Mistress Hazelwode. By T. H. Moore. 2 vols. (Remington.)—This is
a tale of the reign of Edward VI., and is founded on historical facts. It relates, in fact, the rebellion of Ket the Tanner, interweaving with the narrative threads of personal history. It would be possible to criticise the accuracy of the picture. Eet, for instance, was of higher station than he is described as belonging to. But the author has not, in this respect, transcended or even equalled the license taken by great masters of the art. A more serious fault is the want of interest. In truth, this sort of writing is very difficult. The archaic style is tedious, even when it is handled with the greatest skill, but it requires powers of the most unusual kind to present past-away manners with freshness and vividness. Even such a master-piece as Romola is, we fancy, less popular than the present-day stories from the same band. Mistress Hazelwode is, however, a creditable piece of workmanship ; another effort is likely to be more successful.
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