NOCTES AMBROSIANÆ BY THE LATE JOHN WILSON PROFESSOR OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, EDITOR 66 OF BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE, AUTHOR OF THE ISLE OF PALMS," ETC. AND WM. MAGINN, LL.D. J. G. LOCKHART, JAMES HOGG, &c. WITH MEMOIRS AND NOTES BY R. SHELTON MACKENZIE, D. C. L. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Southern District of New York. MEMOIR OF WILLIAM MAGINN, LL.D. BY DR. SHELTON MACKENZIE. WILLIAM MAGINN, one of the most distinguished writers of his time, and very eminent for his knowledge of ancient and modern literature, was an Irishman. His father kept a classical academy in Marlborough-street, Cork, where William (the eldest son*) was born on the 10th July, 1793. From the earliest age, he had a great aptitude for acquiring knowledge so much so, that before he had completed his tenth year, young Maginn was sufficiently advanced to enter Trinity College, Dublin. The entrance examination there is nearly as difficult, after four years' study, as that on which students obtain their degrees at the Scotch and many other universities. Maginn's answering was so good, on this examination, that (the rank being invariably given according to merit) he was "placed" among the first ten, out of more than a hundred competitors, two-thirds of whom were double his own age. The distinction which he thus obtained, at the commencement of his university career, he preserved to its close. He passed through all his classes with credit, obtained several prizes, appeared to learn without an effort, and graduated before he was fourteen. No one (since the brilliant career of Cardinal Wolsey, at Oxford) better merited the appellation of "The BoyBachelor." His college tutor, Dr. Kyle, then a fellow and afterwards Provost of the University,† repeatedly declared, in after years, that Maginn, while in his teens, had more literary and general knowledge than most men of mature age whom he had ever met. * John Maginn, the second son, is now a beneficed clergyman in the South of Ireland. Their sister, Miss Maginn, was mistress of a school for young ladies, in Cork, and, being erudite and a blue-stocking, wrote a novel-which made no sensation when published. This was before my time, and if I ever heard, I have forgotten the name of this fiction.-M. + In 1880, on the death of Dr. St. Lawrence, Dr. Samuel Kyle was made Bishop of Cork and Ross, at the head of which See he remained until his death in 1848. It was his friendship which provided John Maginn with church-preferment.-M. Returning to Cork, Maginn became principal assistant in his fa school. In 1813, his father died, and William Maginn, at the age of tw on whom was now thrown the necessity of supporting his family, detern to carry on the school,-a course which he pursued, with marked succes ten years, when he retired, his brother succeeding him. While Maginn resided in Cork, it obtained the name of "The Ather Ireland," and was highly distinguished for the energy and success with w its sons applied themselves to the cultivation of literature. Among the eminent Irishmen of the present day, at least one-half belong to the ci county of Cork. An eminently social man, Maginn soon became "the grace, and ornament of society," in his native city. Nor did he spare quip and the jest, the epigram and the satire, upon his townsmen's vulner points. In his youth, he as freely and fearlessly hit at them, right and lef in riper years, at statesmen, publicists, and authors. Throughout his lif never could understand how, when the arrow had hit the mark, it was p ble for it to rankle in the wound. That, after the writer had forgotten squib, the victim whom it had ridiculed could feel annoyed, was wholly ou his calculation, almost beyond his comprehension. Never was satirist influenced by ill-nature. There was no motive of malice in his wittiest casms. The subject tempted him-he dashed off the impromptu-laughe it, as others did-dismissed it from his mind and saw no reason why should not be as friendly as before with him whom he had made ridiculous In 1816, being then only twenty-three years old, Maginn received the gree of Doctor of Laws, from his Alma Mater.* His standing in the uni sity was over thirteen years, and the degree-which never before had b obtained by one so young-was his, of right. Dr. Maginn, with some leisure, his head filled with learning and misce neous knowledge, and teeming with wit and frolic, took to authorship, alm as a matter of course. It is not worth while to notice his contributions to local newspapers. His first communication to any periodical out of Irela was sent, in 1819, to the Literary Gazette, which had been commenced long before, and, from the peculiar character of its critiques, (giving full a well-selected quotations from the newest books,) had obtained a large prov cial circulation. He did not write, for a long time, under his own name, b signed his letters "P. J. Crossman." His articles for the Gazette, at th time, consisted chiefly of miscellaneous scraps in prose and verse, parodies well-known songs, translations from and into several languages, bagatelles all sorts, notices of books, and discussions on classical literature. All th * It may be proper to state that though the degree of Doctor of Laws is conferred, by rig or favor, ("causâ honoris,") by the principal universities of Great Britain and Ireland, O ford alone makes Doctors of Civil Law. Hence, all others affix the initials LL.D. to the red pient's name, while D.C.L. peculiarly denotes the Oxford man.—M. |