The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-08-06

II
| But for a subject worthy of God"
"Fit the action to the Word, and the
word to the action" Is precep, of the
most Immortal OF bards, who, among his
other inimitable qualities, possessed that
ola rare special pleader; and from which
my friend, from his known attachment to
that science, cannot withhold the need
OF his appreciation and applause con-
corning which precept have heard a
learned judge, who lately adorned our
supreme bench and guberna,orial chair,
more than once suggest as peculiarly
applicable to actions Of Islander, and SO
desigred both by Shakespeare Sc Hamlet.
Nor canI agree that case like the
present is either within the meaning of
the statute, or the intention OF the legis.
lature. Miserable indeed must be the
occupation of that legislative body, who,
in these boosted days Of light and truth,
| could sit out their live-long time in max.
ing laws, having for their object the pun
ishment with FIVE hundred dollars fine,
and six months imprisonment of poor,
old, frail and simple woman, who should
be guilty of the enormous crime Of TAX.
ing IS cents from some lose.iorn Sire.
Phon. for foretelling him whether or not
his Phillida would have high chin, blue
eyes, or pug nose or 10 beware of a
mole on the left breast, for it was the
unerring badge of shrew or profiiga,e.
The times ofsuch legislation are long since
out Of mind. Even in that country where
they have made more use of wi,chcrafl
and necromancy than ever we republi-
cans did, the statutes OF the wizard mon.
arch have long since been repealed, and
his book OF DemonoloSy is only found
in the libraries of The curious, and would
not there be found, but from the circum-
stance of its having Hsen written by a
king. 1t is only scarce because it is no.
valuable and remains memcnto of the
extraordinary paradox, that sOisc king
may be learned fool.
Even in the age that succeeded, when
"quite athwart went all decorum >" when
divination was on tiptoe, and pervaded
every thing when profound statesmen
were moon-struck enough to believe tina,
they were divine witnesses when, as the
satirist observes,
"They'd search pIahet's h6use tn know,
Who broke or robb'd a house below;
And ask ofVenus, or the Moon,
Who stole thimble or SPOON:
When, Praise God, Barbone's parlia-
ment was asserted to be the temple OF
The Highest ; even then and there, say,
the more wise and temperate did not
hesitate to declare that such laws were a
disgrace to the statute boob.
But, 10 come nearer our own times and
bosomsD let me ask you, gentle men,
whether you ever heard the Blue Laws
ESQ called) Of Connecticut and Massa
| chusetts mentioned but to he sa,irized .
Those laws, which our pious forefaihers
| (.for I believe you are mostly all my
cou7t-ymen-yankees) very graveIy
| adopted as a substitute for the laws o
Con. Their wilder sons loved thei
buxom wives too well to forego a kis
even upon the Sabbath and the scale
beam would kick in favor Of the ponde
rositY Of some old runnion Of a witch
even against the bible, aided by the pios
discourse ola Mather or a Msyhogh.-
They found that barrel sawed asundei
would still make two tubs in despite o.
the Blue Laws and the "coDfoundec
big piece Of timber, which, one SATURDAY
night
| "Fell down, sIar1 bdng,
| And killed poor John Lamb"
ceased to be regarded as an instrumen
of divine vengeance, OF a judgemen
from heaven for his profapatiOD Of tina
holy time. Darby persisted in the low
and elopement Of his darling Joan in spit,
OF the pensnce of the oart.tail, or TIT
! ouirL sco,,creo IF ~. .o,or;oa IT.,