The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-10
NEW BOOKS.
A Drama by the Poet Laureate.

The feeling OF hopefulneSS entert aimed hv
Prof. Brander Matthews in regard 10 the
poetical drama Ia justified by the appear.
ance Of -Flodden Field; Tragedy from
the pen OF the Poet Laureate of England
CHarper 4 Brothers.. The drama in question
hitherto no more than Cooking up" is now
and hereby perfectly rehabilitated. The
much appreciated Mr. Phillips, who NAV
have thought himself the only and pre-
elusive occupant Of this field. will hardly
fail to take not ice of what is facing him.
James w.. King Of Scotland, undertakes
10 impale an appariton in the prelude of
Mr.. A1stin's play This rather frivolous
monarch first dismisses the ladies'. Good
night, fair ladies" he says in part. warm
dreams. sound sleep Let the music or
your laughter and scft shading eyelids see
you to your beds" As the ladies retire
under the musical escort of their evelids hs
walks slowly along he broad parapet of tho
royal palace of I.nlithgow. Turning. he
behods the apparition, which announces
itself as the Wisdom of the Night. 60
not to war with England, it says, 'or If the
holiness Of your blood demand that san
culinary ordeal, beware, beware of womsns
glamour, womans wiles!" As the King
prepares to thrust at the apparition 1t
stalks slowly toward him, walks upon his
sword point, against him, through him
and vanishes." "Gone!" says the King
when he has satisfied himself that it Is no
longer there.
The most remarkable passage In the first
act Ia perhaps that In which Lady Heron,
wife Of Sir William Heron, makes known
to the little maiden, Margery. her ardent
feeling for the Earl Of Surrey. 1t is such
passage that Margery very reasonably
says: "Oh. hush. hush' at the end of 1t.
Says Lady Heron;
My more than King:
Ny towering warrior hero. conqueror. man.
Ny birthrg hit -sceptred Surrey He will come
Afrcsh red hot from battle to my arms.
Martial voluptuary. his victor blade
Crimsoncd with routed blood UP to the hll..
His face ablaze with slaughter. and his breast,
Like hammer upon anvil. beat on mine
In loves own furnace,
When the Earl does come, the meeting,
noticeably, ia not at all Of the sort suggested
in Lady Hcrons ardent index She says
Surrey! My Surrey" as the two en-
brace He, however, does not say Lady
Heron! My Lady Heron!" The warrior
Is laxative, but not amorous. He affords
no illustrations Of hammer beating upon
an anvil in a furnace. He extols war
and compliments the Scottish people. He
says:
n.,,, ,.". aa.' 'u uas,,,na ,hn,sh I, -.
When n,r,goned With statecrafI or with w,r
War above all, Love seems, compared with these
As sleeping unto waking. halt shut eyes
TO nerve and slnfw. oody ana brain anu sp.n-
~ aoS W ~, uu .rrn,n.d .sme hans
The future of two great opposing realms
Which never should be otherwise than one.
Lei England wln' AND 'hen inc ora~ny lace
I,.,a,unms -. ~. ,.., .mhrnunad him.
Va, L, .d =, nr,rnse a. It's darn laid hills
e. al nj, ,v,,, NV, % an r,ch and STRENGTHEN n
chou,d scotland utn--hpt Scotland must nos v,n,
~ 80, shorId and WIN then love ma still
carmard ~. t.r,o,s NV NV funeral nvre
D,...,d v,nr ..nSs and Loosen vour ion, hal,
Ava v,u nnor INV l,f,l.s, bodv foYI
Oh ali MT .urx,tve that d.v of iunnminv
TIL. Earl reoites to her a battle song O,
bia own oomposine. which she declares
.peals like sounded clarion: it will be
intereatinp for the reader to determine
for himself whether she was right, or blinded
NV Iowa. or wilfullv mendacous. The
Rattle AZ Flodden ia reported after the
manner Of Rebscca in sIvanhoe" Some
bodv asks. DO YOU see Surrey?" and
LADY Heron replies, who doth not see
the sun when it doth shine, Even at that
d,stance he half dazzlss ONE When the
Far, returns triumphant from the field
she halls him, Surrey! Great Surrev!'-a
sentiment which he accepts with GOODNESS.
He expresses the fancy that those brave
ones fallen In battle are 1the chosen troop