high life have been made the chief recommendation and attraction of such productions. The course has been, to assign the work of a "scribbling garreteer" to some lord or lady of distinguished connections, and to represent, that, for the sake of gratifying a mania for the consumption of pen, ink, and paper, he or she has condescended, first to play the spy, and afterwards the traitor, to friends and acquaintances.
Nothing of this kind will be found in the volume now in the reader's hand; and although the biography of the Punch family is, necessarily, partially included in our plan, those who expect that we shall detail particulars of his private amours and failings will be disappointed. Ariosto tells such as may not like certain parts of his gay poem, to turn over so many of its leaves:[1] we advise those, who feel vexation at the preceding statement, to shut our book altogether; or, at least, not to do more than cast their eyes upon the plates: since they know by whom the drawings were made, it would, perhaps, be too much to suppose they could consent to relinquish that gratification. Those incidents of his life which our hero has chosen to make known, are of course not omitted; but, in our details and observations, we have spoken of him only in his public capacity,—as an actor of first-rate talents and the most extensive celebrity.
- ↑ See the introductory stanzas to Book xxviii. of the "Orlando! Furioso."
"Lasciate questo canto, che senz' esso,
Può star l'istoria," &c.
