The Sun.
London, England, 1830-10-16 00:00:00

ainment".—that is to say, to buying barloy•su;

- -
kisses, playing at nine-pins, and dancing jigs- at
Bartlimy fair, the Preacher advises us by all
means to turn aside from this
" Enchanted ground, by entering on which we may
be further and further ensnared within the magic circle,
till the dominion of sin over the conscience, which is ge-
nerally established by degrees, has insensibly twined
round our soul those concealed fetters, by which it is at
last completely bound, and fastened us in slavery for ever
and ever." -

The terms 44 enchanted ground," " magic
circle," applied to Bartholomew Fair, are cer-
tainly appropriate, not to say original, though
we think the advice is somewhat superfluous.
We are hot by any means apprehensive of the
" dominion of sin twining round our souls its
concealed fetters," because we may happen to
take a peep at Smithfield during the fair; it is
the pickpockets we dread in that quarter, more
especially since we have learned that the New
Police have no power to act eastward of Temple
Bar., 44 But," continues the Preacher,
" I am prepared to expect, it may he sail, that many
individuals, and those indeed of respectability, attend this
fair, not only without any participation in the evils which
abound therein, but with a rooted and real abhorrence of
them. If you take your families, you take them in the
day time, when the throng is less oppressive, awl the more
glaring evils of the fair have not begun to manifest them.
selves, and you go chiefly to show them some wonders of
the Almighty's creating hand, both in the rational and
irrational creation, which are there exhibited."
By the 44 wonders, of the Almighty's hand"
Mr. Dillon clearly means the pig-faced lady—.
the cat with three tails—Miss Biffin—the sheep
with five legs—the mermaid, and, peradventure,
the Bonassus. These are, certainly wonders
worthy of the " enchanted ground" of Smith-
field—that Palace of Armida, that " magic
circle" of Comus—though it is our duty to
inform Mr. Dillon that man has had the greatest
share in the creation of these wonders. Having
despatched them, however, the Rev. Gentleman
goes on to lament that—,
4,, A fondness for amusement seems to be increasing in
the, present day. And especially do I grieve to see it
gaining so much ground amongst the middle close* of
society."
It is shocking, certainly, that the public
should be so fond of amusing itself, and still
more shocking that the Preacher himself should
be one of the chief promoters of its amusement.
But this is the' fact. 'How much innocent
enjoyment—how many a hearty laugh would
have been lost to the world, had Mr.
Dillon never published his exquisite Voyage,
and still more exquisite Sermon l On the
part of the public, then, we intreat him, (ill
terms of such affectionate entreaty, that he muqt
be more or less than man if he can withstand
us) to continue his present career of author-
ship. If originality be the first requisite of a
clergyman, he is beyond all question, thogreatest
divine of his day, and sooner or later will not
fail to write himself into a bishopric. On the
same principle, he is the first historian of his
age, for what are the original merits of a Hal-
lam—a Mill-4 Sharon Turner—or a Lin-
guard, compared to those ,of the author of.the
Lord Mayor's Voyage ? No' wonder .that
such a man should already have been. presented

to his Majesty ! No wonder that he should al-
ready have announced a new volume of sermons
by subscription (price twelve shillings); the public
will of course flock to purchase the rarity, and
we ourselves shall be proud and happy to rank
ourselves among the very earliest subscribers,