. The Florence of Landor. ftt Ovid had a greater range of pleasur-able ideas, and was prepared to do justice toeverything that came in his way. Ovid was fondof noticing his rivals in wit and genius, and hasrecorded the names of a great number of hisfriends ; whereas Horace seems to confine hiseulogies to such as were rich or in fashion andwell received at court. Hunt regarded I^andoras a Latin poet beyond elegance, and was sur-prised at the great vigor of his prose. He is aman of vehement nature and great delicacy ofimagination, said Hunt, like a stormy moun-tain pine that should produce lilie
. The Florence of Landor. ftt Ovid had a greater range of pleasur-able ideas, and was prepared to do justice toeverything that came in his way. Ovid was fondof noticing his rivals in wit and genius, and hasrecorded the names of a great number of hisfriends ; whereas Horace seems to confine hiseulogies to such as were rich or in fashion andwell received at court. Hunt regarded I^andoras a Latin poet beyond elegance, and was sur-prised at the great vigor of his prose. He is aman of vehement nature and great delicacy ofimagination, said Hunt, like a stormy moun-tain pine that should produce lilies. To Landor, Florence continued to grow inex-pressibly attractive. If 1 can do nothing moreibr him, he wrote of his infant son, * 1 will takecare that his first Avords and first thoughts shallarise within sight of Florence. As his firstspringtime in Villa I ^andor came on he realizedanew the enchantment of Florence in the goldenINlay days. The dazzlingly blue skies gleamedthrough the transparent air over the rose-flushed. FROM FIESOLE TO VALLOMBROSA amethyst of the hills; the UHes, the most won-derful roses — the glowing damask — the paleyellow of the Cloth of Gold, and the fragrantwhiteness of orange blossoms, the resplendenceof a myriad of flowers, made every turn and cor-ner rich in color ; while every street and piazza,were vocal with the song of strolling moonlight nights enchanted him with theirsplendor, and the trio of friends often enjoyedlong evening drives on the Lung Arno, wherethey watched a thousand lights reflected in theriver, and the blaze of brilliant stars above thedome of San Spirito and the heights of SanMiniato. These years of Landors life were richin their intellectual activities. He was producingthe Imaginary Conversations, although themost brilliant one of them, Pericles and Aspa-sia, was not written until 1835. The Ode toSouthey and also an Ode to Wordsworth were written, with much other verse which waslargely of a personal nature. In
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