is no question that that craving for logical accuracy and squareness, to which the French have been slaves for a century past, has become a powerful political factor among ourselves. Its influence varies at various times. Just now theories of all kinds are at a heavy discount, and few people believe much in any political science, except the rule of thumb. But there are still a faithful few who, if they could secure an audience, would still be philosophic politicians. Fifteen years ago such men were all but supreme. The fashion has changed and may change again. Practice and theory succeed each other among us by ebb and flow. A few years of successful practice breeds a whole crop of theories; and the failure of a few theories, here or elsewhere, brings the reign of humble experimental politics back again. The age of political symmetry may come upon us before we know it. Some obscure cause determines the intellect of the country for a period to this disease. It rages for a time with the fury of an epidemic, and does not spare the soundest brains. Hard-headed Englishmen seem for the time as if they were metamorphosed into German Professors. Even the oldest statesmen seem bitten with the fancy of grinding out Constitutions upon the calculating machine; and the Universities pour upon us troops of rising statesmen, all armed to the teeth with formula for the logical government of mankind. The coincidence of such a malady with a period of popular excitement constitutes a danger to the constitution which it is difficult to overrate. It furnishes to the multitude precisely that auxiliary contingent from among the educated class which is necessary to their success. Such a combination never can last long, for the causes are transitory which furnish both its constituent parts-the popular frenzy on the one side, and the scholastic Utopianism on the other. But while it lasts, the defences of the Constitution are exposed to a terrible strain. At such a time of trial it is of enormous importance to have made good any weak points at which the syllogisms or the ridicule of the theoretic politician could be directed with success. The removal of anomalies, therefore, if opportunity offers, is no ideal gain, though the actual improvement it may effect in the working of the Constitution may be imperceptible.
The occasion, however, for entertaining considerations of this kind has hardly arisen yet. There is nothing in the present attitude of the public mind to encourage any attempt at the adjustment of the Reform question upon principles which could be accepted as equitable by Conservatives. For the present our energies must be concentrated upon the defence of the Constitution from more immediate danger. Democracy, whether im
ported in bulk by Mr. Bright from America, or plausibly
smuggled in in small packets by Mr. Baines, has not ceased
to be formidable because its favour has happily declined. So
long as a party not contemptible in its numbers, and powerful
in its activity, is seeking, under cover of the cry for Reform, to
give to the Trades Unions the election of the majority of the
House of Commons, so long every minor care for subordinate
improvements in the Constitution must be merged in the one
anxiety to deliver our free country from this most odious
despotism.
In our notice of Lord Derby's translation of the Iliad' we took
exception to B. 8, v. 100-
'The other steeds in dire confusion threw;'
because we supposed the translator to imply that Nestor's was a four-
horsed chariot, a thing foreign to the 'Iliad:' while we were ourselves
under the impression that there were only two horses in the chariot.
We have subsequently learnt from some observations of Lord Derby's
upon the passage that he understood it to mean that the wounded
horse was one of three. We think that his Lordship has established
his position most conclusively, both from the subsequent account in
this book, and from a very similar passage in B. 16, v. 470; thus not
only fully vindicating his translation of the verse in question, but
also affording fresh proof of the accuracy and unwearied diligence of
his researches.
HUNDRED AND SEVENTEENTH VOLUME OF THE QUARTERLY REVIEW.
Adultery, stoning women to death for,
483.
Afghanistan, unsettled state of, 515.
Alboin and Cunimund, awful episode
of, 157.
Algerine captures from the western
counties, 64.
Amalthei's celebrated epigram on Acon
and Leonilla, with various transla-
tions, 229.
American party for a war with Eng-
land, 263 - English advocates of
America against England, 265. (See
Confederates, Federals, Democracy.)
Amos's Martial and the Moderns, 204-
contains the cream of the Martialian
epigrams, 224.
Appeal, Court of Ecclesiastical, objec-
tions to the present, 469-composition
of the old Court of Delegates, ib.
'Areopagitica,' Milton's, 520.
Aristotle's History of Animals,' value
of, 33-the father of natural history,
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ib. -summary of his physiological
views, 35-peculiar notions respect-
ing the skull, 37-question of sys-
tematic classification by Aristotle, 38
-personal appearance described by
Diogenes Laertius, 43-observations
on various editions, 56.
Arnold's (Matthew) criticism on An-
toninus, 17.
Art its relation to history, 287.
Asia (Central) difficulty of travelling
in, 477-belief that the Frank travel-
ler is the forerunner of the Frank
conqueror, 482- Frank politics like
Frank doctoring,' ib.-disguise of
Europeans difficult, 486-Burton's,
Palgrave's, and Vámbéry's disguises,
489-paralysing effect of taxation on
commercial intercourse, 507-Russian
encroachment by military colonies,
513. (See Vámbéry.)
Astrology,Bardesanes's refutation of,167.
Vol. 117.-No. 234.
Baines (Mr.), tendency of his Reform
Bill, 567.
Bashi Bozuks' escape from Siberia, 505.
Bees and Wasps, Aristotle on, 47.
Belgrade, bombardment of, 188.
Beresina, passage of the, 142.
Bible, origin and object of its division
into chapter and verse, 334.
Blake (William), wildness and origin-
ality of his works, 1-influences form-
ing his style, 2-psychological pecu-
liarities, 4-contrasted with Fuseli,
5-specimens of his early poems, 9—
imaginative power of his woodcuts,
12 his etchings compared with
Turner's, 13-enthusiasm for country
life, 15-heroic endurance of penury,
17-character as an artist, ib.-his
charges against Stothard and Flaxman
refuted, 18-designs for the Book of
Job, 19-ascribed his designs to direct
supernatural vision, 20-illustrations
of the Inferno, 21-curious writings
on art, 22- design for Chaucer's
'Pilgrims,' 24-specimen of his illus-
trations of Dante, 25-intellectual
and personal qualities, 26.
Blocqueville's captivity among the Tek-
keh, 512.
Bokhara, the ancient Bactriana, 479—
Bokharian religiosity, 483-religious
statecraft of Murâd Beg, ib.-flogging
to midday prayer on Friday, ib.-
murders of Englishmen, 485-Bok-
harian pilgrims in Constantinople,
helluo librorum, 369-reverence for
religion in his works, ib.-charge of
plagiarising from Sterne, 370-com-
parison of the Caxtons with Tristram
Shandy, 371-inexhaustible types of
character in My Novel, 372-sympa-
thetic portraiture of his poet-hero
Leonard, 373-separate missions of
the two heroines of My Novel, 374—
traces of the poet in its style, 375-
Waife, a character sui generis, ib.-
Arabella Crane, an original character,
376-rule for retaining the morning
of life after its meridian, 377-
question as to the inspiration of
his poems discussed, 378-didactic
poems, 379-Retirement man's final
choice,' ib.-The Desire of Fame,'
381-The Boatman, a weird and
mystic poem, 382-poems of the
affections, 383-idyllic poems, 384-
Mind and Body,' a semi-satirical
poem, 385-mean illustrations, 386-
narrative poetry, ib.-The Fairy
Bride,' 387-noble picture of Milton,
388-power to portray nature and
invest it with a soul, 389 — fine
passages cited, 390-clever sketch of
St. Stephen's, 391-cultivation of the
Classic Muse, 392-melancholy of
his most beautiful poems, 393-re-
semblance to Goldsmith, 394-and
Gray, 395-contemporary deprecia-
tion of his literary productions,
396.
Burke (Edmund), on the necessity of
clerical subscription, 473.
Burman's Latin Anthology, 219.
Burnes, our chief Central-Asian classic,
484.
Buxton's (Mr.), plan of Reform ex-
amined, 567.
Cæsura in hexameter verse, object of,
102.
Callimachus, epigrams of, 215.
Catherine de Médicis', 'Discours mer-
veilleux de la Vie de,' erroneously
ascribed to H. Stephens, 362.
Catullus, coarseness of, 209-a diligent
imitator of the Greeks, 219.
Chalcedon, council of, 159.
Chandos clause, its effect, 549.
Charles I., turning point in his des-
tiny, 74-Buckingham's influence in
creating a breach between the King
and the Commons, ib.-the King's
infatuated letter to the Commons,
79-Mr. Forster on his character, 81
- circulates the Petition of Right
without the legal words of Royal
Assent, 87- his determination to
adjourn Parliament, 88-the Speaker
held in the chair, ib.-declaration
of the Commons respecting levying
taxes without their authority, 89-
dispersion of his collection of pictures,
Charles V. of France, his collections of
art and of manuscripts, 288.
Church extension, Bishop of London's
Fund for, 432-particulars of the
scheme, 433 - contributions for the
Free Church in Scotland, 435-
limited success of the Fund, 436-
its comprehensive character an ele
ment of weakness, 437-proposal to
exclude parts of the plan, 438-
remaining objects of the Fund: mis-
sionary clergy and stations, churches
and schools, 439-suggestions as to
the general management of the Fund,
441-help from local sources, 442-
obligations of landowners and em-
ployers of labour, 443-importance
of parochial subscriptions, 444
voluntary rate, ib.
Circassian prisoners, daring exploit of
Civilians (ecclesiastical lawyers), nature
of their office, 470.
Clement, Recognitions of, a religious
romance, relating to a fellow-labourer
of St. Paul, 173.
Cobden's (Mr.) letter to Mr. Scovell on
the American War, 278.
Colbert's enrichment of the Louvre, 295.
Coles's (Capt.) turn-table, and its
adaptation to cupola-ships, 422.
Commons (House of), privileges, 69—
early establishment of the forms of
Parliament, 71.
Communion (Holy), forced, 159.
Confederates: the South not fighting
for slavery, 251 the contest a
struggle for empire, 252-uniformly
unfortunate attempts to form a navy,
255-the contest compared to a game
of chess, 257-consequences of the
subjugation of the Confederates, 258
--hatred of the Yankee a sacred tradi-
tion, 261-probable consequence of
dispossessing the Southerns of their
estates, 262-Southern claim of a
purely legal nature, 277-parallel
with the Irish Rebellion of 1798,
282.
Conolly's (A.) attempt to penetrate to.
Khiva, imperfection of his disguise,
Continuity of law the one great feature
of the Constitution, 77.
Council of Nice, new information re-
specting, 169.
Council of Robbers, a name given to
the Council of Ephesus, 159.
Cowper's (the poet) versions of Owen's
Epigrams, 288.
Cowper's (B. H.) translation of Syriac
miscellanies, 175.
Cresswell's translation of Aristotle's
History of Animals, 56.
Cromwell's first return to Parliament,
Crimean War, its most important re-
sult to check Russian encroachments,
Cuckoo, its habits, 50.
Cureton's (Dr.) labours in the arrange-
ment of Syriac MSS., 153-works on
Syriac literature, 156 history of
John of Ephesus, 157-translation of
the Spicilegium Syriacum, 166
festal letters of Athanasius, 168-
loss to the world by his death, 177.
Cuttlefish considered delicacies by the
Greeks, 46.
Danaus (Danés) Greek Professor at the
Collège de France, 340.
Delegates (Court of), particulars of
appeal in spiritual causes, 474. See
Appeal.
Democracy, no justification for con-
necting freedom and progress with,
267-historical examples of its ty-
ranny, ib. fallacy respecting pro-
gress, 268-the Yankees not the in-
carnation of human progress, 270-
real character of the freedom of
which America is the representative,
284-democracy in its contemptible
and its terrible aspect, 286.
Denton's Servia and the Servians,'
179.
Derby's (Earl of) translation of the
Iliad,' 93-difficulties of translation,
ib.-the dramatic element one of the
chief beauties of the Iliad,' 95-
object of Homer's similitudes, 96-a
poet's difficulties his opportunities,
97-Homer's epithets, ib.-character
and specimens of the translation, 103
-critical examination of some pas-
sages, 105-Homeric interpolations,
106-continuity of the poem, 109-
Lord Derby's principle of rendering
Greek proper names, 111-remark on
Homer's accounting for the destruc-
tion of the walls of Troy, 112-cor-
rection of a misconception, 574.
Duruy's (M.) plan for special educa
tion, 409.
Education (French), see French Educa-
tion.
Elephant, Aristotle's account of the,
Eliot (Sir John), family of St. German's,
61-his fearless action as a Parlia-
mentary leader,67-speech in favour of
Parliamentary privileges, 67-against
increase of Customs' duties, 68-his
summary of debates in Charles I.'s
first Parliament, 69-courage and
energy proved by a letter of Strafford,
72-explanation of limiting the vote
of Tonnage and Poundage to one
year, 73-courage in attacking the
Duke of Buckingham, 76--carries
four resolutions against him, 79-the
King's inference from Eliot's com-
parison of Buckingham to Sejanus,
81-Eliot committed to the Tower,
ib.-charges against him as Vice-
Admiral of Devon, 82-arguments
against a forced loan, ib.-the first
among the framers of the Petition of
Right, 86-declines to answer ques-
tions relating to his conduct in Par-
liament, 90-committed to the Tower,
ib.-demurrer to the information in
the Star Chamber, ib.— writes in
prison his treatise 'De jure Majes-
tatis, 91-various knowledge and
scholarship of that work, ib.-sen-
tenced to a fine of 2000 marks
and imprisonment during the King's
pleasure, 91 vindictive conduct of
Charles in refusing his body to his
son, 92.
Engraving, decline of English, 12.
Epigrams, Greek contrasted with Latin
and modern, 205-qualities of a bee
required in an epigram, 206 — the
sting absent in Greek epigrams, 207-
no absolute requirement save brevity,
ib.-original province of the epigram,
208-Martial and Catullus, 209-
cleverness wasted by commentators,
214-Theocritus and Callimachus, 214
—English parallels to the Greek epi-
grams, 216-modern collections, 225
-neglected stores of Italian, Belgian,
German, French, and English Latin
epigrams, 226-old collections of
Latin epigrams, .-epigrams on
Popes Alexander VI. and Leo. X.,
2 P 2
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