Passage Illustrated: O'Leary's "Confession," an Interpolated Tale

"Self-preservation must be a strong instinct, for I well remember how little pain it cost me to see the people tumbling and rolling before and beneath me, while I continued to keep my seat. It was only the moment before and that immense mass were in man to man encounter; now all the indignation of both parties seemed turned upon me; brick-bats were loudly implored, and paving stones begged to throw at my devoted head; the wild huntsman of the German romance never created half the terror, nor one-tenth of the mischief that I did in less than fifteen minutes, for the ill-starred beast continued twining and twisting like a serpent, plunging and kicking the entire time, and occasionally biting too; all which accomplishments I afterwards learned, however little in request in civil life, are highly prized in the horse police.

"Every new order of the sergeant was followed in his own fashion by Marius; who very soon contrived to concentrate in my unhappy person, all the interest of about fifteen hundred people.

"'Secure that scoundrel,' said the magistrate, pointing with his finger towards me, as I rode over a respectable looking old lady, with a grey muff. 'Secure him. Cut him down.'

"'Ah, devil's luck to him, if ye do,' said a newsmonger with a broken shin.

"On I went, however, and now, as the Fates would have it, instead of bearing me out of further danger, the confounded brute dashed onwards to where the magistrate was standing, surrounded by policemen. I thought I saw him change colour as I came on. I suppose my own looks were none of the pleasantest, for the worthy man liked them not. Into the midst of them we plunged, upsetting a corporal, horse and all, and appearing as if bent upon reaching the alderman.

"'Cut him down for heaven's sake. Will nobody shoot him' said he, with a voice trembling with fear and anger.

"At these words a wretch lifted up his sabre, and made a cut at my head. I stooped suddenly, and throwing myself from the saddle, seized the poor alderman round the neck, and we both came rolling to the ground together. So completely was he possessed with the notion that I meant to assassinate him, that while I was endeavouring to extricate myself from his grasp, he continued to beg his life in the most heartrending manner. [Ch. XXXIII, "Mr. O'Leary's Second Love," 239]

Commentary: "O'Leary began his story as follows: —" (238)

O'Leary's auditors are Harry Lorrequer and his second in the forthcoming duel at 7:00 A. M. at St. Cloud, Captain Trevanion, who has arranged O'Leary's release from incarceration for the disturbance he caused at the casino. Over dinner and far too much champagne, Harry becomes charmed by Miss Bingham. Edward and Mrs. Bingham invite Harry to a late supper, but Trevanion, his wits about him, pleads a prior engagement, for he perceives that the Binghams are angling for a marriage proposal from the now-wealthy heir to Sir Hugh Lorrequer's estate. At this point, O'Leary offers to recount personal anecdotes based on his youthful romances; he describes how he successfully (albeit, inadvertently) broke off two such engagements before either led to an actual wedding ceremony.

Thus, the illustration once again involves an inset narrative, and not Harry's own "confessions." Having recounted a tale of seasickness in which he was pitched into the sea, O'Leary calls for another flask of Burgundy as he recounts the story of the termination of his second passion in life after a romantic hiatus of over three years. The object of the affections this time is Fanny Eversham, the animated and witty daughter of a clergyman, and one of the reigning belles of Dublin. Despite his unpleasant altercation with Fanny's father, the Dean, about politics, O'Leary's engagement arrives at a crucial point as he and his fiancée buy wedding finery and even try out carriages. At Fanny's instigation, despite his utter distaste for horseback riding, two weeks before the wedding day O'Leary purchases a saddle horse, and resolves to take riding lessons without the knowledge of Fanny or her family. By the tenth day of his early morning "purgatorial performances," O'Leary is having difficulty walking. But having to accompany Fanny to a review in Phoenix Park compels O'Leary to purchase a suitable mount. His friend Lalouette proposes that he buy a retired police horse at auction since such a mount will be easy to ride "and not given to start at a noise." For a mere eight pounds O'Leary secures "a long-legged fiddle-headed beast," branded "GR" on one flank (evident in the plate) to indicate his government service. He dubs the beast "Marius" on account of his Roman nose. Eager to make an impression upon Fanny and the Dean, O'Leary dons a pilot-jacket, oilskin cap, cords, and topboots, and proceeds to join Fanny's party at Stephen's-green. Fanny and her friends, well-mounted Dragoons, find O'Leary's getup and mount hilarious, much to the novice rider's chagrin. O'Leary, Fanny, and their party have ridden into College Green only to find a mob occupying the entire street as a row has just unfolded between the Dublin University students and the townspeople. Suddenly mounted police, trotting down Dame-street, interrupt the fray, securing the ringleaders. When the sergeant orders his men, their sabres drawn, to charge, Marius responds to his conditioning, and bolts forward, exactly as in Phiz's engraving.

All these details Phiz has been able to incorporate into his realisation of the scene in which O'Leary's horse topples the magistrate (left) and charges the mob. Unfortunately, although Phiz has made the presence of the mounted police perfectly clear by virtue of their swords and helmets, he has failed to distinguish between the general rioters and the students (only two figures, upper right, are wearing academic hats), and shows neither Fanny nor her friends. The rioters tumble and roll before the careening horse, and in consequence turn their united efforts against O'Leary. Afterwards, charged with inciting a riot, O'Leary barely escapes transportation, but is let off with four months in Newgate, and a substantial fine. Dean Oliver Eversham, shocked at O'Leary's "distressing publicity," terminates the youth's visits, and effectively voids the engagement.

Bibliography

Buchanan-Brown, John. Phiz! Illustrator of Dickens' World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978.

Lester, Valerie Browne Lester. Phiz! The Man Who Drew Dickens. London: Chatto and Windus, 2004.

Lever, Charles. The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer. Illustrated by Phiz [Hablot Knight Browne]. Dublin: William Curry, Jun. London: W. S. Orr, 1839.

Steig, Michael. Chapter Two: "The Beginnings of 'Phiz': Pickwick, Nickleby, and the Emergence from Caricature." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1978. Pp. 24-85.

Steig, Michael. Chapter Seven: "Phiz the Illustrator: An Overview and a Summing Up." Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington: Indiana U. P., 1978. Pp. 299-316.

Stevenson, Lionel. Chapter V, "Renegade from Physic, 1839-1841." Dr. Quicksilver: The Life of Charles Lever. London: Chapman and Hall, 1939. Pp. 73-93.

_______. "The Domestic Scene." The English Novel: A Panorama. Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin and Riverside, 1960.

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Created 30 April 2023