626 



Monthly Revietv of Literature. 



[JvsE, 



chief of all, the Great Unknown must be 

 regarded as Irish or a Carthaginian, because 

 of his inexhaustible power of delineating 

 circumstantially. 



We have confined our abstract to the 

 Irish or Carthaginian character, because 

 the delineation of that seems most distinct — 

 the separating lines of the remaining charac- 

 ters (if we except the Celtic), although 

 when attentively considered there appear 

 legitimate grounds of distinction, are too 

 faint in many cases to be followed without 

 great mental effort, and cannot be brought 

 into a narrow compass, certainly with any 

 chance of accuracy. The nicety of discri- 

 mination, also, which the subject demands, 

 often leads the author into obscurity, for the 

 elucidation of which, as far as concerns the 

 general reader, his illustrations are most 

 irritating — being almost always taken from 

 the higher branches of mathematics. But 

 this is a trifle. The volume abounds in 

 interest for us, both from the accurate and 

 varied remark with which it is filled ; and 

 the complete freedom from prejudice with 

 which it begins, continues, and ends. 



Woodstock, by the Author of Waverley, 

 3 vols. \2mo. 1826. Constables, Edinburgh. 

 — It is too late in the day to criticise the 

 author of Waverley. His faults and liis 

 excellencies have been thoroughly discuss- 

 ed, and in general, are pretty fairly esti- 

 mated. 



The present story is of the flimsiest 

 possible texture, and manufactured solely 

 for the purpose of giving the author an op- 

 portunity of supplying a few scenes where 

 the characters and manners of Cromwell and 

 Charles are exhibited with the vigour of 

 unfettered fancy, and the fidelity of histo- 

 rical correctness. No single hint, with 

 respect to these memorable individuals has 

 been lost, and no license whatever allowed. 



The tale opens in Woodstock Church, on 

 the day of thanksgiving for Cromwell's 

 ' crowning mercy' at Worcester, with a 

 scuffle between the presbyterian incumbent 

 of Woodstock and one of Cromwell's fana- 

 tical troopers for the pulpit. The ' Inde- 

 pendent' orator of course gets possession, 

 and in his addi-ess denounces the impending 

 destruction of the adjoining palace and park ; 

 and proves indeed to be the precursor of a 

 Parliamentary Commission, consisting of 

 Desborough, Harrison, and Bletson, sent 

 to dismantle Woodstock and its royalties. 

 The palace is occupied by the ranger, old 

 Sir Henry Lee, a staunch royalist, and his 

 daughter Alice, who is all that is lovely, 

 intelligent, and executive. He has a son 

 with the royal forces. His brother sides 

 with the parliament ; and a son of his bro- 

 ther. Colonel Markham Everard — the hero 

 of the piece — a very correct, but somewhat 

 insipid person, like all the author's heroes, 

 serves with high distinction under Crom- 

 well. The cousins Markham and Alice 

 were once betrothed, and are still attached, 

 but their union of course becomes imprac- 



ticable by the political divisions of the family. 

 On the arrival of the Commissioners, the 

 Lees are obliged to quit the palace ; and 

 Warkliain resolves to employ his influence 

 with Cromwell to supersede the commis- 

 sion, and replace his uncle in possession. 

 On this adventurous embassy he despatches, 

 still more adventurously, but perhaps he 

 could do no better, one Wildrake, a con- 

 cealed royalist— a fellow with no virtue 

 under heaven in his composition but that of 

 loyalty — drunken, riotous, perpetually on 

 the eve of doing mischief— an old college 

 chum of Markham 's, and now under his 

 protection. Wildrake finds Cromwell in 

 the guard-room of Windsor Castle himself 

 drilling a godly recruit, and introduces his 

 credentials. After some little circumlocu- 

 tion — a capital specimen of his ambiguities 

 and confusions, when desiring to hint rather 

 than announce his purposes — Cromwell 

 hazards the consequence of an open breach 

 with the parliament, and complies with 

 Markham's request — not, however, with- 

 out turning it to his own advantage, by 

 coupling with his compliance tlie condition 

 of surrendering the person of Charles should 

 he take refuge at Woodstock — no improba- 

 ble event, as old Su Henry's son was 

 known to have been one of the last with 

 him after the battle. This condition, how- 

 ever, is not communicated to Markham, 

 and he proceeds, in full confidence of secu- 

 rity, to avail himself of Cromwell's autho- 

 rity in expelling the commissioners and 

 re-establishing his uncle. In tliis matter, 

 apprehensive as he was of some resistance 

 on the part of the commissioners, he fortu- 

 nately meets with httle difficulty. They 

 had already been frightened out of their 

 propriety, by apparitions and strange noc- 

 turnal disturbances, and were glad enough 

 to leave the place, with some hope, besides, 

 of being indemnified by sharing the plunder 

 of Windsor. In the description of these 

 develries the author revels to his heart's 

 content. But though old Su- Henry and 

 his daughter are thus quietly replaced in the 

 palace, their peace is soon disturbed again. 

 For Alice going to Rosamond's well for a 

 pitcher of water for papa — as young ladies 

 were wont in those days — meets there with 

 a formidable-lookuig gypsy gul, who ad- 

 dresses the alarmed Alice with great famili- 

 arity, and saucily proposes to tell her 

 fortune. This was Charles in disguise. 

 Scarcely had Alice recovered from the panic, 

 when Charles is introduced into the palace, 

 under another disguise, that ef a peasant- 

 boy, in company witli Sir Henry's son ; and 

 finally remains there, as the son of a 

 Scottish nobleman for some weeks, undis- 

 covered to the old knight. Young Lee 

 leaves the King with Dr. Rocheclift'e, w^ho 

 alone is in the secret, and who is chief- 

 manoeuvrer for the King s escape, as he 

 had been of all the appaiition-scenes ; and 

 goes liimself round the coast to airange and 

 secure the means of conveying tlie King 



