Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-07-11

lug B"Goons" shall have been long covered with the
dust of Oblivion.
Your r,iic =" Uncle SAM" speaking of Shake
spear, tells US in his last paragraph. that young
person can peruse the most admired of his dramas
without being in danger OF concentrating his mil
and heart This sentence certainly furnishes siron.
proof, that Ills author is an i"'pdrtiaf judge between
| SkrkeSredr and ndtire Fugitisu poet To tchici
last all his sensibiliies, and all his paiosu attach
him! had supposed, Nlessrs. Editors, that pure
morality could Re drawn from the writings OF
Shakespeare as from those Of any man, who ever
Ived IN any age or country always excepting the
" roh'"ie Of inspiration MANY holy men, many
professors and ministers of the gospel take delight in
| reading them and seek them with aviduy. cannot
consent o select passages from these WRITINGS refer
20 mcm Tor the purpose of jus,iiyng my opinion aud
! hat oil tue learned world nor can ] consent 10 20
into la,oured vindcation of Shakespcar. IL Is
equally vain, illiimed aud idle for to defend,
Tor cncfe Sdm to assai the reputation oil the Strut
ford Bard
| i wish Uncle SAM" to understand me better,
than lperhaps owing To my duness) do him.
approve OF his devotion to his friend or to his
try hui cannot believe that he has ent,lcd himself
10 the thanks OF tina, friend. When Shakespear
conirasied with the author OF the Mountain Muse, I
dad not suppose that was njuiing This lost he
cause public opinion had, long before, settled their
grade and rank. do believe all that has been said
OF the moral character Of this Vrginian poet. Re-
pori says taccoiding TO your correspondent that he
equally respected aud esteemed for the urbauiiy OF
hs manners, the purity of his morals, his costly
r'ces on The altar OF patriotism, the a,dor OF his in
'e"ectuai pursuits, Tie superiority OF his conversa-
uonai powers and a combination of mental expan-
Sou with refined sensib,iiy of hearth would moi
u could, deprive the gentleman of one laurel Ia
this wreath NOR attempt To rob him Of trnit of
moral excellence, which adorns his character. Blu,
can never consider him equal in genias TO Shake
spear, whose beauties progressive time will daily
'oid his Is no disparagemen Of him. How many
d's'lnguished men have we known, that were not
poets How many men of useful lives, elegant
Accomplishments, splendid talents and arden patriot
ism, that Ind no genius and hardly any taste for
poetry Many most striking exemplifca,ions, of the
ruth oi tins remark, might he given but it is need
less TO uiarize. No man can hone 10 excel i'm
every department of science aud genius and very
| lew To become good poeIs | have been taught TO
beiieve that nature does for the poet and orato
than Tor any other of her sons. She is sometimes
9"nm,.inl III her gifts but often very carricious.
Every man cannot make himself poet &c isrcuriits
no" m er q"oriS Hgno; ct non confciu,. qmi-
bnSiifet ritriS
In contrasting SiaGespedr and the author of NE
Mountain Muse, certainly did think, that was
casting unnecessary and unlusiiabe opprotrium'
on ihls anthor--i never did admire him as - poet ::
and a this declaration gives offence Uncle Sam 5"
must shelter myself from has criticism, under hIs
sacred ndriir de guHibus non diSputaRd,,n " under
pubic opinion, which has decided before me and
unuer me recoliecon which perhaps may disturb
the patriotic feelings al" Uncle Sam'-ihat an, not
abic.io render my mind so plant aud accommodating
rs TO bring myself TO prefer " domestic tiippe,v Il,
sooa JGretsn eloth"g-i am sorry that cannot he
us wen protected as he is, and shelter myself under
se'hsn ana conceited principeS'-as he has done -
nave ahstained from noticing any particular defects
IN this poem and shall he provoked to do So by
any thing which F" Uncle Sam" can sa,-aI,honob
he has expressed wish 10" survey some of m,
georges OF CRITICISM" he may be assured that he
WIN nor lose much, 10y being disappointed for in
t'c'Smi, as IN other things, nov wishes and powers
are humhle-i am content pluck The lower branch
es oil The tree Of knowedge-s' nof alum. sphere
ne higher branches are left FOR others
must now, hlessrs Editors turn TO The structures
" ,hs cric, on my contrast of Napoleon Boraparte
and George III of Enei land lie has mrepres en,ed.
s Una, ne night answer and expose me. He selects
SNORT paragraph from Letter, and even in his COM
men's on THAI paragraph does njustce.-If he
WIN take another cOreta rerieiC Of that exrac,-he
VIII see that BOuaparIe and George III rs well as
ohakespedr and the author OF the Mountain Muse
were cumlrasied only differently cifted by no.
t"re win gcnius--nothlng sad OF mental cnira-
tsoH OF moral cdI When he sees this he will he
convinced that almost all that he has said to YOU in
his letter OF May 23rd, truth Vor ct prierra
mia" HE viii perceive thar, a fair critic he
should not have SAID Que word OF the moral, or the
mental cultivation, any OF these characters He has
descrIhd himself, possessing selfish and concerted
p'"cipieS and presume that he So mach u,-
der ihernHuence, when lie Carefully revie the
paragraph that he could not condescend attend 10
ITS meanIng.r
When " Uncle Sam" speaks of The late King of
England aud Emperor OF France he uses The foiIow.
ing lsngudge'' am not willing as friend Of pcace
and iepubcansm, that all the personal virtues the
dign'fed moral sensibIIiiies the unquenciaLle AZ.
'chmtni of George Ill TO the rights of conscience
ana nus niunhcent patronage OF every measure by
which the perfection of the arts and sciences was
acceler"Ied all Should he totally LOST in The clarion
and biazon OF war and absorbed in an ambition
| equally unmeasured and Observation-Disclosures gentle
men, without noticing the paipable " ducirinaI here
sE IN ths sentence or the difficulty, and almost i'm
possibility, oil understanding it beg leave to say
that the late King OF England J;d GfI have been cor
recty normed) many years before his death virtually
acknowledge the strict Justice of my conirast-Iie
was 80 overwhelmed, with the consciousness of Nnno
Icons INFINITE superiority IN nteleci, both nnrdI and
acqniTed, aud dwe!t III thought much on his genius
ana power thai ne CHE venerable old monarch hose
panesSric your correspondent has pronounced) was
oiien known TO sign his private letters and sometimes
dispatches or ordrrsNdpoieon faSts1d of Geo, re II
THIS he true, the king did MOI think thnt i've Dir
tutor Of BaiiefinS" inexpressIiy inferior In the
derOiORdf Stude7t of the volume of DURATION, lie
perhps was modest, and Your correspondence prnba-
hy, Is not incommoded 10y that ASK ward and tro,-
oes9me quality, III Judging OF speaking OF him.
| " Uncle Dam" Wi excuse me for relating to Won
2 small nnecdne ; which probably he I,s heard bp
iore-i nndersiand that during Napoleon', reign an
accomplished and gay lady, either in the rlty Of
Washington, Philadelphia, New York or Ba.,,nore,
was engaged IN conversation with Frcmch minister
or CONSUL and spoke with great freedom nr the En-
percr--'caIng bim cruel and blood, iyran, aud in
! s,abiy am,'iouS, &c. NV dear lady, replied the
tr"nc"'nan--ny masicr the Emperor would be vrry
sorry 10 hear il,ri ynn have such opinion of hin,
So ny good " Uncle Sam - Tie immortal Shake.
sprar hn're renowned Napoleon would have perish.
el IN aG0nies OF grie despair had ihoy been inform
rt Ili YOU, at this tlme, when they reposing IN
the silPni tomb would entertain such cpisions of
] hem, a. YOU have ayowed !
!" 'il that have s'id, Mcssrs Editors respecting
George aud Napoleon aud Shakespcar and the
! Mountain Muse, Vke sheiicr under the declaration
va we mV." c""rdc'e's "i The pdflies are not ~
any way suhjec's ol remark ausnn except in the
singe instance Of The author Of the VI Muse wbo ,s
admtted 10 he nI Thar he should be in This particular
lew words more, for your correspondents and
! nave done WIN hun TIC seems (ii can form
cnrreci opinion from his letter. have n strong pred
lection ipt poetry. His leIier is not wholly 1ross
nc has learnt much itom ca ntlan, Aristotle Cicero
Long'nu~, Rollin and Biir cum Huutis Nils rs we'll