apieceofpurebewilderment“a“criticism“whichanticipatedandthuspreventedtheinsertionofahighlyfavourablereviewwhichJohnStuartMillvoluntarilywrote。
Browningmusthaveregardedhisfirstbookwithmingledfeelings。
Itwasabidforliteraryfortune，inonesense，butabidsohandicappedbythecircumstancesofitspublicationastobealmostcertainlyofnoavail。
Probably，however，hewaswellcontentthatitshouldhavemereexistence。
Alreadythefeverofanabnormalintellectualcuriositywasuponhim：
alreadyhehadschemedmorepotentandmorevitalpoems：
already，even，hehaddevelopedtowardsamoreindividualisticmethod。
Soindifferentwashetoaneasilygainedreputationthatheseemstohavebeenreallyurgentuponhisrelativesandintimateacquaintancesnottobetrayhisauthorship。TheMissFlower，however，towhomallusionhasalreadybeenmade，couldnotrepressheradmirationtotheextentofdeprivingherfriend，Mr。Fox，ofapleasuresimilartothatshehadherselfenjoyed。Theresultwasthegenerousnoticeinthe`MonthlyRepository’。ThepoetneverforgothisindebtednesstoMr。Fox，towhosesympathyandkindnessmuchdirectandindirectgoodistraceable。Thefriendshipthenbegunwaslifelong，andwascontinuedwiththedistinguishedUnitarian’sfamilywhenMr。Foxhimselfendedhisactiveandbeneficentcareer。
Butafteratimethefewadmirersof“Pauline“forgottospeakaboutit：
thepoethimselfneveralludedtoit：andinayearortwoitwasalmostasthoughithadneverbeenwritten。Manyyearsafter，whenarticlesuponRobertBrowningwereasnumerousastheyoncehadbeenscarce，neverawordbetrayedthattheirauthorsknewoftheexistenceof“Pauline“。
Therewas，however，yetanotherfriendshiptocomeoutofthisbook，thoughnotuntillongafteritwaspracticallyforgottenbyitsauthor。
Onedayayoungpoet-paintercameuponacopyofthebookintheBritishMuseumLibrary，andwasatoncecaptivatedbyitsbeauty。
OneoftheearliestadmirersofBrowning’spoetry，DanteGabrielRossetti
foritwashefeltcertainthat“Pauline“couldbebynoneotherthantheauthorof“Paracelsus“。Hehimselfinformedmethathehadneverheardthisauthorshipsuggested，thoughsomeonehadspokentohimofapoemofremarkablepromise，called“Pauline“，whichheoughttoread。
IfIrememberaright，Rossettitoldmethatitwasontheforenoonofthedaywhenthe“BurdenofNineveh“wasbegun，conceivedrather，thathereadthisstoryofasoulbythesoul’sablesthistorian。
Sodelightedwashewithit，andsostronghisopinionitwasbyBrowning，thathewrotetothepoet，theninFlorence，forconfirmation，statingatthesametimethathisadmirationfor“Pauline“hadledhimtotranscribethewholeofit。
Concerningthisepisode，RobertBrowningwrotetome，somesevenyearsago，asfollows：
St。PierredeChartreuse，Isere，France。
“Rossetti’s`Pauline’letterwasaddressedtomeatFlorencemorethanthirtyyearsago。Ihavepreservedit，but，evenwereIathome，shouldbeunabletofinditwithouttroublesomesearching。
Itwastotheeffectthatthewriter，personallyandaltogetherunknowntome，hadcomeuponapoemintheBritishMuseum，whichhecopiedthewholeof，fromitsbeingnototherwiseprocurablethathejudgedittobemine，butcouldnotbesure，andwishedmetopronounceinthematter
whichIdid。Ayearortwoafter，IhadavisitinLondonfromMr。WilliamAllinghamandafriendwhoprovedtobeRossetti。
WhenIheardhewasapainterIinsistedoncallingonhim，thoughhedeclaredhehadnothingtoshowmewhichwasfarenoughfromthecase。Subsequently，onanotherofmyreturnstoLondon，hepaintedmyportrait，not，Ifancy，inoils，butwater-colours，andfinisheditinParisshortlyafter。ThismusthavebeenintheyearwhenTennysonpublished`Maud’，forIrememberTennysonreadingthepoemoneeveningwhileRossettimadearapidpen-and-inksketchofhim，verygood，fromoneobscurecornerofvantage，whichIstillpossess，anddulyvalue。
ThiswasbeforeRossetti’smarriage。“*
*ThehighlyinterestingandexcellentportraitofBrowningherealludedtohasneverbeenexhibited。
Asamatteroffact，asrecordedonthebackoftheoriginaldrawing，theeventfulreadingtookplaceat13DorsetStreet，PortmanSquare，onthe27thofSeptember1855，andthosepresent，besidesthePoet-Laureate，Browning，andRossetti，wereMrs。E。BarrettBrowningandMissArabellaBarrett。
When，ayearortwoago，thepoetlearnedthatacopyofhisfirstwork，whichin1833couldnotfindadozenpurchasersatafewshillings，wentatapublicsalefortwenty-fiveguineas，heremarkedthathadhisdearoldauntbeenlivinghecouldhavereturnedtoher，muchtoherincredulousastonishment，nodoubt，hesmilinglyaverred，thecostofthebook’spublication，less3Pounds15s。
Itwasaboutthetimeofthepublicationof“Pauline“
thatBrowningbegantoseesomethingoftheliteraryandartisticlifeforwhichhehadsuchaninborntaste。ForabriefperiodhewentoftentotheBritishMuseum，particularlytheLibrary，andtotheNationalGallery。AttheBritishMuseumReadingRoomheperusedwithgreatindustryandresearchthoseworksinphilosophyandmedicalhistorywhicharethebasesof“Paracelsus“，andthoseItalianRecordsbearinguponthestoryofSordello。ResidenceinCamberwell，in1833，renderednightengagementsoftenimpracticable：butneverthelesshemanagedtomixagooddealincongenialsociety。Itisnotcommonlyknownthathewasfamiliartotheseearlyassociatesasamusicianandartistratherthanasapoet。Amongthem，andtheycomprisedmanywell-knownworkersintheseveralarts，wereCharlesDickensand“Ion“Talfourd。
Mr。Fox，whomBrowninghadmetonceortwiceinhisearlyyouth，aftertheformerhadbeenshowntheByronicverseswhichhadinonewaygratifiedandinanotherwayperturbedthepoet’sfather，sawsomethingmoreofhisyoungfriendafterthepublicationof“Pauline“。
Heverykindlyofferedtoprintinhismagazineanyshortpoemstheauthorofthatbookshouldseefittosendanoffer，however，whichwasnotputtothetestforsometime。
Practicallysimultaneouslywiththepublicationof“Pauline“
appearedanothersmallvolume，containingthe“PalaceofArt“，“Oenone“，“Mariana“，etc。ThoseearlybooksofTennysonandBrowninghavefrequently，andsomewhatuncritically，beencontrasted。Unquestionably，however，theelderpoetshowedaconsummateandcontinuousmasteryofhisartaltogetherbeyondtheintermittentexpressionalpowerofBrowninginhismostrhythmicemotionatanytimeofhislife。Toaffirmthatthereismoreintellectualfibre，whatRossetticalledfundamentalbrain-work，intheproductoftheyoungerpoet，wouldbebesidethemark。
TheinsistenceonthesupremacyofBrowningoverallpoetssinceShakespearebecausehehasthehighest“message“todeliver，becausehisintellectisthemostsubtleandcomprehensive，becausehispoemshavethisorthatdynamiceffectupondormantorsluggishorotheractiveminds，istobeseriouslyandenergeticallydeprecated。Itiswithpresentmentthattheartisthas，fundamentally，toconcernhimself。
IfhecannotPRESENTpoeticallythenheisnot，ineffect，apoet，thoughhemaybeapoeticthinker，oragreatwriter。Browning’seminenceisnotbecauseofhisdetachmentfromwhatsomeonehasfoolishlycalled“themerehandiwork，thefurnisher’sbusiness，ofthepoet。“
Itisthedelightofthetrueartistthattheproductofhistalentshouldbewroughttoahightechniqueequallybytheshapingbrainandthedexteroushand。Browningisgreatbecauseofhisformativeenergy：
because，despitetheexcessofburningandcompulsivethought
“Thoughtsswarmingthro’themyriad-chamberedbrainLikemultitudesofbeesi’theinnumerouscells，Eachstaggering’neaththeundeliveredfreight“
hestrikesfromtheFURORofwordsanelectricflashsotranscendentlyilluminativethatwhatiscommonplacebecomesradiantwiththatlightwhichdwellsnotinnature，butonlyinthevisionaryeyeofman。Formforthemerebeautyofform，isaplayingwiththewind，theacceptanceofashadowforthesubstance。
Ifnothinganimateit，itmaypossiblybefairofaspect，butonlyasthefrozensmileuponadeadface。
WeknowlittleofBrowning’sinnerorouterlifein1833and1834。
Itwasasecretive，notaproductiveperiod。Onebyonecertainpinnaclesofhisfairsnow-mountainofTitanicaimmeltedaway。
Hebegantorealisethefirstdisenchantmentoftheartist：
thesenseofdreamsnevertobeaccomplished。Thatlandofthegreatunwrittenpoems，thegreatunpaintedpictures：
whataheritancetherefortheenfranchisedspiritsofgreatdreamers!
Intheautumnof1833hewentforthtohisUniversity，thatoftheworldofmenandwomen。Itwaseverafavouriteanswerofhis，whenaskedifhehadbeenateitherOxfordorCambridge，
“ItalywasmyUniversity。“
ButfirsthewenttoRussia，andspentsometimeinSt。Petersburg，attractedthitherbytheinvitationofafriend。Thecountryinterestedhim，butdoesnotseemtohavedeeplyorpermanentlyengagedhisattention。
That，however，hisRussianexperienceswerenotfruitlessismanifestfromtheremarkablypicturesqueandtechnicallyveryinterestingpoem，“IvanIvanovitch“thefourthofthe`DramaticIdyls’，1879。
Ofatruth，afterhisownraceandcountryreaderswillatoncethinkof“HomeThoughtsfromtheSea“，orthethrillinglinesin“HomeThoughtsfromAbroad“，beginning
“Oh，tobeinEngland，NowthatApril’sthere!“
orperhaps，thoselinesinhisearliestwork
“IcherishmostMyloveofEnglandhow，hername，awordOfhersinastrangetonguemakesmyheartbeat!“
itwasofthemysticOrientoroftheglowingSouththatheoftenestthoughtanddreamed。WithHeinehemighthavecried：
“OFirdusi!OIschami!OSaadi!HowdoIlongaftertherosesofSchiraz!“
AsforItaly，whoofallourtruestpoetshasnotlovedher：
butwhohasworshippedherwithsomanlyapassion，soloyalalove，asBrowning？Onealoneindeedmaybematedwithhimhere，shewhohadhisheartofhearts，andwholiesatrestintheoldFlorentinecemeterywithinsoundofthelovedwatersofArno。
Whocanforgethislinesin“DeGustibus“，“Openmyheartandyouwillsee，gravedinsideofit，Italy。“