So Beddoes' gas, Sirs, I'm inclin'd And Doctor Darwin's fine filtrations. 10 And our philosophers will learn, This serves small poets for a shift, 10 And Doctor Darwin's fine filtrations. "The story from Ovid," says Doctor Darwin, "of the production of animals from the mud of the Nile, seems to be of Egyptian origin, and is probably a poetical account of the opinions of the magi, or priests of that country; showing that the simplest animations were spontaneously produced like chymical combinations; but were distinguished from the latter by their perpetual improvement by the power of reproduction, first by solitary, and then by sexual generation; whereas the products of natural chymistry are only enlarged by accretion, or purified, by filtration." 11 And set your Florence geese a cackling. This epithet the author of the Pursuits of Literature has MODERN PHILOSOPHER. With this a brother bard, inflated, He tower'd, like Garnerin's balloon, Nor stopp'd, like half wits, at the moon: 12 But scarce had breath'd three times before he Strange things he saw, and those who know him Have said that, in his Epick Poem, 13 13 had the hardihood to bestow on the sublime writers in the British Album, to wit, Della Crusca, Anna Matilda & Co. 12 Was hous'd in heaven's high upper story. Brother Southey then made the important discovery that "the atmosphere of the highest of all possible heavens was composed of this gas." 13 Have said that, in his Epick Poem. Beddoes's Notice. The same poem to which the gentleman alludes in his huge quarto edition of Joan of Arc, in the words following "Liberal criticism I shall attend to, and I hope to profit by, in the execution of my MADOC, an epick poem on the discovery of America, by that prince, on which I am now engaged." As liberal criticism appears to be a great desideratum with this sublime poet, I trust he will gratefully acknowledge the To be complete within a year hence, And now, to set my verses going, Good Sir, enough! enough already! No more, for Heaven's sake!-steady !—steady! How swiftly turns this giddy world round, 14 specimens of my liberality towards a worthy brother, which I propose hereafter to exhibit. 14 The beldam's crack'd or Caustick crazy. Or, it is possible, may it please your worships, that II for the matter of that am a little te-te-tipsey, or so.But as there may perhaps be, as it were, now and then, one of your Right Worshipful Fraternity, who has been in a similar predicament se-se ipse, I hope I shall receive your worships' permission to stagger on with a jug full of gas in my noddle, at least, through a stanza or two. MODERN PHILOSOPHER. I'm larger grown from head to tail Inflated with supreme intensity, This earth's a little dirty planet, 15 Now feel a "tangible extension" Of semi-infinite dimension. Much in the same way was Mr. Davy affected in consequence of respiring this soul-elevating gas. He informs. us, that after having been shut up in a breathing-box for an hour and a quarter, "A thrilling, extending from the chest to the extremities, was almost immediately produced. I felt a tangible extension, highly pleasurable in every limb; my visible impressions were dazzling, and apparently magnified." Davy's Researches Chymical and Philosophical. 16 But off will flutter in a tangent, And make a harum scarum range on't! Mr. Davy's dose had a similar operation. He says, "I Stand ye appall❜d! quake! quiver! quail! For lo I stride a comet's tail! lost all connexion with external things. Trains of vivid visible images rapidly passed through my mind, and were connected with words, in such a manner as to produce perceptions perfectly novel. I existed in a world of newly connected, and newly modified ideas. I theorized, I imagined that I made discoveries." [Perhaps if the learned lecturer were to repeat the dose, he might in reality hit on something of little less importance than the grand discoveries of Dr. Caustick.] "When I was awakened from this semi-delirious trance, by Dr. Kinglake, who took the bag from my mouth, indignation and pride were the first feelings produced by the sight of the persons about me. My motions were enthusiastick and sublime, and for a minute I walked round the room perfectly regardless of what was said to me. As I recovered my former state of mind I felt an inclination to communicate the discoveries I had made during the experiment. I endeavoured to recall the ideas: they were feeble and indistinct. One collection of terms, however, presented itself; and with the most intense belief, and prophetick manner I exclaimed to Dr. Kinglake, "Nothing exists but thought; the universe is composed of impressions, ideas, pleasures, and pains!!" Davy's Researches. My sensations in consequence of respiring this gas were not precisely the same, though somewhat similar to those ́ of Mr. Davy. That gentleman could not " recall the vivid visible images" which made such "rapid progress through his mind, and produced perceptions perfectly novel!" But I have recorded, in the following stanzas, some of the most important ideas, which passed through my mind, and am willing to own that pride and indignation were predomi nant. |