| Citation |
RNYG.782.059
26 Jan 1782:24 (556)
Phildelphia, January 19, 1782.
Mr. Rivington, The publication of the parody which I sent
you on the Temple of Minerva, an Oratorical Entertainment,
in your Gazette of the 5th instant, has occasioned no small
rump-us in this city. When it first arrived, almost every
one who had received a copy were fearful of being known to
have it in their possession, so that a sight of it was
obtained with great difficulty. Those who had perused it,
gave such extraordinary accounts of the contents as soon
excited a very general curiosity. Some wags, acquaintance
of the author of the original Oratorio, formed a plot for
making themselves a little merry on the occasion, at his
expence. . . [26 more lines, signed] M. G.
[rule]
From the Pennslvania Packet, January 17, 1782.
A true and faithful narrative of the adventures of a poor
unfortunate poet and musician, in his search after
Rivington's Royal Gazette, in the City of Philadelphia.
Written by himself.
(The second edition, with additions and emendation.)
"The more you stir, the more you st--k." [signed]
Sancho.
I had occasion to attend a gentleman on business at the
lower end of the town. I had not proceeded an hundred yards
from my house when I met a friend, who taking me by the
hand, very significantly asked, if I had seen the New York
Gazette of the 5th of January? I told him I had not. "That
is a great pity," said he. Soon after I heard a person
walking very quick, as if desirous to over take me; I turned
about, and saw another friend. "Pray sir," said he, "have
you seen Rivington's paper of the 5th?" "No, sir, I have
not, have you?" "No, I wish I had," A square farther, I
saw a third friend on the opposite side of the street: He
no sooner discovered me, but in spite of mud and dirt, came
tripping over; and without any consideration of the injury
his own cloaths had received, or any apology for
bespattering mine, accosted me . . . [17 lines]
"No, I wish I could see it; I have only heard of it; there
is but one in the city, and that is lost: I am told it is
more witty than Rabelais, more nasty than Swift, and more
vulgar than Tom Brown. Everybody has heard of it, few have
seen it--there is but one copy and that is lost."
[1 1/2 columns, purported to be Hopkinson's narrative of
his search for a copy of the satire on The Temple of
Minerva. He finds a newspaper being used as toilet paper,
thinks it is the right issue, and has it cleaned up.] . . .
He produced the news paper, and sure enough, there was my
own dear Temple of Minerva--my own dear Oratorio! which a
cursed Scotchman had not only sacrilegiously defiled, but
had compelled me to swallow the affront in the bargain. . .
[10 lines, soldier-servant suggests another try, and author
becomes enraged.]
This speech threw me entirely off my guard. I stamp't, I
swore, I rav'd. Hogarth's representation of the enraged
musician would afford but a faint picture of my looks and
behaviour. . . [14 lines]
[hand pointing right] The printer hopes his kind
Philadelphia correspondent (to whom he is greatly obliged
for this and other communications) will excuse him for not
inserting the author's most extraordinary confession, at
least for the present. He bears the author no more
resentment for his many witty sarcasms, and unprovoked
scurrilities, than the good humoured, honest, open hearted
Colley Cibber did the little, witty, waspish Pope, for
gibbeting him in the Dunciad. . . [26 more lines]
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