a family of lawyers; possessed a
sufficient private property to ensure independence, and
died on his own estate of Turrick, in Buckinghamshire. Dr.
Warton observes, "This attack on Mr. Edwards is not of weight
sufficient to weaken the effects of his excellent 'Canons of
Criticism,' all impartial critics allow these remarks to have
been decisive and judicious, and his book remains unrefuted
and unanswerable."--ED.

[178] Some grave dull men, who did not relish the jests, doubtless the
booksellers, who, to buy the _name of Warburton_, had paid
down 500_l._ for the edition, loudly complained that Edwards
had injured both him and them, by stopping the sale! On this
Edwards expresses his surprise, how "a little twelvepenny
pamphlet could stop the progress of eight large octavo
volumes;" and apologises, by applying a humorous story to
Warburton, for "puffing himself off in the world for what he
is not, and now being discovered."--"I am just in the case of
a friend of mine, who, going to visit an acquaintance, upon
entering his room, met a person going out of it:--'Prythee,
Jack,' says he, 'what do you do with that fellow?' 'Why, 'tis
Don Pedro di Mondongo, my Spanish master.'--'Spanish master!'
replies my friend; 'why, he's an errant Teague; I know the
fellow well enough: 'tis Rory Gehagan. He may possibly have
been in Spain; but, depend on't, he will sell you the
Tipperary brogue for pure Castilian.' Now honest Rory has just
the same reason of complaint against this gentleman as Mr.
Warburton has against me, and I suppose abused him as heartily
for it; but nevertheless the gentleman did both parties
justice."

Some secret history is attached to this publication, so fatal
to Warburton's critical character in English literature. This
satire, like too many which have sprung out of literary
quarrels, arose from _personal motives_! When Edwards, in
early life, after quitting college, entered the army, he was
on a visit at Mr. Allen's, at Bath, whose niece Warburton
afterwards married. Literary subjects formed the usual
conversation. Warburton, not suspecting the red coat of
covering any Greek, showed his accustomed dogmatical
superio