“`Wouldaman’scapetherod？’
　　RabbiBenKarshooksaith，`SeethatheturnstoGodThedaybeforehisdeath。’
　　`Ay，couldamaninquireWhenitshallcome!’Isay。
　　TheRabbi’seyeshootsfire
　　`Thenlethimturnto-day!’
　　II。
　　QuothayoungSadducee，
　　`Readerofmanyrolls，IsitsocertainweHave，astheytellus，souls？’
　　`Son，thereisnoreply!’
　　TheRabbibithisbeard：
　　`Certain，asoulhave_I_
　　WEmayhavenone，’hesneer’d。
　　ThusKarshook，theHiram’s-Hammer，TheRight-HandTemplecolumn，Taughtbabestheirgraceingrammar，Andstruckthesimple，solemn。“
　　*So-called，itisasserted，fromhischildishefforttopronounceadifficultnameWiedemann。Butdespitethegoodauthorityforthisstatement，itisimpossiblenottocreditrathertheexplanationgivenbyNathanielHawthorne，who，moreover，affordsthepracticallydefiniteproofthattheboywasatfirst，asatermofendearment，called“Pennini“，whichwaslaterabbreviatedto“Pen“。Thecognomen，Hawthornestates，wasadiminutiveof“Apennino“，whichwasbestowedupontheboyinbabyhoodbecausehewasverysmall，therebeingastatueinFlorenceofcolossalsizecalled“Apennino“。
　　[SeeMrs。Orr’s“LifeandLettersofRobertBrowning“nowonline
　　foradifferentopinion。A。L。，1996。]
　　Itwasinthisyear1855that“MenandWomen“waspublished。
　　Itisdifficulttounderstandhowacollectioncomprisingpoemssuchas“LoveamongtheRuins“，“EvelynHope“，“FraLippoLippi“，“AToccataofGaluppi’s“，“AnyWifetoanyHusband“，“MasterHuguesofSaxe-Gotha“，“AndreadelSarto“，“InaBalcony“，“Saul“，“AGrammarian’sFuneral“，tomentiononlytennowalmostuniversallyknown，didnotatonceobtainanationalpopularityfortheauthor。
　　Butloversofliteratureweresimplyenthralled：andthetwovolumeshadawelcomefromthemwhichwasperhapsallthemoreardentbecauseoftheirdisproportionatenumbers。Earsalerttonovelpoeticmusicmusthavethrilledtothenewstrainwhichsoundedfirst
　　“LoveamongtheRuins“，withitsMillet-likeopening
　　“Wherethequiet-colouredendofeveningsmiles，MilesandmilesOnthesolitarypastureswhereoursheepHalfasleepTinklehomewardthroughthetwilight，strayorstopAstheycrop
　　Wasthesiteonceofacitygreatandgay……“
　　SoonafterthereturntoFlorence，which，hotasitwas，waspreferableinJulytoRome，Mrs。BrowningwrotetoherfrequentcorrespondentMissMitford，andmentionedthataboutfourthousandlinesof“AuroraLeigh“hadbeenwritten。Sheaddedasignificantpassage：
　　thatherhusbandhadnotseenasinglelineofituptothattime
　　significant，asoneoftheseveralindicationsthattheunionofBrowningandhiswifewasindeedamarriageoftrueminds，whereinnothingofthecommonbaneofmatrimoniallifefoundexistence。
　　Moreover，bothwereartists，and，therefore，toofullofrespectforthemselvesandtheirarttobringinanywaytheundueinfluenceofeachotherintoplay。
　　Bythespringof1856，however，thefirstsix“books“wereconcluded：
　　andthese，atoncewithhumilityandpride，Mrs。Browningplacedinherhusband’shands。Theremainingthreebookswerewritten，inthesummer，inJohnKenyon’sLondonhouse。
　　Itwasherbest，herfullestanswertothebeautifuldedicatorypoem，“OneWordMore“，wherewithherhusband，afewmonthsearlier，sentforthhis“MenandWomen“，tobeforeverassociatedwith“E。B。B。“
　　I。
　　“Theretheyare，myfiftymenandwomenNamingmethefiftypoemsfinished!
　　Takethem，Love，thebookandmetogether：
　　Wheretheheartlies，letthebrainliealso。
　　ThisIsayofme，butthinkofyou，Love!
　　Thistoyouyourselfmymoonofpoets!
　　Ah，butthat’stheworld’sside，there’sthewonder，Thustheyseeyou，praiseyou，thinktheyknowyou!
　　There，inturnIstandwiththemandpraiseyou
　　Outofmyownself，Idaretophraseit。
　　ButthebestiswhenIglidefromoutthem，Crossasteportwoofdubioustwilight，Comeoutontheotherside，thenovelSilentsilverlightsanddarksundreamedof，WhereIhushandblessmyselfwithsilence。“
　　ThetransferencefromFlorencetoLondonwasmadeinMay。
　　Inthesummer“AuroraLeigh“waspublished，andmetwithanalmostunparalleledsuccess：evenLandor，mostexigentofcritics，declaredthathewas“halfdrunkwithit，“thatithadanimaginationgermanetothatofShakespeare，andsoforth。
　　ThepoemwasdedicatedtoKenyon，andontheirhomewardwaytheBrowningswerestartledandshockedtohearofhissuddendeath。
　　BythetimetheyhadarrivedatCasaGuidiagaintheylearnedthattheirgoodfriendhadnotforgottentheminthedispositionofhislargefortune。ToBrowninghebequeathedsixthousand，toMrs。Browningfourthousandguineas。Thislosswasfollowedearlyintheensuingyear1857bythedeathofMr。Barrett，steadfasttothelastinhisrefusalofreconciliationwithhisdaughter。
　　WintersandsummerspassedhappilyinItalywithoneperiodoffeverishanxiety，whenthelittleboylayforsixweeksdangerouslyill，nurseddayandnightbyhisfatherandmotheralternately
　　withpleasantoccasionings，asthecompanionshipforaseasonofNathanielHawthorneandhisfamily，orofweeksspentatSienawithvaluedandlifelongfriends，W。W。Story，thepoet-sculptor，andhiswife。
　　Soearlyas1858Mrs。HawthornebelievedshesawtheheraldsofdeathinMrs。Browning’sexcessivepallorandthehecticflushuponthecheeks，inherextremefragilityandweakness，andinhercatching，flutteringbreath。
　　Eventhemotionofavisitor’sfanperturbedher。But“hersoulwasmighty，andagreatlovekeptheronearthaseasonlonger。Shewasaseraphinherflamingworshipofheart。““Shelivessoardently，“
　　addsMrs。Hawthorne，“thatherdelicateearthlyvesturemustsoonbeburntupanddestroyedbyhersoulofpurefire。“
　　Yet，notwithstanding，shestillsailedtheseasoflife，likeoneofthosefragileargonautsintheirshellsoffoamandrainbow-mistwhichwillwithstandtherudesurgeofwindsandwaves。
　　Butslowly，gradually，thespiritwaso’erfrettingitstenement。
　　Withthewaningofherstrengthcamebacktheoldpassionatelongingforrest，forquiescencefromthat“excitementfromwithin“，whichhadbeenalmostovervehementforherinthecalmdaysofherunmarriedlife。
　　ItissignificantthatatthistimeBrowning’sgeniuswasrelativelydormant。Itswingswererestingforthelong-sustainedflightof“TheRingandtheBook“，andforearlierandshorterthoughnotlessroyalaerialjourneyings。
　　Butalso，nodoubt，theprolongedcomparativelyunproductiveperiodofeightornineyears1855-1864，betweenthepublicationof“MenandWomen“and“DramatisPersonae“，wasdueinsomemeasuretothepoet’sincessantandanxiouscareforhiswife，tothedeepsorrowofwitnessingherslowbutvisiblepassingaway，andtotheprofoundgriefoccasionedbyherdeath。However，barrennessofimaginativecreativeactivitycanbeonlyveryrelativelyaffirmed，evenofsolongaperiod，ofyearswhereinwerewrittensuchmemorableandtreasurablepoemsas`JamesLee’sWife’，amongBrowning’swritingswhat`Maud’isamongLordTennyson’s；
　　`GoldHair：aLegendofPornic’；`DisAliterVisum’；
　　`AbtVogler’，themostnotableproductionofitskindinthelanguage；
　　`ADeathintheDesert’，thatsingularandimpressivestudy；
　　`CalibanuponSetebos’，initsstrangepotencyofinterestandstrangerpoeticnote，absolutelyunique；`YouthandArt’；
　　`ApparentFailure’；`Prospice’，thatnoblelyricaldefianceofdeath；
　　andthesupremelyloftyandsignificantseriesofweightystanzas，`RabbiBenEzra’，themostquintessentialofallthedistinctivelypsychicalmonologueswhichBrowninghaswritten。Itseemstomethatifthesetwopoemsonly，“Prospice“and“RabbiBenEzra“，weretosurvivetothedayofMacaulay’sNewZealander，thecontemporariesofthatmeditativetravellerwouldhavesufficienttoenablethemtounderstandthegreatfameofthepoetof“dimancestraldays“，asthemoreacuteamongthemcoulddiscernsomethingoftherealShelley，thoughtimehadpreservedbutthethreelines
　　“Yetnowdespairitselfismild，Evenasthewindsandwatersare；
　　Icouldliedownlikeatiredchild“