Judge Parke on the Northern Circuit made a long sermon to

First of all there is the press. side! Poor Corruption! Poor Our enemies thought that they Boroughmongers! They cannot, had stifled it, when they passed then, get an able pen for love or their Six Acts in November last. money! They thought that they had then got something as good as a Bourbon Censorship, especial-a Grand Jury about the mischiefs ly as they therein sanctioned produced by the Press; and in Sidmouth's Circular and Par- the course of the sermon he said, son Hay's law, of holding to that it was very wicked as well bail. Nevertheless, they have as very foolish, to set any value in fact done nothing. The upon writing, whether in newsQueen, to destroy whom is papers, pamphlets, or books, their great object at present, merely because the thing was praises the press; extols the li-well written. This was very berty of the press; says that it true; for, a man may put very is to the press that she in a good writing into a work, the great measure owes her safety. object of which is to justify or In this case we have a proof of excuse a Despot, who is at the her Majesty's good sense, dis-same time a debauchee, a drunkcernment, sound judgment, and ard, a spendthrift, a companion gratitude; for, never did hu-of cheats, liars, cowards, blackman being owe more to the legs, contented cuckolds, and press than her Majesty owes. who is, himself, a cruel husband It has been a volunteer in her and a bad son; in short, a wretch service too. Not such a volun- whose consciousness of having teer as we shall by and bye find not one single claim to respect, the yeomanry cavalry gentle- and every possible claim to unimen to be; but a real volun-versal detestation, would make teer, who has laboured with him shun the sight of man as great effect and zeal, and with-bats and owls shun the light of out the possibility of receiving day. In justification or excuse pay or reward of any sort. But of such a besotted and cowardly the thing to laugh at in this in- Despot, a base wretch hired for stance is, that corruption com- the purpose, might put forth

some very good writing. In warn even his Grand Jury justification or excuse of seat-against listening to the good selling tools of Corruption; of writings of the Radicals! This venal and prostituted Judges; is a thing to be borne in mind. of base and perjured Jurors; of It is not the trash that they are place-hunting and blood-thirsty any longer afraid of: it is the Magistrates; of murderers in good writing that they are afraid the name of the law; of blood- of, and they have now found money spies, hatchers of plots, out that it is very wicked or and of all the other miscreants very foolish to approve of good that do infest, or have at any writing. time infested this world; in justification or excuse of any ofgo, or rather they long ago

these, very well written things may be sent forth.

It is very true that we long

proved by the shackles imposed upon the Press, that we possessed talents superior to those possessed by a thousand legis

Therefore I agree with Mr. Judge Parke that we are not to think well of a thing merely lators, two thousand Magisbecause it is well written. But trates, and twenty thousand in this case Mr. Judge Parke Bishops, Deans and Parsons, all was speaking of the publications having leisure and money to This fact was put forth in favour of Parlia-assist them.

mentary Reform. That is to proved long enough ago; but say, in favour of Radical Re-now it is acknowledged; or else form. And, the Judge, there- why give the country a caution fore, acknowledges that there against the power of the good is danger from the good writing writing of the Radicals? in favour of such reform! This is something new, and it is something for us to laugh at. For a long while the contrary of this was asserted. Our writings were said to be very foolish; mere trash; only two-penny trash; only stuff to delude the ignorant. But now Mr. Judge Parke thinks it necessary to him that they had been misled

Judge Bailey, lately at York, gave a long sermon to his Grand Jury upon the subject of seditious and blasphemous publications. This he did upon the hypothesis that some of the men brought before him, might have been misled by such publications. He had no proof before

by such means; but upon the meet their two husbands at a supposition, that they might ball; and he might, as he was have been so misled; he took in the moral humour, have dwelt occasion to speak with strong upon the duties of a husband; breprobation of such publica- he might have reprobated the tions, and to inculcate morality wretch who takes a wife merely' and the fear of God. Now, for the purpose of getting a dethough I see no immediate cause liverance from his debts; then · a for these observations, especially surrounds her with bawds and as there are about twenty or prostitutes in the hope of obthirty thousand Parsons, regular taining, by causing her to be and sectarian, constantly on seduced; the grounds for a' re"duty, or at least in constant pay; lease from his marriage contract; yet I am far from disapproving and next, finding these efforts of the Judge's sermon, and only unavailing, treats her with unobject to it's brevity. In speak-bearable brutality, drives her ing of our morals, he might from his house and then lays a have inveighed with just bitter- plot for her destruction.' Inness against those who pour stances of this sort have not out upon the public and worm been wanting, in this wicked into every cottage in the king-world; and, as domestic fidedom the grossest and most loath-lity is the basis of all morality some obscenity; and thereby in families; and as all societies make the common talk of the must consist of families, this was people such as has hitherto been a branch of his subject which confined to the circles of the de- the pious Bailey ought not to bauched, the degenerate and have left untouched. He, howbeastly crews that distinguish ever, seems to have thought that the west end of the Metropolis. God was most likely to be ofHe might have extended his re- fended with things about which probation to the double distilled God has not thought proper to adulterers that are so notorious; give us any commands at all, it to the men who have two wo- being no where said in Holy men living at one time, both of Writ, that there shall not be a whom have been their wives, Reform in our Parliament, and to the infamous women who he having no where said that flaunt about and unconcernedly men shall not seek to obtain

such Reform. The Judge's ser- occasion. They are a very prumon was good as far as it went; dent, a very cautious, a very but it unfortunately stopped just far-seeing race. The lawyers, at the point where it might though excessively cunning, fall have gone into very useful mat-short in this respect of the Parsons. I have often thought of what would be the result, if twenty or any given number of each were set to work to strive

ter.

THE PARSONS.

It will be unbecoming in us to laugh outright at these reverend persons; but it is never- for the attainment of the same theless proper that we notice a object. Upon a reflection, howlittle of their conduct upon thever, after having duly consipresent occasion. Amongst the rdered all the various faculties hundreds of thousands of per- and efforts which each should sons that have come forward to bring into play, I have always address her Majesty the Queen, in the end awarded the supethere have been, in England, riority to the Parsons; and an but two Parsons out of, at least, old friend, who is now in Amefive and twenty thousand, in- rica, and who I hope is in good cluding the Dissenters. These health to read this, will recolare, Dr. Parr, who is a Rector lect, that it was about twelve of a Parish in Warwickshire, years ago decided by him and and Mr. Hutchins, who is the me, that if twenty Parsons and Curate of Kimpton and Grately, twenty Lawyers were shut up in Hampshire. I said in a for- without fire or victuals to the mer Register that it was Mr. Jend of their days, to strip and Fowle of Kimpton, because I to eat each other, the Lawyers found in the books, that Mr. would be naked first and the Fowle was the Rector of the Parsons alive last. With regard Parish of Kimpton. I was sur-to her Majesty the two races prised at the time, that a Rec- have acted, with some very few tor should have done such a exceptions amongst the Lawthing, and I am really pleased yers, precisely the same part: at the discovery that the gentle- The Lawyers, however, are man was a Curate. It is curious, less noted. The Queen's case however, to observe, how shy did not naturally and necessarily the Parsons have been upon this call upon them; but to the Par

sons it made a direct appeal.- his prudent course to confine his How they ever can again ex-future efforts to his Pulpit.

It is curious to observe how exactly, in every branch of the system, the observation holds good, that the Queen's enemies and the enemies of the Radicals

hort the people to domestic fidelity; how they can exhort husbands to be kind to their wives; how they can ever again condemn perfidy, false swearing and subornation, it is impossible are the same. There is this for me to conceive. Mr. Hume, little difference in the case of in his speech on Monday last in the Parsons, that they dared the House of Commons, made openly assail us; whereas, they some observations on the Church me extremely shy in the case of establishment, very well worthy the Queen, and carry on toof attention. That is not the last wards her a sort of negative hosthat the Reverend Gentlemen tility. They set their wives will hear on that subject; for and daughters and sons to work, amongst the good things that they give the farmers and their her Majesty has done is that of wives chilling and forbidden enabling us to judge more cor- looks, they proceed with abundrectly than we were able to do ant industry but with great rebefore of the real tendency and serve and circumspection at the effect of that establishment.- same time. But, after all, the Two Parsons, a man at Man- light is too strong, and the peochester, whose name I have ple's eyes too penetrating to forgotten, and Parson Cunning-suffer any part of their conduct ham of Harrow, have openly (to escape observation. They taken the field against the see as clearly as the Borough Queen. To the former I gave mongers see the tremendous his payment four weeks ago; danger to them which the and the latter has received a triumph of the Queen would pretty decent drubbing from the produce. They, like the BoTraveller and the Times. I roughmongers, wish her out of propose to say a word to him the country as rats wish a cat by and bye, and will make him out of the house. And yet, the perceive, that, like the great case is so flagrant; all efforts to mass of his brethren, it will be effect the object are so odious;