The Sun. — 1841-10-01 (London, England)

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.  One •jf the best likenesses we have yet seen of the late Theodore Houk, appears by way of frontispiece to this Number, and is accompanied by a biographical sketch, from which it appears that he was fur a short period at Oxford, which we were not previously awarcrof, "where he was matriculated and nearly rejected at the sane time, from his over willingness to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles—'oll, aye, to Forty, if you choose,' he said; a latitudinarianism that somewhat hocked the grave Master of St. Mary's Hall." On quitting the University, Hook supported himself for some years by writing farces and melodramas for the stage; and during this period ho was, of cottrse, a frequent visitor 0 the green-room, where lie distinguished himself by his wit, and, above all; by his practical sakes, of which he was as fond as ever were Tickell or Sheridan. The following are. a few of his greenroom pranks  It was during the performance of these pieces that I Hoes naturally became a constant frequenter of the green-rooms of the different theatres ; and those who had then the priellege of the entree to the coaSses never forget the fun which his presence produeed. The entertainment behind the curtain wee fully equal, if not superior, to that enjoyed by the audience before it. Never shall we forget the eireet produced upon Dowton and the other actors en the stage durinK. elm of the serious scenes of a sentimental comedy tat the day, by Hook's possessing himself of the livery coat of one of the wider performers, and with a tragedy strut marching on to the stage to present a letter to Dowton, who, taken by surprise at the sight of the new perfermer, could not utter a word, while thQ rest of the actors were convulsed with laughter. We remember likewise one night during the performance oc Monk Lewis's melodrama of One Clock, or the Wood Demon, that Hook having found that there was a second speaking-trumpet in the property-room, possessed himself of it., and placed himself ' in the flies. . When the demon roared into speakingtrumpet No. l; "My yey—my prey," Hoek, with speaking-trumpet No. 2, continued the speech and the same voice,, "For lam devilish hungry," to the great astonishment of the audience. • This freak, however, drew down the serious anger. of the manager, who threatened to expel the delinquent, but contented hiniself with locking up the second trumpet as a particeps criminis. Thedore Hook's career as a novelist is well known. He was one of the most prolific writers of fiction of the day, skilful in bringing out the odd, humorous points of character, but invariably deficient in sentiment, which he never attempted without incurring, ridicule. We. subjoin the biographer's conchiding remarks on this. distinguished wit : We- will venture to assert that no ten wits of the present day ever sail( ao many thinces worthy of remembrance es 1-10.,,R. Had he been blessed with a Boswell friend, -;riat a book might be made of the good things wlllch fell from his lips to create bursts of admiration, or roars of laughter, and to be detailed by the hearers at other tables on succeeding days. All Hook's early days were not however passed fun—some of them were devoted to sentiment. He had two serious attachments, and if either of them had ended as he wished them to end, Hook might have been a different man in some points, and still the delight of his numerous frtends. One of them was the beautiful daughter of a retired. actor, whose suppers in those days were celebrated for the wit which sparkled at the table--and the other was the daughter of a gallant deceased General whom he had met during visit at Taunton. The former was afterwards married to a member of a noble house, and still lives the ornament of the circle in which she moves; and the latter became the wife of one of our celebrated legal characters, who has since been Solicitor-General  and a Judge, a►:d has now been dead some years. Taunton will long remember the period of.this c,rartship, for his mad pranks and his facetious sallies kept the whole town alive during the time he was one of its denizens.  " A Tale of a. Trumpet," is a lively poem from the pen of the new Editor, Thomas Hood. It contains some smart, satirical hits, hut, as a whole. reads off rather languidly. " Phineas Quickly" is a continuation of Mr. Pole's new novel. The shrewd, heartless, matter-of-fact charater of the vulgar-minded hero is sketched with a pen of caustic power, and bids fair to be one of the author's most cuccessful delineations. " Graduates and Undergraduates" is a tale the truth and force of which will at once he recognised by all who are acquainted with University habits. " Foreign Sporting," by Nimrod, is tedious and wiredrawn. The style. however, is manly and unaffected, as is the case with all Mr. Apparley's writings. ln the essay on " Country-towns," Mrs. Gore throws off several just and pointed remarks.. Mow true is the following I—" Country towns are-dailylosing their physiognomy. The surface becomes smoother and smoother, like that of .our current coin, till, by the evenness of the superficies, the value is lessm:t. It mcy be doubted whether they alter for the better. A than may cease to be the yeoman, without becoming the gentleman. Superficial '11)11.._;11 often acquired, when the nature is not intrinsically improved. The heartiness of the cotr-:try disappears, but the politeness of the capital lags behind." The " Suicide's Burial" is an affecting story that makes its sure way to the heart by the simplicity with which it is narrated. " A Reminiscence of an Irish Squire" will. please those who are content with good-humoured mediocrity.