multitude that were fed so miraculously in the
wilderness--that is to say, who followed the good shepherd for his
doctrine, and were filled with bread. Mr. M'Slime, who has within
his own humble sphere not been inactive, can boast at least of having
plucked one brand out of the burning, in the person of Darby O'Drive,
the respectable bailiff of Valentine M'Clutchy, Esq., the benevolent
agent of the Castle Cumber estate--to which Mr. M'Slime himself is law
agent. It is understood that on next Sabbath (D.V.) Mr. O'Drive will
make a public profession of his faith--or, in other words, "that he will
recant the errors of Popery, and embrace those of Protestantism."* The
merit of his conversion is due--but merit there is none--to Mr.
M'Slime, or rather to his two very popular and searching tracts, called,
'Spiritual Food for Babes of Grace,' and 'The Religious Attorney,'
which he had placed for perusal in Mr. O'Drive's hands. Mr. O'Drive now
declares himself a Babe of Grace, and free from the bonds of sin; or,
as he more simply, but truthfully and characteristically expresses it--a
beautiful specimen indeed of his simplicity of views--'he is replevined
from the pound of human fraility--no longer likely to be brought to
the devil's auction, or knocked down to Satan as a bad bargain.'--For
ourselves, we cannot help thinking that this undoubted triumph of
religious truth, in the person of Darby O'Drive, is as creditable to the
zeal of Mr. M'Slime, as it is to his sincerity. Encouraged by this
great success, Mr. M'Slime, seconded by several of our leading
controversialists, has succeeded in getting up a polemical discussion,
on the merits of the Protestant and Popish creeds. The particulars have
not been decided upon, but they shall probably appear in an early number
of our paper. In the meantime we are authorized by Mr. Darby O'Drive
to issue a formal challenge to any Popish and idolatrous bailiff in
Ireland, to discuss with him the relative powers, warrants, processes,
triumphs, conflagrations, and executions of their resspective churches."

* This expression has been attributed to Faulkner, the
printer of Swift's works; but it is much more likely that it
belongs to the Dean himself.

He had scarcely finished this characteristic paragraph, when O'Drive's
knock, as usual, was heard, and in a few minutes the redoubted champion
and challenger entered. There was a knavish demureness about him, and a
kind of comic so