The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-19 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 19, 1856.

LITERATUBB.

Knights and their Days. By Dr. Dossx. Bentley.

Another pleasant gcssipping book from the fertile
pen of Dr. Doran. We are not surprised at this
writer's popularity. Romantic histories are as much
the rage now u historical romances were in the days
of " Ivanhoe" and " Quentin Darward." That vast
and constantly increasing mass of readers, whose cul-
tivation has advanced beyond the domain of the cir-
culating library, and not yet reached the region of
critical research, are naturally pleased with an author
who conveys to them the results of a really respect-
able erudition in a style as facile, and almost as lively,
as that of the lightest periodical literature of the day.
Dr. Doran, in the armour of a pedant, amuses his
andienoswithall the agility of a harlequin. He has the
love of an antiquarian and the manner of a man of
the world. His facts and anecdotes are the recon-
dite spoil of hbiaries, his illustrations and allusions
mesh of the Glebe, of the green-room, and of the
@Wel& He may be often inaccurate, rarely pre-
bud, bit he is never dull. If the spirit of boas
sling estosaionally betrays him into lengthiness,'
he invariably recovers himself before the reader's
patience is exhausted; with a shrewd instinct of
self-precaution he foresees the morning yawn, is pre-
scient of the growing inclination to skip, and at once
recovers his hold on the slackening attention by •
joke—good, bad, or indifferent—and a sudden plunge
into an entirely new region of observation, anecdote,
and ressarob.

The present book Jo a motley farrago of erudition,
I wit, fang, flippancy and dip-alopi touching upon all
that by may possibility. sad spa much that by no pos-
sibility sea he amoolated in IM roasted degree with
the femme beetketien of knighthood. As sh Melange of
the lawless leaks& whiehDr. Dems—mmi4 Re doubt, 1
to the esterlainemot of Wesel/assess
essims—
mita himself is this reopest, we may remark that he
takes ceessieo, seder the title of The /Whom of a
KnOtly Aseady, to give se the whole history of the
demi race of Guises; while is the ~used of
Raosbouillett he repeats—and rapists very well—the
oft-told tale of that famous society of Euphuists,
where Mademoiselle Bonded wrote sad read her in-
terminable remanses t where " Balsa. enunciated
his polished peelek and Mont his tuneful rhyme.
Vonore his swell,, sod Vanieles his learning." AU
this is sessubgly sad stemely told, that the
*seed mitt heists to ask, and the disarmed
thsesiMik has bat little right to oak, how it
rieZGot this plume narrative finds a place in
prellesimg to treat of knights and their
days." la the same way three chapters on " The
Brags of Zealand m Knights," are employed as •
means of ssabliog Dr. Doran. to give those whom it
say sworn a sort of comic history of Zealand from
his ems riot of view. Artifices like these, if resorted
to by a doll smash would deservedly draw down
the hsaey_mpressli of bait-making. Even all the
admitted-theism sod reading of Dr. Dorm can
hardly neenals es to 'evident a departure from the
received imitim that the commute of a book should
have NM discoverable mead= with its title. With
all due Nebulosities to Dr. Doran, we venture to sug-
gest that few treatises are leas usefully histreetive
then throe composed di oneiesim no,, cum quasierson
alas. The doctor's answer perhaps would be that his
aim was not to be usefully initructive but enter-
tainingly discursive. II this be so he gas doubtless
succeeded is his object.

A single (strut will dust toiestify the character
we have gives of this light we yet lesteerl book: it
I. from the highly muds' chapter on "Sham
Haight.," sad Weft to the marriage of °dent, the
famous ballet meat:
Dallisi seam to 3. sad at • time was that pert of the
world whisk was Waded to as ram "people of quality"
stood is seed of • Ws alleitmast. This was is 1769,
ohm time was the dolled of ewe with the heaviest of
Wetness and is spies dealt sad heavier thus either.
Gallia bet Pm tebessil Paris by the sages or his saltatory
metesessle. He thew repairs dhe IMAM. with his repu-
table sndolight bsigw_He did sot aessesse his arrival.
Is was oeffiehist lbst Wald was there.gaged He had hardly
snared ble ap was be w.. se, as hit tors
tons. He task lelgthe tem by deem. Hie ges and wee pro-
-110011.011 Th. *weft • geld hiss more hosier
this if he had isseM resseeldeg metal to his
fallow-w. He meld net mese Ye toe without the
aese being Woad Ws dial sideeties His rstreside
were peasteed wild *admits mhos of delight ; his
" vied." elated shrieks rif sots, ; sad what a sad.
&sly seeded himself is the very swiftest of his wild
weer, sod looked at the hosts with a cosplaesst smile,
*Ma seemed to say—•' what do ye shish ot that ?" there
send se eadodeen of tannaltswas bossy, swab as de
swains mold have set vosahadel to the young emperor
of Cleelles. fidlisl, as far so opera matures were socersod,
was reed to he the Mew ere Is the prow plates For
few se Its he was &spode seam of the Mallet He
to be maser of sesesalleo aka
?bee we thee is Lades • Lady HIIMeIi Herds. Hu
latter
father. the led if Wearies, thee leafy issank had, is
his yealoried • Sisso
laicWent.The n aet g 46 gir
height was e5t740.6, bat of
&gab His mg, agar Oahe% ems •
Maddest
=albs Me is this orestry. le els he last
wad gees that hisleserst
tkii vary heed
sofa Ms mien
thesis higher tag the Abingdon. did the peerage, was
ream oWeressiligg this otherwis, when he asked epos
the Hasa it Abbots' as his past. The sad whim he so
esedessid was la see of tha see who had sewed the
QalfM esi 26 Lsmig2itisabitth Beres was teethes sigleif the ISM Wises Gallia' the dean,
tames% bow Mak pregiming for the heed of that
lady. he wmerely thibing of manylag the sires ed as
issarmsentol primmer. GUNS did sot Sisk than was
deregasisn in this I hut he did thisk—ces, foolish fellow
that be was—that mei sa mks weld easier spa him the
ti la .1 "ay ltd."
Oa rai was • asetlausee, sirverthdess, is his way—that
is, both is masses sad minis. Prowl laded he was as •
weak, sad ambition as • 0 elhabing-boy." distress far
ewe of being at the top, as speedily as possible, of owe
Womb of his premise. He was abs "pnitrite of
asses " is the Adagios family, whore les agresa
week his mob wit, his saalaMilsy, awl the sedesty able-
new& slab ba a world of pestassion, mated kis •
=I amesite. He was vary sous the Mend all the
sad hog bare he had adoleved that rash, he was
Mir partitalaw friend of Lady litiesbash Dors& 161.1
ms mit Italia as Head spoke ; and
Saida aged tie. Italie& ales—beggege sad weaker.
r.
Iwo std Slow Weems set.
the meta beers. redid, karma the "Did ye
Meer at medal hem Mar his see eased siege the
pampa of the Opesehase were dnfaip "• lady of
*polity sorry a deals l" Why set. WWI made d hoses
wee held by royal emetesse as Wag bed esepsny be the
said esselmes's ems t It was • seta seltable Wok tlia•
thst of shay of way with ha fatkee. fsetsse.
SAW Ississiscl bo la swot Me White sem after his
sorrems, where It woe hag Se* dlseased by Nee agry
betties. L the side of ask Masi•• it the bridegroom
he approached, sod maim* "Lewis's' mos b! Es-
sliest lady, lam the ma I" "And what dose the sae
esil blessell f" asked they with a giggle, sad doubtless aloe
with refines to the story of the leidepees considgrag
himself • led by right of his inamisge with a "lady •
" what deal the mss tall himself" •• =
Gallia with • mead bow, " 1 as SW, litiewesi
&quire." In the midst of their lagghter be essellem
his
shirt heel, mid west away to ergs lealieekeled
twee. asd eptegbe.t The marriegs ins so et frit a• subsaratemsa Them
were several children, bat dielloulties ale mak
faller Om the family. Bee pressia amiseittiss, for
Gabel was • prudent w, bet muss Midges The de-
w kW lessall withalt • adage witios, or
was le rag as uses Isolt. be was ahem his
widen, sighed bets. able to most the
b
theseht was ►
dee se his. l'ht hisahsr-is-ltwes=
wed is the eyes of hit ews web, may the Omar
wear d OUSIS adds,. Oassidering that th• lady had
cesdeleseded te le 'bele seam, the might am maid
the waleseeles • leas farther, eel paid mete sews ts
the rte. Diseessien arca, sad is • Sur a assn. timely
istedseeser readied It intsrable. Tie quarrel was es
Scared, • sepiestige eased, and efts • tranquil Woe of
• few van, ails won separate hoeseholds, with senses
will is beth.

M is a fair epeeists of the Doetow's seared
maw : these who take ap ''eights ead their
Dap" for the purposes of suasesest, will apt lay
it dews till they have read It, sad having reed tt
they will Sad that they have derived fame its per
eersethlag far nom 'Amble than am 'statue-
sestt—a scesithistio snout of serious keowisdis,

and of information which, though omissible to the
scholar, is beyond the range of the general reader.

After Dark. By WILLIE COLLINS. 2 vols. Smith,
Elder, and Co.
Mr. Wilkie Collins stands unquestionably in the
foremost rank - • our - - writers of fiction.

among v younger w
He tells a story well and forcibly, his style is elo-
quent and picturesque, he has considerable powers of
pathos—understands the art of construction—is n
wearisome or wordy—and has a keen insight into
character. With one exception The len4 V
likeigh Grange—the tales here mamas& me alesedy
familiar to thousands, having applaud at mime
intervals in the widely-circulated seams of Heuer
Acid Words. They are now panted to the
reader in a new setting—a poor travelling
portrait-painter is for a time prohibited frOMB
the exercise 11 his art by the impaired state of
his eyesight. His wife conceives the moths
of preparing for the press, from her hostmed's diets.
den, various remarkable narratives which in the
seam of a very "'Mahatmas practice be hes osi-
listed from some of those who have site to hinter
"their likermsms. The result is suppotad to be is
Mobs Sikhs comprised in the two volumes beim,
Igo %eluding, amongst others, the two striking and
swell-known stories of The Yellow Mask," Ma
▪ The Terribly Strange Bed." On all subjaeti
bsa-
meted with art and artist-life Mr. OMNI is
entitled to be heard with the attention due
to one who has bad full opportunities of
becoming practically acquainted with what he writes
shoat. In this point of view the following pomp,
muting the szpsrienos of a travelling portrait
plater, is in many ways valuable and suggestive : it
seat oral furnishes information regarding a mode of
nal life of which comparatively little is
by the general public, but supplies some
YIN well worth attending to by that somewhat
mime= clue who seek to perpetuate their features
pt fYUkeqcited skill of the itinerant artist :
Of mgadf I have nothiag to lay, bat that I have followed
Ilhogen of a traveillag portrait painter for the lest 16
MIL 2:=11 antsy solffikil has sot only led me all
through bet has asks. me twin to &Mimed, and
once to Inked. la skins hem &Wrist to district, I am
never guided heikeelsed ley say settled plus. Sometimes
the kitten of noemmemiseles whisk I got from perms
wbo ass satisfied with Ms work I have does for
them determine the dingiest fa whisk I travel.
Sometimes I hear of a new nolgiilbsechood fa whisk there
is no reddest artist of ability, sad venire thither en speed-
bakes. Sometimes my friends smog the pikers shako
ear a god word ea my behalf to their deb sesleseessi sad
se pare ths way for as in the large towns. Sousimes ay
prop/loss mad fast= brother-estate, baselag mak
essestimike which it le we rth their while is seem%
meatiest my we Lod preen me introduetions w pieseant
comer, kaaset. Ikes Isla ea, now I. ose way sit sow
in analber not mammies a reputation seer making a fereine,
bat hopgisi, gmbapy se the whole, than may men who
bees get heti Om sae sod the other.
Sees of the umehe of my experience are anises in a
missal pad et view. Yee example, I have found comes
almost nalisoady ism tiellmte is Wang me about my terms,
add hos geeerews is remunerating sae for my serriess, Mae
nes. lin the other bead, men, within my knowledge, are
deaktedly valuer a their personal attractions, Ned more
vexatiously anxious to have these den fall Judie, to ea
wan, this women. Taking both saxes togethee, I have
ham young wok for the =wpm' mom grade more
tommtatdo, mad mere eesehisters lieu old. And, issuing
iliestmal way. rep 'species's of different ranks
ail the way dawn from
peas to publissee), I have met with most of my foemil sad
nagne see Irish people of ussertain social
sheadmei the nevi and the lowest sexing my• em•
players almost always in widely different ways of
searee—to make me feel ae woo as I eater their
hoses.
The emegmal 'Meted* esti have to mintond sgaiast is
the practice of my prefessisa is est, se mina puttee may
imagine. the difficulty of making my sitters keep their hob
still while I paint these, bat the difficulty of them
to proems the astute! look end the .very-day
of dress and People will mum* an esprosdem,
will brash up their hair, will correct ay little ebarestariegs
carelessness la their apparel—will, M short, when they west
to have their Illisaesses takes, look as if they were=
for their primes.lf I Mat them under sloe
eiresseelmosek 11111 of coarse to rums them to their
Subtend wk sod my portrait, as a ametery emeassnee,
diesprilses everybody, the sitter always Malteds& While
we melt to Jades of a ma's character by his haedwritiag,
we waste his saateesery scrawl daebad off with ids memos
work.a.day pea, au hie boot null test traded laboriously
with the finest procurable mow-quill point Se it is with
portrait painting, which ie, after all, softie, but a eight
reading of the externals el character reacgaimaly prorated
blithe New of others.

~Brpafes
;;,atteikketed trials, has pewit* ko that
the oily way aptly; sitters who pewit k iseekkos oat
look to resume their habitual elyetelos, hte Mai these
tats tablas about some Wiest is width they so /natty
isterested. 1f I des sly b.guile thew iste spethiss ear-
mostly, so natter os what toyie, I am wee et sthreuriag
their natural eseressies ; sure et skis. el the Ode pe-
tiole eeen-day peestisrithe et the thet a wars peep
out. the ales asothsw, quite thwarts.
We oßer so extract from the Tales themselves :
with regard to me of them, the admirably tell story
of the ',Terribly Strange Bed," we simply Nem-
mead so nadir whose Demean sot tolereW
or who does sot rehab the excitement eta "leasing
fear," to make acquintesse with it for the Ant time
"after dark.'