The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-30
.p rHAcKERAY,s LECTURE.

numbers, and very intelligent. na''e
distance from the lecturer ano NOT
hs;,g ar best, very acute of hearing we ios'
.,,.b ,bs, was said, and can only make &c"
rer,srks with regard TO the general 'ero' oi 'ne
lecture.
Prior came first under review, the lecturer CIV
;,c n short and lively sketch OF MS lie, from
re &C., scouantance with the Earl OF Dorset,
ISa.kv;,le.l who enabled him to enter ST.
Iohp's College, Cambridge TO his death. In
company with Charles Montague, fafterwurds
celebrated as pstron OF literary men, under
the title of Earl of Halifax Prior composed
the Country Mouse and the City Mouse. a
parody on Dryden's Hind and Panther, and
This seems to have given the first impulse to
his fortunes. He was soon introduced st
Court by the Earl of Dorset, " as made Secre-
terry to the English Minister at the Hague,
gentleman OF the bed.chamber, &c, and upon
the de. tn Of Queen Mary, in 1895, had the
honor of presenting an ode to King William.
Successfully Secretary TO the Commissioners
for the treaty of Ryswick, to the Lord Lieu
tenant of Ireland, and TO two Ambassadors 10
France, he was at last made under Secretary
of State, and in that capacity sent TO France
to assist at the Partition treaty. He succeed
ed Locke as Commissioner at the Board Of
Public Trade, deserted the Wings, went over
TO the Tories, and when Harley and St. John
succeeded in upset,ing the Godolphin Minis
try, went to France to assist in negotiating
the treaty of Utrecht. After the departure of
the Duke Of Shrewsbury, he remained as Am
bassador in France, postvery honorable, but
ill-adapied to the limited finances of the poet.
Being recalled by George /, he found himself
with nothing but miniature of Queen Anne,
and betook himself once more to the arms of
Alma mater. Mr.. Thackeray dwelt with great
bumor, though not with the slightest bitter
ness, upon the numerous foibes of poor Mat,
and paid just tribute to his social qualities,
which must have been of the most captivating
description. AS a poet, he compared him to
Horace, whom he resembled, not less in the
brilliancy of his wit, and the acuteness of his
perceptions, than in the fullness OF his diction,
the richness of his imagery, the harmony of
his versifcation, and the pointed character Of
his style. He called attention 10 the singu-
larly modern character Of his versiication, and
recited several passages, which he said might
pass with any person, who knew not whose
they were, for productions of the present day.
johnson had undervalued him, contrary, as he
believed, to Johnson's own sense of right. At
least he knew passages of his works by heart,
as he proved on some occasion when the poet
was assailed by that arch-puritan, Mr.. James
Boswell. We understood him to say that
there was a remarkable resemblance between
many passages Of Prior's works and the wri-
tngs of Moore.
The lecturer passed rapidly over the life Of
Gay, whom he described las to his person. as
a little, round fat, French.abbe of man, with
g soft hand and a soft heart, an abundance of
wit and good humor, and very plentiful scar
city ofmost other good things His fine social
qualities, his ignorance of the werld, his laz-
ness, and his want of attention TO personal
peatness, were humorously discussed.
But the great point of attraction was Pope,
and SO much were we pleased with Mr.. T.'s
remarks upon this subject, that we regretted
he had not devoted Tn entire separate lecture
10 H. According to our conception of the mat
ter, Mr.. Thackeray has juster appreciation
of Pope, of his genius, his character, and his
moral qualities, than any other man, who
has written on the subject, in these latter
days, Lord Byron alone excepted. 1t was
fashionable at one time to decry the great lit
tie poet, and Parson Bowles, we believe, wrote
whole volume to prove that he had nsther
wit invention, nor any other attribute of the
divinity that hedges the poet. II he did not
succeed in writing down Pope, he at least
wrote himself bowman ass-and we -egrel
with Lord Byron that he had not
-"lived in that congenial time
To rave with Dennis, or with Ralph to rhyme,
Thronged with the rest around his living head,
Not raised his hoot against the lion dead.'
He would assuredly have gone into the Dun
clad.
How, as Mr.. Thackeray Justly observed
the claim of wit could be denied TO him wht
wrote the Rape of the Lock, and the Dunciad
1t is impossible for US to understand. How
he can be called no poet, who is the most musi
cal OF all versiiers, (even if his fame depende,
on nothing else,J it is difficult to tell, How
he could be considered as deicien, in the in
ventive faculty, at whose command whole ar
mics OF sylphs and gnomes sprang at once in
to existence, acting important and consis,ep
parts, bearing distinct and easily discrimina
led characters, each playing its role ir III
srama precisely as it would have PLAYED i
had all been reality, We deem il idle to AJAX
How ne should have been deemed de6ejen, !;
wisdom and knowledge of the world, hundred
upon hundreds of whose lines have passed in
10 proverbs, and scores of whose savings hsy
been SO entirely absorbed in the language
everyday life, that their souice has lone sin.
oeen forgotten, we cannot conceive. Certs;
lis, however, that Pope has been accused .
want OF all these essentials; and, of cou,ss
mas been Sci down by those who make the 81
eusatiOn, asno poet.
rope as hr. Thackelay justly observed
must have been very highly bred person.
II was Tor that reason that he abbonea he :,
e1ety OF the large majority of authors f,ha, a !.
That he drew their hatred upon him-,ba, i