FOL. IX. A FESTAL ODE. What constitutes a feast? Not haunch of venison, of flavour true, Nor turtle calipash of verdant hue; Not soup, in whose rich flood, French cooks a thousand relishes infuse; Not fricassees well stewed, Nor France's greater boast, high-fumed ragouts ; Crowning a dish in which rich gravy lies; Which ruddy lobster-sauce accompanies, And good digestion, turn into a feast And grinders manducate, and palate taste. Be it homely bread and cheese, Of which the ravenous carl tucks in some pounds; Or bacon smoked, where grease, Five fingers thick, each stripe of lean surrounds; Be it onion, fiery root, Whose rank effluvia draws unbidden tears; Potato, Erin's fruit, With which the bogtrotter his stomach cheers; Be it cabbage, flabby leaf! Which cross-legg'd tailors smack with liquorish chops; Or oatmeal porridge, chief,— Undoubted chief of Scotland's rustic slops. Yet in these meals so plain, Let but sharp appetite as guest attend, And napkin'd Aldermen May grudge the goût with which the bits descend. This constitutes a feast, To experience hunger and have wherewithal (Though it be not of the best) To stop the void bread-basket's healthy call. LORD BYRON'S COMBOLIO. (1) INTRODUCTION. Reading public! whose hunger, Of new poems, new histories, New post prandium orations; (2) New guide-books, new grammars, And we do not disparage Him, thou, Reading Demus! Hast been pleased to make famous ; This industrious endeavour To make out a list of Of the sense that's called common) (3) The hanks, which his distaff New endeavours to hum one, Of old lies new editions, Of old follies new visions, (Peep for these the Reviews in), By some right or wrong handle; Who, with goose quills ink laden, Lose available labour In blurring white paper,- cate, now this most edi- Has long time been untwining, That renown they must e'en win. THE ROSARY. The first stretch of his powers To shew that "a Minor" The book had compounded; (1) As his lordship imported this word from the East, it is but justice that he should have the benefit of it. In the Bride of Abydos, where it is used, he tells us it means the rosary which the Turks use. Here, of course, it is figuratively applied to the series of his poems, which are to be looked upon as the beads of this combolio, (what a mouthful the word is!) and they are beautifully strung upon the golden thread of my verses. Et ego in Arcadia! ahem. (2) Beware of mistaking,-no allusion here to brandy,-gin being the drink of our indigenous orators. Indeed, one of the speechifying Radicals averred in public, that "English gin," (sink the circumstance that he was a vender thereof,)" is as nutritive as mother's milk to an Englishman." Radical harangues are not generally specimens of after-dinner eloquence, they are oftener orationes impransa, or ad prandium adipiscendum. (3) Let us humbly request, that Sir Richard Phillips will, when he writes on philosophical matters, divest himself of the jocular sobriquet of "Common Sense," assumed by him, "quasi lucus a non lucendo, et mons a non movendo." (4) Tall is surely synonymous with leng, which is, I know, the epithet in commonest use in menageries, whence we borrow the metaphor. (5) His "Royal and noble authors," which Mr Park lately edited. Neither one thing nor t'other; Then came doughty Childe Harold, How plain folks roll'd their gog- How the learned prov'd bogglers! Did four-fifths of the vowels But the fragments are clever,- Although I must own it, With reluctance upon it, Since my preference showing, O'er a lady so glowing, Of a wretch with a white face, Argues not much politeness. With a head rough as horse hair, It holds one quite breathless Then appear'd Senor "Lara," The attempt though did honour add To each "Hebrew Melody," "The Siege," next, " of Corinth," Most now think on the munching With Alp to the arena 'Spite of" gruff General Izzard,” Who devoid of all mercy is "The Prisoner of Chillon" Enter Manfred;" a serious Not so the sarcastic To Venice he hied him, Is 'gainst those folks who break it. The lengthy "Fourth Canto The three first in a tether; Yet the world henceforth will know That, to my mind, the style of it Thunders in now on horseback "The Great Doge of Venice" Till 'twas thoroughly hiss'd at. The "Three Cantos" more recent "Of Don Juan" are decent Compared with the couple, Which first made us wonder. (6) Bottle is here used aggravando for vial, which is the old established wet-measure of wrath; but surely in these days when energy of language is so much in vogue, I shall find followers to adopt the more forcible expression. Z. gave full measure, whether it were bottle or vial. (7) Pray be careful to understand that nomen is set down here, and not gnomon, which would do just as well for the rhyme sake; but then it would not accord with the truth of things; for though Don Juan was not sold under any publisher's name, it was sold under the nose of many a one. But the three are much under Their loose brethren in satire, And in interesting matter; Though they shew more decorum, We could sooner snore o'er 'em. (8) Last came to assail us Great "Sardanapalus," "The Two Foscari's History," And "Cain" in a "Mystery.' Had they staid in his pinnace On the waters of Venice, His fame had not suffer'd, For though they discover'd Some power in the terrible, They were not all agreeable. Cain's murderous fury He had best, I assure ye, Have left where he found it, Nor essay'd to expound it; For, howe'er he conceit it, We are bold to repeat it, He's by no means a fit one To play pranks Holy Writ on. Milton's self, when he travell'd, L'Envoy. Lo! in melody worthy Have I kept. Now, as clincher, To suggest to his Lordship Which he should not be sorry at- (8) After all that has been said on Don Juan, what comes up to "Don Juan unread ?" One of the pleasantest parodies that ever was written. MORELLET'S FRANCE has at length ceased to present a revolting object of contemplation to the philanthropist; that hour, so long and so vainly sought through anarchy and blood, and so vainly through the splendour of military renown, has stolen upon the country in peace and apparent degradation. The great principles of constitutional freedom lately acquired, commence to be brought into action; and to the confusion of the partizans of vulgar tyranny, those principles have found their warmest advocates in the most aristocratic party of the state. All are compelled at length to acknowledge the irrevertible tendency to monarchy, of a great, a chivalrous, and a territorial people. Fatal experience has established this truth, and has reanimated in the minds of Frenchmen, the old feelings of the nation towards their ancient kings. Loyalty is no longer the blind unstable sentiment that it has been-the enthusiasm of its regard is henceforward founded upon wisdom and experience. From this station of tranquillity, from this terra firma, which the French government has at length at MEMOIRES." tained, there is a redeeming pleasure, which was impossible to experience before, in surveying the vast and stormy ocean, which the political vessel traversed for the last century. We may say century, without stretching our retroactive foresight to any extraordinary degree: although we willingly join with Clarendon and Necker in ridiculing the all-sufficiency of those who descry the germes of revolution in ages far removed, yet we cannot be blind to the chain of causes and effects which is strongly manifested in the history of France. All these causes centre in the great one-public opinion: and it is a strange paradox that would exclude letters from having had an influence on public opinion. If there has been too much effect attributed by some to the literary spirit and productions of the eighteenth century, there has also been too little allowed by others; a revolution in France might have taken place without them, but it certainly would not have taken place so soon. The course of events was by no means adequate to overturn the old and sacred prejudices of the people: the quarrels be • Mémoires de l'Abbé Morellet, sur le Dix-Huitième Siècle, et sur la Revolution. Paris, 1821. |