have all been taught to reverence the art which directs the human understanding how best to form its judgment, and to exercise the powers which principally distinguish the mind of man.

From the fountain heads, from Athens, Greece, and Rome, sources the most rich and pure, flowing in full streams from the Tiber to the Thames, we have derived at once the theory and practice of this great and noble art—an art, which once had, and guardedly speaking, has still for its characteristic, that which, one of our English Bishops has given to what real wisdom and judgment, will ever consider as the most arduous, because the least agreeable part of the critical office. "Satire," says

this good old pillar of our church, should be,

"like the Porcupine

That shoots sharp quills out in each angry line,
And wounds the fiery cheek, and blushing eye,
Of him that WRITES OR READETH guiltily."

JOSEPH HALL, one of the Bishops of Norwich, in this county, who read the rhetoric Lectures in the Public Schools of Cambridge for two years; and distinguished himself as a

But we live in days of revolution; many of the old English terms, such as Patriot, Poet,

Wit and a Poet in a very early period of his life, by the publication of his Satires.

The ingenious and very useful compiler of the Norfolk Tour," has preserved many traits of the virtuous life, and literary character of this Prelate, and also of his honours abroad, and the persecutions he suffered at home of which latter the following is so notable an instance, that you will be well pleased with my anticipation of it:

Having refused in 1624 the Bishoprick of Gloucester, he accepted in 1627 that of Exeter, and in 1641 was translated to the See of Norwich; but on December 30 following, having joined with other Bishops in the protestation against the validity of the laws made during their forced absence from the parliament, he amongst the rest was committed to the tower on the 30th of January 1642, but was released in June following, upon giving 5000l. bail, and withdrew to Norwich; where he lived in tolerable quiet till April 1643. But then the order for sequestering notorious delinquents being passed, in which he was included by name, all his estates real and personal were seized and sold at public sale, even (says Blomefield) to a dozen of Trenchers! nor did they forget to lay their hands upon his Ecclesiastical preferments, and turn him out of his palace.

This eminent Divine, it seems, was called by Learned Foreigners, the English SENECA.

In the beginning of his Satires he claims the honour of having led the way in this species of composition:

Critic, Orator, are not yet explained, according to their new interpretations, though we have

"I first adventure, follow me who list,

And be the second English Satyrist."

This assertion of the Poet is not strictly true; for there were various satyrical writings previously to his appearance. But he was the first who distinguished himself as a legitimate Satyrist, upon the classic model of Juvenal and Persius, with an intermixture of some strokes in the manner of Horace. Succeeding authors have availed themselves of the pattern set them by Hall. The first three books were termed by the author toothless satires. He has an animated idea of the dignity of good poetry, and a just contempt of poetasters in the different species of it. He says of himself, in the first Satire:

"Nor can I crouch, and writhe my fawning tayle
To some great patron for my best avayle,
Such hunger-starven trencher-poetrie,

Or let it never live, or timely die."

His first book, consisting of nine Satires, is chiefly level. led at low and abject Poets. Several Satires of the second book reprehend the contempt of the rich for men of science and genius. I shall transcribe the sixth, being short, and void of all obscurity, and illustrative of some English manners two centuries ago.

"A gentle squire would gladly entertaine

Into his house some trencher-chaplaine:

Some willing man that might instruct his sons,
And that would stand to good conditions.

plenty of new dictionary men, with our great lexicographer at their head-and though the

First, that he lye upon the truckle-bed,
Whiles his young maister lieth o'er his head.
Second, that he do, on no default,

Ever presume to sit above the salt.

Third, that he never change his trencher twise.
Fourth, that he use all common courtisies;
Sit bare at meales, and one half rise and wait.
Last, that he never his young maister beat,
But he must ask his mother to define

How many jerks she would his breech should line,
All these observed, he could contented bee,
To give five marks, and winter liverie!"

From this Satire it is evident how humiliating the terms were to which a private tutor was obliged to submit, without much probability of emancipation by the salary of 31. 6s. 8d. and a great coat.

O the comparative difference, my friend, in this respect, between the olden times, and these our days! the trencherchaplain is now thought a fit companion for the splendid table of his gentle squire the truckle-bed is converted to a bed of state-the trencher itself into a plate of silver, changed at every dish! Instead of waiting half the time, in a winter livery, he has a score of well-powder'd, well-perfum'd, well-nosegay'd, and well-lac'd footmen at his command: some of whom, indeed, are appendages of too superb a kind to wear any livery at all-the Gentlemen of the Gentlemen, so please you, and, have several little Gentlemen of their

word aster has been joined to each of the above names, as patriotaster, criticaster, &c. much

own to wait upon them, before they can be properly prepared to wait upon the great Gentleman; who, in turn, has, peradventure, a greater Gentleman than himself to wait upon; and even that greater Gentleman is in waiting to some greater yet, till the scale of "courtesie”. we will not call it servi tude, shall we? mounts up to the greatest Gentleman of all! and he, alas! is obliged, in purchase of all this waiting, to wait upon every body.

And with respect to tutorage, instead of a 31. 6s. and 8-penny salary-even as money was, at the time the learned Bishop wrote his Satires, two centuries ago (in 1597) and a great coat-if, peradventure, which is not unfrequently the case, the trencher-chaplaine" of these times, is chosen to be the trencher-chaplain abroad, in consequence of having "stood to good conditions at home, or to speak in language more modern, if he is advanced from private instructor, to the dignity of Travelling Tutor, the five Marks multiply by hundreds, and after having made, with the companion of his hopes, in the traverse of different climes, all that fashion, fortune, or nature would allow, to be made of him, when, in short, he returns his charge to the arms of his friends, and to the bosom of his country, either a finished English gentleman, or a finished English blockhead, or a sort of mediocre character between both, the Tutorship glides comfortably into Annuityship, and a snug three hundred pounds a-year for life, with a life interest also in the family table rewards the Sage!-300l. a-year! why, 'tis the price of almost the income of a petty Princi