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Possessing his reasoning faculties in excited activity, at such times,
and seeking his acquaintances with his wonted look and memory, he easily
seemed personating only another phase of his natural character, and was
accused, accordingly, of insulting arrogance and bad-heartedness. In
this reversed character, we repeat, it was never our chance to see him.
We know it from hearsay, and we mention it in connection with this sad
infirmity of physical constitution; which puts it upon very nearly the
ground of a temporary and almost irresponsible insanity.
The arrogance, vanity, and depravity of heart, of which Mr. Poe was
generally accused, seem to us referable altogether to this reversed
phase of his character. Under that degree of intoxication which only
acted upon him by demonizing his sense of truth and right, he doubtless
said and did much that was wholly irreconcilable with his better nature;
but, when himself, and as we knew him only, his modesty and unaffected
humility, as to his own deservings, were a constant charm to his
character. His letters, of which the constant application for autographs
has taken from us, we are sorry to confess, the greater portion,
exhibited this quality very strongly. In one of the carelessly written
notes of which we chance still to retain possession, for instance, he
speaks of "The Raven"--that extraordinary poem which electrified the
world of imaginative readers, and has become the type of a school of
poetry of its own-and, in evident earnest, attributes its success to
the few words of commendation with which we had prefaced it in this
paper.--It will throw light on his sane character to give a literal copy
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