of expreffion in the law, when the only parts clearly understood are those which it has not committed to writing. I fhall fay very little in this place upon the facred profeffion of divinity: It is to be lamented that the church of England is not provided with a proper competency for all who are engaged in performing its functions; but I cannot clofe with their opinion, who are for stripping its dignities, and equalizing thofe fplendid benefices, which are at once the glory and the support of its establishment. Levellers and reformers will always have the popular cry on their fide, and I have good reason to know with what inveteracy a man is perfecuted for an opinion which opposes it; and yet it is hard to give credit to the fincerity and difinterestedness of him who courts popularity, and deny it to the man who facrifices his repofe and ftands the brunt of abuse in defence of what he believes to be the truth. And now having fallen upon the mention of Popularity, I fhall take leave to address that divinity with a few lines picked up from an obfcure author, which, though below. poetry, are not quite profe, and on that account pretty nearly fuited to the level of their subject, "O Popularity, "O Popularity, thou giddy thing! "What grace or profit doft thou bring? "Thou art not honesty, thou art not fame; "I cannot call thee by a worthy name : "To fay I hate thee were not true; "Contempt is properly thy due; "I cannot love thee and defpife thee too. "Thou art no patriot, but the veriest cheat "That ever traffick'd in deceit; "A ftate empiric, bellowing loud "Freedom and phrenzy to the mobbing crowd "And what car'ft thou, if thou canft raise "Illuminations and huzzas, "Tho' half the city funk in one bright blaze? "A patriot! no; for thou doft hold in hate "Thou canft affect humility to hide "Some deep device of monftrous pride; For compaffing fome private end; "And in a canting conventicle note "Thou "Thou haft no sense of nature at thy heart, "This man a wit, and that a dunce; "In truth and justice thou haft no delight, "Thou doft but make a ladder of the mob, "Whereby to climb into fome courtly job; "There fafe repofing, warm and snug, "Thou answer'ft with a patient shrug, "Mifcreants, begone! who cares for you, "Ye bafe-born, brawling, clamorous crew? "You've ferv'd my turn, and, vagabonds, adieu !" VOL. III. R No LXXXVI. W N° LXXXVİ. HEN it had entered into the mind of Shakespear to form an hiftorical play upon certain events in the reign of Henry the fourth of England, the character of the Prince of Wales recommended itself to his fancy, as likely to fupply him with a fund of dramatic incidents; for what could invention have more happily fuggefted than this character, which hiftory presented ready to his hands? a riotous disorderly young libertine, in whofe nature lay hidden those feeds of heroism and ambition, which were to burft forth at once to the aftonishment of the world and to atchieve the conqueft of France. This prince, whofe character was defined to exhibit a revolution of fo brilliant a fort, was not only in himself a very tempting hero for the dramatic poet, who delights in incidents of novelty and furprize, but alfo offered to his imagination a train of attendant characters, in the perfons of his wild comrades and affociates, which would be of themselves a drama. Here was a field for invention wide enough even for the genius of Shakespear to range in. All the humours, paffions and extravagancies of human life might be brought brought into the composition, and when he had grouped and personified them to his tafte and liking, he had a leader ready to place at the head of the train, and the truth of hiftory to give life and intereft to his drama. With thefe materials ready for creation the great artist fate down to his work; the canvafs was fpread before him, ample and capacious as the expanse of his own fancy nature put her pencil into his hand, and he began to sketch. His first concern was to give a chief or captain to this gang of rioters; this would naturally be the first outline he drew. To fill up the drawing of this perfonage he conceived a voluptuary, in whofe figure and character there fhould be an affemblage of comic qualities; in his perfon he fhould be bloated and blown up to the fize of a Silenus, lazy, luxurious, in fenfuality a fatyr, in intemperance a bacchanalian: As he was to ftand in the poft of a tingleader amongst thieves and cutpurfes, he made him a notorious liar, a fiaggering coward, vain-glorious, arbitrary, kavifh, crafty, voracious of plunder, lavish of his gains, without credit, honour or honesty, and in debt to every body about him: As he was to be the chief feducer and mifleader of the heir apparent of the crown, it was incumbent on the poet to qualify him for R 2 that |
