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PREFACE.

WHEN an author presents to the public the production of his brain, it is usual for him to give some account of the work he offers for approbation, which he entitles a Preface; but, in our case, to give to the remarks we have to make, at the conclusion of those labours which have been periodically presented to the public, the same name, is, we confess, to act similarly to the landlord who handed the bill of fare to his customers after they had dined, and gave them an account of the manner in which each dish had been cooked. With respect to our present volume, however, what we have to say under our title is chiefly acknowledgments for favours received. Our observations will be more particularly directed to the numbers of THE MIRROR that are forthcoming, which in some measure will obviate the Irishism of our heading.

We have, in the first place, to inform those correspondents whose articles we have been obliged to decline, that in doing so, we have often felt as if we were performing an act of unkindness, for many of them were very creditable perform'ances. The evils would be too obvious to require mentioning, were we to admit one that nearly reached our standard, and reject others of an equal quality. We cannot, however, let this opportunity escape without thanking our poetical contributor "REINELM;" also "E. T. C." for his very artistical designs.

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We will next make our most respectful obeisance to the gentlemen of the metropolitan and provincial press, who have been lavish in their praises of our pictorial embellishments in particular, and of our selected and original matter in general. In the same breath we would wish to add, that notwithstanding the depressed state of trade, which has been truly attributed as the cause of the decreasing circulation of periodicals, both of a high and low price, THE MIRROR has kept steady in its sale; but we naturally hope-and if increased exertions and expense will have the effect they will be made— to extend its circulation still further.

A new feature has been introduced into this volume of the MIRROR, which is one of an amusing and highly profitable nature; it is the introduction of French literature in a condensed form, giving our readers an opportunity of forming an idea of the writings of the celebres, of France. Great pains have been taken to select stories of a moral tendency, and those passages which were not exactly adapted to the English carefully suppressed.....

To conclude, or rather to begin our Preface, it is proposed to give, at intervals, engravings of the tombs in Westminster Abbey, with a biographical sketch of the sculptor who executed, and of the individual to whom the monument was raised. In architecture, whatever has novelty or antiquity to recommend it, shall of course not be neglected,-discoveries in science, and inventions in art shall be duly recorded,—the fugitive literature of the day shall meet with a passing glance, and a considerable portion of our space will be allotted to notices of works of more enduring interest-original contributions, as heretofore, will find a place in our pages, that they may continue to be THE MIRROR Of Literature, Amusement, AND INSTRUCTION.

MEMOIR

OF

THEODORE EDWARD HOOK.

(WITH A PORTRAIT.)

MR. HOOK was born in Charlotte-street, Bedford-square, September 22, 1788, of parents of superior abilities and acquirements. His father, James Hook, was a composer of some celebrity in his day, and whose ballads were especially popular with the frequenters of Vauxhall, at that time a place of fashionable resort. He married Miss Madden, who, as prima donna at these gardens, gave to her husband's songs all the advantages they could derive from a sweet voice, and an agreeable style of singing. She also enjoyed a respectable share of literary reputation as the author of "The Double Marriage," published in 1784. James, their eldest son, who was twenty years older than Theodore, also discovered a predilection for the drama: he wrote, previous to the church putting forth its superior claims to his time and talents, "Jack of Newbury," an opera, in 1795; and "Diamond cut Diamond," in 1797; and he has always been considered the author of " Pen Owen," and "Percy Mallory," two very effective novels, and at the period of their publication much read. In a home of such varied talent, a boy of far less natural abilities than the subject of our memoir, could hardly fail to profit by the advantages it afforded.

After receiving a tolerable home education, Theodore was sent to Harrow, where he distinguished himself, no less in the eyes of his masters, than in those of the scholars, for he was the very model of a Harrow boy-daring, clever, and fertile in resources, whether for mischief or mirth. He was afterwards, for a short time, at Oxford, where he was matriculated, and nearly rejected at the time, from his over-willingness to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles : "Oh, ah," he cried, "to forty if you choose !” a latitudinarianism that somewhat shocked the grave master of Saint Mary's Hall.

Having passed a term or two at Oxford, he returned home, where his father's friends, who were mostly connected with the theatres, probably fostered an inclination for the drama. At the early age of seventeen, he produced his first dramatic attempt, "The Soldier's Return," a comic opera, which

was acted at the Haymarket in 1805, and for which he received a cheque for £50. This was his first reward, and with the prospect of an exhaustless treasure before him—the gold to be coined from his own brain, he rushed, with the ardour of that juvenile period of life, into the pleasures to which society in London courted the debutant who had so early distinguished himself in the great arena of dramatic competition.

In 1806, he produced "Catch him who can," a farce; "The Invisible Girl," a monologue, written for the purpose of exhibiting the peculiar talent of Jack Bannister; and "Tekeli, or the Siege of Montgatz;" and having, by the success of these pieces, established his reputation as a dramatic writer, he continued for the next five years to draw the chief part of his income from the same source. "The Fortress,' ""Music Mad," ""The Siege of St. Quentin," Killing no Murder," "Safe and Sound," "Ass-assination," "The Will and the Widow," "Trial by Jury," and "Darkness Visible," were about this period productions of his pen.

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In the quality of a dramatic author, Hook naturally became a constant frequenter of the green-rooms of the different theatres, where he became for the time the Little Pickle of the building, enacting as much mischief as the renowned original himself ever concocted in the person of the inimitable Mrs. Jordan. It may not be unentertaining to the readers to mention one or two of his boyish frolics. One night, during the performance of Monk Lewis's melodrama of "The Wood Demon," Hook having found that there was a second speaking-trumpet in the property room, got hold of it, and placed himself in the flies. When the demon roared into the speaking-trumpet "My prey, my prey," Hook, with the one that he had possessed himself of, continued the speech and the same voice, “For I am devilish hungry,” to the great astonishment of the audience. On another occasion, he placed himself under the stage of the Haymarket theatre, just as Mr. Liston was preparing, in the comedy called "The Finger Post," to sing a song as a quaker, the air as well as the words of which was extremely quaint and precise in its character. Hook had provided himself with a child's wooden trumpet, the squeak of which he introduced at the end of every line of each verse, in such a manner as to occasion the most uproarious burst of laughter all over the house. The singer, also, being so convulsed by the oddity of the mysterious accompaniment, with great difficulty proceeded with the song, which was encored, partly for the novelty which attended it, and the same result of universal laughter rewarded the subterraneous musician, who, with great skill, gave most fanciful variations to his repeated efforts for the increased diversion of his hearers. Many such pranks were at that period of life successfully enacted by the young Theodore, some of which he has since ascribed to Daly, in the half true, half fictitious history of " Gilbert Gurney."

A more difficult undertaking, however, than either of those just recorded was fulfilled by him in one of those idle hours of youth. It happened one winter's day that Theodore had made up his mind to dine tête-à-tête with a bachelor friend, who, it was understood, was to be found at home always on a

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