hether those who aspire to a finer literary palate than is
possessed by the vulgar herd are really so keenly appreciative as the
innocent reader of published remarks might suppose. Hypocrisy in matters
of taste--whether of the literal or metaphorical kind--is the commonest
of vices. There are vintages, both material and intellectual, which are
more frequently praised than heartily enjoyed. I have heard very good
judges whisper in private that they have found Landor dull; and the rare
citations made from his works often betray a very perfunctory study of
them. Not long ago, for example, an able critic quoted a passage from
one of the 'Imaginary Conversations' to prove that Landor admired
Milton's prose, adding the remark that it might probably be taken as an
expression of his real sentiments, although put in the mouth of a
dramatic person. To anyone who has read Landor with ordinary attention,
it seems as absurd to speak in this hypothetical manner as it would be
to infer from some incidental allusion that Mr. Ruskin admires Turner.
Landor's adoration for Milton is one of the most conspicuous of his
critical propensities. There are, of course, many eulogies upon Landor
of undeniable weight. They are hearty, genuine, and from competent
judges. Yet the enthusiasm of such admirable critics as Mr. Emerson and
Mr. Lowell may be carped at by some who fancy that every American enjoys
a peculiar sense of complacency when rescuing an English genius from the
neglect of his own countrymen. If Mr. Browning and Mr. Swinburne have
been conspicuous in their admiration, it might be urged that neither of
them has too strong a desire to keep to that beaten highroad of the
commonplace, beyond which even the best guides meet with pitfalls.
Southey's praises of Landor were sincere and emphatic; but it must be
added that they provoke a recollection of one of Johnson's shrewd
remarks. 'The reciprocal civility of authors,' says the Doctor, 'is one
of the most risible scenes in the farce of life.' One forgives poor
Southey indeed for the vanity which enabled him to bear up so bravely
against anxiety and repeated disappointment; and if both he and Landor
found that 'reciprocal civility' helped them to bear the disregard of
contemporaries, one would not judge them harshly. It was simply a tacit
agreement to throw their harmless vanity into a common stock. Of Mr.
Forster, Landor's faithful friend and admirer, one can only say that in
his writing abou