New-York tribune., 1904-09-25

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+ sonage of which is that sinister type OF tct
Renaissance, Cesar Borgia. DR. Roberts Il
Nicou, who gives this stirring piece of inteiI:-
gence to the world, adds that the poet has pal
much attention to the Borg IS period. and that
his views about the man startlingly new.
/ HE considers Cesar 10 be meant by nature for
a great man, but ruined in character by tn
! amazing and incredible ethical ideas of his time
and country.
The death of the old actor, John Ellington
who played with Macready more than half
century ago. has redirected attention to the rem
h5 lnlscences OF the famous men he had net
which he once gave to an interviewer. They
include this note on Thackeray;
My first meeting with Thackeray was at dinner
at WllliSs Rooms, when he made quite I
Thackeray speech calling me the best hero on the
are NAV toll you niGo y 49, sIoi Si,s & wi'
would. If they were here, tell you much more
you; glad to meet you. sir That same night
Thackeray sang song; Little Btee" without
afterward on his song and speech he replied. "Oh.
speak. but write
The story goes that in the last year of his life
the late Lord Rowton asked if he was ever
likely to publish the long promised memoirs of
his political chief. Lord Beaconsfed. Holding
up his hands in mock embarrassment he
claimed: THAT apOcryphal biography! 1t seems
no use disclaiming it. l have been dOgged by 1t
for years. but never undertook to write it, The
ct is dear old Dizzy cOnfded to me his papers,
but l never undertook to write his Life, and
there the matter rests" Well, the matter has
been talked about, In season and out of season,
ever since Lord RowtOn himself passed away,
and now at last comes the news, cabled by our
London correspondent the other day. that the
biography is really to see the light. 1t is to he
written by Mr.. w. +. Monypenny, at whose dis
posal all the papers of the dead statesman have
been placed along with those left by Lord Row
ton II may be noted by the way. that while
this official publication has long been needed,
great deal OF interesting matter about Beaeo1s-
field has already seen the light in book form
Indeed. the photography of the subject would fIH
a good deal of space
We have not heard the last OF the pre-Raphael-
ite movement in modern British art 1t IS
stated that Mr. Holman Hunt Is engaged upon
"a great work. dealing with this once moment
Gus subject. II Is to be hoped that with the
authority OF a veteran he will give clear ac-
count of the founding OF the school and of the
exact share which each founder had in the enter
prise. and that when he has done this the Incl
dent may be regarded as closed. The amount OF
literary uttle-tattle that has accumulated
around the English pre-Raphaelites is merely
preposterous. Their work painters and as
writer's possesses certain interest but 1t IS not
the greatest work In the whole history of art
and literature. and 1t is time that perfervid talk
about IL ceased.
Mrs. Katherine Cecil Thurston, who wrote
The Circle" will soon publish in book form the
novel called John Chilcote. NJ. p" In which
she relates the experience OF two men who look
20 like each other that they find it posstbi' 70
change places In life from time to time without
the fraud being discovered. even by the wife of
one OF the maSQueraderS. The HarpeTs VIII
bring the novel out In a short time. The author
is now at work upon another story treating of
the fortunes OF the daughter of an old Irish
house with strong sporting procllvitles-
The unregenerate layman. fond OF n good
book, but inclined to chortle when the w's"
acres attempt In their pompous way, TO tcn
him Just what he ought to think about this.
that the other is hardly to be blamed for his
irreverence. considering the quaint disagree
ments OF which the aforesaid wiseacres are
sometimes capable The other day we'll mean
ing scribe published a little book about liter
ature. THE Spectator took II IN hand and
said: "It would not be easy to find volume Of
equal or nearly equal. compass into which so
much thought. such an amount OF just and PEN
etrating criticism. has been put" Now THE sat
urday Review is quite wise The spec
tator" where literature Is concerned. and this
is what II has to say about the same book:
THE criticism throughout is shallow, unillu-
minative, commonplace; and the only bright
spots are the quotations from the genuine critics
OF an older generation"
Apropos OF the fallibility OF critics may
mention droll illustration OF the danger, fc- the
critic, of 'prophesyin onless ye know" MIR. An
thony Hope having published under the title OF
social life. one OF his reviewers portentously re-
marks that those people were very much mis-
taken who fancied that this novelist was really
working in his natural bailiwick when he wrote
1.-The Prisoner OF Zenda." That sort of thing
are told Is not so characteristic of him as
his stories OF the Double Harness sort An
thony Hope himself must chuCkle as he reads
this. for 1t appears. he is now putting the finish
ing touches to a novel which in temper and
method Is altogether in harmony with his Zenda
romanceA