Lord Montagu's Page

R. James G. P.

Description

Author George Payne Rainsford James was renowned for his ability to weave carefully researched historical facts into compelling narrative formats. James even served as the official British Historiographer Royal for a time. This sweeping historical romance blends keen insight into human behavior with a deliciously dry wit.

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776596997
• Langue: English

Extrait

LORD MONTAGU'S PAGE
AN HISTORICAL ROMANCE
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G. P. R. JAMES
 
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Lord Montagu's Page An Historical Romance First published in 1858 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-699-7 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-700-0 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Biographical Sketch Prefatory Dedication Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII Chapter XIV Chapter XV Chapter XVI Chapter XVII Chapter XVIII Chapter XIX Chapter XX Chapter XXI Chapter XXII Chapter XXIII Chapter XXIV Chapter XXV Chapter XXVI Chapter XXVII Chapter XXVIII Chapter XXIX Chapter XXX Chapter XXXI Chapter XXXII Chapter XXXIII Chapter XXXIV Chapter XXXV Chapter XXXVI Chapter XXXVII Chapter XXXVIII Chapter XXXIX Chapter XL Chapter XLI Chapter XLII Chapter XLIII Chapter XLIV Chapter XLV Chapter XLVI Chapter XLVII Chapter XLVIII Chapter XLIX Chapter L Chapter LI Endnotes
Biographical Sketch
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From Allibone's forthcoming Dictionary of Authors.
George Payne Rainsford James was born in London about the year 1800, andcommenced his literary career at an early age by anonymous contributionsto the journals and reviews which catered to the literary taste of "adiscerning public." Some of these juvenile effusions fell under thenotice of Washington Irving, and this gentleman, with his usual kindnessof heart, encouraged the young author to venture upon something of amore important character than the fugitive essays which had hithertoemployed his pen. Thus strengthened in his literary proclivity, theyoung aspirant nibbed his "gray-goose quill," commenced author inearnest, and gave to the world in 1822 his first work,—a Life of Edwardthe Black Prince. Mr. James now turned his attention to a field whichhad recently been cultivated with eminent success,—historicalromance,—and completed in 1825 his novel of Richelieu, which, havingreceived the favorable verdict of Sir Walter Scott, made its appearancein 1829. This was followed in the next year by Darnley and De L'Orme.
Richelieu was so fortunate as to secure the favor of the formidableChristopher North of Blackwood; but this invaluable commendation waswithheld from Darnley:—
"Mr. Colburn has lately given us two books of a very different character, Richelieu and Darnley. Richelieu is one of the most spirited, amusing, and interesting romances I ever read; characters well drawn—incidents well managed—story perpetually progressive—catastrophe at once natural and unexpected—moral good, but not goody—and the whole felt, in every chapter, to be the work of a—Gentleman."— Noctes Ambrosianæ, April, 1830; Blackw. Mag., xxvii. 688, q.v.
From this time to the present Mr. James has been no idler in theRepublic of Letters, as the following alphabetical list of his writingsamply proves:—
1. Adra, or the Peruvians; a Poem, 1 vol. 2. Agincourt, 1844, 3 vols. 3.Agnes Sorrel, 1853, 3 vols. 4. Arabella Stuart, 1853, 3 vols. 5. ArrahNeil, 1845, 3 vols. 6. Attila, 1837, 3 vols. 7. Beauchamp, 1848, 3 vols.8. Blanche of Navarre; a Play, 1839, 1 vol. 9. Book of the Passions,1838, 1 vol. 10. Cameralzaman; a Fairy Drama, 1848,1 vol. 11.Castelneau; or, The Ancient Régime, 1841, 3 vols. 12. Castle ofEhrenstein, 1847, 3 vols. 13. Charles Tyrrell, 1839, 2 vols. 14. City ofthe Silent; a Poem, 1 vol. 15. Commissioner; or, De Lunatico Inquirendo,1842, 1 vol. 16. Convict, 1847, 3 vols. 17. Corse de Leon, the Brigand,1841, 3 vols. 18. Dark Scenes of History, 1849, 3 vols. 19. Darnley,1830, 3 vols. 20. Delaware, 3 vols; subsequently published under thetitle of Thirty Years Since, 1848, 1 vol. 21. De L'Orme, 1830, 3 vols.22. Desultory Man, 3 vols. 23. Educational Institutions of Germany, 1vol. 24. Eva St. Clair, and other Tales, 1843, 2 vols. 25. False Heir,1843, 3 vols. 26. Fate, 1851, 3 vols. 27. Fight of the Fiddlers, 1848, 1vol. 28. Forest Days, 1843, 3 vols. 29. Forgery; or, Best Intentions,1848, 3 vols. 30. Gentleman of the Old School, 1839, 3 vols. 31. Gipsy,1835, 3 vols. 32. Gowrie; or, The King's Plot, 1 vol. 33. Heidelberg,1846, 3 vols. 34. Henry Masterton, 1832, 3 vols. 35. Henry Smeaton,1850, 3 vols. 36. Henry of Guise, 1839, 3 vols. 37. History ofCharlemagne, 1832, 1 vol. 38. History of Chivalry, 1 vol. 39. History ofLouis XIV., 1838, 4 vols. 40. History of Richard Coeur de Lion,1841-42, 4 vols. 41. Huguenot, 1838, 3 vols. 42. Jacquerie, 1841, 3vols. 43. John Jones's Tales from English History, for Little JohnJoneses, 1849, 2 vols. 44. John Marston Hall, 1834, 3 vols; subsequentlypublished under the title of Little Ball o' Fire, 1847, 1 vol. 45.King's Highway, 1840, 3 vols. 46. Last of the Fairies, 1847, 1 vol. 47.Life of Edward the Black Prince, 1822, 2 vols. 48. Life of Henry IV. ofFrance, 1847, 3 vols. 49. Life of Vicissitudes, 1 vol. 50. Man-at-Arms,1840, 3 vols. 51. Margaret Graham, 1847, 2 vols. 52. Mary of Burgundy,1833, 3 vols. 53. Memoirs of Great Commanders, 1832, 3 vols. 54. MorleyErnstein, 1842, 3 vols. 55. My Aunt Pontypool, 3 vols. 56. Old Dominion;or, The Southampton Massacre, 1856, 3 vols. 57. Old Oak Chest, 3 vols.58. One in a Thousand, 1835, 3 vols. 59. Pequinillo, 1852, 3 vols. 60.Philip Augustus, 1831, 3 vols. 61. Prince Life, 1855, 1 vol. 62.Revenge, 1851, 3 vols; so styled by the bookseller, without the author'sconsent. It was originally published in papers under a different name.63. Richelieu, 1829, 3 vols. 64. Robber, 1838, 3 vols. 65. RoseD'Albret, 1840, 3 vols. 66. Russell, 1847, 3 vols. 67. Sir TheodoreBroughton, 1847, 3 vols. 68. Smuggler, 1845, 3 vols. 69. Stepmother,1846, 3 vols. 70. Story without a Name, 1852, 1 vol. 71. String ofPearls, 1849, 2 vols. 72. Ticonderoga; or, The Black Eagle, 1854, 3vols. 73. Whim and its Consequences, 1847, 3 vols. 74. Woodman, 1847, 3vols.
It will be seen that the above list presents a total of 188vols.,—viz.: 51 works in 3 vols. each, 2 in 4 vols. each, 6 in 2 vols.each, and 15 in 1 vol. each. Almost all of these volumes are of thepost-octavo size. Mr. James is also the editor of the Vernon Letters,illustrative of the times of William III., 1841, 3 vols. 8vo; and of Wm.Henry Ireland's historical romance of David Rizzio, 1849, 3 vols. p.8vo; and was associated with Dr. E. E. Crowe in the Lives of the MostEminent Foreign Statesmen, 1832-38, 5 vols. p. 8vo., (4 vols. were Mr.James's, and 1 vol. Dr. Crowe's,) and with Mr. Maunsell B. Field in thecomposition of Adrian, or The Clouds of the Mind, 1852, 2 vols. p. 8vo.
To this list may be added Norfolk and Hereford, (in a collectionentitled Seven Tales by Seven Authors,) and enough articles in variousperiodicals to fill eight or ten volumes. Perhaps we should not omit tonotice that a work entitled A Brief History of the United StatesBoundary Question, drawn up from official papers, published in London,1839, 8vo., and ascribed to Mr. James, is not his production; nor had heany share (further than writing a preface, or something of that kind) inanother work often credited to him,—Memoirs of Celebrated Women, 1837,2 vols. p. 8vo. During the reign of William IV. the author received theappointment of historiographer of Great Britain; but this post wasresigned by him many years since.
There have been new editions of many of Mr. James's novels, and some orall of them have appeared in Bentley's Series of Standard Novels. Therehas been also a Parlor-Library Edition. A collective edition waspublished by Smith, Elder & Co., commencing in June, 1844, and continuedby Parry, and by Simpkin, Marshall & Co. In America they have been verypopular and published in large quantities.
About 1850 Mr. James, with his family, removed permanently to the UnitedStates, and resided for two or three years in Berkshire county,Massachusetts. Since 1852 he has been British Consul at Richmond,Virginia. The space which we have occupied by a recital of the titlesonly of Mr. James's volumes necessarily restricts the quotation ofcriticisms upon the merits or demerits of their contents. It has fallento the lot of few authors to be so much read, and at the same time somuch abused, as the owner of the fertile pen which claims the long listof novels commencing with Richelieu in 1829 and extending to the OldDominion in 1856. That there should be a family likeness in thisnumerous race—where so many, too, are nearly of an age—can be nomatter of surprise. The mind, like any other artisan, can only constructfrom materials which lie within its range; and, when no time is allowedfor the accumulation and renewal of these, it is vain to hope thatvariety of architecture will conceal the identity of substance. Yet,after all, the champion of this popular author will probably argue thatthis objection against the writings of Mr. James is greatly overstatedand extravagantly overestimated. The novelist can draw only from theexperience of human life in its different phases, and these admit not ofsuch variety as the inordinate appetite of the modern Atheniansunreasonably demands. A new series of catastrophes and perplexities, ofmortifications and triumphs, of joys and sorrows, cannot be evoked forthe benefit of the reader of each new novel. Again, Mr. James's admirerinsists that this charge of sameness so often urged against ournovelist's writings is perhaps overstated. Where one author, as isfrequently the case, gains the reputation of versatility of talent bywriting one or two volumes, it is not to be believed that Mr.