bright as those in war-chariots of Ossian's carbonic heroes-I think it is no small merit to have beaten him out of the field. Your plan gave you some advantages which, when you come to Burke and the rest of them, will be of moment. I hear Moore ends with the accession of the Stuarts. This, I suppose, however, is not yet fixed with certainty, even by himself. Furlong advised him not to go farther." Dr. Wills received a thousand pounds for this work, which had a wide circulation, and went through two editions. In his later years he was asked by the publishers to undertake a complete recast; rewriting where newer materials had been opened up since the first publication, modifying, and, so far as possible, neutralizing the work, sketching out the last three quarters of a century's history of Ireland, and taking in all the lives which had fallen within that period; and in order to do this, and at the same time keep the work within reasonable bounds, shortening, and omitting dissertation. The title of the work thus renewed, "The Irish Nation," is a more correct description than the original one, The Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Irishmen," for it better covers the object of the book, which, in aiming to be historical, includes many who were not illustrious or distinguished. Dr. Wills did not live to proceed with this undertaking beyond the end of the rebellion of '98 in the historical introduction of vol. iii., the remainder of which volume, and vol. iv., concluding with brief notices of living men, were edited by his son, Mr. Freeman Wills. Dr. Wills began life as a poet, and had a considerable turn for metaphysics; and it might be supposed that such tendencies were scarcely congenial to the task of laborious compilation. But a severe course of study for the bar, and the training of the Historical Society, were not bad preparations for the work. The metaphysical turn may have led him away too much into disquisition; but the poetical gave him a sympathy with the past, and enabled him to animate and give it picturesqueness. The scenes and recollections of early life, and the peculiarly Celtic spirit of Connaught which he then imbibed, gave light to his pencil. We quote some lines which are a key-note to his impartial history, and show that strong sympathies with the early struggles of a yet unconquered race, are not incompatible with Conservative and Protestant views. They overflow with a bardic love of country, with that kindly and loyal spirit towards it, without which it would be an impertinence to sit down and write the history of Ireland: "Green hills of the west where I carolled along, Though no more through those famous old haunts shall I stray, That each had its story, and true-hearted friend, Before I forget ye, life's journey shall end. "Oh, 'twas joy in the prime of life's morning to go On the path where Clan Connell once followed Hugh Roe, "By the plains of Rath Croghan, fields famous of yore, "Through the heaths of Kiltullagh, kind, simple, though rude, Blake, Burke, and O'Malley, Lynch, Kirwan, and Browne, "And kind were the faces that greeted my way, When young hearts beat lightly and labour was done, But thy praises are still, and thy kind bosoms rest. My blessing be with you, dear friends, though no more Some of Dr. Wills's poems will be found in almost all collections of Irish national poetry, and this one, in particular, excited Tom Davis to such enthusiasm that with Celtic warmth he embraced the author of it, on meeting him in the rooms of the Royal Irish Academy. Poetry was the true bent of Dr. Wills's mind, but his light was hid under a bushel. His first and longest poem was published as another man's, for whom it helped to win fame, and was received by the publisher as worth £500, then a considerable price for a poem. His other poems were published in Ireland, which, alas! is as much as to say that they were still-born. The only volume of poetry which was published in London, and came fairly before the public, was (if we may so describe an equally fatal manner of entering the world) born out of due time.* Curiously enough Dr. Wills was a poet during the first half of his life: after that, metaphysics took the predominance; but his poetry lay in his drawers, such as had not appeared in periodicals, or struggled into a semi-private circulation through the Dublin press. Means, and London connection, were wanting. In the last year of his life, and casting, as he The other poems were "The Disembodied," 1831; "Dramatic and other Poems," 1845; and "Epistles,' dedicated to Lady Power of Kilfane, Miss E. Bushe, to Mrs. (now Charlotte, Lady Plunket), and to Mrs. Fox. himself said, a gleam upon it, a volume, containing "The Idolatress and other Poems," was published in London (Hotten, 1868). It was then half a century after their composition, when taste had completely altered, and when, if poets who won their fame fifty years before were to publish for the first time, their works, it is not too much to say, would be altogether unappreciated by the public. Such success would then have been impossible as Dr. Wills might have won had he appeared among his contemporaries; yet the critics, of the leading London literary journals, gave his volume a most kind and cheering reception. He lived to read such words as these, which were indeed "a gleam"-" Most of the volume is written in blank verse, which at all times flowing, assumes at periods great fulness of march and cadence, almost Miltonic. Very little modern verse seems to us riper in thought than this, or bearing stronger proof of the careful and reverent study without which no good work is obtained."-Examiner, May 2, 1868. Possibly if there come a time when men begin to delve in this century for its buried stores, when the ranges of ideas both of to-day and yesterday are equally forgotten and equally new to the delvers, such poems as these, when fifty years are of no account, may assume their true rank, and be thought even worthy of revival.* Dr. Wills had considerable dramatic powers, which have been inherited by his son, Mr. W. G. Wills, author of "Charles I.," "The Medea," &c. -A dramatic poem by Dr. Wills, named "The last days of Nero," one of a series which he intended to write on the "Twelve Cæsars," appeared first in this Magazine, and shows what he could have done as a poetic dramatist. The only other of the intended series which is completed was "Domitian," and this has not been published. But as we put our best strength into our earlier works, although the later may be more perfect in form, so it is perhaps in the disputed poem, "The Universe," that we find some of his strongest passages. It is time that the history of this work were fully told, as it is now more than half a century since its publication. A correspondence on the subject will, as we have said, be found in Notes and Queries (Nov. 28th, 1874, p. 428; Jan. 2nd, 1875, p. 20; Feb. 27th, p. 173; March 20th, p. 240; April 3rd, p. 280; April 24th, p. 240), arising out of a passage (Second Edition, 1860, p. 303; see footnote) in Moore's "Diary and Correspondence." In this he mentions that he was told by Mrs. S- that "The Universe" was not written by Maturin, but that Mr. Wills induced him to lend his name by offering him the profits of the sale. Such a statement made it necessary for Dr. Wills to lay the true facts before Lord John Russell. We have before us his lordship's reply, showing that the explanation satisfied him, and a footnote in the next edition stated Mr. Wills's correction. It is remarkable that we have just received a full and One of Dr. Wills's most striking dramatic poems, entitled "The Deluge," will shortly appear, the volume being filled up with some contributions from the pens of his sons, Mr. W. G. and Mr. Freeman Wills. + Dr. Wills mentions in his memoranda, that two or three days after the date of this entry in Moore's diary, he was invited by Mrs. S-- to meet the poet at dinner at her house, and he believes that with a lady's ignorance of authors' and publishers' concerns, she had mentioned her loose impression to Moore, in order to prepare the way for a favourable introduction to him of Mr. Wills. Moreover, Moore in his entry may probably have given a cynical twist to Mrs. S's simple statement. minute statement of the transaction in Dr. Wills's handwriting, from Messrs. Chatto & Windus, the publishers, Piccadilly, London. It was found lying between the covers of an old copy of "The Universe," and must, we imagine, have been written for Lord Russell, and given afterwards to Mr. Colburn, and from him have come into the possession of Messrs. Chatto & Windus. In this document Mr. Wills states that, in the years 1819 and 1820, he was residing at Bray, the fashionable watering-place near Dublin. He projected in his rambles a philosophical poem which was "to occupy a considerable part of his life, and to embody the experience and attainment of future years." He intended to call it "The World ;" and, in order to give interest to a philosophical poem, "to bring out every thought in an illustrative form." With this plan he wrote in pencil, generally sitting perched upon Bray-head, over the sea, descriptive passages as they rose up in his mind, intending, as by study his materials accumulated, to fill in and complete his grand scheme; and, on his return home, he copied those passages into a book. In this way he had composed about 800 lines of blank verse, when he formed a new acquaintance, whom we will introduce to the reader in his own words. "There was an accession of guests (at the table d'hôte), and among them a very remarkable-looking gentleman attracted my attention, and I was struck by the extreme precision of his dress, his handsome and well sitting black wig, which, on a first glance, looked like a splendid head of hair, his silver spectacles, neatly cut features, and the imposing modulation of his deep voice. Had he been some years younger, I should have said there was a little shade of the clerical dandy in his appearance. As it was I thought I could discern the air of one who aimed to be very recherché in his manners and conversation, and that all his personal advantages were a little overdone. Who he could be I had no notion. "I was seated at a side table: but when the cloth was removed he beckoned to me, and I went and took a seat next to him. He pushed his bottle to me, and asked me to join him in his wine, and addressed his conversation entirely to me. I presently took exception to some fallacy which he let drop: and as he seemed disposed to contest the point (whatever it was) the conversation degenerated into argument. The gentleman I soon found, though extremely pointed, witty, and epigrammatic, and very happy in allusion, had very little power in disputation, and he presently gave in with a good grace." Mr. Wills had sagacity enough to perceive that his opponent was not quite in earnest, but had heard something which excited his interest, and taken this flattering method of commencing an acquaintance. He learned that his opponent was Maturin, then at the culminating point of his dramatic renown, and famous as the author of " Bertram." A request on Maturin's side for a formal introduction the same evening, led to a closer intercourse. Although Maturin appeared "a little too flattering," Mr. Wills acknowledges the influence which his "cleverness, address, and flattering attention" quickly asserted over him. They became inseparables, Maturin throwing himself into all his companion's pleasures and wishes, and taking up the role of prudent counsellor and adviser. That he was not quite sincere, that he was a consummate actor, that he was exercising an agreeable spell to which the object of it pleasurably yielded himself, was apparent to a quick perception, and sometimes, when the art became too apparent, Mr. Wills was rude to him; but it was taken in good part and good-naturedly rebuked. "The real object," Dr. Wills says, "at length was made apparent. He began by pressing me to write a tragedy for him. This I declined on the plea of inability. He next mentioned that he had received in advance £500 from Mr. Colburn for a poem which he undertook to write for him, but which he found upon trial, he was utterly unable to accomplish; and that ruin to him and his family" (to whom Dr. Wills had been introduced) "must be the result, as he would be quite unable to refund the money, having already expended it. As he had sometime before discovered my poem, of which I had shown him some passages, he proposed that I should expand it to 2,000 lines, and lend it to him for the purpose of fulfilling his pledge; and that, as soon as this purpose should be effected, he would reinstate me in the authorship; that Mr. Colburn would have every reason to be content; and he himself every reason to thank me for extricating him from a most painful position, and one not free from danger. "I felt most extreme reluctance. I did not wish to destroy my future magnum opus; and, though quite ignorant of the literary trade, Í had an undefined feeling of the fraudulent character of the proposed arrangement. Many days of distressing negotiation followed, but I gave way at last, because I had not at the time acquired the resisting power which is best attained in the commerce of the world. I felt an undue respect for literary reputation, which I then confused with intellectual power." Mr. Wills goes on to describe the cajolery, the ridicule of his scruples, the abject entreaty, and the overcoming of his objections. His friends had read it, but his friends were unknown in London. It would be a fraud upon Colburn; it was finally consented, when the negotiation had been broken off on this point, that Colburn should be informed of the compact. Mr. Wills continues: "I then went stoutly to work and as I had engaged to expand my poem into 2,000 lines within the next month, without the materials which the original plan required, I diluted it with whatever came uppermost. It was thus easily completed within the time, and copied from my own first draught by different transcribers as I had insisted on preserving my own MS., which I still have. I also wished to keep possession of my plan and of the original passages, all of which had been carefully elaborated, though the filling up was carelessly done.* "This composition had been about ten days in Mr. Colburn's hands, when a friend of Mr. Maturin's confidentially informed me that Mr. M. never had the slightest intention of explaining the secret of authorship to Mr. Colburn, and had laughed at my simplicity in imagining such a folly. On this I resolved that Mr. Colburn should not be deceived, and lest my direct communication might have no effect, I wrote to Mr. John Sydney Taylor, the well-known editor of the Morning Herald, who had been my class-fellow in college, and my most intimate friend, requesting that he would call upon Mr. C. and explain the whole matter. I received no answer, and, while I was expecting the result, the book came out. "The secret came out with it with a celerity truly surprising; and a very warm contest began between Maturin's friends and mine, and soon spread far beyond. Wherever I appeared I was questioned, and told the truth. I also received accounts from every quarter, of the way in which Maturin met the subject. This was, in every instance, in the highest degree derogatory and offensive to me. He gave very different explana * This MS. is now in the possession of Dr. Wills's widow. |