things are made to work together for good, the poverty of our dragoons being thus, as it seems, rendered an abundant source to supply us with cabinet ministers. With respect to this project of our public-spirited dragoon, she appears to think that she does not see how he can do anything better. But here occurs a point pregnant with direful import. It appears that if he should come in Lord Willersdale will have to go out. Yet this ill-omened 'if' seems about, after all, to turn out a great peacemaker like the rest of the tribe; for upon this intimation Colonel S. immediately proceeds to hint at sundry preliminary articles of a treaty of amity, whose further developement is cut short by a most provokingly ill-timed interrup tion. Lady Danvers, who makes her appearance to offer her sister-in-law her company into town, is in a violent fluster about her brother's expected loss of his place, and the consequent depreciation in fashionable éclat which she may herself expect. She makes this an opportunity of indulging in a multitude of savage sublimities upon the fickleness of society; after which she favours her sister-in-law with an extempore volley of gratuitous abuse, and a narrative of her amours, detailed with a fervor and naïveté which reminds us of nothing we ever read, so much as the vivid memoirs of the fiery Queen of Navarre. We shall extract this passage as a specimen of Mrs. Gore's eloquence the more especially, as it contains a clue to a mystery which we confess we had long begun to look upon as unfathomable-namely, from what class of society the readers of such books as Mrs. Gore's could possibly be furnished. "The road traversed by the brilliant equipage of Lady Willersdale lay between a succession of gardens such as surround the suburbs of London: the fragrance of myriads of roses was upon the air; and as the two sisters reclined themselves in luxurious indolence, it might be supposed that their mutual silence arose from the exclusive intensity of their enjoyment of the passing hour. Both were young both were beautiful-both nobly wedded -both elevated immeasurably above the vulgar anxieties of life. The happiness of both might be supposed assured; and prosperity, whose prodigal favour had flung such golden gifts upon their path, had also enriched them with the power of conferring happiness, and of scattering flowers upon the thorny destiny of others. Yet hear it, thou sickly mechanic! whose struggling breath labours with the noisome atmosphere of thy squalid homehear it, thou midnight wanderer! who dost shelter thy ragged misery in some den of perilous infamy-hear it, thou meagre woman! who wouldst vainly still hear it, and acknowledge the equal disthe feeble cries of thy famished children; pensation of that hand whose chastening is of mercy! Beneath the gorgeous robing of those beautiful and prosperous beings, there were hearts agonized by terror and remorse-the tears upon their cheeks were bitter tears-they saw no promise of peace in the sacred calm of the summer sky; they confessed no heavenly presence in the glorious harmony of universal nature!" Lord Willersdale is not only turned out of the ministry, but runs a narrow chance of being turned out of the world as well-having been shot in a duel by a country squire, set at him by his successors in office-a method of preventing a counter-march on the part of the enemy in politics, the discovery of which is, we believe, due to Mrs. Gore; who has hereby afforded to the expert cabinet whipper-in a valuable hint how county members may be put to other uses than the mere utterance of "aye" or "no" upon a division. Upon this maladventure (in consequence of which Lord Willersdale is bedridden for some time) Mrs. Gore takes occasion to indite a vast deal of choice prose touching the modern practice of the duel; and as her remarks are equally unquestionable and well-intentioned, we can only say that we trust their efficiency may be proportioned rather to their truth than their novelty. Lord Willersdale, upon his recovery, retires to his own castle in Ireland; which, of course, introduces us to a whole bevy of fresh personages-to wit, a Mrs. Mahoney (Lord Willersdale's housekeeper-an Irish character' of a modern novel; that is to say, a character who says 'ould' for 'old,' 'rale' for 'real,' &c. &c., and in cast of thought, or even turn of expression, belongs quite as much to Ireland as to Kamschatka, and vice versa),—Lady Theodosia Mitford, who, we take it, is meant to be as wise as Mrs. Gore could make her, and her sister Isabella who appears to be witty up to the same extent; together with the husbands of those two ladies who, we presume, are intended to be anything the reader chooses to suppose them, person he speeds to see upon his (Mrs. Gore having obligingly left them return is, of course, the lady of his altogether blank for that purpose), and heart. He finds her on a visit in a multitude of other characters,' whom Scotland amidst a large circle of he may also paint after any fashion he acquaintances--one of the principal pleases, without our being able either of whom is a certain Captain S., who, to authenticate or confute the portrait like his predecessor of the same illfrom any data supplied by Mrs. Gore's omened initial, is “a handsome man, evidence. but a gay deceiver.” The company We now, however, proceed to the are not long in discovering Mr. Edmention of names not lightly to be wards to be a ninny; while he (like spoken, seeing that we have to relate many an honest gentleman in the same a long story about them. We allude predicament) does not feel all the grato a certain Mr. Edwards and bis titude that might have been desired ward, Miss Florence Dudley, who had towards those “ dd good-natured been for some time the objects of friends” who were incessantly manifestmuch mystery and the subjects of ing such an affectionate anxiety to bring infinite gossip to their whole neigh. him to a clear understanding upon that bourhood. Miss Dudley being a sort particular point. His intended bride, of supplementary, heroine (sent, as we especially, in rebuking his vagaries, presume, to make amends for the "getteth herself hate ;” and, as he susmiserably short-lived career of her pre- pects her of plotting with Captain S. decessor) we shall abbreviate the to play him off, he takes leave of her catalogue of her perfections by adopt- extempore, sets off to the sea-shore to ing the ingenious formula of the drun. mope by himself for a year, and, we ken pietist, who, when afraid to trust suppose, his vacillating tongue with a detailed “ Write loyal cantos of contemned love." performance of his devotions, compro- In the dead hour, however, one mised the affair by ejaculating “ Ditto, night, the sound of a carriage is heard as on the last occasion." By her at his door, and, hurrying to receive multitudinous accomplishments, and her his nocturnal visitor, our discomfited obliging assiduity in teaching Lady bard is thunderstruck by the appearWillersdale German, she wins her ance of liis long-lost love and a little heart so as to receive an invitation to infant, which clasps him withLondon, where Lord Willersdale is an unlineal hand) about to return; having been a second No son of his ;-" time appointed prime minister, (whence but, in truth, a daughter of Capt. S. it may be seen that county members, who At this part of the narrative, Lady aspire to permanent parliamentary dis- Theodosia began to tremble for Miss tinction, should practise bullet slitting Dudley's legitimacy; but Mrs. Gore and keep their powder dry.). This settles that difficulty by an expedient invitation, being conveyed through which, we venture to say, few will be Lady Theodosia Mitford to Mr. Ed. able to anticipate. It turns out, to wards, draws from him the following Lady Theodosia's infinite relief, that account of his own life and Miss Dud- our heroine is not the offspring of an ley's origin : intrigue, but of a rape (we should Mr. Edwards, then, who is a gentle. imagine it to have been the first time man of good family in the north of that ever such a discovery was made England appears (as far as we can make the subject of congratulation), and out from his own account), to have mark this-in consequence of certain been somewhat of a crackbrain natu- letters subsequently addressed by Caprally, and was therefore naturally tain S. to her mother, as his wife, for esteemed a genius by himself and a the mere purpose, as she expressly poet by his family, schoolmasters and states, of deluding her family and college-fellows. At this name he escaping their vengeance-she is formanifests an indignation which, to say tunately, by the law of Scotland legithe least of it, might, we think, have timate. We have heard of a particular been mutual. Finding, it would seen, providence over drunkards,but who shall no rest for the soul of a fool in Eng- henceforward doubt that there is one land, he sets off to Göttingen to study over the amours of our aristocracy (the metaphysics, and, with the assistance law of Scotland being its outward and of Kant, returns seven times crazier visible sign), to keep not merely the than he was before. We should have halter from the necks of the fathers, mentioned that he had fallen in love but even the bend sinister from the before leaving England; and the first shields of the children ? " Which 1 seene. thing,” as old Whiston says, “is truly No small detached portions of empty wonderful !" foolery or listless trash could possibly " But is that the law ?” exclaimed convey an idea of the oppressive and we, in amazement. Aye, marry is insufferable sensation excited by a pilit,” replied the page before us. So grimage through the dreary waste of we said no more, for (as O'Rourke these three volumes. As a specimen, says) “where was the use ?" but we however, of what Mrs. Gore does, could not help thinking, with the honest when she does her very best, we gravedigger quoted above, that had it extract the following passage, in which not been for the rank of the parties it must be supposed that she has put concerned, that particular interpreta- forth her full powers ; as it is one of tion of the statute would never have the very few in the whole book where been discovered. there is anything in the circuinstances Miss Dudley's origin being thus to afford an opportunity, even to a settled to the satisfaction of all par- clever writer, of manufacturing a good ties, she prepares for a journey to It is the scene between Lord London in company with Lady Wil- and Lady Willersdale, in which hc lersdale, who is about to turn out as discovers his mistake in supposing her good as new-and indeed, to tell the to have been seduced by Lord Fortruth, very little better ; for she goes reston ; and we leave it to the reader on with all her former pranks, and to decide whether any more abortive recommences acquaintance with Col. attempts at the expression of human S., who is now become Lord Forreston, feelings were ever yet imposed upon and whom she courts for her friend so the public :briskly, that her brother (the guards “ It was some hours after this agonizing mau) informs her she is making herself scene, that Lady Willersdale, with swollen the talk of the whole town; the public eyes and trembling footsteps, entered her not being aware that she is merely husband's library. Mr. Eliot, who had acting as a proxy in the intrigue. It been his companion, rose respectfully as is very near being successful. Lord she traversed the room ; but Lord WilForreston, on condition of obtaining lersdale, who was busily occupied at his Lady Willersdale as a mistress, seems writing table, did not so much as raise willing to accept Miss Dudley (to his eyes from his employment. With boot) as a wife; and he proceeds in his a heart already overflowing, Helen could double courtship with a full persuasion not support this evidence of his anger; that such is Lady Willersdale's view of throwing herself on a sofa, she concealed the affair. At length he makes his her face in the cushions and wept bitterly. proposals, and they are transmitted to Mr. Eliot gently approached her to Mr. Edwards, who, instead of answering whisper words of kindness and consolathem by letter, makes his appearance tion; but Lord Willersdale-how different upon the spot within a few days; and, from his ordinary demeanor-his usual on his meeting with Lord F., there tenderness-remained immoveable ! ensues a discovery which the reader “The worthy Eliot, becoming gradually must have already anticipated ; namely, conscious that some misunderstanding that Capt. S., with twenty years added must exist between parties whom he had to his age, is no other than the Colonel been accustomed to behold united by the S. whom we found, in the earlier part tion, now made a movement to withdraw; most intimate fervour of conjugal affecof the tale, paying such assiduous court his delicacy of mind suggested that his to Lady Willersdale ; and whom she has, therefore, narrowly escaped having presence must be an unwholesome res traint in such a crisis. had the pleasure of marrying to his own daughter. This delicate catas “ • Pray, do not go, faltered Lady Willersdale, perceiving his intention, and trophe is thus happily averted; and speaking with a determined effort. "I Miss Dudley is, in due time, married to could wish, sir, that you were a witness a Mr. Harry Mitford, with whom, by to my humiliation—that you would deign the-bye, we ought to have mentioned to listen to the confession I am anxious before, that we found her in love, when to make.' first introduced to our notice. “Lord Willersdale gave an involuntary The length to which this article has start; yet still mechanically continued his already run, and the space which we previous occupation. must necessarily reserve for the remarks «« You,' resumed Helen, from whose we have to add, preclude the possi- lips I have gathered better precepts than bility of our making many extracts. I have allowed myself to follow ; you, Indecd, they could answer no purpose. who have been one of my best monitors, a 6 may still aid me by your reproval, and sustain me by your future counsel.' "Again her tears flowed fast; and Mr. Eliot, with the paternal benevolence he had long imbibed through his affectionate vigilance over another, seated himself kindly beside her, but with an averted face that seemed to shun inquiry into the emotions of her heart. "Console yourself, Lady Willersdale,' said he, mildly-Let us hope that you judge yourself too harshly; had your actions been of a character so blameable as these bitter tears might lead us to infer, they would not-no! they could not have been shed in this presence.Console yourself; and remember that our true condemnation rests in the hands of a Judge, more merciful to our weakness than the opinions of our fellow-men.' "It is not the judgment of others it is not the opinion of the world from which I shrink,' she replied, in a tone of deep humility, it is from my own!-it is from the accusal of my secret conscience. I alone can judge how deeply I have sinned-' Lady Willersdale' exclaimed her husband, dashing his pen from his hand, and starting from his chair. 'Be silent! If you have become undeserving of my love, surrender your claims; if you are unworthy the shelter of my roof, leave it! Be satisfied, madam, be satisfied that you have stained the honor of my name that you have withered my heart there where its pulse beat warmest; but spare me the recital-spare me an unavailing humiliation. I could bear much from you much!-but do not let me hear how deeply-when-wherefore-by whom I have been betrayed; or I might forget myself, and wreak that vengeance on a woman, which another shall satiate with his very heart's blood!' And he burst into a convulsion of hysteric sobs, as though the anguish of his soul were no longer controllable. "Helen, too, rose from her seat. Her first impulse was to rush towards that bosom which she had never before beheld thus fiercely agitated; but she checked her eager steps. She saw that she had been misconceived; that her self-accusal had been severely misinterpreted; and she presumed not to seek that fond embrace whence, for the first time, she anticipated rejection. "He wrongs me! indeed he wrongs me,' she exclaimed, with her hands uplifted imploringly towards Mr. Eliot. "I wrong you!' said Lord Willersdale, drawing up his dignified person with an air of conscious injury. I wrong you, Helen!—and who has injured, who has betrayed, who has crushed me-my VOL. XII. "Of hearing? No-no! I have been too long deceived by her plausible representations. No, no! you know not by what cunning arts she has hitherto disarmed my suspicions, and deluded me into self-security! Ask her or rather answer me, Helen! answer your abused and miserable husband; have you not daily, hourly, deceived me into endurance of that man's accursed society-have you not beguiled me into making him my guest-my inmate-persuading me of his devotion to another, even while you knew that other to be the offspring of his own licentious youth?' "And you can believe me capable of all this!" said Lady Willersdale, clasping her hands together. You can believe me guilty of such horrible falsehoodsuch base, such deliberate wickedness!' and the sense of injury appeared to restore her failing fortitude. Shall I need I-reply to such accusations?' she continued, appealing to Mr. Eliot. "Be forbearing where you seem to claim forbearance,' replied the Christian pastor, with earnest solemnity. "Then have I done none of these things-or I have done them through a misconception equalling your own. The world's report and my own conviction long ago assured me that Lord Forreston was a libertine; and as such I ought to have shunned his society. Lady Theodosia, I knew, entertained the worst opinion of his morals; but I guessed not, I dreamed not that she had framed her judgment from her knowledge of his relationship to Florence. And what-I beseech you-what can induce you to believe that I would so perilously conceal my consciousness of that connexion?what motive can you assign for my wilful blindness, or wilful deceit ?' "Your desire to secure at any hazard the society of your minion-of your lover ! "Again Lady Willersdale appeared startled into firmer self-possession. I will no longer reply to charges so gross, so cruel as these;' said she, again addressing Mr. Eliot; but you, sir, must receive my vindication. Lord Willersdale accuses me of guile, of shamelessness, such as I trust the worst of women have C rarely practised; for my own part, I stand before Heaven with a conscience pure from even one glancing thought such as he has ascribed to me. Mr. Eliot!you are the minister of God-from your mouth I have been accustomed to receive the assurances of His mercy-from your hands the cup of peace and when the grave shall close over my remains, it is your voice that will hallow it with a promise of immortality. To you, therefore, I may utter my confession without the reproach of guile, or suspicion of falsehood-for how could I presume to deceive my intermediator with Heaven? As that Heaven is my witness, I am innocent of any thought, or word, or deed, injurious to the honor of my husband. It is against myself only that I have sinned-against my better judgment and even there, only so far as my present humiliation may fully atone!' "Lord Willersdale struggled for breath in the painful yet welcome revulsion of his feelings. He was satisfied, and sank upon a chair, screening his tearful countenance from observation that he might listen; in joyous self-abandonment, to Helen's further communications. And yet these volumes have been puffed-and by whom? By those, doubtless, it will be answered, in whom puffing is no sin (being their vocation) -by the advertising critics of the newspapers, or the auctioneer Aristotles of Mr. Longman's gazette or Mr. Colburn's magazine-those critical muses, of whom the former may be said to be upon the town, while the latter (like the camp-follower mentioned by Scott) may, perhaps, boast of their fidelity to a particular company (to wit, Mr. Colburn's own authors) by all these, doubtless, but by whom else? Why, by Judex damnatur cum nocens absolvitur, and-risum teneatis?—by the Utilitarians! The reader may laugh, and so may we; but so would not, were they wise were they not as mad as Thymates himself so would not these aristocratic scribblers : -Ulla putatis Dona carere dolis Danaum? and these are Greeks, we can promise them, who do not exactly wear their hearts upon their sleeves. They are clever fellows-these same Utilitarians, -very clever fellows;-notwithstanding their oracular airs-notwithstand ing they deal in such long words and such short sentences, and travel to their conclusions by such very royal roads. If they are not quite the Solons they would be taken for, they are, we sus pect, perfectly well able to distinguish between a hawk and a handsaw, and not exactly to be so easily hoaxed as they would here pretend. Under the garb of folly therefore which they have assumed, we have been looking for the cloven foot; and unless our fancy fools us, we almost think we can discern the telegraphic glance that passes amongst the group-that we can discover their sage tongues thrust into their philosophical cheeks, and detect upon their brows the smile which they have so carefully chased from their lips, while gravely recommending to the public attention such pages as these-pages, suade all who have the patience to be it remembered, which would perread and the folly to believe them, that to be a nobleman is to be, by birthright, a fool, and, ex officio, a coxcomb or a scoundrel. They have their own shrewd reasons doubtless for what they are about; and there is something in the tone of their applause that rings as hollow as the wooden horse itself; though, doubtless, could we probe it, it would be found to be as pregnant, and with as friendly a burthen. -hæc in vestros fabricata est machina muros Inspectura domos venturaque desuper urbi. For our own parts, we confess that our reverence for aristocracy falls short of the idolatry requisite to qualify any one for a reader of fashionable novels.' We are not sufficiently anxious to know how the people in Grosvenorsquare tie their neckcloths and eat their dinners' to be willing to wade through such volumes as Lord Mulgrave's or Mrs. Gore's, for the purpose of acquiring such valuable information; but as members, however humble, of a great and glorious nation, which we believe to have been not a little indebted to that institution, we cannot allow pages which would almost appear to have been penned for the sole purpose of bringing it into contempt, to pass altogether unnoticed; and we claim from the justice of the public, before they decide upon the character of the classes of society here mentioned, to examine a little more cautiously into the capacity of the witness and the character of her evidence. In the first place, with respect to the literary merit of these volumes, we would ask is there any man (whose heroism falls short of the standard requisite to qualify him for distinction at the Old Bailey in the career of an |