of which had been disposed of in the first week, and that Covent Garden had realized more money that week, than ever they had done before in the same space of time, these two years." Another youth had helped its dispersion, by chanting passages out of it, in the public places of the city; another had written about it; and, in return for these favours, the tragedy writer was expected to give them a lift for their respective performances, in a somewhat similar manner, whenever he should be required. After waiting some time, in order to have a chance of introducing my question, I at last, by main force, attempted to take their attention a little from themselves, and propounded my query respecting poetry. A very short space of time sufficed to make me acquainted with their respective opinions; these were given with an air and manner, as if from them were no appeal; having uttered the sentiment, seemed to them, of itself, sufficient to stamp it everlastingly with the seal of immutable truth. I should have been very well disposed to accede to this, had I not observed a strange and unaccountable discordancy in their various opinions, and even from the same individual a most palpable difference was perceived in the explanations that were given. One gentleman, of a wild and scatter-brained aspect, said, that poetry was the hidden essences of things-the soul of the universethe omnipotence of nature; another man, that blew a penny whistle, which he told me, made his heart" dance like a trumpet," said, that Poetry was nature talking, and her very how-d'ye-does, and very-well-thank'ees, were all poetry, and, as such, deserved to be embodied into verse; his penny whistle, he said, was as capable of giving pleasurable emotions, and exciting grand, magnificent, and noble ideas in the mind, as a more splendid instrument, and having the advantage of being more portable, and he better able to use it, he always gave it the preference. I turned me to a young man of sober brow, amongst the group, evidently labouring under some depression of spirits; he was looking into a lantern, and fancied that therein he beheld the moon, which he apostrophized most laboriously, in strains, which appeared, from his gestures, to run over with an overwhelming pathos, roaring as it were any nightingale; unfortunately, however, I did not understand their meaning. On requesting his opinion, he stared strangely, and told me, that the Quarterly Review knew nothing about it; which was all the answer I could get, as he began immediately to recite a hymn (as he termed it) in praise of moonshine. I now

ence.

approached the most respectable personage in the group, to whom the others seemed to pay a kind of implicit deferHis aspect was good; but there was an appearance of affected homeliness and simplicity about him, which was any thing rather than nature; however, the man seemed as if he could not help even the affectation of her realities, and, in consequence, appeared to greater advantage than the rest, inasmuch as his affectation was natural, and sat upon him very becomingly; whilst in the others, every gesture only displayed the constraint under which they laboured, in order to convey to others what made their manners only appear the more ridiculous. This man also had written a tragedy, and I thought he was not marvellously fond of the display of the 1500 copies, made by his companion, who, I saw, was much occupied in gazing at, and fondly admiring, a mask which he had some time worn, and inquiring from his comrades, whether it were proper to walk abroad without it, and how he looked in his natural face. To say the truth, his were a very insipid and unexpressionable sort of a set of features, nothing much of good or ill depicted there; and I heard his companions, and the last named gentleman in particular, strenuously advise him to drop the mask; and I fancied it was with a view of letting the world into the secret, and so allowing the interest to subside, which was probably raised solely by the artifice of always going abroad with his face under a visor, and by that means causing the wondering and anxious inquiries of those, who might never have thought it worth their pains to bestow any attention on the wearer, had not a sort of factitious interest been kept up by this empirical contrivance. The fate of the man with the iron mask would probably never have been remembered, had not the curiosity of the world been stimulated by his mysterious concealment. fancied I should much like to know the opinion of these two tragedy writers, on the subject of my lucubrations :one said, that Poetry was any thing, and any thing was Poetry, if treated in a proper manner; for which proper manner, he referred me to his -; the other said, no one, save the Italians and the old writers, knew what Poetry was, until the knowledge had been revived within this year-anda-half by himself, and that he had made Poetry a great deal more poetical, and given it a far greater relish, by a due admixture of fornication, adultery and incest, which were in themselves highly poetical, and imparted a savoury smack to the dry moralities on which they were forced

I

sometimes to expatiate. This was all I could get from him, and, on looking over his tragedy, I thought it amply sufficient. I was going to proceed with my inquiries, when I felt myself seized by a heavy hand, and, on turning round, I beheld a clumsy looking man, with a strange and solemn countenance, who told me to come with him, as I should get no good by hearkening to these lads. I followed him apart, and he began with a kind of sing-song voice, and manner, like unto the pathetic gesticulations of an Egyptian beggar-woman, to repeat a favourite part from one of his productions. Not comprehending its import, I waited rather impatiently for its termination; and, taking the advantage of a momentary pause, or breathing space, equivalent to a blank line in one of the stanzas, I ventured hastily to propound my question, "What is Poetry?" The man seemed struck with amaze, as if doubting the evidence of his astonished ears; but soon gathering into his face a terrific expression, and darting at me a look of unutterable scorn, he loudly replied, That is Poetry, and away he went ; nor could any entreaties or apologies of mine bring him back, or make any atonement for the obtuseness of my intellects, in failing to recognise that he had been repeating what he supposed a most apt illustration of the very subject, to solicit an explanation of which, I had unluckily interrupted him. I could not refrain from laughing at the pertness of my last group of acquaintances, who, when they observed my admonitor sullenly marching off, cried out, Tu-whit!-- tu-whoo!

How drowsily it crew!

and a universal war greeted the angry poet, who forthwith proceeded to complain of their treatment to a knot of his friends at some distance.

I was travelling onwards, when I met a man mounted on an animal of the long-eared tribe, whether mule or ass, I have at present no distinct recollection; he had a carter's frock slipped on rather untidily over a dark suit of clothes, and he carried a good stout cudgel in his dexter hand; but most ludicrously did the solemnity of his look contrast with his garb and equipment. He appeared to be repeating something of great moment to himself, evidently in measure, for at the end of every stanza, as I supposed, he lifted his head, hand, and cudgel, crying aloud, with a most rapture-awakening tone, "Fiddle, faddle," and bang went the cudgel on the ribs of the patient beast, who, evidently inured to the operation, displayed no impatience, but, with steady gait,

and philosophic mien, held on the even tenour of his way, "Fiddle faddle," "bang," at regular intervals, being the only sounds which gave notice of their approach or departure. The rider had a long mournful face, like unto his bearer; and whether with continued habits of intercourse, or by the influence of that assimilation by which things, animate and inanimate, grow imperceptibly into each other's likenesses, there certainly was a great similarity of expression between the two. I regretted my being obliged to interrupt, the performance, and was loath, indeed, to disturb the regularity of their proceedings; however, I made free to step nearer to the rider, and requested his definition of Poetry. He very civilly waved some apologies I was making, for my unseasonable interruption, and, lifting up his frock, displayed a huge pair of plush breeches, from the sinister pocket of which he drew out a toad-stool, an excise permit, a dandelion-flower, and a daisy; he then began to discourse most touchingly concerning nature and her sympathies, and informed me, that the soul of man had passed through an indefinite number of modes of existence, and that his own soul had wandered up and down the universe from eternity, for any thing he knew; that Poetry was nothing but a sudden uplifting, for a moment, of the veil which concealed the combinations of former reminiscences, and left on the soul a track of glory like the train of a meteor, after the body has disappeared; or, like the rumbling of a coach, after the vehicle has passed. I thanked him for his solution, and was again speeding onwards, when another laugh was heard from the worthies before mentioned: on turning round to ascertain its cause, I beheld an indifferently tall, fair-looking personage, dressed in a black gown, who was passing by in great haste, and trying to tear away a label, which some of these witty.wags had pinned to his back; he troubled himself exceedingly to get at it, but in vain; this seemingly unwelcome companion kept its place, very much to the annoyance of the wearer. I was curious to ascertain the contents of this ticket, particularly as I saw it excited a smile of satisfaction in most of the persons who chanced to behold it; but to get a peep I found no very easy matter; he wriggled and twisted, and kept up such an incessant fidget, either to get rid of it, or to prevent its being read; however, after much running and doubling, I ascertained the purport of what sat so uneasy on the gownsman. Professor of Morality to B- -d's Magazine," was emblazoned in pretty large characters on his encumbrance;

and the humour of the thing tickled the passers by so. hugely, that a continuous shout of unrestrained laughter was heard for some time, kept up by the fresh comers, who every now and then had a sight of the unlucky paper. I thought the man was not in a very enviable situation, and would have wished to drop his connexion with that publication; but something or other prevented him from speaking out, and he was evidently contriving how to get off unperceived, not being able to get rid of the label without stripping his gown. I ventured to approach him with my question on Poetry; but I could get no answer, either because he did not know much about the matter, or else, being particularly hurried with his present engagements, he had enough to do, without attending to what did not immeliately belong to his own concerns; nevertheless, I felt exceedingly sorry for his situation, as the man really possessed talent, and was a true worshipper of the Muses.

I had scarcely time to turn me, ere I was aware of a young man galloping furiously his courser, as if he would have outstripped the wind. He was without hat, and his long hair and garments flying loose, in most tumultuous disorder, gave him the appearance of a madman just escaping from the trammels of his keeper. He attracted the notice of all around him, from the apparently unrestrained impetuosity of his career, and the headlong fury with which he rushed onwards, as he told us, towards destruction, crying out, that it was the last time the people ever would hear from him; and, roaring aloud, in very good player-like accents, a most deep-toned and energetic "Farewell," he was out of sight in an instant. I thought from the ostentatious manner of his departure, and the tone of his adieus, there was " method in his madness," and that his miseries and disappointments were not quite of so incurable a nature as he represented, from the public display which he made of their accumulated and sickening operations. We had scarcely time to begin our lament over his untimely fate, when, from afar, I beheld his courser's eye of fire, and foot of wind, again approaching; and, as he flew by, the rider rolled out a torrent of complaints at the waywardness of fate. I heard no more; the velocity of his motion preventing further cognizance. Scarcely had I an opportunity to talk to my neighbours about this strange phenomenon, or to inquire its meaning, when I beheld him returning, mounted on the same steed, but in a far different garb; a suit of motley was his wear, and most gracefully did he flourish his long cap,