human
It is wonderful, Mr. Thornton observed, after a few other remarks upon the subject,
gpt
In the first place, I replied,
human
How so, how so?
gpt
In orations, speeches, declamations, I answered, and then continued, with a smile,
human
Too true, too true!
gpt
Then again, I continued,
human
Excuse me, interrupted Mr. Thornton, laughing;
gpt
I was merely going to remark, as a matter of history, that poetry rarely flourishes in republics. Monarchies are its congenial soil. It is a flower that requires a hot-house.
human
Oh, heresy, heresy! cried Bessy Davenport.
gpt
What! can such noble and inspiring things as freedom and independence have no power to awaken great thoughts, or even to clothe them in immortal verse?
human
Your pardon, fair lady, I answered;
gpt
I have never considered the facts, said Mr. Hubbard;
human
That they lived under archons, which were tantamount to kings, I answered.
gpt
And then, again, Pindar; he could not even endure the sort of mitigated republicanism of Greece, but fled to the court of a tyrant. Virgil, Horace--every great Roman poet, in short--flourished about the time of the emperors. In England, Gower, Chaucer, Shakespeare, all lived, and wrote, under monarchs; and it has even seemed to me that the greater the despotism, the better the poet.
human
But Milton! Milton! cried Mr. Alsiger;
gpt
But he never wrote a line of poetry, I answered,
human
But Dante, said Mr. Thornton;
gpt
I cannot indeed, discuss his merits with you; for I have well nigh forgotten all the Italian I knew thirty years ago. He, however, lived under a republic.
human
He is an exception, I replied;
gpt
May it not be, asked Mr. Hubbard,
human
Perhaps so, I answered;
gpt
I abominate your theory. You are worse than an abolitionist; and if you preach such doctrines here, we will have you tried for high treason.