THERE is no wittier or more pleasant reviewer than Mr.
Lucas. Nothing in the world can overwhelm him. He would never need to pray to be " preserved from enthusiasm." His chief virtue (apart from his familiarity with so much of our litera- ture) is his critical modesty. Since he refuses to believe that his opinions have any very profound value, he feels that to justify himself at all he must keep his readers amused. His
book of collected reviews is therefore refreshing : he does his duty by his audience and never shows ungainly anxieties to bully us into agreement with him. Of course, it is discom- posing to come across a discussion by Mr. Lucas of " Greatness in Poetry." The subject is not in the least fit for his method. But when he deals with Samuel Butler, Mr. de la Mare, Andrew Marvel, or Latin lyrics we can be sure of pointed language and agreeable judgments.
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