The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-01 00:00:00

BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.

Notwithstanding the want of freshness and novelty
An the subject, the remarks on the " Life and Songs
of Anacreon" will be read with interest, for the
writer's heart is with his theme, and he insensibly
carries his readers along with him. What we chiefly
admire in his essay, is its light, conversational charac-
ter ; there is no formal pedantry about it ; no at-
tempt to show off classical information; the observa-
tions are such as easily and naturally rise out of the
subject. As respects the translations, they are ju-
dicious and tolerably faithful, more Anacreontic than
Moore's, but not so much as Cowley's. But it is dif-
ficult—we might almost say impossible—for any
English version to give an adequate idea of the origi-
nal Greek. How tamely shows the " Medea" of
Euripides in the languid, prosy, paraphrastic transla-
tion of Potter ! And who can venture to say that he
knows aught of Homer, after perusing the " Iliad"
by Pope ? The cursory remarks on water-drinking
are amusing, but, seriously considered, do not apply
to poets, not a few). whom have been awful water-
drinkers—Southey,: ► instance, and Wordsworth,
and Cowper, and many others that we could men-
tion. " Richard Savage "is fuller of stirring incident
this month than usua_. The details of the death of
Sinclair are given with terseness and vigour. " A
Chapter on Beards " i s suggested by the writer's re-
collection of his first shave. The theme is inge-
niously treated, but a little more breadth of humour
would not have been amiss. In the " Great Eagle,"
the writer, who signs himself " A Man about Town,"
sketches the physical and mental peculiarities of a
half-savage Englishman, who for nearly twenty years
had been located in the American back-woods, and
been adopted into one of the numerous Red Indian
tribes. On his return to his native- country, he be- I
came a regular visitor at Oftley, in Henrietta-
street, where the writer was frequently in the habit
of meeting with him, together with divers other two-
legged curiosities. 'The " Great Eagle"--for such
was the only appellation to which he would conde-
scend to answer—was, of course, a famous hand at
the war-whoop, and the Indian war-dance, and on
one occasion absolutely frightened his landlord into
fits, by taking out his scalping-knife, bounding
towards him with a shrill whoop, and making it ap-
pear that he was bent on his utter annihilation.
" Precautionary Measures" shows the folly of being
over-cautious in one's actions, as is duly instanced in
the case of an Englishman in India, who, having his
imagination full of serpents, tigers, &c., was so need-
lessly on his guard against them, that
in his
fancy-
ing he had been stung while sleeping his bed by
a venomous snake, he jumped up and cut out the
part
diately afterwards that it was merely a small, harm-
less lizard that had crawled over his naked arm.
" John Bull in Tartary" is from the practised pen of
Mr. Morier who, as most of our readers
_know, is at
home in the East. The story regards the adventures
of an Englishman who found his way, by some means
or other, to a Tartar camp, where he was hospitably
received, and requited the Khan's hospitality by walk-
ing off with his favourite daughter. " The French
Cook" relates the well-known anecdote of Vatel, who
destroyed himself, like an ancient Roman, with his
sword—it should have been with his spit—because
the turbots intended for the dinner of LouaiessctohleepoFafontiiiherde-
teenth had not arrived in time ! `` Robins picking
up the Crumbs" is a quizzical allusion, accompanied
with appropriate wood-cuts, to the late a
Strawberry Hill knick-knacks and curiosities. Tom
Ingoldsby's description of " The Devil's Dinner-
party" is one of his best and most fantastic legends.
Sir Guy Scrope, a grim old English Baron, having
invited some friends to dine with him, and being an-
noyed at their want of punctuality, exclaims, in a
pet, " the devil take the dinner," whereupon the fol-
lowing incident occurs :
In p, terrible fume
He bounced out of the room,
He bounced out of the house—and page, footman, and
groom

13(;itnced after their master; for scarce had they heard
Of this left-handed Grace the last finishing word,