CRITICISMS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 R O L L I A D 
 
 PART THE FIRST. 
 
 THE NINTH EDITION, CORRECTED AND- ENLARGED. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. RIDGWAY, NO. I, YORK-STREET, 
 ST. JAMESVSQUARE.
 
 A. <I 
 
 /.i QUA aaT3a>iJL03 ^AOITIQI HTHI. 
 
 * . 
 
 -. vi o a K o j 
 
 :i-x^OY f i .ox ? YAWoai^ .1
 
 -3J.9I 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 HT^HE CRITICISMS on the ROLLIAD, 
 -*- in their original form, excited fuch a 
 general curioiity, that three fpurious edi- 
 tions have already been fold, independent- 
 ly of their publication in various of the 
 Daily Papers, and -Monthly Magazines. 
 Such a marked teftimony in their favour, 
 cannot ^but be peculiarly flattering to us. 
 We therefore thought it incumbent on us 
 in return, to exert our utmoft endeavours 
 in rendering them, as far as our judgment 
 will direct us-, yet more worthy of that 
 attention with which they have been ho- 
 noured, imperfect, as they fell from us, 
 through a channel, that did not feem ne- 
 ceflarily to demand any very great degree 
 of preciiion. 
 
 
 
 In the prefent edition fome few pafTages 
 
 have been expunged ; others foftened ; 
 
 many enlarged -, more corrected : and two 
 
 whole numbers, with the greater part of a 
 
 A 2 third,
 
 IV ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 third, are altogether new. A poeticopro- 
 faical Dedication to SIR LLOYD KEN YON 
 has alfo been added ; and an Appendix is 
 now given, confiding of Mifcellaneous 
 Pieces, to which the Criticifms incident- 
 ally refer. 
 
 It may perhaps give offence to fome 
 very chaftized judgments, that in this our 
 authentic edition, we have fubjoined notes 
 on a profefled commentary. Some more 
 explanations, however, appeared occafion- 
 ally neceflary, more efpecially as the fub- 
 je&s of Political Wit in their very nature 
 are fugitive and evanefcent. We only fear 
 that our illullrations have not been fuf- 
 ficiently frequent, as we have privately 
 been afked to what " Mr. Hardinge's 
 Arithmetic" in the Dedication alluded ; fo 
 little impreflion was made on the public 
 by the learned Gentleman's elaborate cal- 
 culation of the Orations fpoken, and the 
 time expended in the difcuflion of the 
 Weftminfter Scrutiny ! Indeed, we have 
 known perfons even ignorant, that Sir 
 Lloyd Kenyon voted for his ftables. 
 
 This
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. V 
 
 This Edition has further been orna- 
 mented with a Tree of the Genealogy, and 
 the Arms, Motto, and Creft, of the ROLLOS, 
 now ROLLES; for an explanation of which 
 we beg leave to refer the reader to page ix. 
 The Genealogy is likewife given at full 
 length from the Morning Herald, where 
 it was originally publi/hed, and was pro- 
 bably the foundation of the ROLLIAD. It 
 is therefore inferted in its proper place, be- 
 fore the firft extract from the Dedication 
 to the Poem, which immediately preceded 
 the firft Numbers of the CRITICISMS. 
 
 A D V E R-
 
 ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 TO THE 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 ONE very large imprefllon of the fol- 
 lowing work being already fold, and 
 the demand for it daily increafing, it is 
 now a fecond time fubmitted to the Public, 
 revifed and corrected from the many literal 
 errors, which, with every precaution, will 
 too often deform a firft edition ; efpecially 
 when circumflances render an early publi- 
 cation neceffary. 
 
 In the prefent edition fome few altera- 
 tions have been made, but none of any 
 confiderable magnitude ; except that the 
 Appendix of Mifcellaneous Pieces is here 
 fuppreffed. This has been done, in fome 
 degree, for the conveniency of binding 
 this firft part of the CRITICISMS ON THE 
 ROLL i AD with the fecond and third parts, 
 
 now
 
 Vlll ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 now fhortly to follow ; but more indeed, 
 in confequence of a defign, which we at 
 prefent entertain, of printing moft of thofe 
 pieces with other productions of the fame 
 Authors in one odavo volume, under the 
 title of POLITICAL MISCELLANIES. 
 
 As the bulk and matter of the book arc 
 thus diminimed, the price alfo is propor- 
 tionally reduced. Where THE CRITI- 
 CISMS feem to require any elucidation from 
 the contents of the former Appendix, ex- 
 tracts are now given at the bottom of the 
 page inftead of the references in our former 
 Edition. 
 
 This flight change we flatter ourfelves 
 will not be difapproved by the Public ; and 
 we hope, that they will not receive with 
 a lefs degree of favour the intimation here 
 given of the Mifcellaneous Volume, which 
 will probably be publifhed in the courfe of 
 the enfuing winter. 
 
 Expla-
 
 Explanation of the FRONTISPIECE 
 and TITLE-PAGE. 
 
 THE FRONTISPIECE reprefents Duke 
 ROLLO, with his Sword and Ducal 
 Coronet lying by his fide. It is fuppofed 
 to be a ftriking likenefs, and was copied 
 from a painting in the Window of a 
 Church at Rouen in Normandy. From 
 this illuftrious Warrior fprings a Tree of the 
 Genealogy of the ROLLOS, now ROLLES. 
 The moil eminent of this great Family 
 alone are noticed. The particulars of their 
 hiftory may be found in page xxvii and xxviii. 
 
 The TITLE-PAGE exhibits the Arms, 
 Motto, and Creft of the Family. The 
 Arms are, Three French Rolls, Or, be- 
 tween two Rolls of Parchment, Proper, 
 placed in form of a Cheveron on a Field 
 Argent The Motto is Jouez bien vofre 
 Role, or, as we have fometimes feen it fpelt 
 Rolle. The Creft, which has been lately 
 changed by the prefent Mr. ROLLE, is a 
 half-length of the Mafter of the Rolls, like 
 a Lion demi-rampant with a Roll of Parch- 
 ment inftead of a Pheon's Head between 
 his Paws. B
 
 DE DIG A TTON. 
 70 Sir Lloyd Kenyan^ Bart. 
 
 MASTER OF THE ROLLS, &c. &c. 
 
 MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR, 
 
 IT was originally my intention to have 
 dedicated the CRITICISMS on the ROL- 
 LIAD, as the ROLL i AD itfelf is dedicated 
 to the illuftrious character, from whofe 
 hereditary name the Poem derives its title ; 
 and*, as I fome time fince apprized the 
 public, I had actually obtained his permif- 
 fion to lay this little work at his feet. No 
 fooner, however* was he made acquainted 
 with my after-thought of infcribing my 
 book to YOUR HONOUR, but, with the li- 
 berality, which ever marks a great mind, 
 he wrote to me of his own accord, declar- 
 ing his compleat acquiefcence in the pro- 
 priety of the alteration. For if I may take 
 the liberty of tranfcribing his own ingeni- 
 
 * In a Pofticript originally fubjoined to the 8 Number. 
 B 2 OUS
 
 Xll DEDICATION, 
 
 ous and modeft expreffion, " I am my- 
 felf," faid he, " but a fimple Rolle >, SIR 
 " LLOYD KEN YON is a Majler of Rolls" 
 
 Great HOLLO'S heir, whofe cough, whofe laugh, whofe 
 
 groan, 
 
 The* Antaeus EDMUND has fo oft o'erthrown ; 
 Whofe cry of " queftion" filenc'd CHARLES'S fenfe, 
 That cry, more powerful than PITT'S eloquence ; 
 Ev'n he, thus high in glory, as in birth, 
 Yields willing way to thy fuperior worth. 
 
 Indeed, if I had not been fo happy as 
 to receive this exprefs fanction of Mr. 
 ROLLE'S concurrence, I fhould neverthe- 
 lefs have thought myfelf juflified in pre- 
 fuming it from the very diftinguifhed tefti- 
 mony, which he has lately borne to your 
 merits, by taking a demi-rampant of YOUR 
 HONOUR for his creft ; a circumftance, in 
 my opinion, fo highly complimentary to 
 YOUR HONOUR, that I was ftudious to have 
 it as extenfively known as polfible. I have 
 therefore given directions to my Publiflier, 
 to exhibit your portrait, with the ROLLE 
 Arms and Motto, by way of Vignette in 
 the Title Page ; that difplayed, as I truft 
 
 it
 
 DEDICATION. Xlll 
 
 it will be at the Window of every Book- 
 feller in Great-Britain, it may thus attradt 
 the admiration of the moft incurious, as 
 they pafs along the ftreets. This folici- 
 tude, to diffufe the knowledge of your 
 perfon, as widely as your fame, may pof- 
 fibly occafion fome little diftrefs to your 
 modefty ; yet permit me to hope, SIR 
 LLOYD, that the motive will plead my 
 pardon ; and, perhaps, even win the ap- 
 probation of your fmile -, if you can be 
 fuppofed to fmile without offence to the 
 gravity of that nature, which feems from 
 your very birth to have marked . you for a 
 Judge. 
 
 Behold the' Engraver's mimic labours trace 
 The fober image of that fapient face : 
 See him, in each peculiar charm exaclr, 
 Below dilate it, and above contract ; 
 For Nature thus, inverting her deugn, 
 From vulgar ovals hath diftinguifh'd thin* : 
 See him each nicer character fupply, 
 The pert no-meaning puckering round the eye, 
 The mouth in plaits precife demurely clos'd, 
 Each order'd feature, and each line compos'd, 
 Where Wifdom fits a-fquat, in ftarch difguife, 
 Like Dulneft couch'd, to catch us by furprife. 
 
 And
 
 XIV DEDICATION. 
 
 And now he fprcads around thy pomp of wig, 
 In owl-like pride of legal honours big ; 
 That wig, which once of curl on curl profufe, 
 In well-kept buckle ftiff, and fmugly fpruce, 
 Deck'd the plain Pleader ; then in nobler tafte, 
 With well-friz'd bufli the' Attorney-General grac'd ; 
 And widely waving now with ampler flow, 
 Still with thy titles and thy fame mall grow. 
 Behold, SIR LLOYD, and while with fond delight 
 The dear refemblance feafts thy partial fight, 
 ' Smile, if thou canft ; and, fmiling,' on this book 
 Caft the glad omen of one favouring look. 
 
 But it is on public grounds, that I prin- 
 cipally wim to vindicate my choice of 
 YOUR HONOUR for my Patron. The 
 ROLLIAD, I have reafon to believe, owed 
 its exigence to the * memorable fpeech of 
 the Member for Devonshire on the firfl 
 difcuflion of the Weftmifter Scrutiny, 
 when he fo emphatically proved himfelf 
 the genuine defcendant of DUKE ROLLO ; 
 and in the noble contempt which he 
 
 Mr. Rolle faid, " he could not be kept all the fum- 
 mer debating about the rights of the Weftminfler Elec- 
 tors. His private concerns were of more importance to 
 him, than his right as a Weftminfler Elector." 
 
 avowed,
 
 DEDICATION. XV 
 
 avowed, for the boafted rights of Electors, 
 feemed to breathe the very foul of his 
 great progenitor, who came to extirpate 
 the liberties of Englishmen with the Sword. 
 It muft be remembered, however, that 
 YOUR HONOUR miniftered the occafion to 
 his glory. You, SIR LLOYD, have ever 
 been reputed the immediate Author of the 
 Scrutiny. Your opinion is faid to have 
 been privately confulted on the framing of 
 the Return ; and your public defence of 
 the High- Bailiff's proceeding, notorioufly 
 furnimed Mr. ROLLE, and the other friends 
 of the Minifter, with all the little argu- 
 ment, which they advanced againft the 
 objected exigency of the Writ. You taught 
 them to reverence that holy thing, the 
 Confcience of a Returning .Officer, above 
 all Law, Precedent, Analogy, Public Ex- 
 pediency, and the popular Right of Re- 
 prefentation, to which our Forefathers er- 
 roneoufly paid religious refpedl:, as to the 
 moft facred franchife of our Conftitution. 
 You prevailed on them to manifeft an im- 
 partiality fingularly honourable; and to 
 prefer the fancl:ity of this fingle Confcience, 
 
 to
 
 XVI DEDICATION*. 
 
 to a round dozen of the moft immaculate 
 confciences, chofen in the pureft poflible 
 manner from their own pure Houfe of 
 Commons. 
 
 Thine is the glorious meafure ; thine alone : 
 
 Thee, Father of the Scrutiny, we own. 
 
 Ah ! without thee, what treafures had we loft, 
 
 More worth, than twenty Scrutinies would coft ! 
 
 To' inftrudl the Veftry, and convince the Houfe, 
 
 What Law from MURPHY ! what plain fenfe from 
 
 Rous! 
 What wit from MULGRAVE! from DUNDAS, what 
 
 truth ! 
 
 What perfeft virtue from the VIRTUOUS YOUTH ! 
 What deep refearch from ARDEN the profound ! 
 What argument from BEARCROFT ever found ! 
 By MUNCASTER, what generous offers made ; 
 By HARDIKGE, what arithmetic difplay'ci ! 
 And, oh ! what rhetoric, from MAHON that broke 
 In printed fpeeches, which he never fpoke ! 
 Ah ! without thee, what worth neglected long, 
 Had wanted ftill its deareft meed of fong ! 
 In vain high-blooded ROLLE, unknown to fame, 
 Had boafted ftill the honours of his name : 
 In vain had exercis'd hi* noble fpleen 
 On BURKE and Fox the ROLLIAD hod not been. 
 
 But,
 
 DEDICATION. Xvii 
 
 But, alas ! SIR LLOYD, at the very mo^ 
 ment, while I am writing, intelligence has 
 reached me, that the Scrutiny is at an end. 
 Your favourite meafure is no more. The 
 child of your affection has met a fudden 
 and a violent fate. I trtift, however, that 
 " the Ghoil of the departed Scrutiny" (in 
 the bold brit beautiful language of Mr. 
 DUNDAS) will yet haunt the fpot, where it 
 was brought forth, where it was foflered, 
 and where it fell. Like the Ghoft of Ham- 
 let it mall be a perturbed fpirit, though it 
 may not come in a queftionable fhape. It 
 mall fleet before the eyes of thofe to whom 
 it was dear, to admonifh them, how they 
 ru(h into future dangers ; to make known 
 the fecret of its private hoards ; or to con- 
 fefs to them the fins of its former days, 
 and to implore their piety, that they 
 would give peace to its made, by making 
 juft reparation. Perhaps too, it may fome- 
 times vifit the murderer, like the ghoft of 
 Banquo, to dafh his joys. It cannot in- 
 deed rife up in its proper form to pufh him 
 from his feat, yet it may aflume fome other 
 C formidable
 
 XV111 DEDICATION*. 
 
 formidable appearance to be his eternal 
 tormentor. Thefe, however, are but vi- 
 fionary confolations, while every loyal bo- 
 fom muft feel fubftantial affliction from 
 the late iniquitous vote, tyrannically com- 
 pelling the High-Bailiff to make a return 
 after an enquiry of nine months only ; ef- 
 pecially when you had fo lately armed him 
 with all power neceflary to make his en- 
 quiry effectual. 
 
 * Ah ! how fliall I the' unrighteous vote bewail ? 
 Again corrupt Majorities prevail. 
 Poor CORBETT'S Conference, tho' a little loth, 
 Muft blindly gape, and gulp the* untafted oath ; 
 If he, whofe confcience never felt a qualm, 
 If GROJAN fail the good-man's doubts to calm. 
 No more (hall MORGAN, for his fix months hire, 
 Contend, that Foot fhould (hare the* expence of fire ; 
 
 Whole 
 
 * I fhall give the Reader in one continued note, what 
 information J think ncceflary tor underftandingtheieverfes. 
 During the fix months that the Scrutiny continued in St. 
 Martin's, the molt diftinguifh'd exhibition of Mr. Morgan's 
 talents was the maintenance of an argument, that Mr. 
 Fox ought to pay half the expence of fire in the room 
 where the Witnefles attended. The learned Gentleman 
 i* familiarly called Fro?, to winch I prefiune the Author 
 
 allude?
 
 DEDICATION. XiX 
 
 Whole Sefllons fhall he creak, nor bear away 
 The price, that paid the filence of a day : 
 No more, till COLLICK feme new ftory hatch, 
 Long-winded Rous for hours (hall praife Difpatch ; 
 COLLICK to Wigs and Warrants back (hall (link, 
 And Rous, a Pamphleteer, re-plunge in ink : 
 MURPHY again French Comedies (hall fteal, 
 Call them his own, and garble, to conceal ; 
 Or, pilfering ftill, and patching without grace 
 His thread-bare flireds of Virgil out of place, 
 With Drefs, and Scenery, Attitude and Trick, 
 Swords, Daggers, Shouts, and Trumpets in the nick, 
 With Ahs ! and Ohs ! Starts, Paufes, Rant, and Rage, 
 Give a new GRECIAN DAUGHTER to the Stage : 
 But, Oh, SIR CECIL ! Fled to fhades again 
 From the proud roofs, which here he rais'd in vain, 
 He feeks, unhappy ! with the Mufe to cheer 
 Jrlis riling griefs, or drown them in fmajl-beer j 
 
 alludes in the word croak. Mr. Rous fpoke two hotirs to 
 recommend Expedition. At the time the late Parliament 
 jvas dillblved, he wrote two Pamphlets in favour of the 
 Miniftry. I have forgot the titles of thefe Pamphlets, as 
 probably the reader has too, if he ever knew them. How- 
 ever, I can affure him of the fact. Mr. Collick, the 
 Witnefs-General of Sir Cecil Wray, is a Hair-Merchant 
 and Juftice of Peace. Sir Cecil's ta/te both for Poetry 
 and Small-beer are well known, as is theprefent unfinifhtd 
 ftate of his newly -fronted houfe in Pall-Mail, 
 
 C 9 Alas!
 
 XX DEDICATION, 
 
 Alas ! the Mufe capricious flies the hour 
 When moft we need her, and the beer is four: 
 Mean time Fox thunders faction uncontrol'd, 
 Crown'd with frefti laurels, from new triumphs bold. 
 
 Thefe general evils arifmg from the ter- 
 mination of the Scrutiny, YOUR HONOUR, 
 I doubt not, will fmcerely lament in com- 
 mon with all true lovers of their King and 
 Cpuntry. But in addition to thefe, you, 
 SIR LLOYD, have particular caufe to re- 
 gret, that* "" the lafh hair in this tail of 
 procraftination" is plucked. I well know, 
 what eager anxiety you felt to eftablim the 
 fuffrage, which you gave, as the delegate 
 of your Coach-horfes : and I unaffectedly 
 condole with you, that you have loft this 
 great opportunity of difplaying your un- 
 fa thomable knowledge and irreiifUble logic 
 to the confufion of your enemies. How 
 learnedly would you have quoted the me- 
 morable inflance of Darius, who was 
 elected King of Perfia by the cafting vote 
 
 * " This appears to be the laft hair in the tail of pro- 
 craftination." The Matter of the Rolls, who firft ufed 
 this phrafe, is a moft eloquent fpeaker. See ,ord Mulg, 
 Eflays on Eloquence, Vol. II. 
 
 Of
 
 DEDICATION. XXI 
 
 of -his Horfe ! Though indeed the merits 
 of that eledion have been fmce impeached, 
 not from any alledged illegality of the 
 vote itfelf, if it had been fairly given ; but 
 becaufe fome jockeyfhip has been fufpeded, 
 and the voter, it has been faid, was bribed 
 the night before the election ! How ably 
 too would you have applied the cafe of Cali- 
 gula's horfe, who was chofen Conful of 
 Rome ! For if he was capable of being 
 elected, (you would have faid) a fortiori, 
 there could have been no natural impedi- 
 ment to his being an elector ; lince omne 
 majus confine t in fe minus > and the truft is 
 certainly greater to fill the firfi offices of 
 the flate, than to have one fhare among 
 many in appointing to them. Neither can 
 I fuppofe that you would have omitted fo 
 grave and weighty an authority as Captain 
 Gulliver, who, in the courfe of his voy- 
 ages, difcovered a country, where Horfes 
 difcharged every Duty of Politkal Society. 
 You might then have paiTed to the early 
 hiftory of our own ifland, and have expa- 
 tiated on the known veneration in which 
 Jiorfes were held by our Saxon Anceflors ; 
 
 who,
 
 XX11 DEDICATION. 
 
 who, by the way, are fuppofed alfo to have 
 been the founders of Parliaments. You 
 might have touched on their famous fland- 
 ard; digrefled to the antiquities of the 
 White Horfe, in Berkfhire, and other fimi- 
 lar monuments in different counties ; and 
 from thence have urged the improbability, 
 that when' they inftituted elections, they 
 jfhould have neglected the rights of an 
 animal, thus highly efteemed and almoft 
 fanctified among them. I am afraid in- 
 deed, that with all your Religion and 
 Loyalty, you could not have made much 
 ufe of the White Horfe of Death, or the 
 White Horfe of Hanover. But for a bonne 
 bouche) how beautifully might you have 
 introduced your favourite maxim of ubi 
 ratio, ibljus! and to prove the reafon of the 
 thing, how convincingly might you have 
 defcanted, in an elegant panegyric on the 
 virtues and abilities of horfes, from Xanthus 
 the Grecian Conjuring Horfe, whofe pro- 
 phecies are celebrated by Homer, down to 
 the Learned Little Horfe over Weftminfter 
 Bridge ! with whom you might have con- 
 cluded, lamenting that, as he is not an
 
 DEDICATION. XXlll 
 
 Elector, the Veftry could not have the 
 amflance of one, capable of doing fo much 
 more juftice to the queftion than yourfelf ! 
 Pardon me, SIR LLOYD, that I have 
 thus attempted to follow the fuppofed 
 courfe of your oratory. I feel it to be 
 truly inimitable. Yet fuch was the im- 
 preffion made on my mind by fome of 
 YOUR HONOUR'S late reafonings refpecting 
 the Scrutiny, that I could not withiland 
 the involuntary impulfe of endeavouring, 
 for my own improvement, to attain fome 
 faint likenefs of that wonderful pertinency 
 and cogency, which I fo much admired in 
 the great original. 
 
 How lhall the neighing kind thy deeds requite, 
 
 Great YAHOO Champion of the HOUYHNHNM'S right? 
 
 In grateful memory may thy dock-tail pair, 
 
 Unharm'd convey thee with fure-footed care. 
 
 Oh ! may they gently pacing o'er the ftones 
 
 With no rude fhock annoy thy batter'd bones, 
 
 Crufh thy judicial cauliflow'r, and down 
 
 Shower the mix'd lard and powder o'er thy gown ; 
 
 Or in uafeemly wrinkles creafe that band, 
 
 Fair work of fairer LADY KEN YON 's hand. 
 
 Not
 
 XXIV DEDICATION. 
 
 No ! May the pious brutes, with meafur'd fwing, 
 
 Affift the friendly motion of the fpring, 
 
 While golden dreams of perquifites and fees 
 
 Employ thee, flumbering o'er thine own decrees. 
 
 But when a Statefman in St. Stephen's walls 
 
 Thy Country claims thee, and the Treafury calls, 
 
 To pour thy fplendid bile in bitter tide 
 
 On hardened Sinners who with Fox divide, 
 
 Then may they rattling on in jumbling trot 
 
 With rage and jolting make thee doubly hot, 
 
 Fire thy Welch blood, enflamed with zeal and leeks. 
 
 And kindle the red terrors of thy cheeks, 
 
 Till all thy gather'd wrath in furious fit 
 
 On RIGBY burfts unlels he votes with PITT. 
 
 I might here, SIR LLOYD, launch into 
 a new panegyric on the fubject of this con- 
 cluding couplet. But in this I fhall imi- 
 tate your moderation, who, for reafons bed 
 known to yourfelf, have long abandoned 
 to Mr. ROLLE * " thofe loud and repeat- 
 ed calls on notorious defaulters, which will 
 never be forgiven by certain patriots." 
 Befides, I confider your public-fpirited be- 
 haviour in the late Election and Scrutiny 
 
 * Mr. Ridgway tells me, he thinks there is fomething 
 like thefe words in one of the Reviews, where the Roi^ 
 MAO is criticifcd. 
 
 for
 
 DEDICATION. XXV 
 
 i 
 
 for Weftminfter, as the great monument 
 of your fame to all pofterity. I have, 
 therefore, dwelt on this, more efpecially 
 as it was immediately connected with the 
 origin of the ROLLI AD till my dedication 
 has run to fuch a length, that I cannot 
 think of detaining your valuable time any 
 longer; unlefs merely to requeft YOUR 
 HONOUR'S zealous protection of a work 
 which may be in fome fort attributed to 
 you, as its ultimate caufe, which is em- 
 bellifhed with your portrait, and which 
 now records in this addrefs, the moft bril- 
 liant exploit of your political glory. 
 
 Choak'd by a Roll, 'tis faid, that OTWAY died ; 
 OTWAY the Tragic Mufe's tender pride. 
 Oh ! may my ROLLE to me thus favour'd giv? 
 A better fate ; that I may eat, and live ! 
 
 I am, YOUR HONOUR'S 
 Moft obedient, 
 
 Moft refpedlful, 
 Moft devoted, humble fervant, 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
 D

 
 SHORT ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE FAMIIV OF THE 
 
 ROLLOS, now ROLLES, 
 
 FAITHFULLY EXTRACTED FROM THE 
 
 RECORDS OF THE HERALD's OFFICE. 
 
 JQHN ROLLE, Efq, is defcended from 
 the ancient Duke ROLLO, gf Normandy $ 
 ROLLO paffed over into Britain, anno 983, 
 where he foon .begat another ROLLO, upon 
 the wife of a Saxon drummer. Our young 
 ROLLO was diftinguifhed by his gigantic 
 flature, and, as we learn from ODERICUS 
 VITAL is, was flain by Hildebrand, the 
 Danifh Champion, in a fit of jealoufy* 
 We find in Camden, that the race of the 
 ROLLOS fell into adverftfy in the reign of 
 Stephen, a#d in the fucceeding reign, 
 CASPAR DE ROLLO was an Ofiler in 
 Denbighshire. r But during the unhappy 
 contefls .of York and Lajica-fter, William 
 (ie Wyrcefter, and the continuator of the 
 annals of Croylandhave it, that the ROLLOS 
 became Scheriffes of D.^yon, " Scherffi 
 Devomenfes RoLLifuerunt" and in an- 
 other paflage, " arreftaverunt Debit ores 
 D 2 plurime
 
 [ xxviii J 
 
 plurtme ROLLORUM" hence a doubt in 
 Fabian, whether this ROLLO was not 
 Bailiff, ipfe potius quam Scberijfus. From 
 this period, however they gradually ad- 
 vanced in circumftances ; ROLLO, in Henry 
 the Vlllth, being amerced in 800 marks for 
 pilfering two manchetts of beef from the 
 King's buttery, the which, faith Selden, 
 facllllme payavtf. 
 
 In yth and 8th of Phil, and Mar. three 
 ROLLOS indeed were gibetted for piracy, 
 and from that date the family changed the 
 final O of the name into an E. In the 
 latter annals of the ROLLOS, nowRoLLEs, 
 but little of confequenee is handed down 
 to us. We have it that TIMOTHY ROLLE 
 of Plympton, in the 8th of Queen Anne, 
 endowed three alms-houfes in faid town. 
 JEREMIAH his fecond fon was counted the 
 fatteft man of his day, and DOROTHEA 
 ROLLE his third coufin died of a terrible 
 dyfentery. From this period the ROLLE s 
 have burft upon public notice, with fuch 
 a blaze of fplendour, as renders all further 
 accounts of this illuftrious race entirely 
 unneceffary. 
 
 EXTRACT
 
 EXTRACT FROM THE DEDICATION 
 
 ROLLIAD, 
 
 EPIC POEM, 
 
 TWELVE BOOKS. 
 
 WHEN Norman ROLLO fought fair Albion's coaft, 
 (Long may his offspring prove their country's 
 
 boaft!) 
 
 Thy genius, Britain, fure infpir'd his foul 
 To blefs this ifland with the race of ROLLE. 
 Illuftrious ROLLE ! O may thy honour'd name 
 Roll down diftinguifh'd on the Rolls of fame ! 
 Still firft be found on Devon's county polls ! 
 Still future Senates boaft their future ROLLES{ 
 Since of all Rolls which in this world we fee, 
 The world has ne'er produc'd a Roll like thee. 
 Hot Rolls and butter break the Briton's faft, 
 Thy fpeeches yield a more fublime repaiK 
 Compar'd to thine, how fhall their boafted heat ! 
 Nor, mix'd with treacle, are they half fo fweet. 
 O'er Rolls of parchment Antiquarians pore, 
 Thy mind, O ROLLE, affords a richer (tore. 
 Let thofe on law or hiflory who write, 
 To Rolls of Parliament refort for light, 
 
 Whilft
 
 [ 30 ] 
 
 Whilft o*er our Senate, from our Jiving ROLLE 
 
 Beam the bright rays of an enJighten'd foul ; 
 
 In wonder loft, we flight their ufelefs ftufF, 
 
 And feel one ROLLE of Parliament enough. 
 
 The fkill'd mufician to direct his band, 
 
 Waves high a Roll of paper in his hand ; 
 
 When PITT would drown the eloquence of BURKE, 
 
 You feem the ROLLE beft fuited to his work ; 
 
 His well-train'd band, obedient know their cue, 
 
 And cough and groan in unifon with you. 
 
 Thy god-like anceftor, in valour tried, 
 
 Still bravely fought by conqu'ring WILLIAM'S fide ; 
 
 In Britifh blood he drench 'd his purple fword, 
 
 Proud to partake the triumphs of his lord : 
 
 So you, with zeal, fupport through each debate, 
 
 The conqu'ring WILLIAM of a latter date : 
 
 Whene'er he fpeaks, attentive ftill to chear 
 
 The lofty nothing with a friendly " hear," 
 
 And proud your leader's glory to promote, 
 
 Partake his triumph in a faithful vote. 
 
 Ah ! fure while Coronets like hailftones fly, 
 
 When Peers are made, the Gods alone know why, 
 
 Thy hero's gratitude, O ROLLE, to thee, 
 
 A ducal diadem might well decree ; 
 
 Great ROLLO'S title to thy houfe reftore, - 
 
 Let E ufurp the place of O no more. 4 
 
 Then ROLLE himfelf fliouW be what ROL^O was before. J 
 
 CRITICISMS
 
 CRITICISMS 
 
 THE ROLLIAD, 
 
 NUMBER I. 
 " Credite Romani Scriptores, cedite Graeci." 
 
 NOTHING can be more confonant 
 to the advice of Horace and Arifto- 
 tle, than the conduct of our author through- 
 out this poem. The action is one, entire 
 and great event, being the procreation of 
 a child on the wife of a Saxon Drummer. 
 The Poem opens with a moft laboured and 
 mafterly defcription of a ftorm. ROLLO'S 
 flate of mind in this arduous fituation is 
 finely painted : 
 
 Now ROLLO ftorms more loudJy than the wind, 
 Now doubts and black defpair perplex his mind j 
 Hopelefs to fee his veflel fafely harbour'd, 
 He hardly knows his ftarboard for his larboard ! 
 
 That
 
 That a hero in diftrefs fhould not know 
 his right hand from his left, is moft natural 
 and affedb'ng ; in other hands, indeed, it 
 would not have appeared fufficiently poeti- 
 cal, but the technical exprefiions of our 
 author convey the idea in all the blaze of 
 metaphor. The ftorm at length fubfides, 
 and ROLLO is fafely landed on the coaft of 
 Suflex. His firft exploit, like that of 
 ./Eneas, is deer-ftealing. He then fets out 
 in the difguife of a SuiTex Smuggler, to 
 obtain intelligence of the country and its 
 inhabitants : 
 
 Wrapt in a clofe great -coat, he plods alang ; 
 A feeming Smuggler, to deceive the throng. 
 
 This expedient of the Smuggler's Great- 
 coat, we muft acknowledge, is not quite 
 fo Epic, as the veil of clouds, with which 
 Minerva, in the Odyfley, and Venus in 
 the^neid, furround their refpedtive heroes. 
 It is, however, infinitely more natural, and 
 gains in propriety, what it lofes in fubli- 
 mity. Thus difguiled, our adventurer ar- 
 rives at the Country-houfe of Dame SHIP- . 
 TON, a lady of exquifite beauty, and firft 
 
 Concubine
 
 [ 33 ] 
 
 Concubine to the Ufurper HAROLD. Her 
 likenefs (as we all know) is flill preferved 
 at the wax-work in Fleet-ftreet. To this 
 lady ROLLO difcovers himfelf, and is re- 
 ceived by her in the moft hofpitable man- 
 ner. At fupper, he relates to her, with 
 great modefty, his former actions, and his 
 delign of conquering England ; in which 
 (charmed with the grace with which he eats 
 and tells ftorics) {he promifes to affift him, 
 and they fet off together for London. In 
 the third book Dame SHIPTON, or as the 
 author ftyles her, SHIPTONIA, propofes a 
 party to the puppet mew -, on the walk 
 they are furprized by a mower, and retire 
 under Temple-bar, where Shiptonia for- 
 gets her fidelity to Harold. We are forry 
 to obferve, that this incident is not fu/- 
 ficiently poetical, nor does Shiptonia part 
 with her chaftity in fo folemn a manner as 
 Dido in the ^Eneid. In the opening of the 
 fourth book likewife, we think our author 
 inferior to Virgil, whom he exactly copies, 
 and in fome places tranflates ; he begins in 
 this manner : 
 
 E But
 
 [ 34 ] 
 
 But now (for thus it was decreed above) -^ 
 
 SHIPTONIA falls exceffively in love ; 
 
 In every vein, great ROLLO'S eyes and fame," 
 
 Light up, and then add fuel to the flame ! 
 
 His words, his beauty, ftick within her bread, 
 
 Nor do her cares afford her any reft. 
 
 Here we think that Virgil's " hserent 
 infixi peftore vultus verbaque," is ill tranf- 
 lated by the profaic wordy?/c. We muft 
 confefs, however, that from the defpair 
 and death of Shiptonia, to the battle of 
 Haflings, in which ROLLO kills with his 
 own hand the Saxon Drummer, and carries 
 off his wife, the Poem abounds with beau- 
 tiful details, cold-blooded matter of fa<5ts. 
 Critics may perhaps objecl: that it appears 
 from the Genealogy of the Rollos, Duke 
 ROLLO came to England more than 60 
 years before the Battle of Haflings ; though 
 the Poet reprefents him as the principal 
 hero in that memorable engagement. But 
 fuch deviations from hiftory are among the 
 common licences of poetry. Thus Virgil, 
 for the fake of a beautiful Epifode, makes 
 Dido live in the time of ^Eneas, whereas 
 
 (he
 
 fhe lived in reality 200 years before the 
 Trojan war 3 and if authority more in 
 point be defired, Mr. Cumberland wrote a 
 Tragedy, called the Battle of Haflings, in 
 which there was not a fingle event, except 
 the death of Harold, that had the flighteft 
 foundation in hiftoricaj fads, or even pro- 
 bability. 
 
 But the fixth book, in which ROLLO 
 almoft defpairing of fuccefs, defcends in- 
 to a Night Celler to confult the illuftrious 
 MERLIN on his future deftiny, is a mailer- 
 piece of elegance. In this book, as the 
 Philosopher's magic lantern exhibits the 
 characters of all ROLLO'S defendants, and 
 even all thofe who are to adt on the fame 
 ftage with the Marcellus of the piece, the 
 prefent illuftrious Mr. ROLLE, we mean 
 to felecT: in our next number fome of the 
 moft ftriking paflages of this inexhauflible 
 Magazine of Poetry ! 
 
 E 2 NUM-
 
 NUMBER II. 
 
 OUR author, after giving an account 
 of the immediate defendants of 
 ROLLO, finds himfelf confiderably embar- 
 rafied by the three unfortunate ROLLOS*, 
 whom hiflory relates to have been hanged. 
 From this difficulty, however, he relieves 
 himfelf, by a contrivance equally new and 
 arduous, viz. by verifying the bill of in- 
 dictment, and inferting in it a flaw, by 
 which they are faved from condemnation. 
 But in the tranfactions of thofe early times, 
 however dignified the phrafeology, and en- 
 livened by fancy, there is little to amaze 
 and lefs to intereft ; let us haften, there- 
 fore, to thofe characters about whom, not 
 to be folicitous, is to wjlht curiofity, and 
 whom not to admire, is to want gratitude 
 to thofe characters, in fhort, whofe 
 fplendour illuminates the prefent Houfe of 
 Commons. 
 
 See the Genealogy, p. 27, *8. 
 
 Of
 
 [ 37 ] 
 
 Of thefe, our author's principal favourite 
 appears to be that amiable * young Noble- 
 man, whofe Diary we have all perufed 
 with fo much pleafure. Of him he 
 
 fays, 
 
 Superior to abufe, 
 
 He nobly glories in the name of GOOSE ; 
 Such Geefe at Rome from the perfidious Gaul, 
 Preferv'd the Treas'ry -Bench and Capitol, &c. &c, 
 
 In the defcription of Lord MAHON, our 
 author departs a little from his wonted 
 gravity, 
 
 * This Quixote of the Nation, 
 Beats his own Windmills in gefticulation, 
 To Jirike, not pleafe, his utmoft force he bends, 
 And all his fenfe is at his fingers ends, &c. &c. 
 
 But the moft beautiful effort of our au- 
 thor's genius, (if we except only the cha- 
 racter of Mr. ROLLE himfelf ) is contained 
 in the defcription of Mr. PITT. 
 
 * Lord Graham. 
 
 Pert
 
 [ 38 ] 
 
 Pert without fire, without experience fage, 
 Young with more art than SHELBURNE glean'd from age, 
 Too proud from pilfer'd greatnefs to defcend, 
 Too humble not to call DUNDAS his friend, 
 In folemn dignity and fullen ftate, 
 This new O&avius rifes to debate ! 
 Mild and more mild he fees each placid row 
 Of Country Gentlemen with rapture glow ; 
 He fees, convuls'd with fympathetic throbs, 
 Apprentice Peers, and deputy Nabobs ! 
 Nor Rum Contractors think his fpeech too long, 
 While words, like treacle, trickle from his Tongue J 
 O Soul congenial to the Souk of ROLLES ! 
 Whether you tax the luxury of Coals, 
 Or vote fome neceflary Millions more, 
 To feed an Indian friend's exhaufted (tore. 
 Fain would I praife (if I like thee could praife) 
 Thy matchlefs virtues in congenial lays. 
 But, Ah ! too weak, &c. Sec. 
 
 This apology, however, is like the 
 nolo epifcopari of Bifhops ; for our au- 
 thor continues his panegyric during about 
 one hundred and fifty lines more, after 
 which he proceeds to a tafk (as he fays) 
 more congenial to his abilities, and paints 
 
 .1 . in fmooth confectionary ftile, 
 
 The fimpering fadnefs of his MULGRAVE'S fmile. 
 
 From
 
 [ 39 3 
 
 From the character of this nobleman we 
 fhall only felect a part of one couplet, 
 which tends to elucidate our author's afto- 
 nifhing powers in imitative harmony. 
 
 " within his lab'ring throat 
 
 The ftirill fhriek flruggles with the harfh hoarfe note.". 
 
 As we mean to excite, and not to fatisfy 
 at once the curioiity of our readers, we 
 {hall here put a period to our extracts for 
 the prefent. We cannot, however, con- 
 clude this effay, without obferving, that 
 there are very few lines in the whole work 
 which are at all inferior to thofe we have 
 felected for the entertainment of t our 
 readers. 
 
 NUMBER
 
 t 40 ] 
 
 NUMBER TIL 
 
 IN proof of the aflurance with which 
 we concluded our laft number, we fhall 
 now proceed to give the character of SIR 
 RJCHARP HILL. 
 
 Our Readers, probably, are well ac- 
 quainted with the worthy Baronet's pro- 
 mifcuous quotations from the Bible and 
 Rochefter -, and they may pofiibly remem- 
 ber (if they were awake, when they read 
 them) fome elegant verfes, which he re- 
 repeated in the Houfe of Commons, and 
 afterwards inferted in the public papers, 
 as the production of a fleeplefs Night. We 
 know not, however, if they may fo eafily 
 recal to mind his remarkable declaration, 
 both of his Loyalty and Religion, in the 
 prettily-turned phrafe, " that indeed he 
 loved King GEORGE very well, but he 
 loved King JESUS better." But as our 
 Poet has alluded to it, we thought it ne- 
 ceflary to mention it ; and for the fame 
 
 reafon
 
 reafon to add, that like Lord MAHON, 
 Major SCOTT, Mr. ATKINSON, Mr. 
 WILKES, and Captain J. LUTTRELL, 
 he writes his own fpeeches for the public 
 Reporters. We fhould alfo have been 
 happy to have enlivened our commentary 
 with fome extracts from the controverfy, 
 at which our Author glances ; we mean 
 the anfwer of Sir Richard to Mr. Madan, 
 on the doctrine of Polygamy ; a fubject, 
 which the tenour of -our Baronet's reading 
 in his two favourite books, peculiarly qua- 
 lified him to handle with equally pleafantry 
 and orthodoxy. But all our induflry to 
 procure his pamphlet, unfortunately prov- 
 ed ineffectual. We never faw more of it 
 than the title-page, which we formerly 
 purchafed, in the lining of a trunk, at the 
 corner of St. Paul's Church-yard. 
 
 We are confcious, that thefe introductory 
 explanations muft feem doubly dull, to 
 Readers impatient for fuch exquiiite poetry 
 as the ROLL i AD. They appeared, how- 
 ever, indifpenfible to the due underftand- 
 F ing
 
 [ 4* ] 
 
 ing of the verfes, which we fliall now give 
 without further preface. 
 
 Brother of ROWLAND, or, if yet more dear, 
 
 Sounds thy new title, Coufin of a Peer , 
 
 Scholar of various learning, good or evil, 
 
 Alike what God infpir'd, or what the Devil ; 
 
 Speaker well fldll'd, what no man hears, to write j 
 
 Sleep-giving Poet of a fleeplefs night ; 
 
 Polemic, Politician, Saint, and Wit, 
 
 Now lafliing MADAN, nov^ defending PITT ; 
 
 Thy praife fhall live till time itfclf be o'er, 
 
 Friend of King GEORGE, tho' of King JESUS more ! 
 
 The folemnity of this opening is well 
 fuited to the dignity of the occafion. The 
 heroes of Homer generally addrefs each 
 other by an appellative, marking their 
 affinity to fome illuftrious perfonage. The 
 Grecian poet, it muft be confefTed, in fuch 
 cafes, ufes a patronymic, expreflive of the 
 genealogy; as P elides, JEacides, Laertiades-, 
 but it is not abfolutely neceffary to obferve 
 this rule. For, *M'Pherfon, a poet with 
 whom our author is moft likely to be inti- 
 
 * Mr. M'Pherfon is faid to be one of the principal 
 writers on the fide of the prcfent administration. 
 
 mately
 
 [ 43 ] 
 
 mately acquainted, makes his hero Fingal, 
 addrefs Offian by the title of " Father of 
 Ofcar." It fhould feem therefore to be 
 fufficient, if in addreffing a great man, 
 you particularife any celebrated character 
 of the family who may be fuppofed to re- 
 flect honour on his connections - y and the 
 Reverend ROWLAND HILL was certainly 
 the moft celebrated of our worthy Baronet's 
 relations, before the late creation of Lord 
 BERWICK, on which the next line hap- 
 pily touches. 
 
 Our author feems very fond of Mr. 
 
 DUNDAS, 
 
 Whofe exalted foul 
 
 No bonds of vulgar prejudice controul. 
 Of fhame unconfcious in his bold career, 
 He fpurns that honour, which the weak revere ; 
 For true to public Virtue's patriot plan, 
 He loves the Mlnijler and not the Man ; 
 Alike the advocate of NORTH and Wit, 
 The friend of SHELBURNE, and th e guide of PITT. 
 His ready tongue with fophiftries at will, 
 Can fay, unfay, and be confiftent ftill ; 
 This day can cenfure, and the next retract, 
 In fpeech extol, and ftigmatize in aft j 
 
 F 3. Turn
 
 [ 44 ] 
 
 Turn and re-turn ; whole hours at HASTINGS bawl, 
 Defend, praite, thank, affront him, and read. 
 By oppofition, he his King fhaU court ; 
 And damn the People's caufe by his fupport. 
 He like fome Angel, fent to fcourge mankind, 
 Shall deal forth plagues, in charity defign'd. 
 The Weft he would have ftarv'd ; yet, ever good, 
 But meant to fave the/ effufion of her blood : 
 And if, from fears of his Controul releafl 
 He loofes Rapine now, to fpoil the Eafi ; 
 'Tis but to fire another SYKES to plan 
 Some new flarvation-fcheme for Hindofhm; 
 Secure, to make her flourifh, as before, 
 More populous, by lofing myriads more. 
 
 Our author here feems to understand the 
 famous ftarvation-fchemeof Mr. DUN DAS, 
 as literally defigned to produce an actual 
 famine in America, though undoubtedly 
 from the moft benevolent motives imagin- 
 able. But this is contradicted by a * late 
 writer, who appears to be perfectly con- 
 verfant with the language and purpofes of 
 our prefent men in power. " Starvation 
 (fays he) is not fynonymous with famine; 
 for Mr. Dundas moft certainly could not 
 
 * Key to Parliamentary Debates, publifhed by Debrett. 
 
 intend
 
 [ 45 ] 
 
 intend to produce a famine in America, 
 which is the granary of the Weft-Indies, 
 and of a great part of Europe. The word 
 Starvation (continues he) was intended by 
 Mr. Uundas to exprefs a fcheme of his 
 own, by which he meant to prevent the 
 Americans from eating when they were 
 hungry, and had food within their reach ; 
 thereby infuring their reduction without 
 blood-(hed." However both authors agree 
 that Mr. Dundas propofed to ftarve the 
 Americans (whatever Was to be the mode 
 of doing it) in mere companion, to fave 
 them from the horrors of throat-cutting. 
 How finely too does the Poet trace the 
 fame charitable difpofition in the late mea- 
 fures of Mr. Dundas and his Colleagues 
 at the Board of Controul ! Factious men 
 have faid, that the Indian politics of the 
 new Commiflioners have a direct tendency, 
 beyond any former fyftem, to encourage 
 every kind of peculation and extortion. 
 But what kind Mr. Dundas would pecu- 
 liarly wifli to encourage, can admit of no 
 doubt from his known partiality to ftarv- 
 ing any body, but himfelf. And how, 
 
 indeed,
 
 [ 46 ] 
 
 indeed, can the profperity of the Eaft be 
 better confulted than by fome new ftarva- 
 tion-fcheme ; fuch as was contrived and 
 executed by certain humane individuals in 
 the year 1770, with the moft falutary 
 event ? For, notwithflanding one-third of 
 the inhabitants of Bengal were then fwept 
 away by the famine, the province, in con- 
 fequence, is 'now become more populous 
 than ever. This may a little difturb all 
 vulgar notions of caufe and effect ; but the 
 writer above-mentioned proves the fact by 
 the teftimony of Major Scott. 
 
 There are many more lines relating to 
 Mr. Dundas. But as this Gentleman's 
 character is fo perfectly underftood by the 
 public, we mall rather felect a Ihort cata- 
 logue of fome among the inferior Minif- 
 terial Heroes, who have hitherto been lefs 
 frequently defcribed. 
 
 D*AKE, whofe cold rhetoric freezes in its courfe, 
 BANKS the precife, and fluent WILBERFORCE, 
 With either PHIPPS, a fcribbling, prattling pair ! 
 And VILLERS, comely with the flaxen hair; 
 The gentle GRENVILLE'S ever-grinning Son, 
 And the dark brow of folemn HAMILTON. 
 
 Thefe
 
 [ 47 ] 
 
 Thefe miniatures, as we may call them, 
 prefent us with very ftriking likeneffes of 
 the living originals -, moft of whom are 
 feen-to as much advantage in this fmall 
 fize, as they could poflibly have been, had 
 they been taken at full length. How 
 happy is the allufion to Mr. DRAKE'S* 
 well-known fpeech, which in the metaphor 
 of our poet, we may ftile, a beautiful icicle 
 of the moft tranfparent eloquence ! How 
 juft too, and yet how concife is the de- 
 icription of the literary and parliamentary 
 talents, fo equally poiTeffed by Brother 
 CHARLES and Brother HARRY, as Lord 
 Mulgrave affectionately calls them. We 
 muft, however, obferve, that in the Ma- 
 nufcript of the ROLL IAD, obligingly com- 
 municated to us by the Author, the line 
 appears to have been firft written, 
 
 Refplendent PHIPPS, who ihines our lefler Bear ; 
 
 the noble head of this illuftrious family 
 having been called the Great Bear. But 
 
 * " Behold, Sir, another feature of the procraftinating 
 fyftem. Not fo the Athenian Patriots Sir, the Romans 
 Sir, I have loft the clue of my argument Sir, I will fit 
 down." 
 
 this
 
 [ 48 ] 
 
 this was corrected, probably in confequence 
 of the Poet having difcovered, like Mr. 
 Hcrfchel, that the fplendor, which he long 
 attributed to a fingle conftellation, or (if 
 we may depart a little from critical nicety 
 in our figure) to a fingle ftar, in reality 
 flowed from the united rays of two. We 
 have nothing further to add on this pafTage, 
 only that the character of VILLERS feems 
 to be drawn after the Nireus of Homer ,- 
 who, as the Commentators remark, is cele- 
 brated in the catalogue of warriors, for 
 the handfomeft man in the Grecian army, 
 and is never mentioned again through the 
 whole, twenty- four books of the Iliad; 
 
 NUMBER
 
 49 
 
 NUMBER IV. 
 
 A New edition (being the nineteenth) 
 of this univerfally admired poem, 
 having been recently published, the in- 
 genious author has taken that opportunity 
 to introduce fome new lines on an occaiion 
 perfectly congenial to his mufe, and in the 
 higheft. degree interefting to the public, 
 namely, the late Fail and Thank/giving ; 
 together with the famous difcourfe preach- 
 ed in celebration of that day by that illuf- 
 trious orator and divine, the Reverend Mr. 
 SECRETATY PRETTYMAN. This epi- 
 fode, which is e'mphatically termed by 
 himfelf, in his prefatory addrefs to this lafl 
 edition, his Epifode Parfonic, feems to 
 have been written perfectly con amore, and 
 is confidered by critics as one of the hap- 
 pier! efFuiions of the diftinguifhed genius 
 from whofe high-rapped fancy it originat- 
 ed. In conlifts of nine-and-forty lines, of 
 which, without farther exordium, we mall 
 fubmit the following extracts to the in- 
 G fpection^
 
 [ JO ] 
 
 fpedtion, or, more properly fpeaking, the* 
 admiration of our readers. He fets out 
 with a mod fpirited compliment to Dr. 
 PRETTYMAN. The two firft lines are 
 confidered by critics as the moft fuccefsful 
 example of the alliterative ornament upon 
 record. 
 
 Prim Preacher, Prince of Priefts, and * Prince's Prieft ; 
 Pembroke's pale pride in PITT'S prtscordia plac'd. 
 Thy merits all (hall future ages fcan, 
 And PRINCE be loft in PARSON PRETTYMAN. 
 
 The beauty of the hiftorical allufion to 
 Prince Prettyman, need not be pointed 
 out to our readers ; and the prefage that 
 the fame of this Royal perfonage mall be 
 loft and abforbed in the rifing reputation of 
 the ingenious divine, is peculiarly happy 
 and well turned. The celebrated paflage 
 of Virgil, 
 
 Tu Marcellus eris :" 
 
 is fuppofed to have been in the Poet's re- 
 collection at the moment of his conceiving 
 this paflage, not that the 
 
 The Doctor is Chaplain to his Majefty, He was bred 
 at Pembroke-hall, in Cambridge. 
 
 Oh
 
 [ si 3 
 
 <l Oh miferande puer ! " 
 
 in the preceding line, is imagined to have 
 excited any idea of Mr. Pitt. 
 
 Our author now purfues his Hero to the 
 pulpit, and there, in imitation of Homer, 
 who always takes the opportunity for giv- 
 ing a minute defcription of his perfonce, 
 when they are on the very verge of enter- 
 ing upon an engagement, he gives a labour- 
 ed, but animated detail of the Doctor's 
 perfonal manners and deportment. Speak- 
 ing of the penetrating countenance for 
 which the Doctor is diflinguimed, he fays, 
 
 ARGUS could boaft an hundred eyes, 'tis true, ) 
 
 The DOCTOR looks an hundred ways with two : > 
 Gimlets they are, and bore you through and through. J 
 
 This is a very elegant and claffic com- 
 pliment, and mews clearly what a decided 
 advantage our Reverend Hero poflefTes over 
 the celebrated Op0tyKxfeAor of antiquity. 
 Addifon is juftly famous in the literary 
 world, for the judgment with which he 
 G 2 feleds
 
 feledts and applies familiar words to great 
 occafions, as in the inftances : 
 
 . " The great, the important day, 
 ' Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome." 
 
 " The fun grows dim with age, &c. &c." 
 
 This is a very great beauty, for it fares 
 with ideas, as with individuals ; we are 
 the more interefted in their fate, the better 
 we are acquainted with them. But how 
 inferior is Addifon in this refpedt to our 
 author ? 
 
 Gimlets they are, &c. 
 
 There is not fuch a word in all Cato ! 
 How well-known and domeftic the image ! 
 How fpecific and forcible the application ! 
 Our author proceeds: Having defcribed 
 very accurately the ftile of the Doctor's 
 hair-drefling, and devoted ten beautiful 
 lines to an eulogy upon the brilliant on the 
 little finger of his right hand, of which 
 he emphatically fays : 
 
 No veal putrefcent, no dead whiting's eye, 
 In the true water with this ring could vie ; 
 
 he
 
 [ S3 3 
 
 he breaks out into the following moft in- 
 fpirited and vigorous apoftrophe 
 
 Oh ! had you feen his lily, lily hand, 
 
 Stroke his fpare cheek, and coax his fnovv-white band : 
 
 That adding fores to all his pow'rs of fpeech, 
 
 Thii the protector of his facred breech ; 
 
 That point the way to Heav'n's cceleftial gracej 
 
 This keep his final 1 -clothes in their proper place. 
 
 Oh ! how the comely preacher you had prais'd, 
 
 AS now the right, and now the left he raisM ! ! ! 
 
 Who does not perceive, in this defcrip- 
 tion, as if before their eyes, the thin 
 figure of emaciated divinity, divided be- 
 tween religion and decorum -, anxious to 
 produce fome truths, and conceal others ; 
 at once concerned for fundamental points 
 of various kinds ; ever at the bottom of 
 things Who does not fee this, and fee- 
 ing, who does not admire ? The notes that 
 accompany this excellent epifode, contain 
 admirable instances of our author's pro- 
 found knowledge in all the literature of 
 our eftablifhed religion ; and we are forry 
 
 that
 
 [ 54 ] 
 
 that our plan will not fuffer us to produce 
 them, as a full and decifive proof that his 
 learning is perfectly on a level with his 
 genius, and his divinity quite equal to his 
 poetry. 
 
 " 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 NUMBER
 
 [ 55 
 
 NUMBER V. 
 
 ON Monday laft, the twentieth edi- 
 tion of this incomparable poem made 
 its appearance: and we may fafely venture 
 to predict, that fhould it be followed by 
 an hundred more, while the fertile and 
 inexhauflible genius of the author continues 
 to enrich every new edition with new 
 beauties, they will not fail to run through, 
 with the fame rapidity that the former 
 have done; fo univerfal is the enthuliafm 
 prevailing among the genuine lovers of 
 poetry, and all perfons of acknowledged 
 tafle, with refpect to this wonderful and 
 unparalleled produdlion. 
 
 What chiefly diftinguifhes this edition, 
 and renders it peculiarly interefting at the 
 prefent moment, is the admirable defcrip^. 
 tion contained in it of the newly-appointed 
 India Board ; in which the characters of 
 the members compofing it are mo ft hap- 
 pily, though perhaps fome.what feverely, 
 con traded with thofe to whom the fame
 
 [ 56 ] 
 
 high office had been allotted by a former 
 adminiftration. 
 
 That the feelings of the public are in 
 unifon with thofe of our author upon this 
 occafion, is fufficiently apparent from the 
 frequent Panegyrics with which the public 
 papers have of late been filled, upon the 
 characters of thefe diftinguiihcd perfonages. 
 In truth, the fuperiority of our prefent 
 excellent 'adminiftration ever their oppo- 
 nents, can in no inftance be more clearly 
 demonftrated, than by a candid exami- j 
 nation of the comparative merits of the 
 perfons appointed by each of them to pre- 
 iide in this arduous and important depart- 
 ment. 
 
 Our author opens this comparifon by 
 the following elegant compliment to the 
 accomplifhed Nobleman, whofe fituation, 
 as Secretary of State, entitles him to a 
 priority of notice, as the eminence of his 
 abilities will ever enfure him a due fuperio- 
 rity of weight in the deliberations of the 
 board. 
 
 SYDNEY,
 
 - C 57 3 
 
 SYDNEY, whom all the pow'rs of rhetorick grace, 
 Confident SYDNEY fills FITZWILLIAM'S place ; 
 O, had by nature but proportion'd been 
 His ftrength of genius to his length of chin, 
 His mighty mind in fome prodigious plan, 
 At once with eafe had reach 'd to Indoftan ! 
 
 The idea conveyed in thefe lines, of the 
 poffibility of a feature in the human face 
 extending to fo prodigious a diftance as the 
 Baft-Indies, has been objected to as fome- 
 what hyperbolical. But thole who are 
 well acquainted with the perfon, as well 
 as the character of the noble lord alluded 
 to, and who are unquestionably the beft 
 judges of the extent of the compliment, 
 will certainly be of a different opinion. 
 Neither indeed is the objection founded in 
 truth, but mufl have arifen merely from 
 the paffage not having been properly un - 
 derflood. It by no means fuppofes his 
 Lord (hip to have literally a chin of fuch 
 prepofterous dimenfions, as muft be ima- 
 gined, for the purpofe of reaching to the 
 Eaft-Indies -, but figuratively fpeaking, 
 only purports, that if his Lordfhip's mental 
 faculties are co-extenfive with that dif- 
 H tinguifhed
 
 tinguifhed feature of his face, they may 
 readily embrace, and be competent to the 
 confideration of the moft diftant objects. 
 The meaning of the author is fo obvious, 
 that this cavil probably originated in wil- 
 ful mifapprehenfion, with a view of de- 
 tracting from the merit of one of the moft 
 beautiful pafTages in the whole poem. 
 
 What reader can refufe his admiration 
 to the following lines, in which the lead- 
 ing features of the characters are fo juftly, 
 ftrongly, and at the fame time fo concifefy 
 delineated ? 
 
 Acute obfejvers, who with flulful ken 
 
 Defcry the characters of public men, 
 
 Rejoice that pow'r and patronage fhould pafs 
 
 From jobbing MONTAGUE, to pure DUNDAS ; 
 
 Exchange with pkafure, ELLIOT, LEW'SHAM, NORTH, 
 
 For MULGRAVE'S tried integrity and worth ; 
 
 And all muft own, that worth completely tried, 
 
 By turns experienc'd upon every fide. 
 
 How happy is the felection of epithets 
 in thefe lines ! How forcibly defcriptive 
 
 of
 
 [ J9 1 
 
 of the character to which they are applied ! 
 In the fame ftrain he proceeds : 
 
 Whate'er experience GREGORY might boafl, 
 Say, is not WALSINGHAM himfeif a hoft ? 
 His grateful countrymen, with joyful eyes, 
 From SACKVILLE'S afhes fee this Phoenix rife ; 
 Perhaps with all his mafter's talents bleft, 
 To fave the Eaft as he fubdu'd the Weft. 
 
 The hiftorical allufion is here judicioufly 
 introduced -, and the pleafing profpect hint- 
 ed at, of the fame happy iffue attending 
 our affairs in the Eaflern, that has already 
 crowned them in the Weflern world, mull 
 "afford peculiar fatisfacliion to the feelings 
 of every Britiih reader. 
 
 The next character is moil ingenioufly 
 defcribed, but like a former one, contain- 
 ing fome perfonal allufion s, requires, in 
 order to be fully underflood, a more inti- 
 mate acquaintance with the exterior quali- 
 fications of the gentleman in queilion, than 
 can* have fallen to the lot of every reader. 
 All who have had the pleafure of feeing 
 him, however, will immediately acknow- 
 ledge the refemblance of the portrait* 
 
 H 2 See
 
 [ 6 ] 
 
 Bee next advance, in knowing FLETCHER 'sftead, 
 A youth, who boalVs no common fliare of head ; 
 What plenteous ftores of knowledge may contain 
 The fpacious tenement of GRENVILLE'S brain ! 
 Nature, in all her difpenfations wife, 
 Who form'd his head-piece of fo vaft a fize, 
 Hath not, 'tis true, neglefted to bcftow 
 Its due proportion to the part below ; 
 And hence we reafon, that, to ferve the ftate, 
 His top and bottom may have equal weight. 
 
 Every reader will naturally conceive, 
 that in the defcription of the principal 
 perfon of the board, the author has exert- 
 ed the whole force of his genius, and he 
 will not find his expectations difappointed ; 
 he has referved him for the laft, and has 
 judicioufly evaded difgracing him by a 
 comparifon with any other, upon the prin- 
 ciple, no doubt, quoted from Mr. Theo- 
 bald, by that excellent critic, Martinus 
 Scriblerus. 
 
 None but himfelf can be his parallel." 
 
 DOUBLE FALSEHOOD, 
 
 As he has drawn this character at confi- 
 derable length, we mail content ourfelves 
 
 with
 
 [ 61 ] 
 
 with feleding fome few of the moil ftrik- 
 ing paflages, whatever may be the difficulty 
 of felecting where .almoft the whole is 
 equally beautiful. The grandeur of the 
 opening prepares the mind for the fublime 
 fenfations fuitable to the dignity of .a fub-r 
 ject fo exalted. 
 
 Above the reft, majeftically great, 
 Behold the infant Atlas of the ftate, 
 The matchlefs miracle of modern days, 
 In whom Britannia to the world difplajs 
 A fight to make furrounding nations flare ; 
 A kingdom trufted to a fchool-boy's care. 
 
 It is to be obferved to the credit of our 
 author, that although his political prin- 
 ciples are unqueftionably favourable to the 
 prefent happy- government, he does not 
 fcruple, with that boldnefs which ever 
 characterifes real genius, to animadvert 
 with freedom on perfons of the moft elevat- 
 ed rank and flation ; and he has according- 
 ly interfperfed his commendations of our 
 favourite young Minifter with much excel- 
 lent and reafonable counfel, fore-warning 
 him of the dangers to which he is by his 
 
 Situation
 
 fituation expofed. After having mention- 
 ed his introduction into public life, and 
 concurred in that admirable panegyric of 
 his immaculate virtues, made in the Houfe 
 of Commons by a noble Lord already cele- 
 brated in the poem, upon which he has 
 the following obfervation : 
 
 < As MULGRAVE, who fo fit, 
 
 To chaunt the praifes of ingenuous PITT ? 
 The nymph unhackney'd and unknown abroad, 
 Is thus commended by the hackney 'd bawd. 
 The dupe enraptur'd, views her fancied charms, 
 And clafps the maiden mifchief to his arms, 
 Till dire difeafe reveals the truth too late : 
 O grant my country, Heav'n, a milder fate ! 
 
 He attends him to the high and diftin- 
 guifhed ftation he now fo ably fills, and in 
 a nervous ftrain of manly eloquence, de- 
 fcribes the defects of character and conduct 
 to which his fituation and the means by 
 which he came to it, render him peculiar- 
 ly liable. The fpirit of the following lines 
 is remarkable : 
 
 Oft in one bofom mny be found allied, 
 Excefs of meanncfs, and cxocfa of pride : 
 
 Oft
 
 [ 63 ] 
 
 Oft may the Statefman, in St. Stephen's brave, 
 
 Sink in St. James's to an abject Have ; 
 
 Erect and proud at Weflminfter, may fall 
 
 Proftrate and pitiful at Leadenhall ; . 
 
 In word a giant, though a dwarf in deed, 
 
 Be led by others while he feems to lead. 
 
 He afterwards with great force defcribes 
 the lamentable ftate of humiliation into 
 which he may fall from his prefent pinnacle 
 of greatnefs, by too great a fubferviency to 
 thofe from whom he has derived it, and 
 appeals to his pride in the following beau- 
 tiful exclamation - t 
 
 Shall CHATHAM'S offspring bafely beg fupport, 
 
 Now from the India, now St. James's court ; 
 
 With pow'r admiring Senates to bewitch, 
 
 Now kifs a Monarch's now a Merchant's breech ; 
 
 And prove a pupil of St. Omer's fchool, 
 
 Of either KINSON, AT. or JEN. the tool ? 
 
 Though cold and cautious criticifm may 
 perhaps flare at the boldnefs of the con- 
 cluding line, we will venture to pronounce 
 it the mofl mafterly ftroke of the fublime 
 to be met with in this, or any other poem. 
 
 It
 
 [ 64 ] 
 
 It may be juftly faid, as Mr. Pope has fd 
 happily expreffed it 
 
 To fnatch a grace beyond the reach of art." 
 
 ESSAY ON CRITICISM. 
 
 As we defpair of offering any thing equal 
 to this lofty flight of genius to the reader 
 of true tafte, we mall conclude with re- 
 commending to him the immediate perufal 
 of the whole poem, and in the name of an 
 admiring public, returning our heart-felt 
 thanks to the wonderful author of this in- 
 valuable work. 
 
 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER VL 
 
 IN our two laft numbers we were happy 
 to give our readers the earliefl reliih of* 
 thofe additional beauties, with which the 
 nineteenth and twentieth impreffions of the 
 ROLL i AD are enriched. And thefe inter- 
 polations we doubt not have been fufficient- 
 ly admired for their intrinfic merit, even 
 in their detached ftate, as we gave them. 
 But what fuperior fatisfaclion muft they 
 have afforded to thofe, who have read them 
 in their proper places ! They are parts of a 
 whole, and as fuch wonderfully improve 
 the effect of the general defign, by an 
 agreeable interruption of profaic regularity. 
 
 This may appear to fome but a paradoxi- 
 cal kind of an improvement, which is fub - 
 verfive of order. It muft be remembered, 
 however* that the defeent of ROLLO to 
 the night-cellar, was undoubtedly fuggeft- 
 ed by the defeent of /Eneas to hell in the 
 Sixth Book of Virgil; and every claffical 
 I Critic
 
 [ 66 ] 
 
 Critic knows, what a noble contempt of 
 order the Roman Poet ftudioufly difplays 
 in the review of his countrymen. From 
 Romulus he jumps at once to Auguftus ; 
 gets back how he can to Numa; goes 
 ftraight forward to Brutus ; takes a fhort 
 run to Camillus ; makes a long ftride to 
 Julius Cxfar and Pompey ; from Cato re- 
 treats again to the Gracchi and the Scipios ; 
 and at lail arrives in a beautiful zig-zag at 
 Marcellus, with whom he concludes. And 
 this muft be right, becaufe it is in VirgiL 
 
 A flmilar confuiion, therefore, has now 
 been judicioufly introduced by our Author 
 fn the Sixth Book of the ROLLIAD. He 
 firfl fingles out fome of the great ftatefmen , 
 of the prefent age ; then carries us to 
 church, to hear Dr. Prettyman preach be- 
 fore the Speaker and the pews ; and next 
 (hews us, all that Mr. DUN DAS means to 
 let the public know of the new India- 
 Board ; that is to fay, the Members, of 
 whom it is compofed. He now proceeds, 
 where a dull Genius would probably have 
 begun, with an accurate defcription of the 
 
 Houie
 
 Houfe of Commons, preparatory to the 
 exhibition of Mr. ROLLE, and fome other 
 of our political heroes, on that theatre of 
 their glory. Maps of the country round 
 Troy have been drawn from the Iliad; 
 and we doubt not, that a plan of St. 
 Stephen's might now be delineated with 
 the utmofl accuracy from the ROLLIAD. 
 
 Merlin firft ufhers Duke ROLLO into 
 the LOBBY 5 marks the lituation of the 
 two entrances ; one in the front, the other 
 communicating laterally with the Court of 
 Requefts ; and points out the topography 
 of the fire-place and the box, 
 
 in which 
 
 Sits PEARSON, like a pagod in his niche; 
 The Gomgom PEARSON, whofe foncrous lungs 
 With "Silence! Room there!" drown an hundred 
 tongues. 
 
 This pafiage is in the very fpirit of pro- 
 phecy, which delights to reprefent things 
 in the moil lively manner. We not only 
 fee, but hear Pearfon in the execution of 
 office. The language too, is truly 
 I 2 prophetic,-
 
 [ 63 ] 
 
 prophetic ; unintelligible, perhaps, to thofe 
 to whom it is addrefled, but perfectly clear, 
 full, and forcible to thofe who live in the 
 time of the accomplishment. Duke ROLLO 
 might reafbnably be fuppofed to ftare 
 at the barbarous words " Paged " and 
 " Gomgom $" but we, who know one to 
 fignify an Indian Idol, and the other an, 
 Indian Inftrument of mufic, perceive at 
 once the peculiar propriety with which 
 fuch images are applied to an officer of a 
 Houfc of Commons, fo completely Indian 
 as the prefent. A writer of lefs. judgment 
 would have contented himfelf wi^h com-* 
 paring Pearfon fimply to a 
 
 Statue in his niche 
 
 and with calling him a Stentor, perhaps, 
 in the next line : but fuch unappropriated 
 fimilies and metaphors could not fhtisry 
 the nice tafle of our author. 
 
 The defcription of the Lobby alfo fur- 
 niihes an opportunity of interfperfing a 
 palTage of the tender kind, in praiie of the 
 Pomona who attends there with oranges. 
 
 Our
 
 [ 69 ] 
 
 Our poet calls her HUCSTERIA, and, by 
 a dexterous ftroke of art, compares her to 
 Shiptonia, whofe amours with ROLLO form 
 the third and fourth books of the ROL- 
 
 HAD, 
 
 Behold the lovely wanton, kind and fair, . 
 As bright SHIPTONIA, late thy amorous care I 
 ^lark how her winning fmiles, aud witching eyes, 
 On yonder unfledg'd orator flie tries ! 
 Mark, with what grace (he offers to his hand 
 The tempting orange, pride of China's land ! 
 
 This gives rife to a panegyric on the 
 medical virtues of oranges, and an oblique 
 cenfure on the indecent practice of our 
 young Senators, who come down drunk 
 from the eating-room, to fleep in the 
 gallery. 
 
 O ! take, V : ife youth, the' Hcfperian fruit, of ufe . 
 
 Thy lungs to cherifli with balfamic juice. 
 
 With this thy parch 'd roof moiflen ; nor confume 
 
 Thy hours and guineas in the eating-room, 
 
 Till, full of claret, down with wild uproar 
 
 You reel, and ftretch'd alone the gallery, fnore. 
 
 From this the poet naturally flides into 
 2 general caution againft the vice of drunk^- 
 
 ennefs,
 
 [ 00 3 _- ; 
 
 cnnefs, which he more particularly en- 
 forces, by the inftance of Mr. PITT'S late 
 peril, from the farmer at Wandfworth. 
 
 Ah ! think, what danger on debauch attends : 
 
 Let PITT, once drunk, preach temp*rance to his friends j 
 
 How, as he vvander'd darkling o'er the plain, 
 
 His reafon drown'd in JENKINSON'S champaigne, 
 
 A ruftic's hand, but righteous fate withftood, 
 
 Had Ihed a Premier's for a robber's blood, 
 
 We have been thus minute in tracing 
 the tranfitions in this inimitable pafiage, 
 as they difplay, in a fuperior degree, the 
 wonderful fkill of our poet, who could 
 thus bring together an orange -girl, and the 
 prefent pure and immaculate Minifter ; a 
 connection, which, it is more than proba- 
 ble, few of our readers would in any-wife 
 have fufpeded. 
 
 -Ex fumo dare lucen 
 
 Cogitat, ut fpeciofa dehinc miracula promat. 
 
 From the Lobby we are next led into 
 the feveral committee-rooms, and other 
 offices adjoining ; and among the reft, 
 MERLIN, like a noble Lord, whofe diary 
 
 was
 
 was fome time fince printed, " takes oc- 
 ean" on to infpecl: the water-clofets," 
 
 Where offerings, worthy of thofe altars, lie, 
 Speech, letter, narrative, remark, reply ; 
 With dead-born taxes, innocent of ill, 
 With cancell*<Jclaufes of the India bill : 
 There pious NORTHCOTE'S meek rebukes, and here 
 The labour'd nothings of the SCRUTINEER ; 
 And reams on reams of trails, that without pain, 
 Inceflant ipring from SCOTT'S prolific brain. 
 Yet wherefore to this age mould names be known, 
 But heard, and then forgotten in their own ; 
 Turn then, my fon, &c. &c. 
 
 This pafTage will probably furpriie many 
 of our readers, who muft have difcovered 
 our author to be, as every good and wife 
 man muft be, firmly attached to the pre- 
 fent fyftem. It was natural for Dante to 
 fend his enemies to hell ; but it feems 
 ftrange that our poet mould place the 
 writings of his own friends and fellow- 
 labourers in a water-clofet. It has indeed 
 been hinted to us, that it might arife from 
 envy, to find fome of them better reward- 
 ed for their exertions in the caufe, than 
 himfelf. But though great minds have 
 
 feme-
 
 r ?* ] 
 
 fcmetimes been fubjecl: to this paflion, We 
 cannot fuppofe it to have influenced the 
 author of the ROLLIAD in the prefent 
 inftance. For in that cafe we doubt not 
 he would have fhewn more tendernefs to 
 his fellow-fufferer, the unfortunate Mr. 
 NORTHCOTE, who, after facrificing his 
 time, degrading his profeffion, and hazard- 
 ing his ears twice or thrice every week,- for 
 thefe two or three years paft, has at length 
 confefled his patriotifm weary of employ- 
 ing his talents for the good of his country, 
 without receiving the reward of his labours. 
 To confefs the truth, we ourfclves think 
 the gpparent fingularity of the poet's con* 
 du<ft on this occafion, may be readily 
 afcribed to that independence of fuperior 
 genius, which we noticed in our laft num- 
 ber. We there remarked, with what be- 
 coming freedom he fpoke to the Minifter 
 himfelf ; and in the pafTage now before us, 
 we may find traces of the fame fpirit, in 
 the allufions to the coal-tax, gauze-tax, 
 and ribbon -tax, as well as the unexampled 
 alterations and corrections of the celebrated 
 India- bill. Why then fhould it appear 
 
 extra-
 
 t 73 3 
 
 extraordinary, that he fhould take the fame 
 liberty with two or three brother-authors, 
 which he had before taken with their 
 matter ; and withoutfcruple intimate, what 
 he and every one elfe muft think of their 
 productions, notwithstanding he may pdf- 
 fefs all poffible charity for the good inten- 
 tion of their endeavours ? 
 
 We cannot difmifs thefe criticifms, with- 
 out obferving on the concluding lines ; how 
 happily our author, here again, as before 
 by the mention of Shiptonia, contrives to 
 recal our attention to the perfonages more 
 immediately before us, MERLIN and Duke 
 ROLLO! 
 
 
 . 
 
 fe NUMBER
 
 [ 74 
 
 NUMBER VII. 
 
 WE come now to the Stinftum Sanc~ 
 torum, the Holy of Holies, where 
 the glory of political integrity fliines vifibly, 
 fmce the fhrine has been purified from 
 Lord J. CAVENDISH, Mr. FOLJAMBE, 
 SirC.BANBURY, Mr. COKE, Mr. BAKER, 
 Major HARTLEY, and the reft of its pol- 
 lutions. To drop our me.taphor, after 
 making a minute Jfurvey of the Lobby, 
 peeping into the Eating-room, and infpect- 
 ing the Water-clofets, we are at length ad- 
 mitted into the Houfe itfelf. The tranfition 
 here is peculiarly grand and folemn. MER- 
 LIN, having corrected himfelf for wafting 
 fo much time on infignificant objects, 
 
 (Yet wherefore to this age ihould names be known, 
 But heard, and then forgotten in their own ?) 
 
 immediately directs the attention of Hollo 
 to the doors of the houfe, which are re- 
 prefented in the vifion, as opening at that 
 
 moment to gratify the hero's curiofity ; 
 
 . 
 then
 
 [ 75 ] 
 
 then the prophet fuddenly cries out, in the 
 language of ancient Religion," 
 
 Procul, 6 procul efle profani ! 
 
 Turn then, my fon, where to thy hallow'd eye 
 Yon doors unfold Let none profane be nigh ! 
 
 It feems as if the poet, in the preceding 
 defcriptions, had purpofely ftooped to a- 
 mufe himfelf with the Gomgom Pearfon, 
 Hucfteria, Major Scott, Mr. Northcote, 
 and the Reverend author of the Scrutineer, 
 that he might rife again with the more 
 
 ftriking dignity on this great occafion. 
 
 
 
 MERLIN now leads ROLLO to the cen- 
 tre of the Houfe, 
 
 Conventus trahit in medios, turbaraque fonantem/ 
 
 He points out to him the gallery for 
 ftrangers to fit in, and members to fleep 
 in; the bar below, and the clock above. 
 Of the clock he obferves, 
 
 When this fliak point, the hour of queflion come, 
 Mutes fliall find voice, and Orators be dumb. 
 
 K a This,
 
 [ 76 ] 
 
 This, if in lengthen 'd parle the night they pafr, 
 
 Shall furnifh ftill his opening to DUNDAS ; 
 
 To PITT, when " hear-hims" flag, flull oft fupply 
 
 The chear-trap trick of ftalc apology ; 
 
 And, ftrange to tell ! in Nature's fpite, provoke 
 
 Hot ARDEN once to blunder at a joke. 
 
 The beauty of thefe lines will be inftantly 
 perceived by all who have witnefled the 
 debates ; as they cannot but have remark- 
 ed, how perpetually " the late hour of 
 night" occupies the exordiums of Mr. 
 DUN DAS, after eleven o'clock ; and how 
 frequently it is introduced by Mr. PITT as 
 a hint, for what is called clearing, when- 
 ever his arguments and invectives are re- 
 ceived by his young friends with the un- 
 parliamentary compliment of facred filencc. 
 The miracle of a jeft from Mr. ARDEN, 
 happened on the occafion of fome Refolu- 
 tions 'having pafTed between the hours of 
 y/.v andyfottz in the morning ; for which 
 reafon the Attorney-General facetioufly 
 contended, that they were entitled to no 
 refpedr., " as the houfe was then z\.fixs and 
 {evens" Any approximation to wit in de- 
 bate, being perfectly unufual with this gen- 
 
 tlemaa,
 
 [ 77 3 
 
 tleman, however entertaining his friends 
 may think him in private, our author very 
 properly diftinguifhes this memorable at- 
 tempt by the fame kind of admiration, 
 with which poets commonly mention fome 
 great prodigy as for in&mce, of a cow's 
 fpeaking ; 
 
 . . ' pecudefque locut 
 Infandum ! 
 
 We hope none of our readers will attribute 
 to us the mofl diftant intention of any in- 
 vidious comparifcn. 
 
 The table, mace, &c. are next defcrib- 
 ed, but thefe we (hall pafs over in filence, 
 that we may get where moft who enter 
 the Houfe of Commons, w'ifh to get t<* 
 the TREASURY-BENCH, 
 
 Where fit the gowned clerk*,, by antient rule. 
 
 This on a chair, and that upon a ftool ; 
 
 Where ftands the well-pil'd table, cloth f d in gresa; 
 
 There on the left the TREASURY-BENCH isfeen. 
 
 _ 
 ^No fattin covering decks the' ugughtly boards; 
 
 No velvet cufliion holds the youtixful Lords : 
 And claim iJluftrioub Tails fuch fmall regard? 
 Ah 1 Tails too tender for a feat fo hard. 
 
 This
 
 [ 78 ] 
 
 This paflage touches on a fubjeft of 
 much ofrencc to the young friends of the 
 m ; n'ucr; we j-nean the barbarous and Go- 
 thic appear: nee of the benches in the Houfe 
 of Commons. The Treafury-bench itfelf 
 look? ro better than a firft form in one of 
 our public ichools : 
 
 No fattin covering decks the' unfightly boards, 
 No velvet cufhion holds the youthful Lords. 
 
 The above couplet ftates with much ele- 
 gance the matter of complaint, and glances 
 with equal dexterity at the proper remedy. 
 The competition is then judicioufly varied. 
 The whole art of the poet is employed to in- 
 tereft our paffions in favour of the neceflary 
 reform, by expoftulatory interrogations and 
 interjections the moft afFectingly pathetic. 
 And who can read the former, without 
 feeling his fenfc of national honour moft 
 deeply injured by the fuppofed indignity ; 
 or who can read the latter, without melt- 
 ing into the moft unfeigned commiferation 
 for the actual fufFerings to which the youth- 
 ful Lords are at prefent expofed ? It muft, 
 
 doubtlefs,
 
 [ 79 3 
 
 doiibtlefs, be a feafonablc relief to the 
 minds of cur readers, to be informed, that 
 Mr. PITT (as it ha^ been faid in fome of 
 tbe daily papers) means to propofe, for 
 onetirticlc of his Parliamentary Refoi.n, 
 to cover the feats in general with crimfon 
 fattin, and to decorate the Treafury-bench, 
 in particular, with cufhions of crimfon 
 velvet' ; one of * extraordinary dimenfions 
 being to be appropriated to Mr. W. 
 GRENVILLE. 
 
 The epithet "tender" in the lafl line we 
 were at firfc difpofed to confider as merely 
 fynonymous with "youthful." But a friend, 
 to whom we repeated the paflage, fufpecl:- 
 ed that the word might bear fome more 
 errrphatical fenfe -, and this conjecture in- 
 deed feems to be eflablimed beyond doubt, 
 by the original reading in the manufcHpt, 
 which, as we before faid, has been com- 1 - 
 municated. to us, 
 
 Alas ! that flefh, fo late by pedants fcarr'd, 
 . " Sore from the rod, fhould fuffer feats fo hard." 
 
 '* For a defcription of this young gentleman's perfon, 
 from top to l-vttom, fee No. V. 
 
 We
 
 [ 80 ] 
 
 We give thefe verfcs, not as admitting 
 any companion with the text, as it now 
 ftands, but merely by way of commentary, 
 to illuftrate the Poet's meaning. 
 
 From the Treafury-bench, we afcend 
 one ftep to the INDIA-BCNCH. 
 
 ** There too, in place advanc'd, as iu command, 
 
 14 Above the beardiefs rulers of the land, 
 
 " On a bare bench, alas ! exalted fit, 
 
 * The pillars of Prerogative and PITT ; 
 
 44 Delights of Aa, ornaments of men, 
 
 " Thy Sovereign's Sovereigns, happy Hindoftan." 
 
 The movement of thefe lines is, as the 
 fubjecl: required, more elevated than that 
 of the preceding: Yet the prevailing fenti- 
 ment excited by the defcription of the 
 Treafury-bench, is artfully touched by our 
 author, as he pafles, in the Hemiflich, 
 
 On a bare bench, alas ! . . ... 
 
 which is a beautiful imitation of Virgil's 
 
 .. . .. Ah ! fdice in nuda 
 
 The pompous titles fo liberally beftow* 
 cd on the BENGAL SQUAD, as the penny- 
 
 kfs
 
 t 8i 3 
 
 lefs hirelings of opposition affeft to call 
 them, are truly in the Oriental t?fte ; and 
 we doubt not, but every friend to the pre- 
 fent happy government, will readily agree 
 in the juftice of Ailing them " pillars of 
 prerogative and Pitt, delights of Afia, and 
 ornaments of man." Neither, we are 
 aflured, can any man of any party objed: to 
 the laft of their high dignities, " Sovereigns 
 of the Sovereign of India ;" fince the Com* 
 pany's well-known fale of Shah Allum to 
 his own Vifier, is an indifputable proof v of 
 their fupremacy over the Great Mogul. 
 
 As our author has been formerly, accufed 
 of plagiarifm, we muft here in candour 
 confefs, that he feems, in his defcription 
 of the India-bench, to have had an eye to 
 Milton's account of the devil's throne ; 
 which, however, we are told, much ex- 
 ceeded the poffible fplendour of any India-" 
 bench, or even the magnificence of Mr. 
 Haftings himfelf. 
 
 High on a throne of royal ftate, which far 
 Outflione the wealth of Ormus, or of Iiid ; 
 
 L Or
 
 Or where the gorgeous Eaft, with lavifli hand, 
 Show'rs on her King, barbaric pearl and gold ; 
 Satan exaltedfate. 
 
 This concluding phrafe, our readers will 
 obferVe, is exactly and literally copied by 
 our author. It is alfo worthy of remark, 
 that as he calls the Bengal fquad, 
 
 The Pillars of Prerogative and Pitt, 
 
 So Milton calls Beelzebub, 
 A Pillar of State : 
 
 Though, it is certain, that the exprefllon 
 here quoted may equally have been fug- 
 gefted by one of the Perfian titles*, faid 
 
 to 
 
 * The following is copied from the Morning Chronicle 
 of October 5, 1784. 
 
 Mr. HASTINGS 's PERSIAN TITLES, as engraved ufx>* 
 a Seal. A true Tran/Iation. 
 
 Nabob Governor-General Haftings, Saub, 
 
 Pillar of the Empire, 
 
 The fortunate in War, Hero, 
 
 The moft princely offspring of the Loins, 
 
 Of the King of the Univerfe, 
 
 The Defender of the Mahomedan Faith, 
 
 And Afylum of the World, &c. &c. &c. &c. 
 
 Tran/Jatiott
 
 [ 83 ] 
 
 to be engraved on a fcal of Mr. Haftings, 
 where we find the Governor General ftiled, 
 ** Pillar of the Empire." But we {hall leave 
 it to our readers to determine, as they may 
 think proper, on the moft probable fource 
 of the metaphor, whether it were in reality 
 derived from Beelzebub or Mr. Haftings. 
 
 *TranJlation of a Perjian Inscription engraven on a large 
 fine Rftby^ being the titles either given to, or affumed by 
 Mrs. HASTINGS. 
 
 " Royal and Imperial Governefs, 
 
 ' The elegance of the age, 
 
 The meft exalted Bilkifs, 
 
 ' The Zobaide of the Palaces, 
 
 " The moft heroic Princefs, 
 
 * 5 Ruby Marian Mailings, Sauby, &c. &c. 
 
 N. B. With the Muflulmans, AV/fj/jfignifies the perfon 
 called in the Bible Hiflory the Queen of Sheba ; and Zo- 
 baide was a favourite wife of Mahomed ; and when they 
 wifli to pay the highefl compliments to a lady, they com- 
 pare her to Bilkifs and Zobaide, who poflefled the mofl 
 exalted beauty, and perfection of every kind. 
 
 L 2 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER VIII. 
 
 FROM the -above general compliment 
 to the India-bench, the poet, in the 
 perfon of Merlin, breaks out into the fol- 
 lowing animated apoftrophe to fome of 
 the principal among our Leadenhall-ftreet 
 Governors : 
 
 All hail ! ye virtuous patriots without blot, 
 The minor KINSON and the major SCOTT : 
 And thou, of name uncouth to Britifh ear, 
 From Norman fmugglers fprung LE MESURIER ; 
 Hail SMITHS ; and WRAXALL, unabauVd to talk, 
 Tho' none will liftcn ; hail too, CALL and PALK ; 
 Thou, BARWELI., juft and gootl, whofe honour'd name, 
 V, T ide, as the Ganges rolls, fliall live in fame, 
 Second to HASTINGS : and, VAXSITTART, thou, 
 ' A fecond HASTINGS, if the Fates allow, 
 
 The bold but truly poetical apocope, by 
 which the Mt'flrs At-kinfon and Jcn-kin- 
 fon, arc Culled the two kinfons, is already 
 famuinr to the public. The minor Kin- 
 fon, or Kin ion the lefs, is obvioufly Mr. 
 Atkinfon ; Mr. Jenkinfon being confeffed- 
 
 iy
 
 ly greater than Mr. Atkinfon, or any other 
 man, except ONE, in the kingdom. The 
 antithefis of the Major Scott to the minor 
 Kinfon, feerns to afcertain the fenfe of the 
 word Major, as fignifying in this place the 
 greater ; it might mean alfo the elder ; or 
 it might equally refer to the military rank 
 of the gentleman intended. This is a 
 ' beautiful example of the figure fo much 
 admired by the antients under the name of 
 the Paronomafia, or Pun. They who re- 
 coiled: the light in which our author be- 
 fore reprefented Major Scott, as a pamph- 
 leteer, fit only to furnifh a water-clofet, 
 may pofiibly wonder to find him h-ere men- 
 tioned as THE GREATER SCOTT ; but 
 
 whatever may be his literary talents, he 
 muft be acknowledged to be truly great, 
 and worthy of the confpicnous place here 
 arUgned him, if we confider him in his 
 capacity of agent to Mr. Mailings, and of 
 confequence chief manager of the Bengal 
 Squad ; and it muil be remembered, that 
 this is the character in which he is here 
 introduced. The circumftance of Mr. Le 
 Mefurier's origin from Norman Smugglers, 
 
 has
 
 [ 86 ] 
 
 has been erroneoufly fuppofed by fome 
 critics to be defigned for a reproach ; but 
 they could not poffibly have fallen into this 
 miftake, if they had for a moment reflect- 
 ed that it is addrefledby MERLIN to ROL- 
 LO, who was himfelf no more than a Nor- 
 man pirate. Smuggling and piracy in 
 heroic times were not only efteemed not 
 infamous, but abiblutely honourable. The 
 Smiths, Call and Palk of our poet, refem- 
 ble the 
 
 Alcandrumque, Haliumque, Noe'monaque, Prytanimque. 
 
 of Homer and Virgil; who introduce thofe 
 gallant warriors for the fake of a fmooth 
 verfe, and difpatch them at a ftroke with- 
 out the diftin&ion of a tingle epithet. Our 
 poet too has more profefTedly imitated Vir- 
 gil in the lines refpedting Mr. Vanfittart, 
 now a candidate to fucceed Mr. Mailings. 
 
 And, VANS ITT ART, thou 
 A fecond HASTINGS, if the fates allow. 
 
 Si qua fata afpera rumpas, 
 
 Tu Marcellus eris ! 
 
 The paflage however is, as might be 
 hoped from the genius of our author, ob- 
 
 vioufly
 
 [ 87 ] 
 
 vioufly improved in the imitation ; as it in- 
 volves a climax, moil happily exprefTed. 
 Mr. Barwell has been panegyrized in the 
 lines immediately foregoing, as fecond to 
 Haftings^ but of Mr. Vanfittart it is pro- 
 phelied, that he will be Q. fecond Haftings ; 
 fecond indeed in time, but equal perhaps 
 in the diftinguiihing merits of that great 
 and good man, in obedience to the Court 
 of Directors, attention to the interefts of 
 the Company in preference to his own, 
 abftinence from rapacity and extortion, 
 juftice and policy toward the princes, and 
 humanity to all the natives of Hindoflan. 
 The ingenious turn on the words, fecond 
 to Haftings , and a fecond Haftings, would 
 have furnifhed matter for whole pages to 
 the Dionyfius's, Longinus's, and Quinti- 
 lians of antiquity, though the affected de- 
 licacy of modern tafte may condemn it as 
 quibble and jingle. 
 
 The poet then hints at a moil ingenious 
 propofal for the embellifhmentof the India- 
 bench, according to the new plan of Par- 
 liamentary Reform; not by fitting it up 
 
 like
 
 [ 88 ] 
 
 like the Treafury- bench, with velvet 
 cufhions, but by creeling for the accom- 
 modation of the Leadenhall worthies, the 
 ivory bed, which was lately prefented to 
 her Majefty by Mrs. Haftings. 
 
 O that for you, in Oriental flate, 
 
 At cafe reclin'd to watch the long debate, 
 
 Beneath the gallery's pillar'd height were fpread 
 
 (With the QUELN'S leave) your WARREN'S ivory bed ! 
 
 The pannels of the gallery too, over the 
 canopy of the bed, are to be ornamented 
 with fuitable paintings. 
 
 Above, in colours warm with mimic life, 
 The German hufband of your WARUEN'.I u i: 
 His rival's deeds (hould blazon ; and difplay, 
 In hisbleft rule the glorious of your f\vay. 
 
 What fingular propriety, what linking 
 beauty mud: the reader of tafte immediate- 
 ly perceive in this choice of a painter to 
 execute the author's defign ! It cannot be 
 doubted but Mrs. Haftings would exert all 
 her own private and all Major Scott's pub- 
 lic influence with every branch of the 
 Legiflature, to obtain fo illuftrious a job 
 
 for
 
 for the man to whofe affection, or to whofe 
 want of affection, fhe owes her prefent for- 
 tunes. The name of this artift is ImhofF; 
 but though he was once honoured with 
 Royal Patronage, he is now beft remem- 
 bered from the circumftance, by which 
 our author has diftinguimed him of his 
 former relation to Mrs. Haft ings. 
 
 Then follow the fubje&s of the paint- 
 ings, which are feledted with the ufual 
 judgment of our poet. 
 
 Here might the tribes of ROHILCUND expire, 
 
 And quench with blood their towns, that fink in fire ; 
 
 The BEGUMS there, of pow'r, of wealth forlorn, 
 
 With female cries their haplefs fortune mourn. 
 
 Here hardly refcu'd from his guard, CHEYT SING 
 
 Aghaft fhould fly ; there NUNDCOMAR fhould fwing ; 
 
 Happy for him ! if he had borne to fee 
 
 His country beggar'd of the laft rupee ; 
 
 Nor call'd thofe laws, O HASTINGS, on thy head, 
 
 Which, mock'd by thee, thy flaves alone fhould dread. 
 
 Thefe flories, we prefume, are too pub- 
 lic to require any explanation. But if our 
 readers mould wifh to be more particular- 
 M ly
 
 [ 9 1 
 
 ly acquainted with them, they will find 
 them in the * Adventures of Robinfon 
 Crufoe, commonly called the Reports of 
 the Seled: and Secret Committees, with 
 Appendixes of Letters, Minutes, and Nar- 
 ratives written by Mr. Haftings himfelf : 
 Or they may co/ifult the Hiftory of 
 Alexander the Great, contained in Major 
 John Scott's narrative of the adminiftration 
 of Mr. Haftings. Though we would rather 
 refer them to the latter work, as in our 
 opinion it is one of the moft fatisfadory de- 
 fences ever publifhed ; and proves to de- 
 mon ft ration, that Mr. I failings never com- 
 mitted a fingle act of injuftice or cruelty, 
 but he conftantly obtained forty or fifty 
 lacks for the Company or himfelf That 
 an enquiry into paft abufes. is an impolitic 
 order ; becaufe " much valuable time muft 
 " be loft, and much odium incurred by 
 " the attempt:" and therefore Mr. Haft- 
 ings of courfe ought not to have been cen- 
 i'urcd at all, unlcls he had been cenfured 
 before he had done any thing to deferve 
 
 * We have the higheft law authority for this title ; as 
 well as for calling Mr. Haftings Alexander the Great. 
 
 it.
 
 t 91 J 
 
 it. That it was right for Mr. Haft'ings to 
 keep up the good old cuftom of receiving 1 
 prefents, in defiance of a pofitive law; 
 becauie his predeceflbrs had received as 
 large fums when they were authorised by 
 cuftom, and not prohibited by any law. 
 That Mr. Haftings was juftified in dif- 
 obeying the orders of the Directors, be- 
 caufe he could no otherwife have convinced 
 the Country Powers of his fuperiority over 
 his Mafters, which was, and is, abfolutely 
 neceffary that, though it may be quef- 
 tioned if Nundcomar was legally condemn- 
 ed, it was proper to execute him, in order 
 to fliew the juftice and impartiality of the 
 Judges in hanging the natives, whom they 
 were fent efpecially to protect. That a 
 Treaty of Peace between two nations is of 
 no force, if you can get one of the indivi- 
 duals who officially figned it, to confent to 
 the infraction of it together with many 
 other portions, equally juft and novel, 
 both in Ethics and Politics. 
 
 But to return to our Poet. ME R L IN now 
 
 drops his apoftrophe, and eulogizes the 
 
 M 2 India-
 
 India-bench in the third perfon for the 
 bleflings of Tea and the Commutation 
 Tax. The following paffage will (hew our 
 author to be, probably a much better 
 Grocer than Mr. Pitt ; and perhaps little 
 inferior to the Tea-Purchafer's Guide. 
 
 IVhat tongue can tell the various kind of Tea ? 
 Of Blacks and Greens, of Hyfon and Bohea ; 
 With Singlo, Congou, Pekoe, and Souchong ; 
 Couflip the fragrant, Gun-powder the ftrong ; 
 And more, all heathenifh alike in name, 
 Of humbler fome, and fome of nobler fame. 
 
 The prophet then compares the break- 
 fafts of his own times with thofe of ours : 
 attributes to the former the intractable 
 fpirit of that age ; and from the latter fer- 
 vently prays, like a loyal fubject, for the 
 perfect accomplimment of their natural 
 effects; that they may relax the nerves of 
 Englifhmen into a proper ftate of fubmif- 
 fion to the fuperior powers. We fhall in- 
 fert the lines at length. 
 
 On mighty beef, bedc'w'd with potent ale, 
 Our Saxons, rous'd at early dawn, regale ; 
 
 And
 
 [ 93 3 
 
 And hence, a flurdy, bold, rebellious race, 
 
 Strength in the frame, and fpirit in the face, 
 
 All facred right of Sovereign Pow'r defy, 
 
 For Freedom conquer, or for Freedom die. 
 
 Not fo their fons of manners more polite ; 
 
 How would they ficken at the very fight ! 
 
 O'er Chocolate's rich froth, o'er Coffee's fume, 
 
 Or Tea's hot tide their noons fiiall they confumc* 
 
 But chief, all fexes, every rank and age, 
 
 Scandal and Tea, more grateful, mail engage ; 
 
 In gilded roofs, befide fome hedge in none, 
 
 On polifh'd tables, r the cafual (lone. 
 
 Be Bloom reduc'd ; and PITT no more a foe/ 
 
 Ev'n PITT, the favourite of the fair mail grow : 
 
 Be but Mundungus cheap ; on light and air 
 
 New burthens gladly fhall our peafants bear, 
 
 And boil their peaceful kettles, gentle fouls ! 
 
 Contented, if no tax be laid on coals. 
 
 Aid then, kind Providence, yon' generous Bench, 
 
 With copious draughts the thirfty realm to drench ; 
 
 And oh ! thy equal aid let PRESTON find, 
 
 With * mujly-fajeety and mouldy-frejb combin'd, 
 
 To palfy half our ifles : 'till, wan, and weak, 
 
 Each nerve unftrung, and bloodlefs every cheek, 
 
 Head anfwering head, and noddling thro' the ftreet, 
 
 The deftin'd change of Britons is complete ; 
 
 "The Tea-dealers allure us, that Mr. PRESTON 's 
 wnAfre/b Teas contain a great part of the mujly and mouldy 
 chefts, which the Trade rejected. 
 
 Thing
 
 [ 94 J 
 
 Things without will, like India's feeble broocf, 
 Or China's fliaking Mandarines of wood. 
 So may the Crown in native luftre fliine, 
 And Britifli King's re-fume their right divine. 
 
 We have been thus prolix in giving the 
 whole of this quotation, as we think it 
 glances very finely at the true policy, why 
 it is expedient to encourage the univerfal 
 confumption of an article, which fome 
 factious people have called a pernicious 
 luxury. And our readers, we are periuad- 
 ed, will agree with us, when we decidedly 
 pronounce this as good a defence of the 
 Commutation Tax, as we have yet feen. 
 
 We muft obferve however that our au- 
 thor is probably indebted to the extenfive 
 information of Lord Sydney, for the hint 
 of the following couplet : 
 
 In gilded roofs, befide fome hedge in none, 
 On polifh'd tables, or the cafual (lone. 
 
 The Secretary of State in the difcuflion 
 of the above-mentioned tax, very ably cal- 
 culated the great quantity of tea confumed 
 under hedges by vagrants, who have no 
 houfes ; from which he moft ingenioufly 
 argued to the juflice and equity of laying 
 the import on perfons who have houfes, 
 whether they confume it or not. 
 
 We
 
 [ 95 ] 
 
 We fhall conclude this number, as the 
 Poet concludes the fubject, with fome 
 animated verfes on Mr. Foxarfd Mr. PITT. 
 
 Crown the froth 'd Porter, flay the fatted Ox, 
 And give the Britifli meal to Britifh Fox. 
 But for an Indian minifler more fit, 
 Ten cups of pureft Padrae pour for PITT, 
 Pure as himfelf ; add fugar too and cream, 
 Sweet as his temper, bland as flows the ftream 
 Of his fmooth eloquence ; then crifply nice 
 The muffin toaft, or bread and butter (lice, 
 Thin as his arguments, that mock the mind, 
 Gone, ere you tafle, no relifh left behind. 
 Where beauteous Brighton overlooks the fea, 
 Thefe be his joys : and STEELE mall make the Tea. 
 
 How neat ! how delicate ! and how un- 
 expected is the allufion in the laft couplet ! 
 Thefe two lines alone include the fubftance 
 of whole columns, in the minifterial papers 
 of laft fummer, on the fober, the chafte, the 
 virtuous, the edifying manner in which the 
 Immaculate Young Man paiTed the recefs 
 from public bufinefs ; not in riot and de- 
 bauchery, not in gaming, not in attendance 
 on ladies, either modeft or immodeft, but 
 in drinking Tea with Mr. Stecle, at the 
 Caftle in Brighthelmftor.e. Let future 
 ages read and admire ! 
 
 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER JX. 
 v 
 
 IN every new edition of this incompar- 
 able poem, it has been the invariable 
 practice of the author, to take an oppor- 
 tunity of adverting to fuch recent circum- 
 ftances, as have occurred fmce the original 
 publication of it relative to any of the il- 
 luftrious characters he has celebrated. The 
 public has lately been allured, that the 
 Marquis of Graham is elected Chancellor 
 of the Univerfity of Glafgow, and has pre- 
 fentcd that learned body with a complete 
 fet of the engravings of Piranefl, an emi- 
 nent Italian artift ; of which, we are happy 
 to acquaint the Dilettanti, a few remain- 
 ing lets are to be purchaied at, Mr. Alder- 
 man Boydell's printihop, in Gheapfide, 
 price twelve pounds twelve millings each. 
 An anecdote reflecting ib much honour 
 upon one of the favourite characters of our 
 author, could not pafs unnoticed in the 
 ROLL i AD j and accordingly, in his laft edi- 
 tion,
 
 [ 97 3 
 
 tion, we find the following complimentary 
 
 lines upon the fubject : 
 
 * 
 
 If right the Bard, whofe numbers fweetly flow, 
 That all our knowledge is ourfelves to know ; 
 A fage like GRAHAM, can the world produce, 
 Who in full fenate call'd himfelf a goofe ? 
 The' admiring Commons, from the high-born youth, 
 With wonder heard this undifputed truth ; 
 Exulting Glafgow claim'd him for her own, 
 And plac'd the prodigy on Learning's throne. 
 
 He then alludes to the magnificent pre- 
 fent above-mentioned, and concludes in 
 that happy vein of alliterative excellence, 
 for which he is fo juitly admired 
 
 With gorgeous gifts from gen'rous GRAHAM graced, 
 Great Glafgow grows the granary of tafte. 
 
 Our readers will doubtlefs recoiled:, that 
 this is not the firfl tribute of applaufe paid 
 to the diftinguimed merit of the public- 
 fpirited young Nobleman in queflion. In 
 the rirfl edition of the poem, his character 
 was drawn at length, the many fervices he 
 has rendered his country were enumerated, 
 and we have lately been allured by our 
 N worthy
 
 [ 98 .] 
 
 worthy friend andcorrefpondent, Mr. Mal- 
 colm M'Gregor, the ingenious author of 
 the Heroic Epiftle to Sir William Cham- 
 bers, and other valuable poems, that the 
 following fpirited verfes, recording the 
 ever-memorable circumftance of his Lord- 
 /fhip's having procured for the inhabitants 
 of the Northern extremity of our Ifland, 
 the ineftimable privilege of exempting their 
 pofteriors from thofe ignominious fymbols 
 of flavery, vulgarly denominated breeches, 
 are actually univerfally repeated with en- 
 thufiafm, throughout every part of the 
 Highlands of Scotland 
 
 Thee, GRAHAM ! thee, the frozen Chieftains blefs, 
 Who feel thy bounties thro' their fav'rite drefs ; 
 By thee they view their refcuM country clacf 
 In the bleak honours of their long-loft plaid ; 
 Thy patriot zeal has barM their parts behind 
 To the keen whiftlings of the wintVy wind ; 
 While Lairds thtf dirk, while laffes bag-pipes prize, 
 And oat-meal cake the want of bread fupplies ; 
 The fcurvr Ikin, whilr fcaly fcabs enrich, 
 While contact gives, and brimftone aires the itch, 
 Each breeze that blows upon thofe brawny parts, 
 Shall wake thy lov'd remembrance in their hearts ; 
 
 And
 
 [ 99 ] 
 
 And whll-j they frefhen from the Northern blaft, 
 So long thy honour, name, and praife fliall laft. 
 
 a 
 
 We need not call to the recollection of 
 the claffical reader, 
 
 Dum juga mentis aper, ' fluvios dum pifris amabit, 
 Semper honos, nomenque tuum laudefque manebunt. 
 
 And the reader of tafte will not hefitate 
 to pronounce, that the copy has much im- 
 proved upon, and very far furpafled the 
 original. In thefe lines we alfo find the 
 moft finking inftances of the beauties of 
 alliteration ; and however fome faflidious 
 critics have affecled to undervalue this ex- 
 cellence, it is no fmall triumph to thofe of 
 a contrary fentiment to find, that next to 
 our own incomparable author, the moft 
 exalted genius of the prefent age has not 
 difdained to borrow the affiftance of this 
 ornament, in many paffages of the beauti- 
 ful dramatic treafure. with .which he has 
 recently enriched the ilage. Is it neceflary 
 for us to add, that it is the new tragedy 
 of the Carmelite to which we allude ? -A 
 tragedy, the beauties of which, we will 
 N 2 venture
 
 venture confidently to affert, will be ad- 
 mired and felt, when thofe of Shakfoeare, 
 Dryden, Otway, Southerne, and PvO\ve, 
 /hall be no longer held in eftimation. As 
 examples of alliterative beauty, we (hall 
 felecl: the following : 
 
 The hand of Heav'n hangs o'er me and my houfe, 
 To their untimely graves feven fons fvvept oft'. 
 
 Again 
 
 So much for tears -tho' twenty years they flow, 
 They wear no channels in a widow's cheeks. 
 
 The alternate alliteration of the fecond 
 line, in this inftance, feems an improve- 
 ment upon the art, to the whole merit of 
 which Mr. Cumberland is himiclf un- 
 queftionably entitled. 
 
 Afterwards we read, 
 
 -Trea Cures hoarded up, 
 
 With rarking care, and a long life of thrift. 
 
 In addition to the alliterative meiit, we 
 cannot here fail to admire die judicioufly 
 
 fele&cd
 
 [ 1' J 
 
 fele&ed epithet of " car king /' and the two 
 lines immediately following, although no 
 example of that merit, mould not be 
 omitted : 
 
 * 
 
 Now, without intereft, or redemption fwallow'd, 
 By the devouring bankrupt waves for ever. 
 
 How finking is the comparifon of the 
 ocean, to a bankrupt fwallowing without 
 intereft or redemption, the property of his 
 unfortunate creditors ? Where mall we 
 find a fimile of equal beauty, unlefs fome 
 may pofilbly judge the following to be fo, 
 which is to be found in another part of the 
 fame fublime work, of two perfons weep- 
 ing 
 
 We will fit, 
 
 Like fountain ftatues, face to face oppos'd, 
 And each to other tell our griefs in tears, 
 Yet neither utter word 
 
 Our readers, we trufl, will pardon our 
 having been diverted from the talk we have 
 undertaken, by the fatisfaclion of dwelling 
 on a few of the -many beauties of this juft- 
 ly popular .and universally admired tragedy, 
 
 which
 
 which, in our humble opinion, infinitely 
 furpailes every other theatrical compofition, 
 being in truth an aflemblage of every pol- 
 fiblc dramatic excellence : nor do we be- 
 lieve, that any production, whether of 
 antient or modern date, can exhibit a more 
 uncommon and peculiar fcle&ion of lan- 
 guage, a greater variety of furpriiing inci- 
 dents, a more rapid fucceffion of extraordi- 
 nary difcoveries, a more curious collection 
 of defcriptions, fimilies, metaphors, images, 
 florms, fhipwrecks, challenges, and vifions, 
 or a more mifcellaneous and ftriking picture 
 of the contending pamons of love, hatred, 
 piety, madnefs, rage, jealoufy, remorfe, 
 and hunger, than this unparalleled per- 
 formance prefents to the admiration of the 
 enraptured fpeftator. Mr. Cumberland has 
 been reprcfented, perhaps unjuftly, as par- 
 ticularly jealous of the fame of his cotem- 
 poraries, but we are perfuaded he will not 
 be offended when, in the ranks of modern 
 writers, we place him iccond only to the 
 inimitable author of the ROL.UAD. 
 
 To
 
 To return from the digreffion into which 
 a fubject fo feducing has involuntarily be- 
 trayed us. The reader will recollect, that 
 in our laft we left MERLIN gratifying the 
 curiofity of ROLLO, with a view of that 
 Aifembly of which his Defcendant is one 
 day defHned to become fo confpicuous an 
 ornament. After having given the due 
 preference to the India-Bench, he proceeds 
 to point out to him others of the moil dif- 
 tinguifhed fupporters of theprefent virtuous 
 Adminiftration. Having already mention- 
 ed the mod confidential friends of the 
 Minifter, he now introduces us to the ac- 
 quaintance of an ,active ycung- Member, 
 who has upon all occafions been pointedly 
 fevere upon the noble Lord in the blue 
 ribbon, and who is remarkable for never 
 having delivered his fentiments upon any 
 lubject, whether relating to the Eaft- Indies, 
 the Reform of Parliament, or the Weft- 
 minfter Election, without a copious dif- 
 .fertation upon the principles, caufes, and 
 conduct of. the American war. 
 
 Lo ! BEAUFOY rifes. friend to foft repofe ; 
 Whofe gentle accents prompt the houfe to dofe : 
 
 His
 
 [ 104 ] 
 
 His cadence juft, a general flecp pn. 
 Almoft as quickly as SIR RICHARD'S jokes. 
 Thy flumbers, NORTH, he (hives in vain to break, 
 U'hcn nil are fleeping thou would'ft fcarce awake ; 
 Though from his lips fevere infe&ives fell, 
 Sharp as the acid he delights to fell. 
 
 In explanation of the laft line, it may 
 be, perhaps, neceflary to apprife our read- 
 ers, that this accomplifhed orator, although 
 the elegance of his diction, and fmooth- 
 nefs of his manner, partake rather of the 
 properties of oil, is in his commercial ca- 
 pacity, a dealer in vinegar. The fpeaker 
 alluded to, under the name of Sir Richard, 
 is probably the fame whom our author, 
 upon a former occafion, ftiled 
 
 Sleep-giving poet of a flceplcfs night. 
 
 The limits of our plan will not allow 
 us to enlarge upon the various beauties with 
 which this part of the work abounds ; we 
 cannot, however, omit the pathetic de- 
 fcriptionoftheSpEAKER*siituation,northe 
 admirable comparifon of Lord MAHON 
 preying on his patience, to the vulture de- 
 vouring
 
 f 105 ] 
 
 vouring the liver of Prometheus. The 
 neceflity of the Speaker's continuing in the 
 chair while the Houfe fits, naturally re- 
 minds our author of his favourite Virgil: 
 
 fedet aeternumque fedebit 
 
 Infelix Thefeus 
 
 There COR:;E\VELL fits, and, oh unhappy fate J 
 
 Mufl fit for ever through the Jong debate ; 
 
 Save, when compe^I'd by Nature's fovereign will, 
 
 Sometimes to empty, and fometimes to fill. 
 
 Painful pre-eminence ! he hears, 'tis true, * 
 
 Fox, NORTH, and BURKE, but hears SIR JOSEPH too. 
 
 Then follows the fimile > 
 
 Like fad PROMETHEUS, faften'd to his rock, 
 In vain he looks for pity to the clock ; 
 In vain the' effects of ftrength'ning porter tries, 
 And nods to BELLAMY for frefh fupplies ; 
 While vulfue-like, the dire MAHON appears, 
 And, far more favage, rends his fuff 'ring ears. 
 
 O NUMBER
 
 NUMBER X. 
 
 AMONGST the various pretenfions 
 to critical approbation, which are 
 to be found in the excellent and never- 
 fufficiently to be admired production, which 
 is the object of thefe comments, there is 
 one that will flrike the claffical obferver 
 as peculiarly prominent and praife-worthy ; 
 namely, the uncommon ability fhewn by 
 the author, in the feledtion of his heroes. 
 The perfona that are introduced in the 
 courfe of this poem, are characters that 
 fpeak for themfelves. The very mention 
 of their names, is a fummons to approba- 
 tion j and the relation of their hiftory, if 
 given in detail, would prove nothing more 
 than a lengthened panegyric. Who that 
 has heard of the names of a Jenkinfcn, 
 a Robinfon, or a Dundas, has not in the 
 fame breath heard alfo what they are ? 
 This is the fecret of our author's fcience 
 and excellence. It is this that enables him 
 
 to
 
 to omit the dull detail of introductory ex- 
 planation, and to fatten upon his bufinefs, 
 if one may ufe the expreffion, flap-dam, 
 and at once. 
 
 Semper ad eventum feftinat, et in medias res, 
 
 Non fecus ac notas auditorem rapit. HOR. 
 
 Homer himfelf yields, in this refpeft, to 
 our author ; for who would not perceive 
 the evident injuftice done to the modern 
 bard, if we were to place the wifdom of 
 an UlyfTes on any competition with the ex- 
 perience of a Pitt -, to mention the bully 
 Ajax, as half fo genuine a bully, as the 
 bully Thurlow ; if we were to look up- 
 on Neftor as having a quarter of the in- 
 terefting circumlocution of the ambiguous 
 Nugent ; to confider Achilles as pofTeiTed 
 of half the anger of a ROLLE - y or to 
 fuppofe for a moment, that the famous 
 wc^f-wxuf of antiquity, could run nearly 
 fo fafl in a rage, as the member for Devon 
 in a fright ; to conceive the yellow-haired 
 Paris to have had half the beauty of the 
 ten times more yellow-chaired Villiers; 
 O2 to
 
 I 108 ] 
 
 to look upon Agamemnon as in any degree 
 fo dictatorial to his chiefs as the high- 
 minded Richmond; to confider the 
 friendship of Patroclus, as pofTefTed of a 
 millionth portion of the dilinterefted at- 
 tachment of a Dundas ; to have any con- 
 ception that the chofen band of ThefTalian 
 Myrmidons, were to be any way compar- 
 ed, in point of implicit fubmiflion, to the 
 flill .more dextroufly chofen band of the 
 Minifter in the Britim Houfe of Commons. 
 Or but there is no end to fo invidious a 
 comparifon ; and we will not expofe 'poor 
 Homer, to the farther mortification of 
 purfuing it. 
 
 MERLIN proceeds in his relation, and 
 fixes upon an object that will not, we be- 
 lieve, prove any difgracc to our author's 
 general judgment of felcction ; namely, 
 that worthy Baronet, and univerfally ad- 
 mired wit, Sir RICHARD HILL, of whom 
 it may be truly laid, 
 
 i Pariter pictatc jocifqu?, 
 
 Egrcgim.
 
 He looks upon him as an individual 
 meriting every diftinction, and has thought 
 proper therefore, in the laft edition of the 
 ROLL i AD, though the Baronet had been 
 * flightly touched upon before, to enlarge 
 what was then faid, into a more particular 
 description, Speaking of Sir Richard's 
 ftyle of elocution, our author obferves 
 
 With quaint formality of facred fmut, 
 
 His rev 'rend jokes fee pious RICHARD cut. 
 
 Let meaner talents from the Bible draw 
 
 Their faith, their morals Thefe, and Thofe their law ! 
 
 His lively genius finds in holy writ 
 
 A richer mine of unfufpefted wit. 
 
 What never Jew. what never Chriftian taught, 
 
 What never fir'd one feftary's heated thought, 
 
 What act e'en -f ROWLAND dream'd, he faw alone, 
 
 And to the wondering fenate firft made known ; 
 
 How bright o'er mortal jokes the Scriptures fhine 
 
 Refplendent Jell-book of bon-mots divine. 
 
 This defcription will be readily felt, and, 
 we tiuft, not lefs cordially admired, by all 
 thofe who may have enjoyed the pleafure 
 of auricular evidence to Sir Richard's 
 
 * See No. III. 
 f- The Reverend ROWLAND HILL, brother of Sir Richard. 
 
 oratory.
 
 oratory. The thought of converting the 
 Bible into a jejl bcok, is, we believe, 
 quite new ; and not more original in itielf, 
 than cbaracleriftically jufl in its application 
 to the fpeaker. We all know that Saul 
 affeded infanity for the fake of religion, in 
 the early periods of our holy faith ; and 
 -why fo great an example fhould not be 
 imitated in later times, we leave it to the 
 prophane to mew. 
 
 We know not whether it is worth ob- 
 -ferving, that the eloquence of this illufiri- 
 ous family is not confined to Sir Richard 
 alone ; but that his brother inherits the 
 fame gift, and if poffible, in a greater de- 
 gree. It is faid, there is an intention of 
 diverting this latter gentleman of his clerical 
 robe, and bringing him into the fenate, as 
 the avowed competitor of our modern 
 Cromwell. If this happy event fhould 
 luckily take place, we ihall literally fee 
 the obfcrvation then rcaliicd, that the Mi- 
 nillry will give to their wicked enemies, 
 on the other fide of the Houfe, what they 
 have fo long wanted and deferred.
 
 I I" ] 
 
 u A Ro-ivlanJ for their 
 
 This, however, by the way. Our author 
 refumes his fubjed with the following 
 fpirited apoftrophe :< 
 
 Methinks I fee him from the Bench arife, 
 
 His words all keennefs, but all meek his eyes ; 
 
 Define the good religion might produce, 
 
 PracYife its higheft excellence abufe ; 
 
 And with his tongue, that two-edged weapon, fliew, 
 
 At once, the double worth of JOB and JOE. 
 
 Job, as fome of our more learned readers 
 may know, is a book in the Old Tefta- 
 ment, and is ufed here per fynecbdochen, 
 as a part for the whole. Nothing can be 
 more natural, than the preference given to 
 this book, on this occafion, as Sir Richard 
 is well known in his fpeeches to be fo 
 admirable an auxiliary to its precepts. The 
 perfon of the name of Joe, who has re- 
 ceived fo laconic a mention in the lad line 
 of the above extract, will be recognifed by 
 the critical and the intelligent, as the fame 
 individual who difringuifhed himfelf fo 
 eminently in the fixteenth century, as a 
 writer and a wit, namely, Mr. Jofeph 
 Miller ; a great genius, and an author, 
 
 avowedly
 
 [ .12 ] 
 
 avowedly in the higheft eftimation with 
 our learned Baronet. 
 
 The bufinefs of the competition goes 
 on. It is evident, however, the poet was 
 extremely #verfe to quit a fubjecl: upon 
 which his congenial talents repofed .fo 
 kindly. He do^s not leave Sir Richard, 
 therefore, without the following finifhed 
 and moft high-wrought compliment : 
 
 With wit fo various, piety fo odd, 
 
 Quoting by turns from Miller, and from God ; 
 
 Shall no diftinftion wait thy honour'd name ? 
 
 No lofty epithet taanfmit thy fame ? 
 
 Forbid it wit, from mirth refia'd away! 
 
 Forbid it Scripture, which thou mak'ft fo gay ! 
 
 SCIPIO, we know, was AFRICAMJS rall'd, 
 
 RICHARD ftyl'd LONG-SHANKSCHARLES furnam'd 
 
 The BALD; 
 
 Shall thefe, for petty merits be renown'd, 
 And no proud phrafe, with panegyric found, 
 Swell thy fliort name, great HILL ? Here take thy 
 
 due, 
 And hence be calTd the SCRIPTURAL KILLIGREW. 
 
 The adminiftration of baptifm to adults, 
 is quite confonant to Sir Richard's 
 
 creed ;
 
 creed ; and we are perfectly fatisfied, there 
 is not a Member in the Houfe of Com- 
 mons, that will not {land fponfor for him 
 on this honourable occafion. Should any 
 one afk him in future, who gave you that 
 name ? Sir Richard may fairly and truly 
 reply, My Godfathers, &c. and quote the 
 whole of the lower affembly, as coming 
 under that defcription. 
 
 MERLIN, led, as may be eafily fuppofed, 
 by fympathy of rank, talents, and cha- 
 racter, now pointed his wand to another 
 worthy baronet, hardly lefs worthy of dif- 
 tinction than the laft perfonage himfelf, 
 namely, Sir JOSEPH MAWBEY. Of him 
 the author fets out with faying, 
 
 Let this, ye wife, be ever underftood, 
 SIR JOSEPH is as witty as he's good. 
 
 Here, for the firft time, the annotatdrs 
 upon this immortal poem, find themfelves 
 compelled, in critical juilice to own, that 
 the author has not kept entire pace with 
 the original which he has affected to imi- 
 tate. The diflich> of which the above is 
 a parody, was compofed by the worthy 
 P hero
 
 [ "4 ] 
 
 hero of this part of the ROLL IAD, the 
 amiable Sir Jofcph himfelf, and runs thus: 
 
 Ye ladies, of your hearts beware : 
 SIR JOSEPH'S faife as he is fair. 
 
 How kind, and how difcreet a caution ! 
 This couplet, independent of its other 
 merits, pofTefles a recommendation not 
 frequently found in poetry, the tranfcendent 
 ornament of Truth. How far, indeed, the 
 falfhood of this refpeclable individual has 
 been difplayed in his gallantries, it is not 
 the province of fober criticifm to enquire. 
 We take up the aiTertion with a large com- 
 prehenfion, and with a ftricter eye to gene- 
 ral character 
 
 fiiR JOSEPH'S falfe as he is fair. 
 
 Is it neceflary to challenge, what no one 
 will be abfurd enough to give a contra- 
 diction to fo acknowledged a truth ? Or is 
 it neceflary to ftateto the famionable reader, 
 that whatever may be the degree cf Sir 
 Jofeph's boafted fal/hood, it cannot fur- 
 pafs the fairnefs of his complexion ? The 
 
 position,
 
 [ "5"] 
 
 pofilion, therefore, is what logicians call 
 convertible : nothing can equal his falfhood 
 but his fairnefs ; nothing his fairnefs but 
 his falfhood. Incomparable ! 
 
 Proceeding to a defcription of his elo- 
 quence, he fays, 
 
 A fly of pigs, though all at once it fqueaks, 
 Means not fo much as MAWBEY when he fpeaks; 
 And hift'ry fays, he never yet had bred 
 A pig with fuch a voice, or firch a head ! 
 Except, indeed, when he efiays to joke ; 
 And then his wit is truly pig-in-poke. 
 
 Defcribing Sir Jofeph's acquiiitions as a 
 fcholar, the author adds, 
 
 His various knowledge I will ftill maintain, 
 He is indeed a knowing man in grain. 
 
 Some commentators have invidioufly 
 fuggefted, that' the laft line of this couplet 
 Ihould be printed thus, 
 
 He is indeed a knowing man in grain. 
 
 affigning as their reafon, that the phrafe 
 
 in grain evidently alludes to bran, with 
 
 P 2 which
 
 [ "6 ] 
 
 xvhich Sir Jofeph's little grunting common^ 
 wealth is fupported ; and for the difcreet 
 and prudent purchafe of which our worthy 
 baronet is famous. 
 
 Our author concludes his defcription of 
 this great fenator with the following dif* 
 tich : 
 
 Such adaptation ne'er was fcen before, 
 His trade a hog is, and his wit a boar. 
 
 It has been propofed to us to amend the 
 fpelling of the laft word, thus, bore-, this 
 improvement, however, as it was called, 
 we reject as a calumny. 
 
 \Vhere the beauty of a paflage is pre- 
 eminently finking as above, we wade not 
 criticifm in ufelefs efforts at emendation . 
 
 The writer goes on. He tells you he 
 cannot quit this hiftory of wits, without 
 faying fomething of another individual ; 
 whom, however, he defcribcs as every 
 way inferior to the two laft mentioned, 
 but who, neverthelefs, poflcfTes fomc pre- 
 tentious to a place in the ROLLI AD. The 
 
 individual
 
 [ "7 1 
 
 individual alluded to, is Mr. GEORGE 
 SELWYN. The author defcribes him as a 
 roan pofTeiTed of 
 
 A plenteous magazine of retail wit 
 Vamp'd up at leifure for fome future hit; 
 Cut for fuppos'd occalions, like the trade, 
 Where old new things for every (hape are made I 
 To this afibrtment well prepar'd at home, 
 No human chance unfitted e'er can come : 
 No accident, however ftrange or queer, 
 But meets its ready, well-kept comment here. 
 The wary beavers thus their flores increafe, 
 And fpend their winter on their fummer's greafe. 
 
 The whole of the above defcription will 
 doubtlefs remind the claffic reader of the 
 following beautiful paffage in the Tufculan 
 Queftions of Cicero : Nefcio quomodo inbaret 
 in mentibus quafifeculorum quoddam augu- 
 rium futurorum idque in maximis ingeniis 
 altnTimifque animis exiftit maxime et affarct 
 facllllme. This will eafily account for the 
 fyftem of previous fabrication fo well known 
 as the character of Mr. Selwyn's jokes. 
 Speaking of an accident that befel this 
 gentleman in the ICY?, our author pro- 
 ceeds thus : 
 
 Of
 
 [ "8 ] 
 
 ' Of old, when men from fevers made efcape, 
 They facrinc'd a Cock to /ESCULAPE : 
 Thus, Love's hot fever now for ever o'er, 
 The prey of amorous malady no more, ' 
 SELWYN remembers what his tutor taught, 
 That old examples ever fliould be fought ! 
 And, gaily grateful, to his furgeon cries, 
 ' I've given to you the Ancient Sacrifice." 
 
 The delicacy with which this hiflorical 
 incident is pourtrayed, would of itfelf have 
 been fufficient to tranfmit our author's 
 merit to pofterity : and with the above ex- 
 tradt we mall fmifh the prefent number of 
 our commentaries. 
 
 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER XI. 
 
 THE next perfon among the adherents 
 of the Minifter, whom MERLIN 
 now points out to the notice of ROLLO, is 
 SIR SAMUEL HANNAY, Baronet, a name 
 recolle&ed with great gratitude in the 
 Houfe : for there are few Members in it to 
 whom he has not been ferviceable. This 
 worthy character indeed has done more to 
 disprove Martial's famous affertion, 
 
 Non cuicunque datum eft habere nafum, 
 
 than any individual upon record. 
 The author proceeds 
 
 But why, my HAXNAY, does the lingering Mufc 
 
 The tribute of a line to thee refufe ? 
 
 Say, what diftinclion moft delights thine ear, 
 
 Or Philo-Pitt, or Phik-Wnlftcr? 
 
 Oh ! may'ft thou none of all thy titles lack, 
 
 Or Scot, or Statefinan, Baronet, or Qmck ; 
 
 For what is due to him, whofe conftent vie\v is 1 
 
 Preventing private, or a public lues? 
 
 Who
 
 Who, that read the above defcription, 
 do not during the firft imprefflon of it, 
 fuppofe that they fee the worthy Baronet 
 once more the pride of front advertifement 
 once more difpenfing dilregard and ob- 
 livion amongft all his competitors ; and 
 making your Leakes, your Lockyers, and 
 your Velnos, 
 
 hide their diminifli'd heads 
 
 In the paflages which immediately fol- 
 low, the poet goes on to felicitate the 
 community upon the probable advantages 
 to be derived to them from the junction of 
 this illuftrious perfonage with our imma- 
 culate Minifter. He divides his congra- 
 tulations into two parts. He firft confi- 
 ders the confequence of the union, as they 
 may affect the body perfonal ; and fecond- 
 ly, as they may concern the body politic. 
 Upon the former fubject, he fays, 
 
 This famous pair, in happy league combin'd, 
 No rifques fllall man from wand 'ring beanty find ; 
 For, fliould not chafte example fave from ill, 
 There's ftill a refuge in another's pill. 
 
 With
 
 With a fketch equally brief and mafterly 
 as the above, he defcribes his hopes on the 
 other branch of his divilion. 
 
 The body politic no more (hall grieve 
 The motley ftains that dire corruptions leave ; 
 No dang'rous humours fliall infeft the ftate, 
 Nor rotten Members haflen Britain's fate. 
 
 Our author who, notwithstanding his 
 ufual and characterise gravity, has yet not 
 unfrequently an obvious tendency to the 
 fportive, condefcends now to take notice 
 of a rumour, which in thefe times had 
 been univerfally circulated, that Sir Samuel 
 had parted with his fpecific, and difpofed 
 of it to a gentleman often mentioned, and 
 always with infinite and due refpect in 
 the ROLL i AD, namely Mr. Dundas. - . 
 Upon this he addrefTes Sir Samuel with 
 equal truth and good humour in the follow- 
 ing couplet : 
 
 Then Ihall thy med'cine boaft its native bent, 
 fpread its genuine bleffing - to prevent. 
 
 Our readers cannot but know, it was 
 by the means of a noftrum, emphatically 
 
 called
 
 [ I" ] 
 
 called a Specific, 'that Mr. Dundas fo long 
 contrived to prevent the conftitutional lues 
 of a Parliamentary Reform. The author, 
 however, does not profefs to give implicit 
 credit to the fact of Sir Samuel's having 
 ungratefully difpofed of his favourite recipe, 
 the happy fource of his livelihood and 
 fame ; the more fo, as it appears that Mr. 
 Dundas had found the very \\ordjpect/ic t 
 fufficient for protracting a dreaded political 
 evil on the three feveral inftances of its 
 application. Under this impremon of the 
 thing, the poet ftrongly recommends Sir 
 Samuel to go on in the profecution of his 
 original profeffion, and thus exprefles his 
 with upon the occafion, with the correct 
 tranfcript of which we^allclofcthc'hiftory 
 of this great man : 
 
 In thofe fmig corners be tin (kill difplay'd, 
 
 Where Nature's tribute modeftly is paid : 
 
 Or near fam'd Temple-bar may fome good dame, -\ 
 
 Herfelf ,paft fport, but yet a friend to game 
 
 Difperfe thy bills, and eternize thy laiiu-. j 
 
 MERLIN
 
 [ "3 1 
 
 MERLIN now calls the attention of our 
 hero to a man whom there is little doubt 
 this country will long remember, and ftill 
 lefs, that they will have abundant reafon 
 for fo doing, namely, Mr. SECRETARY 
 ORDE. It may feem odd by what latent 
 aflbciation our author was led to appeal 
 next to the Right Honourable Secretary, 
 immediately after the defcriptionof a Quack 
 Dodlor; but let it be recollected in the 
 firfl place, to the honour of Sir Samuel 
 Hannay, that he is, perhaps, the only 
 man of his order that ever had a place in 
 the Britifh Houfe of Commons -, and in 
 the fecond, that there are fome leading 
 circumflances in the character of Mr. 
 Orde, which will intitle him to rank un- 
 der the very fame defcription as the worthy 
 Baronet himfelf. We all know that the 
 mod famous of all phyficians, Le Medecin 
 malgre lui, is reprefented by Moliere, as 
 a man who changes the feat of the heart, 
 and reverfes the intire pofition of the vital 
 parts of the human body. Now let it be 
 afkcd, has not Mr. Orde done this moft 
 completely and effectually with refpect to 
 Q2 the
 
 [ "4 ] 
 
 the general body of the State? Has he 
 not transferred the heart of the Empire ? 
 Has he not chained its circulation, and 
 altered the fituation of the vital jvrt of the 
 whole, from the left to the right, from 
 the one fide to the other, from Great- 
 Britain to Ireland? Surely no one will 
 deny this ; and therefore none will be now 
 ignorant of the natural gradation of thought, 
 by which our author was led, from the 
 contemplation of Sir Samuel Han nay, to 
 the character of Mr. Orde. 
 
 We know not whether it be worth rc~ 
 marking, that the term Le Me deem malgre 
 lui, has been tranflated into Englifli with 
 the ufual incivility of that people to every 
 thing foreign, by the uncourtly phrafe of 
 Mock DoSlor* We truft, however, that 
 no one will think it applicable in this in- 
 terpretation to Mr. Ords, as it is pretty 
 evident he has difplayed no mockery in his 
 State practicfs, but has performed the 
 character of Moliere's Medccin t even be- 
 yond the notion of the original ; by hav- 
 ing effected, in fad and fober truth, to 
 
 the
 
 the full as complete a change in the pofi- 
 tion of the Cceur de I' Empire, as the lively 
 fancy of the Dramatift had imputed to his 
 phyfician, with refpect to the human body, 
 in mere fpeculative joke. 
 
 With a great many apologies for fo long 
 a note, we proceed now to the much more 
 pleafant part of our duty that of tranfcrib- 
 ing from this excellent competition ; and 
 proceed to the defcription of Mr.X3rde's 
 perfon, which the Poet commences thus : 
 
 Tall and ereft, unmeaning, mute, and pale, 
 O'er his blank face no gleams of thought prevail j 
 Wan as the man in claflic ftory fam'd, 
 Who told Old PRIAM that his Ilion flam'd ; 
 Yet foon the time will come when fpeak he mall, 
 And at his voice another Ilion fall ! 
 
 The excellence of this defcription con- 
 fifts, as that of a portrait always muft, in a 
 moft fcrupulous and inveterate attention to 
 
 likenefs. Thofewho know the original, 
 
 will not queflion the accuracy of refem- 
 blance on this occafion. The idea con- 
 veyed in the laft line, 
 
 And
 
 And at his voice another Ilion fall. 
 
 is a fpirited imitation of the fumvs Trocs* 
 fult Ilium , of Virgil, and a molt ftatef- 
 man-like anticipation of the future fate of 
 England. 
 
 The author now takes an opportunity of 
 {hewing the profundity of his learning in 
 Britifh hiftcry. He goes on to fay, 
 
 C*SAR, we know, with anxious effort try 'd, 
 
 To fwell, with Britain's name, his triumph's pride : 
 
 Oft he tflayM, but (till eflay'd in vain ; 
 
 Great in herfelf, {he mock'd the menac'd chain. 
 
 But fruitlcfs all for what was CESAR'S fword 
 
 To thy all-conquering fpeeches, mighty ORDE ! ! ! 
 
 Our author cannot fo far rcilft his clafilcal 
 propcnfity in this place, as to refrain from 
 the following allulion ; v/hich, however, 
 nuift be confeifed at leaft, to he applied 
 \.ith juftice. 
 
 \'# lyre, they fay, could raife n to\vn ; 
 O nt's elocution pullb a Nation dov/n. 
 
 I Ic proceeds with equal fpirit and erudi- 
 tion to another cirrumllanec in the earlier. 
 periods of Englifli hiftory, 
 
 The
 
 [ "7 ] 
 
 The labYmg bofom of the teeming North 
 Long pour'd, in vain, her valiant offspring forth ; 
 For GOTH or VANDAL, once on Britifii more, 
 Relax'd his nerve, and conquer 'd ftates no more. 
 Net fo the VANDAL of the modern time, 
 This latter offspring of the Northern clime ; 
 He, with a breath, gives Britain's wealth awry, 
 And fmiles, triumphant, o'er her fetting ray. 
 
 It will be necefTary to obferve here, that 
 after much enquiry and very labqrious 
 fearch, as to the birth-place of the Right 
 Honourable Secretary (for the honour of 
 which, however difficult now to difcover, 
 Plibernia's cities will, doubtlefs, hereafter 
 contend) we found that he .was born in 
 NORTHUMBERLAND ; which, added to 
 other circumflances, clearly eftablifhes the 
 applicability of the defcription of the word 
 Gotby &c. and particularly in the lines 
 where he calls him the 
 
 VANDAL of the modern time, 
 
 The latter offspring of the Northern clime. 
 
 Having investigated, with an acumen 
 and minutenefs fddoin incident to genius, 
 and very rarely met with in the fublimer 
 
 poetry,
 
 poetry, all the circumftances attending an 
 event which he emphatically defcribes as 
 the Revolution of feventeen hundred and 
 eighty-five, he makes the following ad- 
 drcfs to the Englifh : 
 
 No more, ye Eiigliih, high in claffic pride, 
 The phrafe uncouth of Ireland's fons deride ; 
 For fay, ye wife, which moft performs the fool, 
 Or he who fpcaks, or he who afls a BULT.. 
 
 The Poet catches fire as he runs ; 
 
 Poetica furgit 
 
 Tempefras. 
 
 He approximates now to the magnifi- 
 cent, or perhaps more properly to the 
 mania of Poetry, and, like another Caf- 
 fandra, begins to try his ikill at prophecy ; 
 like her he predicts truly, and like her, 
 for the prefent at leaft, is not, perhaps, 
 
 very implicitly credited. He proceeds 
 
 thus , 
 
 'Rapt into future times, the Mufe furvrys, 
 The rip'ning wonders of fucceeding days : 
 Sees Albion proftrate, all her fplendour gone ! 
 In ufelefs tears her priftine ftnte bemoan ; 
 Sees the fair tources of her pow'r and pride, 
 
 In purer channels roll their golden tide ; 
 
 Sees
 
 Sees her at once of wealth and honour fhorn, 
 No more the nations' envy, but their fcora ; 
 A fad example of capricious fate, 
 Portentous warning to the proud and great : 
 Sees Commerce quit her defolated ifle^ 
 And feek in other climes a kinder foil ; 
 Sees fair lerne rife from England's flame, 
 And build on Britifli ruin, Irilh fame. 
 
 Ifhe Poet in the above pafiage, is fup- 
 pofed to have had an eye to Juno's ad- 
 drefs to ^fiolus in the iirft book of the 
 
 Gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navlgat aequor 
 Ilium in Iialiam portans, Flflos qufi Penates* 
 
 R NUMBER
 
 [ 130 ] 
 
 NUMBER XII. 
 
 THOUGH we have at length nearly 
 exhaufted the beauties of that part 
 of our author's work, in which the cha- 
 radlers of the leading Members of the 
 Houfe of Commons are fo poetically and 
 forcibly delineated; we fhall find, how- 
 ever, that the genius of the poet feems to 
 receive frefli vigour, as he approaches the 
 period of his exertions, in the illuftrious 
 Mr. ROLLE. What can be more fublime 
 or pi&urefque than the following defcrip- 
 tion ? 
 
 Ereft in perfon, fee yon Knight advance, 
 
 With trufty 'Squire, who bears his fliield and lance; 
 
 The Quixote HOWARD ! Royal Windfor's pride, 
 
 And Sancho Panca POWNEY by his fide : 
 
 A monarch's champion, with indignant frown 
 
 And haughty mien, he cafts his gauntlet down ; 
 
 Majeftic fits, and hears, devoid of dread, 
 
 The dire Philippicks whizzing round his head. 
 
 Your vtnom'd fliafts, ye fons of Faction fpare ; 
 
 However keen, they cannot enter there. 
 
 And
 
 And how well do thefe lines, immediately 
 fucceeding, defcribe the manner of fpeak- 
 ing, which characterizes an orator of fuch 
 confiderable weight and authority. 
 
 He fpeaks, he fpeaks ! Sedition's chiefs around, 
 With unfeign'd terror hear the folemn found ; r 
 While Jittle POWNEY chears with livelier note, 
 And fliares his triumph in a filent vote. 
 
 Some have ignorantly objected to this as 
 an inftance of that figure for which a neigh- 
 bouring kingdom is fo generally celebrated, 
 vulgarly diftinguimed by the appellation of 
 a Bull-, erroneoufly conceiving a filent vote 
 to be incompatible with the vociferation 
 here alluded to: thofe, however, who have 
 attended parliamentary debates, will in- 
 form them, that numbers who moft loud- 
 ly exert themfelves, in what is called chew- 
 ing fpeakers, are not upon that account 
 entitled to be themfelves confidered as 
 fuch. Our author has indeed done in- 
 juftice to the worthy member in queftion, 
 by claffing him among the number of 
 mutes, he having uniformly taken a very ac- 
 tive part in all debates relating to the mi- 
 R 2 litia >
 
 litia j of which truly conftitutional body, 
 he is a moft refpedtable Pillar, and one of 
 the moil confpicuous ornaments. 
 
 It is unqueftionably the higheft praiie 
 we can beftow upon a member of the Brl- 
 tjfh Houfe of Commons, to fay, that he is 
 a faithful reprefentative of the people, and 
 upon all occafions fpeaks the real fentiments 
 of his conftituents; nor can an honeft am- 
 bition to attain the firfl dignities of the 
 ftate, by honourable means., be ever im- 
 puted to him as. a crime. The following 
 encomium, therefore, muft be acknow- 
 ledged to have been juitly merited by a, 
 noble Lord, whofe independent and dii- 
 interefted condi^cl: has drawn upon him the 
 cenfures pf difapppin^ed fa 
 
 The Npble CP^VERT, Berwick's honour'd choice, 
 That faithful echo of the people's vokp, 
 One day, to gain an Irifh title glad, 
 For Fox he vpted-t-fo the people bad ; 
 'Mongft Enlifh Lprds ambitious grown to lit, 
 day the people bade him vote for PITT : 
 To |oin the ftream, o\ir Patriot nothing loth, 
 By turns difcreetly gnvc !:i. vci t to both, 
 
 The
 
 [ '33 ] 
 
 The title of Noble Convert, which was 
 beflowed upon his Lordfhip by a Speaker 
 of the degraded Whig faction, is here moil 
 judicioufly adopted by our Author, imply-.- 
 ing thereby that this denomination, in- 
 tended, no doubt, to convey a fevere re- 
 proach, ought rather to be confidered as a 
 iubjed: of panegyric : this is turning the 
 artillery of the enemy againft themfelves 
 
 " Neque lex eft juftior ulla, &c." 
 
 In the next character introduced, fome 
 perfons may perhaps objecl: -to the feeming 
 impropriety of alluding to a bodily defeat; 
 efpecially one which has been the confe- 
 quence of a mofj: cruel accident $ but when 
 it is considered, that the mention of the 
 perfonal imperfection is made the vehicle 
 of an elegant compliment to the fuperior 
 qualifications of the mind, this objection, 
 though founded in liberality, will naturally 
 fall to the ground. 
 
 ?Q'/ 3rf Xol! lo'f 
 
 The circumflance of one, of the Repre- 
 ftntatives of the firft city in the world 
 having Ipft his leg, while bathing in the 
 
 fea,
 
 [ '34 ] 
 
 &a, by the bite of a (hark, is well known ; 
 nor can the dexterity with which he avails 
 himfelf of the ufe of an artificial one, have 
 efcaped the obfervation of thofe who have 
 feen him in the Houfe of Commons, any 
 more than the remarkable humility with 
 which he is accuflomed to introduce his 
 very pointed and important obfervations 
 upon the matters in deliberation before 
 that auguft afTembly. 
 
 ' One moment's time might I prefume to beg ?" 
 Cries modeft WATSON, on his wooden leg ; 
 That leg, in which fuch wond'rous art is (hown, 
 It ahnoft feenis to ferve him like his own ; 
 Oh ! had the monfter, who for breakfaft eat 
 That lucklefs limb, his nobler noddle met, 
 The beft of workmen, nor the beft of wood, 
 Had fcarce fupply'd him with a head fo good. 
 
 To have afferted that neither the utmoft 
 extent of human fkill, nor the greateft 
 perfection in the materials, could have 
 been equal to an undertaking fo arduous, 
 would have been a fpecies of adulation fo 
 fulfome, as to have mocked the known 
 modefty of the worthy magiftrate j but the 
 
 forcible
 
 forcible manner in which the difficulty of 
 fupplying fo capital a lofs is expreiled, con- 
 veys, with the utmoft delicacy, a hand- 
 fome, and, it muft be confefled, a moft 
 juftly merited compliment to the Alder- 
 man's abilities. 
 
 The imitation of celebrated writers is 
 recommended by Longinus, and has, as 
 our readers muft have frequently obferved, 
 been pra&ifed with great fuccefs, by our 
 author ; yet we cannot help thinking that 
 he has pufhed the precept of this great 
 critic fomewhat too far, in having conde- 
 fcended to copy, may we venture to fay 
 with too much fervility, a genius fo much 
 inferior to himfelf as Mr. Pope. We allude 
 to the following lines : 
 
 Can I, NEWHAVEN, FERGUSON forget, 
 
 While Roman fpirit charms, or Scottifli wit ? 
 
 MACDONALD, ihining a refulgent ftar, 
 
 To light alike the fenate and the bar ; 
 
 And HARLEY, conftant to fupport the Throne, 
 
 Great follower of ik interefts, and his own. 
 
 The fubflitution of Scottifo for Attic, in 
 the fecond line, is unqueflionably an im- 
 prove-
 
 t Irf } 
 
 provement, fince however Attic wit may 
 have been proverbial in ancient times, the 1 
 natives of Scotland are fo confefTedly dif- 
 tinguimed among modern nations for this 
 quality, that the alteration certainly adds 
 confiderable force to the compliment. 
 But however happily and juftly the cha- 
 racters are here defcribed, we cannot think 
 this merit fufficient to counterbalance the 
 objection we have prefumed to fuggeft, 
 and which is principally founded upon the 
 extreme veneration and high refpeft we 
 entertain for the genius of our author. 
 
 Mr. Addifon has obferved, that Virgil 
 falls infinitely fhort of Homer in the cha- 
 radlers of his Epic Poem, both as to their 
 variety and novelty, but he could not with 
 juftice have faid the fame of the author of 
 the ROLLIAD; and we will venture to af- 
 fert, that the finglebook of this Poem, now 
 under our consideration, is, in this refpe<5t, 
 fuperior to the whole, both of the Iliad 
 and the ^Eneid together. The characters 
 fucceed each other with a rapidity that 
 
 icarcely
 
 - 
 
 [ .'57 ] 
 
 fcarcely allows the reader time to admire 
 and feel their feveral beauties. 
 
 GALWAY and GIDEON, in themielves a hoft, 
 Of York and Coventry the fplendid boaft ; 
 WHITBREAD and ONGLEY, pride of Bedford's vale* 
 This fam'd for felling, that for faving ale ; 
 And NANCY I^OULETT, as the morning fair, 
 Bright as the fun, but common as the air ; 
 Inconftant nymph ! who ftill with open arms, 
 To ev'ry Minifter devotes her charms4 
 
 But when the Poet comes to describe the 
 character of the hero of his work, the pre- 
 fent Member for the county of Devon, 
 whom MERLIN points out to his illuftrious 
 anceftor, as uniting in himfelf all the vari- 
 ous merits of the worthies whofe excellen- 
 cies he has recorded, he feems to rife even 
 above himfelf. It is impoffible to do 
 juflice to his character, without tranfcrib- 
 ing the whole, which would exceed the 
 limits of our work ; we mall therefore only 
 give to our readers the concluding lines, 
 becaufe they contain charadleriftic obferva- 
 tions upon other diftinguifhed Members, 
 S moil
 
 t '38 ] 
 
 moil of whom have hitherto pafled un- 
 noticed. 
 
 In thee, my fon, (hall ev'ry virtue meet, 
 To form both fenator and man complete ; 
 A mind like WRAY'S, with (lores of fancy fraught, 
 The wife Sir WATKIN'S vaft extent of thought ; 
 Old Nu GENT'S ftyle, fublime, yet ne'er obfcure, 
 With B AMBER'S Grammar, as his confcience pure ; 
 BRETT'S brilliant fallies, MARTIN'S fterling fenfe, 
 And GILBERT'S wit, that never gave offence : 
 Like WILICES, a zealot in his Sovereign's caufe, 
 Learn'd as MACDONALD in his country's laws ; 
 Acute as AUBREY, as Sir LLOYD polite, 
 As EASTWICKE lively, and as AMBLER bright. 
 
 The juftice of * the compliment to SIR 
 CECIL WRAY, will not be difputed by 
 
 thofe 
 
 * The character i ft ic. of Fancy, which our Poet has 
 attributed to Sir Cecil, muft not be mifunderftood. It 
 is a Fancy of the chafhzcd kind ; diftinguilhed for that 
 elegant fimplicity, which the French call naivete, and the 
 Greeks apiXna. We ftiall infert here two or three of the 
 fliorter fpecimens. - 
 
 ToCjE.LlA t (nvw Lo</y WRAY) en feeing her tie 8/6 <f 
 Auguft) 1776, fxnvefaing her Hair. 
 
 EXTEMPO-RE. 
 Thy locks, I trow, fair maid, 
 
 Don't never want this aid : 
 
 Wherefore
 
 thofe who have been fortunate enough to 
 have met with the beautiful fpecimens of 
 juvenile poetry, with which fome of his 
 friends have lately indulged the public. 
 
 Johannes Scriblerus, a lineal defcendant 
 of the learned and celebrated Martinus, 
 reads " Starling Martin's fenfe," alluding 
 to that powerful opponent of the deteftable 
 Coalition having recommended, that a bird 
 
 Wherefore thy powder fpare, 
 And only comb thy hair. 
 
 fo SIR JOSEPH MAWBEY, propofing, in confequence of a pre* 
 vioui Engagement^ a Party to go a f/hingfor 
 
 XVorthy SIR JOE, we all are wifhing, 
 You'll come with us a White-Bait fiftiing. 
 
 A Thought on NEW MlLK fome Time toward the Spring of 
 the Tear 1773. 
 
 Oh ! how charming is New Milk \ 
 Sweet as fugar ! fmooth as filk ! 
 
 An IDEA on a PECK of COAJUS. 
 
 I buy my Coals by peck, that we 
 May have 'm frejb and frejb^ d'ye fee. 
 
 S2, Of
 
 I 140 ] 
 
 of that fpecies mould be placed on the 
 right of the Speaker's chair, after having 
 been taught to repeat the word Coalition, 
 in order to remind the houfe of that dif- 
 graceful event, which had nearly eftablifh- 
 ed an efficient and ftrong government in 
 this country : to which fevcre and admir- 
 able ftroke of fatire, the objedl of it 
 clumfily and uncivilly anfwered, that whilft 
 that gentleman fat in the houfe, he be- 
 lieved the Starling might be allowed to 
 perform his office by deputy. We have, 
 however, ventured to differ from this 
 great authority, and mall continue to read, 
 " Martin's Sterling fenfe," as well be- 
 caufe we are of opinion that thefe words 
 are peculiarly applicable to the gentleman 
 alluded to, as that it does not appear pro- 
 bble our author mould have been willing 
 to make his poem the. vehicle of an inde- 
 cent farcafm, upon a perfon of fuch emi- 
 nent abilities. 
 
 compliment to Mr. B. G. in the 
 comparifon of the purity of his language, 
 to the integrity of his conduct, is happily 
 
 con-
 
 conceived ; but that to the ingenious Mr. 
 Gilbert, the worthy Chairman of the Com- 
 mittee of Supply, is above all praife, and 
 will, we are prefuaded, notwithftanding 
 the violence of party, by all fides be admit* 
 ted to be flridly juft. 
 
 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER XIII. 
 
 AFTER concluding the review of the 
 Minifterialifts with the young Mar- 
 cellus of the Poem, the illuftrious Mr. 
 ROLLE; our author directs the attention 
 of DUKE ROLLO to the Oppofition-bench, 
 He notices the cautious filence of MERLIN 
 relative to that fide of the Houfe, and 
 rather inquifitively afks the reafon ; on 
 which the Philofopher (a little unphilofo- 
 phically, we muft confefs) throws himfelf 
 into a violent paflion, and for a long time 
 is wholly incapable of articulating a fylla- 
 ble. This is a common fituation in poets 
 both ancient and modern, as in Virgil and 
 Milton ; 
 
 Tcr ronata loqui, &c. 
 
 Thrice he effay'd, and thrice in fpite of fcorn 
 
 Tears, fuch as angels weep, burft forth, &r. 
 
 but we will venture to aflert, that it was 
 never painted in a manner half fo lively, 
 as by the author of the ROLLIAD. 
 
 Thrice
 
 C i+3 ] 
 
 Thrice he eflay'd, but thrice in vain eflay'd t 
 His tongue, throat, teeth, and lips, refus'd their aid : 
 Till now the flifled breath a paflage broke ; 
 He gafp'd, he gap'd but not a word he fpoke. 
 
 How accurately, and learnedly has the 
 poet enumerated all the organs of fpeech, 
 which feparately and jointly refufe to exe- 
 cute their refpective offices ! How fuperior 
 is this to the fimpling cleaving of the tongue 
 to the palate, the Vox faucibus hajit of 
 Virgil, For as Quintilian obferves, a de- 
 tail of particulars is infinitely better than 
 any general expreffion, however flrong. 
 Then the poor Prophet obtains a little re- 
 mifHon of his paroxyfm ; he begins to 
 breathe convulfively be gaffed-, he opens 
 his mouth to its utmoft extent be gaped; 
 our expectations are raifed, and alas ! he 
 flill continues unable to utter not a 'word 
 he fpoke. Surely nothing, can be more 
 natural in point of truth, than all the cir- 
 cumftances of this inimitable defcription : 
 nothing more artful in point of effect, than 
 the fufpence and attention which it begets 
 in the mind of the reader ! 
 
 At
 
 t 144 3 
 
 At. length, however, MERLIN recovers 
 his voice - t and breaks out into a ftrain of 
 mofl animated invective, infinitely fuperior 
 to every thing of the kind in Homer ; 
 though the old Grecian mufl be acknow- 
 ledged not to want fpirit in the altercations 
 or fcolding-matches of his Heroes and 
 Gods. The Prophet begins, as a man in 
 any great emotion always muft, at the mid- 
 dle of a verfe ; 
 
 -Tatterdemalions, 
 
 Scald miferables, Rafcals, and Rafcalions, 
 Buffoons, Dependants, Parafites, Toad-eaters, 
 Knaves, Sharpers, Black-legs,Palmers, Coggers, Cheaters, 
 Scrubs, Vagrants, Beggars, Mumpers, Ragamuffins, 
 Rogues, Villains, Bravos, Defperados, Ruffians, 
 Thieves, Robbers, Cut-throats, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 And in this manner he proceeds, with 
 fingle appellatives of reproach, for ten or 
 twelve lines further ; when, his virtuous 
 indignation a little fubfiding, or his Dic- 
 tionary failing, he becomes more circum- 
 locutory ; as for inftance, 
 
 Burglarious Scoundrels, that again would fteal 
 The PREMIER'S Plate, and CHANCELLOR'S Great Seal ; 
 
 Of
 
 Of public Murderers, Patrons, and Allied, 
 Hirelings of France, their country's enemies, &c. 
 
 which ftyle he continues for more than 
 twenty lines. 
 
 We are truly forry, that the boundaries 
 of our plan would not allow us to prefent 
 our readers with the whole of this finished 
 paflage in detail ; as it furnifhes an indif- 
 putable proof, that, however the Greek 
 language may have been celebrated for its 
 copioufnefs, it muft yield in that refpecl: to 
 the Englifh. For if we were to colled; all 
 the terms of infamy bandied about*, from 
 ./Efchines to Demoflhenes, and from De- 
 mofrhenes back again to ./Efchines ; and if 
 to thefe we fbauld add in Latin the whole 
 torrent of calumny poured by Cicero on 
 Anton y and Pifo ; though the ancient ora- 
 tors were tolerably fluent in this kind of 
 eloquence, they would, all together, be 
 found to fall veryfhort of our poet, ihackled 
 as he is with rhyme, in the force no lefs 
 than the variety of his objurgatory epithets. 
 
 * More particularly in their two famous orations, which 
 are entitled " Qn the Crown." 
 
 T At
 
 L '46 ] 
 
 At the fame time it muft not be concealed, 
 that he pofiefled one very confiderable ad- 
 vantage in the rich repofitories of .our mi- 
 niilerial news-papers. He has culled the 
 flowers, fkimmed the cream, and extract - 
 ed the very quinteflence of thofe elegant 
 productions with equal induftry and fuccefs. 
 Indeed, fuch of our readers as are conver- 
 fant with the Morning Poft and Public 
 Advertifer, the White- Hall, the St. 
 James's, and in ihort, the greater part of 
 the evening prints, will immediately dif- 
 cover the paflage now before us to be 
 little more than a cento. It is however 
 fuch a cento as indicates the man of ge- 
 nius, whom puny fcribblers may in vain 
 endeavour to imitate the NEW ROLLIADS. 
 
 It is poflible, MERLIN might even have 
 gone on much longer : but he is interrupt- 
 ed by one of thofe difturbances which 
 frequently prevail in the Houfe of Com- 
 mons. The confufion is finely defcribed 
 in the following broken couplet : 
 
 Spoke! fpoke ! Sir Mr. Speaker O.der there! 
 I rife fpoke ! Queftion ! Queftion ! Chair ! Chair ! 
 Chair! 
 
 This
 
 [ H7 
 
 This incident is highly natural, and in- 
 troduced with the greateft judgment, as it 
 gives another opportunity of exhibiting 
 Mr. ROLLE, and in a fituation, where he 
 always appears with confpicuous pre-emi- 
 nence. 
 
 Great ROLLO look'd, amaz'd * nor without fears, 
 His hands applied by inftinft to his ears : 
 He look'd, and lo ! amid the wild acclaim 
 Difcern'd the future glory of his name ; 
 O'er this new Eabel of the noify croud, 
 More fierce, than all, more turbulent, more loud, 
 Him yet he heard, with thund'ring voice contend, 
 " Him firft, him laft, him midft, him without end.'* 
 
 This concluding line our author has conde- 
 fcended to borrow from Milton ; but how 
 appolite and forcible is the application ! 
 How emphatically does it exprefs the noble 
 perfeverance with which the Member for 
 Devonshire has been known to perfift on 
 thefe occafions, in oppofition to the Speaker 
 himfelf. 
 
 ROLLO, however, is at length wearied, 
 
 as the greateft admirers of Mr. ROLLE 
 
 T 2 have
 
 [ 148 ] 
 
 have Ibmctimes been, with the triumphs 
 of his illuftrious defcendant. 
 
 But ROLLO, as he clos'd his ears before, 
 Now tired, averts his eyes, to fee no more. 
 Obfervant MERLIN, while he turn'd his head, 
 The lantern fhifted, and the vifion fled. 
 
 To understand this laft line, our reader 
 muft recollect, that though the characters 
 introduced in this vifion are preternaturally 
 endowed with feeming powers of fpeech, 
 yet the forms or madows of them are fhewn 
 by means of a magic lantern. 
 
 Having now concluded our obfervations 
 upon this part of the Poem we mall dole 
 them with remarking, that as our author 
 evidently borrowed the idea of this vifion, 
 in which the character of future times are 
 defcribed, from Virgil, he has farfurpafTed 
 his original ; and as his defcription of the 
 prefcnt Houfe of Commons, may not im- 
 probably have called to his mind the Pan- 
 demonium of Milton, we do not fcruple 
 to afTert, that in the execution of his de- 
 fign, that great mailer of the fublime has 
 fallen infinitely fhort of him. 
 
 NUMBER
 
 NUMBER XIV. 
 
 OUR readers may pofftbly think, that 
 verfes enough have been already de- 
 voted to the celebration of Mr. ROLLE ; 
 the Poet however is not of the fame opi- 
 nion. To crown the whole, he now pro- 
 ceeds to Commemorate the column which 
 is fhortly to be erected on the fpot, where 
 the Member for Devonshire formerly went 
 to fchool, application having been made to 
 Parliament for leave to remove the fchool 
 from its prefent lituation ; and a motion 
 being intended to follow, for appropriating 
 a fum of money to mark the fcene and re- 
 cord the fact of Mr. ROLLE'S education, 
 for the fatisfaction of pofterity, who might 
 otherwife have been left in a ftate of un- 
 certainty, whether this great man had any 
 education at all. 
 
 MERLIN firfl fliews ROLLO the fchool. 
 The tranfition to this object from the pre- 
 fent
 
 [ '50 ] 
 
 fent Houfe of Commons is eafy and obvi- 
 ous. Indeed, the ftriking fimilarity be- 
 tween the two viiions is obfcrved by 
 ROLLO in the following paflhge : 
 
 The Hero fees, thick-fwarming round the place, 
 
 In bloom of early youth, a bufy race ; 
 
 Profria qu<f marilus, wfth barbarous found, 
 
 Syntax and frofody his ear confound. 
 
 * And fay (he cries) Interpreter of fate, 
 
 M Oh ! fay, is this fome jargon of debate ? 
 
 *' What means the din, and what the fcene, proclaim r 
 
 Is this another vilion, or the fame ? 
 
 " For truft me, Prophet, to my ears, my eyes, 
 
 " A fecond Houfe of Commons feems to rife." 
 
 MERLIN however rectifies the miitake of 
 the good Duke : and points out to him his 
 great defcendant, in the fhape of a lubber- 
 ly boy, as remarkably mute on this occa- 
 fion, as we lately found him in the Houfe, 
 
 More fierce than all, more turbulent, more loud. 
 
 The flagellation of Mr. ROLLE fucceeds, 
 which, as MERLIN informs ROLLO, is his 
 daily difcipline. The fight of the rod, 
 which the Piedagogue flourishes with a de- 
 gree of favage triumph over the expofed, 
 
 and
 
 and bleeding youth, awakens all the feel- 
 ings of the anceftor. 
 
 Stay, monfter, flay ! he cries in hafty mood, 
 Throw that dire weapon down- behold my blood ! 
 
 We quote this couplet the rather, becaufe 
 it prqves our author to be as good a Critic 
 as a Poet. For the laft line is undoubted- 
 ly a new reading of Virgil's, 
 
 Projice tela manu, Sanguis meus ! 
 
 And how much more fpirited is this inter- 
 pretation, 
 
 behold my blood ! 
 
 than the commonly received conflruclion 
 of the Latin words, by which they are 
 made to lignify fimply, " O my fon !" and 
 that too, with the affiftance of a poetical 
 licence. There is not a better emendation 
 in all the Virgilius Reftauratus of the learn- 
 ed Martinus Scriblerus. 
 
 On the exclamation of ROLLO, which 
 we hctve jufl quoted, the Prophet perceiv- 
 ing that he has moved his illuflrious 
 
 vifitor
 
 vifitor a little too far, adminifters every 
 confolation, 
 
 " Thy care difmifs (the Seer replied, and liml'd) 
 Tho* rods awhile may weal the facred child, 
 " In vain ten thoufand * BUSBIES (bould employ 
 " Their pedant arts his genius to deftroy ; 
 ' In vain at either end thy ROLLE aflail, 
 " To learning proof alike at head and tail." 
 
 Accordingly this aflurance has its proper 
 effect in cal: Ing the mind of the Duke. 
 
 But the great topic of comfort, or we 
 fhould rather fay of exultation to him, is 
 the prophecy of the column, with which 
 MERLIN concludes his fpeech : 
 
 Where now he fuffers, on this hallow'd land, 
 
 A Column, public Monument, (hall ftand : 
 
 And many a Bard around the fculptur'd baf<*, 
 
 In many a language his renown (hall trace ; 
 
 In French, Italian, Latin, and in Greek : 
 
 That all, whofe curious fearch this fpot flull feek, 
 
 May read, and reading tell at home, return 'd ; 
 
 How much great ROLLE was flogg'd, how little learn 'd. 
 
 * Dr. Bufby, formerly mafter of \Veftminfter fchool, 
 was famous for his confumption of birch. MERLIN iifes 
 his name here by the fpirit of prophecy. 
 
 What
 
 [ '53 3 
 
 What a noble, and what a jufl character of 
 the great ROLLE is contained in the lafl 
 line ! A mind tinctured with modern pre- 
 judices may be at a lofs to difcover the 
 compliment. But our author is a man of 
 erudition, and draws his ideas from ancient 
 learning, even where he employs that learn- 
 ing, like * Erafmus and the admirable 
 Creichton, in praife of ignorance. Our 
 clailical readers therefore will fee in this 
 portrait of Mr. ROLLE, the living refem- 
 blance of the ancient Spartans ; a people 
 the pride of Greece, and admiration of the 
 world, who are peculiarly diftinguimed in 
 -hiflory for their fyftematic contempt of the 
 fine arts, and the patience with which they 
 taught their children to bear floggings. 
 
 The School now vanifhes, and the Co- 
 lumn rifes, properly adorned with the in- 
 fcriptions, which the philofopher explains. 
 But as we have been favoured with correct 
 copies of the inscriptions themfelves, which 
 were felecled from a much greater number 
 
 * Erafmus wrote an Encomium of Folly, with abundant 
 wit and learning. For Creichton fee the Adventurer. 
 
 U compofed
 
 [ '54 3 
 
 compofed by our univerfities, we mall here 
 defert our Poet, and prefent the public 
 with the originals. 
 
 The two firft are in Greek; and, agree- 
 ably to the ufualftyle of Greek infcriptions, 
 relate the plain fa& in fhort and limple, 
 but elegant and forcible phrafeology. 
 
 rigwl* AEBfiNIZEIN wif**6 *rK r1 PfiAAOi. 
 
 The word AfCvi^v is not to be found in 
 our Lexicons ; but we prefume, that it 
 means " to fpeak the dialedl: of Devon- 
 fhire;" from A^wna, which is Greek for 
 Devonmire. Accordingly, we have fo 
 rendered it in a tranflation, which we have 
 attempted for the benefit of country gen- 
 tlemen and the ladies. 
 
 The Senate's wonder, ROLLE * of mighty tongue, 
 Here firft his Devonfliire unlearn 'd, when young. 
 
 How fimple, yet how full is the exprefiion 
 of this diftich ! How perfectly does it agree 
 with the notion, which our Poet has in- 
 
 * The literal Englifli is vehement mouth cf oratory " 
 
 culcated,
 
 [ '55 ] 
 
 .culcated, of Mr. ROLLF. ! He was em- 
 ployed at fchool not to learn but to un- 
 learn ; his whole progrefs, was, like a 
 crab's, backward. 
 
 There is a beauty in the Greek which 
 it is impoffible to preferve in English ; the 
 v/ord which we havetranflated" unlearned" 
 is in the imperfect tenfe : and, in the nicety 
 of that accurate language implies, that the 
 action was begun, but not completed ; 
 that Mr. ROLLE made fome proficiency in 
 unlearning his Devonshire; but had not 
 effectually accomplifhed it during his ftay 
 at the fchool. 
 
 The other Greek infcription has fome- 
 thing more ingenious, from a feeming 
 paradox in the turn of it : 
 
 OJioj o pjTrolf <7 T* //,a0w -argoj pjltj/of, ti^s 
 
 nK oji PilAAIAAHl", oaaaTTfg oft', i^0K. 
 
 He, who to learning nothing owes, 
 
 Here ROLLE, a boy, learn'd all he knows. 
 
 By which concluding word " knows" we 
 
 muft certainly underftand acquired know- 
 
 U 2 ledge
 
 [ '56 ] 
 
 ledge only; fince Mr. ROLLE has been 
 celebrated by our Poet in the moft un- 
 equivocal manner, as may be feen in the 
 twelfth number of our Criticifms, for his 
 great natural faculties. The fenfe of this 
 laft Epigram will then be merely, that the 
 Member for Devonshire had no particle of 
 acquired knowledge ; but is an uWJx7o?, 
 a felf-taugbt fcholar, a character ib much 
 admired in ancient times. The Latin in- 
 fcription is as follows : 
 
 Hie ferula, dextram, hie, virgis cacdenda magiflri, 
 
 Nuda dedit paticns tergora ROLLIADES. 
 At non ROLLIADEN domuerunt verbera ; non, qxiae 
 
 Nefcio quid gravius praemonuere, minre. 
 Ah ! quoties ilium acqualis mirata corona eft 
 
 Nee lacrymam in pienis rumpere, nee geminim I 
 Ah ! quoties, cum fupplicio jam incumberet, ip(i 
 
 *ORBILLO cecidit vifta labore man us ! 
 I, puer ; I, forti tolerando peftore plagas, 
 
 ^Emula ROLLIAD>E nomina difce fcqui. 
 
 Here to the ferule ROLLE his hand refign'd, 
 Here to the rod he bar'd the pits behind ; 
 
 * A great flogger of antiquity, 
 
 Memini qua plagofum mihi parvo 
 Orbillum diaare. HOR.
 
 [ '57 ] 
 
 But him no ftripes fubdu'd, and him no fear 
 
 Of menac'd wrath in future more fevere. 
 
 How oft the youthful circle wond'ring faw 
 
 That pain from him nor tear, nor groan could draw ! 
 
 How oft, when flill unmov'd, he long'd to jerk, 
 
 The matter's wearied hand forfook the work ! 
 
 Go, boy ; and fcorning rods, or ferules, aim 
 
 By equal worth to rival ROLLE in fame. 
 
 The beauty of thefe lines, we prefume, is 
 too obVious to require any comment. We 
 will confidently affirm, that they record as 
 glorious an example of patience as any to 
 be found in all the Hiftory of the Flagel- 
 lants, though the ingenious M. De Lolme 
 has extended the fubjed into a handfome 
 Quarto. 
 
 The Italian infcription is a kind of ihort 
 dialogue, in which the traveller is intro- 
 duced, demanding the name of the perfon 
 to whom the pillar is erected. 
 
 A chi fi fla quefta colonna ? Al ROLLL; ; 
 Che di parlar apprefe in quefto loco 
 Greco e Latino no, ma Inglefe un poco. 
 Bafta cosj. Chi non fa il refto, e folle. 
 
 This
 
 [ 158 ] 
 
 This abrupt co'ncluiion we think very fine. 
 It has however been ccnfured as equivocal. 
 Some critics have urged, that the lame turn 
 Ha's, in fadt, been applied equally to men 
 greatly famous and r?atly infamous : to 
 Johannes Mirandula, and Colonel Chartres ; 
 and in the prefcnt cafe, fay thefe cavillers, 
 it may be conflrued to fignify either that 
 the reft is too well known to require re- 
 petition, or that there is nothing more to 
 be known. But the great character of Mr. 
 ROLLE will at once remove all ambiguity. 
 
 The French infcription was furniihed by 
 Mr. ROLLE himfelf on the day of his 
 election . The idea was firft exprelTed by 
 him in Engliih, and then done into French 
 verfe by the * Dutch Dancing-mafter at 
 Exeter, to whom Mr. ROLLE is indebted 
 
 for 
 
 * Mynheer I lopping en Van Capcragen, who foon after 
 the publication of otjr firil authentic Edition, fent the fol- 
 lowing letter to Mr. Ridgvvay : 
 
 !) ' xv.vr , ct i S A-jril, 1785. 
 
 " Je fuis fort etonnc, Monfieur, quc voas ayez cu la 
 hardieile d'aumcttre dans " La Critique ac Li A 1 .'///<j,iV," 
 une accufation contre moi qui n'eft nullement fondee, et 
 qui tend a me nuirc dans 1'efprit dc tous les areateurs de 
 
 beaux
 
 [ '59 1 
 
 for his extraordinary proficiency in that 
 fcience. 
 
 Ne pouvoir point parler a mon chien je reproche ; 
 Moi, j'acquis en ces lieux le don de la pajois : 
 Je vais done, & bien vite, a Londres par le coche, 
 Faire entendre aa Senat, queje fuis un vrai RO.LLE. 
 
 The par le coche feems to be an addition of 
 the Dancing-mafter, who was certainly no 
 very great poet, as appears by his ufe of 
 feminine rhymes only, without any mix- 
 ture of mafculine ; an irregularity perfe&ly 
 inadmiffible, as all our polke readers mull 
 know, in the nicety of French profody. 
 
 beaux arts. Sachez, Monfieur, que je me fuis donne la 
 peine de traduire mot a mot la celebre infcriptipn, de mou 
 digne eleve et protedleur, Mr. Rolle ; que je n'y ai ricn 
 ajoute, et que dans le vers ou il eft queition du coche, votre 
 Critique n'auroit du voir qu'une preuve de Peconomie ds 
 mon fufdit Mecene. Quant aux rimes feminines ,que 1'au- 
 teur me reproche avec tant d'aigr^ur, je vous dirai qu'il 
 n'y a rien de male dans Pefprit de Mr. Rolle, et que j'aurois 
 blefle fa delicatcfie en m'y prenant autrement ; d'ailleurs 
 je me moque des ufages, et je ne veux pas que mes vers fau- 
 tent a clochepied, comme ceux des postes Francois, qui 
 n'entendent rien a la dance. Je ne doute pas que vous 
 approuviez mon fentiment la deffus, et que vous me faf- 
 iiez rendre juftice fur 1'objet de ma plainte : en attendant, 
 je vous prie de croire que je fuis, avec le plus vif attaciie- 
 mcnt, 
 
 Monfisur, votre tres obeifTant ferviteur, 
 
 HOPPINGEN VA>- CATERACEN." 
 
 We
 
 We fhall fubjoin for the entertainment of 
 our readers an infcription in the parifh 
 fchool at Rouen, which was written about 
 a century fince on the original ROLLO. 
 
 Ici ROLLON, fefle foir & matin, 
 Beaucoup fouffrit, point n'apprit de Latin. 
 
 Aux ficrs combats bien mieux joua fon role : 
 
 Tuer des gens lui parut chofe drole. 
 
 JPemme epoufa, plus douce que fatin, 
 Et, par bonheur, deja veuve & catin ; 
 
 D'elle recut un fils & la v le. 
 
 Ainfi, Lefteur, naquit le premier ROLLE ! 
 
 But to -return to our author. After the 
 vifion of the column, MERLIN proceeds 
 in a fhort fpeech to intimate to ROLLO, 
 that higher honours may yet await his de- 
 fcendant in the Houfe of Lords, 
 
 Where ROLLE may be, what ROLLO was before. 
 
 This, as may be naturally fuppofed, ex- 
 cites the curiofity of the Duke ; but MER- 
 LIN declares, that it is not permitted him 
 to reveal the glories of the Upper Houfe. 
 The hero muft firft fulfil his fates, by 
 mortally wounding the Saxon Drummer, 
 whom Providence fhall infpire in his laft 
 moments for this particular purpofe. 
 
 Err
 
 t 16. ] 
 
 Ere yet thou know, what higher honours wait 
 Thy future race, accomplifh thou thy fate. 
 When now the braveft of our Saxon train 
 Beneath thy conquering arms lhall prefs the plain ; 
 What yet remains, his voice divine in death 
 Shall tell, and Heav'n for this fhall lengthen out hia 
 breath. 
 
 Which laft line is mo# happily lengthened 
 out into an alexandrine, to make the found 
 an echo to the fenfe. The paufe too after 
 the words " fhall tell," finely marks the 
 fudden catches and fpafmodic efforts of a 
 dying man. Some extracts from the Drum- 
 mer's prophecies have already been given 
 to the public ; and from thefe fpecimens 
 of his loquacity with a thruft in quarte 
 through his lungs, our readers will proba- 
 bly fee the propriety with which the im- 
 mediate hand bf Heaven is here introduced. 
 The mofl rigid critic will not deny that 
 here is truly the 
 
 Dignus vindice nodus, 
 
 which Horace requires to juflify the inter- 
 polition of a Divinity. 
 
 X We
 
 [ ,6* ] 
 
 We are now come to the concluding 
 lines of the fixt.h book. Our readers are 
 probably acquainted with the commonly- 
 received fuperflition relative to the exit of 
 Magicians, that they are carried away by 
 Devils. The poet has made exquifite ufe 
 of this popular belief, though he could not 
 help returning in the laft line to his favourite 
 Virgil. Clamcal obfervers will immediate- 
 ly perceive the alluiion to 
 
 t Revocare gradum, fuperafque evadcre ad auras 
 
 Hie labor, hoc opus eft ; 
 
 in the defcription of HOLLO'S re-afcent 
 from the night-cellar into the open air. 
 
 The Prophet forefeeing his inftant end, 
 
 " At once, farevvel," he faid. But, as he faid, 
 Like mortal bailiffs to the fight array 'd, 
 Two fiends advancing feiz'd, and bore away 
 To their dark dens the much-refifting prey : 
 While ROLLO nimbly clamber'd in a fright, 
 Tho' fteep, and difficult the way, to light. 
 
 And thus ends the fixth book of the ROL- 
 LIAD, which we have chofen for the fub- 
 jedt of the FIRST PART of our CRITI- 
 CISMS.
 
 CISMS. In the fecond part, which is now 
 going on in the Morn ing- Herald, where 
 the firfl draughts of the prefent numbers 
 were originally published, we mall purfue 
 our Commentary through the Houfe of 
 Peers ; -and in a third part, for wnich we 
 are now preparing and arranging materials, 
 it is our intention to prefent our readers 
 with a feries of anecdotes from the politi- 
 cal hiftory of our miniftry, which our au- 
 thor has artfully contrived to interweave 
 in his inimitable poem. 
 
 And here, while we are doling this firil 
 Part, we cannot but congratulate ourfelves, 
 that we have been the humble inflruments 
 of firft calling the attention of the learned 
 to this wonderful effort of modern genius, 
 the fame of which has already exceeded 
 the limits of this ifland, and perhaps may 
 not be circumfcribed by the prefent age ; 
 which, we have the beft reafon to believe, 
 will very fhortly diffufe the glory of our 
 prefent Rulers in many and diftant, quarters 
 of the globe ; and which may not im- 
 probably defcend to exhibit them in their 
 true colours to remote pofterity. That we 
 
 indeed
 
 t >4 ] 
 
 indeed imagine our Criticifms to have con- 
 tributed very much to this great popularity 
 of the ROLLIAD, we will not attempt to 
 conceal. And this perfuafion (hall animate 
 us to continue our endeavours with re- 
 doubled application, that we may complete, 
 as early as poflible, the defign, which we 
 have fome time fmce formed to ourfelves, 
 and which we have now fubmitted to the 
 Public ; happy, if that which is yet to 
 come, be received with the fame degree of 
 favour as this, which is now finished, fo 
 peculiarly experienced even in its mofl im- 
 perfedl condition. 
 
 FINIS.
 
 CRITICISMS 
 
 OK 
 
 THE ROLLIAD, 
 
 PART THE SECOND. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. RIDGWAY, NO. I, YORK-STREET, ST. 
 JAMEs's-SqUARE. 
 
 1790.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 R IDG WAT has to apologize to the Public 
 for the long delay that has attended ike SECOND 
 PART OF THE CRITICISMS ON THE ROL- 
 LIAD : but as it originated in his anxiety to 
 render the publication as correct as pojjible, and 
 in his being totally deprived of the ajfijlance of 
 the gentleman who fo kindly Superintended the 
 arrangement of the FIRST PART he trufls 
 that he ./hall in fome meafure Jland excufed. 
 He is at length, however, enabled, by the in- 
 dulgence of the authors, not only to give a 
 CORRECT EDITION of fuch numbers as have 
 already appeared in the public prints, but to 
 add to them two numbers entirely new. He 
 has alfo been favoured with the FIVE POLI- 
 TICAL ECLOGUES, which are printed imme- 
 diately after the ROLL IAD two of which are alfo 
 entirely new, and the others materially altered. 
 It may bejuft neceffary to fay, that the ECLOGUES 
 were written fome timeji/ice, and intended as a 
 
 diftinft
 
 iv ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 diflincJ publication ; butfome circurnftances hav- 
 ing prevented this, they are now offered to the 
 public as no improper APPENDIX to the political 
 JEUX D'ESPRITS of the fame authors; which, 
 by the prefent edition of the ROLL IAD, with the 
 addition of the PROBATIONARY ODES and PO- 
 LITICAL MISCELLANIES, may now be confider- 
 ed as being COMPLETELY COLLECTED.
 
 CRITICISMS 
 
 O N 
 
 THE ROLLIAD. 
 
 PART THE SECOND. 
 
 N*. I. 
 
 WE have now followed our admirable 
 author thro' the Sixth Book of his 
 poem ; very much to our own edification, 
 and, \ve flatter ourfelves, no lefs to the 
 fatisfaclion of our readers. We have (hewn 
 the art with which he has introduced a de- 
 fcription of the leading characters of our 
 prefent Houfe of Commons, by a contrivance 
 fomething fimilar indeed to that employed 
 by Virgil ; but at the fame time fufficiently 
 unlike to fubftantiate his own claim to ori- 
 ginality. And furely every candid critic 
 will admit, that had he fatisned himfelf 
 B with
 
 with the fame device, in order to panegyrize 
 his favourites in the other Houfe, he would 
 have been perfectly blamelefs. But to the 
 writer of the ROLLTAD, it was not fufticient 
 to efcape cenfure ; he mud extort our praife, 
 and excite our admiration. 
 
 Our claflical readers will recollec"l, that 
 all Epic Heroes poflefs, in common with 
 the poets who celebrate their actions, the 
 gift of prophecy ; with this difference how- 
 ever, that poets prophecy while they are in 
 found health, whereas the hero never begins 
 to talk about futurity, until he has received 
 fuch a mortal wound in his lungs as would 
 prevent any man but a hero from talking 
 at all : and it is probably in allufion to this 
 circumftance, that the power of divination 
 is diftinguifhed in North Britain by the 
 name of SECOND SIGHT, as commencing 
 when common vifion ends. This faculty 
 has been attributed to dying warriors, both 
 by Homer and Virgil ; but neither of thefe 
 poets have made fo good ufe of it as our 
 author, who has introduced into the laft 
 dying fpeech of the Saxon Drummer, the 
 
 whole
 
 ( s ) 
 
 whole birth, parentage, and education, life* 
 character, and behaviour, of all thole bene- 
 factors of their Country, who at prefent 
 adorn the Houfe of Peers, thereby con-- 
 forming himfelf to modern ufage, and at the 
 the fame time diftinguifhing the victorious 
 Hollo's prowefs in fubduing an adverfary, 
 who dies infinitely harder than either Tur- 
 nus or Hector* 
 
 Without farther comment, we (hall now 
 proceed to favour our readers with a few 
 extracts. The firft Peer mentioned by the 
 Dying Drummer , is the prefent Marquis of 
 Buckingham : his appearance is ufhered in, 
 by an elegant panegyric on his father, Mr. 
 George Grenville, of which we (hall only give 
 the concluding lines : 
 
 George! in whofe fubtle brain, if Fame fay true, 
 Full- fraught with wars, the fatal ftamp-a6t grew ; 
 
 Great financier ! ftupenduous calculator ! 
 
 But, George the fon is twenty-one times greater I 
 
 It would require a volume, not only to 
 
 point out all the merits of the laft line, but 
 
 even to do juftice to that Pindaric fpirit, that 
 
 B abrupt
 
 ( 4 ) 
 
 abrupt beauty, that graceful aberration from 
 rigid grammatical contexts, which appears 
 in the Tingle word but. We had however a 
 further intention in quoting this pafiage, 
 viz. to aflert our author's claim to the inven- 
 tion of that fpecies of MORAL ARITHMETIC, 
 which, by means of proper additions, fub- 
 tractions, multiplications, and divifions, af- 
 certains the relative merits of two characters 
 more correctly than any other mode of in- 
 veftigation hitherto invented. Lord Thur- 
 low, when he informed the Houfe of Peers, 
 that " one Haft ings is worth twenty Macart- 
 neys/' had certainly the merit of afcertain- 
 ing the comparative value of the two men in 
 whole numbers, and without a fraction. He 
 likevvife enabled his auditors, by means of 
 the rule of three, to find out the numerical 
 excellence of any other individual ; but to 
 compare Lord Thurlow with cur author, 
 would be to compare the fcholar with the 
 inventor ; to compare a common houfe-ftew- 
 ard with Euclid or Archimedes. We now 
 return to the poem. 
 
 After the lines already quoted, our dying 
 
 drummer
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 drummer breaks out into the following 
 wonderful apoftrophe : 
 
 Approach ! ye fophs, who in your northern den, 
 Wield, with both hands, your huge didattic pen ; 
 Who, ftep by ftep, o'er Pindus* up-hill road, 
 Drag flowly on your learning's pond'rous load ; 
 Though many a mock your perilous march encumbers, 
 Ere the ftiff profe can ftruggle into numbers j 
 And you, at comets' tails, who fondly ftare, 
 And find a miftrefs in the lejjer bear ; 
 And you, who, full with metaphyfics fraught, 
 Detect fenfation darting into thought, 
 And trace each fketch by Memory's hand defign'd 
 On that ftrange magic lanthorn, call'd the MIND ; 
 And you, who watch each loit'ring empire's fate, 
 Who heap up fact on fact, and date on date ; 
 Who count the threads that fill the myftic loom, 
 Where patient Vengeance wove the fate of Rome ; 
 Who tell that wealth unnerv'd her foldier's hand, 
 That folly urg'd the fate by traitors plann'd ; 
 Or, that me fell becaufe me could not (land : 
 Approach, and view, in this capacious mind 
 Your fcatter'd fcience, in one mafs combin'd : 
 Whate'er tradition tells, or poets fmg, 
 Of giant-killing John, or John the King j 
 Whate'er 
 
 But we are apprehenfive that our zeal 
 
 has already hurried us too far, and that we 
 
 have exceeded the juft bounds of this paper. 
 
 5 We
 
 We fhall therefore take fome future oppor- 
 tunity of reverting to the character of this 
 prodigious nobleman, who poflefles, and 
 deferves to poflefs, fo diftinguifhed a fhare 
 in his matter's confidence. Suffice it to fay, 
 that our author does full juftice to every 
 part of his character. He confiders him as 
 a walking warehoufe of facts of all kinds, 
 whether relating to hiftory, aftronomy, me- 
 taphyfics, heraldry, fortifications, naval tac- 
 tics, or midwifery ; at the fame time repre- 
 fenting him as a kind of haberdafher of 
 fmall talents, which he retails to the female 
 part of his family, inftrucSting them in the 
 myftery of precedence, the whole art of 
 fcented pomatums, the doctrine of falves for 
 broken heads, of putty for broken zvindozvs, 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 K. II.
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 N. II. 
 
 WE now return to the dying drum- 
 mer, whom we left in the middle 
 of his eulogy on the marquis of Bucking- 
 ham. 
 
 It being admitted, that the powers of the 
 human mind depend on the number and 
 aflbciation of our ideas, it is eafy to (hew 
 that the illuftrious marquis is entitled to 
 the higheft rank in the fcale of human in- 
 telligence. His mind poiTeffes an unlimited 
 power of inglutition, &nd his ideas adhere 
 to each other with fuch tenacity, that when- 
 ever his memory is ftimulated by any pow- 
 erful interrogatory, it not only difcharges a 
 full anfwe'r to that individual queftion, but 
 likewife fuch a prodigious flood of collate- 
 ral knowledge, derived A . from copious and 
 repeated infufions, as no common (kull 
 would be capable of containing. For thefe 
 resfons, his Lordfhip's fitnefs for the de- 
 partment of the admiralty, a department 
 
 connected
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 conne&ed with the whole cyclopoedia of 
 fcience, and requiring the greateft variety 
 of talents and exertions, feems to be point- 
 ed out by the hand of Heaven ; it is 1 ike- 
 wife pointed out by the dying drummer, 
 who defcribes, in the following lines, the 
 immediate caufe of his nomination . 
 
 On the great day, when Buckingham, by pairs, 
 Afcended, Heaven-impell'd, the k 's back-ftairs ; 
 And panting, breathlefs, ftrain'd his lungs to fhow, 
 From Fox's bill what mighty ills would flow : 
 That foon, its fource corrupt, Opinion's thread, 
 On India deleterious Ji reams wou'djhed, ; 
 That Haftings, Munny Begum, Scott, muft fall, 
 And Pitt, and Jenkinfon, and Leadenhall ; 
 Still, as with hammering tongue, he told his talc, 
 Unufual terrors Brunfwick's heart aflail ; 
 Wide ftarts his white wig from his royal ear, 
 And each particular hair (lands fliff with fear. 
 
 We flatter ourfelves that few of our read- 
 ers are fo void of tafte, as not to feel the 
 tranfcendant beauties of this defcription. 
 FirlV, we fee the noble marquis mount the 
 fatal Heps " by pairs/' i.e. by two at a 
 time ; and with a degree of effort and fa- 
 tigue : and then he is out of breath, which 
 is perfectly natural. The obfcurity of 'the 
 
 third
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 third couplet, an obfcurity which has been 
 imitated by all the minifterial writers on 
 the India bill, arifes from a confufion of 
 metaphor, fo inexprefllbly beautiful, that 
 Mr. Haftings has thought fit to copy it al- 
 inoft verbatim, in his celebrated letter from 
 Lucknow. The effects of terror on the 
 royal wig, are happily imagined, and are 
 infinitely more fublime than the " Jiete- 
 " runtque comce " of the Roman poet ; as the 
 attachment of a wig to its wearer, is obvi- 
 oufly more generous and difmterefted than 
 that of the perfon's own hair, which natu- 
 rally participates in the good or ill fortune 
 of the head on which it grows. But to pro- 
 ceed. Men in a fright are ufually gene- 
 rous; on that great day, therefore, the 
 marquis obtained the promife of the admi- 
 ralty. The dying drummer then proceeds 
 to defcribe the marquis's well-known vifion, 
 which he prefaces by a compliment on his 
 Lordfhip's extraordinary proficiency in the 
 art of lace-making. We have all admired 
 the parliamentary exertions of this great 
 man, on every fubjecl; that related to an art, 
 in which the county of Buckingham is lo 
 jTf C deeply
 
 deeply interefted ; an art, by means of 
 which Britannia, (as our author happily ex- 
 prefies it) 
 
 Puckers round naked breafts, a decent trimming, 
 Spreads the thread trade, and proppgates old women ! 
 
 How naturally do we feel difpofed to join 
 with the dying drummer, in the pathetic 
 apoftrophe which he addrefles to his hero, 
 when he forefees that this attention will 
 necerTarily be diverted to other objects : 
 
 Alas ! no longer round thy favorite STOWE, 
 
 Shalt thou thy nicer art to artifls {how ; 
 
 No more on thumb-worn cufhions deign to trace, 
 
 With critic touch, the texture of bone-lace ; 
 
 And from feverer toils, fome moments robbing, 
 
 Reclaim the vagrant thread, or tniant bobbin ! 
 
 Far, other fcenes of future glory rife, 
 
 To glad thy fleeping, and thy waking eyes : 
 
 As bufy fancy paints the gaudy dream, 
 
 Ideal docks, with fliadowy navies teem : 
 
 Whatc'er on fea, or lake, on river floats, 
 
 Ships, barges, rafts, fkiffs, tubs, flat-bottom'd boats, 
 
 Smiths, failors, carpenters, in bufy crowds, 
 
 Malt, cable, yard, fail, bow-fprit, anchor, fhrowds, 
 
 Knives, gigs, harpoons, fwords, handfpikes, cutlufs-bladcs, 
 
 Guns, piftols, fwivels, cannons, carronades: 
 
 All rife to view! all blend in gorgeous mow ! 
 
 Tritons, and tridents, turpentine, tar tow ! 
 
 We
 
 We will take upon ourfelves to atteft, 
 that neither Homer nor Virgil ever produ- 
 ced any thing like this. How amiable, how 
 interefting, is the condefcenfion of the il- 
 luftrious marquis, while he affifts the old 
 women in his neighbourhood in making 
 bone-lace ! How artfully is the model! ap- 
 pearance of the aforeiaid old womens' cu- 
 fhions, (which we are alfo told were dirty 
 cufhions) contrafted with the fplendor and 
 magnificence of the ftibfequent vifion ! How 
 mafterly is the ftrudlure of the laft verfe, 
 and how nobly does the climax rife from 
 tritons and tridents ; from objects which 
 are rather piclurefque than neceflary, to 
 that moft important article tow ! an article 
 " without which," in the opinion of Lord 
 Mulgrave, " it would be impoflible to fit 
 " out a fingle fhip ! " 
 
 The drummer is next Jed to inveftigatp 
 the different modes of meliorating our na- 
 vy ; in the courfe of which he introduces 
 the marquis's private thoughts on flax and 
 for eft-trees ; the natural hiftory of nettles* 
 with proofs of their excellence in making 
 C 2 cables ;
 
 cabks ; a project to produce aurum fulminant 
 from Pinchbeck's metal, inftead of gold, oc- 
 cafioned by Admiral Barrington's complaint 
 of bad powder ; a difcuffion of Lord Fer- 
 rers's mathematical mode of fhip-building ; 
 and a lamentation on the pertinacity with 
 which his lordfhip's veflels have hitherto re- 
 fufcd to fail. The grief of the marquis on 
 this occafion, awaking all our fympathy 
 
 Sighing, he flruck his breaft, and cried, " Alas ! 
 *' Shall a three-decker's huge unweildy mafs, 
 " 'Mid crowd of foes, (land ftupidly at bay, 
 " And by rude force, like Ajax, gain the day ? 
 " No ! let Invention ! " 
 
 And at the moment his lordfhip becomes 
 pregnant, and is delivered of a project that 
 elves every difficulty. 
 
 The reader will recollecl Commodore John- 
 ftone's difcovery, that " The aliquot parts be- 
 " ing equal to the whole, two frigates are in- 
 " difputably tantamount to a line-of-bat- 
 " tle-fliip; nay, that they are fuperior to 
 <e it, as being more manageable. " Now, a 
 floop being more docile than a frigate, and 
 a cutter more ver futile than a floop, c. &c. 
 
 B
 
 ( '3 ) 
 
 is it not obvious that the force of any veflel, 
 muft be in an inverfe ratio to its Jlrengtb? 
 Hence, Lord Buckingham moft properly 
 obferves, 
 
 Our light-arm'd fleet will fpread a general panic, 
 For fpeed is power, fays Pinchbeck, the mechanic. 
 
 The only objection to this fyftem, is the 
 trite profeflional idea, that (hips having 
 been for fome years pad in the habit of 
 failing direclly forwards, muft neceflarily 
 form and fight in a Jlraight line ; but ac- 
 cording to Lord Buckingham's plan, the 
 line of battle, in future, is to be like the 
 line of beauty, waving and tortuous ; fo that 
 if the French, who confefledly are the moft 
 imitative people on earth, ihould wifh to 
 copy our manoeuvres, their larger fhips will 
 neceflarily be thrown into confufion, and 
 confequently be beaten. 
 
 i 
 
 But, as Sir Gregory Page Turner finely 
 fays, " infallibility is not given to human 
 " nature." Our prodigious marquis, there- 
 fore, diffident of his talents, and not yet fa- 
 
 tisfied
 
 -( H ) 
 
 tisfied with his plan, rakes into that vaft 
 heap of knowledge, which he has collected 
 from reading, and forms into one compo/l, all 
 the naval inventions of every age and coun- 
 try, in order to meliorate and fertilize the 
 colder genius of Great Britain. " In future," 
 fays the drummer, 
 
 All ages, and all countries, fhall combine, 
 To form our navy's variegated line. 
 Like fome vaft whale, or all devouring fhark, 
 High in the midft fhall rife old Noah's ark: 
 Or, if that ark be loft, of equal bulk, 
 Our novel Noah rigs the Juftlce Hulk. 
 An Argo next, the peerlefs Catherine fends, 
 The gorgeous gift of her Mlngrellun friends ; 
 
 Here we cannot reprefs our admiration at 
 the drummer's (kill in geography and poli- 
 tics. He not only tells us, that Mingrdia 
 is the ancient Colchis, the country vifited by 
 the Argonauts, the country which was then 
 fo famous for its fleeces, and which even 
 now fends fo many virgins to the Grand 
 Seignior's feraglio, but he forefees the ad- 
 vantages that will be derived to the navy of 
 this kingdom, by the fubmiflion of his Min- 
 
 grelian
 
 ( '5 ) 
 
 grelian majefty to the emprefs of Ruflia. But 
 to proceed, 
 
 And next, at our Canadian brethren's pray'r, 
 Ten flout triremes the good pope lhall fpare ! 
 
 We apprehend, with all due fubmiflion to 
 the drummer, that here is a fmall miftake. 
 Our Candian brethren may indeed poflefs 
 great influence with the pope, on account 
 of their perfeverence in the catholic religi- 
 on ; but as all the triremes in his holinefs's 
 pofleffion, are unfortunately in bafs relief, 
 and marble, we have fome doubt of their 
 utility at fea. 
 
 Light arm'd evaas, canoes that Teem to fly, 
 
 Our faithful Oberea fhall fupply : 
 
 Catties fhall Venice yield, Algiers, xebecs 
 
 But thou Nanquin, gay yachts with towering decks, 
 
 While fierce Kamfchatka 
 
 But it is unneceflary to tranfcribe all the 
 names of places mentioned by our drum- 
 mer in failing eaftward towards Cape Horn 3 
 and weftward to the Cape of Good Hope. 
 We flatter ourfelves that we have fufficient^ 
 ly proved the ftupendous and almoil un- 
 5 natural
 
 natural excellence of the new Lord Buck- 
 ingham, and that we have ihcwn the necef- 
 fity of innovation in the navy, as well as in 
 the conftitution. We therefore (hall con- 
 clude this number, by exprefling our hope 
 and aflurance, that the falutary amputations 
 which are meditated by the two Hate fur- 
 geons, Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Wyvill, will fpee- 
 dily be followed by equally fkilful opera- 
 tions in our marine : and that the prophecy 
 of the dying drummer will be fulfilled in 
 the completion of that delightful event, 
 the nomination of the noble marquis to the 
 department of the admiralty ! 
 
 N c III.
 
 N. III. 
 
 HAVING concluded his defcription of 
 the Marquis of Buckingham, our ex- 
 piring prophet proceeds to the contempla- 
 tion of other glories, hardly lefs refplen- 
 dent than thofe of the noble Marquis him- 
 felf. He goes on to the DUKE of RICH- 
 MOND. 
 
 In travelling round this wide world of 
 virtue, for as fuch may the mind of the no- 
 ble Duke be defer ibed$ it mutt be obvious 
 to every one, that the principal difficulty 
 confifts in determining from what quarter 
 to fet out; whether to commence in the 
 frigid zone of his benevolence, or in ths 
 torrid hemifphere of his loyalty; from the 
 equinox of his ceconomy, or from the terra 
 auflralis of his patriotifm. Oiir author feeb 
 himielf reduced to the dilemma of the fa- 
 mous Archimedes in this cafe, though for a 
 very different reafon, and exclaims violent- 
 ly for the Ao? 'a gu not becaufe. he has no 
 D ground
 
 ground to Hand upon, but becaufc he has 
 too much btcaule puzzled by the variety, 
 he feels an incapacity to make a fcledtion. 
 He rcprefents himfelf as being exaelly in 
 the -'.tnation of Paris, between the different 
 and contending charms of the three Heathen 
 Goddeffes, and is equally at a lofs on \\ cli 
 to beftow his detur pulcberimte . There is 
 indeed more beauty in this latter fimilitude 
 than may at firft view appear to a carelefs 
 or a vulgar obferver ; the three god- 
 defies in queftion, being in all the lead- 
 ing points of their defcription, moft ccr- 
 retly typical of the noble Duke himfelf." 
 As for example, Minerva, we know, was 
 produced out of the head of Jove, complete 
 and perfe6t at once. Thus the Duke of 
 Richmond ftarts into the perfection of a 
 full-grown engineer, without the ceremony 
 of gradual organization, or the painful te- 
 dioufnefs of progreflive maturity. Juno 
 was particularly famed for an unceafing 
 fpirit of active perfecution againft the bra veil 
 and molt honourable men of antiquity. 
 Col. Debbeige, and fome other individuals of 
 nod cm time, might be felecled, to fhew 
 
 that
 
 ( '9 ) 
 
 that the noble duke is not in this refpe6l with- 
 out fbme pretentions to fympathy with the 
 queen of the fkies. Venus too, we all know, 
 originated from froth. For refemblance in 
 this point, vide the noble duke's admirable 
 .theories on the fubjectof parliamentary me- 
 lioration. 
 
 Having ftated thefe circumftances of em- 
 
 baraflment in a few introductory lines to 
 
 this part of the poem, our author goes on 
 
 to obferve, that not knowing, after much 
 
 -and anxious thought, how to adjuft the im- 
 
 portant difficulty in queftion, he refolves at 
 
 Jaft to truft himfelf entirely to the guidance 
 
 .of his mufe, who, under the influence of her 
 
 iifual infpiration, proceeds as follows : 
 
 Hail thou, for either talent juftly known, 
 
 To fpend the nation's cam or keep thy own j 
 
 Expert alike to fave, or be profufe, 
 
 As money goes for thine, or England's ufe ; 
 
 Jn whofe efteem, of equal worth are though t $ 
 
 A public million, and a private groat, 
 
 Hail, 
 
 y as the learned well know, reck- 
 ons the figure 'Amplification, amongil the 
 D 2 principal
 
 principal fources of the fublime, as does 
 Quintiliaii amongft the leading requifites of 
 rhetoric. That it conftitutes the very foul 
 of eloquence, it is demonftrable from the 
 example of that fublimeft of all orators, 
 and profoundeft of all ftatcfmcn, Mr. Wil- 
 liam Pitt. If no expedient had been de- 
 vifed, by the help of which the fame idea 
 could ba inverted in a thqufand different 
 and glittering habiliments, by which one 
 fmall fpark of meaning could be inflated 
 into a blaze of elocution, how many delec- 
 table fpeeches would have been loft to the 
 fenate of Great- Br itain ? How feverean in- 
 jury would have been fuftained to the literary 
 eftimation of the age ? The above admi- 
 rable fpecimen of the figure, however, adds 
 to the other natural graces of it, the excel- 
 lent recommendation of ftrict and literal 
 truth. The author proceeds to defcribe 
 the noble duke's uncommon popularity, 
 and to reprefent, that whatever be his em- 
 ployment, whether the gay bufinefs of the 
 ftate, or the ferious occupation of "amufe- 
 meut, Ips Grace is alike fare of the appro- 
 bation of his countrymen. 
 
 Whether
 
 Whether thy prefcnt vaft ambition be, 
 
 To check the rudenefs of th' intruding fea ; 
 
 Or elfe, immerging in a civil ftorm, 
 
 With equal wifdom to project: reform ; 
 
 Whether thou go'it while fumnier funs prevail. 
 
 To enjoy the, frelhnefs of thy kitchen's gale, 
 
 Where, unpolluted by luxurious heat, 
 
 Its large expanfe affords a cool retreat ; 
 
 Or fhould'ft thou now, no more the theme of mirth, 
 
 Hail the great day that gave thy fov 'reign birth, 
 
 With kind anticipating zeal, prepare, 
 
 And make the fourth of June thy anxious care ; , 
 
 O ! wherefoe'er thy hallow'd ftepe (hall ftray, 
 
 Still, dill, for thee, the grateful poor mail pray. 
 
 Since all the bounty which thy heart denies, 
 
 Prain'd by thy fchemes, the treafiiry fupplies. . 
 
 The reference to the noble duke's kitch- 
 en, is a moft exquifite compliment to his 
 Grace's well-known and determined aver- 
 fion to the fpecious, popular, and prevailing 
 vices of eating and drinking ; and the four lines 
 which follow, contain a no lefs admirable 
 allufion to the memorable witicifm of his 
 Grace (memorable for the fubjecl: of it, as 
 well as for the circumftance of its being 
 the only known inftance of his Grace's 
 attempting to degrade himfelf into the 
 Vulgarity of a joke.) 
 
 When
 
 When a minifter was found in this coun- 
 try, daring and wicked enough, to proppfe 
 the fufpenfion of a turnpike bill for one 
 whole ,day, fimply for the reafon, that he 
 confidered fome little ceremony due to the 
 natal annivcrfary of the bigbeft, and beyoncj 
 jill comparifon, the beft individual in the 
 country ; what was the noble duke's reply 
 to this frivolous pretence for the protraction 
 of the national bti r mefs ? " What care I, " 
 faid this great perfonage, with a noble 
 warmth of patriotic inlblence, never yet 
 attained by any of the prefent timid-mind- 
 cd fons of faction, " What care I for the 
 King's birth-day ! What is lu;:;i nonfenfe 
 to me ! " &c. &c. &c. It is true, indeed, 
 4 iincs have been a little changed fince but 
 -what of that ! there is a Iblid truth in 
 blervation of Horace, which its tritifm 
 does not nor cannot del troy, and which the 
 fidbfoduke, if he coul.J read the rig al, 
 f , with great truth, apply to himfelf 
 and his fovereign : 
 
 Tcmjwra mutantur, ct nos mutamur in illis. 
 
 A great critic affirms, that the higheft 
 
 . once of writing, and parti;ularly of 
 
 i ] oetical
 
 poetical writing, confifts in this one power 
 - to furprize. Surely this fenfation was 
 never more fuccefsfully excited, than by 
 the line in the above pafTage, when confi- 
 dered as addreffed to the duke of Rich- 
 mond 
 
 Still, dill, for thee, the grateful poor fhall pray ! 
 
 Our author, however, whofe correct judg- 
 ment fuggefted to him, that even the fubli- 
 mity of furprize was not to be obtained 
 at the expence of truth, and probability, 
 haflens to reconcile all contradictions, by 
 informing the reader, that the treafury is 
 to fupply the fources of the charity, on 
 account of which the noble duke is to be 
 prayed for. 
 
 The poet, with his tifual philanthropy 5 
 proceeds to give a piece of good advice 
 to a perfon with whom he does not appear 
 at firft fight to have any natural connec- 
 tion. He contrives, however , even to make 
 his feeming digreffion contribute to his pur- 
 pofe. He addrefles Colonel Debbeige in the 
 following good-natured, fublime, and pa- 
 rental apoftrophe 
 
 Learn
 
 Learn thoughtlefs DeMftgt, now no more 3 youth* 
 The woes unnumbcr'd that encompafs truth, 
 Nor of experience, nor of knowledge vain. 
 Mock thechimaeras of a fea-fick brain : 
 Oh, learn on happier terms with him to live, 
 Who ne'er knew twice, the weaknefs to forgive ! 
 Then ftiould his Grace fome vafl expedient find, 
 To govern tempefts, and controul the wind ; 
 Should he, like great Canute , forbid the wave, 
 '!'' approach his prcfcnce, or his foot trt lave ; 
 Conflruft fome baftion, or devife fomc mound* 
 The world's wide limits to encompafs round ; 
 Rear a redoubt, that to the ftars mould rife, 
 And lift himfelf, like Typhon, to the Ikies; 
 Or mould the mightier fchemc engage his foul, 
 To raife a platform on the ticrthrnptfc, 
 With fofs, with rampart, ftick, and (tone, and clayj 
 To build a brcaft-woi k on the milfy way ; 
 Or to protel his fovercign's blcft abode, 
 Bid numerous batteries guard the turnpike ;W ; 
 Left foul Invafion in difguUe approach, 
 Or Treafon lurk within the Dover coach. 
 Oh, let the wifer duty then be thine, 
 Thy flcill, thy fcience, judgment to reflgn \ 
 With patient car, the high-wrapt tale attend, 
 Nor fnarl at fancies which no Ikill can mend. 
 So mail thy comforts with thy days increaie, 
 And all thy laft, unlike thy firft, be peace ; 
 No rude courts martial (hall thy fame dccryy 
 But half-pay plenty all thy wants fupply. 
 
 It
 
 It h difficult to determine which part 
 of the above pafiage poflefles the fuperior 
 claim to our admiration, whether its fci- 
 ence, its refemblance, its benevolence, or its 
 fublimity. -Each has its turn, and each 
 its diftinguifhed by fome of our author's 
 happieft touches. The climax from the 
 pole of the heavens to the pole of a coach, 
 and from the milky-way to a turnpike road, 
 is conceived and expreft with admirable 
 fancy and ability. The abfurd ftory of 
 the wooden hcrfe in Virgil, is indeed re- 
 motely parodied in the line, 
 
 Or Treafon lurk within the Dover coach. 
 
 But with what acceffion of beauty, na- 
 ture, and probability we leave judicious 
 critics to determine. Indeed there is no 
 other defence for the paflage alluded to m 
 Virgil, but to fuppofe that the pail com- 
 mentators upon it have been egregioufly 
 miftaken, and that this famous equus lig- 
 neus, of which he fpeaks, was neither more 
 nor lefs than the ftage coach of antiquity. 
 What, under any other fuppofition, can be 
 the meaning of the paflage, 
 
 E Atit
 
 Au.t fi'X incluii ligiio occultaatur 
 
 Holi Jes this, the term machind we know fs 
 all noil conftantly uied by Virgil njmferf 
 as a fynonyme for this horfe, as in the 
 line 
 
 Scaridit fataJis mnchina ntttns, &r. 
 
 And do we not fee that thole authentic 
 records of modern literature, the news- 
 papers, are continually and daily announ- 
 cing to us " This day fets off from the 
 " Blue-boar-Inn precisely at half paft five, 
 ' the Bath and Briftol machine ! " meaning 
 thereby merely the ft age coaches to Bath 
 and to BrHlol. Again immediately alter 
 the line laft quoted, to \vit (jcdndil fatalis 
 macbina nntros') come thefe words, 
 
 armis, i. e. filled v:\l\\ arms. 
 
 Now what can they pollibly allude to 
 in the eye of fober judgment and rational 
 rriticihn, but the guard, or armed watchman, 
 v.'lio, in thole days, \\ent in the infide, 
 or perhaps had a place in the boot, and 
 
 was
 
 was employed, as -in our modern convey- 
 ances, to protect the palTenger in his ap- 
 proximation to the metropolis. AYe trull 
 the above. authorities .will be deemed con- 
 clufive upon the fubjedl ; and indeed, to 
 fay the' truth, this idea k does not occur 
 to us now for the the firft time, as in 
 fome hints for a few critical lucubrations 
 intended as farther addenda to the Virgi- 
 lius Reftauratus of the great Scriblerus, 
 we find this remark precifely " In our 
 " judg ent, this horfe, (meaning Virgil's,) 
 *' may be very properly denominated the 
 ?< DARDANIAN DILLY, or the POST COACH 
 " to PERGAMUS. " 
 
 We know not whether it be worth ad- 
 ding as a matter of mere fact, that the 
 great object of the noble duke's erections 
 at Chatham, which have not yet coft the 
 nation a million, is fimply and exclufively 
 this, to enfilade the turnpike road, in 
 cafe of a foreign invafion. 
 
 The poet goes on he forms a fcien- 
 tific and interefting prefage of the noble 
 duke's future greatnefs. 
 
 "E 3 " "\Vith
 
 With gorges, fcaffblds, breaches, ditches, mines 
 With cuUcrins, whole and demi, and gabincs ; 
 With trench, with counterfcarp, \vith tfplanade. 
 With curtin, moat, and rhombo, and chamade; 
 With polygon, epaulement, hedge, and bank, 
 With angle falient, and with angle flank : 
 Oh! thoti (halt prove, fhould all thy fchemes prevail. 
 An UNCLE TOBY on a larger fcale. 
 While dapper, daify, prating, puffing JIM, 
 May haply perfonate good Corporal Trim. 
 
 Every reader will anticipate us in the 
 recollection, that the perfon here honoured 
 with our author's diftinclion, by the ab- 
 breviated appellative of Jim, can be no 
 other than the Hon. James Luttrel him- 
 felf, furveyor general to the ordnance, the 
 famou friend, defender, and commis of the 
 Duke of Richmond. The words dapper and 
 daify in the laft line of the above pafiage, 
 approximate perhaps more nearly to the 
 familiarity of common life, than is ufual 
 with our author ; but it is to be obfervecl 
 in the defence of them, that our language 
 fupplies no terms in any degree fo peculiar- 
 ly charaJleriftic of the cbjecl: to whom they 
 are addrefied. As for the remaining part 
 of the line, to wit, " prating, puffing Jim, " 
 it will require no vindication or illuftration 
 
 with
 
 with thofe who have heard this honourable 
 gentleman's fpeeches in parliament, and 
 who have read the fubfequent reprefent- 
 ations of them in the diurnal prints. 
 
 Our immortal author, whofe province it 
 is to give poetical conftruclion and local 
 habitation to the infpired effufions of the dy- 
 ing drummer, (exactly as Virgil did to the 
 predictions of Ancbifes) proceeds to finifh 
 the portrait exhibited in the above paftage 
 by the following lines- 
 
 As like your prototypes as pea to pea, 
 Save in the weaknefs of humanity, 
 Congenial quite in every other part, 
 The fame in bead y but differing in the hta-ft* 
 
 NIV.
 
 N IV. 
 
 WE refume with great plcafure our 
 critical lucubrations on that mod 
 interefting part of this divine poem, which 
 pourtrays the character, and tranfmits to 
 immortality the name, of the Duke a/" RICH- 
 MOND. Our author, who fometimes conde- 
 fcends to a cafual imitation of ancient wri- 
 ters, employs more than ufual pains in the 
 elaborate delineation of this illuftrious per- 
 fonage. Thus, in Virgil, we find whole 
 pages devoted to the defcription of SEneas, 
 while Glaucus and Tberfilocbus, like the Lut- 
 trels, the Palkes, or the Macnamaras of mo- 
 dern times, are honoured only with the 
 tranfient diftinclion of a fimple mention. 
 He proceeds to ridicule the fuperitition 
 which exifts in this country, and, as he in- 
 forms us, had alfo prevailed in one of the 
 moft famous ftates of antiquity, that a navy 
 could be any fource of fecurity to a great 
 empire, or that fhipping could in any way 
 be confidered as the natural defence of an 
 ijhind. 
 
 Th'
 
 Th Athenian fages, once of old, 'tis fnid, 
 
 Urg'd by their country's love by wifdom led, 
 
 Befought the Delphic oracle to mow 
 
 What beft mould fave them from the neighb'ring foe : 
 
 With holy fervor firft the priejlefs burn'd, 
 
 Then fraught with prefage, this reply return 'd : 
 
 " Your city, men of Athens, ne'er will fall, 
 
 " If wifely guarded by a WOODEN WALL." 
 
 Thus have our fathers indifcreetly thought, 
 
 By ancient practice ancient fafery taught, 
 
 That this, Great Britain, ftill fhould prove to thce, 
 
 Thy firft, thy heft, thy iaft fecurity ; 
 
 That what in thee we find or great or good, 
 
 Had cw ; d its being to this WALL of WOOD. 
 
 Above fuch weaknefs fee great Lencx foar, 
 
 This fence prefcriptive guards us now no more ; 
 
 Of fuch grofs ignorance afham'd and fick, 
 
 Richmond protects us with a wall of brick ; 
 
 Contemns the prejudice of former time, 
 
 And faves his countrymen by lath and lime. 
 
 It is our intention to embarafs this part 
 of the Rolliad as little as poffible with any 
 commentaries of our own. We cannot, 
 however, refift the temptation which the oo 
 cafion fuggefts, of pronouncing a particular 
 panegyric upon the delicacy as well as dex- 
 terity of our author, who ? in fpeaking upon 
 the fubjecl: of the Duke of Richmond, that 
 is, upon a man who knows no more of the 
 
 hiftory,
 
 hiftory, writings, or languages of anti- 
 quity than the Marquis of Landfdoivn him- 
 felf, or great Rolh's groom, has yet contri- 
 ved to colle6l a great portion of his ill ni- 
 trations from the fources of ancient litera- 
 ture. By this admirable expedient, the im- 
 mediate ignorance of the hero is inveloped 
 and concealed in the vaft erudition of the 
 author, and the unhappy truth that his 
 grace never proceeded farther in his Lati- 
 tiity, than through the neat and fimple pa- 
 ges of Corderius, is fo far thrown into the 
 back ground as to be hardly obfervable, 
 and to conftitute no eflential blemifh to the 
 general brilliancy of the picture. 
 
 The poet proceeds to fpeak of a tribunal 
 which was inftittited in the (era he is defcri- 
 bing, for an inveftigation into the profef- 
 fional merits of the noble duke, and of 
 which he himfelf was very properly the 
 head. The author mentions the indivi- 
 duals who compofed this inquiiition, as 
 men of opulent ', independent, dijintercfted cha- 
 racters, three only except ed, whom he re- 
 grets as apoftates to the general character of 
 
 the
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 the arbitrators. He fpeaks, however, fuch 
 is the omnipotence of truth, even of them, 
 with a fort of reluctant tendency to pane- 
 gyric. He fays, 
 
 Keen without fhow, with modeft learning, fly, 
 The fubtle comment fpeaking in his eye ; 
 Of manners polifh'd, yet of ftubborn foul, 
 Which Hope allures not nor which Fears control ;,' 
 See Burgoyne rapt in all a foldier's pride, 
 Damn with a fhrug, and with a look deride ; 
 While coarfe Macbrlde a bufier tafk aflumes, 
 And tears with gracelefs rage our hero's plumes ; 
 Blunts his rude fcience in the chieftains face, 
 Nor deems, forgive him, Pitt ! a truth, difgrace : 
 And Percy too, of lineage juftly vain, 
 Surveys the fyftem with a mild difdain. ' 
 
 He confoles the reader, however, for the 
 pain given him by the contemplation of 
 fuch weaknefs and injuftice, by haftening 
 to inform him of the better and wifer dif- 
 pofitions of the other members of the 
 tribunal ; 
 
 But ah ! not fo the reft unlike to thefe, 
 They try each anxious blandiihment to pleafe ; 
 No fldll uncivil e'er from them efcapes, 
 Their modeft wifdom courts no dang'rous fcrapes ; 
 
 F But
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 But pure regard comes glowing from the heart, 
 To take a friend's to take a matter's part ; 
 Nor let Sufpicion with her fneers convey, 
 That paltry Int'reft could with fuch bear fway. 
 Can Richmond's brother be attach 'd to gold ? 
 Can Lut/rel's friendfhip, like a vote, be fold 
 O can fuch petty, fuch ignoble crimes, 
 Stain the fair tera of thefe golden times, 
 When Pitt to all perfection points the \ray, 
 And pure Dundas exemplifies his lay ; 
 When jy likes to loyalty makes bold pretence, 
 Arden to law, the Cabinet to fenfe ; 
 When Pretty man affecls for truth a zeal, 
 And Macnamaras guard the common -weal ; 
 When lawyers argue from the holy writ, 
 And Hill would vie with Sheridan in wit ; 
 When Camdcn, firft of Whigs, in druggies paff, 
 7/r/zV and tormented, quits the caufe at laft ; 
 When TbuHno drives commercial (kill to fhew, 
 And even Sydney fomething feems to know ; 
 When honefl Jack declines in men to trade,. 
 And court majorities by. truth are fway'd ; 
 When Baker, Con-way, Cavendijh, or Byng, 
 No more an obloquy o'er fenates fling ; 
 When 
 
 But where could a period be put to the 
 enumeration of the uncommon appearances 
 of the epoch in quellion ? The applica- 
 tion of the term boneft, prefixed to the name 
 of the perfon defcribed in the laft line of 
 
 the
 
 ( 35 ) 
 
 the above paflage but three, fufficiently cir- 
 cumfcribes the number of thofe particular 
 Jacks who were at this moment in the con- 
 templation of our author, and lets us with 
 facility into the fecret that he could mean 
 no other than the worthy Mr. John Robinjb/i 
 himfelf. The peculiar fpecies of traffic 
 that the poet reprefents Mr. Robinfon to 
 have dealt in, is fuppofed to allude to a 
 famous occurrence of thefe times, when 
 Mr. R. and another contractor agreed, in 
 a minifterial emergency, to furnifh govern- 
 ment with Jive hundred and fifty eight ready, 
 willing, obedient, well trained men, at fo 
 much per head per man, whom they enga- 
 ged to be perfectly fit for any work the minifter 
 could put them to. Tradition fays, they failed 
 in their contract by fomewhat about two 
 hundred. We have not heard of what parti- 
 cular complexion the firft order were of, 
 but fuppqf'e them to have been blacks. 
 
 We collect from hiftory, that the noble 
 Duke had been expofed to much empty 
 ridicule, on account of his having been, as 
 termed it, a" judge in his own caufe, 
 F3 by
 
 ( 36 ) 
 
 by being the Prefident of that Court, 
 \vhofe exclufive jurifdiclion it was to en- 
 quire into fuppofed official errors imputed 
 to himfelf. The author fcouts the venom 
 of thofe impotent gibers, and with great 
 triumph exclaims, 
 
 If it be virtue but yourfelf to know, 
 Yourfelf to judge, is fure a virtue too. 
 
 Nothing can be more obvious all judg- 
 ment depends upon knowledge ; and how 
 can any other perfon be fuppofed to know 
 a man fo well as he does himfelf? We 
 hope foon to fee this evidently equitable 
 principle of criminal jurifprudence fully 
 eftablifhed at the Old Bally ; and we are very 
 much inclined to think, that if every Ixtufe- 
 breaker, &c. was in like manner permitted 
 to judge himfelf, the fufceptible heart 
 would not be altogether fo often (hocked 
 with fpeclacles of human maflacre before 
 the gates of Newgate, as, to the great dif- 
 .grace of our penal fyftem a it now is. 
 
 Our author now proceeds to fpeak of a 
 tranfaclion which he feems to touch up-
 
 ( 37 ) 
 
 on with relu 6lance. It refpecls a young 
 nobleman of thefe times, of the name of 
 Raw dm. It is very remarkable, that the laft 
 couplet of this paffage is printed with a 
 fcratch through the lines, as if it had been 
 the Author's intention to have erazed them. 
 Whether he thought the event alluded to 
 in this diilich was too difgraceful for juftifi- 
 cation or that the juftification fuggefted 
 was incomplete that the image contained 
 in them was too familiar and peurile for the 
 general fublimity of his great poem, or 
 whatever he thought, we know not, but 
 fuch is the fact. The paflage is as follows; 
 < after relating the circumftance, he fays, 
 
 AfTociation forms the mind's great chain, 
 By plaftic union many a thought we gain, 
 
 
 To the juftice of the difgrace thrown 
 upon the above couplet, we by no means 
 concede. What it wants in poetical con- 
 fer uclion, it amply makes up in the deep 
 knowledge which it contains of the more 
 latent feelings of the human heart, and 
 3 its
 
 ( 38 ) 
 
 its philofophic dete6lion of fome of the 
 true fources of human action. We all know 
 how long, and how tenacioufly, original 
 prejudices flick by us. No man lives long 
 enough to get rid of his nurfery. That 
 the noble duke therefore might not be free 
 from the common influence of a very com- 
 mon fenfation, no one can reafonably won- 
 der at, and the beft proof that he was not 
 fo is, that we defy any perfon to fhow us, 
 upon what poflible principle, if not upon 
 this, the conduct of the noble duke, in the 
 tranfacliou alluded to, is to be explained or 
 defended. The duke of Richmond a 
 gentleman by a thoufand pretenfions 
 a foldier a legiflator a peer in two 
 countries a duke in a third a prince 
 a man \vhofe honour is not a mere point 
 of fpeculative courtefy, but is his oath 
 impeaches the reputation of another indi- 
 vidual of pure and unhlemifhed character, 
 and with the fame publicity that he had 
 applied the original imputation, this peer, 
 prince, legiflator, and foldier, cats every 
 fy liable he had faid, and retracts evey item 
 ot his charge. Is this to be credited with- 
 out;
 
 ( 39 ) 
 
 out a refort to Come principle of a very 
 paramount nature in the heart of man in- 
 deed ? Is the original depravity, in the 
 firft inftance, of publickly attempting to 
 fully the fair honour of that interefting and 
 facred chara6ler, a youthful foldier, or the 
 meannefs in the fecond, of an equally pub- 
 lic and unprecedentedly pufillanimous re- 
 traction of the whole of the calumny, 
 to be believed in fo high a perfonage as 
 the duke of Richmond, without a reference 
 to a caufe of a very peculiar kind, to an 
 impulfe of more than ordinary potency ? 
 Evidently not and what is there, as we 
 have before obferved, that adheres fo clofely, 
 or controuls fo abfolutely as the legends 
 of our boyiih days, or the fuperftitions of a 
 nurfery ? For thefe reafons, therefore, we' 
 give our mod decided fuffrage for the foil 
 re-eftablifhment of the couplet to the fair 
 legitimate honours that are due to it. 
 
 The poet concludes his portrait of this 
 illuftrious perfon, with the following lines 
 
 The triple honours that adorn his head, 
 
 A three-fold influence o'er his virtue fued ; 
 
 As GaUias prince, behold him proud and vain ; 
 
 Thrifty and clofe as Caledonian thane; 
 
 In Richmond's duke, we trace our own JOHN BULL, 
 
 Of fchemes enamour 'd and of fchemes the GULL. 
 
 No. V.
 
 No. V. 
 
 THE author of the Rolliad has, in his 
 laft edition, introduced fo confider- 
 able an alteration, that we fhould hold our- 
 felves inexcufable, after the very favourable 
 reception our commentaries have been ho- 
 noured with, in omitting to feize the ear- 
 lieft opportunity of pointing it out to the 
 public. 
 
 Finding the variety and importance of 
 the characters he is called upon to defcribe, 
 likely to demand a greater portion both of 
 time and words than an expiring man can 
 be reafonably fuppofed to afford, inftead of 
 leaving the whole defeription of that illuf- 
 trious aflembly, or which the Dying Drum- 
 mer has already delineated fome of the 
 principal ornaments, to the fame character, 
 he has made an addition to the vifion in 
 which the Houfe of Commons is repre- 
 fented, at the conclufion of the Sixth Book, 
 by contriving that the lantern of Merlin 
 ihould be Ihifted in fuch a manner, as to 
 
 difplay
 
 t 4* ) 
 
 difplay at once to the eager eye of Rollo, 
 the whole interior of the Upper Hotife ; to 
 gain a feat in which the hero immediately 
 exprefTes a laudable impatience, as well as a 
 juft indignation, on beholding perfons, far 
 lefs worthy than himfelf, among thote 
 whom the late very numerous creations pre- 
 vent our calling 
 
 panel quos <zquus amavif 
 Jupiter 
 
 With ftill lefs propriety, perhaps, xve 
 fhould add 
 
 A ut ardens, evexit ad alhera virtus. V j R G . 
 
 The hero's difpleafure is thus forcibly 
 defcribed : 
 
 Zounds ! quoth great R'otto t with indignant finbwri, 
 'Mid Britifh nobles fhall a bafe-born clown, 
 With air imperious ape a monarch's nod, 
 Lefs fit to fit there than my groom, by G d * ? 
 
 Longinus-, in his chapter on interroga- 
 tions, proves them to be a fource of the fub- 
 lime. They are, indeed, fays Dr. Young, 
 the proper flile of majefty incenfed. Where 
 
 * See Mr. Rollc's fpeech in the parliamentary debates. 
 
 G therefore.
 
 ( 4* ) 
 
 therefore, can they be with more propriety 
 introduced, than from the mouth of our 
 offended hero ? Merlin, after fympathizing 
 with him in the jtiftice cf thefe feelings, 
 proceeds to a defcription of the auguft 
 afiembly they are viewing. The author's 
 reverence for .the religion of his country 
 naturally difpofes him firft to take notice of 
 the fpiritual lords of Parliament 
 
 Yon rev'rend prelates, robed in flecves of lawn, 
 Too meek to murmur, and too proud to fawn 
 Who, ftill fubmifilve to their Maker's nod, 
 Adore their Sov'reign, and refped~l their God ; 
 And wait, good men ! all worldly things forgot, 
 In humble hope of Enoch's happy lot. 
 
 We apprehend that in the fourth line, by 
 an error in the prefs, the words " adore 
 " and refpecl, " mud have been mifplaced ; 
 but our veneration for our author will not 
 permit us to hazard even the flighted alter- 
 ation of the text. The happy ambiguity 
 of the word " Maker," is 'truly beautiful. 
 
 We are forry, however, to obferve that 
 modern times afford fome inftances of ex- 
 ceptions to the above defcription, as well as 
 
 one
 
 ( 43 ) 
 
 one very diftinguifhed one, indeed, to that 
 which follows of the fixteen Peers of Scot 
 land : 
 
 Alike in loyalty, alike in worth, 
 Behold the lixteen nobles of the north ; 
 Faft friends to monarchy, yet fprung from thofc 
 Who bafely fold their monarch to his foes ; 
 Since which, atoning for their fathers' crime, 
 The fons, as bafely, fell themfelves to him : 
 With ev'ry change prepar'd to change their note, 
 With ev'ry government prepar'd to vote, 
 Save when, perhaps, on fome important bill, 
 They know, by fecond fight, the royal will ; 
 With loyal Denbigh hearing birds that fing, 
 " Oppofe the minifter to pleafe the king. '* 
 
 Thefe laft lines allude to a well-authen- 
 ticiated anecdote, which deferves to be re- 
 corded as an inftance of the interference of 
 divine Providence in favour of this country, 
 when her immediate deftruclion was threat- 
 ened by the memorable India bill, fo hap- 
 pily rejected by the Houfe of Lords in 
 the year 1783. 
 
 The Earl of Denbigh, a Lord of his Ma- 
 
 jetty's Bedchamber, being newly married, 
 
 G 2 and
 
 and folacing himfclf at his country -feat in 
 the fvveets of matrimonial blifs, to his great 
 aftonifhment heard, on a winter's evening, 
 in the cold month of December, a nightin- 
 gale finging in the woods. Having liftened 
 with great attention to fo extraordinary a 
 phenomenon, it appeared to his Lordlhip 
 that the bird diftinctly repeated the follow- 
 ing fignificant words, in the fame man- 
 ner that the bells of London admonifhed 
 the celebrated Whittington : 
 
 " Throw out the India bill; 
 " Such is your mailer's will." 
 
 His Lordfhip immediately communicated 
 this fingular circumftancc to the fair part- 
 ner of his conubial joys, who, for the good 
 of her country, patriotically, though reluc- 
 tantly, confented to forego the newly taft> 
 ed delights of wedlock, and permitted her 
 beloved bridegroom to let out for Lon- 
 don, where his lordfhip fortunately arrived 
 in time to co-operate with the reft of his 
 noble and honourable brethren, the lords 
 of the king's bedchamber, in defeating that 
 detcltablc mcafurc ; a ineafure calculated to 
 
 effect
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 effect the immediate ruin of this country, 
 by overthrowing the happy fyftem of go- 
 vernment which has fo long prevailed in 
 cur Eaft-Jndia territories. After having de- 
 fcribed the above-mentioned clafles of no- 
 bility, he proceeds to take notice of the ad- 
 mirable perfon who fo worthily prefides in 
 this auguil afTembly : 
 
 The rugged TJwrlow, who with fallen fcowl, 
 In furly mood, at friend and foe will growl ; 
 Of proud prerogative, the flern fupport, 
 Defends the entrance of great George'?, court 
 'Gainft factious Whigs, left they who ftole the feal, 
 The facred diadem itfelf fhould fteal ? 
 So have I feen near village-butcher's ftall, 
 (If things fo great may be compar'd with fmall,) 
 A maftiff guarding, on a market day, 
 With fnarling vigilance, his mailer's tray. 
 
 The fa6l of a clefparate and degraded fac- 
 tion having a6tually broken into the dwel-? 
 ling-hoiife of the lord high chancellor, and 
 carried off the great feal of England, is of 
 equal notoriety and authenticity with that 
 ot their having treacheroufly attempted, 
 when in power, to transfer the crown of 
 Great-Britain from the head of our moft 
 
 gracious
 
 gracious fovereign to that of their ambitious 
 kader, fo juftly denominated the Cromwell 
 of modern times. 
 
 While our author is dwelling on events 
 which every Englifhman mud recolle6l with 
 heart-felt fatisfa-jr on, he is naturally re- 
 minded of that excellent nobleman, \vhofe 
 character he has, in the mouth of the dying 
 drmmmer, given more at large, and who 
 bore fo meritorious a fhare in that happy 
 revolution which reftored to the fovereign 
 of thefe kingdoms the right of nominating 
 his own ferv nts ; a right exercifed by every 
 private gentleman in the choice of his but- 
 ler, cook, coachman, foctman &c. but which 
 a powerful and wicked ariftocratic combi- 
 nation endeavoured to circumfcribe in the 
 monarch, with refpect to the appointment 
 of minifters of ftate. Upon this occafion 
 he compares the noble marquis to the pious 
 hero of the /Eneid, and recollects the de- 
 fcription of his conduct during the con- 
 atbn of Troy ; an alarming moment, 
 not unaptly likened to that of the duke of 
 
 Portland's
 
 ( 47 ) 
 
 Portland's alminiftration, when his majefty, 
 like king Priam, had the misfortune of fee- 
 ing 
 
 Medium in penetralibus hoftem. Vl RG. 
 
 The learned reader will bear in mind the 
 defcription of ^Eneas : 
 
 Limen erat > ctzcoque fores, sV. VIRG. 
 
 When jT;-5v was burning, and th' infulting foe 
 Had well nigh laid her lofty bulwarks low, 
 The good yEneas, to avert her fate, 
 Sought Priam's palace through a po/Jern gate : 
 Thus when the Whigs, a bold and factious band, 
 Had fnatch'd the fceptre from their fov'reign's hand, 
 Up the track-flair* the virtuous Grenvilk fneaks, 
 To rid the clofet of thofe worfe than Greeks, 
 Whofe impious tongues audacioufly maintain, 
 That for their fubje&s, kings were born to reign. 
 
 The abominable doctrines of the repub- 
 lican party are here held forth in their ge^ 
 nuinc colours, to the deteftation of all true 
 lovers of our happy conflitution. The ma- 
 gician then thinks fit to endeavour to pa- 
 cify the hero's indignation, which we before 
 
 took
 
 took notice! of, on feeing perfons lefs worthy 
 than himfelf preferred to the dignity of 
 peerage, by the mention of two of thofe 
 newly created, *vhofe promotion equally 
 reflects the higheft honour upon govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Lori/dale and Camelford, thrice honour'd names! 
 Whofe god-like bofoms glow with* patriot flames : 
 To ferve his country, at her utmoft need, 
 By this, behold a fhip of war decreed ; 
 While that, impell'd by all a convert's zeal, 
 Devotes his borough to the public weal. 
 But dill the \vife their fecond thoughts prefer, 
 Thus both our patriots on thefe gifts demur ; 
 Ere yet (he's launch'd, the veflel runs aground, 
 And Sarum fells for twice three thoufand pound; 
 
 The generous offers of thofe public-fpirit- 
 d noblemen, the one during the admini- 
 ftration of the marquis of Landfdown, pro- 
 pofing to build a feventy-four gun {hip for 
 the public fervice ; the other on Mr. Pitt'a 
 tnotion for a parliamentary reform, againft 
 which he had before not only voted, but 
 written a pamphlet, declaring his readinefs 
 to make a preient of his burgage tenure 
 borough of old Sarum to the bank of Eng- 
 land,
 
 ( 49 ) 
 
 gland, are too frefh in the recollection of 
 their grateful countrymen to need being 
 here recorded. With refpect, however, to 
 the fubfequent fale of the borough for the 
 " twice three thoufand pounds, " our au- 
 thor does not himfelf feem perfectly clear, 
 fince we afterwards meet with thefe lines : 
 
 Say, what gave Camelford his wifh'd-for rank ? 
 Did he devote old Sarum to the Bank ? 
 Or did he not, that envied rank to gain, 
 Transfer the vi6tim to theTreas'ry's fame? 
 
 His character of the earl of Lonfdale is 
 too long to be here inferted, but is perhaps 
 one of the moft finifhed parts of the whole 
 poem: we cannot, however, refrain from 
 tranfcribing the four following lines, on 
 account of the peculiar happinefs of their 
 expreffion. The reader will not forget the- 
 declaration of this great man, that he was 
 in pofleflion of the land, the fire, and the 
 water, of the town of Whitehaven. 
 
 E'en by the elements his pow'r confefs'd,. 
 
 Of mines and boroughs Lanfdale (lands poffefs'd : 
 
 And one fad fervitude alike denotes 
 
 The (lave that labours, and the Have that votes. 
 
 H Our
 
 ( 6 ) . 
 
 Our paper now reminds us that it is time 
 to clofe our observations for the prefent, 
 which we (hall do with four lines added by 
 our author to the former part of the fixth 
 book, in compliment to his favourite the 
 marquis of Graham, on his late happy mar- 
 riage. 
 
 With joy Britannia fees her fav'rite goofc 
 Fad bound and pinion d in the nuptial nooic ; 
 Prcfaging fondly from fo fair a mate, 
 "A rood of goflings, cackling in debate. 
 
 vi.
 
 N. VI. 
 
 OUR dying drummer, in confequence ot 
 his extraordinary exertions in deline- 
 ating thofe exalted perfonages, the MARQUIS 
 OF BUCKINGHAM and DUKE OF RICHMOND ; 
 exertions which we think we may venture to 
 pronounce unparalleled by any one, drum- 
 mer or other, fimilarly circumftanced ; un- 
 fortunately found hiinfelf fo debilitated that, 
 \ve were very fearful, like Balaam's afs, LORD 
 VALLETORT, or any other equally ftrange 
 animal, occaiionally endowed with fpeech, his 
 talk being executed, that his mouth would for 
 ever after remain incapable of utterance. 
 
 But though his powers might be fuf- 
 pended, fortunately the 
 
 in xtcrnam clauduntur lumina no6lem, 
 
 has, in confequence of the timely relaxation 
 afforded to the wounded gentleman during 
 the whole of our laft number, been for the 
 prefent avoided ; and, like MR. PITT'S quef- 
 tion of parliamentary reform, adjourned 
 to a more expedient moment. 
 
 H 2 To
 
 To our drummer we might fay, as well 
 as to our matdilefs premier, 
 
 Largaquidem DRANCE, fcmper tibi copia fandi, 
 
 which though fome malevolent critics might 
 profligately tranflate 
 
 " There is no end to thy profing," 
 
 thofe who have read our drummer's lad 
 dying words, or heard our minifter's new 
 made fpeeches,' will admit to be in both 
 inftances equally inapplicable. 
 
 The natural powers of our author here 
 again burft forth with fuch renovated ener- 
 gy, that, 1 e the fwan, his mufic feems to 
 jncreafe as his veins become drained. 
 
 Alluding to an event too recent to require 
 elucidation, after defcribing the virtues of 
 the moft amiable perfonage in the kingdom, 
 and more particularly applauding her cha- 
 rity, which he fays is fo unbounded, that it 
 
 Surmounts dull Nature's ties, 
 
 Nor even to WINCHELSEA a fmile denies. 
 
 He
 
 (' S3 ) 
 
 He proceeds 
 
 And thou too, LENOX ! worthy of thy name ! 
 
 Thou heir to RICHMOND, and to RICHMOND'S fame! 
 
 On equal terms, when BRUNSWICK deign 'd to grace 
 
 The fpurious offspring of the STUART race ; 
 
 When thy rafh arm defign'd her favorite dead, 
 
 The chriftian triumph'd, and the mother fled : 
 
 No rage indignant (hook her pious frame, 
 
 No partial doating fwayed the faint-like dame ; 
 
 But, fpurn'd and fcorn'd where Honor's fons reforr, 
 
 Her friendfhip iboth'd thee, in thy monarch's court. 
 
 How much does this meek refignation, in 
 refpe6t to COLONEL LENOX, appear fuperior 
 to the pagan rage of MEZENTIUS towards 
 ^NEAS, on fomewhat of a fimilar occafion, 
 when, inftead of defiring him to dance a mi- 
 nuet at the Etrurian court, he favagely, and 
 of malice prepenfe, hurls his fpear at the foe 
 of his fon, madly exclaiming 
 
 Jam venio moriturus et haec tibi porto 
 Dona prius. 
 
 But our author excels Virgil, as much as 
 the amiable qualities of the great perfonage 
 defcribed, exceed thofe of MEZENTIUS : that 
 auguft character inftead of dying, did not fo 
 much as faint ; and fo far from hurling a fpear 
 
 at
 
 ( 54, ) 
 
 at MR. LENOX, die did not cad at him even 
 an angry glance. 
 
 The chriftian triumph'd-&c. 
 
 We are happy in noticing this line, anct 
 indeed the \vhole of the paflage, on another 
 account, as it eftablifhes the orthodoxy of 
 the drummer upon fo firm a bafis, that DR. 
 HORSELY himfelf could fcarcely obje6l to 
 his obtaining a feat in parliament. 
 
 There is fomething fo extremely ingeni- 
 ous in the following lines, and they account 
 too on fuch rational grounds for a partiality 
 that has puzzled fo many able heads, that 
 we cannot forbear tranfcribing them. 
 
 Apoftrophizing the exalted perfonage 
 before alluded to, he lays, 
 
 Early you read, iiQr did the advice deride, 
 Sufpicion ne'er fhould taint a C.-ESAR'S bride ; 
 And who in fpotlefs purity fo fit 
 To guard an honeft wife's good fame, as PITT. 
 
 The beautiful compliment here introduced 
 to the chaftity of our immaculate premier, 
 
 from
 
 ( 55 ) 
 
 from the pen of fuch an author,- muft give 
 him the moft fupreme fatisfacYion. And 
 
 O decus Italiae virgo ! ! ! 
 
 Long may ft thoti continue to deferve it ! ! ! 
 
 From treating of the minifter's virgin in- 
 nocence, our author, by a very unaccountable 
 tranfition, proceeds to a family man, namely 
 the modern MAECENAS, the CENSOR MORUM, 
 the ARBITER ELEGANTIARUM of Great Bri- 
 tain ; in a word, to the moft illuftrious JAMES 
 CECIL EARL OF SALISBURY, and lord cham- 
 berlain to his majefty, whom, in a kind of 
 epifode he thus addrefles. 
 
 Oh ! had the gods but kindly w-ill'd it fo 
 
 That thou hadft lived two hundred years ago : 
 
 Had'il thou then ruled the ftage, from fportive fcorr* 
 
 Thy prudent care had guarded peers unborn. 
 
 No fimple chamberlains had libell'd been, 
 
 No OSTRICKS fool'd in SHAKESPEARE'S faucy fcene. 
 
 But then wifely recollecling this not to 
 be altogether the moft friendly of wiflies, 
 in as much, that, if his lordfhip, had been 
 chamberlain to QUEEN ELIZABETH, he could 
 not, in the common courfe of events, have 
 been, as 'his honor SIR RICHARD PEPPER 
 
 ARDEN
 
 ARDEN moft fwcetly fings in his PROBATION- 
 ARY ODE, 
 
 " The talleft, fittefl man to go before the king,'* 
 
 in the days of GEORGE THE THIRD ; by 
 which we fhould moft probably not only 
 have been deprived of the attic entertain- 
 ments of SIGNORS DELPINI and CARNEVALE, 
 but perhaps too have loft fome of our beft 
 dramatic writers ; fuch as GREATHEAD, 
 HAYLEY, DR. STRATFORD, and TOMMY 
 VAUGHAN : our author, with a fudden kind 
 of repentance, fays, 
 
 But hence fond thoughts, nor be by paflion hurried! 
 Had he then lived, he now were dead and, buried. 
 Not now fhould theatres his orders own ; 
 Not now in alehoufe figns his face be fhewn. 
 
 If we might be ib prefumptuous as to 
 impute a fault to our author, we fhould fay 
 that he is rather too fond of what the 
 French ftile equivoque This partiality of 
 his breaks forth in a variety of places ; fuch 
 as SIR JOSEPH MAWBEY being 
 
 a knowing man in grain, 
 
 MARTiN'syfrr//;/* fenfe, c. &c. 
 
 In the prefent inftance too, where, fup- 
 
 pofing
 
 57 ) 
 
 pofmg the noble marquis to have lived two 
 hundred years ago, he fays, 
 
 " Not now fhould theatres his or den own." 
 
 He leaves us completely in the dark,- 
 whether, by the word orders, we are to un- 
 derftand his lordlhip's commands as thea- 
 trical anatomift, or the recommendations, which 
 he is pleafed to make to -the managers of our 
 public amufements, to admit his dependants 
 and fervants gratuitoufly ; and which recom- 
 mendations in the vulgar tongue of the thea- 
 tres are technically filled orders. If we might 
 hazard an opinion, from the known conde- 
 fcenfion of his lordfhip, and his attention to 
 the accommodation of his inferiors, we fhould 
 be inclined to conflrue it in the latter fenfe ; 
 an attention indeed, which, in the cafe in 
 queftion, is faid to be fo unbounded, that he 
 might exclaim with 
 
 Nemo ex hoc numero mihi non donatus abibit. 
 
 Should any caviler here object, that for 
 
 every five millings thus generoufly beflowed 
 
 on the dependant, a proportionate vacuum is 
 
 made in the pocket of the manager, let him 
 
 I recolle<5l
 
 ( 58 ) 
 
 recollect, that it is a firft and immutable prin- 
 ciple of civil policy, that the convenience of the 
 few muft yield to the accommodation of the many ; 
 and, that the noble marquis, as a peer and 
 legiflator of Great Britain, is too clofely at- 
 tached to our excellent conftitution to fwerve 
 from fo old and eftabliihed a maxim. 
 
 With' refpe6l to the laft line of the cou- 
 plet 
 
 *< Not now in alehoufe figns his face be fhewn." 
 
 \ve muft confefs that our author's imagi- 
 nation has here been rather too prurient. 
 His lordfhip's head does not, as far as we can 
 learn, upon, the moft minute enquiry, at 
 prefent grace any alehoufe whatever It was 
 indeed for fome little time difplayed at 
 HATFIELD in HERTS ; but the words " Good 
 entertainment within" being written under it, 
 they were deemed by travellers ib extreme- 
 ly unappofite, that, to avoid further expence, 
 LORD SALISBURY'S head was taken down, 
 and The old bald faced Stag!' " refumed 
 its priftine Ration, 
 
 Yet
 
 ( S9 ) 
 
 Yet, enraptured with his firft idea, oitr 
 author foon forgets his late reflection, and 
 proceeds on the fuppofition of the noble lord 
 having exercifed his pruning knife upon 
 SHAKESPEARE and JOHNSON, and the ad- 
 vantages . which would have been derived 
 from it, fome of which he thus beautifully 
 defcribes : 
 
 To plays fhoulcl RICHMOND then undaunted come, 
 Secured from liftening to PAROLLES'S drum ; 
 Nor fhouldft thou, CAMELFORD, the fool reprove, 
 Who loft a world to gain a wanton's love. 
 " Give me a horfe" CATHC ART (hould ne'er annoy ; 
 Nor thou, oh ! PITT, behold the Angry Boy. 
 
 The laft line but one of thefe, 
 
 Give me a horfe, &c, 
 
 feems to allude to a circumftance that oc- 
 curred in America, where his lordfhip being 
 on foot, and having to march nearly five miles 
 over a fandy plain in the heat of fummer, 
 fortunately difcovered, tied to the door of 
 a houfe, a horfe belonging to an officer of 
 cavalry. His lordftiip thinking that riding 
 was pleafanter than walking, and probably 
 alfo imagining that the owner might be 
 I a better
 
 better engaged, judged it expedient to avail 
 himfelf of this fteed, which thus fo fortu- 
 nately prefented itfelf, and accordingly 
 borrowed it. The fubfequent apology, how- 
 ever, which he made when the proprietor, 
 rather out of humour at his unlooked-for 
 pedeftrian expedition, came up to reclaim 
 his loft goods, was fo extremely ample, that 
 the mod rigid aflerter of the old fufty doc- 
 trines of nieum and tuum cannot deny that 
 the difmounted cavalier had full compenfa- 
 tion for any inconvenience that he might 
 have experienced. And we muft add, that 
 we think that every delicacy of the noble 
 lord on this fiibject ought now to terminate. 
 
 We (hall conclude with an extract from 
 jbme complimentary verfes by a noble fe- 
 cretary, who is himfelf both an A MATE us. 
 and ARTISTE Were any thing wanting to 
 our author's fame, this elegant teftimony in 
 his favour muft be decifive with every rea- 
 der of tafte. 
 
 Oh ! mighty ROLLE, may long thy fame be known f 
 And long thy virtues in his verfe be (hewn ! 
 
 Wftoi
 
 C 61 ) 
 
 When THURLOW'S chriftian meeknefs, SYDNEY'S fcnfe 1 , 
 
 When RICHMOND'S valour, HOPETOWN'S eloquence, 
 
 When HAWKESB'RY'S patriotifm negle&ed lie 
 
 Intomb'd with CHESTERFIELD'S humanity, 
 
 When PRETTYMAN, fage guardian of PITT'S youth. 
 
 Shall lofe each claim to honefty and truth, 
 
 When each pure blufli DUNDAS'S cheek can boaft. 
 
 With ARDEN'S law and nofe alike are loft, 
 
 When grateful ROBINSON fhall be forgot, 
 
 And not a line be read of MAJOR SCOTT, 
 
 When PHIPPS no more {hall liftening crouds engage, 
 
 And HAMMET'S jefts berafedfrom memory's page, 
 
 When PITT each patriot's joy no more mail prove, 
 
 Nor from fond beauty catch the figh of love, 
 
 When even thy fufferings, virtuous chief! (hall fade. 
 
 And BASSET'S horfewhip but appear a made, 
 
 Thy facred fpirit fhall effulgence fhed 
 
 And raife to kindred fame the mighty dead : 
 
 Long ages fhall admire thy matchlefs foul, 
 
 And children's children lifp thepraife of Roti.r 
 
 N Q . VII.
 
 N. VII. 
 
 IT now only remains for us to perform 
 the laft melancholy office to the dying 
 drummer, and to do what little juftice we can 
 to the very ingenious and ftriking manner 
 in which our author clofes at once his pro- 
 phecy and his life. 
 
 It is a trite obfervation, that the curious 
 feldom hear any good of themfelves ; and 
 all epic poets, who have fent their heroes 
 to conjurors, have, with excellent mora- 
 lity, taught us, that they who pry into 
 futurity, too often anticipate affliction. 
 VIRGIL plainly intimates this leflbn in the 
 caution which he puts into the mouth of 
 ANCHISES, when /ENEAS enquires into the 
 future deiliny of the younger MARCELLUS, 
 whofe premature death forms the pathetic 
 fubjeft of the concluding vifion in the fixth 
 book of the 
 
 " O nate, ingcntem luftum ne qnxrc tuorum." 
 
 Seek
 
 r * Seek not to know (the ghoft replied with tears) 
 * The forrows of thy fons in future years." 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 Then, inftead of declining any further 
 anfwer, he very unneceiTarily proceeds to 
 rnake his fon as m Her able as he can, by 
 detailing all the circumftances beft calcu- 
 lated to create the moft tender intereft. 
 The revelation of difagreeable events to 
 come, is by our poet more naturally put 
 into the mouth of an enemy. After run- 
 ning over many more noble names than the 
 records of the herald's office afford us any 
 afliftance in tracing, the fecond-fighted 
 Saxon, in the midft of his dying convul- 
 fions, fuddenly burfts into a violent explo- 
 fion pf laughter. This, of courfe, excites 
 the curiolity of ROLLO, as it probably will 
 that of our readers ; upon which the 
 drummer infults his conqueror with ra- 
 ther a long but very lively recital of all 
 the numerous difappointments and mor- 
 tifications with which; he forefees that the 
 deftinies will affect the virtues of ROLLO'S 
 great defcendant, the prefent illuftrious 
 member for Devonfhire. He mentions 
 g Mr,
 
 Mr. ROLLE'S many unfuccefsful attempts 
 to obtain the honour of the peerage ; and 
 alludes to fome of the little fplenetive 
 efcapes into which even his elevated mag- 
 nanimity is well known to have been for 
 a moment betrayed on thofe trying occa- 
 fions. We now fee all the drift and arti- 
 fice of the poet, and why he thought the 
 occafion worthy of making the drummer 
 fo preternaturally long winded, in difplay- 
 ing at full all the glories of the houfe of 
 peers : it was to heighten by contraft the 
 chagrin of ROLLO at finding the doors of- 
 this auguft afiembly for ever barred againft' 
 
 his posterity. 
 
 i 
 
 To nnderftand the introdu6lory lines- of 
 the following paflage, it is necefiary to in- 
 form our readers, if they are not already 
 acquainted with the fact, that fomewhere 
 in the back fettlements cf America, there 
 is now actually exifting an illegitimate batch' 
 of little ROLLE'S. 
 
 Though wide fhoulcl fpread thy fpurioils race around 
 ! ether \vorlds, which mud not yet be found,^ < 
 
 - While
 
 While they with favages in forefts roam 
 
 Deferted, far from their paternal home ; 
 
 A mightier favage in thy wilds, Ex-MooR, 
 
 Their well-horn brother (hall his fate deplore, 
 
 By friends neglected, as by foes abhorr'd, 
 
 No duke, no marquis, not a fimple lord. 
 
 Tho' thick as MARGARET'S knights with each addrefs, 
 
 New peers, on peers, in crowds each other prefs, 
 
 He only finds, of all the friends of PITT, 
 
 His lucklefs head no coronet will fit. 
 
 But what our author feems more parti- 
 cularly to have laboured, is a paflage which 
 he has lately inferted: it relates to the cruel 
 (light which was (hewn to Mr. ROLLE during 
 the late royal progrefs through the weft 
 Who is there that remembers the awful pe- 
 riod when the regency was in fufpence, but 
 muft at the fame time remember the pa- 
 triotic, decent, and confident conduct of Mr. 
 ROLLE ? How laudably, in his parliamentary 
 fpeeches, did he co-operate, to the befl of 
 his power, with the popular pamphlets of 
 the worthy Dr. WITHERS ! How nobly did 
 he difplay his fteady loyalty to the father, 
 while he endeavoured to {hake the future 
 right of the fon to the throne of his ancef- 
 tors ! How brightly did he manifeft his at- 
 K tachment
 
 ( 66 ) 
 
 tachment to the perfon of his MAJESTY, by 
 voting to feclude him in the hour of ficknefs 
 from the too diftrefling prefence of his royal 
 brothers and his children ; and, after all, 
 when he could no longer refift the title of 
 the heir apparent, with what unembarafled 
 grace did he agree to the addrefs of his con- 
 Ititijents, complimenting the prince on his 
 acceflion to that high charge, to which his 
 SITUATION and VIRTUES fo eminently ENTI- 
 TLED him : yet, even then, with how pecu- 
 liar a dexterity did Mr. ROLLE mingle what 
 fome would have thought an affront, with 
 his praifes, directly informing his ROYAL 
 HIGHNESS that he had no confidence what- 
 ever in any virtues but thofe of the minif- 
 ter. But, alas, how uncertain is the re- 
 ward of all fublunary merit ! Thofe good 
 judges who enquired into the literary la- 
 bours of the pious and charitable Dr. WI- 
 THERS, did not exalt him to that confpi- 
 cuous poft, which he fo juftly deferved, and 
 would fo well have graced ; neither did one 
 ray of royal favour cheer the loyalty of Mr. 
 ROLLE during his majefty's vifit to DEVON- 
 SHIRE ; though, with an unexampled libe- 
 rality,
 
 ( 67 ) 
 
 rality, the worthy member had contradted 
 for the fragments of lord MOUNT EDG- 
 CUMBE'S defert, and the ruins. of his tri- 
 umphal arches ; had brought down feveral 
 of the min liter's young friends to perfonate 
 virgins in white, fmg, and ftrew flowers 
 along the way ; and had actually difpatched 
 a chaife and four to Exeter, for his old 
 friend and inftructor, mynheer HOPPINGEM 
 VAN CAPERAGEN, dancing-matter and poet ; 
 who had promifed to prepare both the bal- 
 lets and ballads for this glorious feftivity. 
 And for whom was Mr. ROLLE neglected ? 
 For his colleague, Mr. BASTARD ; a gen- 
 tleman who, in his political ofcillations, has 
 of late vibrated much more frequently tp 
 the oppofition than to the treafury bench. 
 This moft unaccountable preference we are 
 certain muft be matter of deep regret to 
 all our readers of fenfibility ; to the drum-f- 
 iner it is matter of exultation. 
 
 In vain with fuch bold fpirit mall he fpeak, 
 That furious WITHERS fhall to him feem meek ; 
 In vain for party urge his country's fate; 
 To fave the church, in vain diftracl the ftate i 
 
 K 2 In
 
 ( 68 ) 
 
 In loyal duty to the father Ihewn, 
 
 Doubt the fons title to his future throne ; 
 
 And from the fuflfering monarch's couch remove 
 
 All care fraternal, and all filial love : 
 
 Then when mankind in choral praife unite, 
 
 Though blind before, fee virtues beaming bright ; 
 
 Yet feigning to confide, diftruft evince, 
 
 And while he flatters, dare infult his PRINCE. 
 
 Vain claims ! when now, the people's (ins transferred 
 
 On their own heads, mad riot is the word ; 
 
 When through the weft in gracious progrefs goes 
 
 The monarch, happy victor of his woes ; 
 
 While Royal fmiles gild every cottage wall, 
 
 Hope never comes to ROLLE, that comes to all\ 
 
 And more with envy to difturb his breaft, 
 
 BASTARD'S glad roof receives the Royal gueft. 
 
 Here the drummer, exhaufted with this 
 laft wonderful exertion, begins to find his 
 pangs increafe fail upon him ; and what 
 follows, for two and thirty lines, is all in- 
 terrupted with different interjections of 
 laughter and pain, till the laft line, which 
 confifts entirely of fuch interjections. Our 
 readers may probably recollect the well- 
 known line of THOMSON : 
 
 OH, SOFflONISBA, SOPHONISBA, OH !" 
 
 Which,
 
 Which, by the way, is but a poor plagiarifm 
 from SHAKESPEARE : 
 
 OH, DESDEMONA, DESDEMONA, OH!" 
 
 There is certainly in this line a very 
 pretty change rung in the different ways 
 of arranging the name and the interjection; 
 but perhaps there may be greater merit, 
 though of another kind, in the fudden 
 change of paflions which OTWAY has ex- 
 prefTed in the dying interjecting of PIERRE: 
 
 ' We have deceived the fenate ha! ha! oh!" 
 
 Thefe modern inflances, however, fall 
 very fhort of the admirable ufe made of 
 interjections by the ancients, efpecially the 
 GREEKS, who did not fcruple to put toge- 
 ther whole lines of them. Thus in the 
 PHILOCTETES of SOPHOCLES, befide a great 
 number of hemiftics, we find a verfe and a 
 half: 
 
 The
 
 The harfh and intractable genius of our 
 language will not permit us to give any 
 adequate idea of the foft, fweet, and inno- 
 cent found of the original. It may, how- 
 ever, be faithfully, though coarfely, tranf- 
 latcd 
 
 Alas! 
 
 < Alack! alack! alack! alack! alack! alas!" 
 
 At the fame time, we have pur doubts 
 whether fome chaftifed taftes may not pre- 
 fer the fimplicity of ARISTOPHANES; though 
 it mud not be concealed, that there are cri- 
 tics who think he meant a wicked flroke of 
 ridicule at the PHILOCTETES of SOPHOCLES, 
 when, in his own PLUTUS, he makes his fy- 
 cophant, at the fmell of roaft meat, ex- 
 claim- 
 
 " Tu, W, JJ, JJ, W, JJ !' 
 
 Which we fhall render by an excellent in- 
 terjection, firft coined from the rich mint 
 of MAJOR JOHN SCOTT, in his incomparable 
 Ode 
 
 " Sniff fniff, fnlff fniff, fniff fniff, fniff fniff, fnifF fnifF, 
 .4 fnift." , 
 
 But
 
 ( 7' ) 
 
 But whatever may be the comparative 
 merits of thefe paflages, ancient and mo- 
 dern, we are confident no future critic will 
 difpute but that they are all excelled by the 
 following exquifite couplet of our author : 
 
 Ha ! ha ! this foothes me in fevereft woe ; 
 
 Ho! ho! -ah! ah! oh! oh ! ha ! ah! ho! oh!!! 
 
 We have now feen the drummer quietly 
 inurn'd, and fung our requiem over his 
 grave ; we hope, , however, that 
 
 He, dead corfe, may yet, in complete calf, 
 
 Revifit oft the glimpfes of the candle, 
 Making night cheerful. 
 
 We had flattered ourfelves with the hope 
 of concluding the criticifms on the ROL- 
 LIAD with an ode of Mr. ROLLE himfelf, 
 written in the original Ex-MooR dialect ; 
 but we have hitherto, owing to the eager- 
 nefs with which that gentleman's literary 
 labours are fought after, unfortunately been 
 unable to procure a copy. The learned 
 Mr. DAINES BARRINGTON having, however, 
 kindly hinted to us, that he thought he had 
 
 once
 
 once heard Sir JOHN HAWKINS fay, that he 
 believed there was fomething applicable to 
 a drum in the pofleflionof Mr. STEVENS, the 
 erudite anotator on SHAKESPEARE, Sir JO- 
 SEPH BANKS kindly wrote to that gentle- 
 man ; who, upon fearching into his manu- 
 fcripts at Hamttead, found the following 
 epitaph, which is clearly defigned for our 
 drummer. Mr. STEVENS was fo good as to 
 accompany his kind and invaluable com- 
 munication with a diflertation, to prove that 
 this FRANCIS of GLASTONBURY, from fimi- 
 larity of ftile and orthography, inuft have 
 been the author of the epitaph which de- 
 clares that celebrated outlaw, ROBIN HOOD, 
 to have been a Britifh peer. Mr. PEGGE 
 too informs us, that the HARLEIAN MIS- 
 CELLANY will be found to confirm this 
 idea ; and at the fame time fuggefts, whe- 
 ther, as that dignified character, Mr. WAR- 
 REN HASTINGS, has declared himfelf to be 
 defcended from an Earl of HUNTINGDON, 
 and the late Earl and his family have, 
 through fome unaccountable fantafy, as 
 conftantly declined the honour of the af- 
 finity, this apparent difference of opinion 
 
 may
 
 ( 73 ) 
 
 may not be accounted for by fuppofing 
 him to be defcended from that Earl. 
 But, if we are to imagine any defcendants 
 of that exalted character to be dill in ex- 
 iftence, with great deference to Mr. PEGGE'S 
 better judgment, might not Sir ALEXAN- 
 DER HOOD, and his noble brother, from 
 fimilarity of name, appear more likely to 
 be defcendants of this celebrated archer ; 
 and from him alfo inherit that fkill which 
 the gallant admiral, on a never to be for- 
 gotten occafion, fo eminently difplayed, in 
 drawing a long bow. We can only now 
 lament, that we have not room for any 
 minute enquiry into thefe various hypo- 
 thefe?, and that we are under the necefiity 
 of proceeding to the drummer's epitaph, 
 and the conclufion of our criticifms. 
 
 " a ffaltett g>ajcon fceretnofy lie, 
 " fapetlj nat, men of Bormanfcte; 
 " Hollo nouoftt fcoft fite tqraito toorUe^ 
 " <&t popiit mo percantr tl;an 
 " aitd leal fblfee of Cnglelontie 
 " g!)all Ijatien })em pbtr mo in 
 L
 
 ( 74 ) 
 " sot Om ftat in IK'S life 5 trotoe, 
 
 " JFor ptor !)e tirommeti tj>ereupon: 
 " I5oto !)e, partite, istjeUeand jjone, 
 " $i*y no man ri)efe a >epts Htpmie 
 " Cotorappe i^tipnti toorUes tnne." 
 Jhrauncts
 
 POLITICAL ECLOGUES, 
 
 L a ROSE
 
 ROSE; 
 
 THE COMPLAINT.
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 IN this Eclogue our Author has imitated the Second of hit 
 favourite l^irgil, with more than bis ufual Precijion. The 
 fubjett of Mr. ROSE'S COMPLAINT is, thqt he is left 
 to do the whole Bujinejt of the Treasury during the broiling 
 Heats of Summer, while his Colleague, Mr. STEELE, 
 enjoys the cool Breezes from the Sea, with Mr. PITT, at 
 Brighthelmjione. In this the Scholar has improved on the 
 Original of his great Majler y as the Caufe of tk< Di/lrefs, 
 which he relates, is much more natural. This Eclogue, 
 fromjome internal Evidence, we believe to have been writ" 
 ten in the Summer of 1785, though there may be one or tW9 
 dllufiohs that have been inferted at a later Period.
 
 C 79 3 
 
 ROSE ; OR, THE COMPLAINT. 
 
 NoN! 
 
 TE more than ROSE, amid the courtly ring, 
 Lov'd BILLY, joy of JENKY and the KING. 
 But vain his hope to mine in BILLY'S eyes ; 
 Vain all his votes, his fpeeches, and his lies. 
 STEELE'S happier claims the boy's regard engage ^ 
 
 Alike their ftudies, nor unlike their age : 
 With STEELE, companion of his vacant hours, 
 Oft would he feek Brighthelmftone's fea-girt tow'rs ; 
 For STEELE, relinquilh Beauty's trifling talk, 
 With STEELE, each morning ride, each evening walk ; I 
 Or in full tea-cups drowning cares of ftate, 
 On gentler topics urge the mock debate ; 
 On coffee now the previous queftion move } 
 Now rife a furpluiage of cream to prove j 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 VJRGII.. ECLOGUE II. 
 
 Forraofum paftor Corydon, ardebat Alexia 
 SelicJas domini j nee, quid fperaret, habebat. 
 
 Pafs
 
 C 80 ] 
 
 Pafs muffins in Committees of Supply, 15 
 
 And " butter 'd toafl" amend by adding " dry :" 
 
 Then gravely fage, as in St. Stephen's fcenes, 
 
 With grief more true, propofe the Ways and Means ; 
 
 Or wanting thefe, unanimous of will, 
 
 They negative the 'cave to bring a bill. 20 
 
 In one fad joy all ROSE'S comfort lay ; 
 Penfive he fought the Trcafury, day by day; 
 There, in his inmoft chamber lock'd alone, 
 To boxes red and green he pour'd his moan 
 In rhymes uncouth ; for ROSE, to bufinefs bred 25 
 
 A purfer's clerk, in rhyme was little read ;" 
 Nor, fince his learning with his fortunes grew, 
 Had fuch vain arts engag'd his fober view, 
 For STOCK.D ALE'S {helves contented to compofc 
 The humbler poetry of lying profe. 30 
 
 O barb'rous BILLY ! (thus would he begin) 
 ROSE and his lies you value not a pin j 
 
 Yet 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Tantum Inter denfas, umbrofa cacumina, fagp 
 Atfidvc veniebat j ibi hsec incondita folus 
 Montibus et fylvis lludio jadtabat inani. 
 
 O crudelis Alex* ! nihil mea carmina curas j 
 Nil noftri mifertre : mo- i me denique coges, 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 29 and 31 allude to a pamphlet on the Irifti Propofitions, com- 
 moniraonly called the Treafury Pamphlet, and univerfclly attributed to 
 
 Mi.
 
 f 8z ] 
 
 Yet to compaffion callous as a Turk, 
 
 You kill me, cruel ! with eternal work. 
 
 Now after fix long months of nothing done, 9f 
 
 Each to his home, our youthful ftatefmen run ; 
 
 The mongrel 'fquires, whole votes our Treafury pays, 
 
 Now, with their hunters, till the winter, graze ; 
 
 Now e'en the reptiles of the Blue and Buff, 
 
 In rural leifure fcrawl their factious (luff; 40 
 
 Already pious HILL, with timely cares, 
 
 New fongs, new hymns, for harveft-home prepares : 
 
 But with the love-lorne beauties, whom I mark 
 
 Thin and more thin, parading in the park, 
 
 I yet remain ; and ply my bufy feet 45 
 
 FromDuKE-STREEThither,hencetoDowNiNG-STREET; 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Nunc etiam pecudes umbras & frigora captant } 
 Nunc virides etiam occultant fpineta lacertos 
 Theftylis & rapido feffis meflbribus zftu 
 Allia ferpyllumque herbas contundit olenteS, 
 At mecum raucis, tua duni veftigia luftro, 
 Sole Tub ardent! refonant arbufta cicadis. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Mr. Rofe. This work of the Honourable Secretary's was eminently diftin* 
 guifhed by a gentlemanlike contempt for the pedantry of grammar, and a 
 poetical abhorrence of dull fadi. 
 
 Ver. 42. For a long account of Sir Richard Hill's harveft-home, and 
 of the godly hymns and ungodly ballads, fung on the occafion, fee the 
 newfpapers in Autumn 1784. 
 
 la
 
 In vain ! while far from this deferted fcene, 
 With happier STEELE you faunter on the Steine. 
 
 And for a paltry falary, ftript of fees, 
 
 Thus fhall I toil, while others hive at eafe ? 50 
 
 Better, another fummer long, obey 
 Self-weening LANSDOWNE'S tranfitory fway : 
 Tho' GRAFTOH call'd him proud, I found him kind ; 
 \Vith me he puzzled, and with him I din'd". 
 Better with Fox in oppofition fhare, 55 
 
 Black *ho r he be, and tho' my BILLY fair. 
 Think, BILLY, think, JOHN BULL, a taftelefs brute, 
 By black,, or farr> decides not the difpute : 
 Ah ! think, how polities refemble chefs ; 
 :Tho' now the white exult in fhort fuccefs, <te 
 
 One erring move a fad reverfe may bring. 
 The black may triumph, and check-mate our king. 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Nonnt fujt melius trifles AmyriHidis ira 
 Atquc fuperba pata taftidia? Nonne Menakan 
 Quamvii ilk niger, quamvis tu candidus eiTes> 
 O formofe puer, nimium ne crcde colori. 
 Alba liguftra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver-49. Ju^'ce 'to the MiniAer obliges us to obferve, that he Is by no 
 means chargeable with the fcandalous illiberality above intimated, of re- 
 dtj^ng the income of the Secretaries of the Treafury to the miferable pit- 
 
 * Vance of -^oool. a year. This was one df the many infamous afts which 
 fo defcrvedly drew down the hatred of all true friend* to their king and 
 country, on thofc pretended patriots, the Whigs. 
 
 1 ' You.-
 
 r 8 3 3 
 
 You flight me, BILLY ; and but little heed, 
 What talents I poflefs, what merits plead ; 
 How in white lies abounds my fertile brain ; 65 
 
 And with what forgeries I thofe lies fuftain, 
 A thoufand fictions wander in nay mind ; 
 With me all feafons ready forgeries find. 
 I know the charm by ROBINSON employ 'd, 
 How to the Treasury JACK his rats decoy 'd. 73 
 
 Not wit, but malice, PRETTYMAN reveals, 
 When to my head he argues from my heels. 
 My ikull is not fo thick ; but lad recefs 
 I finifh'd a whole pamphlet for the prefs ; 
 And if by fome feditious fcribbler maul'd, 75 
 
 The pen of CHALMERS to my aid I call'd, 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Sum tibl defpe&us ; nee qui fim quaeris, Alexi: 
 Quam dives pecoris nivei, quam ladtis abundant. 
 Mille meae Siculis errant in montibus agnae : 
 Lac mihi non aeftate novum, none frigoredefit. 
 f Canto, quae folitus, fi quando armenta vocabat, 
 
 Amphion Dirczus in Aclceo Aracyntho. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 66. We know not of what forgeries Mr. Rofe here boafts. Per- 
 haps he may mean the paper relative to his interview with Mr. Gibbon 
 and Mr. Reynolds, fo opportunely found in an obfcure drawer of Mr. 
 Pitt's bureau. See the Parliamentary Debates of 1785. 
 
 Ver. 71. Alludes to a couplet in the- LYARS, which was written before 
 the prefent Eclogue, 
 
 M 2 Witfc
 
 With PRETTY would I write, tho' judg'd by you ; 
 If all, that authors think themfelves, be true. 
 
 O ! to the fmoky town would BILLY come ; 
 With me draw eftimates, or caft a fum ; 80 
 
 Pore on the papers which thefe trunks contain, 
 Then with red tape in bundles tie again ; 
 Chafte tho' he be, if Billy cannot fing, 
 Yet mould he play, to captivate the KING. 
 
 Beneath two Monarchs of the Brunfwick line, 85 
 
 In wealth to flourifh, and in arms to mine, 
 Was Britain's boaft; 'till GEORGE THE THIRD arofe, 
 In arts to gain his triumphs o'er our foes. 
 
 From 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Nee fum adeo informis : nuper me in littore vidi, 
 Cum placidum ventis ftaret mare : non ego Daphnim, 
 Judice te, metuam, fi nunquam fallat imago. 
 O tantum libeat mecum tibi furdida rura 
 Atque humiles habitare cafas, & figere cervos, 
 Hjtdoramque gregem viridi compellere hibifco. 
 Mecum una in Sylois imiubere Pana canendo. 
 
 Pan primus calamos cera conjungere plurcs 
 Inft itui t ; , . 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 78. The Reply to the Treafury Pamphlet was anfwered not by Mr. 
 Rofc himfelf, but by Mr. George Chalmers. 
 
 Ver. 88. The followinc digreflion on his Majefty's love of the fine arts, 
 though it be fomewhat long, will carry its apology with it in the truth and 
 beauty of the panegyric. The judicious reader will cbferve that the flylc
 
 C 85 ] 
 
 From RAMSAY'S pallet, and from WHITEITEAD'S lyre, 
 
 He fought renown, that ages may admire : 90 
 
 And RAMSAY gone, the honours of a name 
 
 To REYN'OLDS gives, but trufls to WEST for fame; 
 
 For he alone, with fubtler judgment bleft, 
 
 Shall teach the world how REYNOLDS yields to WEST. 
 
 He too, by merit meafuring the meed, 95 
 
 Bids WARTON now to WHITEHEAD'S bays fucceed; 
 
 But, to reward FAUQUIER'S illuftrious toils, 
 
 Referves the richer half of WHITEHEAD'S fpoils. 
 
 For well the monarch faw with prefcient eye, 
 
 That WARTON'S wants kind OXFORD would fupply, 100 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 is more elevated, like the fubjeft, and for this the poet may plead both 
 the example and precept of his favourite Virgil. 
 
 . Sylvae fint confule dignae. 11 
 
 Ver. 91 and 92. Since the death of Ramfay, Sir Jofliua Reynolds is 
 nominally painter to the king, though his Majefty fits only to Mr. Weft. 
 
 Ver. 93. This line affords a (hiking inftance of our poet's dexterity in 
 the ufe of his claflical learning. He here tranflates a fingle phrafe from 
 Horace. 
 
 JtuKclum fubtlle videndis artibus illud. 
 
 When he could net poflibly apply what concludes, 
 Eoeotum in craflb jurares sere natum. 
 
 Ver. 95. Our moft gracious Sovereign's comparative eftimate of Meflr*. 
 Whitehead and Warton, is here happily elucidated, from a circumftance 
 highly honourable to his Majefty's taftej that, whereas he thought the for- 
 mer worthy of two places, he has given the latter only the worft of the 
 two. Mr. Fauquier is made Secretary and Regifter to the order of the 
 Bath, in room of the deceafed Laureat, 
 
 5 Who,
 
 [ 8 7 3 
 
 Who, juftly liberal to the tafk uncouth, 
 Learns from St. JAMES'S bard hiftoric truth. 
 
 Bled OXFORD ! in whofe bowers the Laureate fings ! 
 O faithful to the word, and befl of Kings, 
 Firm to the Right Divine, of regal fway, 105 
 
 Though Heav'n and Thou long difrer'd where it lay ! 
 Still of preferment be thy Sifter Queen 1" 
 Thy nobler zeal difdains a thought fo mean ; 
 Still in thy German Coufm's martial fchool, 
 Be each young hope of BRITAIN train'd to rule ; 1 10 
 
 But thine are honours of diftinguifh'd grace, 
 Thou once a year (hall view thy Sovereign's face, 
 While round him croud thy loyal fons, amaz'd, 
 To fee him ftare at tow'rs, by WYATT rais'd. 
 Yet fear not, OXFORD, left a Monarch's fmiles 1 15 
 
 Lure fickle WYATT from the unfinim'd piles ; 
 .To thee mall WYATT ftill be left in peace, 
 'Till ENGLISH ATHENS rival ancient Greece. 
 For him fee CHAMBERS, greatly pretty, draw 120 
 
 Far other plans, than ever Grecian faw ; 
 Where two trim dove-cotes rife on either hand, 
 O'er the proud roofs, whofe front adorns the Strand ; 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 107. We fufpecl the whole of this paflage in pralfe of his Ma- 
 jcfty, has been retouched by Mr. Warton, as this line, or fomething very 
 J'ke it, occurs in his Triumphs of Ifis," a fpirited poem, which is 
 omitted, we know not why, in his publication of hi* works. 
 
 While,
 
 While, thro' three gateways, like three key-holes fpied, 
 
 A bowl inverted crowns the diftant fide. 
 
 But Mufic moft great GEORGE'S cares relieves, 1 25 
 
 Sage arbiter of minims, and of breves ! 
 
 Yet not by him is living genius fed, 
 
 With tafte more frugal he protects the dead ; 
 
 Not all alike ; for, though a Briton born, 
 
 He laughs all natal prejudice to fcorn ; 130 
 
 His nicer ear our barbarous mafters pain, 
 
 Though PURCELL, our own Orpheus, fweli the (train ; 
 
 And mighty HANDEL, a gigantic name, 
 
 Owes to his country half his tuneful fame. 
 
 Nor of our fouls negle&ful, GEORGE provides, 135 
 To lead his flocks, his own Right Reverend guides j 
 Himfelf makes Bilhops, and himfelf promotes, 
 Nor feeks to influence, tho' he gives their votes. 
 
 Then for a Prince fo pious, fo refin r d, 
 An air of HANDEL, or a pfalm to grind, 140- 
 
 Difdain not, BILLY : for his fovereign's fake 
 What pains did PA GET with his gamut take! 
 And to an Earl what rais'd the fimple Peer ? 
 What but that gamut, to his Sovereign dear ? 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 ' Pan curat oves, oviumque magiflros. 
 
 Neu te poeniteat calamo trivifle labellum, 
 
 Mcec eadem nt fciret, quid non faciebat Amyntas ? 
 
 Ocorne,
 
 C 88 ] 
 
 O cotnc, my BILLY. I have bought for you 145 
 
 The barrel-organ of a.ftrolling Jew ; 
 Dying, he fold it me at fecond-hand : 
 Scv'n ftops it boafts, with barrels at command* 
 How at my prize did envious UXBRIDGE fume, 
 Juft what he wifh'd for his new mufic-room. 150 
 
 Come, BILLY, come. Two wantons late I dodg'd, 
 And mark'd the dangerous alley where they lodg'd. 
 Fair as pearl-powder are their opening charms, 
 In tender beauty fit for BILLY'S arms ; 
 And from the toilet blooming as they fcem, 1 55 
 
 Two cows would fcarce fupply them with cold cream. 
 
 The 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Eft mihi difparibus feptetn compada cicutis 
 Fiftula, Damaetas dono mihi quam dedit olim, 
 Ex dixit moriens, " te mine habet ifta fecundum." 
 Dixit Damaetas : invidit ftultus Amyntas. 
 
 Prseterea, duo nee tuta mihi valle reperti 
 Capreoli, fparfis etiamnunc pellibus albo, 
 fiina die ficcant ovis ubera ; quos tibi ft-rvo. 
 Jampridem a me illos abducere Theftylis oral, 
 It faclat ; quoniam fordcnt tib; munera noftra ! 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 149. Our readers, we truft, have already admired the feveral ad- 
 ditions which our poet has made to the ideas of his great original. He 
 has here given an equal proof of his judgment in a flight omifTion. When 
 he converted Amyntas into Lord Uxbridge, with what ftriking propriety 
 did he fink upon us the epithet of foltus, orftoHJb ; for furely vCe cannot 
 fuppofc that to be conveyed above in the term oifimple peer. 
 
 Ver. 156. In the manufcript we find two lines which were ftruck 
 j poffiUly bccaufe our poet fuppofwd they touched on a topic of praif, 
 
 not
 
 C 89 ] 
 
 The houfe, the name to BILLY will I (how, 
 
 Long has DUNDAS the fecret wifh'd to know, 
 
 And he fhall know: fmce fervices like thefe 
 
 Have little pow'r our virtuous youth to pleafe. 160 
 
 Come, BILLY, come. For you each rifing day 
 My maids, tho' tax'd, fhall twine a huge bouquet : 
 That you> next winter, at the birth-night ball 
 In loyal fplendor may out-dazzle all ; 
 Dear Mrs. ROSE her needle fhall employ, 165 
 
 To broider a fine waiftcoat for my boy ; 
 In gay defign fhall blend with fkilful toil, 
 Gold, filver, fpangles, cryftals, beads, and foil, 
 'Till the rich work in bright confufion mow 
 Flow'rs of all hues and many more than blow. 1 70 
 
 I too, for fomething to prefent fome book 
 Which BILLY wants, and I can fpare will look : 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Hue ades, O formofe puer. Tibi lilla plenis 
 Eece ferunt nymphae calathis : tibi Candida Na'is 
 Pallentes violas, & fumma papavera carpens 
 Narcifium et florem jungit bene olentis anethl. 
 Turn cafia, atque aliis intexens fuavibus herbis 
 MolJia luteola pingit vaccinia caitha. 
 Ipfe ego cana legam tenera lanugine mala, 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 not likely to be very prevalent with Mr. PITT, notwithftanding what vr 
 -have lately heard of his " Adantean ihoulders." They are as follows : 
 Yet ftrong beyond the promife of their years, 
 Each in one night would drain two grenadiers. 
 
 N EDEN'S
 
 [ 9 3 
 
 EDEN'S five letters, with an half-bound fet 
 
 Of pamphlet fchemes to pay the public debt; 
 
 And parted there, too thin to bind alone, 1 75 
 
 My SHELBURNE'S fpeech fo gracious from the throne. 
 
 COCKER'S arithmetick my gift (hall fwell ; 
 
 By JOHNSON how efteem'd, let BOSWELL tell. 
 
 Take too thefe Treaties by DEBRETT ; and here 
 
 Take to explain them, SALMON'S Gazetteer. 180 
 
 And you, Committee labours of DUNDAS, 
 
 And you, his late difpatches to Madras, 
 
 Bound up with BILLY'S fav'rite P.& I'll fend ; 
 
 Together bound for fweetly thus you blend. 
 
 ROSE, you're a blockhead! Let no factious fcribe 185 
 Hear fuch a thought, that BILLY heeds a bribe: 
 Or grant th' Immaculate, not proof to pelf. 
 Has STIELE a foul lefs liberal than yourfelf ? 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Cafhneafque nuces, mea quas Amaryllis amah.it : 
 Addam ceroa pruna ; honos erit huic quoque pomo. 
 Et vos, O lauri carpam, & te, proxima myrtus 
 Sic pofitse, quoniam fuaves mifcetis odores. 
 Aufticus es, Corydon ! nee munera curat Alexis 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 181 . The orders of the Board of Controul, relative to the debts of 
 the Nabob of Arcot, certainly appear diametrically oppofue to Mr. Dun- 
 da&'s Reports, and to an exprefs claufe of Mr. Pitt's bill. Our author, 
 however, like Mr. Pitt and Mr. Dundas, roundly afierts the confiftency 
 of the whole. 
 
 Zounds!
 
 C 91 3 
 
 Zounds ! what a blunder ! worfe, than when I made 
 
 A FRENCH Arret, the guard of BRITISH trade. 190 
 
 Ah ! foolifh boy, whom fly you ? Once a week 
 
 The KING from Windfox deigns thefe fcenesto feek. 
 
 Young GALLOWAY too is here, in waiting dill. 
 
 Our coafts let RICHMOND vifit, if he will ; 
 
 There let him build, and garrifon his forts, 195 
 
 If fuch his whim : Be our delight in courts. 
 
 What various taftes divide the fickle town ! 
 
 One likes the fair, and one admires the brown ; 
 
 The (lately, QUEENSB'RY ; HINCHINBROOK, the fmall ; 
 
 THURLOW loves fervant-maids ; DUNDAS loves all. 200 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Nee, fi munerlbus certes, concedat lolas. 
 
 Eheu ! quid volui mifero mihi Floribus Auftrum 
 
 Perditus, et liquidis immifi fontibus apros. 
 
 Quern fugis, ah! demens ? habitarunt Ui quoquefylvas, 
 
 Dardaniufque Paris. Pallas, quas condidit, arces 
 
 Ipfc colat : Nobis placeant ante omnia fylvae. 
 
 Torva leaena iupum fequitur, lupus ipfe capellam, 
 
 Florentem cytafum fequitur lafciva capella ; 
 
 Te Corydon, O Alexi ; trahit fua quemque voluptas. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 189. This unfortunate flip of the Honourable Secretary's confti- 
 tutional logic happened in a debate on the Irifli Propofitions, Among 
 the many wild chimeras of faction on that memorable occafion, one ob- 
 jeflion was, that the produce of the French Vfeft-Indian Jflands might be 
 legally fmuggled through Ireland into this country. To which Mr. Rofe 
 replied, That we might repeal all our afts in perfeft fecurity, becaufe 
 the French King had lately iflued an arret which would prevent this 
 Snuggling," 
 
 N 2 O'er
 
 O'er MORNINGTON French prattle \\o\ds command i 
 HASTINGS buys German phlegm at fecond-hapd ; 
 The dancer's agile limbs win DORSET'S choice; 
 Whilft BRUDENELL dies enamour'd of a voice: 
 'Tis PEMBROKE'S deareft pleafure to elope, 203 
 
 And BILLY, bed of all things, loves a trope j 
 My BILLY I : to each his tafte allow ; 
 Well faid the dame, I ween, who kifs'd her cow. 
 Lo ! in the Weft the fun's broad orb difplay'd 
 O'er the Queen's Palace, lengthens every {hade : 2IQ 
 
 See the laft loiterers now the Mall refign ; 
 E'en Poets go, that they may feem to dine : 
 Yet, fading, here I linger to complain. 
 Ah! ROSE, GEORGE ROSE! what phrenzy fires your brain? 
 With pointlefs paragraphs ihe POST runs \vild j 215 
 
 And Fox, a whole week long, Is unrevil'd ; 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 Me tamen urit amor : quis enim modis adfit amorl. 
 
 Afpicc ! aratra jugo referunt fufpenfa juvenci, 
 Tt fol crefccntes di.lendens duplicat umbras : 
 Ah! Corydon, Cciydon, qux te dementia ceptt ? 
 Semipuuta tibi frondofa viris In ulmo eft, 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Vcr. 116. We flattered oorff.'.ves th-t this line might have enabled u 
 to afcertiin the precifc time when this eclogue was written. We were, 
 however, difappomtcd, as on examining the file of Morning Ports for 
 1784, \ve could not find a fingle week in which Mr. Fox is absolutely 
 without fome attack or other. We fuppofe therefore ouf author her 
 JpeaJcs with the a!K .v-d latitude of poetry. 
 
 Our
 
 C 93 ] 
 
 Our vouchers lie half-vamp'd, and without end 
 
 Tax-bills on tax -bills rile to mend and mend. 
 
 Thefej or what more v. e need, fome new deceit 
 
 Prepare to gull the Commons, when thsy meet. 220 
 
 Tho' fcorn'd by BILLY, you ere long may find 
 
 Some other Mini{ter-,'like LANSDOWNE kind. 
 
 He ceas'd, went home, ate, drank his fill, and then 
 JSnor'd in his chair, 'till fupper came at ten. 224 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Quin tu allquid faltem, potius quorum indiget ufuSj 
 Viminibus, mollique paras detexere junco ? 
 
 Jpvenies alium, fi te hie faflidit, Aiexin, 
 
 THE
 
 THE LYARS.
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 THIS Eclogue is principally an Imitation of the third Bu- 
 colic of Virily which , as is cbferved by t)r. jfofeph ll'ar- 
 ton y the Brother of our incomparable Laureat, is of that 
 Species called Amaebcen, when the Charaflers introduced 
 contend in alternate Verje j the fecond always endeavouring 
 to furpafs the firjl Speaker in an equal Number of Lines. 
 Ai this was in point of time the firft of our Author's Paf- 
 toral AttemptSy he has taken rather mare Latitude than he 
 afttrwards allowed himfe/f in the reft, and has interfperfed 
 one or two occajional Imitations from other Eclogues of the 
 Roman Poet.
 
 C 97 3 
 
 THE L Y A R S. 
 
 Downing-flreet, the breakfaft duly fet, 
 As BANKS and PRETTYMAN one morn were met, 
 A ftrife arifing who could beft fupply, 
 In urgent cafes, a convenient lie ; 
 
 His fldll fuperior each efTay'd to prove 5 
 
 In verfe alternate which the Mufeslove! 
 While BILLY, lift'ning to their tuneful plea, 
 In filence fipp'd his Commutation Tea, 
 And heard them boaft, how loudly both had ly'd ; 
 The Prieft began, the Layman thus reply 'dl 10 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 Why wilt thou, BANKS, with me difpute the prize ? 
 
 Who is not cheated-wherrarParfon lies ? 
 
 Since pious Chriftians, ev'ry Sabbath-day, 
 
 Muft needs believe whate'er the Clergy fay ! 
 
 In fpite of all you Laity can do, 15 
 
 One lie from us is more than ten from you! 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 6. Amant alterna Camena:. 
 
 Ver. 10. Hos Corydon, illos referebat In ordine Thyrfis. 
 
 O BANKS,
 
 C 98 3 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 O witlefs lout ! in lies that touch the (late, 
 
 We, Country Gentlemen, have far more weight ; 
 
 Fidion from us the public flill muft gull: 
 
 They think we're honeft, as they know we're dull ! 2O 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 In yon Cathedral I a Prebend boaft, 
 
 The maiden bounty of our gracious hoft ! 
 
 Its yearly profits I to thee refign, 
 
 If PITT pronounce not that the palm is mine ! 
 
 A Borough mine, a pledge far dearer fure, 25 
 
 Which in St. Stephen's gives a feat fecure? 
 If PITT to PRETTYMAN the prize decree, 
 Henceforth CORFE-CASTLE fhall belojigto thee! 
 
 PITT. 
 
 Begin the drain while in our eafy chairs 
 We loll, forgetful of all public cares! 30 
 
 Begin 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 Ver. 29. Dicite -qnandoqnidem in molli confcdimus herba, 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 17. Our poet here feems to deviate from Ms general rule, by th 
 introduction of a phrafe which appears r.v.hjr adapted to the lower and 
 lefs elevated ftrain of paftoral, than to the dialogue of perfons of fuch dif- 
 tmguiftied rank. It is, however, to be considered, that it is far from ex- 
 ceeding the bound* of poffibiljty to fuppofe, that, in certain inftances, die 
 
 epithet
 
 r 99 3 
 
 Begin the drain nor mall I deem my time 
 Mif-pent, in hearing a debate in rhyme ! 
 
 PIIETTYMAN, 
 
 Father of lies! by whom iri EDEN'S (hade 
 
 Mankind's firft parents were to fin betray 'd; 
 
 Lo ! on this altar, which to thee I raife, 35 
 
 Twelve BIBLES, bound in red Morocco, blaze. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 Bleft pow'rs of falfeJiood, at whofe fhrine I bend, 
 
 Still may fuccefs your votary's lies attend ! 
 
 What prouder victims can your altars boaft, 
 
 Than honour flain'd, and fame for ever loft ? 40 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 How fmooth, perfuafive, plaufible, and glib, 
 From holy lips is dropp'd the fpecious fib! 
 Which whifper'd flyly, in its dark career 
 Affails with art the unfufpe&ing ear. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 How clear, convincing, eloquent, and bold, 45 
 
 The bare-fac'd lie, with manly courage told! 
 Which, fpoke in public, falls with greater force, 
 And heard by hundreds, is believ'd of courfe. 
 
 epithet of " Witlefs," and the coarfe defignatlon of " Lout," may be as 
 applicable to a dignitary of the church, as to the'moft ignorant and illi- 
 terate ruflic. 
 
 O 2 FRET-
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 Search through each office for the bafeft topi 
 
 Rear'd in JACK ROBINSON'S abandon 'd fchool ; 50 
 
 ROSE, beyond all the fons of dulnefs, dull, 
 
 Whofe legs are fcarcely thicker than his fcull ; 
 
 Not ROSE, from all reftraints of confcience free, 
 
 In double-dealing is a match for me. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 Step from St. Stephen's up to Leadenhall, 55 
 
 Where Europe's crimes appear no crimes at all ; 
 Not Major SCOTT, with bright pagodas paid, 
 That wholefale dealer in the lying trade ; 
 Not he, howe'er important his defign, 
 Can lie with impudence furpafling mine. 60 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 Sooner the afs in fields of air (hall graze, 
 
 Or WARTON'S Odes with juftice claim the bays ; 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 V. 6 1. Ante leves ergo pafcentur in zthere cervi 
 
 Et freta deftituent nudos in littore pifces. 
 * 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 61. The truth of this line muft be felt by all who have read tfye 
 lyrical effufion* of Mr. Walton's . ompetitors, whofe odes were fome time 
 lincc publiflied by Sir John Hawkins, Knight. The prcfent paflagc muft 
 be undcrttocd in reference to thofc, ar.d not to the Laureat's general ta- 
 lents. 
 
 Sooner
 
 C 191 1 
 
 Sooner fiiall mackrel on the plains difport, 
 Or MULGRA VE'S hearers think his fpeech too fhort ; 
 Sooner fhall fenfe efcape the prattling lips 6$ 
 
 Of Captain CHARLES, or COL'NEL HENRY, PHIPPS; 
 Sooner fhall CAMPBELL mend his phrafe uncouth, 
 Than Doctor PRETTYMAN (hall fpeak the truth! 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 When Fox and SHERIDAN for fools fhall pafs, 
 
 And JEMMY LUTTRELL not be thought an afs ; 70 
 
 When all their audience fhall enraptured fit 
 
 With MAWBEY'S eloquence, and MARTIN'S wit; 
 
 When fiery KEN YON fhall with temper fpeak, 
 
 When modefl blufhes dye DUNDAS'S cheek j 
 
 Then, only then, in PITT'S behalf will I 75 
 
 Rufufe to pledge my honour to a lie. 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 While in fufpence our Irifh project hung, 
 
 A well-framed fiction from this fruitful tongue 
 
 Bade the vain terrors of the City ceafe, 
 
 And Ipll'd the Manufacturers to peace: 80 
 
 The tale was told with fo demure an air, 
 
 Not wary Commerce could efcape the fnare. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 When Secret Influence expiring lay, 
 And Whigs triumphant hail'd th' aufpicious day, 
 
 I bore
 
 C- 10* ] 
 
 J bore that faithlcfs mcflage to the Houfe, 85- 
 
 By PITT contriv'd the gaping Tquires to choufe ; 
 That deed, I ween, demands fuperior thanks: 
 The Britifh Commons were the dupes of BANKS. 
 
 PRETTYMAN. 
 
 Say in what regions are thofe fathers found, 
 
 For deep-diflembling policy renown'd ; 90 
 
 Whofe fubtle precepts for perverting truth, 
 
 To quick perfection train'd our patron's youth, 
 
 And taught him all the myftery of lies ? 
 
 Refolve me this, and \ refign the prize. 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 Say what that mineral, brought from diftant climes, 95 
 Which fcreens delinquents, and abfolves their crimes ; 
 
 IMITATIONS, 
 Vcr. 89. Die quibus in terris, A.C. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 85. The ingenious and fagaclous gentlemen, who, at the period 
 f the gbiious revolution of 1784, held frequent meetings at the Saint 
 Alban's Tavern, for ihe purpofe of bringing about an union that might 
 have prevented the ditfblutinn of Parliament; which meetings afforded 
 time to one of the members of the propokd onion to concert means 
 throughout every part of the kingdom, for cnfuring the fuccefs of that fa- 
 
 lutary and conftitutional mcafure which, through his friend Mr. B ks, 
 
 be had folemnly pledged himfelf not to adopt. How truly does this co- 
 4uQ mark " the ftatefman hern!" 
 
 Doius an virtus, quis in hoftc requirit ? 
 
 Whofe
 
 C I0 3 "J 
 
 Whofe dazzling rays confound the fpace between 
 
 A tainted {trumpet and a fpotlefs Queen ; 
 
 Which Afia's Princes give, which Europe's take ; 
 
 Tell this, dear Do&or, and I yield th'e flake. loo 
 
 PITT* 
 
 Enough, my friends break off your tuneful fport, 
 
 'Tis levee day, and I muft drefs for Court ; 
 
 Which hath more boldly or expertly lied, 
 
 Not mine th' important conteft to decide. 
 
 Take thou this MITRE, Doctor, which before 105 
 
 A greater hypocrite fure never wore ; 
 
 And if to fervices rewards be due, 
 
 Dear BANKS, this CORONET belongs to you: 
 
 Each from that Government deferves a prize. 
 
 Which thrives by muffling, and fubfifls by lies. no 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 104. Non noftrum inter vos tantas componere lite. 
 Vers 105. Et vitula tu digrms & hie. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 98. It muft b* acknowledged that there is fome obfcurlty in this 
 paflage, as well as in the following line, 
 
 " Which Afia's princes give, which Europe's take i n 
 and of this certain feditious, malevolent, difaffefted critic* have taken ad- 
 vantage, and have endeavoured, by a forced conftruftion, to difcover in 
 them an unwarrantable infinuation againft the higheft and moft facred 
 Characters; from which infamous imputation, however, we truft, th 
 well-known and acknowledged loyalty of our author's principles will fuf- 
 ficiently proteft him. 
 
 MARGARET
 
 MARGARET NICHOLSON,
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 Mr. WILKES rfw^ZWHAWKESBURY alternately congra- 
 tulate each other on his Majejly's late happy ejcape. The 
 Me tkfcribes the jiy which pervades the country: the other 
 Jings the dangrrs from which our conjiitution has been pre- 
 ferved. Though in the following Eclogue our author- has 
 not JeleRed .any Jingle one vf Virgil for a cloje and cxaEl 
 parody, he feems to have had hit eye principally upon the 
 Vth, or the DAPHNIS, which contains the Elegy and 
 APOTHEOSIS ./Julius Czfar.
 
 C '07 ] 
 
 % 
 
 MARGARET NICHOLSON. 
 
 A HE Seflion up : the INDIA-BENCH appeas'd, 
 The LANSDOWNES fatisfied, the LOWTHERS pleafed, 
 Each job difpatch'd : the treafury boys depart, 
 As various fancy prompts each youthful heart 
 PITT, in chafte kifles feeking virtuous joy, 5 
 
 Begs Lady CHATHAM'S blefling on her boy ; 
 While MORNINGTON, as vicious as he can, 
 To fair R L N in vain affec~ls the man : 
 With Lordly BUCKINGHAM retir'd at STOWE, 
 GREN VILLE, whofe plodding brains no refpite know, IO 
 To prove next year, how our finances thrive, 
 Schemes new reports, that two and two make five. 
 To plans of Eaftern juftice hies DUNDAS ; 
 And comely VILLIARS to his votive glafs ; 
 To embryo tax-bills ROSE ; to dalliance STEELE ; 15 
 And hungry hirelings to their hard-earn 'd meal. 
 
 A faithful pair, in mutual friendship tied, 
 Once keen in hate, as now in love allied, 
 (This, o'er admiring mobs in triumph rode, 
 Libell'd his Monarch, and blafphem'd his God ', 2O 
 
 P 2 That,
 
 That, the mean drudge of tyranny and BUTE, 
 At once his praclis'd pimp and proftitute) 
 Adfcombfe's proud roof receives, whofe dark recefs 
 And empty vaults, its owner's mind exprefs, 
 While block'd-up windows to the world difplay 25 
 
 How much he loves a tax, how much invites the day. 
 Here the dire chance that god-like GEORGE befel, 
 How fick in fpirit, yet in health how well ; 
 What Mayors by dozens, at the tale affrighted. 
 Got drunk, addrefs'd, got laugh 'd at, and got knighted ; 30 
 They read, with mingled horror and furprife, 
 In London's pure Gazette, that never lies. 
 Ye Tory bands, who taught by confcious fears, 
 Have wifely check 'd your tongues, andfav'd your ears, 
 Hear, ere hard fate forbids what heav'nly (trains 35 
 
 Flow'd from the lips of thefe melodious fwains : 
 Alternate was the fong ; but firft began, 
 With hands uplifted, the regenerate man. 
 
 W1LKES. 
 
 Blefs'd be the beef-fed guard, whofe vigorous twifl 
 Wrench 'd the rais'd weapon from the murderer's fift, 40 
 Him, Lords in waiting mall with awe behold 
 In red tremendous, and hirfute in gold. 
 
 On him, great monarch, let thy bounty mine, 
 What meed can match -a life fo dear as thins ? 
 
 Well
 
 C 109 ] 
 
 Well was that bounty meafured, all muft own, 45 
 
 That gave him half of what he faved a crown. 
 
 Blefs'd the dull edge, for treafon's views unfit, 
 Harmlefs as SYDNEY'S rage, or BEARCROFT'S wit. 
 Blufh, clumfy patriots, for degenerate zeal, 
 WILKES had not guided thus the faithlefs fteel! 50 
 
 Round your fad miftrefs flock, ye maids cleft, 
 Whofe charms fevere your chaftity protect ; 
 Scar'd by whofe glance, defpairing love defcries, 
 That virtue deals no triumph from your eyes. 
 
 Round your bold matter flock, ye mitred hive, 55 
 
 With anathems on Whigs his foul revive ! 
 Saints ! whom the fight of human blood appals, 
 Save when to pleafe the Royal will it falls. 
 
 He breathes ! he lives ! the veftal choir advance, 
 Each takes a Bifhop, and leads up the dance, 60 
 
 Nor dreads to break her long-refpe&ed vow, 
 For chafte ah ftrange to tell ! are bifhops now : 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 59. Ergo alacrls fylvas & cetera rura voluptas, 
 
 Panaque paftorefque tenet, Dryadafque puellas. 
 
 Ver. 61. Nee lupus infidias pecorl, &c. 
 
 NOTES. 
 Ver, 46. half. . a ciown I Literally fo. 
 
 Satuiaian
 
 f, 110 ] 
 
 Saturnian times return! tlie age of truth, 
 
 And long foretold is come, the Virgin Youth. 
 
 Now fage profeflors, for their learning's curfe, 65 
 
 Die of their duty in remorfclefs verfe : 
 
 Now fentimental Aldermen expire 
 
 In profe, half flaming with the Mufe's fire ; 
 
 Their's while rich dainties fwim on every plate, 
 
 Their's the glad toil to fcaft for Britain's fate ; 7* 
 
 Nor mean the gift the Royal grace affords, 
 
 All fhall be knights but thofe that (hall be lords. 
 
 Fountain of Honour, that art never dry, 
 Touch'd with whofe drops of grace no thief can die, 
 Still with new titles foak the delug'd land, 75 
 
 Still may we all be fafe from KETCH'S menac'd hand ! 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 Ver. 63. Jam rcdit et Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regnt. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 63, 64. It is remarkable that thcfe 'are the only lines which our 
 Poet has imitated from the IVth Eclogue (or the Pollio) of Virgil. Per- 
 haps the direct and obvious application of that whole Eclogue appeared 
 to our author to be an undertaking too eafy for the exercife of his fupe- 
 rior nlents j or perhaps he felt himfelf too well anticipated by a fimilar 
 imitation of Pope's Mefliah, which was inferted fome time fince in one of 
 the public papers. If the author will favour us with a corrected copy, 
 adapted rather to the Pollio than the Mefliah, we fhall be be happy to give 
 it a place in our fuKequent editions, of which we doubt not the good 
 tafte of the town will demand as many as of the reft of our celebrated 
 bard's immortal competitions. 
 
 JENK.INSON.
 
 [ III ] 
 
 JENKINSON. 
 
 Oh wond'rous man, with a more wond'rous Mufe 1 
 O'er my lank limbs thy {trains a fleep diffufe, 
 Sweet as when PITT with words difdaining end, 
 Toils to explain, yet fcorns to comprehend. 80 
 
 Ah ! whither had we fled, had that foul day 
 Torn him untimely from our arms away ? 
 What ills had mark'd the age, had that dire thruft 
 Pierc'd his foft heart, and bow'd his bob to duft ? 
 Gods ! to my labouring fight what phantoms rife! 85 
 
 Here Juries triumph, and there droops Excife ! 
 Fierce from defeat, and with collected might, 
 The low-born Commons claim the people's right ; 
 And mad for freedom, vainly deem'd their own, 
 Their eye prefumptuous dares to fcan the throne. 90 
 
 See in the general wreck that fmothers all, 
 Juft ripe for juftice fee my HASTINGS fall. 
 Lo, the dear Major meets a rude repulfe, 
 Though blazing in each hand he bears a BULSE ; 
 Nor Minifters attend, nor Kings relent, 95 
 
 Though rich Nabobs fo fplendidly repent. 
 See EDEN'S faith expos'dto fale again, 
 Who takes his plate, and learns his French in vain. 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 78. Tale tuum carmen nobis, divine Pota, 
 Quale fop or feflis in gramine. 
 
 See
 
 [ ii* 3 
 
 See countlefs eggs for us obfcure the iky, 
 
 Each blanket trembles, and each pump is dry. 100 
 
 Far from good things DUNDAS is fent to roam, 
 
 Ah ! worfe than banifti'd, doom'd to live at home. 
 
 Hence dirt illufions! difmal fcenes away 
 
 Again he cries, " What, what!" and all is gay. 
 
 Come, BRUNSWICK, come, great King of loaves and fifties, 
 Be bounteous ftill to grant us all our wifhes ! 106 
 
 Twice every year with BEAU FOY as we dine, 
 Pour'd to the brim eternal George be thine 
 Two foaming cups of his nedlareous juice, 
 Which new to gods, no mortal vines produce. i ro 
 To us fhall BRUDENELL fing his choiceft airs, 
 And cap'ring MULGRAVE ape the grace of bears; 
 A grand thankfgiving pious YORK compofe, 
 In all the proud parade of pulpit profe ; 
 For fure Omnifcience will delight to hear, 
 Thou Tcapeft a danger, that was never near. 115 
 
 While ductile PITT thy whifper'd wilh obeys, 
 While dupes believe whate'er the Doctor fays, 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 1 06. Sis bcnus ; O ! felixqua tuis 
 Vcr. 107. Pocula bina novo fpumantia la&e quo{ tnnis 
 
 Craterafque duo ftatuam tibi. 
 
 Ver. 109. Vina novum fundum calatbis Arvilia nefhir. 
 Ver. 1 14. Cantabunt mihi Damjrtas et Liftiw ^Egon, 
 Saltantcs Satyro* imitabitnr Alphicfibseu*. 
 
 While
 
 r "3 J 
 
 While panting to be tax'd, thefamifh'd poor 
 
 Grow to their chains, and only beg for more ; 120 
 
 While fortunate in ill, thy fervants find 
 
 No fnares too flight to catch the vulgar mind : 
 
 Fix'd as the doom, thy power (hall ftill remain, 
 
 And thou, wife King, as unccntroul'd fhalt reign. 
 
 WILKES. 
 Thanks, Jenky, thanks, for ever could'fl thou fing, 125 
 
 For ever could I fit, and hear thee praife the King. 
 
 Then take this book, which with a Patriot's pride, 
 
 Once to his facred warrant I deny'd, 
 
 Fond though he was of reading all I wrote: 
 
 No gift can better fuit thy tuneful throat . 130 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. xai. Dum juga mentis aper, &c. 
 
 Semper honos, nomenque tuum, laudefque manebunt. 
 Ver. 130. At tu fume pedum, quod cum me fsepe rogaret 
 Non tulif Antigenes, et erat turn dignus amari. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 119. The public alarm exprefied upon the event which is the fub- 
 jeft of this Paftoral, was certainly a very proper token of affedion to a 
 Monarch, every adlion of whofe reign denotes him to be the father of 
 his people. Whether it has fufficiently fubfided to admit of a calm en- 
 quiry into fafts, is a matter of fome doubt, as the addrefles were not 
 finifhed in fome late Gazettes. If ever that time mould arrive, the 
 world will be very well pleafed to hear that the miferahle woman whom 
 the Privy Council have judiciou fly confined in Bedlam for her life, never 
 even aimed a blow at his Auguft Perfon. 
 
 Ver. jz7 Tkii Bttk, Sec. Zflay on Woman. 
 
 Q, JENKINSON.
 
 JENKINSON. 
 
 And thou this Scottifh pipe.which JAMIE'S breath, 
 
 Infpir'd when living, and bequeath'd in death, 
 
 From lips unhallow'd I'vepreferv'd it long: 
 
 Take the juft tribute of thy loyal fong. 134 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Vcr. 134. Eft mihi-. 
 
 Fiftula, Damztas dono mihi quam dedit olim, 
 
 Et dixit moriens, Te nunc habet ifta fecundum." Ect. II. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 130. N gift etn tetter fait tby throat. The ungrateful peo- 
 ple of England, we have too much rcafon to fear, may be of a different 
 opinion. 
 
 CHARLES
 
 CHARLES JENKINSON.
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 THE following is a very clofe Tranjlation of VIRGIL's 
 SI LENUS ; Jo clofe indeed that many readers may befitr~ 
 trljcd at Jueh a deviation from our author's ufuaj made of 
 imitating the ancients. But we are to conjlder that VIR- 
 GIL i* revered ly hi? Country men, not only as a Poet, hut 
 likewije as a prophet and magician \ and our Incomparable 
 Tranjlator, who was not ignorant of this ciccutujlance, was 
 convinced, t}>at VIRGIL in his SI LENUS had really 
 and bona fide meant to allude to the bonders of theprejent 
 Reign, and consequently that It became his Duty to adhere 
 m-fl /IricJly to his Original, and to convey the true Meaning 
 of this hitherto inexplicable Eclogue.
 
 C 7 
 
 CHARLES JENKINSON. 
 
 M. 
 
 .INK was the Mufe, that from a Norman fcroll 
 Firft rais'd to fame the barbarous worth of ROLLE, 
 And dar'd on DEVON's'hero todifpenfe 
 The gifts of Language, Poetry, and Senfe. 
 In proud Pindarics next my (kill I try'd, 5 
 
 But SALISB'RY wav'd his wand and check'd my pride: 
 " Write Englifh, friend, (he cry'd) be plain, and flatter, 
 4< Nor thus confound your compliment and fatire. 
 " Even I, a critic by the King's command, 
 '' Find thefe here Odes darnn'd hard to underftand.'* 10 
 Now then, O deathlefs theme of WARTON'S Mufe, 
 Oh great in War ! Oh glorious at Reviews ! 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. i. Prima Syracofio dlgnata eft ludere verfu, 
 
 Noftra, me erubutt fylvas habitare Thalia. 
 Cum canerem reges & praelia, Cynthius aurem 
 Vellit, &c admonuit, &c. &c. 
 
 Ver. ii. Nunc ego, (namque fuper tibi erunt qui dicere Iaud< 
 Vare, tuus cupiant, & triftia condere bella) 
 Sylveftrem tenui meditabor aruncL'ns mufam.
 
 C 8 J 
 
 While many a rival, anxious for the bays, 
 
 Purfuesthy virtues with relentlefs praife ; 
 
 While at thy levee fmiling crouds appear, I j 
 
 Bleft that thy birth-day happens once a year : 
 
 Like good SIR CECIL, I to woods retire, 
 
 And write plain eclogues o'er my parlour fire. 
 
 Yet (till for thee my loyal verfe fhall flow, 
 
 Still, fliou'd it pleafe, to thee its charms fhall owe ; 20 
 
 And well I ween, to each fucceeding age, 
 
 Thy name (hall guard and confecrate my page. 
 
 Begin my Mufe! As WILBERFORCE and BANKS, 
 
 Late in the Lobby play'd their ufual pranks, 
 
 Within a water-clofet's niche immur'd 25 
 
 (Oh that the treacherous door was unfecur'd !) 
 
 His wig awry, his papers on the ground, 
 
 Drunk, and afleep, CHARLES JENKINSON they found. 
 
 Tranfported at the fight, (for oft of late 
 
 At Pi TT'S aflembled on affairs of ftate, 30 
 
 They both had prefs'd him, but could ne'er prevail, 
 
 To fing a merry fong or tell a tale) 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. it. - Si quis tamen Iizc quoque, fiqai* 
 
 Captus amore legct, tenoftrz, Vare, myricae 
 Te nemus omne canct, Sec. 
 
 Ver. 13, Chromis & Mnafylus In autro 
 
 Silenum pueri fomno videre jacentem. 
 Vtr. 29. Aggrefli, nam fsepefenex fpe carminis ambo 
 
 Lufcrat, injiciunt ex ipfjs viuculafertis. 
 
 5 In
 
 [ "9 1 
 
 Jn rufh th* advent'rous youths : they feize, they bind, 
 Make fad his legs, and tie his hands behind, 
 Then fcream for help ; and inftant to their aid 35 
 
 POMONA flies, POMONA, lovely maid ; 
 Or maid, or goddefs, fent us from above, 
 To blefs young Senators with fruit and love. 
 Then thus the fage < Why thefe unfeemly bands ? 
 " Untie my legs, dear boys, and loofe my hands ; 40 
 
 " The promis'd tale be yours : a tale to you ; 
 " To fair POMONA different gifts are due." , 
 Now all things hafte to hear the matter talk : 
 Here Fawns and Satyrs from the Bird-cage-walk, 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 35. Addit fe fociam timidifque fupervenit yEgie, 
 ^Egle Naiadum pulcherrima. 
 
 Ver. 39. - Quid vincula neclitis ? inquit, 
 Solvite me pueri 
 
 Carmina quse vultis cognofcite, carmina vobls j 
 Huic aliud mercedis crit. 
 
 Ver. 43. Turn vero in numerum faunofque ferafque videres, 
 Ludere, turn rigidas motare cacumina quercus. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 42. fo fair Pomena, &c.j We are forry to inform our readers, 
 that the promife which Mr. Jenkinfon here intimates in favour of the lady 
 was, we fear, but the promife of a courtier. Truth bliges us to declare, 
 that having taken fome pains to enquire into the fafts, we were allured 
 by the lady herfelf, that fhe never received any other gift, prefent, or 
 compliment whatever from Mr. Jenkinfon. 
 
 Here
 
 C 120 ] 
 
 Here Centaur KENYON, and the Sylvan fage, 45 
 
 Whom Bo WOOD guards to rule a purer age, 
 
 HereT w, B T, H N appear, 
 
 With many a minor favage in their rear, 
 
 Panting for treafons, riots, gibbets, blocks, 
 
 Toftrangle NORTH, to fcalp and eat CHARLES Fo. 50 
 
 There H 's fober band in filence wait, 
 
 Inur'd to fleep, and patient of debate ; 
 
 Firm in their ranks, each rooted to his chair 
 
 They fit, and wave their wooden heads in air. 
 
 Lefs mute the rocks while tuneful Phoebus fung, 55 
 
 Lefs fage the critic brutes round Orpheus hung ; 
 
 For true and pleafant were the tales he told, 
 
 His theme great GEORGE'S age, the age of gold. 
 
 Ere GEORGE appear'd a Briton born and bred, 
 
 One general Chaos all the land o'erfpread : 60 
 
 There lurking feeds of adverfe factions lay, 
 
 Which warm'd and nurtur'd by his dawning ray, 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 55. Nee tantum Phcebo gaudet Pamaflia rupcs, 
 
 Nee tantum Rhodope miratur et Ifmarus Orphca. 
 
 Ver. 57. Namque canebat, uti magnum per inane coafla, 
 Semina tcrrarumquc animaequc marifque fuiffent, 
 Et liquid] fimul ignis : Ut his exordia primis 
 Omnia, & ipfe tener mundi concreverit orbis. 
 Vr, 6. Incipiant fylvz cum primum furgcre 
 
 Jamque novum ut terra ftupeant lucefcere folem. 
 
 Sprang
 
 t "I ] 
 
 Sprang into life. Then firfl began to thrive 
 
 The tender fhoots of young Prerogative ; 
 
 Then fpread luxuriant, when unclouded fhone 65 
 
 The full meridian fplendour of the throne. 
 
 Yet was the Court a folitary wafte ; 
 
 Twelve lords alone the Royal chamber grac'd ! 
 
 When BUTE, the good DEUCALION of the reign 
 
 To gracious BRUNSWICK pray'd, nor pray'd in vain. 70 
 
 For flraight (oh goodnefs of the royal mind !) 
 
 Eight blocks, to duft and rubbifh long confin'd, 
 
 Now wak'd by mandate from their trance of years, 
 
 Grew living creatures, juft like other Peers. 
 
 Nor here his kindnefs ends From wild debate 75 
 
 And factious rage he guards his infant ftate. 
 
 Refolv'd alone his empire's toils to bear, 
 
 " Be all men dull !" he cry'd, and dull they were. 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 68. Cumque 
 
 Kara per ignotos errent animalia montes. 
 
 Ver. 69. Hinc lapides Pyrrhae jadtos 
 Ver. 78. . Saturnia regna. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 68. Our Poet, for fo careful a ftudent of the Court Calendar, as 
 he muft certainly be, is a little inaccurate here. The Lords of the Bed- 
 chamber were in truth thirteen, and feven only were added. The num- 
 bers in the text wsre probably preferred as more euphonious, 
 
 R Then
 
 [ IM ] 
 
 Then fcnfc was treafon ; then with bloody claw 
 Exulting foar'd the vultures of the law : 80 
 
 Then ruffians robb'd by minifterial writ, 
 And GRENVILLE plunder 'd reams of ufelefs wit, 
 '"While mobs got drunk 'till learning fhould revive. 
 And loudly bawl'dfor WILKES and Forty-five. 
 
 Next to WILL PITT he part, fo fage, To young, 85 
 So cas'd with wifdom, and fo arm'd with tongue ; 
 His breaft with every royal virtue full, 
 Yet flrange to tell, the minion of JOHN BULL. 
 Prepoft'rous paflion! fay, what fiend pofleft, 
 Mifeuided youth, what phrcnzy fir'd thy breaft? 90 
 
 'Tis true, in Senates, many a hopeful lad 
 Has rav'd in mataphor, and run (lark mad ; 
 His friend., the heir-apparent ofMoNTROSE, 
 Feels for his beak, and ftarts to find a nofe; 
 Yet at thefe times preferve the little mare 95 
 
 Of fenfe and thought intruded to their care; 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 Ver. 81. Caucafeafque refcrt vclucres. 
 
 Ver. 81. Fmtumque Promethei. 
 
 Ver. 84: Hylan nautae quo fontc reliftum, 
 
 Clamaflent ut littus Hyla, Hyla, omne fonaret. 
 Ver. 88. Pafiphaen nivei folatur amore juvcnci. 
 Vr. 89. Ah virgo infclix quae te dementia cepit ? 
 Ver. gj. Prztidcs implerunt laUis mugitibus agios. 
 Ver. 96. Hi Crp in Jatvi qujcfiflent cornua fronte, 
 
 At nop, *c. 
 
 While
 
 C "3 ] 
 
 While thou with ceafelefs folly, endlefs labour, 
 
 Now coaxing JOHN, now flirting with his neighbour. 
 
 Haft feen thy lover from his bonds fet fiee, 
 
 Damning the fhop-tax, and himfelf, and thee. 100 
 
 Now good MACPHERSON, whofe prolific mufe 
 Begets falfe tongues, falfe heroes, and falfe news, 
 Now frame new lies, now fcrutinize thy brain, 
 And bring th' inconftant to thefe arms again ! 
 
 Next of the Yankeys* fraud the mafter told, 105 
 
 And GRENVILLE'S fondnefs for Hefperian gold $ 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 99. llle latus niveum, &c. 
 
 Ver. 101. Claudite nymphae 
 
 Diftzeae nymphae, nemorum jam claudite faltus, 
 Si qua forte ferant oculis fefe obria noftris, 
 Errabunda bovis veftigia. 
 
 Ver. 106. Turn canit Hefperidum miratam mala pudlam. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. 101. Good Macpberfon, &c.] This ingenious gentleman, who firft 
 fignalized himfelf by a bombaft tranflation of poems which never exifted, 
 is now faid occafionally to indulge his native genius for fklion in para- 
 graphs of poetical profe for fomc of our daily papers. 
 
 Ver. 106. He/ft nan gold. ] The American revenue, which the late 
 Mr. Grenville was to have raifed by his celebrated Stamp Aft. Mr. Jen- 
 kinfon, who was himfelf the author of that aft, here delicately touches on 
 the true origin of the American war j a meafure in which, however un- 
 fuccsfsful, we doubt not, he will ever be ready to glory. 
 
 Ra And
 
 [ "4 3 . 
 
 And GRENVILLE'S friends conspicuous from afar, 
 In mofly down incas'd, and bitter tar. 
 
 SIR CECIL next adorn 'd the pompous fong, 
 Led by his CJELIA throug th' admiring throng, no 
 
 All CILIA'S fitters hail'd the prince of bards, 
 Reforming failors bow'd, and patriot guards : 
 While thus SIR JOSEPH (his ftupendous head 
 Crown'd with green- groc'ry, and with flow'rs o'erfpread) 
 From the high huftings fpoke " This pipe be thine, 115 
 " This pipe, the fav'rite prefent of the Nine, 
 " On which WILL WHITEHEAD play'd thofe powerful 
 
 " airs, 
 * Which to ST. JAMES'S drew reluftant May'rs, 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 108. Turn Phaetontiadas mufco circumdat amarar 
 Corticis, atque folo proceras erigit. 
 
 Ver. 109. Turn canit crrantem Gallum, 
 
 Aonas in montes ut duxerit una fororum, 
 
 Utque viro Phoebi chorus aflurrexerit omnis ; 
 
 Ut Linus hzc ill! diwno carmine paftor 
 
 Floribus, atque apio crines ornatus amaro, 
 
 Dixerit; hos tibi dant caJamos, en accipe, mufe, 
 
 Afcrseo quos ante feni, quibus ille fokbat 
 
 Cantando rigidas deducere montibus ornos, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Ver. no. Sin CECIL'S poems to Cxlh are well known ; and we arc 
 perfuaded will live to preferve the fame of his talents, when his admirable 
 letter to the Scottim leformers, and his pampMa on the Wcrtminaer 
 EkOion, mail be forgotten. 
 
 AaJ
 
 [ 1*5 ] 
 
 '< And forc'd (tiff-jointed Aldermen to bend; 
 
 Sing tliou on this thy SAL'SBURY, fmg thy friend; 120 
 
 " Long may he live in thy prote&ing drains, 
 
 " And HATFIELD vie with TEMPE'S fabled plains?'* 
 
 Why ihould I tell th' election's horrid tale, 
 
 That fcene of libels, riots, blood, and ale ? 
 
 There of SAM HOUSE the horrid form appeared ; 125 
 
 Round his white apron howling monfters reared 
 
 Their angry clubs ; mid broken heads they polled, 
 
 And HOOD'S beft failors in the kennel rolled! 
 
 Ah! why MAHON'S difaftrous fate record? 
 
 Alas ! how fear can change the fierceft lord! 130 
 
 See the fad fequel of the grocers' treat 
 
 Behold him darting up St. James*s-ftreet, 
 
 Pelted, and feared, by BROOKE 'shellifh fprites, 
 
 And vainly fluttering round the door of WHITE'S! t 
 
 All this, and more he told, and every word 135 
 
 With filent awe th' attentive flriplings heard, 
 
 When, burfting on their ears, ftern PEARSON'S note 
 
 Proclaim'd the queftion put, and called them forth to vote. 
 
 IMITATIONS. 
 
 Ver. 127. Quid loquar Scyllum quam fama fecuta eft 
 
 Candida fnccinftam latrantibus inguina moniirls 
 
 . . gurgite in alto 
 
 Ah timidos nautas canibus laceraffe marinis. 
 
 Ver. 131. Aut ut mutatos Terei norraverit artus : 
 
 Quas illi Philomela dapes, qua: dona pararit, 
 Quo cursu deferta petiverit, & quibus ante 
 Infelix fua teila fupervoUtae eric aji*. 
 
 JEKYLL.
 
 J E K Y L L.
 
 i J Y
 
 J E K Y L L. 
 
 miferabile Carmen 
 
 Integrat, & maeftis late loca queftibus implet. Vigcii. 
 
 J EKYLL, the wag of law, the fcribbler's pride, 
 
 Calne to the fenate fent when TOWNSHEND died. 
 
 So LANSDOWNE will'd : the old hoarfe rook at reft, 
 
 A jackdaw-phoenix chatters from his neft. 
 
 Statefman, and lawyer now, with clafhing cares, 5 
 
 Th' important youth roams thro' the Temple fquares ; 
 
 Yet flays his ftep, where, with congenial play, 
 
 The well-known fountain babbles day by day : 
 
 The little fountain ! whofe reftrited courfe, 
 
 In low, faint eflays owns its mallow fource. 10 
 
 There, to the tinkling jet he tun'd his tongue, 1 [Jung. 
 
 While LANSDOWNE'S fame, and LANSDOWNE'S fall, he 
 
 " Where were our friends, when the remorfelefs crew 
 " Of felon Whigs great LANSDOWNE'S pow'r o'erthrew ? 
 '* For neither then, within St. Stephen's wall 15 
 
 ' Obedient WESTCOTE hail'd the Treafury-call ; 
 " Nor treachery then had branded EDEN'S fame, 
 " Or taught mankind the mifcreant MINCHIN'S name. 
 
 S " Joyful
 
 [ '3 J 
 
 Joyful no more (tho' TOMMY fpokc fo long) [tongue. 
 
 Was high-born HOWARD'S cry, or POWNEY'S prattling 
 
 Vain was thy roar, MAHON ! tho' loud and deep ; 21 
 
 ' Not our own GILBERT could be rous'd fromfleep. 
 
 ' No bargain yet the tribe of PHIPPS had made : [aid ; 
 
 " LANSDOWNE! you fought in vain ev'n MULGRAVE'S 
 
 " MULGRA VE at whofe harfh fcream, in wild furprife, 25 
 
 * The fpeechlefs Speaker lifts his drowfy eyes. 
 
 *' Ah ! haplefs day! ftill, as thy hours return, 
 
 " Let Jefuits, Jews, and fad Diflenters mourn ! 
 
 " Each quack and fympathizing juggler groan, 
 
 *' While bankrupt brokers echo moan for moan. 30 
 
 " Oh ! much-Iov r d peer ! my patron ! model ! friend ! 
 
 " How does thy alter 'd ftate ray bofomrend. 
 
 * Alas ! the ways of conrts are ftrange and dark ! 
 
 p 1TT f carcc W ould make thce :iow a Treafury-clerk !" 
 
 Stung with the maddening thought, his griefs, his fears 
 Diflblve the plaintive councellor in tears. 36 
 
 " How oft," he cries, < has wretched LANSDOWNE faid ; 
 ' Curt die the toiljome hours by Jlalefmen kd! 
 " Oh ! had kind heaven ordain' d tny humbler fa ft 
 A country gentleman's of ftnall ejlate- 40 
 
 " With Price and Pr\ett.\cy , in fame dijlant grove, 
 " Blejl I had ted the lowly life I love. 
 Tf)ou y Price! had deign* d to calculate my flocks! 
 11 Thou, Priefliey ! fav'd them from the lightning /hocks f 
 
 " Unknown
 
 [ *3i J 
 
 " Unknown the farms and temp eft s of the fiat e 45 
 
 ' Unfelt the mean ambition to be great ; 
 
 " In Bowood's Jhade had puffed my peaceful days, 
 " Far from the town and its delujive ways ; 
 " The cryftal brook my bev'rage and my food 
 " Hips, cornels, haws, and berries of the wood" 50 
 
 41 Bleft peer ! eternal wreaths adorn thy brow ! 
 " Thou CINCINNATUS of the Britifh plough ! 
 " But roufe again thy talents and thy zeal ! 
 " Thy Sovereign, fure, muft wifh thee Privy-fcaL 
 " Or, what if from the feals thou art debarr'd ? 55 
 
 " CHANDOS, at leaft, he might for thee difcard. 
 " Come, LANSDOWNE ! come thy life, no more thy own, 
 *' Oh ! brave again the fmoke and noife of town: 
 " For Britain's fake, the weight of greatnefs bear, 
 44 And fuffer honors thou art doom'd to wear." 60 
 
 To thee her Princes, lo ! where India fends ! 
 All BENFIELD'S here and there all HASTINGS' friends j 
 MACPHERSON WRAXALL SULLIVAN behold! 
 CALL, BARWELL MIDDLETON with heaps of gold! 
 Rajahs Nabobs from Oude Tanjore Arcqt 65 
 And fee! (nor, oh! difdain him!) MAJOR SCOTT. 
 Ah ! give the Major but one gracious nod : 
 Ev'n PITT himfelf once deign'd to court the fquad. 
 4< Oh ! be it theirs, with more than patriot heat, 
 *' To fnatch thy virtues from their lov'd retreat ; % 70 
 
 S 2 " Drag
 
 [ 13* 1 
 
 41 Drag thee reluftar.t to the haunts of men, 
 " And make thce miniftcr Oh! God! but when!" 
 Thus mounvd the youth 'till, funk in penfive grief, 
 He woo'd his handkerchief for foft relief. 
 In either pocket either hand he threw ; 75 
 
 When, lo! from each, a precious tablet flew. 
 This, his fage patron's \vond'rous fpeech on trade: 
 This, his own book of farcafms ready made. 
 Tremendous book ! thou motley magazine 
 Of itale feverities, and pilfer'd fpleen ! 80 
 
 O! rich in ill .'---within thy leaves entwin'd, 
 What glittering adders lurk to fling the mind. 
 Satire's Mufeum! with SIR ASHTON'S lore, 
 The naturalift of malice eyes thy ftore : 
 Ranging, with fell Virtu, his poifonous tribes 85 
 
 Of embryo fneers, and anamalcule gibes. 
 Here infect puns their feeble wings expand 
 To fpecd, in little flights, their lord's command: 
 There, in their paper chryfalis, he fees 
 Specks of bon mots, and eggs of repartees. 90 
 
 In modern fpirits ancient wit he fteeps ; 
 If not its glofs, the reptile's venom keeps: 
 Thy quaintnefs, DUNNING ! but without thy fenfe ; 
 
 And jtift enough of B 1, for offence. 
 
 On thefe lov'd leaves a tranfient glance he threw : 95 
 
 Eut weightier themes his anxious thoughts purfue. 
 
 Deep
 
 [ '33 ] 
 
 Deep fenatorial pomp intent to reach, 
 With ardent eyes he hangs o'er LANSDOWNE'S fpeech. 
 Then, loud the youth proclaims the enchanting words 
 That charm'd the " noble natures" of the lords. 100 
 
 <* Loft and obfcur'd in Bowood's humble bow'r, 
 " No party tool no candidate for pow 'r 
 " I come y my lords I an hermit from my cell, 
 " A few blunt truths in my plain ftyle to tell. 
 " Highly I praife your late commercial plan ; 105 
 
 " Kingdoms /hould all unite like man and man. 
 " The French love peace ambition they deteft; 
 t( But Cherburg'sfrigkfful works deny me reft. 
 " With joy I fee new wealth for Britain Jhipp'd. 
 f{ Lifbon's a froward child, and mould be whipp'd. no 
 " Tet Portugal'* our old and bejl ally, 
 " And Gallic faith is but a ftender tie. 
 * l My lords! the manufacturer 's a fool ; 
 t( The clothier, too, knows nothing about wool ; 
 f< Their intereftsftill demand our c onftant care ; 115 
 
 *' Their griefs are mine their fears are my defpair. 
 " My lords ! my foul is big with dire alarms; 
 " Turks, Germans, Ruffians, Pruflians, all in arms! 
 " A noble Pole (I'm proud to call him friend I) 
 " Tells me of things I cannot comprehend. I2O 
 
 ' Your lordjhip's hairs would ft and on end to hear 
 My loft difpatches from the Grand Vizier. 
 
 xr " The
 
 r -34 ] 
 
 " The fears of Dantzick-merchants cant be told; 
 
 " Account i from Cracow male my blood run cold. 
 
 TbtflajfofPortfmouih,<wdof Plymouth Docks, 125 
 
 ' Tour Trade your Taxes Army Navy Stocks 
 
 " All haunt me in my dreams ; and, when I rife, 
 
 The Bank of England {cares my open eyes: 
 
 ' I fee / know fame dreadful Jlorm is brewing ; 
 
 * Arm all your coojis your Navy is your ruin. 130 
 
 '* lfy itftill: but (let me be bcliafd) 
 
 In this your lordjhips have been much deceived. 
 
 * l A noble Duke affirms, I like his plan ; 
 
 I never did, my lords!- I never can 
 
 " Shame on the Jlanderous breath ! which dares injlil 1 35 
 
 * That A who now condemn, advis'd the ill. 
 
 " Plain words, thank Heceun ! area/ways underjlood: 
 
 '* I could approve, If aid but not I wou'd. 
 
 " Anxious to make the noble Duke content, 
 
 '* My view was jujl to feem to give confent, 140 
 
 * While all the world might fee that nothing lefs was 
 .;' " meant" J 
 
 While JEKYLL thus, the rich exhauftlefs ftore 
 
 Of LANSDOWNE'S rhetoric ponders o'er and o'er j 
 
 And, wrapt in happier dreams of future days, 
 
 His patron's triumphs in his own furveys ; 145 
 
 Admiring barriflers in crowds refort 
 
 IVv i'igtree,-Brick Hare Pump and Garden-court. 
 
 Anxious 
 
 1
 
 I 135 ] 
 
 Anxious they gaze and watch with filent awe 
 
 The motley fon of politics and law. 
 
 Meanwhile, with fofteft fmiles and courteous bows, 150 
 
 He, graceful bending, greets their ardent vows. 
 
 ' Thanks, generous friends," he cries, " kind Tem- 
 
 plers, thanks ! 
 ." Tho' now, with LANSDOWNE'S band, your JEKYLL 
 
 ranks, 
 
 ** Think not, he wholly quits black-letter cares ; 
 " Still ftill the lawyer with thejiatefman fhares." 155 
 
 But, fee ! the (hades of night o'erlpread the fkies ! 
 Thick fogs and vapours from the Thames arife. 
 
 Far different hopes our feparate toils infpire : 
 
 To parchment you, and precedent retire. 
 
 With deeper bronze your darkeft looks imbr<jwn, 169 
 
 Adjuftyour brows for the demurring frown : 
 
 Brood o'er the fierce rebutters of the bar, 
 
 And brave the iffue of the gowned war. 
 
 Me, all unpra&is'd in the bafhful mood, 
 
 Strange, novice thoughts, and alien cares delude. 165 
 
 Yes, modeft Eloquence ! ev'n / muft court 
 
 For once, with mimic vows, thy coy fupport 5 
 
 Oh! would'ft thou lend the femblance of my charms I 
 
 Feign'd agitations, and aflum'd alarms; 
 
 'Twere all I 'd afk : but for one day alone 70 
 
 To ape thy downcaft look thy fuppliant tone ; 
 
 To
 
 r 3<> 3 
 
 To paufe and bow with hefitating grace 
 
 Here try to falter there a word mifplace : 
 
 Long-baniflied blufhes this pale cheek to teach, 
 
 And acl the miferies of a maiden fpeecb. 1 75 
 
 FINIS.
 
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