The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-08-27

Mr.. Thackeray's Fifth Lecture.

" Ilumorst who has been admitted
into the series.-HoeARTH.
While novels are written, the lecturer
began, they will always seek to please
the popular taste, by adhering TO geuer-
al outline of plot, as stereotyped as that
Of pantomime. There will always be
an exceedingly good man, and an ex-
ceedingly bad one aud also an amiabe
aud exemplary beauty, who, beloved by
the first, and pursued by the second, is
exposed to Ill sorts of dangers, either
physical or moral, until. at the close, vice
is dreadiulIy discontinued, and virtue sig.
nally rewarded This is the novel for
the ladies'. Tales of another gtnrc, with
second meanings, aud an undercnrreni
of satire, delight them not For exam
pie, there is the morJaunt history ol J0n-
athan Wild, the Great, In this work,
Fielding has had the courage to take one
Of the greatest rascals, towards, traitors,
,yrants. and hypocrites, that ever existed,
make him the hero of his story, attend
him through all his career with grin
ming Difference, aud only take leave of
him, with parting bow, when the he-
to's carcass is swinging upon the gal
lows. But few ladies like Johnathon
Wild.
Not such satirist aud censor was
lloGARrn. His works are popular par
ables. Their moral is told with plain
ness that leaves nothing TO the second
thought. They all breathe the spirit
of the old story books. Charley was a
good boy. and everybody liked him, and
gave him money. and he became rich
man, and rode in gilded coach; while
Billy was bad boy. and everybody ha-
ted him, and he was whipped by his
master, and at last he rode in a cart to
be hanged n,Tyburn. Hogarlh's moral
to story was written in very large
hand. In those days morals had no COM
junction whatever. They liked to hang
thief They glored in recording that
crime met its reward on the glbbet
Hanging, indeed, was the recognized
specific, not only with authors but with
all respectable persons, for guilt Mas
ters sent their apprentices, pereaas took
their children. 10 see Jack Sheppard, and
Jonathan Wild hung up.
The lecturer aluding TO Hogarlh's
pictures, went into lively and minute
description of all his principal works,
"wprd painting" with skill worthy of
the artist he was dealing with. Mar-
riage a la Mode he spoke of as the se>
ries containing Hogarlh's most carefully
elaborated moral, but he also described
the Rdke's Progress, Industry and
Idieness, and many of the single pictures
as those OF Wilkes, and OF Loval, and Of
Churchill. In all the stories, he remark
ed, there was the one great lesson, that
+" Bogj" was always certain Of having
wicked people at last. A sor, Of inter-
iocuiory description Of some scenes in
the London of IIogarih's iime--a lord
mayors procession and a criminals pas
sing To Tyburn-brought in a cleverly
done conirast-picture of the Tyburnla,
(the most respectable place in all the
world } and Of The 81. Marlin's-le-Grand
Of the present time, somewhat IN the
vein of Mr. Macaulay's celebrated chap
ter in his own history. Doing justice TO
the historical value Of Hogarth's pictHres
and referring 10 the fact that he Cike
Liston) fancied himself great in serious
business, aud spoke coniemptuously Of
the Caracci and Corregio, offering Ito
pain, against EN- for hundred guineas,"
he saiG that no man was ever less he
ro. lie was a jolly cockney, who lived
his lass and his glass, and hated the
French. TIE lererctu alluded to the
immortal journey in (l732) from the
Bedford Arms 10 Rochester and Sheer>
ness. as one of The "jolliesi trips ever
and remarked upon the self.
complaisant air of the artist. who declar-
ed at the close of his life that he felt great
pleasure in thinking that he had never
injured even an enemy, !
With SMoLLErT he made rather short
work, but gave all credit TO the veteran,
who had fought his way through great
for his kindilness aud hospi>
Iality towards his less slalwart brethren,
aud described him as one of those gall
ant Scottish cadets wko have been so
admirably depicted by Sir Walter Scott
undetermined, poor, enduring, gal
liant, and ultimately successful from read
mess and perseverance,. Mr.. Thacke-
ray alluded TO Smolleil's having done
Justice, in his History, TO characters
with whom he had been personally in
broil and battle; and. in reference to his
literary achievements. declared that
Humphrey Clipker " was the most
aughable story which had ever been
Slilten. '