Heine，aladoftwelve，wasalreadyenamouredofthegreatNapoleoniclegend。
　　TheforemostliterarycriticofthecenturywasrunningaboutthesandsofBoulogne，orperhapswanderingoftenalongtherampartsoftheoldtown，introspectiveeventhen，withsomethingofthatrareandinsatiablecuriositywhichweallnowrecogniseassodistinctiveofSainte-Beuve。Again，thegreatestcreativeliteraryartistofthecentury，inproseatanyrate，wasleadinganapparentlysomewhatindolentschoolboylifeatTours，undreamfulyetofenormousdebts，colossalundertakings，giganticfailures，andthe`ComedieHumaine’。Inart，SirHenryRaeburn，WilliamBlake，Flaxman，Canova，Thorwaldsen，Crome，SirThomasLawrence，Constable，SirDavidWilkie，andTurnerwereintheexerciseoftheirhappiestfaculties：
　　aswere，intheusageoftheirs，Beethoven，Weber，Schubert，Spohr，Donizetti，andBellini。
　　ItisnotinadvisedlythatImakethisspecificationofgreatnames，ofmenwhowereborncoincidentallywith，orwereinthebroadersensecontemporariesofRobertBrowning。Thereisnosuchthingasafortuitousbirth。Creationdoesnotoccurspontaneously，asinthatdrawingofDavidScott’swherefromthefootprintoftheOmnipotentspringhumanspiritsandfierystars。Literallyindeed，asagreatFrenchwriterhasindicated，amanisthechildofhistime。
　　Itisamatteroftencommenteduponbystudentsofliterature，thatgreatmendonotappearatthebeginning，butratherattheacmeofaperiod。
　　Theyarenottheflyingscudofthecomingwave，butthegleamingcrownofthatwaveitself。Theepochexpendsitselfinpreparationforthesegreatones。
　　IfNature’sfirstlawwerenotalawofexcess，theeconomyoflifewouldhavemeagreresults。IthinkitisTurgenievwhospeakssomewhereofherasagiganticTitan，workingingloomysilence，withthesamesavageintentnessuponasubtlertwistofaflea’sjointsasupontheDestiniesofMan。
　　Iftherebeamorefoolishcrythanthatpoetryisonthewane，itisthatthegreatdayshadpassedawayevenbeforeRobertBrowningandAlfredTennysonwereborn。ThewaywaspreparedforBrowning，asitwasforShakespeare：
　　asitis，beyonddoubt，forthenexthighpeerofthese。
　　Therewere`Roberts’amongthesonsoftheBrowningfamilyforatleastfourgenerations。Ithasbeenaffirmed，ondisputableauthority，thatthesurnameistheEnglishequivalentforBruning，andthatthefamilyisofTeutonicorigin。Possibly：butthisoriginistooremotetobeofanypracticalconcern。Browninghimself，itmaybeadded，toldMr。MoncureConwaythattheoriginalnamewasDeBruni。
　　Itisnotamatterofmuchimportance：thepoetwas，personallyandtoagreatextentinhisgenius，Anglo-Saxon。
　　Thoughthereareplausiblegroundsfortheassumption，Icanfindnothingtosubstantiatethecommonassertionthat，immediately，orremotely，hispeoplewereJews。*
　　*Fairlyconclusiveevidencetothecontrary，onthepaternalside，isaffordedinthefactthat，in1757，thepoet’sgreat-grandfathergaveoneofhissonsthebaptismalnameofChristian。
　　Dr。Furnivall’slatestresearchesprovethatthereisabsolutely“nogroundforsupposingthepresenceofanyJewishbloodinthepoet’sveins。“
　　AstoBrowning’sphysiognomyandpersonaltraits，thismuchmaybegranted：
　　ifthosewhoknewhimweretoldhewasaJewtheywouldnotbemuchsurprised。
　　Inhisexuberantvitality，inhissensuousloveofmusicandtheotherarts，inhiscombinedimaginativenessandshrewdnessofcommonsense，inhissuperficialexpansivenessandactualreticence，hewouldhavebeentypicalenoughofthepotentandartisticraceforwhomhehassooftenoflatebeenclaimed。
　　What，however，ismosttothepointisthatneithertocuriousacquaintancesnortointimatefriends，neithertoJewsnorGentiles，didheeveradmitmorethanthathewasagoodProtestant，andsprungofaPuritanstock。Hewastolerantofallreligiousforms，butwithanaturalbiastowardsAnglicanEvangelicalism。
　　Inappearancetherewas，perhaps，somethingoftheSemiteinRobertBrowning：
　　yetthisisobservablebutslightlyintheportraitsofhimduringthelasttwentyyears，andscarcelyatallinthosewhichrepresenthimasayoungman。ItismostmarkedinthedrawingbyRudolfLehmann，representingBrowningattheageofforty-seven，wherehelooksoutuponuswithaphysiognomywhichis，atleast，asmuchdistinctivelyJewishasEnglish。Possiblythelargedarkeyessounlikebothincolourandshapewhattheywereinlaterlifeandcurvednoseandfulllips，withtheovalface，mayhavebeen，asitwere，seenjudaicallybytheartist。
　　Thesecharacteristics，again，aregreatlymodifiedinMr。Lehmann’ssubsequentportraitinoils。
　　Thepoet’spaternalgreat-grandfather，whowasowneroftheWoodyatesInn，intheparishofPentridge，inDorsetshire，claimedtocomeofgoodwest-countrystock。Browningbelieved，butalwaysconscientiouslymaintainedtherewasnoproofinsupportoftheassumption，thathewasadescendantoftheCaptainMicaiahBrowningwho，asMacaulayrelatesinhis`HistoryofEngland’，raisedthesiegeofDerryin1689
　　byspringingtheboomacrossLoughFoyle，andperishedintheact。
　　ThesameancestrallineissaidtocomprisetheCaptainBrowningwhocommandedtheship`TheHolyGhost’，whichconveyedHenryV。toFrancebeforehefoughttheBattleofAgincourt，andinrecognitionofwhoseservicestwowaves，saidtorepresentwavesofthesea，wereaddedtohiscoatofarms。
　　Itiscertainlyapointofsomeimportanceintheevidence，ashasbeenindicated，thatthesearmsweredisplayedbythegallantCaptainMicaiah，andarebornebythepresentfamily。
　　Thatthepoetwasapure-bredEnglishmaninthestrictestsense，however，ashascommonlybeenasserted，isnotthecase。
　　HismotherwasScottish，throughhermotherandbybirth，butherfatherwasthesonofaGermanfromHamburg，namedWiedemann，who，bytheway，inconnectionwithhisrelationshipasmaternalgrandfathertothepoet，itisinterestingtonote，wasanaccomplisheddraughtsmanandmusician。*
　　Browning’spaternalgrandmother，again，wasaCreole。AsMrs。Orrremarks，thispedigreethrowsavaluablelightonthevigourandvarietyofthepoet’sgenius。PossiblythemaincurrentofhisancestryisaslittlestrictlyEnglishasGerman。AfriendsendsmethefollowingparagraphfromaScottishpaper：“WhatoftheScottishBrownings？IhaditlongagofromoneofthenamethattheBrowningscameoriginallyfromAyrshire，andthatseveralfamiliesofthememigratedtotheNorthofIrelandduringthetimesoftheCovenanters。Thereis，moreover，asmalltownorvillageintheNorthofIrelandcalledBrowningstown。
　　MightnotthepoetberelatedtotheseScottishBrownings？“
　　*IthasfrequentlybeenstatedthatBrowning’smaternalgrandfather，Mr。Wiedemann，wasaJew。Mr。Wiedemann，thesonofaHamburgmerchant，wasasmallshipownerinDundee。Hadhe，orhisfather，beenSemitic，hewouldnothavebaptisedoneofhisdaughters`Christiana’。
　　Browning’sgreat-grandfather，asindicatedabove，wasasmallproprietorinDorsetshire。Hisson，whetherperforceorfromchoice，removedtoLondonwhenhewasayouth，andspeedilyobtainedaclerkshipintheBankofEngland，whereheremainedforfiftyyears，tillhewaspensionedoffin1821withover400Poundsayear。
　　Hediedin1833。Hiswife，towhomhewasmarriedinorabout1780，wasoneMargaretMorrisTittle，aCreole，bornintheWestIndies。
　　Herportrait，byWrightofDerby，usedtohanginthepoet’sdining-room。
　　Theyresided，Mr。R。BarrettBrowningtellsme，inBattersea，wherehisgrandfatherwastheirfirst-born。Thepaternalgrandfatherofthepoetdecidedthathisthreesons，Robert，WilliamShergold，andReuben，shouldgointobusiness，thetwoyoungerinLondon，theelderabroad。
　　Allthreebecameefficientfinancialclerks，andattainedtogoodpositionsandfairmeans。*Theeldest，Robert，wasamanofexceptionalpowers。
　　Hewasapoet，bothinsentimentandexpression；andheunderstood，aswellasenjoyed，theexcellentinart。Hewasascholar，too，inareputablefashion：notindifferenttowhathehadlearntinhisyouth，norheedlessofthehighopiniongenerallyentertainedforthegreatestwritersofantiquity，butwithaparticularcarehimselfforHoraceandAnacreon。Ashissononcetoldafriend，“Theoldgentleman’sbrainwasastorehouseofliteraryandphilosophicalantiquities。
　　Hewascompletelyversedinmediaevallegend，andseemedtohaveknownParacelsus，Faustus，andevenTalmudicpersonages，personally“
　　asignificantdetail，bytheway。Hewasfondofmetricalcomposition，andhiseaseandgraceintheuseoftheheroiccoupletweretheadmiration，notonlyofhisintellectualassociates，but，inlaterdays，ofhisson，whowaswonttoaffirm，certainlyinallseriousness，thatexpressionallyhisfatherwasafinerpoeticartistthanhimself。
　　SomeonehasrecordedofhimthathewasanauthorityontheLettersofJunius：fortunatelyhehadmoretangibleclaimsthanthistotheesteemofhisfellows。Itwashisboastthat，notwithstandingtheexigenciesofhisvocation，heknewasmuchofthehistoryofartasanyprofessionalcritic。Hisextrememodestyisdeduciblefromthisnaiveremark。Hewasanamateurartist，moreover，aswellaspoet，critic，andstudent。Ihaveseenseveralofhisdrawingswhicharepraiseworthy：hisstudiesinportraiture，particularly，areablytouched：and，asiswellknown，hehadanactivefacultyofpictorialcaricature。IntheintervalsofleisurewhichbesetthebestregulatedclerkhewasaddictedtomakingdrawingsofthehabitualvisitorstotheBankofEngland，inwhichhehadobtainedapostonhisreturn，in1803，fromtheWestIndies，andintheenjoymentofwhichheremainedtill1853，whenheretiredonasmallpension。Hissonhadanindependentincome，butwhetherfromabequest，orintheformofanallowancefromhisthenunmarriedUncleReuben，isuncertain。InthefirstyearofhismarriageMr。BrowningresidedinanoldhouseinSouthamptonStreet，Peckham，andtherethepoetwasborn。Thehousewaslongagopulleddown，andanotherbuiltonitssite。Mr。BrowningafterwardsremovedtoanotherdomicileinthesamePeckhamdistrict。Manyyearslater，heandhisfamilyleftCamberwellandresidedatHatcham，nearNewCross，wherehisbrothersandsistersbyhisfather’ssecondmarriagelived。
　　TherewasastableattachedtotheHatchamhouse，andinitMr。ReubenBrowningkepthishorse，whichhelethispoet-nephewride，whilehehimselfwasathisdeskinRothschild’sbank。
　　Nodoubtthishorsewasthe`York’alludedtobythepoetintheletterquoted，asafootnote，atpage189[Chapter9]ofthisbook。