The Rolliad Part 2

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 compa.s.sion, 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 Ma.n.u.script of the ROLLIAD, obligingly communicated to us by the Author, the line appears to have been first written,

Resplendent PHIPPS who s.h.i.+nes our lesser Bear;

the n.o.ble head of this ill.u.s.trious 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 pa.s.sage, 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 princ.i.p.al 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."

_NUMBER IV._

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 ill.u.s.trious 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 _praecordia_ 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 pa.s.sage of Virgil,

"Tu Marcellus eris:"

is supposed to have been in the poet's recollection at the moment of his conceiving this pa.s.sage--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 _personae_, 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 cla.s.sic compliment, and shows clearly what a decided advantage our Reverend Hero possesses over the celebrated ?f?a??d????? 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 clestial 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.

_NUMBER V._

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 n.o.bleman whose situation, as Secretary of State, ent.i.tles 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 n.o.ble 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 pa.s.sage not having been properly understood. It by no means supposes his Lords.h.i.+p 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 Lords.h.i.+p'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 pa.s.sages 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 pa.s.s 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 Phnix 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.