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392 voice, eloquent with passion. In one of her lyrics she uttered her conclusion upon the human mystery, "knowledge by suffering entereth, and life is perfected by death." The spirituality of her "Vision of Poets" is a noticeable quality, and it is in a loftier strain than that of "The Two Voices," though cast in the same mould. Wandering amongst the minor poems of Mrs Browning, such for instance as "The Romaunt of Margret," "Isobel's Child," "Bertha in the Lane," and "the Swan's Nest among the Reeds," is like standing in the forest alone, with the wailing wind and the flying rain as the only assurances of an existence sublimer than our own. Yet she has thereby reached the profoundest depths of the human heart. But even when most depressed she does not lose faith—confidence in the triumph of the good and the right. To her it was not always necessary to understand the wrong which she beheld; she saw it and bated it, and she has helped men by her writings to do something towards making an end of it. "The Cry of the Children" is a striking illustration of her keen feeling and eloquent power as a philanthropist. She felt for all who are in any way crushed or bruised by the pressure of society, and of social distinctions, or of social misfortunes. Her poetry bears the impress of tender and profound sympathy with human suffering in every form.

The range of this author's powers was wide, as may be gathered by a comparison between such poems as "A Child's Thought of God" and "Casa Guidi Windows." In the latter she attained her ripest growth and greatest intellectual strength. The poem is as sustained as anything which she ever wrote, and more perfect than the remaining lengthy poems. The "Casa Guidi Windows" had the advantage of a direct and powerful inspiration. From her windows at Florence Mrs Browning looked out upon the Italian people struggling for freedom, and her enthusiasm was enkindled. Her utterances were therefore in accordance with the fulness of her heart, lavish and unrestrained. The extraordinary wealth and strength of imagery which the poem contains must have been noticed by every reader, and it includes doubtless much of her finest writing. In the inditing of the sonnet, always conceded to be a most difficult task, Mrs Browning was very successful. She is the equal of Wordsworth in this respect, and her "Sonnets from the Portuguese" (but thinly disguised, and giving really the history of her own feelings) are a compact and remarkable series of verses. They present us with a complete study of a human heart as it is affected by the passion of love. First, there is the soul expecting death, when suddenly life is revivified by love; then the grave, which had seemed inevitable, is put behind the soul; and finally comes the sequel, the marriage of those whose history has been traced in the Sonnets. The unity and psychological interest of this series of poems are their most prominent features.

Mrs Browning's fame chiefly rests upon Aurora Leigh, except with diligent and reverent students of her other works. The longest poem, nevertheless, which came from her hand is the one, to quote her own words, into which her "highest convictions upon life and art have entered." Yet it has had the result of causing a wide diversity of opinion upon its merits. Extravagant encomiums or unjust aspersions are generally awarded to it. For a poem of such magnitude unity is essential, and this we find to be lacking. It has not the one purpose—never ignored and never forgotten which runs through In Memoriam. One of its great charms, however, viz., its intense subjectivity, will prevent Aurora Leigh from falling into desuetude. The writer unfolds with great beauty of expression the truth that that is real art which assists in any degree to lead back the soul to contemplate God, the supreme artist of the universe. But notwithstanding its philosophy, as a solution for many of the problems of our social existence, the poem must be pronounced a failure. It is charged with passages of lofty poetry, though occasionally it falls into mediocrity. It is to be regarded rather as an autobiography (which indeed it claims to be) than as a poem characterized by fine conception or perfect execution. The position of Mrs Browning as a poet is now yielded. Her genius was perhaps as great as that of any poet of our generation, but circumstances retarded its highest possible development. In certain intellectual qualities she was inferior to Tennyson and the author of Sordello, but in others she was their superior. Be her exact niche, however, what it may, she occupies a favoured place in English literature, and is undoubtedly one of the few leading poets of the 19th century. Her poetry is that which refines, chastens, and elevates. Much of it is imperishable, and although she did not reach the height of the few mighty singers of all time, she has shown us the possibility of the highest forms of the poetic art being within the scope of woman's genius. (author:George Barnett Smith)  BROWNISTS, a religious sect, which sprang up towards the close of the 16th century, and which received its name from the first promulgator of the doctrines, Robert Brown. Their numbers increased rapidly, and Sir Walter Raleigh, in a speech in 1592, estimated them at no less than twenty thousand. The harsh measures that were taken against them, and the disgust generally excited by the tone of their attacks upon the Established church, for a time stamped out the sect in England. But the remnant found a refuge in Holland, and the church established there between 1593 and 1608 included many eminent men, such as Ainsworth, Johnson, Smyth, Jacob, Clifton, and Robinson, and gradually increasd in numbers. Soon, however, differences of opinion began to arise; some, with Smyth, carried out the principles of Brownism to their full extent, and became absolute Separatists; others, with Robinson, adopted a milder form of opposition to the church, which ultimately resulted in Independency. The stronger stream of tendency set in towards this latter form of doctrine, and the Brownists soon faded out of view and gave place to the Independents. The occasion of the Brownists separation was not any fault they found with the faith, but only with the discipline and form of government of the other churches in England. They charged corruption equally on the Episcopal form and on that of the Presbyterians by consistories, classes, and synods; nor would they join with any other Reformed church, because they were not assured of the sanctity and regeneration of the members who composed it, on account of the toleration of sinners, with whom they maintained it an impiety to communicate. They condemned the solemn celebration of marriages in the church, maintaining that, as matrimony was a political contract, the confirmation of it ought to come from the civil magistrate. They would not administer baptism to the children of such as were not members of the church, or of such as did not take sufficient care of their children already baptized. They rejected all forms of prayer, and held that the Lord's Prayer was not to be recited as a prayer, having been given only for a rule or model whereon all our prayers are to be formed. The form of church government which they established was democratical. When a church was to be gathered, such as desired to be members of it made a confession and signed a covenant, by which they obliged themselves to walk together in the order of the gospel. The whole power of admitting and excluding members, with the decision of all controversies, was lodged in the brotherhood. The church officers were chosen from among themselves, for preaching the word and taking care of the poor, and were separated to their several offices by fasting, prayer, and imposition of hands by some of the brethren. But they did not erect the priesthood into a