The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Part 2

Ah! would those happy days return again, When 'neath your arches, free from every stain, I heard of guilt, and wonder'd at the tale!

Dear haunts! where oft my simple lays I sang, Listening meanwhile the echoings of my feet, Lingering I quit you, with as great a pang, As when ere while, my weeping childhood, torn By early sorrow from my native seat, Mingled its tears with hers--my widow'd parent lorn.

'Poetical Works', vol. i. p. 31.

[Footnote 1: Bishop Berkeley, in his work ("Siris") commences with a dissertation on Tar Water, and ends with the Trinity. The Rev. John Coleridge commences his work, ent.i.tled "A miscellaneous Dissertation arising from the 17th and 18th chapters of the Book of Judges," with a well written preface on the Bible, and ends with an advertis.e.m.e.nt of his school, and his method of teaching Latin.]

[Footnote 2: In 1809, the above whimsical stories were related to me by a gentleman, born in the town of Ottery, and by marriage closely related to the Rev. John Coleridge. While Coleridge resided at Highgate, he also repeated the stories which had grown up with him from boyhood as here related, himself believing them true; but a near relation has lately a.s.sured the writer, that some of these stories are told of another most respectable clergyman, residing at that time in the neighbourhood, and 'he' believes that they properly belong to him. It is commonly remarked that very studious men, either from inattention, or from ignorance of the conventional forms of society, are regardless of what pa.s.ses before them. Paying, perhaps, too much attention to their inward feelings or thoughts, seemingly day-dreaming--and this may frequently give rise to the stories to be found in many towns besides Ottery. Still, however, thoughtful and contemplative persons are often the quickest observers of the weaknesses of human nature, and yet as they usually make the greatest allowances for every infirmity, they are often impartial judges, and judicious counsellors. The Rev. John Coleridge, though sometimes an absent man, was a most valuable pastor, and on all fitting occasions a good man of business, having conducted several difficult matters of controversy for his parish with great satisfaction to the parties.]

[Footnote 3: Such at least were the recollections of this extraordinary boy of seven years of age.]

[Footnote 4: Quale--quare--quidditive.]

[Footnote 5: He had, before he was six years old, read three times through the Arabian Nights, or rather one of the volumes.--See "'The Friend'," vol. i. p. 252, ed. 1818.]

[Footnote 6: I insert a similar observation on his feelings when he first left home. "When I was first plucked up and transplanted from my birth place and family, at the death of my dear father, whose revered image has ever survived in my mind, to make me know what the emotions and affections of a son are, and how ill a father's place is likely to be supplied by any other relation. Providence (it has often occurred to me) gave the first intimation, that it was my lot, and that it was best for me, to make or find my way of life a detached individual, a Terrae Filius, who was to ask love or service of no one on any more specific relation than that of being a man, and as such to take my chance for the free charities of humanity."]

[Footnote 7: Whatever might have been his habits in boyhood, in manhood he was 'scrupulously' clean in his person, and especially took great care of his hands by frequent ablutions. In his dress also he was as cleanly as the liberal use of snuff would permit, though the clothes-brush was often in requisition to remove the wasted snuff.

"Snuff," he would facetiously say, "was the final cause of the nose, though troublesome and expensive in its use."]

[Footnote 8: "Jemmy Bowyer," as he was familiarly called by Coleridge and Lamb, might not inaptly be termed the "plagosus...o...b..lius" of Christ's Hospital.]

[Footnote 9: In his biographical sketch of his literary life, he informs us that he had translated the eight Hymns of Synesius from the Greek, into English Anacreontica, before his fifteenth year.]

[Footnote 10:

... the childhood shews the man, As morning shews the day ...

'Paradise Regained', book iv. v. 220.]

[Footnote 11: Aldine Edition, Vol. i. p. 6.--Pickering, London, 1834.]

[Footnote 12: Extract of a note written Dec. 1829.]

[Footnote 13:

"'Thought' and 'attention' very different things.--I never expected the German (viz. selbst-muhige Erzeugung dessen, wovon meine Rede war) from the readers of the 'Friend'.--I did expect the latter, and was disappointed."

"This is a most important distinction, and in the new light afforded by it to my mind, I see more plainly why mathematics cannot be a subst.i.tute for Logic, much less for Metaphysics--i.e. transcendental Logic, and why therefore Cambridge has produced so few men of genius and original power since the time of Newton.--Not only it does 'not'

call forth the balancing and discriminating powers ('that' I saw long ago), but it requires only 'attention', not 'thought' or self-production.

"In a long-brief Dream-life of regretted regrets, I still find a noticeable s.p.a.ce marked out by the Regret of having neglected the Mathematical Sciences. No 'week', few 'days' pa.s.s unhaunted by a fresh conviction of the truth involved in the Platonic Superst.i.tion over the Portal of Philosophy,

[Greek: Maedeis age_ometraetos eisit_o].

But surely Philosophy hath scarcely sustained more detriment by its alienation from mathematics."

MS. Note.]

[Footnote 14:

"In my friendless wanderings on our leave-days, i.e. the Christ Hospital phrase, not for holidays altogether, but for those on which the boys are permitted to go beyond the precincts of the school (for I was an orphan, and had scarce any connexions in London), highly was I delighted, if any pa.s.senger, especially if he drest in black, would enter into conversation with me; for soon I found the means of directing it to my favourite subjects--

Of Providence, fore-knowledge, will, and fate, Fix'd fate, free will, fore-knowledge absolute, And found no end, in wandering mazes lost."]

[Footnote 15: The upper boys of the school selected for the University are so termed, though wearing the same coloured dress, but made of more costly materials.]

[Footnote 16: In a note on the History, p. 192, Mr. Trollope makes the following observation:

"From this book" (a book in which the boys were allowed to copy their verses when considered good) "the verses referred to in the text were inscribed."

They will be found in the Literary Remains, vol. i, p.33. Trollope says,

"These verses are copied not as one of the best, but of the earliest productions of the writer."]

[Footnote 17: Entered at Jesus' College, Feb. 5th, 1791, at the age of 19.--College Books.]

CHAPTER II.

COLERIDGE'S FIRST ENTRY AT JESUS' COLLEGE.--HIS SIMPLICITY AND WANT OF WORLDLY TACT.--ANECDOTES AND DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS OF HIM DURING HIS RESIDENCE AT COLLEGE INTIMACY WITH MIDDLETON--WITH SOUTHEY.--QUITS COLLEGE FOR BRISTOL.

At Cambridge, whither his reputation had travelled before him, high hopes and fair promises of success were entertained by his young friends and relations. He was considered by the "Blues," as they are familiarly termed, one from whom they were to derive great immediate honour, which for a short period, however, was deferred. Individual genius has a cycle of its own, and moves only in that path, or by the powers influencing it. Genius has been properly defined 'prospective', talent on the contrary 'retrospective': genius is creative, and lives much in the future, and in its pa.s.sage or progress may make use of the labours of talent.

"I have been in the habit," says Coleridge, "of considering the qualities of intellect, the comparative eminence in which characterizes individuals and even countries, under four kinds,--genius, talent, sense, and cleverness. The first I use in the sense of most general acceptance, as the faculty which adds to the existing stock of power and knowledge by new views, new combinations, by discoveries not accidental, but antic.i.p.ated, or resulting from antic.i.p.ation."

'Friend', vol. iii. p. 85, edit. 1818. [1]