admiration and say, "the book had a devil." Now, such a character as I am copying would probably fling it away also, but rather wish that the devil had the book: not from dislike to the poet, but a well founded horror of hexameters. Indeed, the public school penance of "Long and Short" is enough to beget an antipathy to poetry for the residue of a man's life, and, perhaps, so far may be an advantage. 19. "Infandum, regina, jubes renovare dolorem " I dare say Mr Tavell (Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge), to whom I mean no affront, will understand me; and it is no matter whether any one else does or no.-To the above events, quæque ipse miserrima vidi, et quorum pars magna fui," all times and terms bear testimony. 20. "Hell," a gaming-house so called, where you risk little, and are cheated a good deal. "Club," a pleasant purgatory, where you lose more, and are not supposed to be cheated at all. 21. "Irene had to speak two lines with the bowstring round her neck; but the audience cried out 'Murder!' and she was obliged to go off the stage alive."-Boswell's Johnson. 22. In the postscript to the "Castle Spectre," Mr Lewis tells us, that though blacks were unknown in England at the period of his action, yet he has made the anachronism to set off the scene: and if he could have produced the effect "by making his heroine blue," I quote him-"blue he would have made her!" 23. [In 1706, Dennis, the critic, wrote an "Essay on the operas after the Italian manner, which are about to be established on the English Stage; " to show, that they were more immoral than the most licentious play.] 24. "The first theatrical representations, entitled 'Mysteries and Moralities, were generally enacted at Christmas, by monks (as the only persons who could read), and latterly by the clergy and students of the universities. The dramatis personæ were usually Adam, Pater Coelestis, Faith, Vice, &c. &c. - See Warton's History of English Poetry. 25. ["Who did what Vestris-yet, at least, cannot, 26. Benvolio does not bet: but every man who maintains racehorses is a promoter of all the concomitant evils of the turf. Avoiding to bet is a little pharisaical. Is it an exculpation? 1 think not. I never yet heard a bawd praised for chastity, because she herself did not commit fornication. 27. Under Plato's pillow a volume of the Mimes of Sophron was found the day he died.-Vide Barthélémi, De Pauw, or Diogenes Laërtius, if agreeable. De Pauw calls it a jest-book. Cumberland, in his Observer, terms it moral, like the sayings of Publiu Syrus. 28. [Sir Robert Walpole passed a bill to limit the number of playhouses; to subject all dramatic writings to the inspection of the Lord Chamberlain; and to compel the proprietors to take out a license for every production before it could appear on the stage.] 29. His speech on the Licensing Act is one of his most eloquent efforts. 30. Michael Perez, the Copper Captain, in "Rule a Wife and have a Wife." 31. [Willis was physician to George III. in his mental malady.] 32. This was also Dr Johnson's opinion; but on the other hand, Sir John Fielding, the magistrate at Bow Street, was so satisfied that there was some connection between frequent performances of the "Beggar's Opera" and the increased number of cases of highway robbery, that he remonstrated with the theatrical managers against a continuance of the performances. 33. Alluding to the famous controversy between Jeremy Collier and Congreve. 34. The Rev. Charles Simeon is the very bully of beliefs, and castigator of "good works." He is ably supported by John Stickles, a labourer in the same vineyard :but I say no more, for, according to Johnny in full congregation, "No hopes for them as laughs." 35. "Baxter's Shove to heavy-a-d Christians," the veritable title of a book once in good repute, and likely enough to be so again. 36. As famous a tonsor as Licinus himself, and better paid, and may, like him, be one day a senator, having a better qualification than one half of the heads he crops, viz.-independence. See the "Rehearsal." 37. 38. I have not the original by me, but the Italian translation runs as follows:-"E una cosa a mio credere molto stravagante, che un padre desideri, o permetta, che suo figliuolo coltivi e perfezioni questo talento." A little further on: "Si trovano di rado nel Parnaso le miniere d'oro e d' argento."-Educazione dei Fanciulli del Signor Locke. 39. "Iro pauperior:" this is the same beggar who boxed with Ulysses for a pound of kid's fry, which he lost, and half a dozen teeth besides.-See Odyssey, b. 18. 40. The Irish gold mine of Wicklow, which yields just ore enough to swear by, or gild a bad guinea. 41. [This couplet is amusingly characteristic of that mixture of fun and bitterness with which their author sometimes spoke in conversation; so much so, that those who knew him might almost fancy they hear him utter the words.-MOORE.] 42. As Mr Pope took the liberty of damning Homer, to whom he was under great obligations—“And Homer (damn him!) calls"-it may be presumed that anybody or anything may be damned in verse by poetical license; and, in case of accident, I beg leave to plead so illustrious a precedent. 43. For the story of Billy Havard's tragedy, see "Davies's Life of Garrick." I believe it is "Regulus," or "Charles the First." The moment it was known to be his the theatre thinned, and the bookseller refused to give the customary sum for the copyright. 44. [Here, in the original MS., we find the following couplet : "Though what 'Gods, men, and columns' interdict, The Devil and Jeffrey pardon-in a Pict."] 45. To the Eclectic or Christian Reviewers I have to return thanks for the fervour of that charity which, in 1809, induced them to express a hope that a thing then published by me might lead to certain consequences, which, although natural enough, surely came but rashly from reverend lips. I refer them to their own pages, where they congratulated themselves on the prospect of a tilt between Mr Jeffrey and myself, from which some great good was to accrue, provided one or both were knocked on the head. Having survived two years and a half those "Elegies" which they were kindly preparing to review, I have no peculiar gusto to give them "so joyful a trouble," except, indeed, "upon compulsion, Hal;" but if, as David says in the "Rivals," it should come to "bloody sword and gun fighting," we "won't run, will we Sir Lucius?" I do not know what I had done to these Eclectic gentlemen: my works are their lawful perquisite, to be hewn in pieces like Agag, if it seem meet unto them: but why they should be in a hurry to kill off their author, I am ignorant. "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong" and now, as these Christians have "smote me on the cheek," I hold them up the other; and, in return for their good wishes, give them an opportunity of repeating them. Had any other set of men expressed such sentiments, I should have smiled, and left them to the "recording angel;' "but from the pharisees of Christianity decency might be expected I can assure these brethren, that, publican and sinner as I am, I would not have treated "mine enemy's dog thus." To show them the superiority of my brotherly love, if ever the Reverend Messrs Simeon or Ramsden should be engaged in such a conflict as that in which they requested me to fall, I hope they may escape with being winged" only, and that the Heaviside may be at hand to extract the ball.-[The following is the disgraceful passage in the Eclectic Review of which Lord Byron speaks :-"If the noble lord and learned advocate have the courage requisite to sustain their mutual insults, we shall probably soon hear the explosions of another kind of paper-war, after the fashion of the ever memorable duel which the latter is said to have fought, or seemed to fight, with 'Little Moore.' We confess there is sufficient provocation, if not in the critique, at least in the satire, to urge a man of honour' to defy his assailant to mortal combat. Of this we shall no doubt hear more in due time."] See "Macbeth." 46. 47. [See article in the Edinburgh Review on "Hours of Idleness."] 48. Invenies alium, si te hic fastidit, Alexin. 49. Mr Southey has lately tied another canister to his tail in the "Curse of Kehama," maugre the neglect of Madoc, &c., and has in one instance had a wonderful |