Star.
London, England, 1817-12-22 00:00:00

Wined for 'Pe.rposes cat tie incst proper; whereas
the parody in question only preserved the scafinlding
nr frame work, if he might so say, of the thing paro-
died. I'he Chatham Faith was one of the parodies to
which he alluded, and was one of the description
now prosecuted

Ltird ELLatinottotton said, that every one of the
parodies now alluded to were prosecutable in like
manner as the present one.
qr. Hose admitted this s but why, he asked. were
they not prosecuted ? Where were the Attorney-Ge-
nerals of those days ? Why did they abapdon their
duty ? Toe Attorney General might any day go into
the Crown-office. and file an information against any
an who wrote ay.y thing in opposition to the Go-
vernment. A parody was never seized before. Why
was his parody now attacked ? Was it because Lord
Sidmouth was the only good Secretary of State for
the Home Department ? He charged that Noble Se-
cretary with having put all the people of England
against him as a blasphemer. These were protects.
lions and persecutions of various kihds for blasphemy.
A man charged with blasphemy had been punished
in Poland, in the beginning of last century. He be
lieved him to have been only an honest man. How.
ever, he had at first one hand cut off, and then aoio-
'ther. l'he stumps were then put into burning pitch.
Vho, 0 who, (here he raised his voice to a tone of
the utmost vehemence). who were the blasphemers,
the unhappy vectim or the inhuman executioners
(Gent applause instantaneously burst from every part
ot Guildhall i and Lird Ellenlsorongh declared he
would adjourn the Coutt•it greater tor ter were not
honied). During toe whole ot Pitt's administra-
tion Mete was not one prosecution far libel, and yet
pary_ feeling never ran higher, and cheap publica-
t.ons were never more numerous. In the volume

that contained the parodies on the Westminster
Erection. he could find 500 more, and every one of
them as strong as his, yet for none of them was ever
a prosecution instituted. He on all occasions made
frequent use of the language of Scripture. That
Proceeded from his intimate acquaintance with it
He had ever delighted to read its beautiful nat rations.
He had long been employed in preparing a publica-
tion on the Old Testament ; and be hoped yet to
finish it and to give it to the world. notwithstanding he
had been called a blasphemer. In no age of the world
was there before a prosecution for patody. He h.d
seen a letter pretended to have been written by JEsts
CIIIIIbT. and found sizty-lour years after his death in
the rave of Lady Cuba, in Mesopotamia. He be-
lieveil-the author was not a blasphemer, but that be
ought to be put into a cook-ship and to. be fed on
beer steaks. This letter pretended, that a woman in
labour, wh; had it, should be safely delivered. It
gave instructions as to the Sunday and Good Friday.
All this was quite absurd, but he would on his knees
entre it the Attorney-General not to prosecute the
author. Indeed, he had seen such letters from a
child, and a gentleman had one of them that was 150
years old. Parodies of all kinds used to be circulated
in Westminster, and even to be paid for by the Trea-
sury, before Westminster became independent. Mr.
Canning, the• Right Honourable Parodist, had been
member of Lord Townsend's Committee, though
a secret 'one, for• he was then a trimmer, and from
st)lem issued 'many parodies. Why did nut the At -
,iortiey-General prosecute Mr. Walter Scott for the
" riles of my Lansilcrti," a work which abounded
wfflfe Scrittdral phenols, set in the most. absurd ana
sidiculous view t- He was sorry he bad not the book
there. If he had, he could point out dozens of pages
full of the most ridicul.,as applications of Scrip.tne.
His Lordsh p had. said last night. in his charge to
Use Jury. that there was nothing profane published
under .the sanction at Governinent. He could dis-
prove that assertion. The Hypocrite, a Play, mo-
dernised from one of Libber's Plays, had been sanc-
tioned by tne Lord Coamberfain.
Lord Er.t.assonouuu.—l may have said so, but I
have no recollection of it.
Mr. Hoes.—Those who heard his Lordship must
recollect it. ibis platy was sanctioned as acted at
Drury...lane Theatre; and in it Dr. Coasevell, intended
to represeut Mr. Grine Whitfield, was drawn in the
most Oceans and offensive terms. Mr. Whitfield and
Mr. Wesley had done much good. Could it be said,
that the Man who had reclaimed the Kingawood
col-
liers had done no good to his country ? Toote's
Mime was equally abusive of sacred subjects. Lady
arsissfras was. represented as uniting the'rnost licen-
Woe conduct with the highest raptures of devotion.
In the preface to this twee, the artier says. that
" It must be use:ul, while there was a bawd in the
,street, an auctioneer in 1.0• rostrum, or a methodist
in the pulpit." Had lie.nad time, he would have
filled the table with parodies. Chalmers' Poets would
have supplied an endless variety ; yet he had heard
of no indos ex/Jur:alto-Ims fur that work.—He next ex-
hibited Fuseli's print of the " night mare," and then
shetted a parody upon it representing the Lord
Mayo, (Wood), as the night mayor (snare), upon
the breast of a girl. Wuat. he would ask, did this
parody ridicule? Was it Fuseli's print, or was it
Alderman Wood I The Attorney-General had not
prosecuted, cur iidicule ;won Ilderman Wood was
• not unacceptable to Ministers. Did the Alderman
bring as action ? That excellent man and able Magi-
strate had too much sense to do so. The print ri-
diculed his well-meant though perhaps injudicious
efforts to Clear the streets front prostitutes. 11y ne- '
.alerting it, he made it harmless. He was afiaid that
his Lordship would think the introduction of all the
prime he had before him unmeaning.
Lord ELLSinnoiKainis ant afraid I
may say so.
Mr. Hotta—The olsket.was to thew that the design
and effect in all those parodies were to impress some-
thing on the mind quite unconnected with the thing
parodied, and that the thing parodied had suffered
loathing from such an use of ii. •
Jared 4.l.eateinovetei-The picture is ground for,
indictment..
I • #..Hotts granted it; bit what was gained by in-
ollieti g? was a than more ridiculed thaw Sir'
William Curbs? Yet be only bought as many as he
-saw at them to leash at them. Prosecution created
a demand for the thing prosecuted. The Attorney-
" General might depend upon it, that all the parodies
Would now be reported and circulated through she
kingdom. A great sale would be the contequente
of the'prusecution. He then teed the subject of
and comoseuted.with great spirit and loom upon the
.ditienutperss of it. He would ask any man Molly
1 his bud an his breag, and to say the; the Si-