powerful and brilliant intelligences If he has Childe Harold on his table, across the same region, is free and glo- and reads it at breakfast, he must rious still, and no invasion of the orbit sleep with Don Juan under his pillow, of that glittering leader of the day. and make it the matter of his dreams.

The true doctrine is, thåt imitation The nobler genius will turn away cannot be laid to the poet's charge, but from this prone idolatry, both because : where there is an adoption of defect. he cannot stoop, and because, if he

Servility is the soul of imitation. It could, he disdains to stoop. He will must be laid in the indictment that the not insolently reject the inventions of 1. author has been excited to the com- other men when they can assist him

mission of absurdity by the instigation in the common object of all the greater

of some potential evil spirit that has minds—the delight and instruction of si made the offence prevalent over his his species. If on the height to which

feebler love of common sense. To con- he had climbed by the vigour of his vict him on the statute, proof must be natural powers, he finds the wings brought not of excellence, but of error. which had been invented by some Parnassus will throw out the bill, al- powerful wanderer through the bril

leging that a writer has been guilty liant realm that lies above the reach : of Byronism, on no more substantive of ordinary mankind, he would not

charge, than that he has force of ex- fling himself wingless upon the air. 1. pression and depth of thought-that his The noble invention would be turned

imagination is vivid, or his sensibility to a purpose worthy of its nobleness, exciteable. To secure a conviction, it and some unconquered portion of the must be proved that he has a propensity new region 'would be brought within to laud and magnify the bolder vices; the common dominion of the mind. to select for his heroes compounds of The perfection of poetry consists in the desperate aud the malignant; and the problem, “ to express the greatest to feel his triumph in making the ruf- number of thoughts in the smallest fians of the earth estimate their talents number of words.” Condensation is by their profligacy. The same induc- power. The finest poetic mind is the tion may lead us to the imitators of most fertile of thought ;-the most the other prominent writers; but, in vivid poeticexpression is the most comall cases, the conclusion is irresistible, pressed. Prolixity is in poetry what exthat, as imitation is a literary crime, pansion is in physics, -the waste, the and as excellence is not criminal, de- scattering away into an invisibility and ficiency must be the object of the charge. feebleness, the mighty agency that The imitator must imitate to the ex- wants only compression to move, or tent of losing his judgment—he must perhaps disrupt the frame of the world. be so bowed down before his Pope, that But these truths are as old as Homer, he cannot recover his posture, but or as man. Lord Byron has failed in must continue in a perpetual oscula- dramatic writing, the first in dignity, tion of the pontific toe. He must swear by the want of this compression. The that

my Lord Peter's loaf contains the bonds of rhyme seem essential to his essence of bread, mutton, beer, and all vigour. Blank-verse suffers him to other nutriments and condiments. He wander away into endless diffusion. must gradually acquire the inverted He is thus still below the summit of taste that loves the worst as well as, poetry, and must be so until he shall or better than the best of the ensla- have produced a drama capable of ver's attributes ;-not merely worship standing beside those of the elder glothe jewels on his Sultan's cap, but lick rious time of England. up the dust shaken from his slippers.

Epistle General.

NOTWITHSTANDING of our having given this month an extra sheet, we find that we shall be obliged to put Asmodeus again into the chest, to satisfy our numerous, kind, and ever-valued Correspondents. In fact, we are compelled to have recourse to this expedient, not only to satisfy Correspondents, but Patrons. Our worthy Subscribers, on binding up our ninth volume, stared with astonishment on seeing us not at all so jolly as we were wont to be. All our attempts to convince these excellent characters, that five Numbers never can be equal to six, have been quite ineffectual. In order to please all our Friends, whether Correspondents or Patrons, we shall indulge them with another extra Number, to crown their Christmas jollities, and Nos. LVIII. and LIX. will therefore appear together on the 31st of December.

In the meantime, although our Devil is one of the most impartial extant, and we have no doubt will give as much satisfaction as on the Coronation occasion, we feel ourselves constrained to say a few words to all whom they may concern :

a

What an abominable hand Dr P*** writes! Here we have been half an hour trying to decypher half a page of compliments to us. Why, if a ram-cat dipt his paw in an ink-bottle, and dabbled it over a page, it would be more Christian writing. We were horror-struck when we came to this passage, “ A is a chamber-pot,” but on more close inspection, it turned out to be “a is a charming poet;" and in the end he describes us as being what we, to our amazement, thought was Grand Lama, &c. but which in reality is “Grande lumen Scotiæ.” What a sad thing this would be in the hands of a careless compositor. Indeed, most of our regular correspondents write awfully. Tickler is almost unreadable. We have a mind to give fac-similes of them all, and strike terror into the hearts of the writing-master population of the empire.

P. Q. (Manchester) R. S. (Norfolk) J. P. (Liskeard,) and many more alphabet men, are under consideration,

The first detachment of our Irishmen burst in on us this morning. What a kind-hearted people they are,—and what pretty modes they have of expressing their kindness! For instance, J. N. M. writes us to say, that “ Our image shall remain deeply engraved on the marrow of his heart until the last moment of eternity!” How tender ! and how true!

Our Sligo friend is too droll,-indeed we think Sligo men are in general most facetious. We know a president of a scientific society from that bonny town; and, good heavens, what a funny man he is !

1 Doctor U****** writes us from Limerick, that the dysentery raging there is much abated, principally in consequence of the good people there taking considerably to reading us. We have no doubt of the fact, though the trum

a

pery men of the faculty here may dispute it. But let them look to Galen, and: then deny it if they dare. It gives us great pleasure to hear of the increasing health of that respectable brick-town.

“ De arte Punnandi per Johannen Dominum Norburiensem, Libri duo," We are afraid is a hoax.

The Rev. T. Kennedy, T.C., Dublin, has had good reason to be surprised at a notice of his edition of Homer, which appeared in one of our late num

bers. This, we have ascertained, was a hoax played upon us, and cannot have - affected Mr Kennedy in the opinion of any one who knows him.

We shall not publish the letter just received from Sappho the younger, of Blowbladder Street. It is too truculent. The people recommended for chas." tisement deserve it-but we must mix mercy now and then with our justice. True it is, that forty stripes save one, is infinitely too good for such poachers

on the domains of tragedy as Haynes, Cornwall, Knowles, Dillon, &c.; but, A gentle reader, we leave it to you, if the following verses do not breathe rather zi too wicked a spirit, against poor men in this unfortunate situation, to be inserted in our kind and benignant pages :

“Why do you slumber, Christopher the mighty,
While in old Drury or in Covent Garden,
People are venting tragedies terrific,

Brutal and beastly!
There's B**** C*******, alias Molly P*****,
With his weak slip-slop, all of milk and water,
Which petty critics, puffers for the papers,

Three-penny scribblers,
Laud to the skies as most delicious writing,
(As does Leigh Hunt, the King of all the Cockneys,
Link'd with the pretty prating Knight of Pimples,

Table-talk Billy.)
Haynes has no conscience, though he wrote about it,
Else he would never bore us with his verses ;
As for Jack Dillon, give him Retribution

Just for his Drama.
(We skip thirty-seven verses.)
Tear 'em, don't spare 'em, into pieces share 'em ;
Tomahawk, Kit, like Campbell's Outalissi ;
Shatter and batter all these folks theatric,-

Skiver and slay 'em.

SAPPHO.

Merciful Heaven, here's a bloody-minded poetess. She mistakes us much. We would not forfeit the character of benevolence which makes us so universally beloved, with such unchristian punishment.

The Noble Lord's letter, relative to Anastasius, has just been received, and is under consideration. We had no idea that we travelled so rapidly beyond the Appennines. But what has become of our promised poetical packet?

Months ago we ought to have acknowleged the communication from our repected friend at John-a-Groat's, “Upon the Present State of Jeffrey's Edinburgh Review.” But really that old concern is now a sickening subject; and, judicious as are our friend's remarks, he, as well as our million of readers in both hemispheres, must rather wish to see our pages filled with such good things as Mrs Ogle of Balbogle," than with the exposure of tlie antiquated sophistry and unpatriotic effusions of the Blue and Yellow.

Our fair friends in East-Lothian may expect another slice of “ The Widow's Cow" at Christmas. The elegant poem,

“Bombazeen,” from Aimwell, is too personal for our Co-. lumns. It may do for the Morning Chronicle.

Mr Brougham will see that we have lost no time in inserting “ The Man in the Bell.” He can best explain the true meaning of this most mysterious and appalling narrative.

We received Mr Alfred Beauchamp's polite note, for which we beg to offer him our best thanks. We rejoice to see he is doing so well, and wish him all manner of success.

“ December Tales,"_" The Greek and French Tragedians,”—“Regulus to the Roman Senate," and several others, (by Correspondents from whom we hope frequently to hear) are in the chest.

A song beginning “ Divinest of all earthly maids”-we have hardly patience with. Does the writer imagine we can cram our columns with stuff of this description? It would do very well for the ancient woman of the High Street ; but to give it to us, is the coolest insolence imaginable.

We have a letter from Baillie Nicol Jarvie of Glasgow, detailing a very mysterious and delicate transaction in the West Country. We are at present too merciful to publish it; but let the parties beware, or perhaps the benevolent fit may pass.

A very polite note from W. Wastle the contents of which we must keep private.

“ Parson Gobble of Kidderminster;" a spirited sketch, but too strong to be inserted without proper verification. We shall write to our Kidderminster agent about it.

East India mail arrived.-Several parcels for us. Our good friend at Calcutta writes in great spirits. Our last October number had just arrived, and he is quite gratified at the flattering account of our sale in the Hour's Tête a Tête. He sends us what he calls “jottings” of our progress in the Eastern World; and really we conceive we are doing an immensity of good by our increasing diffusion. We have a great mind to manufacture an article out of Mr ****'s hints, under the title of “ Progress of Civilization in Hindostan.”

Our respected Correspondent at Yeovil will see we have availed ourselves his communication. We hope to have the honour of hearing from him frequently.

While we return a thousand thanks to “ Carril,” we regret we cannot give a place to his communications.

ha

WORKS PREPARING FOR PUBLICATION. 1

LONDON, Mr T.C. Hansard, printer, will shortly In the Press, Cicero de Officiis de Ami. publish in one volume 4to. Typographia ; citiâ et de Senectute, printed in 48mo. with an Historical Sketch of the Origin and Pro- diamond type. By Corrall. Uniform with

gress of the Art of Printing ; with de- Horace and Virgil, recently published. ne tails of the latest improvements, and prac- Memoirs of the Court of King James

tical directions for the mode of conducting the First, by Lucy Aikin. the various branches of the Art, including An Abridgment of a Voyage to Mada

the process of Stereotyping and of Lithogra- gascar, by the Abbé Rochon, containing a It phic Printing

description of that Island, its Manners, Mr Robert Bloomfield, author of the Customs, &c. with a Portrait of Prince Ra. Farmer's Boy, announces a new work un. tafia. By Thomas Toune. der title of the May-day of the Muses. On the 1st of January will be publish

Tales of the Drama, by Miss Macauley, ed, Part I. of a Technical Repository of founded on the most popular acting plays. Practical Information, on subjects connect.

Mr Peter Nicholson's System of pure ed with the present daily improvements and mixed Mathematics for the use of and new discoveries in the useful arts. By BB schools.

Mr Gill, many years Member of the ComDr Leach will speedily publish a Sy. mittee of Mechanics, of the Society of Arts nopsis of British Mollusca ; being an ar- in the Adelphi, assisted by mechanical rangement of bivalve and univalve shells, friends. according to the animals inhabiting them, Speedily will be published, the Glories intended as an introduction to the study of of the Messiah ; a Poem, in four cantos. conchology. Illustrated with Plates. By the Rev. Robert Moffat.

Mr M. Cary, of Philadelphia, intends to Miss Edgeworth will soon publish Frank, publish, in the ensuing spring, a new edi. a sequel to her History on the Early Lesetion, revised, improved and enlarged, of sons. Vindiciæ Hiberniæ, or Ireland Vindicated. Biblical Fragments. By Mrs Schimmel,

Berkeley Anecdotes: or Abstracts and pennineh, author of the Narrative of the V Extracts of Smyth's Lives of the Berke- Demolition of Port Royal.

leys, illustrative of ancient manners, and A Treatise on Cancer ; in which will of the Constitution, with a copious History be detailed, a mild constitutional method of Berkeley Castle. By J. T. Fosbroke, of treatment for the alleviation and cure of M. A. author of British Monachism. this distressing malady. By W. Farr, au

Mr Goörres, the author of some poetical thor of a Treatise on Scrophula. works, is about to produce a new publica- Original Tales of my Landlord's School, tion, entitled Europe, and the Revolution. embellished with Engravings. By W.

An Apology for the Freedom of the Gardner. Press. By Rev. Robert Hall, A. M. of The third Edition of Rolle's Trader's Leicester.

Safeguard. A new Metrical version of the Psalms The Universal Traveller ; containing an of David. By the Rev. Basil Wood. Abstract of the Chief Books of Travels in

A Treatise on the Practice of Elocution, all ages. With one hundred Engravings. and on the Cure of Impediments of the A third edition of the Rev. T. Broadspeech. By Mr G. R. Clarke.

hurst's Advice to Young Ladies, on the A third volume of the Tour of Africa. Improvement of their Minds. By Miss Hutten.

In the press, a General Index to the A new and improved Edition of Mr First Fifty Volumes of the Monthly Ma. Henry Siddons's Translation of Engel on gazine. Gesture and Action.

Travels in the Interior of Africa, by The Wit's Red Book ; or Calendar of William Burchall, Esq. Gaiety for 1822.

The Beauties of Ireland. By Mr J. R. Dr John Mason Good will speedily pub- Brewer, embellished with Engravings by lish The Study of Medicine, comprising its Storer, after original drawings by Petrie Physiology, Pathology and Practice, in of Dublin. four vols. 8vo.

A new volume of the Annual Obituary. Mr Savage's second volume on Decora- In quarto, a General History of wines ; tive Printing

containing a Topographical Account of all Shortly will be published, a new and the principal modern wines, and a chronoimproved edition of the Rev. David Wil- logical History of the Wines used in Engliams' Laws relative to the Clergy, inclu- land. ding Instructions to Candidates for Holy The Weald of Sussex, a Poem ; by E. Orders.

Hitchener.

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