Two weeks of rest in his Philadelphia home, in delightful1 reunion with his mother and sisters, and two weeks more devoted2 to the banquets and parties with which his rejoicing friends there and in New York celebrated3 his return, passed quickly. He had now to prepare to say good-bye again. For overtures4 of such a flattering character had been made to him while in England to return and give a series of performances in the principal British theatres, that he had accepted them, and was engaged to be there early in October. The desire, however, after his long absence, to see him on the stage was so general, and was urged so eagerly, that he determined6 to appear for a few nights. Accordingly, he played the parts of Damon, Othello, and Spartacus for five nights in the Chestnut7 Street Theatre, in Philadelphia, and the same parts, with the addition of Lear, in the Park Theatre, in New York. The crowd and the excitement on the opening night were almost unprecedented8, all the passages to the house being blocked with applicants9 two hours before the rising of the curtain. At the first glimpse of the actor in his stately senatorial garb10, the multitude that filled the entire auditorium11 with a packed mass of faces rose as by one impulse and hailed him with deafening12 applause, kept up until it seemed as if it was not to end. He had never played better, by general consent, than he did this night. And when the play closed, and the enthusiastic ovation13 which had saluted14 his entrance was repeated, he certainly had every reason to feel in truth what he expressed in words:
"Ladies and gentlemen, for this warm peal15 of hands and hearts I have only strength in my present exhausted16 state to say, I thank you. It convinces me that neither time nor distance has been able to alienate17 from me your kind regards. I am unable
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to speak what I wish; but I can sincerely say that you make me proud this evening. And the remembrance of the cordial greeting, after no common absence, given me here in this city of my birth and my affection, will go down with me to my latest hour as one of the happiest scenes of my professional life."
A similar reception, only, if possible, still more flattering in the vastness of the throng18 and the fervor19 of the tributes, awaited him in New York. Box tickets were sold at auction20 for twenty-five dollars each,—a fact to which there had not at that time been anything like a parallel known in this country. For his six performances he received three thousand dollars, and the profit of the manager was estimated at six thousand dollars. The public greeted his strong points with a warmth which seemed to show that their admiration21 had grown during his absence, and the critics spoke22 of an evident improvement in his acting23,—that it was less boisterous24 and more thoughtful than formerly25. Called out at the conclusion of the play, Othello, on the occasion of his farewell, he alluded26 with deep emotions to the night, some ten years before, when he had made his first appearance before a New York audience. Then, a mere27 youth, just emerging from severe hardships, and still oppressed by poverty and a dark prospect28, with scarcely a friend, he had tremblingly ventured to enact29 the part of Othello for the benefit of a distressed30 brother-actor. The generous approbation31 then given him had lent a new zeal32 to his ambition and a new strength to his motives33. From that hour his course had been one of unbroken prosperity, for which he desired to return his most heartfelt thanks to his countrymen, and to assure them that he would do his best not to dishonor them in the mother-country, to which he was then bound. "I shall carry with me," he added, "an indelible remembrance of your kindness; and I hope that the recollection will be mutual35, so that I may say, with the divine Shakspeare,—
'Our separation so abides36 and flies
That yon, remaining here, yet go with me,
And I, hence fleeting37, still remain with you.'"
The audience responded to his speech with tempestuous38 huzzas, and he withdrew, carrying this flattering scene fresh in his memory as he set sail for his courageous39 enterprise on the other side of the sea.
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It was a courageous and somewhat ominous40 adventure. For it is to be remembered that the relationships of England and the United States were very different in 1836 from what they are in our day. The memories of the Revolutionary war and of the war of 1812 were still keen and bitter; and the feelings of intellectual inferiority and literary vassalage42 to the mother-country among the Americans engendered43 a sense of wounded pride or irritable44 jealousy45 excessively sensitive to British criticism, which, on the other hand, was generally marked by a tone of complacent46 arrogance47 or condescending48 patronage49. No American actor, at least none of any note, had yet appeared on the boards in England. All such international favors were on the other side,—and they had been most numerous and long-continued. The illustrious Cooper, an Englishman by birth and education, though so long domesticated50 in this country both as citizen and actor as to be almost considered an American, had been ignominiously51 hooted52 down on the most famous stage in London amidst opprobrious53 cries of "Away with the Yankee! Send him back!" What reception now would be vouchsafed54 to an American tragedian, fresh from nature and the woods of the West, and all untrained in the methods of the schools, who should dare essay to rival the glorious traditions of old Drury Lane within her own walls?—this was a question which caused many wise heads to shake with misgivings55, and might well have deterred56 any less fearless spirit than that of Forrest from putting it to the test. But he believed, obvious as the antipathies57 and jealousies58 between the two countries were, that the fellow-feeling and the love of fair play were far stronger. In a speech delivered in his native city the evening before his departure, he expressed himself thus:
"The engagement which I am about to fulfil in London was not of my seeking. While I was in England I was repeatedly importuned59 with solicitations, and the most liberal offers were made to me. I finally consented, not for my own sake, for my ambition is satisfied with the applauses of my own countrymen, but partly in compliance60 with the wishes of a number of American friends, and partly to solve a doubt which is entertained by many of our citizens, whether Englishmen would receive an American actor with the same favor which is here extended to them. This doubt, so far as I have had an opportunity of
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judging, is, I think, without foundation. During my residence in England, I found among the English people the most unbounded hospitality, and the warmest affection for my beloved country and her institutions. With this impression, I have resolved to present to them an American tragedy, supported by the humble61 efforts of the individual who stands before you. If I fail—I fail. But, whatever may be the result, the approbation of that public which first stamped the native dramatist and actor will ever be my proudest recollection."
Of all the friends to whom Forrest bade adieu, not one beside was so dear to him as Leggett. The heart-ties between them had been multiplied, enriched, and tightened62 by unwearied mutual acts of kindness and service, and a thousand congenial interchanges of soul in intimate hours when the world was shut out and their bosoms63 were opened to each other without disguise or reserve. The letter here added speaks for itself:
"Office of the Evening Post,
"New York, Sept. 19th, 1836.
"Dear Madam,—I had the pleasure of accompanying your son Edwin yesterday as far as Sandy Hook, and seeing him safely on his way for Liverpool, with a fine breeze, in a fine ship, and with a fine set of fellow-passengers. He was accompanied down the bay by a large number of his friends, who, on the steamboat parting from the ship, expressed their warm feelings for him in many rounds of loud and hearty65 cheers. We kept in sight of the vessel66 till near sundown, by which time she had made a good offing. Andrew Allen had gone on board with his baggage the day previous, and everything was prepared for him in the most comfortable manner. While we were on board the vessel with him, we were invited by the captain to sit down to a collation67 prepared for the occasion, and had the satisfaction of drinking to his health and prosperous voyage, not only across the Atlantic Ocean, but across the ocean of life also, in a glass of sparkling champagne68. It would have given me the most unbounded happiness to have been able to accompany him to Europe, as he desired; but circumstances rendered it impossible for me to gratify that wish. I am with him in heart, however, and shall look most eagerly for the tidings of his safe arrival and triumphant69 reception.
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Whatever news I get concerning him which I think may be of interest to you, I shall take pleasure in immediately communicating. Mrs. Leggett bade me remember her most affectionately to you and your daughters, and to say that, should you visit New York at any time during your son's absence, she shall expect you to make her house your home. In this wish I most fully70 concur71. Allow me to assure you, madam, that
"With great respect,
"I am your obed't serv't,
"Wm. Leggett.
"Mrs. Rebecca Forrest."
James K. Paulding, a close and dear friend of Forrest, met him one sunshiny day in New York at the corner of Nassau and Ann Streets, and expostulated with him against going across the sea to play. "Washington," he said, "never went to Europe to gain an immortality72. Jackson never went there to extend his fame. Many others of our greatest and most original men never visited the other hemisphere to add lustre74 to their names. And why should you? Stay here, and build yourself an enduring place in the mind of your own country alone. That is enough for any man!" He spoke with extreme eloquence75, heedless of the busy throng who hurried by absorbed in so different a world from that whose prospects76 kindled77 the idealistic and ambitious friends. When Forrest was sailing out of the harbor, he recalled these words with strong emotion, and felt for a moment as if he were guilty of a sort of treachery to his own land in thus leaving it. Though the whole incident, as here set down, may appear overstrained, it is a true glimpse of life.
Forrest made his first professional appearance in England in Drury Lane Theatre, on the evening of the 17th of October, 1836, in the rôle of Spartacus, before an audience which crowded the house in every part to its utmost capacity. His great American fame had preceded him, and there was an intense curiosity felt as to the result of his experiment. The solicitude79 was especially keen among the two or three hundred of his countrymen who were present, and who knew the extreme democratic quality of the play of the Gladiator. The tremendous bursts of applause which his entrance called out soon put an end to all doubt or
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anxiety. The favor in advance certified80 by the unanimous and long-continued cheers he confirmed at every step of the performance, and wrought81 to an extraordinary pitch at the close, when he was recalled before the curtain and greeted with overwhelming plaudits. He returned his thanks for the honor done him, and was loudly applauded when he said he was sure that England and America were joined by the closest good-will, and that the more enlightened portion of their population were superior to any feeling of national jealousy. But on attempting to include the author of the Gladiator in the approving verdict which the audience had given himself, he was interrupted by numerous protests and repeated cries, "Let us see you in some of Shakspeare's characters!"
The Courier of the next morning said,—
"America has at length vindicated82 her capability83 of producing a native dramatist of the highest order, whose claims should be unequivocally acknowledged by the Mother Country; and has rendered back some portion of the dramatic debt so long due to us in return for the Cookes, the Keans, the Macreadys, the Knowleses, and the Kembles, whom she has, through a long series of years, seduced84, at various times, to her shores,—the so long doubted problem being happily solved by Mr. Edwin Forrest, the American tragedian, who made his first appearance last night on these boards, with a success as triumphant as could have been desired by his most enthusiastic admirers on the other side of the Atlantic. Of the numerous striking situations and touching85 passages in the play, Mr. Forrest availed himself with great tact86, discrimination, and effect; now astounding87 all eyes and ears by the overwhelming energy of his physical powers, and now subduing88 all hearts by the pathos89 of his voice, manner, and expression. The whole weight of the piece rests upon him alone, and nobly does he sustain it. His action is easy, graceful90, and varied91; and his declamation92 is perfectly93 free from the usual stage chant, catchings, and points. Indeed, nature alone seems to have been his only model."
The "Sun" of the same date said,—
"Mr. Edwin Forrest, who has long held the first rank as a tragic94 actor in America, made his first appearance here last night in a new drama, also of American growth, entitled the Gladiator.
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The acting of Mr. Forrest as Spartacus was throughout admirable. His very figure and voice were in his favor, the one being strongly muscular, the other replete95 with a rough music befitting one who in his youth has dwelt, a free barbarian96, among the mountains. He electrified97 his audience; indeed, we have not heard more enthusiastic bursts of applause shake the walls of an English theatre since Othello expired with poor Kean. The great recommendations of Mr. Forrest as a tragedian we take to be strong passion, and equally strong judgment98. In the whirlwind of his emotions he never loses sight of self-control. He is the master, not the slave, of his feelings. He appeals to no fastidious coterie99 for applause; he is not remarkable100 for the delivery of this or that pretty tinkling101 poetic102 passage; still less is he burdened with refined sensibility, which none but the select few can understand; far otherwise; he gives free play to those rough natural passions which are intelligible103 all the world over. His pathos is equally sincere and unsophisticated. His delivery of the passage,—
'And one day hence,
My darling boy, too, may be fatherless,'—
was marked by the truest and tenderest sensibility. Equally successful was he in that pleasing pastoral idea,—
'And Peace was tinkling in the shepherd's bells,
And singing with the reapers104;'
which, had it been written in Claude's days, that great painter would undoubtedly105 have made the subject of one of his best landscapes.
'Famine shrieked106 in the empty corn-fields,'—
a striking image, which immediately follows the preceding one, was given by Mr. Forrest with an energy amounting almost to the sublime107. Not less impressive was his delivery of
'There are no Gods in heaven,'
which bursts from him when he hears of the murder of his wife and child by the Roman cohorts. Mr. Forrest has made such a hit as has not been made since the memorable108 1814, when Edmund Kean burst on England in Shylock. America may well feel proud of him; for though he is not, strictly109 speaking, what is called a classical actor, yet he has all the energy, all the in
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domitable love of freedom that characterizes the transatlantic world. We say this because there were many republican allusions110 in the play where the man spoke out quite as much as the actor, if not more. Having seen him in Spartacus, we no longer wonder at his having electrified the New World. A man better fitted by nature and art to sustain such a character, and a character better fitted to turn the heads of a nation which was the other day in arms against England, never appeared on the boards of a theatre. At the fall of the curtain he received such a tempest of approbation as we have not witnessed for years."
The Morning Advertiser said,—
"When to the facts of a new play and a new actor is superadded the circumstance that both the author and the player of the new tragedy are Americans, and the first who ever tempted111 the intellectual taste of the British public by a representation on the English stage, the crowds which last night surrounded the doors long before they were thrown open are easily accounted for. The applause which Mr. Forrest received on his entrée must have been very cheering to that gentleman. He possesses a countenance112 well marked and classical; his figure, a model for stage effect, with 'thew and sinew' to boot. His enunciation113, which we had anticipated to be characterized by some degree of that patois114 which distinguishes most Americans, even the best educated, was almost perfect 'to the last recorded syllable,' and fell like music on the ears. We here especially point to the less declamatory passages of the drama; in those portions of it where he threw his whole power of body and soul into the whirlwind, as it were, of his fury, his display of physical strength was prodigious115, without 'o'erstepping the modesty116 of nature.' The inflections of his voice frequently reminded one of Kean in his healthiest days, yet there did not appear the manner of a copyist. He was crowned with loud and unanimous plaudits at least a dozen times during the representation."
The Court Journal gave its judgment thus:
"This chief of American performers is most liberally endowed by nature with all the finest qualities for an actor. With a most graceful and symmetrical person, of more than the ordinary stature117, he has a face capable of the sternest as of the nicest delineations of passion, and a voice of deep and earnest power. We
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have never witnessed a presence more noble and commanding,—one that, at the first moment, challenged greater respect, we may write, admiration. As an actor, Mr. Forrest is fervent119, passionate120, and active: there is no child's play in whatever he does; but in the most serious, as in the slightest development of feeling, he puts his whole heart into the matter, and carries us away with him in either the subtlety121 or the strength of his emotion. With powers evidently enabling him to outroar a whirlwind, he is never extravagant,—he is never of 'Ercles' vein122; his passion is always from the heart, and never from the lungs. His last two scenes were splendidly acted, from the strength, the self-abandonment of the performer; he looked and moved as if he could have cut down a whole cohort, and died like a Hercules. The reception of Mr. Forrest was most cordial; and the applause bestowed124 upon him throughout the play unbounded. At the conclusion of the tragedy he was called for, and most rapturously greeted."
The Times described the figure, face, and voice of the actor, gave a long abstract of the play, and said,—
"He played with his whole heart, and seemed to be so strongly imbued125 with the part that every tone and gesture were perfectly natural, and full of that fire and spirit which, engendered by true feeling, carry an audience along with the performer. He made a powerful impression on the audience, and must be regarded as an able performer who to very considerable skill in his profession adds the attraction of a somewhat novel and much more spirited style of playing than any other tragic actor now on our stage."
The following extract is from the Atlas126:
"If we were to estimate Mr. Forrest's merits by his performance of the Gladiator, we should, probably, underrate, or, perhaps, mistake the true character of his genius. The very qualities which render him supreme127 in such a part would, if he possessed128 no other requisites129, unfit him for those loftier conceptions that constitute the highest efforts of the stage. It would be impossible to produce a more powerful performance, or one in all respects more just and complete, than his representation of the moody131 savage132 Thracian. But nature has given him peculiar133 advantages which harmonize with the demands of the part, and which, in almost any other character in the range of tragedy, would either encumber134 the delineation118 or be of no avail. His figure is cast
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in the proportions of the Farnese Hercules. The development of the muscles, indeed, rather exceeds the ideal of strength, and, in its excess, the beauty of symmetrical power is in some degree sacrificed. His head and neck are perfect models of grandeur135 in the order to which they belong. His features are boldly marked, full of energy and expression, and, although not capable of much variety, they possess a remarkable tone of mental vigor136. His voice is rich and deep, and susceptible137 of extraordinary transitions, which he employs somewhat too frequently as the transitions of feeling pass over his spirit. The best way, perhaps, of describing its varieties is to say that it reminded us occasionally of Kean, Vandenhoff, and Wallack, but not as they would be recalled by one who, in the dearth138 of his own resources, imitated them for convenience, but by one in whom such resemblances are natural and unpremeditated. Mr. Forrest's action is bold, unconscious, and diversified139; and the predominant sentiment it inspires is that of athletic140 grace. In the part of Spartacus all these characteristics were brought out in the most favorable points of view; and the performance, exhausting from its length and its internal force, was sustained to the close with undiminished power. There is certainly no actor on the English stage who could have played it with a tithe141 of Mr. Forrest's ability."
In response to the invitation or challenge to appear in some of the great Shakspearean rôles, Forrest appeared many nights successively in Othello, Macbeth, and Lear, and in them all was crowned with most decisive and flattering triumphs. The praise of him by the press was generous, and its chorus scarcely broken by the few dissenting142 voices, whose tone plainly betrayed an animus143 of personal hostility144. A few examples of the newspaper notices may fitly be cited,—enough to give a fair idea of the general impression he made.
The Globe, of October 25th:
"Mr. Forrest selected as his second character the fiery145 Othello, 'who loved not wisely, but too well.' There was something nobly daring in this flight, so soon, too, after he whose voice still dwells in our ears had passed from among us. To essay before an English audience any character in which Edmund Kean was remembered was itself no trifling146 indication of that self-confidence which, when necessary, true genius can manifest. To make
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that attempt in Othello was indeed daring. And nobly, we feel proud to say, did the performance bear out the promise. In the Senate scene his colloquial147 voice told well in the celebrated address to the Seniors of Venice. He did not speak as if the future evils of his life had even then cast their shadows upon him. The calm equability of the triumphant general and successful lover pervaded148 his performance throughout the first two acts, with the exception of the scene of the drunken brawl149 in the second, where he first gave token of the fiery elements within him. The third act was a splendid presentment throughout. He had evidently studied the character with the judgment of a scholar, 'and a ripe and good one:' each shade of the jealous character of the easy Moor150, from the first faint guessings at his tempter's meaning to the full conviction of his wife's dishonesty, was brought out with the touch of a master-hand, and embodied151 with a skill equalling that of any actor whom we have seen, and far, very far superior to the manner in which any other of our living performers could attempt it. This third act alone would have placed Mr. Forrest in the foremost rank of his profession had he never done anything else; and so his kindling152 audience seemed to feel, as much in the deep watching silence of their attention as in the tremendous plaudits which hailed what on the stage are technically153 called 'the points' he made.
"In the two succeeding acts he was equally great in the passages which called forth154 the burning passions of his fiery soul; but we shall not at present particularize; where all was good it would be difficult, and we have already nearly run through the dictionary of panegyric155. In accordance with a burst of applause such as seldom follows the fall of the curtain, Othello was announced for repetition on Wednesday and Friday."
The commendation of the London Sun was still stronger:
"Mr. Forrest last night made his appearance here in the arduous156 character of Othello. The experiment was a bold one, but was completely successful. We entertain a vivid recollection of Kean in this part; we saw his Moor when the great actor was in the meridian157 vigor of his powers, and also when he was in his decline and could do justice only to the more subdued158 and pathetic parts of the character; and even with these recollections on our mind, we feel ourselves justified159 in saying that Mr. For
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rest's Othello, if here and there inferior in execution to Kean's, was in conception far superior. There is an elevation160 of thought and sentiment,—a poetic grandeur,—a picturesqueness161, if we may use such an expression, in Mr. Forrest's notion of the character, which Kean could never reach. The one could give electrical effect to all its more obvious points, turn to admirable account all that lay on its surface; the other sounds its depths,—turns it inside out,—apprehends it in a learned and imaginative spirit, and shows us not merely the fiery, generous warrior162, the creature of impulse, but the high-toned, chivalrous163 Moor; lofty and dignified164 in his bearing, and intellectual in his nature,—such a Moor, in short, as we read of in the old Spanish chronicles of Granada,—and who perpetrates an act of murder not so much from the headstrong, animal promptings of revenge, as from an idea that he is offering up a solemn and inevitable165 sacrifice to justice. In the earlier portion of the character Mr. Forrest was rather too drawling and measured in his delivery; his address to the Senators was judicious166, but not quite familiar enough; it should have been more colloquial. It was evident, however, that throughout this scene the actor was laboring167 under constraint168; he had yet to establish himself with his audience, and was afraid of committing himself prematurely169. Henceforth he may dismiss this apprehension170; for he has proved that he is, beyond all question, the first tragedian of the age.... We have spoken of this gentleman's Othello in high terms of praise, but have not commended it beyond its deserts. In manly171 and unaffected vigor; in terrific force of passion, where such a display is requisite130; but, above all, in heartfelt tenderness, it is fully equal to Kean's Othello; in sustained dignity, and in the absence of all stage-trick and undue173 gesticulation, it is superior. Perhaps here and there it was a little too elaborate; but this is a trivial blemish174, which practice will soon remedy. On the whole, Mr. Forrest is the most promising175 tragedian that has appeared in our days. He has, evidently, rare intellectual endowments; a noble and commanding presence; a countenance full of varying expression; a voice mellow176, flexible, and in its undertones exquisitely177 tender, and a discretion178 that never fails him. If any one can revive the half-extinct taste for the drama, he is the man."
The Carlton Chronicle said,—
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"It is impossible that any actor could, in person, bearing, action, and utterance179, better fulfil your fair-ideal of the noble Moor. All the passages of the part evincing Will and Power are delivered after a manner to leave the satisfied listener no faculty180 except that of admiration. His bursts of passion are terrifically grand. There is no grimace,—no exaggeration. They are terrible in their downright earnestness and apparent truth. Nothing could be more heart-thrilling than the noble rage with which he delivered the well-known passage,—
'I had rather be a toad181,
And live upon the vapor182 of a dungeon183,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love,
For others' uses;'
nothing more glorious than the burst in which he volleyed forth the following passage, suppressed by the barbarians184 of our theatres,—
'Like to the Pontic Sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er feels retiring ebb185, but keeps due on
To the Propontic and the Hellespont;
Even so my bloody186 thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable and wide revenge
Swallow them up.'
Throughout the part, as he enacted187 it, there were several new readings, in the player's phrase. They were all good,—they all conveyed to us, who love Shakspeare, new ideas. Forrest, apart from his playing, is no common man. In many scenes of the play, in which it was the fashion to rant188, Forrest contented189 himself with the appropriate display of dignified and quiet power. This was beyond praise."
The following extract is from the notice in the John Bull:
"It is where Iago first attempts to rouse the jealousy of Othello, and, having created the spark, succeeds in fanning it to a consuming fire, that Mr. Forrest may be said to have been truly great. Slowly he appeared to indulge the suspicion of his wife's infidelity; in silent agony the conviction seemed to be creeping upon him,—his iron sinews trembling with dreadful and conflicting emotions,—rapid as thought were his denunciations; and, with all the weakness of woman, he again relapsed into tenderness,—pain
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had a respite191, and hope a prospect. Then came his fearful and startling challenge to Iago, ending,—
'If thou dost slander192 her, and torture me,
Never pray more: abandon all remorse193;
On horror's head horrors accumulate:
Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed;
For nothing canst thou to damnation add
Greater than that.'
"The almost savage energy with which this passage was delivered produced an indescribable effect. Three long and distinct rounds of applause testified how highly the audience was delighted with this master-effort; and the most prejudiced must have been convinced that they were witnessing the acting of no ordinary man."
The critique in the Albion was a notable one:
"Mr. Forrest made his first appearance on our boards on Monday last, in the part of Othello. Mr. Forrest possesses a fine person, an excellent thing in either man or woman; but, though this has been much dwelt upon by the London critics, it is but a very minor194 affair when speaking of such a man as Mr. Forrest. He carries himself with exceeding grace and dignity, and his tread is easy and majestic195: he dresses with taste and magnificence. The picture which he presented of the Moor was one of the most perfect which we have witnessed. He gave us to see, like Desdemona, 'Othello's visage in his mind,' of which he furnished us with a beautiful and highly-finished portrait. Not content with acting each scene well, he gave us a consistent transcript196 of the whole matter. Each succeeding scene was in strict keeping with those that had preceded it, showing that the actor had grasped the whole plot from beginning to end, and that, from commencement to catastrophe197, he had embodied himself into strict identity with the person represented. His early scenes were distinguished198 by a quiet and calm dignity of demeanor199, which, concomitant with the deepest tenderness of feeling, and a high tone of manliness200, he seems to have conceived the basis of the Moor's character. In his address to the Senate, this dignified self-possession, and a sense of what was due to himself, he made particularly conspicuous201. As the interest of the tragedy advanced, we saw, with exceeding pleasure, that Mr. Forrest was determined to de
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pend for success upon the precept202 set forth by Shakspeare, 'To hold the mirror up to nature.' With proper confidence in his own powers, he disdained203 to overstep the prescribed bound for the sake of producing effects equally at variance204 with nature and heterodox to good taste. In the scene where he quells205 the drunken brawl, his acting throughout was strikingly impressive of reality. Some of his ideas were novel, and beautifully accordant with the tone of the character which he wished to develop. Such was his recitation of the passage,—
'Silence that dreadful bell! it frights the isle206
From her propriety207.'
From the general group he turned to a single attendant who stood at his elbow, and delivered the command in a subdued tone, as though it were not intended for the ear of the multitude. This, though effective, was judicious, and not overstrained. His dismissal of Cassio was equally illustrative of the spirit to which we have alluded. The audience testified their approbation by a loud burst of applause. The final scene with Iago was beautifully played: the gradual workings of his mind from calmness to jealousy were displayed with striking effect. The transitions of emotion in the following splendid passage were finely marked:
'If I do prove her haggard,
Though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings,
I'd whistle her off, and let her down the wind,
To prey208 at fortune. Haply, for I am black,
And have not those soft parts of conversation
That chamberers have: Or, for I am declined
Into the vale of years; yet that's not much:
She's gone: I am abused: and my relief
Must be to loathe210 her. O the curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
And not their appetites! I'd rather be a toad,
And live upon the vapor of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love,
For other's uses.
Desdemona comes!'
The burst of mixed passions with which he uttered the first of these sentences was terrific. His voice then sank into tones the most touching, expressive211 of complaining regret. The conclusion seemed to have excited him to the most extreme pitch of
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loathing and disgust, and, as he sees Desdemona advancing, he, for a few moments, gazed upon her with horror. The feeling gave way, and all his former tenderness seemed to return as he exclaimed,—
'If she be false, O then Heaven mocks itself,—
I'll not believe it.'
The subsequent scene with Iago, a trial of physical as well as mental strength, was well sustained. It is here that Iago, by a series of artful manœuvres, screws the Moor up to the sticking-place. To the conclusion of the scene the vehement212 passions are continually increasing, and the difficulty is for an actor so to manage his powers as to give full effect to the whole, without sinking into apparent tameness in the last imprecation. We will not attempt any description of the bedchamber scene. The reiterated213 and protracted214 plaudits of the audience showed how highly it was appreciated. The dying-scene was equally novel and excellent. At the fall of the curtain the audience testified their delight and approbation by the most marked and vehement applause, which continued for several minutes."
The London Journal gave a long account of Forrest's Lear, of which this extract contains the substance:
"We have been much amused by the conflict of opinion respecting this representation. Some describe it as one of the most magnificent triumphs of this or any age. Another denounces the performance as an idle and false imposition, and the actor as an ignorant empiric, who has crossed the Atlantic solely215 to practise on the gullibility216 of John Bull. We do not think John quite so gullible217; we do not believe that in matters of intellectual recreation he is so apt to take
'Those tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling218.'
We consider it may be pretty safely taken as a general rule that the large popularity of any artist is here synonymous only with great talent. We had also seen quite enough of Mr. Forrest to convince us that he is a man of real talent, with very little, if any, mere trickery in his acting, so that to stigmatize219 him as a quack220 or an impostor was as great a violation221 of truth as of good feeling. At
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the same time, it is right we should remark that the estimate we had formed of his genius, from his previous representations, was not sufficiently222 high to induce a belief in all that his eulogists pronounced on his Lear. We, therefore, came to the conclusion that in this case, as in others where opinions are so remote from each other, the truth would, probably, be found midway between the two extremes; and, on seeing and judging for ourselves on Monday night, found our conclusion fully warranted. The general conception of the 'poor old king' is most accurately223 taken, and his general execution of it fervid224, earnest, and harmonious225. He has evidently grappled with the character manfully, and he never lets go his hold. The carefulness of his study is sometimes a little too obvious, giving an injurious hardness and over-precision. The awful malediction226 of Goneril—that fearful curse, which can scarcely be even read without trembling—was delivered by Mr. Forrest with a power and intensity227 we never saw surpassed by any actor of Lear. It was an exhibition likely to follow a young play-goer to his pillow and mix itself with his dreams. Shakspeare has here given us a wild burst of uncontrolled and uncontrollable rage, mixed with a deep pathos, which connects the very terms of the curse with the cause of the passion,—an awful prayer for a retribution as just as terrible. All this Mr. Forrest evidently understood and felt; and he therefore made his audience feel it with him. The almost supernatural energy with which Lear seems to be carried on to the very termination of the malediction, when the passion exhausts itself and him, was portrayed228 by Mr. Forrest with fearful reality and effect. He also greatly excelled in the passage,—
'No, you unnatural229 hags,
I will have such revenges on you both,
That all the world shall—I will do such things,—
What they are yet, I know not; but they shall be
The terrors of the earth.'
His delivery of these lines was marked with the same truth and power as the curse, and very finely displayed the energy of will and impotence of action which form so touching a combination in Lear's character. But perhaps the very best point in Mr. Forrest's Lear, because the most delicate and difficult passage for an actor to realize, was his manner of giving the lines,—
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'My wits begin to turn.—
Come on, my boy: how dost, my boy? Art cold?
I am cold myself....
Poor fool and knave230, I have one part in my heart
That's sorry yet for thee.'
This beautiful passage is extremely touching, and Mr. Forrest fully felt and adequately illustrated231 its pathos and its beauty."
Another of the authorities in British journalism232, whose title the writer cannot recover, wrote thus:
"If Mr. Forrest is great in Othello, we do not hesitate to say he is much greater in Lear. Here the verisimilitude is perfect. From the moment of his entrance to the finely-portrayed death, every passion which rages in that brain—the love, the madness, the ambition, the despair—is given the more forcibly that it flashes through the feebleness of age. In that powerful scene where the bereaved233 monarch234 laments235 over his dead daughter, Mr. Forrest acted pre-eminently well. He bears in her lifeless body and makes such a moan over it as would force tears from a Stoic237. None, we think, who heard him put the plaintive238 but powerful interrogatory,—
'Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all?'—
followed by the bitter and melancholy239 reflection,—
'O! thou wilt240 come no more,
Never! never! never! never! never!'
will ever forget the anguish241 depicted242 on Mr. Forrest's features, or the heart-piercing melancholy of his tones. Mr. Forrest evinced, throughout, a fine conception of the character. He did not surprise us by a burst of genius now and then. His performance was equable,—it was distinguished in every part by deep and intense feeling. The curse levelled against Goneril (one of the most fearful passages ever penned by man) was given with awful force. The last member of the speech—
'That she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child!'—
was poured forth with an unrestrained but natural energy that acted like an electric shock on the audience; a momentary243 silence
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succeeded it; but immediately afterwards a simultaneous burst of applause attested244 the great triumph of the actor. His mad-scenes, when, delighting in a crown and sceptre of straw, Lear proclaims himself 'every inch a king,' were admirably conceived, and no less admirably acted. There was no straining after effect,—there was no grimacery. We saw before us the 'poor, weak, and despised old man,'—the 'more sinned against than sinning,'—reduced to a state of second childhood, and paying the too severe penalty which his folly245 and his credulity, in listening to the hyperboles of his elder daughters and rejecting the true filial affection of his youngest and once his most beloved child, exacted from him."
It may be well, also, to quote what was said by the "London Times" of November 5th:
"The part of Lear is one which many otherwise eminent236 actors have found above, or at least unsuited to, their capacities. Mr. Forrest played it decidedly better than anything he has as yet essayed in this country. His conception of the character is accurate, and his execution was uncommonly246 powerful and effective. If it be, as it cannot be disputed that it is, a test of an actor's skill that he is able to rivet247 the attention of the audience, and so to engage their thoughts and sympathies that they have not leisure even to applaud on the instant, he may be said to have succeeded most completely last night. From the beginning of the play to the end, it was obvious that he exercised this power over the spectators. While he was speaking, the most profound silence prevailed, and it was not until he had concluded that the delight of the audience vented248 itself in loud applause. This was particularly remarkable in his delivery of Lear's curse upon his daughters, the effect of which was more powerful than anything that has lately been done on the stage. It is not, however, upon particular passages that the excellence249 of the performance depended; its great merit was that it was a whole, complete and finished. The spirit in which it began was equally sustained throughout, and, as a delineation of character and passion, it was natural, true, and vigorous, in a very remarkable degree. The mad-scenes were admirably played; and the last painful scene, so painful that it might well be dispensed250 with, was given with considerable power. The great accuracy and fidelity190 with which
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the decrepitude251 of the aged5 monarch was portrayed was not among the least meritorious252 parts of the performance. The palsied head and quivering limbs were so correctly given as to prove that the actor's attention has been sedulously253 devoted to the attempt to make the performance as perfect as possible. A striking proof of his sense of the propriety of keeping up the illusion he had created was manifested in his reappearance, in obedience254 to the loud and general call of the audience, at the end of the tragedy. He came on, preserving the same tottering255 gait which he had maintained throughout, and bowed his thanks as much in the guise64 of Lear as he had acted in the drama. This would have been almost ridiculous in any but a very skilful256 actor: in him it served to prevent too sudden a dissipation of the dramatic illusion."
The critical notices of the Macbeth of Forrest were of the same average as the foregoing estimates of his other parts, though the faults pointed257 out were generally of a description the exact opposite of those currently ascribed to his acting. He was considered too subdued and tame in the part:
"Mr. Forrest essayed the difficult character of Macbeth, for the first time in this country, on Wednesday evening. We are inclined to think that this highly-gifted actor has not often attempted this part; because, though his performance displayed many noble traits of genius, yet it could not, as a whole, boast of that equally-sustained excellence by which his personation of Lear and of Othello was distinguished. We were highly gratified by his exertions258 in that part of the second act which commences with the 'dagger259 soliloquy,' and ends with Macbeth's exit, overwhelmed with fear, horror, and remorse. There is no man on the stage at present who could, in this scene, produce so terrific an effect. Never did we see the bitterness of remorse, the pangs260 of guilt-condemning conscience, so powerfully portrayed. The storm of feeling by which the soul of Macbeth is assailed261, spoke in the agitated262 limbs of Mr. Forrest, and in the wild, unearthly glare of his eye, ere he had uttered a word. On his entrance after his bloody mission to Duncan's chamber209, Mr. Forrest introduced a new and a very striking point. Absorbed in the recollection of the crime which he has committed, he does not perceive Lady Macbeth till she seizes his arm. Then, acting
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under the impulse of a mind fraught263 with horror, he starts back, uttering an exclamation264 of fear, as if his way had been barred by some supernatural power. This fine touch, so true to the scene and to nature, drew down several rounds of applause. In the banquet scene, too, his acting was very fine; and the greater part of the fifth act was supported with extraordinary energy. That passage in which, having heard that 'a wood does come toward Dunsinane,' Macbeth exclaims to the messenger,—
'If thou speak'st false,
Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive,
Till famine cling thee:—if thy speech be sooth,
I care not if thou dost for me as much,'—
was delivered with astonishing force. Mr. Forrest gave those melancholy reminiscences which occasionally float over the saddened mind of Macbeth with intense and searching feeling. There was, however, in many parts of his performance a lack of power. Mr. Forrest was too subdued,—too colloquial. The speech of Macbeth, after the discovery of the murder,—
'Had I but died an hour before this chance,
I had lived a blessed time,'—
was delivered with most inappropriate calmness. Macbeth would have here 'assumed a virtue265 though he had it not,' and poured forth his complainings in a louder tone. Again, Macbeth's answer to Macduff, who demands why he has slain266 the sleepy grooms,—
'Who can be wise, amazed, temperate267 and furious,
Loyal and neutral, in a moment?—No man!'—
was wholly deficient268 in spirit, until Mr. Forrest came to the last member of the sentence, which was given with due and proper emphasis. In the rencounter with Macduff, where Macbeth declares that he 'bears a charmed life,' the passage ought to be uttered as the proud boast of one who was confident of supernatural protection, and not in a taunting269, sneering270 manner. Mr. Forrest's error is on the right side, and is very easily corrected. Doubtless, in his future performance of the character he will assume a higher tone in those parts of the play to which we have alluded."
The Morning Chronicle said,—
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"Mr. Forrest appeared last evening in the character of Macbeth, and in the performance of it fully sustained the reputation he has already obtained in the parts of Othello and Lear. Mr. Forrest brings to the performance of Shakspeare's heroes an energy and vigor, tempered with a taste and judgment, such as we rarely find combined in any who venture to tread the stage. There is, besides, a reality in his acting, an actual identification of himself with the character he impersonates, stronger than in any actor we have ever seen. If this was remarkable in his performance of Othello and Lear, it is not less so in the performance of Macbeth. From the first act to the last—from his first interview with the weird271 sisters, whose vague prophecy instills into the mind that feeling of 'vaulting272 ambition' which leads him to the commission of so many crimes, to the last scene, in which he finds his charms dissolved, and begins, too late, to doubt 'the equivocation273 of the fiend'—he carried the audience completely with him, and made them at times wholly unmindful of the skill of the actor, from the interest excited in the actions of Macbeth."
In addition to his renderings274 of Spartacus, Othello, Lear, and Macbeth, Forrest appeared also as Damon, and achieved a success similar to that he had won in the same part at home.
"The part of Damon is decidedly beneath Mr. Forrest's acknowledged talents. No man could, however, have made more of the character than he did, whether he appeared as the stern, uncompromising patriot275, the deep-feeling husband and father, or the generous and devoted friend. His rebuke276 of the slavish senate, who crouch277 at the feet of the tyrant278 Dionysius, was delivered with calm and earnest dignity; but his two great scenes were that in which he learns that his freedman, Lucullus, has slain his horse to prevent the anxious Damon from arriving in time to rescue his beloved Pythias from the hands of the executioner; and that with which the piece concludes, where, breathless and exhausted, he rushes into the presence of his despairing friend.
"The burst of passionate fury with which he assailed the affrighted freedman, in the former scene, was awfully279 fearful; and his expression of wild, frantic280, overwhelming joy when he beholds281 Pythias in safety, and can only manifest his feelings by hysteric laughter, was perfectly true to nature. Mr. Forrest's performance was most amply and justly applauded."
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The actor had every reason to feel well pleased with the results of his bold undertaking282. His emotions are expressed in a letter written to his mother under date of Liverpool, January 2d, 1837, in the course of which he says,—
"Before this you have doubtless heard of my great triumphs in Drury Lane Theatre; though I must confess I did not think they treated the Gladiator and my friend Dr. Bird fairly. Yet, as far as regards myself, I never have been more successful, even in my own dear land. In the characters of Shakspeare alone would they hear me; and night after night in overwhelming crowds they came, and showered their hearty applause on my efforts. This, my dear mother, is a triumphant refutation of those prejudiced opinions so often repeated of me in America by a few ignorant scribblers, who but for the actors would never have understood one line of the immortal73 bard283."
But a fuller statement of his impressions in London, with interesting glimpses of his social life there, is contained in a letter to Leggett:
"... My success in England has been very great. While the people evinced no great admiration of the Gladiator, they came in crowds to witness my personation of Othello, Lear, and Macbeth. I commenced my engagement on the 17th of October at 'Old Drury,' and terminated it on the 19th of December, having acted in all thirty-two nights, and represented those three characters of Shakspeare twenty-four out of the thirty-two, namely, Othello nine times, Macbeth seven, and King Lear eight,—this last having been repeated oftener by me than by any other actor on the London boards in the same space of time, except Kean alone. This approbation of my Shakspeare parts gives me peculiar pleasure, as it refutes the opinions very confidently expressed by a certain clique284 at home that I would fail in those characters before a London audience.
"But it is not only from my reception within the walls of the theatre that I have reason to be pleased with my English friends. I have received many grateful kindnesses in their hospitable285 homes, and in their intellectual fireside circles have drunk both instruction and delight. I suppose you saw in the newspapers that a dinner was given to me by the Garrick Club. Serjeant Talfourd presided, and made a very happy and complimentary286
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speech, to which I replied. Charles Kemble and Mr. Macready were there. The latter gentleman has behaved in the handsomest manner to me. Before I arrived in England, he had spoken of me in the most flattering terms, and on my arrival he embraced the earliest opportunity to call upon me, since which time he has extended to me many delicate courtesies and attentions, all showing the native kindness of his heart, and great refinement287 and good breeding. The dinner at the Garrick was attended by many of the most distinguished men.
"I feel under great obligations to Mr. Stephen Price, who has shown me not only the hospitalities which he knows so well how to perform, but many other attentions which have been of great service to me, and which, from his long experience in theatrical288 matters, he was more competent to render than any other person. He has done me the honor to present me with a copy of Shakspeare and a Richard's sword, which were the property of Kean. Would that he could bestow123 upon me his mantle289 instead of his weapon! Mr. Charles Kemble, too, has tendered me, in the kindest manner, two swords, one of which belonged to his truly eminent brother, and the other to the great Talma, the theatrical idol290 of the grande nation.
"The London press, as you probably have noticed, has been divided concerning my professional merits; though as a good republican I ought to be satisfied, seeing I had an overwhelming majority on my side. There is a degree of dignity and critical precision and force in their articles generally (I speak of those against me, as well as for me, and others, also, of which my acting was not the subject) that place them far above the newspaper criticisms of stage performances which we meet with in our country. Their comments always show one thing,—that they have read and appreciated the writings of their chief dramatists; while with us there are many who would hardly know, were it not for the actors, that Shakspeare had ever existed. The audiences, too, have a quick and keen perception of the beauties of the drama. They seem, from the timeliness and proportion of their applause, to possess a previous knowledge of the text. They applaud warmly, but seasonably. They do not interrupt a passion and oblige the actor to sustain it beyond the propriety of nature; but if he delineates it forcibly and truly, they reward him in the in
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tervals of the dialogue. Variations from the accustomed modes, though not in any palpable new readings,—which, for the most part, are bad readings, for there is generally but one mode positively291 correct, and that has not been left for us to discover,—but slight changes in emphasis, tone, or action, delicate shadings and pencillings, are observed with singular and most gratifying quickness. You find that your study of Shakspeare has not been thrown away; that your attempt to grasp the character in its 'gross and scope,' as well as in its details, so as not merely to know how to speak what is written, but to preserve its truth and keeping in a new succession of incidents, could it be exposed to them,—you find that this is seen and appreciated by the audience; and the evidence that they see and feel is given with an emphasis and heartiness292 that make the theatre shake.
"Though my success in London, and now here, has been great beyond my fondest expectations; though the intoxicating293 cup of popular applause is pressed nightly, overflowing294, to my lips; and though in private I receive all sorts of grateful kindnesses and courtesies,—yet—yet—to tell the truth—there are moments when a feeling of homesickness comes upon me, and I would give up all this harvest of profit and fame which I am gathering295, to be once more in my 'ain hame' and under 'the bright skies of my own free land.'"
The above estimate of British dramatic criticism is a little rose-colored, from the imperfect experience of the writer at the time. It was not long before he knew more of it in its less attractive aspect. For he found that the same unhappy influences of personal prejudice and spite, of ignorance and spleen, of cabal296 interest and corruption297, which betrayed themselves in the American press, were conspicuously298 shown also in the English. Only a few months before the arrival of Forrest, a company of French players from Paris had attempted to perform in London, and had been subjected to treatment, through the instigation of the rival theatres, which had caused their failure and deeply disgraced and mortified299 the public. The intense self-interest and notorious jealousy of prominent players, as a class, produced in London, as elsewhere, cliques300 who set up as champions each of its favorite performer, and strove to advance him, not only by rightful means, but likewise by the illegitimate method of putting his competi
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tors down. The chosen literary tool of a great tragedian, the newspaper critic who arrogates301 to represent his interests, very often volunteers services with which his principal has nothing to do. It was so in London while Forrest played in Drury Lane. Macready, Vandenhoff, Charles Kemble, Charles Kean, and Booth all had rival engagements. Three different newspapers were the respective organs of three of these actors. All three agreed in depreciating302 and abusing the stranger, while each one at the same time spoke with detraction303 and sneers304 of the favorites of the other two. While the general press spoke fairly of each performer, and gave Forrest such notices as more than satisfied him and his friends, these special papers indulged in fulsome305 eulogy306 of their chosen idol and assailed the others with satire307 and insult. For example, one writer says of Kean, "He stars in country theatres, where his power of exaggerating the faults of his father's acting gives delight to the unwashed of the gallery, who like handsome dresses, noise, stamping, bustle308, and splutter." A second says of Booth, "Bunn, in his drowning desperation, catches at straws. He has put forward Booth, the shadow and foil of Kean in bygone days. His Richard seems to have been a wretched failure." A third says of Macready in Othello, in the scene with Iago and Brabantio, "He comes on the stage with the air of a sentimental309 negro rehearsing the part of Hamlet." And a fourth characterizes the voice of Macready "as a combination of grunt310, guttural, and spasm311." After such specimens312 of "criticism" on their own countrymen, one need not feel surprised to read notices of a foreigner, inspired by the same spirit, like the following from the "Examiner": "Mr. Forrest has appeared in Mr. Howard Payne's foolish compilation313 called Brutus. This is an American tragedy, and not ill-suited, on the whole, to Mr. Forrest's style. The result was amazingly disagreeable." The animus of such writing is so obvious to every person of insight that it falls short of its mark, and does no injury to the artist ridiculed314. The writer shows himself, as one of his contemporaries said, not a critic, but a caviller,—a gad-fly of the drama.
Among the squibs that flew on all sides among the partisans315, abounding316 in phrases like "the icy stilts317 and bombastic318 pomposity319 of Vandenhoff," "the stiff and disagreeable mannerism320 of Macready," "the affected172, half-convulsive croaking321 of Charles
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Kean," "the awkward ignorance and brutality322 of Forrest," the American actor was treated, on the whole, as well as the English ones. A gentleman who had a private box in Drury Lane lent it to a friend to see Forrest in Othello. But it was one of his off-nights, in which Booth was substituted as Richard. The next morning these lines appeared in a public print, as full of injustice323 as such things usually are:
"Of Shakspeare in barns we have heard;
Yet who has the patience, forsooth,
To witness King Richard the Third,
Enacted to-night in a—Booth?
The order to you I have brought,
Not liking324 the Manager's trick;
For instead of the Forrest I sought,
He now only offers a stick."
The impression he made, however, his great and unquestionable success, are best shown by certain salient facts with which the dramatic critics, prejudiced or unprejudiced, had nothing to do: the brilliant public banquet given in his honor by the Garrick Club, with Thomas Noon Talfourd in the chair; the exhibition, at the Somerset House, of his full-length portrait as Macbeth in the dagger-scene; and the numerous valuable presents made to him by various eminent men, including a superb original oil-portrait of Garrick;—these tell their own story. At the close of his first engagement a testimonial was given him by his fellow-actors, every one of them spontaneously joining in the contribution. It was, as the "Morning Herald325" described it, "a splendid snuff-box of tortoise-shell, lined and mounted with gold, with a mosaic326 lid, and the inscription,—
"To Edwin Forrest, Esq., the American tragedian, from the performers of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in testimony327 of their admiration of his talent as an actor, and their respect for him as a man. 'His worth is warrant for his welcome hither.'—Shakspeare."
The prolonged stay of Forrest in England was ostensibly to continue for another season the brilliant professional life there opened to him. But, in reality, a tenderer attraction constituted his principal motive34. He had met in the fashionable circles of the art life of London a young lady of extreme beauty and of accom
[Pg 321]
plished manners, thoroughly328 imbued with musical and dramatic tastes, who had quite won his heart. This was Catherine Norton Sinclair, daughter of a very distinguished English vocalist. Miss Sinclair, with much force of character and grace and vivacity329 of demeanor, had a personal loveliness which gave her distinction wherever she appeared, and an ingenuous330 sympathetic expression which made her a general favorite. She was the first and only woman whom Forrest, with all his earnest but not absorbing amours, had ever seriously thought of marrying. Her image, fixed331 in his bewitched imagination wherever he went, made him impatient to be with her again in fact. This was the magnet that drew him, after every departure, so quickly back to London. The maiden332, on the other hand, was as much enamored as the man. More than thirty-six years afterwards, when he was lying cold in his coffin333, and so much of joy and hope and pain and tragic grief lay buried between their separated souls, she said, "The first time I saw him—I recall it now as clearly as though it were but yesterday—the impression he made was so instantaneous and so strong, that I remember I whispered to myself, while a thrill ran through me, 'This is the handsomest man on whom my eyes have ever fallen.'" On meeting they were mutually smitten334, and the passion grew, and no obstacles intervened, and they were betrothed335. The intervals336 between his starring engagements in the chief cities of the United Kingdom he spent in courtship. It was a period of divine intoxication337, which they alone who have had a kindred experience can understand, when life was all a current of bliss338 in a world sparkling with enchantment339. A favorite poet has said,—
"Oh, time is sweet when roses meet,
With June's soft breath around them;
And sweet the cost when hearts are lost,
If those we love have found them;"
and it was in 1837, on one of the fairest days of an English June,—a day which, no doubt, they fondly supposed would stand thenceforth as the most golden in all the calendar of their lives,—that the happy pair were married, in the grand old cathedral of Saint Paul, in London. The officiating clergyman was the Rev41. Henry Hart Milman, a man equally renowned340 as preacher, scholar, historian, and poet. The service was performed in an imposing341
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manner, before a brilliant assemblage, with every propitious342 omen78 and the loving wishes of the multitude of friends whose sympathies were there from both sides of the sea. Then followed the long, delicious honeymoon343, in which newly-wed lovers withdraw from the world to be all the world to each other. Every benediction344 hovered345 over them,—love, youth, health, beauty, fortune, the blessing346 of parents, the pride of friends, the gilded347 vision of popularity. Nor was the entrancement of their dream broken when they found themselves, in the autumn, at home in the Republic of the West, welcomed with outstretched hands by the friendly throng, who, as they came in sight, stood shouting on the shore.
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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applicants
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| 申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 ) | |
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garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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auditorium
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| n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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ovation
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| n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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alienate
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| vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等) | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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admiration
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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23
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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24
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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25
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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26
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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28
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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29
enact
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| vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演 | |
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30
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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31
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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32
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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33
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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34
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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35
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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36
abides
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| 容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留 | |
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37
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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38
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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39
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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40
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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41
rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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42
vassalage
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| n.家臣身份，隶属 | |
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43
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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45
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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46
complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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47
arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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48
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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49
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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50
domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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52
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
opprobrious
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| adj.可耻的，辱骂的 | |
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54
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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55
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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56
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
antipathies
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| 反感( antipathy的名词复数 )； 引起反感的事物； 憎恶的对象； （在本性、倾向等方面的）不相容 | |
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58
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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59
importuned
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| v.纠缠，向（某人）不断要求( importune的过去式和过去分词 )；（妓女）拉（客） | |
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60
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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61
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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62
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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63
bosoms
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| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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64
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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65
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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66
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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67
collation
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| n.便餐；整理 | |
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68
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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69
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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70
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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71
concur
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| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
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72
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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73
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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74
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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75
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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76
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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77
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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78
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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79
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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80
certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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81
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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82
vindicated
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| v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
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83
capability
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| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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84
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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85
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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86
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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87
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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88
subduing
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| 征服( subdue的现在分词 )； 克制； 制服； 色变暗 | |
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89
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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90
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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91
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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92
declamation
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| n. 雄辩，高调 | |
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93
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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94
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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95
replete
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| adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁 | |
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96
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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97
electrified
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| v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋 | |
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98
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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99
coterie
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| n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体，小圈子 | |
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100
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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101
tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 | |
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102
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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103
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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104
reapers
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| n.收割者，收获者( reaper的名词复数 )；收割机 | |
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105
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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106
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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108
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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109
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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110
allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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111
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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112
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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113
enunciation
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| n.清晰的发音；表明，宣言；口齿 | |
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114
patois
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| n.方言；混合语 | |
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115
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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116
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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117
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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118
delineation
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| n.记述；描写 | |
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119
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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120
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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121
subtlety
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| n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别 | |
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122
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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123
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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124
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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125
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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126
atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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127
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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128
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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129
requisites
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| n.必要的事物( requisite的名词复数 ) | |
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130
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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131
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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132
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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133
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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134
encumber
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| v.阻碍行动，妨碍，堆满 | |
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135
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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136
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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137
susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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138
dearth
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| n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨 | |
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139
diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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140
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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141
tithe
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| n.十分之一税；v.课什一税，缴什一税 | |
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142
dissenting
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| adj.不同意的 | |
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143
animus
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| n.恶意；意图 | |
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144
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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145
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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146
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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147
colloquial
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| adj.口语的，会话的 | |
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148
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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149
brawl
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| n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂 | |
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150
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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151
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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152
kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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153
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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154
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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155
panegyric
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| n.颂词，颂扬 | |
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156
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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157
meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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158
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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159
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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160
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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161
picturesqueness
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162
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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163
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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164
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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165
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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166
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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167
laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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168
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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169
prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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170
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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171
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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172
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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173
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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174
blemish
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| v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点 | |
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175
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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176
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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177
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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178
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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179
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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180
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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181
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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182
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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183
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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184
barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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185
ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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186
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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187
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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188
rant
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| v.咆哮；怒吼；n.大话；粗野的话 | |
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189
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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190
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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191
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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192
slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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193
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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194
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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195
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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196
transcript
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| n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书 | |
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197
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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198
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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199
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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200
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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201
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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202
precept
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| n.戒律；格言 | |
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203
disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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204
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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205
quells
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的第三人称单数 ) | |
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206
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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207
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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208
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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209
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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210
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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211
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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212
vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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213
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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214
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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215
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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216
gullibility
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| n.易受骗，易上当，轻信 | |
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217
gullible
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| adj.易受骗的；轻信的 | |
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218
sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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219
stigmatize
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| v.污蔑，玷污 | |
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220
quack
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| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
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221
violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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222
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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223
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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224
fervid
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| adj.热情的；炽热的 | |
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225
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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226
malediction
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| n.诅咒 | |
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227
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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228
portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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229
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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230
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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231
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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232
journalism
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| n.新闻工作，报业 | |
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233
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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234
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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235
laments
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| n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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236
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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237
stoic
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| n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者 | |
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238
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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239
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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240
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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241
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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242
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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243
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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244
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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245
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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246
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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247
rivet
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| n.铆钉；vt.铆接，铆牢；集中(目光或注意力) | |
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248
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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249
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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250
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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251
decrepitude
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| n.衰老；破旧 | |
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252
meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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253
sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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254
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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255
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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256
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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257
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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258
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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259
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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260
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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261
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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262
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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263
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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264
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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265
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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266
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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267
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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268
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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269
taunting
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| 嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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270
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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271
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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272
vaulting
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| n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构 | |
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273
equivocation
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| n.模棱两可的话，含糊话 | |
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274
renderings
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| n.（戏剧或乐曲的）演奏( rendering的名词复数 )；扮演；表演；翻译作品 | |
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275
patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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276
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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277
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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278
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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279
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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280
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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281
beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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282
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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283
bard
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| n.吟游诗人 | |
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284
clique
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| n.朋党派系，小集团 | |
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285
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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286
complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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287
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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288
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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289
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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290
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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291
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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292
heartiness
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| 诚实，热心 | |
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293
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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294
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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295
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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296
cabal
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| n.政治阴谋小集团 | |
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297
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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298
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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299
mortified
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| v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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300
cliques
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| n.小集团，小圈子，派系( clique的名词复数 ) | |
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301
arrogates
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| v.冒称，妄取( arrogate的第三人称单数 )；没来由地把…归属（于） | |
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302
depreciating
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| v.贬值，跌价，减价( depreciate的现在分词 )；贬低，蔑视，轻视 | |
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303
detraction
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| n.减损；诽谤 | |
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304
sneers
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| 讥笑的表情（言语）( sneer的名词复数 ) | |
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305
fulsome
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| adj.可恶的，虚伪的，过分恭维的 | |
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306
eulogy
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| n.颂词；颂扬 | |
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307
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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308
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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309
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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310
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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311
spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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312
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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313
compilation
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| n.编译，编辑 | |
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314
ridiculed
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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315
partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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316
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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317
stilts
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| n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷 | |
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318
bombastic
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| adj.夸夸其谈的，言过其实的 | |
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319
pomposity
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| n.浮华；虚夸；炫耀；自负 | |
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320
mannerism
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| n.特殊习惯，怪癖 | |
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321
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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322
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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323
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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324
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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325
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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326
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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327
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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328
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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329
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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330
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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331
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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332
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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333
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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334
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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335
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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336
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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337
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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338
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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339
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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340
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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341
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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342
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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343
honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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344
benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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345
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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346
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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347
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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