t--who appears to us to have been introduced as much for
the sake of supporting the supernatural character of the piece as for
any other purpose.

This hardihood of the poet has by some critics been censured. For
ourselves, we have a lingering and obstinate regret that Schiller ever
thought it necessary to forsake the true for the fabulous; that he did
not restrict himself to representing the faith of the age in the
dialogue of his personages; that he did not content himself with marvels
related only in the imitated conversation of superstitious persons. The
most sceptical of men admit the reality and fervour of superstitious
beliefs; and in depicting _them_ in all their vitality, the poet is
still adhering rigidly to truth: it is for the reader to sympathize with
them or not at his pleasure. But Schiller having resolved to represent
as fact the superstitious faith of the times, instead of building upon
that faith as his _fact_; having determined that Johanna should be
verily inspired, and see visions, and be the champion of the Holy Virgin
for the salvation of France--we think he was quite right in casting
aside all timidity, all remaining scruples of reason, and freely giving
up his scene to prodigies and marvels. If you must lie, lie boldly--is a
good maxim for poets as well as rogues. Above all, do we dislike that
dubious and pitiful position which a narrator of supernatural events
sometimes falls into, where the reader is perpetually asking himself
whether the author seriously intends to task his credulity or not.

We must here, however, remark that, even when the poet represents the
supernatural as the faith only of others, he must still, in order to do
this effectively, awaken some degree of superstitious feeling in
ourselves. To understand the belief or delusion of another without more
or less participating in it, is a state of mind in which the philosopher
might be very well content to place us, but which by no means suits the
purposes of the poet. We must be made to partake for the moment, to some
slight degree, in the superstitious feelings of the past age which is
brought before us, or we can no longer feel that sympathetic interest
which the poet seeks to create. The spectacle presented to us becomes
one of mere curiosity. As well might we look through a microscope, and
watch the world of _animalculae_ it reveals. Very curious that little
world; but we take no part in any of its proceedings, violent as they