Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-03-21
K &c III VI OND w HIG.
Fr"'" The La",io" T,,"es. FsJ. -
ROGERS TABLE TALK.

ROGERS TABLE TALK
The late Mr. Samuel Rogers occupied ~ithon, question
considerable space ia the ewes Of his contemporaries
Iha' lee did 70 - due to variety of circumstances non,
OF them rare IN thetnsves but influential in their comb.
nation lie ss- an elegant pot. and hi- poems wer.
communicated to the world With som. Of the most ey,pt
Ayuc'- which tast; aud fancy could devise He va. A.
c'ei 10y h- position with the ,iif> of the world 81 let
er- lie ''i sOOd iorui combined with freedom, from
domestic ties ard abundant leisure ~ith sn inclination for
N"'"tY In book. ia I"iu- in cookrrv and in wine.
"' "'- 'N'eenrd conuu-sur aud io tie attraction. of
hi- house an t,l~ idsl the mutual sitr.ctivene.. or
guests of whom ihc ~orl talked ire.l, bu, who rsr.
gwen To talk still feel, i each other Sann.l R,
ger. hiui-eli. the centre uf th. u..uco-n tb, ,,l
hscena- aud the lesser Virgil the -nn pleasant circ
VAS III on" respect more reni kihl than v f hi. COM
pany His life wa prolonged r h, ond te average .p,p
anu h- had been the familiar associate two almost ot
TIRE" generations. He full of su--ip conc.rni, .r
ors sho had lett the Scruc and he Obtained increased
consideration for himself by Of the tag WHICH he
was able To append To completed regulations Hi. Young.
et itieuds looked TO him With irevertcs which was ma,
diminished bv their dread OF his d-parsginp
"r IN truth he was liberal with hi purse thau
with n praise and he bad thus the advantage of uno
OF qualities not Incompatible although onos.d he 50
Influential alike by hi- hospitality and inature bx tho
generous use OF his wealth and the lavish abuse of hi.
! cynici-m. "'
/ We may thus reverse the maxim of ,p,io,;,x ,
speak truth of the dead Tor the ear is cold and trutl c
wound no longer. Samuel Rogers WAS \ part.,n b,, h.
had not the enthusiasm of partsai h, f;.,J h,,
had not the coray Of friend III. WA ,,;v.r % 1i
ate detracton, aud To certain of good nature He a
prone equally TO small caImnies aud TO light attachments
lie has left We do not doubt the recolections of u.nv
agreeable hour which his friends would desire to
II they were able. He unquestionAby ent.rtsui,g
HeFotee oil society with many OF the qualifications which
society exact His friends therefore desire 10 record
ms table talk IN virtue Of the it aor. then,
OIL the instant. But between their desire and il. ,,,i
hIht there Il wide interval Conversational power is
volatile essence incapable OF preservation as the f,g.
rance oi Tie no"ers or the bouquet Of the wines which
stnhate and enhance il. The lustre of the finest t i
dnmed beneath the shadows Of the sepulchra lamp and
can ne'erbe perfectly reknded The most admired CON
Vesers suffer 10y the attempt make record of their
Gg'e accomplishment; and it orly the brilliant mol or
tue pregnant sentence which will bear the permauet
OF the HteFd serto Wit and wisdom of the highest Or
DER nave indeed sustained this in rare
and have been revivihed in few books which ar A..
servedly immortal But the friends OF Mr. Rogers should
have been well advised before they put their
into competition With these.
Mr.. Rogers had seen much, and in the wav NJ Ec,s
he had remarkable things tell child be had ch..-
butterflies IA cooked hat He had ascent Of the
hrst English balloon and almost the first English nmhl
lie had Garrick act aud he had onca nm, ~
hand trembling DR.. JOhnsons knocker He had bea
haydn play at concert in tewig With sword AZ hi-
side He had talked TO a Thames bUatman who when .
lad Dad frequently assisted bis ather in rowing Alexander
Pope, and Who had told him that Pope on such occasions
sat in sedan chair. He had heard from the ps a. ola
General Oglethorpe, then very very old tsi b bi
shot snpes in Condutrret rather where il nov stands
lie was in France 6ore the first French Revelation B
had dined Lafayetts with Rochefoucaul and Condor,
He had dned also With Helen Maria Williams when Koc
usGo was o. the party, and had heard her describe her
experience OF the theatre. Of Paris at the time when
and women who waiting for admission would omit
places 70 Of their friends were going bv in tb
gotine cart aud who, when satisfied on this score would
return 10 the door Of tile theatre He himself had sen
cartoad OF gs going to be hung taking part in Lord
George orions riots He had shaken hands with Wilk
had heard Sir Joshuas last lecture which chairs wer
reserved labeled-"Ar. Burke, Mr.. Boswell" &c; had
listened TO Sir Philip Francis denOuncng the partition of
land at the Mansiohou~e and derived thence nm addition
assurance that the orator "Juniusr He had also
heard Sheridan laundering against Warren Hastings and
| paving compliment TO another of his audience THE
| luminous authour OF The Decline dad Fall" He knew
Joseph Warton well had seen Howard the pbiIanthro
pl'' had heard Robinson preach in the morning and
Blair in the afternoon had strawberries with Adam
smith had seen the corpse ot john Wesley had been
Anar With Miss farrcn and the Duchess Gordon had
Introduced Sir Walter Scott to Madame D. rbl,v b.5
oked with Erskine had ~alked with Grattan and talked
with the orator of evoking the dead had seen Lord N.
son spinning teetoIm With his hand and Lady Ham
on going through her Attitudes and had been kiss
by the latter or his interest ia her Nelson relics He had
oi course seen much OF Younger subordinate ceebr
! tes, most oi whom gone al Of whom are old and
known chiefly by their tame this generation He bad
~ ct seen 20 much that he ought have LETT remar.
kaole testimony the world and its doings he had been
gifted with superior wisdom wit and his gifts had il,
any sense been judieiously illustrated.
The impression which volume condemns "a
staple dilemma Either Rogers no eoujaror or he
70 appear sueh vreiched spectacle that
70 DO their duty The editor inserted nothr
been equally e reru,Don o the dead b IS & s'
py he has svsporari popular fame lie
ar ton TO Mr Rogers he the writing
dosn IN All their mnqs the auecdotes ke con.
faction Of the victim himself had,r noreaiiop
Shiins lmPaith listeners aud Of "these which
p Of e snonynoa. Bo. Sal GV w. tS % S
l occasion remit particle Of his doom.