Waverley Novels. Vol. XVI. Ivanhoe. _ .
In the Introduction now first prefixed to the tale, its gifted. author talks over with his readers, in his own easy and delightful manner, ,the history of his story and the origin of some of the incidents; thus estit.
blishiug an agreeable kind ofhook-intimacy with them. •
The vignette embellishment of the present volume represents Mirth the swineherd, and Wamba the jester, in conversation, as they are in.
troduced in the opening scene of the romance. The design is clever; but Garth is too graceful in air and attitude for a swineherd ; he looks rather like an exiled noble in that assumed character. The jesteris more
characteristic ; but his figure is ill drawn, and too small; his relative size would require him to be several yards off, yet he is close to the Swineherd. The design is by J. CAHSE, and is neatly engraved by W. J. TAYLOR.
The frontispiece is by Mr. MARTIN, and somewhat tamely en- graved by E. PORTBURY. It represents Rebecca preventing the brutal violence of Boisguilbert, by threatening to throw herself from the tower if he approaches : but were it not for the battle. meats, we should take it to be the solid ground on which she stands,—there is space enough, and the castle rises to a tolerable height above them as it is ; what must it be then, when this is one of the topmost turrets ? We cannot comprehend the perspective of this plate. itoisguilbert resembles in air and attitude one of the melodious oppres- sors of the Italian opera, in the midst of a tender scene; and Rebecca Madame PERON sort of a singing termagant, with her feathers flying. We are sorry to see Mr. MARTIN so much out of his line in these little designs,—which if he would succeed in, he must learn to draw the figure; in the present case, both his hero and heroine stand, like the cranes in BOCCACCIO, on one leg, the other being off duty. By the by, why does Mr. MARTIN show the muscles through chain-armour ? This fashion went out with FUSELI—does he mean to revive it ?
Let Joan' MARTIN be content with his triumphs of perspective, conquests of space, and trophies of effect—be distance, magnitude, and multitude, the cabala of his mysteries ; and in the region of the preter- natural let him reign over the senses of his admirers for ever and ever.
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