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of almost every other; and that it was not in the power of any petty assailant to pluck the laurels from his brow." I also adopted the lex talionis, by condemning the puerilities of "the simple Wordsworth," and observed that G. M.'s letter formed an illustration of his own remark, that much has been said to little purpose, upon Wordsworth,

"The dull disciple of R. Southey's school."

This letter infuriated G. M. who produced a rejoinder in the Imperial for October, in which

"He storm'd so loud, and seem'd so wondrous grim,

His very shadow durst not follow him.

In the same number of the Magazine, a writer under the signature of H. had no mercy upon "Don Juan;" and a gentlemen who signed his letter G. J. Christ Church, Surrey, replied to mine of the preceding month. These three letters occasioned my answer to Farce, Comedy, and Tragedy," in which it was DEMONSTRATED, by extracts from Mr. Hazlitt's works, that his opinion of Lord Byron and Mr. Wordsworth was totally different from what G. M. (by transcribing a single line from "Table Talk") would have us believe. Portions were also quoted from Lord Byron and Wordsworth that SUBSTANTIATED my character of these writers; the sentiments of eminent reviewers were proved to coincide with my own; G. M.'s insinuation, that an admirer of Lord Byron's poetry must be an infidel, was indignantly repelled; and some beautiful lines from the Grecian lyric were applied to Lord Byron and his reviler. In answer to H. I excepted from his sweeping censure, the exquisite song in "Don Juan," praising national freedom and glory, and adduced a celebrated reviewer's account of that poem as one that would have animated LONGINUS, &C. To G. J. I urged, in defence of Lord Byron's character and his poetry, his Lordship's wellknown beneficence to CHRISTIAN churches and ministers-that Lord Byron had elevated the literary taste of the age, and made even Wordsworth decline his "unmeaning prittle prat

and Rome, should atone for all his faults;-and that the English reader being deprived of the treasures of antiquity, ought to have his genius fostered, and his literary taste improved, by such a noble writer as Byron; his Lordship combining the fire of Homer with the elegance of Virgil, and blending the wit of Aristophanes with the satire of Juvenal. The obscenities of his Lordship were as much censured by myself as by my respectable opponent; but it was maintained that, excepting an unacknowledged poem, they were of very rare occurrence; that Lord Byron's poetry was purity in the abstract, when contrasted with some classic authors constantly read, and that were it even compared with Shakspeare's, his Lordship would be found to be the purer writer. This vindication of Lord Byron made some of Wordsworth's admirers wax warm, and pen replies which I should now proceed to notice, but that a writer, (M. M. of Acton-place,) in the Magazine for November, claims the precedence.

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In my letter of October 2d, I exposed Wordsworth's PROFANITY, and another gentleman (CHRISTIANUS) branded an impious passage as little less than BLASPHEMY; yet M. M. asserts that "there is nothing in Wordsworth's writings that can offend the most delicate ear, or corrupt the heart, and that every thing is to be admired in their perusal!" M. M. may deem Wordsworth's BLASPHEMY" worthy of admiration, but from such a notion, I must beg leave to be a DISSENTER. M. M. states, that he "cannot resist the temptation of asking" my "opinion of the conclusion of Wordsworth's Cumberland Beggar,' in which its writer is said "to display a head and heart worthy of the patropage of the people of England." Sir, I see nothing very excellent in these verses. Wordsworth wishes that the

old man's "blood" may

"Struggle with frosty air and winter snows, And let the charter'd wind! that sweeps the heath,

Beat his grey looks against his wither'd face," &c.

I think that Wordsworth would

te;that to a classical scholar, his have displayed a better "head and Lordship's "bright and breathing" heart," if, instead of letting the poor descriptions of Parnassus, +Greece, fellow "struggle with winter snows,' *Childe Harold, Canto I. 1 Gisour.

+ Childe Harold, Canto IV."

he had humbly imitated the beneficence of Lord Byron, by calling the old man into his house, warming him at his fire, and giving him a glass of wine and a good great coat, to keep out "the frosty air." And now, Mr. Editor, I cannot resist the temptation of asking" M. M. the NAME of the "French writer," whose "introductory observations" he has discovered. I was in Paris last summer, and also in 1820, and I did not find the French so very religious. Both times I saw several editions of Lord Byron's poems, in English and in French, the "introductory observations" of which I carefully perused; but never saw any thing resembling what M. M. has asserted. Tis strange, 'tis passing strange," that a writer should depreciate the very author, whose works he has translated, and which he must naturally be anxious to sell. M. M. declares that "the noble poet thinks an hereafter a phantom of man's creation," because in one of Lord Byron's poems, (he does not know which,") there occurs the following character of death.

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"The first dark day of nothingness,
The last of misery and distress."

Now, Sir, it is of material consequence to "know which." Upon examining Lord Byron's poems, the lines will be found in the "Giaour," i. e. the Infidel; and every thing then becomes natural; for readers of taste will readily admit that there should be some resemblance between the character pourtrayed, and the sentiments advanced, in order to preserve the costume, &c. But M. M. intimates that an author imbibes the very feelings, and becomes the very character, he delineates! His logic is quite unique; it would transform Shakspeare into a Coliban, and the religious Milton into an impious demon. M. M. seems like the poor Indians, who thought every horseman to be a part of his horse. Lord Byron is thought to be a deist; if so, considering ex. grat. arg. the censured language as conveying his own sentiments, this accounts for it. God forbid that I should ever palliate infidelity; but justice to the subject requires me to observe, that, were we to discard every author who is not a Christian, and all of whose sentiments are not exactly approved, we must reject all the Roman and Grecian classics, and many a valuable English

author. But I would "hope better things of" Lord Byron, and the wellattested accounts of his Lordship's beneficence to CHRISTIAN churches, and of his distribution of Testaments, warant such candour. "Charity hopeth all things," and the lines condemned may merely imply that his Lordship does not believe the doctrine of an intermediate state: if so, he only concurs with many erudite and pious divines. May I be allowed to digress for a moment, to observe that the following passage,

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Religions take their turn," &c. which has been reiterated as a proof of Lord Byron's infidelity, may only intimate the historical FACT, that religions have taken their turn. Where crescent now glitters where the Sun of Righteousness once shone; and the banners of an infamous impostor wave where the glorious standard of the cross was erected. To look at the more pleasing side of the picture, Christianity triumphs over the superstitions of Heathenism, and "the idols" of Otaheite, if not" cast to the moles and to the bats," are yet to be seen in our Missionary Rooms, as pleasing memorials, that in that island, as well as in many other countries," the inhabitants are turned from dumb idols, to the service of the only living and true God." And this "change" will take place, till, in the language of Byron,

are the seven churches of Asia? The

"man shall learn Vainly his incense soars, his victim bleeds ;” which will be when the prediction of the prophet is fulfilled; "there shall be one Lord throughout all the earth, and his name one.'

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The charge of plagiarism made against Lord Byron by the Literary Gazette, echoed by M. M. and re-echoed by Mark Coleridge, I am by no means anxious to refute. Coincidence is not plagiarism; and every scholar well knows the accusation, in a greater or less degree, has been alleged against most of our best writers, and even when it is FALSE," says Dr. Johnson, 'it may be sometimes urged with prebability." The 143d number of Johnson's Rambler, and the 95th of Hawkesworth's Adventurer, contain some admirable remarks on "plagiarism," but for a complete investigation of the subject, I beg to refer your

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readers to Bishop Hurd's masterly curs, is the following.
works. The absurdity of so unfounded
and novel a charge against that pre-
eminently original writer, Lord By-
ron, and the ridiculous attempt to
degrade into a mere plagiarist, a
poet, whose fame has spread, and
whose works are admired, throughout
Europe, America, and the civilized
parts of Asia, might tempt me to ask
your readers, in the words of Horace,
Risum teneatis, amici?

Now then for the writers who replied to my last letter. Of these I would willingly reserve G. M.'s production till the conclusion, as a bonne bouche; but Mark Etheridge is such a very long time suffering the throes of parturition, that I cannot wait for him; as I like to do every thing with dispatch. To use the words of a "fundamental” statesman, I feel an “ignorant impatience" of what this mountain will bring forth: at present there has only appeared a mouse. As G. M. then cannot be reserved, I will take him first, as captain of the squad, and greet him with a sublime verse from his favourite Wordsworth.

"Oh what's the matter, what's the matter,
What is't that ails young Harry Gill,
That evermore his teeth they chatter,
Chatter, CHATTER, CHATTER, still?

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'Tis come then to a pretty pass,

Says Peter to the groaning ass,

But I will bang your bones."

G. M. talks about "a firm adherence to the cause of truth and virtue, ¦ subjecting him to be termed a bigot." Strongly attached as I am, Mr. Editor, to the cause of truth and virtue," G. M.'s insinuation that he was "termed a bigot," for such a “cause,' excited my utmost astonishment. Upon referring to my letter, the mystery was explained. The only sentence in which the word "bigot" ocNo. 42.-VOL. IV.

"

"The warmest

admirers of Wordsworth (except such a violent bigot as G. M. Bridge-street, Derby) condemn his infantile lisping." Yet G. M. unblushingly insinuates that I had "termed him a bigot" for his “adherence to the cause of truth and virtue," instead of the fact, that he was so named for his admiration of the Idiot Boy, Peter Bell, Alice Fell, the Waggoner, &c. In limine, I may turn G. M.'s own words against himself, and observe, that "it augurs well for" Aristarchus "to find his reviler driven to such unworthy expedients." Another charge against me is, that I have called up the dead languages to reinforce my positions." But as Johnson says, that "classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world," I am only sorry that I cannot return G. M. the COMPLIMENT. No reader of his letters will ever accuse him of erudition; and though he seems raving in defence of "the simple Wordsworth," he may console himself with the reflection, that no one will ever accost him as Festus addressed Paul," Much learning hath made thee mad." Were G. M. acquainted with the beauty and the brilliancy, the fire and the sublimity, the tenderness and the pathos, of some writers in “the dead languages," he might then perhaps be able to appreciate the excellencies of Byron. When such "A SCIOLIST" (as Scrutator terms G. M.) rails against classical literature, it reminds one of Quinctilian's remark "damnant quod non intelligunt." The admirers of Shakspeare will be reminded of Jack Cade's condemnation of the Clerk of Chatham.

Smith. He can write, and read, and cast accounts.

Cade. Oh monstrous!

Smith. We took him setting of boys' co

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Smith. He has a book in his pocket with red letters in it.

Cade. Nay, then he is a conjuror. Dick. Nay, he can make obligations and write court hand.

Cade. I am sorry for't: the man is a proper man, on mine honour; unless I find him guilty, he shall not die. Come hither, sirrah, I must examine thee. What is thy name? Clerk. Emmanuel.

Dick. They use to write it on the top of letters. Twill go hard with you.

Cude. Let me alone. Dost thou use to write thy name? or hast thou a mark to thyself, like an honest plain dealing man?

2S

Clark. Sir, I thank God I have been so well brought up that I can write my name. All. He hath confessed: away with him;

he's a villain and a traitor.

Cade. Away with him, I say; hang him with his pen and inkhorn about his neck."

While G. M. admits the correctness of the several extracts I cited

from Mr. Hazlitt, in which "the simple Wordsworth" is condemned, he thinks it was intimated that the

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"

line he quoted was "a fabrication of his own. So far from this being the case, Sir, I tacitly admitted its correctness; but I did say that "surely G. M. cannot have read Mr. Hazlitt's works, because (to turn G. M.'s own words against himself again) no writer would be fairly represented by a couple of lines designedly selected. But I see that G. M. (finding Mr. Hazlitt condemns "the simple Wordsworth,") directs his censures against that gentleman now. Your impartial readers will know how to appreciate such a literary weathercock. The extracts from Wordsworth, in my last letter, were transcribed from the edition of his Lyric Ballads, printed by J. and A. Arch, London, 1798, and in that copy, not a single intimation is given, that Wordsworth is not the author of the "Ancyent Marinere;" but the following sentence from the advertisement prefixed, leaves no doubt in the minds of its readers, that Wordsworth was the author of that poem. The rhyme of the Ancyent Marinere was professedly written in imitation of the style, as well as of the spirit, of the elder poets; but with a few exceptions, the author believes that the language adopted in it has been equally intelligible for the three last centuries." I put it now to the good sense of your readers, whether, after perusing that sentence, they would not have deemed "the author" to be the same 66 author" as wrote the volume. "Were" G. M. 66 the student, he would lead the public to suppose, he must have known" of this edition. "Indeed I cannot but surmise that my opponent is very scantily prepared for the critical exploit which he has undertaken." I congratulate, however, his having at last discovered that his "little learning is a dangerous thing." Wordsworth may well exclaim with some of old, "Save me from my friends," for the fact of his having attempted to palm upon the world

another's poem as his own (and which circumstance might have been overlooked, but for his soi-disant friends' blustering) adds to his degradation, and ingulphs him in Milton's dread abyss,

"in the lowest deep, A lower deep still threat'ning to devour 'hin Opens wide, which makes the hell' he suffer's Seem a heaven."

found that in a subsequent edition to Soon after writing my last letter, I the one I used, W. had confessed that the "Ancyent Marinere" was not his own composition, and I therefore anticipated G. M.'s carmen tri phale. But now, Sir, an insuperable dilemma occurs. G. M. claims the Idiot Boy" for Wordsworth: Mark Etheridge (col. 1122) asserts it to be written by Mr. Coleridge. "Strange that there should such difference be Twixt tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee."

and especially when such "Who shall decide when doctors" "6 doctors disagree?" Has Wordsworth attempted to palm off Mr. Coleridge's poem also as his own?

"I'm out on ocean's deep, Nor see the shore."

If G. M. "regards as incurable" every one who applies the epithet of simple, to

As soft as ev'ning in his fav'rite May, "The simple Wordsworth, framer of a lay Who both by precept and example shows That prose is verse, and verse is merely prose,"

he will find an host of "incurables," and had need found an hospital for them. It will be a great curiosity an eighth wonder of the world-for it will unquestionably be the largest ever created, and will include pot only every living writer of repute, but also all who, as Philo says, are not "below their teens." In return for G. M.'s charity, I cannot do less than recommend his being appointed the Cerberus. If he decline building an

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66 can see

Hospital des Incurables,” I will nevertheless promise him that I will never read the "Idiot Boy," without thinking of G. M. Bridge-street, Derby.-G. M. says that I beauty in Lord Byron's verse, The mind-the music breathing from her face, while I have overlooked the fine lines of Wordsworth,

" And she shall lean her ear In many a secret place,

Where riv'lets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shall pass into her face."

more formidable opponent, than in his letters he "would have us believe." Such a compliment made in so unintentional a manner, (thereby demonstrating it was sincerity, and not flattery, that prompted it,) leads me to forego the further exposure of such a

sary, for G. M. has PROVED HIMSELF to be "utterly blinded by prejudice, and unfit for engaging in the analysis of poetic merit." I leave him, therefore, with "Alice Fell's"-" hush-aby, baby, by."

Of the tragedy-bounce, by a "Norwich SUBSCRIBER," common charity induces me to take no notice.

January 2, 1822.

Nothing having appeared from Mark
Etheridge, either in the supplement or
in the January number, I shall no
longer delay noticing his "mouse."
Mark is certainly a man of "intelli-
gence:" he knows all the "news"-
about "Benbow!" Whether he be
if he be
that printer's bellman I cannot say ;

"Oh how much better now would be his
hap'
If to his bells he would but add a cup.”

I have indulged in this latitude of quotation, Sir, because I wish to do all possible justice to this most ex-writer as G. M. Indeed it is unnecestraordinary writer. Now "the beauty" I saw, was in the "fine lines" of Lord Byron's description of Zuleika, and not in an isolated line. G. M.'s quotations" (his own words turned against himself once more) are peculiarly unfortunate for his purpose, and where they have any weight, they seem "to-not merely seem, but really do-bear upon the opposite side of the question," since it is a fact, as every reader of Byron well knows, that for the very line G. M. has selected, Lord Byron was obliged to write a vindicatory note. But let us look at these "fine lines" of Wordsworth. Not many ladies will "lean their ears in a secret place where rivulets dance:" the fair sex are generally too much afraid of the water!-Here is also a new parentage for "beauty," she is declared to be "born of a sound," and that sound too must be of a peculiar sort, it must be "a murmuring sound!!!"-As to "Peter Bell," G. M. well knows (if he ever read that poem) that the "extract" he has given is not a SPECIMEN: perhaps, however, be cited it as a 66 specimen" of the truth of the reviewer's character of that doggrel, as "daudling impotent drivel;" for "EXCEPTIO probat regulam." I was about to expose some other "errors of my opponent evincing his critical sagacity," when my attention was arrested by his intimation, that Aristarchus was the reviewer of Peter Bell, part of whose critique appeared in col. 1018. That extract, Sir, was copied from the "Monthly Review" of August, 1819; but that Aristarchus, even in the estimation of an adversary, should write well enough for a Monthly Reviewer, may well "excite" his gratification "not a little." Such a deference to my composition, I did not expect, and "though" G. M. "meaned not so, neither did Mark has made the his heart think so," yet in the opinion GIOUS" discovery, that the compariof every competent judge, the attribut- son at the close of Lord Byron's admiing to me the office of a writer in one rable delineation of Henry Kirke of our oldest and ablest reviews, is an White, is to be found in "Waller's important concession that Aristarchus | Poems." You are no doubt aware, is deemed by G. M. in private, to be a Sir, that the simile alluded to is of

Mark denies Lord Byron's beneficence! Perhaps knowing himself to resemble ACHAN, he therefore "suspects" philanthropy in others; but the FACTS Î adduced are not to be overturned by a "denial." Various religious publications have attested the noble poet's extensive charity. The Rev. Mr. Maturin speaks in every society in terms of enthusiastic gratitude for his Lordship's beneficence. Mr. Wiffin, a member of the Society of Friends, and the excellent author of Aonian Hours, Julia Alpinula, the Captive of Stamboul, and other admirable poems, justly appreciates Lord Byron's genius, and beautifully commemorates his Lordship's

"BENEVOLENCE, Which speaks a better and a brighter doom Than envy grants." a work which needs only to be read in order to be admired.

WIFFIN'S AONIAN HOURS;

"PRODI

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