182P.] [ 329 ] 



MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE, DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. 



The Book of the Boudoir, by Lady Mor- 

 gan, 2 voh. ; 1829 Two more agreeable 



volumes it has not been our good fortune to 

 see for ages. Here are topics of all sorts 

 and sizes — something for all ages and tem- 

 pers the odds-and-ends of the talented 



Lady IMorgan's scrap-book — a melanye of 

 gravities and gaieties — philosophy and flip- 

 pancy — truths and trifles — facts and fancies 

 (by the way, a collection of alliterations her 

 ladyship's self might envy) — all in most ad- 

 mired disorder, but all hit off a saule el a, 

 gambade, Blontaigne-like, with a go-lightly 

 touch of the pen that flashes amusement at 

 every stroke. Soiu-er critics than oiu-selves 

 might say, Lady Morgan has no discretion : 

 we prefer saying she has few reserv'es. A 

 quaint phrase, a bon-mot, a strong thought, 

 an equivocal pun, imply and involve what 

 they may, are equally irresistible ; and the 

 good spirits and elasticity which nature gave 

 her, carry her safely over dangers that would 

 suck others down into depths from which 

 there could be no emerging. Her own 

 " image and superscription" are stamped 

 upon every page of her attractive book. Po- 

 litics, religion, morals — in all she fearlessly 

 lances her occasionally startling opinions ; 

 but they spring fresh from her convictions, 

 and are uttered in a tone which says. These 

 may be wrong, or may be right ; let them 

 go, and find their own value. 



Some of her scenes are admirable, and 

 almost all speak of persons eminent for sta- 

 tion, literature, or eccentricity ; and to de- 

 tails about people of these descriptions the 

 world will always lend an untiring ear. Her 

 first rout in London, at Lady Cork's, with 

 Kemble's capricios — the old Duchess of 

 Gordon's brusqueries — Kirwan's visit to the 

 " fair authortss of the Wild Irish Girl," 

 with some of his crudities and absturdities — 

 Owen's cheinisc — Denon's frolics and ra- 

 conteurings — Helen I^Iaria Williams, &c., 

 are aU excellent, but not to be brouglit 

 within our limits. We must cut our coat 

 according to our cloth. 



Lady M. is as ready to smile at her own 

 foibles as at those of her neighbours. Take 

 a specimen : 



I originally wrote my " Novice of St. Domi- 

 nick" in ten goodly, stout volumes, whicli, with 

 much Iiumility, as I tliougljt, I cut down to seven. 

 Willi tliesc seven — by far tlie licaviesf part of my 

 luggage — I arrived in London, and iiiesented my- 

 »elf to Sir Richard Phillips, who advised mc to 

 take hack my manuscript, like a good girl, and 

 reduce it to five. " Insatiate mnnster, would not 

 one suffice!' Hut down went tlic volumes ; and 

 when I took the remaining nibyl leaves to Sir 

 Kichard, he again heggcd tliey niiiiht he reduced 

 to four. This was too much ; though I verily 

 believe, at this moment, that the publisliei's good- 

 nntured consideration o! wy amour jiroprc a\in\e 

 prevented him Irom stinting my exuherance to two 

 volumen, which, perhaps, he ought to have done. 

 M.M. A'cw Series Vol.VIII.No. 40. 



Self is the conspicuous figure of the recol- 

 lections ; and Lady M. is herself as well 

 worth studying as any she commemorates. 

 The peculiarities of others elicits her own : 



Of all metaphysical mysteries, there is nothing 

 more difficult to get at than the mystory of me- 

 mory. Montaigne, complaining of his, observes 

 " et suia si excellente en oubliancp, que mes 

 escripts mijmestje les oublie, pas mains que les 

 aatres."* This is precisely my own case. I 

 never could remember any thing I wrote, beyond 

 the moment when it was going through the press. 

 The other evening I found a book lying open on 

 the piano-forte, which somebody had just laid 

 down, on being called to take a part in the Preg- 

 hiera in the opera of Mosi.&ni I chanced to light 

 upon a high-flown andrathcr nonsensical passage, 

 of which I could make nothing. Tliis induced 

 me to look at the title-page. It was " The Wild 

 Irish Girl," seventh edition. I had not seen it 

 for years. I was amused, and a little surprised. 



A pun is sure to live in Lady M.'sme- 

 mory : — 



What a droll pun is that of the grammarian 

 presenting his book to the Acadimie, after the 



Duke de had advanced bis pretensions to be 



elected one of \W quarante, an the score of his 

 illustrious ancestors. " Je suis ici povr man 

 grand-p^re," sslM the duke. " Je suis ici pour 

 «K« GKAMMAiRE," Said his ignoble philological 

 competitor. 



Here is another, which does not bear con- 

 clusive evidence of being so well preserved : 



It is extremely difficult to get the Irish to be 

 grave upon grave subjects. With a few excep- 

 tions in favour of absolute dulness and medioc- 

 rity, all our judges arc droles de corps, and the 

 liiglipst the drollest of any. What was Joe Miller 

 to Judge Norbury, who kept the bar in a roar for 

 nearly half a century, and rarely passed sentence 

 of death without making some of his auditors die 

 laughing? 



" Here is a fellow, my lord," (said an attorney, 

 the other day, to one of our legal chiefs), " accused 

 of stealing turnips ; under what act can he be 

 attacked ?" 



" I really don't know," said the judge, without 

 taking bis eyes from the paper on which he was 

 writing. 



" You don't know, my lord ?" 



" No, nut immediately, Mr. ••••." 



" What does your lordship think of the timber 

 act?" 



" Probably — that is, if the turnips were sticky !" 



Turn to a scrap, then, of a graver cast. 

 Lady M. has been adverting to the many 

 sprightly volumes of memoirs, written by 

 French women, with which, as all lovers of 

 goRsipping — and agreeable gossi])ing, too — 

 must be, she is extremely dcliglited : 



I grieve to be unable to add some f»ir British 

 writers to tliis list of sparkliiig memoirists: hut the 



• " And I am myself so excellent at forgetful- 

 ness, that I forget my own works as much as 

 those of other persoim." 



2 U 



