The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-25 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER'

259

deny the advantage et' the new system of reform, and say, witis
an exalted scorn of all the rules of composition :
" Truly such a foundation did not promise much good ; and
" whoever is disappointed at the result, the fault is entirely
" their own."
Here the plural their is coupled with the singular is: and their
ewn, which is nothing more than a compound adjective, becomes,
in your grammar, the antecedent to the relative tehoeuer. 0,
Mr. Cobbett ! in one little sentence su much error ! For shame,
for shame, why don't you get a private tutor?
But to return to the reasonings of Mr. Cobbett, where there
areas many false concords as in his style—The most that we can
gather from his opposition to the appointment of a Committee
of Finance, and to the Reversion Bill, and to the London Peti-
tion, is just this : that a man who sincerely wishes for refoilm,
ought not to content himself at the beginning with something
that goes a part of the way, hut should insist upon something
that effects the whole at once. Your true reformer, like the
fretful child, should not eat his cake by degrees, but fling it
from him if he cannot get it all into his mouth without a second
bite. What has been generally the difference between reform
and revolution ? Why, that reform has been introduced by de-
grees, and in a peaceable manner ; revolution by one furious
blow, which has seldom failed of drawing blood. A man of
common- sense, in descending from a dangerous situation to the
secure plain, will come down step by step, and take time to en-
sure his safety ; a madman who throws himself at once from the
top, will sooner arrive on the soil, it is true, but he will pro-
bably he dashed to pieces by his expedition. For our own
parts, we are glad to hail the slightest spark of reform: let us
not puff it at once into a fierce fire, lest the heat become danger-
ous : let us gradually cherish and direct its flame, and then we
shall profit by its warmth. The Reversion Bill has been infa-
mously checked, contracted, contorted: it inss been new-me-_
Belled, and now appear.
" curtailed of its fair proportion,
" Cheated of feature by diBsernbling natures
" Deform's!, uolinish'd, sent, scarce half made up,
" Into this breathing world."
Rat shall we, like the Spartaw of old, expose or destroy our
children as worthless and odibus, because they are not quite
so fair as we could wish ? if the Reversion Bill be in itself ne
powerful force; it is perhaps the Pioneer that clears the way fur
the march of a more efficient ally : let us welcome it with ors
arms, and not be so mad and so wicked as to throw away spat,
because we have nut yet acrinised the win,ie.
But the interest of Mr. Cobhett must surfer when the roveru-
ment of the country iosti lutes an ecimomical reform. He is one
of these numerous declaimers who live by making the people of
this country dissatisfied with themselves. The mischievous
members of the government, perhaps, may suck the !stood of
the country, and of that Mr. Cobbett would declare his abhor-
roost- : hut then Mr. Cubbet sucks at second hand, and draws
by pecking at the carrion crows his quantum of that blood
which the crow s have first sucked from the carrion. It would
not be advantageous for him to abolish public grievances ; be-
cause he lives by exclaiming against the supporters of those
grievances. A thief-taker cries out against thieves, hut hp
would be sorry to see thieving abolished. Upon this principle
perhaps it is, and not from absolute ignorance and folly, that
Mr. Cobbett opposes the first advances of economical reform.
lie spurs the steed, like the horseman in Roderic Random, who
wishes the passengers to think Ite
,iseager to overtake the fugitive r,
but as soon as the animal obeys the rowel, the admonition of
the curb-rein prevents the inconvenience,-OWtipst attend an
accomplishment of the ostensible object; •: e..•'1•10.:^
r. Cobbett, with all the ineonsleteoey :.trmk pvltiefflasf,
quits his subject every now :;std then, t»¢ give4l Ilia few delight-
lid digressions of a very palatabferetird piquante personality,.
Now it is very well to have &wide leftwetsi.tha acts ; but it

~~

•1

I