How
does he ride to the second? On the back of a bullfrog. What are his
opponents in the one? "Drizzle-mists," "sulphur and smoke," "shadowy
hands and flame-shot tongues." What in the other? "Mailed shrimps,"
"prickly prongs," "blood-red leeches," "jellied quarls," "stony star
fishes," "lancing squabs" and "soldier crabs." Is that all? No-
Although only an inch high he is in imminent danger of seduction
from a "sylphid queen," dressed in a mantle of "rolled purple,"
"tied with threads of dawning gold," "buttoned with a sparkling star,"
and sitting under a rainbow with "beamlet eyes" and a countenance of
"lily roon." In our account of all this matter we have had reference
to the book- and to the book alone. It will be difficult to prove us
guilty in any degree of distortion or exaggeration. Yet such are the
puerilities we daily find ourselves called upon to admire, as among
the loftiest efforts of the human mind, and which not to assign a rank
with the proud trophies of the matured and vigorous genius of England,
is to prove ourselves at once a fool; a maligner, and no patriot.*
* A review of Drake's poems, emanating from one of our proudest
Universities, does not scruple to make use of the following language
in relation to the Culprit Fay. "It is, to say the least, an elegant
production, the purest specimen of Ideality we have ever met with,
sustaining in each incident a most bewitching interest.
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