The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-20 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Philip Lisle ; a Novel. By the author of " The
Two Households." Three vols. Newby.

This is essentially a domestic novel, possessed of
a homely interest, and containing many felicitous
pictures of fireside life, with its varied joys and
sorrows. The story opens at Newcastle, where the
Widow Lisle resides with her two sons—Frederick,
the elder, a most amiable and unselfish character, a
devoted son and brother, who is fading away, the
victim of consumption; and Philip, the younger,
the delight of his mother's heart, but at the same
time the constant subject of her keenest anxiety.
Philip enters life with a disappointment—a pro-
mised cadetship is refused to him, and a hard
struggle takes place between his better and his
worse nature, assailed on either hand by pride and
poverty. The better nature triumphs, Philip takes
a subordinate situation, and exerts no little patience
and perseverance to attain success, as the following
passage will exemplify :
Yet what a change from his former life, was the mode hi
which his days were consumed in this great house of busi-
ness—work, work, work, from six o'clock hi the morning
till eleven at night, frequently till twelve and one—the
hurried meal the only relaxation.

But his long and fruitless waiting, whilst depending on
the help of others, had taught a sterling lesson. To desire
was now to do.

And having formed the wise purpose of achieving inde-
pendence for himself and family, it was neither toil nor
drudgery that could make him swerve from his entered
couree, though it was not the road he would have chosen.
The irksome, dry details of his work he regarded as the
means which would carry him onward in his career— as the
first and most difficult steps on the ladder of promotion.
Therefore, when on occasions, from physical lassitude,
he had felt as though his Will was about to forsake him,
he had been so dismayed at the prospect beyond, that a sud-
den reaction of the stronger traits of hie character would
cause them to stand forth, and in the determination of never
fainting _before possibilities, his heart would feel stronger
than before.

Thus, if idleness and hope deferred has for a time ren-
dered it undesirable that I should acknowledge Philip Lisle
as the hero of my true story, I now can rely upon his com-
prehension of his own trust, for I believe he will faithfully
keep to his aim.

Yes, a good practicable beginning has Philip made. Let
us trust no false step may lead him astray, to sick him
again into the idle and desultory habits of a widowed
mother's indulged younger son.

The Munro family are a most attractive group, from
the genial old-fashioned parents to the charming
sisters, Jessie and Minna, the two very delightful
heroines of the tale. Sir Joseph Sharpe enacts a
well-known role in many a play and novel—
the hard-hearted creditor who is willing to spare
the father's fortunes at the price of the daughter's
hand. We must confess, however, that we are
wearied of that never-ending device of the novel
writer, who, having the power of life and death in
his mimic world, is always ready to call in the grim
destroyer to set faithless lovers free, and render
hapless widows happy ! The moral is a very bad
one. It is the old fashion of Alexander with the
Gordian Knot to call fate in to cat away a difficulty,
instead of inculcating patient efforts to alleviate a
burden and counteract a difficulty. Very different
was the teaching of " Eoailia Wyndham." If for
no other reason that book was worthy of all the
success it met with for the sake of the good example
which it enforced. We have, indeed, little patience
with these heroes and heroines, who are first false
to their own best affections by giving their hands
without their hearts for any mercenary or family
considerations, and then false again to the vows
they have voluntarily taken, and ready to exult in
the death of the nearest (if not the dearest) relative
who stood bat ween their duty or their inclinations.
Apart from this incident (which is common to the
class) Philip Lisle is an interesting work of very
average ability.

Ricordo a Sh,ahspeare : 50 Sonnets. By James
Pincherle, Private Linguist. Bvo. pp. 53,
Trieste.
We take this extraordinary brochure to be cer-
tainly about the funniest little publication that
ever fell under our notice. The pupils of the author
must, assuredly, under his tuition, attain a wonder-
ful proficiency in Modern Language ! As a private
linguist M. Pincherle would, without doubt, have
astonished that Briareus of Philology,who grappled
with all the languages, and even all the diaiects,
and all the patois, that came under his
ken, that Admirable Crichton of speech, that para-
gon gifted beyond all moderns (not to say it pro-
fanely) with the gift of tongues—the late marvel-
lous, incomparable, incomprehensible Cardinal
Mezzofanti! He of whom it has been said that he
would have been absolutely invaluable as an inter-
preter at the Tower of Babel ! What, we cannot
but wonder to ourselves, what upon earth would
or could Cardinal Mezzofanti have said to such a
linguist as James Pincherle ? Take the fol-
lowing astounding speci►nen of the author's
knowledge of the English language ! It is a
translation of a pretty sonnet enough—" A
Madame X., Cari Morto immatura orbava del
quinquenne suo figlio"—of which sonnet M. Pin-
cherle gives this amazing English version—
The lock'd hair of the child, so much cherished,
Fate forbids you now to caress and plait,
Ah I poor Mother, a sore reward did 'wait
Your doting cares which would have him guerishecl.
But, if for earth he is so soon perished,
Think, that towards Paradise he did bait (I)
His wings, as wont to move at Angel's gait, (I)
Ris soul flew whereto—it was first nourished.
Shall then your eyes still melt away from grief,
Whilst he's abiding in far happier lands ?
Does not your tender heart mind there's a Chief
Divine, whose mysterious laws and commands
All must obey ? whence, do let the belief
Comfort you : that the boy lies in God's hands.
However these utterly nonsensical productions
came to be put into print, is entirely beyond our
comprehension. M. Pincherle has not the
faintest knowledge, apparently, of the mysteries
of the English language which he yet, never-
theless, dares to teach (ye Gods !) and write
(ye powers of propriety !) and into which he has
the:consummate hardihood to translate (!) from the
Italian. His translations into English, and his
original (very original) English compositions being
alike composed of a jargon betraying a total igno-
rance of rhyme, and reason, of orthography,
etymology, syntax and prosody.