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with the assistance of his excellent wife , who carried on for him the detail of his household , to struggle through all the petty annoyances attendant on narrow means , to support his father , mother , and sister , besides his own family , and at his death he left no debt behind him . " Although Lord John has not attempted to draw a portrait of the man , nor to pass a final and exhaustive judgment on the poet , he has touched both points with a sympathetic pencil ; and in the first he has indicated certain essential features which will materially alter the image of Tom Moore as it exists in the public mind . It ' will now be seen that Tom
Moore , the writer of gay licentious poems , the ornament of the drawingroom , and constant attendant upon Lords , was really a man of strict moral conduct , of deep and lasting domestic affections , of simple tastes , and genuine feelings ; fond of " society" where he was nattered and petted , but fonder of his own home where his heart had full satisfaction . That very temperament which made him charming in society , and society charming to him , was the source also of his domestic happiness . " His sensibility to happy and affecting emotions was exquisite , " says Lord John . " A return to his wife and children after separation affected him deeply ; music enchanted him ; views of great scenes of nature made him
weep . " And thus the shallow pates who , noticing his tears amid enchanting scenes , might have called him " a sickly sentimentalist , " or , seeing him in brilliant salons , might have called him a "tufthunter , " and "feared he was dissipated , " may lenrn in these volumes how , in natures of any worth , sensibility is sensibility to all emotions , frivolous and profound . Besides this , the reader will gain many other side lights from these agreeable volumes . Let us briefly state of what they consist—viz ., a Preface by Lord John , already noticed ; an autobiographical Memoir , in which jNloore records his boyhood , and the leading events which varied the first nineteen years of his " life ; the next twenty years may be gathered from his letters here printed in due order ; and the remainder will be told in his Diary , of which the latter half of the second volume contains the first instalment .
The volumes are crowded with sketches and anecdotes . Here is a bit of Thackeray : —" At a very early age I was sent to a school kept by a man of the name of Malone . This wild , odd fellow , of whose cocked hat I have still a very clear remembrance , used to pass the greater part of his nights in drinking at public-houses , and was hardly ever able to make his appearance in the school-room before noon . He would then generally whip the hoys all round for disturbing his slumbers" Here is a " lovely bit , " illustrative of the French : — " I mentioned Lord Holland ' s imitation of poor Murat , the King of Naples , talking of Virgil , * Ah Virgile , qu'il est beau ! C ' est mon idole ; que e ' est sublime ca , —Tityre tu patulce recubavs , ' &c . Sec . Lord L . mentioned a translation of Goldsmith's ' Deserted Village' by a foreigner , whom I remember in London
e . illed the Commandeur de Tilly , and the line , ' As ocean sweeps the labour'd mole away , ' was done , ' Comme la mer detruit les travaux de la taupe . ' I told an anecdote mentioned to me by Lord Moira , of a foreign teacher of either music or drawing at Lady Perth ' s in Scotland . As lie was walking round the terrace with Lord M ., the latter said , ' Voila le Chateau de Macbeth . ' ' Maccabee , milor , ' said the artist . ' Je crois que c ' est Macbeth , ' modestly answered Lord M . ' Pardon , milor , nous le prononcons Maccabee sur le Continent : Judas Maccabeus , Einpercur Itomain ! ' Talked of the egotism of foreign writers . The Abbe de Pradt begins one of his books , ' Un seul homme a sauve l'Europe ; c ' est moi . ' The best of it is , he read this in a company where the Duke of Wellington wits ; and , on the Abbe making a pause at the word ' 1 'Europe / all eyes were turned to the Duke ; but then came out , to their no small astonishment , ' C ' est moi ! ' " Here are two extracts for meditation : — " BON JUAN . " " ' Went to breakfast with lingers , who is in the very agonies of parturition : showed me the work ready printed and in boards , but he is still making alterations : told me that Lord Byron ' s Don Juan is pronounced by Ilobhouse and others as unfit for publication . ' * * * Talked [ with Murray ] of Don J \ tan : but too true that it is not lit for publication : he seems , by living so long out of London , to have f > rgotten that , standard of decorum in . society to which every one must refer his words at least , who hopes in he . either listened to or read by tin ; world . It is all about himself and Lady H ., and raking up tin ? whole ; transaction in a way the world would never bear . * * * Asked him [ Hobhouse ] , had I any chance of a glimpse at Don Juan ? and then found that Byron had desired itmight . be referred to my decision , the three persons whom he bad bid Hobhouse consult as to the propriety of publishing it being Ilookbum , Krere , Stewart . Rose , and myself . Krcre , a » the only one of the three in town , had read it , and pronounced decidedly against , the publication . * * * F > cre came in while I was at Lady D . 's : was proceeding to talk to him about our joint umpireship on Hyron ' s poem , when be
stopped me by a look , and we retired into the next room to . speak over the subject . Ho Miiri he did not wish the opinion be haul pronounced to be known to any one except H . himself , lest , It . should suppose , lie was taking merit to himself among the rif / A / t'ou « for having been the means of preventing the publication of < he poem . > Spoke of the disgust it , would excite , if publ . shed ; the attacks in it upon Lady 11 . ; iiul said it is . strange , too , he should think there was any connexion between IK h-ioli . sin ami profligacy . H" wo had a very Puritan court indeed , one can undei-Htand then profligacy being adopted as , badge of opposition to it , but the reverse l , ein-r the case , there is not even Hint , excuse for connecting dissoluteness wil . h papism , which , on 11 ,. contrary , ou ^ ht u . ways to be attended by the s ernes HobhowHe der to mid Lore B h
virtues *** Went to breakfast , with , ... or yron poemV :, strange production , f-ll of talent and singularity , ,. h everytlnng he wntes niuHt . be : ho ,,,. 7 lii-l . ly beautiful passages , and ho ,,,,, highly humorous ones ; ... I , us a whole , not , publishable . Don Jnans mother is Lady Hynm and not only her learning , but , various other points about her , ridiculed . lie talks of her favour , to dress beh , dmnty ( which in the cane ) , dimity rhyming very comically with hubliinity ; mid Uu , conclusion of one stanza is , ' I Imte a dun . )» y woman , meaning Lady H . n-ain . This would disgust , Hie public beyond endurance . 1 here , ih also > . HV Htei » ntised prolh ^ . y runn ing through it , which would not , be borne . Mobl . ouse has undertaken the u « Tic » l ,. task of letting him know our joint . <>|» us . 1 he I wo following lines are well rhymed , ' Uiil ., oh vo lonln of Indies intellect mil , ,, Couio , I ell ,, h lruly , li , tvo Ihoy not hen-peck d you nil i * # # Murray writes to ino Unit HobhouHO Iihh received another letter from Lord
Byron , peremptorily insisting on the publication of Don Juan . But they have again remonstrated . "
SHEKIDAN . " Had a good deal of conversation with Lord Holland in the evening about Sheridan . Told me that one remarkable characteristic of S ., and which accounted for many of his inconsistencies , was the high , ideal system he had formed of a sort of impracticable perfection in honour , virtue , &c , anything short of which he seemed to think not worth aiming at ; and thus consoled himself for the extreme laxity of his practice by the impossibility of satisfying or coming up to the sublime theory he had . formed . Hence the most romantic professions of honour and independence were coupled with conduct of the meanest and most swindling kind ; hence , too , prudery and morality were always on his lips , while his actions were one series of debauchery and libertinism . A proof of this mixture was , after the Prince became Regent , he offered to bring S . into parliament , and said , at the
same time , that he by no means meant to fetter him in his political conduct bydoing so ; but S . refused , because , as he told Lord Holland , ' he had no idea of risking the high independence of character which he had always sustained , by putting it in the power of any man , by any possibility whatever , to dictate to him . ' Yet , in the very same conversation in which he paraded all this fine nourish of highmindedness , be told Lord H . of an intrigue he had set on foot for inducing the Prince to lend him 4000 / . to purchase a borough . From his habit of considering money as nothing , he considered his oivintj the Prince 4000 / . as no slavery whatever : ' I shall then ( he said ) only owe him 40007 . which will leave me as free as air / # * * Sheridan was jealous of Mr . Fox , and showed it in ways that produced , at least , great coolness between them . He envied him particularly his being member for Westminster , and , in 1802 , had nearly persuaded him to retire from parliament , in order that be miorht himself succeed to that honour . But it was Burke chiefly
that S . hated and envied . Being both Irishmen , both adventurers , they had every possible incentive to envy . On Hastings' trial particularly it went to Sheridan ' s heart to see Burke in the place set apart for privy councillors , and himself excluded . # # . # in speaking of Sheridan's eloquence , Lord H . said that the over-strained notions he had of perfection were very favourable to his style of oratory in giving it a certain elevation of tone and dignity of thought . Mr . Fox thought his Westminster Hall speech , trumpery , and used to say it spoiled the style of Burke , who was delighted with it . Certainly in the report I have read of it , it seems most trashy bombast . At Holland House , where he was often latterly , Lady H . told me he used to take a bottle of wine and a book up to bed with him always ; theformer alone intended for use . In the morning he breakfasted in bed , and had a little rum or brandy with his tea or coffee ; made his appearance between one or two , and pretending important business , used to set out for town , but regularly stopped at
the Adam and Eve public-house for a dram . There was indeed a long bill run up by him at the Adam and Eve , which Lord H . had to pay . I wonder are all these stories true ; the last is certainly but too probable . * * * One day at Sheridan ' s house , before poor Tom went abroad , the servant in passing threw down the platewarmer with a crash , which startled Tom ' s ne ^ 'es a good deal . Sheridan , after scolding most furiously the servant , who stood pale and frightened , at last exclaimed , ' and how many plates have you broke ?'— ' Oh ! not one , sir , ' answered the fellow , delighted to vindicate himself ; ' you , damned fool ( said S . ) , have you made all that noise for nothing ? ' * * * Sheridan , the first time he met Tom , after the marriage of the latter , seriously angry with him ; told him he had made his will , ind hud cut him off with a shilling . Tom said he was , indeed , very sorry , and immediately added , ' You don't happen to have the shilling about you now , sir , do you ? ' "
We will pick out one more plum and then send the reader to the pudding itself for the rest : "At dinner sat next to Lord Auckland . Talked of Bowles and exteinporo preachers : the broken metaphors to which they are subject . Mentioned that I remembered , when a boy , hearing Kirvvan talk of the ' Glorious lamp of day on its march ; ' and Conolly , a great Roman Catholic preacher , say , ' On the wings of Charity the torch of Faith was borne , and the Gospel preached from pole to polo / Lord A . mentioned a figure of speech of Sir It . Wilson , at Southwark , ' As well might you hurl back the thunderbolt to its electric ; cradle . ' This led to 's oratory : mentioned 1 had heard him on the trial of ( Jutbrie , and the ludicrous
effect which his mixture of flowers with the matter-of-fact statement produced ; something this way : ' . It was then , gentlemen of the . Jury , when this serpent of seduction , stealing into the bowers of that earthly paradise , the lodgings of Mr . Guthric , in Gloucester-street , when , embittering with his venom that : heiiven of happiness , where all above was sunshine , all below was flowers , lie received a card lo dint : with the Counaiitfht liar at Iho I ' orto-JicUo-lIotc . l' < vc . When I told Cumin of the ; superabundant floridness of this speech , he said , ' My dear Tom , it , will never do for a , n :: in to turn painter , merely upon the strength of having a pot , of colours by him , unless he ; knows how to lay them on . ' Lord L . told a good story of bis l'Yench servant , when Mansell , the Master of Trinity , came to cull upon him , announcing him us ' Maitre cles Ceremonies de la TriniteV ' *
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KIOPPKL'S VISIT TO 'I'll K INDIAN A RC 1 II IMOLAGO . A Visit to Uu' Indian Arcliipctai / o hi II . 3 f . ti /< i /> M minder ; with jiortionx of th ° I ' rivato . / ottrnafs of Sir , htmes llroohc . l ! y (' upturn Ilift lion . Henry Keppel , R . N . Wit . h I UuKtriifioiiH by O . swidil \ V . Uriel-ley . Iii'JvoIh . ' l ! entloy < Captain Knppici / n work consists of three elements—lirst , a plain , unvarnisheel ( ale ; of bin visit to the Indian Archipelago ; second , a warm mid elaborate defence ol Sir James Hrooke ; from t lie accusations so pertinaciously hroiiglili forward by Mr . Hume ; third . Home , very iiilei-estiii " extnictN of the Raj . ili ' s own private ; diary , descriptive of his . struggles to { blind civilized government among . savages , and ol Inn own personal feelings during I , lie struggle .
. 11 , will he ween , therefore , that the work i . s one of political importance an well us of agreenhle lii . eral . ure . . In coinpoHifion il , i . s imalTeelecl , and that , im all . Captain Keppel writes plainly and sensiMy wlien donci-ibing liis own experiences ; warmly , and like a , partisan , when defending Ihh friend . The volumes contain numerous piiMHages of interest , relating to the strange people , strange scenes , and strange ; customs , us well as tlio animals that came under his observation . . Kroin them our extracts shall he ; made ' . Till- ; TK 1 KKS AT S I NC A POIMO . " During our stay at Sincupore , the body of it large ; fige ; rwiiH bmug ht in by Home Malays ( a not uuutmul occurrence ) , to enable them to receive the roward given by
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18 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 1, 1853, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1967/page/18/
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