The Rolliad, in Two Parts. George Ellis
the reader has too, if he ever knew them. However, I can assure him of the fact.—Mr. Collick, the Witness-General of Sir Cecil Wray, is a Hair-Merchant and Justice of Peace. Sir Cecil’s taste both for Poetry and Small-beer are well known, as is the present unfinished state of his newly-fronted house in Pall-Mall.
[4] “This appears to be the last hair in the tail of procrastination” The Master of the Rolls, who first used this phrase, is a most eloquent speaker. See Lord Mulg. Essays on Eloquence, Vol. II.
[5] Mr. Ridgway tells me, he thinks there is something like these words in one of the Reviews, where the ROLLIAD is criticised.
SHORT ACCOUNT
OF THE FAMILY OF THE
ROLLOS, now ROLLES, FAITHFULLY EXTRACTED FROM THE RECORDS OF THE HERALD’S OFFICE.
JOHN ROLLE, Esq. is descended from the ancient Duke ROLLO, of Normandy; ROLLO passed over into Britain, anno 983, where he soon begat another ROLLO, upon the wife of a Saxon drummer. Our young ROLLO was distinguished by his gigantic stature, and, as we learn from ODERICUS VITALIS, was slain by Hildebrand, the Danish Champion, in a fit of jealousy. We find in Camden, that the race of the ROLLOS fell into adversity in the reign of Stephen, and in the succeeding reign, GASPAR DE ROLLO was an Ostler in Denbighshire.—But during the unhappy contests of York and Lancaster, William de Wyrcester, and the continuator of the annals of Croyland, have it, that the ROLLOS became Scheriffes of Devon. “Scheriffi Devonienses ROLLI fuerunt”—and in another passage, “arrestaverunt Debitores plurime ROLLORUM”—hence a doubt in Fabian, whether this ROLLO was not Bailiff, ipse potius quam Scheriffus. From this period, however, they gradually advanced in circumstances; ROLLO, in Henry the VIIIth, being amerced in 800 marks for pilfering two manchetts of beef from the King’s buttery, the which, saith Selden, facillime payavit.
In 7th and 8th of Phil. and Mar. three ROLLOS indeed were gibetted for piracy, and from that date the family changed the final O of the name into an E. In the latter annals of the ROLLOS now ROLLES, but little of consequence is handed down to us. We have it that TIMOTHY ROLLE of Plympton, in the 8th of Queen Anne, endowed three alms-houses in said town. JEREMIAH his second son was counted the fattest man of his day, and DOROTHEA ROLLE his third cousin died of a terrible dysentery. From this period the ROLLES have burst upon public notice, with such a blaze of splendour, as renders all further accounts of this illustrious race entirely unnecessary.
EXTRACT FROM THE DEDICATION OF THE ROLLIAD. AN EPIC POEM, IN TWELVE BOOKS.
When Norman ROLLO sought fair Albion’s coast,
(Long may his offspring prove their country’s boast!)
Thy genius, Britain, sure inspir’d his soul
To bless this Island with the race of ROLLE!
Illustrious ROLLE! O may thy honour’d name
Roll down distinguish’d on the Rolls of fame! Still first be found on Devon’s county polls! Still future Senates boast their future ROLLES! Since of all Rolls which in this world we see, The world has ne’er produc’d a Roll like thee. Hot Rolls and butter break the Briton’s fast, Thy speeches yield a more sublime repast. Compar’d to thine, how small their boasted heat! Nor, mix’d with treacle, are they half so sweet. O’er Rolls of parchment Antiquarians pore, Thy mind, O ROLLE, affords a richer store. Let those on law or history who write, To Rolls of Parliament resort for light, Whilst o’er our Senate, from our living ROLLE, Beam the bright rays of an enlightened soul; In wonder lost, we slight their useless stuff, And feel one ROLLE of Parliament enough. The skill’d musician to direct his band, Waves high a Roll of paper in his hand; When PITT would drown the eloquence of BURKE, You seem the ROLLE best suited to his work; His well-train’d band, obedient know their cue, And cough and groan in unison with you. Thy god-like ancestor, in valour tried, Still bravely fought by conqu’ring WILLIAM’s side: In British blood he drench’d his purple sword, Proud to partake the triumphs of his lord: So you, with zeal, support through each debate, The conqu’ring WILLIAM of a latter date: Whene’er he speaks, attentive still to chear The lofty nothing with a friendly “hear,” And proud your leader’s glory to promote, Partake his triumph in a faithful vote. Ah! sure while Coronets like hailstones fly, When Peers are made, the Gods alone know why, Thy hero’s gratitude, O ROLLE, to thee, A ducal diadem might well decree; Great ROLLO’s title to thy house restore, Let E usurp the place of O no more, } Then ROLLE himself should be what ROLLO was before. }
CRITICISMS ON THE ROLLIAD.
* * * * *
NUMBER I.
“Cedite Romani Scriptores, cedite Græci.”
Nothing can be more consonant to the advice of Horace and Aristotle, than the conduct of our author throughout this Poem. The action is one, entire and great event, being the procreation of a child on the wife of a Saxon Drummer. The Poem opens with a most laboured and masterly description of a storm. ROLLO’s state of mind in this arduous situation is finely painted:
Now ROLLO storms more loudly than the wind,
Now doubts and black despair perplex his mind;
Hopeless to see his vessel safely harbour’d,
He hardly knows his starboard for his larboard!
That a hero in distress should not know his right hand from his left, is most natural and affecting; in other hands, indeed, it would not have appeared sufficiently poetical, but the technical expressions of our author convey the idea in all the blaze of metaphor. The storm at length subsides, and ROLLO is safely landed on the coast of Sussex. His first exploit, like that of Æneas, is deer-stealing. He then sets out in the disguise of a Sussex Smuggler, to obtain intelligence of the country and its inhabitants:
Wrapt in a close great-coat, he plods along;
A seeming Smuggler, to deceive the throng.
This expedient of the Smuggler’s Great-coat, we must acknowledge, is not quite so Epic, as the veil of clouds, with which Minerva in the Odyssey, and Venus, in the Æneid, surround their respective heroes. It is, however, infinitely more natural, and gains in propriety, what it loses in sublimity. Thus disguised, our adventurer arrives at the Country-house of Dame SHIPTON, a lady of exquisite beauty, and first Concubine to the Usurper HAROLD. Her likeness (as we all know) is still preserved at the wax-work in Fleet-Street. To this lady ROLLO discovers himself, and is received by her in the most hospitable manner. At supper, he relates to her, with great modesty, his former actions, and his design of conquering England; in which (charmed with the grace with which he eats and tells stories) she promises to assist him, and they set off together for London. In the third book Dame SHIPTON, or, as the author styles her, SHIPTONIA, proposes a party to the puppet-show; on the walk they are surprised by a shower, and retire under Temple-bar, where Shiptonia forgets her fidelity to Harold. We are sorry to observe, that this incident is not sufficiently poetical; nor does Shiptonia part with her chastity in so solemn a manner as Dido in the Æneid. In the opening of the fourth book, likewise, we think our author inferior to Virgil, whom he exactly copies, and in some places translates; he begins in this manner:
But now (for thus it was decreed above)
SHIPTONIA falls excessively in love;
In every vein, great ROLLO’s eyes and fame
Light up, and then add fuel to the flame!
His words, his beauty, stick within her breast,
Nor do her cares afford her any rest.
Here we think that Virgil’s “hærent