men, was known to
be only a Widgeon. His character is not very high in "The
Great Assizes."

"The innocent _Scotch Dove_ did then advance,
Full sober in his wit and countenance:
And, though his book contain'd not mickle scence,
Yet his endictment shew'd no great offence.
Great wits to perils great, themselves expose
Oft-times; but the _Scotch Dove_ was none of those.
In many words he little matter drest,
And did laconick brevity detest.
But while his readers did expect some Newes,
They found a Sermon--"

The Scotch Dove desires to meet the classical Aulicus in the
duel of the pen:--

------------"to turn me loose,
A _Scottish Dove_ against a _Roman Goose_."

"The Scotch Dove" is condemned "to cross the seas, or to
repasse the Tweede." They all envy him his "easy mulet," but
he wofully exclaims at the hard sentence,

"For if they knew that _home_ as well as he,
They'd rather die than there imprison'd be!"

[335] This stroke alludes to a rumour of the times, noticed also by
Clarendon, that Pym died of the _morbus pediculosus_.

[336] "Peard, a bold lawyer of little note."--_Clarendon._

[337] These divines were as ready with the sword as the pen; thus, we
are told in "The Impartial Scout" for July, 1650--"The
ministers are now as active in the military discipline as
formerly they were in the gospel profession, Parson Ennis,
Parson Brown, and about thirty other ministers having received
commissions to be majors and captains, who now hold forth the
Bible in one hand, and the sword in the other, telling the
soldiery that they need not fear what man can do against
them--that God is on their side--and that He hath prepared an
engine in heaven to break and blast the designs of all
covenant-breakers."--ED.

POLITICAL CRITICISM

ON LITERARY COMPOSITIONS.

ANTHONY WOOD and LOCKE--MILTON and SPRAT--BURNET and his
History--PRIOR and ADDISON--SWIFT and STEELE--WAGSTAFFE and
STEELE--STEELE and ADDISON--HOOKE and MIDDLETON--GILBERT
WAKEFIELD--MARVEL and MILTON--CLARENDON and MAY.

VOLTAIRE, in his letters on our nation, has hit off a marked feature
in our national physiognomy. "So violent did I find parties in Lon