The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-01 00:00:00

-MAGAZINE -DAY..

L A CK TV 0 ( MAGAZINE.
The Life and Times of Cicero--a tempting theme
for a seholar—forms the subject of the first article in this Number. From certain peculiarities of thought,
its Well as,,from• the ripe and ready scholarship it
levinces; we feel disposed to attribute this eloquent and
agacious article to the pen of Mr..De Quincey, whose
arning, instead of oppressing, acts as a stimulus and a
telpe.elPr:l:l:lieisdstnoeLls
at Dr.
We could have spared, how-
Dr. Middleton's Life of the illus-
irfts Roman orator, which is unquestionably the
possess, notwithstanding its strong, deter-
lims in favour even of the weaknesses of Cicero.
ue tle Quincey will not easily induce his readers to
,—,, ede to him that Dr. Middleton wasbut an inferior
th-etolar, for his brief but masterly criticisms on the au-
tt who immediately succeeded Tully, and his stric-
-I:res on their several styles, which occur—if we remem-
,,er rightly—in one of the closing chapters of his work,
s-„3„tablisiliheyond all possibility of cavil, his claims to
nd scholarghip, so far at least as Latin literature is
rarucerned. The writer's remark that Cicero's
whole
trutire had been adapted to purposes of ostentation" is
eto the letter. Never was there a public man
self:e greedy of popular applause ; of more inordinate
pa conceit, which was second only to his thirst for
v.41'1°1.1,41 aggrandisement or more showy and theatri-
e his tastes. He never allowed his mind to be
„e° in its deshabille. Even in his most familiar let-
I's to h. most intimate friends one may constantly
detect his love of studied effects. In fact he was a
thagnificent egotist, and in his vanity and ambition—
life tUO master passions that swayed him through
.earerninds us of Lord Chatham. The " Royal
cin.lle4l3''' is a judicious notice of some of the
tee%; Paintings in the recent Exhibition. r e per-
is a
" ."3' agree with the critic that Mr. Maclise's Hamlet
,
" aited ungentlemanly ruffian who never would have
in kilfor. the play, but would have taken a pleasure
ter, i'mg the King on mere suspicion." The charac-
th: ndeed, is much too exaggerated, and conveys not
thoislightest idea of the vacillating, thoughtful, melan-
e'n°tio nee of Shakspere, whose very outbreaks of
~laare of a comparatively subdued nature. The
-`et of Mr. Maclise, unless our recollection deceive
tho
lis all spasm and convulsion. " Caleb Stukely"
titet,3 all
power of vigorous writing. The
the `'" Of the winter-day, in the opening passages of
by •,,Present chapter, would have delighted Morland
tics true, homely touches, so like one of his truthful
landscapean painting. " Lines upon Letters" is
John' ant poem by Mr. Simmons, founded on Dr.
thb -B°4's quaint remark on his deathbed, " An odd
Rraught strikes me ; we shall receive no letters in the
tlaenvt,, On this text the writer has penned an elo-
Pied ' discourse. The " World of London" is °mu-
Peele, usual, with some of the most remarkable
Reou;.. sof the Modern Babylon. "Touches of
at Et re nature," says the author, A are to be met with
Ive ileral• The artificial is thrown aside ; the mask
tfr, ',t,wear in the business and pleasure of life falls
the 'his is sometimes the case, but not often. In
lituege,nerality of instances a London funeral is
oeil better than a mere formal, routine sere-
r 3't;.l Where long faces are purposely cultivated
sense e °ccasion, not from sentiment, but from a
Mutes °I conventional propriety. Mourners, like
theare triste as a matter of business, and
Patlic„eart has little to do with their show of
attt the There are exceptions of course to this rule,
be eY are by no means of frequent occurrence.
ou ATenrcl of the Pyramids" is a truculent criticism
i
this Edmund Reade's recently published poem o.
Nteele. Christopher North here shoulders his
the with infinite agility, and lets it drop on
tas he
e'R— of the unhappy bard with an ern-
-1: sufficient to occasion a compound fracture.
ever is no probability," observes Christopher, "that
in .; should have thought again about the author,
ktr4 "e Sun newspaper, of May 9, we had not been
peted to him under the article of ' Literature, Ste.
the ',e),?°rd of the Pyramids: We should have thought
Peruse"tim a severe one, -had we not been induced to
%ea the poem, the preface, and the notes. We
Siiihaelumwledged the leniency of the reviewer in
'airth,-g, no quotations from the poetry." We cer-
' nave some right to pique ourselves on our
ietleY towards Mr. Reade, for his " Record of
ttls 37111:aids," with its pompous, methodical corn-
tkpla its gross anachronisms, halting versifica-
,‘Zu
desperate insubordination to the respectable
'or rill of Priscian, offered a most tempting theme
ti 4,:
1-"ellic,_ which we only restrained out of corn-
ts°lll to the author, who had, somewhere spoken of
6elf as a martyr to ill-health. " Passages in
dlicarcer of El Empecinado," the famous Spanish
grip of fortune, who distinguished himself so highly
t
the French invasion of the Peninsula, is full
tf4 t'entie interest. We quote a spirited account
11)417, enterprising adventurer's hair-breadth escape
,Th; ?Panish prison :--
.
i 11ffetit'eayde' or jailer, was lolling in a large well-
t'wyer tirnl-chair and opposite to him was. seated the
aPpointed to conduct Diez's prosecution. n a
‘ltillitt'Lle.between them were. placed glasses and a
dielv()'"eb-covered bottle, with the contents of which
worthies were solacing themselves, while
.they
k 14141 the all-absorbing topic of the day,- the trial of
ittlik 1)
ne ~7inadns;o, and its probable, or rather certain re-
afte lass was emptied of the oily oldXerex
hilt the lawv rg
and er rehearsed his. speech, the jailer found
tin the box lasedsentence, until, step by step, and be-
in and so, out, the Empecinado had, in imagina-
the"Piti, 'gewhat prematurely, been condemned,. placed
lawyer e°nfessed and led out 'to execution. Just. as
I•Ti,i`v: conjecturing how he he would look with the
tapped at the door.
tp,4denr;,,nec.k, some pn
rartt,,,e: cried the jailer, and Cambea made his
IY:leg%?tetileaNde," said he, " the. eorregidor is at the
and desires to speak with you."
he o.ne side the. bottle and glasses, the jailer
pas receive eive the Chief Magistrate of the town, but
I'44qt) 'enthrough the door behind_ which the Em-
111,P, with ,":1 concealed, the latter made a sort of buck
f.etters upon his feet, and grappled him
h J'? Seized him by the hair with his left hand,
tit„,.4ll;ite 117's right clutehing. his throat so as nearly to
tf th, tn, • At the same time Cambea threw. himself.
and Lawyer, whose head he muffled in his own
tIY t on, taking him up in his arms, carried him
the ,Pll°T;-: Empeeinado's cell, and there locked him.
lilkpolileei:etnrning to the assistance of Diez, they tied
dr h'Nhi hands, and, putting a gag in his. mouth,
also ill the dungeon. The next thing to .be
itil„%oqt; ° lid the Empecinado of his manacles, which
ja-ilaeScomprished by means of riveting tools found
tot the room.
."„;111tij had as yet only surmounted a part of their
e „It'll(' much remained to be done before they
tf-mti,the44-z:er themselves in safety. It is true, they
pri,t. 8, and could unlock the door and. walk, out
githlers „n, but the streets were swarming with French
aitbtle,"lrough whom they would have to run the.
14" s ueetsf°re getting out of the town. To do this
iv, 44d uance of detection, they returned. to the dun;
4tlvr , taking the clothes off its present inmates, pu
tthh.emselves. Cambea took possession of the
as t 7, hitr,_e-cornered hat, and Diez of that of the al-
Ten arranging their cloaks in such a manner
itof the at the greater part of their faces, they walked
Nh'rtlipr„PriOcipal gate of the prison, carefully shutting
,-"loted passed unsuspected through the French
t1in,4144-; guard.- Fortunately, as it was the hour of
Itrk4ll,ret,ei. 411 the town's-people were in the church, and
15Etc,„'M th,l t°ok no notice of the two fugitivos a.s they
attido°4ll.lll the streets with grave and deliberate
leOlitiea..„iy avoiding any appearance of haste, lest
i"h,,su to detection.
1411 th„,"ganner they had nearly got out of the town,
Oo'3, c",„ Perceived an orderly dragoon holding two
titiy-4'.dled and bridled, at the door of a house, ap-
',,rl;;,ki,„:l,\i'lditi.ng for some officer of rank who was about
The Empecinado had found in a pocket
1)111'llt sr,;)wed garments a box, full of that excessively
th.vtYint,-ufts,called in Spain the encarnado de losfrayletso.
Oldie' the contents into his hand, he walked up
of
11,,h:ii "'lg asked to be directed to the quarters _
s%‘;4lliii,erba e°lllmanding. While the man was answer
iez threw the snuff in his face and eyes, and,
41htli1('`I isaelnak, gave him a buffet that stretched him,
411(i'ir4A,4111;blitided, upon the ground. Then, seizing
t'l4tl. Ord, he sprang upon the officer's horse, and_
issiar4"tltr'lluellting that of the dragoon, they succeeded
‘vh h. town gate unchallenged.
101 th," nut been clear of the town five minutes,
WitY heard trumpets sounding and drums beating
11
and
their was covere
trloq 'fiht . scion the road in rear
kt the e4Valry in hot pursuit. But their horses were.
ktiqt4 the,start they had was sufficient, and they speedily
it
twin
ii"untains. Three days afterwards the Ent
heaP rejoined Matiano Fuentes, and was again
of his band.
AV .0z
TLEY'S MISCELLANY.
ter
114r()al)teiv;'\ Irs• Butler will be induced to continue
to Pres °f her travels in the United States, for
ent 0 •
111 ,p rtion, describing "A Winter's Journey
4eh la, is
tkilv kilt, exceedingly entertaining, and evinces
th(, of Pess of observation, and minute and lively
titt 1:411 of turertt,ailli. According to this. lady's account,
4ullee_; e nig with comfort is yet in its infancy
thh`r'siirQd 'and- Speed of locomotion is always to
qi ap --comfort seldom, if ever. Indeed, Joisa-
45eii 15ars to h ' :41)te:mstihe
toi,theave no notion of this luxury, so in-
happiness—nay, to the very exist-
kil4ges ,(11 till- He travels on execrable railroads, in
\\if °tlotts. closely shut-up that the atmosphere is quite
11'3 thr,eaatt ties full speed across tumble-down bridges,
44,1eqUally en every instant to give way, and precipitate
da3he, crazy vehicle into the deep waters beneath,
helter-skelter, over half-formed roads,
with helter-skelter, an agreeably
(11. Pools logs, ddiversified with
.tit nlore " d loose, quaking bogs. But what
te:was )articularly to have annoyed our fair tra-
heat Zi_x?e di hard filth of some of the way-side
Nsce 'Pleb e was compelled to put up. In
di tell "aPPenin to
rt sus g want a towel, "I was obliged,"
th blao_' tu waiton the stairs, and catch one of the
fc,t4l)reak,' girls who were running to and fro, serving
t tut ro_
tit s, "14'• Upon asking one of these nymphs apt the held up to me a horrible cloth, which,
tee hr, evidence to the contrary which their filthy
the'l'll4(3t4C:l'esZ I should have supposed had been
liptineed e floors.mes Upon my objecting to this,
EtWaYI disgusted, I presume, with my fas
'' and appeared no more." The breakfast, in

its way, was not less original and characteristic than
the towel.. " There were some eggs all begrimed with
smoke, and powdered with cinders ; some unbaked
dough, cut into little lumps by way of bread,
and a white hard substance calling itself butter,
which had an.infinitel v, nearer resemblance to tallow.
The mixture presented to us by way of tea, was ab-
solutely undrinkable ; and when I begged for a glass
of milk, they brought a tumbler covered with dust
and dirt, full of such sour stuff, that I was obliged to
put it aside !" , Encouraging facts these, for an
English gentlemen who may happen to fancy a tour
through the United States ! We subjoin Mrs. But-
ler's narrative of her chance introduction to a veteran
American patriot, who had fought with Washington
in the famous struggle for independence :
It was now becoming twilight, and :he male members
of our caravan held council round a pine fire as to what
course had better be adopted for sheltering- themselves
and us, during the night, which we deemed destined to
pass in the woods. After some debate, it was recollected
that one Colonel —, a man of some standing in that
neighbourhood, had a farm about a n'ile distant imme-
diately upon the line of the railroad, and thither
it was determined we should all repair, and ask
quarters for the night. Fortunately, an empty
baggage-car, or rather a mere platform upon wheels
(for it was nothing more), stood at hand upon the iron
road, and to this the luggage, and the women and'
children of the party, were transferred. A number of
negroes, who were loitering about, were pressed into the
service, and puShed it along, and the gentlemen, walking,
brought up the rear. I cron't know that I ever in my
life felt so completely desolate as during that half. hour's
Slow progress. We sat cowering among the trunks, my
faithful M-- and I, each with a baby in our arms,
sheltering ourselves and our poor little burdens from the
bleak northern wind that whistled over us. The last
embers of daylight were dying out in dusky red streaks
along the horizon, and the dreary waste around us
looked like the very shaggy edge of all creation. The
men who pushed us along encouraged each other with
wild shouts and yells, and every now and then their
labour was one of no little danger, as well as difficulty
—for the road crossed one or two deep ravines and
morasses at a considerable height, and, as it was not
completed, and nothing but the iron rails were laid
across piles driven into these places, it became a set--
vice of considerable risk to run along these narrow
ledges, at the same time urging our car along. No
accident happened, however, fortunately, and we pre-
sently beheld, with no small satisfaction, a cluster of
houses in the fields at some little distance from the road.
To the principal one I made my way, followed by the rest
of the poor womankind, and, entering the house without
further ceremony, ushered them into a large species of
wooden room, where blazed a huge pine-wood fire. By
this welcome light we descried, sitting in the corner of
the Vast chimney, an old ruddy-faced man, with silver
hair,' and a good-humoured countenance, who, wel-
coming us with ready hospitality, announ3ed himself as
Colonel —, and invited us to draw near the fire. The
worthy Colonel seemed in no way dismayed at this
iudden inbreak of distressed women, which was very
soon followed by the arrival of the gentlemen, to
whom he repeated the same courteous reception he had
given us, replying to their rather hesitat;ng demandi
for something to eat, by ordering to the right and
left a tribe of staring negroes, who bustled
about preparing supper, under ,the active superin-
tendence of the hospital Colonel. His residence
(considering his rank) was. quite the most primitive
imaginable,—a rough brick-and-plank chamber of con-
siderable dimensions, not even whitewashed, and the
great beams and rafters by which it was supported dis-
playing the skeleton of the building, .to the complete
satisfaction of any one who might be curious in archi-
tecture. The windows could close neither at the top,
bottom, sides, nor middle, and were, besides, broken so
as to admit • several delightful currents of air, which
might be received as purely accidental. In one corner
of this primitive apartment stood an exceedingly clean-
looking bed, with coarse furniture, whilst in the opposite
one, an old case-clock was ticking away its time and its
master's, with cheerful monotony. The rush-bottomed
chairs were of as many different shapes and sizes, as
those in modern fine lady's drawing-room, and the walls
were hung all round a ith a curious miscellany, consist-
ing principally of physic phials, turkey-feather fans,
bunches of dried herbs, and the Colonel's arsenal, in the
shape of one or two old guns, &c. According to the
worthy man's hearty invitation, I proceeded to make
myself and my companions at home, pinning, skewering,
and otherwise suspending our cloaks and shawls across
the various intentional and unintentional air-gaps,
thereby increasing both the comfort and the grotesque-
ness of the apartment in no small degree. The babies
had bowls of milk furnished them, and, the elder portion
of the caravan was regaled with a taste of the Colonel's
home-made wine, pending the supper, to which he con-
tinued to entreat our stay. Meantime he entered into
conversation with my husband ; and my veneration
waxed deep, when' the old man, unfolding his history,
proclaimed himself one of the heroes of the revolution—
a fellow-fighter with Washington.
"Guy's Cliff Mill" is a pleasing descriptive poem
by Mr. Jones. " The Absent Manager" is an agree-
able, conversational record of 'the eccentricities of a
provincial lessee by name Thornton, who, like the
well-known Mr. George Burnet, once put on four
shirts, one over the other, in pure absence of mind.
This infirmity, by the bye, is by no means confined to
managers or authors, for there is scarcely a West-
end tailor who has not at least a dozen absent-
minded men of fashion among his debtors. " Nar-
rative of an Expedition down, the Thames" is a pas-
sable article, which is the, utmost praise we can
accord it. " Notes of an-Overland Journey to Ken-
nington" has nothing ingenious or amusing about it
but its title. The "Barber of Beaulieu" is a story
told in places with considerable energy, but the
leading incident—namely, that of a barber shaving
the Devil is derived from the late Doctor
Macnish's clever story of the " Barber of
Gottingen," which apeared some years since in
Blackwood's Magazine. " A ViSit to the Bank of
France " is a paper which' will amuse all classes
of readers. In the present chapters of " Richard
Savage;" we find the hero on his trial at the Old
Bailey for murder. The passing reference to Page,
the Judge, is true to history. Pope and Johnson
have both spoken of this intemperate lawyer as he is
here pourtrayed. " Epsom Downs" is a highly
diverting article, in which there are several terse and ,
racy sketches of character. Indeed, as a whole, the
Number is an excellent one, and the numerous clever
and humorous'embellishments with which it is illus-
trated, add greatly to.its attraction.