LA FONTAINE.
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apologues since his time, but none worthy of beingnamed with him. England has produced much fewerfabulists, yet is justly proud of Gay. He had a strikingresemblance to La Fontaine in personal character. Pope’sverse, in the epitaph on him,
“ In wit a man, simplicity a child,”
would seem to have been expressly written for La Fon-taine. As poets or fabulists they differ widely and essen-tially. Gay’s fables are the nearest in merit; but, in-stead of resemblance, they present the opposition of wit,satire, and party spirit, in a neat and pointed style, toLa Fontaine’s universal and ingenious moral, picturesquesimplicity, and easy graceful negligence.
An anonymous volume of English fables, imitatedfrom La Fontaine, appeared in 1820. It is attributed toa practised and distinguished writer both in prose andverse* ; and might pass for a most successful version,if the original were not directly and unluckily con-trasted with it in the opposite page. The reader willbe more informed by comparing a short extract fromeach than by pages of dissertation.
“ He ! bon jour, monsieur du Corbeau :
Que vous etes joli! que vous me semblez beau !
Sans mentir, si votre ramage,
Se rapporte S votre plumage,
Vous etes le phoenix des hotes de ces bois.”
“ When thus he began : ‘ Ah ! sir Ralph, a good morning:
How charming you look! how tastejul your dress !
Those.bright glossy plumes, your fine person adorning ,
Produce an effect which I cannot express.
Colours glaring and gaudy were never my choice ;
When I view them disgust is my only sensation ;
If you join to that plumage a mellow-tonert voice,
You ’re the phcenix, I vow, of the feathered creation.’ ”
This citation is made, not to censure the English ver-sion, but to prove the unattainable charm of La Fon-taine's manner, —that manner or style which heinvented; his close adherence to truth and nature;the art with which he veils the wildest improbabilitiesunder a probable, consistent, or humorous air; hispower of combining levity of tone with depth of ob-* Mr. Croker.
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