J832.] Monthly Review of Literature. 355 



hold of me by the arm in the lobby, and inquired in a jocund manner, * if I had 

 yet got a convincing reason.' I gave him, thereupon, a nod and a wink^ 

 and said, ' Not yet, but I expected one soon, when I would do myself the plea- 

 sure of calling on him/ which he was very well pleased to hear, and shook me 

 by the hand with a cordiality by no means common, when he wished me good 

 night, trusting, as he said, ' that we should be better acquainted.' ' It will 

 not be my fault/ quoth I, ' if we are not/ 



" With that we parted, and I could see by the eye in my neck that he thought, 

 with the light head of youth, that he had made a capital conquest by his con- 

 descension. Now this small matter requires an explanation for the benefit of 

 other new members. If a man has all his eyes about him, he will soon discern 

 that a ministry, if it has three or four decent auld-farrent men, is for the most 

 part composed of juveniles state 'prentices the sprouts and off-shoots of the 

 powerful families. With them lies the means of conciliating members, for the 

 weightier metal of the ministers is employed in public affairs, and to the youn- 

 kers is confided the distribution of patronage, for a good reason, it enables 

 them to make friends and a party by the time that they come, in the course of 

 nature, to inherit the upper offices." 



This, we think, will give the reader a pretty fair sample of the spirit and sort 

 of humour he may expect to find in Mr. Gait's new book. 



THE GEORGIAN ERA. IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOLUME I. 



THE value of this new compilation, both in a political and literary point of 

 view, would seem to consist, as far as we may form an opinion from one volume of 

 the intended series, in its extensive, yet cautious use of authorities, the consequent 

 correctness of its details, and the impartial tone which has been observed 

 throughout. It appears free from all undue bias ; speaks fearlessly out ; and 

 awards the just measure of applause or censure wherever it would seem to have 

 been merited. We are presented with the truth without invective or palliation ; 

 and, while strenuous in maintaining its candour and impartiality, it is not with- 

 out the recommendation of interesting detail, and amusing anecdote or adven- 

 ture. In these last, the court annals of our Georges will be found sufficiently 

 abundant, as we shall shew in a few instances, which will serve at the same time 

 to confirm our previous observation, and give some idea of the style and cha- 

 racter of the entire volume. It is not, however, the object of the work to give 

 only an historical summary, with biographical sketches of the reigning family ; 

 it embraces the lives of the Pretenders and their adherents, and of the most dis- 

 tinguished Churchmen, Dissenters, and Statesmen, who have flourished during 

 the era referred to. The chief part of these are written in a manner creditable 

 as well to the author's judgment as to his good feeling, and they are liberally in- 

 terspersed with anecdote, so as to render them not less entertaining than edify- 

 ing. We are amused, for instance, with the retort of a radical political econo- 

 mist, in the time of the first George, in reply to one of that monarch's fat Ger- 

 man mistresses. They were severally designated by the people as the May-pole 

 and the Elephant and Castle. It is related of one of these ladies, that being 

 abused by the mob, she put her head out of the coach and cried, in bad English, 

 "- Good people, why you abuse us ? we come for all your goods." " Yes, d n 

 you/' answered a fellow in the crowd, " and for our chattels too." There is 

 another respecting the famous Duke of Cumberland, who shewed more clever- 

 ness as a boy, than he ever did as a general. Having displeased his mother one 

 day, she sent him to his chamber, and when he appeared again, she asked him what 

 he had been doing. " Reading," replied the boy. " Reading what?" " The 

 Scriptures." " What part of the Scriptures ?" " That part where it is written, 

 ' Woman I what hast thou to do with me ?' " After the loss of a battle, an 

 English prisoner observing to a French officer, that they might have taken the 

 Duke himself prisoner ; " Yes," replied the Frenchman, " but we took care not 

 to do that he is of far more use to us at the head of your army." 



In the biographical sketch of the Duke of Sussex, speaking of his Royal High- 



