Evening star., 1929-12-21
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the Booklover

A posthumous novel which shows few
If the marks Of the we'll meaning but
is Dom Byrne's Field Of Honor"
This is a historical romance of un-
usual type and originality, story of
the Napoleonic Wars, which Is con-
cerned only secondarily with battle
fields, though there are some dramatic
scenes at the moments of Napoleons
greatest victories-and defeats. Chiefly
we see the Napoleonic Wars as they were
fought in English politics, under Castle
is notable figure as Dom Byrne por-
trays him, probably with historical ac-
curacy; an able schemer, none too
scrupulous about methods, none too
honorable: considered a traitor by
Ireland, the land of his birth, because
he had gone over to the English and
seemed to hate Ireland; a cold, intense
man, with few friends and many
enemies; man whose death, when he
killed himself with penknife, caused
rejoicing on the part Of most English
men: yet the man who developed
Wellington and was probably largely
responsible for the downfall of Napoleon.
Dom Byrne's power of character
analysis is evident in his vignette OF
Castlereagh. mo emotion, no distress
showed on CastlereaghS white mask.
The sight chilled her. Could anything
move that man? Wherever he went,
the country people said, the sickly sm> II
of split blood was in the air, and abroad
he was thought Of as some ravening
wolf, passionate, snarling. But here he
was, with his white mask of face, his
precise frozen speech, his clothes OF q
London fop, and to Jocelyn he seemed
more terrible that way, for there was
nothing human in him. He might have
been one of the hierarchy of Lucifer
who had taken on human shape, but
not human vitality, for the ruin OF souls
and nations"
The personal romance Of "Field OF
Honor" is that OF young Garrett NC
Carthy Dillon OF Derrymore Manor,
North Ireland, and his beautiful wife,
Jocelyn.s Garrett is on the side OF the
English Union and yields to the persua-
sions of Castlereagh to go with him to
London and become his confidential
aide. Jocelyn hates Castlereagh even
more than she loves Garry and refuses
to go with her husband to London. Her
uncle. Henry Munro, was a general IN
the army of the Irish patriots and was
executed by the English. On Garrys
departure, Jocelyn also leaves Derry
more, much as she loves 1t, and takes
refuge from her misery in the home Of
an uncle in the Isle of Man. But the
uncle dies and Jocelyn, at Garry'S re-
quest, goes back to Derrymore to care
for the place, which is falling into neg
lect, without committing herself to a
reconciliation. The description OF
Derrymore, as Jocelyn sees it on her
return, has all the charm Of Dom
Byrne's best work. "Jocelyn was so
thankful when she saw the oak woods
house, saw the green-gray lake with the
swans, that she could have gone down
on her knees and cried in thankfulness.
Each little moss-covered bridge, cross
ing the burns that emptied themselves
into the lake, seemed like an old tried
friend" She had thought: IT shall
never see Derrymore again, its oak
groves, or small Rams Island, or Lough
Neagh's self, with the glistening pebbles
on its shore. had dreamed
of it, of crossing the little bridges of the
was setting, over the braes of Gallon,
and the lights of each tiny house coming
out like stars, and the scent Of peat
smoke and clean lake water coming to
us like the Draft of Healing in the Sto-
ries of old Irish bards.' Finally the
wars are over, Napoleon is at st. Helena
and then is dead. Castlereagh is dead,
Garry and Jocelyn are together at
Derrymore, reconciled, with children
around them. In a moment of conf
dence, Jocelyn has admitted that she
has been bad wife, twice to desert her
husband, because Of political differences,
but the book closes with Garry's con-
fession of complete disillusionment con-
cerning Castlereagh: God!
was SO wrong"
In ''Field of Honor" the scene changes
with each chapter: From Jocelyn at
Derrymore, the Isle of Man, or the
Hebrides; to Garry in London Spain
or Paris; to Nelson's flagship at Trafal-
gar; to Castlereaghs private office; to
the carriage which is bearing the dying
Pitt from Bath to Putney; to the border
of Russia, with Napoleons grand army
about to croSS-a series Of vivid pictures.
Through the dramatic events move
many historical personages: Nelson and
Lady Hamilton, Napoleon, Canning,
George III and the Prince Regent (aft-
erward George IV), the Elder and the
Younger Pitt, with Castlereagh always
dominating and manipulating others, to
further his policies.
The story Of the Bloody Assize of
Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys in 1855 is
told again in 1.-The Bloody ASsize," by
His Honor, Sir Edward Parry. Only 6
chapters really tell of the Bloody AssiZe
the remaining Is dealing with the
PopiSh Plot, the Monmouth Rebellion
and the Revolution of 1858. In 1878
an impostor named Titus Oates made
sensation by disclosing what he as
serted to be an inclusive plot to mur-
der King Charles II and all Protestants
in England and to burn all the leading
cities. The very size of the story should
have discredited it, but it threw all Eng
land into panic and thousands of
Catholics were imprisoned and hanged
and Oates was given pension Of FL 200.
This, of course, stimulated the appear
ance of other impostors, all eager for
pensions William Bedloe told a big
ger story and received large reward.
The fate of a Catholic was sealed If
Oates or Bedloe looked in his direction.
The Terror of the French Revolution
was not more cruel and unreasonable.
Finally Oates accused the Queen of
originating the plot and of instigating
the assassination Of the King. All Of
the older historians have considered the
Popish Plot as q piece of national hys-
terra. started by avaricious knavery.
Sir Edward Parry disagrees and says
that, though Oates undoubtedly exag-
gerated, he had some foundation for
his story. The proofs for this belief
are not forthcoming. After the death
OF Charles T., when his brother, James
II, succeeded. the Duke of Monmouth,
the illegitimate son of Charles, headed
a rebellion to place himself upon the
throne. The rebellion started in the
west Of England, never extended far