Literary character of men of genius : drawn from their own feelings and confessions / by Isaac Disraeli.

  • Isaac D'Israeli
Date:
[1881?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Literary character of men of genius : drawn from their own feelings and confessions / by Isaac Disraeli. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    98/488 page 78
    accidental knowledge of some inferior mind, and always to the reigning taste, whatever it chance to be, of the public. Bur- net criticised VAJiiiiLAS unspai'uigly ;* but when he wrote history himself, Harnier’s “ Specimen of Errors in Burnet’s History,” returned Jiurnet the pangs which he had inflicted on another. Newton’s favourite work was his “Chronology,” which he had written over fifteen times, yet he desisted from its publication during bis life-time, from tlie ill-usage of which he complained. Even the “Optics” of Newton had no character at home till noticed in France. The calm temper of our groat philosopher was of so fearful a nature in regard to criticism, that Whistou declares that he would not pub- lish bis attack on the “ Chronology,” lest it might have killed our philosopher; and thus Bishop Stillingeleet’s end was hastened by Locke’s confutation of his metaphysics. The feebngs of Sir John Mausuam could hai-dly be less irritable when he found his great work tainted by an accusa- tion that it was not friendly to rcvclation.t When the learned PococK published a specimen of bis translation of Abulpharagias, an Arabian historian, in 1G49, it excited great interest; but in 1UG3, when he gave the world the complete version, it met with no encouragement: in the courre of those thirteen years, the genius of the times had changed, and Oriental studies were no longer in request. The great Vekulam profound!}' felt the retai-dment of his fame; for he has pathetically ex])ressed this sentiment in his testament, where he bequeaths his name to posterity, aeter BOME generations SHALL BE past. Bruce suuk into his grave defrauded of that just fame which his pride and vivacity perhaps too keenly prized, at lesist for his happmess, and which he authoritatively exacted from an unwilling public. Llortified and indignant at the reception of liis great labour by the cold-hearted scepticism of little minds, and the malicious- ness of idling wits, he, whose fortitude had toiled through a life of difficulty and danger, could not endure the laugh and scorn of public opinion; for Bruce there was a simoon more dreadful than the Arabian, and from which genius caimot * For an account of tins work, and Burnet’s cxpos£ of it, see “ Curio- sities of Literature,” vol. i. p. 132.—En. + This great work the Canon Cfironicus, was published in 1672, and was the first attempt to make the Egyptian chronology clear and intelli- gible, and to reconcile the whole to the Scripture chronology ; a labour he Lad commeueed in Diatriia Chronologicu, published in 1649.—Ed.
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