is he r e
cum s pec t ent animalia cete ra t erra m
O s b omini sublime dedit c oel umqu e tue ri
! u s si t et e r ectos ad side r a toller e vul t u s
O vid M et i 8 4 6
P r ona qu e
,
,
’
.
,
-
,
.
.
.
vision
,
Whos e purpose
11
a re
.
.
’
.
TH E
N eve r from cave
G OLDEN
or
A GE
1 1
.
t ripod mount
or
,
I s sued a voice so welcomed so obeyed
.
glade
,
.
F r om zone to zone the G olden G ospel flew
And in its trai nmankin d obedient d r e w
,
.
S ee fr om thei r seat s the ancient G ods dethroned
,
’
di s o w n d
Altar s upset and o racles
.
,
The Mus e s , scared conceal the smother ed lyr e ;
,
No
longe r prized the G r aces swift retir e
,
Vi rtue a butt for ribalds seeks her shroud
,
,
And even Venus veils he rself in cloud
Religion E thics all men e rst adored
,
,
H ymne d on the ha rp
,
or
fought
fo r
,
.
,
with the swo rd
All lofty scopes all ends esteemed of old
,
,
.
D issolve like mist befo r e the r age fo r gold
The p riest
Fo r
fo r
gold makes tra ffic
gold the soldie r desolates
o f hi s
the
.
robe ;
globe ;
.
G OLDEN
TH E
1 2
The po et shapes
fo r
A GE
.
gold his venal lays
Through gold Vice stalks caparisoned with prais e
T empted by gold the vir gin sells
,
Though no Immortal slips i nto
h er
h er
charms
.
,
arms i
.
S addled with gold the adventure r can buy
,
Titles precedence
,
,
lace
and
p
,
di gnity
.
H igh middle low the young the rip e the o ld
,
,
,
,
Man woman child live die
,
,
,
,
,
a re
,
,
damned for G old
S oon as the youthful mind begins to
o
.
e
p ,
I t searches L ife s signi ficance and scop e ;
’
And fed by generous impulse year by year
,
D reams fo r itself some glo rious career
,
.
Immortal char acter of the str ange visitor of D anae
as H orace with e xquisite ambigui ty e x
c onvers e i n p re t i um D eo
p resses i t —no doubt l argely consoled h er pagan par ents In these
Christian times the consolation wo ul d arise r ather from the v alu
a ble form in which he cloaked his misdoing
i
The
,
.
,
.
1
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
4
.
S oon doth he learn to count his lovely schemes
A host of bubbles in a wo rld of dr eams
.
E xpe rience whispers early H ave a car e !
,
Who with the Muse would li v e must live on
a ir
.
’
The tempting maid is but a p o et s lie
,
.
b uy j
’
Who gave to song what gold could n eve r
.
Confront the wo rld take counsel with the thr ong ;
,
’
The thing s not wo rth a
Their ver dict what 9
song
’
.
Are you content you now have learnt you price
?
r
’
Come sink the Muse and don t be quite so nice
,
,
Start a new Company and float the shar es
,
.
,
Then lunch with Ministe r s and din e with Mayors
5
H er e s to h er who long
H ath waked the poet s sigh
T h e girl who gave to song
What gold could never buy
’
’
,
’
.
hdo ore
.
.
THE G OLDEN
A GE
I
.
5
’
Pimp for a Par ty p raise a P r emie r s hea rt
,
,
H ead a subscription and then shine —a Bart
,
.
Return your income fifty thousand clear
’
The devil s in it
,
Success so gr eat
’
or
is
you ll die a peer
’
.
neve r done by halves
’
Tis only virtue when tis gr eatest starves
,
,
.
Perhaps his breast untutore d yet to serve
,
Spurns the base counsel with a p r oud rese rve ;
Fo r
Youth is stubbo rn and when N atu r e draws
,
’
I n vai n a pa r ent s wa rning wisdom s saws
’
,
.
L et c ravens st raight thei r impotence confess
And sell their birth right
I n flowe rs s ee
hive s
And
fo r
fo r
a fi lthy mess
bee like nought but stuff for
-
,
,
,
,
foul luc r e prostitute their lives
1
6
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
.
They have not faile d who never once hav e
tried
,
O r if they failed they failed for want of pride
,
,
.
’
H e he at least his soul will ne er demean
,
,
’
But mong the foul will keep his honour clean
0
.
touching sight to witness day by day
,
H is Splendid generous day dr eams fade away !
-
H is sir e reproaches and his br others sco ff
,
,
H is mothe r doubts his sister s e en fall o ff
’
,
.
The neighbours pity str ange r s deem him ma d ;
,
G irls smiling whisper What a foolish lad !
,
,
,
Meanwhile his comp e er s star ted in the race
,
,
Are swiftly ma r ching on to p ower and place
O ne makes a
A nother
’
s
cou
p
,
and weds a wife of ran k ;
junior partner in a bank
.
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
1
.
7
A third in sugar with unscriptural hand
T ra ffics ,
and builds a lasting ho u se
sand
on
A fourth for beer and piety renowned
,
,
O w ns all the publics in the count ry r ound ;
I ts
.
drink adulterates with face demure
1‘
,
But bu rns with zeal to keep O pinion pure ;
Cares
no t o ne
j
for bodies drunk
ot
or
sick
But scans your soul like a new D ominick
The fift h the patron
,
of
a new balloon
,
.
,
Proj ects a Company to reach the moon ;
What the
final cause of the connection may be it i s not
easy to say ; but few things strike a b o ndfide trav elle r in th e
home counties at least as more r emarkable than that our most
sever e political pietists give what may be c a lled the saints names
to the p rincipal public houses and bee r shops T h e fact that they
a re likewise a ll eno rmously rich
and nearly all of them membe rs
of the H ouse of Commons perhaps helps to e xplain the ph enome
non somewhat
1‘
’
,
-
,
,
,
’
-
-
,
,
.
.
1
G OLDEN
TH E
8
A GE
Baits his p r ospectus with a batch
.
of
p eers
,
And vows nought pays l ike money in the Spheres
—
Sha es in the mo on a dvanced advancing still
r
Then comes a crash— stock g uaranteed at nil
But sur e the man is ruined ?
,
.
.
N ot at all ;
H e scar ce can tumble who has sense to crawl
.
Your mode r n I c a r us i s much to o wise
O n his
ow n
pinions to attempt the skies
’
O n others s oar i ng follies doth he r i se
L ong
!
e re
.
the bubble bur st his shar es were sold ;
ust at that moment he had need
Singed wings
,
of
gold
.
know are but for simple
u
o
y
,
folk ;
’
H e with his p e ers scapes safe fr om flame and
,
,
s
moke
,
And buys a borou gh with the happy stroke
.
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
Few
T
o
a re
fo r
the souls who die
9
1
.
’
Cato s cr eed :
fail seems base when all around succeed
,
1
.
Foiled in his purpose both by fo e and friend
,
Through noble means to reach a noble end
T h e b a fll e d boy
,
forswear s his che rished dream
,
And learns to swim like others with the stream
,
,
!
een
t
o r
ecove r p r ecious moments lost
,
And taught by bitter tasks what Virtue cost
,
H e midst the rush whilst othe r s rise and fall
,
S w ims
o n,
the most i ms c rupul o u s
of
.
all
,
.
L et others chouse wi th care he cheats with pluck
,
And millions stake their all up on his luck
H is daring ove rawes the small the gr eat
,
,
.
,
And whilst he plunde r s they but peculat e
.
c a us a D i i s p l a c u i t s ed v i c t a C a t o ni by some people
deemed an irr eve rent not to say blasphemous line is par aphr ased
in our times with cynical bre vity Nothing succeeds like success
1
Vi c t ri x
‘
,
,
,
,
,
’
.
TH E
20
G O L D E ZV A G E
.
H e lur es the easy makes the fat his spoil
,
Pares the lean wage
of
,
proletarian toil ;
Swindles the widow of her hoarde d mite
D
r
a g s the poo r p ensione r once more to fight ;
Robs
age of rest and youth
,
P lunges
the
sa n
l
i
re
u
g
of
prospects fair
bri degro om
in
,
despai r ;
S evers the ties made sacr ed long by home
,
And sends th e son fr om sir e acr oss the foam
D ashes
the faith
of
plighted swain an d maid
And helps alone the cynic s e x ton s spade
’
D oes all that well beseems a Fallen Star
It
needs a L ucife r to fall s o far !
S ometimes will Fortune
on
the t raitor scowl
And e en with gold not pay a deed s o foul
’
.
H e who was bo rn a glitteri ng child of light
Trenchant as Raphael as
,
I t h uri el
bright
,
,
,
TH E
22
G OLDEN
A GE
.
I n vain he turns to catch the favouring gale ;
B ecalmed he lies—h e labours but to fail
.
Po or and despised he now wo ul d fain r etrace
,
H is errin g steps to his fi r st dwelling place
-
,
But finds alas ! baseness hath bo rne its fruit ;
,
Wings long unused ha v e withered at the r oot
H e who in vain has crawled in vain woul d fly
A nd r o t s
.
abandoned both by earth and sky
.
,
.
Meane r his end than that po or tradesman s
’
do om
,
Wh o asked what words o f honour
,
on
his tomb
H is fr iends should place with cynic touch
,
plied
H ere li es
m The
t a ph ,
r e-
r
,
w h o,
born a man a grocer died !
’
m
,
litera l translation of a terse and affecting French
N 6 h o mme—
mor t
epi
r
TH E
G OLDEN
Whom doth this fo e
L ook
r
ound !
fair
I ts
of
A GE
23
.
human virtue spare
?
More sweet its victims the more
,
.
natu ral slaves who spawned from wealth , are
,
,
bo rn
To
T ra ffic
'
’
’
s
Whose lust
It
’
just as
t ricks they lack the soul to scorn
fo r
of
t
lucre is their p r oper lot
impov erishes as not
,
.
Tis those in whom the Unseen G od inspires
The restless leaven
of
divine desires ;
Who fr om the moment that they lisp be tray
,
,
An alien spirit housed within thei r clay ;
’
Whos e fretful youth life s narrow limits chafe
And yearns
fo r
wo rlds m bre spacious if less safe ;
,
Strivin g to reach despite its
,
T h a t l a rg er
'
,
fl e sh l y
thrall
,
S omething which surrounds us all
THE G OLDEN A GE
24
These thes e the so ul s — and
.
no t
,
that baser
band
To
whom G old loves to str etch a helping hand ;
With early smiles their generous aims to bless
And lead them blind to ruinous success
,
,
When
L el i u s
,
.
chanted first his fragrant lays
,
Men praised and he was amply paid with praise
,
No t salons sycophant
’
,
no r
’
Fas hion s bar d
,
No glittering heaps did his sweet notes reward
H e was content with audience fit though few
,
When to his side the cunni ng demon drew
’
Your pen s worth gold ;
‘
u
o
y
.
,
.
need but blunt its
point ;
Come
,
ou t
the Muse ; the times
a r e o ut
of j oint
.
’
Fame s well enough but comfo r t has its laws ;
,
’
.
You ll make a damned p o or supp er
of
f
applause
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
Sing
,
be
2
.
select and starve
,
The th ing that pays
P r os e is the thing
.
!
The Million now is
.
5
ing
.
—
Write gossip scandal slander what you will
,
,
A well
-
fill e d purse
awaits a ready quill
The curst insi di ous demon has
And G rub street swallows
-
fo r
.
way
L el i u s fo r
Turn fr om the p en and
,
hi s
’
,
aye
.
’
a while
s ru v e y
'
The wide domains whi ch brush and canvas
sway
.
E nter those realms and what do we behold
,
Art heave nly
,
A rt ,
the slave and pimp
of
gold
p r evails an idea that an age of wealth is peculiarly
favour able to A rt and I believe that a gentleman has written a
volume to corroborate thi s popular commonplace I t is howeve r
a grievous delusion and arises from an inability to distingui sh
betw een technic and plastic A rt — a n inabil ity whi ch could e xist
onl y in an age albeit so rich and addi cted to fur nitur e withal so
e min ently unartistic as o ur own
‘
1
T her e
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
26
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
.
Time was when its poo r votaries were too proud
T o sate the itch
Serve
of
a vain glorious crowd
-
,
the mean aims of narrow p ersonal p elf
,
And swell the ignoble retinue of S elf
.
O nly the State which mer ges private ends
,
O
sacred Church
r
,
,
which lifts them and e xtends
’
Might then presume the artist s craft to claim
And paid him happy wi th immortal Fame
,
,
,
.
’
H ere Friendship s g uest where fairest Florenc e
,
,
lies
0
,
A dr eam i n stone st r etched out before mine eyes
,
I t hink
of
all the tr easures the r e e nshrined
,
,
And what small dole nurtur ed each maste r mind
A r ecor ding line of gr atitude to T A T roll O pe the historian
of T h e C ommo nwea l t h of Flo renc e and author of that charming
story L a B ea t a on the te r aces of whose e xquisite vi lla at R icor
boli ove rlooking the loveliest of all cities a considerable portion
of T h e G o l den A g e was composed
.
,
.
r
,
,
.
,
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
O
r
’
led by memo ry
o er
the classic ch ain
Which Umbrian slope divides fr om Tuscan
I
;
2
.
l
a i n, P
p
all the p riceless unbought gems r ecall
That link with heaven Assisi s fr escoed wall
’
Then borne
,
T o mine
wings
on
ow n
of
weakness I repair
,
land and gr oan to think that there
,
D ebase d by Fashion to a venal trade
,
,
Art counts its t riumphs by its fortunes made
It is of cour se only a spu r of the Apennines and not that
gr and r ange itself which breaks the continuity of T uscany and
mode rn Umb ri a
1‘
,
,
,
,
.
if one could think of giving to H eaven a local
habitation and a name it would b e to M y Fathe r s house con
taining many mansions whi ch rises ove r the bones of the unspeak
ably great Francis of Assisi and is so pr ofusely illustra te d by t h e
c ele sti al touches of G iot to a nd Cimabue
M any r eade rs will doubt
less r emembe r the lines of D ante :
Ch i d esso loco fa pa role
No n dica A scesi c h e dir ebbe co rto
M a O riente se p rop rio di r vuole
‘
1
C e rtainly
’
’
,
,
’
,
,
!
.
’
,
,
,
’
,
.
Xi
.
53 55
-
0
2
8
G OLDEN
TH E
S purned
A GE
.
by the State and by the Church
,
sought
un
!
,
Wo rks but for wealth and by the base is bought ;
,
Strange r to altar s palaces
,
Pampe r s the pomp
of
,
or
domes
,
ostentatious homes
.
’
changed the days since D u c c i o s hand
H ow
o f ol d
O n S aints and Vi rgins lavished costly gold ; s
oshua R eynolds in his T our t h roug h Fl a nders a nd H o l
l a nd obse rves that it may be worthy of consider ation how fa r the
c i rcumstance that P r otestant countries have thought p r ope r to
e xclude pictur es from their chu rches may be the cause of no P ro
testant country having eve r produced a history painter No doubt
such a prohibition woul d O perate as a check upon the production
o f good historical pictur es if the tendency to p r oduce them e xisted ;
but that the r emoval of it would not necessarily cr eate the tend
ency may be seen from the e x ecr able pictur es which adorn Italian
c h urc h e s built o r r enovated last century
and fr om the p resent
deplorable condition of Italian a rt
In the chapel called of the H oly S acrament in the Cathedr al
of S iena ther e is a work of this artist s in twenty seven compart
ments which owing to the amount of gold and ultramarine e x
pended on it cost 3000 golden fl ori ns ; whi lst D uc ci o s personal
wage was about twenty pounds E nglish
Si r !
‘
1
,
,
,
-
.
,
.
,
o
,
.
9
’
-
,
,
,
’
,
.
3
G O L D E ZV A G E
TH E
0
.
I n vain doth H eaven while G old thus rules
,
the earth
,
With gene r ous instincts
S wift
sow
the soul at birth
in the genial soil the seed takes r oot
.
,
Then seeks the sun with many a venturous shoot
But ah
,
,
h ow
so on
t
he
cruel outer
.
a ir
Checks the b rave gr owth and nips its promis e
fair !
Warmed by the glow
O
r
of
’
Tasso s splendid lay
borne by D ante t othe gates
of
D ay ;
’
S oftly seduced by S cott s romantic strain
T
O
o
deem all ends e x cepting honour vain ;
r
nobly tr ained by Shelley s burning song
,
,
’
T o cherish an eternal feud with wrong
T he
,
simple girl constructs a futur e fai r
Rears a whole world
,
of
castles in the air
,
,
31
And nowhere warned or deaf to warning deems
,
,
That li fe will clothe and justify her dreams
As year by year the maiden grows apace
And half the woman mantles i n her face
With sickening sense
hea rt
She s ees
Slowly ,
h er
but
,
,
sad eye
.
,
,
and sinking
,
,
forecasts
ah,
t oo
o ne
by
o ne
depa rt
.
find
surely doth she
That po ets tales no longe r rul e mankind ;
’
T
hat Peace is homeless as the hunted hare
And L ove
fa r
,
less a shelter than a snare
’
That godlike Valour meets a demon s do om
,
Whilst Prudence prospers even from the tomb ;
That Youth
‘
,
ways
G
r
oans
’
o er
save schooled
in
Mammon s mi ry
,
the lapse
of
unrequite d days
’
3
THE G OLDEN A GE
2
.
That B eauty G enius all are vain and cold
,
,
Till foully touched and fertilised by G old
S oon as the time so dear
to
,
.
’
mother s vows
D raws nigh to find the maid s ome fitting spouse
,
,
Then most O f all she learns what leading part
played by G old in dramas of the heart
Is
.
Chance to young Hylas beautiful as D awn v
,
,
And sweet as fair she feels her fancy drawn
,
Are you a nymph ?
o ne
whispers
.
.
L et him pass
H e doth but gather daisies in the grass
.
.
lov e of H ercules for Hylas who accompanied him on
his Argonautic e xpe di tion the submergence of the youth by the
Na ads on the coast of M ysia and the story of the golden apples
guar ded by the H esperides which among various other purposes
served as a wedding present to H er a when h er nuptials wer e cele
b ra t e d with Z eus —a r e they not all wr itten too fully in L emp rier e
for one to fear that the ensuing passage will be obscur e e v en t o
the least erudite of readers
V
The
,
,
'’
i
,
,
,
,
,
,
?
THE G OLDEN A G E
33
.
Where your cool wave hi dden fro m human eyes
,
I n which to lur e and love him till he dies
,
‘
3
Bid him rej oin his H e r cules and seiz e
,
The golden apples O f the H espe rides ;
And then perchance should non e mo r e rich than
,
he
E ngage your love you may his H era be
,
.
Alas p oor H ylas ! wors e than Mysian fate
,
D oth his meande ring flowery feet await
I f that a S olon versed in eve ry
,
a rt
.
W
’
O f song and science touch the maiden s heart
,
,
The neighbours softly whisper H ave a ca r e ;
,
Can E udition keep a chaise and pai
r
?
r
It may not be amiss to r emind E nglish r eade rs eve r
posed to suspect that the faculty of ima gination i s incompatible
with pr actical abilities that the great A the nian legislator fir st dis
t i ngui sh e d hi mself as a poet
W
,
,
.
G OLDEN
TH E
‘
34
A GE
.
Pundits alas like fools must pay their bills
,
,
,
nowl edge figures so rrily in wills
,
!
And
Fo r single life lear ning is well enough
But marriage should be made
’
Should Cato s fame
h er
O
.
,
f ste rne r
stuff
.
pious s oul attr act
,
The whole world cries The woman must be
,
cr acked
.
I s the gi rl awake
What ! wed with Virtue !
S ur e she confounds the altar with the stake
,
S end
fo r
the do ctor
Swear Cato dr inks
.
T ry
a change
ofa ir
‘
3
.
.
’
.
I n war and love all s fair
Bring C roesus to the fr ont
.
’
.
At four he s fr ee
’
The r e s no one left to swindle afte r three
In
o ne
.
brief hour behold him curled and
dr est
And borne
on
,
wings O f fashion to the West !
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
\Vh a t
35
.
though to regions fondly de e me d refin ed
H e b rings his City manners City mind
,
And cynics titte
,
—
h e laughs best who wins
?
r
'
A G r eenwich dinne r covers many sins
What ! dine with C roesus ?
Surely
,
,
.
I s a feast
.
’
O ne j ot the worse because the host s a beast ?
—
—
H e s worse than that a snob a
’
ca
d
Agre ed ;
But then his goblets smack of G anymede ?
D
O
ma r
some strange f eaks his conversation
r
H e stops your censure with a p rime cigar
.
A N o rway st eam a sho oting lodge in Pe rth
r
In
-
,
p r actice lo ok uncommonly like wo r th
.
The T own to hear some new soprano flocks
You long to go
?
Well Croesus has a bo x
,
H ow at this hour are tickets to be got
Fo r the Regatta ?
Croesus has a yacht
.
.
.
,
3
THE G OLDEN A GE
36
G oo dwood is here
.
Your hopes begin to flag
.
O ne chance awaits
y
ou :
Croesus
has
a drag
.
.
You doat n Flower—
shows C oesus has a bo ne
o
:
r
B e friends with C roesus and the
,
own
x
.
your
IVo rl d s
’
.
Who could resist seductions such as these ?
O r what could char
mif C oesus failed to pleas e
r
,
Blinded and bribed the cr itical
a re
,
cured
,
And loud e x tol whom late they scarce endured
Caressed and courted Croesus gr ows the
,
ra
ge
.
,
The typ e and glory of o ur G olden Age
And Cato H ylas S olon shoved aside
,
,
,
,
’
O ur heavenly maid is hailed as Croesus bride
.
Fo reigner s and perhaps even some provincials may r equir e
to be told that a bone is the name given to the ivory ticket of
a fellow of the Botanical S ociety which r epresents the power of
distributing admissions to its fl ower shows
I
,
,
’
,
-
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
8
3
Can honeyed fo rms
Alter the scope
O
or
f H eaven
.
stereotyp ed applause
’
s eternal laws ?
W h at though with gifts should massive si de
boar ds gr oan
,
And eve ry hear t be glad e x cept her own
,
And t r oops of blooming girls behold with p ride
,
Perchance with envy this resplendent bride ;
,
Though vicing voices hail her Fashion s queen
’
,
’
And even a Bishop s blessing crown the scene
NO
r
,
ites no rings no altars can avail
,
,
,
T o make a sacr ed cont ract of a sale
Stir the
fa r
,
depths of the r eluctant mind
,
O r j oin the hearts which love hath failed
bind
.
I f soul s tands passive whilst the flesh is sold
I s there no foul aroma in the gold ?
,
to
TH E
Is
G OLDEN A GE
39
.
the base barte r covered by the price
,
And do huge figure s make the nasty nice ?
The nameless outcast prowling
,
Renews
h er
fo r h e r
p r ey
,
filthy bargain day by day ;
L et C roesus give her what he gave his wife
,
—
She s virtuous t o o a t least she s his for life
’
’
,
Croesus — but hold !
.
L et Charity p r esume
’
That Croesus wife but dimly knew
h er
do om
.
The l uckless maid since knowledge comes to o
,
late
In
,
splendour seeks oblivion of her fate ;
O f every tender pious aim bereft
,
H ugs in despair the only idol left ;
I n alien worship seeks
And builds
h er
hopes
to
of
be consoled
happiness
on
,
G old
.
40
G old
rul e s
h er
steps determines her desires
,
Me r e pupp et she whilst Mammon
e rks the
,
wir es
.
Futile to ask if L ondon suits her health
Would you consult her docto r not her wealth
,
Y ou
soon are answered : Whether ill
A house in Town is indispensable
O n g r avel
Where shall it be ?
or
is the th ing not soil
,
or on
clay ?
.
I f Fashion s camp
’
.
B e pitched just here what matter
,
,
.
Wherever tenants have the most to pay
P r ice
well
dry
or
’
damp
But health apart tis known that Croesus wife
,
If
’
,
left to choose p r efers a country life
,
,
.
Well she shall have it when the Parks are
,
b rown
And F ashion
‘
,
,
w ea ried,
hath dispersed the Town
.
G OLDEN
TH E
But whilst the woods
\Vith lush wild
-
a re
fl o w e rs
ro
A GE
41
.
leafy and the lanes
z
,
b
life
of
half its pains ;
il e sweetest scents and softest s ounds combine
t
T o make e xistence did they last di v ine ;
,
,
’
N O t fo r the wo rld must C roesus wife be missed
’
F rom fetid streets foul r o oms and Fashion s list
,
,
And only thence to r ural r efuge flies
As self e xhausted pleasant Summer dies
-
,
,
.
Say shall we marvel amid scenes like these
,
,
\Vith
all to dazzle but with nought to please
,
,
,
I know of no a rgument again st the doctrine of free will
not even the e xistence of such places as the S even D ials —mor e
t roublesome and di fficult to contend against than the fact that
thousands of men and women annually leave t h e country when it
is become most lovely for L ondon when it is becoming most dis
agreeable In many i nstances a pe rfectly charming rur al home is
abandoned for stuffy lodgings in the par asitical str eet of a fashion
able s quare Can free will possibly di ctate so perve rse and s ur
p rising a course
,
,
.
.
?
If
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
42
.
links O f simple gold should fail to cleave
,
And tempte r s p r ompt their w ebs not vainly
weave
S ee Plutus fi r st in each ignoble strife
,
,
,
Battered and bo r ed bethinks him of a wife
,
.
The happy tidings spreading through the \Vest
,
Fir es each ma t erna fm erc ena ry br east
.
The s oaring dames parade thei r daughter s
charms
,
T o lure the hug of Plutus palsied arms
’
And as brave E ld for one fair woman fought
Fo r one foul ma n
At last
,
O
our
wo rld to r age is wrought
pining he might chance do worse
Plutus to p r oud O lympia
fl i ng s
his purse
O lympia lifts it with t riumphant smile
\Vh i l s t
r
,
,
.
,
ound her cr owds congratul ating gui le
,
.
,
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
43
.
E scorts her to the alta r decks her brows
,
With o r ange buds then lea v es her with her spouse
-
,
Who though his suit by golden showers thr ove
,
Can gr asp his D ana e with no thews of ! ove
0,
,
,
.
’
who shall tell O lympia s tale a right
,
E ach splendid day each miserable night ;
,
H er
thirst divine by human d raughts but slaked
H er
smiling face whilst the heart so r ely ached
,
O r note the edge whence one we loved s o well
T o sweet seductive base pe r dition fell ?
,
,
I
cast no stone but half by rage consoled
I
snatch the lyr e and curse this fiendish G old
,
’
Tho u gh Beauty s fame
the land
Splendour is
fa r
o ft S
,
.
preads through
,
mo r e curiously scanned ;
a ll
G OLDEN
TH E
44
A GE
.
And they who once upo n O lympia threw
A passing glance since she was fai r to view
,
,
’
N O W gilded p omp and O stentation s choir
A ttend h er
S uck
up
path
,
O
f gazing
never tir e ;
speech t ranslate her silent eyes
,
E ach movement look and postur e sc rutinise
,
h er
,
,
,
S talk
all
h er
steps as matron friend and wife
,
,
And feed in g r eedy gossip on
,
h er
life
,
.
N o t mine to follo w to the noisome den
’
Whe r e woman s fr ailty stands the gaze of men
,
And well coached menials limed with gold detail
-
,
T he
,
piteous scenes that pass behind the veil
.
E nough to kno w that thanks to wealth once more
,
,
Plutus can wo o e en richer than befo r e
’
,
T he
.
tottering cuckold leaves the court consoled ;
Considerate ju ries tip his horns with G old !
‘
THE G OLDEN A GE
46
!
7
.
ould you be t ruly rich how small the heap
,
Your aims requi r e the p rice how passing ch eap !
’
,
A modest house fr om urban jars r emoved
,
,
By thrift s elected yet by taste approv ed ;
,
Whos e walls
Whose
a re
w indows
Whos e chambers
Yet neve r
gay with every swe et that blows
sc ented by the blushing rose ;
wto n o fine airs pretend
fe
,
to o full to gr eet a friend ;
a re
A garden plot whither un bid den come
,
’
Bird s idle pip e and bee s laborious hum ;
’
Smo oth shaven lawn whe r eon in pastime s hour s
’
-
,
The mallet rings within a belt of flowe r s
A leafy nook where to enj oy at will
’
G ibbon s rich prose
or
Shakespeare s wizard quill ;
’
A neighbouring copse wherein the stock doves co o
-
,
And a w i l d stream unchecked sings all day through ;
THE G OLDEN A GE
T wo
clean b right stalls where midday night and
,
,
,
morn
T wo
47
.
,
goo d stout roadste r s champ thei r well earne d
-
corn ;
A few learn ed shelves fro m modern r ubbish fre e
Yet always
,
M i ll,
b
with just a place
fo r
,
Thee ;
’
H ead ne e r at da w n by clownish bouts obscured
A nd limbs
A few
firm
,
by tempe r ate e x e r cise inur ed ;
friendships made in early life
,
Yet doubly fastened by a pleasant wife ;
Into public life whithe r M r ! ohn S tuart Mill has r eluctantly
a llowed himself to be begui led by i nte r ested p rompte r s that dis
t i ng ui sh e d write r seems to carry only one half of his opinions
It
is to be hoped that he will r etr eat from it altogether and —to
alte r a well known couplet so as to suit the times but whilst
destr oying its rhyme to p reserve its r eason
leave all meaner things
T o low ambition and the p ride of c ro w ds
In any case his written works will be an everlasting possession to
b
,
.
,
-
.
,
,
!
.
,
G OLDEN
TH E
48
A GE
.
A wholesome board a draught of honest wine
,
This is t rue wealth ; and this thank H eaven
,
,
is
mine !
And though you ransacke d worlds from shore
shore
,
From sea to sky you could not give me more
,
And if
,
a ll
t
.
these bey ond I still should crave
,
S omething impossible this side the grave
,
L et hu
mble r souls my soa ring hopes forgive
After my life still in my verse to li v e
.
’
Well would it be if Mammon s feve rish
rage
D id but the vulgar and th e base engage ;
If
thos e alone whose undistinguished name
H aply if foule d would she d no slur
,
on
,
Fame
,
o
THE G OLDEN A GE
49
.
S ought in this sordid despicable strife
,
,
T o find the good and snatch the crown O f life
But in the mire of venal fight embroiled
.
,
H ave we not seen the noblest scutcheons
soiled ? c
No t the p r oud thought that many a splen di d
fray
Wh en cr owns obeyed the fo r tunes
of
the day
To stalwart a rms its pregnant issue owed
,
,
Whose glorious bloo d in their own body flowed ;
N o t the remembrance that their sir es did share
The toils that made this E ngland great and fai r ;
S carcely a week now passes but some noble name o r othe r
fi gures in the Bankruptcy C ourt Would not the H ouse of L o ds
do well to petition the C rown in all such instances to hold a title
thus dis graced in abeyance til l such time as some futur e heir
cleansed it f om t h e blot ? T h e step would be eminently conse rva
tive both i n its char acte r and consequences
’
r
.
,
,
,
r
,
.
5
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
0
.
N o t their resplendent p edig r e e nor all
,
The line
O
f haught
fierce faces
on
the wall
,
That tells the tale of their ancestr al hall
H ave yet availed in days like the se to hold
,
,
Men thus seduced fr om the coars e race for G old
,
,
.
H ave we not s een the gene r ous beast whose si res
,
O nce bo r e thei r fa t li e rs into battle s fir es
’
,
’
By titled gamble r s mercenary taste
H is once stout loins to nimble flanks debased
Made
fo r
,
curst gold to sweat thr ough all h i s po r es
The panting p et O f blacklegs lo r ds and whores
,
1
9‘
,
,
O n such a course what di smal woes await
L et the wo rld learn by young L ucullus fate
,
’
.
collocation of words in thi s l ine is painful and to no one
mor e so than to the writer of it ; and he will promise to e xpunge it
as soon as what a re euphemistically called our Isthmian G ames
being r eforme d it no longe r r epr esents a fact
‘
1
The
,
’
,
,
.
THE G OLDEN
Whilst yet the blo o m
cheek
And
a
ll
of
A GE
1
5
.
boyho od matched his
,
his duty was to master G reek e
,
Make a long sco r e bound o er the r unning brook
’
,
Cleave the clear wave L ucullus had a book
,
,
.
’
N o glo ri ous volume w as t whose subtle page
,
The wisdom br eathed
of
many a studious age
.
N o weal th of wit no L ea rning s garnered sheaves
’
,
L ay like a t r easur e lur king in its l eaves
,
,
.
But in thei r place c r abbed Calculation scr awle d
,
,
Symbols which shocke d and fi gur es that appalled
N o t for sweet Fancy
,
nor
.
the simple stake
O f generous spo rts did he his tasks fo r sake
,
.
any men recalling their schooldays wi ll doubt whethe r
it was ever seriously put befor e them that it was their duty to
maste r G r eek but I speak of o ur theory of a gentleman s edu
cation r ather than of our p ractice
‘
5
M
,
,
,
’
,
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
2
5
E re sentiment could m ove
,
or
.
sense control
,
Adventurous G reed had swallowed up his soul
If
G old Ac risius T ower of Brass co ul d flout
f
’
H ow
.
,
will the playgr ound shut the monste r
out ?
Thus by his own bas e instincts
The r ace
of
fir st
betrayed
harpies l end their shameful aid
With evil eye his smiling lands behold
,
,
,
And smooth his path to infamy with gold
.
’
At length behold him grown to man s estate
Rich noble noted lo r d
,
,
,
of
his own fate
.
H er e D uty beckons H onou r there incites
,
And L ove entices to its saving rites
,
,
.
story of ! ing A crisius and his daughter r efe rr ed t o
mor e than once in these pages has been delightfully told in E nglish
v erse by M r Morris V ide T h e E a r t h ly P a ra di se v ol i
f
The
,
,
.
.
,
.
.
THE
54
G
OLDEN A GE
’
Well now s an end !
.
A comrade plucks his
,
gown
An end as yet man !
,
ou t
the timbe r down
fo r
The luck wi ll tu r n ; you lost
Come play again— you ll
’
,
D one soon as said
.
wi n
.
.
want of skil l ;
By
G
I will !
The swift sure a x e r eso un ds
Through the gr een s t r etch o fhis ancestr al gr ounds
.
The soaring elm whose topmost boughs defied
,
The scaling valour of hi s boy ish pride ;
The umbrageous beech beneath whose courtly
,
shade
The loves that issued in his life were made ;
The lo r dly
T o which
oa
k,
w ith
young when
hi s
line was yo u ng
,
pride inhe rited had clung
H is sir es and they fr om whom his sires wer e
p rung
S
G O L DEN
TH E
A GE
55
.
Behold them now a r ound the naked hall
,
O ne
LO
,
afte r
o ne
,
in fell succession fall
.
the wide woods which centuries had seen
By frosts unmoved mid thunde r fugues serene
-
,
,
By thousand suns by tens of thousand showers
,
F o s t e r e d and fed one gr eedy day
,
A n d all i n
de v o ru s
'
.
L ur ed by the severed spoil
vai n
The foul fi erce harpies fasten
My lands on luck
’
.
on
,
the soil
,
.
We take you Clear the co urse ;
.
Twenty to one u p on L ucullus horse !
’
O ne minute mo r e and poo r L ucullus flies
,
The beggar ed heir of all the centuries
,
.
Then sco ffed and scourged and stripped
,
his wealth
,
o fa l l
,
H is last friends leave him—energy and health
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
6
5
.
An x iety and fie r ce E x citement s flame
’
H ave sco r ched his blo od and shr ivelled up his
frame
.
’
P l um to a pony ! hea r the cr ipple call ;
E re
si x months pass the gr ave will end it all
,
L ucky at last he wins his bo otless bet
,
And dies
of
,
.
,
d rink debauche ry and debt
,
’
.
G one are the times indeed when savage Might
Usurp ed the throne and claimed the wage
NO
of
Right
longer now the tille r of the soil
’
S ees his fair fi elds the lusty robber s spoil ;
N o timid bur ghe r
no w
gr ows rich by stealth
L est some rude noble swoop up on his wealth
The quiet citizen no longe r fears
A raid upon his money
or
his ears
,
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
That local turmoil
or
Will wreck his home
imperial st rife
or
l eave him bare for
But say is Force the only fearful
,
O
r
57
.
fo e ,
the keen Swo r d worst source
of
h uman
w oe
Wieldin g ba s e weapons Violence disdained
,
Cunning prevails where once Compulsion reigned
.
The tyrant s lance O ppression s piercing shaft
’
’
,
T o rment no mo r e but abdicate to Craft
.
,
Coul d feudal desp ot swooping
.
his prey
,
Could bandit burning for the unequal fray
,
C ould
on
fire swo r d famine sp r ead more wreck
,
abroad
,
Than marks the path
O r waits
on
,
,
of
G reed allie d with Fraud ;
life whe re no rude sign s po rtend
,
When the dread
b e lt
of Ruin will descend ?
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
8
5
.
S e e the po o r father who for years has toiled
,
At
o ne
fell stroke
of
all his sto r e des poiled
,
.
H is was the pious wish by daily car e
,
And safe degr ees to make his hear th more fair
—
H is the ambition fa r to o meek to roam
T o swell the simple lu xu ries
of
home
By loving th rift to deck his comely spouse
With some p oo r g em the summit of h er vows ;
,
To instruct his boys in eve ry gene r ous
a rt
Which t rains the man t o act a shining part ;
11
’
By cultur e s aid to se e his daughter s ar med
With each fair gr ace that in their mothe r charmed ;
It is a common opinion nowadays that the generous arts do
not enable a man to s hi ne but r ather the r everse and that special
not gener al education is the prope r method of dev eloping that
which is in him T h e poor father in question must ther efore be
loo ked upon as an old fogey who knew no better
h
,
,
’
.
,
.
THE G OLD EN
A GE
59
.
Y e ar afte r yea r as str ength and vigou r waned
,
To
fin d his
fondest fo r ecasts all attained
And then since faithful to the final stage
,
,
D o ff the har d ha rness fr om the back of age
But watch ful
D ay
,
G
r
.
e ed with j ealous eye beheld
afte r day his little earnings swelled ;
Studied the tende r wo rkings
O
f his
mind
,
Marked the fond aims to which his hear t inclined ;
With specious lips his trusting s enses stole
And with false visions
Poo r wretch
fir ed
,
his p rudent soul
.
but yeste r day in modest state
H e lived secu re fr om eve ry b e l t of Fate
,
.
T o day he wande r s feve rish and depressed
-
,
As though whole Andes weighed u pon his br east
To mo rr ow back unto his home he crawls
-
,
,
A beggared man and at the threshold falls
,
.
.
60
TH E
G O L D E ZV A G E
.
No w will no mo r e his t rustful wife behold
The gladsome face r eturning as
of
old
And r ead in sparkling eye and smiling cheek
’
’
The day s goo d tidings e en befo r e he sp eak ;
N ever again in hastening footsteps guess
S ome
pretty love gift token
-
,
of
success
.
Thei r blo oming boy s fo r whom parental hop e
,
SO
o ft
had cast the fairest horoscop e
,
And s een with fond anticipating eyes
E ach proud successive civic honour rise
T
,
o r n fr om thei r noble studies ’ have to crave
From base pur suits the pittance
O
fa
slave
’
Pour the soul s wi ne into the body s sieve
’
,
And grand life lose in mean attempts to live i
.
Many will her e r ecogni se an inadequate attempt to present
in an E nglish dr ess their old friend
E t p rop t er v i t a m v i vendi p erdere c a us a s
i
,
,
’
'
.
,
TH E
62
.
G OLDEN
A GE
.
L ittle alas now boots it whe r e they roam
,
,
,
Since they must leave the tranquil shores
.
home
of
.
Whethe r p oo r slaves they cr awl with aching feet
,
,
H our after hour from dr eary str eet to stre et
O
r,
as in mocke ry of home alas !
,
r s icy portal pass
d
g
B eneath the
s t ra n
’
!
,
And thankless task and miserabl e wage
Their e x iled chee rless ene r gies engage
T
,
heir youth their life is blasted at the co r e
,
,
’
And H op e s sweet sap will mount thei r veins no
mo r e
S hould
.
ever y doo r their humble p raye r s r ep el
,
S co rning to buy what H unge r kneels to sell
And they half thankful that the strangers spurn
,
T
‘
O
their
ow n
roof be driven
to
return
,
,
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
63
.
H ow st range the scene that meets their wearied
gaze !
H ow changed the hearth the home
,
of
othe r days !
’
Contracting Care usurps the mothe r s face
,
Whose smiles of old sp r ead sunshine th r ough
place
Al one
H er
the
.
she weeps
but should she chance to hear
’
husband s steps she hides the fur tive tear ;
,
Follows his movements with an an x ious
dr ead
Studies his br ow and scans his r estless tr ead
,
As s ails his
w
oe
with every female wil e
Pr attles of hope and simulates a smile
,
,
.
H e br oken man w rapt in pe rpetual gloom
,
,
Wande rs anon from vacant room to room
Then c r eeping back the image of despair
,
,
With a deep sigh he sinks into his ch ai r
.
,
,
THE G OLDEN A GE
64
.
H e seldom speaks ; and when his voice is hear d
,
Peevish its tone and querulous his word ;
,
And vain laments an d childish tears attest
The lamp of life is dying in his breast
.
Perhaps his death some timely pittance frees
,
S ecured by prudence in their days of ease
And
,
0
the pity !
d
s t h u m o u s relief
p
of
S tanches love s wounds and blunts the edge
’
,
grief
.
Unless indeed—fo r this
,
tO
O
hath been known
All grasping G reed hath made that mite its
-
Filched fr om the widow
h er
last hopes
of
o w n,
bread
,
And whom it ruined livi ng plunde r s dead ! 3
,
Insurances have long been deemed to constitute an nu
e rr ing p rotection against the material mi sery frequently thr eatened
by the demise of the family bread winner ; but r ecent e xposur e s
hav e shown t h a t they too often only add one more terror to D eath
'
3
L ife
-
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
These are thy t riumphs G old
,
the s e
65
.
!
thy trophies
,
T o nurture fraud and
,
ro
b
the world
O
f ease ,
Faith to befool young genius to seduce
,
,
And blight at once its beauty and its use
.
Thine is the bait as loveless hea rths avouch
,
,
Which drags fresh victims to the venal couch ;
Thine the foul traps whe r e w ith
r
ife
o ur
ways are
,
That lu re them fir st then close upon their life ;
,
Thine thine the sp ringes set in re g ions fair
,
\Vh o s e
,
,
unseen nooses st rangle whom they sna re ;
The cynic glory thine to lie in wait
T o make men little who had else been g reat
Frustrate our plenty ag gravate
,
’
o ur
dearth
And keep ete rnal feud twi xt H eaven and
,
,
E a r th !
F
TH E
66
LO,
O
er
A GE
.
whe r e huge L ondon huger day by
,
day
’
G OLDEN
,
si x fair counties spr e ads its hideous sway
,
’
A t ract there lies by Fortune s favours blest
And at Fame s font yclept the happy West
’
Ther e as by wizard touch
,
fo r
.
miles on miles
,
Rise squares st r ee t s cr escents of palatial piles
,
.
I n the br ave days when E ngland s t r usty voice
’
Made grappling rivals tr emble
When fo r emost shield
,
O
or
rej oice ;
f Weakness
or
of
Right
,
She sco rned to warn unless r esolved to smite ;
When few but
,
The terr or
O
firm, h er
fh er
stalwar t children bo r e
Flag fr om sho r e to sho r e
,
’
Purge d Christ s dear tomb from sacrilege and
shame
,
And made the Moslem quake at Richard s name ;
’
THE G OLDEN
A GE
67
.
Taught the vain G aul though gallant still to
,
,
kneel
,
’
And Spain s p r oud sons the weight
of
northern
steel ;
Then we r e
h er
best in no such splendour nurse d
h er
As
ne w
No
kingly H a rry glitteri n g with r enown
No E
awaits
basest and her wo r st
dwa r d radiant in a p eaceful cr own
.
,
k
,
’
Was housed as now at turn of Fortune s wrist
,
S ome lucky navvy turned capitalist
’
S ome convict s bastard who
a-
,
sudden shines
I n the bright splendour O f Australian mines
,
dward I was it is t rue anyth ing but a peaceful monar ch
in the modern acceptation of the te rm for he was nearly a lways
fighting ; but he distinguished h i m%lf from the other martial
member s of his l ine by t h e r eformation of domestic abuses and by
improvements of the law which have won for him the appellation
of the E ngli sh ! ustinian
1‘
E
’
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
68
O
r
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
.
subtle G reek who skille d in E aste r n ways
,
,
E xposes all G olconda to
o ur
gaze
,
.
’
These as to Pomp s p r etentious peaks they rush
,
,
H eed not the crowds thei r so r did conquests
crush
S ecure in glaring opulence they scan
,
.
With placid eyes th e mise ries of ma n ;
Fat u nits watch the leanness of the whole
,
,
And gag r emonstr ance with a paltry dole
Mid h arrowing want with conscience unafr aid
,
D ie on the golden dir t heaps they have made
-
.
H e r e Plenty gorges gifts fr om eve ry zone
Ther e thankful H unge r gnaws its meagr e bone ;
Profusion he r e melts mo r e than p earls in
w ine
There craves gaunt Penury some shucks fr om
swine
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
9
7
.
Purchase a lie in every vaunted war e
,
And swallow filth in the most frugal far e
Building a r efuge for our
a
g
e,
.
we find
The crumbling m orta r lets in wet and wind
Face the ru de waves by science freed fr om awe
,
T o sink poor dupes
,
No r
,
on
this the worst !
,
life belts made of straw ! m
-
When rip ened Shame
would hide
F r uits of that hour when Passion conquered
P ride
There
a re
no t
,
wantin g in this Christian land
The breast r emo rseless and the Thuggish hand
m
,
About two years ago it was disco v ered that life belts safe t o
dr own you we re one of the cu rr ent manufactur es of this count y
T hei r composition was that stated above
-
r
.
.
7
T o adve rtise the dens whe r e D eath is sold
1
,
And quench the b reath of baby life for gold ! n
-
No r
man alone case hardene d man sur
-
,
,
veys
Thes e shockin g contr asts with a careless gaze
Fai r melting woman
O
f the
tende r br east
H e r e finds no room fo r pity as h e r guest
Unse x ed
,
s
he
.
.
’
strains to O stentation s goal
’
While Splendour s dreams demo r alise
h er
D rains like a goddes s hecatombs O f lives
,
,
N or heeds who lags p r ovided she a rrive s
,
,
soul ;
,
.
S ee Claribel by eve ry gift designed
,
Mid a nguish keen to be an angel kind
,
too has been p roved to have been a n e xtensive becaus e
p rofitable tra de encour aged by our G olden A ge
‘
1
T his ,
,
,
.
7
THE G OLDEN A GE
2
.
O nce plunged in rival factio ns golden fight
’
h er
Turned to a demon in
own despite
,
.
B ehold to morr ow in the Royal smile
-
,
Will bask the birth and wealth
She lo ng abr oad
,
,
r
O
f all
the I sle
eceive d the summons late
.
.
What s to be done ? No r ti me nor tide will wait
’
She turns her
w ard robe
N othing will do
D rive
ove r r acks her brain ;
,
She wants a d r ess and t rain
.
’
to the mo diste s
Ther e s only Clara
.
No t a finger fr ee
Clar a let it be
’
.
’
But Clar a s sick and sorry
H er
.
.
.
G ive h er gold ;
aches will cease her sorrows be consoled
,
It
must be done
Sure L ilian the r e will glow
In
go r geous newness decke d fr om top to toe
.
Shall it be said that Claribel did less ?
To
-
morrow then in time the train and d ress
,
,
.
.
.
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
SO
O
’
er
S till
h er
Clara drags
the brave
fine ry
73
.
weary limbs fr om bed
hangs
h er
as her senses swim sews
,
throbbing head :
and
on
o n,
Till day dies out and twilight pale is gone
.
’
Then by the tap e r s soft and silent light
,
,
L ike a pale flowe r that opens most by night
,
H er pace she quickens and the needle moves
,
S ubtle r
and swifte r th r ough the gauzy gr o oves ;
But as the dawn
on
guttering sockets gains
,
H er ti red lids d r op and sleep a rr ests h e r pains
,
But sle ep
h ow
sho rt !
She feels
h er
.
shoulder
clutched :
’
Cla r a awake ! the train s not even touched !
,
D ay st rides apace
sun
And
e re
’
.
S ee the r e s the morning
,
,
again he sinks
’
,
t
must all be done
’
.
Again again the shooting thread she plies
,
In
,
silent agony
O
f smothe r ed
She seems to br eathe
gown
TO
sighs
h er
.
breath into the
,
give it life the while she lays hers down
Fast as the task advances s et by p ride
SO
,
fast within her eb bs the vital tide
The
daylight
go es
,
and softly
.
,
.
the
comes
’
mo on s
,
And then p oo r Clara over th e last stitch swoons
.
Meanwhile the panting Claribel awaits
,
The p r ecious gown within
It
comes—i t comes
.
h er
golden gates
.
N ow who shall shine h er
down ?
N o t L ilian surely ?
,
NO ,
not the entire T own
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
She not
fo r
75
.
wo rlds had lost this
t ly
‘
c o ru
chance
And Clar a dies that Claribel may dance
I f private wo rth thus lan g uishing e x pires
,
,
Will public Virtue keep alive
h er
fir es
?
The slaves of wealth in B ritai n as in Rome
,
B ring to the F o r um vices formed at home
First the community and then the State
,
,
.
,
Fall s to their fangs which naught can satiate
,
N ot born
no r
bred to rule of cul tur e void
And by no wave
Anx ious
on
,
of
,
.
,
young ambition buoyed
,
heights conspicuous to flaunt
N ought but the tawdry trophies they can vaunt
,
has lately done much to put a stop to this
par ticular ki nd of vicarious sacrifice ; but eve ry year as the season
comes round the summonse s of the West end police cour ts testify
to the profound signi ficance of the old e x clamation ! ui d l eg es s i ne
Th e
L egislatur e
,
,
-
-
,
mori bu s
7
.
'
6
7
TH E
G OLDEN A GE
.
They wo o the gr asping cr owd with golden guile
,
’
And sp r ead Co rruption s canke r thr ough the I sle
Y ou
want a seat ?
Then boldly sate your itch
B e very r adical and ve ry r ich
,
.
.
.
1’
S ell your opinions fir st to please the pure
,
Then buy the sor did and your triumph s sure
’
,
D
all in brief that honest men abho r
O
,
,
And E ngland hails anothe r S enator
B ows to the base e x actions
O
f the
,
.
S ee the vain T ribune who in lust
,
.
O
f power,
hour
candidate who is both very R a di cal and ve ry rich it
may be said O mne t u l i t p unc t um ; but if you a re o nl y ra t h er Con
s erva t i v e and as young ladies say very v ery r ich the same r esult
may be attained It is obvious however that the latter combina
tion cannot be e xpected to occur quite so often as the former ; and
thus the composition of the H ouse of Commons is satisfacto rily
a ccounted for
1’
O f the
,
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
’
8
7
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
.
L ea v e them but these the gamblers come to call
,
,
N or heed an E mpi r e no dding to its fall !
When Power is built on props like these
,
h ow
vain
The hop e that L aw the giddy will restr ain !
‘
Spoilt by twin
T he
In
so
li
r
r
t
s
e
v
s
p ,
.
y
and gold
,
headstr ong cr owd is then but ill contr olled
vain they now would sway who lately served
And Riot cows Autho rity unnerved
And the dr ead
b el t
,
.
B ette r that such base compro mi se should end
,
of Ana r chy descend !
G oths of the gutte r Vandals of the slum
,
T
.
,
hieves and Reformers come ! Barbarians come !
,
,
eformer s and r eformer s ; indeed the author hum
bly aspires to b e one hi mself T her efor e honest men will not
I
T he r e
r
a re r
,
.
o
THE G OLDEN
A GE
79
.
Befo r e yo ru might le t rails and rules be hurled
'
,
And sweep Civilisation fr om the world !
No r
now alas do Commoners alone
,
,
T o p rivate ends the public weal postpone
.
Those too whom worth ancestral plants
on
,
seats
H igh above where all vulgar Clamour beats
With paltry fea r to their clipp ed ermine cling
,
And shrink fr om right lest right should ruin bring s
.
,
conside r themselves co nfounded with the abominable rufli a ns that
defied the amiable M iniste r who in their most outrageous mo
ments could confront them with nothing mor e v alid than for
G r eeks a blush fo r G r eece a tea r
,
‘
,
’
.
,
A threat of Abolition is always considered sufficient nowadays
to cause the r escission of a vote of the H ouse of L ords and it has
of late been p etty libe al ly employed It is Bl u e to be used as
long as it is found effectual M ight not the peer s r ecollect that
though D eath is a fearful thing yet sham ed life is hateful ?
,
r
r
.
.
,
’
,
80
The P ee r s stand
The Pee r s
the Com mons disagr e e
firm ;
b e —well ,
it now is clos e on th r e e
By five a world of r easons will be found
,
Throw ! onas over
,
You know the fury
.
.
.
or
the sh ip s aground
of
the hand that stee r s ;
’
.
And what were Britain with no H ouse of Pe e r s
Would P rimogeniture its fall survive
,
O r even P r ope r ty be kept alive ?
L et H e rbert fume or frantic Cecil c h a fe
,
t
,
’
B ette r a deal to choos e the side that s safe
B ow to the will of F i nl en
And stil l t hank
H ea v é n
a nd
'
his
ho r des
for a H ouse of L o r ds I
!
Carnarvon and L or d S al isbury a r e both duly alive to t h e
indignities infli cted on the Uppe r and wiser H ouse by the L ower
and mor e foolish one ; but even the latter despite the high opinion
entertained of him by hi s backer s has neither done nor suggested
anything to r esent or r emedy the perpetually r ecurring affr ont
‘
A n e x clamation which though historical can scarcely now
be repeated without a smile
t
L or d
,
,
.
1
,
.
,
G OLDEN
TH E
A GE
8
.
1
Thus may the B ritish b reast e xult to think
Tha t noble names can sell ignoble ink ;
v
That ill got gains if deftly spent unlock
-
,
,
Birth s choicest ci r cles to the ambitious smock
’
’
That D ives foul mounts fine Aristo s stairs
I f but A ri s t O
’
D ives plunder sha r es ;
,
W
’
And half D ebrett u rbanely flocks to White s
T o back the
b e er
x
,
who saves them fr om the kites
.
A book with a noble name on the title page no matte r of
what trash it consists is nowadays sur e of a certai n sale ; and a
well known publisher candi dl y professes not to burn h i s finge r s
No one can be othe rwise than
with poetry—e x cept fo r a pee r
delighted when E nglish literatu e alr eady adorned by seve al noble
names adds another to the list ; but gentlemen and ladies wh o
have neithe love nor taste for letter s may well be implored not to
injur e their order by too naked a sale of its incident a l advantages
W A style of ba gain that is now q uite the mode and accounts
r
for the appear ance in civilised cir cles of ce rtain st ange and amo r
Futur e write r s on the social species will doubt
ph ous cr eatur es
less speak of the process by whi ch these are assimilated as one of
natur al selection
It must be unde rst ood that White s is set down he r e only as
V
-
,
,
-
.
r
r
,
,
r
.
,
r
.
.
X
’
G
G OLDEN
TH E
82
H is son succeeds him
Why not ?
A GE
.
Make the son a Peer
.
H is income s eighty thousand clear
’
N ew bloo d is wanted
.
’
H ere s the ve r y stuff
.
.
B esides he wields the county vote
,
’
But hold ! the r e s Cato
Cato !
.
’
Why Cato s means but
E nough
’
.
a re
you sane
.
?
small hearth sustain
o ne
,
’
E nnoble Cato you ll have P e e r s for life
,
Or
.
els e forbid the man to take a wife
.
y
,
.
the convenient r epresentative of certain supposed e xclusiv e clubs
a nd that it is not asse r ted that the incident r efe rr ed to above has
e v er occurr ed within its walls T hat it has o c c ru r ed in similar
institutions the writer pledges his wor d But why dwell upon the
noto r ious ?
3 T h e ar gument in fav our of life pee r ages is
that you can
thus ennoble men who a r e too poor to transmit a title But wh y
should not men who have titles be poor ? If united with honesty
their pove rty would go a long way towards savi ng institutions
which wealth is u nhappily undermining T h e author believes
himself to be a Conservative ; but he cannot think that Conserva
t i s m consists in t rying to stand stock still and meanwhile per
mitting oneself to be carried away Men who desir e to r esist a
current usually strive to swim up it S uppose Conservatism we re
to t ry this ancient and simple r esour ce
,
'
.
.
,
'
-
,
.
,
,
.
,
-
,
.
.
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
83
.
H e can t maintain the necessa ry state
’
,
And woul d you have a p oor name legislate ?
’
N o D ives son s the ve ry man we need
’
,
What says the C rown ?
Agr eed
A nd
.
The Cr own ! O f course
’
.
the youn g fool enriche d by parent knaves
,
’
From Ruin s j aw s
o ur
Constitution saves !
I s there no path O f honou r fo r the great
N
O
sound and clean salvation for the State
Must we for eve r fly to shifts like this
,
?
,
And t st to G old to save us from the abyss
ru
Must honour s
O
l d by
?
new got weal t h be vamped
-
’
And Valour s stock by plutocrats be swamped
Back to yo rn lands base sons
‘
,
,
O
f splendid
,
?
sires !
F r om spendth rift squares back to your native
shires
,
THE G OLDEN A GE
84
.
Back back fr o m Baden and leave H omburg s
’
,
,
shades
To dazzling ! ews and mercenar y j ades
.
’
L eave L ondon s r ound O f vulgar oys to thos e
Who seek in such fr om bas e pursuits repose
.
’
Cease to contend with upstar t Wealth s parade
T o wring your land s to vie with tricks
tr ade ;
O
,
f
Z
’
And proudly spurning G litte r s t ransient lies
,
’
At least b e honest if you can t be wise !
,
Worship your household gods and sp end at
,
hom e
The solid earnings of the generous l e arn
.
It is well known that people i n t rade constantly spend mor e
than their income and actually r eturn it to the Income ta x C om
missioners as larger than i t r eally is in o rder to be thought rich
and so be intrusted with the means of becoming riche r Is it not
t ruly melancholy to see men with fix ed incomes p roceeding from
land competing wi th these decoy ducks O f e xtrav agance ?
2
-
,
,
,
.
,
,
-
86
G OLDEN
TH E
H ark to the Muse
wings
,
H ark
,
while
oised
on
Candour
s
p
,
,
but se e m s to
fl atter
.
sh e
spurn
.
’
w hich ,
Flouts the base cr owd
kings
A GE
tells you
nor her counsel
,
,
From giddy Pleasur e s gilded toys to turn ;
’
That not fr om minions opul ent
D
O
or
coars e
P rinces gain their lustr e and thei r force ;
That Reve r ence anchors not in deep carouse
,
And that a Cr own fits only kingly br ows !
Fired by each bright e x ample shun the shade
,
Whe r e S candal best can ply
h er
,
no x ious trade
.
L earn fr om your pious Father h o w to share
With hands to o lonely now a
,
!
,
ingdom s care
’
.
B e by your fair loved Consort s pattern moved
’
,
And like y ou r virtu ous Mother stand approved ;
,
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
D
87
.
for this E ngland all the S cept r e can
O
And be at least a stainless gentleman
Be this too much
firm e s t
That
,
y
,
!
.
well may live to find
ou
Thrones can
fail
the weak and
And though no Samson sharing half his fate
,
,
Pull down the pilla r s
Whilst
’
o ur
O
fa
,
mighty State !
domestic fortunes thus O bey
All sear ching G old s demoralising sway
’
-
We hug the limits of o ur puny shore
,
,
And G lo ry knows our once gr eat name no more
.
ennyson in dedicating the I dy l ls of t h e ! i ng to the
memory of P rince Albe rt says with much feeling and felicity
a
Mr T
,
.
,
,
,
H e seems to me
S carce othe r than my own ideal knight
in the body of the poem whe r e M e rlin loses all patience with
t h e harlot V ivien he puts into the Wiz a r d s mouth when a po s
t rophi s i ng Arthur the epithet stainless gentleman
a nd
,
’
.
’
,
,
’
,
.
88
.
G O L D E IV A G E
TH E
.
Fi r st are we still in eve ry bloodless fray
,
Where piles of gold adventur ous prows repay ;
But when flushe d H onour s ets the wo rld
We furl
o ur
sail s and to
o ur
on
fir e ,
coasts retir e
And basely calm whilst outraged nations bleed
,
I nv ent new doct rines to e x cuse
o ur
greed
,
.
When gallant D enmark now the sp oiler s p r ey
’
,
,
Flashe d her bright blade and face d the unequal
,
And all abandone d both by men and gods
,
,
F ell faint with wounds before accur s ed O dds
,
,
Whe r e whe r e
,
H er
,
E ngland s vindicating sword
’
was
,
b
promised a rm to stay the invading ho r de
,
author heard L or d P almerston declar e in the H ouse O f
C ommons that if P russia and A ust ria attacked D enmark D enmark
would not be found alone Wh at became of these brave words
do not the v arious cataclysms of the last seven years abundantly
inform us
b
The
’
,
,
.
,
G OLDEN
TH E
99
A GE
.
And yet what sandy base doth G old afford
,
Though c rowned by L a w and fenced round by the
,
Swo r d ,
L earn from that E mpir e which a scorn fo r aye
,
,
G rew in a night and p e rished in a day !
H elpe d by a magic name and doubtful hou r
Se e
the
A dv e nt u r er
'
sca le
the steeps
O
f Power
!
.
Upon him groups of despe r ate gamesters wait
T o snatch thei r p r ofit fr om a sinkin g State
Folly and Fate which F olly still attends
,
,
.
,
Conspi r e to shap e and e xp edite their ends
.
doubt I shall be accused by certain people of baseness
in trampling on the fallen ; but as my weak voice was r aised
against the E mpir e and the E mperor long befor e they fell and as
I ventur ed not only to pro phesy but to pr ay that their end would
come precisely as it di d I shall perhaps be allowed to use them
as I do here to point a moral and adorn a tale T hey have
t hemsel v es to thank for bei ng al ready historical
0
No
’
,
‘
’
,
,
,
‘
’
.
,
.
G OLDEN A GE
TH E
The H our the Man
a re
,
he e !
r
9
.
NO
pul se
1
NO
?
breath
\Vake ,
Free dom wake ! I n vain ! She sleeps like
,
D eath
.
h er
The impious hands emboldene d by
,
Choke in the night and slay
,
h er
swoon
,
in the noon !
Then when vain c r owds with dilato ry glaive
,
Rush to avenge the life they would not save
,
The prompt conspir ato r s with lavish hand
F li ng thei r last pieces to a pampe r ed band
,
B ribe cut thr oat b lades Vengeance choked way s
’
-
to hold
,
And bar th e avenues
O
f rage
with gold !
Then mark how soon amid t riumphant hymns
,
The Imperial pur ple gir ds the blood stained limbs
,
-
.
9
THE G OLDEN A GE
2
.
The p e rjured hands a golden sceptr e gain
A cr own of gold scr eens the seared brow
And golden eagles erst
,
of
Assert the C aesar and his
,
,
O
f Cain ,
simpler o r e d
,
d resto r e
re
.
S ee r ound his thr one Pomp s se rvile tributes swell
’
N 0 t Nero knew e er Rome to ruin fell
,
’
,
,
Far fr om his feet the lust of gli tter spread
,
’
And the vain he r d on Splendour s follies fed !
N or they alone the shallow base and gay
,
,
,
B end to this I dol with the feet
of
,
clay :
Statesmen and soldiers kneel with flattering suit
! i ngs
’
are his guests e en queens his cheeks salute ;
,
S enates e x tol him supple p riests car ess
,
And even thou O Pius
,
‘
1
T h e Roman
of silver
,
.
,
st oo
’
p
st
,
to bless !
eagle was sometimes of gold but mor e commonly
,
THE G OLDEN A GE
94
B ehold
h er
Chief in comfo rt
,
.
l ong w h i l e
slung
,
’
By War s rough c ouch and random fare unstru ng
.
H is vaunted L eade rs who to Powe r had mown
,
Their path
with
swords that
Thr one
p
re
ed
pp
a venal
,
f
Brandishing rival blades his br ain confound
,
,
While still but sur e the solid foe press r ound
,
,
S e e her soft sons whom arms ener vate lead
,
.
,
Spurn the long mar ches which to victo ry spe ed
,
g
l
h
a
t
e
W
And fondly deeming S cience served by
,
Will snatch the fight at distance and by stealth
,
e x E mperor whom official documents p rove to have re
mained Commander i n chief up to the very eve of S edan showed
himself as incapable of composing the r ivalr ies of his G ener als as
of furnishing them with a str ategi c plan of campaign
8 T he r e was no mo r e deeply r ooted notion in the r anks of the
Fr ench army than that with the chassepot and the mitr aill euse
t hey would be able to defeat their enemy without e v en allowing
h i m to come to close quarter s
T h e very fi rst action undeceived
f
The
-
,
-
-
,
.
'
-
,
,
.
THE G OLDEN
A GE
95
.
’
Smitten
with fear at Valour s downright face
,
’
And taught swift limbs in Flight s ignoble
chase
S ee
o ne ,
se e all before the Victo r fleet
,
Then lay thei r swords submissive at his feet !
,
,
0
hapless F r ance
h
’
e en then insurgent
i re
H ad yo ur soiled scutche on lifted from the mire
,
them and they never r ecover ed from the disillusion T hey then
affected to believe that the G ermans defeated them by fa r r eaching
o r dnance and ambushed m arches ; but the author who followed
the fortunes of the victor s during the whole wa r can affirm of his
o wn knowledge whilst he is abetted by eve ry candid witness that
t he G e rmans defeated the Fr ench because t h e G e rmans we r e r eady
to die and the Fr ench we r e not
’ T hat once in S edan M a M a h on
c
s a rmy could neithe r defen d
nor issue fr om it successfully is indubitable
But why did it go
ther e ? T her e can be but one answe r : In o rder to have an e x cuse
to surrende r T h e Capitulation struck the writer who was pre
s ent a t it as even mor e lu di cr ous than humil iating ; and at the
moment itself the sense of the ridiculous overpowe red in the vic
tors almost eve ry other sentiment
.
,
-
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
’
1
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
!
,
.
THE G OLDEN A GE
96
Placed the bright helm
mo r e
on
.
H onour s fr ont onc e
’
,
And laurels r eap ed more lasting than of yore
,
’
H ad not r ich ease your manhoo d s mar r ow stole
And gold emollient softened all you r soul
.
—
0 what a sight a sight these eyes beheld
,
H er fair green woo ds by the invader felled
H er fields and vineya r ds by the Teuton t r od
,
Those she once smote encamp ed up on her so d
H er homes in dr ead abandoned to the foe
,
O
r
,
,
save d fr om rapine by O bsequience low ;
H er
cities ransomed p r ovinces
,
o er a w e d,
’
H er i r on str ongholds wr enche d by fo r ce or fra u d ;
i
It may possibly be urged that a fortress cannot be said to be
wr enched by fr aud but the p remature surr ender of Metz is stil l
a matter of so much obscurity it has been thought its fall may
at p resent be perhaps best e xpressed by that ambiguous phr ase
i
,
,
.
98
G O LDEN A G E
TH E
.
.
H ave we not marked h o w this B riarean G old
D oth all
o ur
life and energies enfold ?
And as o m practi ce s o
:
,
o ur
We shap e new ethics for
O ur
i es
s r
forswear,
fame
o ur
o ur
,
o ur
S
vices new ;
plendid Past de
,
And in high place s glory in
H ear
doctrines too
o ur
shame !
loud tinkling Tribunes all declare
-
O nce lavish E ngland hath no blood to spare
,
NO gold t o spend ; within her watery wall
Sh e
D
needs to roll and wallow in it all
.
oth towering Might some poo r faint Caus e
oppress
,
They bid her turn impartial fr om distress
,
Indulge
her tears but hide
,
,
h er
ire from sight
L est a like doom her angry fiont invite
‘
.
,
,
THE
G
OLDEN A GE
99
.
And when this craven caution fails to sav e
H er peaceful fortunes from the braggart glaive
They bid
h er
still be moral and be meek
,
H ug tight her gold and turn the other che ek
,
H er
,
very sons sprung fr om her mighty loins
,
We aliens make to save some palt ry coins ;
.
,
k
,
With
o ur o w n
And stutter
hands destr oy
Al l
‘
,
o ur
is lost e x cept
,
E mpire O l d
,
o ur
With languid limbs by comfo rtable
,
We se e
o ur
glories
,
o ne
by
o ne ,
gold !
’
fir e ,
e x pire ;
A N elson s flag a Churchill s flash ing blade
’
’
,
D ebased to menials o f rapacious Trade
;
,
1
It is true our colonies have still a sentimental affectionate
way of sticking to us ; but we do our best to shake them
and it is not our fault if the fil ial tie r etains any binding force
E c onomy is the justificati on of o ur spiri ted parental conduct
1
T h e final end of the e xpe di tion of Si r S amuel Bake r as
far a s its E nglish abe tto rs are conce rned is only too pl a inly
R
,
.
’
.
,
,
TH E
1 00
L ost
G OLDEN
A GE
.
by a Cardwell what a Wellesley
And by
w o n,
G ladstone Chatham s world undone !
’
a
Pale gibbering sp ectres fumbling at the helm
,
dark
Whilst
winds howl and billowy
,
whelm
Y et
s
ea s
,
O
’
er
!
.
deem you E ngland that y o u thus will save
,
,
E ven yo ur wealth from rapine
Will your
o ne
chain
of
or
,
the grave ?
safety always hold
,
O r silver streak for ever guard your gold ?
If
through long slumbrous years the ignoble rust
O f selfish
eas e your erst bright steel encrust
,
expressed T h e newly conquered E gyptians a re to be compelled
to grow c otton S upply is wanted in the L ancashi re market
T hese are not my wor ds but a re to be met with in the P a l l M a l l
H ow we act when we want a market for
G a z et t e Nov 1 9 1 8 69
o ur man ufactured goods let our dari ng policy in C hina decl a re
.
’
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
TH E
1 02
G OLDEN
A GE
.
Then come p rimeval clouds and seasons frore
,
And w r ap in gloom
o ur
,
luckless land once more
Come every wind of H eaven that rudely blows
,
Plunge back our I sle in neve ending snows
r-
Rage
,
E ru u s ,
rage ! fierce B oreas descend !
,
With glacial mists lost Albion befriend !
’
E en o f its name be eve ry t race dest r oyed
,
And D ark sit brooding o er the fo rmless Void !
’
,
I
!
.
P RE FAC E T O TW O V I SI O N S
.
following Poem was composed one sleeples s night
in Rome in the early spring of 1 8 6 3 under conditions
which those people wh o believe in the peculiar genesis
claimed for their poetical compositions by M r T L H ar
ris and other less di stinguished spiri tualistic writers of
A merica may perhaps think interesting and des erv
The author was certainl y quite wide
i ng of mention
awake at the time and di stinctly heard and a ppre
ci s ted the musical accompani ment of the fountain in
the Piazza di Spagna hard below the window of his
apartment But there had been so utter an absence of
anythi ng like preparation or intention to compose the
Poem and its stanzas rushed upon hi m with so much
—
suddenness and at once in so absolute a form never
si nc e altered — that he has always felt at a loss h ow
full y to acc ount for them The one fact that throws
s ome li ght upon them and upon the far more materi al
THE
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
PR
1 08
EFA CE
TO
T
W O VISIONS
.
poi nt to which the author h a s just referred is that he
was strongly disposed at that perio d to cherish certain
fa mi liar schemes of human regeneration which a wider
The
experience has made hi m regard a s over sanguine
writer ought perhaps to a dd that he has never at any
time accepted as real the alleged phenomena much
less as true the doctrines of any form of Spiritualism
But it can point to a vast body of testimony in many
instances supported by most respectable witnesses ; and
no one it appears t o h i m need shrink from lending
h i s assistance ho wever slight towards elucidating a
s trange and obviously important problem
,
,
,
-
.
,
.
,
,
,
,
o
,
,
.
T
I I O
Withal
N0
f many
O
,
WO
o ne
ISIONS
V
.
who ascended
,
app ear ed to us e
This help allowed in days since mended
,
When folks had fr ailer thews
The men all animal in vigour
,
.
,
Str ode stalwart and erect ;
But
on
their brows in placid r i gour
,
,
.
Watched sovereign Intellect
.
Women brave limbed sound lunged full
-
-
,
breasted
,
,
Walked at a rhythmic pace ;
Yet not
fo r
that the less invested
With eve ry female grace
.
,
T l VO
VISIONS
r rr
.
Unveiled a nd wholly unattended
,
Strolled maidens to and fro :
Youths looked resp ect but never bende d
,
Obsequiously l o w
.
And each with other sans condition
,
H eld parley brief o r long
,
,
Without provoking rash suspicion
O f m arr iage
or of
wrong
D istinction none o f wooed
A nd no
o ne
.
or
made remark
winning
,
,
T ill came they where the O ld were spinning
As it was growing dark
,
,
T
1 1 2
W O VISIONS
.
And saying —hushed untimely laughter
H enceforward we are
Went homewards
.
Such Sanction
o ne,
’
N or could ever after
be undone
.
All were well clad but none were better
,
And gems beheld
Save
I none ,
wher e th e
re hung a j ewelled fetter
Symbolic,
I
,
in the sun
found Cathedr al none
No r
.
no r
steeple
,
loud defiant choirs ;
NO martyr worshipp e d by the p eople
O n half e x t inguished pyres
.
,
,
1 1
T
4
E ach
O
o ne
r
W O VISIONS
.
some handicraft atte mpted
h e lp
the willing soil :
None but the ag ed were
ex e
From communistic toil
Y et
’
mpt e c
.
twas nor long nor unremitting
,
Since shar ed in by the whole
But left to e ach one as
,
fitting
1s
Full leisur e for the S oul
,
.
Was many a gr oup i n allocution
O n problems that delight
,
’
And lift when e en beyond solution
,
Man to a nobl e r height
.
,
,
T
WO
VI S I
ONS
.
And oftentimes was br av e contention
,
Such as beseems the wise
But al w ays cour teous abstention
From over swift replies
-
.
And — I remarked —though whilst debating
’
Twas s ettled what they sought
,
There was comple t est vindicating
O f unrest ricted thought
Age lorded
no t
,
.
nor rose the hectic
Up to the cheek
of
Youth ;
But reigned throughout their dialectic
Sobriety O f truth
.
1 1
T
6
W O VISIONS
.
And if a long held con t est tende d
-
T o ill
-
It
define d result ,
was by calm consent suspended
As over
And verse
-
di ffic ul t
music was demanded ;
or
Then solitude
O
f night
:
By which all p etent Thre e e xpanded
-
VVa x et h
SO
the I nner Sight
far the city
O live
or
.
vine
.
All aro und it
or
co rn ;
Those having pressed or tro d
or
g
md
r or
’
By these twas townwards borne
,
1 1
8
W O VISIONS
T
.
And went with music eve r swellin g
,
Where slopes
o erl o o k
’
the sea
,
,
Pil ed up the corse with herbs swe et smelling
-
C o nsume d,
'
a n d s o s et
free
.
.
O er o cean wav e and mountain daisy
’
As curled the perfumed smoke
The notes grew faint the
,
S tra ining my s ense
,
I
vrs ro n
woke
.
,
hazy
,
T l/ V O
S WIFT I arose
VISION S
1 1
.
9
S oft winds were stirri ng
.
The curtains
of
the Morn
,
Auguring day by signs unerring
,
L ovely as e er was born
,
’
No
.
bluer calmer sky surmounted
,
The city of my dream
,
And what few tr e es could then be counted
D id full as gracious seem
.
But here the pleasant lik eness ended
Be t w e en t h e
cities twain :
L evel and straight these streets e x tended
O ver an easy plain
.
T
I ZO
W O VISIONS
.
Withal the people who thus early
,
B egan the ways to throng
,
With curving back and visage surly
Toil ed painful ly along
,
.
G roup s o f them i net at yet closed por t als
And huddled r ound the gate
,
Patient as smit by the Immortals
,
And helots as by Fate
,
,
.
Right many a cross crowned front and steeple
-
Clave the cerulean air :
‘
As grew the concours e
of
the people
They rang to rival prayer
.
,
T l/ V O
Surmounting
VISIONS
.
thes e were Forms forbidding
S ome strife about the Flood ;
Since
in
such points divine
u nt h ri ddi n
g
Shed had been human blood
.
From arch a nd alley sodden wretche s
‘
Cr ept
out
And groped
In
heaps
in half attire
fo r
of
,
fetid husks and vetches
tossed
-
mire ;
o ut
’
Until disturbed by horses trample
B earing the homeward gay
,
,
Wh o s leek and wa rm with ermi nes ample
,
,
And glittering diamond spray
,
T
W O VISIONS
That lightly
1 23
.
fl e c ke d the
classic ripple
O f their full fl o w in g hair
-
Fo r shivering child and leprous cri pple
H ad
no t
a look to spar e
.
With garments which the mo m ill mated
Anon came youths along ;
From side to side they oscill ated
And trolled a shameful song
Fai r as is fair a cankered lily
A gi rl
wh o
,
.
,
late did lie
Beneath my window slumbrous s tilly
-
Rose
as these youths came nigh
.
,
,
T
1 24
W O VISIONS
.
She seized the comeliest and stroked him
,
,
And plied each foul device
And having to her flesh provoked him
Then haggled for
t h e pr i ce
,
.
H ereat my h ea r t —this long while throbbing
'
And brimming by degrees
O
’
erfl o w e d
I
and passionately sobbing
,
dr opped up on my knees
And made forgetful by the
.
fl u st er
O f t r ouble s fierce e x treme
’
I
cried
G
,
o d,
0
,
Thou the great Adjuster
,
realise my dream
,
,
,
T
1 26
And
I
To
WO
ISIONS
V
.
resolved by contrast smitten
,
,
live and st rive by L aw ;
A nd first t o
wri te as here are wri t ten
,
The Visions Twain
T H E E ND
I
saw
.
.
L O ND O N :
m a so n AND
sons
,
ra rxra a s, P ANCRA S R O A D , x
.
w
.
,