Humorous Poems. By Thomas Hood. (Macmillan.)—In an intro- duction to
this handsome volume, which is further exquisitely illustrated by Mr. Charles Brock, Canon Ainger does as much justice to Thomas Hood as he previously did to Charles Lamb, and in quite as loving a spirit. He maintains that "the same instantaneous perception of the analogies and relations between apparently incongruous things that was possessed by Dickens, Hood possessed with regard to words and ideas." Canon Ainger also defends—although the defence was scarcely necessary— Hood's persistent use of puns, on the ground that these pro- duced that "sudden surprise which Hobbes declared to be the soul of wit." "The witty and the tender Hood," as he was styled by Landor, always has been and always will be read and loved rather than criticised, and, indeed, as is allowed by his latest editor, he was forced by poverty and ill-health to produce a great deal which was not quite worthy of him. Hence the great value of such a volume of selections as this, which contains the best of Hood, on the " witty " side however, rather than on the "tender." Here we have the delightful "Epping Hunt," "John Trott," and "Tim Turpin," and the altogether inimitable and unsurpassable "Sally Brown" and " Nelly Gray," some portions of which have had the fate of Gray's "Elegy," and have become incorporated with the common speech of England. We are very glad to see that this selection includes such an excellent parody as "The Mermaid of Margate," and such a charming children's poem as "Queen Mab."
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