But we have not, all this time, given any account of the plot or purpose of _Festus_. It is a hard task, but it must be undertaken. In imitation of the Faust of Goethe--or say, adopting, like it, the proem to the Book of Job--the drama opens with a scene in heaven, wherein Lucifer appears, and asks permission to tempt Festus. The mortal whom the Spirit of Evil here selects for his especial temptation, has the thirst for knowledge, and the contempt for human life, which distinguish the whole family of the Fausts. But whereas the German poet adopted a philosophical indifferentism as his position, or standing-point, from which to survey the scene of human life and of human thought, Mr Bailey has a positive and very intricate creed to enunciate, and has made his poem a vehicle for teaching a dogmatical system of theology, which, if not altogether orthodox, certainly does not fail from the paucity, or the too great simplicity, of its doctrines. Instead of doubt, we have a heresy. A most extraordinary medley of Christian tenets and transcendental or Hegelian metaphysics, is taught, and chiefly by the devil himself! Lucifer, who assumes at first something of the mocking vein of Mephistopheles, proves to be a learned professor of Göttingen or Berlin, and the preacher of a very refined and spiritual, though somewhat heterodox, Christianity. When we add that--interweaving, as it were, some scenes from quite a different drama, on the loves of the angels--Mr Bailey has represented his great Spirit of Evil falling desperately in love with a mortal maid, Elissa--"sighing like furnace"--outheroding mere human lovers--yet jilted, and suffering (as it seems in a most genuine manner) the pangs of despised passion--our readers will be prepared to agree with us that never was so strange a Satan conceived or delineated, either in prose or verse. The drama opens, as we have said, in heaven. "_God._--What wouldst thou, Lucifer? _Lucifer._ There is a youth Among the sons of men, I fain would have Given up wholly to me. _God._ He is thine, To tempt. _Lucifer._ I thank thee, Lord! _God._ Upon his soul Thou hast no power. _All souls are mine for aye._" This ultimate salvation of all mankind, and of all peccant spirits, is a conspicuous doctrine of Mr Bailey's. The law of universal necessity is another. One might suppose that this announcement of the decreed salvation of Festus would nullify the permission given to Satan to tempt him, and induce that spirit to relinquish his hopeless scheme. But the second doctrine of philosophical necessity assists us in explaining the conduct of Lucifer. He, being a consistent and enlightened Necessarian, knows that he must fail in his attempt, but knows also that he must make it--knows that he must act according to his nature, and incessantly strive to ruin, vitiate, and destroy.