Et Gracchi, mites animæ ! Angliacique Catones? Enfes increpito: tacitè indignatus olivam Convenere ducest concurritur undique turbæ · Ipfe meas dotes minimi fateor, nec habendas Duxi Egomet, quales his dignas auribus edam; • Vestra fed extorfit noftras clementia voces. Civis Ega, fi quis, volui qui libera femper • Verba animi proferre, et vitam impendere vero." • Nos tamen imbelles! nos, mollia pectora! nobis Infula ferva, minuta, gemit conftricta catenis, (Verbera dum patimur, Sejani ergaftula noftri) Nil illi tandem victoria proderit, illi Fufus Iber, Nilufque novum veneratus Oĥrin. • Nos aliò folem profpeximus, inter honeftas La Sainte Guillotine. + Abfit, ut ex Ovidio depromam Confedere duces, et vulgiftante corona. exeat aulâ Qui vult effe pius * Cæfi a cædo-Anglicè cut.-Vide Ainsworth. R 2 Confuluna Confulum opes, fremidique exercita jura tribuni. • Dormiet et Ratio, dea maxima? Quoi tamen aras Tum ftetit ante cibos, ut pinguis, ut iratus bos, Ruffelia flos ifte domûs-Subit ebria turba : Confpiceres fractos calices, patinafque volantes. Pugna fit; erumpunt gemitus, loculique lavernæ Furta dolent repetita: en què difcordia CIVES Perduxit miferos! Socio non parcitur æri. Dumque, averfa tuens, fumofos fpirat odores Parrius abrepti mox fuget pondera cirri. Quid referam? Quali pulmone filentia juffit Ricardus fieri, qui natus divite venâ Confidet his!, plebifque comes, Pompeius et alter, t Pangere, vel rigido laudat fapientia vultu Qualia, vel denfum focii futoris acumen, Scripta folet, plaufuque fui gaudere theatri. At cyathos nemo Regi libare benigno Aufus erit? Quandò hic fitiant tot guttura, quando Ut lautè cœnent hodiè, conducere vestem Non rubeant, et eras cœnacula nota revisent. •Confilium laudo.' (Quid, dîi, quid ftemmata profunt ♪♪ Ecce! mihi princeps! tota tibi voce propino Majeftas populi!'-Tum junctis planétibus omnes Perfonuiffe fuum jurares Mænadas Hebrum. ་ • At te, quem primo tenuerunt carmine, mufæ Deftituent? Furiamque, facemque, et Gallia viri Quicquid habet?-Donis animi, Demofthenis adde Eloquium; accedit, quanquam non dulcis habenti Nobilitas, procerumque fluens de fanguine fanguis, Sed, doctus licèt, in venalem curio linguam Leges et plebifcita coäcta, Et cum confulibus turbantes jura tribuni., Lucan. 1. 1. + "Oce' 0101 Teóms izę xendzura Hom. Il, a. 100. A Ego vos pofthac, viridi projectus in antro, Dumosâ pendere procul de rape videbo. Virg. Ec. 1. totus popularibus auris $ "P Impelli, plaufuque fui gaudere theatri.-Lucan, 1. 1. I Vox quondam populi, libertatemque tueri Aufus Lucan. Exii, et Gracchi maduerunt roftra cruore. § Patere tua confilia non fentis? Conftrictam jam omnium horum confcientiâ teneri conjurationem tuam non vides ? Quid confilii ceperis, quem noftrum ignorare arbitraris? Cic. Cat. 1. T. 4. HISTORY. SUMMARY OF POLITICS. THE ftate of the continental politics has remained so stationary, fince our laft reflections on the subject, as to afford no ground for fresh animadverfion, without entering into that labyrinth of fpeculation which we have hitherto fo ftudiously avoided, and which it is our fixed intention to avoid hereafter. According to the fashionable mode of compofing historical differtations, not by question and answer, but, by queftion without anfwer, we might indeed ask, does the Emperor, by the difmiffion of THUGUT and the appointment of COBENTZEL to his office, indicate a disposition to abandon the warlike plans of the former, and to adopt the pa cific intentions of the latter ?-Does a perfect harmony fubfift between the courts of Vienna and Berlin? Does the Emperor of Ruffia perfevere in his determination to infift on preserving the integrity of the German Empire? Do the hostile movements of the principal neutral powers betray a refolution to make their neutrality relpected, or to become active participators in the war? We might extend fuch questions as these almoft ad infinitum; but unlefs we had the ability to furnish fatisfactory answers to them, (which, we fincerely confels we have not) we should only be wafting the time of our readers, as well as our own. We fhall, therefore, defer all reflections on the political state of the Continent until we know what that ftate really is. Moft heartily do we wish that all periodical writers would follow our example. In the confideration of our domeftic affairs, one leading fubject preffa itself fo forcibly on our attention, as almost to exclude every other. We mean the high price of every article of provifion: we have long lamented that spirit of avarice and extortion which feems to pervade every description of traders-though we are far from alcribing to this eaufe the evil which we now deplore. On the origin of that evil so little harmony of opinion fubfifts, that it would would be the height of prefumption in us, to fpeak of it with confidence and decifion. Unhappily the fentiments of the government are at direct variance with thole of a great majority of the people. The latter are perfuaded that no fcarcity fubfifts, and that the prefent price of provifions is imputable folely to monopolizers and foreftallers. The former, on the contrary, are convinced that there is a real and alarming fcarcity, and that the dearnels of provifions is the natural and unavoidable confequence of fuch fcarcity. Government, most certainly, have the best means of information, and we know that they have ipared no pains to obtain the most authentic intelligence. But we have alfo reafon to believe, that the intelligence which they have obtained is as contradictory as that which we have received ourselves. We have had a variety of publications and feveral letters from various parts of the kingdom, on this fubject, long lying upon our table: But we have rather chofen to fubject ourlelves to reproach for negligence and inattention to our correfpondents, than haftily and incautiously to agitate a fubject, on which, of all others, error and misconception may be productive of the most fatal confequences. If we have any thing like a fixed opinion on this point, it lies between the two prevailing fentiments; we are difpofed to believe, first, that there has been a confiderable failure in the produce of the prefent year, but not to fuch an extent as has been believed by many, and as the partial experience of individuals has tended to prove; and fecondly, that the price of corn, and other articles of confumption has been partly owing to fuch failure, and partly to that avarice and extortion of individuals, which we have fo frequently reprobated. But there is one question which we have frequently asked ourselves, and which we are ftill unable to refolve-Why leave that a matter of doubt, which can with fuch facility be converted into a certainty. Why not afcertain the real quantity of corn in the country ?—There is no delicacy obferved refpecting the disclosure of every man's income, when the good of the ftate requires fuch difclosure, however prejudicial, under certain circumstances, it may prove to individuals. The amount of every man's ftock, who deals in exciseable articles, is expofed without fcruple. On what principle, on what pretext, then, can helitation arile, refpecting the propriety of fubjecting the flock of a farmer or corn dealer, to a fimilar inveftigation; efpecially, when we confider that the motive of fuch inveftigation is ftronger in the latter cafe than in the former, in the fame proportion as the fubfiftence of a nation is more important than its revenue. Minifters, however, have wifely determined fairly to meet, and fully to difcuis, the question, at the approaching meeting of Parliament," and we earnestly hope, that the first meature refolved on, will be to ascertain the real extent of the fcarcity, and, if found to prevail in a lerious degree, to subject the corn to the excife laws hereafter, and, for the prefent, to put all the corn in the kingdom into the hands of government. In the event of an extenfive fcarcity, it is obvious that the only effectual remedies will be a decrease of confumption, and an increale of importation; the former mult depend chiefly on the exertions of individuals; the latter OR on parliamentary bounties. Let them but know their real fitua tion, and the religious principles and good fenfe of Englishmen willcombine to make them bear it with patience and refignation. Nothing, we are perfuaded, will tend so much to calm the public mind, to allay apprehenfions, and to infpire confidence, as the acquifition of this knowledge, and the confequent removal of doubt and uncertainty. It is not poffible to touch upon this question without adverting to the recent meetings which have taken place, in the metropolis and its vicinity, for the avowed purpofe of recommending it to the serious confideration of parliament. Such recommendations, if wholly unconnected with objects of a different nature, would have been, at leaft, harmless and inoffenfive; but, in the city, they were rendered the inftruments of party, and the vehicles of falfhood. In the course of the debate in the Common Hall, the fufferings of the poor (which, Heaven knows, are fufficiently severe, though not more fo than thofe of the middle claffes of fociety) were greatly exaggerated; and either the perfon who moved or the perfon who feconded the question had the effrontery to declare, (if the printed accounts of their speeches are to be credited) that thirty people had actually died through want, in Spital Fields. Now we have taken fome pains to afcertain this fact, by the most diligent enquiries throughout that populous district, of the principal inhabitants as well as of the parish officers, and we are enabled to affert, that this rafh declaration had not the finalleft foundation in truth. But there is a certain defcription of orators who feem defirous of arrogating to themselves exclufively the licentia mentiendi; and, when we have itated that the perfons who moved and feconded the queftion in Guildhall are both Methodist-teachers, the one formerly an itinerant preacher, the other actually a preacher, either itinerant or ftationary, we fhall leave our readers to guefs to what description of men we allude, One of these individuals, though affecting an extreme difinclination to fix the cause of the alledged fcarcity of corn, has no fcruple, wherever he goes, to afcribe it, molt falfely, to the war. That there were many well meaning men who voted for the petition, cannot be doubted, but the fpirit which actuated the majority of the Common Hall, (and which ever will actuate that democratic compound of folly and affurance) was manifefted in their refolution not to prefent the petition unless the King would receive it on his Throne. They well knew that he would not receive it there, and they hoped, no doubt, to be able, by his Majefty's refufal, to make the credulous populace believe that he was carelefs about the relief of his people. Their malice, however, was defeated; the trick was too grofs to impofe even on the moft ignorant; and the nation foon learnt that their gracious Sovereign, who ever watches over the welfare and happiness of his fubjects, with a folicitude truly-paternal, had actually anticipated the measure propofed, and had already given orders to affemble his parliament. A body of the patriotic conftituents of Mr. TIERNEY, in the Borough of Southwark, converting a public veftry into a Jacobin club, and thereby exposing themfelves to an indictment under the act for the fuppreffion |
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