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histories of France and Spain was thorough and elaborate, the work of an ardent and conscientious scholar, who borrowed no learning at second hand which he could obtain from the primitive sources, and neglected no means for forming independent and correct judgments.
His lectures thus became a body of consecutive, historic criticism, in which the intrinsic qualities of the works under discussion were made to illustrate the progressive development in culture of the nations to which their authors belonged.
His manner of thought and expression was simple, direct, and fluent; not distinguished so much by originality of view or brilliancy of phrase, as by excellent sense and judicious and accurate statement.
At the same time his voice and style of speaking, his brilliant eye and animated countenance, his whole bearing, as he sought to put himself in close communication with the minds of the young men before him, had much magnetic attraction.
He doubtless kept in mind his observations in Germany and France, and Goethe's remark to him, that βelo-quence does not teach.β
He did not read from a manuscript, after the first term, and thus the magnetism of the eye and the face was not lost.1 Lord Brougham said in his inaugural discourse at Glasgow, that,
1 The students were provided with a printed syllabus of the arrangement of his subject. That of the Spanish lectures was printed in 1823, and the following extract is taken from the preface to it, adopting one or two verbal changes made by Mr. Ticknor in an interleaved copy. βThe Lectures on the History and Criticism of Spanish Literature, for which the present syllabus has been prepared, are about thirty-four in number, each an hour in length. In print they would amount to two octavo volumes. They are prepared for private classes, in Harvard College, and delivered, three or more in each week, so long as the course continues. The subject to which they are devoted is, in many respects, new in Europe, and in this country quite untouched. The Spaniards themselves have no work of history or criticism embracing the whole of their literature, or even its best portions; and in England and in Italy nothing has been done to assist them. . . . . . Both Bouterwek and Sismondi complain of the want of access to a sufficient collection of Spanish books, and their respective histories have certainly suffered from it. This want I have not felt. Accidental circumstances have placed within my control a collection of works in Spanish literature nearly complete for such purposes. The deficiencies, therefore, which will be found in this course of lectures . . . . are not to be imputed to the want of materials.β
Boston, J. R. Osgood and company, 1876.
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