and with animated descriptions; upon the foundation of history to
erect the temple of poesy, which must nevertheless be pervaded and
illuminated by historic truth. From this it naturally follows that
it is of very little consequence whether the personages of the
Historical Romance actually spoke the words or performed the acts
attributed to them; it is only necessary that those words and deeds
should be in accordance with the spirit and character of such
historical personages, and that the writer should not attribute to
them what they could not have spoken or done. In the Historical
Romance, when circumstances or events are presented in accordance
with historical tradition, when the characters are naturally
described, they bear with them their own justification, and
Historical Romance has need of no further defence.

Historical Romance should be nothing but an illustration of history.
If the drawing, grouping, coloring, and style of such an
illustration of any given historical epoch are admitted to be true,
then the illustration rises to the elevation of a work of art,
worthy of a place beside the historical picture, and is equally
useful.

Raphael's "School of Athens," his "Institution of the Communion,"
and many others of his pictures, are such illustrations of history--
as also the great paintings of Rubens from the life of Anna dei
Medici; and then the historical pictures of Horace Vernet, of
Delaroche, of Lessing, and of Kaulbach--all these are illustrations
of history. What those artists present and illustrate with paint and
pencil, the Historical Romancer represents in words with his pen;
and when he does this successfully, he will live in the memory of
his reader as imperishably as the great historical pictures of the