which were lying on his table into the
street. A priest who happened to be passing the house examined one or two
of the drifting poems, and, discovering that they were impious, denounced
Petit to the authorities. His rooms furnished a large supply of similar
work, and, as we have said, the poet paid the penalty for his rashness at
the gallows.
Although the methods of later critics are less severe than their
inquisitorial predecessors, they have not been without their victims, and
books maltreated by them have sometimes "done to death" their authors.
A century ago furious invective was the fashion, and the tender mercies of
the reviewers were cruel. Poor Keats died of criticism, if Shelley's story
be true. On the appearance of _Endymion_ the review in _Blackwood_ told
the young poet "to go back to his gallipots," and that it was a wiser and
better thing to be a starved apothecary than a starved poet. Such vulgar
abuse was certainly not criticism. Shelley wrote that "the savage
criticism on Keats' _Endymion_ which appeared in the _Quarterly Review_
produced the most violent effects on his susceptible mind; the agitation
thus originated ended in the rupture of a blood-vessel in the lungs; a
rapid consumption ensued, and the succeeding acknowledgments from more
candid critics of the true greatness of his powers were ineffectual to
heal the wound thus wantonly inflicted.
Pages:
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169