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"Coleridge"1

------------------ "Function

Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is

But what is not.""Or in Franciscan think to pass disguis'd."

This Lay-ermon puts us in mind o! ahomet's co!!in, which was suspended #etween

hea$en and earth, or o! the !%ying is%and at Laputa, which ho$ered o$er the head o!

&u%%i$er. The ingenious author, in a pre!ace, which is a master-piece in its kind, ha$ing

neither #eginning, midd%e, nor end, apo%ogies !or ha$ing pu#%ished a work, not a %ine o!

which is written, or e$er %ike%y to #e written. (e has, it seems, resorted to this e)pedient as

the on%y way o! appearing #e!ore the pu#%ic in a manner worthy o! himse%! and his genius,

and descants on the se$era% ad$antages to #e deri$ed !rom this origina% mode o!

composition* -- That as %ong as he does not put pen to paper, the !irst sentence cannot

contradict the second* that neither his reasonings nor his conc%usions can #e %ia#%e to

o#+ection, in the a#stract* that omne ignotum pro magnifico est, is an a)iom %aid down #y

some o! the #est and wisest men o! antiuity* that hitherto his per!ormance, in the opinion

o! his readers, has !a%%en short o! the $astness o! his designs, #ut that no one can !ind !au%twith what he does not write* that whi%e he mere%y haunts the pu#%ic imagination with

o#scure noises, or #y announcing his spiritua% appearance !or the ne)t week, and does not

$enture out inpropria personawith his shroud and surp%ice on, the ock-%ane &host o!

mid-day, he may escape in a who%e skin without #eing hand%ed #y the mo#, or uncased #ythe critics* and he considers it the sa!est way to keep up the importance o! his oracu%ar

communications, #y %etting them remain a pro!ound secret #oth to himse%! and the wor%d.

In this instance, we think the writer's modesty has %ed him into a degree o! unnecessary

precaution. e see no sort o! di!!erence #etween his pu#%ished and his unpu#%ishedcompositions. It is +ust as impossi#%e to get at the meaning o! the one as the other. /o man

e$er yet ga$e r.o%eridge"a penny !or his thoughts." (is are a%% maiden ideas*

immacu%ate conceptions. (e is the "ecret Tatt%e" o! the press. 0ach se$era% work e)istson%y in the imagination o! the author, and is uite inaccessi#%e to the understanding o! his

readers -- "et $irgin o! 2roserpina !rom 3o$e." -- e can gi$e +ust as good a guess at the

design o! this Lay-ermon, which is not pu#%ished, as o! the Friend, the 2re%iminary

4rtic%es in the Courier, the Watchman, the Conciones ad Populum, or any o! the other

court%y or popu%ar pu#%ications o! the same author. Let the e)periment #e tried, and i!, on

committing the manuscript to the press, the author is caught in the !act o! a sing%e

inte%%igi#%e passage, we wi%% #e answera#%e !or r. o%eridge's %oss o! character. But we

know the !orce o! his genius too we%%. hat is his Friend itse%! #ut an enormous tit%e-page*

the %ongest and most tiresome prospectus that e$er was written* and end%ess pre!ace to an

imaginary work* a ta#%e o! contents that !i%%s the who%e $o%ume* a huge #i%% o! !are o! a%%

possi#%e su#+ects, with not an idea to #e had !or %o$e or money5 One num#er consists o! a

gra$e-!aced promise to per!orm something impossi#%e in the ne)t* and the ne)t is taken upwith a %ong-!aced apo%ogy !or not ha$ing done it. Through the who%e o! this work, r.

o%eridge appears in the character o! the 6n#orn 7octor* the $ery Barmecide o!

know%edge* the 2rince o! preparatory authors8

"(e ne$er is -- #ut a%ways to #e wise."

(e is the 7og in the anger o! %iterature, an inte%%ectua% ar-p%ot, who wi%% neither %et any

#ody e%se come to a conc%usion nor come to one himse%!.9This gent%eman #e%ongs to the

c%ass o! ec%ectic phi%osophers* #ut whereas they pro!essed to e)amine di!!erent systems, in

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order to se%ect what was good in each, our per$erse critic ransacks a%% past or present

theories, to pick out their a#surdities, and to a#use whate$er is good in them. (e takes his

notions o! re%igion !rom the "su#%ime piety" o! 3ordano Bruno, and considers a #e%ie! in a

&od as a $ery su#ordinate uestion to the worship o! Three 2ersons o! The Trinity. The

thirty-nine artic%es and t 4thanasius's creed are, upon the same princip%e much more

!undamenta% parts o! the hristian re%igion than the mirac%es or gospe% o! hrist. (e makes

the essence o! de$otion to consist in 4theism, the per!ection o! mora%ity in a tota% disregardo! conseuences. (e re!ers the great e)ce%%ence o! the British onstitution to the

prerogati$es o! the rown, and concei$es that the o%d French onstitution must ha$e #een

admira#%y de!ended #y the tates-&enera%, which ne$er met, !rom the a#uses o! ar#itrary

power. (e high%y appro$es o! e)-o!!icio in!ormations and specia% +uries, as the great

#u%warks o! the %i#erty o! the press* ta)es he ho%ds to #e pro$identia% re%ie! to the distresseso! the peop%e and war to #e state o! greater security than peace. (e de!ines 3aco#inism to #e

an a#stract attachment to %i#erty, truth, and +ustice* and !inding that this princip%e has #een

a#used or carried to e)cess, he argues that 4nti-+aco#inism, or the a#stract princip%es o!

despotism, superstition, and oppression, are the sa!e, sure and undenia#%e remedy !or the!ormer, and the on%y means o! restoring %i#erty, truth, and +ustice in the wor%d. 4gain he

p%aces the seat o! truth in the heart, o! $irtue in the head* damns a tragedy as shocking that

draws tears !rom the audience, and pronounces a comedy to #e inimita#%e, i! no#ody %aughsat it* %a#ours to unsett%e the p%ainest things #y !ar-!etched sophistry, and makes up !or the

want o! proo! in matters o! !act #y the mechanica% operation o! the spirit. (e +udges o! men

as he does o! things. (e wou%d persuade you that ir Isaac /ewton was a money-scri$ener,

:o%taire du%%, Bonaparte a poor creature, and the %ate r. (oward a misanthrope* whi%e he

p%ays a wi%%ing homage to the I%%ustrious O#scure, o! whom he a%ways carries a %ist in his

pocket. (is creed is !ormed not !rom a distrust and disa$owa% o! the e)p%oded errors o!

other systems, #ut !rom a determined re+ection o! their acknow%edged e)ce%%encies. It is a

transposition o! reason and common sense. (e adopts a%% the $u%nera#%e points o! #e%ie! as

the triumphs o! his !astidious phi%osophy, and ho%ds a genera% retainer o! the de!ence o! a%%

contradictions in terms and impossi#i%ities in practice. (e is at cross-purposes with himse%!

as we%% as others, and discards his own caprices i! e$er he suspects there is the %east ground

!or them. 7ou#t succeeds to dou#t, c%ouds ro%%s o$er c%oud, one parado) is dri$en out #yanother sti%% greater, in end%ess succession. (e is eua%%y a$erse to the pre+udices o! the

$u%gar, the parado)es o! the %earned, or the ha#itua% con$ictions i! his own mind. (e mo$es

in an unaccounta#%e diagona% #etween truth and !a%sehood, sense and nonsense, sophistry

and common-p%ace, and on%y assents to any opinion when he knows that a%% the reasons are

against it. 4 matter o! !act is a#horrent to his nature; the $ery air o! truth repe%s him. (e is

on%y sa$ed !rom the e)tremities o! a#surdity #y com#ining them a%% in his own person. Two

things are indispensa#%e to him -- to set out !rom no premises, and to arri$e at no

conc%usion. The consciousness o! a sing%e certainty wou%d #e an insupporta#%e weight upon

is mind. (e s%ides out o! a %ogica% deduction #y the he%p o! metaphysics; and i! the

%a#yrinths o! metaphysics did not a!!ord him "amp%e scope and $erge enough," he wou%d

resort to necromancy and the ca#a%a. (e on%y to%erates the science o! astronomy !or the sake

o! its connection with the dreams o! +udicia% astro%ogy, and escapes !rom the Principiao!/ewton to the +argon o! Li%y and 4shmo%e. 4%% his notions are !%oating and un!i)ed, %ike

what is !eigned o! the !irst !orm o! things !%ying a#out in search o! #odies to attach

themse%$es to* #ut his ideas seek to a$oid a%% contact with so%id su#stances. Innumera#%e

e$anescent thoughts dance #e!ore him, and da%e his sight, %ike insects in the e$ening sun.

Truth is to him a cease%ess round o! contradictions; he %i$es in the #e%ie! o! a perpetua% %ie,and in a!!ecting to think what he pretends to say. (is mind is in a constant state o! !%u) and

re!%u); he is %ike the ea-horse in the Ocean* he is the an in the oon, the ondering

3ew. -- The reason o! a%% this is that r. o%eridge has great powers o! thought and !ancy,

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without wi%% or sense. (e is without a strong !ee%ing o! the e)istence o! any thing out o!

himse%!* and he has neither purposes nor passions o! his own to make him wish it to #e. 4%%

that he does or thinks is in$o%untary* e$en his per$ersity and se%!-wi%% are so. They are

nothing #ut a necessity o! yie%ding to the s%ightest moti$e. 0$er%asting inconseuentia%ity

marks a%% that he attempts. 4%% his impu%ses are %oose, airy, de$ious, casua%. The strongest o!

his purposes is %ighter than the gossamer, "that wantons in the id%e summer-air;" the

#rightest o! his schemes a #u##%e #%own #y an in!ant's #reath, that rises, g%itters, #ursts inthe same instant; --

"Or %ike the Borea%is race

That !%it ere you can mark their p%ace;

Or %ike the snow !a%%s in the ri$er,

4 moment white, then gone !or e$er."(is mind has in!inite acti$ity, which on%y %eads him into num#er%ess chimeras* and in!inite

resources, which not #eing under the guidance o! his wi%%, on%y distract and perp%e) him.

(is genius as ange%'s wings* #ut neither hands nor !eet. (e soars up to hea$en, circ%es the

empyrean, or di$es to the center o! the earth, #ut he neither %ays his hands upon the treasureo! the one, nor can !ind a resting p%ace !or his !eet in the other. (e is no sooner #orne to the

utmost point o! his am#ition, than he is hurried away !rom it again #y the same !antastic

impu%se, or his own speci!ic gra$ity. (e has a%% the !acu%ties o! the human mind #ut one,and yet without that one, the rest on%y impede and inter!ere with each other -- "Like to a

man on dou#%e #usiness #ound who #oth neg%ects." (e wou%d ha$e done #etter i! he had

known %ess. (is imagination thus #ecomes metaphysica%, his metaphysics !antastica%, his

wit hea$y, his arguments %ight, his poetry prose, his prose poetry, his po%itics turned -- #ut

not to account. (e #e%ongs to a%% parties and is o! ser$ice to none. (e gi$es up his

independence o! mind and yet does not acuire independence o! !ortune. (e o!!ends others

without satis!ying himse%!, and eua%%y #y his ser$i%ity and singu%arity shocks the pre+udices

o! a%% a#out him. I! he had had #ut common mora% princip%e, that is, sincerity, he wou%d

ha$e #een a great man* nor hard%y, as it appears to us --

"Less than arch-ange% ruined, and the e)cess

"O! g%ory o#scur'd."

e %ose our patience when we think o! the powers that he has wasted, and compare themand their success with those, !or instance, o! such a !e%%ow as the -----, a%% whose ideas,

notions, apprehensions, comprehensions, !ee%ings, $irtues, genius, ski%%, are comprised in

the two words which 2eachum descri#es as necessary ua%i!ications in his gang, "To stand

himse%! and #id other stand8"

hen his si) Irish !riends, the si) Irish gent%eman, r. akins, r. 7unk%ey, r.

onoghan, r. &o%%ogher, r. &a%%aspy, ands r. O'

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con!%agration o! the wor%d carrying o!! the romance o! 7on @ui)ote under his arm. e

hope that r. o%eridge, on the same occasion, wi%% %ea$e "the Friend" to take its chance,

and his "Lay ermon" to get up into the Lim#o o! :anity, howe$er it can.

_______________________________

/OT0;

1(a%itt's "o%eridge" is to #e !ound in Political Essays=1A1>. The essay carries the date,

ept. A, 1A1C, and was entit%ed "4 Lay-ermon on the 7istresses o! the ountry, addressedto the idd%e and (igher Orders. By . T. o%eridge, 0s. 2rinted !or &a%e and Fenner,

2rice 1s." The $ery !irst !ootnote, was; "It may #e proper to notice, that this artic%e was

written #e!ore the 7iscourse which it pro!esses to criticise had appeared in print, or

pro#a#%y e)isted any where, #ut in repeated newspaper ad$ertisements."

9=This work is so o#scure, that it has #een supposed to #e written in cypher, and that it is

necessary to read it upwards and downwards, or #ackwards and !orwards, as it happens, to

make head or tai% o! it The e!!ect is e)ceeding%y %ike the ua%ms produced #y the hea$ing o!

a ship #eca%med at sea* the motion is so tedious, improgressi$e, and sickening.> Theorigina% !ootnote !ound in the origina% work* I ha$e, in turn, p%aced them in parentheses.

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