1831."! AJ'airs in General. 199 



more difficult management in the mouth, than three courses and a dessert 

 of Bristol stones. But what did the genius to rescue hun from the 

 claws of time ? 



" The first moralities in our language which bear the name of their author, are 

 bv Skelton ; one of these, entitled Magnificence, was in Garrick's collection, and 

 is still preserved. The Nigromanser, (which is the name of the other) it is to be 

 feared, is irrecoverably lost. It was in the possession of Collins the poet, who 

 shewed it not long before his death to Warton, as a very rare and valuable 

 curiosity • and Warton read and has described the piece. Ritson afterwards 

 declared it to be utterly incredible that this work ever existed." 



The Doctor writes all this, knowing in his soul, that he would rather 

 cut off his pen-finger, than have written the best syllable that this 

 barbarian ever attempted to write : knowing, and nobody knows better, 

 that the moralities bear the same relation to poetry, that the oaracen s 

 head upon Snow-hill bears to Titian's Venus; and knowing, nobody has 

 a ri^^ht to know it better too, that his dictum will send a legion of block- 

 heads to probe the pages of this barbarian for sense, and what is worse, 

 to make them in their blundering infatuation, dream that the pages were 

 Svorth the printing. Yet far be from us to doubt the vis poehca of our 

 beloved Isle. We too have our poet in petto, and having swept away 

 the presumptuous panegyric of the ancient pretender, we have now 

 nothino- to do, but to introduce the merits of the modern son of Apollo. 

 We however, must acknowledge, that the discovery is not altogether 

 our'own ; we are deeply indebted to a Scotch paper, distinguished tor 

 wit and whiggery, which indeed are synonymous. 



A Poem composed on the Illumination Night, in Edinburgh, on the 28th of 



March, 1831. 



On the twenty-eidith of March at night. 



The windows in the city were illuminated with light ; 



The light did so beautifully shine. 



That the sight of it looked elegantly fine. 



And a great number of people did in seeing it incline. 



And a person might see in the streets to dine. 



Plenty of rockets were up in the air heaved. 



And many of them were by the spectators perceived ; 



The rockets did fast up in the air run. 



Until they were all dissolved and done. 



When they could no higher up won ; 



A great number of boys did the rockets out of their hands heave. 



When they made them up into the air cleave. 



What great number of people were in the streets walking. 



And many among themselves about the illumination talking ! 



What a great number of boys were in the streets noising, 



When they were at that greatly rejoicing. 



After those general and merely preliminary observations, those sportings 

 and ludibria of the muse, the Bard plunges into action : 



But by all the tapers, we read the Newspapers, 

 There was Jeffrey's fine speech, he who stood in the breach. 

 To oppose that old joker, lix-Secretary Croker, 

 Who in spite of his sneer, (he writes in the Courier}, 

 Soon found that my lord, though not great at the sword. 

 And as soft as a pullet, at pistol or bullet, - 



'J'ho. "twixt English and Scotch, he was rather liolchpotch. 

 Yet contrived to take down, that ex-slave of the crown. 



