The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 17, No. 478, February 26, 1831Various
General
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 17, No. 478, February 26, 1831
Various
Popular literature -- Great Britain -- Periodicals
Enough! the spectre cried, Enough!
No more of your fugacious stuff,
Trite anecdotes and stories!
Rude martyrs of Sam. Johnson's name,
You rob him of his honest fame,
And tarnish all his glories.
First in the fertile tribe is seen
_Tom Tyres_, in the Magazine,
That teazer of Apollo!
With goose-quill he, like desperate knife,
Slices, as Vauxhall beef, my life,
And calls the town to swallow.
The cry once up, the dogs of news,
Who hunt for paragraphs the stews,
Yelp out "_Johnsoniana!_"
Their nauseous praise but moves my bile,
Like tartar, carduus, camomile,
Or ipecacuanha.
Next Boswell comes, for 'twas my lot
To find at last _one_ honest _Scot_
With constitutional veracity;
Yet garrulous he tells too much,
On fancied failings prone to touch
With sedulous loquacity.
At length, Job's patience it would try,
_Brewed_ on my lees comes "_Thrale's Entrie,"_
Straining to draw my picture;
For _she_ a common-place book kept,
"_Johnson at Streatluim dined and slept,_"
And who shall contradict her?
Thrale lost midst fiddles and sopranos,
With them plays fortes and pianos,
Adagio and allegro.
I loved Thrale's widow and Thrale's wife
But now, believe--to write my life!
I'd rather trust my negro.
I gave the public works of merit,
Written with vigour, fraught with spirit,
Applause crowned all my labours;
But thy delusive pages speak
My palsied powers, exhausted, weak,
The scoff of friends and neighbours.
They speak me insolent and rude,
Light, trivial, puerile, and crude,
The child of pride and vanity.
Poor Tuscan-like improvisation
Is but of English sense castration,
And infantine inanity.
Such idle rhymes, like Sybil's leaves,
_Kindly_ the scattering winds receive--
The gatherer proves a scorner.
But hold! I see the coming day!
The spectre said--and stalked away,
To sleep in Poet's Corner.
* * * * *
WORSE AND WORSE.
Doctor Perne happening to call a clergyman a fool, who was not totally
undeserving of the title, but who resented the indignity so highly, that
he threatened to complain to his diocesan, the Bishop of Ely, "Do so,"
says the Doctor, "and he will confirm you."
J.G.B.
* * * * *
UNPARALLELED RIDING.
In 1603, one John Lepton, of Reprich, Esq., in the county of York,
undertook to ride five several times betwixt London and York in six
days, to be taken in one week, between Monday morning and Saturday
night: he began his journey on Monday morning, and finished it on the
Friday after, to the great admiration of all.--_Old History._
T. GILL.
* * * * *
_Printed and Published by J. LIMBIRD, 143, Strand, (near Somerset
House,) London; sold by ERNEST FLEISCHER, 626, New Market, Leipsic;
G.G. BENNIS, 55, Rue Neuve, St. Augustin, Paris; and by all Newsmen
and Booksellers._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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