Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-10-31
a POETICAI. PORTRAIT

There can be few Of our readers who have not
seen a dagueuo,ype hkeness-a delineation in
which Light itself holds the pencil, and i1es the
imagsd traits faithfully upon the chemically pre-
pared plate, ss they are impressed upon the rsiiHa
Of the eye itself.
Mex, TO The fidelity Of such pictures, and far he.
yond any thing tina, paint did, is the accuracy
OF the following description, by Lord Byron, OF a
certain gay Editor Of our town, the Poet Laurea,
Of Lm5erness, who has praised all men, as long a.
they were in power, and all principles, as long as
they were the most popular. How Lord B., with
out having ever had any communication (unless
Numerically with this Political Phenomenon,
could so have hi, bis living lineaments, i. is difficult
10 conceive.
He praised the present and abused the past
Reversing The good custom Of old days:
An eastern anti j,cobin at last
he turned, preie:ring pudding to no praise.
For some few years, his lot had been o'ercast,
BY his seeming independent IN his lays:
But now he praised the Sultan and the Pachs,
With truth like Souihey and with verse like
Crashaw.
Let Us here, by way OF note, explain that lord ,
when he talks Of Riichie's turning Anti Jieobin,
refers TO the time when he denounced the Hero and
his crew, as certain TO bs Course TO tho counr :"
and that bis lot was little Overcast" for tine,
when he accepted the doctrines Of the Proclaim
with pTOieJlaado;" after which, he presently
raised his voice louder than ever, for "the Sultan
and the Pacha"-,hI is Genr jackson and bis
three tailed follower, the "NOr;hern man with
Southern principles" But let US proceed.
He was a man who had seen m1ny changes,
And always changed as true as any needle,
His DOlar heinz which r1ther fanges
And not the fixed: he knew the way to whecd'e:
So vile, he scapec the doom which Oft avenRes;
And being fluent tsave indeed when feed ill)
he lied with such a fervour of intention,
There was no doubt be canned his laureate pension
Poets it wil! be observed Is, take for the verses
sake, occasional licences OF speech; and hence the
harsh expression in the las, line but ono. The cdi
TOR in question merelyI thinks tina, Truth is too
brish, ever TO DO set before mortal eyes without
some little drap.ry, for FASHIONS sake, IL not Do
cency's, to cover h-r nakedness. Perhaps, in his
love for her, he mvl her up little too much like
Turks wife, and rarely LET'S her on, OF his harem,
except with good train OF falsshood, about her,
TO hinder her faces being seen. But all this is from
his excessive attachment 10 her, and care Of her
honour, least somebody should fall in love with her.
Blu, let's 90 on.
Their poet, a sad trimmer, but no less
10 company very pleasant fellow,
Had been tho iavoriio Of full many n mess
or men and made them speeches when half mellow;
And tho his meaning they could rarely guess,
e; still they deign'd 70 hceup or to below,
The glorious need Of popular applause,
Of which the frs, ns'or knows the second cause.
B1, now, being lifted into high society
Here, however, we must break OF, least We grow
as tedious ~ an article in the Enquirer itself For
the rest Of the character must refer TO Don Juan
1 he las, line, however, shows, in the noble pot
a singular insight into tho Editors character Nov
his columns (which alone Lord b. had seen) breathe
nothing but zeal for the Poor Man, the hard
handed Mechanic, and oil that; and yet his LordshiT
seems perfe:lly 10 have OWNED the mans darling
pss.ion-a desire, by din, Of the very rewards h,
gets for affecting 10 be "ths Peoples man." 10 bt
admitted 90 ono Of ,ha. very Arisioeraey which h,
denounces. For this, he pines for this, TO main
tain a show Of elegance md fashion, he has KEEP
himself poor and in diGH:uIty all his life. Blu, who's
alliance dos no seek for his ehldfen1 That 0
tho poor, whom no adores, or that Of tho rich
against whom il has ever been his despiesble an
ptrncious trade 10 spread and TO excite every bas
prejudice, unworthy Of the freeman ond fatal L
the country, with which il s possible 10 poison H.
minds Of the simple or baJ1