502 
worlds of fact and fiction, than any or 
all predecessors put together. He 
grasps greedily at characters and events 
past and present, public and private, 
real and unreal; at civil broils, mobs, 
pageants, and tiltings; at fanatics, 
rebels, smugglers, outlaws, fortune-tel¬ 
lers, rogues of all kinds; in short, he 
leaves nothing unattempted by which 
the stronger passions of the mind are 
called into action ; but the enthusiasm 
of the moment over, we revolt from im¬ 
probabilities in every page. 
The more subdued key of common 
life, chosen by our fair author, requires 
other and peculiar powers of delinea¬ 
tion in order to make it interest as 
highly: much acquaintance with good 
society and its forms, long observance 
and nice discrimination of character, 
intimate knowledge of the human 
heart, are all necessary to the writer. 
In a romance, we must take upon trust 
what is given us, without looking much 
at proprieties or probabilities. On the 
contrary, we are fastidious in the de¬ 
tails of dinner parties, drawing-rooms, 
and routs; but surrender our judgment 
at once to the painter of glens, caverns, 
inaccessible fastnesses, and impenetra¬ 
ble woods. To draw men skilfully, to 
give us the lights and shades of charac¬ 
ter, as we commonly meet with them 
in the world, possessing a mixture of 
vices and virtues, but the latter, on the 
whole, preponderating, is a very ardu¬ 
ous task. But to finish bold robbers, 
or heroes all perfection, requires only 
a few flourishes of the pen ; the former 
demands the hand of the master artist, 
the latter may be done by liis appren¬ 
tice. Miss Edgeworth has succeeded 
admirably in what may be considered 
the more difficult department of novel- 
writing. Yfhile it is remarkable that 
the Scottish writer has not once essayed 
his powers—and it would be literary 
heresy to doubt them—on the subject 
of genteel modern life. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
NEWS FROM PARNASSUS. 
No. XIII. 
MONO ST notices of books re¬ 
cently published, in ourlastnum¬ 
ber, were introduced some remarks 
on the volume of Miscellaneous Poetry 
of Samuel Bam ford , weaver , of Mid¬ 
dleton ,, Lancashire , lately imprisoned in 
the castle of Lincoln , with specimens. 
The homely description of its author 
on the title page, and the unassuming 
shape in which this little collection is 
[Jan. 3, 
put forth to the world, are little calcu¬ 
lated to attract the attention and re¬ 
spect of the fastidious and polished 
readers of modern poetry. To please 
the present day, nothing less than high- 
wrought sentiment, and brilliant ima¬ 
gination are demanded, and these lose 
none of their effect, when published iu 
a costly form, with noble and celebrated 
names prefixed to them, and a friendly 
host of critics behind to vouch for their 
perfections. These considerations will 
not, however, deter us from doing jus¬ 
tice to real merit, however plain its 
garb may be. We recollect to have 
heard an anecdote of an inhabitant of 
New South Wales, wild from the woods, 
being introduced to a full assembly of 
fashionable colonists, and without shew¬ 
ing the least symptom of surprise, con¬ 
ducting himself with the greatest deco¬ 
rum and dignity. It is thus that the 
native force of a manly mind rises 
above the artificial distinctions of so¬ 
ciety ; and such a mind is so strongly 
marked in many of the compositions 
of this humble weaver, that we cannot 
refuse him a tribute of respect, which 
the arrogant pretensions of the haughty 
and the rich endeavour in vain to ex¬ 
tort. 
It is not our intention to demand 
the sympathy and aid of the public in 
favour of a newly discovered bard, and 
to become the flattering annotators of 
his beauties. He is no sickly senti¬ 
mentalist, but an honest mechanic, 
with a strong head, and a warm heart, 
and a hard hand, which in times, at 
least, when the labourer was worthy of 
his hire, would have been an indepen¬ 
dence to its possessor. We shall not 
enter here into any 7- detail of the poli¬ 
tical occurrences which have been the 
source of much grievous suffering to 
Mr. Ramford, and have roused in his 
breast a strong and irrepressible hatred 
against the abuses of power, which often 
breaks out, and sometimes, perhaps, in 
too coarse a form through his pages. 
Confining ourselves to his literary me¬ 
rits, we shall content ourselves for the 
rest with observing that he seems to 
possess a truly free and fearless English 
spirit, and a* love of liberty which he 
has shewn in his actions—“ Not wisely, 
but too well.” 
We are proud of the exploits of our 
countrymen, in ancient and modern 
times ; and it may be a partial opinion, 
but it is a sincere one, that no nation 
possesses at once so ardent and so en¬ 
during a courage as the English. In 
News from Parnassus.. .No. XIII. 
