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Literary Memoirs of the Nineteenth Century
Literary Memoirs of the Nineteenth Century Author:George Edward Woodberry General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1921 Original Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and company Subjects: English literature American literature Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Collections / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / General Literary Critic... more »ism / American / General Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: SIR GEORGE BEAUMONT, COLERIDGE, AND WORDSWORTH Sir George Beaumont appears to have been one of the most agreeable of men. He had not merely high breeding, but humanity of disposition, delightful compan- ionableness, and the refinement that springs from artistic pursuits. Haydon accuses his manners of a want of moral courage. "What his taste dictated to be right, he would shrink from asserting if it shocked the prejudices of others or put himself to a moment's inconvenience," was the fault that this critic had in mind; but this is only to class him with the men who do not think that the truth is always to be spoken in society, and prefer tact to an aggressive egotism. Sir Humphry Davy notices especially that he was a "remarkably sensible man, which I mention because it is somewhat remarkable in a painter of genius who is at the same time a man of rank and an exceedingly amusing companion." Southey was struck by the apparent happiness of his life, and the absence of any reference to afflictions or anxieties that he might have experienced, and says that he "had as little liking for country sports as for public business of any kind," being absorbed by art and nature; and, to add Scott's kind words of him in his diary, that excellent judge writes, "Sir Georg...« less