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 POETICAL EPISTLE, 
 
 &c. &c. &c.
 
 POETICAL EPISTLE 
 
 TO 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. GEORGE CANNING, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 AND OTHER POEMS. 
 
 •' Canning is a genius, almost an universal one ; an Orator, a Wit, 
 a Poet, a Statesman : and no man of talent can long pursue the patli 
 of his late predecessor, Lord C. If ever man saved his country, 
 Canning con ; but will he ? I, for one, hope so." Lord Byron. 
 
 DUBLIN : 
 
 HODGES AND m'ARTHUR, COLLEGE-GREEN. 
 
 1827.
 
 m 
 
 391/ 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The following lines were written early in 
 the month of March last, and intended for 
 publication at that time. A circumstance of 
 no interest but to the author, occasioned a 
 delay which afforded him an opportunity of 
 making some alterations and additions, in 
 which he received the assistance of a very 
 dear friend, to whose classic taste and un 
 wearied kindness, he has been indebted on 
 many occasions.
 
 VI 
 
 The public character and political 
 defects of public men (and against these only, 
 the censure is directed) have always been con- 
 sidered a legitimate subject of discussion, in 
 every country pretending to the exercise of 
 freedom. 
 
 To those who think as he does of 
 public men and measures, the Author feels 
 that no apology is necessary for the language 
 he has employed : he has little hope of con- 
 vincing those who differ from him on those 
 points, and still less inclination to propitiate 
 their favour. 
 
 The author may be permitted to add, 
 that his admiration of the illustrious State-
 
 Vll 
 
 man to whom these verses are addressed, is 
 as sincere, as his vows are fervent for the 
 continuance and prosperity of his administra- 
 tion. 
 
 A.
 
 TO 
 
 THE RIGHT HON. GEORGE CANNING, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 When the loud tempest rends the darken'd air, 
 And raging waves their loamy summits rear, 
 The mountain surge in wild confusion toss'd, 
 As if the mastery of Heav'n were lost ; 
 Then, helpless o'er the yawning billows borne, 
 Their bark dismasted and their canvass torn, 
 The anxious seamen, as their task they ply, 
 With fearful hope, explore the Pilot's eye.
 
 10 
 
 Thus, Canning ! midst conflicting factions thrown, 
 
 England looks up to thee — from thee alone 10 
 
 Awaits her doom : again to be array'd 
 
 In civil strife, thro' kindred blood to wade, 
 
 Or, greatly rising o'er the threaten'd harm, 
 
 In one just, common cause, all freemen arm. 
 
 But, vain each effort, ev'ry hope is vain, 
 
 Impeded by that miserable chain, 
 
 That all too long has fetterM and oppress'd 
 
 The nobler impulse of thy gen'rous breast. 
 
 Put forth thy strength, assert in manly tone 
 
 At once the nation's freedom and thine own. 20 
 
 Oh ! 't were a deed t' immortalize an age, 
 
 And brighten hist'ry's proudest, purest page. 
 
 I will not triumph o'er th' avenging feat 
 That plac'd thee in the self-destroyer's seat ;
 
 11 
 
 But, why such favour to his creatures shown ? 
 
 He had his friends and serv'd them, hadst thou none ? 
 
 They suit thee not, who could with him agree, 
 
 11' true to him, they can't be true to thee. 
 
 Indignant reason scouts the vain pretence 
 
 Which desks and ink-stands substitutesfor sense, 30 
 
 And far above all other merit raises 
 
 The mystery of diplomatic phrases. 
 
 No — talent, honesty, disdain the shape 
 
 And flimsy smartness of th' official ape. a 
 
 Let others play th' inglorious selfish game 
 
 For sordid hire, to bear a load of shame ; 
 
 Content, if their associates will unite 
 
 In abstract theories of public Right ; b 
 
 Neutrality's perfidious mask maintain, 
 
 That rank abuse may more securely reign , 40
 
 12 
 
 They goad oppression which they dare not stem, 
 Sanction in practice what they most condemn, 
 Involve their meanness in bombastic show, 
 And kiss the hand that deals the with'ring blow. 
 
 'Twere better far, in want obscure to pine, 
 Than thus, the fame of brighter days resign. 
 
 While some again, think no rewards suffice. 
 
 For their vast service, claim an endless price ; 
 
 With titles, pensions, orders, cover'd o'er, 
 
 Glutted with recompense, solicit more.* 50 
 
 With loftier feeling, may'st thou stipulate 
 
 Not for thyself, but for the falling State : 
 
 * " Cui nullus finis cupiendi est, nuJlus habendi."
 
 13 
 
 Reject the favour of such hollow friends, 
 
 Which sprung from party, still to party tends. 
 
 Tn vain thy tow'ring height their arts assail, 
 
 What against thee can such cabals avail ? 
 
 Oh ! it were sport to see their puny rage 
 
 Contending with the spirit of the age. 
 
 Whom could they summon, how thy loss repair ? 
 
 What brazen front the parallel would dare ? 60 
 
 The vapid cyphers by all parties tried, 
 
 And by all parties quickly thrown aside P 
 
 The shatter* d fragments of each sect and caste, 
 
 Till in the worst they settle down at last ! 
 
 Hear what these worthies are — I'll not detain 
 Thy valued time by any lengthen'd strain. 
 First let me sing that child of wondrous chance, 
 England's great captain, scourge and scorn of France !
 
 14 
 
 Whose reputation his desert exceeds, 
 
 A very pigmy 'midst colossal deeds. 70 
 
 Whose name's a terror and himself a jest, 
 
 Whom conqu'ring legions follow and detest ! 
 
 Beneath the part by destiny assign'd, 
 
 The marvel of himself and of mankind. 
 
 The Jinish'd statesman, who can ne'er afford, 
 
 On pain of slight, to sheathe the blood-stain'd sword ; 
 
 Who born to do the butchery of fate, 
 
 Is never but in battle slaughter great ! 
 
 Let other realms with eager strife contend 
 
 Which to a hero's birth-place may pretend, 80 
 
 His hapless country blushes at his fame, 
 
 And turns, with loathing from his splendid name. c 
 
 Yes ! when his bones are mouldering to clay, 
 
 Thou shalt have ample vengeance, gallant Ney !
 
 15 
 
 When pomp and influence no longer shed 
 Their saving shelter round his laurel'd head ; 
 Then Moskwa's shade shall vex the ducal dust, 
 And brand the perjurM victor with disgust; 
 While gorgeous banners mock the lonely tomb, 
 Where no fond sigh disturbs the savage gloom. 90 
 
 Unlike to him who late the truncheon sway'd, 
 
 Bland without meanness, good without parade. 
 
 Dare not, precise malevolence ! to scan 
 
 The errors of such kind, unguarded man. 
 
 Should malice, with exaggerated wrong, 
 
 The task of defamation still prolong, 
 
 A thousand grateful mourners would arise 
 
 And blot the record with their weeping eyes ; 
 
 Against th' accusing spirit would defend 
 
 The orphan's father and the soldier's friend. 100
 
 10 
 
 And if, in evil hour, he rashly vow'd 
 The rights of conscience ne'er should be allow'd, 
 Rather on those who counsel'd and betray'd 
 His easy temper, be the censure laid. d 
 
 Behold the legal chief! of many years, e 
 
 For ever loyal, doubting, and in tears. 
 
 A fount exhaustiess to refresh and feed 
 
 No popery virtue at its utmost need : 
 
 On two points only, unassail'd by doubt, 
 
 To hoard up money and keep Papists out. 110 
 
 Yet, even he must yield at length to fate, 
 
 Tho' great in court, and on the woolsack great ! 
 
 Retire, old man ! for human nature's sake, 
 
 The poet's prudent admonition take ; f 
 
 Allow some trifling space to intervene 
 
 'Twixt angry turmoil and the closing scene,
 
 17 
 
 Nor shameless wait till in extreme old age, 
 The scoffing public hoot thee from the stage. 
 
 Next, sing we him of promise long gone by, 
 
 Whose solid parts improvement may defy : 120 
 
 I grant him upright, foe to dirty gains, 
 
 No paltry job his decent merit stains. 
 
 Nor am I willing to withhold such meed 
 
 As is to honest, plodding toil decreed ; 
 
 But, for his labours to reform our laws, 
 
 I can't afford such rapturous applause : 
 
 I see him slowly grope his dusty way, 
 
 Cheap'ning his workmen at so much a day, 8 
 
 The same unmeaning labyrinth pursue, 
 
 Replacing old absurdities with new ; 130 
 
 Nor daring ancient errors to explode, 
 
 He weaves the patch-work of his timid code. 
 
 B
 
 18 
 
 Not his to view with philosophic eye, 
 
 The alter* d bearings of society ; 
 
 Nor, curbing passion with a wise control, 
 
 To mould one simple, comprehensive whole. 
 
 Why should their satellites my theme prolong, 
 
 With names and actions all unfit for song? 
 
 What, tho' with each domestic virtue graced, 
 
 Sober, religious, charitable, chaste; 140 
 
 Admitting that they are of saints the first, 
 
 They yet may be of ministers the worst. 
 
 Are these the leaders, this the matchless host, 
 
 Whom if thou dar'st to leave, thy credit's lost ? 
 
 If reason can't dispel their mental night, 
 
 Alone their bigot battle let them fight : 
 
 Quit, quit the camp! resign th' ungrateful post, 
 
 No longer be their victim and their boast !
 
 19 
 
 Oh ! lend not spirit, intellect like thine, 
 
 To prop such logs, and make their lumber shine. 150 
 
 While rag'd the contest, they observ'd the plan 
 Of the great master-genius that began ; 
 But peace was their's, and smiling peace, which ought 
 T' have gladden'd all, has desolation brought ! 
 With Europe's chief a desp'rate strife maintain'd, 
 Nor yet with cruelty, or falsehood stain'd ; h 
 On ev'ry sea our haughty flag unfurl'd, 
 The envy and the wonder of the world. 
 Mark what we were — tho' not exempt from ill, 
 Thro' ev'ry rank, 'twas merry England still ; 160 
 
 In bustling cities, or in sylvan hall, 
 'Twas mirth, 'twas industry, twas comfort all : 
 Majestic works were seen to rise around, 
 ^Vho sought to labour, still employment found, 
 
 B 2
 
 20 
 
 'Tis past ! — how many honest spirits fled ' 
 Ruin'd or banish'd, broken-hearted — dead. 
 
 Oh ! that in time our Statesmen could have known 
 
 The wholesome adage " to let Well alone." 
 
 Nor madly tried to satisfy in gold, 
 
 A greater sum than earth's wide limits hold : 1 70 
 
 A fabl'd debt, on airy credit reared, 
 
 A paper phantom, by no mortal feai J d, 
 
 Noil', crushing with intolerable weight, 
 
 Land, manufacture, commerce, and the State. 
 
 Bewildei J d midst the general distress, 
 
 Each party seeks its separate redress; 
 
 They loudly clamour for protecting laws, 
 
 And, (skilfully diverted from the cause 
 
 That works the common ruin of them all,) 
 
 For import duties, or for cheap bread call. 180
 
 21 
 
 With unsought wares our magazines o'erflow, 
 
 Famine assails, yet are provisions low : 
 
 Our gains, by scanty currency confin'd, 
 
 Too small to meet our contracts still we find. 
 
 The mighty engine holds its grinding course, 
 
 And crushes all with unsuspected force ; 
 
 While theorists on currency impose 
 
 A value that no other nation knows, ' 
 
 On unsubstantial subtleties dilate, 
 
 In all the mockery of grave debate, 190 
 
 Affect a knowledge hid from other men, 
 
 Bid starving wretches live on hope, and then, 
 
 In feign'd submission to the people's will, 
 
 Propose prospective cure for present ill. 
 
 Curs'd be the hour, when, other dangers past, 
 
 Our rulers stumbl'd on this worst and last,
 
 22 
 
 With all Change- Alley chivalry were fir'd, 
 As if " good faith" such miracles require! ! 
 
 But Ireland ! Ireland ! oh, what words can tell 
 
 The varied torments of that upper hell ! k 200 
 
 E'en as I write, a nation's voice is spurn'd, 
 
 Fanatic rage again the scale has turn'd ; 
 
 Again no Popery shouts St. Stephen's rend, 
 
 And chuckling saints devout Hosannas blend ; 
 
 Monopoly its annual respite gains, 
 
 While Ireland still of Rights withheld complains ; 
 
 Still must disfranchise! millions kiss the rod, 
 
 Still tyrants call their cause the cause of God, 
 
 And buoyant bigotry, secur'd, deride 
 
 Just pray'rs, hopes blasted, and insulted pride ! 210 
 
 They even grudge the base existence left, 
 
 Of civil rights and civil honour reft.
 
 23 
 
 What had the champions of intol'rance been 
 
 Tf laws like these obscur'd their op'ning scene? l 
 
 See a new year of Irish woes begin, 
 
 By pestilence and famine usher'd in ; 
 
 Mock reformation marks th' appropriate hour, 
 
 And kindly lends its mitigating pow'r. 
 
 In fierce array the gloomy zealots stand, 
 
 They scatter Bibles thro' a starving land ; 220 
 
 Each untaught rustic urging to expound 
 
 The mystic points which learned brains confound ; 
 
 To famish'd lips they hold the impious bribe ; 
 
 Hating himself, and hateful to his tribe, 
 
 The wretch submits ; — but yielding, he bestows 
 
 A deeper hatred on the heartless foes, 
 
 Who, from his conscience to his wants appeal, 
 
 And, at the rites abhorr'd compel to kneel !
 
 24 
 
 Oh ! if such bigotry unscath'd remain, 
 
 Then heaven's avenging bolts were made in vain ; 236 
 
 'Twere blasphemy to say, e'en here below, 
 
 Such damning deeds should unrequited go. 
 
 But other slaves thy sympathy implore, 
 
 Lo ! Greece invokes thee from her classic shore ; 
 
 Her sons inspirM by freedom's holy flame, 
 
 The statesman's, poet's, scholar's aidance claim. 
 
 Ah ! suffer not the proud Barbarian long 
 
 To waste the land of eloquence and song : 
 
 Restrain his turban'd insolence, and dare 
 
 To reconstruct the fane of freedom there. 240 
 
 In ev'ry clime be tyranny repress'd, 
 
 And let thy glories reach from east to west : 
 
 So shall thy patriot fame and deeds descend 
 
 To latest time — till time itself shall end !
 
 25 
 
 For thee the Muse her fairest chaplet wreathed, 
 
 And o'er thy soul a finer spirit breath'd ; 
 
 Exert it now, thy country's hopes are high, 
 
 Haste to secure her trembling destiny : 
 
 Rescued, and grateful for her alter'd doom, 
 
 She'll grave this tribute on thy honour'd tomb : — 250 
 
 " Canning, to glory, genius, freedom dear, 
 
 The monarch's shield, the people's friend, lies here." 
 
 A.
 
 NOTES 
 
 TO 
 
 POETICAL EPISTLE, ETC.
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Page 11. 
 
 " Disdains the shape 
 
 And flimsy smartness of th' oflicial ape." 
 
 («) The late Lord Londonderry used to boast of his diplomatic 
 tleves, yet the training system has not produced very wonderful 
 effects. I think it is Menage who says, " Marque, qu'un am 
 " bassadeur est expose a dire des sottises, s'il n'a au moins, une 
 " idee generale des sciences." 
 
 Page 11. 
 
 " Content if their associates will unite 
 In abstract theories of public Right." 
 
 (6) " Was it for the purpose of proving, if he could, that there 
 " was a want of unanimity in the Irish government? Or, was it 
 " for the purpose of fixing a censure upon the Lord Chancellor of
 
 30 
 
 " Ireland? It was not for one, but for each and all of these 
 " reasons, that his honourable friend had brought his motion. 
 " Never had there been a more complete failure ; for he would 
 " appeal to every honourable gentleman who heard him, whether 
 " all that had been stated, so far as it related to the administra- 
 " tion of justice in Ireland, whether it did not show that there 
 " was among the members of the Irish government the most per- 
 " feet cordiality respecting the transaction in question ?" — Mr. 
 Plunket's Speech on the Motion of Mr. Broivnlow relative to 
 Orange Processions. 
 
 " Now, he would first of all declare, that the government of 
 " Ireland, though formed of those who differed upon the one great 
 " question, uniformly acted with the greatest impartiality ; and 
 " that though there were many persons in it who thought that 
 " concessions to the Roman Catholics ought to be granted, and 
 " others who felt and contended that they ought to be withheld. 
 " whenever questions came before it with reference to the existing 
 " law, there was no difficulty in the government being perfectly 
 " agreed upon that law, whether it were to affect an Orangeman or 
 " a Catholic, or any other class of the community. In all cases 
 " the strictest justice was given, and Ihe law most impartially 
 " administered. In the case now before the house he was pre-
 
 31 
 
 " pared lo show, that a proper consideration had been given, and 
 " that a decision upon it had been formed, not by the Lord Lieu- 
 " tenant in one way, and by the Lord Chancellor in an other; not 
 " by the Secretary for Ireland after one fashion, and by the 
 " Attorney General for Ireland after another, but that (whether 
 " the decision had been right or wrong) no difl'erence of opinion 
 " had existed with reference to it." — Oration of Mr. Goulbcrn 
 in the same Debate. 
 
 " He had never objected to any measure of favour to the 
 " Catholics which was consistent with the law of Ireland ; and he 
 " had always cordially concurred with the noble lord who at pre- 
 " sent presides over the government of Ireland, in all his measures 
 " to throw open places of trust to the Roman Catholics, [hear, 
 " hear.] That was the system upon which he endeavoured to 
 " act. His desire was to do justice, but farther than that he was 
 " not prepared to go." — Mr. Peel's Speech on the Catholic 
 Question, March, 1827. 
 
 Mr. Peel, candour, sincerity, and fairness, have for a con- 
 siderable time been ranked together among the British synonymes, 
 and I wish still to view the political conduct of the Right Honour 
 able Cenlleman in that light. How then does it happen that 
 almost every place of trust or of emolument to which Catholics
 
 32 
 
 are legally eligible in Ireland, continues to be filled by Orange- 
 men ? A few appointments due to private friendship, or personal 
 obligations, will not serve to invalidate the general assertion. 
 The Police Establishment has already become a corps of mere 
 Orange janizaries, and no popery principles, duly exemplified in 
 practice, are the surest and shortest road to favour and promotion 
 in every subordinate department of the State. It is true that the 
 Orangemen are very hostile to Lord Wellesley, but it is evident 
 they have mistaken the gracious intentions of His Excellency , 
 for when has he shown a disposition to curtail their profits, or to 
 diminish their real influence? He may have treated them some- 
 what « la mode (T Aurenyzebe, but that is his way, and they were 
 in the wrong to have taken offence at it. Not being accustomed 
 to " Ercles vein," the ascendency men resent it ; while the un- 
 happy Papists, who are well used to it, return thanks for the 
 honour of his very obliging condescension. 
 
 Never was there a more wretched mess of political hotch-potch 
 served up to any insulted paople, than that which my Lord 
 Wellesley has stooped to administer to the Irish nation. 
 
 The writer of this Note once saw the Marquess Wellesley enter 
 St. Patrick's Hall in the Castle of Dublin on a birth-night, ll 
 w as about the time of the famous beef-steak club rumpus, when
 
 33 
 
 " The Exports of Ireland" was a toast supposed to be levelled at 
 the Viceregcnt by a certain party who numbered in their ranks an 
 exalted member of the government. The scene was sufficiently 
 splendid : — the Lord Lieutenant, preceded and followed by the 
 different persons of his establishment superbly arrayed, moved 
 slowly up the centre of the crowded hall, while its vaulted roof 
 re-echoed the national anthem. 
 
 Lord Wellesley wore a magnificent uniform, and his person 
 sparkled with jewels and decorations of various kinds. He re- 
 presented the part well, and looked like a distinguished gentle- 
 man. 
 
 There is a sort of " thorough bred" look, to borrow a sporting 
 phrase, about the Marquess, which, among other advantages, he 
 possesses over his illustrious brother, whom the celebrated Mrs. 
 Harriet Wilson, in her facetious Memoirs, has audaciously com- 
 pared to a rat-catcher in full costume. To return to the Irish 
 court. At the upper end of the apartment the Lord Lieutenant 
 quitted the direct line of march, and turned to the left. The 
 movement was not in the order of ceremonial, still less could it 
 have been attributed to the fascination of beauty, for there stood 
 the Lord High Chancellor, in all the imposing and ominous dig- 
 
 C
 
 34 
 
 nity of the wig and seals. His Excellency advanced towards his 
 noble opponent, took the hand of the latter between both his own, 
 with great apparent cordiality and respect, then bowing re- 
 peatedly, he resumed his procession to the gorgeous throne that 
 had been prepared for him. 
 
 Was this oriental magnanimity, or Christian forgiveness, or, 
 was it a happy compound of both ? 
 
 After all, the Marquess Wellesley is a man of talent. His 
 memory is revered in India. Perhaps he may wish to serve 
 Ireland ; it is a pity to see such a man in such a situation. 
 
 " Read your own hearts and Ireland's present story, 
 Then, feed her famine fat with Wellesley's glory." 
 
 Lord Byron. 
 
 Page 14. 
 " And turns with loathing from his splendid name." 
 
 (c) One of his first votes in the House of Lords was against 
 the rights of his Roman Catholic countrymen, whose valour had 
 so materially contributed to his elevation. 
 
 Would Marlborough have done this ? 
 
 Napoleon certainly would not.
 
 35 
 
 Page 1G. 
 
 (rf) " Poor York ! the harmless tool of other's hate." 
 
 Swift. 
 
 Page 16. 
 
 (e) " Mnlta senein circumveniunt incomraoda ; vel quod 
 
 Quacrit et invectis miser abstiuet ac timet uti : 
 
 Vel, quod res omnes timide, gelideque ministrat, 
 
 Dilator." 
 
 Hon. 
 
 Page 1G. 
 
 " Retire, old man ! for human nature's sake, 
 The poet's prudent admonition take j" 
 
 (J) " Tempus abire tibi est, &c." 
 I little tbought when I wrote the above lines, that the injunction 
 would have been so soon obeyed by the resignation of his 
 Lordship. 
 
 Page 17. 
 
 " Cheap'ning his workmen at so much a day." 
 
 (rj) " It has been my endeavour in the propositions I have 
 " submitted to the consideration of the house, to do as much as 
 " possible at the least expense, and to avoid the hazard of exciting 
 
 C 2
 
 36 
 
 " any opposition from prejudice or passion. In the first place, 
 " by adopting tbe course of employing individuals acquainted 
 " with the state of the law, instead of applying to Parliament for 
 " the appointment of a commission, I have made a considerable 
 " saving in the total expense of these charges. By the employ- 
 " ment of a few individuals in that manner, instead of pursuing my 
 " inquiries through the means of Parliamentary Commissioners, i 
 " have been enabled to bring the total charge of all these legis- 
 " lative improvements, during the space of five years, within the 
 " sum of £1200, [Aear] ; while it would not have been prac- 
 *' ticable to procure the labours of a set of Commissioners under 
 " an expense of £1 500 a year each Commissioner, &c. &c. &c." 
 " I do not propose to make any important alteration in the 
 " statutes. Where I venture to curtail the language of them, I 
 " shall carefully avoid any rash experiments : I shall retain all 
 " the terms which have been sanctioned by the decisions of the 
 " courts of law." — Mr. Peel's Speech on introducing his Legis- 
 lative Improvements. 
 
 Page 19. 
 " Nor yet by cruelty or falsehood staiu'd." 
 
 (h) Marshal Ney had not then been assassinated, contrary to
 
 37 
 
 the faith of a solemn treaty ; nor had the great Napoleon been 
 hurried to an untimely grave, by inhuman insult. 
 
 Page 21. 
 " A value that no other nation knows." 
 
 (i) It is useless to dwell at length on the practical results of 
 that most fatal error, of which I have attempted to assemble the 
 principal features in the text. It certainly does appear unac- 
 countable, that we alone, of all the European States, should 
 have adopted gold as the exclusive standard of value, and should 
 have adhered to it, per damna per cades, with such inflexible ob- 
 stinacy ; although the impossibility of its final success becomes 
 every day more evident. 
 
 One would have thought that it might have been amply suffi- 
 cient for the ends of justice, to have made silver a legal tender 
 to any amount, in payment of debts contracted in paper, of 
 which a ton weight could not by law have commanded one single 
 ounce either of gold, or of silver. 
 
 It would almost seem that there was an irresistible impulse 
 urging England on to accomplish its fearful destiny. 
 
 The currency in which, and by means of which, such an
 
 38 
 
 enormous mass of private as well as of public debt was accumu- 
 lated, has been swept out of existence. The immense commer- 
 cial establishments of Great Britain, and the weight of public 
 and private obligations, have an unavoidable tendency to force 
 out a circulation more extensive than is consistent with the imme- 
 diate control of a metallic standard like the present. Suspicion 
 is gradually lulled to sleep, and confidence is increased by con- 
 venience ; relief is then experienced in exact proportion to the 
 quantity of paper-money set afloat. In this state of things, the 
 exportation of gold to the Continent soon becomes a profitable 
 undertaking ; the liberal provisions of Mr. Peel's bill have re- 
 moved every difficulty ; the funds supply individuals with ample 
 means of sending out of the country a quantity of gold sufficient 
 to cause the Bank of England (and of course the minor Banks) 
 to diminish their issues. Gold is exported on the one hand, 
 and paper withdrawn from circulation on the other ; and thus, it 
 is in the power of a few money jobbers to throw the country into 
 confusion at any given time, by suddenly altering the value of 
 every description of propertj'. 
 
 Tlie tranquillity of Ireland three years since (of which the 
 Catholic Association assumed the merit, to the no small annoy- 
 ance of Lord Wellesley, who claimed it as the result of his pa-
 
 39 
 
 ternal government) was owing merely to an increase of paper cur- 
 rency, which enabled all classes to discharge their obligations, 
 and supplied the means of giving employment to the people. 
 The circulation has now been diminished considerably, and riot, 
 massacre, discontent, and insubordination are again the order of 
 the day, although the Catholic Association and the paternal 
 government remain. 
 
 In fact, the quantity of bank paper in circulation is accurately 
 announced by the condition of the country. 
 
 Ten years of experiment accompanied by such alarming con- 
 sequences, have not sufliced to convince our political economists 
 that England is not in a condition to bear a metallic circulation, 
 at the standard which has been adopted. 
 
 It was with deep regret, that I heard of the intention of Mr. 
 Canning to keep all matters of finance as quiet as possible, dur- 
 ing the next year. Alas ! will famine wait ? Will hard neces- 
 sity remain quiet? Will the ruinous march of law proceedings 
 halt ? Will a failing revenue be restored by this laissez aller, 
 the " working of events" of the late Lord Londonderry? 
 
 Nothing can render the pressure of the national debt tolerable, 
 nothing can give relief to all the productive classes of the com- 
 munity, but an increase of the paper circulation ; and, as long-
 
 40 
 
 as that increase may be suddenly checked by the speculations of 
 money dealers, so long we shall be exposed to these miserable 
 vicissitudes ; so long will a duped and deeply injured people 
 be insulted by the nonsense of " over trading," and '' over pro- 
 duction," and " over population." While agriculturists and 
 manufacturers are encouraged to waste their energies and lose 
 their time, in pursuing or repelling the ignis fatuus of prospec- 
 tive corn laws, or are gravely desired to look for relief from ex- 
 pensive and self-defeating projects of emigration. 
 
 Page 22. 
 
 " But Ireland, Ireland ! oh ! what words can tell 
 The varied torments of that upper hell?" 
 
 (it) A nobler and more lasting fame awaits the pacificator of 
 Ireland, than ever yet adorned the memory of sage or of con- 
 queror. 
 
 It would indeed require a heart fortified with triple brass, as 
 well as an intellect of the first order, to overcome such a compli- 
 cation of mighty evils, such a diversity of inveterate mischief 
 in every department. By a lamentable and extraordinary fatality, 
 the most salutary, the best intended measures, lose their charac- 
 ter, and become infected with a pernicious principle, when ap-
 
 41 
 
 piled to that unfortunate country. There is a passage in the 
 Abbe Raynal's history of the Indies, which has long haunted 
 my imagination with a painful foreboding, whenever I think of 
 Ireland. " Les Nations ne se regenerent que dans un bain de 
 sang." — Heaven grant it may not be horribly prophetic of the 
 consummation which awaits that long suffering island. 
 
 Page 23. 
 
 " What had the champions of intol'rance been 
 If laws like these obscur'd their op'ning scene ?" 
 
 (/) I have often felt surprised, that the consideration of this 
 circumstance should not have inspired the opponents of Ca- 
 tholic Emancipation with sentiments of generous compunction 
 for the part they have taken against the constitutional claims 
 of their fellow-subjects. Had Lord Eldon and Mr. Peel been 
 reared in the ancient faith, the one would probably have 
 been but an eminent coal merchant, and the other a wealthy 
 manufacturer of cotton; respectable situations certainly, but 
 
 in the eye of ambition, not quite equal to those of Lord High 
 
 Chancellor and of Secretary of State. 
 
 " How many at this moment, bereft of hope and of emulation, 
 
 " are the withering votaries of inglorious indolence ! How
 
 42 
 
 " many desponding Catholics now stagnate in obscurity, or pine 
 " in wasting chagrin, who could reflect ample honour upon their 
 " country, if they might hope for honour in return ! But with- 
 " out chance of reward, without an object worthy of exertion, 
 " they now languish unnoticed and useless." 
 
 ■ Virtutem quis amplectitur ipsani, 
 
 Praemia si tollas?" 
 
 See " A Statement of the Penal Laws.'
 
 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS.
 
 Some of the following trifles are reprinted from the 
 public Journals, in which they originally appeared.
 
 THE IRISH HEGIRA. 
 
 " Hie dies vere mihi festus, atras 
 Eximet cutfas." 
 
 From Mecca, we read that in ages long past, 
 
 In a perilous hurry old Mahomet fled 
 For attempting to trample a little too fast 
 
 On all sects, saving that which receiv'd him for head, 
 
 I will not disparage that flight in the least, 
 
 Yet maintain that the pearl of all flights old or new, 
 
 Or by Christian, or Mussulman, prophet, or priest, 
 Was achiev'd, when from office our old Mufti flew.
 
 46 
 
 No ! never can Orange-bound Erin desire a 
 
 More exquisite solace for ages of ill ; 
 A blest epoch it is, the Hibernian Hegira, 
 
 So glorious, 'tis almost incredible still ! 
 
 Both held their harsh rule, at men's liberty scoffing, 
 In both too another resemblance we trace ; 
 
 Except, what the Arab perform'd in his coffin, 
 "Was enacted alive in our Chancellor's case. 
 
 For, their eastern impostor suspended in air, 
 Between two huge magnets of equal pretension, 
 
 All orthodox Moslems are bound to declare, 
 Is a prodigy utterly past comprehension. 
 
 But cur's over profits and patronage wept, 
 
 While av'rice unsated and bigoted pride, 
 With such equal attraction his iron soul kept, 
 
 That 'twas thought in the struggle " old Bags" 
 
 would have died !
 
 47 
 
 Thou art fled ! of thy country the blight and the curse ! 
 
 May thy Upas-like shade ne'er revisit the throne, 
 And thy hand so accustomed to dip in the purse 
 
 Of the nation, at length find the way to thine own ! 
 
 For candour, for manliness, ev'ry one's theme, 
 Say, Peel ! thy refusal in office to share, 
 
 Unless bigotry reign'd in the council supreme, 
 With the mask of neutrality, say, was that fair P 
 
 No popery's martyr ! how strange does it sound, 
 That thy principles bas'd upon justice and fact, 
 
 Must instantly totter and fall to the ground, 
 Unless by the treasury influence back'd ! 
 
 And why shouldst thou claim for thy party or pride, 
 What Canning ne'er ask'd as the price of his aid ? 
 
 On the wisdom and truth of k is cause he relied, 
 
 Though against him this Spanish neutrality play'd,
 
 48 
 
 And you, haughty Captain ! what demon possess'd 
 Such a lover of kings to be rude to your own ? 
 
 The most humble, obsequious slave to the rest, 
 That e'er sigh'd for a ribbon, or knelt at a throne. 
 
 Was it vanity, folly, ambition, or hate,* 
 
 Could at once such amazing audacity lend ? 
 
 Or was it, that heap'd so with favours of late, 
 
 You determin'd to treat him at length as your 
 friend ? 
 
 Or, thinking too small the reward you've obtain'd 
 From your Monarch and Country in rank and in pay, 
 
 That a balance of gratitude still there remain'd, 
 
 To be clear'd by their owning your arrogant sway ? 
 
 * Furor ne caccus an rapit vis acrior, 
 An culpa? — Hor.
 
 49 
 
 Not content with your honours, your pensions, your 
 stars, 
 Your places, your jewels, your china, your plate, 
 The oflf'rings of Europe, the plunder of wars, 
 
 You must now be Commander-in-Chief of the 
 State!* 
 
 * The Duke has declared that he raised himself to the exalted 
 station he had attained. It is true, that he does admit the mu- 
 nificent disposition of his gracious Sovereign, and the services of 
 his gallant companions in arms. It is thought, however, that on 
 the memorable field of Waterloo, his Grace received assistance 
 which he does not seem disposed to acknowledge. First, from 
 treachery in the French army ; secondly, from " the revivifying 
 powers" of the Prussians, as Sir Robert "Wilson calls them. 
 Last, but not least, from that lucky chance which converted even 
 the errors of the great Captain into the means of victory. What, 
 and how great those errors were, has often been pointed out by 
 
 military men. 
 
 D
 
 50 
 
 Cold-hearted and selfish, whose barbarous glee, 
 Ne'er yet by soft pity's emotion was clouded ; 
 
 Whose portrait, when History gives it, must be 
 Still trampling the slain in the battle smoke 
 shrouded ! 
 
 Oh ! 'tis fitting, 'tis just, that each one of the crew, 
 Should by suicide, shame, or affliction attone — 
 
 Who ne'er felt the regard to calamity due, 
 
 But spurn'd at the hero by fortune o'erthrown. 
 
 Who, conscious they were but the puppets of fate, 
 Still trembled to think that defeat might be nigh ; 
 
 No misfortune could cpiiet their dastardly hate — 
 E'en the greatest of all, at their mercy to lie. 
 
 He rests on his rock, in the far distant wave, 
 
 But the fame of his deeds, of his suff'ring remains ; 
 
 Admiration and pity shall hallow his grave, 
 And Britain avenge her own foulest of stains.
 
 51 
 
 "lis done — come what may, from our friends or our 
 foes — a 
 Let us bless, let us date from that fortunate hour, 
 When the first dawn of hope on our sadness arose, 
 And the faction was stripp'd of its mischievous 
 pow'r, 
 
 A. 
 
 i. -j
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Page 51. 
 
 " Come what may from our friends or our foes." 
 
 (a) In the year 180G the late Mr. Pitt died. His colleagues, 
 with unfeigned affliction and becoming humility, represented to their 
 Sovereign their utter incapacity to proceed with the business of 
 the Slate. Mr. Fox and Lord Grenville, with their immediate 
 friends, came into power. Mr. Fox had to contend with the 
 complicated evils of a mortal disease — the incubus of the Gren- 
 ville politics — and an evident want of cordiality on the part of his 
 Royal Master. Yet, he rendered illustrious the short period of 
 his administration by the abolition of the Slave Trade — a ques- 
 tion which, for several preceding years, had been the victim of a 
 Cabinet neutrality, such as we have lately seen exercised on Ca- 
 tholic Emancipation. 
 
 After the death of this great man, the remnant of the Cabinet, 
 instead of pursuing those bold and salutary measures which would
 
 54 
 
 have disheartened their enemies and endeared them to the nation, 
 endeavoured to secure the permanence of their authority by 
 softening down the principles which constituted their only strength, 
 and by attempting to conciliate their opponents — who, having 
 always hated, now learned to despise them. 
 
 "The talents" held small account of past service ; they laughed 
 at former promises — (so at least the late Mr. Curran said ;) they 
 made no friends. 
 
 The ex-Ministers began to perceive that the men before whom 
 they had fled without a blow, effected nothing which they them- 
 selves were not fully competent to perform. The king, decidedly 
 hostile to the emancipation of his Irish subjects, lent a willing 
 ear to the suggestions of his ancient servants, that they did then 
 feel themselves able to conduct the government on principles 
 altogether more accordant with his Majesty's sentiments. The 
 inferior Officers of the State, who were magnanimously allowed 
 to retain their situations in every department, cherished, of 
 course, a grateful recollection of their former employers. The 
 dismissal of the AYbigs was speedily resolved on, and executed 
 without any difficulty. An objection was taken to a proposed 
 measure so insignificant in itself, that it passed not very long 
 after, without a single word being said, either for it, or against
 
 55 
 
 it. The Ministers consented to recall the miserable pittance of 
 relief wliioh they had ventured to recommend, bnt it was by no 
 means intended that they should be sull'ered to extricate them- 
 selves so easily. The opposite party had by this time fully or- 
 ganized their plans, and agreed as to the future distribution of 
 ollice. At length, in order to make the actual occupants bolt, 
 a proposal was made to them of so unconstitutional and offensive 
 a nature, that they could not listen to it for a moment. They re- 
 signed, and their departure from power was unaccompanied by 
 that public regret which ought to have attended the retreat of 
 individuals, upright and honourable as they were in private life, 
 and possessed of far greater abilities than fell to the share of 
 their victorious antagonists. 
 
 Is this the tale of twenty years since, or, rautato nomine, the 
 announcement of what is about to happen? 
 
 " Di talem terris avertite pestem !" 
 
 The situation of the leading characters is much alike ; in fact, 
 there is but one material difference in the whole affair ; that the 
 resignations of 1806 were tendered with humility and regret, 
 those of 1827 with arrogance and insult —
 
 56 
 
 " Cras foliis nemus 
 Multis et alga littus inutili, 
 Demissa tempestas ab Euro 
 Sternet, aquae nisi fallit augur 
 Annosa comix." 
 
 Alas ! I fear we soon shall see 
 The fate of our new Ministry ; 
 Their eloquence, their honest zeal, 
 Blasted by Wellington and Peel ; 
 All hope of rational reform, 
 Scatter'd by a no-popery storm, 
 And foul abuses come again, 
 Unless old Eldon weeps in vain.
 
 JANUARY 1824. 
 
 " Fortius et melius." 
 
 In the days of Elizabeth, virgin and queen, 
 'Twas a crime for a mere Irishman to be seen 
 With a beard on his chin, or mustache on his lip ; 
 And so keenly enforc'd was this system judicious, 
 'Twas deem'd a misprision of treason, to clip ; 
 Nay the hairs on a mole were considered suspicious. 
 
 Some statesmen, with candour exalted, confess 
 They lament this defect in the code of Queen Bess ;
 
 58 
 
 Tho' others maintain that this law against hair, 
 
 Was of singular fitness and use, then and there : 
 
 Be this as it may, in the process of time 
 
 Even absence of hair was reputed a crime ; 
 
 And croppies, as some of us well recollect, 
 
 Had small chance of escape, could no mercy expect. 
 
 Hence, a plentiful source of confusion arose, 
 
 'Twas so hard to distinguish one's friends from one's 
 
 foes. 
 Now, in this brilliant season of talking, not doing, 
 When fundlords are crowing, and landlords are rue- 
 
 ing, 
 'Twould be highly decorous a bill to prepare, 
 
 To secure and provide for " the easement of hair." 
 To give freedom to beards of all shades, weak or 
 
 strong ; 
 Which it seems, by the way, they've enjoyed all along.
 
 59 
 
 The barbers, 'tis natural enough to suppose, 
 Will cry out, when denied to take Pat by the nose ; 
 But, to quiet at once their well-grounded alarm, 
 By a peace-making clause, which can never breed harm, 
 In the first place, our bill shall enact and declare, 
 That in no case whatever shall any pretend, 
 Under peril of [blank] to this " easement of hair," 
 Unless to the barber they first duly send, 
 To recpiest his permission, which he may concede, 
 Or refuse at his will, or take time to decide ; 
 Leaving Pat to his « easement" of patience indeed ; 
 That patience, so often, so cruelly tried ! 
 Provided, oh strictly provided, also, 
 No attempt shall be made by applying Bear's grease. 
 To restore it where bald, or where scanty, increase : 
 After all, 'tis but just and expedient, for tho'
 
 GO 
 
 We abhor persecution, we still should be loath 
 Or a thing so pernicious, to foster the growth ; 
 So, whoe'er these conditions shall dare to transgress, 
 May be subject again to the statute of Bess. 
 
 And, as on certain dames, in the fulness of years, 
 A something hirsute and most beard-like appears, 
 Production exceeding well suited to bother, 
 Which can scarce be assign'd to one sex, or the other ; 
 Be it therefore decreed, that in every such case, 
 It be lawful to sue out a judgment of face ; 
 And, a learned commission be named to inquire, 
 To examine all over, and frame a report, 
 Without envy, affection, ill-will, or desire, 
 For the special instruction and guidance of court ; 
 Which shall forthwith thereon make an absolute rule, 
 And pronounce it of woman, of man, or of mule.
 
 61 
 
 Taking care, when withholding the promis'd relief, 
 To send word to his Majesty's barber in chief. 
 Paddy ne'er can sufficiently prize such a favour ; 
 Tho' ruin'd, tho' starving, tho' cursing and curs'd, 
 He may then wag his beard in the shop of the shaver, 
 And insulting in turn, be consol'd for the worst. 
 
 Aye ! wag it he will, when at length 'tis his right; 
 Good Lord ! how he'll dress it, and sprinkle it, and 
 
 smoke it ! * 
 And shout, 'till the barbers are horrified quite, 
 'Tis too tempting a row for him not to provoke it. 
 
 * I have sometimes amused myself with imagining what the 
 efl'ect might be, if, after having duly applied for permission, and 
 obtained it, a Roman Catholic Clergyman were to proceed with 
 candles lighted, exalted crucifix, and copious lustrations of holy
 
 62 
 
 Then, Hurra ! for th' inventors of conciliation, 
 And a charter of beards for the wild Irish nation ! 
 
 water, into a Church of the Established Religion, for the pur- 
 pose of interring one of his flock whose family might claim a 
 right of burial in the vaults beneath. I fear it would be a 
 " Dies irce" with a vengeance. 
 
 The violent outcry of the Irish Roman Catholics on this sub- 
 ject, and their subsequent abandonment of it, exhibited one of 
 the unaccountable phenomena of the national character. I was 
 in London when Mr., now Lord Plunket, introduced his bill, 
 quaintly entitled " an Act to provide for the Easement of Burial 
 in Ireland." 
 
 I was then fully persuaded that this matter might have given 
 rise to the most serious consequences. The Catholics had justice 
 on their side ; it was revolting to think that arrogant bigotry 
 should be permitted to lift its standard over the very grave, 
 where reluctant tyranny must relax its grasp, and all human 
 jurisdiction terminates. 
 
 It was a common grievance, a point of union in every part of 
 the kingdom, and of daily recurrence ; it was calculated to ex-
 
 63 
 
 cite in tlie highest degree, the passionate indignation of the 
 mourning survivors, by an insult to the poor remains of those so 
 lately removed for ever, from the scene of domestic tenderness. 
 It was intimately connected with some of the best, as well as 
 the most ardent feelings of human nature. To this may be ad- 
 ded, that prayers for the departed soul are held to be of pecu- 
 liar importance by Roman Catholics, who fondly cherish the sub- 
 lime idea of a sad, but consoling communication with the lost 
 objects of their earthly affections. 
 
 It Was probable too, that the unnatural hatred, which a nefa- 
 rious policy has raised up and fostered between the kindred 
 Churches of England and of Rome, would have heightened the 
 powerful excitation which so many causes tended to produce. 
 
 The conditions imposed on the performance of these religious 
 olliccs by Lord Plunket's Relief Bill, are of a most unpalatable 
 nature : so much so indeed, that I believe I am warranted in the 
 assertion, that they have scarcely ever been resorted to by the 
 Roman Catholic Clergy. Suddenly, however, the loud and 
 vehement complaints of the Roman Catholics subsided into that 
 sullen consciousness of injury, which has so often been mis- 
 taken for the elfect of satisfied submission. They were content, 
 as before, to conline to their Chapels the last solemn rites of
 
 64 
 
 Religion towards their departed friends ; or, at the utmost, they 
 ventured to repeat the Psalm " De Profundis" as they carried 
 the body three times round the Church-yard, preparatory to 
 consigning it to its final abode. Yet, beyond all doubt, the 
 Irish Roman Catholics attach a profound, I had almost written 
 a superstitious, importance to the mode, as well as to the place 
 of interment. 
 
 As a proof of this fact, if it were necessary, 1 might relate a 
 circumstance which occurred not many years since, at the funeral 
 of an Irish gentleman, the chief of a very old Roman Catholic 
 family, and possessed of extensive estates, who had conformed 
 to the Established Church. This gentleman was much beloved by 
 his tenants and dependents, who assembled in vast numbers, to 
 attend his remains to the venerable and romantic ruins among 
 which the antique burying-place of his distinguished progenitors 
 was situated. When the body approached the mouldering walls 
 which mark the limits of the burying-grouud, the Protestant 
 Rector of the Parish, who was in attendance, commenced the 
 Funeral Service of the Church of England ; but the assembled 
 multitude bade him to desist, and with wild and melancholy 
 clamour, they raised the coilin on their shoulders, and bore it 
 round the ancient cemetery, repeating the accustomed prayer.
 
 181Q. 
 
 A MANCHESTER OPINION ON THE RIGHT 
 OF PETITION. 
 
 Petition is a Briton's right, 
 
 For it, we wrangle, pay, and fight; 
 
 But, be it wisely understood, 
 
 How to petition for our good. 
 
 For, if the meeting be but few, 
 
 Then 'tis not worth attending to ; 
 
 And, if the numbers scare the town, 
 
 Then, 'tis illegal, cut 'em down ! 
 
 E
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE MEDALS. 
 
 On the return of Louis " le rapporte" in 1815, it was said 
 tbat the founts in which the medals of Napoleon's victories were 
 cast, were ordered to be destroyed. 
 
 Unhappy King ! what task is thine, 
 The types of glory to deface ; 
 
 Alas ! no triumphs of thy line 
 
 The proud memorials shall replace. * 
 
 * There are persons so obstinate as to hold this opinion still, the 
 Trocadero affair notwithstanding.
 
 67 
 
 Ah ! vainly would lliy feeble rage 
 Destroy the trophies of his reign; 
 
 His deeds shall deck th' historic page, 
 While mortal record may remain. 
 
 Thou too, hast lent unwilling aid, 
 To raise the warrior's mighty name ; 
 
 More brilliant from succeeding shade, 
 The splendour of Napoleon's fame. 
 
 'Twas his the fate of men to mould, 
 He stamp'd the very age his own ! 
 
 For ever shall th' impression hold, 
 More lasting far than brass, or stone. 
 
 E 2
 
 FROM THE FRENCH, 
 
 At life's repast, a mournful guest, 
 
 A moment I appear, 
 Then die, and o'er my place of rest 
 
 None e'er will drop a tear.
 
 1819. 
 
 " Sed revocare gradum evadere ad aurum, 
 
 Hoc opus, hie labor est." 
 
 Good folks, who Papists can deride, 
 'Cause they believe a house did ride 
 A trip of a few hundred miles, 
 Pray check your supercilious smiles, 
 Nor sneer at transubstantiation, 
 Wise rulers of this happy nation, 
 While you, yourselves, maintain and hold 
 That paper is, and shall be gold ! a
 
 70 
 
 Indulge a faith so like your own ; 
 
 Wink at the flight of brick or stone, 
 
 Which ne'er was miss'd from Galilee, 
 
 At length, safe lodg'd in Italy, 
 
 And bringing with it gain and glory : 
 
 Your's is a still more wondrous story ; 
 
 From Britain, as we daily mourn, 
 
 Far weightier matters ye have torn, 
 
 Wealth, credit, reputation fair, 
 
 Thence flown for ever, Lord knows where,
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Page 69. 
 " That paper is, and shall be gold." 
 
 (a) Mosr writers ou this subject omit to notice the unceasiug 
 and powerful tendency of the vast moneyed obligations of Eng- 
 land to call into action a currency as abundant and depreciated 
 as that in which they were originally created. If this tendency 
 were permanently and effectively resisted, the grand financial 
 catastrophe would quickly ensue. 
 
 Political economists seem to forget, when they have recourse 
 to the favourite solution of all their difficulties, " over trading," 
 "over production, &c." (they might with great propriety be 
 denominated the sect of " over-alls,") that their maxims on this 
 point very forcibly contradict that freedom of action for which 
 they contend so strenuously on other occasions. Why should I 
 not be free to apply to a bank for assistance to enable me to 
 accomplish a speculation which I believe likely to prove ad-
 
 72 
 
 vanlageous? Why should not that bank be at liberty to accom- 
 modate mc if it thought fit to do so ? 
 
 Must then no one presume to venture at making money but he 
 who lias money already ? It is, as if you should tell a man that 
 he is perfectly free to stir his head, arms, and legs, in any di- 
 rection he pleases, but that you must keep a chain round his 
 waist. 
 
 Really it would seem as if no person should plough his field, 
 or propagate his species, without having first obtained, as in duty 
 bound, the authenticated permission of Messrs. M'CulIoch and 
 Company. 1 have always found that those who make a violent 
 outcry about freedom, prove the most insufferable tyrants when 
 opportunity offers. In a word, England is so situated, that to 
 avoid great suffering and inconvenience, there must be an extensive 
 jmper circulation, the necessary consequence of which is, that it 
 becomes profitable to export gold at the present standard. When 
 this exportation takes place to any amount, it occasions a diminu- 
 tion of the paper currency ; and these united circumstances render 
 it so difficult to fulfil money contracts, and produce such an 
 alteration in the value of property, that a bank which may pos- 
 sess ample security in one week, will, without any fault on the 
 part of its managers, become insolvent the next. This fact was
 
 73 
 
 most fatally exemplified by several eminent houses duriog the 
 late season of embarrassment. 
 
 The political economists of the present day are an astonishing 
 race. They smile in contemptuous pity at those who would 
 palliate the inconveniences which arise from an artificial state of 
 society. Their superb ambition aims at nothing less than to 
 amend the laws of Nature, and to rectify the blunders of Provi- 
 dence ! 
 
 They often remind me of the profound philosopher who dis- 
 dained to water his cabbage plants, but carefully removed a mound 
 in his garden, lest it should spoil the symmetry of the globe. 
 
 Since the above Note was sent to Press, I was delighted to find 
 that the champion of political economy, the Morning CHRONICLE, 
 has seriously proposed what 1 had hinted, perhaps with too much 
 levity. In a late number of that Journal it is actually recom- 
 mended that a law should be passed, prohibiting the marriage of 
 Irish Roman Catholics, without permission having been previously 
 obtained from the civil authorities. The learned Editor must 
 surely be aware that thus closing the gate of matrimonv could
 
 71 
 
 not have the efl'ect of preventing the mischievous increase of 
 Popish population, 
 
 " Sunt geminic — porta; : quarum altera fertur 
 
 " Cornea • 
 
 " Altera candenti perfecta nitens elephanto." 
 
 Unquestionably, however, such a measure must prove a power- 
 ful auxiliary to " free trade." 
 
 Impartial people have long been of opinion, that vice and im- 
 morality were unfairly treated in these kingdoms. The numerous 
 and wealthy societies for the suppression of vice and for the 
 propagation of piety, the mighty host of established and of 
 tolerated Clergy, with all the bright array of volunteer saints 
 of every sect, ought to be more than a match for the powers of 
 darkness : a parliamentary interference on behalf of the latter, 
 as advised by the organ of the political philosophers, would 
 doubtless be a generous proceeding, and a most happy illustra- 
 tion of " sound general principles."
 
 MRS. FRY IN IRELAND. 
 
 Oh fie 
 
 I thought you had more religion, Mrs. Fry. 
 
 Lord Byron. 
 
 Poor Ireland ! with thy woes, what pranks are 
 
 blended 
 Unseemly, useless ; see the pure ones basking 
 In new light glories, ne'er for Pat intended : 
 Their " pointed questions" most absurdly asking, 
 By " all the female rank in town" attended ;* 
 Their weary wits for pointless answers tasking, 
 
 * See a long and interesting article in the Dublin Evening Post 
 of Thursday, the 22d of February last, headed " Mrs, Fry."
 
 76 
 
 Inspectors, governors, and turnkeys standing- by, 
 Humbly ambitious all, of passing for small fry. 
 
 Dear Mrs. Fry ! what brings you to this nation, 
 
 Where Saints abound, but food is somewhat scanty ? 
 
 Our gaols enjoy the choicest regulation, 
 
 All class'd and school'd ; indeed, we do not want ye 
 
 Perhaps you come to work " the Reformation ;" 
 
 A hopeful job, but pray, in passing, can't ye, 
 
 Assisted by your brother, Mister G urney, try 
 
 To make the Parsons do as they would be done by ? 
 
 From this important document we learn that " this active and 
 " benevolent lady was accompanied in her work of mercy by 
 " almost all the female rank then in Dublin." That " she was 
 " most pointed in all her inquiries ;" that " she condescended to 
 " partake of the food prepared for the prisoners ; that her brother, 
 *' Mr. Gurney, visited and examined, &c. &c. &c." In these 
 times of anxiety and alarm, such details are truly edifying and 
 consolatorv.
 
 77 
 
 Alike with prudence and devotion bless'd, 
 Before you ventured on the bold crusade, 
 To humanize the felons of the west, 
 You first implor'd the home department's aid 
 Then with his favour beaming on your crest, 
 Without delay, a gallant sortie made, 
 Cover' d all over, as cuirass'd in steel, 
 By passe partout of Mr. Secretary Peel.* 
 
 Oh, passe partout ! all talismans exceeding, 
 Thou open sesame of Irish gaols ! 
 Alas ! the donor from his post receding, 
 No pop'ry's victim, all thy virtue fails ; 
 
 * The Right Honourable Secretary having been informed of 
 Mrs. Fry's pious projects upou Ireland, immediately sent her an 
 order, &c. — Dublin Paper.
 
 78 
 
 No more shall tracts and other spiritual feeding 
 Be wafted gratis on the Royal Mails, 
 And worse, Saint Fry must thunder at the portals, 
 Praying admission, just like common mortals. 
 
 And, now we talk of tracts, I fairly own, 
 That being somewhat blinded by carnalities, 
 I can't see why the soul's distress alone 
 Should quite absorb such precious sympathies. 
 For my part, I'd much rather have two stone 
 Of good potatoes, than a ton of treatise, 
 Whether accepted with decorous groan, 
 Or trampl'd on, as happen'd in Athlone. 
 
 Oh. Mrs. Fry ! you never were appointed 
 Apostle female to the Irish Gentiles ; 
 The social frame is quite too much disjointed, 
 You might as well just lecture on projectiles,
 
 79 
 
 As on gaol ethics ; e'en the Lord's anointed 
 Did very little with his gracious smiles ; 
 Tho' expectation bounded full as high, 
 As it could for your coming, Mrs. Fry ! 
 
 Sweet Mrs. Fry ! I should not like to swear 
 
 At any lady, not to say the pink 
 
 Of morals ; yet I'm tempted when I hear 
 
 You're come, amidst this dearth of meat and drink, 
 
 To waste your godly talk, and vainly wear 
 
 Your philanthropic lungs ; besides, I think 
 
 The Irish being much inclin'd to mystify, 
 
 Perchance in your own coin may pay you, Mistress Fry. 
 
 In short, I'd have it clearly understood, 
 
 That if you come " to make the charm grow madder,' 
 
 With pious wailings, o'er our faults to brood ; 
 
 To make the gay ones grin, the sad ones sadder,
 
 80 
 
 To taste the prison soup, and say 'tis good, 
 You'll pass for an incorrigible gadder :* 
 And if you cannot mend the ills you spy, 
 Again, what brought you hither, Mrs. Fry P 
 
 So, Mrs. Fry, if I might give advice, 
 (By saints 'tis seldom taken in good part- 
 No matter — you'll not find me over nice,) 
 Return at once — bear back each holy art 
 To richer sinners— stick to well-fed vice. 
 Our wrongs are fierce ! we sin and starve. — Depart ! 
 And, henceforth, be content to bore or edify 
 The saints, or sinful folks of London, Mrs. Fry. 
 
 * " Gadder," one that runs abroad without business. 
 
 Johnson. 
 
 The ancients had some idea of this practice ; the " Gades 
 
 aditure mecum" of Horace, evidently means, *' ready to gad with 
 
 me."
 
 FROM ARIOSTO. 
 
 Let others slight the fond believing maid, 
 Who ventured all, herself profusely gave ; 
 So he, to whom so dear a pledge was paid, 
 Remain to soothe, to shelter, and to save.
 
 HOME. 
 
 Oh ! name not home, dear ruin'd home ! 
 Alas ! my heart it breaks ; 
 Of happiness long past it speaks, 
 That ne'er again can come. 
 
 Oh ! name not home ! 
 
 There dawn'd hope's vivid beam, 
 When youth and joy were near ; 
 There vanished friendship's dream, 
 There flow'd love's bitter tear.
 
 83 
 
 Long-, long I roam'd on foreign ground. 
 By many a wild and distant shore, 
 Then home returning, only found 
 The same sad heart that thence I bore. 
 Oh ! name not home ! 
 
 I saw the lonely wall, 
 With mantling ivy spread ; 
 I pac'd the silent hall, 
 Its guests were false, or dead ! 
 
 Still as I gaz'd my anguish grew, 
 For ev'ry tree and ev'ry flow'r 
 That glimmer'd in the moonlight dew, 
 Recall'd some lost, some happy hour ! 
 Oh ! name not home ! 
 
 F 2
 
 84 
 
 Tho' 'midst the ocean's roar, 
 
 His bark the fisher steers, 
 
 At length the welcome shore 
 
 His weary bosom cheers ; 
 
 For, there, he knows his toil shall cease, 
 
 The tempest reach him never ; 
 
 But the rude storm that wreck'd my peace, 
 
 Destroy'd my home for ever ! 
 
 Then name not home, dear ruin'd home ! 
 Alas ! my heart it breaks ! 
 Of happiness long past it speaks, 
 That ne'er again can come. 
 
 Oh ! name not home !
 
 VENITE PER ME?* 
 
 Oft as the faintly plashing oar 
 Draws near yon Islet's shade, 
 From her lone cell, for evermore, 
 Inquires a love-lorn maid, 
 
 Venite per me, venite per me, 
 Cari amici ? 
 
 * The simple melody with which the author had originally con- 
 nected the above lines has been arranged very beautifully by Sir 
 John Stevenson. The affecting story to which they relate is given 
 with great elegance of language and truth of feeling in Lady Mor- 
 gan's interesting work on Italy.
 
 86 
 
 The heav'ns are blue, the noontide ray 
 Sleeps on the tepid waves ; 
 Yet still she holds her hapless lay, 
 Of friends and freedom raves, 
 
 Venite per me, venite per me, 
 Can amici ? 
 
 Still to her dreary prison bar, 
 Her pallid cheek she presses, 
 Waves her white arm, and from afar 
 Each gondolier addresses, 
 
 Venite per me, venite per me, 
 Cari amici ? 
 
 To her comes not with twilight dim, 
 Or joy, or soft repose; 
 With vesper bell, or midnight hymn, 
 In mournful cadence flows, 
 
 Venite per me, venite per me, 
 Cari amici ?
 
 S7 
 
 Poor soul ! each gliding bark she sees, 
 Her anxious hope renews, 
 And mingled with the sighing breeze, 
 The sad lament pursues, 
 
 Venite per me, venite per me, 
 Cari amici ?
 
 MARY. 
 
 Farewell, a darker hour is near. 
 Than e'er yet cross'd me, Mary ! 
 And many a bitter, burning tear, 
 That hour will cost me, Mary ! 
 
 Perhaps, to love of lighter kind, 
 You'll prove less scornful, Mary ! 
 And when 'tis vanish'd, grieve to find 
 True love is mournful, Mary !
 
 89 
 
 A brighter dream was sent to you, 
 Than e'er was wove by fairy, 
 You might have wak'd to find it true, 
 And yet, you would not, Mary ! 
 
 How oft, from yonder woodland height, 
 We've watch'd day closing, Mary ! 
 Till hush'd beneath the fair moonlight, 
 All lay reposing, Mary ! 
 
 And still at Eve, my breast will glow 
 With wild emotion, Mary ! 
 But far between us then will flow 
 The wide, wide ocean, Mary ! 
 
 Yet, tho' my heart you flung away, 
 And laugh'd to fret it, Mary ! 
 Farewell — farewell, I only pray 
 You may forget it, Mary !
 
 90 
 
 Oh ! may it never be your fate, 
 My anguish proving, Mary ! 
 To feel the pangs, when all too late, 
 Of madly loving, Mary ! 
 
 Yet, while so thoughtless and so gay, 
 Should grief o'ertake you, Mary ! 
 Then fly to him, who, come what may, 
 Will ne'er forsake you, Mary !
 
 SONG. 
 
 Think not beneath this sadden'd brow 
 Lurks ought unkind, or cold ; 
 
 The heart's as warm, as faithful now, 
 As e'er it was of old. 
 
 But, bid not hope once more delude 
 My grief-bewilder'd brain ; 
 
 I've been awak'd with touch so rude, 
 I would not dream again.
 
 92 
 
 Oh! at the silent, mournful hour, 
 
 Of winter's closing day, 
 'Tis sad to think of summer's bow'r, 
 
 Or summer's glowing ray. 
 
 Yet from the clouds that darkly swell, 
 
 May break one vivid beam ; 
 And o'er the hermit's lonely cell 
 
 Its fairy radiance stream. 
 
 Thus while around my cheerless way 
 The dark'ning vapours close ; 
 
 Be thou that kindly, farewell ray, 
 Before my last repose. 
 
 Then shrink not from my sadden'd brow, 
 
 Nor mock its faded hue ; 
 I give thee all that's left me now, 
 
 An aching heart, but true.
 
 A FRAGMENT. 
 
 1816. 
 
 In vain his heart with kindly feeling glows, 
 
 Nature on him, in vain her gifts bestows, 
 
 Whom fortune dooms to penury obscure, 
 
 She makes ridiculous, in making poor. 
 
 But, should his merit, or vast impudence, 
 
 Or chance, or vice, or party raise him thence, 
 
 How swiftly then, the world's opinion turns, 
 
 What friends press on him, and what incense burns
 
 94 
 
 His actions, writings, words become so wise, 
 His own self wonders where such genius lies. 
 See those, for years, who coldly pass'd him by, 
 Just own'd acquaintance, they could scarce deny ; 
 With proferrM services, now crowd around, 
 Watch for a look, and at a beckon bound. 
 They rack their mem'ries for a gleam of truth, 
 To build a friendship on, in early youth ; 
 They search their pedigree on every side, 
 In hopes to prove themselves to him allied j 
 The endless chorus of his praise prolong, 
 For ministers, like kings, can do no wrong. 
 E'en tho' they neither wish nor ask for ought, 
 From the mere meanness of their selfish thought, 
 'Tis pleasanter they feel, and safer too, 
 To choose a friend who nothing wants from you,
 
 05 
 
 Than one who, struggling with distress and woe, 
 Living on hope, has nothing to bestow. 
 
 Say whence ye heartless, despicable crew, 
 
 This mushroom merit in an instant grew ? 
 
 Not three days since, his worth you could not see, 
 
 Ts he so soon become a deity ? 
 
 Can you in him one new perfection trace, 
 
 Besides a Prince's favour and his place ? 
 
 Have rank or riches wiped away one stain 
 
 Of all your malice lately saw so plain ? 
 
 Or, did you keep your weak uncertain sight, 
 
 To view his virtues clear by Fortune's light ? 
 
 Thus, I resign me to my wayward fate, 
 
 These daily slights from little and from great, 
 
 Are not to me, but to my station shown, 
 
 They would adore me, were I on a throne.
 
 96 
 
 Yet still, howe'er the cheerless lot be cast, 
 Oh ! best of comfort, it must end at last : 
 And if, for wearied souls, beyond this sphere 
 A world there be, 'tis mercy governs there. — 
 I dare ye all to sink to deeper rest, 
 I'll die, and rot, and perish with the best ; 
 I envy not, ye wealthy and ye proud, 
 Your gilded coffin and your silken shroud ; * 
 Beneath my humble turf I'll sleep as well, 
 As you, within your lonely, nauseous cell. 
 One equal ruin then alike shall seize 
 My blasted hopes and your insipid ease ; 
 
 * As I roamed through the streets of London, and saw the Hatch- 
 ments aBixiug, frequently to the most splendid mansions, I have 
 hcen tempted to exclaim in the language of Massingcr, 
 " Oh ! sweet Lord, 
 Assuredly its pity the worms should eat thtc.''
 
 97 
 
 Rejoice and revel ye who can, while I 
 May howl and shiver 'till my hour draws nigh : 
 We meet at last — the fearful pow'r that tears 
 Yuu from your palace, me to freedom bears ; 
 And gives to all, the court, the camp, the bench, 
 Equality of rottenness and stench. 
 
 THE END.
 
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