The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-01 00:00:00

BENTLEY.

The " Coroner's Clerk" seems to delight in scenes
possessed of a thrilling and terrible interest ; his
" note-book" this month, in addition to its fictitious
reminiscences of crime, contains a chapter on the
recent Stanfield-hall murders, which, without doubt,
will form the most attractive portion of its contents.
Among the poetical contributions to Bentley is a
legend of Aix—" The Dyer and the Dominican,"
which vividly recals to us the glorious lays of
Thomas Ingoldsby. This writer's style is more
finished and elaborate than the careless, dashing, spon-
taneous versification of Barham, but equally em-
phatic, and almost equally delightful. The subject-
matter of this legend is not particularly attractive,
and is, moreover, an " old story," with fiction-
writers—the " Dyer" being jealous of the "Domini-
can," his wife's confessor, but the manner of the nar-
rative renders it most amusing. The continual
variations in the metre, the occasional Hudibrastic
rhymes, and the ridiculously happy metaphors by
which it is characterised keep the reader's attention
continually excited, and his risible muscle in full
play. The legend is prefaced with the following
exordium, which, while apologising for the unsancti-
fied portrait of the Dominican, contains, unfortu-
nately, too much truth .
" Though the Church has produced, and continues to
grow

For the flock, many pious divines, high and low,
Sill the mass of mankind, notwithstanding their lore,
Will continue as bad, if not worse, than before.

E'en our Protestant pastors are, seemingly bent
On dismissing their sheep to the fold of Dissent,
For 'twixt cursing the Pope and a leaning to Rome,
All assist in producing schismatics at home,
Thus enacting the part of the tipsy boats' crew,
Who, disputing their course, and from whence the wind

blew,
Pulled against one another, astern and a-head
Until " Davy Jones" tucked them all quiet in bed.
Our priest, be it known (though we fear that he'll prove
Not a little remiss in his labour of love),
Could point out the true path to each wandering elf ;
Though he failed, strange to say, to pursue it himself;
Yet his Church he abused not, nor slandered a brother,
But enjoined perfect charity one to another,
In condemning his crimes, which will clearly be shown,
Gentle reader, be just, and remember your own."
The legend then commences by introducing to us
the " Dyer" Mority Sterne :

" Mority Sterne was a dyer of Aix-la-Chapelle,
Where he dyed for his living, and chronicles tell,
That he stuck to his colours remarkably well."
One of the most ludicrous passages in the poem is
the comparison of Madame Sterne's grief, when her
husband has acquainted her with a misfortune that
has befallen him, to a ship in a storm. The continued
succession of similes, so incongruous, and yet appro-
priate, renders the passage most ridiculous and
effective :

" At the terrible tale
Over her beam-ends she went like a ship in a gale,
Sorrow's pumps worked so hard that they seemed to be
choked,
Ana her canvas was drenched by the brine they evoked;
Not the aid of a consort' could render relief.
But she righted at last by discharging her grief.
When the tempest had ta'en a more prosperous turn,
She came round with her head and saluted her Stern."
This legend-writer will, doubtless, prove one of the
most amusing contributors to Bentley. The " Way-
side Pictures through France, Belgium, and Ger-
many," are continued; one of the most interesting
chapters of which recals the perilous adventures of
the Duchess de Berri. " Professor Bungle's Victim,"
gives an amusing account of an unsuccessful attempt
of two amateur artists to take a plaster-cast of the
head of a victimised friend. The nervous anxiety of
Professor Bungle, and the execrable gaucherie of his
unskilful assistant are most happily pourtrayed.
Sylvanus continues his sketches of the "By-lanes and
Downs of England," with their turf-scenes and charac-
ters. One of the " characters" here introduced is a
convivial host, whose importunate hospitality is almost
as appalling as was that of the Grand-Duke of Schoss-
Johannisberg, from which Vivian Grey had so much
difficulty in escaping. " A Cruise in a Slaver,"
"The Cellini Cup," "The Happy Valley; or the Emi-
grant's Home"—a glimpse of Kafirland by Mrs.
Ward, &c. &c., and a variety of interesting literary
criticisms fill up the remaining pages of Bentley, for
March. Among the poems, The Ideals," trans-
lated from Schiller, is rendered peculiarly interesting
by the recent publication of the German poet's
familiar correspondence. His apostrophe to Friend-
ship, and his eulogium on Employment in this poem
will be especially appreciated by all who have had the
pleasure of perusing the correspondence of Schiller
and Korner.