The National Register.
London, England, 1808-07-31 00:00:00

JULY Si.

rica the inure your enlarged unbiassed manner of speaking of 'the
institutions and people of that country, excites the astonishment
and admiration of your cotemporaries. An uncommon manner
of thinking and feeling is the exclusive privilege of men of your
genius.
But, apropos, you have been rather injudicious in your com-
positions of late ; and though you do not attach much im-
portance to classical taste, you should not entirely neglect the
rules laid down by the critics. If your wild, uncultivated genius,
more particularly qualifies you for that species of writing
called fiction, you must be cautious to maintain some appear-
ance of probability. Had you consulted Horace,Boileau,or Pope,
they would inform you that probability is a necessary ingre-
dient in the style of writing you most excel in. Oh that is quite
a different case, if you imagine that the memory of Englishmen
is as confined as their good nature is extensive. There is no
other way of accounting for your description of the arbitrary
measures of the present administration. Where was your discre-
tion when you could be so indifferent to the feelings and under-
standings of your readers. Even Ariosto himself never loses
sight of the probable. As every one of your readers receives
weekly proofs of your poetic licence, how could you he guilty
of so gross a blunder as to assert that the present Ministers are
severe censors. You must know there is a number of men
in this country who are disinterestedly attached to the
Constitution, who blame those censors, not for their seve-
rity, but on account of their knity towards writers of your
description; and till you can disembarrass yourself of those
troublesome fellows, you must restrain your sublime imagi-
nation. You may sneer and laugh as much as you please,
among your friends, at the extravagant notions of these
modern Catos: but till you can succeed in making them
as suspicious and odious to the people of England, as your bra-
ttier Tribunes did the same class of men at Rome, you will find
some difficulty in making the public relish the sublime licen-
tiousness of your style. Those patriots are most intractable
personages ; they are fraught with prejudices in favour of the
present Government, and are attached, with the most incorri-
gible stubbornness, to our establishments in church and state;
and as there are many of them as zealous as Nosien himself, you
ought to be more circumspect in the satisfaction you express
at the prospect of seeing a revolutionary government estab-
lished in Spain, and of a confiscation of the property of the
aclergy and nobility.
However, I am inclined to pardon your neglect of probabili-
ty, in consequence of the good humour you display at the idea
of the Spanish ladies getting in the harvest. From the pleaswre
with which you mention this circumstance it may he surmised
you forgot you were writil, front Bone!), and had some hopes
of assisting those amiable shepherdesses in their rural labours.
Rh! le duns bcrger pee Mons. l'obbelt ! But take care, the
Spaniards are not so gallant as sour friends in a neighbouring
country. They have already given stronger proofs than you
may relish, of their dissatisfaction with impertinent strangers
interfering with their government, property, church lands, and
ladies : and though .1 entertain not the least doubt of your gal-
lantry, and of the dangers von would expose yourself in the
service of the fair, I st mild advise you to remain at Botley, as
1 cannot rely on your deseretion.
Well, Mr. Cobbett, your greatest enemies must acknowledge
that You have a most pun erful imagination. How much will
they have admired your bold figure of the " sweeping scythe,"
and its mowing down of pimps, bawds, parasites, buffoons,
toad-eaters in read, blue, mat black ! W hat a picture you have
drawn there ! And though they may have the squeamishness to
oltject to the chasteness of the 51 vlet they remain confounded at
the boldness of the eSecul ion. They may say what they please
about the delicacy of flue bee in culling sweets and flowers,
hut, with the revolutionary snout of that useful animal the
swine, you explore all the sinks of society to find the figures
for your picture. %nu see, Sir, I begin to make some profi-
ciency in your own style of composition; with the studs., and
under the guidance of so great a master, it is itnpossible to he
long restrained by the fastidious laws of decorum. And there
.is reason to expect. that ‘; ith the other innovations you pre-
Jed, you will at last succeed in revolutionizing the language,
and rescuing it from the tvrannic restraints of Pope, Dryden,
and such tvrauts.
But there is a very considerable weakness I have to object to
in your last suinmary, and which I. did not expect fiom a gentle-
man of 11r. Cobbett's cen-momate prudence in such .matters.
How is it possible your principles cimild make you in Inta)l
blind to your interests. N. ou have been too indiscreet in your
lijiidaCtiOU at the change of property in Spain. Did vou re-
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