482 
to her parents,#—a mother’s reluctance 
to he separated, for.ever, from her chil- 
dren, have something in them that 
breathes of atoning grace; and if they 
do not exactly “ plead like angels trum- 
pet-tongued,” against all condemnation, 
they may justify, at least, the tear that 
drops upon the fouler part of the re- 
cord, and wash away some blackness 
from the offence. But what shall we 
say of the parents themselves ?—of the 
father, who should be the jealous guar- 
dian—the mother, who should be the 
watchful nurse, of a daughter’s purity ? 
——The pen falls from our hands! We 
cannot enter into the disgusting detail ! 
And has there been no other topic, 
then, for the month of December, worthy 
of memorial descant ?—nothing beyond 
an execution or a suicide ?~a police 
report, the bankruptcy of a gaming- 
house hell, or the scaring of a horse 
by 8 wooden conspiracy between Punch 
and his Wife and the Baker ?+ 
* It /appears from the letters which Colo- 
nel Berkeley has deemed it neeessary to 
publish; for his own justification, that Miss 
Foote ‘would not give up her parents, even 
to become, his wife,’’. We are glad, for the 
honour of manhood, that Colonel Berkeley 
could defend, in some degree at least, his 
gallantry. Had his conduct been such as, till 
the publication of these documents, it ap- 
péared, his would have been even the black- 
est name in’ the calendar. How much or 
how little soever of seduction there might 
be in the first instance, he who hath been 
to any maiden that which, according to the 
righteous law of Moses, would have made 
her indissolubly his wife, and could after- 
wards, not,only not conceal, but, volunta - 
rily and officiously disclose, the tender 
familiarities that had passed between them, 
must sink, in all generous estimation, be- 
low the rank of manhood, and should 
herd only with the vilest of the vile. Per- 
haps, even as the matter now stands, a little 
more forbearance would have added more 
to the generosity, than it would have de- 
tracted from the correctness of the transac- 
tion. 
Because an accident, (rather a serious 
one) happened to occur the other day, by a 
horse taking fright at the squeaking of Mr. 
Punch, some of those strait-waistcoat-mong- 
ers, who are always ready to cry outfor general 
laws and restrictions, on the pretence of 
partial inconveniences, are for having our 
merry old friend put down, by act of parlia- 
ment,—or “actof police!” For our parts 
we are not disposed to part so lightly with 
this only remaining) relie of the ancient 
drama, and saered mysteries of our fore- 
fathers. We would have Pontius) Pilate 
(especially as the Pope himself, and. all 
his cardinals, have been pleased to spare 
The Topieof the Month. 
[Jan. tb, 
Yes—there is .a,.topic, pot: only: for 
the month, but for months, and months 
to come;—a_ topic, which attracts) the 
attention, and employs the speculations’ 
of many, and onght to be inquired Antoj 
till it is understood, . by, all;--a topic; 
which involves considerations little, caned 
for, perhaps, by many, and comprehend- 
ed in their consequences. by very, very 
few;—a topic, in some, of, its ramifica- 
tions, as menacing to, the. social, and 
moral interests of the community, in the 
event of successful speculation,:as, ‘in’ 
others, to the property, of deluded indi- 
viduals, 
him, and the very puritans could. not, 
quite knock the brains out of his mirth- 
making wooden scull!)—We would have 
him still play off his traditionary tricks, to the. 
end of time, without let, suit, or hinderance, 
either from the legislators of St. Stephen’s,’ 
or the beadles of St. James’s or St. Luke's’; 
maugre all the startlish bits of blood which 
the former may occasionally bestride, or all 
the magisterial authority the latter-may. be 
so fond of shewing. We have asort of con- 
stitutional affection for Mr. Punch, we: 
freely confess ; and think him quite as en- 
tertaining, and nearly as rational a buffoon, 
as those whom we go occasionally, with 
wives and daughters, in their best bibs and 
tuckers, to be amused with; in our great 
national theatres; or as those, even, who’ 
sometimes exhibit in still higher and. still 
graver places: and we would not have hlm 
put down, We see no reason why; the: 
poor penny, or, pennyless children. of our 
humble mechanics should not have their 
Mr. Punch, from his itinerant theatre of 
three-feet square, to amuse them in the 
streets,—as well as the Eton holiday chil- 
dren, and the opulent grown babies, ‘of 
either sex, who accompany them, should 
have theirs in the gay, great areas of 
Covent-garden and Drury-lane, or of any 
other theatre. Nor do we-see any reason 
why a new gagging-bill should be framed, 
to stop the mouth of this legitimate descen- 
dant of the sacred drama, because he hap- 
pened once to scare horse and rider out 
of their senses, to the breaking of a leg or 
so, more than why a prohibitory law should 
be passed against balance-rollers to the 
drop-curtains of Theatres Royal, because 
poor Miss Povey. happened to be almost 
knocked o’ the head by one of them ‘on 
Wednesday night last; or against the- 
gigs and blood horses of the bueks or 
dandies of haut ton, -because, we ence 
happened to see a poor woman almost, 
dashed to pieces by the broken pole with, 
which one of these startlish bits of blood 
was tearing away, in the fury of his panic 
speed, up 'Grosvenor-place. No, no! we 
must) not have our’ old’ friend Mr. Punch” 
put down, im compliment toa startled ~ 
horse ! r ; ROT) 
Ds 
