Each yelping cur of lurcher placemen barks, I too was form'd by pædagogic rules, Shall I that perishable paper spare, From which e'en G....e his gross rebukes may shower, Some Lord of Lincoln make his readers nod, From which, good Wilberforce can prove, at least, с "You must permit me, sir, to say, that I consider the Dedication of a Work designed to promote the knowledge of the SACRED SCRIPTURES as peculiarly appropriate to you, who have evinced yourself the zealous FRIEND OF RELIGION. But above all, I may state with inexpressible satisfaction, that under the influence of RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE, your conduct has afforded an eminent example of private as well as of public virtue."!! See Dedication of the " ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY." "To the Right Honourable William Pitt, First Lord Commissioner of his Majesty's Treasury, &c. &c. c." 1799. • Mr. Wilberforce, having lamented the notorious contempt of national But, why the Muse her Pegasus should guide When triumphs SIN, by impious laws sustain'd, Fasts, especially among the higher ranks, "thinks it necessary to declare, that the account, which appeared in some of the news-papers, of an entertainment having been given by Mr. Pitt on the Fast Day, is untrue; and he is glad of the opportunity, which the mention of this subject affords him, of contradicting a statement which he can positively affirm to have been false." "Practical Views," &c. 2d ed. p. 378. Having never seen the later editions of this work, we are unable to say, whether the worthy Author has been equally successful in proving that the celebrated Duel by his Friend was not fought on a SUNDAY. The common notion of the day of the week, on which this event happened, must surely be erroneous, as a Right Rev. Prelate, very soon after the transaction, hesitates not to declare to his patron, Mr. Pitt, his "inexpressible satisfaction" in the contemplation of the character of that gentleman-" the zealous Friend of Religion, and the firm supporter of our Ecclesiastical Establishment ;” regulating his conduct "under the influence of religious principle." [See the preceding Note.] Are not these strong presumptions, that the Duel was not fought on a SUNDAY? and, unless Mr. Wilberforce has already considered the subject, might he not make an interesting enlargement of his note, in his next edition, by an examination of this question, important at all times, and especially now, his Friend has resumed his high station? When jobs, loans, contracts, lott'ries, round us spew Turn flies, and flutter round the royal head: The barter'd suffrages of half our isle:- I write; my rebel Muse in vain contends: Could Stoic apathy sit still, and see When swoll'n Corruption her atrocious gains, "Each Briton," lordly D....m gravely tells, "Under his vine and fig, in plenty, dwells." In a speech at a late county-meeting these were his words. W. The gaping throng, with pangs of hunger shent, This prelate Prince, whose humble Saviour led, His frugal flock, where streams of comfort flow, To pour, benevolent, the Holy Ghost! Shake o'er Non-Residents his angry rod, And, on high Sabbath, give" THE PEACE OF GOD!" Crosier and mitre dancing in his eyes, With hands uplifted and ecstatic stare,— "No Salem's good Josiahs must compare e In that most sacred and edifying Ordinance of Confirmation. W. f The prayer, which is stiled the Blessing in the Church of England, begins with these words: "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, &c." and is ordered by the Rubric to be delivered by the Bishop, if present. W. With him, whose sceptre sways this realm of Grace: While Landaff, plac'd from Landaff's duties far, Our Noble youth what gen'rous cares employ! When routs, and lengthen'd orgies of the night 8 The Doctor, in his Sermon before the House of Commons, Nov. 29, 1798, p. 18, speaking of his Majesty, George the Third, calls him "a Sovereign, who reigns BEYOND EXAMPLE, I believe, in the hearts of his people; -to whom the language of the sacred Scriptures may WITHOUT EXAGGERATION be applied: LIKE UNTO HIM THERE WAS NO KING BEFORE HIM, that (in an age of decay and apostasy) turned to the Lord with all his soul and with all his might, according to the law of his God."!!! The learned reader will, perhaps, not be displeased with the following dilatation and illustration of this philosophical, sober, and disinterested sentiment: Gloria concedat Salomonis, gloria Cyri; Concedant veterum nomina magna virům. Nec tuus, Aureli! totiens celebratus, ob ora Gurgite Letheæ contumulantur aquæ : W. |