The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-23 00:00:00

LITERATURr.

The Beggar's Benison; or a Ilero without a Name,
but with an Aim. A Clydesdale Story. Illustrated
by upwards of 300 amateur pen-and-ink sketches'
Two vols. Cassell, Potter, and Galpin.
This book, with its serio-comic grotesque illus.-,
trations, takes its stand upon that narrow and pre-
carious limit which exists between the sublime and
the ridiculous. On first opening the book, and
casting a cursory glance at its very profuse and,
in some instances, preposterous illustrations, we
are inclined to regard it as an amusing feu
d'esprit simply intended to be looked at and
laughed at, and cast aside—but on a closer examina-
tion we find the story has a cogency and character
which give it interest, and the sketches (although
some of them utterly absurd) have at all events
purpose, and are occasionally enlivened by no small
degree of humour. The story opens in the Goose'
dubbs of Glasgow some time in the last century, and
the picture of life in that dismal locality (so graphi-
cally described by the Shepherd in the Noctes) is
very effective. The first 'event which occurs vividly to
the remembrance of the hero, who is his own
annalist, is sufficiently momentous. The earliest
recollection of his melancholy childhood finds him 3
little ragged child, with his little step-sister cower-
ing over a wretched fire in a miserable den in the
Goosedubs ; his mother and step-father complete
the party. By. the orders of this dreadful
father the children are hurried off to bed,
ere the arrival of a certain brother burglar
with whom he is about to depart on some expedi."
tion of iniquity. Fortune, for a time, favours the
ad tenture ; the next day plenty and rejoicing take
the place of starvation and care. A crowd of
suitable companions congregate to carouse, and an
old beldame pronounces a prophetic "Benison" upon
the young hero. Very soon the scene changes.
to the dead of the night the officers of justice
arrive, and , the elders of the party are carried off
to prison. All these incidents, and the yet more
startling ones that follow, .are described with COn"
siderable interest and ability.' The hapless children
wander about the streets. One of the most effective
illustrations is that which reveals their meeting in
the dark night with their mother, just liberated front
prison. The scene at the gallows, which is very
vividly portrayed, is full of horror, but, the writer
assures us, full of truth. We do not propose to fol-
low the varied fortunes and misfortunes of the hero.
His sailor father, supposed to be dead, returns from
sea, and after many troubles, his worldly prospects
improve. But as he rises in the social scale we lose
our sympathy for the hero. Prosperity turns his
head and hardens his heart. His conduct
to his father and mother is so outrageous that
we cannot but regard the sequel of the story as
contrary to all the rules of poetical justice. Ne
Beggar's Benison could bring good luck to one se
utterly oblivious of the Commandment with Pro-
mise. Nevertheless—however we may disapprove
of the conduct of the hero without a name—we have
been sufficiently interested in the story, and hope,
again to meet with the writer, who has evidenced
considerable power and ability in his characters On
descriptions.