A Scotchman, from pride and from prejudice free; What pity, alas! that so lib'ral a mind Should so long be to newspaper essays confin'd! Ye newspaper witlings! ye pert scribbling folks! Merry Whitefoord, farewell! for thy sake I admit "Thou best-humor'd man with the worst-humor'd Muse." 1 Henry Samson Woodfall--the Woodfall of Junius-died 1805. Whitefoord's "Errors of the Press," printed in the Public Advertiser, were signed "Papyrius Cursor," a happy designation, because a real Roman name. 3 "Retaliation" occasioned other effusions of the kind, of which the following alone are worth preserving: "JEU D'ESPRIT "ON DR. GOLDSMITH'S CHARACTERISTICAL COOKERY. "BY DAVID GARRICK.* "Are these the choice dishes the Doctor has sent us? * Printed in Davies' "Life of Garrick," ii. 157, ed. 1780. "JUPITER AND MERCURY. "A FABLE. "BY DAVID GARRICK.* "Here, Hermes! says Jove, who with nectar was mellow, Go fetch me some clay-I will make an odd fellow! Right and wrong shall be jumbled-much gold and some dross; A great lover of truth, yet a mind turn'd to fictions; Set fire to his head, and set fire to his tail; For the joy of each sex, on the world I'll bestow it, You, Hermes, shall fetch him-to make us sport here." "POETICAL EPISTLE TO DR. GOLDSMITH, OR SUPPLEMENT TO IIIS 'RETALIATION.'† "BY RICHARD CUMBERLAND. "Doctor, according to our wishes, You've character'd us all in dishes; Serv'd up a sentimental treat, Of various emblematic meat; And now it's time, I trust, you'll think Your Irish friends won't like your feast. "To Douglas, fraught with learned stock Pure, unadulterated wine; For if there's fault in taste or odor, He'll search it, as he search'd out Lauder. *Printed in Davies' "Life of Garrick," ii. 160, ed. 1780. First printed in the Gentleman's Magazine for August, 1778, p. 38. "To Johnson, philosophic sage, And crown his cup with priestly port. "Now fill the glass with gay champagne, "Pour forth to Reynolds, without stint, If e'er his colors chance to fade, "To Burke a pure libation bring, Fresh drawn from clear Castalian spring; With civic oak the goblet bind, Fit emblem of his patriot mind; Let Clio at his table sip, And Hermes hand it to his lip. "Fill out my friend, the Dean of Derry, "Give Ridge and Hickey, generous souls! "To Cradock next in order turn ye, And grace him with the wines of Ferney. "Now, Doctor, you're an honest sticker, So take your glass and choose your liquor. Or damask'd at Silenus' nose? With Wakefield's Vicar sip your tea, Or to Thalia drink with me? And, Doctor, I would have ye know it, Alluding to Cradock's adaptation of Voltaire's "Zobeide," to which Goldsmith, p. 125, supplied a Prologue. I scorn the sneaker like a toad, "TO OLIVER GOLDSMITH AND RICHARD CUMBERLAND. "BY DEAN BARNARD. "Dear Noll and dear Dick, since you've made us so merry, Accept the best thanks of the poor Dean of Derry! Though I here must confess that your meat and your wine Are not to my taste, though they're both very fine; For sherry's a liquor monastic, you own Now, there's nothing I hate so as drinking alone: It may do for your monks, or your curates and vicars, So soon as you please you may serve me your dish up, *See note 3, p. 93. |