The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-18 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

PENELOPE, OR LOVE'S LABOUR LOST.
London. 1828.

There is some talent and infinite assumption about
this smart supercilious Novel (of which we have
been favored with the earliest copy, the work being
yet unpublished) ; it evinces satirical powers of .ob-
servation, great tact in composition, and much
amusing impudence. But its object is as faulty in !
intention as it is easy. in execution, being nothing
more nor less than a splenetic attempt to run down
the aristocracy by representing them as deficient
in the usual honor, intelligence, and even hu-
manity of our common nature. For this pur-
pose, a patrician triumvirate, the Earl and
Countess of Smatterton and their only son
Lord Spoonbill, are held up throughout the tale to
the reader's most unmitigated ridicule; not so much
as the representatives of one family in particular, as
of the whole aristocratic community. In illustrating
the lights and shadows of these characters, the au-1
thor is perpetually taking an opportunity to hint
that noblemen are not often conjurors—a remark
which leads its to conclude—independently of the
internal evidence afforded by his novel—that the au-
thor himself is no conjuror. There is nothing so
easy as to run down a class by this generalising
system of vituperation : it is as easy as calling law-
yers rogues, physicians death-warrant s,and so forth ; a
man of talent should deal in more original invective. As
for the would-be witty reiteration of the phrase,
" hereditary legislators," it has absolutely no meaning.
Thus much for our author's defects : we turn with
pleasure to the brighter side of the picture. His
novel, as we said above, evinces much smart satire ;
this is particularly the case with his inferior cha-
racters, who, like Kean's bye-play, relieve and keep
lip an interest which would otherwise flag. Of
Honoria Letitia Spoonbill, for instance, -who is in-
troduced to, and dismissed from, notice in the short
space of half a page, we are neatly told that she " was
a maiden lady of some 40, 50 or 60 years, but in whose
cranium the organ of number was so slightly developed,
that she could not say which of theabove numbers came
nearest to the truth." In cursorily alluding to a
certain country lady, who has infinite love for her
parish, and equal respect for nobility, our author slily
informs us that amid all her misfortunes, it was some
comfort for her " to reflect that the great man in
her own parish was an Earl, whereas the great man
in the next parish was only a Baronet." Of a
bachelor, who is disconsolate in single blessedness, and
a great mathematician besides, we are told that he con-
soled himself by reflecting that both Bacon and New-
ton were bachelors." These are minute touches of
character which none but practised observers could
paint. With regard to incident our author is singu-
larly deficient; his meagreness of invention is really
surprising; the plot of his narrative might be
compressed, with great advantage to its interest;
as it turns merely upon the old stale subject of seduc-
tion. Lord Spoonbill, a gay young Cambridge man,
falls in love with the niece of his parish Rector, a
Miss Penelope Primrose ; and after making both
honourable and dishonourable proposals to her,
finds that she has jilted him and bestowed her hand
and heart on the son of a neighbouring clergyman.
This is literally the sum of the main plot, which,
however, is relieved by a variety of subordinate cha-
racters, one of which, an enthusiastic agriculturist,
who discovers that the nation stands every reason-
able chance of being starved to death by a super-
abundance of imported corn—is very felicitously
sketched. Lord Spoonbill, teo, is hit off with
spirit, though not perhaps with justice.
Lord Spoonbill was the only son and heir of the Earl of
Smatterton. At the time of which we are writing, this
promising youth had just finished his education at the Uni-
versity of Cambridge, or snore properly speaking, at the
joint universities of Cambridge and Newmarket ; for the
latter is a kind of essential appendix, or chapel of ease, to
the former. It is indeed, a great piece of neglect, and
grievously impeaching the wisdom of our ancestors, that
Cambridge only of the two universities is blessed by the
vicinity of a race-course ; seeing that our hereditary legis-
lators are in many cases mote timd of applying the know-
ledge which they acquire at Newmarket, than that which
they gain, if it be any at all, at the University of Cam-
bridge ; and if there be any truth in the observation, that
the best kind of education is that which is applicable to
the purposes and pursuits of after-life, then indeed New-
market may be called the better half of Cambridge.—
Lord Spoonbill was not one of those careless young men
who lose at the University what they have gaind at
school ; one reason was, that he had little or nothing to
lose; nor was his Lordship one of those foolish people who
go to a University and study hard to acquire languages
which they never use, and sciences which they never ap-
ply in after-life. His Lordship had sense enough to con-
clude that, as the nobility do not talk Greek, he had no
occasion to learn it ; and as hereditary legislators have no-
thing to do with the exact sciences, it would be a piece of
idle impFrtinence in him to study mathematics. But
his Lordship had heard that hereditary legislators
did occasionally indulge in other pursuit% and for those
pursuits he took especial care to qualify himself. In his
Lordship's cranium, the organ of exclusiveness was strongly
developed. We do not mean that his head was so con-
structed internally, as to exclude all useful furniture, but
that he had a strong sense of the grandeur of nobility and
the inseparable dignity which attaches itself to the privile-
ged orders. The only instances in which he condescended
to persons in inferior rank, were when he was engaged at
the race-course at Newmarket, or when he found that con-
descension might enable hint to fleece some play-loving
plebeian, or when affairs of gallantry were concerned. in
these matters no one could be more condescending than
Lord Spoonbill. We should leave but an imperfect im-
pression on the minds of our readers if we should
omit to speak of his Lordship's outward and visible form.
This was au essential part of himself which he never neg-
lected or forgot ; and it should not be neglected or forgot-
ten by his historian. He was tall and slender, his face
was long, pale and thin, his forehead was narrow, his eyes
large and dull, his nose aquiline, his month wide, his
teeth beautiful white and well formed, and displayed far
arc :
more liberal than many exhibitions in the metropolis which
only
open from ten till dusk.' His lips were thin,
and
anotis of proud
lie
was h
naturally and whiskers were tremendously thick. Of his person
justly proud. Who ever possessed
such
aurperrson t
t r erasct exdifferentdifferent order; -it de-
scribes the death-bed of Doctor Greendale, a worthy
man and sturdy polemic (a sort of regenerated Doc-
tor Primrose), and uncle to the heroine of the tale.
Cord Spoonbill hastened to time room into which the
patient had been removed. When he entered the apart-
ment, he saw by the light of one dim candle, and a re-
cently •
l'indled fire, the figure of Dr. Greendale sitting in
an easy chair, in a state of apparent insensibility, and on
one side of him sat :qrs. Greendale, grasping his hand
with convulsive eagerness, and looking anxiously on his
still and frozen features : how like and how unlike what he
was ! On the other side Penelope was kneeling, holding
him also by the hand, and hiding her face, that its expres-
sion of deep feeling might not needlessly distress her aunt.
Gentle sobbings were heard, and the hard breathings of
the death-stricken man. his Lordship stood for a few se-
conds as if rivetted to the spot where his eye first caught
the sight of the melancholy group. Mrs.-Greendale first
noticed the presence of a stranger, and recognised his Lord-
ship, who then advanced with slow anti gentle step towards
the sick man, and silently took the hand of Mrs. Greendale,