Punch (99.1890)

August 23, 1890.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

95

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Bobn, February 21, 1801. Died August 11, 1890.

" Lead, kindly Light! " From lips serene as strong,
Chaste as melodious, on world-weary ears
Fall, 'midst earth's chaos wild of hopes and fears,

The accents calm of spiritual song,

Striking across the tumult of the throng
Like the still line of lustre, soft, severe,
From the high-riding, ocean-swaying sphere,

Athwart the wandering wilderness of waves.

Is there not human soul-light which so laves
Earth's lesser spirits with its chastening beam,
That passion's bale-fire and the lurid gleam

Of sordid selfishness know strange eclipse ?

Such purging lustre his, whose eloquent lips
Lie silent now. Great soul, great Englishman!
Whom narrowing bounds of creed, or caste, or clan,

Exclude not from world-praise and all men's love.
Fine spirit, which the strain of ardent strife

Warped not from its firm poise, or made to move
From the pure pathways of the Saintly Life!

Newman, farewell! Myriads whose spirits spurn

The limitations thou didst love so well,

Who never knew the shades of Oriel,
Or felt their quickened spirits pulse and burn

Beneath that eye's regard, that voice's spell,—
Myriads, world-scattered and creed-sundered, turn

In thought to that hushed chamber's chastened gloom.

In all great hearts there is abundant room
For memories of greatness, and high pride
In what sects cannot kill nor Eeas divide.
The Light hath led thee, on through honoured days
And lengthened, through wild gusts of blame and praise,

Through doubt, and severing change, and poignant
pain,

Warfare that strains the breast and racks the brain,
At last to haven! Now no English heart
Will willingly forego unfeigned part

In honouring thee, true master of our tongue,

On whose word, writ or spoken, ever hung
All English ears which knew that tongue's best charm.
Not as great Cardinal such hearts most warm

To one above all office and all state,

Serenely wise, magnanimously great;
Not as the pride of Oriel, or the star
Of this host or of that in creed's hot war,

But as the noble spirit, stately, sweet,

Ardent for good without fanatic heat,
Gentle of soul, though greatly militant,
Saintly, yet with no touch of cloistral cant;

Him England honours, and so bends to-day

In reverent grief o'er Newman's glorious clay.

PEE VERY SIMPLE.

" In a recent case of brigandage, people of all sorts and
classes were implicated, while one of the leading barristers was
imprisoned on suspicion."—Report of Consul Stigano, of Palermo.

Scene— Chambers of Mr. E. S. Toppel, Q.C., in the
Inner Temple, Mr. Toppel discovered in consultation
with a Chancery Barrister, tivo Starving Juniors, and
sixteen Masked Ruffians armed to the teeth.

Mr. Toppel. Now that we have the Lord Chancellor,
the Lord Chief Justice, and the President of the Divorce
Division, securely locked up together in the attic, and
gagged, we may, I think, congratulate ourselves on the
success of our proceedings so far! We are, I am sure,
quite agreed as to there having been no other course open
to us than to imitate our Sicilian brethren of the robe,
and take to a little mild brigandage, considering the awful
decay of legal business and our own destitute condition.
(Sympathetic cries of Hear, hear / from the Chancery
Barrister, and the two Starving Juniors.) I have no doubt
that a few hours spent in our attic will induce the High
Legal Dignitaries I have mentioned {laughter) to pay up
the modest ransom we demand, and to take the additional
pledge of secresy. Meanwhile, I propose that these six-
teen excellent gentlemen should re-enter the private
Pirate Bus' which is waiting down-stairs, and see whether
the Master of the Rolls could not be—er—" detained in

A PLEASANT PROSPECT!

The Lords of the Admiralty proceed to Inspect the Fleet at the Close
of the Man(euvres. (What we mat expect if the Gales and
Casualties continue.)

transitu" (more laughter) while proceeding to his Court. It would be best,
perhaps, as Lord Esher belongs to the Equity side, for our friend here of the
Chancery Bar to accommodate him in his Chambers.

Chancery Barrister (alarmed). But I have only a basement!

Mr. Toppel (calmly). A basement will do very well. (To the sixteen Mashed
Men). You will probably find Lord Esher somewhere about Chancery Lane.
Impress on him that our fee in his case is a thousand guineas; or—both ears
lopped off! [.Exeunt the Sixteen.

First Junior. I went upstairs just now, in order to see how our distinguished
prisoners were getting on. The Chancellor, I regret to say, seemed dissatisfied
with the bread and water supplied to him, and asked for " necessaries suitable to
his status." He appeared inclined to argue the point, so I had to gag him again.

Mr. Toppel. Quite right. You might have told him that he is now governed
by the lex loci, and that we shall reluctantly have to send little pieces of him to
his friends—I believe that is the "common form " in brigand circles—if he persists
in refusing the ransom. How does the Lord Chief Justice bear it ?

Second Junior. Not well. The attic window is, fortunately, barred, but I
found him trying to—in fact, to disbar it—(laughter)—and to attract the
attention of a passer-by. He is now secured by a chain to a strong staple.

Mr. Toppel. I suppose he is not disposed to make the assignment to us of
half his yearly salary, which we suggested ?

Second Junior. Not yet. He even threatens, when liberated, to bring our
conduct under the notice of the Benchers.

Mr. Toppel (grimly). Then he must never be liberated! It's no good begin-
ning this method of what I may call, in technical language, ' seisin,' unless we
go the whole hog. Well, if you two Juniors will attend to our—em— clients
upstairs— (laughter)— I and our Chancery friend will superintend the temporary
removal of Lord Esher from the Court that he so much adorns. (Noise heard.)
Ah, that sounds like Sir James Hannen banging on the ceiling! He must be
stopped, as it would be so very awkward if a Solicitor were to call. Not that
there's much chance of that nowadays. (To Chancery Barrister.) Come—
shall we try a " set-off" ? [Exeunt. Curtain.