Our author has
very properly preserved his whole and entire for the end of his poem,
where he completes his main design, the reformation of his hero, thus--
"And vowed he'd steal no more".
Having in the course of his work shown the bad effects arising from
theft, he evidently means this last moral reflection to operate with
his readers as a gentle and polite dissuasive from stealing.
"The Knave of Hearts
Brought back those tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more!"
Thus have I industriously gone through the several parts of this
wonderful work, and clearly proved it, in every one of these parts, and
in all of them together, to be a "due and proper epic poem", and to
have as good a right to that title, from its adherence to prescribed
rules, as any of the celebrated masterpieces of antiquity. And here I
cannot help again lamenting that, by not knowing the name of the
author, I am unable to twine our laurels together, and to transmit to
posterity the mingled praises of genius and judgment, of the poet and
his commentator.
[Footnote 230: More commonly known, I believe, by the appellation of
Jack Shepherd.]
POETRY OF THE ANTI-JACOBIN.
(1797-1798.)
LII. THE FRIEND OF HUMANITY AND THE KNIFE-GRINDER.
The _Anti-Jacobin_ was planned by George Canning when he was
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He secured the
collaboration of George Ellis, John Hookham Frere, William Gifford,
and some others.
Pages:
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259