The Poem of _Coeur-de-Lion_has been already mentioned,and the wider form and aim it had got since he first took it in hand.It was above a year before the date of these tragedies and changes,that he had sent me a Canto,or couple of Cantos,of _Coeur-de-Lion_;loyally again demanding my opinion,harsh as it had often been on that side.
This time I felt right glad to answer in another tone:"That here was real felicity and ingenuity,on the prescribed conditions;a decisively rhythmic quality in this composition;thought and phraseology actually _dancing_,after a sort.What the plan and scope of the Work might be,he had not said,and I could not judge;but here was a light opulence of airy fancy,picturesque conception,vigorous delineation,all marching on as with cheerful drum and fife,if without more rich and complicated forms of melody:if a man _would_write in metre,this sure enough was the way to try doing it."For such encouragement from that stinted quarter,Sterling,I doubt not,was very thankful;and of course it might co-operate with the inspirations from his Naples Tour to further him a little in this his now chief task in the way of Poetry;a thought which,among my many almost pathetic remembrances of contradictions to his Poetic tendency,is pleasant for me.