From the Critic, November 1, 1856. Macaulay's Young Levite. For his character of the clergy in the early volumes Macaulay has been assailed possibly with greater virulence than for any other portion. The following verses of a poem, entitled The Chaplain's Petition to the Honorable House for Redress of Grievances, from the unpublished historical MS. collections of the British Museum, seem confirmatory of his views: I. Since the ladies 'gainst men Have to paper put pen, In hope your good pleasure Will once be at leisure To mend now their scurvy condition. VI. Next, when we've said grace, Let's at table have place, And not skulk so among the waiters, To give thanks, and sneak out VII. But besides store of dishes, (One part of our wishes,) To fortify man sacerdotal Eleemosynary junk, And beare to get drunk, We humbly desire you to vote all. VIII. Item, pray make us able To command steed in stable, And if we want boots, Whips, spurs, or surtouts, Oblige surly grooms straight to lend 'em. IX. Nor let our great patrons, Or their ruling matrons, Read the butlers a juniper lecture, If sometimes they pass To our hands a stole glass, Or some little orts of confecture. X. Where long we have served, For a friend- that's no better, ANGLO-GERMANICUS. 31 Burton Street, Burton Crescent. It appears, then, from the above, that the English women of the present day only follow the example of their mothers in sending up petitions "to mend their scurvy condition." The desire of his reverence to get "charity junk, and beer to get drunk," does not sound quite orthodox. I will say nothing of the Dolly Tearsheets and pert waiting maids who have always been pet characters on the English stage. But let us look at the respecta ble Wives of Windsor. Could women of their position in any other country behave so? Could you get any decent tradesmen's wives in Ireland to enter into such intrigues, and to promise, even in joke, to commit adultery? No! None but an English virgin. queen could command such plays to be acted before her. But Shakspeare is truly modest, compared with the poets, novelists, dramatists, of less talent, but more baseness and vulgarity, who pandered to the na tional English taste. We shall Is morality any better under Victoria? find the answer to that in its proper place where parliamentary Blue Books and English writers prove that the English at large are the most brutified race in Europe; yet there is plenty of Celtic blood and many good people in England. CHAPTER XII. ANGLO-ORANGE GOTHS IN IRELAND. IRISHMEN may indeed weep over the history of their emerald home, as it is written by English-bred men, who consider that bloody battles, political intrigues, and loyalty or disloyalty to scoundrel kings, makes up the sum of human destiny. But the philosopher who believes that human progress is coexistent with the extension of Christian faith, and that true liberty and happiness are founded on individual virtue and social fraternity, must glow with satisfaction as he traces the history of man's heart and soul in the social life of Ireland. Until the Irish were set upon by Orange bloodhounds; until society was poisoned by sectarian malignity and Saxon cant; ay, even until the union with England was at last effected in 1800,the Irishman's hearth was cheerful, joyous, hospitable, and musical. Friend or foe was equally welcome, high and low met and shook hands, in that upper world, that heaven on earth, where the Irish matron ruled supreme. Cead mille failthe expressed the overflowing goodness of the Irish mother's heart. The Norman-French conquerors retained through all their tyranny a dash of generosity, a chivalrous spirit, a sense of honor, a love of music, a respect for woman, and affection for children, until they got mixed with the blood of the English, and were nursed on the milk of English mothers. I say it is a clear historical fact, that every succeeding generation of the English aristocracy became more self-conceited, more base, bloody, and brutal, since their blood was Saxonized. The Irish landlords, who have more of the Dutch-Orange blood, and boast more of their Saxonism, are, if possible, worse than the English. The Times, even the London Times, acknowledged that "their name stinks over the earth." Ah, how different were the old Celtic chiefs and the Norman-French invaders, who mixed with the Celtic people, and nursed at Celtic breasts. They were often fierce and tyrannical, but they had none of that crawling, flunky loyalty and vulgar conceit. They did not, in cold blood, starve and exterminate the poor with the fiendish hatred and gospel hypocri sy of the Orange landlord. The conduct of the proud Norman-French conquerors in England forms an extraordinary contrast to the behavior of the same race in Ireland, as regards woman. When Henry had a design upon Ireland, he made a pretence of civilizing it, and of freeing the Saxon slaves, who sold themselves to the Hibernians. He endeavored to misrepresent them to the pope, an Englishman. While the noble, brave, free Milesians fought against the disgusting flunkyism and slavery of the |