and I beg leave to add a few words on the fubject of innuendos. If we go on as we have begun, it will be impoffible for a man to write or fpeak without incurring the danger of a profecution, either for a private or public libel. I was amusing myself lately with writing a fet of Fables, partly tranflated, and partly original. While the rough copy of fome of these fables lay on my table, who fhould come into my garret, before I had time to lock up my papers, but a member of the Crown and Anchor Aflociation. You know the cuftom of that gang; they immediately lay hands on all the letters and papers they fee, in order to get fome information for the blood-hounds of the law. My friend, therefore, without ceremony, began reading firft to himself, and then aloud-"The dying lion then faid, The infults of the nobler beasts I could bear, but it embitters my last moments to think, that I must patiently submit to be kicked by the heel of an ass.”. "This is venemous enough," quoth my friend; " but it is no business of mine; let Dr. Kipling* take it up, if * Dr. Kipling is distinguished in the University as an author; as moderator in the Divinity fchools, as a preacher, and as a promoter. His first debut as an author was in the year 1777, when he published a felection from Smith's Optics, with a preface of his own. In his preface he tells us, that the following treatise contains many inaccuracies, and even fome errors, of which the editor was fully fentible before he fent it to the prefs, but was. restrained from correcting them, by the dread of reprehenfion.' This dread of reprehenfion he got over in the year 1793, when his fac fimile of the Beza MS. appeared. To this work he gave alfo a preface, which, from the numerous errors and bad latinity in it, afforded a great deal of amufement to the University; and in that place were collected in the following epigram, fome of the more notorious faults in the Doctor's ftyle of writing: Paginibus noftris dicitis mihi menda quod infunt Nam primum, jurat (cetera ut teftimonia omitto) Clafficus haud es, aiunt. Quid fi non fum ? in facrofaneta. if he pleafes."-" Dr. Kipling!" haftily interrupted I. "Aye, Dr. Kipling," anfwered he; "who can mistake it? Mr. Frend, for he is plainly typified by the dying lion, would have been eafy if any decent man had been his Thefe errors were, foon after the delivery of a great number of volumes to fubfcribers, pointed out to the learned Doctor, who reprinted the paginibus fheet, inferted it in the books remaining with him, and where he had an opportunity, removed the offend ing page into other books. A fufficient number, however, retains the original reading, and the Bookfellers confider them as literary curiofities. The Univerfity was at the expence of this work, paying for the paper, the types, and the printing, near two thoufand pounds. The Doctor is fuppofed to have pocketed about fix hundred guineas; for the original price to fubfcribers was two guineas, and he was permitted to demand three for the copies he had in hand; two hundred and fifty copies were printed. In the arduous undertaking of copying the manufcript, the Doctor very judiciously took a coadjutor, his own fervant, whom he taught to read the work as fluently as himself. Appointed by the Bishop of Llandaff to prefide in the Divinity fchools, our Doctor had an opportunity every fortnight of shewing his claffical and theological abilities; and the perfon, manner, ftile, and whole behaviour of the new moderator being exactly the oppofite to every thing in his predeceffor, the schools were foon deferted. At times, he was, however, obferved to fpeak for two or three minutes together with more than ordinary fluency, and this circumitance exciting attention, the poor Doctor was found out: the fpeech was written down, which he took care to introduce by a queition to one or other of the difputants, fometimes with, fometimes without reafon. As a preacher, he was the champion of orthodoxy, the profeffed defender of our most excellent liturgy. His English fermons were not inferior to his Latin prefaces or speeches. With fuch talents, he was defervedly raifed to a higher sphere in the year 1793, when he became the head of the cubics and promoters. At the beginning of this year, Mr. Frend published a pamphlet, entitled "Peace and Union," which fet the Cubics in a rage, because it ventured to exprefs the neceffity of a reform, in fome points, both in Church and State. They met in a body of twenty-feven at the first meeting, at the house of the Vicechancellor. The Cambridge men are mathematicians, and have no objection to a joke. Twenty-feven being the cube of three, and three being the facred number, which was to be defended, thefe twenty-feven were named the cubics of the Trinity, or fimply his profecutor; but he laments that he is expelled at the inftance of fuch an animal as Dr. Kipling. But let that pafs. I have more important matter behind." He then read the next fable: FAB. XXXIX. A STORY OF A COCK AND A BULL. A gay, lively, flippant cock was ftretching out his neck, clapping his wings, and crowing with all his. might. His dunghill happened to be near a large piece of water, on the other fide of which he spied a bull." But, Mr. Editor, here my ftory of a Cock and a Bull must be cut fhort; for if the world fhould die in ignorance of the conclufion, I, like my friend Scrub, am determined to fay nothing, till there's a peace. Suffice to tell, that my friend, before he had got half through it, could hold no longer. "This," fays he, " is a more feditious and dangerous libel, than any that Sir Archy has yet picked out, not excepting even the Derby Advertisement.""Where is the harm ?"-" The harm!" cried he in a paffion, "is it no harm to caft a flur upon the prefent juft, politic, neceffary, glorious, profitable, and fimply the cube, and thence commonly the Cubicks. The cube then affembled at the Vice-chancellor's elected a committee, of which our learned Doctor was appointed the head, to fuperintend the prosecution of Mr. Frend; and thus Kipling's name alone appeared, and he acted as profecutor, which, in the langage of the Court, is termed promoter. In this character, he outdid all his other outdoings: his ignorance of the law proceedings was amply compenfated by the favour of the Court, but the victory obtained over their opponent was dearly bought. The conflict was much harder than they expected; and even in that time of alarm, when every effort was made by Administration to repre→ fent its enemies as Jacobins and levellers, the cube was in a high degree unpopular. The promoter looked for fomething more than barren honour; but the reward was long delayed. He got nothing till this year, and now only the Maitership of the Temple; but fuch talents, fuch orthodoxy, and fuch zeal, cannot long remain without their proper covering, the mitre. We have just heard that the deanery of Peterborough has paved his way to a Bishopric, A a 2 above above all, religious war. If I were not your faft friend, I fhould certainly inform against you, but I hall content myself with giving an hint of your principles to Mr. Reeves, who, I warrant, will have a watchful eye upon you." So faying, he departed, leaving me in fuch aftonishment, that I had not power to tell him that I would dispense with his vifits in future. But if ever he darkens my door again, fay my name is not [Chronicle.] ORGIES OF BACCHUS. PART III. Bacchus et ad culpam caufas dedit.- MYTHOLOGUS. Rumpere et obdu&tum verbis vulgare dolorem. SIR, You VIRGIL, OU remember well what treatment I experienced when I published the First Part of the Orgies of Bacchus. Bishop Horfley called it heretical, and faid that it was a libel on the established Church. Mr. Reeves pronounced it feditious; but added, that the feditious tendency was rather obfcure, till it should be illuftrated by that luminous critic, the Attorneygeneral. It is, I know, generally speaking, childish to pefter the public with perfonal grievances. Yet there are cafes, where the welfare of the individual is fo clofely connected with the common good, that a public appeal may be made with propriety. Whether my cafe comes under this defcription, is for others to decide. I have for fome time paft kept a great dog, which was palmed upon me for a true old blood-hound, though I afterwards learned that the whelps of this breed were imported into the kingdom not a century back. This dog of mine has one very odd humour; he barks at every other dog that has not a collar about his neck, and and worries him if he thinks himself the ftronger.One day, being grown more than usually valiant, he began first to teaze, and then to bite, a knot of dogs of an outlandish breed. They fet upon him in concert, and fent him limping home with lofs and difgrace. For my part, I own, I thought him very rightly ferved. Without interpofing in the fray, I ftood a fpectator at a little distance; when who fhould pafs by, but Mr. Reeves? He called me all manner of names; said that I had not a grain of patriotism; that no true Briton would tamely look on, and suffer an English bull-dog to be roughly treated by foreign curs. I answered, that I would defend no animal, canine ór human, in a quarrel purely of his own feeking; that I thought it very handsome in me to pay the dog-doctor for his cure; and as for the name of true Briton, he and his gang had brought it into fuch difgrace, that I did not want them to brand me with the title. Ever fince this accident, Mr. Reeves has circulated a report that I am a Jacobin, and that I fleep in a red nightсар. Hinc mihi prima mali labes; hinc femper Ulyffes In vulgum ambiguas, et quærere confcius arma. Peace to the reverend Prelate, and to the no lefs reverend Judge! Their criticisms make no impreffion upon me. But I was ftartled when I heard that many of my friends complained that I had not exhaufted the fubject. My enemies, on the other hand, affirmed, that my vein was dried up, and that I could not proceed. This threw me into a little reflection, of which I here give you the refult. I was aware,, from the first, that I fhould omit. much more than I inferted. I beg my cenfurers to believe, that I could have been far more copious, if I had not feared to trefpafs upon their patience. There are, befides what I have noted, fo many things done by Bacchus, that if they were all collected, a waggon would not contain the books that were written. I felected A. a 3 |