hey are all readable, almost all good, full of humour, and with some fine touches of pathos, most happy in their versification,
acob Omnium's Hoss may fairly be called a ballad, containing as it does a chronicle of a certain well-defined transaction; and the story of King Canute is a ballad,-one of the best that has been produced in our language in modern years. But such pieces as those called The End of the Play and Vanitas Vanita
f the effort. But if he write his book or poem simply because a book or poem is required from him, let his capability be what it may, it is not unlikely that he will do it badly. Thackeray occasionally suffered from the weakness thus produced. A ballad from Policeman X,-Bow Street Ballads they were first called,-was required by Punch, and had to be forthcoming, whatever might be the poet's humour, by a certain time. Jacob Omnium's Hoss
of them, for those who will look a little below the surface, there is something that will touch them. Thackeray, though he rarely uttered a word, either with his pen or his mouth, in which there was not an intention to reach our se
s to the Two Hundred Pounds, for whic
England who admire
sh jury worthy of th
each other at the
ildford 'sizes, this
ose of irony even there in regard to our vaunted freedom. With all your Magna Charta and your juries, what are you but snobs! There is nothing so often misguided as general indignation, and I think that in his judgment of outside things, in the measure which he usually took of them, Thackeray was very frequently misguided. A satirist by trade will learn to satirise everything, till the li
Court,
most p
amusi
t it, I'll
up a three-
-and-twe
ort it
the hon
r just or u
undred per c
and get you
not last
from tha
meless a
le, pickin
of Trut
thou hoar
hou shalt
t, Jacob
your i
up, Sir J
me up t
r fattening
nes of ho
less and unjust!" It is impossible not t
ich perhaps Barham's ballad on the coronation was the best, "When to Westminster the Royal Spinster and the Duke of Leinster all in order did repair!" Thackeray in some of his attempts has been equall
s holy
ndow p
diayva
orough
int th
w and ga
founta
rosse
ater-gods
organs
y, d'y
the Queen,
statue
rble
r, and o
ome i
me, I
n't ove
staym
ands in
s and a
ueal an
ales in
hants a
carts
ns for
lers and the
ughs li
ittle
ant whee
him g
de on
lenty to
s dros
Payte
cles from
cabs o
andthr
gons from N
Laplan
oss'd t
g cyars fro
but did not come till late on Saturday evening. The editor, who was among men the most good-natured and I should think the most forbearing, either could not, or in this case would not, insert it in t
Peninsular and Oriental Company, is so like Barham's coronation in the acco
air[7] stud
dhrums to t
nce to that
e of his C
irls and ric
he oys you s
ch oye you t
Jung Baha
great then
the other
oat, his bel
with preci
here, with
on his c
about his
in and the
irls, such ju
ion and n
of Tim, a
e high ge
rd de L'Huys, an
and his
ised, with m
e, Bob O'Gr
I, reader, were we from the West, and were the dear County Galway to send either of us to Parliament, would probably endeavour to drop the dear brogue of our country, and in doing so we should make some mistakes. It was these mistakes which Thackeray took for the natural Irish tone. He was amused to hear a major called "Meejor," but was unaware that the sound arose from Pat's affection of English softness of speech. The expression natural to the unadulterated Irishman would rather be "Ma-ajor." He discovers his own provincialism, and trying to be polite and urbane, he says "Meejor." In one of the lines I have quoted there occurs the word "troat." Such a sound never came naturally from the mouth of an Irishman. He puts in an h instead of omitting it, and says "dhrink." He comes to London, and finding out that he is wrong with
the French nation. The drummer, either by himself or by some of his family, has drummed through a century of French battling, caring much for his country and its glory, but understanding nothing of the causes for which he is enthusiastic. Whether for King, Republic, or Emperor, whether fighting and conquering or fig
the head of
r the blood
he came to
r fair neck
foul fingers t
ut she deigne
with a ro
th a blush
hat our coun
the Safet
ve the heart
ness, merc
o assist at
beat its lou
ed to justi
f the blood
uch foul re
the axe and
st fight of
'neath our gu
parte led
er permitted himself to use. The Chronicle of the Drum has not the finish which he achieved afterwards,
those Briti
the slaugh
Sir Hudson
of our
ll Russians,
sian and Au
I pray we m
them again
graphic descriptions ever put into verse. Nothing written by Thackeray shows more plainly his power over words and rhymes. He draws his picture withou
uall, upo
the waters
ouds began
was lashed
ering thund
tning jumped
ip and all
in wild
ind set up
oodle dog
cks began
d cow rais
d the tempe
and geese
rdage and
shriek an
y dashed o'e
the deck
shing wate
eamen in t
kers whose
of their
ptain, he
lors pullin
arter-deck
ed in the
passenge
tifully
ard jumps up
necessar
s they groaned
t, and moaned
nging wate
ed and ove
all in the
ess saints
arrowbones
ink the wor
urkish wo
tened and
ing and be
clutched the
ang "Alla
ah Bis-
ing waters
d them and
lled upon t
ht but li
the fleas
and bit
progeny
e main-de
ese greas
er pay fo
n moaned an
y Jewish
and lam
ing cons
lashing wa
y brats an
wl from bale
ed thousan
e White Squ
terly o'e
rally aware that the young lady in question lived in truth at Newton Limavady (with one d)
en or
Whig,
uld al
f Lim
Homer'
of Serge
y I'd
f Lim
ill I
l I go
ng unto
f Lim
as containing that mixture of burlesque with the pathetic which belonged so
eap treasures tha
t I love and I
f couches that's
ange thee, my ca
ed, high-bottomed
old back and t
ir morning when
love thee, old ca
*
the past and re
e then did all
tender, so fr
sits in my cane
ated herself in the chair of her old bachelor friend, she had not on a low dress and loosely-flowing drawing-room shawl, nor was there a footstool ready for her feet. I doubt also the head
se wooden statue he carried with him, escaped across the Borysthenes with all the Cossacks at his tail. It is very good fun; but not equal to many of t
regrets of life, with words so appropriate to its jollities? I do not know how far my readers will agree with me that to read it always must be a fresh pleasure; but in or
D OF BOUI
ere is in P
rhyme our lan
Petits Champ
et of the Li
inn, not ric
in comfort
n youth I o
owl of Bou
baisse a nob
oup, or bro
ch of all so
ich never c
ed peppers, mu
, garlic, roa
u eat at Ter
dish of Bo
ch and savou
hilosopher
sorts of natu
od victuals an
lier or B
y sure his
fast-day to
him up a Bo
the house st
he lamp is,
red-cheeked
ng oysters
till alive
t his drol
d smile befo
liked your
thing's chan
eur Terré, w
res and shrugs
s dead this
lot of sain
Terré's ru
nsieur requir
still cook Bo
ieur," 's the
Monsieur d
od one." "Tha
tin with ye
gone," I say
ustom'd co
h feasting and
dy and Boui
stomed corn
still is i
'd many a
wn chair sinc
I saw ye, c
a beard u
rizzled, gr
ait for Bou
u, old compa
ays here m
! quick, a f
them in the
d voices an
can quic
ard they take
e wine and B
as made a wond
hing Tom is
Augustus drive
old Fred in
head the gras
he world has
e set the cl
nd ate the B
ick the days
of a time
d sit, as no
e place,-bu
face was ne
r face look
poke and smil
one now to
*
as the Fate
and have don
lonely glass
of dear
ine, whate'er
down and s
heart, whate'e
he smoking B
t to ridicule such an assumption made on his behalf. But I think that his verses will be more popular than thos
TNO
r-i.e. C
he P. and