so as to interest the feelings
of the captain. First let us take a view of the speaker; a woman, and
her breast diskivered: she begins with, "Kind sir," which shows the
gentleness of her disposition, and that she forgave the captain though
he had pressed her true-love: she proceeds, "I be kim for to seek my
true-love," who could resist this affecting narration? A lady braving
the dangers of the sea, and an engagement, to seek her true-love! The
last line has suggested to the commentators that the captain headed the
press-gang himself. This is a matter of too much consequence for me to
decide. But what effect has the speech on the rugged nerves of the
captain? All that could be expected or desired. He breaks out--observe
the art of the poet!--no frigid preface of "he said," "he exclaimed,"
but, like Homer, he gives us the speech at once--

"If you be kim for to seek your true-love,
He from the ship is gone away:
And you'll find him in London streets, ma'am,
Valking vith his lady gay."

The captain's feelings are taken by storm: he makes a full discovery of
the retreat of the youth, and the company in which he is to be found.
Some have thought it very odd that the captain should be so well
informed of Billy's retreat and company; and are of opinion that he
connived at it; but the captain might from the knowledge of human
nature, and especially of sailors' nature, guess where and in what
company Billy would be. Let not then the honest tar be condemned. As
the poet has put down none, we may suppose the lady to be too much
oppressed to make any answer to a speech so cutting and afflicting.
Overwhelmed with anger, jealousy, and desire of revenge, she could not
speak. Admirable poet, who so well knew nature! "parvae curae loquuntur,
ingentes silent," and is not this silence more eloquent, more
expressive, nay more awful, than all the angry words that could have
been uttered? it is the silence before the tempest: the awful stillness
of revenge and death.

"She rose up early in the morning,
Long before 'twas break of day."

Mark the impatience of revenge! she will not even wait till day-break;
she gets (as we may suppose, though it is not declared) leave of
absence, and goes on shore,

"And she found false Billy Taylor,
Valking with his lady gay."

Infamous Billy Taylor! while your mistress was braving for you the
dangers of the ocean, you were reveling in the arms of another! Bu