SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 17 



which is ever generative of those heartburnings 

 which excite to political volcanoes, eruptions, and 

 earthquakes." The Reform Bill he hailed as a great 

 and just measure, constituting " an inestimable 

 general privilege," which " would exercise a whole- 

 some influence over the tergiversations, and abuses 

 of public trust by the governing few/' 



On the corn laws, the repeal of which has done 

 more to sweeten the breathes Dr Chalmers phrased it, 

 of British society than any measure in living memory, 

 John Younger vented his hottest ire ; their evils he 

 summed in few words they hood-winked the far- 

 mer, and raised to the poor man the price of bread. 

 He heaped on these laws his bitterest scorn, and 

 threw off various Corn Law Rhymes to fan the 

 flame which their prolongation was exciting. Some 

 of these found their way to Ebenezer Elliott, the 

 Corn Law Rhymer of Sheffield, who, in a letter of 

 acknowledgment, asked why their author wasted his 

 strength in verse when he possessed so much natural 

 energy as a prose writer. Elliott's letter was ac- 

 companied by a gift of a complete edition of his 

 works, of which John was exceedingly proud. 



Twelve years, however, before the corn laws closed 

 their account of social and civil mischief, John 



Younger had .registered himself an author. In 1 834 



2 



