A NOVEL. BY THE AUTHOR OF “BRAMBLETYE HOUSE,” “TOR HILL," &c. ! PRINTED BY J. &* J. HARPER, 82 CLIFF-STREET. SOLD BY E. DUYCKINCK, COLLINS AND HANNAY, COLLINS AND CO., O. A. ROOR- THE NEW FOREST. CHAPTER I. Noblemen, and Members of Parliament, have large cellars full of sealed bottles, to enable them the better to endure the wretchedness of life. The poor man seeks the same end by expending three halfpence in gin;-but no moralist can endure the idea of gin. REV. SYDNEY SMITH. MANY a man who has predicted mischief or misery from an approaching event, would much rather that the evil should occur, than that his sinister prognostications should be falsified, to the impeachment of his judgment and foresight. Rochefoucauld's misanthropical maxim, that there is something in the misfortunes, even of our best friends, not altogether displeasing to us, may perhaps be partially true, where we have foretold the calamity, and in vain dissuaded the sufferer from the course which has produced it; for our self-love is generally so much stronger than the love of others, that we secretly enjoy the fulfilment of our auguries, in spite of the mischief it may have entailed upon our neighbours. It is recorded of some nicecalculating croaker, that he always prophesied failure and disappointment in whatever he undertook, as a hedge to his feelings, the gratification being the greater if he succeeded, contrary to his expectations; and the pain of having his forebodings realized, being considerably allevi ated by the pleasure arising from a sense of his own prophetical acuteness. If there be any complacency in seeing our predictions accomplished, even at the expense of our friends, there must be a double annoyance where we have prophesied trouble and confusion to our adversaries, and the event has proved totally contrary to all our ominous prognostications. Such was the unhappy plight of the suppressionists. |