1830.] a Lover of Literature. 421 



forfeited estates. One of his wild poems is addressed to some proud 

 beauty who had forgotten him. After a long recapitulation of her 

 charms, the outlaw bursts into the following powerful and pathetic 

 complainings. They are the very anguish of poetry: 



" Why art thou false to me arid love, 



While health and joy with thee are vanished ? 

 Is it because forlorn I rove, 

 Without a crime, undone, and banished ? 



Why do I thus my anguish tell ? 



Why pride in woe, and boast of ruin ? 

 Oh, lost treasure, fare thee well ! 



Oh ! loved to madness to undoing ! 



Yet, oh hear me fondly swear, 



Though thy heart to me is frozen r *'; * f - n 



Thou alone of thousands fair, 



Thou alone shouldst be my chosen. 



Every scene with thee would please, 



Every care and fear would fly me ; * .^ 



Wintry storms and raging seas 



Would lose their gloom, if thou wert nigh me. 



Such, oh Love ! thy cruel power 



Fond excess and fatal ruin ! 

 Such, oh Beauty's fairest flower ! 



Such thy charms, and my undoing !" 



THE CLUB ROOM. 



Brooks' s at Midnight. Lord Friezland and Sir Francis Fickle at Coffee. 

 The card tables removed. The other members gone, and a waiter 

 waiting in the corner of the room, yawning at himself in the mirror. 

 Subsequently come in to supper, Harry Megrim, The Honourable Fre- 

 deric Sheep, Marquis Shilelah, Tom Rakely, Earl Icicle, Sir Joseph 

 Blunderbuss, Sir Robert Ribbon, Joseph Saveall, and Sir Ronald Radical. 



Lord Friezland. I told you how it would be ; we had the miserable 

 cabinet on its knees, the whole patronage and power of the crown within 

 our grasp; the minister within six. hours of resignation, and yet we 

 threw all our chances away, blockheads as we are. 



Sir Francis. Never was truer word spoken : but when was Whiggism 

 more lucky from the beginning of time ? It has been our fate to be 

 tantalized once in every twenty years with some chance of power, and 

 just as we have thought ourselves ready to step into office, we have seen 

 the whole prize gone to the dogs ; after having allured us to the exact 

 point, where we showed that we had neither personal consistency, nor 

 political honour. But how could your lordship have suffered this into- 

 lerable and most ridiculous overthrow to take place ? 



Lord Friezland, I suffer it ! I protested against it in the strongest 

 manner ; I declared my determination to make no more speeches ; and 

 upon my soul, there were puppies enough among us, who more than 

 hinted, that I could not do the cause a more acceptable service. But 

 the world is now not what it used to be. I remember the time when the 

 lights of this contemptible generation would not have been counted for 

 more than farthing candles. Envy and ignorance are the twin inspirers 

 of this degenerate day. 



