Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-06-23

exaggerated description VI tue SuHe's VI tno
poets Of fly years ago, would not libel Mr..
Colton's apartment. The long accumulation
Of dirt upon such panes Of the window az were
entire, and the opaque Substances which kept
out the wind from those which were not, a.
bridged in no small degree, the modicum Of
Light, which might otherwise have been vouch-
safed 10 his labours. The room did not exact
ly answer to Goldsmith's description
chair Numbered closet, Just twelve feet by nine
for this simple reason: it contained only two
chairs, one apparently the property of the po-
ct, easy and cushioned, and differing essential
ly from the rest Of the furniture; and the 9TH
er miserable, rush-bottomed affair. 80 awful
ly afflicted with the ricketts, as to keep its un-
happy occupant in state Of the most painful
anxiety, for the neither parts of his person dur
ing the whole period Of his probation upon IT,
Damocles could not have been moro apprehen-
sive of the fall Of the fatal sword upon his
head, than l was Of the concussion of my
heads antipodes with the floor beneath it,
Tho deal table at which Mr.. Cotton was seat
cd (wrapped in tattered baize dressing gown
had evidently caught the contagion; for, not
withstanding the supplementary support. with
which some bungling practitioner had furnish
ed it, it could scarcely be said to have leg 10
stand upon. Then there was, in truth,
"Tho chest, contrived double debt to pay.
Abed by night, chest Of drawers by day -
and,
" The sanded floor, tina: grits beneath the tread,
The humid wall, with patry pictures spread
We can scarcely add, also
:" The rusty crate, unconscious OF ahre'--
for, to be candid, the smoke in which tho
room immersed, afforded an indication Of
that ofwhich it might otherwise have been Diff
fcult to have ascertained the existence.
Al f.1Fnn
wine glass; half filed with ink, with steel
pen (Which had seen some scrvice,) laid trans
versely upon its edge. Immediately beside the
poet, lay bundle of dirty and dog's-cared man
Iscripts, the characters of which it would have
required the ingenuity of a second Gdipusto
have decyphcred. AT his right hand lay Bur-
don's materials for Thinking" work of
which have frequently heard him express
himself in terms of exalted commentator, and
from which he appears to have derived the
hints of several of the best apothegms in fis
" Lacon.'' On the wall, over against the ta-
BILE, was a three-cornered piece - looking
glass, starred and cracked in every direction;
and on the floor Of that part Of the room in
which he was sitting, was spread the tattcred
remnant of piece of drugget, the original coll
our of which it would have been an extremely
difficult matter to have ascertained.
Nothing dauntcd by the wretchedness ofthe
scene before me, poised myself as well as l
could on the crazy chair, and entered into con-
vcrsation with him on the current topics of tho
day; on all of which, notwithstanding the Sc
cluson in which he lived, he seemed to pos
sess the best information. In short, it was
scarcely possible to name subject on which
he could not dilate with extraordinary huency
and effect. He appeared to have an intimate
knowledge of chemistry, and TO be, in theory at
least, an excellent mechanic; and these var-
Gus kinds Of knowledge are often displayed in
very considerable degree, in his endeavors to
illustrate some Of the favorite maxims inhs
f" Lacon." One trait in Mr.. Colton's cbarac-
ter, which it was impossible not TO discover on
a very slight acquaintance with HIM, was -
extraordinary egotism--hs almost unparae'-
ed vanity Having alluded casually TO a sa-
tire entitled Hypocricy," which was pull
ished for him by Messrs. Taylor and Hessy, in
1910, he declared his conviction that MIR. Gn-
fords sole motive for refusing to review the
work in the Quarterly" originated in tho
circumstance of his having written an inferior
poem of the Same class himself: for the merits
of the "Baviad and Meviad'' had always,
in Mr.. C's. estimation, been grossly over-ra;ed.
His Hypocrisy" however, never sold, until
curious and somewhat unwauantable expcd:ent
was resorted to, few years after the period to
which now refer, TO force il upon the public
notice. Ofthis, as well as of the merits and
defects of the work, shall have occasion TO
speak hereafter"
On questioning Mr. Cotton as TO the publi-
cation announced on the back Of the proof
sheet be had shown me Of his Z" Napoleon
he informed me that the papers then before
him formed a portion Of the manuscript and
proceeded to read me scvcral Of the maxims,
with a sonorous voice, and the most ludicrous
gesticulation. At this time he scarcely con
templated publishing more OF them than would
occupy a tolerable sized pamphlet; but en-
cour aged by his success, he afterwards altered
his intentions, and determined not 20 begin TO
print until he had prepared sufficient copy for
a moderate sized octave volume. The tile OF
the work, as at first announced, was, "Mauy
Things in Few Words; addressed TO Fecer
Persons-Those who Think" But on its be-
ing suggested to him, that an author was not
likely TO conciliate the public, who conveyed
ON mputation upon their common sense IN tho
very title page Of his book. he agreed to omit
the words printed in italics, and thus obvratcd
the objection. He fancied, however, and per-
haps with reason, that as every reader would
take TO himself the credit of being ono Of the
" select few" no offence would be given
After reciting TO me several pages OF tins work.
he insisted that should taste his wine: and
going to the piece of furniture which contained
his bed, opened largo drawer next the iioor.
which was filed with bottles Of wine. ranged
in sayS-dust, as in bin. From this depository
he selected a bottle Of the finest hook ever
tasted: and when this was exhausted "a feat
which, as we drank out of "trmblcrs," was
soon accompshcd)he replaced il with bottle
of white hermitage, which was also ne speedily
discussed; and that too, with as much zest as
as il we had been drinking il in one OF the most
splendid saloons in the metropolis. II was for
aL.s IaI hat. ate