ish from their cradles, and I must be allowed to tell you their characters will by no means justify the wit you have thrown away upon them." This rebuke had so far effect, that the critic felt uneasy, and looked round among the company for protection,—which, not finding, he absolutely seemed disconcerted, and stammered out something like an excuse; which Lord Grandison seeming to accept, by an inclination of his head, the fellow instantly recovered his familiarity, and said flippantly, "I trust your Lordship will not bear malice, and in proof of it, will let us take a glass of wine together." Lord Grandison immediately poured out some wine, and interchanging smiles with Lord Castleton, of indescribable contempt, but which ought to have sunk our censor to the earth, coolly drank off his glass. A rather awkward pause ensued, and Paragraph was again silent for several minutes, but revived on Granville's mentioning a young author who had just published a poem, but which he was modest enough to say himself he was afraid would not be read. Paragraph, here feeling in his element, exclaimed, "He may be much more afraid if it is." "You have read the poem, then ?" said Lord Castleton. No," cried he, "but I have reviewed it. Ha, ha, ha!" "What astonishing talents you gentlemen of the press must have," observed Lord Castleton. "Intuition itself is nothing to you. No wonder poor authors and ministers are so kept in order by you." Paragraph again bowed; but looking round, and finding, by a sort of smile, that the company took the thing differently from himself, he actually shewed symptoms of distress. As for me, in my simplicity, I wondered at a state of society which could seem to admit such a person to its honors. Granville told me afterwards he doubted the fact, that he had reviewed a book without reading, or at least looking at it; but though it compromised his integrity, the assertion sounded epigrammatic, and among his literary dependents: would have certainly been thought witty. Paragraph's non-success here delivered us again from him for a few minutes more, and he seemed under some constraint, on the conversation becoming general, and nobody speaking to him; for even Lord Castleton with all his politeness, had now neglected him. Rallying, however, Rallying, however, and addressing Granville, he observed, "I saw you last night at the great Lady Hungerford's assembly." Yes," replied Granville, who seldom spared him, "and I 'wondered how the devil you got there.'" "O!" returned he, "leave me alone for getting any where I like. But, upon my word," added he, in an authoritative tone, "considering Lady Hungerford's reputation, I was sadly disappointed." "How so?" asked Lord Castleton, with curiosity. "Why, Ι own," replied Paragraph, "it was far from the genteel thing I expected. The rooms and music were well enough, but the company, with a few exceptions, were absolute quizzes. There is indeed an article in this morning's World,* wondering whether money was taken at the door for showing them.' "Written by yourself, no doubt," said Granville. "That's neither here nor there," answered the director of public taste; looking, however, very conscious. "You do my neice a great deal of honor," said Lord Castleton, with a bow of ambiguity. "Your niece, my lord! Good heavens! Lady Hungerford your neice! What a mistake. Upon my soul I did not intend it, indeed could not have known it. I am sure your lordship- -that is, I beg pardon; I assure you it shall all be set to rights immediately." "Not the least harm's done," said Lord Castleton, with great composure; "and Lady Hungerford is so benevolent, that if to abuse her and her parties every day will do you or your paper any good, or raise your reputation as the director of public opinion, and above all, of public taste, I will answer for it she will give you carte blanche; so make yourself easy.' As considerable mirth ensued upon this, Paragraph did not know how to take it; nor whether it emanated from great good-nature, or great contempt. For the first he bowed; from fear of the last, he reddened; and at length, receiving no relief, applied to Granville for help, exclaming, Then the most fashionable morning paper. "My dear Granville, I am sure you will answer for it, that I could not mean the least disrespect to his lordship or Lady Hungerford, only—I really don't know how to apologize but, God bless my soul, how late it is." And (the pendule just then striking eleven) he rushed out of the room, his ear regaled all the way through the hall, by the hearty laughs of those he left behind him. "I trust," said Lord Grandison, "the lesson this poor man has received will do bim good." "I doubt it," observed Lord Castleton, "from Granville's account of him; for to Granville we owe the honour he has done us to-day." "Wait till his next paper comes out," said Granville, " before we pronounce." The paper did come out, with a long leading article on the miserable state of English society, from the unbearable insolence of the aristocracy, particularly of those in office, and the total want of taste, elegance, and manners, in the ladies. who pretend to call themselves women of fashion. When we broke up, I said to Granville, who took me home, "How I envy you men of the town your opportunities for knowledge. Here, in my innocence, I have been for years thinking a newspaper critic a sort of a literary god, or at least a sage and profound judge, whom all the world are bound to reverence. Can this be a specimen of them?" 66 Certainly not," said Granville; for you see he is of an inferior class, who make up in impudence what they want in sense, and he shewed himself off accordingly, as an ass in fine trappings. There are, luckily, many totally opposite to him -real scholars, and real gentlemen, whom it is both pleasure and advantage to know, and whose manners are far different from those of this slimy catepillar, who bedaubs every thing he crawls over. There are, however, too many like him in the lower classes of the press, and to study the character of one of these critics of what we call the shop, would give you both amusement and useful knowledge." "I have heard something of it from Mr. Manners, and have been shocked with it," returned 1. "I should be glad, however, to be instructed in what seems such a mystery." "Possibly I may help you," said Granville, "by introducing you to an old fellow-grownsman of mine, with whom I was at Trinity, before I was of All Souls, and who called upon me the other day. His profession has been that of a critic for these last ten years; but I fear he is much the worse for wear. He can, however, tell much of the prison-house if he pleases." "I should like to know him," said I. CHAPTER III. I HAVE A DISCOURSE WITH GRANVILLE ON THE SYSTEM OF What would'st write of me, if thou should'st praise me? THE next day, eager to solve some of the difficulties as to his craft, occasioned by the meeting with Paragraph, I called upon Granville to renew the subject, and to ask him to introduce me to the friend who, he thought, could so enlighten me. He himself, however, had powers and experience to do so without aid, as will presently be seen. As to the introduction, he said he was very willing to effect it, if I would make such a journey as to Fleet-street; but that his friend lived in such a hole, he feared I should not like it. Upon inspecting his address, it proved to be Wine Office Court, Fleet-street. "Come," said I, "if the great Johnson did not disdain such a neighbourhood, and if the amiable, elegant Goldsmith lived in Fleet-market itself, do not let us be too nice in visiting a man of merit, only because he is lodged like them." It was settled therefore, that we should proceed to Wine Office Court; but first, by way of proper introduction, Granville said he would tell me something of his friend's history. His name was Graves. He had been educated and distinguished as a classic at Rugby. His father a country apothecary, could have well provided for him in his own line, but he would not relinquish Homer for Galen; in short, he hated the shop; so he came to Trinity College with a prodigious quantity of Greek and Latin, and a total ignorance of the world. Here he was treated as a quiz, as he almost deserved, in every thing but books; yet so mild and unoffending was he, that nobody could use him ill, and the tutors and fellows all gave him respect for his scholarship. In particular, one of the fellows, the famous wit, poet, and punster of the University the Rev. T. W., took him by the hand; so that, when his father died, which he did just after he had taken his degree, leaving scarcely bread to his mother, and none at all to himself, Mr. W.-interested himself about his provision, and, as the college prospects were closed upon him from not being on the foundation, he advised him, on the strength of his book-knowledge, to seek it in London. For this purpose, he gave him a recommendation for employment to a very great personage; indeed, the supposed sovereign of literature and criticism of that time, and who, if he had not the talent of his prototype, Smollett, had all his moroseness, and a self-sufficiency almost equal to Smollett's pride. His patron added to this a not inconsiderable loan, which the honest fellow afterwards repaid. "His reception, or rather non-reception, by Mr. Spleenwort, at that time the king of the critical press, was so remarkable, and will give you," said Granville, "such an insight into the character of some of these guides of the public taste, that I cannot do better than relate it, as he related it to me. "First, agreeably to what he had been told, that Mr. Spleenwort exacted the utmost of the ceremonial between those who seek, and those who distribute employment, Graves thought it most respectful to inclose his letter of introduction in a sort of complimentary note, requesting an interview. "Had Spleenwort,' said Graves, been first Lord of the Treasury, I could not have been more humble; or if I had been a porter in his ball, the First Lord would not have been so much the reverse.' "Graves waited a whole week, under a total silence, when he ventured to remind the great man of his first note, by a |