MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 675 



machinery, it was evident, existed between the sarcophagus lid and this 

 mysterious image but in the first impulse of his alarm, Alan abandoned 

 his hold of the slab, and it sunk slowly downwards. He uttered a loud 

 cry as it moved. Lady Rook wood heard this cry she raised herself at 

 the same moment the dagger was in her hand she pressed against the lid, 

 but its downward force was too great to bg withstood the light was within 

 the sarcophagus, and Alan could discern her features the expression was 

 terrible she uttered one shriek arid the lid closed for ever." 



It would be injustice to Mr. Ainsworth were we to omit noticing 

 his wild and spirited lyrics,, but they are reserved for a future treat 

 to our readers our present space having " run away with us." 



With tbis we shall say euge et vale to Mr. Ainsworth. And if we 

 have not said as much about his volumes as they deserve, it is be- 

 cause we are willing to flatter ourselves that what we have said will 

 incite such of our readers as have not perused them, speedily to do 

 themselves that pleasure. We envy them with all our hearts, and 

 would give five pounds that we could forget the work to have the 

 pleasure of a fresh perusal. Mr. Ainsworth has made a most brilliant 

 and most succcessful debtit, and if he will but pay a little more atten- 

 tion to the management of his plot, and not suffer himself to be led 

 away by the exuberance of his fancy, or by the maudlin advice of 

 cat-witted critics, we prophesy that he will ere long attain a high 

 place if not indeed the highest among the writers of fiction of the 

 present day. Again we say, let him go on and fear not. There are 

 numberless rich mines of romance yet unexplored let him demolish 

 the silver fork system let him banish the " Lady Jemima" balder- 

 dash of modern novelists, and, our credit on it, he will do more for 

 his school than all the praises which contemporaneous criticism can 

 bestow. 



MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 



SONGS OF THE LOIRE. SECOND 'EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS. 



This delightful little volume comes upon our recollection like the 

 face of an old friend much improved by absence. There are many 

 original songs now added, wbich will well repay the reader for peru- 

 sal. We have seen several of these pleasing lays translated into 

 French, and as they appear such favourites with our gay neighbours, 

 would advise the author, whosoever he may be, to print a French 

 edition, under his own superintendence, as those we have seen al- 

 ready translated are done in a very inferior manner to what they 

 might have been. We hope that a love for poetry is already return- 

 ing upon our novel-gorged readers, and feel delighted to find that 

 there yet exist those, who have been so far able to appreciate the 

 beauties of the Loire-immortalizing bard, as to call for a second 

 edition of his songs. 



