Chapter XXV: Last Years (3)

"The strongest of all Father Benson's books.... There is no denying the strength and sincerity of the book, nor the force of its downright insistence upon the necessity or expelling the excesses of sentimentalism from the character.... A strongly worded but clean-minded exposure of one side of contemporary national life."--_Daily Telegraph._

"The characterisation is always admirable. It is full of humour and shrewd observation, and it is never dull. It is a distinct advance on its author's previous works, and places him high in the rank of contemporary novelists."--_Morning Post._

"One of the most subtle studies in the psychology of egotism which have been written since Meredith's masterpiece."--_Tribune._

"A full-length portrait of a poseur.... We have encountered, nothing better in its way than this merciless analysis of the psychology of the histrionic temperament."--_Spectator._

"Mr. Benson gives in Christopher Dell a very careful study of a temperament, drawn with much truth and discernment.... The minor characters are extremely good, and so, indeed, are all the accessories of the story, the descriptions, the setting of the scenes, and so forth."--_Times._

Lord of the World

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(_Ready in November_)

In this novel the author attempts to trace what he believes will be the future situation in the religious world, placing the date of his book in the twenty-first century. Briefly stated, the _motif_ is that religious thought is converging into two main camps--Humanitarianism and Supernaturalism. Humanitarianism, or, rather, a kind of Pantheism, seems to him to be the inevitable outcome of modern tendencies of thought as severed from dogmatic Christianity; and, on the other side, he attempts to show that the Church must, sooner or later, become the home of all who believe in the Supernatural at all.

LONDON: SIR ISAAC PITMAN & SONS, LTD., No. 1 AMEN CORNER, E.C.

BY ROBERT HUGH BENSON

The Light Invisible

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"Contains fifteen narratives of visions or incidents put into the mouth of a saintly old Catholic priest.... It is written in a style in harmonious keeping with its mystic tone, and there are several scenes of striking pathos."--_The Manchester Guardian._

"It is impossible to appraise in the ordinary terms of criticism a book which appeals to us so strongly as 'The Light Invisible.' Its delicate, elusive mysticism, its deep spirituality, exercise upon the sympathetic reader an irresistible charm, which can hardly be analysed or defined."--_Church Times._

Richard Raynal, Solitary

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"'Richard Raynal' tells of a 'solitary' or mystical hermit, who went to warn Henry VI of sin and death, was beaten and died. That is all. But the slight thread of the story is wonderfully moving. Father Benson has made out of these tiny materials a fabric of the most fragrant sweetness, the most delicate colours."--_Morning Leader._

"Here is no controversy, no heated passions swayed by theological bitterness, but whether the scenes are peaceful or warlike, beautiful or terrible, over all is the sun radiance and serenity of unruffled faith.... It is written with a great beauty of style, and there is a vividness in some of the details that take back the entranced reader into the fifteenth century."--_Pall Mall Gazette._

A Mirror of Shalott

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"In this volume Father Hugh Benson sets down a collection of fourteen stories supposed to be told during social evenings in Rome by Catholic priests and laymen of varied nationalities.... Each of the stories deals with a supernatural experience of the narrators.... With his dramatic skill Father Benson makes almost visible the effect upon those assembled of each extraordinary experience recited; with his singular simplicity of style, his easy command of eloquent appeal and striking phrase, he draws us within the shadow of the supernatural. The emotions of the soul on the brink of departure have seldom been imagined with such a passion of religious fervour. Admirable work we expect always from the youngest of three gifted brothers, and with his latest book no reader will be disappointed."--_Globe._

LONDON: SIR ISAAC PITMAN & SONS, LTD., No. 1 AMEN CORNER, E.C.

BY ROBERT HUGH BENSON

By What Authority?

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"A remarkable novel, full of genuine learning, its characterisation strong and clearly defined, and its sincere and devout spirit must impress even those who cannot agree with its tendencies."--_Saturday Review._

"Mr. Robert Hugh Benson has given us a very carefully drawn picture of the religious situation in the time of Elizabeth, of the time when more than ever in our history households were divided against themselves.... Mr. Benson must be congratulated in that what he set out to do he has done well."--_Daily Telegraph._

The King's Achievement

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"Seldom has a more powerful picture been presented of the ruin wrought to monastic life by the rapacity of Henry than that which Mr. Benson has furnished.... He has contrived to furnish forth a novel in which the interest is well maintained, and the characters, good or bad, are intensely human."--_Scotsman._

"The first English novelist to give us an adequately faithful picture of a period which presents many difficulties to the historian and the novelist alike.... Must appeal both to Roman Catholic and Protestant as an honest and fair transcript of a passage in English history of which we have small reason to be proud.... A novel of far more than ordinary merit."--_East Anglian Times._

The Queen's Tragedy

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"Father Benson has undertaken to present Mary Tudor to us in a manner that shall awaken, not the feelings of horror and detestation usually considered appropriate, but those of pity, understanding, and respect. Exquisitely pathetic is the figure he draws, with so much sympathy and insight."--_Globe._

"As a piece of character drawing, Father Benson has, we think, done nothing better than this pen portrait of the unfortunate and much maligned Mary Tudor. While vindicating her from the odium cast upon her by anti-catholic historians, he paints her at the same time in true, and not bright colours.... A faithful picture of the least understood of England's Queens."--_Universe._

LONDON: SIR ISAAC PITMAN & SONS, LTD., NO. 1 AMEN CORNER, E.C.

Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd.,

announce the following books for publication this autumn.

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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

In the plain-text version of this book, footnotes have been moved to the end of the paragraph in which the footnote tag appears.

Illustrations have been moved to the nearest appropriate paragraph break.

Obvious typographical errors and printer errors have been corrected without comment.

In addition to obvious typographical errors, the following changes were made in this text:

1. On page 63 in the original text there was a footnote with no
footnote tag on the page. Since the footnote references the Duke of
Grafton, the footnote tag has been added to the following sentence:
"The Duke of Grafton, like Lord Rockingham, was a man of pleasure,
happier with his dogs and his books than in political life;[83]"

2. On page 83 there was no footnote tag in original text for
"Footnote 4: Ibid." This footnote has been removed in this e-text,
since the note appears to be a duplicate, referencing a quote which
continues onto the next page, and is footnoted there.

3. Two items in the index have been moved into correct alphabetical
order: "Paton" and "Pulteney".

From the list of errata on page 317, the following changes have been made to this text:

Page 275: "Bedingsfield" was changed to "Bedingfield".

Pages 278 and 282 "Percival" was changed to "Perceval".

On page 133 no change was made to correct an internal inconsistency in the date mentioned in the following sentence: "Duc de Choiseul, who wrote in August, 1867...." From the context, it may be assumed that the date was intended to be "1767".

End of Project Gutenberg's Farmer George, Volume 2, by Lewis Melville