The Rolliad Part 13

We apprehend that the fourth line, by an error in the press, the words "adore and respect," must have been misplaced; but our veneration for our author will not permit us to hazard even the slightest alteration of the text. The happy ambiguity of the word "Maker," is truly beautiful.

We are sorry, however, to observe, that modern times afford some instances of exceptions to the above description, as well as one very distinguished one, indeed, to that which follows of the sixteen Peers of Scotland:--

Alike in loyalty, alike in worth, Behold the sixteen n.o.bles of the north; Fast friends to monarchy, yet sprung from those Who basely sold their monarch to his foes; Since which, atoning for their father's crime, The sons, as basely, sell themselves to him: With ev'ry change prepar'd to change their note, With ev'ry government prepar'd to vote, Save when, perhaps, on some important bill, They know, by second sight, the royal will; With royal _Denbigh_ hearing birds that sing, "Oppose the minister to please the king."

These last lines allude to a well authenticated anecdote, which deserves to be recorded as an instance of the interference of divine Providence in favour of this country, when her immediate destruction was threatened by the memorable India bill, so happily rejected by the House of Lords in the year 1783.

The Earl of _Denbigh_, a Lord of his Majesty's Bed-chamber, being newly married, and solacing himself at his country-seat in the sweats of matrimonial bliss, to his great astonishment heard, on a winter's evening, in the cold month of December, a nightingale singing in the woods. Having listened with great attention to so extraordinary a phnomenon, it appeared to his Lords.h.i.+p that the bird distinctly repeated the following significant words, in the same manner that the bells of London admonished the celebrated Whittington,

"Throw out the India bill; Such is your master's will."

His Lords.h.i.+p immediately communicated this singular circ.u.mstance to the fair partner of his connubial joys, who, for the good of her country, patriotically, though reluctantly, consented to forego the newly tasted delights of wedlock, and permitted her beloved bridegroom to set out for London, where his Lords.h.i.+p fortunately arrived in time, to co-operate with the rest of his n.o.ble and honourable brethren, the lords of the king's bed-chamber, in defeating that detestable measure; a measure calculated to effect the immediate ruin of this country, by overthrowing the happy system of government which has so long prevailed in our East-India territories.--After having described the above-mentioned cla.s.ses of n.o.bility, he proceeds to take notice of the admirable person who so worthily presides in this august a.s.sembly:--

The rugged _Thurlow_, who with sullen scowl, In surly mood, at friend and foe will growl; Of proud prerogative, the stern support, Defends the entrance of great _George_'s court 'Gainst factious Whigs, lest they who stole the seal, The sacred diadem itself should steal: So have I seen near village butcher's stall (If things so great may be compar'd with small) A mastiff guarding, on a market day, With snarling vigilance, his master's tray.

The fact of a desperate and degraded faction having actually broken into the dwelling-house of the Lord High Chancellor, and carried off the great seal of England, is of equal notoriety and authenticity with that of their having treacherously attempted, when in power, to transfer the crown of Great-Britain from the head of our most gracious sovereign to that of their ambitious leader, so justly denominated the Cromwell of modern times.

While our author is dwelling on events which every Englishman must recollect with heart-felt satisfaction, he is naturally reminded of that excellent n.o.bleman, whose character he has, in the mouth of the dying drummer, given more at large, and who bore so meritorious a share in that happy revolution which restored to the sovereign of these kingdoms the right of nominating his own servants; a right exercised by every private gentleman in the choice of his butler, cook, coachman, footman, &c. but which a powerful and wicked aristocratic combination endeavoured to circ.u.mscribe in the monarch, with respect to the appointment of ministers of state. Upon this occasion he compares the n.o.ble Marquis to the pious hero of the aeneid, and recollects the description of his conduct during the conflagration of Troy; an alarming moment, not unaptly likened to that of the Duke of Portland's administration, when his Majesty, like king Priam, had the misfortune of seeing

----_Medium in penctralibus hostem._ VIRG.

The learned reader will bear in mind the description of aeneas:--

_Limen aerat, caecoque fores, &c._ VIRG.

When _Troy_ was burning, and the' insulting foe Had well-nigh laid her lofty bulwarks low, The good aeneas, to avert her fate, Sought _Priam_'s palace through a _postern_ gate: Thus when the Whigs, a bold and factious band, Had s.n.a.t.c.h'd the sceptre from their sovereign's hand, Up the _back-stairs_ the virtuous _Grenville_ sneaks, To rid the closet of those worse than _Greeks_, Whose impious tongues audaciously maintain, That for their subjects, kings were born to reign.

The abominable doctrines of the republican party are here held forth in their genuine colours, to the detestation of all true lovers of our happy const.i.tution. The magician then thinks fit to endeavour to pacify the hero's indignation, which we before took notice of, on seeing persons less worthy than himself preferred to the dignity of peerage, by the mention of two of those newly created, whose promotion equally reflects the highest honour upon government.

_Lonsdale_ and _Camelford_ thrice honour'd names!

Whose G.o.d-like bosoms glow with patriot flames: To serve his country, at her utmost need, By this, behold a s.h.i.+p of war decreed; While that, impell'd by all a convert's zeal, Devotes his borough to the public weal.

But still the wise their second thoughts prefer, Thus both our patriots on these gifts demur; Ere yet she's launch'd the vessel runs aground, And _Sarum_ sells for twice three thousand pound.

The generous offers of those public-spirited n.o.blemen, the one during the administration of the Marquis of Landsdown, proposing to build a seventy-four-gun s.h.i.+p, for the public service; the other on Mr. Pitt's motion for a parliamentary reform, against which he had before not only voted, but written a pamphlet, declaring his readiness to make a present of his burgage tenure borough of Old Sarum to the bank of England, are too fresh in the recollection of their grateful countrymen to need being here recorded. With respect, however, to the subsequent sale of the borough for the "twice three thousand pounds,"

our author does not himself seem perfectly clear, since we afterwards meet with these lines:

Say, what gave _Camelford_ his wish'd-for rank?

Did he devote _Old Sarum_ to the Bank?

Or did he not, that envied rank to gain, Transfer the victim to the Treas'ry's fame?

His character of the Earl of Lonsdale is too long to be here inserted, but is perhaps one of the most finished parts of the whole poem: we cannot, however, refrain from transcribing the four following lines, on account of the peculiar happiness of their expression. The reader will not forget the declaration of this great man, that he was in possession of the land, the fire, and the water, of the town of Whitehaven.

E'en by the elements his pow'r confess'd, Of mines and boroughs _Lonsdale_ stands possess'd; And one sad servitude alike denotes The slave that labours, and the slave that votes.

Our paper now reminds us that it is time to close our observations for the present, which we shall do with four lines added by our author to the former part of the sixth book, in compliment to his favourite, the Marquis of Graham, on his late happy marriage.

With joy _Britannia_ sees her fav'rite goose Fast bound and _pinion'd_ in the nuptial noose; Presaging fondly from so fair a mate, A brood of goslings, cackling in debate.

[1] See Mr. Rolle's speech in the parliamentary debates.

_NUMBER VI._

Our _dying drummer_, in consequence of his extraordinary exertions in delineating those exalted personages, the MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM and DUKE OF RICHMOND; exertions which we think we may venture to p.r.o.nounce unparalleled by any one, drummer, or other, similarly circ.u.mstanced; unfortunately found himself so debilitated, that we were very fearful, like Balaam's a.s.s, LORD VALLETORT, or any other equally strange animal, occasionally endowed with speech, his task being executed, that his mouth would for ever after remain incapable of utterance.

But though his powers might be suspended, fortunately the

----in aeternam clauduntur lumina noctem,

has, in consequence of the timely relaxation afforded to the wounded gentleman during the whole of our last number, been for the present avoided; and, like Mr. PITT's question of parliamentary reform, adjourned to a more _expedient moment_.

To our drummer we might say, as well as to our matchless premier,

Larga quidem DRANCE, semper tibi copia fandi,

which, though, some malevolent critics might profligately translate

"There is no end to thy prosing,"

those who have read our drummer's last dying words, or heard our minister's new made speeches, will admit to be in both instances equally inapplicable.

The natural powers of our author here again burst forth with such renovated energy, that, like the swan, his music seems to increase as his veins become drained.

Alluding to an event too recent to require elucidation, after describing the virtues of the most amiable personage in the kingdom, and more particularly applauding her charity, which he says is so unbounded, that it

------Surmounts dull Nature's ties, Nor even to WINCHELSEA a smile denies.

He proceeds

And thou too, LENOX! worthy of thy name!

Thou heir to RICHMOND, and to RICHMOND's fame!

On equal terms, when BRUNSWICK deign'd to grace The spurious offspring of the STUART race; When thy rash arm design'd her favorite dead, The christian triumph'd, and the mother fled: No rage indignant shook her pious frame, No partial doating swayed the saint-like dame; But spurn'd and scorn'd where Honor's sons resort, Her friends.h.i.+p sooth'd thee, in thy monarch's court.

How much does this meek resignation, in respect to COLONEL LENOX, appear superior to the pagan rage of MEZENTIUS towards aeNEAS, on somewhat of a similar occasion, when, instead of desiring him to dance a minuet at the Etrurian court, he savagely, and of malice prepense, hurls his spear at the foe of his son, madly exclaiming

--Jam venio moriturus et haec tibi porto Dona prius.

But our author excels Virgil, as much as the amiable qualities of the great personage described, exceed those of MEZENTIUS: that august character instead of dying, did not so much as faint; and so far from hurling a spear at Mr. LENOX, she did not cast at him even an angry glance.

The christian triumph'd, &c.

We are happy in noticing this line, and indeed the whole of the pa.s.sage, on another account, as it establishes the orthodoxy of the drummer upon so firm a basis, that DR. HORSLEY himself could scarcely object to his obtaining a seat in parliament.

There is something so extremely ingenious in the following lines, and they account too on such rational grounds for a partiality that has puzzled so many able heads, that we cannot forbear transcribing them.

Apostrophizing the exalted personage before alluded to, he says,

Early you read, nor did the advice deride, Suspicion ne'er should taint a CaeSAR's bride; And who in spotless purity so fit To guard an honest wife's good fame, as PITT.