PIZARRO THE UNIVERSAL TOPIC! MR. EDITOR, [From the fame.] ASI am naturally fond of variety, and wish to pass, although by decent and not precipitate gradations, from one fubject to another, whether that fubject be of the amusing, the political, or the business kind, I am not well pleafed when I find the public determined, as it were, to ftand ftill and devote their whole attention to one thing only. I do not like to hear people fay, "Now we have got a fit fubject for conversation through the rest of our lives, let us defpife and forget every thing elfe." And yet, Sir, fomething very like this I have certainly heard fince the first performance of Pizarro; the very words may not have been expreffed, but as I have fince heard nothing but about Pizarro, it is but fair to conclude that the sentiment prevails. Now, Sir, I fhould really be glad to know how long this play is to engrofs our attention, or whether fashion, in fome evil hour of omnipotent fway, has not decreed that both at bed and at board, whether walking, riding, fitting, eating, or drinking, whether in town or country, in church and fynagogue, in the fenate or at the bar, we are to hold no conversation for the remainder of our lives unless about Pizarro. I fay, Sir, I really fhould be glad to know this; for although I am ready to allow all the merit due to this play in all its editions and translations, and as many more editions and translations as the admirers of Kotzebue, or the mutilators of Kotzebue, fhall in their great liberality be pleased to give us; and although I would not for the world throw out the leaft hint of disapprobation or exception to any one line or word that either Kotzebue, Mr. Sheridan, or any of the tranflators tranflators or mutilators aforefaid, have written or shall hereafter write; yet I own my failing: I do not like to be Pizarroed out of my memory and recollection in every company I enter, and every fociety I frequent. I fhall make no objection to Pizarro at Drury Lane, or in the bookfellers' fhops; but I do not like to meet him at the corner of every street, to fee him lurking among the dishes of the table, difputing or caufing difputes among the quidnuncs of the coffee-house, and following us not only to the doors, but half up the ailes of the churches. Yes, Sir, monotonously grievous as this is, if it were all, it were nothing to the giant ftrides Pizarro is taking to annihilate all subjects of conversation but himself. He marches through Germany, and Switzerland, and Italy, and in a moment obliterates the memory of the Archduke Charles, of Marthal Suwarrow, and General Moreau. In Egypt he combines with Sir Sidney Smith and that other hero, whofe name is easier to write than pronounce, Ghezzar Pacha, to annihilate Bonaparte; and as to France, he has really and truly rendered the affairs of the Directory and the Councils not worth talking about, compared to himself. Is fuch a monopoly of human attention to be tolerated? a monopoly compared to which, the Ireland-Shakespeare, or Shakespeare-Ireland, was a meteor which glided by me in a moment, with Edmund Malone and George Chalmers hanging at its tail; compared to which, the difpute about the author of the Purfuits of Literature took up no more time than the authorship of a halfpenny ballad or a Vauxhall fong generally occupies. This is a ferious confideration. I afk again, are we to be thus eternally Pizarroed out of all we ever knew or heard, all that is faying and doing, and has been faid and done in this wide world? Is the Royal Society, or the Antiquary Society, to have their la P 2 bours bours neglected, in order to afcertain the merits of Pizarro Is the Parliament to neglect all acts of their own making, for the five acts Mr. Sheridan has prefented to the public? Is the Bench of Bishops, converfant as they are in tranflations, to determine who has done moft juftice to the German dramatift? Are counties, cities, and corporations, to assemble and prefent petitions and remonftrances on the merits of Pizarro? Are the clergy to recommend Pizarro by a brief read in all churches and chapels? In a word, Mr. Editor, is Pizarro for ever to engage the attention, the thoughts, words, and actions of all people that on earth do dwell?" The diftreffes of an individual in fuch a cafe may, perhaps, appear trifling, and be laughed at; but I cannot help faying, that not being aware of the univerfal mandate to "fpeak nothing but what had Pizarro in it," I have lately got into fome whimsical fcrapes by attempting to direct the converfation to other topics. Indeed among my acquaintances I should give lefs offence by afking for money, than by putting a question that had no connexion with the dear Pizarro. The fact, however, is, that, having by fome means efcaped the general contagion, I flatter myfelf I am qualified to give a more impartial criticism on this celebrated play than many others; and as I have ever found your publication open to the advocates for both fides of a queftion, I shall now take the liberty to tell you exactly what I think; and this I hope to be able to effect, as far as human infirmity will permit, with the utmost candour, with all due deference to those who may differ from me, and without any of that authoritativeness, petulance, and pofitive affertion which are fo frequent in polemical writings; and I hope without any spark or atom of "hatred, malice, and all uncharitablenefs." Suppofing Suppofing, then, that Pizarro is to be the object of attention to all fucceeding ages, it does not appear to me, after due confideration of the matter, that it will lead to any very important difcoveries in the philofophy of chemistry. I really do not see how the much-contefted points refpecting the production of gas can be adjusted, even if the tranflators had done more juftice to the author. Nor can I conceive that our advancement in the healing art will be greatly promoted by placing Pizarro at the head of the College; for although the first four acts are but little altered by Mr. Sheridan, yet they throw no light on the doctrine of fever; and although Cora is made in the fifth to fing a bravura fong, it will not determine the rifing controverfy on the cow pox, nor decide whether the gout be always an hereditary disease. If we pass on to other branches of knowledge, we hall perhaps find that the univerfal topic is fomewhat deficient in most of them. We cannot, for example, acquire a certainty in hiftorical facts, when we fee that a hero who was privately murdered in one history, is publicly killed in our play.. Nor will our advances in geography, I am fore afraid, be greater under the reign of the monopolizing Pizarro, than when people ufed not to think it impertinent to mention such men as Vancouver, Péroufe, Parke, or Browne. With refpect to trade and manufactures, indeed, I am ready to allow that fomething may be done; but I unfortunately am none of thofe who confider making money as "the whole duty of man ;" and I remember the time when writers used to confult their fame, and managers refpect true tafte. But de mortuis, &c. It would be quite unneceffary to run round the circle of fciences, and point out to you exactly where Pizarro may or may not come in contact. Doubtlefs its annihilating influence may mount upwards and affect our aftronomical fyftem; and indeed from those beautiful inflated paragraphs with which the morning papers have been for fome time diftended, I already perceive, to ufe an old faying, "that there is fomething in the wind." But, leaving fcience out of the question for a moment, I wish, in the fame fpirit of candour which has hitherto animated my pen, to obferve, that, in my humble opinion, Pizarro will not affect the political ftate of Europe fo much as fome very refpectable teatables and crowded coffee-rooms have fuppofed. Suf`ficient time, I allow, it may be faid, has not been given; but three months are elapfed fince the appearance of this fweeping comet-tail, and yet I can fee no material change in the difpofition of the French council, nor, except the late victory gained by Marshal Suwarrow, have we as yet feen that it is likely to restore the ancient ftates of Italy. Nay, what I advance with more, yet I hope pardonable boldness, if we look nearer home, its effects are not proportionate to the univerfality of its fame. It has not fhortened. the number of taxes, nor the length of debates. Its influence upon religion and focial order is ftill deemed lefs than may be expected from a zealous and cordial co-operation of the allied powers. We know it did nothing at Raftadt; and, as fome think, there has been no privy counci! yet called upon the subject. But what is more in point, I have it from a confidential perfon in the office of Mr. Dundas, one of his Majefty's principal fecretaries of ftate, that in the whole train of preparation now making for a fecret expedition, the merits of Pizarro have not once been fubmitted to the Board. And now, Mr. Editor, if these things are fo, as I humbly conceive they will be found to be, let me, by way of conclufion, afk whether it will be worth while to eftablifh a chaos in the world of fcience and politics, with the exception only of Pizarro? Or may |