The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-15 00:00:00

MALVOLIO PEEL.

A more eventful week for politics than that
which has just passed away could not, perhaps, be
called to mind. The Speaker's retirement—the
division on the Jamaica" Bill—the resignation of
Ministers—the instauration of Peel—the insult
offered to the Queen—the redintegration of the
Whigs—were ail events, any one of which, in an
ordinary way, would have well sufficed singly for
the week's gossip ; and here we had them all
crammed together at the rate of one per diem. They
form, in combination, a political drama which will
be memorable in the annals of this country. If we
were called on to characterize that drama in the
technical phraseology of the stage, we should hardly
know whether to refer it to tragedy or comedy. So
great the " serious interest,;' and yet so rich and
abundant the " comic business." The painful and
threatening incidents of the middle acts were essen-
tially tragic, and of that description which
the critics particularly insist on, as rendering
the denouement more difficult to be foreseen ;
for as they apparently excluded all hope for the
good characters, and gave the wicked characters
full swing (a sort of " carte blanche") for the per-
petration of their guilty purposes, so they made the
subsequent events, by which these were to be neu-
tralized, all the more surprising and unimaginable.
. As for the " comic business," we need hardly
point attention to its racy and genuine quality. A
pure vein of humour runs through the whole of the
PEEL interlude, which, in some of its scenes,
may be considered a sort of political version of
" Twelfth Night." It will be remembered how
easily the self-conceit of MALVOLIO is worked
upon to believe in the extent of his good fortune,
insomuch that having read the letter which sum-
moned him to the Lady Olivia, he is at once unal-
terably persuaded that she means to have him, and
that he is a made man. It will be remembered
with what rapid strides his vanity thereupon pro-
ceeds to possess itself in imagination of all the more
luxurious parts of authority—
" Sitting in my state,

Calling my officers about me, in my branched velvet
gown," &c.
But more especially it will be remembered,
perhaps, that this foolish and presumptuous steward
has no sooner persuaded himself of his possession
of office, than, with an insolence unexampled till
Thursday last—he already conceives himself making
changes in the Household, taking to task the lady's
relatives, and snubbing her familiar attendants.
Sir Robert's belief in the unlimited nature of the
autl►ority assigned to him_his faith in the entire
subjugation of the Queen's reason to his yellow
stockings—led him to indulge in calculations of
power not less overstrained and preposterous than
Malvolio s, and in their dramatic results quite as
ministrative to the " comic business." But Sir
Robert goes beyond the foolish steward in the
breadth and extent of his mistake, and its conse-
quences are the more fatal to him from.his previous
reputation for cunning. Malvolio is enjoined in the
letter of appointment to "be surly with the ser-
vants," and to " let his tongue tang arguments of
State." It is certain that the communication
which summoned Sir Robert to the presence

! of the Queen conveyed no such injunctions ; but it
1 is also certain that Sir Robert acted with as much
self-assurance as if it had, and was, in particular,
so " snrly" with her Majesty's domestics, that her
Majesty thought fit to exonerate him at once from
all fur►her trouble on her account. We will not
go so far as to compare Sir Robert with Malvolio,
in respect of his being chargeable with incipient
fatuity in this affair; but there can be no doubt
that the sudden advent of office, under circum-
stances which seemed to guarantee its long and al-
most
unconditional tenure, did inspire the Right
Hono,irab!e Baronet with a degree of fatuous self-
complacency, not far removed from that of the ever-
smiling and cross-gartered steward, and which, mu-
tatu mulandis, might almost have been expressed in
the words of Shakspeare's dialogue—(Act 111.,
scae 4)
QUEEN—Where is Peel?
MARCHIONESS OF N.—He is coming, Madam; but in
strange manner, lie is sure possessed.
QUEEN.—Why what's the matter ? Does he rave?
MaßcntoNEss. - No, Madam,
He does nothing but smile; your Majesty
Were best have guard about you if he come;
For sure the man is tainted in his wits.
(Enter PEEL.)
QUEEN.—flow now, Peel?
PEEL.—Sweet lady, ho, ho !—(srailesfantastically.)
QUEEN. Srnil'st thou?
I SENT FOR THEE UPON A SAD OCCASION.
How thoroughly the last line of this dialogue
corresponds with that which took place at the Palace
a few days since. The reader is now made aware
(if he doubted it before) from the foolish steward's
own " explanation," which also confirms what
everybody previously believed, that her Gracious
Majesty has been indeed the true heroine of this
political piece. It only remains for the MAL-
you() of the piece to go off with his usual scowl
at the pit, and his threat of impotent malice—
•' PH be revenged on the whole path of you."