The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 1838Gillman, James
General
The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 1838
Gillman, James
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834; Critics -- Great Britain -- Biography; Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography
he favoured, and why he condemned, he neither displayed the honest
enthusiasm and fixed principle of Mr. Fox, nor the intimate
acquaintance with the general nature of man, and the consequent
'prescience' of Mr. Burke.
After the declaration of war, long did he continue in the common cant
of office, in declamation about the Scheld and Holland, and all the
vulgar causes of common contests! and when at least the immense genius
of his new supporter had beat him out of these 'words' (words
signifying 'places' and 'dead objects', and signifying nothing more),
he adopted other words in their places, other generalities--Atheism
and Jacobinism--phrases, which he learnt from Mr. Burke, but without
learning the philosophical definitions and involved consequences, with
which that great man accompanied those words: Since the death of Mr.
Burke the forms, and the sentiments, and the tone of the French have
undergone many and important changes: how, indeed, is it possible that
it should be otherwise, while man is the creature of experience! But
still Mr. Pitt proceeds in an endless repetition of the same 'general
phrases'. This is his element: deprive him of general and abstract
phrases, and you reduce him to silence; but you cannot deprive him of
them. Press him to specify an 'individual' fact of advantage to be
derived from a war, and he answers, Security! Call upon him to
particularize a crime, and he exclaims--Jacobinism! Abstractions
defined by abstractions; generalities defined by generalities! As a
minister of finance he is still, as ever, the words of abstractions.
Figures, custom-house reports, imports and exports, commerce and
revenue--all flourishing, all splendid! Never was such a prosperous
country as England under his administration! Let it be objected, that
the agriculture of the country is, by the overbalance of commerce, and
by various and complex causes, in such a state, that the country hangs
as a pensioner for bread on its neighbours, and a bad season uniformly
threatens us with famine. This (it is replied) is owing to our
PROSPERITY,--all 'prosperous' nations are in great distress for
food!--Still PROSPERITY, still GENERAL PHRASES, unenforced by one
single image, one 'single fact' of real national amelioration; of any
one comfort enjoyed, where it was not before enjoyed; of any one class
of society becoming healthier, or wiser, or happier. These are
'things', these are realities, and these Mr. Pitt has neither the
imagination to body forth, or the sensibility to feel for. Once,
indeed, in an evil hour, intriguing for popularity, he suffered
himself to be persuaded to evince a talent for the real, the
individual; and he brought in his POOR BILL!! When we hear the
minister's talents for finance so loudly trumpeted, we turn
involuntarily to his POOR BILL--to that acknowledged abortion--that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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