“PippaPasses“，“TheRingandtheBook“，“TheInnAlbum“，theseareBrowning’sthreegreatdramaticpoems，asdistinctfromhispoeticplays。
　　Allaredramasintheexactsense，thoughthethreeIhavenamedaredramasformentalandnotforpositivepresentation。
　　Eachreadermustembodyforhimselftheimagesprojectedonhisbrainbytheelectricqualityofthepoet’sgenius：withinthekenofhisimaginationhemayperceivescenesnotlessmoving，incidentsnotlessthrilling，complexitiesofmotiveandactionnotlessintricatelyinvolved，thanupontheconventionalstage。
　　Thefirstisadramaofanidea，thesecondoftheimmediateandremoteconsequencesofasingleact，thethirdofthetyrannyofthepassions。
　　IunderstandthegeneralopinionamongloversandearneststudentsofBrowning’spoetrytobethatthehighestpeaksofhisgeniustowerfromthevasttablelandof“TheRingandtheBook“；
　　thatthenceforththerewasdeclension。ButBrowningisnottobemeasuredbycommonestimates。Itiseasytoindicate，intheinstancesofmanypoets，justwherethemusicreachesitssweetest，itsnoblest，justwheretheextremeglowwanes，justwherethefirstshadowscomeleapinglikegreyhounds，orstealalmostimperceptiblyfromslow-closinghorizons。
　　ButwithBrowning，aswithShakespeare，aswithVictorHugo，itisdifficultforourvisiontopenetratetheglowirradiatingthesupremeheightsofaccomplishment。LikeBalzac，likeShakespeareagain，hehasrevealedtousaterritorysovast，thatwhilewebowdownbeforethesunwesteringathwartdistantAndes，thegoldofsunriseisalreadyflashingbehindus，upontheshoulderofAtlas。
　　Itiscertainthat“TheRingandtheBook“isunique。
　　EvenGoethe’smasterpiecehaditsforerunners，asinMarlowe’s“Faustus“，anditsambitiousoffspring，asinBailey’s“Festus“。
　　Butisitaworkofart？Hereistheonlyvitalquestionwhichatpresentconcernsus。
　　Itisaltogetheruselesstourge，assomanyadmirersofBrowningdo，that“TheRingandtheBook“isasfullofbeautiesastheseaisofwaves。
　　Undeniablyitis，havingbeenwritteninthepoet’smaturity。
　　But，tokeeptothesimile，hasthisepicalpoemtheunityofocean？
　　Doesitconsistofseparateseas，orisitreallyone，asthewasteswhichwashfromArctictoAntarctic，throughzonestemperateandequatorial，areyetoneandindivisible？Ifithavenotthisunityitisstillastupendousaccomplishment，butitisnotaworkofart。Andthoughartisbutthehandmaidenofgenius，whatstudentofComparativeLiteraturewilldenythatnothinghassurvivedtheruiningbreathofTime
　　notanyintellectualgreatnessnoranyspiritualbeauty，thatisnotcladinperfection，beitabsoluteorrelative
　　forrelativeperfectionthereis，despitetheapparentparadox。
　　Themerebulkof“TheRingandtheBook“is，inpointofart，nothing。
　　Oneday，afterthepublicationofthispoem，Carlylehailedtheauthorwithenthusiasticpraiseinwhichlurkeddamningirony：
　　“Whatawonderfulfellowyouare，Browning：youhavewrittenawholeseriesof`books’aboutwhatcouldbesummedupinanewspaperparagraph!“Here，Carlylewasatoncerightandwrong。
　　Thetheme，lookedatdispassionately，isunworthyofthemonumentinwhichitisentombedforeternity。Butthepoetlookeduponthecentralincidentastheinventivemechanicianregardsthetinypivotremoteamidtheintricatemazeofhismachinery。
　　Here，aselsewhere，Browning’srealsubjectistoooftenconfoundedwiththeaccidentsofthesubject。Histriumphisnotthathehascreatedsohugealiterarymonument，butratherthat，notwithstandingitsbulk，hehasmadeitshapelyandimpressive。Stresshasfrequentlybeenlaidonthegreatnessoftheachievementinthewritingoftwelvelongpoemsintheexpositionofonetheme。Again，inpointofart，whatsignificancehasthis？None。Thereisnoreasonwhyitshouldnothavebeeninnineorelevenparts；noreasonwhy，havingbeendemonstratedintwelve，itshouldnothavebeenexpandedthroughfifteenortwenty。
　　Poetryeverlooksaskanceatthatgipsy-cousinofhers，“Tour-de-force“。
　　Ofthetwelvepartsoccupyinginallabouttwenty-onethousandlines
　　themostnotableaspoetryarethosewhichdealwiththepleaoftheimplicatedpriest，Caponsacchi，withthemeditationofthePope，andwiththepatheticutteranceofPompilia。Itisnotadramaticpoeminthesensethat“PippaPasses“is，foritstenBooksthefirstandtwelftharerespectivelyintroductoryandappendical
　　aremonologues。“TheRingandtheBook“，inaword，consists，besidesthetwoextraneousparts，oftenmonodramas，whichareastenhugefacetstoapoeticKoh-i-Noor。
　　ThesquarelittleItalianvolume，initsyellowparchmentandwithitsheavytype，whichhasnowfoundahaveninOxford，waspickedupbyBrowningfora`lira’abouteightpence，onasecond-handbookstallinthePiazzaSanLorenzoatFlorence，oneJuneday，1865。Thereinissetforth，infulldetail，alltheparticularsofthemurderofhiswifePompilia，forhersupposedadultery，byacertainCountGuidoFranceschini；andofthatnoble’strial，sentence，anddoom。ItismuchthesamesubjectmatterasunderliesthedramasofWebster，Ford，andotherElizabethanpoets，butsubtletyofinsightratherthanintensityofemotionandsituationdistinguishestheVictoriandramatistfromhispredecessors。
　　ThestoryfascinatedBrowning，who，havinginthisbookandelsewheremasteredallthedetails，conceivedtheideaofwritingthehistoryofthecrimeinaseriesofmonodramaticrevelationsonthepartoftheindividualsmoreorlessdirectlyconcerned。Themoreheconsideredtheplanthemoreitshapeditselftoagreataccomplishment，andearlyin1866
　　hebeganthemostambitiousworkofhislife。
　　Anenthusiasticadmirerhasspokenofthepoemas“oneofthemostextraordinaryfeatsofwhichwehaveanyrecordinliterature。“
　　Butpoetryisnotmentalgymnastics。Allthisinsistenceupon“extraordinaryfeats“istobedeprecated：itpresentsthepoetasHercules，notasApollo：inaword，itisnotcriticism。Thestoryisoneofvulgarfraudandcrime，romantictousonlybecausetheincidentsoccurredinItaly，inthepicturesqueRomeandArezzooftwocenturiesago。
　　Theoldbourgeoiscouple，PietroandViolanteComparini，managetowedtheirthirteen-year-oldputativedaughtertoamiddle-agednobleofArezzo。Theyexpecttheexquisitereputeofanaristocraticconnection，andothertangibleadvantages。
　　He，impoverishedasheis，looksforasplendiddowry。
　　Noonethinksofthechild-wife，Pompilia。Shebecomesthescapegoat，whenthegrossselfishnessofthecontractingpartiesstandsrevealed。
　　CountGuidohasageniusfordomestictyranny。Pompiliasuffers。
　　Whensheisabouttobecomeamothershedeterminestoleaveherhusband，whomshenowdreadsaswellasdislikes。Sincethechildistobetheinheritorofherparents’wealth，shewillnotleaveittothetendermerciesofCountGuido。Ayoungpriest，acanonofArezzo，GiuseppeCaponsacchi，helpshertoescape。Induecourseshegivesbirthtoason。Shehasscarcetimetolearnthefullsweetnessofhermaternityeresheisdonetodeathlikeatrampledflower。Guido，whohasheldhimselfthralltoanimperativepatience，tillhisholduponthechild’sdowryshouldbesecure，hiresfourassassins，andinthedarknessofnightbetakeshimselftoRome。HeandhisaccomplicesenterthehouseofPietroCompariniandhiswife，and，notcontentwithslayingthem，alsomurdersPompilia。Buttheyarediscovered，andGuidoiscaughtred-handed。Pompilia’sevidencealoneisdamnatory，forshewasnotslainoutright，andlingerslongenoughtotellherstory。
　　Franceschiniisnotfoiledyet，however。Hispleaisthathesimplyavengedthewrongdonetohimbyhiswife’sadulterousconnectionwiththepriestCaponsacchi。ButevenintheRomeofthatevildayjusticewasnotextinct。Guido’smotiveisprovedtobefalse；
　　hehimselfiscondemnedtodeath。AnappealtothePopeisfutile。
　　Finally，thewretchedmanpaysthetoomercifulpenaltyofhisvillainy。
　　Thereisnothinggrand，nothingnoblehere：atmostonlyatragicpathosinthefateoftheinnocentchild-wifePompilia。Itisclear，therefore，thatthegreatnessof“TheRingandtheBook“mustdependevenlessuponitssubject，itsmotive，thanuponitsbeing“anextraordinaryfeat“
　　inthegymnasticsofverse。
　　Inasense，Browning’slongestworkisakintothatofhiswife。
　　Both“TheRingandtheBook“and“AuroraLeigh“aremetricalnovels。
　　Theoneisdiscursiveinepisodesandspiritualexperiences：
　　theotherinintricaciesofevidence。Buttheretheparallelends。
　　If“TheRingandtheBook“weredefloweredofitsbloomsofpoetryandrenderedintoaprosenarrative，itmightinterestabarrister“gettingup“acriminalcase，butitwouldbemuchinferiorto，say，“TheMoonstone“；itsauthorwouldbeinsignificantbesidetheingeniousM。Gaboriau。Theextraordinarinessofthefeatwouldthenbebutindifferentlycommentedupon。
　　Asneitheritssubject，noritsextraordinarinessasafeat，noritsmethod，willwithstandasearchingexamination，wemustendeavourtodiscerniftranscendentpoeticmeritbediscoverableinthetreatment。
　　Toarriveatajustestimateitisneedfultofreethemindnotmerelyfrompreconceptions，butfromthatniggardlinessofinsightwhichcanperceiveonlytheminorflawsandshortcomingsalmostinevitabletoanyvastliteraryachievement，andbeblindtothesuperbmerits。
　　Onemustprepareoneselftolistentoanewmusician，withmindandbodyalerttothenovelharmonies，andobliviousofwhatothermusicianshavedoneorrefrainedfromdoing。
　　“TheRingandtheBook“，asIhavesaid，wasnotbegunintheyearofitsimagining。*Itisnecessarytoanticipatethebiographicalnarrative，andstatethatthefindingoftheparchment-booklethappenedinthefourthyearofthepoet’swidowerhood，forhishappymarriedperiodoflessthanfifteenyearscametoaclosein1861。
　　*Thetitleisexplainedasfollows：“ThestoryoftheFranceschinicase，asMr。Browningrelatesit，formsacircleofevidencetoitsonecentraltruth；andthiscirclewasconstructedinthemannerinwhichtheworkerinEtruscangoldpreparestheornamentalcircletwhichwillbewornasaring。
　　Thepuremetalistoosofttobearhammerorfile；