The sun., 1904-05-15

4 9QN0GA1e VIA @SN -
eye Of the critic whom We are following
The only woman In Henry Esmond" that -
really alive h Lady Castlewood, who. an
odd mixture OF caprice and devotion, OF
kndliness and anger, 10 always the same'
and always herself. She. also. has certain
traits which We could dispense with IN our
friends. She is almost - lachrymose "a
Mrs. Pendennis. She carries devotion too
fer whom she sxys to Edmond: Let me kneel
and worship YOU But our pressrenosa DO
not Affect the truth OF an exquisite portrait
subtly conceived and finely drawn
v.
or Thackeray's many attempts to depict
nice women, ono other portrait is admitted
to have been drawn from life. We refer.
OF course, to Ethel Newcome, who b
treated by her creator with consistent
sy rnpathy and care, He had made up his
mind about her before he began. and no
never forgot the admirable qualities which
distin Ruished his heroine. He has sketohed
her appearance with . precision which 10
rare In his works. 1She Ia tall he tells
US, q severe DIANA her hair and eye
brows are iet-blaok, and In her black hair
Is "a gentle ripple, as when fresh breeze
flows over nelan hador; her eyes are gray;
hee mouth rather large; her teeth - reg
ular and bright "a Lady Kews own 1t
10 by these signs that We may recognise
her; and II her features arc familiar to our
sight, her heart and character are yet more
clearly revealed to our understanding
-she has no kinship with the Lauras and
Helene whose tears have washed the truth
from 70 many OF Thackeray's pages; she
is a real woman, faithfully drawn; and
the reader cannot but regret that In the
end she ls mated with % indistinct and
hTesolute young man - Give. Ethel
Newcome 10 not dood OF tears, mere
bundle of sensibilities. At her first entrance
upon the scene, child though she ID, she 10
already determined and herself. 'Alone.
farouche and intractable'-it IL In these
terms that she is described-and 'alone,
farouche and intraotabls" she remains
to tho end She IL represented - gravely
proud, yet kindly withal quick TO detect
affeotation or insinoerity, impatient OF
dulneas or pomposity.- And these quail
ties, added to gift Of sarcasm and love
OF truth which flashes from her g. ay eye,
render her unpopular with both men and
women.
In his comments on Henry Esmond. the
author Justly oastigates the delineation OF
the great Duke Of Marlborough, whom, for
some reason as yet unknown, Thackeray
has sketched with peculiar ranoor, and
against whom. in the person Of Henry Es-
mond, he brings the most fantastic charges.
It should be needless to point out that
the portrait Is grossly inconsistent, not
only with history. but with itself. The
Duke, as Thackeray paints him, IL no man,
but a monster, a mere epitome of the vices,
a proper pendant in inconseQuent ferocity
to the dean Of St. Patriok's, painted with
equal falsity by the Same hand. Being Com
mander-in-C Chief Of the Britiah and allied
forces, the Duke Of Marlborough is de-
picted as traitorously accepting bribes
from the French King and a. losing bat
ties that he may fin his own pockets. His
personal sins are worse, even, than those
which. In Thackerays recital. sully his
public reputation. In oowardioe and hy-
pocrisy he u made to Guido Swift himself.
He would cringe to shoeblack. says the
novelist, as he would hatser Minister
or monarch; b. naughty. be humble.
threaten, repent. weep. grasp your hand
Tor stab you whenever he saw occasion).'
1t Is. indeed, strange. ~ Mr.. Whibley says,
10 hear these words applied to . hero at
whose feet Ill Europe kuelt and who never
cinged to man or woman, except 70 his
beloved Sarah, his own implacaole Duchess
OF course q writer Of fiction Is not tes-
tifying upon oath-he may handle history
with Q certain license; but be oversteps
his privilege when he paints white black
and breathes the very soul Of meanness
into hero or patriot 1t is but truth
and justice that Mr.. whitley utterx when
he says: This 10 not the place to cele-
brate the serene intelligence. the supreme
maatery Of the great Commander who
never fought battle which he did not win.
who nevsr besiessd q city which he did not
take, who was as great In diplomacy as
In arrna; and who. in Chssterdeld's phrase.
'posseased the graces in the highest degree.
not to cay eugrossed them What Marl-
borough was and what he achieved stand
in letters Of gold upon the scroll OF his
tory Trying to, discover the reason for
Thaokerays perverse and unforgivable
hatred Of Marlborough, our author sug-
sests that the novelist necessarily failed
As . historian because he always carried
the prejudices Of his own age-the mswkish.
carly Victorian era-back into tho past.
He judged the heroes OF a dead century
a. though they wers contemporary with
himself and amenable TO the came disci-
pline. One Of Thackeray's inGrained
prejudices was 4 dislike Of success. He
was no hero worshipper, attracted by
dignity Of manner or grandeur Of achieve.
ment. To him Louis XIV, wa old Square
Toes, and he found IL possible to imagine
the Duke Of Marlborough pilfe1ng from
. beggar.
It 10 pleasant to turn TO passage in our
authors discussion Of Henry Esmond that
We can agree with and admire. He con-
oedes that when Thacksray deserts the
great ones Of history for the personages
OF his own creation. there 10 no fumbling.
no faltering. what Esmond was when
he first came to Castlewood, 90 he remained
until the last chapter, when his dear mis-