Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-02-09
Judge Thompson's New Story.

The latest of Judge Thompson's works, The
Doomed Chief" is ono of his most valuable
contributions 10 the literature Of the State and
Country. 1t is of great historical interest. and
brings together in the attractive guise Of II story,
written in his peculiar aud acceptable vein, the
difused and scattered materials, not accessible
to every one, SO as to conVeya just idea. and
/" hold the mirror up to nature, as displayed
in those rough times. The tit'e of the Eook,
=" The Doomed Chief, smacks too much Of the
fash style, for the sober and well-wrought tale,
and, as we are infutmed is not The Authors own
choice, hut IL Concession. 1t should have been
KING PHILIP. for by that Enelis name, the
high souled Indian Chief is best known to us.
Thcre are TWO styles Of underwriting which
present peculiar hardships to hose who essay
therein. The first is the Historical, in which
The difficulty is to make the characters stalk Cul
so boldly as 10 develop the history Of the times,
and the spirit Of tho age, wi hout the aid Of
intervening labored essay and explanation fni
in novel. The plot and characters are the main
thing. TIE action must be stirring, and pro-
gress continually with iveier and intenser in
tcrtst the historical materials must not he bud
died together in separate places but dexerously
il ierwUven and the reader must unconscious Y
absorb knowledge Of the real and true, while
burrid along by the interest of that which is
only fcion. The other style, which we shall
name, affords more resistance still to the consci
eniiouS writer, and although much in vogue ut
this day. we rather decry it. and would prefer
to see tforis of this kind expen ed on the PAM
phet 1t consists in trying TO set forth, not any
general moral lesson, hut some avorite religious
or political idea or tbeory the heautics OF some
particular civil, or religious system. or showing
some rampant abuses which ought to We mend
ed, such, for instance. as in the prison disci
pine. We never yet had the patience to take
up any SET of tales designed 10 illustrate the
passions as 1--we, laurel, Revenge. &c We
want something purely natural, and all else
must he subordinate to the plot.
The present is II very valuable historical nov
ell, (as we think, the highest kind Of fct on, J
and although, in some places IA little retarded,
for less Undergraduates yet the dispositions of
the Author will be highly appreciated by those
of anotar class, while the interest is abundant
for all who are rot cloyed by meretricious lri-
/ fes, aud altogether. We have a we'll wrought
work, which will add largely to his reputation
The assault Vi the Indian fortress in the swamp
Tor vivid interest and description, " i'll rank with
anything which we know OF IN the pages Of 70.
mantle fiction. Tie charcters are fully and
truthtulIy drawn, 80 as in nothing " tn extenu.
ate. MOI set down augh, in malice" The hero
ic qualify Of the Indian, contrasted with the
shameful rapacity Of the pale-faccd men, the
stern-vsogtd PurilaO. the dashing cavalier, art
set forth 10 the satisfaction Of all unprecedented
minds.
Judge Thompson, himself Puritan, and
we believe in the main agreeing with the Pur
tans in his religious and political opinions, ap
preclates the Puritan character we'll, not only
in its robustness, and solemn grandeur, but il
its manftst defects, and excrescent prubuIgen
ces. 1t is in very bad taste, as we have Away
thought, for countrymen of our own, to b.
always lampooning the Puritans, to whom the,
owe 50 much, and the " bllrney-stone " 0
New England is another rock on which som
people are fond OF running their crafts. Ou
author has 80 mastered the errors of the worth,
PuritanS, as to set their virtues in the NOR
relief, and thus steered clear OF all difficulties
We wholly deny that defects of the Puritan
were better than the rJyalist virtues. Extrav
agant rhetorical fourishes of this kind We d.
not appreciate. Defects of any kind, neve
can be better than other peoples virtues
And we also deny that it is in bad taste to sc
forth these defects in historical portraiture. 81
Walter Scott has done it, and acceptably too
When painter is going to sketch lnagnf
cent oak, it he takes an axe before hand, an
chips it down to what he would have it, cut
OFT all the unsightly knots, gnarlcd and crooke
limbs, and excrescences, makes smooth trunk
and well-rounded crown, and reduces it to tll
aspect OF tame maple, he not only destroy
the picturesque character of the tree, but pre-
sents picture which is untrue. He must pair
the tree as it is, and however gloomy, t
shGdOU with it, in bowling, social wilderness
Judge Thompson, if we interpret the tenc
Of his works rightly, has never had dispos
ton to belle the best features of Puritan cha