The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-01 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

MAGAZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE

t The critical notice of Calderon's dramas, which
i was commenced in the last Number, is resumed in
the present one ; and is accompanied by translations
in rhytne, from the Spanish dramatist's comedy of
the .‘ Goblin Lady." These translations are cxe-
euted with spirit and elegance, and we are willing,
to believe that they are accurate. The article is
\ written after the manner of the popular "Harm
Germanicac —possibly, it is the production of the
stime author—which so long graced the pages of
Maga. " Sir Walter Scott at the Tomb of the
Stuarts in St. Peter's,".is a poem from the pen of
Mr. R. M. Milnes, who states in a note that time
circumstance on which it is founded, fell under his
own personal observation. We have been struck
with three stanzas, in which a fine thought has
found adequate expression :
" There lie the Stuarts 1 There is Walter Scott
Strange congress of illustrious thoughts and things !
A plain old moral, still too oft forgot,
The power of genius and the fall of kings.
The curse on lawless wi:l high planted there,
A beacon to the world, shines not for him ;
Ile is with those who felt their life was sere,
When the large love of loyalty grew dim.
He rests his chin upon a sturdy staff,
Historic as that sceptre, theirs no more ;
His gaze is fixed ; his thirsty heart can quaff
For a abort hour the spirit-draughts of yore."

" Goethe's Life and Works" is somewhat tedious.
We have now had quite enough of this German
poet—unless, indeed, some new feature in his cha-
racter should be discovered. " Thoughts on Asses"
is a clever bit of gossip. We agree with the writer
that.donkeys are a most unjustly calumniated class
of animals. There are many interesting associa-
tions connected with them, that should raise them
hi the estimation of every humane and thinking
person. It was an ass, that by his timely braying,
saved the throne of Laken, King of Siam ; an ass,
j according to the Koran, is to sound the trumpet of
the resurrection ; and it was on an ass that the Sa-
viour rode into Jerusalem. Then think of Sancho's
Dapple; to say nothing of Sterne's "-Dead Ass,"
and Peter Bell's sagacious living one ! The
i author thus takes up the cud gels on behalf of
donkeys : _
" We should like to know by what right YEsop, and
___ . .. . ....

Gay, and all the fablemongers,from Jotham upwards,
have o.':.hed upon one unhappy animal, and made him
a mock, zsnd a byword, and a laughing-stock for all
succeeding generations to crack their " fool-born jests"
upon. Now, in a goose there really is something ridi-
culous ;—his very waddle is vain-glorious ; he stretches
out his head, and elevates its antipodes with all the
pride of a peacock ; his hiss is most superlatively self-
, complacent and contemptuous—it is eloquent of irre-
pressible misanthropy ; a child can see through his pre-
tension to dignity ; his folly breaks out in the very
means which he takes to hide it. But an ass ; pshaw !
th ere is no deceit about an ass ;—he stands before us
even' as nature made him, rough, homely, and honest ;
he pretends not to beauty which he does not possess ;
he makes no ostentatious display of his sagacity ; he
is content to slip through existence as peaceably and
silently as we wilt let him ; he wants but little, and he
gets it ; he ears teach R 2 many lessons as the ant, and
be finds, if possible, fewer dizciples. Yes ! the world
may sneer as it likes, ;Jut an ass is no fool ; we rather
take him for a philosopher. How many requisites for
greatness does he not possess ? Urge him, scold him,
Wet him, kick him—the Man of Uz himself was not
n; ore enduring ! He looks at you all the while, as
much S.S to say, " I can't help it, so you must go on as
long i s you please, though you must be aware this
sort of treatment isn't, by any means, gentlemanlike.'
Does he tb el it repugnant to the dictates of his conscience
to take some particular course ? only observe his un-
swerving strengt!.h of purpose."
" Hints on History" is a useful, well-seasoned
essay, of a fragmentary character, and furnishes us
with a new view of the famous priest, Thomas a.
Beckett, of Canterbury. " Ten Thousand a Year"
improves considerably. The Seeti2 where the arro-
gant, purse-proud linen-draper, Tag-rag, repents
of his brutality to Titmouse, when he learns that
that ingshnous youth is heir to ten thousand pounds
per annum, is a clever satirical portrait, dashed
off, freely and boNly, from the life.

--- -
BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.
Mr. Ainsworth here commences hie new work of
fiction, "Guy Fawkes," to niiich we have not the
same objection that we have to his " Jack Shep-
pard ;" for the subject is a legitimate one, and such
as affords numerous and striking materials for ro-
mince. The author, who seems wedded to what
he, no doubt, thinks is an effective opening, corn-
menceß with an execution at Manchester, some of
the details of which are graphically enough pour.
trayed. We hope, however, he will not be too
profuse of scenes of blood, but allow his readers
occasional repose. The portion of the present
chapters which has most pleased us, is the brief,
tt rse, and energetic account of the state of the Ca-
ti,,, lie party at the period when Guy Fawkes was
iu the flesh." The " Letter-Bag of the Great
contains some amusing points, but the
Weste.'n"
letters Are a little too long—especially that from
the Stoke." whose perverse spelling becomes at
,
length something of a bore. The "Whiskey" is a
serious, intelligent paper. We should he glad to
see more of this sort in the Misce;!any. " Starilay
Thorn" opens with infinite spirit, and is worthily
illustrated by George Cruikshank. The " Macaw"
is a sprightly sketch by Alfred Crowquill. We
quote a portion of an amusing incident in Stanley
Thorn. The kro, we should premise, is a boy at
Eton, who has An invincible horror of being
flogged :
" Now it happened a short time after this affair that
..Tolliffe, one of his most intimate companions, was
ilt,gged. The cause was very trifling, and the effect was
not very severe ; but, independently of the extreme in-
delicacy of the process—and it ;really is very indelicate
—the degradation struck Stanley with so much force,
that ho at once resolved to manifest his abhorrence of
this vile and disgusting species of punishment in a way
which could not be mistaken.

" He accordingly conferred with his companions on
the subject ; and as they were equally anxious for the
abolition of that species of punishment,contending very
naturally, and very properly, that it ought at any rate
to be confined to mere children, it was eventually re-
solved that they should get up a show of rebellion, than
which at that period nothing could be more easy.
" Stanley was chosen their leadq, and they certainly
c quid not have elected a more experienced hand. He
set to work as usual at once, and in earnest, Harry
pure.liased an owl, which bore some resemblance to the
then :,ord Chief Justice, a dozen lively sparrows, aria
an infinite variety of fislatinating balls, it was arranged
that ho hi.caself should take the management of his inte-
resting ornit'hological curiosity ; that Joliffe, Fox, and
Villiers should' each have the command of four spar-
rows : and that io Howard and Cholmondeley should
be entrusted the diN:ribution of the fulminating balls.
A certain evening was ised upon for thp commencement
of the rebellion, and they took esperiat care that their
plumed troop should go to work as hungry wibrssible.
" Well, the evening came, and the consiotratoks at
the usual hour marched into school. There stood the
revered Doctor with all the gravity at his coalman'',
whit,. the various masters respectively sported a corre-
spondog aspect of solemnity. The signal was given ;
a buzziLlsc was heard—a buzzing to which the whole
school list,' long been accustomed, the process being
known as that of booing the master.
.4 • Silence!' cried the Doctor, who really scorned to
anticipate a storm ; .hut the buzzing continued, and gra-
dually increased until indeed it appeared to be abso-
lutely universal.

-. . I'll flog the first boy I (;sc.Aver,' said the Doctor,
who held it, by virtue of some si;.`linge and inscrutable
perversion of 3udgment, to be disgrat.l4l.ll.
The buzzing, however, continued t.. 0 increase ; and
it may be stated, as a most extraordim:ry fact, that
although the lynx-eyed Doctor looked in .every ditez.-
tion with really unexampled intensity and mii:uteness.
not one of the rebels was be able to detect. \Vltat
wade it, tinder the circumstances, still more remarkat,.'e
was, that they all seemed at that particular period to be
studying with unprecedented zeal.
" . Silence !' egain shouted the Doctor. " I'll punish
the whole school:' And he really did feel very angry
at that moment. Just as he was solemnly promulgat-
ing something having reference to the highly unpopular
process of taking away their holidays, which seemed to
be generally understood and appreciated, Stanley. wit,
all due gravity, drew the Lord Chief Justice from his
pocket, and having given him an impetus in the perfect
similitude of a pinch of the tail, allowed his Lordship at
once to take wing."

FRAZER'S MAGAZINE.
There is an entertaining' desultory sort of paper
in the present Number, entitled " Preface to our
Second Decade," in which literature, politics, criti-
cism," &L.. arc so mixed up together, as to form a
very relishing hodge-podge. The writer of this
medley indulges in sundry vaticinations respecting
the advent of the Tories to power ; and, frankly
and boldly enough, warns them that if they hope to
continue at the head of affairs they must be pre-
pared to catty matters with a high hand. This
rather a rash vaticination, for the Tories are as far
• distal, t as ever from the promised land of office,
'c flowing with milk and honey," though they ima-
tgine they have got a Mount Pisgah view of it.
- .

"My Irish Tutorship," is a lively story, con-
tinued from a former Number. " Recollections of
Germany" contain one or two pleasant descriptions
—more particu!arly of Potsdam, and the palace of
Sans Souci. " Constantinople" gives us as vivid
and minutean account as we have lately met with of
this famous city. " Sonnets prophetical of Civil
Dudgeon" are from the pen of Sir Morgan O'Do-
herty. They are replete with fun and humour;
but we protest against their political tone. We
have no space for extract. •