1827.] 



see her; and they behold each other with 

 sentiments of mutual tenderness, and a warm 

 admiration, that after intercourse never cool- 

 ed again. 



Luckily for De Vere, about this time his 

 elder brother dies; and though the property 

 to which he succeeds is small, his guardians 

 now bestir themselves to shape his future 

 destiny. One of them is an ecclesiastic of 



eminence the late Dean of Christ 



Church, we may here say at once for 

 Cyril Jackson doubtless was in the writer's 

 mind. This is one of the most finished por- 

 traits in the book. The dean is represented 

 as a man of influence among the greatest 

 of learning, talent, polish, and moral supe- 

 riority. On the dean's advice he goes to 

 Oxford; and under the superintendanee of 

 this respected and respectable advistr, he 

 successfully pursues his studies ; and under 

 the noble lessons of his noble mother, he 

 matures in every excellent propensity, and 

 every high and firm resolve. 



Now he first meets with his cousin, Lady 

 Constance Mowbray an heiress of immense 

 expectations, with all the fascinations of 

 beauty, dignity, sense, and worth, to unite 

 in laying spell-bound for ever bis first feel- 

 ings of love. The lady's father, Lord Mow- 

 bray a brother of De Vere's mother is in 

 office, devoted to place and politics a man 

 of very inferior abilities, and of no very lofty 

 ^sense of integrity, where any obstacle, which 

 could be removed by a little management, 

 stood in the way of his ambitious views. 



With the Ihtle property to which De 

 Vere succeeded on his brother's death, was 

 the command of one of the seats of the 

 neighbouring borough ; and to this command 

 he owes the notice Lord Mowbray takes of 

 him particularly his invitation, and a long 

 visit of months to Castle Mowbrny. De 

 Vere, however, full of swelling notions of 

 the qualifications of a statesman, declines for 

 a time taking himself the seat, and proposes 

 to travel and see the world under different 

 aspects, the better to qualify himself for his 

 legislative duties. Just at this time Lord 

 Mowbray 's private secretary, who held De 

 Vere's seat, dies, and though De Vere de- 

 clines, somebody who can be relied upon 

 must occupy it. He recommends to his uncle 

 a humble friend of the name of Clayton a 

 college acquaintance a tuft-hunter already 

 known to Lord Mowbray through his intro- 

 duction, and acceptable to him, to fill up 

 both vacancies. This youth proves a scoun- 

 drel, and is the very representative of rasca- 

 lity in the lower ranks of office. By a long 

 course of assiduous attentions he had con- 

 trived to conciliate De Vere's esteem; and 

 gradually now, through him, be does the 

 same with his uncle ; and finally, through 

 that uncle' cupidity for power and influence, 

 aided by De Vere's refusal to become a tool 

 in the hands of his unworthy relative, brings 

 about an alienation between the parties. 

 Craftily, he ruins De Vere's interest in the 

 borough, which he secures for Lord Mow- 



Domestic and Foreign. 



531 



bray with something very like connivance 

 on the superior's part and looks forward to 

 keeping the seat comfortably and securely, 

 not on the precarious tenure of De Vere's 

 absence, or of De Vere's approbation, but as 

 the fee and reward of his agency in the 

 dirtiest work, and the most degrading poli- 

 tical traffic, for Lord Mowbray. 



Lord Mow bray's daughter is an observant 

 spectator of a great deal of these combined 

 machinations of her father and his creature 

 against her high-souled cousin ; but no sooner 

 is her knowledge of this combined proceed- 

 ing suspected, than every motive available 

 with Ji delicate and high-minded and de- 

 voted daughter, is put in requisition by her 

 artful father, to lull, and subdue, and shame 

 her from interference. The borough is thus 

 lost to De Vere ; and very soon afterwards, 

 to the extreme relief of Lord Mow bray's 

 conscience, he fills up the measure of his 

 own offences against his uncle's party, by 

 manifesting a pretty decided attachment to a 

 certain ex-minister. 



All hopes of succeeding in the career of 

 politics were thus at an end ; but he had en- 

 joyed rich opportunities of proving, in many 

 successive trials, and by the rejection of 

 many offers of brilliant slavery, that he loved 

 his independence better than riches coupled 

 with discredit. He now buried his attach- 

 ment to his cousin in the depths of his heart; 

 and sick of the profligacy of politicians, and 

 embittered by the ingratitude of the reptile 

 he had raised from the dung-hill, he resolves 

 to go abroad. He and the ex-minister, 

 Wentworth himself disgusted and defeated 

 the patriot, the scholar, the orator, the gen- 

 tleman, the friend a combinntion of all 

 that is lofty, brilliant, fascinating, and at- 

 taching start together for the continent, to 

 travel down their common disgust, and mora- 

 lize among the sunny vines of the south ; and 

 we accompany them through a most delight- 

 ful tour. 



But ambition had gotten one of them at 

 least securely within the influence of its vor- 

 tex, though as far removed from its centre as 

 the Pyrenees ; and, from different motives, 

 both sigh for London again, and its spirit- 

 stirring interests. On their return, the poli- 

 tical world is in a state of distraction every 

 individual on the rack the minister just 

 ready to let go bis feeble hold chiefs con- 

 flicting and subordinates watching and sus- 

 pended. Lord Mowbray is supplanted, and 

 driven to the country, and dies miserably of 

 baffled hopes not however before imploring 

 and importuning his daughter, as the sole 

 meaas of saving his life, to marry a profli- 

 gate kinsman, Lord Cleveland, the very 

 man who had turned hirn out, and who was 

 read}' to condition for that reward to ue- 

 gociate his return to power. 



Constance, and her struggles, through 

 these importunities, are beautifully painted ; 

 and indeed throughout the novel, from her 

 first introduction to London, where, for poli- 

 tical purposes, she is made the centre of at- 

 8 Y 2 



