of her beauty. May not the sweet interchange of mental pleasure have been the foundation of her efteem for Mr. BURKE? May we not ascribe to fo honourable and generous a motive the exertion of her personal influence in his favor?

But even those who may question Mr. BURKE'S chastity have no reproach to bring against him for the exceffes into which an unbounded spirit of hofpitality is too apt to betray many of his countrymen. It would be difficult to point out an individual more remarkable for his temperance; and though at the feftive or convivial board he yielded to none in chearfulness and mirth, yet neither the example nor the perfuafions of others could ever tempt him to overstep the nice limits of fobriety. In love, the torch of Hymen illumined his steps: in company, he poured the focial, yet temperate libation to the God of the vintage.

At that period of Mr. BURKE's life which we are now describing, nobody could well suspect him of meanness or dishonesty? The scantiness of his fortune, the uncertainty of his fupplies, the want of a regular profeffion, that of the law having been relinquifhed on account of his bad state of health, not only prevented him from being generous, but did not always leave it in his power to be just; and, what was still worse, expofed him to the allurements of those who were able and willing to bribe his talents into their fervice. Yet, in matters of private concern, he wanted no other plea than the impulfe of diftrefs, or the offer of liberal reward; and his friends were firmly perfuaded that the moment he affumed a public character, he would fupport it with incorruptible integrity;---that nothing could tempt him to defert his principles ;---that he would prefer virtuous poverty to the wages of proftitution;---and that, if reduced to the moft trying alter native, he would rather wear the badge of a parish than the

badge

badge of apoftacy. What a pity that before the clofe of life he should have forfeited our high opinion of his fuppofed virtues! How mortifying it must be to his former admirers to discover at laft in his bofom a heart impregnated with the worst fpirit of envy, rancour, ingratitude, perfecution, venality, and avarice! After displaying fo much at large the favorable fide of the picture, it was impoffible to avoid taking as it were by anticipation a glance at the fatal reverfe.-But let us return to the detail of facts, and proceed from the opening of his political career.

It was not till the year 1761, the very year in which PEG WOFFINGTON died, that her recommendation of Mr. BURKE to the duke of NEWCASTLE produced any effect in the orator's favor. A very inviting offer was then made him to accompany Mr. HAMILTON to Ireland, where he rendered fome effential fervices to that gentleman and to government. Even the effects of Mr. HAMILTON's fpeeches in the Irish fenate were afcribed. to Mr. BURKE; but though he probably suggested many good hints, and fome of the most perfuafive arguments, there is little reason to believe that he revised the language of those famous orations, as the ftile of the two speakers was fo very diffimilar. From the moment that BURKE felt his own confequence, he could not restrain his propensity to give the law. His employers not being always willing to obey his dictates, a misunderstanding foon arofe; and he returned to England, but not without having procured a penfion of three hundred pounds a year upon the Irish establishment. This penfion he afterwards fold to answer fome importunate demands.

The earl of BUTE's influence in the cabinet withered for fome time Mr. BURKE's hopes of a new engagement; but his ambition having been once roufed, he did not ceafe to qualify him

felf

felf for public life by affiduous study, and by keeping his talents in full play upon the historical part of the Annual Register. His leisure hours were agreeaby spent among his literary friends, a felect party of whom formed themselves into a club in the year 1764, and regularly met one evening every week at the Turk's Head in Gerrard-street. Sir JOSHUA REYNOLDS had the merit of being the first propofer of that affociation, in which he was joined by Mr. BURKE, Dr. JOHNSON, Dr. GOLDSMITH, Dr. NUGENT, Mr. BEAUCLERK, Mr. LANGTON, Mr. CHAMIER, and fir JOHN HAWKINS. Other perfons were foon eager to obtain admiffion; but befides the felect meetings in Gerrard-ftreet, larger parties, not confined to the members of the literary club,, ufed frequently to affemble, and spend their evenings at the Shakespeare Tavern, and at the St. James's Coffee-house. Here: it was, a few years after, that Dr. GOLDSMITH's well-known. ́oddities having made him the butt of fome poignant strokes of humour, he, by way of sportive revenge, wrote that pleasant. little poem, entitled “Retaliation," in which a sketch is given of the gentlemen who had provoked it.. The poem opens thus ::

"Of old, when SCARRON his companions invited,
"Each guest brought his difh, and the feaft was united:.
"If our landlord fupplies us with beef, and with fish,

"Let each guest bring himself, and he brings the best dish.”

In this affortment of characteristical difhes, it is happily faid of

the orator,

"Our BURKE fhall be tongue, with a garnish of brains."

After enumerating the other dishes, and defcribing himself as "a gooseberry fool," the poet exclaims,.

"At a dinner so various, at such a repast,

"Who'd not be a glutton, and stick to the last?

«. Here,,

«Here, waiter, more wine-let me fit while I'm able,
"Till all my companions fink under the table:
"Then with chaos and blunders encircling my head,
"Let me ponder, and tell what I think of the dead."

BURKE'S imaginary epitaph is very highly finished, though many other parts of the poem bear evident marks of hafte and imperfection, the ingenious author not having lived to revise it.

"Here lies our good EDMUND, whose genius was such,
"We scarcely can praise it, or blame it too much;
"Who, born for the univerfe, narrow'd his mind,
"And to party gave up what was meant for mankind.
"Tho' fraught with all learning, yet ftraining his throat,
"To perfuade Tommy Townsend to lend him a vote:
"Who, too deep for his hearers, ftill went on refining,
"And thought of convincing, while they thought of dining:
"Tho' equal to all things, for all things unfit,
"Too nice for a ftatefman, too proud for a wit;
"For a patriot too cool; for a drudge, difobedient;
"And too fond of the right to purfue the expedient.
"In short, 'twas his fate, unemploy'd, or in place, Sir,
"To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor."

Thofe, who were intimately acquainted with Mr. BURKE during the first fix or eight years of his public life, could not but acknowledge that the leading features were hit off in this sketch with equal fidelity and humour. But time often produces or discovers the most astonishing changes in the inward character, as well as the outward form. Had he fat for his picture twenty years after,* and had the likeness been drawn by the pencil of Truth, it would seem a frightful caricature of every former portrait of the fame individual.

Goldsmith's fetch appeared in 1774.

"Retaliation"

Retaliation" occafioned a variety of replies and fupplements from fuch of the members of the club as were most distinguished for their wit and poetical talents. Mr. GARRICK's "Jeu d'Efprit" on the subject has been much admired for its epigrammatic point and concifeness.

"Are these the choice dishes the Doctor has fent us?

"Is this the great poet whose works so content us?

"This GOLDSMITH's fine feaft, who has written fine books?
"Heaven fends us good meat—but the Devil fends cooks.”

Mr. BURKE, though one of the most prominent in the groupe of figures, did not draw his pen in this conteft of genius and pleasantry. He knew his own powers too well to risk his reputation in verfe; and while others thought him poffeffed of every requifite to form a great poet, he was confcious that he could not rife above mediocrity in that sphere, and therefore declined the attempt. It is probable, that, like CICERO, he made fome effays in early youth; but, like the Roman orator, had too much wisdom to perfevere in counteracting the purposes of nature. What greatly ftrengthens this conjecture is, that we have now before us fome tranflations of his from the Erfe; and though all the rest is in profe, the following lines of poetry are introduced in one of the dialogues:

PATRICK, having confeffed that USHIN's voice is mufic to his ear, conjures him, at the fame time, not to tell lies. To this USHIN makes answer,

"Lies I ne'er told, nor am I used to lie:

"With strength of arm,-with fearless energy,

"And not with lies, I face the enemy."

This is the only genuine fpecimen of Mr. BURKE's poetry which we have in our poffeffion; but his profe translations from