le him to do this, the writer of an Historical Romance must, indeed,
make severe and various studies. He must devote his whole mind and soul
to the epoch he would illustrate, he must live in it and feel with it.
He must so familiarize himself with all the details, as in a manner to
become a child of that epoch; for he can present a really living image
of only that which is living in himself. That this requires a deep and
earnest study of history is self-evident. Historical Romance demands the
study of the historian, together with the creative imagination of the
poet. For the free embodiment of the poet can blossom only from out
the studio of the historian, as the flower from the seed; as, by a
reciprocal organic action, the hyacinth is derived from the onion, and
the rose from its seed-capsule, so are history and poetry combined
in the Historical Romance, giving and receiving life to and from each
other.

The Historical Romance has its great task and its great justification--a
truth disputed by only those who either have not understood or will not
understand its nature.

The Historical Romance has, if I may be allowed so to speak, four
several objects for which to strive:

Its first object is, to throw light upon the dark places of history,
necessarily left unclear by the historian. Poetry has the right and duty
of setting facts in a clear light, and of illuminating the darkness
by its sunny beams. The poetry of the romance writer seeks to deduce
historical characteristics from historical facts, and to draw from the
spirit of history an elucidation of historical characters, so that the
writer may be able to detect their inmost thoughts and feelings, and in
just and sharp traits to communicate them to others.

The second task of Historical Romance is, to group historical characters
according to their internal natures, and thus to elucidate and
illustrate history. This illustration then leads to the third task,
which is the discovery and exposition of the motives which impel
individual historical personages to the performance of great historical
acts, and from outwardly, apparently insignificant events in their lives
to deduce their inmost thoughts and natures, and represent them clearly
to others.

Thence follows the fourth task: the illustration of historical facts
by a romance constructed in the spirit of the history. This fourth and
principal task is the presentation of history in a dramatic form and
with animat