Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-01-03
THE NOVEL OF THE AGES
From the New York Evening Postl

49, w" Avth evening Post.
Inackary once said that there was
nothing new under and Including the
sun. King Solomon made a si3ilar
remark remark, A novel lately published
Illustrates the saying, whoever orig
mated It, 1t is called by variety
OF names, and is familiar to every
novel reader.
The principle characters are our
ume-honored young friends Charles
ana Angelina. formerly Lubin and
Chloe, once Corydon and Phillis, alias
Romeo and Juliet, and so on to the
remotest antiquity.
Their principal speeches are as
follows.
He-"Adorable creature Will
you be mine? | offer you my hand
and heart, together with superior in
ducements for accepting the same.
consisting Of brown stone front, an
unincumdered real estate and first
class securities"
She-Object of my affectionesl-
Your terms are entirely satisfactory
to me, and no doubt will be equally
so to my papa, to whom | beg leave
to refor you" calling into his
arms.)
These are plagiarisms more or less
direct from the same old story, pub
lished at any time during the worlds
history between this and the inven-
ton Of letters, which is not due to
Professor Cadmus, by-the-by, but to
AamAh-Kim-Bo, twenty thousand
years before his time. He published
the first edition Of the story in China
oven then venerable tradition.
In the edition Of 1900 it appears as
follows:
He-"Sweet lady 1 prithee re-
ward with thy love thy lover true,
who pledges thee his hand and
heart. Certes | offer thee no un-
equal dover. These goodly towers
and these broad domains shall call
thee mistress, and gold shall fill thy
Golfers"
She-"My bosom's lord, thy noble
ness is well deserving my poor love,
and well | trow will win my sire's
consent. Good faith, in heavens
name seek him."-(Lets down her
back hair and swoons.)
Similarly in A. d. 1000, they cour-
ted thus:
Hee-"Fayre Ladye, bend thine
eyne on thy true knight and reward
his devoir with thy love. By'r
Ladye hee layes at thy feet guer-
don meeLe for prize so high. MY
castles strength shall bid defiance to
We caytiffe foe, and gallant knights
Oh yonder broad desmense laye lance
in rest to WHINE thy singles, while
churlish Doors and mysbelieving
Jewes shall furnish they're broad
pieces for thy largesse"
lMee-"Alack, Sir Knight, l yield
me true captive to thy wordes, sue
cour or noe succour. My ransome
is thy dowrie rich. HE thee from
my bouerre TO ye Knight my sire,
and bid him greet the Sonne."-(Shee
swounes inn the knight hys armes).
And in like manner through the
early Saxon and ancient British dia-
lects (Which would be more unintel-
ligible than lovers speeches general
ly are), the Latin and Greek, up to
the original Chinese as aforesaid.
The Irish version is.
"Musha darlint, it's dyin' | avn for
We this blessed minnit, glory be TO
God! The shebang is lonely widout
you, Judy; come acushla, there's an
illigant patch Of two dirty acres or
50, with praties and pigs galore, and
maybe pound or two in his river
ance's hands, waitin' to call you mis-
thress."
"Be aisy, Pat, ye're the divil's own
boy for barney, God knews sure
the ould mans beyant, and when
ye're dacent and sober yoa might ak
him"
The Scotch version reads thus:
och lassie will We talk me for
your ain joe? There's nae luck
about the house till ye bide int; and
tuN bOuulC iuIll duu WCc Dib SHUT 10
nae sic bad Investment.
"Hoot ava, man dinna fash me
wi your speerin. doot We mean
wcel, sac bide ava mon, bide ava
the auld mans by, and yo may cen
settle the case WI him"
The display of emotion is omitted
by the last two ladies, but their SEN
timents are the same as the others,
and the fortunes Of the gentlemen
not different. Charles goes to Par
lament and Pat to the Common
Council. Sir Reginald is elected to
the Round Table and Romeo to the
Council of Ten Cor would have been
if he hadn't poisoned himself), while
Donald sits with the elders in the
kirk, and is as fat, respectable, and
uninteresting as any of them.
The chapters from which the fore
going specimens are taken wind up
with these words "ro be continued"
which is true in every sense OF the
word. The rising generation will
Dlease take notice