The Maid and the Monk. 3 vols. By W. Stanhope.
(Sampson Low and Co.)—The scenes in this decidedly "romantic chronicle" are laid in the time of Henry VIII. Most writers think that the license allowable in handling historical characters increases as the age grows more distant, and becomes blurred and indistinct. A certain amount can be allowed, but the line must be drawn some- where. What are we to think of such adverbs as " aghastly," " querily," or such Latin as "In Nomine Domine"? We cannot call Mr. Stanhop3's sixteenth-century talk a success ; it is too exaggerated, as, in truth, his characters are. The paint is laid on as thickly as the outlines are overdrawn. Yet there are some good scenes ; for instance, the trial of Queen Catherine before the Legates, Wolsey and Campines ; the tilting at Whitehall ; and the séance in the magician's chamber. The "maid" is Elizabeth Barton, the "Holy Maid" of Kent ; the " monk " is Father Bocking. These two are masters in the art of vitureration, and in their mutual recriminations the writer reaches his highest flights. Another prominent character is Sir John Perrot, a son of the King, whose unsuccessful pursuit of Avelino More furnishes the foundation of the plot. Aveline More is perhaps the least dis- torted character in the book, and compares favourably with the "Fair Maid of Kent." Mr. Stanhope's " romaunt " is written in a fairly interesting manner, and if the writer had shaded his characters a little, shortened some of the unpleasant scenes, and made his men and women talk less " aghastly," we might have said more in favour of The Maid and the Monk.
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