We sincerely regret to record the death of Mr. Coventry
Patmore, who died at the age of seventy-three at his own house at Lymington on Thursday afternoon after a short illness. He was one of the most popular poets of the day during his earlier period,—the period of "The Angel in the House" and "Faithful for Ever ; "and one of the least popular during his later and more mystical period, the period of "The Unknown Eros." To our mind the poems which obtained the least popularity deserved most, though they were more mystical than Mr. Patmore might have made them, if he had not rather enjoyed the reputation of being a mystic. He was, however, always a poet, though his earlier poetry was rather
wanting in force and dignity, rather too amiably lively, and, so to say, tripping. We see it said that Mr. Patmore had little or no interest in what did not immediately concern him- self. But surely the fierce attack on Lord Beaconsfield and his policy of "dishing the Whigs,"—one of the most effective cf Mr. Patmore's diatribes,—showed no indication of that extreme subjActiveness of which he is accused. If he had been made the Poet Laureate instead of Mr. Alfred Austin, we should at least have had more of a poet, if less of a politician.
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