Mr Warren does justice to the masses: but he is much too honest and too upright—being himself one of the masses—to uphold their privileges at the sacrifice of other men’s lawful and just rights. He does not do it; and the English people, who love fair play, will honour him for his work.
We honour him too, and cordially shake him by the hand! He has not done worse than Maga expected from his industry and genius. Had he done worse, by our immortality! much as we love him, much as he has done for us, and we for him, much as we have done together, he should have felt the force of her frown, and been tapped—gently, perhaps, for the first offence—with the crutch that, ere now, with a blow has dealt death to the charlatan and impostor.
Printed by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh.
Footnotes
[1]. Causes Célébres et Intéressantes, by François Gayot de Pitaval. Paris: 1734.
[2]. Neuer Pitaval. Leipzig: 1842-6.
[3]. He beguiled his leisure by a metrical translation of, and commentary on, the Indian poem, Gita Gowinda.
[4]. Merkwürdige Criminalrechtsfälle. Erfurt, 1808-11. A third edition appeared in 1839, under the title of Merkwürdige Verbrechen.
[5]. The office of knacker (Schinder, Abdecker), in recent times often united with that of public executioner, was formerly exercised by his knaves and subordinates, (German, henkersknechte; French, Valets de Bourreau) and was held especially infamous.
[6]. The Earl of Angus was succeeded in the Provostship of Edinburgh by Alexander, Lord Home, Great Chamberlain of Scotland, in 1514.