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Lo . itD Cockburn ' s Life of Jeffrey has just been published . We have not read the vohimes , but doubt riot that , whatever may be their literary merits , they contain matter that will be abundantly interesting in literary circles . Lord Cockburn was one of the most intimate friends Jeffrey had —first his associate and friendly rival at the Scottish bar ^ and afterwards his brother on the Scottish Bench . Many stories , perhaps mythical > are current in Scotland , bringing out the contrast of the two friends ^ Jeffirey and Cockburn- ^ -iri their character of barristers addressing Scottish juries i Jeffrey , the clear , Attic intellect , speaking in a distinct , musical voicej from which the Scottish accent had been almost eradicated ; Cockburn , the
Scotchman allf over , and , what is more , the Scotch humorist . One of the stories , as far as our English ears can recollect the dialect in which it was told , was as follows : —In one case , in which Jeffirey and Cockburn , when barristers , 1 vere . engaged , a question arose as to the sanity of one of the parties concerned . ' < Is the defendant , in your opinion , perfectly sane ?" said Jeffrey , interrogating one of the witnesses , a plain , stupid-looking countryman . The witness gazed in bewilderment at the questioner , but gave no answer . It was clear he did not understand the question . Jeffrey repeated it > altering the words . "Do you think the defendant capable of managing his own affairs ? " Still iir vain ; the witness only stared the
harder . "I ask you again / ' said Jeffrey , still with his clear English enunciation , "do you consider the inait perfectly rational ? " No answer yet ; the witness only staring vacantly at the eloquent little figure of his interrogator , and exclaiming ^ "Eh ! " " Let me tackle him , " said Cockburn . Then assuming his broadest Scotch tone , and turning to the obdurate witness , " Hae ye your mull wi ye ? " "Ott ay / ' said the awakened Cimon , stretching out his snuff-horn . / ' Noo , hop lang hae ye kent John Samson /?* ' said Cockburn , taking a pinch . ** Ever since he was
that high , ' * was the ready reply , the witness indicating with his hand the alleged altitude-of John Samson at the , period of his first acquaintance with him . " An ' , d ' ye think noo , atween you and mes / ' said the barrister , in his most insinuating Scotch manner , " thaf there ' s onything ^ intill the cratur . " "Iwudna lippen him wi a bull-c&lf /* ( Iwouldn't trust him with the guardianship of an infant bull , ) was the instant and brilliant rejoinder * The end was attained , amid the convulsions of the court ; what Jeffreycould not do with all his cleverness , Cockburn had done by dint of his ¦
inveterate Scotticism . Such Is the story : true or not , we give it as we got it 5 and like most myths , if it is not true , it ought to be true , for it indicates exactly the two men , the one of whom now appears as the biographer of the other . We hope that Lord Cockburn , while doing justice to Jeffrey in his character as the Reviewer and the Man Of Letters , known to all Britain , has also kept true in the biography to his own instincts , and told us a great deal about Jeffrey as the Scotch lawyer and Scotch judge , and one of the ornaments of that northern metropolis , all whose beauties , moral as well as physical ^ are dearer , we believe , to no heart than to Lord Cockburn ' s .
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The ninth and tenth volumes of Mr . Grote ' s History of Greece are now out . They bring down the history from the period of the culmination of the Spartan supremacy , to the accession of Philip of Maeedon . A very remarkable thing about these two volumes , is the amount of political teaching they contain , adapted to the present hour . The volumes are , we may say , pervaded with a lesson of contrast between the results of a government founded on despotism , and those of a government founded on free speech . Invariably in Greece , where free speech was permitted , and
democratic spirit prevailed , the developments of society were better , greater , and more orderly , than where matters were managed by long continuations of military despotism , or occasional coups d'&at . Politicians at the present day could not find anywhere better illumination on the great and growing question of " Government by popular assemblies , " versus " Government by individuals , or oligarchies , " than in these two volumes ; and the illumination is all the more welcome , that it arises not out of intention to be dogmatic , but out of pure exercise of historic insight . Three or four volumes more will , we believe , conclude this great work of Mr . Grote ' s .
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Mit . Gladstone has published the third volume of his translation of Farini ' s History of the Roman State . This volume carries on the story from the flight of the Pope , to the landing of General Oudinot at Civita Vecchia . . The narrative is interesting \ but , like the two previous volumes , narrow and peevish in its spirit . One regrets more than ever , on reading these volumes , that Margaret Fuller ' s History of the Italian Movement has been lost to the world ; it would have told the story of the Roman Republic in so different a spirit from that of the crabbed Fnrini , who , though he writes well enough , is precisely one of those men who would act like
vinegar m any cause , souring all , and helping nothing . By the bye , Sam , Mazzini ' s young and gifted colleague in the Triumvirate ( one of tfie few men of whom oven Farini speaks well , and who is precisely the man to win golden opinions from all sorts of people , and what is more , to deserve them ) , i 8 writing a History of the Roman Revolution of 1848-49 . We beweve part of it it already written , if not published by the Italian prew of
Switzerland } we would fain see it finished , and translated for the benefit of the English public , who , at present ; grateful to Mr . Gladstone for his revelations of facts with regard to Italy , would be too much disposed to take a book like Fftrini ' s as sound on his recommendation .
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, NIEBUHR'S LIFE AND LETTERSThe Zdfe and tetters of ' Hiebuhr , with Essays on hia Character and Influence . By the Chevalier Bunsen and Professors Brancua and Iioebell .. 2 vols . . Chapman and Hall ( These are books to read , books to borrow , and books to buy , JS ^ ebuhr ' s Life andLetters , though less interesting perhaps than many a book we borrow , is more decidedly a book worth buying than ninety-nine in a hundred that are published . It is a book rich in teachings to the young ambitious student : teachings not simply of-a didactic or critical nature , but such as form the rules and guidance of a steadfast , honourable life * ONTiebuhr himself was certainly far from being what we should call a great man ; we separate widely from those enthusiastic admirers who in Germany" and England almost worship his name ; but we heartily admire that quality in him which raised him so high , above mere pedants , and which gave as it were a moral momentum to his intellect , intensifying its force to such a degree that it seemed like a great intellect : and that quality is truthfulness . We do not mean thereby a simple abstinence from conscious falsehood—we mean a stern and noble singleness of mind , which translates itself in honesty and accuracy ' -ofthought and action . He was arrogant , he was prejudiced , but he was never untruthful . One may collect a heap of absurdities and of rash assertions from Ha published writings , but nothing said for inere " effect , " nothing said to equivocate with truth , nothing that implies a want of the most ^ thorough honesty of mind . For our own parts we -have little admiration of ' lais writings , although recognising their enormous erujjgfcion and destructive merit . Se was , we must think , a dissejrtator , not an hifftorian ; a Gesctechtforscher , not & Geschichtschreiber . He destroyed traditions , but he constructed
nothing . No Roman moves across his page . 2 Jo life animates his Story . He wais a giant among Scholars ; but among Thinkers and Artists he has noplace . As a Scholar it does not become us to speak of hint : his acknowledged Superiority cannot be affected by any questions of detail , Let us , however , py- way of warning to the student , remind him that the highest authorities are only to be accepted with respect , not with blind obedience j the verdict of a great authority should make us suspicious of any difference from it we may see reason to entertain , but should not , merely as a verdict * Siiiffice to overthrow that opinion . Niebuhr , as we saidi is ft great authority ; but his temperament was arrogant and rash , and we counsel the student to test every assertion coming from Niebaihr , TV ! ¦ " .. * % m t " - ¦ " M ¦ . ' ¦'¦' " » ' ¦ . ' «* T * ' . 1 . 1 i _ "l _ ¦ - _ T _ M - ¦ 1 _ if it from rememberwhen the tures
^ just as came a Jones . We , ^ Lec published by Dr . Schmitz came into our hands , wie were startled by the assertion that Ennius " uses ego as a monosyllable . " It is possible ; but with all the softening of the Tuscan guttural ( e . g ., Ziasa for casa , hanto for cwnto , ) it is difficult to conceive ego pronounced like the Italian to . Being naturally of a rebellious mind , and disinclined to accept the dictum even of a JNiebuhr , we turned to the fragments of Ennius collected by Merula , and found that the word ego only occurs three times , and on each occasion the pronunciation is equivocal , because the final vowel is elided before the initial vowel which succeeds ! But although , as may be seen , we have not the high opinion or his intellectual greatness , held by many , we are unfeigned admirers of the
purity and highmindedness of his moral character ; and hence these volumes of Life and Letters have been of more interest and pleasure to us than all his achievements in history . Peculiarly valuable must these letters be to * the young student strugglin g against poverty , obscurity , and the insensate promptings of his own ambition , urging him to snatch at the success only toil and courage can achieve . Early in life he settled his career . Hte was to be an historian ; and as far as nature had gifted him with the qualities to succeed , he succeeded in this dream of youth . Watch him in his study—how happy among his books ! how honestly laborious ! how he plans studies without thought of the toil , thinking only of the knowledge to be gained ! While fellow students were wasting a in clouds of smoke the
God-given life in the Weinstube , enveloped , talking infinite nonsense of youth , or roaring burschen songs—while others were airing their amiability at tea parties , Kiebuhr was amassing the materials of his future work . " And believe me , dearest parents , " he writes , in answer to their gentle reproaches , "it would be impossible to be as happy in much society as I am in the feeling that my solitude is well employed . When I have completed my studies , I will enter the world . Woe be to the fool who enters it before ho has knowledge enough to compensate foir its emptiness "—the true feeling of the scholar ! That he did not underrate the immensity of the task he had before him , may be read in this : —
" In order fully to understand , and to give lectures upon ancient literature , and ancient history , which forms a part of it , it is , in my opinion , absolutely necessary that I should have read through all the ancient writings still extant , at lenst once , with the closest attention—the more important works many times—and acquired a living and familiar acquaintance with each period . There may possibly bo some exceptions to this rule in the case of special sciences , which must for over remain a mystery to tho uninitiated . This undertaking was carried out by Milton long ago . Thoro would scarcely ho found many to do it now , but jit seems to mo that it is what I undoubtedly ought to attempt .
" A profound and practical acquaintance with tho grammar of tho two classical languages must bo obtained , partly by means of tho various treatises on that / subject , and partly fronj the literature of the languages themselves . A systematic philosophy , as thp groundwork of all settled convictions , and all accurato thought ; what is perhaps still more important , method in thinking , writing , and studying ; added to those , various exorcises in tho art of composition , and a thorough command of our mother tongue , aro indispensable requisites for any one who stops forth boforo the public , and seeks to obtain a high standing . It is no moro than a man demands of himself . " Tbm , then , * re the prelimkury tank * that I should have to execute , before I
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Critics axe nottlie legislators , but the -judges ana police of literature . They do not mike laws ^ -tEey interpret and : * 3 r * ° enforce them . —Edinburgh Review .
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March 20 , 185 J ] : : . f : lf ^ gE : A : f l i : 87 ? .
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Leader (1850-1860), March 20, 1852, page 277, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1927/page/17/
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