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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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- - "~'*~ " BEAUTIES OF BYRON , so . xsni . " CWVDZ HABOLB . " -V- coatlnac our extracts froin the fourth Canto , „ j- p ifra cf Home : here is a picture of lifS . ' r TnE pij-juE o ^ cijsr fe , ereci , severe , austere , sublimeeaiaicof all saints aud temjile ff all gods , \ m Jove to Jesus—spareu ana bitsi Oj time , footfu ^ tranquillity , wirile falls or nods idi empire * each tiling round thee , and man ulods ^ i 5 Wajuiron ^ h thorns 10 ashes—glorious dome ! Slial ; tl ! ou notlasi ? Tiuiu ' ssei'Oiu and tyrants' rods ¦ iifset ujioutliee—saactuary and home - " jj rt an-1 pie' -i '—l ' antbeonJ—Pride of Rome !
ST . PETEfc ' s . Kit Io ^ ^ oms—*^ e V ^ s * aad woad ' rons dome , Jo ffliirf' JJiaaa ' s marvel was a cell—Cl ; ri 5 i ' £ roiglity slsrinu above ljis martyr ' s tomb ! 1 have bclicld ihe Ephesiau ' s miraclejts caimans , strew tile wilderness and dwell The hyifina and the jut-ball in their shade ; I have beheld Sophia ' s bright roofs swell Tfcciv glittering massi' tlie suu , aud have survey'd Is sanctuary the while the usurping Moslem pray'd ; jjnr thou of temples old s or altars new , < iacdest alone—with notions like to
thee—THE VATICAN . Or , turning to the "Vatican , « . j see laocooa ' s lortnre dignifying pa ; : i—^ father ' s love and mortal ' s a ^ oay ¦\ Vith aa inaiortal ' s p .. ience bunding : —Tain The struggle ; vain , against the foiling strain Aud gripe , anu deepening of the dragon's grasp , The old man ' s clinch ; this lung-.-nveuomed chain Rivet ; the living links , —the enormous asp JuTorccspsug vu |> ang and stifles gasp on gasp . 0 / view die Lord of the unerring bosv , The Cud of lifa , and poesy , aad light—The Sun in human limbs arrayed , and brow All radiant from his triumph in the light The shaft hath just hetm shot—the arrow bright With an immortal's vengeance ; in his eye And nostril beautiful tHsJnin . and might And majesty , flash their fall lightnings by , developing in ihat one glance the Deity .
Bui in Ms delicate form—a dream of lore , Shaped by some solitary uynmh , whose breast Xonged fur a deathless lorer from above , And madJenM in that vision—are expreet All that ideal beanty ever blcss'd The mind uitli in its most unearthly mood , When each conception was a heavenly guest—A ray of inunortalr . y—and stoutl , Siailike , around until tiiey gatlierd to a god ! And if it be Prometheus stole from Hcavi-n The fire wlrtcli we vmlure , it was repaid Uy him to whom the energy was given "Which this poetic marble liath array'd "With an eternal glory—which , if made ] 5 v hnuiau hands , is not of husnan thought ; And Tiaie itself hath naliow ' d it 3 nor laid One ringlet in the dust—nor hath u caught A tinge of years , bat breathes theiiainc with which ' twas wrought .
THE COLISEUM . I see before me the Gla-jiaivr Ik-: He loans upon his hand—his mauly brow Consrnts to death , but conquers agony , And his droon'd head sinks gradually low—And through his side tbs last drops , ebbing slow Prom the red gash , fxil heavy , one by one , Xike the first of a thunder-shower ; and now The arena swims around him—he is gone , Ire ceased the iulmnian snout which Laii'd tlie wretch who won .
il-i heard it , but he heeded not—iis eyes "Were with his heart , and that was far away . He rivi'd not of the life lie lost nor prize , Uat where his rude hutby the D-iimbe lay . Tbere were his young barbarians all at plar , There was their Dacian mother—he , their sire , lSmcher'd to make a Sonut holiday : — Ali this rushM with his blood . —Shall he expire An-. l unavenged X—Arise 1 yc Goths , and glut roar ire < # . * * * " "Wlriie star . a-- tke C-jlisenm , Borne si-al ! Etaru . ; "SVijen falis the Cjliseu-. u . Home slmllfall ; And when Home £ »! is—the World . " Trom onr o-. tji land Tins =-j . al ; e ibe ju 3 gri »» s « Vr iliis inigLi . T Hdll ] a Saxon timis , whidj we are wov . t io call Anm-:. ; : and these t ! : r-:-e mortal things are still On their Simulationsa : id uualterd ali ; Htuiie -and her Ruin past il'Jeinpt foa ' s skill , The Wvrli ! , the same wide dea—o : ' thieves , or what ye wilL
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THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES . A Pkisos Kimir . is Tex Books . By Thujlas Coorsi ; , tlie Chart ist . London : i . Ilow , io 2 , Heet-stieet . c Itisnovrraorc timn three months siuce we corcjaeneca our Tevlew of Air . Coofer's remarkable poem . If we hare lingered long on our way , our reswlcrs must impute it to tiie diSieuity we hare felt in tearing ourselves from a pleasing theme . Moreover , we dtshvd to make known , ; ts far as coiisistentlv we could do , the beauties of air . Cooper ' s epic to our readers , that so the mam thousands who cannot afford to uh-e seven slii ! lln « s and sixpence for the poem , m ightlcaow , at le&si , somethiag of its scope ami merits . Wemust , iiowever , rcM , that we shoalu
is <» t ] ia . v « ivuiiurad to Lavts asteietoil so Jargeiv Irom the ] Kmm a ^ « "e have done , hnJ we notliad ill' . Cooper ' s permission to do so . The "i ' urpiiory of Snieiiks" I : r . s caused ail exiraardicarv ? ' en ? ati ( tn . The author was known to l « clon «; to ( lie w ^ rlting classes ; and on tuc title-page « f hispJHan be avowed himself to be a " Chartist . " Curicsitv was , theiviisre , uatarallv excited as to tlie snriof iKWBi a 02 « rlk ? i sLwJitalsti' e& « 3 d V . ' 1 'ite . Aioreovcr , t . isi » iiblie prettygesscraiijknew whatkiud ef Cl : ;; rii « t Thomas Ci" > i"E ! t iiad bc-ei :. Ik lia-J been 310 nieaJr-nidMUstti , " mar ; ' . ! , " eauling adventurer , hut n . s !< -rJ : i ! 2 r , straightforward < lem =-CK ! t , wlio hs-1 danv ! to tKl the whnk tnstii and sulfur for it . lie Lad been the oracle a : iule ;« i « - « i ' siarvhiix but int «
Ui-£ c-nl and resulute muUinidts , who , under 111 s teach ; aiissud sruMsiuce . h : i « i mails fcmaus , as a stronghold « ifChnrtTsai , one of Esyiaiid ' s uusst ancient and celebrated town-. Ti . e cliJvaine eliarack-r sala « l li / , TiiOiUS C 00 P £ U in Lcicssttr , was maintained by l . iis * on the two occasion ? . whe : i aiTaianerl as a " erijnsnal" charges ai-LsJus outfif theuviables of ] Si 2 ; parlieulariy 0 : 1 3 i ! 5 second triai . At thai trial tlie sivutaio between himst- 'f sin-k ' -snadtii , « : «! the tbriaidaWe array c ! " le » al 1 sick * opni ^ cd to liiiR . iast-ou tea days ; anu ihe aaiae o ? " Tmomas Uoovru , the Chartist , ranu - xhmis » h tlss land ; Hswie subject for pub" ^ wnusv Lvbis "ifcsoJent < terl »« , " in cSHifestiiisg t . ie era . t seid tyranny of the legal biaoUuouuds tiup ' oyed to h-jnt Jam tii-wn . . . . . ^ Ir Cooivk ' s r . oHtk al acts Kid made mm notorious , but his prison acts have already ssiaiieluai iainuas . Heretofore * i « is p > saariiy was eor . imcu 1 a psaiy huihl * " rursaWv «« ' isntiides" iias aoiiiveii fur Liiii xwulu ^ ii wita -lit : public , luduuia- all c » a « U 5
iuic ! parties . , ,. „ Our csnaiatc of ihis yoc-iH mart be preitr well 3 aiowa to ihi Muicvsof ihi- Sicr by iuis time . ai , U Itk nor necc ^ ry that we sliftidd ada masy wpni ? to what « J » w . from tiiafto tune , cspwssol when fiivlHs cxtraeis from ibe sewra ! " books " or cantos . VChut in &J < Jilia :: we k . vt 10 s ;! v we snail fcsi cxj . rrf :. hv a few wo : ds o : coiaia-Jit ;« tbo Vciy a . ilc revi ^ of the i » ein wLIcl . ai * = a « d i » ' ^^^ * " ™« wliici ; was copied i « lo thss ?^ er o . tnc ^ o » S ^ - tiinber . T « t . Kiilowing arc tie -pwano 0- >¦««¦ - Jifliauma ' f review : — Wei * ,, « tit n « iJisiirf 1 j that Tfcamss Cooper is one « f t « e * * s « , t ihk ~ -t « -i * J l v ^ tar *^ own naad-uo , ^ i ^ JhTsriKV ^ Mwi ^ Ltryluiumrt oitriDs riiymsS S « sd . er . I . at vounn- fo . th fr « . i the ftiSness Ot us own jiiiiid si ; d Iscart a t « Ttui o : fcurair . -aim iraprtu- ^ A-Ktiicir * * * ' i
. n ...... The iios -jj is ^ vritU'a i : s tba S ; -s ^ " - «»»«• Granto and more nervous t =: au -CiiUA : lUrnU . " wine ! ., in its reiiseave liassasrs . it somewhat resembles—cvu ^ ncros mudi Oeeper r ^ = Jifitf . much yraSaaauer tiionsH » ' «* S r « . teri ,. » Ivcr of tic ^ -cil ^ auJ the t .-mblc in espres-«• . « , t : ioa-li will-. 2 «* h « u ^ - of 3 > c-: t = c imagery—tins Prison mivme come ? nearer tf : n « an ? oti . er poem m onv lan-usw to the srasd worl : s Of 3 ! is » n . * * Our iu ^ - ^ -ntway bi aisi-. nK-i—tlie world maydis-Ksardtlii 5 " i » i-lsJyaiid daring effort of an irregular but loftv "Cciu 5 ta-i'h we co 1 : 0 : thirA- it ««—yst sr . H we shall li- -. l-5 tooJro-. Knb 3 , ii : r . t tlrs " Prison lliiymc ' is the most ivo :: dcrfu 3 « lV = rt ui iatcUsKnal power produced v .-i ? ' -. 5 ii t 3 « - la *; c .-srjry . * s * It to Lt 1 U
Ssnartofc ^ iyfctJvKai : Jt I ? J ^ t pbctd VOiU . ! , ' Ijaufe . V . ' = luuit svea 1 « < 5 l ^ o ? cl t ., v . ish it Isa-i aevw bc-ea -. rritttn . l-v . z i ; :: e it K full of j'oWi * , full 01 fl-Jnuesce . lul ! of grand at-taclsc-i pas « : L " . s—beyond all UUii ! i . J !> the laoir ^ s ^ iijsr ijitm la ihi' Er . slitli : »» . ?«• >;; - * * * * Letaslr-iakly . withallitsfaulis ,: aclnimvlwlre this " IVk-.-:: ilbraie" to be one of the most , wiwk-rfa ! prc-ductio-i ? of v . 3 :: l-h ti ' . i- world isas pressrvcu «« o :- < s . i T . ' : i-i mceli of tlie :: « ovo we iieariily co ; 2 eur , _ as in j of view
< lced ir 3 a :: icur wiih si » : ^ -Ii rfce entire ' * J ^ ; hut , we ca : a ; o : to w ' ah Ihe liniauiiia i > fxaitwjr Thomas Cw ? -n sbsve a-I oav £ nsl ; 3 " u poets £ «» se- j quest to ihwes—sven Byi : o . \! " - ' Uc-iBbrrisons j are odioiB , " ai . a we v-Hi ssat coiaaare the merits 01 tUe / iiP 7 flto .. « t- / . ?«>; & , r-viib tliOfeof Chude JI ^ rOid ; vec sLuil ctsiciit om-clvi-s whh esprcsslag our dissent froiij ile jad-iscjii tf las J : di _ iu ; ua . Bui TaOJtiS j Co r £ 2 iiai y k > a j . Ti-: ; t poet , asid stiii inferior j io BriiGy . Let «? a-: W , we k ; inv what Bvaox , as «• : j i « eJ . Lr , Lut wt- kiivw iict waut TiicMas Coords
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nifty yet be . We beheye that had Btbok lived only ten years longer than he did , marvellous , as are the works he has left us , he would have dxeeeded even those wondrous productions . Tuomas , Cooper ' s first poem is certainly greatly superior to more than the first poetical work of Btnox ; what his future poems —one , at least , we are sure of- -mav prove to b ° it would be idle now to specula ^ , b ^ vVe musfc | loW otherwise we shall fall into the error of " compaii sons" we promised to avoi' j . The poetical merits o £ the Purgatory of Suicides are great , but , in our hiinible opinion , ' not nearly so great as estimated by the liriuamia critic . It « faults , we think , are mostly comprised in the
objections advanced by the Atfienieum , and some of those advancedl » y the Nation—viz ., auexcess of " swelling phraseology , " and a very cloud of words , which , if they bo English , liinety-nine out of every hundred Englishmen wiilnevertheless be uuable to understand ; such as "inchoate , " " esperance , " "iroie , " "pulchritude , " "infract , " " yarc , " " aidant , " " pule , " " perdurably , " " ohfe-st , " " hedazed , " " preen , " " conglol > atcd , " " operosc , " "demiurgic , " and many others "too numerous to mention . " We confess to having had to read more than one stanza twice or tin-ice over before we could comprehend the author ' s meaning . These , however , are defects which Mr . Cooper may casilv avoid in future .
The opening or reflective passages in each hook are generally the most purely poetical , and generally , too , the plainest and simplest in their phraseology . Indeed , it is usually where the poem is weakest in poetical merit that the greatest number of outlandish words are found . We could have liked that there had beenmore of such poetry as the apostrophe to therobin , opening the " fourth book . " We must add that some of the descriptive passages are very fine , though , usually , too elaborate . Some of the declamatory stanzas are also poetically grand ; we must particularly notice the outburst of Gonuokcet , in the fifth book . The six stanzas commencing : —
" The spirit of Prometheus doth but sleep . " are truly magnificent . We think the construction of tlic poem would have been superior to what it is , had Mr . * Cooper brought Ms characters together without those ghostl y cruisuigs which occupy Ijy far the greatest portion of the poem . In each book we Had the characters therein summoned to a great gatlieriug of all disembodied suicides , to discuss the great question of mankind ' s destiny . In each book we are led to expect tluit the next will contain the discussion { " adjourned" at tlie close of the " first book" ) , but we expect only to be
disappointed . At length we come to the last book , when instead of a renewal of the discussion so excitingly commenced , in the "first book , " we find tlie " * question" has , by some mysterious means , not explained , been already settled , during the time that Hades was being ransacked to get the disputauts together . We must confess too thntthe " tenth book " disappointed us . We do not say that it exhibits a "iauiciuid impotent conclusion , " on the contrary , the conclusion is just what we could desire , but the language of nearly the entire " bonk" is tame and pointless compared with the preceding portions of the poem .
But , with all its defects , the Purgatory of Suicides" is a , great work , reflecting well-earned fame upon its author , and no little honour upon the class from which Mr . Coofkk sprung , and the party whose name he Ijeidly avows and wears . The " Purgatory of Suicides . " at least in one respect , commands our unqualified aclp . n ' ration . As a bald and triumphant defence of free thought , and man ' s natural and imprescriptible rights , it is , beyond comparison , the best poem in the English language , save and except one or two of Shelley's immortal productions . Of course , disbelief in the time-honoured frauds and impostures , religions , political , and social , which vet vex this earth of ours , is in the
present day widely existent ; but those who dare to avow their disbelief are comparatively few . We do not dispute that those -who fire from a " masked battery" against the . monstrosities of priestly fraud , political privilege , and social wrong , do good service to the cause of human prcares ; we will even admit that very often they may eitect greater good than if they showed themselves' in their true colours , and orenly assaulted the systems they abhor aud despise . Still we must confess that our sympathies are with t- e bold and avowed assailants of wrong , and therefore it is that we admire Mr . Cooper's poem , independent of its poetical merits . With au unfaltering liMir ] he rends the veil of humum ' , and exhibits the true character of the frauds which have for so
luaiiy ages made it . ois and slaves of mankind . He pneiaims , "trumpst-tongued , " the rights . of the iiuiiiu ; . race , tr . i ' . i point ? o >« fc the only sure means by which those rights may be won an ;! established—ihe enlightenment of the minds of the hitherto darkened ii ' . ui deluded masses . Yvith oil the poet ' s detestation cf priestly fraud , with all his kiitred of kingly and c ! a * s ijraniry , we heartily sympathise ; for us , a * well as for himself , he speaks what we cannot express for ourselves , and from our heart ' s core we thank and honour ihe poet who has proved himself , in ihiwor . is of great Thomas Paixk . "Hold enough to bs honest , and hottest enouqh to i / C Lo !« . "
We had prepared a summary of the opinions 0 such of our contemporaries sis have reviewed this i'oem , with &osic comments of our own thereon ; but the many demands upen our spare compel us to exclude it . * We conclude this notice with the finishing stanzas of Ihe poem . As already described in previous extracts , the denizens of Ila-Jes arc met to celebrate the h-himpli of brotherhood , freedom , and happiness ; the following " ehaunt" concludes the poem : — " All bail tlie glorious power of Gentleness , Of Pity and Mercy , Gooihies . % Love , and Truth ! Knowledge all hail , and ileason frttcvlcsf , — Philanthropy , t ! : atytaintd with god-like ruth O ' er sui&ring—Patriotism , whose eloquent mouth , Bold heart , aud sinewed baud dissolved the thrall Oi" Tyrants i—Genius , Sou ; -, and Wisdom SOOtll , Jill hai ! J—Great sources of old Evil ' s fall—Men , spirits , livuui your power , in jocund festival !
"Eavtii's children raise their universal soup Of love and joy : mountain , mid strand , and sen Are voi-al with your praiso ! Spirits prolong Tije strain : through endless life they anthem ye—Their endless after life of jubilee : And hymning ye our essences enhance Slill : norc the measure of their ecstasy , — Assured more deeply of tlislr hcritascr , Tho more thdr joyous thousftii hath jcj"'as utterance ! " Spirits , still more rejoice ! for pain and woe Ave gone , and universal life doth bloom With joy ! ' "— Tlie dream o ' erwrousrht me 10 a thl' 02
Of bliss , —and I awoke in find miv home A dnngcoa , —thence to pemu-r whvis would come Tliu day that Goodness shall : hc eirth renew Aad Truth ' s youns light disperse oM Error's gloom , When Love shall Hate , and Mi-elnsess Pride suMue ,-Vnd TThen the Many cease their slavery to the Pew !
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WISE SAT 7 S AND MODERN INSTANCES . By Thomas GoorisK , the Chartist . Loadou : J . Hoiv , 2 <; 0 , Piccadilly . These arc a aeries ot homely laics tol < l in homely lansua ^ c ; br . t , thowsjh plasa in outward gar !) , they c : islivlne precious gems of wit am ! wisdom , phiinntlii-i . pv , siid pathos . Tlie scope cf most of the stories is laid in " Old Luieolnshii-cy' the vemaiuder . chiefly in Leicestershiro . '' Nearly ali the characters sketched are real , —some of them in their very names ; and the few adr-jniur . es arottcd to them are devoid of roiiunce ami intricacy , because they seldom exceed fact . " The moral of each tale has generally apolitical sigTiificatiosi , directed araiiisssonie gi . iKD wrong , or popular error , and the work may 1 ) 9 regarded as another and valuable contribuiica , by ill * . CooruK , to the enise ot' -meutal freedom , ^ olitieal ri ght , and soc-: n ! justice . The work is dedicated * to
BOL-GLAS JCE 30 LS . 3 fy friend , lieart-lioin : ye , in this simple strain I yield tli ' e « i » r X ' ny toil f « ai « ilm K :-i : t : So !<> n ; r feath seuius , with a iraiiiy slight , Piissid liy U-o tliousauds who lift ' s load sii < tain 0 : ' sc < . rn " an < l ni . iyer . ee , —to court the vain And f . ipj . i > h cimv . i , —or l : sud . in jJirasfs d-j ; lit Vfnli fajsomc iiattvTy , surac- i-.:. n 5 ? ere < l wii ; ht TVlio counts liimfcif for polisicd porco ' aJn , — Tiie poor for vulgar clay : A nobler 51 . 11 b , — Jjjsaaiuin . 'lihvlin ; - censure , lift-dins praise , — Thou ior thyself hast clioio : ! . Still , in faitli That tiiy true toil slsall lisstea t ! . c i > oc ; i days Of biotliv-rl-. ood rencwtcl . bvotlser . toil on : — All upright hearts giv < : thee felyilie h-wsw ! Tiie opening tale is entitled " Kueky Ssreon , the Barbi-r ; or , the Dhciple of Equality ; " ami illustrates the diirc-ivncft between talkingabaui equality , anu aet-5 ii 2 in thesnirittliereof . Tim Shallow Whistle , tiio n ' ilorof Uonieasdewho , b-iss suspected c . t sedition .
' , iills into poverty and trouble , "" but ultimately rights himself , and sees his eacrar tkll . illustrates the .-ula ^ e , " Efcrvdog has his day . " " Davy Lidgitt , t « e Carrier " is " the story of a man who brought his nineneneo tononcht , by Itein ^ in roo S « . w a bnrry to bocomo rich . " The Fisherman and ihe 1- iddicr is - cheerlui s * ory of two oriaisials ioeaniy at ioritscy . Tl-e fislicraiau is always gctsin ? into some scrape throu-h not miiniios : tiie " wise saw ot the uuud W * " Doa't ^ ^ - vuu a ! c s ? " MmcoveJ ' th « fid Her has one fitvonritc str-n . 2 hepmys upon to ft tnne of "Divide the laud equally . Mvhicli lie had feSfrmna wondrous wise man . ins ^ motliers . ru . dfaU . ei > , who used to argno "that ^ d Almiabtvaavc the worldlo everybody , ana Uiatthe rich llad ' stohsn the poor ' s share of tne htiiM . 1 uc Beegared Gentleman * ' is a » ly writren ; _ the umortuiiate man ' saUdrtss to his "Crooked stick wvery rathctic " The Historv of Cockle Tom , " sbowmjj the nurture of a youusi EsiL'iijh saiior , iff . » capiuil
str . ' -v - we are inclined to thial : tiie host 111 tiie worn ; iovMl be read with deliahl . fcsr . eei .-1 ' i ! y hv the yollllR . " The Last Days efan Old Sailor" would be a pleasui" - tale but for its painful finish ; the more painful because the author assures us that the hero ot Ins ston- it no imasrinarv diaracter . but a man who mei . aud ' died in the town of GaiasboMUgh , as descnucd in tills siorr—another victim of than infernal system vl- c'i the ' wretched inmates of potti ' -ouscs have to I .-Wi < to " Tlie iliiiisier of Afacy is a l ) en a : id
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ink portrait of the celebrated dissenting minister , Robert Hall , showing him engaged in the benevolent work of , providing for . the poor and URfortunate . of Leicester . In the course of his philanthropic labours he encounters a friend , who is an unbeliever in religion , but endowed with a large portion . of the " milk of human kindness . " He contributes largely to a relief fund , which the" Minister of Mercy" is collecting . iudCud the ' ftuni he contributes is ' much larger than any sum the Minister can obtain from any of the religious and wealthy manufacturers . In the course of a conversation between the sceptic anil the Minister , on the hardness of heart towards the
poor shown by the wcaithy , the sceptic remarks , that . " if callousness to the sufferings of their workmen continues to increase among tiie manufacturers , as rapidly as it has increased for the last tea years , Christianity will be openly scoffed at by the poor 0 !' the next generatiun , in the very streets where we are now walking . " This conversation the author supposes to have taken place twenty-eight years ago . The next , story , — " Merrie England—No More ! " exhibits the prediction of the sceptic realised . As a specimen of Mr . Cooper ' s prose writings , and for the stern truths contained therein , we give the whole of this tale : —
MEB 1 UE ENGLAND" '—SO MORE ! On an April morning in forty-two—scarcely four years bygone , —a group of five or six destitute-looking men were standing on a well-known space in Leicester , where the frustrum of a Uomau mile-stone ( surmounted , in true Gothic style , with a fantastic cross ) was preserved within an iron palisade , and where the long narrow avenue of Barkby-lane , enters tho wide trailing street called Bulgravegate . The paleness and dejection of the men ' s faces , as well ns the ragged condition ot' their clothing , would have told how fearfully they were struggling with poverty and waut , if their words had not been overheard . " Never mind the lad , Jolin ^ " said the tallest and somewhat the hardest-featured man of the party : " lie can't he worse off than he would have been at home , let him be where he will . What ' s the use of grieving about him 1 He was tired of pining at home , no doubt , and has gone to try if lie can't mend his luck . You'll hear of him again , soon , from some quarter or other . "
" But I can't satisfy myself about him , in that way , George , " replied the man to whom this rough exhortation was addressed ; "if the foolish lad bo drawn into company that tempts him to steal , I may have to hear him sentenced to transportation , aud that would be mo joke , George . " " I see nothing so very serious , even in that , " observed another of the group ; " I would as lief be transported tomorrow as stay here to starve , as I ' ve done for tie last six months . " " It would seem serious to me , though , " rejoined John , "to see my own child transported . " " Why , John , to men that scorn to steal , in spite of starration , " resumed George , "it ' s painful to see any child , or man either , transported : but where ' s the real disgrace of it ? The man that pronounces the sentence is , in nine cases out of ten , a bigger villain than him that ' s called the criminal , ' Disgrace ie only a name—a mere name , you know , Jolin . "
" I ' m aware there ' s a good deal o' truth in that , " replied John ; " the names of things would be altered a good deal , if the world was set right : but , as wrong r . tilings are now , yet I hope my lad will never steal , and have to be sentenced to transportation . I've often lial to hear him cry for bread , since he was born , and had none to give him ; but I would sooner see him perish with' hunger than live to he ; ar him transported , for I think it would break my heart ;—and God Almighty for . bid I ever should have to hear it !" " Goddle Mitey , " said George , pronouncing tliesyllabltg in a mocking manner , and setting up a bictcr laugh , which was joined by every member of the group , except the mournful man who had just spoken ; " who told thee there was one ? Thy grandmother and the parsons ? Don't talk such nonsense anymore , John ! it ' s time we all gave St over : they ' ve managed to gr ind men to Ihe dust with their priestcraft , and we shall never be righted till we throw it off !"
" No , no , " chimed in another , immediately ; " they may cant and prate about it : hut , if their God existed , he would never permit us to suffer as we do !" " Well , I ' m cc . no seriously to the same conclusion , " said one who had not spoken before , and was tlie palest ami thinnest of the group : " I think all their talk about a Providence that disposes the lot of men differently here , 'for His Own great mysterious purposes , ' as they phrase it , is mere mysterious humbusr , to keep us quiet , What purpose could a huing have , who , they say , is as infinitely good as he is infinitely powerful , in placing mo where I must undergo insult and starvation , while lie places that , man , —the oppressor and grinder , who is riding past now , ! n his f ? jg , —in plenty and abundance V
"Bight , Renjnmin . said George ; " they can'tget quit of their difficulty , qctibhle as they may : if they bedaub us with such nicknames as' Atheistical Socialists / we caii defy them to make the riddle plainer by their own Jonathan Edwards , that they say pood Robert Hall read over thirteen times , and pronounced 'irrefragable . '" "Just so , " resumed -Benjamin , "whether man be called a 'Creature of Circumstance , ' or a ' Creature of Necessity , ' it amounts to the same thing . And , then , none of the Arminiun sects can make out a case : they only- prove the same thing as the Calviuist and the Sucinlist , when their blundering argument is sifted to the b'ttom . "
" So that , if there be a Providence , continued George , "it has appointed , or permitted—which they lilce , for it comes tolhesame , —tluitold should fling the three dozen liose in your face latt November , and that you should be out of work , and pine ever since ; it appointed that I should jict a few potatoes or n herring , by begging , or go without food altogether , some days since Christmas ; a ; :- ! that each of us here , though we are willing to work , should have to starve ; while it appointed that tlie nwyor should live in a fine house , and swell his riches , by charging whole frame-rents , month after month , toccores of poor starving stockingers that had from him but half week ' s work . " "And , with all their talk about piety . " rcjoiuoi ] Eonjamiu , " 1 think there is no piety at all in believing in the existence of such a Providence : and since , it appears , it can't be proved that Providence is of any ether character , if tliere l , e One at all , I llimU it less impious to believe in Xon ; . "
John stood by whi ' e this conversation was going on ; hut he heard little of it , —for his heart was too heavy with concern for his child , —anu , in a little time , he took his way , silently and slowly , towards other groups of unemployed and equally destitute men , who were standing on the wider space of ground , at the junction ot ' several streets , —a lociility known t > y the name ot'"the Coal-hill , " and "the llnymarkct , " from the nature of the merchandise sold there , at different periods , in the open air . " Have you found the lad yet ? " said one of John ' s acquaintances , when he reached the outermost group . "No , William , " replied lhe downcast father ; " and I liegin to have soiiiG very troubii'some fears about him , I'll assure you . " "But why should you , John V expostulated the other ; " he's oivy gone to try if he can't mend himself Look vow , John ! " he snid , pointing excitedly at what he suddenly saw ; "there he goes , with the recruiting Serjeant !"
The father ran towards ihe soldier and his child ; and every group on The Coal-hill was speedily in motion wln-n they saw and heard the father endeavouring to drag o ( V the lad from tliu soldier , who seized the arm of his prize , aud endeavoured to detain him . An hiort . nsiiij ; crowd soon hemmed its the party , —a groat tumult arose , —and three policemen were speedily on the spot .
"Stick to your resolution , my boy : " cried the soldier , grasping the lad ' s arm with all hi * might ; " you'll never want bread nor clothes in the army . " " But he'll be a sold slave , and must he shot at , like a dogi" cried the father , striving to lvscue his child , —a pale , tall siriplintr , who seemed to be but sixtatn or sevc-r . teen years ot' age , " If an-butcher!—Hlood-hound 1 " shouted several voices in the crowd : whereat the policemen raised iheir staves , and o .-illod aloud to the crowd to " stand back !" " I demand , in the Queen ' s n : mi ? , that you make this fellow loose Ms hold of my recruit 2 " said the soldier , in a loud , anjrry tone , to the policemen ; two of whom feemod to be about obtying him . \ v ' : en , a daik , stern . browed man among the crowd , of much more strong and sinewy appearance tlnn the majority of the working multitude who composed it stepped forward , and said , —
"Let any policeman touch him that cisiiv ' . If they do they shail repcutit ! There ' s no l . w to prevent a father from taking hold of his own child ' s arm to hinder him from playing ihe fool !" The men in blue slunk back at thest words : . and the soldkr himself seemed intimidated « t perceiving tlia father ' s cause taken up by au iiuuviiiusl of such ditetmin . itioii . "Tom . " said the determined man to tha lad , "have you taken the soldier ' s money V "Not yet , " answered the lad , after a few momenta ' hesitation ,
" Then he shall have my life before lie has thee V said the father , whose heart lsaped at the answer , and infused so mueh strength into his arm , that with another pull he brought otr his iad , entirely , fr ; ii ! i tlie soldier ' s hold . The crowd now burst into a shout of triumph ; and when the soldier would have followed , to recapture hi ? victim , the stern-browed man confronted him with a look of silent defiance ; und the red-cor . t , after uttering a volley of oaths , walked off amidst the derision of the multitude . "Don't you think you wore a fool , Tom . to be juried , with that cut-throat ? " said the siem-browed man io the lad , while the crowd gathered around him and his father . " I wasn ' t £ 0 soon jueskd , " replied tlie lad ; "he ' s been at me this three months ; but 1 uevi-r yielded till tliia morning , when 1 felt almost pined to death , aiifihc marii ' me have some breakfast wi ; h him , but he'll not get hold of me aeaiu !"
" That ' s ri ght , my lad ! " said one of the crowd : '" the bloody rascal ? have not had two Lsice .-tor recruits these two years ; and I hope they'll never have another . " " So , no , our eyes are gating o ;> tued , " said another workins-iiiau ; " they may be able to kill us 01 Y by starvation , at home ; but I hope you : ; : ; and old will have too much sen = e , in future , to give or sell their bodies to be shot at , for tyrants . " " Ay , ay , we should soon set tlio lordlincs fast , if all working-men refused to go for soldiers , " said another . " So we should , Smith , " ;» iii a sedate-looking elderly mau ; " that ' s more sensible than talkinj of fighting wJicn
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we ' ve no weapons , nor money tor buy ' em , nor strength to use ' em . " .. .. ... . . " Then we shall wait a long while for the Charter , if we wait till we get it by leaving ' em no soldiers to keep us down , " said a young , bold-looking mau , with a fiery look ; "for they'll always find plenty of Johnny Haws ready to list in the farming districts . " "And wo shall wait si long while still if wo try . to " get it by fighting , under our present circumstances , " answered the elderly man , in a firm tone ; " that could only make things worse , as all such fool ' s tricks have ended , before . " "You ' re right , Iiandnl , you ' re right ! " cried several voices in the crowd ; and the advocate of the bugbear " physical force" said not another word on the subject .
"JiO , no , lads ! " continued the " moral force" man , "let us go on , telling ' em our minds , without wliisperiHg , —and let us throw off their cursed priestcraft , —and the system will come to an end , —and before long . But fighting tricks will be sure to fail ; because they ' re the strongest , —and they know it . " " Yes , it must end , —and very soon , " observed another working man ; " the shopkeepers won ' t be long before they join us ; for they begin to squeak , most woefully . " " The shopkeepers , lad . ' " said the dark-looking man , who had confr onted the soldier ; " never let us look for their help : there is not a spark of independence in any of ' em : they havo had it in their power , by theii' votes , to have ended misrule , before now , if they had had the will . " " Poor devils ! they ' re all fast at their bankers ' , and dare no more vote against their tyrants than they dare attempt to fly , " said another .
' There is no dependence on any of the middle class , " said the dark-looking man , they S ' are as bad as the aristocrats . You see this last winter has passed over , entirely , without any subscription for the poor , ngaiu , —as severe a winter as it has been . " " Ay , and work , scarcer and scarcer every day , " said auother . " They say there are eight hundred out o ' work now , in Leicester , " said the elderly , sedate man , who had spoken before ; " and I heard a manufacturer say there would be twice as many before the summer went over : but he added , that the people deserved to be pinched , since they would not join the Corn Law Repealers . " A burst of indignation , and some curses and imprecations , followed . . ! ' DofS he go to chapel ? " asked one . " Yes ; and he ' s a member of the Charles-street meeting , " said the elderly man .
" There ' s your religion , again !"— " There ' s your saintship !"—• 'There ' s your Christianity- "— " There ' s their Providence and their Goddle Alitey !"—were the varied indignant exclamations among the starved crowd , as soon as the answer was heard . " I should think they invented the Bastile Mill , while they were at chapel ! " said one . " Is it smashed again ? " asked another . " So , but it soon will be ; " answered the man who confronted the soldier . These , and similar observations , were uttered aloud , in the open street , at broad day , by hundreds of starved , oppressed , iindinsulted framework-knitters , who thus gave vent to thcir , de « pair . Such conversation were customary suimdsin John ' s ears , and , having recovered his son , he took him by the arm , after this brief delay , and , walking slowly back towards the Roman mile-stone , the two bent their steps down the narrow street called Uarkby-lane .
After threading an alley , they reached a small wretchedly furnished habitation ; and the lad burst into tears , as his mother sprung from her laborious employ at ihe wash-tub , and thre * - her arms round his neck , and kissed him . Two or three neighbours came in , in another minute , and congratulating the father and mother , on their having found their son , a conversation followed on the hatefulncss of becoming " a paid cut-throat for tyrants , " tho substance of which would have been as unpleasing to " the powers that be" as the conversation in the street , had they heard the two . The entry , int , tho squalid-looking house , of another neighbour , pale and dejected beyond description , gave a new turn to the homely discourse . " Your son has come back , I see , John , " said the newcomer , in a very faiiit voice ; " 1 wish my husband would come home . " " Thy husband , Mury ! " said John ; " why , whore ' s he gone ? Bless me , woman , how how ill you look!—What ' s tliu matter ?"
The woman ' s infant had begun to cry while she spoke ; and she had hired her breast , and given it to the child : but—Nature was exhausted ! there was no milk : —and , while the infant struggled , and screamed , the woman fainted . She recovered , under the kindly and sympathetic attention of the neighbours ; and the scanty resources of tliu group were laid under contribution tor restoring some ricgiee of strength , l > y means of food , to the woman anil her child . One furnished a cup of milk , auother a few spoonfuls of oatmeal , another brought a little bread ; aud when the child was quitted , and the mother was able , she
commenced her sad narrative , Shu had not , she said , tasted food of any kind for a day and ttvo nights : she had pawned or Sold every article of clothing , except what she had on , and she was without a bonnet entirely : nor had her husband any other clothes than the nigs in which he iiad gone out , two hours bi-tbre , wiih the iutent . to try the relieving oflleur , once more , for a loaf , or a trifle oi money : to complete their misery , they owed six weeks ' l-t-nt for the room 111 which lay llio bap of sliitviu ^ s thai formed tlr . dr bed ; and , if they could not pay tiie next week ' s rent , they must turn out into the street , ov go into the Bastile .
Her recital was scarcely "concluded , " lien tlie sorrowful husband returned . He had been driven away by the relieving oflieer , and threatened with the gaol , if he came again , unless it was to bring his wife and child with him to enter the Union Bastile!—and the man sac down , and wept . And then the children of misery mingled their consolations—if reflections drawn from despair could be so called—ami endeavoured to fortify the heart of the yielding man , by reminding him that they would not have to starve long , for life , with all its miseries , would soon be over . " I wonder why it ever begun ! " exclaimed the man who had been yielding to tears , but now suddenly burst out into bitter language : " I think it ' s a pity but that God had found something bettor to do than , to nifiku suuli poor miserable wretches as we are !" " Lord' what queer thoughts thou hast Jim ! " said the i . voman who had previously fainted , and she burst into a hali-convulsive laugh .
" Indeed , it's altogether a mystery to mo , " said the man wiio had so recently found his son ; " we seem to bs born for nothing but trouble . And tiu-a the queerest thing ie that we are to go to hall , at last , if we don't do every thing- exactly square . My poor father always taught me to reverence religion ; and I don ' t like to say anything against it , but I ' m hard put to it , at times , Jiua , I'll assure ye . It sounds strange , tlmt we are to be burnt for ever , after pining and starving here ; foi how can a man keep his temper , and be thank . ' , as they say we ought to be , when lie would work and can ' t get it , and , while lie starves , sees oppressors ride in their gigs , and build their great warehouses ?"
" It ' s mere humbug , John , to keep us down : that's tvlmt it U ! " said Jim : " onfi of these pictr-mongcrs left us a tract last week ; and what should it contain but that old fcile of Bishop Burnett , about the widow that somebody who peeped through the chinks of the windowfhiitt' -rs saw kneeling by a table with ; i crust or' bread before her , and crying out in rapture , ' All this and Christ ! ' I'll tell thee what , John , if old Burnet had been brought down from his gold and fat living , and had tried it himself , I could better have believed him . It ' s a tale told like many others to m .-ike fools and slaves of us : that ' s what I think . Ay , and I told the long-faced fellow bo that futt'hud ihe tract , llu looked very sourly at mo , ami said the poor did not use to trouble Ihemseivcs about politics in his father's time , and everybody was more eomibrliiHo then than they arc now . ' The more fouls v ,-i ; re they , said 1 : 'if tliu pool 1 hud begun to think of Uioir rights sooner , instead oi' listening to religious cant , we should not have been so badly off now : ' and away he went , and never snid another word .
" But I don't like to give way to bad thoughts about religion , after all , Jim , " snid John ; "it ' s very mysterious —the present state of things : but we may find it all explained in the next life . " " 1 ' 0 'thue , John , " cxc . aimcd the other , interrupting him , impatiently , " don't talk so weakly . That ' s the way they all wrap it up ; and if a guess in the dark and a ' maybe' will do for an argument , why any thing will do . Until somebod y enu prove to me that thvru is another life after this , I shall think it my duty to think about this only . Now just look at this , John ! If there be another life after this , why tlie present is worth nothing : every moment here ought to ho spent in oaring lor eternity * ; and every man who really believes in such a life would lot care how be passed this , so that he could but bs making a preHuvatwn for the nest ; is n " i that jruc , Joan 1 " " To be sure it is , Jim ; and what 0 ' that V
" Why , then , tell me which of ' em b =-Jieves in such a life . Do you see any of the enntin ;; tribe ltss eager than others to get better houses , finer chairs and tables , larger shops , and mine trade ? Is old Sour-Godliness in tht north , there , more easily brought to give up a penny in tlio dozen to save a starring- ftoefcinger than t ); e grinders that don ' t profess religion ? I tell thee , John , it's all fudge : they don ' t believe it themselves , or else they would imitate Christ before they tell us to be lika him !" Header ! the conversation shall not be prolonged , lest the object of this sketch should be mistaken . These conversations are raii : they arc no coinages . Goto Leicester , or any other of tlie suffering towns of depressed msmui ' actare , where men compote with each other in machinery tiil human hands are of little use , and rival each other in wicked zeal to reduce mau to the merest minimum ol
of snusistence . It the missionary people—ana this is not said with a view to question the true greatness and utility of their efloris—if they would hi consistent , let them send their heralds into the manufacturing district ? , and first eonver : tho "infideh" there , ere they send their expensive messengers to India . But let it be understood that tho heralds must be furnished with brains , as well as tongues ; for whoever enters Leicester , or any other 0 : tllU populous Starving hives of England , must expect to hud tho deepest subjects of theology , and government , and political economy , taken up with a subtlety tbat would o ! ten puzale a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge . W hoevcr supposes the starving " uianufaeturiug masse *' Know no more , and can use no better language , than the peasantry in the agricultural counties , will find h mself ejiresiously mistaken . 'Tis ten to one but lit will learn more of a profound subject in one hour ' s con .
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venation of starving stoekingers than he would do ill ten lectures of a university professor . Let the missionary people try these quarters , then ; but let their heralds " know their business" ere they go , or they will make as slow progress as Ejjede- and the Moravians among the Greenlanders . One hint may be given . Let them benin with the manufacturers ; and , if they succeed in making veal converts to Christianity in that quarter , their suiv cess will be tolerably certain among the workillg-ineu , and tolerably easy in its achievement . There is no " tale" to finish about John or his lad , or Jem and his wife . They went on starving , —beggiug , — receiving threats of imprisonment , —tried the " Bastile " for a few weeks , —came out and had a little work , — starved again ; and they ate still going the same miserable round , like thousands in " nicrric England , " What are vour thoughts reader ]
Ay ! " What are your thoughts , reader ? " Thoughts crowd upon us that we have no room in these columns to give expression to . We , too , have hoard such conversations as the above , many a time . Mr . Cooper has neither coloured nor added to the sentiments , which any man with his cars open may hear expressed by the tongues of thousands in the manufacturing districts . Painful as are Mr . Coorun ' s descriptions of the misery of the working people , the truth of which descriptions we can vouch for , his "' Mcrrle England —No More ! " affords at least one cheering picture , —the disenthralmcnt of the minds oi the oppressed classes from that mental slavery which priests have imposed upon the millions . The working classes are fast discovering that it is the strong who rule the world , and they see , that if they would be the rulers , they must become the strong , and depend upon themselves only for that justice which no other power , natural or sujjei'iia . tui ' . il , will give to or gain for them . Mental darkness is dissipating ; political and social wrons will follow .
We do not like the second volume so well as tht first . We must , however , accord our praise to the "London Venture" and "Signs of the Times . " We have not space to dwell on the merits of these . The two concluding" stories , or fragments , were intended , it appears , to form parts of a novel , in some degree autobiographical , the completion of which the author has relinquished . There are several other tales in the two volumes , besides tliose above named ; we have merely singled out those with which we have been best pleased . These volumes have our hearty commendation . Though of a different and inferior order of composition to the " Purgatory of Suicides , " they cannot fail to greatly increase Mr . Cooper's popularity .
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GEORGE CBUIKSHANK'S TABLE-BOOKDkckmukii . London : Punch , Office , 5 ) 2 , Fleetstreet . The subject of the principal illustrations this month is "The Railroad Dragon . " A "terrible creature in every sense of the word—a frightful creature , an encounter with which would be a new edition of a monster meeting—a dragon more terrible than tho dragon of Wantley , more fierce than the dragon of St . George ; ay , fiercer than any of his Christmas brethren , the " tribe of ' snap-dragonsthis monster , hatched in Canel-court , ' as they hatch
chickens in Egypt , by artificial means ; m tine , the dragon nf the panic has gone triumphantly forthabroad himself , when installed in the homes of everybody else—staring with his evil eye , promising schemes out of all countenance , and blowing , by his pestiferous breath , the new lines of projectors into anything but pleasant places . " Thus , saith thccleA-cr writer of the accompanying article ( Mr . Angus . B . Reach ) , and truly tiie illustration amply justifies this alarming description . This "Dragon" must be seen to be comprehended , bnt once seen his portrait will not soon be forgotten . How _ terrific is the " Dragon ' s" announcement for his unfortunate
victims : — " I come to dine , I come to sup—I ccmc , I come , to eat you up . " And this , to . ) , at Christmas time ! Well may there be a Panic ! "Steam has done it all , " says the writer in the " Table-Book , "— " may do us all . The Panic is the executioner which hangs U 3 ' on our own lines ; ' which overthrows the pillars of their fame—the columns of their advertisements—and which , althou . au it may come with a knock , may not leave us worth a rap . Be warned , then , of the Panic Monster . Distrust th ' e screeching music of its steam-whistle , which may suddenly change its tune from the merry ditty of 'gold in both pockets , ' to the doleful dirge of "' That's the way the money goes . '" The next article , " Railway Deposits , " introduces us to a parody on the " Besrstar ' s Petition , "
" Pity tlie sorrows of a poor old Stog ! " A Legend of the Rhine " is brought to a happy conclusion ; it is the best quiz on literature of the " romantic school" we have ever read . " My Opinions on Umbrellas , " " Hints for a Domestic Police , " " The Pessimist , " and " Autograph Hunters , " are all good . " Joliipump on Happiness " makes one happy to read it . " The Stage Negro " is another of the editor ' s capital sketches of siage characters . Altogether , this number of tiie " Table-Book" is mure than ordinarily excellent , and we part from it with regret . This number closes tlie volume , ami concludes the " Table-Book ; " but Mr . G . Cruiksiiaxk announces that , on the 1 st of January next , he will commence a new work , to be called , " Our Own Times . " Wo trust that the " inimitable Geokoe ' s" new venture will " command success , " for sure we are that it will well "deserve it . "
ggS ~ We are compelled to postpone reviews of " Jcrrold's Magazine , " the " Connoisseur , " and sonic oilier publications till next week .
New Works . —Mr . Dickexs ' s Christmas Book , " The Cricket on the Hearth , " will , we hear , be ready 011 tiie 20 th inst . About the same time Mr . Cooper ' s " Christmas Rhyme , " " The Baron ' s Yule Feast , " will also be ready : report speaks highly of the merits of this new production of the Chartist poet ' s pen . Messrs . Ekaddcrv and Evans announce a re-issue of " Boz ' s" celebrated story , " Oliver 1 ' wist ; " it will bo published in monthly parts , uniform with " 1 'ichvick , " "Nicholas Nidkby , " Ac , commencing on tiie 1 st of January . We hear also that Mr . Gilbert A . a'Buchf . tt , the talented author of the " Comic Blackstone , " and Editor of " Cruih-» h { inJi ' s Talk Book , " will begin the new yeai 1 with iv monthly publication of a very superior character . So that , cheerily t » e old year will go out ; and cheerily tiio new one will c : > mo in .
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CARi ) i . vAL .-The highest Roman Catholic dignity next to the Pope . Tno word is domed from cardo , < t hinge , because the Cardinals will turn either way , and open the door for anything . When the lope makes a Cardinal , he aives him a red hat ; and it is supposed that Cardinal Wolsoy patroniseu tlie Old Mother Red Cap , at Camderi Town , when he and Henry the Eighth went out on some of their roysterine expeditions toilkhgate . —Punch .
Fatiier Luke and the Hint . — " Women of Ireland : " says he ; " women descended from those thre « tiundtln-cd virgins whom the bloody Saxon Cronrwel slew at Wcxlbrd ; women who inhabit a land whose vallies are the greenest , whose rivers are the clearest , whose mountains are the highest in tho world . What saciificcs are you prepared to make to that bleeding , that bsautifal counthree ? The wicked Saxon has blighted the potaioe-crop , and rejoices in the prospect of the national famine . The agonies of our children feast his heart with hellish joy : do they awaken no sympathies in yours ? Are you not prepared to do everything to rescue jour starving countrymen ? Our Sublime Liberator permits it : enjoins it . That Great Philanthropist cannot subscribe himself , for he is pooi 1 —hut he calls upon you , his children , to make every sacrifice . Father of our counthry , shall not your dauuhthcrs obey you ? " . —Ibid .
Feel's Games . —We understand that the Frcmier is shortly about to publish a now edition of Hoyle , embracing all the new games and tricks which , by a skiii ' ul knowledge of how to play his cards , Sir Robert Peel hag become master , ilo intends devoting an entire ehaptti * to shuiHing , which is an art of itself , and one which the Premier has carried to the utmost perfection . There will be a few pages devoted to hints on . cutting , with remarks on the proper time to cut , and a few general observations on tho
treatment of the pack , so as to make a good hand of it . Tricks will occupy a very large space in the Premier ' s work ; but the games will be the chief feature . Cribbage , as played at the expense of the Whigs , will be elaborately explained ; and a chapter on revokes will explain how it is that there is nothing irrevocable in the games of the Premier . The work will be emblazoned with a splendid portrait of Sir Robert Peel as the Knave of Spades , in which character lie appeared the other day , at the commencement ot the works on the Trent Valley Railway . —Ibid .
Kino "Jbames . "—We learn from Palermo that the Xing of the two Sicilies had a tremendous " struggle of politeness" with the Emperor of Russia , to yield " the place of honour" in the Royal carriage . At length , " tlie contest ended by the King taking the foutman ' s place behind the vehicle . " There have been kings who could not be better placed . —Punch . Too Much of a Good Thing . — Parliament is to meet early in January . It had better be . prorogued till the Christmas pautomines are over . —Punch . A '' Pat" Proposal . —A . Glasgow merchant , an Irishman , was lately accosted , in his counting-house by a countryman , who needed charity . Money having been given to him , he said , " You haven't got such a tiling as apair of ould britches , have you ? " " No my man , " said the merchant , " 1 don ' t keep my wardrobe in my countiiig-house . " " Where do you live 1 " rejoined Pat , " and I'll call in the morning for the ould pair you ' ve got on !"
Keeping the Word op Promise to tiie Ear . — An elderly Portuguese ludy , having pledged herself to make a pilgrimage to a distant shrine , barefoot , her friends persuaded her that the fatigue would prove fatal . She persisted , however , in going to the shrine and in going barefoot ; but she went in a sedan chair .
A RECEIPT FOB A TT 1 FE . " As much of beaury as preserves affection — As much of cheerfulness as spurns dejection—Ot modest diffidence , as claims protection ; A docile mind , subservient to correction , Yet stored with sense , with reason , and reflection : And every passion held in due subjection ; Just faults enough to keep her from perfection : Find this , my friend , and then , make your selection . " A Classic—Tlie other day a student from the country , who had joined the Glasgow College , was about to leave by one of the trains from that city , and as he walked up and down tho station , dressed out in iiis toga , he perceived the door of a first-class carriage open , and he thought he would seat himself then ; One of the railway guards happening to pass , asked him lo what class ho belonged ( meaning whether the lii'st , second , or third , ) when he in all simplicity roiiiiojl , " 1 belong to llm MaulhemutUks . "
ADVICE GRATIS . AN ECLOGUE . ( From Punch . ) Faddy : What ' s to bo done at all , Misther Commissioner ? Here ' s a lot of jirnytocs wouldn't plaxu the pigs sir , Eurlies and lumpers , Pups and common tatters , Guiie to [ lie divil . Commiitloncv : Dig up your tubers , store them in a dry place , Plenty of straw put underneath oueli hiyor , Grind them to pulp , or , if you lilce it better , Toust on a griddle . PaiMy : Kurfither alive , but wherc ' s the straw to Come from ? Mill for to grind , or griddle for to toast ' em ? Divil the place I ' ve got to keep myself dry , Much less my praties ,
Dr . littokuiml : Ignorant . ' peasant , don't mind Kane or Playfnir—Starch is only gluten , therefore imiutritious ; Steam your potatoes , and you'll find the fuiigus Equal to mushrooms . iFr . Tillcy : Culoride of lime is hotter , if you ' re got it—TwoiiciiKo a pound is nil that it will cost you . One pound of chloride , properly employed , saves Two of potatoes . AU together : But whatu ' or- you do , Pat , boep you * mind quite easy . Science is at work examining the fungus ; Though , for the present , we confess that we know Nothing ahout it , [ Kmmt Commissioners , Ducklanu , and Tilley l ' addy , with his lands in his pockets , looks a / tt ' than bewildered .
A Gentle Hist . —A spruce young beau , gallanting Ills intended , a few evenings since , was conversing upon the late turn-out , when lie remarked , that " he wished ho was able to maintain all the factory girls in Lowell one six months , lie would do it to prevent their returning to ihe mills . " His fair one , who had till now beuu a silent listener to his patriotic discourse , reuiicd , with a sigh , " All , I wish you was able to maintain one of them . "—Lowell Bulletin . Railway Appointments . —In the prospectus of every Railway , an announcement is always made of the Engineer , Solicitor , 1 ' . anker , and Surveyor , who is appointed to tiio Lino ; but not a word is ever said of the appointment of a Surgeon . From the latter being always excluded , one would imagine there was nothing on a llailwny for a Surgeon to ilo . —Punch .
Proper Spirit . —It is said the liude Lights in Trafalgar Square have been tried several times , but that they cannot bo made to burn . The reason of this obstiiacy is that they wiil not lend themselves to illuminate a place which , they maintain , the less th . it is seen of it the better . —Ibid . ^ Oxb am > the Samk Tiuxo . — -According to rumour , Fleet Prison is to be a Railway T- ; rminus . We are sure there was no necessity to have removed a brick of the old plate fur that purpose . —Ibid . THE O'CONNELL STATUE Punch offers the following- as an inscription for the proposed statue of O'Comiell : — ¦ TO ONE Whose virtues cannot be told ; Who has had a hand for all that ever « : anie to it , and a pocket always ojiun ; it the call of his fricnis ; Who has sympathised with the beggar : Who lias never known on any one occasion to forget himsulf ; Who has in the heat of passion , abused men of all parties , But on calmer reflection , made the " amendehonour ' uhk . " by repudiating nil ; Who has shown Ms lovunnd regard for the English monarchy by trying to relieve it of part ot'its work ; Who has deeliuvd his attachment to tlie throne , and proved it , by his endeavours to erect a throne lor himself ; Who lives "in" the he-arts of the Irish people , and " out oi" their pockets . TO Uiil Who is indeed an Emancipator and a Liberator , making at all times " uncommonly" free . in a word , TO DAN 1 EF . O'CONNELL , Who has identified the interests of his countrymen with his own , by endeavouring to make his own whatever belongs to them .
Having lived by the contributions of others , he generously contributed TIIE BRASS of which this statue is constructed . Domestic VKioux . -Wh y is an extravagant housekeeper like a caterpillar ? Because she makes tao butter-fly . Juvcnile Grammeu . —A little girl having disobeyed her mamma , was termed a ni ' .-c article . "No , please mamma , ' replied the little gi . i , " if you look into the grammar you will perceived that 1 am not an ankle but a-Jiounof thcfe-Mininegender . '
Brief ( in law ) . —A complicated account of a simple transaction , which enables Counsel to mystify himsoi and everybody else ahout an Ordinary matter Drawing a brief is the art of covering as much paner as possible with the smallelt quantity of material . Bulls , Papal . —Are letters issued by the Pone ftiu are probably called Bulls in EngW on account ot tueir being very great mistakes in thisceuntry wiiera they are treste I with , tlie utmost contempt bv aii classes . Some think that a Bull derives its name irom iU being « u attempt to bully tlie community .
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Mela . vciioly Case of Suicide . —On Tuesday afternoon Mr . Wakley , M . P ., held an inquest in the House of Correction , Co ! db : ith-I ! eli ! s , Olwkcnweli , on J It , aged nineteen , the son of repeetable parents , and a baker , who had been coiumittud for fourteen days , for having left his work without due notice , and who committed suicide . Johu Sims , a warden of the prison , stated that deceased was received on last Saturday evening , about half-past seven , lie appeared weak , and was unable to walk . Shortly afterwards ho became so ill , that Coolers "Wakelield and Suialus were sent for ; who , having ascertained that lie had taken prussie acid , applied tiie stomach-pump and other remedies without avail , as he expired at nine o ' clock the same night . S . Latham , the warden who searched deceased op . his
admission , said that ho stood up five minutes while ho searched him , and that he handed him some coppers from his pockets , in one of which he found a phial which bad been emptied , and which was labelled "Essential Oil of Almonds , " which , together with Ms almost insensible jiiipwirance , moused a suspicion tiiafc he had poisoned himself . Uc was instantly removed to a bed , where he lay speechless and insensible . The two house physicians were in iinuicdiiite attendance , lie died at nine o ' clock , \ V . Mitchell , gaoler of Marylebone police court , deposed that laso Saturday deceased surrendered himself in consequence of a warrant that was against him for hsivinj ; left his master's ; employment without notice , ilr . Itawlinson , the magistrate , did all in his power
to induce his master to accept an apology from deceased , but ho could not . Mr . RawJiiison was , therefore , compelled to send deceased to prison for fourteen days . He could not have obtained tho poison while he was in the station-house , as no one was allowed to approach him there , except the officers . None but felons or persons chained with capital offences were searched in the station-hems ; - Deceased was very melancholy while tlu-re . liil— . a prisonoi'fconunitkd for the same offence with deceased , _ said that he was in the same cell with deceased in ihe station-house . He then complained of having been severely dealt with for to triiSinjr an offence , and said that ho was about _ being married , but that his sentence would do away with his marriage . Mr , Richard Browne , baker , Chapplc-street , .
Newroad , said that the deceased had been in his employ abouc ten days , and Jefc it the second week without notice . He summoned him for so doing , and as he did not appear he took out a warant against him . By the Coroner : Deceased had twelve shillings a week wages , with board and lodging-. Ho commenced serving bread at eight o'clock a m , each day , which occupied him until twelve o'clock , two o ' clock , and sometimes until night , in oonsoo . ue . 11 eo of his loitering away his time . At four o ' clock lie had to prepare the sponge . After which he was at liberty until cicven o ' clock , when he resumed work , and wasat it all night . Witdess , when ho first commenced business purchased a large quantity of " essential
oil of almonds , " and tiie " essence of lemon , " which lie never used , but which he kept safe under lock and key with his currants ond other fruits . Mr , Whitby , surgeon , OS , Upper Ebury-strcet , Pimlico , deposed that deceased about ten day's ago purchased two drachms of tlie " essential oii of almonds" for tlie purpose of his business , as he told him . Ho knew deceased well , and cautioned him about the dangerous properties of the prussie acid , which he enmmonly sokl to bakers , confectioners , and pastrycooks . The jury returned a verdict of" Temporary insanity , " accompanied by the expression ot a strong hope that magistrates would be warned by the deceased ' s melancholy fate , and order all persons in custody to be searched previous to theiu incarceration
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¦¦¦ ftttnonfflB !• % 1845 . ^ . .-. , : . ,. _ .- ^/ " . ^ ELljIo ^ Tto ^^ STAR . - ¦ .. . - ..-. — .. -. ¦¦ .- , — . -,, ~ ,.. _ ... _ . ™_ ^ ¦ ,. .. ¦ .- ¦ - » —* ,-.
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 13, 1845, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1345/page/3/
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