The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-25 00:00:00

LITERATURE..

Rope, a Story of Chequered Life. By Alfred W.
Cole, author of " The Cape and the Kafirs,"
&c. London : T. C. Newby. 1853.
It is said that the days of " three volume novels"
are numbered. Cheap literature—penny periodi-
cals—are the order of the day. We all like to get
things cheap, including books ; but, after all,
cheapness is not the only requisite in literature, or
in other things. Penny periodicals may be very
amusing and very instructive, and many of them '
are so ; but we can hardly expect them to be so
profitable to their conductors as to enable them to
pay their contributors very handsomely. So, while
laying out our penny, we must not be too fasti-
dious, but be satisfied with the dish it provides for
our entertainment, not expecting a salmi of phea-
sant when we can only look reasonably for a mutton
chop.
11,ut three volume novels are by no means de-
funct yet, as the daily announcements of Bentley,
Hurst and Blackett, and Newby, will prove. One
of these lies before us by the author of " The Cape
and the Kafirs." Mr. Cole comes before the public
not unknown to fame as a writer of travels and a
contributor of light sketches in prose and verse to
several of the magazines, chiefly of a humorous
turn. We believe, however, that he now makes
his delrelt as a novelist, and the title of his book is
at least an auspicious one.
We intend no disparagement to Mr. Cole's novel
when we say that it perhaps bears internal evidence
of being a first work of fiction. We have no
doubt that he is conscious of this himself, for his
mind is apparently a " critical" one, if we may
judge from many remarks interspersed through the
work on literature and composition. We suspect
that he scarcely felt himself quite at his ease during
the progress of the firstpart of his story—
say half the first volume. It is evident that his
shackles fall off as he proceeds, and every step for-
wards manifests greater force and greater freedom
of execution. Thus the second volume is an im-
provement, and the third surpasses the second.
That is, at least, evidence of the author's capabi-
lity of still greater things hereafter.
The story is one of " chequered life"—the life of
a young man, who with talents and education is left
at an early age almost destitute, and who flies to
that melancholy refuge for such individuals—perio-
dical literature. Are we wrong in suspecting that
the author has embodied many of his own expe-
riences in the life of his hero, Frank Nugent ? There
is but little intricacy of plot—it is rather a chain of
scenes, in which the author seeks to delineate
character, and to interest us in the working of the
minds of those who play their parts in those scenes.
This he has accomplished most successfully. No
one who reads " Hope" can fail to be deeply in-
terested in all that concerns Flora Danvers, than
whom it would be impossible to imagine a more
high-souled, gentle-hearted being—energetic and
passionate withal—a very woman indeed, but such
a woman !
Perhaps a character equally well finished, and
equally interesting, though from a most opposite
cause, is that of Captain Dashwood. It is evidently
a favourite character of the author's, and has been
carefully elaborated. He has not fallen into the
great error of young authors of depicting an incar-
nation of villany—on the contrary, this Captain
Dashwcod, the bite noire of the story, is possessed
of many estimable and attractive qualities ; while
his vices are precisely those of a man who has in-
wardly resolved to discard principle altogether.
There is more of " dramatic ' talent displayed by
the author in the scenes in which Dashwood plays
a prominent part than in any other portions of the
story—as for example, where he shows Flora the
forgery, and in their subsequent interview alone in
the library. Either of these scenes would be a
" hit " upon the stage.
We cannot, for want of space, notice all the cha-
racters in this interesting and most promising tale.
Amongst them are Mrs. Townley St. Leger (evi-
dently a portrait from life), who is Frank Nugent's
patroness ; the Honourable Tom Saville, his bosom
friend ; Gerard Mowbray, well imagined, but
scarcely worked up enough ; Lionel Danvers, the
spendthrift brother of Flora, whose career from ex-
travagance to somethinc, worse is well traced ; Mrs.
Marsden, a kind of Mrs. Malaprop in low life ;
Fanny Marsden, her daughter, a bright-eyed, true-
hearted,loveable little damsel ; and David Tonks,
" good honest " David Tonks, a poor penny-a-liner,
and not the least interesting or least estimable cha-
racter in the book.
Among the minor ones may be mentioned Mars-
den, the soi-disant coal merchant, and actual
betting-office keeper, whose deeds and those of his
frateznity are exposed graphically
Sand humorously,
and a Mr. Melchicadech, a Hebrew money-lender,
who does business with the peerage and the army
t' list only, and who lives at Pentonville, only to
give his clients the trouble of coming that distance
to see him. Let young men who think of " doing
a b:11," by all means read the account of Mr. Mel:.
chisa,dech.
One of the greatest merits of this work is the
easy flowing style of the diction throughout. It is
never heavy or tiresome, even where no progress is
made in the story. The author chats pleasantly
with his reader at times, and the subject is always
one of interest—very often connected with books
and authors in general. We should have liked to
present a few extracts to our readers, but we must
forego them. And as those who have faith in our
advice will not fail to read the work itself, why
should we present them with detached passages of
it ? We cordially commend it to their notice, as
one of the most pleasing, interesting, and promis-
ing novels we have read for some time. No one
will be disappointed with it ; while, for ourselves,
we prophesy for Mr. Cole, should he progress as
he promises, a high place among the novelists of
the day.

Table-Moving : Tested and proved to be the Result

of Satanic Agency.
Table-Turning, the Devil's Masterpiece. By the
Rev. N. S. Godfrey, S.C.L., of St. Catherine-
hall, Cambridge, and Incumbent of Wortley,

Leeds.
The title-page of these extraordinary publications
made us, as no doubt they will others who read it,
look with some degree of anxiety for the address
of the rev, author. We were, however, doomed
to disappointment, as no address app 3ars, and we
are left in doubt whether Mr. Godfrey was at
large or under constraint when he gave to the
world the result of his experiments.

Acquainted as we are with the justly high cha-
racter of the publisher, we are at a loss to conjec-
ture how it was he allowed his name to appear in
connection with this publication. Surely, he could
never have even glanced at such passages as the
one or two we shall reluctantly transcribe

"I now felt convinced that electricity had nothing to
do with the matter, and resolved upon a different course
of experiment. I spoke to the table, and said, 'lf you
move by electricity, stop ! It stopped instantly. I
commanded it to go on again, and said, while it was
moving, If an evil spirit cause you to move, stop.' It
moved round without sopping. I again said, 'lf there
be an evil agency in this, stop.' It went as before. I
was now prepared for a further experiment of a far more
solemn character. I whispered to the schoolmaster to
bring a small Bible, and to lay it on the table when I
should tell him. I then caused the table to revolve
rapidly, and gave the signal. The Bible was gentry
laid on the table, and it instantly stopped 1 (The ita"cs
are Mr. Godfrey's own.) We were horror-struck.
However, I determined to persevere. I had other
books in succession laid on the table to see whether the
fact of a book lying upon it altered any of the cond!t'ons
under which it revolved ; it went round with them
without making any difference. I then tried with the
Bible four different times, and each time with the same
result. It would not maze so long as that precious
volr me lay upon it." (The italics are again Mr. Godfrey's
ovv

On the occasion of another experiment we have
it sagely recorded :
"It stopped when the names of God and Christ sere
severally put on. The name of James was put on—
table knocked on. The letters a, m, taken out, and u,
s added on—table instantly stopped. That namend it
was
taken off, and the name of the Devil put on, a
knocked at a very rapid rate, so much so as to excite
oui astonishment, and cause us to remark, 4 What a rate
ti
the table is going at!' It being now ten o'clock
with an
, we dis-
continued our experiments for that me, but
unshaken conviction that the table was animated by evil
influences. Only one other circumstance occurred. Two
parties in the room went back to the table after an inter-
val of twenty minutes, and the table instantly began to
move. I therefore went up to the table, and, placino-
my hands on, said to the spirit, ' I command you in
the
name of the Lord Jesus to quit this table.'
I then
walked away, and although the two persons tried for
probably ten minutes afterwards, the table stirred no
more.
Now, what can surpass this? Here we have a
ci,rgyulan impiously claiming a Power equal with
spirits,
that of God himself, and professing to exercise that
,at will, over evil • •
and one of the
evangelical publishers of London actually sanction-
ing the impiety, as thei-winter and publisher cf
what has broken loose from a crazed brain !
We may express
a case
may
not
be deemed incurable.
hope that this Mr. God-
frey's For lie I_, ° f
tells a very sensible thing
he did as the
wind-up of one of his notable experi-
ments. Re tells
us, " we were horror struck"—
that is, himself,
the " Rev. N. S. Godfrey, S.C.L.,
of St. CatherineWortley, Leed"Hall, Cambridge, incumbent of
horror struck. Leeds," his wife, and curate were
a sei folk, they d But what do they do ? Why, like
escefnd from spirit to matter, and
Pass from taskthetables to the more
grateful one of refreshingolliovint4selves. "We left
off (quoth he) and had s
cc upper.
After supper go to bed," says the old proverb,

.‘LE S PAP E
1g41; r 001.6..
but it was not, in fine, observed by Mr• G
4 ;
and his co-conjurors. " During supper," -
the narrative, " other tests suggested
and about twenty minutes before twelve ,
laid our hands on again. I commanded the Jag; S
to move, and it immediately began as befolelL
now said, If there be a hell, I command you ter
knock on the floor with this leg (the one next me)
twice.' It was motionless. If there be not a hen,
knock twice.' No answer. If there be not a. devil,
knock twice.' To our horror, the leg slowly rose and
knocked twice." (The italics againareMr.Godfrey's.)
I then said, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
if there be no Devil, knock twice.' It was motimi-
less. This I tried forseveral times, and each time
with the same result." After proceeding somewhat
further, we have the sudden announcement—
" Thus ended our experiment." Whether the
conjurors returned to the supper table again, or re-
tired at last to their beds, the narration is not at
the trouble of relating.

ttZ

We must here rem-ark by the way, on the extra-
ordinary idiosyncracy which is the author's, and
also Mrs. Godfrey's, and also theßeverend Curate's.
Were it our own case, or that of any one else, we
venture to assert, of the whole human community,
being " horror-struck," the very last thing in the
world that would come to our mind would be the
idea of eating and drinking. A little sal volatile,
we should have thought would have been the thing
for them, at all events for the poor lady. But no
matter. Of supper Mr. Godfrey thought, and to
supper, with clammy brow, and shivering limb,
and faltering voice, Mr. Godfrey
went. One
passage more we shall quote, which, i . f
ite
had been written by an incumbent in his
senses, we must say his Bishop who reads
it without appointing a commission or suminoning
to the Court of Arches, would deserve to be lashed
by the merciless S. G. 0. My impression 71,
that the placing the hands on the table is, in fact, a
sort of incantation. By it the sitters signify their'
wish to be brought into communication with the
spirit-world. They sit until they are observed by
some one of the ' wandering spirits,' who thereupon
enters the table, making it crack at the moment of
its entering in. It occurred to me that the table
moved simply by the laying on of hands. Can it
be that this is the beginning of Satan's last struggle,
that on the imposition of hands the table is en-
dowed with power from the Devil, as the Lord's
servants, on the imposition of hands, were, in the
Apostles' days, endowed with power from on high?"
Alas ! for the excellent Bishop Longley, if S. G. 0.
could only get a glimpse of this sentence !