Art. XII. The Descent of Liberty, a Mask. 8vo. pp. lix. 82. price 6s. boards. By Leigh Hunt. Small Gale and Co. 1815. PREFIXED to this little Poem is a di-course On the Origin and Nature of Masks.' Mr Hunt is not inclined to fetter so lively and airy a composition, in the bonds of a too strict definition; he considers it as A mixed Drama, allowing of natural incidents as of every thing else that is dramatic, but more essentially given up to the fancy, and abounding in machinery and personification, generally with a particular allusion.'p. xxiv. Milton's Comus, he considers, as the best indeed, but, at the same time, the least specific work of its kind. Perhaps, common readers will have their idea of a mask best formed by being referred to that in Shakspeare's Tempest. Mr Hunt's piece is of a much more extensive and varied nature; extremely gorgeous in its pageants, rich in its imagination, and delightfully romantic and fanciful in its diction, To some readers, indeed, the diction may appear as too much an imitation of our old poets; but to us, any thing that brings them to recollection is charming. Neither can Mr. Hunt be called, properly, an imitator; he has imbued himself richly with the wild fancies and picturesque language of those good old bards, but he has at the same time his own manner. The subject, as the reader will guess by the title, is the return of Liberty and Peace to the earth, after the downfall of Buonaparte; and we think the political purport now and then peeps rather too broadly through the fancy of the piece. Shepherds are introduced as having heard, for some days, sweet music in the air, a new sound, The first, of any comfortable breath, Hence, they augur some glad change at hand, some relief from the enchanter who has so long been the curse of the ' weary land.' I know not why, But there is such a sweetness in the touch That it forebodes, to me, some blessed change.' p. 8., Of this music and of their conjectures they resolve to inform old Eunomus, • Who used to set So rare a lesson to the former court, But now shuts his sorrows in this corner; p. 8. Both his sons gone,-the first one by his death Torn from his bride, and dead too as they say.'-p. 10. This Eunomus and his daughter-in-law Myrtilla are charmingly described; and, at the request of the latter, put forth in a sweet song, a spirit announces the coming of Liberty. The destruction of the enchanter is then shewn in an aërial pageant, and the twilight, which had before lain upon the face of the whole country, vanishes. Spring descends to prepare the earth for the approach of Liberty; and perhaps we could not quote any thing more characteristic of the Author's lighter and more playful style, than the description which is given of her flowers. Then the flowers on all their beds How the sparklers glance their heads! Lilacs then, and daffodillies, Their little green tipt lamps of white; In his cloth of purple and gold.' pp. 28–19, We return to earth, and we are delighted with the inno cent fancies of Myrtilla. • You've heard me, Sir, In my young fancy picture out a world, Such as our present-timed, unfinal eyes, Knowing but what they see,-and not even that,- Whose use they know not ; 2nd Shep. This change appears? Myrt. Such a world, you say, I do, it seems to me, In it's fresh whisper, and delighted eye, Follow d by such a time,-change, wondrous change About and overhead with beams between, And quick-voic'd birds that steep the trees in music, With smile that cannot help itself, and turning, That I could fancy-but-forgive me, pray, We must give one more touch from the earthly part of the poem. It has something in it exquisitely touching. Philaret, the husband of Myrtilla, returns almost unhoped-for from the wars; and, on hearing of the kindness of his wife, during his absence, to his old father, breaks out into the following expressions of tenderness. Did she do so? Did you do thus, my best And tenderest heart,-my wife?-May heaven for this, Into its dimpled outline,-Heaven for this Cool the dear hand I grasp with health and peace, Bless thee in body and mind, in home and husband,--- And when old age, reverencing thy looks With eyes, feet, voice and arms, and happy shoulders, Liberty at length descends; and the four spirits of the nations,' the Prussian, Austrian, Russian, and English genii, successively_enter, and are welcomed by her in appropriate speeches. Peace is then invoked by some of the spirits of Liberty, who introduces, with a profusion of sweet songs and gorgeous imagery, Music, Painting, and Poetry. Then enter, with appropriate pageantry and attendants, Experience and Education. After this, Peace invokes Ceres in the following simple and beautiful song. THE FOURTH SONG OF PEACE, O, Thou that art our Queen again For the war's gone home; And the fields are quiet and green again. The air. dear Goddess, sighs for thee, On their wistful bed Turn up their dark blue eyes for thee. Laugh out in the loose green jerkin And the wheaten crown About thy temples perking. And with thee come Stout Heart in, And Exercise, The ruddy and wise, His bathed fore locks parting. And Dancing too, that's lither To thread the place With a finishing grace, And carry our smooth eyes with her.' pp. 63, 64, We cannot but add the trio and chorus in which Ceres is welcomed. TRIO AND CHORUS." All joy to the giver of wine and of corn, And the shady wheat crown, And the ripe golden locks that come smelling of morn. We'll sling on our flaskets, and forth with the sun, With our arm at a sweep, And oh! for the dancing when all is done; Exercise Yes, yes, we'll be up when the singing bird starts; Stout Heart. And shake off fatigue with our bounding hearts, CHORUS OF A FEW VOICES MALE AND FEMALE. And see, to set us moving, here is Dancing here, Nay, trip it first a while To thine own sweet smile, And we'll follow, follow, follow to thee, Dancing dear.' p. 67. The pageants are here on a sudden interrupted by the hasty entrance of a sable genius with fetter-rings at his wrists, a few of the links broken ott.' He has been disturbed by dreams of still impending evils, but is sent away re-assured by the promises of Liberty. The poem closes with the goddess's wisest contrast, the pageants of true and false glory. Such of our readers as measure merit by length, breadth, and thickness, will think that we have dwelt too long on this unpretending volume; but we feel it necessary to apologize to our more imaginative readers, for so soon letting it out of our hands. It has given as infinitely more pleasure than many a handsome quarto from more fashionable pens. Indeed we know not that a thing of such continued and innocent fancy, so finely mixed up with touches of human affections,-a Manners** poem, in short, so fitted for a holyday hour on a bright spring morning,has ever come under our critical cognizance, |