Title: The Rolliad, in Two Parts
Author: Richard Tickell
George Ellis
French Laurence
Joseph Richardson
Release date: May 19, 2012 [eBook #39726]
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39726
Credits: Produced by Steffen Haugk
Produced by Steffen Haugk
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1799
Criticisms on the Rolliad. Part the First
Ditto. Part the Second
POLITICAL ECLOGUES.
The Rose
The Lyars
Margaret Nicholson
Charles Jenkinson
Jekyll
PROBATIONARY ODES.
Preliminary Discourse
Thoughts on Ode Writing
Recommendatory Testimonies
Account of Mr. Warton's Ascension
Laureat Election
ODE, by Sir C. Wray, Bart.
Ditto, by Lord Mulgrave
Ditto, by Sir Joseph Mawbey, Bart.
Ditto, by Sir Richard Hill, Bart.
Ditto, by Mr. Macpherson
Ditto, by Mr. Mason
Ditto, by the Attorney-General
Ditto, by N. W. Wraxhall, Esq.
Ditto, by Sir G. P. Turner, Bart.
Ditto, by M. A. Taylor, Esq.
Ditto, by Major John Scott, M. P.
Ditto, by Henry Dundas, Esq.
Ditto, by Dr. Joseph Warton
Ditto, by Lord Mountmorres
Ditto, by Lord Thurlow
Ditto, by Dr. Prettyman
Ditto, by the Marquis of Graham
Second ODE, by Lord Mountmorres
Ditto, by Sir George Howard, K. B.
Ditto, by Abp. Markham
Official Ode, by the Rev. Thomas Warton
Proclamation, &c.
Table of Instructions
POLITICAL MISCELLANIES.
Address to the Public
Ode extraordinary, by the Rev. W. Mason
The Statesman, an Eclogue
Rondeaus
Epigrams on the Immaculate Boy
The Delavaliad
This is the House that George built
Epigrams by Sir Cecil Wray
Lord Graham's Diary
Extracts from Second Volume of Lord Mulgrave's Essays on Eloquence
Anecdotes of Mr. Pitt
Letter from a new Member to his Friend in the Country
The Political Receipt Book
Hints from Dr. Prettyman to the Premier's Porter
A Tale
Dialogue between a certain Personage and his Minister
Prettymaniana.—Epigrams on the Rev. Dr. P————'s Duplicity
———Foreign Epigrams
Advertisement Extraordinary
Vive le Scrutiny; Cross Gospel the First
————————- Cross Gospel the Second
Paragraph Office, Ivy-lane.—Proclamation
Pitt and Pinetti, a Parallel
New Abstract from the Budget
Theatrical Intelligence extraordinary
The Westminster Guide, Part I.
——————————— Part II.
Inscription, to the Memory of the late Marquis of Rockingham
Epigrams on one Pigot
Billy Eden, or the Renegado Scout, a Ballad
Epigrams on Sir Elijah Impey refusing to resign his gown as
Chief Justice of Bengal
Proclamation
Original Letter
A Congratulatory Ode
Ode to Sir Elijah Impey
Song
Master Billy's Budget.—A new Song
Epigrams
Ministerial undoubted Facts
Journal of the Right Hon. Henry Dundas
Incantation
Translations of Lord Belgrave's memorable quotation
Three very large impressions of the following work being already sold, and the demand for it daily increasing, it is now a fourth time submitted to the Public, revised and corrected from the many literal errors, which, with every precaution, will too often deform a first edition; especially when circumstances render an early publication necessary.
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In the present edition some few alterations have been made, but none of any considerable magnitude; except that the Appendix of Miscellaneous Pieces is here suppressed. This has been done, in some degree, for the conveniency of binding this first part of the CRITICISMS ON THE ROLLIAD with the second; but more, indeed, in consequence of a design, which we at present entertain, of printing most of those pieces with other productions of the same Authors in one octavo volume, under the title of POLITICAL MISCELLANIES.
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As the bulk and matter of the book are thus diminished, the price also is proportionally reduced. Where the CRITICISMS seem to require any elucidation from the contents of the former Appendix, extracts are now given at the bottom of the page instead of the references in our former Editions.
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This slight change we flatter ourselves will not be disapproved by the Public; and we hope, that they will not receive with a less degree of favour the intimation here given of the Miscellaneous Volume, which will probably be published in the course of the ensuing winter.
The CRITICISMS ON THE ROLLIAD, in their original form, excited such a general curiosity, that three spurious editions have already been sold, independently of their publication in various of the Daily Papers, and Monthly Magazines. Such a marked testimony in their favour, cannot but be peculiarly flattering to us. We therefore thought it incumbent on us in return, to exert our utmost endeavours in rendering them, as far as our judgment will direct us, yet more worthy of that attention with which they have been honoured, imperfect as they fell from us, through a channel, that did not seem necessarily to demand any very great degree of precision.
In the present edition some few passages have been expunged; others softened; many enlarged; more corrected; and two whole numbers, with the greater part of a third, are altogether new. A poeticoprosaical Dedication to SIR LLOYD KENYON, now Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, has also been added; and an Appendix is now given, consisting of Miscellaneous Pieces, to which the Criticisms incidentally refer.
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It may perhaps give offence to some very chastized judgments, that in this our authentic edition, we have subjoined notes on a professed commentary. Some short explanations, however, appeared occasionally necessary, more especially as the subjects of Political Wit in their very nature are fugitive and evanescent. We only fear that our illustrations have not been sufficiently frequent, as we have privately been asked to what "Mr. Hardinge's Arithmetic" in the Dedication alluded; so little impression was made on the public by the learned Gentleman's elaborate calculation of the Orations spoken, and the time expended in the discussion of the Westminster Scrutiny! Indeed, we have known persons even ignorant that Sir Lloyd Kenyon voted for his stables.
This Edition has further been ornamented with a Tree of the Genealogy, and the Arms, Motto, and Crest of the ROLLOS, now ROLLES; for an explanation of which we beg leave to refer the reader to page xiii. The Genealogy is likewise given at full length from the Morning Herald, where it was originally published, and was probably the foundation of the ROLLIAD. It is therefore inserted in its proper place, before the first extract from the Dedication to the Poem, which immediately preceded the first Numbers of the CRITICISMS.
The FRONTISPIECE represents Duke ROLLO, with his Sword and Ducal
Coronet lying by his side. It is supposed to be a striking likeness,
and was copied from a painting in the Window of a Church at Rouen
in Normandy. From this illustrious Warrior springs a Tree of the
Genealogy of the ROLLOS, now ROLLES. The most eminent of this great
Family alone are noticed. The particulars of their history may be
found in page xxix and xxx.
[Transcriber's note: Refers to
'Short Account of the Family of the Rollos']
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The TITLE-PAGE exhibits the Arms, Motto, and Crest of the Family. The Arms are, Three French Rolls, Or, between two Rolls of Parchment, Proper, placed in form of a Cheveron on a Field Argent—The Motto is Jouez bien votre Róle, or, as we have sometimes seen it spelt—Rolle. The Crest, which has been lately changed by the present Mr. ROLLE, is a half-length of the Master of the Rolls, like a Lion demi-rampant with a Roll of Parchment instead of a Pheon's Head between his Paws.
DEDICATION.
To Sir Lloyd Kenyan, Bart.
MASTER OF THE ROLLS, &c. &c.
It was originally my intention to have dedicated the CRITICISMS on the ROLLIAD, as the ROLLIAD itself is dedicated, to the illustrious character, from whose hereditary name the Poem derives its title; and[1], as I some time since apprized the public, I had actually obtained his permission to lay this little work at his feet. No sooner, however, was he made acquainted with my after-thought of inscribing my book to your honour, but, with the liberality, which ever marks a great mind, he wrote to me of his own accord, declaring his compleat acquiescence in the propriety of the alteration. For if I may take the liberty of transcribing his own ingenuous and modest expression, "I am myself," said he, "but a simple Rolle; SIR LLOYD KENYON is a Master of Rolls."
Great ROLLO's heir, whose cough, whose laugh, whose groan,
The' Antæus EDMUND has so oft o'erthrown:
Whose cry of "question" silenc'd CHARLES's sense;
That cry, more powerful than PITT's eloquence;
Ev'n he, thus high in glory, as in birth,
Yields willing way to thy superior worth.
Indeed, if I had not been so happy as to receive this express sanction of Mr. ROLLE's concurrence, I should nevertheless have thought myself justified in presuming it, from the very distinguished testimony which he has lately borne to your merits, by taking a demi-rampant of YOUR HONOUR for his crest; a circumstance, in my opinion, so highly complimentary to your honour, that I was studious to have it as extensively known as possible. I have therefore given directions to my Publisher, to exhibit your portrait, with the ROLLE ARMS, and Motto, by way of Vignette in the Title Page; that displayed, as I trust it will be, at the Window of every Bookseller in Great-Britain, it may thus attract the admiration of the most incurious, as they pass along the streets. This solicitude, to diffuse the knowledge of your person, as widely as your fame, may possibly occasion some little distress to your modesty; yet permit me to hope, SIR LLOYD, that the motive will plead my pardon; and, perhaps, even win the approbation of your smile; if you can be supposed to smile without offence to the gravity of that nature, which seems from your very birth to have marked you for a Judge.
Behold the' Engraver's mimic labours trace
The sober image of that sapient face:
See him, in each peculiar charm exact,
Below dilate it, and above contract;
For Nature thus, inverting her design,
From vulgar ovals hath distinguish'd thine:
See him each nicer character supply,
The pert no-meaning puckering round the eye,
The mouth in plaits precise demurely clos'd,
Each order'd feature, and each line compos'd,
Where Wisdom sits a-squat, in starch disguise,
Like Dulness couch'd, to catch us by surprise.
And now he spreads around thy pomp of wig,
In owl-like pride of legal honour's big;
That wig, which once of curl on curl profuse,
In well-kept buckle stiff, and smugly spruce,
Deck'd the plain Pleader; then in nobler taste,
With well-frizz'd bush the' Attorney-General grac'd;
And widely waving now with ampler flow,
Still with thy titles and thy fame shall grow,
Behold, SIR LLOYD, and while with fond delight
The dear resemblance feasts thy partial sight,
Smile, if thou canst; and, smiling on this book,
Cast the glad omen of one favouring look.
But it is on public grounds, that I principally wish to vindicate my choice of YOUR HONOUR for my Patron. The ROLLIAD, I have reason to believe, owed its existence to the [2] memorable speech of the Member of Devonshire on the first Discussion of the Westminster Scrutiny, when he so emphatically proved himself the genuine descendant of DUKE ROLLO; and in the noble contempt which he avowed, for the boasted rights of Electors, seemed to breathe the very soul of his great progenitor, who came to extirpate the liberties of Englishmen with the sword. It must be remembered, however, that Your Honour ministered the occasion to his glory. You, SIR LLOYD, have ever been reputed the immediate Author of the Scrutiny. Your opinion is said to have been privately consulted on the framing of the Return; and your public defence of the High-Bailiff's proceeding, notoriously furnished MR. ROLLO, and the other friends of the Minister, with all the little argument, which they advanced against the objected exigency of the Writ. You taught them to reverence that holy thing, the Conscience of a Returning Officer, above all Law, Precedent, Analogy, Public Expediency, and the popular Right of Representation, to which our Forefathers erroneously paid religious respect, as to the most sacred franchise of our Constitution. You prevailed on them to manifest an impartiality singularly honourable; and to prefer the sanctity of this single Conscience, to a round dozen of the most immaculate consciences, chosen in the purest possible manner from their own pure House of Commons.
Thine is the glorious measure; thine alone:
Thee father of the Scrutiny, we own.
Ah! without thee what treasures had we lost,
More worth than twenty Scrutinies would cost!
To' instruct the Vestry, and convince the House,
What Law from MURPHY! what plain sense from ROUS!
What wit from MULGRAVE! from DUNDAS, what truth!
What perfect virtue from the VIRTUOUS YOUTH!
What deep research from ARDEN the profound!
What argument from BEARCROFT ever sound!
By MUNCASTER, what generous offers made;
By HARDINGE, what arithmetic display'd!
And, oh! what rhetoric, from MAHON that broke
In printed speeches, which he never spoke!
Ah! without thee, what worth neglected long,
Had wanted still its dearest meed of song!
In vain high-blooded ROLLE, unknown to fame,
Had boasted still the honours of his name:
In vain had exercis'd his noble spleen
On BURKE and FOX—the ROLLIAD had not been.
But, alas! SIR LLOYD, at the very moment, while I am writing, intelligence has reached me, that the Scrutiny is at an end. Your favourite measure is no more. The child of your affection has met a sudden and a violent fate. I trust, however, that "the Ghost of the departed Scrutiny" (in the bold but beautiful language of MR. DUNDAS) will yet haunt the spot, where it was brought forth, where it was fostered, and where it fell. Like the Ghost of Hamlet it shall be a perturbed spirit, though it may not come in a questionable shape. It shall fleet before the eyes of those to whom it was dear, to admonish them, how they rush into future dangers; to make known the secret of its private hoards; or to confess to them the sins of its former days, and to implore their piety, that they would give peace to its shade, by making just reparation. Perhaps too, it may sometimes visit the murderer, like the ghost of Banquo, to dash his joys. It cannot indeed rise up in its proper form to push him from his seat, yet it may assume some other formidable appearance to be his eternal tormentor. These, however, are but visionary consolations, while every loyal bosom must feel substantial affliction from the late iniquitous vote, tyrannically compelling the High-Bailiff to make a return after an enquiry of nine months only; especially when you had so lately armed him with all power necessary to make his enquiry effectual.
[3] Ah! how shall I the' unrighteous vote bewail?
Again corrupt Majorities prevail.
Poor CORBETT's Conscience, tho' a little loth,
Must blindly gape, and gulp the' untasted oath;
If he, whose conscience never felt a qualm,
If GROGAN fail the good man's doubts to calm.
No more shall MORGAN, for his six months' hire,
Contend, that FOX should share the' expence of fire;
Whole Sessions shall he croak, nor bear away
The price, that paid the silence of a day:
No more, till COLLICK some new story hatch,
Long-winded ROUS for hours shall praise Dispatch;
COLLICK to Whigs and Warrants back shall slink,
And ROUS, a Pamphleteer, re-plunge in ink:
MURPHY again French Comedies shall steal,
Call them his own, and garble, to conceal;
Or, pilfering still, and patching without grace
His thread-bare shreds of Virgil out of place,
With Dress and Scenery, Attitude and Trick,
Swords, Daggers, Shouts, and Trumpets in the nick,
With Ahs! and Ohs! Starts, Pauses, Rant, and Rage,
Give a new GRECIAN DAUGHTER to the stage:
But, Oh, SIR CECIL!—Fled to shades again
From the proud roofs, which here he raised in vain,
He seeks, unhappy! with the Muse to cheer
His rising griefs, or drown them in small-beer!
Alas! the Muse capricious flies the hour
When most we need her, and the beer is sour:
Mean time Fox thunders faction uncontroul'd,
Crown'd with fresh laurels, from new triumphs bold.
These general evils arising from the termination of the Scrutiny, YOUR HONOUR, I doubt not, will sincerely lament in common with all true lovers of their King and Country. But in addition to these, you, SIR LLOYD, have particular cause to regret, that [4] "the last hair in this tail of procrastination" is plucked. I well know, what eager anxiety you felt to establish the suffrage, which you gave, as the delegate of your Coach-horses: and I unaffectedly condole with you, that you have lost this great opportunity of displaying your unfathomable knowledge and irresistible logic to the confusion of your enemies. How learnedly would you have quoted the memorable instance of Darius, who was elected King of Persia by the casting vote of his Horse! Though indeed the merits of that election have been since impeached, not from any alledged illegality of the vote itself, if it had been fairly given; but because some jockeyship has been suspected, and the voter, it has been said, was bribed the night before the election! How ably too would you have applied the case of Caligula's horse, who was chosen Consul of Rome! For if he was capable of being elected (you would have said) à fortiori, there could have been no natural impediment to his being an elector; since omne majus continet in se minus, and the trust is certainly greater to fill the first offices of the state, than to have one share among many in appointing to them. Neither can I suppose that you would have omitted so grave and weighty an authority as Captain Gulliver, who, in the course of his voyages, discovered a country, where Horses discharged every Duty of Political Society. You might then have passed to the early history of our own island, and have expatiated on the known veneration in which horses were held by our Saxon Ancestors; who, by the way, are supposed also to have been the founders of Parliaments. You might have touched on their famous standard; digressed to the antiquities of the White Horse, in Berkshire, and other similar monuments in different counties; and from thence have urged the improbability, that when they instituted elections, they should have neglected the rights of an animal, thus highly esteemed and almost sanctified among them. I am afraid indeed, that with all your Religion and Loyalty, you could not have made much use of the White Horse of Death, or the White Horse of Hanover. But, for a bonne bouche, how beautifully might you have introduced your favourite maxim of ubi ratio, ibi jus! and to prove the reason of the thing, how convincingly might you have descanted, in an elegant panegyric on the virtues and abilities of horses, from Xanthus the Grecian Conjuring Horse, whose prophecies are celebrated by Homer, down to the Learned Little Horse over Westminster Bridge! with whom you might have concluded, lamenting that, as he is not an Elector, the Vestry could not have the assistance of one, capable of doing so much more justice to the question than yourself!—Pardon me, SIR LLOYD, that I have thus attempted to follow the supposed course of your oratory. I feel it to be truly inimitable. Yet such was the impression made on my mind by some of YOUR HONOUR's late reasonings respecting the Scrutiny, that I could not withstand the involuntary impulse of endeavouring, for my own improvement, to attain some faint likeness of that wonderful pertinency and cogency, which I so much admired in the great original.
How shall the neighing kind thy deeds requite,
Great YAHOO Champion of the HOUYHNHNM's right?
In grateful memory may thy dock-tail pair,
Unarm'd convey thee with sure-footed care.
Oh! may they, gently pacing o'er the stones,
With no rude shock annoy thy batter'd bones,
Crush thy judicial cauliflow'r, and down
Shower the mix'd lard and powder o'er thy gown;
Or in unseemly wrinkles crease that band,
Fair work of fairer LADY KENYON's hand.
No!—May the pious brutes, with measur'd swing,
Assist the friendly motion of the spring,
While golden dreams of perquisites and fees
Employ thee, slumbering o'er thine own decrees.
But when a Statesman in St. Stephen's walls
Thy Country claims thee, and the Treasury calls,
To pour thy splendid 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 bursts—unless he votes with PITT.
I might here, SIR LLOYD, launch into a new panegyric on the subject of this concluding couplet. But in this I shall imitate your moderation, who, for reasons best known to yourself, have long abandoned to MR ROLLE[5] "those loud and repeated calls on notorious defaulters, which will never be forgiven by certain patriots." Besides, I consider your public-spirited behaviour in the late Election and Scrutiny for Westminster, as the great monument of your fame to all posterity. I have, therefore, dwelt on this—more especially as it was immediately connected with the origin of the ROLLIAD—till my dedication has run to such a length, that I cannot think of detaining your valuable time any longer; unless merely to request your HONOUR's zealous protection of a work which may be in some sort attributed to you, as its ultimate cause, which is embellished with your portrait, and which now records in this address, the most brilliant exploit of your political glory.
Choak'd by a Roll, 'tis said, that OTWAY died;
OTWAY the Tragic Muse's tender pride.
Oh! may my ROLLE to me, thus favour'd, give
A better fate;—that I may eat, and live!
I am, YOUR HONOUR's
Most obedient,
Most respectful,
Most devoted, humble servant,
THE EDITOR.
[1] In a postscript originally subjoined to the eighth Number.
[2] Mr. Rolle said, "he could not be kept all the summer debating about the rights of the Westminster electors. His private concerns were of more importance to him; than his right as a Westminster Elector."
[3] I shall give the Reader in one continued note, what information I think necessary for understanding these verses. During the six months that the Scrutiny continued in St. Martin's, the most distinguished 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 Witnesses attended. The learned Gentleman is familiarly called Frog, to which I presume the Author alludes in the word croak. Mr. Rous spoke two hours to recommend Expedition. At the time the late Parliament was dissolved, he wrote two Pamphlets in favour of the Ministry. I have forgot the titles of these pamphlets, as probably the reader has too, if he ever knew them. However, I can assure him of the fact.—Mr. Collick, the Witness-General of Sir Cecil Wray, is a Hair-Merchant and Justice of Peace. Sir Cecil's taste both for Poetry and Small-beer are well known, as is the present unfinished state of his newly-fronted house in Pall-Mall.
[4] "This appears to be the last hair in the tail of procrastination" The Master of the Rolls, who first used this phrase, is a most eloquent speaker. See Lord Mulg. Essays on Eloquence, Vol. II.
[5] Mr. Ridgway tells me, he thinks there is something like these words in one of the Reviews, where the ROLLIAD is criticised.
SHORT ACCOUNT
OF THE FAMILY OF THE
ROLLOS, now ROLLES,
FAITHFULLY EXTRACTED FROM THE
RECORDS OF THE HERALD'S OFFICE.
JOHN ROLLE, Esq. is descended from the ancient Duke ROLLO, of Normandy; ROLLO passed over into Britain, anno 983, where he soon begat another ROLLO, upon the wife of a Saxon drummer. Our young ROLLO was distinguished by his gigantic stature, and, as we learn from ODERICUS VITALIS, was slain by Hildebrand, the Danish Champion, in a fit of jealousy. We find in Camden, that the race of the ROLLOS fell into adversity in the reign of Stephen, and in the succeeding reign, GASPAR DE ROLLO was an Ostler in Denbighshire.—But during the unhappy contests of York and Lancaster, William de Wyrcester, and the continuator of the annals of Croyland, have it, that the ROLLOS became Scheriffes of Devon. "Scheriffi Devonienses ROLLI fuerunt"—and in another passage, "arrestaverunt Debitores plurime ROLLORUM"—hence a doubt in Fabian, whether this ROLLO was not Bailiff, ipse potius quam Scheriffus. From this period, however, they gradually advanced in circumstances; ROLLO, in Henry the VIIIth, being amerced in 800 marks for pilfering two manchetts of beef from the King's buttery, the which, saith Selden, facillime payavit.
In 7th 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 now ROLLES, but little of consequence is handed down to us. We have it that TIMOTHY ROLLE of Plympton, in the 8th of Queen Anne, endowed three alms-houses in said town. JEREMIAH his second son was counted the fattest man of his day, and DOROTHEA ROLLE his third cousin died of a terrible dysentery. From this period the ROLLES have burst upon public notice, with such a blaze of splendour, as renders all further accounts of this illustrious race entirely unnecessary.
When Norman ROLLO sought fair Albion's coast,
(Long may his offspring prove their country's boast!)
Thy genius, Britain, sure inspir'd his soul
To bless this Island with the race of ROLLE!
Illustrious ROLLE! O may thy honour'd name
Roll down distinguish'd on the Rolls of fame!
Still first be found on Devon's county polls!
Still future Senates boast their future ROLLES!
Since of all Rolls which in this world we see,
The world has ne'er produc'd a Roll like thee.
Hot Rolls and butter break the Briton's fast,
Thy speeches yield a more sublime repast.
Compar'd to thine, how small their boasted heat!
Nor, mix'd with treacle, are they half so sweet.
O'er Rolls of parchment Antiquarians pore,
Thy mind, O ROLLE, affords a richer store.
Let those on law or history who write,
To Rolls of Parliament resort for light,
Whilst o'er our Senate, from our living ROLLE,
Beam the bright rays of an enlightened soul;
In wonder lost, we slight their useless stuff,
And feel one ROLLE of Parliament enough.
The skill'd musician to direct his band,
Waves high a Roll of paper in his hand;
When PITT would drown the eloquence of BURKE,
You seem the ROLLE best suited to his work;
His well-train'd band, obedient know their cue,
And cough and groan in unison with you.
Thy god-like ancestor, in valour tried,
Still bravely fought by conqu'ring WILLIAM's side:
In British blood he drench'd his purple sword,
Proud to partake the triumphs of his lord:
So you, with zeal, support through each debate,
The conqu'ring WILLIAM of a latter date:
Whene'er he speaks, attentive still 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! sure while Coronets like hailstones 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 house restore,
Let E usurp the place of O no more, }
Then ROLLE himself should be what ROLLO was before. }
* * * * *
"Cedite Romani Scriptores, cedite Græci."
Nothing can be more consonant to the advice of Horace and Aristotle, than the conduct of our author throughout 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 most laboured and masterly description of a storm. ROLLO's state of mind in this arduous situation is finely painted:
Now ROLLO storms more loudly than the wind,
Now doubts and black despair perplex his mind;
Hopeless to see his vessel safely harbour'd,
He hardly knows his starboard for his larboard!
That a hero in distress should not know his right hand from his left, is most natural and affecting; in other hands, indeed, it would not have appeared sufficiently poetical, but the technical expressions of our author convey the idea in all the blaze of metaphor. The storm at length subsides, and ROLLO is safely landed on the coast of Sussex. His first exploit, like that of Æneas, is deer-stealing. He then sets out in the disguise of a Sussex Smuggler, to obtain intelligence of the country and its inhabitants:
Wrapt in a close great-coat, he plods along;
A seeming Smuggler, to deceive the throng.
This expedient of the Smuggler's Great-coat, we must acknowledge, is not quite so Epic, as the veil of clouds, with which Minerva in the Odyssey, and Venus, in the Æneid, surround their respective heroes. It is, however, infinitely more natural, and gains in propriety, what it loses in sublimity. Thus disguised, our adventurer arrives at the Country-house of Dame SHIPTON, a lady of exquisite beauty, and first Concubine to the Usurper HAROLD. Her likeness (as we all know) is still preserved at the wax-work in Fleet-Street. To this lady ROLLO discovers himself, and is received by her in the most hospitable manner. At supper, he relates to her, with great modesty, his former actions, and his design of conquering England; in which (charmed with the grace with which he eats and tells stories) she promises to assist him, and they set off together for London. In the third book Dame SHIPTON, or, as the author styles her, SHIPTONIA, proposes a party to the puppet-show; on the walk they are surprised by a shower, and retire under Temple-bar, where Shiptonia forgets her fidelity to Harold. We are sorry to observe, that this incident is not sufficiently poetical; nor does Shiptonia part with her chastity in so solemn a manner as Dido in the Æneid. In the opening of the fourth book, likewise, we think our author inferior to Virgil, whom he exactly copies, and in some places translates; he begins in this manner:
But now (for thus it was decreed above)
SHIPTONIA falls excessively in love;
In every vein, great ROLLO's eyes and fame
Light up, and then add fuel to the flame!
His words, his beauty, stick within her breast,
Nor do her cares afford her any rest.
Here we think that Virgil's "hærent infixi pectore vultus verbaque," is ill translated by the prosaic word stick. We must confess, however, that from the despair and death of Shiptonia, to the battle of Hastings, in which ROLLO kills with his own hand the Saxon Drummer, and carries off his wife, the Poem abounds with beautiful details, cold-blooded matter of facts. Critics may perhaps object that it appears from the Genealogy of the Rollos, Duke ROLLO came to England more than 60 years before the battle of Hastings: though the Poet represents him as the principal hero in that memorable engagement. But such deviations from history are among the common licences of poetry. Thus Virgil, for the sake of a beautiful episode, makes Dido live in the time of Æneas, whereas she lived in reality 200 years before the Trojan war; and if authority more in point be desired, Mr. Cumberland wrote a Tragedy, called the Battle of Hastings, in which there was not a single event, except the death of Harold, that had the slightest foundation in historical facts, or even probability.
But the sixth book, in which ROLLO, almost despairing of success, descends into a Night Cellar to consult the illustrious MERLIN on his future destiny, is a master-piece of elegance. In this book, as the Philosopher's magic lantern exhibits the characters of all ROLLO's descendants, and even all those who are to act on the same stage with the Marcellus of the piece, the present illustrious Mr. ROLLE, we mean to select in our next number some of the most striking passages of this inexhaustible Magazine of Poetry!
* * * * *
Our author, after giving an account of the immediate descendants of ROLLO, finds himself considerably embarrassed by the three unfortunate ROLLOS[1], whom history relates to have been hanged. From this difficulty, however, he relieves himself, by a contrivance equally new and arduous, viz. by versifying the bill of indictment, and inserting in it a flaw, by which they are saved from condemnation. But in the transactions of those early times, however dignified the phraseology, and enlivened by fancy, there is little to amaze and less to interest; let us hasten, therefore, to those characters about whom not to be solicitous, is to want curiosity, and whom not to admire, is to want gratitude—to those characters, in short, whose splendour illuminates the present House of Commons.
Of these, our author's principal favourite appears to be that amiable[2] young Nobleman, whose Diary we have all perused with so much pleasure. Of him he says,—
———Superior to abuse,
He nobly glories in the name of GOOSE;
Such Geese at Rome from the perfidious Gaul
Preserv'd the Treas'ry-Bench and Capitol, &c. &c.
In the description of Lord MAHON, our author departs a little from his wonted gravity,—
———This Quixote of the Nation,
Beats his own Windmills in gesticulation,
To Strike, not please, his utmost force he bends,
And all his sense is at his fingers ends, &c. &c.
But the most beautiful effort of our author's genius (if we except only the character of Mr. ROLLE himself) is contained in the description of Mr. PITT.
Pert without fire, without experience sage,
Young with more art than SHELBURNE glean'd from age,
loo proud from pilfer'd greatness to descend,
Too humble not to call DUNDAS his friend,
In solemn dignity and sullen state,
This new Octavius rises to debate!
Mild and more mild he sees each placid row
Of Country Gentlemen with rapture glow;
He sees, convuls'd with sympathetic throbs,
Apprentice Peers, and deputy Nabobs!
Nor Rum Contractors think his speech too long,
While words, like treacle, trickle from his Tongue!
O Soul congenial to the Souls of ROLLES!
Whether you tax the luxury of Coals,
Or vote some necessary millions more,
To feed an Indian friend's exhausted store,
Fain would I praise (if I like thee could praise)
Thy matchless virtues in congenial lays.
But, Ah! too weak, &c. &c.
This apology, however, is like the nolo episcopari of Bishops; for our author continues his panegyric during about one hundred and fifty lines more, after which he proceeds to a task (as he says) more congenial to his abilities, and paints
———in smooth confectionary style, The simpering sadness of his MULGRAVE's smile.
From the character of this nobleman we shall only select a part of one couplet, which tends to elucidate our author's astonishing powers in imitative harmony,
———"within his lab'ring throat The shrill shriek struggles with the harsh hoarse note."
As we mean to excite, and not to satisfy at once the curiosity of our readers, we shall here put a period to our extracts for the present. We cannot, however, conclude this essay, without observing, that there are very few lines in the whole work which are at all inferior to those we have selected for the entertainment of our readers.
[1] See the Genealogy, p. xxvii, xxviii.
[2] Lord Graham.
* * * * *
In proof of the assurance with which we concluded our last number, we shall now proceed to give the character of SIR RICHARD HILL.
Our Readers, probably, are well acquainted with the worthy Baronet's promiscuous quotations from the Bible and Rochester; and they may possibly remember (if they were awake, when they read them) some elegant verses, which he repeated in the House of Commons, and afterwards inserted in the public papers, as the production of a sleepless Night. We know not, however, if they may so easily recal to mind his remarkable declaration, both of his Loyalty and Religion, in the prettily-turned phrase, "that indeed he loved King GEORGE very well, but he loved King JESUS better." But as our Poet has alluded to it, we thought necessary to mention it; and for the same reason to add, that like Lord MAHON, Major SCOTT, Mr. ATKINSON, Mr. WILKES, and Captain J. LUTTRELL, he writes his own speeches for the public Reporters. We should also have been happy to have enlivened our commentary with some extracts from the controversy, at which our Author glances; we mean the answer of Sir Richard to Mr. Madan, on the doctrine of Polygamy; a subject, which the tenour of our Baronet's reading in his two favourite books, peculiarly qualified him to handle with equally pleasantry and orthodoxy. But all our industry to procure his pamphlet unfortunately proved ineffectual. We never saw more of it than the title-page, which we formerly purchased in the lining of a trunk, at the corner of St. Paul's Church-yard.
We are conscious, that these introductory explanations must seem doubly dull, to Readers impatient for such exquisite poetry as the ROLLIAD. They appeared, however, indispensible to the due understanding of the verses, which we shall now give without further preface.
Brother of ROWLAND, or, if yet more dear
Sounds thy new title, Cousin of a Peer;
Scholar of various learning, good or evil,
Alike what God inspir'd, or what the Devil;
Speaker well skill'd, what no man hears, to write;
Sleep-giving Poet, of a sleepless night;
Polemic, Politician, Saint, and Wit,
Now lashing MADAN, now defending PITT;
Thy praise shall live till time itself be o'er,
Friend of King GEORGE, tho' of King JESUS more!
The solemnity of this opening is well suited to the dignity of the occasion. The heroes of Homer generally address each other by an appellative, marking their affinity to some illustrious personage. The Grecian poet, it must be confessed, in such cases, uses a patronymic, expressive of the genealogy; as Pelides, Æacides, Laertiades; but it is not absolutely necessary to observe this rule.—For, [1]M'Pherson, a poet with whom our author is most likely to be intimately acquainted, makes his hero, Fingal, address Ossian by the title of "Father of Oscar." It should seem therefore to be sufficient, if in addressing a great man, you particularise any celebrated character of the family who may be supposed to reflect honour on his connections; and the Reverend ROWLAND HILL was certainly the most celebrated of our worthy Baronet's relations, before the late creation of Lord BERWICK, on which the next line happily touches.
Our author seems very fond of Mr. DUNDAS,
Whose exalted soul
No bonds of vulgar prejudice controul.
Of shame unconscious in his bold career,
He spurns that honour, which the weak revere;
For, true to public Virtue's patriot plan,
He loves the Minister, and not the Man;
Alike the advocate of NORTH and Wit,
The friend of SHELBURNE, and the guide of PITT,
His ready tongue with sophistries at will,
Can say, unsay, and be consistent still;
This day can censure, and the next retract,
In speech extol, and stigmatize in act;
Turn and re-turn; whole hours at HASTINGS bawl,
Defend, praise, thank, affront him, and recal.
By opposition, he his King shall court;
And damn the People's cause by his support.
He, like some Angel sent to scourge mankind,
Shall deal forth plagues,—in charity design'd.
The West he would have starv'd; yet, ever good,
But meant to save the effusion of her blood:
And if, from fears of his Controul releast
He looses Rapine now, to spoil the East;
'Tis but to fire another SYKES to plan
Some new starvation-scheme for Hindostan;
Secure, to make her flourish, as before,
More populous, by losing myriads more.
Our author here seems to understand the famous starvation-scheme of Mr. DUNDAS, as literally designed to produce an actual famine in America, though undoubtedly from the most benevolent motives imaginable. But this is contradicted by a [2]late writer, who appears to be perfectly conversant with the language and purposes of our present men in power. "Starvation (says he) is not synonymous with famine; for Mr. Dundas most certainly could not intend to produce a famine in America, which is the granary of the West-Indies, and of a great part of Europe. The word Starvation (continues he) was intended by Mr. Dundas to express a scheme of his own, by which he meant to prevent the Americans from eating when they were hungry, and had food within their reach; thereby insuring their reduction without blood-shed." However, both authors agree that Mr. Dundas proposed to starve the Americans (whatever was to be the mode of doing it) in mere compassion, to save them from the horrors of throat-cutting. How finely too does the Poet trace the same charitable disposition in the late measures of Mr. Dundas and his Colleagues at the Board of Controul! Factious men have said, that the Indian politics of the new Commissioners have a direct tendency, beyond any former system, to encourage every kind of peculation and extortion. But what kind Mr. Dundas would peculiarly wish to encourage, can admit of no doubt, from his known partiality to starving—any body, but himself. And how, indeed, can the prosperity of the East be better consulted, than by some new starvation-scheme; such as was contrived and executed by certain humane individuals in the year 1770, with the most salutary event! For, notwithstanding one-third of the inhabitants of Bengal were then swept away by the famine, the province, in consequence, is now become more populous than ever. This may a little disturb all vulgar notions of cause and effect; but the writer above-mentioned proves the fact, by the testimony of Major Scott.
There are many more lines relating to Mr. Dundas. But as this gentleman's character is so perfectly understood by the public, we shall rather select a short catalogue of some among the inferior Ministerial Heroes, who have hitherto been less frequently described.
DRAKE, whose cold rhetorick freezes in its course,
BANKS the precise, and fluent WILBERFORCE,
With either PHIPPS, a scribbling, prattling pair;
And VILLERS, comely, with the flaxen hair;
The gentle GRENVILLE's ever-grinning Son,
And the dark brow of solemn HAMILTON.
These miniatures, as we may call them, present us with very striking likenesses of the living originals; most of whom are seen to as much advantage in this small size, as they could possibly have been, had they been taken at full length. How happy is the allusion to Mr. DRAKE's[3] well-known speech; which, in the metaphor of our poet, we may style a beautiful icicle of the most transparent eloquence! How just too, and yet how concise, is the description of the literary and parliamentary talents, so equally possessed by Brother CHARLES and Brother HARRY, as Lord Mulgrave affectionately calls them. We must, however, observe, that in the Manuscript of the ROLLIAD, obligingly communicated to us by the Author, the line appears to have been first written,
Resplendent PHIPPS who shines our lesser Bear;
the noble head of this illustrious family having been called the Great Bear. But this was corrected probably in consequence of the Poet having discovered, like Mr. Herschel, that the splendor which he long attributed to a single constellation, or (if we may depart a little from critical nicety in our figure) to a single star, in reality flowed from the united rays of two. We have nothing further to add on this passage, only that the character of VILLERS seems to be drawn after the Nireus of Homer; who, as the Commentators remark, is celebrated in the catalogue of warriors, for the handsomest man in the Grecian army, and is never mentioned again through the whole twenty-four books of the Iliad.
[1] Mr. M'Pherson is said to be one of the principal writers on the side of the present administration.
[2] Key to Parliamentary Debates, published by Debrett.
[3] "Behold, Sir, another feature of the procrastinating system. Not so the Athenian Patriots—Sir, the Romans—Sir, I have lost the clue of my argument—Sir, I will sit down."
* * * * *
A new edition (being the nineteenth) of this universally admired poem having been recently published, the ingenious author has taken that opportunity to introduce some new lines on an occasion perfectly congenial to his muse, and in the highest degree interesting to the public, namely, the late Fast and Thanksgiving; together with the famous discourse preached in celebration of that day by that illustrious orator and divine, the Reverend Mr. SECRETARY PRETTYMAN.—This episode, which is emphatically termed by himself in his prefatory address to this last edition, his Episode Parsonic, seems to have been written perfectly con amore, and is considered by critics as one of the happiest effusions of the distinguished genius from whose high-rapped fancy it originated. It consists of nine-and-forty lines, of which, without farther exordium, we shall submit the following extracts to the inspection, or, more properly speaking, the admiration of our readers. He sets out with a most spirited compliment to Dr. PRETTYMAN. The two first lines are considered by critics, as the most successful example of the alliterative ornament upon record.
Prim Preacher, Prince of Priests, and [1]Prince's Priest;
Pembroke's pale pride—in PITT's præcordia plac'd.
—Thy merits all shall future ages scan,
And PRINCE be lost in PARSON PRETTYMAN.
The beauty of the historical allusion to Prince Prettyman, need not be pointed out to our readers; and the presage that the fame of this Royal personage shall be lost and absorbed in the rising reputation of the ingenious divine, is peculiarly happy and well turned. The celebrated passage of Virgil,
"Tu Marcellus eris:"
is supposed to have been in the poet's recollection at the moment of his conceiving this passage—not that the
"Oh miserande puer!"
in the preceding line, is imagined to have excited any idea of Mr. Pitt.
Our author now pursues his hero to the pulpit, and there, in imitation of Homer, who always takes the opportunity for giving a minute description of his personæ, when they are on the very verge of entering upon an engagement, he gives a laboured but animated detail of the Doctor's personal manners and deportment. Speaking of the penetrating countenance for which the Doctor is distinguished, he says,
ARGUS could boast an hundred eyes, 'tis true, }
The DOCTOR looks an hundreds ways with two: }
Gimlets they are, and bore you through and through. }
This is a very elegant and classic compliment, and shows clearly what a decided advantage our Reverend Hero possesses over the celebrated {Ophthalmodoulos} of antiquity. Addison is justly famous in the literary world, for the judgment with which he selects and applies familiar words to great occasions, as in the instances:
———"The great, the important day, "Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome."—
"The sun grows dim with age, &c. &c."
This is a very great beauty, for it fares with ideas, as with individuals; we are the more interested in their fate, the better we are acquainted with them. But how inferior is Addison in this respect to our author?
Gimlets they are, &c.
There is not such a word in all Cato! How well-known and domestic the image! How specific and forcible the application!—Our author proceeds: Having described very accurately the style of the Doctor's hairdressing, and devoted ten beautiful lines to an eulogy upon the brilliant on the little finger of his right hand, of which he emphatically says:
No veal putrescent, no dead whiting's eye,
In the true water with this ring could vie;
he breaks out into the following most inspirited and vigorous apostrophe—
Oh! had you seen his lily, lily hand,
Stroke his spare cheek, and coax his snow-white band:
That adding force to all his powers of speech,
This the protector of his sacred breech;
That point the way to Heav'n's coelestial grace,
This keep his small-clothes in their proper place—
Oh! how the comley preacher you had prais'd,
As now the right, and now the left he rais'd!!!
Who does not perceive, in this description, as if before their eyes, the thin figure of emaciated divinity, divided between religion and decorum; anxious to produce some truths, and conceal others; at once concerned for fundamental points of various kinds; ever at the bottom of things—Who does not see this, and seeing, who does not admire? The notes that accompany this excellent episode, contain admirable instances of our author's profound knowledge in all the literature of our established religion; and we are sorry that our plan will not suffer us to produce them, as a full and decisive proof that his learning is perfectly on a level with his genius, and his divinity quite equal to his poetry.
[1] The Doctor is Chaplain to his Majesty.—He was bred at Pembroke-hall in Cambridge.
* * * * *
On Monday last, the twentieth edition of this incomparable poem made its appearance: and we may safely venture to predict, that, should it be followed by an hundred more, while the fertile and inexhaustible genius of the author continues to enrich every new edition with new beauties, they will not fail to run through, with the same rapidity that the former have done; so universal is the enthusiasm prevailing among the genuine lovers of poetry, and all persons of acknowledged taste, with respect to this wonderful and unparalleled production.
What chiefly distinguishes this edition, and renders it peculiarly interesting at the present moment, is the admirable description contained in it of the newly-appointed India Board; in which the characters of the members composing it are most happily, though perhaps somewhat severely, contrasted with those to whom the same high office had been allotted by a former administration.
That the feelings of the public are in unison with those of our author upon this occasion, is sufficiently apparent from the frequent Panegyrics with which the public papers have of late been filled, upon the characters of these distinguished personages. In truth, the superiority of our present excellent administration over their opponents, can in no instance be more clearly demonstrated, than by a candid examination of the comparative merits of the persons appointed by each of them to preside in this arduous and important department.
Our author opens this comparison by the following elegant compliment to the accomplished Nobleman whose situation, as Secretary of State, entitles him to a priority of notice, as the eminence of his abilities will ever ensure him a due superiority of weight in the deliberations of the board.
SYDNEY, whom all the pow'rs of rhetoric grace.
Consistent SYDNEY fills FITZWILLIAM's place;
O, had by nature but proportion'd been
His strength of genius to his length of chin,
His mighty mind in some prodigious plan
At once with ease had reach'd to Indostan!
The idea conveyed in these lines, of the possibility of a feature in the human face extending to so prodigious a distance as the East-Indies, has been objected to as some-what hyperbolical. But those who are well acquainted with the person as well as the character of the noble lord alluded to, and who are unquestionably the best judges of the extent of the compliment, will certainly be of a different opinion. Neither indeed is the objection founded in truth, but must have arisen merely from the passage not having been properly understood. It by no means supposes his Lordship to have literally a chin of such preposterous dimensions, as must be imagined for the purpose of reaching to the East-Indies; but figuratively speaking, only purports, that, if his Lordship's mental, faculties are co-extensive with that distinguished feature of his face, they may readily embrace, and be competent to the consideration of the most distant objects. The meaning of the author is so obvious, that this cavil probably originated in wilful misapprehension, with a view of detracting from the merit of one of the most beautiful passages in the whole poem.
What reader can refuse his admiration to the following lines, in which the leading features of the characters are so justly, strongly, and at the same time so concisely delineated?
Acute observers, who with skilful ken
Descry the characters of public men,
Rejoice that pow'r and patronage should pass
From jobbing MONTAGUE to pure DUNDAS;
Exchange with pleasure, ELLIOT, LEW'SHAM, NORTH,
For MULGRAVE's tried integrity and worth;
And all must own, that worth completely tried,
By turns experienc'd upon every side.
How happy is the selection of epithets in these lines! How forcibly descriptive of the character to which they are applied! In the same strain he proceeds:—
Whate'er experience GREGORY might boast,
Say, is not WALSINGHAM himself a host?
His grateful countrymen, with joyful eyes,
From SACKVILLE's ashes see this Phoenix rise:
Perhaps with all his master's talents blest,
To save the East as he subdu'd the West.
The historical allusion is here judiciously introduced; and the pleasing prospect hinted at of the same happy issue attending our affairs in the Eastern, that has already crowned them in the Western world, must afford peculiar satisfaction to the feelings of every British reader.
The next character is most ingeniously described, but like a former one, containing some personal allusions, requires, in order to be fully understood, a more intimate acquaintance with the exterior qualifications of the gentleman in question, than can have fallen to the lot of every reader. All who have had the pleasure of seeing him, however, will immediately acknowledge the resemblance of the portrait.
See next advance, in knowing FLETCHER's stead,
A youth, who boasts no common share of head;
What plenteous stores of knowledge may contain
The spacious tenement of GRENVILLE's brain!
Nature, in all her dispensations wise,
Who form'd his head-piece of so vast a size,
Hath not, 'tis true, neglected to bestow
Its due proportion to the part below;
And hence we reason, that, to serve the state,
His top and bottom may have equal weight.
Every reader will naturally conceive, that in the description of the principal person of the board, the author has exerted the whole force of his genius, and he will not find his expectations disappointed; he has reserved him for the last, and has judiciously evaded disgracing him by a comparison with any other, upon the principle, no doubt, quoted from Mr. Theobald, by that excellent critic, Martinus Scriblerus:
"None but himself can be his parallel."
DOUBLE FALSEHOOD.
As he has drawn this character at considerable length, we shall content ourselves with selecting some few of the most striking passages, whatever may be the difficulty of selecting where almost the whole is equally beautiful. The grandeur of the opening prepares the mind for the sublime sensations suitable to the dignity of a subject so exalted:
Above the rest, majestically great,
Behold the infant Atlas of the state,
The matchless miracle of modern days,
In whom Britannia to the world displays
A sight to make surrounding nations stare;
A kingdom trusted to a school-boy's care.
It is to be observed to the credit of our author, that, although his political principles are unquestionably favourable to the present happy government, he does not scruple, with that boldness which ever characterises real genius, to animadvert with freedom on persons of the most elevated rank and station; and he has accordingly interspersed his commendations of our favourite young Minister with much excellent and reasonable counsel, fore-warning him of the dangers to which he is by his situation exposed. After having mentioned his introduction into public life, and concurred in that admirable panegyric of his immaculate virtues, made in the House of Commons by a noble Lord already celebrated in the poem, upon which he has the following observation:
———As MULGRAVE, who so fit
To chaunt the praises of ingenious 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 clasps the maiden mischief to his arms,
Till dire disease reveals the truth too late:
O grant my country, Heav'n, a milder fate!
he attends him to the high and distinguished station he now so ably fills, and, in a nervous strain of manly eloquence, describes the defects of character and conduct to which his situation, and the means by which he came to it, render him peculiarly liable. The spirit of the following lines is remarkable:
Oft in one bosom may be found allied,
Excess of meanness, and excess of pride:
Oft may the Statesman, in St. Stephen's brave,
Sink in St. James's to an abject slave;
Erect and proud at Westminster, may fall
Prostrate and pitiful at Leadenhall;
In word a giant, though a dwarf in deed,
Be led by others while he seems to lead.
He afterwards with great force describes the lamentable state of humiliation into which he may fall from his present pinnacle of greatness, by too great a subserviency to those from whom he has derived it, and appeals to his pride in the following beautiful exclamation:
Shall CHATHAM's offspring basely beg support,
Now from the India, now St. James's court;
With pow'r admiring Senates to bewitch,
Now kiss a Monarch's—now a Merchant's breech;
And prove a pupil of St. Omer's school,
Of either KINSON, AT. or JEN. the tool?
Though cold and cautious criticism may perhaps stare at the boldness of the concluding line, we will venture to pronounce it the most masterly stroke of the sublime to be met with in this, or any other poem. It may be justly said, as Mr. Pope has so happily expressed it—
"To snatch a grace beyond the reach of art."
ESSAY ON CRITICISM.
As we despair of offering any thing equal to this lofty flight of genius to the reader of true taste, we shall conclude with recommending to him the immediate perusal of the whole poem, and, in the name of an admiring public, returning our heart-felt thanks to the wonderful author of this invaluable work.
* * * * *
In our two last numbers we were happy to give our readers the earliest relish of those additional beauties, with which the nineteenth and twentieth impressions of the ROLLIAD are enriched. And these interpolations we doubt not have been sufficiently admired for their intrinsic merit, even in their detached state, as we gave them. But what superior satisfaction must they have afforded to those who have read them in their proper places! They are parts of a whole, and as such wonderfully improve the effect of the general design, by an agreeable interruption of prosaic regularity.
This may appear to some but a paradoxical kind of improvement, which is subversive of order. It must be remembered, however, that the descent of ROLLO to the night-cellar was undoubtedly suggested by the descent of Æneas to hell in the Sixth Book of Virgil; and every classical Critic knows what a noble contempt of order the Roman Poet studiously displays in the review of his countrymen. From Romulus he jumps at once to Augustus; gets back how he can to Numa; goes straight forward to Brutus; takes a short run to Camillus; makes a long stride to Julius Cæsar and Pompey; from Cato retreats again to the Gracchi and the Scipios; and at last arrives in a beautiful zig-zag at Marcellus, with whom he concludes. And this must be right, because it is in Virgil.
A similar confusion, therefore, has now been judiciously introduced by our Author in the Sixth Book of the ROLLIAD. He first singles out some of the great statesmen of the present age; then carries us to church, to hear Dr. Prettyman preach before the Speaker and the pews; and next shows us all that Mr. DUNDAS means to let the public know of the new India Board;—that is to say, the Members of whom it is composed. He now proceeds, where a dull genius would probably have begun, with an accurate description of the House of Commons, preparatory to the exhibition of Mr. ROLLE, and some 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 utmost accuracy from the ROLLIAD.
Merlin first ushers Duke ROLLO into the LOBBY: marks the situation of the two entrances; one in the front, the other communicating laterally with the Court of Requests; 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, whose sonorous lungs
With "Silence! Room there!" drown an hundred tongues.
This passage is in the very spirit of prophecy, which delights to represent things in the most lively manner. We not only see, but hear Pearson in the execution of his office. The language, too, is truly prophetic; unintelligible, perhaps, to those to whom it is addressed, but perfectly clear, full, and forcible to those who live in the time of the accomplishment. Duke ROLLO might reasonably be supposed to stare at the barbarous words "Pagod" and "Gomgom;" but we, who know one to signify an Indian Idol, and the other an Indian Instrument of music, perceive at once the peculiar propriety with which such images are applied to an officer of a House of Commons so completely Indian as the present. A writer of less judgment would have contented himself with comparing Pearson simply to a
Statue in his niche—
and with calling him a Stentor, perhaps in the next line: but such unappropriated similies and metaphors could not satisfy the nice taste of our author.
The description of the Lobby also furnishes an opportunity of interspersing a passage of the tender kind, in praise of the Pomona who attends there with oranges. Our poet calls her HUCSTERIA, and, by a dexterous stroke of art, compares her to Shiptonia, whose amours with ROLLO form the third and fourth books of the ROLLIAD.
Behold the lovely wanton, kind and fair,
As bright SHIPTONIA, late thy amorous care!
Mark how her winning smiles, and 'witching eyes,
On yonder unfledg'd orator she tries!
Mark, with what grace she offers to his hand
The tempting orange, pride of China's land!
This gives rise to a panegyric on the medical virtues of oranges, and an oblique censure on the indecent practice of our young Senators, who come down drunk from the eating-room, to sleep in the gallery.
O! take, wise youth, the' Hesperian fruit, of use
Thy lungs to cherish with balsamic juice.
With this thy parch'd roof moisten; nor consume
Thy hours and guineas in the eating-room,
Till, full of claret, down with wild uproar
You reel, and, stretch'd along the gallery, snore.
From this the poet naturally slides into a general caution against the vice of drunkenness, which he more particularly enforces, by the instance of Mr. PITT's late peril, from the farmer at Wandsworth.
Ah! think, what danger on debauch attends:
Let Pitt, once drunk, preach temp'rance to his friends;
How, as he wander'd darkling o'er the plain,
His reason drown'd in JENKINSON's champaigne,
A rustic's hand, but righteous fate withstood,
Had shed a Premier's for a robber's blood.
We have been thus minute in tracing the transitions in this inimitable passage, as they display, in a superior degree, the wonderful skill of our poet, who could thus bring together an orange-girl, and the present pure and immaculate Minister; a connection, which, it is more than probable, few of our readers would in any wise have suspected.
———————Ex fumo dare lucem
Cogitat, ut speciosa dehinc miracula promat.
From the Lobby we are next led into the several committee-rooms and other offices adjoining; and among the rest, MERLIN, like a noble Lord, whose diary was some time since printed, "takes occasion to inspect the water-closets,"