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66

FALSE AND TRUE ADMIRATION.

noo that you're sober-mercy on us, what a fury when you get fou!

North. Some there were many-and certainly not the least silly of the set-who held that a demand was made upon their admiration, simply by the bravery and moderation of the Parisian mob—which demand they were bound to answerwithout any reference whatever to the past or the future-and even were the Revolution afterwards to turn out the greatest of all evils. They pledged themselves, they said, to no political opinion on the subject—and begged that to be understood clearly by both sides of the whole world. But nothing should prevent them from giving vent to their admiration. No doubt, James, if their admiration were of the nature of a wind-colic, they were right in giving vent to it-time and place duly considered-though roses and lilies forbid that I should have been there to hear! But admiration is not a vice of the stomach, bowels, and intestines, but a virtue of the heart and brain; and so far from seeking to evaporate itself in noisy explosions, it loves to breathe in long-continued and silent incense over the whole actions of a man's life. A stronger proof of a weak mind cannot be exhibited than an impatient, restless, and feverish anxiety to hail every coming or newcome event, action, or character that seems to be good, with instant applause. In private life they, whose admiration is perpetually bursting out, are always the most frivolous; the shallow rills of their sympathy soon run dry; and when you talk to them a few weeks-say a few days-even a few hours after the unmeasured expression of their enthusiasm, of the cause which excited it, they look at you with a face of blank forgetfulness of all their former feelings, and you discover that they are occupied with some new favourite event or incident, which in its turn is forgotten before next day's dinner.

Shepherd. Hoo that used to be the case wi' Sir Walter's Novelles! Strang minds read them with deep delight-said some sentences to that effect when the talk gaed roun' the table, and were silent; but they retained all the glorious things impressed unobliterably (that's a kittle word to pronounce) on the tablets o' their memories—that is, their understandings-that is, their hearts-that is, their sowls-for they are a' ane in the lang-run, and o' a composite character. But bits o' triflin laddies and lassies, and auld women o' baith

CHARACTER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MEETINGS.

67

sexes, used to keep chatterin and jabberin about each new novelle as it came out, just as if it never had a predecessor, and was never to hae a successor—as if it had been the only byuck in prent-when lo and behold! in less than sax months, out came anither in fowre volumins, and then they clean forgot that the ane they had sae lang bothered you about, till you wished yoursel dead, had ever been in the press !

North. An apt illustration, James. The shallow persons of whom I was speaking had not the small sense to see that it was in the nature of things utterly impossible to pronounce an isolated panegyric on the personal conduct of the actors in a political revolution, that should not include approbation of much, if not all, involved in that revolution. And even for a moment granting that such an isolated panegyric could have been pronounced, they had not the still smaller sense to see that all the opposite party would insist on either dragging them in among their ranks-though, heaven knows! they would be no acquisition to any party, or on representing them thenceforth as lukewarm or milk-and-water adherents to their own, or more probably-say certainly-talking of them in all companies as noodles, and incapable, from sheer ignorance and folly, of forming any opinion at all on political questions of any pith or moment.

Shepherd. You hae treated the subject, sir, wi' your usual masterly discrimination. It's easy noo, on lookin back at the newspapers, to ken the kind o' cattle that ca'd thae meetings.

North. Two or three eminent, and some half-dozen able men attended the meeting here (which was got up by my friend John Bowring!) but otherwise it was a poor affair, and forgotten sooner than an ineffectual fancy ball. In England such meetings were all of one character. No distinguished or conscientious man of our side, James, attended them,-and even the great Whig leaders stood aloof,-nay, the bulk of the Whig gentlemen. True it is, as is said in the last number of the Quarterly Review, an admirable one, that "the meetings and dinners, and subscriptions, set on foot by our old-established disturbers of the public peace, have been countenanced by hardly one person which any human being will dare to call respectable."

Shepherd. Why, as to that, sir, there's nae sayin what some human beings will daur to ca' respectable; and for my ain

68

AN ASYLUM FOR FALLEN ROYALTY.

pairt, I am no just prepared to gang the length o' that apothegm. I fear not a few respectable people have shown ower muckle favour to this new French revolution,—and you and me-wise as we are, and wise as the world thinks usmaunna exclude frae the ranks o' respectability a' folk that are sae unfortunate as no to be o' our way o' thinkin.

North. I sit corrected, my dear James. I am no bigot.
Shepherd. Arena ye?

North. Sir Walter's appeal to the people of Edinburgh, in behalf of the "grey discrowned head" of the old ex-King was like himself, generous and gentlemanly; but methinks he must have but a poor opinion of "mine own romantic town," else had he never doubted that they would sympathise with Fallen Royalty seeking an asylum in Holyrood. Sir Walter reminds us that the highest authority "pronounced us to be a nation of gentlemen!" Let us then behave towards him who was once Charles the Tenth of France, in a way worthy the character bestowed on us by him who was once George the Fourth of England.

Shepherd. Is that his argument? 'Tis but a puir ane.

North. But so so-no great shakes. But I say, James, that we are not, never were, and I hope never will be, a nation of Gentlemen. And you will allow, whatever Sir Walter may do, that I am a higher than "the highest authority" on the character of our countrymen, and that here, George Guelph must yield to Christopher North.

Shepherd. Oh! ye radical!

was

North. George the Fourth - heaven rest his soul!. the "First Gentleman in Europe," nor do I know who is his successor, whether king or subject, commoner or peer. But

Shepherd. I can understaun' a man's being the First Fiddle in Europe, but not the First Gentleman; for equality seems to me but to be sure I'm but a puir silly shepherd-to be necessarily involved somehow or ither in our idea o' a Gentleman, whereas a' competition in accomplishments and manners is out o' the question between subject and king. It might aiblins be mair correct to say that he was the First Gentleman amang the Kings o' Europe.

North. Excellent, James; George the Fourth saw little either of Scotland or Scotchmen; William the Fourth, I hope, will

WILLIAM IV.-CHARLES X.

69

see more; and as he, thank God, is not the First Gentleman in Europe-very far from it indeed, but I hope something many million times better, a Patriot King-he will be delighted to find that so far from being a Nation of Gentlemen, we are, take us on the whole, and on working week-days, for in our Sunday's best we do look very genteel, about as coarse, clownish, commonplace, vulgar, and raw-boned a nation as ever in loyalty encompassed, as with a wall of brass, iron, and fire, a hereditary throne.

Shepherd. Auld Charlie 'ill be treated wi' pity and respeck -nae fear o' that—as lang's he sojourns amang us in Holyrood. There's something sacred in a' sorts o' sorrow-be it o' the great or the sma'-but imagination, unrebuked either by reason or the heart, is mair profundly stooned' by the misfortunes o' those who have fallen frae a high estate; and och! what nasty politics that could abuse Pity for openin the door o'a Sanctuary, let his errors hae been what they may, to a fugitive and a suppliant King!

North. It was in the exaltation of victory, and indignation at crime, that the Editor of the Sun newspaper, for example, James a scholar and a gentleman-used language too, too strong respecting the punishment due to Charles on his fall. A friend of ours rebuked him in Maga; but who always speaks wisely? Surely not I, any more than that worthy Editor; and I doubt not that when he hears that the old man is again in Holyrood, he will feel that, without any compromise of principle, he may say, "Peace be with him in his retreat!"

Shepherd. And what wad ye think o' askin him and his suit some nicht to a Noctes Ambrosiana? I'm perfeckly serious in sayin that we maun ask him; and I'm as perfeckly serious in saying that I'm sure that he'll come. Why no him as weel

as

North. Silence, James, silence-the time has not yet come for divulging that secret.

Shepherd. -Why no him as weel as his LATE MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY GEORGE THE FOURTH?

North (starting up). Gurney, expunge!

Shepherd (starting up). Gurney, restore! O North, I think I see him pechin incog. up the brae o' Gabriel's Road, atween the oxters o' us twa-Tickler acting as guide and pioneer

1 Stooned-pained.

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GEORGE IV. AT AMBROSE'S.-MOORE'S BYRON.

wi' that wee shauchly body the Marquis o' Winchester, and that great big muckle John Bull, Sir William Curtis-and a bit anonymous cretur belonging to the nobility in the rear--a' sax o' us, such was the royal pleasure, in kilts—and hoo Awmrose took us for a deputation o' the Celtic Society, and persisted, a' the nicht through, in ca'in the King, Francis Maximus Macnab, him that wrote The Universe!1 O but it was a gran' ploy !2 and may we soon see sic anither in the Saloon!

North. Well, well, James-let your daft nonsense go forth to the world. Nobody will credit it.

Shepherd. Mony a lee-lookin tale's true, howsomever, and that amang the number. But let's change the subject.—When think ye, sir, is Mr Muir's second volumm o' Lord Byron's Life comin out? You maun review it in a splendid style. What for didna ye notice the first volumm?

North. What the devil do you mean, you Incubus? Did I not write two articles on it, each thirty pages long,3-full of the

Shepherd. If I read them at the time, I hae clean forgotten them,―ane seldom remembers what he reads in a maggazin.

North. If he does not, then one seldom remembers what he reads anywhere else, James. True, that the wit and wisdom of one month succeeding the wit and wisdom of another in endless succession, mankind must often forget when and where, and from what source, they have derived such infinite amusement and instruction. But the amusement and instruction themselves do not perish on that account, but go into a million treasuries. People are manifestly growing wiser and better every day; and I humbly confess that I think myself one of the great instruments in the hands of Providence, of the amelioration of the human race. I am not dead to the voice of fame, but believe me that my chief, if not sole object in writing for Maga, is the diffusion of knowledge, virtue, and happiness all over the world. What is it to me if the names of my articles are often forgotten, not by a thankless but a restless generation, too much agog after novelties, and too much enamoured of change? The contents of any one of my good

1 Francis Maximus Macnab was the author of an insane production entitled The Theory of the Universe.

2 Ploy-a harmless frolic, properly of a social kind.

3 In Blackwood's Magazine, Nos. CLXIII., CLXIV.

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