The Press. — London, England, 1855-02-10 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 10, 1855. tavus, he sustained his glorious designs, and after the hero's death became the soul of the Protestant league, and was the head of the regency during the long minority of Chris tina, the daughter of his beloved Sovereign. The first interview of Whitelocke with the Chancellor is minutely related : About three o'clock the Chancellor came. Whitelocke met him at the door of his house; he was in his coach with six horses, though his lodging was not far off; ten or twelve gentlemen, well habited, walking on foot, and four lacqueys attended him. Whitelocke offered to conduct him into a lower chamber, .....__ _ because he understood it was troublesome to the old man to go up as many stairs as to his rooms of entertainment ; and he was willing to accept of this ease, and was brought by Whitelocke into his steward's chamber, which he had caused to be hung with bis own rich hangings, full of silk and gold. He desired to sit with his back or one side to the fire, saying that the light of the fire was hurtful to his eyes. He was a tall, proper, straight, handsome old man, of the age of seventy-one years ; his habit was black cloth, a close coat, lined with fur, a velvet cap on his head furred, and no bat, a cloak ; his hair grey, his beard broad and lung, his countenance sober and fixed, and his carriage grave and civil. He spake Latin, plain and fluent and significant; and though he could, yet would not speak French, saying he knew no reason why that nation should be so much honoured more than others as to have their language used by strangers; but he thought the Latin more honourable and more copious, and filter to be used, because the Ro mans had been masters of so great a part of the world, and yet at present that language was not peculiar to any people. In his conferences he would often mix pleasant stories with his serious discourses, and took delight in recounting former passages of his life, and actions of his King, and would be very large excusing his stains gar/villas, as he termed it, di.. talkativeness of old age ; but there was great pleasure to hear his discourses, and much wisdom and knowledge to be gathered from them. Many of his conversations are precisely re lated here, but we must be content with some sentences of his advice to Cromwell Chancellor: I would counsel the Protector to take heed of those dangerous opinions in matters of religionwhich daily increase among you, and, if not prevented and curbed. will cause new troubles, they never resting till themselves may domineer in chief. Whitelocke: Will not the best way to curb them be to slight them, and so they will fall of themselves? Chancellor : I doubt they have taken too much root to fall so easily ; but if they be not countenanced with pre ferments, they will the sooner wither and decay. Whitelocke: That will surely lessen them. Chancellor: The Protector must also be careful to pro vide money and employment for his soldiers, else he will hardly keep them in order. Whitelocke : That is very requisite ; and for money there is good provision already wade. Chancellor : He must likewise be watchful of the King's party, who will be busy at work, especially upon the new change. Whitelocke : The care thereof is the life of our affairs, and his Highness is most vigilant. Chancellor : It behoves him to be so, for they that could not vanquish him by arms will endeavour to do it by craft tared treachery of your own party, which you must look to. Whitelocke : He hath good intelligence of their plots. Chancellor: It will also be prudence in him to let the people see that he intends not to rule them with an iron sceptre, nor to govern them by an army, but to give them such a liberty and enjoyment of the benefit of their laws that the continuance of ,his government may become their interest, and that they may have no cause to desire a change ; else, though they must bear the yoke for a time, yet as soon as they meet with an opportunity they will shake it off again. Whitelocke This is counsel proper to come from such a mind and judgment as yours is, and I shall not fail to report it to his Highness; and your Excellence bath rightly stated the disposition of my countrymen, who love peace and liberty, and will hardly brook slavery longer than they are forced to it by necessity; and the best way to govern them is to let them enjoy their laws and rights, which will rule them better than an iron sceptre. Chancellor: It is the disposition all generous and free people, as the English are, whom I truly respect, and him that is their head, that gallant person the Protector. In nothing was Cromwell more fortunate than in the period of his death. Had he lived much longer, that danger which the sage Chancellor foresaw from the " iron sceptre " of the Protector would have broken forth, and "the generous and free people " of England would have shaken off " the yoke." Magnificent presents were made on each side before Whitelocke left. He estimates the worth of his gifts to the Queen and Court at • 3,0001., and he admits that the jewels bestowed on him were near the same value. We are pleased to read that the venerable Chancellor received from Whitelocke " a hogshead of " good Canary wine, and a sober, handsome, " strong, well-paced,tEnglish pad-nag, and one "of his richest saddles." The subsequent life of Whitelocke maintained his character for prudence, though his counsels during the THE PRESS. Protectorate seem to have been somewhat in consistent; for at ono time he advised Crom well to hold " frequent Parliaments," and at another, perhaps to show his devotion, to take the title of king. Fearful for his safety and his fortunes, he would have opposed Monk, had he possessed sufficient authority and daring. At the Restoration he escaped nar rowly, his name being included in the act of oblivion only by a small majority. When ad mitted to the presence of Charles 11. he was goodnaturedly dismissed with this not very harsh sentence, " Mr Whitelocke, go into the " country ; do not trouble yourself any more " about state affairs, and take care of your wife " and your sixteeu children." The volgrnes well deserve a place among all historical collections. The journal is not re markable for penetration or vivacity, but it appears to be conscientious. In this " revised edition," by Mr. Reeve, we notice some awkward blunders. Thus, after that conver• cation we have quoted above between Oxeu stiern and Whitelocke, the text reads : They had much other discourse ; and after being to- gether till six o'clock, the father and son, and the Chancel lor and Whitelocke, called one another, and all the com pany parted. This is nonsense. In the dialogue White locke often reverently terms the Chancellor " father," and in return is addressed " my dear son." The above sentence should, therefore, we make no doubt, read thus—" The father " and son, as the Chancellor and Whitelocke " called one another," &c. A closer revision of the text and more liberal annotation would have added greatly to the value of the work, and have tended to increase its popularity. PERIODICAL LITERATURE. Bentley's Miscellany under its new management has assumed a higher tone than previously, and now takes rank among our political reviews. The first article, on "The Army before Sebastopol," is vigorously written, and shows how the sufferings sustained by our army might have been averted by ordinary precaution. The want of an efficient transport service for the seven miles between the camp and harbour has been the source of innu merable evils, and to throw the blame on the army itself is manifestly absurd, as it is truly stated here that " every man and horse are worked to death with " the arduous duties of the siege." Mr. Ainsworth's new tale of " The Spendthrift" is in his best style of domestic romance. Of other papers we may particu larly notice, the amusing gleanings from German almanacs for 1855, the " Narrative of the Doings t.l* the White Sea Squadron," from the journal of one of the officers, and an amusing sketch by Mr. Dudley Costello. The New Monthly opens with a notice [of M. Fieffe's work on the " Foreign Legions of France." The mercenaries of old time were un doubtedly excellent soldiers, but often as dangerous to their employers as their foes. In the wars of the League they played a conspicuous part. At Argues, when Henri IV. had prepared for the combat, " the " lansquenets, as usual, asked for money on the eve "of battle." The Swiss of the Leaguers came over to Henri in the midst of the conflict. The article has some good points, but a notice of modern Foreign Legions would be much more welcome at the present time. If it be true that the Zouaves have revolted in the French camp—as it undoubtedly is that numerous desertions have taken place from the French Foreign Legion—it tends to show how little this; kind of force is to be relied on in an obstinate struggle. "Stray Letters from the Crimea" are a mistake. Even were they genuine their jesting tone would not be agreeable. The "Diary of a Winter in Rome " is one of the best papers in the number. The notices of the chief artists now in Rome are es pecially acceptable. We subjoin a brief sketch of the two principal sculptors, Gibson and Crawford : I shall never forget my first meeting with Gibson. It was in a portion of his studio devoted to his pupil, a young American lady of independent fortune and great talent, enthusiastically devoted to the arts, who left America when almost a child to place herself near him whose works she so much admired. On her first arrival Gibson refused to have anything to do with the romantic creature; but at last her importunities overcame him, and she is now regularly established in his studio, happy as a queen, her bright eyes beaming with content under her jaunty little working• cap, creating around her forms and faces of real classiest beauty Gibson showed me over his studio, and un covered work after work of quite Grecian perfection, till the dingy walls seemed radiant with immortal life and beauty. Specially did he hang over his favourite work, the coloured Venus, like a second Pigmalion, enamoured of his deity ; and the sweet statue did look just bursting 143 into life—but a life of pure, unsullied ideality, spotless as the oceans foam that gave the goddess birth ! Crawford, the great American sculptor, is a genial, large-souled man, full of life, energy, and power—the con densation of the finest national qualities. To his fiery, active spirit nothing is impossible, and be is now working con furore at a coluisal monument to be erected in Ame rica, sixty feet in height, with the fevered impetuosity of a beginner. His works are the emblem of his mind—forcible, free, full of movement and action, yet with thrilling touches of true pathos, delicious remembrances of human passion and domestic sympathies. The world goes well with Crawford ; he lives in a grand villa hard by the baths of Dioclesian, overshadowed by orange gloves and ilex woods, and labouni within the sound of gushing fountains and refreshing streams. He has a handsome wife and charming family, and au open, hospitable board and ample means, and hosts of friends. Long may this sou of gene rous hearted America live to enjoy his blessings ! The article on the " Manners of the Eighteenth Century " contains some curious illustrations of the literature and drains of the time. Mr. J. E. Carpenter contributes several "Songs of the War." One of these is the most touching ballad we have yet seen. We must beg to transfer it to our columns, as it will not suffer by comparison with the pathetic lyrics which Campbell composed on incidents of the last great war : MOTHER CAN THIS THE GLORY BE ?--D ULT. First Voice. Mother, can this the glory be, of which men proudly tell, When speaking of the tearless ones who in the battle fell? Where is the light that cheered our home, its sunshine and its joy ; Ours was, they say, the victory—but, mother, where's thy boy ? Second Voice. My boy ! I see him in my dreams—l heat his battle-cry, I know his brave and loyal heart—he does not fear to die. E'en now methinks 1 see him still his country's banner wave : On—on ! and win a deathless fame, my beautiful, my brave. Both. God of the Battle shield him still, and yet Thy will be done, A sister for a brother prays, a mother for her son; We seek to share no glory now—Wk ask Thee but to save The noble hearts of England, our beautiftd and brave. First Voice. - - - Mother I I know thy courage well—thine is an ancient race, Yet while thy heart so proudly swells, a tear steals down thy face ; E'en now you guess the fearful truth—still, still our ban ners wave, But on that dreadful battlefield where sleeps thy young and brave ? _ _ . Secolid Voice. Yes—yes, I knew it must be so—l toll not all my dream, I saw my gallant boy ride forth where crimson flowed the stream ; hear the shouts of victory—cease, cease those sounds of joy, They cannot glad a mother's heart, nor give me back my boy ! Both. God of the Battle hear us now, and yet Thy will be done, A sister for a brother mourns, a mother for her son ; We cannot share the glory now—but ask Thee Still to save The noble hearts of England, the beautiful mid brave! The other contents of the number are various, but do not call for particular notice. The current number of Fraser is chiefly made up of reviews. Among the original papers is a pleasant one, entitled " A Week in the Wolds of Lincoln shire," giving us a high notion of the agricultural prosperity of the district. The tale of "Alwyn's First Wife" Is original in style, and from its progress thus far we conceive a good opinion of its merit. the first part of another tale, " liinchhook," ap pears to us, as regards the character of the young heroine, Helen, pitched in too high a key. The de scription at page 232 " as an angel nearly arrived in Paradise," rk.c., is mere rhapsody. Of the reviews in the number that entitled " North and South" is the most lively. But these notices, it strikes us, are somewhat out of place in a magazine with the cha• racier of Fraser for original writing. In the Rambler, a Roman Catholic organ, the principal article is an earnest protest against the miserable time-serving which has made Roman Catholic grievances a stepping-stone to political power. The following paragraph shows that the high-spirited members of the Romish party are thoroughly sick of the Whig alliance : In this country, the accidents of political change had produced a traditional but unrecognised league between the natural secular leaders of Catholics and the Whigs,—a party which of all others is most alien in its feelings to those which Catholicism creates. Guided by such leaders, temp tations of the very worst kind were held out to us ; and it was only by serving our haughty patrons with the abject servility of Oriental slaves, that we could expect a relief from the tyranny which Protestants exercised over us. With rare exceptions, every Catholic of rank, fortune, of education, was pledged to the Whig s. B y intriguing with the Whigs, or through the Whigs, we were to be allowed to pick up the crumbs vouchsafed to us from the table of our masiter‘. On condition of bartering our independence for the wretthed wages, we were to be permitted toleration