THE ANTIQUARIAN. 149 



more profitably to themselves perhaps, in person of 

 their clients, without precedents ; by which I would 

 mean generally, the warrant of legal antiquities. 

 The book of the statutes at large forms no inappro- 

 priate appendage to the antiquary's library. 



The statesman in council, the legislator in parlia- 

 ment, the venerable burgesses of the old regime 

 where it yet exists, and your new, whig-fangled 

 creatures of town council-men, will do well always 

 to consider ancient usages, have some little regard 

 to the armorial bearings, not utterly despise coins 

 of the olden day, and regard an ancient seal, although 

 it is not exactly the one affixed to their own charter. 

 And what is all this but pursuing, " each after each 

 in due degree," the path of the antiquary. 



The modern dandy may excuse, if not reconcile 

 us to, his fashionable vagaries, by referring to the 

 ruff, the short-jacket, and quail-pipe, in a word to 

 the tailorie of Charles the second's day ; and if our 

 actors had always paid the same attention to antiqua- 

 rian correctness as was introduced by Philip Kemble, 

 Mark Antony had never issued from the green-room 

 in a tye-wig, nor had the beautiful Cleopatra swelled 

 the fine contour of her figure by appearing in a 

 hooped petticoat. 



It must, however, be confessed, that the minute 

 trifling of some antiquaries has gone to the extent of 

 derogating from the real merits of their pursuit : 

 Grose, a facetious companion and successful enquirer 

 into the relics of elder day, has finely satirised this 

 failing in his brethren, but with unaccountable, why 

 not in the spirit of the craft, say unpardonable? 

 levity has done it by writing annotations on a super- 

 stitious ballad beg-innino; — 



" A carrion crow, as he sate on an oak, 

 Saw a tailor cutting out a cloak ;" — 



The bird's natural propensity to railing seems to 

 have been excited by some act on the professor of 

 the shears' part, for as the ballad proceeds, 



