worthy of the name), but the first and the only Guide. As to the parts assigned to us severally, they are not entirely cast: most of us were tolerably bouzy at our first meeting; and not much business was done: only I remember that Mr. Coleridge wished to do the metaphysics; but I disallowed of that, and swore I would "strike" (in the journeyman's sense), If it were given to any body but my self. So he does the politics: and I believe the mineralogy was assigned to Mr W; at least, Professor W- tells me, that he has since observed him in a solitary place smiting the rocks with a pockethammer," which I know not how he will reconcile with a passage in the Excursion, rather hard upon that practice. We shall be happy to make honourable mention in verse or prose of all persons who will furnish us with embellishments for our work, plates, vignettes, &c. but of course done in a style as much superior to the wretched illustrations which accompany other Guides, as our work will be superior to theirs. As this Guide will take some time in preparing, and the lake-season is now at its meridian, I shall mention in this place, for the information of the great numbers who wish to ascend Helvellyn, but do not feel themselves equal to the exertion of walking up, that it has been ascertained within these two or three years, that it is possible to ride up on a sure-footed horse. By the way, there is something to repay one for the labour of ascending Helvellyn; for it stands in the centre of the lake-district; and the swelling and heaving of the billowy scene of mountains around it and below it is truly magnificent. But Skiddaw is one of the out-posts of the country; and nothing, that I know of, is to be gained by ascending it, except, perhaps, a sprained ancle-or, as a man would be apt to infer from Mrs. Ratcliffe's alarming account of that ascent, a broken neck. The purpose, however, for which most people ascend Skiddaw-and for which they leave their beds in Keswick at midnight, is to see the sun rise: which is the most absurd of all purposes. To see the sun rise amongst mountains is doubtless a fine thing: but this is but accomplished so as to see the oblique gleams, and the "long levelled rules" of light, which are shot through the different vistas, and loop-holes of the hills, by standing below and near their base. Going up a three-hours' ascent to the top of a mountain, in order to view an appearance in the heavens rests on the same mistake which has induced to plant an astronomical observatory on the top of a hill at a great increase of expence ; and is like standing on a pin-cushion or in pattens to see the ascent of a balloon. If a hill had stood in the way of the observatory, and directly obstructed its view, it might be well to carry it to a little distance; or, if that were not possible, to place it on the hill. Immediate obstructions cleared-the observatory will command as ample an area of sky from the plains as from the hills: and so of picturesque views. For my part, I cannot but approve the judgment of three Englishmen travelling on the continent, who having ascended a hill to see the sun rise, were so disappointed that they unanimously hissed him, and cried " "Off! off!" as to a bad performer. ON SUICIDE. Ir is a remarkable proof of the inaccuracy with which most men read -that Donne's Biathanatos has been supposed to countenance Suicide; and those who reverence his name have thought themselves obliged to apologize for it by urging, that it was written before he entered the church. But Donne's purpose in this treatise was a pious one: many au thors had charged the martyrs of the Christian church with Suicide-on the principle that if I put myself in the way of a mad bull, knowing that he will kill me-I am as much chargeable with an act of self-destruction as if I fling myself into a river. Several casuists had extended this principle even to the case of Jesus Christ: one instance of which, in a modern author, the reader may there are such cases. There is no see noticed and condemned by Kant, man, who in his heart would not rein his Religion innerhalb die gronzen verence a woman that chose to die der blossen Vernunft; and another rather than to be dishonoured : and, if of much earlier date, (as far back as we do not say, that it is her duty to the 13th century, I think,) in a com- do so, thut is because the moralist moner book-Voltaire's notes on the must condescend to the weakness little treatise of Beccaria, Dei delitti and infirmities of human nature: e delle pene. These statements tend- mean and ignoble natures must not. ed to one of two results : either they be taxed up to the level of noble, unsanctified the characters of those ones. Again, with regard to the who founded and nursed the Chris- other sex, corporal punishment is its tian church ; or they sanctified sui- peculiar and sexual degradation ; and cide. By way of meeting them, if ever the distinction of Donne can Donne wrote his book: and as the be applied safely to any case, it will whole argument of his opponents be to the case of him who chooses to turned upon a false definition of sui- die rather than to submit to that ig-. cide (not explicitly stated, but as- nominy. At present, however, there sumed), he endeavoured to reconsti- is but a dim and very confined sense, tute the notion of what is essential even amongst enlightened men (as to create an act of suicide. Simply we may see by the debates of Parliato kiH a man is not murder: primâ ment), of the injury which is done to fucie, therefore, there is some sort of human nature by giving legal sancpresumption that simply for a man tion to such brutalizing acts; and to kill himself-may not always be therefore most men, in seeking to 80: there is such a thing as simple escape it, would be merely shrinking homicide distinct from murder: there from a personal dishonour. Corporal may, therefore, possibly be such a punishinent is usually argued with a thing as self-homicide distinct from single reference to the case of him self-murder. There may be a ground who suffers it; and so argued, God for such a distinction, ex analogiâ. knows that it is worthy of all abBut, secondly, on examination, is horrence: but the weightiest arguthere any ground for such a distinc- ment against it—is the foul indignity tion? Donne affirms that there is; which is offered to our common naand, reviewing several eminent cases ture lodged in the person of him on of spontaneous martyrdom, he endea- whom it is inflicted. His nature is vours to show that acts so motived our nature: and, supposing it possiand so circumstantiated will not ble that he were so far degraded as come within the notion of suicide to be unsusceptible of any influences properly defined.—Meantime, may but those which address him through not this tend to the encouragement of the brutal part of his nature, yet for suicide in general, and without dis- the sake of ourselves-No! not crimination of its species? No: merely for ourselves, or for the huDonne's arguments have no prospec- man race now existing, but for the tive reference or application; they sake of human nature, which transare purely retrospective. The cir- cends all existing participators of cumstances necessary to create an that nature—we should remember act of mere self-homicide can rarely that the evil of corporal punishment concur, except in a state of disorder- . is not to be measured by the poor ed society, and during the cardinal transitory criminal, whose memory revolutions of human history: where, and offence are soon to perish : these, however, they do concur, there it in the sum of things, are as nothing : will not be suicide. In fact, this is the injury which can be done him, the natural and practical judgment and the injury which he can do, have of us all. We do not all agree on so momentary an existence that they the particular cases which will jus- may be safely neglected: but the tify self-destruction : but we all feel abiding injury is to the most august and involuntarily acknowledge (im- interest which for the mind of man plicitly acknowledge in our admira- can have any existence,-viz. to his tion, though not explicitly in our own nature: to raise and dignify words or in our principles), that which, I am persuaded, is the fir Last and boliest command* which in the presence of many witnesses. the conscience imposes on the philo- Not having any pistols or razors, he sophic moralist. În countries, where ran for a short distance, in order to aid the traveller has the pain of seeing the impetus of his descent, and leaphuman creatures performing the la- ed over a precipice, at the foot of bours of brutes, t-surely the sorrow which he was dashed to pieces. His which the spectacle moves, if a wise motive to the “rash act,” as the sorrow, will not be chiefly directed papers called it, was supposed to be to the poor degraded individual too mere tædium vitæ. But, for my part, deeply degraded, probably, to be I doubted the accuracy of the report. sensible of his own degradation, but Not long after a case occurred in to the reflexion that man's nature is Westmoreland which strengthened thus exhibited in a state of miserable my doubts. A fine young blood abasement; and, what is worst of horse, who could have no possible ell, abasement proceeding from man reason for making away with himhimself.—Now, whenever this view self, unless it were the high price of of corporal punishment becomes gene- oats at that time, was found one ral (as inevitably it will, under the morning dead in his field. The case influence of advancing civilization), I was certainly a suspicious one: for say, that Donne's principle will then he was lying by the side of a stonebecome app! able to this case, and it wall, the upper part of which wall will be the duty of a man to die ra- his skull had fractured, and which ther than to suffer his own nature to had returned the compliment by fracbe dishonoured in that way. But so turing his skull. It was argued, long as a man is not fully sensible of therefore, that in default of ponds, the dishonour, to him the dishonour, &c. he had deliberately bammered except as a personal one, does not with his head against the wall ; this, wholly exist. In general, whenever at first, seemed the only solution : a paramount interest of human na- and he was generally pronounced ture is at stake, a suicide which felo de se. However, a day or two maintains that interest is self-homi- brought the truth to light. The field cide: but, for a personal interest, it lay upon the side of a hill: and, from becomes self-murder. And into this a mountain which rose above it, a principle Donne's may be resolved. shepherd had witnessed the whole catastrophe, and gave evidence which vindicated the character of the horse. The day had been very windy; and A doubt has been raised-whether the young creature being in high brute animals ever commit suicide: spirits, and, caring evidently as little to me it is obvious that they do not, for the corn question as for the buland cannot. Some years ago, how- lion question, had raced about in all ever, there was a case reported in all directions; and at length, descendthe newspapers of an old ram who ing too steep a part of the field, had committed suicide (as it was alleged) been unable to check himself, and . An eye On which account, I am the more struck by the ignoble argument of those states. men who have coutended in the House of Commons that such and such classes of men in this nation are not accessible to any loftier infiuences. Supposing that there were any truth in this assertion, which is a libul not on this nation only, but on man in general, --surely it is the duty of lawgivers not to perpetuate by their institutions the evil which they find, but to presume and gradually to create a better spirit. + Of which degradation, let it never be forgotten that France but thirty years ago presented as shocking cases as any country, even where slavery is tolerated. witness to the fact, who has since published it in print, told me, that in France, before the revolution, he had repeatedly seen a woman yoked with an ass to the plough ; and the brutal ploughman applying his whip indifferently to either. English people, to whom I have occasionally mentioned this as an exponent of the hollow refinement of manners in France, have viniformly exclaimed—“ That is more than I can believe;" and have taken it for granted that I had my information from some prejudiced Englishman. But who was my informer? A Frenchman, reader,--M. Simond ; and though uw by adoption an American citizen, yet still French in his heart and in all his prelices. was projected by the impetus of his own descent like a battering ram against the wall. Of human suicides, the most affecting I have ever seen recorded is one which I met with in a German book: this I shall repeat a little further on: the most calm and deliberate is the following, which is said to have occurred at Keswick, in Cumberland: but I must acknowledge, that I never had an opportunity, whilst staying at Keswick, of verifying the statement. A young man of studious turn, who is said to have resided near Penrith, was anxious to qualify himself for entering the church, or for any other mode of life which might secure to him a reasonable portion of literary leisure. His family, how ever, thought that under the circumstances of his situation he would have a better chance for success in life as a tradesman; and they took the necessary steps for placing him as an apprentice at some shopkeeper's in Penrith. This he looked upon as an indignity, to which he was determined in no case to submit. And accordingly, when he had ascertained that all opposition to the choice of his friends was useless, he walked over to the mountainous district of Keswick (about sixteen miles distant)-looked about him in order to select his ground-coolly walked up Lattrig (a dependency of Skiddaw) made a pillow of sods-laid himself down with his face looking up to the sky-and in that posture was found dead, with the appearance of having died tranquilly. X. Y. Z. EARLY ITALIAN POETS. GUITTONE D'AREZZO. "TOWARDS the middle of the thirteenth century," (says Crescimbeni in his history of Italian poetry) "flourished Fra Guittone del Viva, of the order of the Frati Godenti, and commonly called Fra Guittone d'Arezzo. The Tuscan poetry is greatly indebted to him, since he brought to perfection the most noble and elegant of its lyrical compositions, namely, the sonnet, to which he prescribed that quality and number of the verses, and that collocation and variation of the rhymes, which we now practise. He was less barbarous in his diction and more profound in his thoughts than many others of his age.” When we consider the number of beautiful poems in our own language to which this invention of Guittone has given birth, beginning from Surrey, in Harry the Eighth's time, and continuing down to our own day, we cannot but join our acknowledgments with those of Crescimbeni. Of his own sonnets, I have now thirty before me in the collection of Tuscan poets, published by the Giunta at Florence on the 6th of July, 1527, (so particular were they in noting the precise day of the publication.) These, together with a Ballata and three Canzoni (a species of poem which the Italians borrowed from the Provençals, but which has not, like the sonnet, been adopted by the other nations of Europe) constitute the eighth book of the abovementioned collection. They are all on the subject of love; which, according to the fashion of the times, he does not treat like a man of this world; but, having invested his mistress in I know not what super-human perfection, is contented to worship her at an humble distance. Whether she were fair or brown, whether her locks of gold or jet, her eyes black, blue, or hazel, or if she were known by any appellation, Christian or Heathenish, does not appear. It may therefore be feared that, in our present state of degeneracy, he will find few to sympathize with him in the following complaints. Infelice mia stella, e duro fato, Dal primo giorno eo fui predestinato A l'amoroso gioco; ove s'impara Mille fiate son ricorso a' thene, Sequendo hor questa setta, ed hora quella : Per fuggir le dorate aspre quadrella : Nulla mi giova; ond' eo son fuor di spene. (Fol. 90.) For bitter life e'en from the stars may come ; That by the stars is moulded for our state : To love's fell sport, where so much woe hath room, Wretch, whom the skies did for such hap create. A thousand times to Athens have I run, Addressing to each school my steps in turn: Quanto più mi distrugge il meo pensiero Che la durezza altrui produsse a'l mondo, E co'l fuggir de la speranza spero : Che mancherò sotto si grave pondo; Ch'eo bramo, e seguo la cagion, ch' eo pero: Il qual leggendo i miei sospiri in rima Si dolerà de la mia dura sorte : Visto con il mio mal giunto il suo danno (Fol. 96.) The more I am destroyed by my thought, Which doth its birth from others' hardness date, And hope in me with flight of hope is wrought: That I shall sink under so heavy weight, Who, when he reads my doleful sighs in rhyme, Shall sorrow for a lot, as mine, severe. Seeing her loss link'd to my ill, in time May for my death shed one compunctious tear? Besides these poems, there is a something may be gleaned from them collection of his letters, mostly in by one who is curious about the hisprose, but some of them in verse. tory and literature of those times. Tiraboschi says they are the most The seventh letter is to Corso Donati, ancient specimen of letters written in a turbulent statesman, famous for the Italian language. They abound his eloquence, and the bitterest enemy in elevated sentiments, are stately, that Dante had in Florence. It is formal, sometimes thickly sown with written in metre, and contains some quotations, and have much the ap- good advice, which if (orso, then a pearance of tasks. Here and there young man, had followed, he inight a |