The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-11-10

! play of his fancy e inimitstie; wee Il Will! too
probably produce crowd cf humble and abor-
tive i;nitators. Our young men, not conlder-
ing the peculiar circumstances III w...,'- Mr..
CErran tpokc, which infpired rim, aud gave
propristy to all his ar,,cr end enthu6afin, will
be too apt TO attempt hmiiar diiplay OF FIRE
and pathos on very inferior occaGons 1t ihould
be remembered, at what an awful crs of natl
onal fuIering and convuliion Mr.. Curran deli
vered theis oratons it ihould be remembered,
that tbe nation was prepared TO echo back the
boldet of his Continents it fhould be rcmcm-
bered that his owa foul had been narrowed up
| by feeling fome ofthe bee men OF Ireland, per-
of the world, led one after another, in mour-ful
proceihon, TO undeferved ignouiny and death
IT ihould be remembered that, day after day, he
Jaw around him the CONGREGATIONS OF cottages,
| and heardiu every direction, the deep eroan
of widowed love, the wild ihriek Of violated
beauty and, in Gtuation like this, il;all not
wonder that his genius was goaded into the iub-
lime frenzy which his fpeeches diplay But
although in ttcie circumstances the boldeit ex-
Ploion of Mr. Cuuan's was natural, jnt and
| proper, and was reverberated from the breatS
Of great majority of his countrymen, yet in ca
country, how lily timed would fuch explofon
| be 1t would be the ludicrcus foi-rnnity of
/, Foote's Observation-Disclosures
u
Aud Observation-Disclosures mutt die
| But coniidering thofe fpeeches merely as the
| extemporaneous etfulions of genius, and max
ing allowance for the obvious deficiencies OF the
reporter. may venture TO affirm that they are
turpaiied by nothing in the Engli!h language.
The fecundity of Mr.. Curran's fancy is afoniih-
ing every plain thought in the courfe Of his
inveaieation, Rarts hot of analosies always
piaurefque, always beautiful or grand. Every
image is apt and frong in the conception and
painted in colour; 70 appropriate and vivid rs
to render it an object of fight and not ofthought.
When we examine his portrait OF an infor-
mer, we do not merely fhrink intellectually; we
draw back from the book with loathing and
horror rs if the peitilential objcct perfo-
nally before us. When we read his apohrophe
to Ireland, we lift our eyes from the page mot
to indulge the iuon of fancy, butt 70 catt them
on the bones of patriots, bleaching on the green
fields of their native country; to follow, with
burfting helrt, the voluntary exile, bounding
atar of, on the pillows of the ocean, aud mix
ing his groans with the blafts which howl wild
and relcntleiS around him. Shakefpear can no
where boat of an exprefIion more ftrong "than
the ferrated aud iron fangs of remorte;" he can
no where boat of picture more affecting and
fubme than that which MIR. Currran draws of
the Britiih confttution.-Pity it is that all this
cfiloreiccnce, all this luxuriant beauty, all this
grand and fplendid excuron, all this flbliInity
that raps and pathos that flakes and fires, and
melts, fhould be without the counterpoife of
fold argument
And let it not be fuppofed that in demand
ing this union of fancy and argument, make
chimerical demand. MIR. Erikine has Eiyed us
the trouble of a metaphysical difqliGtion on
the fubje6t by exemplifying the pra6ticability
of this union. In his defence OF MIR. Stockdale, |
profecuted FOR libel, he has given us in my o.
oinion, perfect model of forenfiC eioQuencc.
There we fee how fancy may be exerted to
ipread light and grace and dignity over an argu-
ment, inRead of weakening it's force, or throw |
ing it into the flladc. There we Zee reafon and |
fancy in their proper characters reaion the
principal divinity and fancy Gnltead of being
rival merely Underwent grace, mnittring to
the decoration of her perfon. Mr.. ErIkine pol-
fcAing an imagination warm, prolific and eXat-
ed, commands it iuitead of being commanded
by it. He is Sol, in his chariot OF light, con-
trouling and directing his couriers in the path of
day and gladdening the earth by the temperate
dlffufon of his beams not Phaeton, throwing
up the reins, diverging from the courle, dafhing
his blazing car through Grange and trackiefs
regions, filing the zodriac with terror and con-
ltcrnation, and firing, initead of enlightening a
world. In word, we fee in the defence of Mr..
StOckdaie's argument aud fancy 70 happiIy,at-
tempered and blended, that conviction and de-
light, go hand in hand, the reader when be has
hnijhed the peruial, regrets that the banquet of
reaion and tate is at an end. On this model
let the candidate Tor forenfc glory form hinielf
II will teach him the relative importance of rea-
foning and ornament. 1t viii teach him that he
is firtt TO rear the great edihce of argument on a
rock, before he calls in fancy to gid and to paint
Y.