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Napoleon boasted of himself); supplied a peculiar want felt at a

peculiar period; the simple secret of which is; as we take it; that

he; living amongst the public; has with them a general wide…hearted

sympathy; that he laughs at what they laugh at; that he has a kindly

spirit of enjoyment; with not a morsel of mysticism in his

composition; that he pities and loves the poor; and jokes at the

follies of the great; and that he addresses all in a perfectly

sincere and manly way。  To be greatly successful as a professional

humorist; as in any other calling; a man must be quite honest; and

show that his heart is in his work。  A bad preacher will get

admiration and a hearing with this point in his favor; where a man

of three times his acquirements will only find indifference and

coldness。  Is any man more remarkable than our artist for telling

the truth after his own manner?  Hogarth's honesty of purpose was as

conspicuous in an earlier time; and we fancy that Gilray would have

been far more successful and more powerful but for that unhappy

bribe; which turned the whole course of his humor into an unnatural

channel。  Cruikshank would not for any bribe say what he did not

think; or lend his aid to sneer down anything meritorious; or to

praise any thing or person that deserved censure。  When he levelled

his wit against the Regent; and did his very prettiest for the

Princess; he most certainly believed; along with the great body of

the people whom he represents; that the Princess was the most

spotless; pure…mannered darling of a Princess that ever married a

heartless debauchee of a Prince Royal。  Did not millions believe

with him; and noble and learned lords take their oaths to her Royal

Highness's innocence?  Cruikshank would not stand by and see a woman

ill…used; and so struck in for her rescue; he and the people

belaboring with all their might the party who were making the

attack; and determining; from pure sympathy and indignation; that

the woman must be innocent because her husband treated her so foully。



To be sure we have never heard so much from Mr。 Cruikshank's own

lips; but any man who will examine these odd drawings; which first

made him famous; will see what an honest hearty hatred the champion

of woman has for all who abuse her; and will admire the energy with

which he flings his wood…blocks at all who side against her。

Canning; Castlereagh; Bexley; Sidmouth; he is at them; one and all;

and as for the Prince; up to what a whipping…post of ridicule did he

tie that unfortunate old man!  And do not let squeamish Tories cry

out about disloyalty; if the crown does wrong; the crown must be

corrected by the nation; out of respect; of course; for the crown。

In those days; and by those people who so bitterly attacked the son;

no word was ever breathed against the father; simply because he was

a good husband; and a sober; thrifty; pious; orderly man。



This attack upon the Prince Regent we believe to have been Mr。

Cruikshank's only effort as a party politician。  Some early

manifestoes against Napoleon we find; it is true; done in the

regular John Bull style; with the Gilray model for the little

upstart Corsican: but as soon as the Emperor had yielded to stern

fortune our artist's heart relented (as Beranger's did on the other

side of the water); and many of our readers will doubtless recollect

a fine drawing of 〃Louis XVIII。 trying on Napoleon's boots;〃 which

did not certainly fit the gouty son of Saint Louis。  Such satirical

hits as these; however; must not be considered as political; or as

anything more than the expression of the artist's national British

idea of Frenchmen。



It must be confessed that for that great nation Mr。 Cruikshank

entertains a considerable contempt。  Let the reader examine the

〃Life in Paris;〃 or the five hundred designs in which Frenchmen are

introduced; and he will find them almost invariably thin; with

ludicrous spindle…shanks; pigtails; outstretched hands; shrugging

shoulders; and queer hair and mustachios。  He has the British idea

of a Frenchman; and if he does not believe that the inhabitants of

France are for the most part dancing…masters and barbers; yet takes

care to depict such in preference; and would not speak too well of

them。  It is curious how these traditions endure。  In France; at the

present moment; the Englishman on the stage is the caricatured

Englishman at the time of the war; with a shock red head; a long

white coat; and invariable gaiters。  Those who wish to study this

subject should peruse Monsieur Paul de Kock's histories of 〃Lord

Boulingrog〃 and 〃Lady Crockmilove。〃  On the other hand; the old

emigre has taken his station amongst us; and we doubt if a good

British gallery would understand that such and such a character WAS

a Frenchman unless he appeared in the ancient traditional costume。



A curious book; called 〃Life in Paris;〃 published in 1822; contains

a number of the artist's plates in the aquatint style; and though we

believe he had never been in that capital; the designs have a great

deal of life in them; and pass muster very well。  A villanous race

of shoulder…shrugging mortals are his Frenchmen indeed。  And the

heroes of the tale; a certain Mr。 Dick Wildfire; Squire Jenkins; and

Captain O'Shuffleton; are made to show the true British superiority

on every occasion when Britons and French are brought together。

This book was one among the many that the designer's genius has

caused to be popular; the plates are not carefully executed; but;

being colored; have a pleasant; lively look。  The same style was


adopted in the once famous book called 〃Tom and Jerry; or Life in

London;〃 which must have a word of notice here; for; although by no

means Mr。 Cruikshank's best work; his reputation was extraordinarily

raised by it。  Tom and Jerry were as popular twenty years since as

Mr。 Pickwick and Sam Weller now are; and often have we wished; while

reading the biographies of the latter celebrated personages; that

they had been described as well by Mr。 Cruikshank's pencil as by Mr。

Dickens's pen。



As for Tom and Jerry; to show the mutability of human affairs and

the evanescent nature of reputation; we have been to the British

Museum and no less than five circulating libraries in quest of the

book; and 〃Life in London;〃 alas; is not to be found at any one of

them。  We can only; therefore; speak of the work from recollection;

but have still a very clear remembrance of the leather gaiters of

Jerry Hawthorn; the green spectacles of Logic; and the hooked nose

of Corinthian Tom。  They were the schoolboy's delight; and in the

days when the work appeared we firmly believed the three heroes

above named to be types of the most elegant; fashionable young

fellows the town afforded; and thought their occupations and

amusements were those of all high…bred English gentlemen。  Tom

knocking down the watchman at Temple Bar; Tom and Jerry dancing at

Almack's; or flirting in the saloon at the theatre; at the night…

houses; after the play; at Tom Cribb's; examining the silver cup

then in the possession of that champion; at the chambers of Bob

Logic; who; seated at a cabinet piano; plays a waltz to which

Corinthian Tom and Kate are dancing; ambling gallantly in Rotten

Row; or examining the poor fellow at Newgate who was having his

chains knocked off before hanging: all these scenes remain indelibly

engraved upon the mind; and so far we are independent of all the

circulating libraries in London。



As to the literary contents of the book; they have passed sheer

away。  It was; most likely; not particularly refined; nay; the

chances are that it was absolutely vulgar。  But it must have had

some merit of its own; that is clear; it must have given striking

descriptions of life in some part or other of London; for all London

read it; and went to see it in its dramatic shape。  The artist; it

is said; wished to close the career of the three heroes by bringing

them all to ruin; but the writer; or publishers; would not allow any

such melancholy subjects to dash the merriment of the public; and we

believe Tom; Jerry; and Logic; were married off at the end of the

tale; as if they had been the most moral personages in the world。

There is some goodness in this pity; which authors and the public

are disposed to show towards certain agreeable; disreputable

characters of romance。  Who would mar the prospects of honest

Roderick Random; or Charles Surface; or Tom Jones? only a very stern

moralist indeed。  And in regard of Jerry Hawthorn and that hero

without a surname; Corinthian Tom; Mr。 Cruikshank; we make little

doubt; was glad in his heart that he was not allowed to have his own

way。



Soon after the 〃Tom and Jerry〃 and the 〃Life in Paris;〃 Mr。

Cruikshank produced a much more elaborate set of prints; in a work

which was called 〃Points of Humor。〃  These 〃Points〃 were selected

from various comic works; and did not; we be

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