The National Register.
London, England, 1808-10-24 00:00:00

674

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

able Weir and acknowledged, their virtues, to he-
pure and corrupt motives. If we did not suppose that he
is guilty of this unintentional atrocity, from the silly and
repulsive vanity of wishing to appear more knowing than
ethers, we should look down on him as one of the most
viciom and loathsome animals that infest the earth. This
foolish pretension to superior penetration induces a sensible
man to Z%-.pose himself wantonly to the imputation of being
consamtuate raieal : for if his remark be just, that the
ireatesi. and most admired of our statesmen were nothing
better than poi;tical knaves, what claims can Mr. Cobbett
produce to disiiew him from a similar imputation ? If the
reputation of the worthiest and most respectable characters
be not seure Crom the rancour of malice, the surmises of
folly, or the cens:ire of profligacy ; what chance of safety
will those hh% idt!als have, who afliord by their conduct
too much room for uncharitable surmises ? This is unques-
tionahlv one of time most worthle*s and reprehensible uses'
to which time pages of The Political Iter,ixter are devoted..
We should be worse than enemies of the imprudent writer,
if we took him at his word, and believed him serious in the
charges he prefers. What an opinion should Ni'e then en-
tertain of his heart ! what ! does neither honour nor in-
tegrity regulate the actions of men ? ... Is %Wile no more
than an hypo Critical mask, in order to deceive with greater
advantage and security? ... Is all our belief in the intec;rity
of others and the divinity of our origin to he dung away ?
Should ',nett infernal principles gain ground, the
whole fabric of society is destroyed to the foundation ; and
men would look upon one another with as much distrust
and appreh,m3ion, DA savages of contending tribes. How
an individual of Cobbett's sense conid compromise himself
in so wanton a manner, is ineonzeiiabk. lie may be con-
ainced that others will not shew so :mach toleration for his

imigudenee as we do, and will seize with avidity an oppor-
tunity afinilictlog on us character a Wound, which neither
Vie balsam of time, not of art, wilt he alibi: to heal. 7'hey
-ill impute to the worst and most pernicious of principles,
-.what we ecineeivelo bo the• died of an insoleut, overbear-
ing vanity. What is the object of alt this fuss and imper-
tinence, on the part of Cobbeal . • Remark readers :—Mr.
Pitt, Fox and Chatham, whu:r you are so proud of rever-
ing, were uo mere than rogues and blockheads; and as
-very few are in the habit of condemning themselves, Mr.
Cobbett is a man of genius and spotless integrity II Bravo,
Mr. Co'abett ! Your modesty and discretion are admirable !
We have made the foregoing remarks in order to save
lir. Cubbett from the persecutions of private malice; to
prove him. to be no more than a • presumptuous, silly
Journalist, and by ne means deserving of the violent indig-
nation which a foolish article, iu his last Number, has uni-
versally excited. We have often stared at his temerity,
and smiled at the latitude he gave himself in abusing Eng-
lish credulity, and tampering with English patience. Like
all noisy, blustering individuals, he swears, foams, bullies,
cocks his hat, locks fierce,—and means nothing. After
this introduction, we feel no difficulty in stating the cause
of these remarks ; in particular as we have reason to think
object of them from intemperate, un-
In his ranting, paradoxical manuer,
affectation of superior penetration,
olumns of his last Number to prove
of Dun Cevallos lie !

OCT. 24.

:and the- patriotic Author an Intriguer t flat the whole
business was nothing but one of those trumped-up tricks
ea usual with Politicians, in order to gain credit with the
People of Spain ; with some ingenious and witty insinua-
tions relative to the fatotr be et Toyed under King Charles,
King Ferdinand, and King Joseph ;" and such like nonsense.
However we may execrate the levity and impertinence 41f
observations tending to weaken the interest and credit of
a publication so admirably calculated, from its simplicity
and candour, to benefit the cause of innocence and justice;
we saw, by no means, that degree of danger or criminality
in them, which some a&cted to discover. They only con.
tribute(' to confirm us in a belief we have long eutertained,
that some of our Journalists, and particularly this very
Cobbett, are guilty of a most unwarrantable abuse in
their remarks and strictures on the Governments of friendly
States. The injury they do their oWn country, by their
insolent interference, is incalculable. Our Newspapers arc
read with avidity in Sweden and !ipam ; and when a
journal, like Cobbett's, falls into the hands of a Spaniard,
who is unacquainted n ith the peculiar customs of England,
and the licentiousness of our press, he is naturally astonished
at finding the language of our Papers so contrary to the
declarations of Government. Every article in a Spanish
Gazette which refers to this country is a warm ellnsion of
eulogy and gratitude. That a man laying strong claims to
understanding, and pretending to have the interests of his
country at heart, should, for the gratification of making
a quaint, or an impertinent remark, contribute to wcao
the union and confidence so happily subsisting between ns
and the people of Spain, is a spevies of pleasure we arc in.
capable of comprehending. Whilst we acquit Mr. Cohbett
of the criminal motives, sonic may he too prone to impute
to !chin, we sincerely bewail, that, from indiscretion and
vanity, he should act in a manner as injurious and disgrace-
ful to himself) as it is repugnant and otrensive to 'others.

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