The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-19 00:00:00

Ile next quoted a parody on the Lord's Prayer,
which was Mivered from the pulpit—
The JUDGE.—" I hope there is nothing offen-
sive in•it."

Tile defendant said, it was uttered by Dr. Boyce,
Dean of Canterbury, in the reign of James 1. lie
begat► to read it, when—
'The Judge said, the parody was most improper,
whoever the author was.

The defendant said, he could produce instances
of most learned and pions men, who inculcated in-
struction in that way. Bishop Latimer had pt cached
two sermons with a pack of cards each time under
his hands ; anti he illustrated his text by the cards,
as well as the tiiumph which pious men were liiie
to obtain. . The trump, he said, was the triumph ;
and he desired his hearers to cast their hearts on
that card. He Tart; ed several parodies on Prayers
and the Seriptioe, all of which Weie.of a po-
litical tendency ; one of these was found in
the 'works of that excellent man Lord Somers ;
it was an)anitation of the genealogy of Christ,
in the first chapter of 'St. Matthew, and con-
tained an .allegorical • account of the family
and birth of the Reformation. Lie next quoted a
parody on the first Psalm, entitled " Political
Merriment," published in 1714, in favour of the
Bruns wick.family, which had then come upon the
Throne of England, and that 'parody was exactly
similar to his. The Reverend Mr. Croxall, while
at Oxford, had written a book containing religious
parodies ; the title was the " Fair Circassian,"
and it was well known to most men of academic
teaming. After quoting passages from several
other books, he came to a collection of papers,
which had been published 24 years ago, by the
Association then held at the Crown and Anchor,
fur protecting Liberty and ['rol:erty against Re-
publicans and Levellers. Arnow.: these was a pa-
rody on the Catechism, by John Reeves, Esq. who
was ar the head of the Association; it was entitled
the " Freeholder's Catechism ;" it was all of a
political tendency, anti was all almost exact imi•
tation of the Christian Catechism., The history
of the Westminster Election also abounded with
parodies on Scripture, and on the Book of Com-
mon Prayer, and none of the authors of any of the
parodies he had quoted, had ever been prosecuted.
A parody entitled the'Chronicles of
.the Kings
of England,' &c. was published in the year 1740,
and afterwards republished by Dodsley, than
whom there never was its England a more re-
ligions, loyal, or moral man. This Book
gave a very humorous sketch of the Sove-
reigns in England, their history, and genealogy ;
and was written entirely in the style of Scrip-
ture. The same book was afterwards continued
down to the time of the French Revolution, and
alluded to Thomas Paine, William Pitt, &c. A
celebrated work entitled The Rolliad, in an allu-
sion to the Westminster Scrutiny, contained a
passage exactly similar to the publication now be-
fore the Court. It was a ludicrous description of
what passed at the Scrutiny, and written in the
Scripture style. If the system of prophanc paro-
dies had existed so. long with impunity, and if they
had been delivered by eminent clergymen front t be
pulpit, how, he would ask, was he to know whether
Ice had. acted criminally in publishing his parody ?
He did not attempt to defend all these parodies ;
but lie should prove that the moment he heard his
parody had been offensive, he stopped the publica-
; he would not even let an intimate old friend
have a copy when he called for it. Ilad lie gone
on with, and not suppressed that publication, he
should have made a large suns of money, which
would have enabled hint to fee able Counsel to
defend him that day. He quoted a parody in the.
same style with. his, published for the use of the
troops under Lord Wellington, and that was a
Ministerial parody.
Mr. JostiCe ABROTT—Sir, I do not wish to
hear any more of that. read. 1 know nothing of
Ministerial parodies.
Mr. Hone replied, that it. was most natural for
hint to state that circumstance, because he was
convinced that had his beer, a ministerial parody,
he should not have been In ought there that day.
Another paper which he produced, was a placard
now handed about the streets as a Christmas carol
at this season of the year, and it purported to be
a letter from our SAVIOUR ; this publication had,
to his knowledge, been in existence for thirty
years.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL took up this paper,
declared it to be an impious libel, and not fit to
be read.
Mr. Justice ADEOTT was of the same opinion.
Mr. Hone expressed his surprise that this paper
had never before been disapproved of or noticed
by any of the civil or ecclesiastical authorities.
Before lie concluded he should quote one mole
parody, and that was written by a man who was
now a Cabinet Minister, one of his persecutors
(for this was a persecution carried on against him),
and a man who ought now to be in his place in
that Court. The man he alluded to was Mr.
Canning, who published a parody in the Anti-
Jacobin. _ . .

Mr. Justice ABBOTT conceived it improper to
mention the name of Mr. Canning or any other
person : as it did not appear that Mr. C. was the
author.
Mr. Hone said he was the author, and proceed-
ed to- 'read the passage from the Anti-Jacobin, in
which the Opposition were abused in the Scripture
style. • This very passage was quoted by Lord
Grey, in the House of Lords, when shortly after-
his (Mr. Hone's) commitment to the King's Bench
prison, that Nobleman expressed his disapproba-
tion of the conduct of Ministers, in beginning to
prosecute for such parodies as those for which
he (the defendant) had then been taken up.
Although Lord Grey then wished to have a copy
of his book, he would not send him one, so cautious
was he in suffering one of them to get abroad
after he heard that the publication had given of-
fence. Mr. H. next noticed the circumstance of
many profane tunes having been set to sacred
hymns, and sung in Chapels. Such tunes, for
instance, as " God save the King," " Rule Bri-
tannia," " Lullaby," and " Drink to me only,
&c." - Now, with respect to the publication in
question, he did nut attempt to justify it ; in point
of taste, he did not himself like it ; but•in pub-
lishing it, he was as innocent of any evil inten-
tion as the boy who would throw.. a squib into
the street on an evening. It was • very easy to
perceive who the parties were to whom he al-