And so does TOM HOOD, the prince of humorists.
THACKERAY we all remember; and neither he nor his Vanity Fair will ever
be forgotten. DOUGLAS JERROLD, and JOHN LEECH, too--the only tears they
ever made men shed were at their graves. And who can fail to feel like a
"pendulum betwixt a smile and tear," when he remembers our ARTEMUS WARD?
Over the water now we have some yet; of whom we count "the TWAIN one;"
and we can get up as good BILLINGS-gate as ever went to market. Then,
for right Saxon wit, have we not SAXE himself? And, for the luminous,
PETROLEUM, the ex-postmaster of the Cross-roads?
"I represent a name, gentlemen, new with us, yet old in Europe. You are
well aware that, in Italy"--
"_That_ might 'uv been tuk for granted; as the donkey said ven his dam
called him a hass"--whispered, rather loudly, SAMIVEL, behind me.
Now whether it was the Thames atmosphere that had got into my head, or
whether it was SAM WELLER'S unexpected remark, I am unable, to this day,
to say. But, somehow or other, my speech had, by this time, gone up. So
I went down. If the speech was a rocket, I represented a stick. Perhaps
JENKINS may yet wake up to the importance to the civilization of the
century of reporting in full CHARLES DICKENS' speech, and BULWER'S, and
the rest.
Pages:
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51