t worthy to be ranked with the play. 'The Death of Philemon'
is indeed a beautiful piece in its first half; the second were better
'cut' 'The Dappled Palfrey,' a very charming _fabliau_ in the original,
chiefly suggests the superiority of _Lochinvar_ to which it is a sort of
counterpart and complement. 'The New Order of Chivalry' with a good deal
of truth has also a good deal of illiberality; and, amusing as it is,
is a relapse into Peacock's old vein of almost insolent personality.
Sir Moses Montefiore and Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy did not deserve, though
they might afford to despise, the sort of cheap rallying here applied to
them; and might have retaliated, not without point, on persons who
drew large salaries at the India House, with frequent additional
gratifications, and stood up for 'chivalry' in their leisure moments.
And 'The Legend of St Laura' is not first rate. But the Italian
translations make us wish for more of the same.

On the whole, however, though we may like some things more and some less
here, I cannot conceive the whole being otherwise than delightful to any
person of knowledge, sense, and taste. And as we close Peacock's novels
there is this interesting though rather melancholy thought that we
'close the book' in more senses than one. They have never been imitated
save afar off; and even the far-off imitations have not been very
satisfactory. The English Muse seems to have set, at the joining of the
old and new ages, this one person with the learning and tastes of the
ancestors, with the irreverent criticism of the moderns, to comment on
the transition; and, having fashioned him, to have broken the mould.

George Saintsbury.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I
Misnomers

CHAPTER II
The Squire and his Niece

CHAPTER III
The Duke's Folly

CHAPTER IV
The Forest--A Soliloquy on Hair

CHAPTER V.
The Seven Sisters

CHAPTER VI
The Rustic Lover

CHAPTER VII
The Vicar and his Wife--Families of Love:--
The Newspaper

CHAPTER VIII
Pantopragmatics

CHAPTER IX
Saint Catharine

CHAPTER X
The Thunderstorm

CHAPTER XI
Electrical Science--The Death of Philemon

CHAPTER XII
The Forest Dell--The Power of Love--The Lottery
of Marriage

CHAPTER XIII
Lord Curryfin--Siberian Dinners--Social Monotony

CHAPTER XIV
Music and Painting--Jack of Dover

CHAPTER XV
Expression in Music--The Dappled Palfrey--Love
and Age--Competitive Examination

CHAPTER XVI
Miss Niphet--T