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george cruikshank-第6章

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lady with the ermine tippet and draggling feather; can we not see

that she lives in Portland Place; and is the wife of an East India

Director?  She has been to the Opera over…night (indeed her husband;

on her right; with his fat hand dangling over the pew…door; is at

this minute thinking of Mademoiselle Leocadie; whom he saw behind

the scenes)she has been at the Opera over…night; which with a

trifle of supper afterwardsa white…and…brown soup; a lobster…

salad; some woodcocks; and a little champagnesent her to bed quite

comfortable。  At half…past eight her maid brings her chocolate in

bed; at ten she has fresh eggs and muffins; with; perhaps; a half…

hundred of prawns for breakfast; and so can get over the day and the

sermon till lunch…time pretty well。  What an odor of musk and

bergamot exhales from the pew!how it is wadded; and stuffed; and

spangled over with brass nails! what hassocks are there for those

who are not too fat to kneel! what a flustering and flapping of gilt

prayer…books; and what a pious whirring of bible leaves one hears

all over the church; as the doctor blandly gives out the text!  To

be miserable at this rate you must; at the very least; have four

thousand a year: and many persons are there so enamored of grief and

sin; that they would willingly take the risk of the misery to have a

life…interest in the consols that accompany it; quite careless about

consequences; and sceptical as to the notion that a day is at hand

when you must fulfil YOUR SHARE OF THE BARGAIN。



Our artist loves to joke at a soldier; in whose livery there appears

to him to be something almost as ridiculous as in the uniform of the

gentleman of the shoulder…knot。  Tall life…guardsmen and fierce

grenadiers figure in many of his designs; and almost always in a

ridiculous way。  Here again we have the honest popular English

feeling which jeers at pomp or pretension of all kinds; and is

especially jealous of all display of military authority。  〃Raw

Recruit;〃 〃ditto dressed;〃 ditto 〃served up;〃 as we see them in the

〃Sketch…Book;〃 are so many satires upon the army: Hodge with his

ribbons flaunting in his hat; or with red coat and musket; drilled

stiff and pompous; or at last; minus leg and arm; tottering about on

crutches; does not fill our English artist with the enthusiasm that

follows the soldier in every other part of Europe。  Jeanjean; the

conscript in France; is laughed at to be sure; but then it is

because he is a bad soldier: when he comes to have a huge pair of

mustachios and the croix…d'honneur to briller on his poitrine

cicatrisee; Jeanjean becomes a member of a class that is more

respected than any other in the French nation。  The veteran soldier

inspires our people with no such awewe hold that democratic weapon

the fist in much more honor than the sabre and bayonet; and laugh at

a man tricked out in scarlet and pipe…clay。



That regiment of heroes is 〃marching to divine service;〃 to the tune

of the 〃British Grenadiers。〃  There they march in state; and a

pretty contempt our artist shows for all their gimcracks and

trumpery。  He has drawn a perfectly English scenethe little

blackguard boys are playing pranks round about the men; and

shouting; 〃Heads up; soldier;〃 〃Eyes right; lobster;〃 as little

British urchins will do。  Did one ever hear the like sentiments

expressed in France?  Shade of Napoleon; we insult you by asking the

question。  In England; however; see how different the case is: and

designedly or undesignedly; the artist has opened to us a piece of

his mind。  In the crowd the only person who admires the soldiers is

the poor idiot; whose pocket a rogue is picking。  There is another

picture; in which the sentiment is much the same; only; as in the

former drawing we see Englishmen laughing at the troops of the line;

here are Irishmen giggling at the militia。



We have said that our artist has a great love for the drolleries of

the Green Island。  Would any one doubt what was the country of the

merry fellows depicted in his group of Paddies?





    〃Place me amid O'Rourkes; O'Tooles;

       The ragged royal race of Tara;

     Or place me where Dick Martin rules

       The pathless wilds of Connemara。〃





We know not if Mr。 Cruikshank has ever had any such good luck as to

see the Irish in Ireland itself; but he certainly has obtained a

knowledge of their looks; as if the country had been all his life

familiar to him。  Could Mr。 O'Connell himself desire anything more

national than the scene of a drunken row; or could Father Mathew

have a better text to preach upon?  There is not a broken nose in

the room that is not thoroughly Irish。



We have then a couple of compositions treated in a graver manner; as

characteristic too as the other。  We call attention to the comical

look of poor Teague; who has been pursued and beaten by the witch's

stick; in order to point out also the singular neatness of the

workmanship; and the pretty; fanciful little glimpse of landscape

that the artist has introduced in the background。  Mr。 Cruikshank

has a fine eye for such homely landscapes; and renders them with

great delicacy and taste。  Old villages; farm…yards; groups of

stacks; queer chimneys; churches; gable…ended cottages; Elizabethan

mansion…houses; and other old English scenes; he depicts with

evident enthusiasm。



Famous books in their day were Cruikshank's 〃John Gilpin〃 and

〃Epping Hunt;〃 for though our artist does not draw horses very

scientifically;to use a phrase of the atelier;he FEELS them very

keenly; and his queer animals; after one is used to them; answer

quite as well as better。  Neither is he very happy in trees; and

such rustical produce; or; rather; we should say; he is very

original; his trees being decidedly of his own make and composition;

not imitated from any master。



But what then?  Can a man be supposed to imitate everything?  We

know what the noblest study of mankind is; and to this Mr。

Cruikshank has confined himself。  That postilion with the people in

the broken…down chaise roaring after him is as deaf as the post by

which he passes。  Suppose all the accessories were away; could not

one swear that the man was stone…deaf; beyond the reach of trumpet?

What is the peculiar character in a deaf man's physiognomy?can any

person define it satisfactorily in words?not in pages; and Mr。

Cruikshank has expressed it on a piece of paper not so big as the

tenth part of your thumb…nail。  The horses of John Gilpin are much

more of the equestrian order; and as here the artist has only his

favorite suburban buildings to draw; not a word is to be said

against his design。  The inn and old buildings are charmingly

designed; and nothing can be more prettily or playfully touched。





    〃At Edmonton his loving wife

       From the balcony spied

     Her tender husband; wond'ring much

       To see how he did ride。



    〃'Stop; stop; John Gilpin!  Here's the house!'

       They all at once did cry;

     'The dinner waits; and we are tired'

       Said Gilpin'So am I!'



    〃Six gentlemen upon the road

       Thus seeing Gilpin fly;

     With post…boy scamp'ring in the rear;

       They raised the hue and cry:



    〃'Stop thief! stop thief!a highwayman!'

       Not one of them was mute;

     And all and each that passed that way

       Did join in the pursuit。



    〃And now the turnpike gates again

       Flew open in short space;

     The toll…men thinking; as before;

       That Gilpin rode a race。〃





The rush; and shouting; and clatter are excellently depicted by the

artist; and we; who have been scoffing at his manner of designing

animals; must here make a special exception in favor of the hens and

chickens; each has a different action; and is curiously natural。



Happy are children of all ages who have such a ballad and such

pictures as this in store for them!  It is a comfort to think that

woodcuts never wear out; and that the book still may be had for a

shilling; for those who can command that sum of money。



In the 〃Epping Hunt;〃 which we owe to the facetious pen of Mr。 Hood;

our artist has not been so successful。  There is here too much

horsemanship and not enough incident for him; but the portrait of

Roundings the huntsman is an excellent sketch; and a couple of the

designs contain great humor。  The first represents the Cockney hero;

who; 〃like a bird; was singing out while sitting on a tree。〃



And in the second the natural order is reversed。  The stag having

taken heart; is hunting the huntsman; and the Cheapside Nimrod is

most ignominiously running away。



The Easter Hunt; we are told; is no more; and as the Quarterly

Review recommends the British public to purchase Mr。 Catlin's

pictures; as they form the only record of an interesting race now

rapidly passing away; in like manner we should exhort all our

friends to purchase Mr。 Cruikshank's designs of ANOTH
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