refolutions for the adoption of the house, in order that fhould any man henceforward prefume to question a privilege which the houfe of commons had exercised from the earliest period, he might be fet right.

He faid he was ready if called on, to name the perfon who uttered it, and the place.

Mr Hoare concluded by moving a refolution in purport, that whatever matter arifes in this houfe of parliament, concerning this house, ought to be difcufled and adjudged in this houfe, and not elsewhere.

The right hon. Mr. Ma on opposed this motion, because if carried, it would preclude the conftituent body of the freeholders of that houfe without doors from difcuffing any matter relating to the proceedings of their reprefentatives in parlia

ment.

The hon. Mr. Annefley faid, the hon. member's motion alluded to the committee of inquiry, for which he had moved, because the hon. member had not fulfilled his promife to not poffels the power of inquiry vefted in the lowest cour of judicature, and in every grand jury throughout the kingdom, that would in his mind be the highest abfurdity. He was ready to name the perfon who had denied the privilege, and he had taken down his words.

The right hon. Mr. Corry called to order. He always understood it was a breach of order to take down the words uttered in debate by a member of either houfes of parliament.

Mr. Hoare appealed to the chair, and finding he was not out of order, proceeded to fly he was ready to state the name if called on. He was proceeding in a very strong fpecies of epithet, when he was called to order by Mr. Speaker, who faid, if the hon. member alluded by fuch language to any member of the other houfe of parliament, it was impoffible he could move for that committee, and he should explain why he had not moved for the examination of witneffes in the most folemn manner.

Mr. Hoare denied the allufion.

Mr. Annesley faid, in that cafe he should not oppofe what of itself was a.. obvions trutim.

The right hon. Mr. Pelham said, that on a question fo feriously brought forward, and upon which the hon. member had dilated fo much in the warmth of his feelings, he could not as a member of that houfe fit entirely filent. The hon. member had ftudiously avoided ftating where the matter to which he alluded to had occurred; the queftion as it flood was in his mind a very ab tracted one, and though he was far from laying that abstracted queftions were never to be entertained, yet he thought the houfe would much better maintain and vindicate its privileges by acting firmly upon them, than by adopting the prefent refolution; it would be for the confideration of the hon. member, and of the houfe, whether it would be wife to make every inadvertent expreffion which might fall from members of parliament in the warmth of debate, the object of ferious and folemn inquiry. If that was the cafe, in quiries of this kind would occupy most of the actention of the houfe indeed. The hon. member had not in his mind upon that occafion laid a

fufficient ground for the houfe to adopt this refolution.

The refolution as it stood, was in his opinion open to many objections; a principal one had been ftated by a right hon. gentleman near him, (Mr. Mafon) that it would go to preclude the people from all difcuffion on the conduct of their reprefentatives in that houfe, and thus be violatory to the principles of the conftitution. Feeling this and many other objections which he did not find it neceffary now to exprefs, he should move the previous question.

Colonel Blaquiere was defirous of entering into the question.

Mr. Egan rofe to order. The prefent question was a question of privilege, and therefore neither the previous question nor any other ought to precede it.

Mr. Mafon mentioned the cafe of the lord mayor of London, and alderman Oliver committed to the Tower by the British houfe of commons, when, though the cafe was one of privilege, the fenfe of the house was taken on the previous question.

Mr. Egan replied, that a motion for committal to prifon was one of punishment, and not of privilege. He contended upon the prefeat which was a question of privilege-a previous queftion could not be put.

The hon. Mr. Maxwell mentioned the conduct of Mr. Pitt in Reeves's cafe, when he had agreed to give up his motion for the order of the day, to give way for a queftion of privilege, which occupied the whole night in debate, and was afterwards adjourned to another day.

The Cancellor of the Exchequer faid, the houfe was the best judge of its own privileges, the first of which was its option to adopt or reject any measure it thought fit. The houfe would juge of the expediency of adopting upon the mere fuggeftion of the hon. member, a refolution like that propofed, and which was utterly unneceffary, because nobody had the leaft doubt of the privilege of the house, to regulate its own orders; the house therefore poffefled or this pri vilege, was perfectly at its option whether it would entertain the prefent refolution, or proceed to the order of the day.

The right hon. Mr. Grattan faid, that doubts certainly had gone abroad, as to what was the right and authority of the house in administering oaths, and thefe doubts ought to be cleared up by adopting fome certain refolution on the fubject. Unless the houfe had a privilege of enquiry upon oathany enquiry at all would be wholly ufelets.

He remembered the houfe fince he had come into parliament, had exercifed this privilegeGentlemen longer in the houfe than he was, might recollect a very refpectable magiftrate of Dublin, to have constantly attended that hoult, and having a feat appropriated for him, for the very purpose of being ready to administer affida vits under the orders of the houfe. The question therefore he thought should be decided, and the public not to remain impreffed with the idea, that the houfe of commons was not poffèfled of fuck privilege.

Mr.

Mr. Pelham withdrew his previous question, but moved an amendment to Mr. Hoare's motion, that the words" Refolved that it is now neceffary to declare," be prefixed.

Mr. Hea e then withdrew his first motion, and propofed another, refolving " That it is the undoubted right, and has been the conftant ufage of the house of commons of Ireland to examine

witneffes in the most folemn manner, and to delegate the fame power to their committees: and that any magiftrate refufing to attend this houfe or its committees, and to adminifter an oath by their order, is guilty of an high contempt and breach of privilege."-He faid it was urged against him that he had not laid fufficient grounds for the houfe to proceed; he was to name the perfon who spoke the words and the place where they were spoken, and by a loud call of name! name! he faid the perfon was the lord high chancellor of Ireland, and the place where the words were spoken was the houfe of lords, and he called upon a noble lord near him, (lord Maxwell) who alfo heard the words, to bear teftimony of the fact. Here Mr. Hoare read the words as he had noted them.

Lord Maxwell being repeatedly called, rofe, and declared he heard these words faid by the noble lord as stated.

The right hon. W. B. Conyngham faid, no gentleman would be more forward than himself to affert the privilege of the houfe of commons, but he wished the house to avoid any precipitate measure, which might unneceffarily create divifions between both houses, and he should be forry to fee the house commence any proceeding in which it should not perfevere with dignity; befide, he would appeal to the house whether it could feel itself warranted to take any proceeding upon words loosely heard, and repeared at fuch a diftance of time from recollection, when fuch was the tenacity of the house of commons, that it never took cognizance of any words from any of its members deemed diforderly or improper, unless when the words were immediately taken down by the clerk, and then read to the member, and avowed by him.

Mr. Speaker was repeatedly appealed to touching the queftion of privilege, and the point of order, whether a previous question would be allowed to fuperfede the prefent motion?

With respect to the former he wished to have gentlemen's opinion fully on the fubject before he fhould give his own; and in refpect to the latter he faid it was in the difcretion of the house. Many inftances might occur, wherein the rule fhould invariably and indifpenfably precede all others.

A houfe of parliament, he did not fpeak of this houfe, might involve itself in very ferious difficulties. There were many inftances in which houfes of parliament had acted otherwise, and fuffered the order of the day to precede a question of privilege.

Mr. Tighe did not know exactly what was the question before the house, though he faw there were two objects:-one the adjustment of the privilege of adminiftering oaths, and the other, the vindication of the privileges of that house. He agreed with the right hon. member who just fat down, that the houfe ought to proceed with maintaining its dignity with firmaefs, and punifhing the violation of its privileges; and that a most audacious attack upon these privileges had been made by the lord chancellor in the houfe of lords, as fpeaker of that houfe.

Sir Henry Cavendish rofe to fay a few words to order, but not to call the hon. member to order; the question was on the privileges of that houfe, and ought to be difcuffed only in the hearing of its own members.

The houfe was ordered to be immediately cleared of all strangers, and continued in warm debate till eleven o'clock, when it adjourned.

[Of what followed after the gallery was cleared, we cannot be expected to give any authentic information, we can only fay, therefore, that we have heard it reported, that the motion for the order of the day was carried against Mr. Hoare's refolution, but with an almot unanimous declaration that the house would take fome step forthwith to affert its privilege of examining on oath, and that it feemed to be the general opinion, that the best method to do that was to inftruct one of their committees to examine in the moft folemn manner on oath, which would be at once åfferting the privilege, and carrying it into exe cution.] (To be continued.)

Elfe, why thefe groans, that ftrike my lift'ning ears, Thefe fighs unnumber'd, and thefe floods of tears!

O Death! fell tyrant, with relentless heart, Can nothing human blunt thy pointed dart? Could that pure frame no mercy find from thee, Which ev'n an angel may with envy fee? Muft ev'ry grace that flies on virtue's wing, Thus fall an early victim to thy sting? Ah you, who knew Maria, mult deplore, That the is gone-and gone to come no more. Yet top! Religion, with an afpect bland, Near fage Reflection takes her sober stand; Aaaa2

And

And thus the fays, or feems at least to say,
"Ceafe, icle grief, and wipe your fears away;
Much greater caufe of heart-felt joy have you,
Were but the ways of Providence in view.
When Heav'n designs a fav'rite foul to make,
What nice materials doth the wifely take!
She forms a cafket of the taireft mould,
In earthen frame, more precious far than gold:
She culls each virtue of the noblest kind,
That ever deck'd an all-accomplish's mind:
Thefe the unites and joins in focial band;
(A perfect model from fo great a hand.)
But left this work, fo exquifitely fair,
Her fondeft hopes and her peculiar care,
On rocks or quickfands fhould be calt away,
Too fondly anxious the cuts fhort its ftay,
And takes it early to the realms of day.
Thus has Heav'n acted towards her fav'rite child,
Her fweet Maria, lovely, meek and mild;
On Seraph's wings the pierc'd the azure sky,
And triumphs now with kindred fouls on high.
Then you, who knew Maria, weep no more,
You loon must follow-the's but gone before."

W.

}

The Boar and the Afs. A Fable: verfified from

A

Ajop.

Qui vult capere capiat.

GILDED Afs (if I may say)
Who could in city fashion bray,
Thought he poffefs'd of wit a store,
And with'd to pafs for having more.
Once in a dictatorial fit,

He thought to thew his attic wit:
Perfuaded that he was no clown,
He fmartly tuck'd his flowing gown;
And thus addrefs'd a rustic Boar,
Who never faw his phiz before:

You brifly ruftic, let me know,
What in this place you have to do?
You want to país for pert and witty,
But clowns like you difgrace the city.
Look fmart-hold up your head and fee
How all the graces thine on me.
'Pon honour, otherwife I fay,
You ne'er again fhall pafs this way."
The Boar enrag'd his whiskers hook
And caft at him an angry look ;
Advanc'd a step in fcornful pride,
And thought to goar his worship's fide-
But then, he check'd his rifing rage;
And thus addrefs'd the long-ear'd fage:
"No-never fhall it here be faid,
That by a Boar an Afs was bled:
Nor friends, nor foes shall ever say,
A Boar was angry at your bray:
Nor fhall my tusk polluted be

By fuch mean blood as runs in thee.
No-Caitiff vile, you'll always país

For what you are--a braggart Afs.
But mark th' advice may do you good-
And fave your robes from Afs's blood:
Be fure you never➡ncver more
Prefume to ven a quiet Boar."

C.

MR. EDITOR.

SIR, Having been lately favoured with a vifit from the Parnaffian ladies, or having felt the influence of Queen Mab; who in one of her nocturne excursions took my pericranium in her way, and (by the influence of her magic-wand) caufed me to dream something of that kind. Which, has been the cause, I cannot fay; bot the effect has been, that I have commenced rhymer; and in confequence, have taken the liberty of fending you, one of my first pro. ductions in that way, entitled The Moonlight Ramble; in order that I may with more cer tainty afcertain, whether I had better give way to, or difcourage the inclination; for as I do not confider the partiality of my friends, as a true criterion to judge by, I have ventured to expofe it to the view of the candid and impar tial public.

If I am favoured with any marks of encourage. ment, I shall venture to communicate to you, fome more of my lucubrations, which I have already written, or have in petto; when I fhall perhaps declare myfelf, but in the mean time thall fubfcribe myself, SIR,

Yet the planets, and thofe of dimensions more

large,

(As they seem to terreftrial eyes,

I, like you, love to fpert in the moon's filver fheen,

Befide this bright rivulet fo clear;

charge;

But to outshine the other each vies. Gently mov'd by the breeze floats each bright

argent cloud,

High upheld in the atmosphere clear,

And the zephyr fcarce ventures to whifper fo

loud

As that's found might be caught by the ear, But still and ferene all around!-For rude noise At this hour is confined to the town; Where the vot'ries of Foily purfuing falfe joys, In riot their fenfes now drown.

Oft fuch scenes in yon caftle, that mouldering ftands,

Unroof'd by Time's keen-temper'd fcythe, Have been witnefs'd, when chieftains from neighb'ring lands

To the banquet repair'd all fo blithe; Where fweet minitrels arrang'd in the wide fpacious hall,

With bright arms and trophies hung round, And rich banners of daring invaders the spoil;

With their frains made the high roofs refound. Now with loud fongs of triumph the warriors

they fire;

And with ardour each burns for the fray; At the head of their legions, in martial attire,

To force their proud foes to give way. But whither now Fancy? reftrain thy bold wing! And leave fuch rude fcenes far behind; All thy powers exert, in trains milder to fing

The bright scene that now charms my mind. With me now defcend to the translucent ftream, Befide it's clear waters to ftray,

Or reclin'd on its banks, to indulge thy fond dream,

Or attend to sweet Philomel's lay.

Whofe ftrains greet the car, fo melodious and Sweet,

From the dark fhade of yonder tall grove; Where at this peaceful hour, the delights for to fit,

And fing the foft pleasures of love. Ev'ry object teems now with fome other to vie, To pleafe and delight my calmed foul! E'en the fish in the ftream now in frolic leap high, And mild pleasure poffeffes the whole. See! the moon-beams defcend in a filvery cloud, On the foft-gliding water to play.

And hark!-in the air-clear, harmonious and loud,

Wild mufic is heard for to ftray.

Say from whence does it come ?-'tis from yonder green banks.

See! the fairies defcending, advance

To the verge of the ftream, all in gay fhining ranks,

In the moon-fhine to play and to dance. Sport away ye bright elves, now in frolic fo gay, I your pattime shall never annoy;

But to foothe me now let your wild inftruments play;

Such iweet mufic fure never can cloy?

I feen,

Your (weet mufic has oft charm'd my ear. If a mortal 'mongst your fprightly bands you'd admit,

To you I'd much love to refort,

And amidst your gay circles, enjoy your bright wit,

Your arch frolics, and your lively fport. But why now in fuch hafte your short revels you end,

And retreat as if ftruck with furprize? Have I been too intrufive? or do I offend By my prefence, your delicate eyes?

Ha! I find now the caufe. See! behind yon dark cloud

Fair Cynthia retires with her beams; And the breeze, chang'd from whispers, to murmurs more loud,

Begins for to ripple the ftreams.

Ev'ry object betok'ning a change in the fcene,
Warns me to retreat tow'rds home;

Yet thy banks, thou clear ftream! I'll oft vifit

again,

By thy murmuring waters to roam.

Now tow'rds home I proceed, to avoid the cold

damp,

As the clouds threat a fprinkling show'r; And fee! how the glow-worm lights up her bright lamp,

And lends me her luminous power! But 'tis quickly eclips'd; for again a bright gleam, From yon filver-lin'd cloud is thot forth, Which foon puts out poor Cicindela's weak beam, Of but small individual worth.

From Diana's fair face quick the clouds are withdrawn,

They no longer her vifage conceal; Again o'er the landicape the deigns for to dawn, And her chafte beauties all to reveal.

Το

my view now the ruin'd old Abbey appears, Covered over with ivy fo green; Where at this filent hour, (as each ruftic declares,) White rob'd fpirits have often been feen; The monks, and the virgins of earlier times, (As each village grandam can tell ;) Who renouncing the world, its follies and crimes; Us'd, when rous'd by the folemn-ton'd bell, Through the dim-lighted aifles to the chapel repair,

In proftrate adoration to join,

And with fervent devotion, to fend up the pray'r
To the heavenly powers divine.
Now through the church-yard lies my folitary

way,

Through which oft on ev'nings I've been led, And amongst the cold tombs, pafs'd many hours away

In mufing converfe with the dead. Lo! now Superstition's blanch'd forms appear! Look yonder against the old wall!

Where the goats crop the ivy, to them hell fo dear,

And on hind-legs appear now fo tall.

How