The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-03 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF HUMAN LIFE..-3 Vols.
Colburn, London, 1537.

These volumes are the production of Mr. Ward,
father, we believe, of the Member for St. Alban's, and
author of those justly admired novels " Trema-ine,"
' and " De Vac." The present work will not derogate
from his reputation. It consists of three short tales, one
entitled, Atticus, or the Retired Statesman—the
second, St. Lawrence—and the third, Fielding, or
Society. Atticus is an exquisite composition, we
mean, as regards thought and style, for it is most
penurious in incident, and contains nothing sufficiently
romantic-or outre to captivate mere circulating library
readers. Its various disquisitions however, on literature
and politics are in the best possible taste, nor have even
Johnson or Hazlitt ever said more to the point respecting
the character of Shakspeare's writings, than Mr. Ward
under the mask of Atticus. It is little to say of this
gentleman that he is a scholar ; his knowledge is his
least recommendation ; he has taste, sensibility, and a
sound, healthy judgment, on which his readers may
unhesitatingly pin their faith. " St. Lawrence" is a
curious collection of ghost stories, not got together for
the purpose of creating a sensation, but of working out
a moral end. Mr. Ward reasons on these attractive
narratives—we say attractive, for we must confess to a
sort of sneaking faith in ghosts—like a philosopher
andd-a man of the world, who diligently sifts evidence,
compares conflicting statements, and is thereby enabled
to sober down and explain the supernatural portions
of such narratives. On the subject, however, of Lord
Lyttleton's famous appearance after death, to his
friend Miles Peter Andrew, Mr. Ward is evidently
staggered ; for it is impossible not to see at a glance
that he is himself recording his own impressions under
the soubriquet of St. Lawrence. The story is certainly-
a most startling one, and is supported by evidence
nearly, if not quite sufficient, to hang a man at the
Old Bailey. For our own part, after an attentive
perusal of Andrews's statement, we can only say, wiTh
Shakespeare—

"']there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamed of in your philosophy."

If uniform grace and spirit of language—purity, ele-
vation, and variety of thought—and a shrewd estimate
of character, can make a work popular, then these " Illus-
trations of Human Life " will be generally read and
admired. It is not a book to be lounged over in the
boudoir, and then thrown aside and forgotten, but to be
attentively read and meditated upon, for it abounds in
curious and subtle speculations, the result of long ex-
perience, on points deeply interesting to the well-being
of society. The following is the famous ghost story to
which we have alluded :
" I had often heard much, and read much, of Lord
Lyttleton's seeing a ghost before his death ; and of himself,
as a ghost, appearing to Mr. Andrews ; and one evening,
sitting next to that gentleman during a pause in the debates
of the House of Commons, I ventured to ask him whether
there was any, and what truth, in the detailed story so con-
fidently related. Mr. Andrews, as perhaps I ought to
have expected, did not much like the conversation ; he
looked grave and uneasy, and I asked pardon for my im-
pertinent curiosity. Upon this, he very good-naturedly
said, it is not a subject I am fond of, and least of all in
such a place as this ; but if you will come and dine with
me, I will tell you what is true, and what is false. I gladly
accepted the proposal, and I think my recollection is perfect
as to the following narrative :
_ _

" Mr. Andrews, in his youth, was the boon companion,
not to say fellow-rake, of Lord Lyttleton—who, as is well
known, was a man distinguished for abilities, but also for a
profligacy of morals which few could equal. With all this
he was remarkable for what may be called unusual cow-
ardice, in one so determinedly wicked. He never re-
pented, yet could never stifle his conscience.
" An imagination so strong could not but be active, in-
quiring, restless ; all which, added to his fears, made him
harp incessantly upon the question of a future life. He
used often to discuss it with his friend Andrews, to whom
he at list said, Well ! if I die first, and am allowed, I will
come and inform you.' This was but a little before his
death. That death was attended with so many mysterious
reports of ghosts, warnings, and prophecies, most of them
such entire inventions, that I shall not trouble the com-
pany with them, but hasten to Mr. Andrews's part of the
story.'
" But,' said one of the ladies, when you say most of
them, do you mean that any one was well founded?'
" I can only tell, and indeed undertake no more,'- re-
plied Mr. St. Laurence, what I learned from Mr. An-
drews himself, who, I feel sure, is good authority. It is
true that the night before Lord Lyttleton died, a fluttering
of a bird was heard, and perhaps a bird seen on the window
curtains. It is not true that Mrs. Humphreys, or any
other departed lady whom he had Seduced, appeared and
warned him of his end. It is true that he himself thought
he was to die at a given hour, and the clock was put on, in
order to deceive him into comfort. It is also true that he
was found dead with his watch in his hand, at but a few
minutes after the time he mentioned as his last. But it is
equally true, that upon any great agitation, ho was subject
to a swelling of the throat, which, without immediate assis-
tance, might kill him by strangulation.
" Andresys was at his house at Dartford when Lord
Lyttleton died at Pitt-place, Epsom, thirty miles off. An-
drews's house was full of company, and he expected Lord
Lyttleton, whom he had left in his usual state of health, to
join them the next day, which was Sunday. Andrews
himself feeling much indisposed on the Saturday evening,
retired early to bed, and requested Mrs. Pigou, one of
his guests, to do the honours of the supper table. He ad-
mitted that when in bed he fell into a feverish sleep, but
was waked between eleven and twelve by somebody open-
ing his curtains. It was Lord Lyttleton in a night-gown
and cap, which Andrews recognised. He also plainly spoke
to him, saying, he was come to tell him all was over.
" Novr,it seems,' continued St. Lawrence, that Lord
Lyttleton was fond of horse-play, or what we should call
'nauvaise plaisanterie and having often made Andrews
the subject of it, the latter had threatened him with ma-
nual chastisement the next time it occurred. On the pre-
sent occasion, thinking this annoyance renewed, he threw
the first things he could find, which were his slippers, at
Lord Lyttleton's head. The figure retreated towards a
dressing-room, which had no ingress or egress, except through
the bedchamber : and Andrews, very angry, leapt out of
bed to follow it into the dressing-room. It was not there.
Surprised, he returned to the bed-room, which be strictly
searched. The door was locked on the inside, yet no Lord
Lyttleton was to be found. He was astonished, but not
alarmed, so convinced was be that it was some trick of
Lord"Lyttleton ; who he supposed had arrived according to
his engagement, but, after he, Andrews, had retired. He
therefore rang for his servant, and asked if Lord Lyttleton
was not come. The man said no. You may depend upon
it,' replied he, out of humour, he is somewhere in the
house, for he was here just now, and is playing some
trick.' But how he could have got into the bed-room,
with the door locked, puzzled both .master and man.
Convinced, however, that he was somewhere in the house,
Andrews, in his anger, ordered that no bed should be given
yaisegi,t
amyi,ghhet g o
never t o aanp
pi ne na
r,
eodr
asgleaeinp,i
an n tdh eA
.snt
da br ev
s.
him
—thast'i'
went to sleep.
" It happened that Mrs. Pigou was to go to town early
the next morning. What was her astonishment, having
beard the disturbance of the night before, to hear, on
her arrival about nine o'clock, that Lord Lyttleton had
died the very night he was supposed to have been seen.
She immediately sent an express to Dartford with the
news ; upon the receipt of which, Andrews, quite well,
and remembering accurately all that had passed, swooned
away. He could not understand it, but it had . a most
serious effect upon him ; so that, to use his own expression,
lie was not his own man again for three years."

PEERAGE FOR THE PEOPLE.
Carpenter, London, 1837.
This is a useful work, for it tells many startling
home truths respecting the origin of many of our mo-
dem Peers, by which our readers will be able to ascer-
tain the exact amount of veneration due to them. Mr.
Carpenter,
the author—or rather compiler—though a
sturdy Radical, does every justice to his subject, speak-
ing impartially of all the Aristocracy, and of the more
enlightened and liberal portions of it, in terms of be-
coming respect. His book abounds in curious matters
of information, many of which will, we suspect, be now
to the generality of our readers. We subjoin an
amusing anecdote :

" The late Sir Edward Law, afterwards Lord Ellenbo-
rough, and father of the present Lord, was one of the most
extraordinary men of his day. Ile was educated at the
Charter House, whence he went to the University, and
shortly after was entered of the Inner Temple. During
the period that Mr. baw was keeping his terms, he formed