OneofthechiefcharactersisJeanlePrecurseur，whothreatenswoetoHerodandhisrace，andisbeheadedbyordersofthatsovereign。
IntheFestindeBalthazar，wearesimilarlyintroducedtoDaniel，andthefirstsceneislaidbythewatersofBabylon，whereacertainnumberofcaptiveJewsareseatedinmelancholypostures。aBabylonianofficerenters，exclaiming，ChanteznousquelqueschansonsdeJerusalem，andtherequestisrefusedinthelanguageofthePsalm。Belshazzar’sFeastisgiveninagrandtableau，afterMartin’spicture。Thatpainter，inlikemanner，furnishedscenesfortheDeluge。Vastnumbersofschoolboysandchildrenarebroughttoseethesepieces。thelowerclassesdelightinthem。
ThefamousJuifErrant，atthetheatreofthePorteSt。Martin，wasthefirstofthekind，anditsprodigioussuccess，nodoubt，occasionedthenumberofimitationswhichtheothertheatreshaveproduced。
Thetasteofsuchexhibitions，ofcourse，everyEnglishpersonwillquestion。butwemustrememberthemannersofthepeopleamongwhomtheyarepopular。and，ifImaybeallowedtohazardsuchanopinion，thereisineveryoneoftheseBoulevardmysteries，akindofrudemoral。TheBoulevardwritersdon’tpretendtotabernacles
anddivinegifts，likeMadameSandandDumasbeforementioned。Iftheytakeastoryfromthesacredbooks，theygarbleitwithoutmercy，andtakesadlibertieswiththetext。buttheydonotdealindescriptionsoftheagreeablywicked，oraskpityandadmirationfortender-heartedcriminalsandphilanthropicmurderers，astheirbettersdo。ViceisviceontheBoulevard。anditisfinetoheartheaudience，asatyrantkingroarsoutcruelsentencesofdeath，orabereavedmotherpleadsforthelifeofherchild，makingtheirremarksonthecircumstancesofthescene。Ah，legredin！growlsanindignantcountryman。Quelmonstre！saysagrisette，inafury。Youseeveryfatoldmencryinglikebabies，and，likebabies，suckingenormoussticksofbarley-sugar。Actorsandaudienceenterwarmlyintotheillusionofthepiece。andsoespeciallyaretheformeraffected，thatatFranconi’s，wherethebattlesoftheEmpirearerepresented，thereisasregulargradationintheranksofthemimicarmyasintherealimperiallegions。Afteramanhasserved，withcredit，foracertainnumberofyearsintheline，heispromotedtobeanofficer——anactingofficer。Ifheconductshimselfwell，hemayrisetobeaColoneloraGeneralofDivision。