As a critic, it is confessed on all hands that Goldsmith lamentably failed. As a politician, he had this honourable peculiarity, that his speculations had very little reference to the party feuds of the day. He had contracted, probably from his Continental travels, a bias in favour of monarchical power. He seems to have embraced the opinion which Burke combated in his _Thoughts on the Present Discontents_; namely, that the houses of parliament, or the aristocracy through their influence in these houses, were dangerously encroaching on the royal prerogative. At least this is the best explanation we can give of the expressions that he, from time to time, throws out upon this subject. The only grudge we owe his politics is, that they occasioned the introduction of the weakest and most confused passage in his noble poem of _The Traveller_. When discoursing upon foreign countries—on Holland, France, or Italy—he naturally and wisely restricts himself to certain general characteristics of the people and of their governments—general views which admit of vigorous and poetic enunciation, and are not likely to raise cavil or controversy. But when he lands upon his native country, these home politics beset him, and he gets entangled in a train of thought but half made out, of too controversial a character, and which does not easily lend itself to the harmony of verse, and the simple force of poetic expression. “Calm is my soul, nor apt to rise in arms, Except when fast approaching danger warms: But when contending chiefs blockade the throne, Contracting regal power to stretch their own; When I behold a factious band agree To call it freedom, when themselves are free; Each wanton judge new penal statutes draw, Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law; The wealth of climes where savage nations roam, Pillaged from slaves to purchase slaves at home; Fear, pity, justice, indignation start, Tear off reserve, and bare my swelling heart; _Till half a patriot, half a coward grown, I fly from petty tyrants to the throne_.” Yet the whole passage must be forgiven for the sake of the two last lines. Of these the second is repeatedly quoted; but there is much significance and extreme felicity of expression in the preceding line— “——half a patriot, half a coward grown.” It is a pity they should be so often separated.