The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

Playing at Zonks,

Three Months in an English Mona,:terY• A Per.
Banal Narrative. By Charles Walker. One vol.,
pp. 299. Murray and Co.
The gravity with which this narrative is written
throughout—very cleverly written by the way—is
something excessively delightful. If not penned by
Mr. Walker literally in nubibus, it certainly reads
for all the world as though, while writing it, the
author of the book had been held (say by Oct force,
not to say by very odd force, after the manner of our
tables and chairs a few years ago) in a somewhat
analogous position to Mahomet's coffin. Either—
he has gone too far ! Or—he has not gone far
enough! His creed is seemingly neither the one thing
nor the other. His book is very much of the same
uncertain, indeterminate character. What we are
here expected to sit dcwn to and devour, is, in
homely parlance, neither fish, nor flesh, nor yet
even good red herring. A Catholic monk in com-
munion with the See of Rome, we can all of us per-
fectly well comprehend. But—a Protestant monk !
The terms are irreconcileable. It is an incongruity
of phrase, as jarring and discordant of its kind as
Major Yelverton's answer to the priest who married
him on that memorable morning to Miss Theresa
Longworth over in Ireland—his answer to the in-
quiry of Father Mooney What religion he was of,
whether Protestant or Catholic, " I am a Protestant.
Catholic !" It distracts one's ideas. It sets one's
teeth on edge, like a discord in music or a•false quan-
tity in a latin recitation. One thing or the other, we
would say, both to Mr. Walker, the author of this
book, and to Mr. Lytle, the hero of it—the latter
better known not only to the reader of it, but pre-
viously through the newspapers to the public at
large as " Brother Ignatius." Here, in the book as
its frontispiece, is the portrait of Brother Ignatius—
'in full costume as Brother Ignatius, And looking
at this picture, it is quite manifest in every line of it
that—unlike the real monks—Brother Ignatius was
very carefully posed by the photographer. The effect
being—not unnaturally—as is also the case in regard
to the effect of the written narrative celebrating
the history of Brother Ignatius—a regular " poser !"
Looking at it—it fairly bewilders one. For here
in this limning of a Protestant clergyman—a
comely gentleman enough in himself evidently, but
rather given to the fantastical in the way of mas-
querading—we behold the effigy not, of a Paeson
(so far as appearances go) but of a genuine Monk :
an embroidered stole upon the table by his side, a
crucifix near it clasped in his left hand, in the
grasp of his right a breviary, drooping from his
shoulders a cowl, suspended from his girdle a
Rosary ! A Rosary, it:will be remembered, having so
manydecades of the ave tnaria—and therefore imply-
ing on the part of the wearer of it, devotions " rather"
out of the way for a Protestant clergyman! However,
the fact evidently is, judging from all we have ever
heard of Mr. Lyne, alias Brother Ignatius, pre-
viously to the publication of Mr. Walker's book
about him and his doings, and now very much more
fully from the work itself—this enthusiastic Curate
of St. Peter's, Plymouth, near neighbour of Miss
Sellon, of the Proteetant Conventual Establishment
in that place—this Rev. Mr. Lyne, otherwise
Brother Ignatius, has been all along bent upon
striking out for himself also a via media beiween
Protestantism and Catholicism ! And he has struck
it out in so eccentric a manner that we doubt not, by
both alike, he will be regarded as not in the least bit
in the world orthodox. The English of it all is,
as our heading to these remarks intimates, that
Brother Ignatius and his companions are doing all
this while nothing but simply Playing at Monks.
Reading the record of it all as here jotted down,
very gravely by Mr. Charles Walker, it as if
we were spirited away to a strange kind of a
whimsical, Clerical Arcadia. Only it is an Arcadia
—where the people eat suet dumplings, and dearly
love 4 comfortable gossip over a cup of tea. Proof
positive as to which latter particulars may be found
here in the following naive entry :—" Sunde.ys, I
must confess, were not the mot pleasant days in
Claydon. We missed the active bustling work of
the other days and the hours seemed in consequence
to drag somewhat. The time between the hours'
was spent in reading—in the morning several
chapters of the Old Testament; in the afternoon,
any book we chose to select from our little stock.
Vespers were said at half-past five, so we really
had a quiet tea on Sundays; and as that meal
was seaved in the parlour ou all festivals, and
conversation allowed, it was quite a social meal." As
to the dumplings, now suet, now sweet, the former,
it appears, are devoured by the brethren on Tues-
days, Thursdays, and Saturdays, the latter (" hard,"
according to Mr. Walker's authority for it, and
therefore we fear extremely indigestible) onWedriee.
days and Fridays—the Sunday meal being rendered
palatable by the substitution of a nice pudding for
either the hard or the suet. Claydon is the scene
of Brother Ignatius and Co.'s monastic observances.
And there it is they are at it perpetually day and
night with Lands, Prime,Terc, Sext,Nones, Vespers,
and Complin. Here is the first taste of the mid-
night discipline by one of the unsophisticated
followers of Mr. Lyne, on originally coming to Clay-
don, and there roused in the dead of night by the
flare of a big waxcandle brought into the Novice's
steeping-room by one of the Brothers :
" The light, reflecting on his face, over which the hood
was drawn, and gave a peculiar look to his features, dis-
ordered as they were by an abrupt arousing from sleep;
and only half awake myself, I anticipated some sudden cause
of alarm, the particulars of which the good Brother had
come to communicate to me; and inquired, I fear in a
very unmonastic tone, what was the matter ? I soon learnt
that this was a summons to Nocturne, or the night office,
which begins at 2 a.m., and lasts till between 3 and 4.
The brothers sleep in their habits, and he whose turn it is
to a,-,vaken the others goes round from bed to bed saying,
Benedic,Zmus Domino (let us bless the Lord), and each
brother, sta:ting up, replies, Deo Gratias (thanks be to
God). It was tti this solemn greeting of the brother that I
inadvertently replied in the manner I have mentioned. I
was soon ready to accL`ropany the brother, and in a few
minutes a dozen strokes or so of the bell announced to such
of the villagers as were awake that Nocturns were about to
commence."

E❑ough, however. Gravely though the book is
written—it is quite impossible, we take it, that it
should be read with a serious face ciiher by Catholic
or by ProteEtant. The book is an eccentricity, as the
career of the hero of it is an eccentricity. Both of
them, probably, very well• intentioned—but still
for all that, only to be looked at, from either side'
from the right hand or !rem the left, under an aspect
intensely ridiculous.

SIGNOR ARDITI'S MORNING CONCERT.—This
talented and able artiste has announced his annual grand
morning concert for Friday, the 17th, at Her Majesty's
Theatre, and ihe programme is quite worthy the occasion.
Each of the three parts into which the concert is divided
contains the names of the most eminent musicians of the
day both vocal and instrumental, and thus an array ot
talent is presented of an unusual description. The first part
will consist of selections from Rossini's " Stabat Mater,"
the solo parts being sustained by Madlles. Titiena,
Lem-
mans Sherrington, and Trebelli, and Signori Giuglini,
Gardoni, Junca, and Mr Santley. The second will embrace
selections from "Robert le Diable," "Faust," and "Don
Giovanni," with a groat variety of musical gems of every
description, one of the most prominent being Madame,
Arabella Guddard's piaraforte concerto in G Minor. Arditi s
canto " La Garibaldina" is also to be performed, together
with a new grand duo for Madame Goddard and Mr Car.
rodus. The third and concluding part will be the third act
of Falstaff, with an incidental ballet. The above is a very
brief outline of the entertainment, but the faro announced
of Signor Arditi's concert will be quite sufficient to ensure
a brilliant and crowded audience. In order that the whole
hour
of the performance may tie satisfactorily given, the
for the commencement of the concert has been set for half.
past one.
DIVINE SERVICE IN COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS, The
Bishop of Oxford's bill, before the House of Lords,
proposesthe
mastersto giv e
(being pwe r to the Bishop to license one or more
of
reiest's orders) of any collegiate.
school or college to perform Divine service, for the benefit
of the scholars in any suitable room or building in or near
the school, eat cpart for that purpose. But the license is
not to include the offices of baptism, marriage, or burial.
By "collegiate school or college" is to be understood a
school incorporated by letters patent, or charter, or by Act
of Parliament, for instruction in religious and useful learn.
ing in accordance with the doctrines of the Church of
England.
FEMALE SCHOOL OF ART.—The worshipful Com-
oany of Drapers has forwarded a donation of
'o the building fund of the Female School of Arts, Queen's
quare, and E. Ackzoyd, of the firm of Ackri,yd ani.
Son, of Halifax and the City of London, has also sent £5O
towards the same object.