The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-01 00:00:00

_NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

One •jf the best likenesses we have yet seen of
the late Theodore Houk, appears by way of
frontispiece to this Number, and is accompanied
by a biographical sketch, from which it appears
that he was fur a short period at Oxford, which
we were not previously awarcrof, "where he was
matriculated and nearly rejected at the sane
time, from his over willingness to subscribe to
the Thirty-nine Articles—'oll, aye, to Forty, if
you choose,' he said; a latitudinarianism that
somewhat hocked the grave Master of St. Mary's
Hall." On quitting the University, Hook sup-
ported himself for some years by writing farces
and melodramas for the stage; and during this
period ho was, of cottrse, a frequent visitor 0 the
green-room, where lie distinguished himself by
his wit, and, above all; by his practical sakes, of
which he was as fond as ever were Tickell or
Sheridan. The following are. a few of his green-
room pranks

It was during the performance of these pieces that I
Hoes naturally became a constant frequenter of the
green-rooms of the different theatres ; and those who
had then the priellege of the entree to the coaSses
never forget the fun which his presence produeed. The
entertainment behind the curtain wee fully equal, if not
superior, to that enjoyed by the audience before it.
Never shall we forget the eireet produced upon Dowton
and the other actors en the stage durinK. elm of the
serious scenes of a sentimental comedy tat the day, by
Hook's possessing himself of the livery coat of one of the
wider performers, and with a tragedy strut marching on
to the stage to present a letter to Dowton, who, taken
by surprise at the sight of the new perfermer, could not
utter a word, while thQ rest of the actors were convulsed
with laughter. We remember likewise one night during
the performance oc Monk Lewis's melodrama of One
Clock, or the Wood Demon, that Hook having found
that there was a second speaking-trumpet in the pro-
perty-room, possessed himself of it., and placed himself '
in the flies. . When the demon roared into speaking-
trumpet No. l; "My yey—my prey," Hoek, with speak-
ing-trumpet No. 2, continued the speech and the same
voice,, "For lam devilish hungry," to the great astonish-
ment of the audience. • This freak, however, drew down
the serious anger. of the manager, who threatened to
expel the delinquent, but contented hiniself with locking
up the second trumpet as a particeps criminis.
Thedore Hook's career as a novelist is well
known. He was one of the most prolific writers
of fiction of the day, skilful in bringing out the
odd, humorous points of character, but invaria-
bly deficient in sentiment, which he never at-
tempted without incurring, ridicule. We. sub-
join the biographer's conchiding remarks on this.
distinguished wit :
We- will venture to assert that no ten wits of the pre-
sent day ever sail( ao many thinces worthy of remem-
brance es 1-10.,,R. Had he been blessed with a Boswell
friend, -;riat a book might be made of the good things
wlllch fell from his lips to create bursts of admiration, or
roars of laughter, and to be detailed by the hearers at
other tables on succeeding days. All Hook's early days
were not however passed fun—some of them were
devoted to sentiment. He had two serious attachments,
and if either of them had ended as he wished them to
end, Hook might have been a different man in some
points, and still the delight of his numerous frtends.
One of them was the beautiful daughter of a retired.
actor, whose suppers in those days were celebrated for
the wit which sparkled at the table--and the other was
the daughter of a gallant deceased General whom he
had met during visit at Taunton. The former was
afterwards married to a member of a noble house, and
still lives the ornament of the circle in which she moves;
and the latter became the wife of one of our celebrated
legal characters, who has since been Solicitor-General

and a Judge, a►:d has now been dead some years.
Taunton will long remember the period of.this c,rartship,
for his mad pranks and his facetious sallies kept the
whole town alive during the time he was one of its deni-
zens.

" A Tale of a. Trumpet," is a lively poem from
the pen of the new Editor, Thomas Hood. It
contains some smart, satirical hits, hut, as a whole.
reads off rather languidly. " Phineas Quickly"
is a continuation of Mr. Pole's new novel. The
shrewd, heartless, matter-of-fact charater of the
vulgar-minded hero is sketched with a pen of
caustic power, and bids fair to be one of the
author's most cuccessful delineations. " Gra-
duates and Undergraduates" is a tale the truth
and force of which will at once he recognised by
all who are acquainted with University habits.
" Foreign Sporting," by Nimrod, is tedious
and wiredrawn. The style. however, is
manly and unaffected, as is the case
with all Mr. Apparley's writings. ln the
essay on " Country-towns," Mrs. Gore throws
off several just and pointed remarks.. Mow true
is the following I—" Country towns are-dailylos-
ing their physiognomy. The surface becomes
smoother and smoother, like that of
.our current
coin, till, by the evenness of the superficies, the
value is lessm:t. It mcy be doubted whether
they alter for the better. A than may cease to
be the yeoman, without becoming the gentleman.
Superficial '11)11.._;11 often acquired, when the
nature is not intrinsically improved. The hearti-
ness of the cotr-:try disappears, but the politeness
of the capital lags behind." The " Suicide's
Burial" is an affecting story that makes its sure
way to the heart by the simplicity with which it
is narrated. " A Reminiscence of an Irish
Squire" will. please those who are content with
good-humoured mediocrity.