The Rolliad, in Two Parts. George Ellis

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СКАЧАТЬ Young with more art than SHELBURNE glean’d from age,

       loo proud from pilfer’d greatness to descend,

       Too humble not to call DUNDAS his friend,

       In solemn dignity and sullen state,

       This new Octavius rises to debate!

       Mild and more mild he sees each placid row

       Of Country Gentlemen with rapture glow;

       He sees, convuls’d with sympathetic throbs,

       Apprentice Peers, and deputy Nabobs!

       Nor Rum Contractors think his speech too long,

       While words, like treacle, trickle from his Tongue!

       O Soul congenial to the Souls of ROLLES!

       Whether you tax the luxury of Coals,

       Or vote some necessary millions more,

       To feed an Indian friend’s exhausted store,

       Fain would I praise (if I like thee could praise)

       Thy matchless virtues in congenial lays.

       But, Ah! too weak, &c. &c.

      This apology, however, is like the nolo episcopari of Bishops; for our author continues his panegyric during about one hundred and fifty lines more, after which he proceeds to a task (as he says) more congenial to his abilities, and paints

      ———in smooth confectionary style,

       The simpering sadness of his MULGRAVE’s smile.

      From the character of this nobleman we shall only select a part of one couplet, which tends to elucidate our author’s astonishing powers in imitative harmony,

      ———“within his lab’ring throat

       The shrill shriek struggles with the harsh hoarse note.”

      As we mean to excite, and not to satisfy at once the curiosity of our readers, we shall here put a period to our extracts for the present. We cannot, however, conclude this essay, without observing, that there are very few lines in the whole work which are at all inferior to those we have selected for the entertainment of our readers.

      [1] See the Genealogy, p. xxvii, xxviii.

      [2] Lord Graham.

      * * * * *

       NUMBER III.

      In proof of the assurance with which we concluded our last number, we shall now proceed to give the character of SIR RICHARD HILL.

      Our Readers, probably, are well acquainted with the worthy Baronet’s promiscuous quotations from the Bible and Rochester; and they may possibly remember (if they were awake, when they read them) some elegant verses, which he repeated in the House of Commons, and afterwards inserted in the public papers, as the production of a sleepless Night. We know not, however, if they may so easily recal to mind his remarkable declaration, both of his Loyalty and Religion, in the prettily-turned phrase, “that indeed he loved King GEORGE very well, but he loved King JESUS better.” But as our Poet has alluded to it, we thought necessary to mention it; and for the same reason to add, that like Lord MAHON, Major SCOTT, Mr. ATKINSON, Mr. WILKES, and Captain J. LUTTRELL, he writes his own speeches for the public Reporters. We should also have been happy to have enlivened our commentary with some extracts from the controversy, at which our Author glances; we mean the answer of Sir Richard to Mr. Madan, on the doctrine of Polygamy; a subject, which the tenour of our Baronet’s reading in his two favourite books, peculiarly qualified him to handle with equally pleasantry and orthodoxy. But all our industry to procure his pamphlet unfortunately proved ineffectual. We never saw more of it than the title-page, which we formerly purchased in the lining of a trunk, at the corner of St. Paul’s Church-yard.

      We are conscious, that these introductory explanations must seem doubly dull, to Readers impatient for such exquisite poetry as the ROLLIAD. They appeared, however, indispensible to the due understanding of the verses, which we shall now give without further preface.

      Brother of ROWLAND, or, if yet more dear

       Sounds thy new title, Cousin of a Peer;

       Scholar of various learning, good or evil,

       Alike what God inspir’d, or what the Devil;

       Speaker well skill’d, what no man hears, to write;

       Sleep-giving Poet, of a sleepless night;

       Polemic, Politician, Saint, and Wit,

       Now lashing MADAN, now defending PITT;

       Thy praise shall live till time itself be o’er,

       Friend of King GEORGE, tho’ of King JESUS more!

      The solemnity of this opening is well suited to the dignity of the occasion. The heroes of Homer generally address each other by an appellative, marking their affinity to some illustrious personage. The Grecian poet, it must be confessed, in such cases, uses a patronymic, expressive of the genealogy; as Pelides, Æacides, Laertiades; but it is not absolutely necessary to observe this rule.—For, [1]M‘Pherson, a poet with whom our author is most likely to be intimately acquainted, makes his hero, Fingal, address Ossian by the title of “Father of Oscar.” It should seem therefore to be sufficient, if in addressing a great man, you particularise any celebrated character of the family who may be supposed to reflect honour on his connections; and the Reverend ROWLAND HILL was certainly the most celebrated of our worthy Baronet’s relations, before the late creation of Lord BERWICK, on which the next line happily touches.

      Our author seems very fond of Mr. DUNDAS,

      Whose exalted soul

       No bonds of vulgar prejudice controul.

       Of shame unconscious in his bold career,

       He spurns that honour, which the weak revere;

       For, true to public Virtue’s patriot plan,

       He loves the Minister, and not the Man; Alike the advocate of NORTH and Wit, The friend of SHELBURNE, and the guide of PITT, His ready tongue with sophistries at will, Can say, unsay, and be consistent still; This day can censure, and the next retract, In speech extol, and stigmatize in act; Turn and re-turn; whole hours at HASTINGS bawl, Defend, praise, thank, affront him, and recal. By opposition, he his King shall court; And damn the People’s cause by his support. He, like some Angel sent to scourge mankind, Shall deal forth plagues—in charity design’d. The West he would have starv’d; yet, ever good, But meant to save the effusion of her blood: And if, from fears of his Controul releast He looses Rapine now, to spoil the East; ’Tis but to fire another SYKES to plan Some new starvation-scheme for Hindostan; Secure, to make her flourish, as before, More populous, by losing myriads more.

      Our author here seems to understand the famous starvation-scheme of Mr. DUNDAS, as literally designed to produce an actual famine in America, though undoubtedly from the most benevolent СКАЧАТЬ